History
In late November, 2005, Ric Flair was charged with misdemeanor charges after a road rage incident. Flair reportedly grabbed another motorist by the throat and began kicking the man’s vehicle. Flair paid the bail and was released.
However, someone was watching.
On the December 5, 2005 edition of the Cutting Edge, Edge showed a video of Flair’s highlights and then finished up with Flair’s mugshot. Edge continued mocking Flair, and out came Sgt. Slaughter and Michael Hayes to inform Edge it was time to wrap up the segment. Edge continued by mocking Slaughter and Hayes. Hayes grabbed the microphone and verbally bashed Edge for his lack of respect. Edge kept playing with Hayes until Hayes brought up the fact that the only reason Edge had the show was because he’d stolen Lita from Matt Hardy. Edge attacked and took down the Sarge before cracking Hayes with the Money in the Bank briefcase.
A week later, Flair faced Kurt Angle in a qualifying match for the upcoming Elimination Chamber match. Angle won the match by using his gold medal as brass knuckles and then stashed them in his tights. Afterward, Flair was backstage when Edge came up to him and began talking about how the only fights he could win were on the highway. Flair stood up so Edge hid behind Lita and told Flair that he had enough legal problems to worry about.
The next week, Raw came to us from Afghanistan for the annual Tribute to the Troops episode. Jonathan Coachman was talking to Ric Flair and brought up Flair’s current legal difficulties. Flair put up his Intercontinental title in a match right then and quickly defeated Coachman.
The following Raw saw Flair back on the Cutting Edge. Rather, it was a picture of Flair with someone else moving the mouth. As Edge was trash talking Flair’s career, Flair’s music suddenly hit and the real Flair started heading toward the ring. Flair attacked Edge, who only escaped with Lita’s help.
Edge came out the next week and addressed the Flair situation by airing a video of the event. In the video, Edge (impersonating Flair) jumped out of his car and went after another driver he accused of cutting him off, whooing the whole way. Edge then pulled the guy out of his car, chopped him, and slapped on a figure four in the middle of the interstate.
That brought Flair out, who attacked Edge. Lita intervened and got locked in the figure four for her trouble. Edge finally ran back to the ring and pulled her to safety.
That brought us to New Year’s Revolution, where Flair defended his Intercontinental title against Edge. Flair had gained a definitive advantage when Lita hit the ring. Flair locked Lita in the figure four, which gave Edge the opening he needed to clock Flair with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Flair won the match by DQ.
Later in the night, Edge would cash in the Money in the Bank and win the WWE title from John Cena, who had just won the Elimination Chamber match.
The next night, Edge was still thrilled after his victory, so he announced to the world that he and Lita were going to have sex on live television to celebrate. As Raw wound down, a bed was in the middle of the ring. Edge and Lita stripped each other to their underwear and slid between the sheets. Edge dropped out Lita’s underwear, and out came Ric Flair, promising to show Lita what a real man could do. Flair wound up cracked with a chair and left lying on the announce table. Afterward, Cena and Edge brawled while Lita grabbed some clothes and dressed herself. Edge wound up outside the ring while Cena grabbed Lita and hit the F-U.
The next week’s Raw saw Edge defending the WWE title against Flair in a TLC match. In the end, Edge retained the title and moved on full-time to his feud with John Cena.
It’s been said that the best gimmicks in the ring come from real-life. However, sometimes they can turn out downright tasteless. Look at real-life alcoholic Scott Hall being turned into a drunk in WCW, or Jerry Lawler’s cracks at Booker T’s expense after his criminal record of robbing a Wendy’s years ago came to light. While Edge’s real-life escapades with Lita got him over and got Matt Hardy fired, the Flair thing was over the top.
While the writers may have thought that this would help to cement Edge’s cocky heel persona, all it did was fizzle. The feud has been mainly forgotten today until the point of the live sex celebration. Even then, the writers had decided that the feud between Flair and Edge wouldn’t have a satisfying ending with a DQ ending to the only match, so we got Flair acting as the ladies’ man again.
Of course, the writing was on the wall once Edge got the title and put it on the line against Flair. Although Flair did put up a remarkable showing in the TLC match, it is extremely unlikely that we will ever see the fifty-eight year old Flair ever carry the world title again.
Ric Flair wound up losing the Intercontinental title to Shelton Benjamin nearly a month later. In May, all charges against Flair in the road rage incident were dropped when his accuser did not appear in court for the hearing. Since then, Flair has feuded with Mick Foley, the Spirit Squad, and most recently Carlito. Flair remains with the WWE today and was drafted to Smackdown for the first time in June.
After feuding with Flair, Edge shifted his attention to Mick Foley. It wasn’t long, however, until his attention returned to John Cena over the title. After an alliance and falling-out with Randy Orton, Edge jumped to Smackdown in May of this year and immediately won the World title. He remains there today and is still the champion.
