Recently there were some rumors online that claimed former WWE announcer Jim Ross was meeting with FOX Sports about a job of some kind. Apparently these rumors were true as the WWE Hall Of Famer debuted a new column on the official FOX Sports website.
JR’s first column on the FOX Sports website focuses on the recent story involving Ric Flair and the NFL. Below is an excerpt:
“The controversy involving WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Ric Flair and his beloved Charlotte Panthers, which arose after the Nature Boy flew from his hometown, the Queen City, to Green Bay last week to give the San Francisco 49ers a pep talk, has the makings of a great, pro wrestling story line.
Perhaps it is.
Flair has been a proud North Carolinian for over 40 years. So then why would Flair sell out the Panthers during his motivational speech to the 49ers?”
Check out JR’s first official FOX Sports column online at FOXSports.com.
– WWE has sold over 9,000 tickets already for the upcoming WWE RAW show in February at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
– The New York Daily News is covering the story about WWE Hall Of Famer “Nature Boy” Ric Flair receiving death threats due to the controversy over his San Francisco 49ers speech, and their upcoming NFL playoff game against his hometown Carolina Panthers. You can check out their coverage online at NYDailyNews.com.
The Charlotte Business Journal ran an article noting that WWE Hall Of Famer “Nature Boy” Ric Flair currently has a warrant out for his arrest in Mecklenburg County for failure to pay post-separation support and legal fees to his ex-wife Jacqueline.
The article notes that Flair owes $32,352.51, and if he’s taken in, would not be able to get out until he paid the money owed.
Flair faces a hearing in court for the warrant on January 24th.
Ric Flair’s representatives released the following today:
Ric Flair® Will Not Attend Playoff Game in Carolina
CHARLOTTE, NC – (January 9, 2014) He’s always been the “dirtiest player in the game” – and some things never change.
A long time Carolina Panthers fan, Ric Flair created quite the stir when WWE sent him to Green Bay, WI January 5th to give the San Francisco 49ers an unexpected locker room pep talk. WWE is hosting WrestleMania XXXI in SanFrancisco in 2015. Now many are asking: Will Flair attend the January 12th playoff game in Carolina as they host San Francisco? And if so, which team will he support?
“When the 49ers reached out and WWE asked Ric to jet up there, of course he said yes,” says Melinda Morris Zanoni, Flair’s agent at Legacy Talent and Entertainment, “and he’s friends with a bunch of the 49ers just like he is with the Panthers, Packers, and many other NFL players. But no, Ric does not intend on attending the Panthers vs. 49ers game this weekend.” “What can I say? I’ve always been a very good heel!” added Flair.
The 49er pep talk, which instantly went viral, caused many Carolina fans to voice their feelings of anger and betrayal on social media – some even offering death threats to Flair. “We know fans are passionate about their teams, but some of the choice language we have been receiving is scaring off our interns,” says Melinda.
Noah Mark is back with his analysis of Old School Raw! Check out The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” Comment below and tell us if you agree with this week’s picks.
Orton playing the generic Bad Guy, he’s much better than this. NO!
Ric Flair, Randy Orton, & John Cena PromoOld School Raw kicked off with the 16 time “Nature Boy” Ric Flair out first. He was quickly interrupted by former Evolution partner. Randy Orton. Randy Orton said he respected Ric Flair, but he needed the time more to address the one on one rematch putting himself vs John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at The Royal Rumble. Ric chimes in saying he’s not as good as he thinks. Orton threatens Flair, Cena ends up making the save.
For me this segment fell flat, and seemed forced. Orton was seemingly going through the motions, with “I respect you, but….” going into generic heel mode. This is not The Viper I know and enjoy. I feel some people don’t give Randy Orton the credit he deserves for his promo and character skills, he makes great facial expressions, and conveys a cold-hearted disposition. Well normally he does, this promo didn’t do Orton any favors. Clearly Ric Flair is getting order, or he had a few in the back, because he sounded marble mouth in this segment. Cena didn’t offer anything to this segment either. One month ago Cena may have delivered the best promo of his life in Seattle. Here, I felt the whole thing was boring. NO!
NO!
Jerry Lawler Health Update: Earlier in the day we reportedBreaking News Jerry “The King” Lawler was hospitalized. Of course with Jerry’s Heart Attack last year during Raw, your first thought would be another heart issue. Thankfully it seemed to be a stomach virus or food poisoning. however that didn’t stop the WWE from sensationalizing by directing viewers to turn to the WWE App to get an update on Jerry Lawler. NO!
