Yahoo News 5 reasons to watch new Ric Flair flilm Nature Boy
ESPN Films' latest 30 for 30 documentary Nature Boy is on none other than stylin', profilin', limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin' n' dealin' son of a gun Ric Flair.
After getting its premiere in the US not long ago, the UK gets to enjoy it tonight (December 15) when it comes to BT Sport 2 at 10pm.
No matter how many (or how few) Ric Flair docs you've watched in the past, here are five good reasons to make a date with the Nature Boy on Space Mountain tonight.
1. It's a wrestling documentary that really isn't about wrestling - and that's a good thing
If you're interested in Ric Flair, you've probably watched endless matches, and almost as many wrestling-heavy documentaries, on the WWE Network and elsewhere.
There's barely any – but just enough – action from the squared circle in the ESPN film. You get glimpses of what made Ric Flair so very special in the ring, but this is a human story, first, second and third.
That means it offers something to wrestling fans who know that side of things inside out, and their long-suffering flatmates and families who'll get cajoled into watching along.
2. It's very well-put together – and its animated scenes mean you avoid an overload of talking heads
Nature Boy manages to dodge the sports doc treadmill of archive and talking head, talking head and archive with some smart cutting by director Rory Karpf.
The use of animation to illustrate Rick's anecdotes is very cleverly done, and means the film has a bit more zest than a more straightforward presentation of two chunky sit-down interviews with Ric would offer.
Yes, the music's a little overdone, and things do move a little quickly to squeeze half a century into 90 minutes odd, but it's done with flair.
3. You see the birth of the Nature Boy Ric Flair
Like every creation, Ric Flair is a product of so many different things. Key in the equation are the adoptive parents who hated his career, especially his community theatre boss dad.
Neither he nor seemingly Ric even today seem to draw that obvious parallel between the stage and pro-wrestling. That's left to Baby Doll, who calls wrestling "violent theatre... we made you believe it was real".
Also in the mix is his mentor Verne Gagne, whose brutal training methods are brilliantly illustrated in both senses of the word.
Add in a dash of Buddy Rogers, a thirst for the high life and the physical discipline finally instilled after a near-death plane crash, and you've got the Nature Boy.
4. From an out of character Undertaker to a humble Hulk Hogan, the supporting cast are incredible
We're not sure which is rarer. First, there's Hulk Hogan being on supremely generous form fluffing the Nature Boy at his own expense. "He's 10 times better than I am... It's a no-brainer."
Then there's The Undertaker in an out-of character moment (and rude, comeback-ready health, for what it's worth), talking about the influence of Naitch as a kid. The Undertaker as a kid? We can't even imagine.
Chuck in insights from Gagne and Ricky Steamboat, wives one and two (of four), Triple H, Shawn Michaels and others, and you get a (relatively) well-rounded portrait of the man.
5. It will make you cry
ESPN is not the WWE but its relationship is close and this is very far from an unvarnished, warts and all unpicking of Ric Flair. Some may well raise an eyebrow or two at the things that have been left out from this story.
Ric's drinking and womanising (he estimates having had sex with over 10,000 women, and we believe him) is tutted at but also celebrated. He's a man, like too many in the industry, whose past is filled with incidents of hurt and upset.
But it's not a fawning hagiography, either. At its heart are the very flaws that make up the creation of Ric Flair. A man who, a couple of marriages and a few kids in at the time, calls winning his first WWF belt "the greatest moment of my life at that point".
As Chael Sonnen says of Flair's claim to be The Man: "Part of being a man, and arguably the biggest part, is someday you've got to grow up."
It feels like it took the utterly tragic death of his son Reid for that process to even begin for Ric. As he breaks down in tears, so do we, and it's only through his daughter Ashley (aka WWE's Charlotte) that there's any redemption.
"The greatest moment of my wrestling career was Ashley winning that title," Ric now says. "Nothing in my career ever gave me that feeling."
Watch the 30 for 30: Nature Boy trailer below:
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 documentary Nature Boy airs tonight (December 15) at 10pm on BT Sport 2.
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