Csonka’s Best of WWE Ric Flair’s Best WWE Matches Review

Csonka’s Best of WWE: Ric Flair’s Best WWE Matches Review

– This aired on FS1.

– Matt Camp from the Bump hosts, and welcomes us to the show.

From WrestleMania XX – Evolution vs. the Rock & Mick Foley: Flair and Rock start the match as Rock hits a back drop; Flair bails to the outside and hits a cheap thumb to the eye, but Foley attacks Flair from behind. Flair tags in Orton. After a stare down Rock tags in Foley. Orton quickly bails to the outside as Foley chases, knocks Orton into the Smackdown announce table before tossing him back into the ring. Foley hits the elbow for two. Rock and Batista tag into the match. Batista overpowers Rock, but Rock manages to make the tag to Foley who goes for the double arm DDT, but Batista overpowers him into the corner. Foley reverses and beats Batista down to the mat, Foley does the “bang bang” and goes for the knee charge, but Batista gets up and counters it with a huge clothesline. Batista tosses to the outside, where Orton and Flair do a double team. Orton rolled Foley into the ring steps as Batista officially tags Orton into the match. Orton now dominates Foley in the ring before tagging in Flair. Foley finally manages to battle back with strikes, but as Foley tries to go for the tag, Flair trips Foley up, which gives him just enough time to tag in Orton who now begins to work over Foley. Orton locks in a sleeper, but Foley elbows out as Orton quickly tags in Batista who now hammers over Foley. Foley locks in the mandible claw, but Orton gets in the ring and kicks Foley in the head causing him to break the hold. Batista then tags in Flair, who whips Foley into Evolution’s corner for a beat down before tagging in Batista. Foley hits a swinging neck breaker out of nowhere as Foley climbs over and attempts to go for a tag, but ends up in a double down with Batista. Foley tries to crawl over and make a tag, but Batista tags in Flair first. Flair whips Foley into Rock’s corner, where Foley finally makes the hot tag as Rock cleans house of Evolution. Rock then does a People’s Elbow to Flair! Flair tags in Orton, but Rock hits the Rock Bottom! Rock goes for a cover but Flair pulls Rock out of the ring. Flair goes for a chair, which distracts the referee. Batista hits a sit-down powerbomb on The Rock for 2. Foley tags in and goes for the Socko claw on Orton, but Orton hits the RKO OUTTAMOWHERE and covers for the win. Evolution defeated the Rock & Mick Foley @ 17:00 via pin [****] I seriously love this match, I think that not only is it great, but it’s just tremendously fun. You get Rock coming back, having a blast working with Foley, the fun of Flair & Rock interacting, Orton & Batista growing into stars, the continuation of Foley & Orton leading to that awesome backlash match and t all happening AT MANIA in MSG. Some people have claimed it plays the hits a bit too much, but when they play to the hits here, it’s playing to the crowd and just works.

From WrestleMania 22 – Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Ric Flair vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Matt Hardy vs. Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley: I really enjoyed this match. The MITB deal was something I didn’t think they should do so quick again, but I was very glad that it came off so well. This match was so odd because of who was involved, but that was also part of the match’s charm I believe. Shelton once again did some amazing things, as I believe he was part gazelle! He did a variation of the previous year’s run off the ladder spot that cemented him as a favorite among many people, as well as spring boarding into the ring onto the ladder with ease. RVD and Hardy did their parts as you would expect, Finlay was the tough bastard and Flair was Flair. The crowd was very into him, and when they ran the injury spot the crowd seemed very concerned. When he did return, the crowd popped huge and Finlay had the greatest look on his face, like “you mother fucker, how DARE you come back” and then they brawled to the crowds delight. Lashley looked out of his element, this is his first ladder match, but his part was ok, he didn’t hurt the match in any notable way. In the end, RVD, Shelton and Hardy brawled and RVD kicked their ladder sending them to the floor, in which Hardy took a scary bump & RVD got the huge win. RVD won @ 12:30 [***¾]

From WrestleMania 24: Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair: I know we were all hoping for a good match, but I had very high expectations. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania doesn’t disappoint, and I had this feeling that with Shawn out there, his family in attendance and the go for broke feeling one last time, the Nature Boy, RIC FUCKING FLAIR would walk that isle and do what he has done better than anyone for the last 35-years. They started out with some grappling and Flair looked like he was game right away. Flair got to do the press off the top to HBK and then not only did he go up top, but he got to connect with a cross body. I marked out. HBK would send Flair to the floor and then almost kill himself as he would miss the Asai Moonsault to the floor, and ate the Raw announce table. That had to suck. Flair would go to work, hitting the butterfly suplex and chopping the life from HBK. They later did a moonsault spot from the top rope to the floor, which only grazed Flair. Some people threw a shit fit right away, but I was still digging the match as HBK was bringing Mr. WrestleMania to Flair. HBK looked to have the match in hand as he made his signature comeback, but he would pause on the superkick and Flair scoped the legs and locked in the figure four, and the crowd popped! HBK would escape, only to get caught in it again. After turning the hold Flair would release it, he strutted and looked in control until he ate a superkick out of nowhere. He would then tune up the band, but Flair was down. He tried to pick him up, and then the dirtiest player in the game went into survival mode and low blowed HBK. Flair would use a roll up with the tights and an eye poke to try and win, but HBK kept fighting. They started exchanging chops again, and again out of nowhere HBK nailed another superkick on Flair. Shawn went to the corner to tune up the band, but the look on his face told you it as the last thing that he wanted to do. Flair would get to his knees and tell Shawn to do it, knowing that he had given his all and that this was the end. Shawn looked at Flair and said… “I’m Sorry, I love you.” HBK then threw the superkick, pinned Flair, immediately hugged him after the bell rang and Flair is crying as he lay there, knowing that it is over. Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair @ 20:25 via pin [****] People in the crowd were crying, Flair’s family was crying; I venture a bet that a large number of the boys backstage were crying and hell, I shed a tear. Flair meant so much to my personal fandom, and I don’t think they could have done the match better. The crowd is great here, they knew Flair was losing, but wanted to believe one last time. One or two small missteps do not matter here; this is possibly one of the most emotional matches I have ever seen and a fitting (WWE) send off for Flair and that is why I loved this. HBK was amazing and Flair was enough Flair to deliver.

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 115. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka & Steve Cook break down the news of the week and then review NXT vs. AEW (5.13.20) & NWA Super Powerrr! The show is approximately 113-minutes long.

* Intro
* News Roundup: 3:51
* NWA Superpower (5.12.20) Review: 41:40
* AEW (5.13.20) Review: 56:55
* NXT (5.13.20) Review: 1:21:25
* The Head to Head Comparison: 1:45:10

* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

This was a special that I didn’t know how they would handle. The vast majority of Flair’s best work is outside of WWE, and the greatest WWE stuff is either too long (the 92 Rumble), or too bloody (vs. HHH & Orton and even that wild WWECW TV match he had) to be featured here. Overall, the Best of WWE: Ric Flair's Best WWE Matches was a really enjoyable watch as we get the novelty of Flair in a MITB match, that Evolution vs. Rock & Sock tag fucking rules, and the HBK match to close it out feels right.