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(BELL DINGS)
LILIAN: The following is a Career-Threatening Match.
Now, in this match, should Ric Flair lose,
he must retire.
(SEXY BOY PLAYING)
Introducing first, from San Antonio, Texas,
the Heartbreak Kid,
Shawn Michaels!
JR: Shawn Michaels has found himself in one of the most unique situations
of his magnificent and storied career.
The range of emotions that Shawn Michaels
has experienced in the past 24 hours has run the gamut.
Shawn Michaels just last night,
sitting in the front row when Ric Flair was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
And as with many of us here, tears were flowing
down the face of the Heartbreak Kid.
But what Shawn Michaels is challenged to do tonight
may certainly give new meaning to the cliche of the marketing term
of "Heartbreak Kid."
It is Mr. WrestleMania
that Ric Flair wanted here tonight.
And I will assure you, ladies and gentlemen,
that it is Mr. WrestleMania that the Nature Boy will get.
(CROWD CHEERING)
(ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA PLAYING)
LILIAN: And making his way to the ring,
from Charlotte, North Carolina,
the Nature Boy, Ric Flair!
JERRY: Well,
no one has style, no one has profile
quite like that man.
Look out through this huge crowd
and all the "Woooo!"s that you're going to see and hear here tonight.
There's absolutely never been anyone like Ric Flair, has there?
JR: Absolutely not.
And there never will be again.
Tonight we celebrate
Nature Boy, Ric Flair!
As he walks to the ring with pride,
with conviction, and with confidence
that on Sunday night, March 30th, 2008,
he will once again rise to the occasion.
JERRY: Well,
it's just like Triple H said last night at the Hall of Fame induction,
Ric Flair is and always will be the man.
And there's Ric Flair's family right here at ringside.
"Flair forever."
JR: What an amazing environment.
A larger-than-life spectacle
that I wish you all, wherever you are around the world, could be here tonight
and feel it as we are feeling it now.
JERRY: And over the years nobody has done the pomp and the pageantry
as well as Ric Flair.
JR: Thousands upon thousands of fans who have traveled around the world
standing on their feet in respect
of Ric Flair, and his...
His quest to continue his storied career.
Whoooo!
JERRY: There it is, vintage Flair.
Vintage Nature Boy!
(RIC SHOUTING)
(EXCLAIMS)
JR: Shawn Michaels with the first offensive advantage of the contest.
Michaels will be the quicker of the two.
Goes without saying,
but Flair has, uh...
Flair may have taught Shawn Michaels all that Shawn Michaels knows,
but he hasn't taught him all that Ric Flair knows.
JERRY: Well, I think that Shawn Michaels was actually going to go ahead
and do a Ric Flair strut for a second, but he thought better of it.
And I think that's a wise decision.
JR: Shawn Michaels reversing the hammerlock, nicely done.
Quickly reversed by The Naitch.
Beautiful drop toe-hold, Flair goes over!
And Michaels right back to the hammerlock.
Such an amazing setting.
Because if Ric Flair is the greatest of all time,
how do you argue that Shawn Michaels is not 1-A?
JERRY: Look out!
Well,
Flair said that himself. That's what this match is all about.
Flair wanted to be in the ring with the best
here tonight on wrestling's grandest stage.
And he is.
Whoooo!
(ROBINSON SHOUTING)
ROBINSON: One! Two!
Break it, Flair! Back up! One! Two!
Three! Back it up!
"Old Yeller," huh? "Old Yeller," huh?
JERRY: Oh, my...
JR: Ric Flair's, uh...
You can see his lip, apparently busted at the hands of Shawn Michaels.
First blood, brother.
JERRY: "First blood."
JR: May not be the last.
One!
(ROBINSON COUNTING)
JERRY: Good grief! Man! It's a chop fest... Oh!
JR: Michaels sets, makes a mistake, Flair capitalizes.
Could that be a sign of things to come?
Whoooo!
JR: Flair's not going to make many mistakes, I'll assure you.
JERRY: Oh! That patented knee drop right across the forehead.
JR: I think Michaels' slap to Flair's face
gave Flair some additional momentum
and motivation here tonight.
But, that elbow, again, right to the mouth of Flair
slows down the Nature Boy.
JR: Michaels looking to take a chance!
JERRY: And Flair taking a page out of his own book!
JR: Michaels taking an early chance.
And now Flair climbing to the top.
JERRY: Look at this!
JERRY: It worked!
This is a historic match.
JERRY: Oh, look out, look out!
JR: Focusing on the knee and the leg of Shawn Michaels.
And Michaels throwing caution to the wind here.
JR: Look out, here!
JR: For God's sake!
My God! My God! My God!
Michaels...
JR: Anguish on his face.
Pain etched on his face. Michaels missed the mark
and exploded into this table.
JERRY: Unbelievable! Mr. WrestleMania,
as you said, "missing the mark." He may have...
He may have cracked ribs.
