Ric Flair's trademark "Woo" becomes an Astros rallying cry

It's brash, loud, and hard to not repeat in a crowd. 

Fans of Ric "The Nature boy" Flair no doubt have his trademark "Woo" catchphrase in their daily vocabulary. Recently it has become a rallying cry of sorts for Houston Astros fans and players.

At first it started as a somewhat annoying late-inning distraction when the only people still at Minute Maid Park are people who don't have kids, don't have work the next day, or are on the field playing. 

Hey, at least its not the wave. Now it seems the players have caught on to the "woo" movement. Woovement? 

Player Josh Reddick was seen wearing a shirt with "woo" on it this week while doing his own Flair impression and the lively Astros Twitter account has even uttered "woo" in a few tweets since April's first home game. 

Come to think of it, J.J. Watt does a good "woo" too from time to time. 

How did Flair (real name Richard Morgan Fliehr) come up with the signature line? Thank "The Killer" next time the line is howled in your vicinity. 

"I started saying 'Woo' in 1974 after Jerry Lewis sang, goodness gracious, great balls of fire, woo! Not exactly the way I do it, but it was enough to get me motivated to start saying it," Flair said on his now-defunct "Ric Flair Show" podcast late last year. 

Someone even found what could be the first "woo" ever in a 1974 promo before a wrestling match. 

Flair, now 68 years old, is a regular on the pop-culture convention circuit and even those who have never watched one of his matches know who he is. He ends some of his tweets with a hearty "WOOOOO" too. 

Someone needs to decide how many o's are in it, by the way. 

Some Astros fans, the ones who hate fun and believe the game of baseball to be a serious enterprise with no room for humor, don't like the "woo," but if it can propel the team into playing past October 1, it's something everyone can get behind. 

At least it's not the wave. Remember that. 

Fair Use Source:  Craig Hlavaty with Chron.com