Daniel Bryan…er Wyatt. So far okay. YES!
Luke Harper, Erick Rowan & Daniel Bryan vs. The Usos & Rey Mysterio Our first chance to see Daniel Bryan on TV as a Wyatt. First the original Wyatt trio appeared for their normal entrance, followed by the fourth Daniel “Wyatt”. Daniel Byran came out looking like he was in a Janitor or prison jump suit. A blank stare on his face, as he teamed up with Rowan and Harper to take on The Usos and Mysterio. I enjoyed this, I thought Bryan looked good with the group. They ended up losing the match due to Harper getting rolled up after a brief disagreement with Bryan as to who should come into the match when Rowan tagged both men. I would have preferred The Wyatts to win clean in this match. Their first week out and they’re arguing, I think an eventual separation from Bryan would be more effective if they were on the same page to start. But I’m still okay with this story line, provided I don’t have to wait 15 more weeks for Bryan to “Snap out of it”. YES!
Too Cool & Rikishi just 3 of the Old School Legends at Raw YES!
WWE Legends On Old School Raw:I was happy to see some of my old school favorites on Raw. Everyone had a good role on the show and for older fans this definitely was a great nostalgia feel. I will say that over the past few years we’ve seen a crop of “usual” legends. Most of which were not actually on a whole lot of episodes of WWE Raw. I would love to have seen a Raw with more attitude era and post era stars. Some of them are still affiliated and working for WWE. Perhaps WWE held a few back for a Royal Rumble appearance. There was also no “old school” diva on this show. I know Mae Young was originally scheduled to attend this show, however Mae Young experienced health issues and was unable to appear. With Brock Lesnar, in attendance this seemed like a perfect time for Sable to make an appearance in the show. YES!
Piper’s Pit – Piper’s still got it plain and simple. His interaction with The Shield, the hottest faction, group, whatever you what to call them. Piper pinching Roman Reigns cheek put goosebumps on my arm. I saw Reigns neck throbbing, great moment! People have compaired Dean Ambrose to Piper in the past, it was great to see Ambrose get to interact with a Legend. This would not be his only legend interaction on this episode of Old School Raw. I enjoyed seeing CM Punk and The New Age Outlaws come in to save piper. YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW Old School and our Overall Raw Rating
– WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels and former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho will be appearing at the 2014 KOI Auto Parts Cavalcade Of Customs in Cincinnati, Ohio from January 10-12 at the Duke Energy Convention Center.
– Apparently WWE Hall Of Famer “Nature Boy” Ric Flair upset his hometown NFL team, the Carolina Panthers, with his appearance and speech at the San Francisco 49ers game against the Green Bay Packers this past weekend. Panthers player Steve Smith said of Flair,
“As a guy who actually has a Ric Flair robe I’m real disappointed in seeing that. Real disappointed. I’m not sure if he’ll get the invite here. That Golden Gate Bridge has been burned.”
WWE has added a video of Hall Of Famer “Nature Boy” Ric Flair’s speech to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers this past weekend.
They also interviewed Flair, who spoke about motivating the team. The 49ers were victorious last night over the Green Bay Packers – and will now play Flair’s hometown Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair surprised the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers team on Saturday with a motivational pep talk ahead of their Sunday night playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.
It’s interesting to note that if the 49ers win, they will face Flair’s hometown Charlotte Panthers in the next round of the playoffs. Several Panthers players stated this weekthat they want Flair on their sidelines supporting them at their playoff game next weekend, which could lead to a showdown of two teams endorsed by the Nature Boy.
Flair returns to WWE television on Monday’s “Old School” RAW.
The official ESPN website has a featured article up today covering WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair’s association and influence over the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
The article features quotes from Panthers players, such as quarterback Cam Newton, who speak about growing up as a Ric Flair fan, and how they’d like for him to be on the sidelines of their NFL playoff game next weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Check out the complete article online at ESPN.com.
Question 3 Now, we are going to randomly assign you 3 Superstars. Please tell us how you would like to see the below Superstars involved with WWE in the future (You can select more than one for each):
Wrestling regularly on Raw/SmackDown
As a regular commentator on Raw/SmackDown
Starring on a WWE reality show Starring on a WWE highlights show
Wrestling at WrestleMania or SummerSlam
Involved in the Raw/SmackDown storylines
Involved in the WrestleMania or SummerSlam storylines
Do not want him involved with WWE in future?
