Ric Flair is indeed the greatest wrestler ever, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t borrow some elements of his legendary character. Case and point, the “Nature Boy” moniker. It’s a little hard for wrestling fans of a certain age, myself included, to imagine a world where, not only is Ric Flair not the “Nature Boy,” but there’s another “Nature Boy” just walking around. However, that was exactly the case until 1978. See, in 1977 Ric Flair wins the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, and reaches a new level of success, but it’s in 1978 where Flair finally finds the missing element, and it completely changes his career trajectory once again. Buddy Rogers is a legend in the sport of wrestling, He’s a former NWA World Champion, and he’s recognized as the first World Heavyweight Champion for the company that would eventually become WWE. Roger’s was also known for bleaching his hair blonde and was originally given the moniker of the “Natural Man,” which somehow became the “Nature Boy.” When he returned to the NWA in his late 50’s, Flair began to also refer to himself as the “Nature Boy” in order to get the aging Roger’s attention. It worked, and the two entered a feud. When it was all said and done, Buddy Rogers did the right thing and put the much younger Flair over. His victory over Rogers, put Flair in an elite class and cemented him undeniably as the new “Nature Boy.” After wrapping up with Rogers, Flair would continue to wrestle for the United States Heavyweight Championship for the next couple of years, competing against the likes of Greg Valentine, Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, and many others, before finally reaching the main event scene in 1981.
