By Doron Barbalat, Torch Specialist

Public Opinion On Ric Flair
Since news came out that Ric Flair has apparently quit World Wrestling Entertainment, we have held a few polls to delve into the public perception of Flair’s quitting.

The majority of voters (51%) believe that Ric Flair had good reason to quit WWE. After a legendary career spanning as long as Flair’s, with as many great moments, it seems that the majority of fans, or at least Torch readers that recognize Flair’s great career, feel that if he is not being used in a way that emphasizes his legendary status, it is a waste of talents and could affect the perception of his career.

Few readers believed that Flair was wrong to quit. 6% outright believe that Flair did not have good reason to quit, while 16% think that Flair was right to be upset, but that quitting was still the wrong move. That 16%, along with the 51% who agreed with Flair, show that a whopping 67% of Torch readers feel that Flair has been used terribly in WWE. If that many of the fans see a major problem with how Flair was being booked, than maybe Flair really would be better off in a different setting, within or outside of the wrestling industry.

Reports that have circulated seem to indicate that a main issue in Flair’s quitting was a major storyline that was planned to lead him into retirement at WrestleMania, that after being played around with by creative, didn’t leave Flair as the star of the storyline. Rumors have been abound for months that Flair could headline WrestleMania 24 in his retirement match, and with this news, it now appears that this plan has fallen through.

In a poll asking “Does Ric Flair's retirement match deserve to be a WrestleMania main event?”, 68% of voters, over 1000 people, voted “Yes”, that Flair’s career has been so legendary that it deserves to end on the biggest stage of all. Still, 30% did not believe that Flair deserved the spot, with answers such as better options existing, Flair’s push being too small to make it a believable role for him, or that the main event at ‘Mania belonged to the new stars.

Through all of this, the main point that can be seen is that Ric Flair still has a ton of fans, and it seems that a lot of those fans would be willing to pay a lot of money to see him on top of his game one more time.

While Flair may have great reasons for choosing to get away from WWE, beyond what the public knows, it is evident that WWE is losing some huge opportunities if they let Flair step away.

Torch readers don’t like Triple H
In our poll asking which was the best match at Unforgiven, Triple H’s match with Carlito received the lowest number of votes.

The next day, Triple H beat up five guys. And not “security guards” or other non-wrestlers who sometimes appear on WWE programming. We’re talking about the tag team champions, the up-and-coming challengers to their titles, and another promising young talent in Carlito.

In our poll asking for readers’ opinions on this matter, only 5% of the readers agreed that Triple H’s actions on Raw were good. That leaves 95% who thought it was a bad angle.

Of those 95%, the majority, 58%, thought the angle was absolutely awful, and was a big setback to all of the up-and-comers who Triple H squashed. 7% didn’t like the angle, but only because it was unrealistic. Another huge amount, 29% were not even phased by the angle, because they’ve seen it so often by Triple H.

What Triple H is doing is just not working. Fans accept him as a top guy. He doesn’t need to roll over half the roster to prove that he should be near the top of the card. Rather, working competitive matches against younger guys would make his matches far more believable, and likely, more enjoyable.

My theory for fans disagreement with Raw’s angle was the excitement they had when London and Kendrick got in the action. Personally, when they came out, I was quite excited that we might get to see a long Raw main event pitting Carlito/Cade/Murdoch against HHH/London/Kendrick, which could end up with London and Kendrick standing tall with Triple H, after just getting a chance to really showcase their skills in a top position.

But as London and Kendrick flipped into the ring and did their pose, the reality sank in. Clothesline. Pedigree. Pedigree. Sigh. Bow down to the, bow down to the King.

Doron Barbalat is the Pro Wrestling Torch’s Public Opinion Specialist. It would help him to get your feedback, so e-mail him any questions, comments, or suggestions you have at doronbarbalat@hotmail.com.

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