WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair spoke with Jim Varsallone of The Miami Herald this week to promote his appearance at the Magic City Comic Con event this weekend at the Miami Airport Convention Center. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On inducting Sting in the WWE Hall of Fame:
“I would love to be that person… I haven’t been asked, but I would love to.”
On WWE using Reid Flair’s passing for an angle on RAW:
“It was said that I was upset, but I wasn’t. Those kind of things are going to happen periodically. The emotion is real. She and Reid were very, very close. I certainly wasn’t offended by what happened [on Raw]. I just don’t like to see her cry. That was somebody’s thought, and she ok’d it. They said, ‘[Charlotte], do you mind if we do this?’ And she said, ‘No. I don’t mind at all.’ It’s the business, and sometimes things that are real come across in a way that the people are mad about it, but if I’m not mad, and [Charlotte’s] not mad, and we’re the key players.”
On his podcast:
“[Podcasts] can be very lucrative. I’m heading down to do one right now with Chris Jericho. It’s fun, and you learn form them. My problem is I can’t critique the [WWE] show, because my daughter’s on the show, and I’m still actively working for the company. The other guys who do podcasts can critique the show, but I wouldn’t be caught dead doing that.
“Actually, I don’t have anything negative to say about it anyway, but if there was something I thought, I couldn’t possibly say it, because I would basically be cracking on the hand that feeds me. I don’t feel like there’s anything negative on the show anyways.”
WWE announced on Monday that Sting is the first inductee in the 2016 call of the WWE Hall of Fame. Several WWE stars have commented on the news, including Triple H, and Sting’s famous in-ring rival Ric Flair.
Here are some of the notable reactions on Twitter to the news of Sting’s induction:
Back in December, Sting revealed on Ric Flair’s podcast that he will require neck surgery to repair the damage sustained during his match against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions.
Ths year’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place the night before WrestleMania 32 on Saturday, April 2nd. It goes down at the American Airlines center in Dallas, TX at 6:30 PM local time. Tickets will go on sale Friday, January 15th at 10 AM ET/9 AM CT.
Who do you think will be the one to induct Sting on April 2nd? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Mick Foley recently took to social media to write about a fantasy booking scenario he’d like to be involved with in a perfect world.
When asked by a fan if he could manage anyone currently in WWE, the WWE Hall Of Famer said he’d like to manage Becky Lynch to counter Ric Flair being with Charlotte in the current Lynch-Charlotte program, which has seen the second generation Diva turn heel on her former “Team P.C.B.” teammate.
“The Hardcore Legend” posted the following on his official Facebook page:
HEARD ANY GOOD RUMORS?
During my Q&A in Greenville, SC on Thursday, I was asked a simple question: “If you could manage one person in WWE, who would it be?”
So, I gave a simple answer: “Becky Lynch”, along with my explanation of why – and by the next morning, it had become a genuine news story. I really wasn’t trying to make news; I was just answering a question honestly. But who knows – maybe the attention will lead to something in the future – and to quote my friend DDP, “That’s not a bad thing; it’s a good thing.”
Maybe Manager isn’t quite the right term – but it’s obvious Becky needs someone to neutralize “Nature Boy” Ric Flair – and given my real life history with Ric, and my real life friendship with Becky, I think I could do a good job, if asked.
How would you feel about a possible Lynch/Foley collaboration? I think we would make a ?#?Bexcellent? duo.
Tonight’s WWE RAW takes place from New Orleans, Louisiana at the Smoothie King Center. Here are the top items to look forward to:
– Brock Lesnar returns to WWE television with his Advocate, Paul Heyman. Lesnar’s WWE schedule leading into WrestleMania season ramps up tonight and it’s expected he will be part of the Royal Rumble match in less than two weeks.
– There will be follow up regarding John Cena’s injury. Cena underwent shoulder surgery last week and will be out of action for the next several months.