Question 4: In your household, how many kids ages 4 or older are fans of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)?
Comment Below and tell us how you think the Legends & Superstars listed should be used – if at all.
(Thanks to SEScoops correspondent Noah Mark for sending in this info)
– A lot of people in WWE apparently feel the company is being hypocrites by inviting Ric Flair to the Old School RAW show next week, and not Jim Ross. You may recall, JR was basically forced out of WWE due to his inability to “handle” Flair during the infamous WWE 2K14 symposium, yet the company invited Flair to Old School RAW, and as of Wednesday, had not extended an invitation to “Good Ole’ JR” to appear.
– Speaking of Old School RAW, as previously reported, WWE Hall Of Famer Mae Young was invited by the company to appear being being hospitalized recently. We noted earlier that Young is out of the hospital and back home. Her condition is described as “stable” and she is able to speak again, although her voice apparently sounds weak and tired.
WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair and WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes recently spoke to the Tampa Tribune about second generation wrestlers. The following are some highlights:
Ric Flair on pushing his children away from pro wrestling: “I never pushed any of my kids into it. I pushed them away from it because I know how difficult it is.”
Flair on his son David Flair’s wrestling career: “It just wasn’t for him. One thing about this business is that you better love it because it is hard. He is happier now than he ever was when he was part of it.”
Cody Rhodes on people wanting him to be like Dusty Rhodes: “A lot of people preferred me to pander to those fans. They wanted me to dye my hair blonde like my dad, do his moves like the jab and the elbow, and talk like him.”
Check out the complete interview online at TBO.com.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about last night’s RAW and next week’s “Old School” show:
Daniel Bryan Joining The Wyatt Family: “Daniel Bryan is a genuine work horse but I still don’t know exactly what I saw as he left the arena Monday night with the Wyatt Family. Will Bryan now become a pro wrestling ‘villain’ within the Wyatt faction or will Bryan continue to elicit cheers because the fans love chanting “Yes!”?”
“Are the Wyatt’s an antagonist entity or are they simply, bizarrely cool? What heinous acts have the Wyatt’s perpetrated lately to make them disliked? Or does it matter? Just asking…”
Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Batista & The WrestleMania 30 Main Event: “Good to see Heyman and Lesnar back on RAW although I doubt that we see them together that much between now and WM30. I hope that I’m wrong on that one. Lesnar has and will sell PPV’s if he is exposed strategically on Monday Night Raw. What is or isn’t strategic is up for debate.”
“Lesnar just jumped to the top of my short list of favorites to win the Royal Rumble…..or Batista. Will the WrestleMania 30 Main Event be Orton vs. Lesnar? Or Orton vs. Batista? Or none of the above? Hmm.”
Next Week’s Old School RAW: “The promos for next week’s Old School Raw looked good and I’m sure that the “alums’ will have a great time catching up next week …How cool would it be to see Hulk Hogan next Monday night in Baltimore? That’s the epitome of ‘Old School” booking for this themed RAW. (Someone has already said out loud, (“NO! Save Hulk for PPV!”) One would expect WWE will have a few surprises up their sleeve for Monday night as it relates to the old school talents.”
“However, having Ric Flair on the show makes it feel very special. I haven’t seen Naitch since Summer Slam but that’s another story…. ”
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross has once again updated the Q&A section of his website. The following are some new highlights:
On calling the legendary Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat matches: “It was a honor to call them back when play by play was in fashion. Working w/ Bob Caudle was a privilege. Flair & Steamboat were….legendary. I was at right place at right time.”
On if he feels Tito Santana is underrated: “Tito was a great in ring talent. I don’t know who has underrated him. He was a star.”
On whether or not Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania was the match of the year: “Thanks for your take. I have no dog in this hunt. There weren’t an overabundance of great matches in WWE in 2013 IMO ”
On Jeff Jarrett leaving TNA: “I’m not connected to TNA or Jarrett or to what their relationship together was or has been lately. I don’t know what his departure means to TNA. TNA has many fixable issues. I wish Jeff and his family well.”
On the overrun during WWE RAW on Monday’s: “Enhances the TV ratings minute by minute numbers.”
On a dream match at WrestleMania between Shawn Michaels and Sting: “At the right place at the right time it would have been terrific. A main event. The ship’s sailed on that one or so I think.”
On the possibility of the War Games concept being used by WWE: “Highly unlikely. I don’t see it happening. It wasn’t a WWE creation and the blood is a no-no.”
