Summerslambiguities

As Summerslam draws nearer, the card is becoming more and more clear. We have King Booker vs. Batista for the Smackdown title, Edge vs. John Cena for the Raw title, DX vs. The McMahons, and Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Orton. Clearly the big draws are the McMahon match and the Hogan match. Or more specifically, the matches that are being viewed by the powers that be as the big draws are the McMahon match and the Hogan match. But there's another match on the card that, for me, is more intriguing.

Mick Foley vs. Ric Flair.

This match is built upon real animosity, although not enough that we have to worry about one of the guys shanking the other. It's a match that people have been anticipating since "Flair's" "book" was released a couple of years ago. At that time, Flair, took shots at Foley as an admitted receipt for Foley's criticisms of Flair in Foley's first book, Have A Nice Day. Unfortunately, Flair came out on the losing end of that, as Foley made sure to qualify his statements, while Flair simply attacked Foley's career. Flair came across as petty and childish, lashing out for the sake of lashing out.

Since then, there have been a few mentions of tension between the two, but a professional tension that didn't sink into violence (unlike Flair's admitted assault of Eric Bischoff). And now, years later, the match is finally happening. Of course, the match was actually hotshotted a few months ago at a different, lesser PPV, but it appears that may have actually been an example of planning, as that match plays a role in how this match has come about.

The interaction between Flair and Foley has been, for me, the highlight of RAW for the past few weeks. Let's face it, both these guys are master promo-men, and their work is an example of why scripts should not only not be encouraged, but should in fact be banned from professional wrestling. Foley as the man who claims he has nothing to prove, and Flair as the man with a score to settle has given some classic exchanges, built on the real life differences between these two legends.

There's only one problem. Foley is the heel, and Flair is the face. Ostensibly. But for me, Foley is the face. And this ambiguity is tainting how I see this match. I'm not getting behind Ric Flair, because I don't think I could ever support the man. And I certainly can't support him when he's opposing Mick Foley. Ric Flair does not deserve the crowd support in this program.

Because I think Ric Flair is a jerk.

As you may have guessed, I don't like Ric Flair. Its not that I don't respect and understand all that he's done in, and for, professional wrestling. But he doesn't come across as a likeable human being. Maybe its his right-wing politics. Bragging about being on a first-name basis with George Bush is, to me, like bragging about hanging out with Paul Bernardo.

Maybe its the way he's lived his life. Foley made a good point in his promos, noting Flair's, shall we say, commitment issues. That, coupled with his recent road rage allegations, his tax problems, and the like, Flair doesn't come across as the guy that people should be admiring.

Maybe its Flair's hipocrisy. Flair brags about his wrestling prowess, but his most notable matches recently have been a Money In The Bank ladder match at 'Mania, a TLC match with Edge, and an "ECW" bloodbatch with the Big Show. As Flair has gotten older, he's had to resort to the "garbage" matches he previously derided in order to get the fans to give a crap about an old man who didn't have the common sense to know how to save money, pay taxes, or know when the ride was over.

But I don't think these things are what makes me hate Flair.

It's his attitude. Allow me to elaborate. My university department is very interdisciplinary. As a result, there are a wide range of professors, each with their own approach to research. There are anthropologists, social scientists, historians, political economists and others. With all these different disciplines and all these different personalities, there are bound to be conflicts. I've heard stories about professor's getting into shouting matches in the hallway. I've seen professor's dismiss outright the methodology of other professors. I have personally been witness to two professor's engaging in a battle of wills. But most of the time, these conflicts are temporary. But sometimes, you will encounter a professor who is so sure of the validity of their approach, that they simply refuse to accept any other.

Wrestling is a similar monster. You have brawlers, you have high-fliers. You have comedy matches, you have technical showcases, you have "extreme" matches. There is no one right way to approach professional wrestling. In fact, I would argue (as I'm sure many others do) that the best cards are those with a proper balance of all these styles. Mick Foley is a brawler, a hardcore wrestler, and a comedian. He tells great stories in the ring and tries to entertain the fans. Foley knows his place in the realm of professional wrestling. He knows he can't do a Jeff Hardy Swanton bomb. He knows he can't achieve the physique of a Hulk Hogan. But he doesn't dismiss those other approaches to professional wrestling.

Flair does. Flair seems to hate anything that doesn't fit with his paradigm. He dismisses Foley as a glorified stuntman, ignoring the fact that that's pretty much what every single professional wrestler is. In fact, a professional wrestler who is unable to properly fall convincingly will never amount to much. Flair seems to think his way is the best, and anyone who is different is less than him.

Not only that, but Flair thinks that anyone who disagrees with him is evil. Look at the way he lashes out at fans who boo Shawn Michaels, despite the fact that Michaels is an easy to hate man. Look at his blind devotion to the McMahons. This is not a man who is open to other ideas.

So how am I supposed to get behind Flair in this feud? Flair isn't a man who inspires much in the way of sympathies. I don't want to cheer for him, because doing so would be an implicit endorsement of his attitudes towards wrestling, towards society and towards other people.

In fact, the only time I can see myself getting behind Ric Flair is to push him into the path of an oncoming train or down a flight of stairs.