Richard Morgan Fliehr, a professional wrestler, defied expectations. As a medical student at Minnesota University, he followed in his father's footsteps as a doctor and his mother's as an actress. However, he dropped out of college to train under the guidance of legendary former AWA World champion Verne Gagne. His professional wrestling debut took place on December 10, 1972, in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, where he wrestled "Scrap Iron" George Gadaski, also known as John Kosti, to a ten-minute draw.
Initially, Flair spent a few months working with Gagne's Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club, which operated under the brand name "American Wrestling Association." He later relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he became a regular for Jim Crockett Promotions, a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, under the direction of matchmaker George Scott. In 1981, he secured his first NWA World title, a belt he would go on to hold officially nine more times.
Throughout his illustrious career, Flair worked for both World Championship Wrestling, a company formed by Ted Turner after purchasing the wrestling assets of JCP, and Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment. He has been officially recognized as a World champion 21 times, earning recognition from the NWA, WWE, WCW, and WCWI, or World Championship Wrestling International. Notably, he is the only wrestler in history to hold all four versions of the title.
