Rating: 
Summary: Woooooooooo
Review: My goodness what a great DVD I got this baby on sale at FYE in Orland Park Mall day after Christmas on sale for only 27 bucks with tax. And you know what that was well worth my money because of the fact that I am a huge Ric Flair fan and a huge fan of all of his success. I almost met the man at my very first pay per view in 1994 at Rosemont Horizon at the now defunct WCW during Spring Stampede. He was wrestling at the time Ricky The Dragon Steamboat. Some people say in their reviews on line that this DVD did Ric Flair no justice well they are wrong in some areas yes it did no justice for the Sting feature in this tape because one person said that they did not show one of Flairs greatest matches against Sting and that was at the very first Clash of Champions in 1989. This match was a very incredible contest that yours truly witnessed on TV that very day. It was a great battle that ended in a 45 minute draw and they had to decide it by a judges decision and two of the judges voted both ways one for Sting one for Flair and the last judge voted no contest whice ment that the match was a draw and Ric Flair retained the NWA World Championship but on that day Sting got the better of a older but wiser Ric Flair. But on the other had the DVD did Flair some justice and well deserved. The Steamboat piece was very cool. They showed the Clash of Champions 6 match between them from the Superdome in New Orleans and that was an incredible match. Flair had Steamboat going for a while won the first fall Flair was up 1-0 then Steamboat came out softened Flairs shoulder up and then he put Flair in the Chicken Wing hold and won the second fall by submission and evened up the match at 1 apiece third fall was nip and tuck back and forth. Flair putting Steamboat in his Figure Four leg lock and hurting Steamboat badly but then Steamboat again finished Flair off with the Chicken Wing and he dropped down to a pinning prediciment and won the match 2-1 in over 55 minutes but Doug Dillinger at the time head of NWA told Ricky Steamboat that Flair had his foot on the outside of the ring which would of caused a break by offical Tommy Young but he did not see the foot outside the ring but only saw Flairs shoulders to count the 123. Flairs lawyers ordered the NWA to grant Flair a Rematch for the NWA Championship at the next pay per view which was WrestleWar 89 in Memphis Tennessee at the Municiple Auditourium. In turn the match took place and Flair became the 6 time World Heavyweight Champion. Then the thing that was so cool was the Flaired up version of the night he truly and so richly deserved. The night when all of the Raw superstars came out and gave Flair the night of dedication he so desrvently needed and got it. Overall the DVD is excellent and very true to its word. Yeah maybe he needs another DVD to get more of his match but for now this DVD does him some great justice that he so richly deserves. WOOO
Rating:
Summary: WWE really did it this time...
Review: This along with the Bloodbath DVD are 2 of the best DVD's the WWE has ever produced. This is a great collection of anyone that grew up watching Ric Flair or just know him from his most recent stint in the WWE as one half of the current tag-team chamions on RAW. This will show you what has made him a legend and why the fans still enjoy "The dirtiest player in the Game". This DVD collection touches on the highlights of Flair's impressive 30+ career in Professional Wrestling. You see is WWWF debut in 1976 along with some of the classic matches that made Flair "The Man". On each disc you are treated to interviews by Flair himself discussing his opponents and where he was at that stage in his life. There are also exclusive segments added specifically for this DVD. Like the night kayfabe was broken in Greensboro, when the current WWE superstars paid tribute to Flair after Ric had an incredible match with Triple H. I do feel that there were some great momments left out of this collection. I would have really liked to see his work with Randy Savage and the promos he had about Elizabeth. Despite my overly picky ways this is an incredible collection, his work and promos truly show why he is still loved to this day. Great DVD!