On Drew McIntyre’s future in WWE: “It’s all about the creative and the production and execution of such. Any one can be made to be relevant in the fictional world of pro wrestling.”
On the importance of Steve Austin during the Attitude Era: “In the Attitude Era, it was Stone Cold who was the straw that stirred the drink. But he was surrounded by some great talents as well.”
On the possibility of Brock Lesnar vs. Batista in 2014: “If both are around with enough TV availabilities I’d say it’s possible. It would be a nice attraction.”
On if the Hardy Boys would ever return to WWE: “I’d say never say never but I’d also guess it would likely be a long shot. Sometimes long shots come through.”
– Film crews for Shawn Michaels’ reality show, “MacMillan River Adventures” will be filming at the WWE Hall Of Famer’s ranch this weekend.
– Speaking of WWE Hall Of Famers, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair will be filming a role for an unknown movie in Hollywood within the next two weeks.
– Part one of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s interview with legendary pro wrestling manager Jim Cornette is now online. Apparently Austin and Cornette recorded an interview originally, but only managed to record Cornette’s half of the conversation. Part one of Cornette on the “Steve Austin Show” is their second attempt at recording the interview. Fans interested can check it out online at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE’s storyline with the Big Show and Triple H has been dropped. At one point, there was talk of them wrestling at the Royal Rumble, but Big Show was brought back to television early and wrestled Randy Orton at Survivor Series. Big Show has already been moved out of the Authority storyline – and competed in an unrelated 6-man tag match last night on RAW.
– WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley appeared on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom radio show this morning. It will be be replayed at BobandTom.com later this afternoon.
– During a Total Divas Q&A on Twitter Sunday night, Natalya was asked if Divas Champion AJ Lee could make it as a Total Diva. She replied, “It’s not for everyone.”
– WWE NXT Diva Charlotte shared an encouraging text message from her father Ric Flair on Instagram:
– Former WWE Diva Kelly Kelly appears briefly in the following trailer for season one of “Headshots & Handcuffs,” which you can check out below:
http://youtu.be/5Dnvi0LJw6A
– The official WWE website has added a new video playlist featuring every pay-per-view match between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair in history. You can check that out online at WWE.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently responded to some fans on Twitter who spoke about missing him. JR assured the fans that he will be around in 2014, and to “stay tuned.” You can check out the tweet below:
– Despite the fact that Amazon UK currently has a listing for a Paul Heyman autobiography being released on November 30th, there is no such book.
– A WWE NXT live event is scheduled to take place on Thursday in Tampa, Florida. The main event for the show will feature Billy Gunn and Bo Dallas teaming up to take on Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn.
– Former WWE Superstars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ric Flair and Torrie Wilson are featured in a new Tampa Tribune story about The Boddy Shoppe Gym in Florida. You can check out the piece, which features comments from all three, at TBO.com.
The following are highlights from a recent Lex Luger interview with Steve and the Scum of WGD Weekly:
On the passing of Miss Elizabeth: “It was a very dark, sad time in my personal life…I’ve made a lot of bad choices outside of the ring over the years that led to me giving up my family, my beautiful wife and two children…I developed a double life and there was a lot of collateral damage from that to my friends, my family and those closest to me including Miss Elizabeth. She always will be the first lady of wrestling…it was a real tragedy, I was living a lifestyle back then, a lot of drugs, alcohol, I call it the life of folly in my book, it led to a lot of tragic things and that was the biggest tragedy you could ever think of to have a close friend like Elizabeth as a result of it. People say well Lex, you didn’t make her drink or shove pills down her throat, but I was a very big influence on her life at the time and I was doing that and she wanted to do what I did, so if you talk about regrets in the past guys, we can’t erase the past and we have got to take responsibility and I take a lot of responsibility for that tragic event and what happened.”
On Vince McMahon buying WCW and the last edition of Nitro: “I was happy for Vince because I knew, man, he had won, that was a genuine moment for him, I was like, yeah, buddy, everybody had you counted out there when we were beating you for “x” amount of weeks straight, I was happy for him.”