– Part-time Superstar Chris Jericho is advertised for the show after making his surprise return last week.
The dark match main event will see Reigns & Ambrose team up against Kevin Owens, Sheamus & Alberto Del Rio in a 3-0n-2 match.
After RAW goes off the air, the Stone Cold Podcast returns to the WWE Network with his guest, the one and only Nature Boy Ric Flair.
As always, join us here tonight for Live Coverage of WWE RAW.
WWE announced on Thursday that Ric Flair would be a special guest on Monday’s edition of the Stone Cold Podcast. You can watch Steve Austin interview the fellow Hall Of Famer after Monday’s RAW on the WWE Network.
Here’s the preview from WWE.com:
What’s better than having a WWE Hall of Famer on the Stone Cold Podcast? How about having the only two-time WWE Hall of Famer on the Stone Cold Podcast? One of the greatest performers to ever step foot inside the squared-circle, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, will be a guest on a brand-new Stone Cold Podcast this Monday, immediately following Raw. You can watch it only on the award-winning WWE Network.
We’ll have a recap of the podcast here on SEScoops.com on Monday night.
After some online speculation heading into tonight’s WWE RAW, WWE Divas Champion Charlotte revealed her status for what will be the final 2015 episode of the show.
As we reported on Monday morning, Charlotte was among those advertised to appear at the non-televised WWE live event in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is scheduled on the same day, and as advertised, that’s exactly where the WWE Divas Champion will be.
However, Charlotte also alluded to the way WWE may keep her angle with Becky Lynch alive on the show this evening without her physically being at the Barclays Center to do so herself.
Charlotte posted the following on Twitter late Monday afternoon, which has led to speculation that Lynch and her father, Ric Flair, will keep the Lynch-Charlotte storyline alive on RAW this week.
Can't be there tonight at #Raw but this is a perfect opportunity for @BeckyLynchWWE to #DoItWithFlair. Time to go to work woman! ????
– Local ads for the January 7th WWE Smackdown premiere on the USA Network from Laredo, Texas are promoting two steel cage matches. These might be dark matches, but WWE will definitely be stacking that show to make a strong first impression on USA .
– Sales for the WWE 2K16 video game are up from last year’s installment. The game got much more favorable reviews this year.
– The Stone Cold Podcast with Ric Flair that’s already been taped at Steve Austin’s ranch will air on the WWE Network on January 11th immediately following WWE RAW from New Orleans.
Jeff Hardy recently discussed possibly returning to the WWE one day, among other subjects on Ric Flair’s podcast. Hardy last appeared on WWE television in 2009. Here are some highlights from his appearance on the 31st episode of the WOOOOO! Nation podcast:
On possibly returning to WWE:
“I think there’s a huge possibility down the road. I’m not sure when, but I think both Matt and myself would love to end our careers in the WWE, and it’d be super, double great to be able to have a few more good ones with the Dudley Boyz, for sure.” Hardy added, “as far as us returning [to WWE] and having some more matches with them, it all depends on how long they’re going to be there and how long it takes us to get there. I mean, but, definitely, it’s a possibility. I’m just not sure when right now.”
On what else he wants to accomplish in his career:
“I’ve done most of everything I’ve wanted to do, but I guess there [are] two big things. I mean, and those two big things are I never got to do a Hell In [A] Cell in the WWE. That’s a pretty big one. And I’ve never main evented WrestleMania, so, ultimately, if it could all work out one day before it’s all over, I’d like to do those two things.”
Both Jeff and his brother Matt Hardy’s deals with TNA expire in 12 weeks
– WWE posted the above video preview of the next “Stone Cold Podcast” with special guest Ric Flair. The show premieres on the WWE Network on Monday, January 11th immediately following RAW.
– Speaking of tonight’s NXT TakeOver: London special, the official WWE Twitter page tweeted the following to promote the show, as well as the NXT TakeOver: London “Kickoff Show” hosted by Renee Young on the WWE Network immediately before the live special begins.
