WWE: Nature Boy Ric Flair - The Definitive Collection (3-Disc)(DVD)

This release coming as a sequel to the ultra successful "Ultimate" collection does not or will not disappoint. If you love pro wrestling, if you love Ric Flair, you will find it essential to not only own this DVD, but also the "Ultimate Flair Collection DVD" itself.I will rate everything on a 10 point scale. 1 being the lowest and 10 perfection.Disc 1:Documentary (10/10) - Flair really opens up and isn't afraid to pull any punches and tell it like it is. You really gain more respect of Ric Flair, while the Ultimate Collection was more about Flair's matches this documentary is more about Ric Flair the man. Toward the end of the documentary it becomes more of a tribute by fellow WWE superstars Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, HHH, HBK, Batista, and Randy Orton, but also you see an emotional Flair who really chokes up toward the end. This is a must watch.Special Features w/Flair Tribute video (8/10) - nothing really earth shattering, but you get awesome 2 minutes vignettes of short stories that Flair tells you about his life. Also is the Flair Tribute video which is really nice put together. Nothing earth shattering but worth checking out.Discs 2 & 3: MatchesJack Brisco - Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling 8-18-1982 (8/10) - This was an impromptu bout but what you see is Flair wrestle more of a scientific bout and push his wrestling acumen. It is a really good bout has some down time in it but it is a solid match in this set.Kerry Von Erich - World Class Championship Wrestling 8-24-1982 (10/10) - This is probably going to be the most under-rated bout on this set. Diehard fans know how great Kerry Von Erich is and Flair and Kerry put on a classic bout which is 2 of 3 falls title match. You will not be disappointedHarley Race - Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling 8-31-1983 (9/10) - The precursor to Starcade 1983, the fued of Flair and Race heats up here for a classic title bout. You really start to see here Flair take over as a star and Race performs legendary as wellRic Flair, Arn & Ole Anderson vs. Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA, & Manny Fernandez - World Wide Wrestling 12-15-1985 (10/10) - The match is solid, not great and not bad either but you get a Four Horseman bout in somewhat of a stable match. Flair had injured Dusty Rhodes and everyone rounds their men up.Sting - Clash of the Champions I 3/27/1988 (10/10) - This is probably the signature bout on this DVD, if I could I would rate this bout 100. It is a personal favorite of mine and you will not be disappointed. It is 45 minutes of mayhem and J.J. Dillon is suspended above the ring!Terry Funk - Great American Bash 7/23/1989 (9/10) - This is a great bout from two good rivals. You will not be disappointed!"Rowdy" Roddy Piper - Madison Square Garden 10/28/1991 (7/10) - This is a solid match between two great rivals. Piper who never looked up to anybody and Flair who looked down at everybody. It is a good brawl and is a match more so to remind of how good Roddy Piper can be against the elite!Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat - Spring Stampede 4/17/1994 (8/10) - A Flair/Steamboat bout is as good as a match as any you can have, but it is disappointing that the WWE didn't put the Chi-Town Rumble bout on this match to complete the trilogy of legendary bouts between Flair and Steamboat. While I can rant over and over about why that match should be on here, this match is really the last great match by Steamboat and the two put on a classic bout here.Hunter Hearst Helmsley - Taboo Tuesday 11/1/2005 (8/10) - You really learn how special Flair can be in this bout for the Intercontinetal title bout in a Steel Cage. In my eyes Flair puts out that last classic match and both get bloody you won't be disappointed.Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania XXIV 3/30/2008 (for the match (10/10) for the sentimental value 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000/10) - The match that ended Ric Flair's career is a classic bout you knew Flair couldn't dodge any more bullets but he puts on a great show. You really can not measure how much Flair means to fans and fellow wrestlers. You can argue that you might rather have another match from the 1980's or 1990's from Flair but this match is great.Disc 3: Special FeaturesRic Flair's Farewell Address - I can not score it, it is immeasurable the emotion that night. I remember watching it that night and having a tear in my eye. To me it is not a farewell, but a celebration of excellence and only one man could have commanded that and that was Ric Flair!Promos (100/10) - I am serious these are hilarious and great. This is what you call mic skills and if you are a wrestler today, or you want to be one, or you just want to learn to be cool watch these. Slick Ric is the the Limousine Riding, Jet Flying, Woman Stealing, Styling and Profiling!!!!!Overview - While I almost thought is was impossible to top the Ultimate Flair collection, the WWE did. They put together another DVD set that you will not be disappointed in. This set is priceless

