Alex Marvez's weekly look at professional wrestling

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He isn't fighting for a world championship, but make no mistake: This is Ric Flair's "Wrestlemania."Flair is expected to wind down his storied 36-year grappling career this weekend at "Wrestlemania 24" in Orlando, Fla. He will become the first active pro wrestler inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame on Saturday but is then expected to retire the next day by losing his "Wrestlemania 24" match to Shawn Michaels.There probably isn't enough tissue in Florida to help Flair contain his emotions during both events.Richard Fliehr has done it all in wrestling. He held a record 18 world titles, winning his first in 1981. He headlined before the largest crowd (a reported 190,000 fans) to ever attend a pro-wrestling show, in 1995 in North Korea. And he is regarded as the industry's greatest all-time performer.Flair's style, character and longevity helped him stand above all others. Possessing incredible stamina, Flair often made his opponents seem better in the ring than they actually were. Given the "Nature Boy" nickname used by the legendary Buddy Rogers, Flair was a hit on interviews, with a Playboy persona that carried over to real life. Even in his 50s, Flair was still good enough to provide more entertaining performances than wrestlers half his age.Now a 59-year-old grandfather, Flair realizes it's finally time to hang up the boots. Flair is expected to begin work for WWE as a "goodwill" ambassador while also focusing on a finance company he started in Charlotte, N.C.WWE has built toward Flair's retirement and paired him at "Wrestlemania" with an opponent (Michaels) talented enough to stage one last memorable bout. But WWE should consider keeping Flair active a little longer.A win over Michaels would give Flair enough momentum to headline the "Backlash" pay-per-view show April 27 in Baltimore against the winner of Sunday's Randy Orton-John Cena-Paul "Triple H" Levesque title match. He could then bow out by passing the torch, as it's possible any of those three performers could someday break Flair's record for world title reigns.If this is the last time Flair will be "styling and profiling," here's hoping World Wrestling Entertainment management moves his match to the "Wrestlemania" main event. That would allow Flair to leave wrestling from the same spot he spent most of his career: On top.Here are some more thoughts for "Wrestlemania" weekend:Those with knowledge of pro-wrestling finances don't believe that the $20 million "Wrestlemania" payday being touted for boxer Floyd Mayweather is legitimate. Mayweather also hasn't generated the same type of mainstream buzz as previous high-profile "Mania" celebrities like Donald Trump and Mike Tyson.Some of that blame falls on WWE management's unsteady promotion of Mayweather, who has fluctuated between being a baby face and heel heading into his match against "Big Show" Paul Wight. WWE also could have picked a better opponent, as Wight was cold with fans from having spent the previous 14 months out of wrestling.X...X...XCandice Michelle lost her spot in the "BunnyMania Lumberjack Match" pay-per-view show (7 p.m. EDT Sunday) after re-injuring her shoulder on last week's "Monday Night Raw." Ashley Marrero -- whose high-profile appearances in Playboy and on "Survivor" have failed to give her WWE career any momentum -- will instead team with Maria against Beth Phoenix and Melina.X...X...XWWE's Hall of Fame ceremony, which will air on tape delay at 11 p.m. EDT Saturday on USA Network, should be a fun trip down memory lane. Besides Flair's retirement, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will return to induct his father (Rocky Johnson) and late grandfather ("High Chief" Peter Maivia).Other honorees include Mae Young, the Brisco Brothers, the late promoter Eddie Graham and the late Gordon Solie, who was wrestling's top announcer during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.All are worthy candidates. But WWE's ongoing omission of such stars as Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Bruno Sammartino and the Ultimate Warrior shows just how much politics plays a role in the selection process. All three of those performers were major WWE superstars yet haven't been recognized because of issues with promotion owner Vince McMahon, who approves all inductees.(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro-wrestling column for Scripps-Howard News Service. Contact him at alex1marv(at)aol.com.)