Who is Ric Flair, Zac Efron’s opponent in Iron Claw?
Actor Aaron Dean Eisenberg plays the American wrestling legend who appears briefly in Sean Durkin’s film.
Currently showing, Iron Claw tells the extraordinary story of the Von Erich family, whose brothers experienced a meteoric rise in the world of American wrestling in the early 1980s. The filmmaker Sean Durkin recounts the tragedies suffered by the family and depicts these complex figures of champions and athletes embodied by Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson, Jeremy Allen White And Stanley Simons.
Inspired by a True Story, Iron Claw features highlights of the Von Erichs’ careers, alternating between their tag team matches, in which Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson) and Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) formed a deadly trio; and the solo moments of glory, particularly around the character of Kevin, through whom the story is told. Among the adversaries they face, Sean Durkin selects some figures that actually existed like Bruiser Brody or Harley Race, respectively played by Cazzey Louis Cereghino And Kevin Anton.
But the most iconic opponent of the film is none other than Ric Flair (Aaron Dean Eisenberg) that Kevin will face in single combat to compete for the title of world champion. We then discover an extravagant character, loud-mouthed, provocative and excessively bling, parading around the ring in a frilly pink bathrobe straight out of a pimp’s dressing room. The fight is one of the highlights of the film and for all the curious, we offer you a short presentation of the Ric Flair phenomenon, even more extravagant in real life than in the film.
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Ric Flair, whose real name is Richard Morgan Fliehr, is one of the pillars of modern wrestling in the United States, having contributed to shaping the profession in the same way as Hulk Hogan or more recently John Cena Or Dwayne Johnson. Nicknamed The Nature Boy, for obscure reasons that no one has ever really understood, Ric Flair is one of the most successful champions of all time tied with John Cena. But the appeal of such a character is not so much in his pure wrestling skills, but rather in his showmanship. The proof in pictures.
Ric Flair has built a personality as a provocative golden boy, completely delirious in the ring and in promotion, always ready to showcase his wealth, his beauty and his charm. He quickly became the specialist in live tantrums, famous for his “WOOOO”, his emblematic battle cry. Sean Durkin couldn’t invent a character like that. His face always fluctuates between red and purple, veins bulging from screaming about how he is the strongest, richest and most awesome of all the wrestlers. Entered the WWE Hall of Fame for the first time in 2008 and a second time in 2012, he regularly makes appearances that are still viral, even if he no longer fights. We leave you with “The Duel of WOOOO”, his masterpiece!
In addition to the stars playing the Von Erich sons, Holt McCallany (Mindhunter) who plays the role of the father, Fritz von Erich, himself a former wrestler who sees in his sons the possibility of achieving the success he never knew. Iron Claw is currently in cinemas.