When the Indianapolis Colts beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the National Football League playoffs, defensive back and special teams wizard Sergio Brown unveiled a Ric Flair-inspired victory celebration in the locker room. The video got a little play around the internet (and was fanposted by one of our own Cageside Colts' fans), but not too much, and the world moved on.
Yesterday, the Colts upset Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, moving on to face the New England Patriots in the Conference Championship game which will determine who heads to the Super Bowl. Brown broke out his Nature Boy impersonation again, this time with a little more involvement from his teammates and a lot more buzz on social media, and it looks like we've got one of those signature sports slogans/cheers/memes for this year's American football post-season.
It's a testament to not only the enduring legacy of Flair - more than two years removed from wrestling, six years since his WWE in-ring retirement and almost fifteen years since the last of his world title reigns - but also to all of pro wrestling. Whether or not people keep up with the form the way most of us on here have, a lot of people have a history with and a connection to it, and it sometimes reveals itself in unexpected places and takes everyone back to the time when it was still real to them, damnit.
Now give me two claps and a Ric Flair.