Aight so...I have a confession to make. Hip Hop wasn't my first passion. Truth be told, it was wrestling.

Before I started running downstairs on Saturday morning to catch RUN-DMC on MTV or Soul Train, I was waking up early to catch Wrestling Challenge or Superstars.

Before I started sneaking and staying up late trying to catch YO! MTV Raps, I was staying up to catch Saturday Night's Main Event.

Before I begged my parents and tried to bring home good report cards for rap concert tickets, I was busting my ass in school to catch the WWF or WCW when the opportunity presented itself.

Yeah nigga...I was asking for wrestling figures for birthdays and Christmas instead of the Public Enemy or NWA CD. I mean shit, at the time, getting a wrestling toy was a more realistic option anyway.

I met my first wrestler (Zeus aka Deebo) before I met my first rapper. I bought my first wrestling-pay-per-view before my first rap concert ticket. I had my first WWF Magazine before I had my first Source. I imitated my first wrestling move before I memorized my first rap. I had wrestling matches with my brother/cousins/friends before I joined my first cypher. Yeah, it was dead ass serious. I even tried out for my high school wrestling team...granted, I wasn't born in the city where the skinny niggas die, but after going against niggas three times my size and little cocky mah fuckas who probably wasn't getting any...I realized that wrestling shit wasn't going to work out.

That being said, I just had to give a send-off to The Nature Boy Ric Flair. His old ass finally hung up the boots this past weekend and it was about damn time. Granted, he was one of my favorites growing up (fuck a Hulk Hogan), but it was time for him to go. I'm not into wrestling like I used to be, but I still keep up with it a little, after all, that shit is the male soap opera. Watching his send-off last night, I kinda got reminded of the little impacts Ric and wrestling has had over the years.

The first one that comes to mind are Ghostface and his robes. That's some Ric Flair shit all day. Then you have Pastor Troy and what is simply known as "the belt." Once again, another Ric Flair swag jack. Remember that supergroup that was supposed to have Canibus, Killah Priest, Ras Kass and Kurupt? They were going to call themselves the Four Horsemen weren't they? I mean yeah, they acted like they got the name from the Bible, but them niggas know they was trying to like Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham and Tully Blanchard. Hell, just the other day, I was listening to one of Young Dro latest mixtapes and he said something about having a car the same color as "Ric Flair hair." Damn, that's a bright ass car.

Beyond the obvious references, I see a little Ric Flair in a lot rappers now. Some of them borrow a little bit of his swag from time to time. And with the influx of "nigga technology" alot of rappers get to record their own promos either defending themselves, dissing someone else or just jocking themselves. You can't lie and tell me all these damn rappers on youtube don't remind you of shit like this. I know the thought isn't new, but yeah. Rap is the new wrestling and we probably have the Nature Boy to thank!

I mean shied, we even got rappers doing their own variations of Ric's infamous "WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Just think, we've had:

UUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHH!

SQAAAAALLLAAAAAAY!

YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!

G-G-G-G-G-UNIIIIIIIIIIT!

Just to name a few.

But for real...I just wanted to show some love to Ric Flair right quick and this was an appropriate way to do so. Hope ya'll feel me on this one. Peace.

P.S.-Just so you don't get the wrong idea, we all know who the "greatest" is. Just sayin'.

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