Ric Flair's Larger Than and Fully American Life

Reviewing "Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair."

I’m not one for nostalgia or schmaltz, and thus almost passed on Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair, as I didn’t need to relive my childhood. What a mistake that would have been.

The Cultural Impact of Flair and Pro Wrestling.

Decades before, “No one on the corner have swagga like us,” the man who invented drip was entertaining people across the world, even midwestern kids like myself. We knew that the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) was the only legitimate pro wrestling league. (My dad was able to take us to see the The Road Warriors once but we missed Ric Flair.)

Watches, cars, jets, and flexing on the broke boys are all from Flair.

He entered the ring to Also Sprach Zarathustra ffs.

Flair was the archetypal heel, and his antics influenced everyone from my generation.

“They start off hating you, until you entertain them so much that they love you.” - Ric Flair

A heel isn’t evil. That’s where people lose the plot. A true “bad guy” would be a serial killer or war criminal or someone truly awful.

Heels make you ask yourself whether the person is bad or good, and should it matter? That’s how you connect the audience to the entertainer. You cut through the fakery of a morality play.

Pro wrestling is the only honest medium today. In wrestling, nice people pretend to be mean, where as in media and politics, lowlifes pretend to be nice. At least the wrestlers are entertainers. Marks are the ones who keep being surprised that their favorite Congressperson or Senator stabbed them in the back again.

People love to hate you, and self-confidence triggers people more than any offensive jokes.

Woooooo! is a complete American story.

Hulk Hogan was the real American, and Ric Flair is the real American story.

Flair started off as an orphan, he was adopted, went through a troubled period in his teens, searched for meaning, had a rise, fall, and rise again.

Unfortunately the fully authentic American experience today means loss.

I don’t want to spoil the film, but when Flair’s son is introduced into the story, your instincts tell you where that arc is headed.

You see the glamour, which feels almost as real as if you grew up in the era, and the tragedy.

Flair’s emotions are opened up in a way that’s healthy for others to watch. You might even cry.

We watched it on Peacock, which produced the film.

If you grew up watching pro wrestling, you’ll love this. If you’re curious about why people love pro wrestling, you’ll be taken in. If you want to understand culture today, this is required study.