Ric Flair: Brilliant In Any Form

I was honored to be a guest on Anthony Valvo's (@TheMisterV) podcast this week on Wrestleview.com. When the new episode of "The Teacher's Lounge" is posted I'll be sure to put a link up here.


During the word association portion of the interview, I was offered up the name Ric Flair. What can you say about Flair that hasn't already been said? In my search for something original to say, I had to shill one of my favorite YouTube videos of all time.

What can you say to that? The only thing that comes to mind for me - "The Winnipeg Arena's gonna be on fire." Just engrave that one my tombstone right now.

A great thing about guys like Ric Flair is that the enjoyment for fans never ends. There's always something new to experience. I've spent hours watching old promos and matches from Flair on YouTube, and I don't consider it time wasted.

April 2, 2012 - It Begins

It's taken months to get to this point, but the launch of Fifty Matches That Defined The Decade (2000-2009) is finally upon us. The first match will be posted to this blog on Monday, April 2, 2012.


It made sense to wait until after WrestleMania. Competing with the WWE hype machine is pointless, and the coming weeks and months can be a slow time for wrestling fans. Hopefully, looking back on the first decade of the 21st Century will be an entertaining diversion, and something for you to look forward to.


This will not be a "countdown" (though I did rank the matches that I'm including in the list). Instead, the matches will be presented chronologically. This makes sense to me for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted this to be more about appreciating the matches themselves and their place in history than about one being better than another. Second, it's the quickest way to remove any doubt for those who would pounce on me for excluding one of their favorite matches. If you see a match from a date that is later than you one you want to see, you know it's not included. Feedback from fellow fans is really what I'm craving with this project, and I'd hate to see anything get in the way.


Once again, the first match will be posted here Monday, April 2, 2012. Then, you'll be able to look forward to a new match (or two) every Monday until we're complete.


Between now and the first post (or even after it), if you'd like to send an email making an argument for or against a certain match, feel free. I like to think of myself as a pretty flexible guy. You may be able to make me agree with you.


Cheers.

What Are We Doing Here?

Professional wrestling is in a constant state of change.  Every era has seen its share matches and moments that shifted the industry into new directions, but it's hard to imagine a time more tumultuous than the first decade of the 21st century.


From 2000-2009, seemingly everything changed.  The WWF became WWE.  It devoured its top rivals in a flash of industry cannibalism that left virtually no competition behind.  Over time, new contenders emerged and gave us new reasons to be fans.


After watching it all unfold, it seemed strange to me that the decade ended with little fanfare.  This blog aims to correct that omission with a list of 50 Matches That Defined The Decade.


What makes a match great and what makes it important are not the same.  We've all seen great matches that meant very little as time went by.  Just being a great match is not enough.  It needs to really matter in the history of professional wrestling.  That doesn't mean there won't be a lot of awesome matches on this list.  It's just something to remember as we get started.


In the interest of simplicity, I'm narrowing the field of selection to matches coming out of U.S.-based promotions.  I think it's great that professional wrestling is a global industry, but it just seems like too much to get into.  Perhaps for another list somewhere down the road.  For now, we'll focus on telling the story of professional wrestling in the United States during the first decade of the 21st century.


I'm fortunate to already be getting some support from friends in the Internet Wrestling Community.  I expect some great insight from them and anyone else who comes along to read this blog.


The start of the countdown should begin shortly after the start of the new year.  Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!