by Wayne K. Wilkins

Created on: November 01, 2009

The legendary "Nature Boy" Ric Flair is making his in ring professional wrestling return in early November for Hulk Hogan's tour of Australia. The iconic Flair will be taking on Hogan in a series of matches which will mark the first meeting of these two icons in the ring together since an episode of WWE RAW in 2002. Prior to that, Hogan and Flair had wrestled numerous times for World Championship Wrestling in main event caliber matches. This will mark Flair's first official match since his retirement at WrestleMania 24 against Shawn Michaels. Just what does the future hold for Ric Flair in the world of professional wrestling now he is making his return to the sport he helped perfect?

Prior to the announcement that he was coming out of retirement, Flair had stated that he was itching to return to pro wrestling for the simple fact that after a trip to RAW, he felt that he could still go better than half of the WWE roster today. A series of publicized personal problems with his finances may also have tipped the scales in the favor of a return to the ring, but the most likely case is that Flair's passion once again got the better of him. This should not be looked at as a bad thing; Flair is one of the biggest wrestling legends of all time and his return to the sport will only benefit it.

Flair is also associated with Eric Bischoff's business endeavors and is signed as apart of the Hogan and Bischoff deal. Given Hogan and Bischoff signed with TNA Wrestling on October 27, 2009, it is now a possibility that Ric Flair's wrestling return in early November may provoke a return to the mainstream world of professional wrestling for Total nonstop Action Wrestling once the tour has concluded. The partnership between Hogan, Bischoff and Flair could easily be the deciding factor that signs the legendary "Nature Boy" with the mainstream TNA Wrestling promotion.

The return of a legend and hall of famer of the caliber of Ric Flair could have a huge impact on the ratings of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Combined with the return of Hulk Hogan, TNA is currently on the verge of competing with the WWE. Ric Flair's future in professional wrestling is currently in question but if his current commitments in Australia with Hulk Hogan are anything to go by as well as his business partnership with Eric Bischoff, Ric Flair's future in the world of professional wrestling could point to TNA Wrestling. Could 2010 and beyond see the mainstream return of the legendary "Nature Boy" Ric Flair?

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