Sunday, August 30, 2020

Wooooo!

When I was a kid, I got a little caught up by the world of wrestling for a year or two. It was hard not to with the cast of characters back then. Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Jimmy Superfly Snuka, Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, Hacksaw Jim Duggan. The list goes on and on.

But one guy I just didn't understand was Ric Flair. 

I guess for most humble, small-town kids he simply wasn't a wrestler you'd gravitate toward, what with his braggadocio and expensive clothing and elaborate robes and all.

But over the past year or so I've added the first two cards to my wrestling card collectionHulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savageand it's caused me to take a look back at 1980s and 1990s wrestling as a whole. Seeing the entire picture now, as an adult, makes me think that Ric Flair was absolutely hilarious. And brilliant. 

I mean, take a typical wrestler's persona and then multiply it to the nth power. What do you get? 


You get Ric Flair. 

1991 Impel WCW #45, Ric Flair
 
You get exactly Ric Flair.

From his trademark "Woooo!" to his wheelin' and dealin' to this pre-match discourse of supreme confidence: 





It's perfect. 

I know, I know. It's goofy. And ridiculous. But it's also perfect. So I had to add the Ric Flair card you see above to my wrestling collection.

Here's to the man. I hope all of you add a "Woooo!" to your comments.

14 comments:

  1. Savage, Steamboat, Hogan, and Snuka were all part of the WWF generation I grew up watching as well. I'm guessing it was around the mid to late 80's... and I don't think Flair was there yet. But I do remember him in the WCW and I remember opening up packs of 1991 Impel back when I worked at my LCS.

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    1. If any trading card design can define that era, it's 1991 WCW Impel. It must have been fun working at a card shop back then, Fuji!

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    2. Yeah that border screams 90's. And it was a blast... although the last few months of working there, the owner stopped paying us. We eventually received a huge check on our final day of work.

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    3. Trying to imagine how many packs you must have bought and opened during your time there...

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  2. 1992 Royal Rumble - Best Rumble in history which is a large part of Ric Flair being Flair and Bobby Heenan being awesome on commentary.

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    1. Good tip, CrazieJoe. Might have to try to find some video clips online.

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  3. My sis and I loved The Fantastics and R&R Express back in the day. Never did like Flair but we never rooted for the bad boys.

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    1. Between CrazieJoe's tip and yours, I'll have enough wrestling clips to last me a while. Thanks, Julie!

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  4. I would also add that Rick Flair has the best Rick Flair hair of any man I've ever seen.

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  5. These 1980s and 1990s wrestling cards are gaining popularity again and costs are really starting to rise. WooooooO!

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    1. Finally, someone left a "Woooo!" in the comment section. Thanks, SumoMenkoMan!

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  6. Great card. That photos screams Ric Flair. Always enjoyed him and gained a greater appreciation as I've gotten older as well. Fun post.

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    1. Right? There are plenty of Ric Flair cards in the 1991 WCW set, but the picture on this particular card is worth a thousand words, isn't it?

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