Ric Flair: The Classic Opponents Quiz

Answer: Paul Jones

Though never a singles world champion, Paul Jones was an excellent tag-team competitor, winning the NWA World Tag-Team Championship six times. His partners included The Masked Superstar, Baron Von Raschke (both of whom he would win the straps with twice), Ricky Steamboat, and Wahoo McDaniel.

He would later go on to success as a manager, overseeing the careers of the embryonic Powers of Pain (The Barbarian and The Warlord), Rick Rude, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and Ivan Koloff.

Answer: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

Perhaps the best-known match between Flair and Steamboat was their WCW World Championship contest on May 7, 1989, which saw Flair regain the title after a Steamboat title-defense tour of Japan. Though Flair doesn't dispute that this was an excellent match, he also maintains that: "Steamboat and I probably had 200 matches that were better - but no one saw them except the people at the arena." They last wrestled in 1994, after which Steamboat was soon forced to retire due to injuries.

Answer: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

Flair first won the title from Rhodes in 1981, then dropped it to seven-time World Champion Harley Race in 1983; after a protracted feud, which saw Race pay Dick Slater and Bob Orton to injure Flair's neck, the Nature Boy regained the title from Race at the first "Starrcade" annual event later that year.

In 1986, Flair lost the belt to Dusty Rhodes at the conclusion of the "Great American Bash" series, but regained it 13 days later. Flair dropped the title to "Hands of Stone" Ronnie Garvin in 1987, then regained it two months later at that year's "Starrcade". Flair did work with Greg Valentine for many years as a tag team partner, but Valentine never held a World title, though he did hold the NWA United States Championship and WWF Intercontinental title at various times.

Answer: Kerry Von Erich

Kerry Von Erich would defend the title fourteen times in eighteen days before losing the belt back to Flair in Yokosuka, Japan. Compounding the tragedy of David's death, Kerry, Mike, and Chris would all take their own lives in the coming years.

Answer: Sting

Sting won his first WCW World Championship from Ric Flair on July 7, 1990, dropping it back to the Nature Boy on January 11, 1991. After that title split into the World Championship and International Championship following Flair's departure to the WWF, eventual International titleholder Sting would face Flair in a reunification match at "Clash of the Champions XXVII" in June of 1994. Aided by Sherri Martel, Flair won the match.

Answer: Terry Funk

As the storyline went, Flair ended up being so profoundly injured that he took two months to recuperate - his longest hiatus from the ring since a 1975 plane crash. Funk's notorious stunts after the champion's return included attempting to suffocate Flair with a plastic bag - an incident never replayed on televised broadcasts, though it is included on the WWE's 2003 retrospective DVD set on Flair's career.

Answer: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

Among the other wrestlers Flair faced on this night were longtime foil Roddy Piper, former WWF Champion Colonel Mustafa (better known as The Iron Sheik), future WWE great Shawn Michaels, Kerry Von Erich, the Big Bossman, Irwin R. Shyster (who had wrestled Flair many times as Mike Rotunda), former AWA World Champion Rick "The Model" Martel (who wrestled a hard-fought "unification" match with Flair in 1985) and Flair's former partner in the Four Horsemen Sid Justice (better known as Sid Vicious).

Answer: Vader

This match proved to be something of a watershed in Vader's career, Prior to losing to the Nature Boy, Vader had been a three-time WCW World Champion and a two-time All-Japan Triple Crown titlist. Though he would continue to feud with Flair for several months, and would later wrestle Hulk Hogan and Sting for top belts, Vader would never again win a major world title. Vader would later have a long run in the WWF where he would challenge for that federation's version of the world title several times. Alas, he would ever after come up short.

Answer: Carlito

Carlito's trademark of spitting a chewed-up apple into the face of his foe backfired in this match, with Flair chopping the younger man in mid-expectoration. While Carlito choked, Flair applied his trademark "Figure-Four Leglock" and got the submission victory.

Carlito is the son of Carlos Colon, the preeminent Carribean wrestler of the 1970s and 1980s. Colon defeated Flair in 1983 while Flair held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, thus "unifying" the Puerto Rico-based Universal Heavyweight Championship; this loss is not generally recognized in the United States. During this series, Flair became so scared of the violent Puerto Rico crowds that he enlisted friend Roddy Piper as a bodyguard of sorts. Of course, Piper proceeded to work the crowd up even more, and the two mainlanders barely escaped major injury.

Answer: Shawn Michaels

The evening prior to "Wrestlemania", Flair was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame along with "High Chief" Peter Maivia, Rocky "Soulman" Johnson, Mae Young, Jack and Jerry Brisco, Eddie Graham, and Gordon Solie. On the "WWE Raw" broadcast of March 31, 2008, several of Flair's past and present colleagues filed out to thank Ric for his service. This included a regretful Michaels, Triple H (de facto master of ceremonies), Rick Steamboat, Harley Race, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, Dean Malenko, Vince McMahon, and practically every active WWE performer.

Thanks for everything, Ric.