Ric Flair has always made “looking as only I can look” part of his Nature Boy shtick. At the aptly named Ric Flair’s Last Match event in Nashville on July 31, he lived up to that mantra by bleeding for the fans (literally) one final time.
Teamed with real-life son-in-law Andrade El Idolo, Flair took on Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in a tag team bout complete with a story that Jim Crockett Promotions had built up prior to the event: that Lethal, who grew up idolizing Flair, had trained him for his swan song but turned jealous when the Nature Boy denied him a place on the card.
As you might expect at age 73, Flair was a shadow of his iconic self, though he certainly hit as many of the high points fans would expect from him, including his famous chops and the corresponding “Whoo!” Lethal took some of the bumps Flair has turned into staples, particularly the flip up and over the turnbuckles.
A number of pro wrestling greats were on hand, including The Undertaker, Mick Foley and Bret Hart, who Flair stopped and spoke with after he managed to pin Jarrett.
You can check out highlights from Ric Flair’s final match and a bit of his subsequent speech thanking the fans in the video package above.
The match was by no means a classic, but was memorable nonetheless. A debate can certainly be had about whether Flair should have been cleared to compete in any capacity — he looked as if he could barely stand when the match ended — but fortunately, he appears to have come out of it no worse for the wear overall.
All that is to say this should absolutely be it for Flair, and no one should entertain any more “final” matches after this. At least he got to go out on something of a high note, in front of plenty of family and friends..