Rating:
Summary: I'm ready for Volume II
Review: For all of the negative (and there is a lot) that can be said about the WWE having a virtual monopoly on the wrestling business in the U.S. since the acquisition of WCW in 2001, " The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection" DVD is proof that at least some positive came out of it. Having the rights to much of Ric Flair's footage from the past 25+ years gave the WWE the ability to put together this great DVD package, featuring 10.5 hours of classic matches, interviews, angles and feuds from Ric Flair's career The oldest match on the DVD is Flair's rarely seen WWWF Madison Square Garden debut in 1976 against Pete Sanchez, with the play-by-play announcing handled by a very young Vince McMahon. The collection primarily features Flair's matches against famous foes like Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Rick Steamboat, Terry Funk, Barry Windham and Sting. A nice feature of the DVD is that instead of only providing footage of the matches themselves without any backhistory, each chapter of the DVD also contains the angles and interviews that led up to each historic confrontation. The access to footage from different wrestling territories where Flair has worked provides for an interesting wrestling history lesson. For example, in the chapter where Flair comes to the WWF in 1991 there are angles and interviews shown that lead to a Ric Flair vs. Roddy Piper feud. Viewers can then contrast this with an angle from nearly a decade earlier from the Mid-Atlantic territory that also led to a Flair vs. Piper feud. As many current wrestling fans are aware, Flair is currently part of the "Evolution" group in the WWE, which also includes twenty-something Randy Orton. Viewers of this DVD collection will get the opportunity to see the 1983 angle where Orton's father, Bob Orton, Jr. tries to collect a $25,000 bounty put up by Harley Race to whoever could force Flair out of wrestling. One of my favorite parts of the DVD were the many hidden "Easter Eggs" of classic Flair interviews from the TBS "World Championship Wrestling" show from the 80s. The DVD also has sections discussing Flair's near career ending plane crash in 1975 as well as the history of the Four Horseman (featuring current interviews with both Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard). The "Day in the Life of a Horseman" feature was great! Hearing Blanchard and Anderson tell it, the TV portrayal of the Horseman as "limousine riding, lear jet flying" partiers was not all that far from their real lifestyle at the time. The stories about their wild escapades were very entertaining. The "Ultimate Ric Flair Collection" has so much great stuff within its 3 discs that to complain seems almost petty. But Ric Flair is one of those rare performers where even a 10.5 hour collection of the "Best of" his career leaves the viewer with the feeling that too much good stuff was left out. I would have loved to have seen his Starrcade `93 match with Vader included and would have also liked to have seen more of Flair's older, rarer footage from Mid-Atlantic Wrestling from the late 70s (I'm assuming the WWE has the rights to this footage). The only real odd choice to include in the collection is Flair's 1994 match with Sting. Sting and Flair had many classic battles; I'll never understand why the only Flair vs. Sting match included is one of their least famous. I would have rather they included their 1988 Match of the Year from the first ever Clash of the Champions. I guess what I'm saying is, while I give "The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection" my highest recommendation, it appears there is more than enough footage not included on the three discs for an equally extensive Volume II, which I sincerely hope they come out with
Rating:
Summary: Essential for all pro wrestling fans!!!
Review: The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection is a fantastic DVD from beginning to end and is by far the best wrestling DVD ever released. The WWE did a great job including some of his greatest NWA/WCW matches and promos. The chapters are all chronological covering The Nature Boy's greatest rivalries. Flair also discusses each chapter of the disc praising the outstanding abilities of his opponents. Disc 1 covers his feuds with Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, and Barry Windham. What's interesting to note here is how effective Race and Rhodes were at telling a story not only in the ring but also in their promos. Race's promos are priceless, he sounds like a stone-cold killer here. Rhodes plays the common man to the hilt in his promos, one of the best talkers ever in wrestling. The matches included here with Race, from Starcade '83, and Rhodes, from Starcade '85, are both very good. Race was slow and methodical in the ring but nonetheless the tension put forth from both competitors speaks volumes. Rhodes, while not the most talented wrestler, more than makes up for it with his charisma. Flair is classic playing the heel here. Flair's match with Barry Windham is the best on the disc truly showing that Windham, while not one to give great promos, was certainly one of the most talented wrestlers to enter the squared circle. But while Disc 1 is great, Disc 2 is pure gold. This disc is comprised of his spectacular feuds with Ricky Steamboat and Terry Funk from '89. Both Steamboat matches included are still considered among the best matches of all time. If two wrestlers were meant to compete with another, Flair and Steamboat were them. The action in both matches is breathtaking and are great chapters in skill, heart, and conditioning. Then after Flair defeats Steamboat at WrestleWar, it leads right into Terry Funk's sneak attack which leads to the Funk chapter. Although this chapter is short, containing some great promos and the "I Quit" Match, it shows both competitors' great brawling tactics and amazing ability to withstand punishment. There are also great segments here detailing the plane crash which injured Flair's back and with the Four Horsemen featuring excellent analysis from original members Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson. Disc 3 begins with Flair's biggest WWE triumph, his Royal Rumble victory in '92, in which he lasted over 1 hour over such now wrestling legends as Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, and many others. At age 42, this was a great testament to Flair's endurance and cardio-vascular conditioning and remains the best Royal Rumble in the company's history. The Sting chapter is also very good, showing Flair's title unification victory in '94. Although Flair and Sting had better matches than the one presented here, it's still a great match showing how well they worked together. Finally, the chapter entitled "A Special Night In Greenville" is excellent, showing some rarely seen footage such as his WWE debut match in '76 and the special celebration for Flair after his match with HHH on Raw, a perfect way to end the disc. The WWE should strongly consider making a Volume 2 for Ric Flair. Although this collection delivers the goods, he had many other strong rivalries not included here with Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Roddy Piper, the Road Warriors, and Lex Luger to name a few. There's also plenty of material available in the NWA/WCW library to make a separate DVD for the Four Horsemen as well. Highly recommended to all wrestling fans.
