Don' Cyrus' Callis's No Holds Barred column on SLAM! Wrestling
Flair back on TV is a no-brainer
By DON 'Cyrus' CALLIS -- For SLAM! Wrestling
As I sit at my laptop, I glance out my window and the world seems different. Better, in fact. Birds singing, sun shining, squirrels frolicking and, most importantly, yes, that's right, Ric Flair is back on television.
The world is now officially a better place.
I knew Flair was going to be making an appearance in his hometown of Charlotte, N.C., on Raw, but like millions of other fans I was looking forward to his appearance with anticipation not felt for many, many months.
The decision to bring in Ric Flair would, on the surface, seem to have been about the biggest no-brainer one could imagine. The buyout of his Time Warner contract would not have been anywhere near the range of Goldberg, and, unlike Goldberg, bringing in Flair guarantees success.
Flair proved once again Monday night that he is great for ratings, with Raw doing a 4.8, much better than previous weeks. The fact that Flair would pop a rating should come as a surprise to no one -- he was always good for ratings with the old WCW as well.
Flair brings something that the WWF needs right now -- excitement. Flair is one of those guys, like the Rock, who steps in front of a crowd or camera and creates instant electricity. The type of performer who can control a crowd with a look or gesture. His face-to-face with Steve Austin was one of the magic moments of WWF television during the past year and proved how two unreal talents can get more out of a look than others could ever hope to out of something physical.
NATURAL FIT
The Ric Flair mark in me wanted desperately to see Flair wrestle on Monday, but I know that is something that should be teased and planned for WrestleMania, where a match with Vince McMahon would seem a natural fit. Flair might just make Vince look like Ricky Steamboat.
The bottom line is that the man who is arguably both the greatest wrestler in history and the most charismatic man ever to set foot in a ring is in the WWF at a time when they need his very special kind of magic. For the second time in a year, Vince McMahon is getting a great angle handed to him. Hopefully, lessons have been learned from the Alliance angle and a year from now we will be reminiscing favourably about Flair's time in the WWF.
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