JR: The Showstopper may have just stopped his own show.
ROBINSON: Four!
JR: Referee Charles Robinson...
ROBINSON: Five!
JR: Is up to five with a 10-count at his disposal.
JR: Michaels could be counted out here.
ROBINSON: Seven!
ROBINSON: Eight!
JERRY: Michaels able to somehow make it back into the ring,
before that 10-count.
JR: How can Michaels even breathe after this collision?
JERRY: And look at Flair, still fast enough to get out of the way of that...
JR: The ring savvy of...
The ring savvy of Flair, and the wherewithal to move out of the way.
Flair, a back suplex. Flair's got to capitalize here early.
Michaels in trouble! Flair with a cover! Flair's got the leg hooked!
And Charles Robinson, who has been a Ric Flair fan his entire life,
quite frankly, and honestly, did find a two-count there.
Flair with a straight right hand,
trying to continue to widen the advantage offensively.
And Flair now again.
ROBINSON: One, two...
Hooks the leg! Got a near-fall again. Ric Flair pressing the issue.
JERRY: Well, Flair certainly...
JR: Everything Ric Flair is doing now
is ravaging Michaels' body.
Michaels is hurting, no doubt, from head to toe.
JERRY: Well, Flair certainly took exception to that Old Yeller reference
that Shawn Michaels made earlier.
JR: Ric Flair, standing vertical suplex!
The strength, the technique, perfectly executed, by the Nature Boy!
JR: Flair with a cover again! Another one!
JERRY: Well, I do believe we're seeing Ric Flair at his absolute best.
JR, did you ever see the movie Old Yeller? Look at this!
JR: I saw it, and there's another cover.
And I'm seeing Ric Flair continuing to press the flesh on Shawn Michaels.
Body-to-body, move-for-move!
JERRY: I went back and watched that movie, Old Yeller,
they didn't put the dog, Old Yeller, down because he was too old,
it was because he got rabies. And right now, Flair is acting like a rabid dog.
There's nothing more dangerous than a rabid dog.
JR: Michaels with a neckbreaker just in time.
If your...
If your money's on Shawn Michaels because
Michaels has been on the receiving end
again and again, after taking that amazing chance
that did not pay off earlier.
JR: Oh!
And, man, Michaels showing no surcease for Ric Flair.
Flair being elevated over the top rope all the way to the floor, as we saw.
We saw the awkward way, the uncomfortable way, Flair landed.
What in the heck is Michaels doing here?
JERRY: Well, we've seen that Michaels will attempt just about anything in this match.
Now what? Look out!
JR: The moonsault!
The moonsault, I think, found its mark this time.
Flair knocked down, but what price has Michaels paid?
ROBINSON: Two!
JR: And the referee back in the ring, you see him...
ROBINSON: Three!
Four!
JERRY: You saw Shawn Michaels pulling out all the stops with a moonsault.
JR: A double count-out would be a loss for Ric Flair.
Seven!
Eight!
Nine!
JR: It looked as if Flair had the opportunity
to sidestep most of Shawn Michaels' moonsault, there.
If not, there's no way Flair would have made it back in the ring.
Mano-a-mano.
Michaels explodes with a forearm in Flair's face, and now Michaels...
JR: You can almost feel, ladies and gentlemen,
ROBINSON: Two!
JERRY: Oh, you're right. The tide is turning.
Both these men taking turns lighting each other up with chops, and now
Michaels with the advantage.
JR: Michaels' Inverted atomic drop and right hand
has Flair in big trouble.
Michaels again hit. Michaels could have sustained broken ribs
from that missed moonsault that destroyed the announce table,
destroyed our monitors...
JERRY: And then, after that, he went for a second moonsault, and now what...
What's Michaels going for here?
JR: The Showstopper
hits with the elbow.
(GRUNTING)
(CROWD COUNTING)
JERRY: Oh, oh, oh!
JR: Michaels couldn't pull the trigger, but the Nature Boy does!
JERRY: Oh, my gosh!
He who hesitates is lost!
JR: Flair's legendary Figure Four Leglock
JERRY: It's vintage Flair!
He is the dirtiest player in the game! Oh, my gosh!
JR: The unequal competitive spirit of Ric Flair,
taking advantage of Shawn Michaels.
JERRY: Shawn Michaels' hesitation. He hesitated, and it's going to cost him!
JERRY: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!
JR: Shawn Michaels has reversed the pressure.
Flair got to the ropes. Referee calls for a break.
And now let's assess the damage.
JERRY: I don't see how either of these two men are on their feet.
JERRY: Whoa!
JR: Michaels trying. Flair might have it! Did Flair get three?
No.
Michaels trying to bridge out. His body wouldn't allow it,
thanks to our announce table.
A counter by Michaels. A counter by Michaels!
Michaels refusing to let Flair out of the corner.
JERRY: Reversal!
JR: Good grief, what velocity!
Where'd that come from?
