Reflections of Ric Flair

This weekend is Wrestlemania Weekend and Orlando is buzzing with various appearances at local Walmarts, Best Buys, FYE's, Border's Bookstores, and local libraries. However, this morning our TV station had an interview with the legend, the Dirtiest Player in the Game, The Nature Boy Ric Flair.
I was excited. Many people at the TV station were excited for me (most of them knew I am a huge wrestling fan/in training) and were asking me questions about the 16 time world champion. Like the nerd I am, I answered accurately and gave the anchors some talking points for the interview.
Flair, like the persona of excess and class he portrays, arrived in a limo. The anchors both stated "wow, he must be well off." I replied, "Yeah, um, he's lost and made back more money then I'll ever imagine." He walked in during the middle of the show with two skinny guys that I assume were WWE public relations people. He calmly sat down and sipped on coffee that one of the PA's brought to him. Then we went to commercial and set him up for the interview.
Now if you have seen Ric Flair on TV, he does not portray a quiet, mild-mannered gentleman, but a rather boisterous, near-crazy man who you can't help but react to. During the interview, Ric took the time to mention how this weekend was the most important in his career with being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and having his (possibly last) match on Sunday. He even said, "I'm sorry if I'm being low key, but I've got a lot going on in my mind right now."
During the commercial break, a flood of people appeared out of nowhere for autographs and pictures. He patiently and gratefully posed for every photo and spoke to every person. My supervisor (who is nine sorts of awesome, by the way) took me by the arm, made a beeline toward him, and shot the photo you saw above. I got an autographed photo and was able to share a few words with The Man. I told him how much I was looking forward to his match with Shawn Michaels this Sunday and that I appreciated how long he has entertained fans like me. He smiled and humbly said, "Thank you." I didn't want to take up too much of his time, so I thanked him again, shook his hand, and left it at that.
When I looked him in the eye and shook his hand, it told me everything that was going on. I saw fear and sadness. The rumors are true. The look in his eye said, "I'm retiring for good. Now what?" Flair has been wrestling on and off for over 30 years. This is it for him. His job is done. He's also afraid. People can look up on wikipedia and see that he's had some trials in life outside of his career, but that's not what he's afraid of. He's afraid of what to do with the rest of his life. Hell, the man has wrestled longer than I have been alive. He knows nothing else.
If I had the opportunity or the right, I'd say to him that there is life after wrestling. That he'd conquered every mountain in the wrestling business; his new challenge lies elsewhere. He has nothing to fear, nothing to be sad about. Enjoy the memories, Ric. After all, you are getting a proper send off, which is something most wrestlers don't get to experience due to their career being undermined by powerful political enemies in the industry, abrupt career-ending injury, or even death. Go to the ring one last time on Sunday, leave it all in there, and learn to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
I'll join in the inevitable ovation on Sunday after your match chanting, "THANK YOU, FLAIR!"





By the way, my awesome supervisor washed and put the coffee mug Ric drank from into my bookbag while I wasn't looking. Classic.