Ric Flair: To Be the Man
by Ric Flair, Keith Elliot Greenberg
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Book Summary Information
Author: Keith Elliot Greenberg, Ric FlairEdition: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2004-07-06
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 352
Book Reviews of Ric Flair: To Be the Man
Book Review: Comparing or stand alone?
Summary: 4 Stars
I think reviews on this book will greatly vary depending on if the reader is going to compare it to other wrestling autobiographies or as a book about arguably the greatest performer in pro-wrestling. I reread this book with Ric Flair's imminent retirement coming up in mind. What we have here is Ric Flair (Richard Fleihr) relating his life in brief antecdotes and releasing some frustrations. This covers his life from birth to the formation of Evolution in 2004 (thus pre-road rage and Beth-divorce).
His controversial birth was very surprising and claims to have not even known his birth name (Fred Philips) until he started writing this book. His high school life and brief college experience began him on his life of debauchery and partying. He breaks into wrestling by training under Verne Gange and spends most of his early career with Mid South Wrestling, later going to Georgia Championship Wrestling, NWA, WCW, and WWF/E. He hides little in how he overspent and did everything to live the 'Ric Flair lifestyle' that he's known for - expensive clothes, all-night partying, and womanizer. There are countless anecdotes about his fellow wrestlers and the things they did.
Flair covers both fond and bitter memories. His respect for Ricky Steamboat and Sting abound. His rebuttal of Mick Foley is bitter and his personal friendship with Hulk Hogan dramatically changed once he helped get Hogan into WCW. He hides little in what he thinks of some of the other wrestlers (Bret Hart, Sid Viscious, pro & con of Dusty Rhodes, etc). His dispisal of Bischoff is great and takes up much of the latter part of the book. This treatment with Bischoff and the downfall of WCW affects Flair personally, causing him such great self doubt that he nearly quit the business and it took many years to regain his confidence to return to in-ring performing.
If you're a Flair fan, you will love this book. Comparing it to other similar books, you'll think it's good enough. It's a bit sporadic in the flow because it seems as though he throws in anecdotes as he remembers them. It could have been better organized and there's still topics I wanted more on. I would love to see a Top 10 style list of his favorite matches, opponents, and worst big matches. There's areas I'd like to have seen more on but there's plenty left for Flair to do a follow up book on after he retires. Unfortunately, this is a WWE published book so the praise he lays on McMahon, Triple H, HBK, and a few others seems tainted but there is a lot of respect shown to guys like Steamboat, Piper, Arn Anderson, Sting, Dusty Rhodes, and Undertaker.
Definitely worth reading and it's certainly among the better wrestling autobiographies out there. Lots of memories in this long career by feasibly the best in-ring worker & interviewer in the business.
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