Ric Flair

Richard Morgan Fliehr isn't what you'd Expect from a professional wrestler. A medical student at Minnesota University (his father was a doctor, his mother an actress), Flair dropped out college to train for the mat wars under legendary former AWA World champ Verne Gagne. He made his professional wrestling debut on December 10, 1972, wrestling "Scrap Iron" George Gadaski (real name: John Kosti) to a ten minute draw in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. After spending the first few months of his career with Gagne's Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club (which used the brand name "American Wrestling Association"), Flair moved on to Charlotte, North Carolina where he became a regular for Jim Crockett Promotions (a member of the worldwide sanctioning body known as the National Wrestling Alliance) under the direction of matchmaker (wrestling terminology for writer) George Scott.

Sued the estate of the pilot who caused his 1975 plane crash and won.

Ranked #2 in the "PWI 500" of the PWI Years (1979-1999) (Pro Wrestling Illustrated 20th Anniversary Special)

Was taken to court (along with fellow wrestler 'Wahoo McDaniel') in 1981 after the two wrestlers beat up several people in a bar fight.

In 1984 40,000 fans packed Texas Stadium to see him wrestle Kerry Von Erich at the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions, the 2nd largest live wrestling audience in U.S. history at the time.

Submitted to Ricky Steamboat's Double Arm Chicken Wing during a best of 3 falls match in 1989. It was the first time he submitted during a title match until, he lost the WWF Title when he submitted to Bret "The Hitman" Hart's SharpShooter, which resulted in Hart winning the World Title for the first time.

The movie Class Action (1991) shows archive footage of him battling Sting in a wrestling match.

Entered the 1992 Royal Rumble at #3, lasted over an hour, and ended up winning the vacant WWF Championship.

On April 29, 1995, in North Korea, Ric Flair wrestled Antonio Inoki in a match attended by 190,000 people. The number is believed to be the highest ever to attend a professional wrestling card.

In 1997, (then) Minnesota governor, Arne Carlson declared a one-day 'Ric Flair Day' in the state. A year later, in 1998, Minneapolis mayor Sharon Sayles-Belton proclaimed a one-day 'Ric Flair Day' in the city.

In April 1998, Eric Bischoff encouraged World Championship Wrestling into a lawsuit (for breach of contract) against him after a series of no-shows at events. He had been working without a contract since February and had refused to sign a new one, citing differences between the document and the terms he had previously agreed to work under. He later filed a suit of his own in response, but the matter was settled out of court - he returned to television in September 1998.

Briefly considered running for governor of North Carolina in 2000.

He became the WWE InterContinental Champion for the first time ever in his long and illustrated career when he defeated Carlito for the championship at Unforgiven 2005.

Inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006.