MITCHELL'S TAKE VIP - MITCHELL'S MEMO: DVD Liner Notes Part 3: Nature Boy Ric Flair - The Definitive Collection Jul 30, 2008 - 2:13:30 PM

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By Bruce Mitchell, Torch columnist

- As the DVD details, Ric Flair was given Buddy Roger's Nature Boy gimmick by Mid-Atlantic booker George Scott, including his nickname, figure-four leglock, and signature strut... That was a big deal, because Rogers was the top-flight quintessential heel of the '60s, arguably the best-drawing, most famous villain in pro wresting up until that time. Rogers was not only a former touring NWA Champion, squabbles among NWA promoters with Vince McMahon over his dates led to Rogers being the very first WWWF Champion, losing that title in less than a minute to Bruno Sammartino in 1963 in a famous match in the old Madison Square Garden. Rogers blamed health problems for the brevity of the match.

- The "Nature Boy" name comes from a Nat King Cole song about a boy who liked to run nude through the forest. A hit song, no less...

- What the DVD doesn't detail was that Rogers was brought in by Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in 1979 specifically to pass the "Nature Boy" torch to Ric Flair as part of Flair's first babyface turn. Even before then, as hot as Flair was as a heel, because of his youth, energy, and entertaining talking, he had a cult following - including male fans who would dye their hair peroxide blonde to look like their idol (and this was an era where that took a lot of guts, particularly out in the every-day world).

- Rogers debuted on the Mid-Altantic TV studio shows, running down Flair with his own patented catch phrases ("When it's too hot for anyone else, it's just right for Buddy Rogers." "Ric Flair isn't the nature Boy, he's Nature's Mistake."), and then demonstrating his own version of the figure-four. When Flair, who was already with fellow heel Paul Jones, did the same, Rogers attacked him.

- Rogers also, as a special referee, blatantly favored one of Flair's challengers for the U.S. Title during a main event in Greensboro, to the point that challengers won the title (and screwed over Flair in the process.) The challengers? One of Flair's career archrivals - the babyface Dusty Rhodes. The decision was subsequently reversed.

- Rogers then challenged Flair for his U.S. title, (Rogers had held his own version of the title for many years before winning the NWA world title), even beating him by decision, but Rogers's age and health problems limited his time in the ring. He became a manager, leading John Studd, Ken Patera, and the newly heel Jimmy Snuka in a stable whose primary goal was to win Flair's U.S. Title.

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