Mick Foley has responded to recent comments made by Ric Flair on a recent episode of his WOOOOO! Nation podcast. In response to Mick Foley’s critcism of WWE creative, Flair said:
“The problem I have is [Foley is] not there. Like, to me, Mick has become a Monday morning quarterback. He’s only observing what he’s watching on TV. Do you know what I mean? And I don’t think it’s fair to the company to be ostracized or scrutinized by someone that’s not there…[Foley]’s just saying ‘this can happen’, but if [he is] not there on top of it, watching it take place or unfold or come together, whatever the terminology would be, it’s just hard for me to understand how you sit back and critique it.”
Mick Foley has since responded to fans asking him about what Flair said about him. Foley issued the following response on Facebook on Tuesday morning:
BEING FAIR TO FLAIR
Based on the cavalcade of comments I received beginning with the words “Did you hear what Ric Flair said?”, I thought I would eventually have to respond. But there’s no story here. Ric’s criticism of me was mild at best; besides he’s Ric Flair. He’s pretty much earned the right to speak his mind about anything he wants in the wrestling world.
I had the right to criticize WWE, which I did…
Ric Flair had the right to criticize my criticism of WWE, which he did…
But when we get to a point where I start criticizing Ric Flair’s criticism of me criticizing the WWE, the whole thing starts to sound pretty silly, doesn’t it?
So let’s not go there.
Instead of addressing a situation that isn’t actually there, let me share a little Foley-Flair story with you: following the Natalya vs Charlotte WWE NXT match at NXT Takeover on May 29th, 2014 – the match I still consider to be THE game-changer in?#?WomensWrestling? in WWE – I spent several hours (more hours than any writing project I’ve done in the last three years) trying to express just how meaningful that match had been. I received a message from Charlotte telling me how much she appreciated my words, and I wrote back “You know, your dad and I might not agree on much…but we both believe in you.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley took to social media after the WWE TLC pay-per-view to comment on seeing Tommy Dreamer “back in the WWE spotlight” on Sunday night.
He also posted a teaser for a blog he will write later today in response to WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair, who has been critical of Foley’s recent WWE creative rants.
Foley posted the following on his official Facebook page:
TAKES A LICKING, KEEPS TICKING
What a pleasure to see TOMMY Dreamer, back in the WWE spotlight last night at ?#?TLC? . Tommy’s a workhorse and a credit to the wrestling business. This photo was taken 20 years ago, after TOMMY had come to my aid to stop a good old-fashioned ECW beating – and it’s one of my favorite Tommy Dreamer moments. What’s your favorite Dreamer moment?
Also, I will address the recent criticism from Ric Flair tomorrow here…RIGHT HERE on my Facebook page.
The ?#?FiftyYearsOfFoley? tour hits ?#?CHARLOTTE? ?#?GREENVILLE? SC ?#?DENVER? CO and ?#?SaltLakeCity? & ?#?OGDEN? UT in January, then stops by ?#?IRVINE? ?#?BREA? & ?#?LANCASTER? CA in February. Get tickets and information at http://realmickfoley.com!
As noted, “The Icon” Sting recently appeared as a guest on Ric Flair’s “WOOOOO! Nation” podcast and revealed that he was injured during his WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view match against Seth Rollins and as a result, will need to undergo neck surgery.
In addition to breaking the news about his neck surgery, Sting also spoke about his legendary career and shared some stories with “The Nature Boy” about topics such as the first time he thought he was going to leave WCW for WWE during the time Jim Herd was in charge from 1988 through 1992.
