I was lucky enough to meet the "Nature Boy" at a wrestling convention here in New York when I was only 11. I always watched the NWA/WCW on TBS, but being a kid in New York, everything always revolved around the WWF and Hulk Hogan. Whether he acted the same to everyone or could tell how genuinely overwhelmed I was to see all of these wrestlers that I had watched on TV, he really seemed to go out of his way in the brief minute or two that I met him to make sure it was a memory I would never forget. He was a total class act. Two months later, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan met at a house show at MSG and for the first time ever, I was rooting against Hulk Hogan.

The other thing that keeps standing out for me about Flair isn't something he did, but what he made all of us fans think and feel these past few days. His hall of fame speech Saturday, his final match Sunday and his reaction afterwards, and his farewell Monday have clearly impacted and moved so many of us that for a few days the "fake" world of pro wrestling has seemed more real than it ever has.

Because of his love and passion for the business, all the memories he has given us over the years and all of the ups and downs we have shared with him, so many of us these last few days have wanted to show how much he has meant to the business and to us. I am very confident that no other wrestler, not Stone Cold, not Hulk Hogan or anyone else who may come later on, will deserve the sendoff Ric Flair got or will make fans feel how we have felt these last few days.

Jason
New York

***

I was lucky enough to see a taping of World Championship Wrestling at the old WTBS studios and get to see Ric and the Four Horsemen up close and personal, but there’s one moment I’ll always remember and cherish above all others.
 
I started watching wrestling when I was in Jr. High in the early '80s and I had a undying hatred for Hulk Hogan…and an equally great appreciation of Ric Flair.  So, when I was at a WCW Nitro show in Canton, Ohio on January 29, 1996, and found out I’d be seeing Flair vs. Hogan, I was worried. I didn’t want to see the despicable Hogan beat one of my all-time favorite wrestlers.
 
Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. Arn Anderson grabbed one of Miss Elizabeth’s shoes and handed it to the Dirtiest Player In The Game. Flair nailed Hogan in the eye with the high heel, and Flair covered him for the three count. The Hulkamaniacs around me were despondent, but I was elated, for I had just seen Ric Flair score a pinfall victory over Hulk Hogan.
 
Thanks for the memories, Ric!

Keith Young

***

I have been watching Georgia Championship wrestling since like 1980. I was 14 years old. I had lived in Seattle Wash. Don Owen's territory in the pacific northwest. Well I went to the weekly wrestling shows. After seeing Ric Flair on WTBS and then seeing he was going to be wrestling a very young Curt Hennig for the NWA championship, I had to go. My friend's family was a major player in selling tickets up in Seattle. I was at ringside sitting where the bad guys come out. 

The music hits and out comes Ric Flair. I am not more then two feet from him when he walks by. First time to see Ric and it was like meeting the president only better. Well Ric survived Curt Hennig that night in 1982. I was invited back to the locker room and sure enough there was Ric Flair. I was afraid to ask for his autograph since he was the bad guy. He walked over and said thanks for coming out to see him and he signed my autograph.

I was tongue tied. Not knowing what to say, so I let out a wooo!.  He smiled back and let out his wooo! A lot of great wrestlers out there but he took the time to interact with this 14 year-old. I have seen him about 10 times after that and now I'm 42 years old. Thanks for the great memories Ric. Like he said last night. we the fans are what made Ric Flair so great. But he was the one who put a smile on our faces.

Robert
Las Vegas

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