Richard Fliehr, aka Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. His professional wrestling career lasted around 50 years, and he is widely regarded by fellow wrestlers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time.
He was the first holder of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship, and also the final holder of the latter. Flair became the first WCW Triple Crown Champion by winning the WCW World Heavyweight, United States Heavyweight, and World Tag Team Championships. He later completed the WWE Triple Crown after winning the Intercontinental Championship, having already held the WWF World Heavyweight and World Tag Team Championships.
List of Ric Flair’s World Championship Wins
Flair is officially recognized by WWE as a 16-time world champion, having won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship eight times, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times, and the WWF World Heavyweight Championship twice.
Ric Flair’s first recognised World Championship win came on 17 September 1981 against Dusty Rhodes. Flair won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at a house show after capitalising on Rhodes’ knee buckling during a suplex attempt. This began a reign that lasted 631 days.
Although Flair later lost the title to Jack Veneno, he was awarded the championship back on the same night because Veneno would not defend it outside the Dominican Republic. Dusty Rhodes also briefly defeated Flair in February 1982 while wrestling as The Midnight Rider, but Flair was again awarded the title back because masked wrestlers were not allowed to hold the NWA World title.
Ric Flair’s most famous World Championship win took place on 19 January 1992 at the Royal Rumble. The WWF Championship was vacant after Hulk Hogan was stripped of the title. Flair entered the Royal Rumble match at number two and lasted over one hour to win the match and the WWF Championship. This victory is widely regarded as one of the greatest Royal Rumble performances in wrestling history and marked Flair’s first WWF World Championship reign.
Ric Flair’s final World Championship reign began on 29 May 2000 when Kevin Nash awarded him the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Nash had won the vacant title days earlier but returned it to Flair because he believed Flair should not lose a championship without being defeated in a match. This marked Flair’s last recognised World Title reign, although it was short-lived, as Jeff Jarrett defeated him later that same night to reclaim the championship.
Here is a detailed table summarizing Ric Flair’s WWE World Championships:
| Championship Name | Championship Winning Date | Event | They will oppose |
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship | 17 September 1981 | House Show | Dusty Rhodes |
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship | 24 November 1983 | Starrcade | Harley Race |
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship | 24 May 1984 | House Show (Yokosuka, Japan) | Kerry Von Erich |
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship | 9 August 1986 | House Show | Dusty Rhodes |
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship | 26 November 1987 | Starrcade 1987 | Ronnie Garvin |
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship | 7 May 1989 | WrestleWar | Ricky Steamboat |
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship | 11 January 1991 | House Show | Sting |
| WWF Championship | 19 January 1992 | Royal Rumble | Royal Rumble Match |
| WWF Championship | 1 September 1992 | Prime Time Wrestling | Randy Savage |
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 18 July 1993 | House Show | Barry Windham |
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 27 December 1993 | Starrcade (10th Anniversary) | Vader |
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 27 December 1995 | Starrcade 1995 | Randy Savage |
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 11 February 1996 | SuperBrawl VI | Randy Savage |
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 14 March 1999 | Uncensored (First Blood Cage Match) | Hulk Hogan |
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 15 May 2000 | WCW Nitro | Jeff Jarrett |
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 29 May 2000 | WCW Nitro | Awarded by Kevin Nash |
FAQs
Q. How many times was Ric Flair a world champion?
A. Ric Flair was a world champion 16 times, which is the most recognized world title reigns in pro wrestling history.
Q. Does Ric Flair own part of WWE?
A. No. Ric Flair does not own part of WWE. He has said that he personally owns his WWE intellectual property.
Q. Who defeated Ric Flair for the WWF Championship?
A. Ric Flair lost his first WWF Championship to Randy Savage in 1992.
Get the Latest WWE News at IceCric.News and Follow for Live Updates – Facebook & Instagram.
Comments are closed.