“That was the first time I just about left and went to [WWE]. I hadn’t had any conversations with Vince [McMahon] at all, aside from a NATPE convention once, a few words here and there, and very friendly [and] all good. And when it came time for me to negotiate my contract with [WCW Executive Vice President] Jim Herd and he threw an offer out, and I said, ‘what? What?’ And I’m thinking Road Warrior money and Flair money, and I said, ‘I’m not going to do that.’ And he said, ‘well, what do you think?’ and so I threw a number out there and he just about gagged. And he said, ‘well, I see no precedent for that and Steve Avery, pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, he’s only making $100,000 a year.’ I said, ‘he’s going to make millions coming up here. This is his rookie year.’ And I’m not in my rookie year, by the way. And so, I’m standing firm on what I’m presenting here and he said, ‘well, alright’ and I thought that was it, so I was prepared to, whether Vince would take me or not, I was prepared to leave.”
Although he admitted that he does not know if 2016 will be the year he gets inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame, he did talk about his desire to have Ric Flair be the one to induct him if he does go in.
“I’ve been asked that question so many times over the years, ‘who would you want to [induct you into WWE Hall of Fame]?’ and I said, ‘Ric would have to be the one.’ I mean, that’s my first choice.” Sting added, “I don’t know what’s going to happen for sure, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”
With his 57th birthday and a neck surgery coming up, “The Icon” alluded to his in-ring days being over and being satisfied that he finally got to challenge for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and work a match at a WrestleMania event.
“At least I have bragging rights now to say that I did WrestleMania and now I’ve wrestled for the [WWE] world title.” Sting continued, “I think I’ve done just about everything there is to do and so I feel good that I can look back and say that I actually did something with WWE.”
Sting was Ric Flair’s guest for this week’s WOOOOO! Nation podcast and revealed that he will require neck surgery to repair the damage sustained during his match against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions.
Sting said that his neck whiplashed during both buckle bombs by Seth Rollins. Sting says that after the first buckle bomb, he had shock going down his left and right thighs down both down to his fingertips. After the second buckle bomb, he began to lose strength in his legs and had a “temporary paralysis.” For a few minutes, he didn’t think he would be able to continue the match. He pushed through it until he needed to compose himself while a referee intervened.
Unfortunately, MRI results and his doctors have determined Sting will require surgery to correct what he believes is cervical spinal stenosis.
“Yeah, MRI’s and neurologists have been looking at it, Dr. Maroon out of Pittsburgh, he’s looked at it. He’s telling me that I’ll have to have a surgery,” Sting said. “The dust only in the last couple weeks has kind of started to settle a little bit for me, just trying to get so much done in life but now it’s time to go get this thing taken care of. No, I’m hoping (they don’t have to do a fusion surgery). I know that’s one of the techniques that they use and I’m not sure if Dr. Maroon will have to do that or not. I’ve got two spots in my neck that are troublesome. I guess it’s called cervical spinal stenosis. That’s what it is.
I have two areas in my neck where the spinal canal, which holds the spinal cord, it’s kind of choked off in two different locations. Lucky that a catastrophe didn’t happen that night, long story short. I’ve gotta go get it fixed. I guess John Cena had something very similar, he had his fixed, and Dr. Maroon has done several of the WWE guys up there and all with great success.”
There had been some speculation that WWE would reach out to Sting to compete at WrestleMania 32 if he was healthy to compete, but now that’s out of the question. Perhaps a WWE Hall of Fame induction is in order. Either way, we wish the Stinger a speedy recovery.
– WWE continues to tease a possible heel turn for WWE Divas Champion Charlotte. They wrote the following in their official preview for tonight’s edition of RAW:
“We’re seeing a different side of Charlotte lately, and it’s not one that agrees with the Divas Champion’s longtime friend, Becky Lynch. On Raw, the daughter of two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair took a page out of her dad’s playbook when she feigned an injury to take Becky off her game and steal a victory over The Lass Kicker in what was supposed to be a friendly bout. Then, on SmackDown, a hot-headed Charlotte got Becky disqualified in her match with Brie Bella. Although Charlotte’s interference was in retaliation after Brie accidentally knocked the Divas Champion down at ringside, the second-generation Diva seemingly had no regard for how her actions would affect her friend. Are we now seeing the “real” Charlotte?”