This is a three disc set with a comprehensive professional biography and more than two discs filled with matches spanning the 30+ year career of the `Nature Boy." It's filled with exclusive footage from WrestleMania weekend, as well as the emotional sendoff Ric received at Raw the night after WrestleMania XXIV, including footage that never aired on television. Features several matches that have never before been released on DVD, from Mid-Atlantic, World Class Championship Wrestling, WCW, and more.Disc 1BeginningsPlane CrashThe Nature BoyTraveling ChampionSlick RicThe Role of a ChampionThe Four HorsemenThe Clash with StingSlaying the DragonHardcore with Terry FunkFrom Crockett to WCWThe Real World ChampionTroubles in WCWSuccess in WWEEvolutionWrestleMania 24 WeekendFarewell to FlairFlair StoriesToo Many DistractionsBuying BootsBleaching His HairHanging with the OutlawsRic's Relationship with the Members of EvolutionKey to the City March 24, 2008Ric Flair Tribute VideoDisc 2Jack Brisco vs. Ric FlairMid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (18/08/82)2 out of 3 Falls Match for the NWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipKerry Von Erich vs. Ric FlairWorld Class Championship Wrestling (24/08/82)NWA World Heavyweight Championship MatchRic Flair vs. Harley RaceMid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (31/08/83)Ric Flair / Arn Anderson / Ole Anderson vs. Dusty Rhodes / Magnum TA / Manny FernandezWorld Wide Wrestling (15/12/85)NWA World Heavyweight Championship MatchSting vs. Ric FlairClash of the Champions (27/03/88)NWA World Heavyweight Championship MatchRic Flair vs. Terry FunkGreat American Bash (23/07/89)Disc 3Ric Flair vs. "Rowdy" Roddy PiperMadison Square Garden (28/10/91)WCW ChampionshipRic Flair vs. Ricky SteamboatSpring Stampede (17/04/94)Steel Cage Match for the WWE Intercontinental ChampionshipTriple H vs. Ric FlairTaboo Tuesday (01/11/05)Career Threatening MatchRic Flair vs. Shawn MichaelsWrestleMania 24 (30/03/08)ExtrasRic Flair's Farewell AddressRAW (31/03/08)PromosLimousine Drivin' Jet Flyin'Stylin & Profilin' - NWA World Championship Wrestling May 25, 1985Take a Ride on Space Mountain - NWA World Championship Wrestling June 22, 1985The Boss - NWA World Championship WrestlingAugust 17, 1985Slick Ric - NWA World Championship WrestlingSeptember 7, 1985Real Men Stay Up - NWA World Championship Wrestling September 21, 1985What's Causing All This - NWA World Championship Wrestling December 20, 1985Space Mountainettes - NWA World Championship Wrestling April 7, 1987Golden Spoon - NWA World Championship Wrestling November 13, 1987

