Flair's final foe recounts the impact of 'Nature Boy'

ORLANDO, FLA. — Tonight's the night. Of course, it's Wrestlemania 24, but even more important is a match that could mark the finish of perhaps the most illustrious career of any performer in the history of the business.

Ric Flair puts his 35-year career on the line against Shawn Michaels in what is, for many, the most anticipated bout on the wrestling extravaganza known as "the granddaddy of them all."

Michaels, who has earned the monikers "The Showstopper" and "Mr. Wrestlemania" for his show-stealing performances on sports entertainment's biggest stage, has put his heartfelt thoughts into words for what looms to be the most emotional match of his career.

Here are Michaels' thoughts, in his own words:

This is the culmination of a 23-year odyssey for me.

I can remember, at the age of 16, sitting with my friend Kenny at Randolph Air Force Base and watching WTBS.

And the thing I remember the most is Ric Flair talking about fighting Harley Race for the NWA world heavyweight championship.

Every month there would be a different guy coming in and talking about that. We'd always wait until the next week to find out that that guy didn't win. I can remember Ric doing his promos and wondering if anybody would ever beat Harley Race. And if somebody did, I wished it would be this guy.

Ric Flair was my favorite, and I just loved him. But by this time, I had seen many times that these guys never beat him. And then the big surprise ... Ric coming out the next week with the NWA championship after beating Harley Race. I was like, "Holy Cow, it happened!" Back then, when the world championship changed hands, it was huge.

Unbeknownst to me at that time, Ric Flair had been kind of given the go-ahead to be the guy of the future. And at the time not knowing anything about the inside of the business, I was just able to enjoy everything he did and what he brought every week to my life from an inspirational standpoint.

I wanted so much to be a wrestler, and I decided that's the kind of wrestler I wanted to be. I wanted to be the guy who was just over the top and confident. Everything he embodied made me feel that the wrestling business was where I had to be and what I had to do and the greatest job a person could ever have. Everything Ric did just overwhelmed me.

Then it came to a time when I got into wrestling, and I knew by then that Ric Flair was, in my mind, the greatest wrestler, the greatest worker, that there ever was. And deciding if you're going to copy somebody, if you're going to be like somebody, pick the best. He was that guy.

From the day I got in wrestling to this day, I continue to pattern myself after him. I've tried to establish my own identity and my own distinctions, but the entire time knowing that the whole idea was to become a replica of Ric Flair. I tried to modernize it as times changed and images changed. I wanted to make sure I wasn't just a carbon copy. But you could see where all the fine points and all the best points came from. It was almost like building your own car, but knowing that you're going to make it from the very best imprint.

Then it got to getting to meet the guy and becoming his friend. That's when things sort of altogether changed. That's when it became personal. I went from a young boy who admired him and was inspired by him to a man who's honored to call him friend. And now, to be the guy that he's called upon, it's an honor that I just can't describe.

I've had to detach myself emotionally from it, because if I don't, I'll get very worked up and very emotional. The thing that hurts me about the business is the cynicism. It seems that nothing can just be plain and real and heartfelt anymore. And if it is, you've got every insecure Tom, Dick and Harry poking fun at you. But for Ric and I, at this point, everything is so real. It is such a condition of the heart and nothing more. I don't know if that will resonate to people or not. But it does to me and it does to him.

For me to be handpicked by the man who I was inspired by, the man who I consider to be a wonderful friend, is beyond what words can describe. For him to say, "I want you, I don't think anybody else can do the job better for me than you in my last one," it's amazing. I am so extremely touched, and I'm brought to tears every time I think about it. I've never in all my years in wrestling felt so much pressure to want to do the best I can. I've never gone into a Wrestlemania feeling insecure. I've never gone into a wrestling match insecure or not confident, or just not in my mind believing I can get this done. But I have with this one. I wonder if I can do justice and do it for the guy who deserves it.

I'm sometimes shocked and awed by the things that I've been a part of, but all of a sudden this comes, and it's like "Holy Cow." It's been an emotional roller coaster for the last couple of months. I've only spoken to a few people, but I've really had to put it all away in a box until it's over. I have no doubt that when it is over, there's going to be a wall that breaks down in me. It doesn't matter if the world sees it, but I'm just going to blubber like a baby because it's going to be hard to adjust from that point on.

It's been a weird sort of couple of weeks, because when I see Ric, I just have to detach myself and stay focused on the job. But when I'm allowed to drift off by myself and think about how much this means to me, it really is such an honor. Nothing could thrill me more than for him to say, "It was the greatest moment I ever had." He's had so many. Can I bring him the best one?

For me it is almost like a really old couple who have spent all their lives together. And when one of them passes, the other one sort of loses their will to live. And they go shortly afterwards. I have to be honest. For the first time, I am seriously considering that if Ric is gone, I shortly want to follow. It's the end of an era, and I'm part of that era. I just don't know that I even want to exist.

Note

Old School Championship Wrestling will hold a show April 6 at Weekend's Pub, 428 Red Bank Road, Goose Creek. Bell time is 6 p.m. Top bouts are Malachi and Mack Truck vs. Darkness and Roughouse Matthews, and The Nightmare Sixx vs. Hanz for the Universal title. Adult admission is $8; kids 12 and under $5. For more information, visit www.oscwonline.com or call 743-4800.

Reach Mike Mooneyham at (843) 937-5517 or mooneyham@postandcourier.com. For wrestling updates during the week, call The Post and Courier Info Line at (843) 937-6000, ext. 3090.