Ric Flair - The Definitive Collection

A ‘true wrestling icon’

The term wrestling icon seems to be thrown about with little regard these days, and even I as a reviewer sometimes can be drawn in to a debate over which man has meant more to the industry, or who has put on the best matches. But one name I will constantly mention is Ric Flair. Without a doubt he is wrestling royalty, and it is apt for a DVD to give viewers a taste of his illustrious career.

WWE: Nature Boy Ric Flair - The Definitive Collection is a three-disc set chronicling the life and legacy of the legendary athlete that was inducted into the Hall of Fame on March 29 of this year and entered retirement a day later. It's quite a feat that Flair has entertained millions of wrestling fans for well over thirty years with his outspoken antics, cheap shots, and flamboyant wardrobe, all the while holding his own as an athlete without breaking down in his twilight years of his career.

The main feature of this set is a two-hour biography of Ric Flair, both in the ring and outside it. The portion is packed with highlights from Flair’s wrestling days, interviews with his family and friends, both living and deceased, and gives an insight to the man behind the Nature Boy moniker. He also touches briefly on the wrestling business in general, and without going too deep into the water, also comments on topics such as kayfabe (keeping things to appear as they are real) and politics, a rarity for World Wrestling Entertainment DVD’s.

A back story regarding the wrestler is all well and good but for the majority of the time fans are buying the DVD for its matches and/or promos, and this collection doesn’t disappoint as it includes ten matches, spanning from the early 80’s right up until his Wrestlemania 24 match this past March against Shawn Michaels.

The overall match selection is very good, although there may be the odd bicker about a certain match not being present, and it covers all his greatest feuds and rivals. You can relive Flair taking on legends like Jack Brisco, Kerry Von Erich, Harley Race, Sting, Terry Funk, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and even Triple H. Also included is a tag-team match with his legendary ‘stable’ the Four Horseman.

In terms of audio-visual quality some of the 80’s era footage is noticeably grainy, but is to be expected of the time and place where some of the matches were shot. The audio only includes a simple English Dolby Digital 2.0 track, which is suffice enough without being too flashy.

Like him or loathe him, no one can detract the blood, sweat and tears Flair has put in to his career. From the depths of his potentially crippling airline crash he slogged his way to the top of the wrestling business, and this DVD does a sufficient job of telling and showing the Ric Flair journey.