– After being sent home last week due to a “bad flu bug,” WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens is expected to make his WWE television return on tonight’s RAW. Owens made his in-ring return at the WWE live event on Saturday evening in Fayetteville, North Carolina, losing to Dean Ambrose.
Make sure to visit SEScoops.com later this evening for live WWE RAW play-by-play results coverage!
WWE Divas Champion Charlotte recently spoke with the News & Observer publication out of Raleigh, North Carolina to promote next Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view in Boston, Massachusetts.
On blurring the line between fiction and reality:
“Having my dad in the business and using a lot of what’s been real life … most of Charlotte’s character is really who she is. A lot of who Ashley is is Charlotte and the same with my dad. It’s not like I’m the Joker.”
On being a role model for women:
“That’s probably the main focus – to be a role model for younger girls and send positive messages to never give up and be who they want to be. That’s a really big part of the job where you talk to kids at (places like) Make a Wish and have that opportunity to interact.”
On her future in WWE:
“I’m not 21 anymore and I’ve got a good head on my shoulders. I’m on cloud nine. I want to be the female Rock. Honestly I can’t believe I’m here today. Where I’m going to be in three years, I’m sure I’ll be blown away.”
– WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is currently scheduled to make his WWE television appearance at the December 28th edition of WWE RAW at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Additionally, “The Nature Boy” is scheduled to appear at the next WWE live event at Madison Square Garden in New York on December 26th. It is believed that Flair will continue to be included in the ongoing storyline involving his daughter, WWE Divas Champion Charlotte.
– Speaking of Flair, the two-time WWE Hall Of Famer noted during the latest edition of his “WOOOOO! Nation” podcast that Randy Orton is out “indefinitely” from WWE right now.
As noted, Orton’s shoulder surgery was going to keep him on the sidelines until after WrestleMania 32 in April. Since then, it has been revealed that he needs a second operation to clean out bone chips in his neck after he heals up from his shoulder surgery.
The neck injury could keep him on the shelf for another three-to-six months, and as we reported via the Wrestling Observer Newsletter last week, there is a chance that Orton’s neck is worse than WWE currently believes. If that turns out to be the case, he will have to get fusion surgery, which could keep him out of action for well over a year.
WWE is switching things up for Steve Austin’s next “Stone Cold Podcast” on the WWE Network, as they announced that Austin’s next podcast will air after their TLC pay-per-view next Sunday night, December 13th at 11pm EST., instead of the usual post-RAW time slot on Monday night.
Austin’s guest for the next “Stone Cold Podcast” on 12/13 will be fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels. While WWE is advertising the show as a one-hour live podcast on the WWE Network, based on previous advertising such as the above commercial that premiered during the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, Austin’s interview with HBK and his interview with Ric Flair were taped in advance of the airing of the show, which is another first for the “Stone Cold Podcast” on the WWE Network.
WWE’s official description for the “Stone Cold Podcast” with Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels on the WWE Network on 12/13 after the TLC pay-per-view reads as follows:
“WWE Hall Of Famer and Icon Stone Cold Steve Austin will have a no holds barred LIVE interview with the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels!”
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is scheduled to appear on tonight’s RAW from Pittsburgh, PA, according to PWInsider.com.
Flair’s appearance comes just two weeks after he spoke out about the controversial contract signing angle between his daughter Charlotte and Paige, which led to several awkward mentions of Flair’s deceased son Reid.
No word yet on what Flair’s role will be on RAW this week, but he’ll most likely be involved with Charlotte’s feud with Paige.
Make sure to visit SEScoops.com later this evening for live WWE RAW results coverage!