Rating:
Summary: Walk Down Memory Lane
Review: I love to see that the WWE is doing something with all their vast archives. They have made a wonderful tribute to the greatest wrestler of all time. One thing it makes me salivate at all the great wrestlers that still deserve a retrospective. I vote for the Ultimate Dusty Rhodes Collection in the near future. Just a pipe dream I guess, but well worth mentioning. Go buy this piece of wrestling history.
Rating:
Summary: A fitting tribute to "The Man"
Review: "To be the man, you have to beat the man..." is only one of many catch phrases that are now a part of pro wrestling history thanks to one man who is arguably the greatest wrestler of his time: Ric Flair. This DVD set is also arguably the best of it's kind to date. It's a class-act - nicely packaged and well thought out. So many descriptions apply to Ric Flair: tenacity, attitude, skill, cunning, machismo... but the most important one is longevity - and this DVD set is not only a tribute to Flair's longevity in the business but a great study in the evolution of pro wrestling from 1976-2003. The style and the industry itself changed radically in that period, and Flair had as much to do with that evolution as anybody. On this DVD the changes in pro wrestling are stark: in one of his earliest matches with Pete Sanchez in Madison Square Gardens, Flair wins with only his patented standing suplex, a move that would hardly be considered a "finisher" today. A later match with Harley Race is won when Flair simply jumps off the top rope for a splash that stuns Race for the pin. From there we see matches evolve into what legendary announcer Gordon Solie would aptly call "human chess" - classic 60 minute matches of skill and endurance. And finally we see matches from 2003 that are more of the modern 15-minute "wrestling entertainment" variety; all with history, tv interviews of the times, and best of all: real, non-character, soft-spoken commentary by Ric Flair throughout. The set ends with an emotional live tribute to "the Nature Boy" by his peers following his match with Triple H from WWE Raw in Spring 2003. What the DVD allows is for the viewer to stop-frame images and see great detail, such as the application of the "Pedigree" finisher from Flair's 2003 match - Triple H releases the hold in time for Flair to protect his face from mat impact but it happens so fast you wouldn't see it otherwise. In older matches you can see how wrestlers protect each other in various ways - all things we know today but were once the industry secrets. These matches may or may not be Flair's "best" (he even admits that, such as in the case of the so-called "Greatest Match" with Ricky Steamboat, because he wrestled Ricky hundreds of times in a single year he just couldn't say which occasion was their "best") but these are some of Flair's most career-significant matches, feuds, and interviews. There is also material relating to the Four Horsemen and the demise of WCW. The most overwhelming impression left by this set is Ric Flair's respect for his competitors over the years and for the pro wrestling industry itself. You gotta admire any man who has been through what Flair has been through and can still compete with the best of the best today. By watching the Royal Rumble match that Flair wins after his move to the WWE, it's easy to see a "who's who" of famous wrestlers long gone from the scene while Flair remains. No wrestling fan, particularly any Ric Flair wrestling fan like myself, should be without this DVD set. Like Flair himself, "it's the best thing going today". I only hope that we are treated to a Volume Two collection someday. And to Ric Flair: thanks for the memories...
Rating:
Summary: A Must Own DVD Set!!!! WHOOOOOOOOO!