I remember in my review for the "Ultimate Ric Flair Collection" that I said Ric Flair was "arguably" the greatest of all time--but after watching the "Definitive Collection", it's hard to think of anyone who you could make an argument for against the Nature Boy. Quality wise, I think I might give the edge to the "Ultimate Collection" as far as match quality--but that collection used 3 Discs for matches, so naturally I think that would give it the edge, especially since some of Ric's greatest matches with the likes of Steamboat and Barry Windham were used.But, the Definitive Collection gives us the fans, an all new documentary with the man himself--covering Disc 1--as Slick Ric reflects back on his legendary career; from the glory days of the NWA, to the problems at the end of the 80s and into the early 90s when Jim Crockett was bought out and the NWA became WCW, and Ric left not long after to jump to the WWF. And Ric's return to WCW and his last run in WWE.As far as Discs 2 & 3, the match quality is excellent, but then again what would you expect with Ric Flair--a man who in his prime could go in the ring with a broom and deliver a 4 or 5 star classic. Some standouts for me; Flair and Kerry Von Erich, Flair and Sting, and of course, anytime Flair got in the ring with Steamboat.Disc 3 also contains some of the best--and funniest--Flair promos of all-time; 2 of my favorites being "What's Causing All This" and "Golden Spoon." Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face.Overall--if you're a fan of Slick Ric--then this is required viewing. 5 stars

First of all I would like to get the matter of the title out of the way. This by far is not the definitve collection of matches, interviews and promos from The Nature Boy's career. The WWE have come up with the wrong title. By using this title they have set the bar far too high, I mean how can you produce a DVD set that shows the absolute best from a 36 year wrestling career that included 16 World titles as well as other singles titles and tag team titles? However, with the matter of the title set aside this is still an excellent DVD set.Thankfully the WWE have used the format that I think works best for their DVD sets. The first disc has a documentary which chronicles Naitch's early life and his career in wreslting. There are many insights from The Man himself as well as other popular WWE talking heads. I am disappointed that there are no comments from Vince McMahon (or Shane, Linda and Stephanie). There are some extra stories that aren't included in the main documentary included as special features on this disc as well as the WWE's tribute video.The second disc has some great matches, including a couple of matches that I don't have been released on any DVD before. These matches are against some of Space Mountain's most notable opponents including Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Sting and Terry Funk. My personal favourite of these matches is the one against Sting from Clash of the Champions '88. Flair really put over The Stinger in this match starting him on the road to become the wrestling icon that he is today.The third and final disc contains another four matches including two from more recent times. The steel cage match against HHH at Taboo Tuesday '05 clearly shows that Flair still deserved his spot as a major star over 30 years since his in ring debut. This match is also one of the bloodiest of his cage matches I have ever seen. The final of the four matches is his last match which was against Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 24. The special features on this disc include Ric's Farewell Address on Raw, the day after Wrestlemania 24 and shows footage that didn't air on the programme. There are also a number of promos from 1985 and 1987.So, why I have given this only 4 stars out of 5? Is it because of the poorly chosen name? No. There are some great moments on this disc, the documnetary (although it covers a lot of ground already covered on The Ultimate Collection and Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen) is throughly enjoyable and gives some great insights. The matches are great but I don't think that there are quite enough of them. I seem to remember that The Ultimate Collection had a running time of over 11 hours and this 3 disc set only runs for just over 8 hours. There would have been a lot more room in this set for a few more matches. Especially from Ric's 7 years in WWE from his return in 2001. Naitch has often been critised in recent years for no longer being at the top of his game and has had his spot questionned. I think they could have included matches like his first ladder match against Edge, the first ladder he had competed in despite being over 30 years into his career, showing that he could step out of his usual moveset when needed.All in all this is a great set but could have been better. However, it is definate must for any fan of Flair as well as for any fan of the wrestling business.

great product, fast delivery, very happy with my DVD and such a great film, great film for the money i paid for!!!!!!!

awesome documentary and matches, the harley race one is a blinder id never seen before!

Very good documentary Rick is very open in it and doesn't hold back

Ich sage nur WCW, NWA und WWE FOUR HORSE MAN, EVOLUTION und RIC FLAIR vs. STING Championship-Match und den NWA Titel 1988. Einfach genial.Und dem Rest der anderen kann man sich nur anschließen. Shawn Michaels vs. Flair Career Threatening Match war klasse. Richtige Ansetzungmit einem weiteren besten der WWE. Mr. Wrestlemania.Ich ziehe meinen Hut vor deinem Mann und seiner eindrucksvollen Karriere.