On episode 28 of Ric Flair’s WOOOOO! Nation podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer recalls his match with Shawn Michaels in 1991, and being in Evolution with HHH, Batista and Randy Orton. Here are some highlights:
If he knew Shawn Michaels had something special after their first encounter:
“Yes, I sure did. We only had four minutes to wrestle [on WWF Prime Time], but I knew. I’d seen him and he was still in the tag team situation. But yeah, he was tremendous. Yep, I sure did.”
On how Evolution came together:
“Evolution, [the] complete idea came about as a result of Hunter wanting to bring up some young guys. And Hunter and I were very close friends and he said, ‘what do you think about this and that?’, and I didn’t know Randy [Orton] and Dave [Batista] at the time. And they got there, Hunter came up with the name, and talked about different names. And it just was a fresh start for those guys, a fresh start for me, it gave me an opportunity to position myself with some great young athletes and, at that time, probably the best worker in the business, Hunter, either it would be Hunter or Shawn, and I couldn’t be in a better place. But we had a lot of fun together. Just Randy and Dave were just great guys and to this day, I remain very friendly with them.”
“There [are] not any Evolution stories. I couldn’t get Hunter to have a glass of wine if I had a million dollars. It didn’t happen. Now, Dave Batista, I did go out with a few times, Randy a few times, but I was very conservative. Those guys, both wonderful guys. Now Dave, I did get him to take off his shirt a few times in a bar when Hunter wasn’t around.”
– In an interesting note, WWE’s new contract with NBC Universal no longer includes two shows per year on NBC, which means NBC will not be airing the WWE “Tribute to the Troops” shows any longer.
– As noted, WWE Hall Of Famers Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels will be the guests on the next two editions of fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Steve Austin’s “Stone Cold Podcast” on the WWE Network. Unlike Austin’s past podcasts where he would do the shows live on the WWE Network after RAW from the city that RAW was in that particular week, the Flair and Michaels podcasts were taped ahead of time, which is why WWE was able to show promotional clips of the shows during this past Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view.
– WWE posted the following tweet to promote a new WWE.com feature looking at current WWE Superstars with the longest tenure in the company.
– WWE posted the above video preview of tonight’s new episode of the WWE Network original program, “Unfiltered with Renee Young,” where her special guest will be The Miz. In the above preview, The Miz talks about his hijinx while ordering food on the road.
– One-half of the legendary Rock ‘N’ Roll Express tag-team and arguably one of the best natural babyface performers of his era, Ricky Morton, is the guest on the latest edition of WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair’s WOOOOO! Nation podcast. The official description for the episode reads as follows:
“Ric welcomes his friend of over 30 years, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express’ Ricky Morton! Ric and Ricky share great stories from both inside and outside of the ring! Hear about the nine one hour draws they wrestled two weeks in a row, the drinking, the women and the infamous boat story! Ricky talks about the hard lessons learned on the business end of wrestling while riding high in the 80s. Another great episode from Ric and Conrad on WOOOOO! Nation! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!”
– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast, which is available now, features an interview with ECW Original Raven. The description for the episode reads:
“Raven returns to TIJ, and this time he’s talking straight on wrestling! ECW, WCW, WWE, the creation of the Raven gimmick, in-ring psychology, booking, the indie scene, Roddy Piper, Paul E. Heyman, Vince Russo, and drinking with Shane McMahon.”
Ric Flair is backstage at the Philips Arena in Atlanta right now, where WWE is hosting Survivor Series tonight. Flair, who lives in the area, is there to film footage with ESPN for his upcoming 30 For 30 special.
ESPN will be interviewing Flair, as well as getting footage of active WWE wrestlers discussing The Nature Boy’s accomplishments in the wrestling business.
As reported earlier, WWE wasn’t happy with how Flair discussed the controversy surrounding the Reid Flair angle between Charlotte & Paige on RAW on his podcast. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any mention of this on the 30 For 30 special, or if Flair mentions tonight’s experience with WWE management on his next podcast.
