Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

This past Sunday I went to a friends house to stay up past 12 to watch Wrestlemania XXIV on Sky Box Office PPV. I really wanted to see this event as it happened, not for the Big Show/Floyd Maywether "match", not for the triple threat match featuring John Cena, Triple H and Randy Orton, certainly not the Bunnymania match, not Edge/Undertaker and not even the Money in the Bank ladder match, it was really for one match only - THE NATURE BOY RIC FLAIR vs SHAWN MICHAELS in a career threatening match (for Flair).

Whilst the match wasn't neccesarilly a ***** classic, the match had it all drama, near finishes, signature moves, one sick bump involving Shawn Michaels moonsaulting onto an announce table. In the end, Michaels finished off Flair with the Sweet Chin music - but not before mouthing the words "I'm Sorry... I love you" to Flair, then like that Ric Flair's 35 career was over... he stayed in the ring as the crowd cheered for him and he hugged his family...

I also stayed up late the next night to watch Monday Night Raw live, which the finish saw Ric Flair standing in the ring thanking everybody including the fans, before an whole bunch of wrestlers - past and presents, face or heel, came out and hugged and clapped for Flair - there was not a dry eye in the house.

Well it's certainly true to never say never in the world of professional wrestling. Ric Flair's retirement after an incredible 35 years is a day I knew would come but always kind of worried it would. Ric Flair, for the longest time as been one of my favourite wrestlers (and actually my lone favourite wrestler for some time).

He was there wrestling at my first ever live WWE event. He stole the show, the crowd loved him including parents who where not neccesarilly wrestling fans dragged by there kids enjoyed is in ring antics. The 1992 Royal Rumble which he entered number 3 and won (along with the WWF Championship) is still my favourite, favourite Royal Rumble of all time, and I still watch it regularlly (thanks to it's inclusion on the great Ultimate Ric Flair Collection).

Thank you for all the hours of entertainment, Ric.