The year is 2007, and it is the final episode of Monday Night RAW of the year, from the legendary Greensboro Colliseum. One of the men in the match is a man who built that legend, Ric Flair. The other is his greatest student, Triple H. Ric Flair has been putting his career on the line, and Triple H put his shot at the Royal Rumble on the line. The environment was perfect for a wrestling classic, and these two have never had a bad match with their chemistry. What could possibly go wrong?
Ric Flair Turned The Clock Back
While many look to Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair as the best moment of his final run in wrestling, this match is often forgotten. It started off slow, but once the chops started to redden the chest of Triple H, the clock turned back on the 58 year old. He and Triple H put on a wrestling clinic, complete with all the signature spots from both men, with Flair even successfully coming off the top rope and hitting suplexes. Flair nearly even beat Triple H once he got the leg as a target, brutalizing it with chop blocks, a knee breaker, and the legendary Figure Four Leg Lock. Triple H fought to the rope, and hit a Pedigree with an awkward landing on his knee slowing the pinfall. This is a pinfall that could have ended the career of Flair, but it never got to play out.
The RAW General Manager William Regal Ruined The Match
William Regal now is looked at as the best general manager in WWE, with him being in charge of NXT, but that was not his first management role. In 2007, he was the heel GM of RAW, and was as dastardly as ever. Knowing a loss for Triple H would take him out of the 2008 Royal Rumble, Regal seeing a beaten Flair would come down to ringside and deliver a punch to the head of Flair, giving this match a DQ finish. Considering Triple H still made it to the Royal Rumble, last being removed by a returning John Cena, it is unclear why they couldn’t have just had Flair kick out of the Pedigree, lock in the Figure Four once more, and get a final win in an arena where his legend was raised.
This is an example of what keeps WWE away from greatness so often, as they can never let things play out in an organic way. The next week on RAW, Triple H got his revenge on William Regal in a short match, hardly a hitting replacement for messing the finish of this match. Despite the finish, it is a highly regarded match, and one that deserves to be remembered, even if it is frustrating to watch now. Triple H made it to Wrestlemania in a triple threat against WWE Champion Randy Orton and Royal Rumble winner John Cena, and everyone knows what happened to Ric Flair when he faced Shawn Michaels.
Do you remember this match? Let us know what you think about it in the comment section down below.
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