Oh, the chop block!
Now we're talking dirtiest player in the game.
JERRY: Ric Flair capitalizing on that vulnerability.
Shawn Michaels with his back turned
and he suffers a vicious chop block from Naitch.
JR: The intensity of the greatest of all time.
JERRY: Here we go, JR. This could be it. Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait!
JR: Inside cradle! The inside cradle countered the attempted Figure Four.
JERRY: Flair ducks the enzuigiri. He's got the Figure Four again!
JR: Flair's got the Figure Four! Can Michaels survive it?
Flair, Figure Four locked in,
and Shawn Michaels being tortured
by the man Michaels grew up idolizing. Shoulders down!
JERRY: Michaels, literally screaming, writhing in pain.
He's going to have to try, if he can, to get to the ropes,
but he's in the center of the ring.
JR: Michaels is in a desperate state.
JERRY: Look at Flair pull Michaels back!
JR: The legend, Ric Flair, pulling Michaels right dead center of the ring!
Michaels can't last much longer.
JERRY: Flair rolled through that counter.
JR: Where is Michaels' momentum?
But Michaels is finally too close to the ropes.
The crowd doesn't like it. It was the only thing Michaels could do to survive.
But the bottom line is that Shawn Michaels is damaged goods,
as we speak, thanks to the Figure Four.
JERRY: This is Flair's best opportunity to be victorious in this match.
He's got to stay on the offensive. He's got to capitalize here.
Whoooo!
JERRY: Come on, Naitch, there's no time to style and profile now.
JR: Michaels pulls himself up.
JR: Oh, my God!
Flair walked into Sweet Chin Music!
A thunderous superkick to the face of Ric Flair!
JR: Michaels' ravaged body.
Michaels, with the arm over. Is this it?
JERRY: No! (LAUGHING)
JR: Ric Flair's in ring wrestling life is continuing!
JERRY: Oh!
I don't think Shawn Michaels has ever delivered a more picture-perfect
Sweet Chin Music than that, and it still didn't keep Flair down for the three-count.
JR: But Ric Flair continues to prove why he is the man.
Flair has survived this amazing effort by Shawn Michaels.
Mr. WrestleMania
couldn't pull the trigger earlier. Finally did instinctively.
JERRY: Now HBK is tuning up the band again!
Get up! Get up!
JERRY: Screaming at Flair to get to his feet.
Well, JR, this may be the end of Old Yeller.
JR: Michaels said that he was going to take Flair out behind the barn
and put him out of his misery, but my question is,
in the heart of Shawn Michaels, can he do it?
Michaels has got to be conflicted.
JERRY: Oh!
(JERRY LAUGHING)
JR: Flair with a low blow. The referee could not have seen it.
And the Nature Boy knows it. And now, can Flair win it?
Can Flair win it with a low blow?
JERRY: No!
JR: Michaels a second away from losing
this amazing wrestling match here tonight
at WrestleMania XXIV.
To be the man, you've got to beat the man,
and can Shawn Michaels beat the man tonight?
JERRY: Oh, look at this! Oh, my gosh! I can't believe it!
JR: Michaels' inverted version of the Figure Four!
How prophetic is this?
It was Flair's Figure Four, now Michaels' submission maneuver on Flair's legs...
JERRY: No.
(STUTTERING) No, this just, this just...
This just would not be right.
(FLAIR YELLING IN PAIN)
JERRY: Get to the rope.
JR: Out of desperation, the Nature Boy got to the ropes.
Oh, a thumb to the eye.
Flair with a thumb to the eye.
Fighting for his survival.
JERRY: Well, but, he's got to be very, very careful.
That's a couple of things that Flair has done behind the ref's back.
JR: There's a cover!
JERRY: God! What was? Was that a three?
JR: Flair got the cradle. He got a long two-count indeed.
Flair may have had the tights there.
I couldn't see from my position.
Wouldn't surprise me.
My God! How intense is this?
JERRY: How much can their chests take?
JERRY: Oh! Not again!
JR: Out of nowhere!
It's like the big right hand, but it was the big right boot,
from downtown, out of nowhere, in a heartbeat.
JERRY: Desperate men do desperate things, and that was purely out of desperation.
Flair was lighting up Shawn Michaels.
JR: The look on Shawn Michaels' face tells another story.
(INAUDIBLE)
JERRY: Flair wants to fight. Uh-oh.
JR: My God, what a shot!
Michaels, will it be?
JR: It is! Yes!
(SEXY BOY PLAYING)
LILIAN: Here is your winner, the Heartbreak Kid,
Shawn Michaels!
JR: Shawn Michaels hesitated,
and hesitated, and contemplated,
but he had to do what he came to do.
Michaels did exactly what Ric Flair demanded.
The very best from Mr. WrestleMania.
NARRATOR: It was a bittersweet moment for both competitors,
that allowed the Heartbreak Kid to share a few sentimental words
with his boyhood idol.