According to Ric Flair’s agent, ESPN began shooting for the documentary project in late October. ESPN has done 30 For 30 specials on NXT, The Von Erichs, Scott Hall, WWE, Vince McMahon, and many other wrestling personalities. As of press time, there’s no word on when Flair’s episode will air.
Stay tuned to this website tonight for full coverage of WWE Survivor Series 2015.
It looks like WWE is in damage control mode after their Reid Flair storyline on last Monday’s RAW. WWE is trying to make it seem that Charlotte came up with the idea, due to the backlash they’ve been receiving.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that a WWE rep told him on the phone that the angle mentioning Reid was Charlotte’s idea, and that she had been wanting to do it for months. The rep from WWE told him “we really didn’t want to do it, but Charlotte was insistent on it.” Meltzer says the rep was lying to him.
With the bad publicity they’ve started getting from the Reid Flair mention, apparently WWE thinks the best thing they could do is to pin it all on Charlotte and have her take one for the team.
As previously reported, the reality here is that the angle was not Charlotte’s decision, and it came from WWE creative. They re-aired the angle on SmackDown and it’s still up on their YouTube channel as of press time.
WWE was also unhappy with Ric Flair for calling them out about the Reid angle on his podcast.
WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair spoke about a number of current topics on the latest edition of his WOOOOO! Nation podcast, such as his prediction for the finals of Sunday’s WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament at Survivor Series, Seth Rollins’ injury and Cesaro’s ability to be a bigger star. Below are some of the highlights of what Flair talked about.
On Seth Rollins’ injury and when he thinks Rollins will be back in the ring:
“Actually, Seth is doing the right thing. He’s going to transfer the flag from Waterloo to Birmingham and stay there for at least two months of rehab, which is the best thing to do. That’s what Hunter did. Hunter just moved right down there when he tore his quad the last time.”
“I think they’re looking at him, praying that he’ll be back for Summerslam.”
On Cesaro’s ability and potential to be viewed as a legitimate threat to Brock Lesnar:
“I feel like Cesaro, given the opportunity and with a vehicle to convey his thoughts, whether it be through himself or through a manager, which would be me, you could get him ready for Brock Lesnar in two months and the people would believe it. He’s that strong and he’s good [of] a performer. And he’s that big. You’re not going to bounce Cesaro around like a dart.” Flair continued, “I think he could be a great opponent for Brock Lesnar. I mean, you’d need to stay on him because his work is phenomenal, he looks like a million bucks, and he’s stronger than a horse in real life. He’s really strong, strongest guy in the company, and that came right from John Cena.”
On who he sees in the finals of Sunday’s WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament at Survivor Series:
“I don’t think they’re going to put Ambrose and Reigns [in the finals] because I don’t know how the crowd would react to that. They’re both kind of like fan favorites and it would be hard for them. I think they’d rather have a definitive good guy/bad guy [match].”
“I would say Kevin Owens [will face Reigns in the finals] because Kevin’s getting a huge reaction over here [in Europe]. We only have a couple [of] heels that are actually heels all the time. Kevin is one of them, Stephanie [McMahon] being the other.”
Despite rumors to the contrary, it was not Charlotte who came up with the idea to mention her deceased brother Reid during her Survivor Series contract signing segment with Paige on RAW this past Monday night.
While it was WWE who pitched the idea to reference Reid during the segment to Charlotte, Uproxx.com reports that it was actually Charlotte’s idea, which is not the case. According to their report, Charlotte pitched the idea as a way to deal with a personal tragedy in her life by turning it into a part of a fictional storyline.
Ric Flair’s WOOOOO! Nation podcast host Conrad Thompson noted that Charlotte absolutely did not pitch the idea herself. Flair himself even pointed out how his daughter is still very new to the company and she’s not in a position to turn anything down. He also made it clear without saying that he wasn’t happy about the Reid mentions during the segment.
For more on what Flair had to say about the Reid mentions during the Charlotte-Paige contract signing, click here.