Review: The Legendary 16 time world champion's career is showcased in this 3 DVD set with over 10.5 hours of footage dating back to his debut match in 1976! It includes the storylines and promos leading up to some of his biggest matches against Ricky Steamboat, Sting, Barry Whindam, Dusty Rhodes, and includes, for the first time ever, exclusive uncensored footage of his 1991 invasion of the WWF with the NWA (WCW) belt in hand. While the belt was shown on TV on his debut appearance, it was digitized out in future telecasts but now the footage is restored. This entire storyline is shown leading up to his 1 hour 15 minute 1992 Royal Rumble Match victory, shown in its entirety, which crowned him WWF Champion. Finally, his last match of importance, held in May of 2003 in his hometown of Charlotte, NC where he challenged Triple H for the World Title on Monday Night Raw is shown, uncut by commercials and includes a (never before broadcast) off air surprise tribute that saw the entire locker room empty and celebrate his illustrious career in the middle of the ring. This DVD is not only for the die hard Ric Flair fan but for fans who respect the roots of the business. I am SOOO glad that WWE is finally using all the video libraries it has acquired throughout the years (NWA, AWA, MID-South, Memphis, ECW, ect.) and along with the SHAWN MICHAELS DVD, has gone in the right direction. I encourage everyone to get this DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Rage against the Machine
Review: Ezekiel Rage writes the ultimate heel promo on this DVD. Based on his extensive knowledge of Pro Wrestling I bet he watched it and enjoyed this DVD. However, his criticisms of pro wrestling do not even really apply to this older school collection. The guy obviously has too much time on his hands (check out his other reviews), or this was Ric Flair cutting a promo in an attempt to increase sales of his own video.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Wrestling DVD... But Not the Ultimate Collection
Review: First off, get this DVD NOW if you are a professional wrestling fan at all. If you don't like this, you don't like the business. Period. End of discussion.
Here is the good, actually, here is the GREAT:
NWA Starrcade 1983 - Ric Flair v. Harley Race
NWA Worldwide - January 17, 1987 - Ric Flair v. Barry Windham
NWA Clash of the Champions VI - Ric Flair v. Ricky Steamboat
NWA WrestleWar 1989 - Ric Flair v. Ricky Steamboat
NWA Clash of the Champions IX - Ric Flair v. Terry Funk
WCW Clash of the Champions XXVIII - Ric Flair v. Sting
WWE Royal Rumble 1992
ALL of the promos and interviews, except for anything involving Dusty Rhodes.
Moving on, I have no need for Dusty Rhodes or the Raw match with Triple H.
Here is what is missing on this DVD:
NWA Chi-Town Rumble 1989 - Ric Flair v. Ricky Steamboat
WCW Starrcade 1995 - Ric Flair v. Sting v. Lex Luger
WCW Starrcade 1995 - Ric Flair v. Randy Savage
WCW Halloween Havoc 1994 - Ric Flair v. Hulk Hogan
NWA Clash of the Champions - Ric Flair v. Sting
WCW SuperBrawl VI - Ric Flair v. Randy Savage
WCW Souled Out 1998 - Ric Flair v. Bret Hart
the Saturday Night matches with Ricky Steamboat
WCW Starrcade 1993 - Ric Flair v. Vader
WWE Raw - January 18, 1993 - Ric Flair v. Mr. Perfect
NWA Crockett Cup 1987 - Ric Flair v. Barry Windham
NWA Starrcade 1988 - Ric Flair v. Lex Luger
NWA Great American Bash 1987 - both WarGames matches
NWA Great American Bash 1989 - Ric flair v. Terry Funk
WCW Fall Brawl 1995 - Ric Flair v. Arn Anderson
WCW Clash of the Champions XIV - Ric Flair v. Scott Steiner
WCW Clash of the Champions XV - Ric Flair v. Bobby Eaton
WWE Invasion 1992 - Ric Flair v. Bret Hart
WWE Invasion 1992 - Ric Flair v. Shawn Michaels
WCW Spring Stampede 1994 - Ric Flair v. Ricky Steamboat
WCW WrestleWar 1991 - WarGames
WCW Capitol Combat 1990 - Ric Flair v. Lex Luger
WCW WrestleWar 1990 - Ric Flair v. Lex Luger
Anyways, thumbs WAY up. Get this DVD NOW.
Rating:
Summary: Bring on Volume 2
Review: This is probably the greatest wrestling DVD/Video ever made. Ric Flair is probably the greatest wrestler of all-time and this DVD really delivers. From his early days in the Mid-Atlantic, NWA, WWF, WCW, and back to the WWE, fans are treated to some of Flairs greatest moments in the ring as well as many of his classic interviews. The WWF did a good job highlighting the build-up and post-match of some of Flair's best feuds. The Royal Rumble is shown in its entirety. This DVD should be in every big wrestling fan's library. Now if they would release Volume 2 and relive Flair's feuds w/ Nikita Koloff, Magnum T.A., Rick Morton, Jimmy and Ron Garvin, Lex Luger, Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, (first WWF run, WCW), Kerry Von Erich, Tommy Rich, and additional matches w/ Dusty Rhodes, Sting, etc, more footage of the original 4 Horseman and additional classic interviews w/ the World Champ.
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