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There is no denying that Ric Flair is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, despite him arguably wrestling for far too long, as he only just wrestled his last match in the year of 2022 at the age of 73. Two decades prior, at the age of 53, there was a belief even back then that Flair was perhaps well past his best, especially since he had been at the top of his game for many decades prior to that. Flair had this thought process too, more-so than anyone else, but it was a rivalry against The Undertaker that brought him back to his best.
Ric Flair Returned To The Ring After Nearly A Year Absence
Back in 2001, Flair was still wrestling in WCW as one of their top names, with him even wrestling on the very last episode of Nitro against one his greatest ever rivals, Sting. Following WWE’s purchase of WCW, Flair would take a break from wrestling before returning to WWE eight months later in an on-screen authority role, rather than an in-ring performer. Flair’s first major feud would be against Vince McMahon, with that leading to his first match in nearly a year.
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It was contested in a Street Fight at the 2002 Royal Rumble show, and whilst it was enjoyable for what it was, it wasn’t anything too special, especially with McMahon not being the best wrestler in the world. In terms of confidence, it likely wasn’t a performance that would convince Flair that he still had it, particularly with him now being in his 50s. For most loyal WWE fans, they may not have seen Flair compete for quite a while, perhaps even not since 1991 when he was in WWE, so those watching would have had no reason to think that Flair was still capable of being a top level competitor.
Ric Flair And The Undertaker Feuded Ahead Of WrestleMania 18
Then came his feud with The Undertaker in the build up to WrestleMania 18. With Flair being the co-owner of WWE, he was enraged by The Undertaker interfering in The Rock’s match. When Undertaker and The Rock battled at No Way Out, it was Flair’s turn to interfere, costing Taker the match by hitting him with a lead pipe. This led to them being booked in a showdown at WrestleMania, although it took a while for Flair to accept the match in storyline.
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Due to not competing regularly, Flair didn’t want the match, but Undertaker attacked several members of the Flair family, notably his son David, along with Arn Anderson too. Eventually, Flair accepted the match, setting up what was a dream match on paper between one of WCW’s biggest names, and one of WWE’s, but thankfully the Invasion storyline was over, so this one could become personal. Flair would sacrifice his duties as an authority figure in order to take this match, adding importance to it.
However, in the lead up to this bout, Flair was not confident behind the scenes. He had a huge amount of self-doubt and a lack of confidence going in, believing that he wasn’t the same performer he was in the past, and wouldn’t be able to live up to the occasion, with Bruce Pitchard detailing this on his podcast.
Ric Flair Gained Back His Confidence Following His Match Against The Undertaker
The match itself was great, with the pair dishing out each of their greatest hits. The no disqualification stipulation certainly helped to make it more bloody and intense, but it was their character work and psychology which ensured that this was a strong showing. Notable moments in their match included Arn Anderson running out and delivering a huge spinebuster to The Undertaker, but that didn’t keep him down. Eventually, Undertaker found a way to defeat Flair, and whilst it was clear that Flair was a little hesitant at the start, he gradually eased into the match and became himself by the end.
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In an interview with Wrestling Inc, Flair stated that ‘Undertaker carried him,' but despite that, the match was still strong. Following the match, Flair would thank The Undertaker for helping him through the match to the point where he once again managed to find his confidence, reassuring himself that he was in fact Ric Flair, one of the greatest of all time. From that point on, Flair returned to more regular in-ring action, battling many big names over the next year including Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, and several more, continuing his WWE run until 2008. This likely wouldn’t have happened without him having such a good run without his feud against The Undertaker, in which he proved how good he still was.
