By 1983, Ric Flair was a multiple time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and was doing some of his best work as a heel. However in an ironic twist, one of his most memorable feuds comes as babyface. In June of 1983 Flair would lose the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to former champion, and NWA legend, Harley Race. The title change marked the start of a feud between the two that saw Race put a bounty on Flair. It escalated when he was briefly forced to “retire” after what looked like a career ending injury at the hands of Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater. When Flair made his triumphant return to challenge Race and get his title back, the ensuing match was deemed too big to be on just any regular card. On November 24th 1983, over year before the first WrestleMania, wrestling’s first ever super card, Starrcade, was held. It was the first time fans were presented with a show that featured under card matches that were worthy of being main events. The first Starrcade featured Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood vs. Jack and Jerry Briscoe for the NWA World Tag Team Championships, Roddy Piper vs. Greg Valentine, and was main evented by Flair vs. Race inside a steel cage. Flair would win back his NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the show would be a complete success. However, his babyface run would be short lived. Before long he was back to his heel ways, and facing constant competition from guys like Ron Garvin, Magnum T.A., and Kerry Von Erich. Flair knew he would need some back up to remain one step ahead. The result was the creation of the most iconic stable in wrestling history.
