Tonight’s the night – possibly the last match for wrestling legend Ric Flair. It’s sure to be a night to remember. I’ve already opined about the cultural significance of Flair. Now all I can do is sit back and see what happens.
Here’s the Orlando Sentinel’s story about Flair’s induction into the Wrestling Hall of Fame and some words about his big match tonight:
Nobody wants this to be the end for Ric Flair. Not even Ric Flair.
After a crowd of 10,000 gave him a long standing ovation at his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame on Saturday night at Amway Arena, fans started screaming for him to keep his career going. Taking a moment to collect himself, Flair had an answer.
“I’m not gonna retire!” he screamed. “I’ll never retire!”
Then he belted out his trademark, “Wooooooooooo!” The crowd roared. On an emotional night featuring seven other inductees, fans waited until the end of the night to see their wheelin’ and dealin’ champ get his spot in the Hall.
Flair faces Shawn Michaels tonight at WrestleMania in a career-threatening match, one that many expect to be his last at Mania. But clearly the fans want more of Flair — just like they want to see more of Dwayne ” The Rock” Johnson.
When the former wrestler turned Hollywood superstar took the stage at the start of the festivities, he entered to chants of “Rocky! Rocky!” It was enough to think Johnson was getting the Hall honor.
But he was here to induct his father, Rocky Johnson, and grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia.
Johnson entertained the crowd, cracking jokes about former rival “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as fans chanted, “One more match!” Of course, Johnson delivered his famous phrase, “Can you smelllll what The Rock is cookinnnnnn’ ” and fans pleaded, “Please come back!” and “No More Movies!”
The former champion laughed. But after riling up the fans, he got serious, describing the profound influences his father and grandfather had on his wrestling career. High Chief Peter Maivia held different versions of the NWA Tag Team championship and trained Rocky Johnson.
Here’s a press release about the induction ceremony:
Ric Flair was among the seven wrestling legends honored at the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony held at the Amway Arena in Orlando, Fla.
A capacity crowd of more than 7,000 WWE fans and current WWE performers witnessed WWE Superstar Triple H® induct Ric Flair and Dwayne Johnson induct his father Rocky Johnson and his grandfather, “High Chief” Peter Maivia into the WWE Hall of Fame. Also enshrined were Eddie Graham, Mae Young, Gordon Solie and Jack and Gerald Brisco. Highlights of the event were broadcast on USA Network.
Previous inductees include Hulk Hogan, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Andre The Giant, Junkyard Dog, Vincent K. McMahon, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Bret “Hitman” Hart, among others. More information on the WWE Hall of Fame can be found at www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame.