The “Nature Boy” Ric Flair is, with what the majority will say has small room for uncertainty, one of the all time elite legends of professional wrestling. With his trade mark strut and his unforgettable “Wooooo!’ Ric Flair has entertained many a wrestling fan over the last few decades like few have.
One of the most outstanding aspects to the legend of Ric Flair is his astounding career record for having attained the most World Title wins ever in the business. With an incredible sixteen instances of winning the big gold, he has become one of the most famous sports entertainers of all time. (With only recognizing WWE, WCW, and NWA World Championships). However, while Ric Flair takes pleasure in his retirement, he may only be the holder his prestigious World Championship record for a relatively short period of time longer.
Triple H, the King Of Kings himself, recently has had his thirteenth title reign ended by being defeated by “Legend Killer” Randy Orton at Backlash. The cunning, cold hearted Legend Killer laid to rest the man who some say is the best in the business. While the crushing loss could very well be a harsh, bitter pill for Triple H to swallow, the event is marked with a silver lining of sorts. That being that he can now become a new World Champion for one more occasion. He obviously can’t win the title when he’s already champion. He can now go after the World Championship again, and add another notch to his belt.
Trips may be on a path to challenge for the coveted record. He could be on a conquest to be distinguished as a seventeen time World Champion, and attain the mantle from one of his heroes. And while Triple H may be closing inward on the number sixteen, plus possibly one more to shatter the record and be the sole holder, it seems as if the respect that should ensue from wearing this crown would not be present for Triple H. The Cerebral Assassin has risen to fame and has advanced his career during the Attitude Era and beyond. That meaning, he reigned when title reigns were generally shorter and passed around more frequently. He unquestionably has reigned as one of the very top names of his era(s), yet there is a problem.
Ric Flair’s collective time as a World Champion throughout his career totals 3724 days. However, The Game, a thirteen time champion in his own right, statistically can not even hold a candle to The Nature Boy. He hails in comparison to this all time great. Triple H’s collective time as World Champion, adding up all his World Heavyweight Titles, WWE Championships, and Undisputed World Championships, currently comes in at barely over 1100 days.
That’s over three times the amount. And while no wrestling fan is expected to know those exact numbers, the perception of this potential accomplishment in most fans’ eyes is the same. If Triple H does gain that honor, it will still be seen as a farce. Trips rose to fame when Titles were passed around from person to person to keep up with the fans’ increased appetites for shock value, unpredictability, and slight amount of chaos. The inception of Monday Night Raw (and the subsequent Monday Nitro) forced the product to move at a faster pace.
However, no matter what era of wrestling you competed in, seventeen, sixteen, or even thirteen reigns with one of the ten pound big gold belts around your waist is an incredible accomplishment in it’s own right. Thirteen times around as the world champion is an outstanding achievement. Triple H may always have criticism following him around for his success to be due largely in part to his real life marriage to Vince McMahon’s daughter. But that’s a moot point now.
And to be fair, there are greater levels in the wrestling industry to be attained. Hulk Hogan has amassed twelve World Championship reigns through out his career. Did he deserve it? From a business point of view, I don’t know how someone could say no. Hulkamania was an awesome force to be reckoned with for any rival wrestling promotion of the time, and the inception of Hollywood Hogan and his leadership for the New World Order almost drove rival World Wrestling Entertainment out of business at one point. In fact, he almost became the spokesperson for what became the George Foreman grill. (Not that this is a “wrestling” accomplishment.)
However, how is it that the Immortal Hulk Hogan is never recognized as a twelve time Champ on television? I believe it’s because that statistic does not do him justice. Hogan was one of the major names and faces of the 1980’s, period. He’s bigger than wrestling, and bigger than the honors of wrestling.
Never the less, Triple H and Ric Flair have much of the legacy distinguished by the number of total World Title reigns they have had. Triple H will most likely be in the shadow of Ric Flair if he does make to the coveted and unprecedented seventeenth World Championship. Flair’s name will always be one of more respect than Triple H the same way Hank Aaron’s career was, and still is, compared to Babe Ruth’s, with Hammerin Hank breaking Ruth’s homerun record back in the seventies.
Many differing opinions exist regarding Triple H. Some say he deserves his spot, other say he is benefiting from being married into the McMahon family. However, it’s not exactly fair to compare Trips to Flair. Not many people look good when compared to the Nature Boy. Is Flair’s achievement more respectable and credible? Yes, it is, and few should argue that. However, Triple H’s success (and possibly future success) is a spectacular accomplishment. He’s not Flair, but you can’t reasonably expect anyone to be that good.
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