By Richard Gardner, Torch specialist

It was like he never left. After a disqualification finish in Sunday's Judgment Day PPV WWE Title match, Batista was the recipient of a three-on-one beat down by Legacy. What seemed like an anti-climatic finish was saved when Ric Flair ran in and helped Batista clear the ring. Not seen on WWE television since WrestleMania, Flair garnered a huge reaction from the Chicago crowd; the kind of reaction that will eventually encourage him to come out of retirement at 60 years old.

Wrestling retirements are rarely abided by and often exploited for storyline purposes, and are therefore rarely taken seriously by those who follow the sport. Steve Austin and Bret Hart are still regularly asked about whether they will return for one last match in press interviews, despite the potentially debilitating injuries that they may suffer by doing so, yet there was hope that Ric Flair would have the discipline to stay out of the ring. His retirement weekend was a celebration of his career, the sort of acknowledgement that the WWE rarely makes. It was the retirement that every wrestler dreams of.

The storyline leading up to the match was contrived. It didn't matter. The match was fifth on a nine match card. It didn’t matter. Question marks had surrounded Flair's abilities ever since the mid-nineties. That didn't matter either. What did matter is that, with the pressure on, Ric Flair produced his greatest performance since returning to the WWE in 2001.

The best match in history? Certainly not, but the match created raw emotion the likes of which I have never witnessed in all my years of watching pro wrestling. This was typified by the finish.

Flair was gaining momentum by using his trademark chops, when out of the blue Michaels superkicked him in the face. As Michaels wearily pulled himself to his feet, his facial expressions were that of guilt and shock. He almost reluctantly stomped his foot on the mat to signal his finisher; the Sweet Chin Music. At that moment Flair rose to his feet also, holding up his fists to signal that he only wanted the best from his adversary. Michaels may have been a veteran himself, but he also grew up idolising Ric Flair. Storyline or not, he knew the significance of what was about to happen.

"I'm sorry. I love you." The camera captured Michaels's words to Ric Flair before he delivered the superkick that would end "The Nature Boy's" career. After the resulting three-count, Michaels kissed Flair's forehead and slid out of the ring, overcome by emotion. At its worst pro wrestling is sleazy, crass, vulgar, but at its best it is an art-form. This was a perfect example of the latter.

The next night on Raw, Flair was given a farewell to end all farewells, where wrestlers from past and present paid tribute to a man whose career spanned four decades. Wresters such as Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, and Hulk Hogan may have been more influential in helping Vince McMahon build his empire but Ric Flair, a man who spent his best years outside the WWE, was presented as the greatest wrestler of all time. Pro wrestling; the sleaziest form of mainstream entertainment, the bastard son of legitimate sports, had produced a rare moment of perfection. Ric Flair retired with dignity.

Except wrestlers don't retire. Not unless their physical condition prevents them from stepping into the ring or management decides that they are no longer worth booking. Ric Flair, tired of the autograph signings and personal appearances and convinced he can make more money as an active competitor, is ready to wrestle again.

In February, Chris Jericho berated Flair as part of his WrestleMania storyline. He compared Flair to the Randy "The Ram" Robinson character that Mickey Rourke plays in The Wrestler. At the time it seemed a tentative link, comparing Flair who went out at the top of his profession with the down-and-out character from the film. In the past week it is as though Jericho's comments are becoming a self fulfilling prophecy.

Of course, Flair will be appearing in much grander arenas than those in which Randy "The Ram" plied his trade, but the principal remains the same; The Nature Boy will be wrestling to pay the bills and hear the cheers of the crowd at the detriment of his legacy. There is no way that Flair will be able to top the retirement match that he had last year, but with his well documented financial problems, he may find a lucrative tour of matches impossible to turn down.

Mick Foley was once in a similar position. Foley had a tremendous "final" match against Triple H at No Way Out 2000, losing a Hell in the Cell which had become his trademark match. He walked off to a standing ovation from the fans having put in a superb performance; an ideal way to end a career. However, enticed by the prospect of one last pay off, Foley returned at the next Pay Per View, an insult to those who bought No Way Out on the basis of seeing his last match. Foley's WrestleMania 2000 performance was unremarkable, as have been the majority of his subsequent in-ring appearances. This has lead to him being unfairly treated as a peripheral player in winning the Monday Night Wars with WCW.

Bret Hart's WWF career came to an end with the Montreal Screwjob, and his subsequent retirement was precipitated by an injury from a fellow wrestler. Steve Austin's retirement due to injury was announced to the public by Eric Bischoff in a Monday night storyline. Shawn Michaels's initial retirement began with a punch to the head from Mike Tyson. Arn Anderson's retirement was mercilessly mocked by the NWO in a disgusting parody of his speech. Ric Flair's retirement was a rare example of a wrestler going out on his own terms, whilst commanding the respect of his peers. Nobody can take last WrestleMania weekend away from him regardless of what happens, but the fact remains that the match against Shawn Michaels was the perfect way to go out.

Ric Flair's return to the ring has undoubtedly been hastened by his financial profligacy, and for that reason it is understandable that he wants to wrestle again. However, wrestling again come with a price in that the perfect retirement will be tarnished. Maybe I'm a mark for suggesting that wrestling is about anything but the bottom line, but one look at previous wrestling retirements indicates that Flair would be selling more than his wrestling services by accepting the offer of a tour; he'd also be selling part of his legacy.

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