ST. LOUIS — The stylin', profilin', limousine-riding, jet-flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin' and dealin' son of a gun was back in St. Louis Sunday night. And Ric Flair brought the crowd in the Khorassan Room at the Chase Park Plaza to its feet once again.
The "Nature Boy" was on hand to appear at the National Wrestling Alliance's "NWA 73" event at the Chase, the first wrestling event held at the iconic venue in nearly four decades.
NWA owner Billy Corgan helped bring wrestling back to the Chase, and he got the always-entertaining Flair into the ring to address the crowd Sunday night.
"I asked Mr. Corgan, 'Can I have a minute to speak? And he said, 'You're Ric Flair you can do what you want.'," Flair said to the packed crowd.
"This was my home. I lived and died to be in St. Louis," Flair said about his connection to Wrestling at The Chase.
"Welcome back, welcome back welcome back," the crowd chanted in response.
"In this very hotel I wrestled Dick the Bruiser, Harley Race, Terry Funk, Dory Funk, Jack Brisco, Ted DiBiase, Baron Von Raschke, Blackjack Lanza ... name it, I wrestled them here," Flair said.
Flair also showed his appreciation for the NWA, celebrating its 73rd anniversary this year.
"The NWA ... no matter what anybody says, thinks or wants to try and prove to somebody, will never be gone. Because of people like you. And as long as I'm alive I won't let you forget it," Flair said.