On WrestleMania X, not becoming WWE Champion and internet rumors: “Contrary to what is said, Vince never promised me the belt…he never made me any promises at WrestleMania between Bret, or I, or Yoko…nor did I expect him to make any, why would he, I was thrilled to be a part of the main event of WrestleMania…it’s funny I was talking to a guy in an interview recently and a guy said, ‘It was on your Wikipedia that you were drunk the night before at a bar at WrestleMania 10 and you were supposed to win the belt and Vince got mad at you,’ I wasn’t even anywhere near New York. I was with my wife and two kids in Hartford, Connecticut, staying with friends the night before WrestleMania…I did a lot of stupid stuff back then, but that wasn’t one of them…rumor becomes fact sometimes, I laughed at that for years, of all the stupid dumb stuff I did outside of the ring, that was one that I didn’t do…I always found that humorous, crazy how rumors can start…Who came up with that one?”
On Vince Russo coming in as head writer for WCW: “I think that Russo and Ferrara did their best to create a young, fresh group of guys, kind of doing an invasion like the now did and really on paper, a pretty good idea. They had a great reputation coming from the WWF for being very creative, really when we found ourselves slipping, consensus wise most of the guys were pretty excited that they were coming in and I think they gave it their very best effort, and the young guys came in and gave it their best effort, I think part of the problem was for when the young guys, when they came in and were beating these legendary guys like Hogan…in the middle of the ring…I think the fans as much as they love seeing young talent emerge, I think it was almost like a little bit too much too soon in my opinion and the fans didn’t really buy into it like they had hoped. It was a good idea but the fans didn’t quite buy into it…they did their best, but things just didn’t work out the way they hoped, it wasn’t from a lack of effort on the new guys part, the writers or the young wrestlers, it just didn’t get over the way they had hoped…but I didn’t think it was a bad idea.”
On Ric Flair and being in the Four Horsemen: “Ric lived his persona both in the ring and out of the ring, I found that out right away, I feel like for about three years there hanging out with the Horseman, I feel like I didn’t sleep for almost three years…Ric could stay up all night…then he go to the gym and work out with me, then he go and wrestle and hour broadway, I don’t know how he did it…Ric will always tell you image is everything, he always had a limo waiting for us, we flew usually private or if we flew commercial, first class, stay at really nice hotels…Ric was everything he said he was both in and out of the ring, that’s for sure.”
On Ric Flair leaving WCW and taking their world title to WWE with him: “I was scheduled to wrestle Ric in the cage and I was scheduled to win the title that night…I wasn’t told a lot, but they told me, we’re putting you in the cage with Ric and you’re winning the world title…as far as what happened after that, it was political stuff behind the scenes that I was not privy to, I heard that Ric was trying to negotiate a new contract, and I wanted the best for Ric, so when Ric ended up on television with the belt in the competing organization, I never had any hard feelings about that because I knew Ric had worked so hard and had such an incredible career, he was trying to do what was best for him and his family, from a business sense, I never took it personally…I was disappointed I didn’t get to wrestle Ric in the cage to win the world title, but I wasn’t upset with Ric that he went and did what he had to do and what he thought was best business wise for Ric Flair…WCW at the time, they were negotiating with Ric almost right up until the day of the match …to still come in and do the match, it just fell apart at the last minute…Ric almost was WCW, so for Ric to leave was a huge void and vacuum that myself and nobody could possibly even entertain the thought of replacing…they didn’t even have a belt ready yet…I think a lot of the guys were disappointed that Ric wasn’t there, but the show must go on.”
You can listen to the complete Lex Luger interview below:
WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair gave a pep-talk to the Countryside high-school football team in Florida this past Friday. The team, which features WWE agent John Laurinaitis’ son as one of the players, would go on to lose by 36 points to the Pinellas Park high-school team.
According to a Tampa Bay Times report, Flair, who was vacationing in Florida this weekend, was asked by Laurinaitis to address the team.
You can check out the complete article with further coverage on this story at TampaBay.com.
The following are highlights from a recent Times-Picayune interview with WWE Superstar and current World Heavyweight Champion John Cena:
On bringing prestige back to the World Heavyweight Championship: “This is not taken as a shot of disrespect to anyone who has held the title before me, but it’s now viewed as a second-tier championship. [Defending the title at WrestleMania XXX] will truly put a stamp on making it the real deal. I want the WWE universe to realize that it’s not a second-tier championship. It should be treated with as much respect as the WWE Title.”
On coming up on passing Ric Flair’s legendary 16-time title reign: “If I have two more, that means I’m going to lose it two more times. So I’d rather stay at 14. That record is held in pretty high esteem. Just to be in that conversation, that means I’ve done something right over the years. If it gets to the point of where it does happen, I’ll enjoy hearing what our fans have to say.”
Check out the complete interview online at NOLA.com.
-WWE will be returning to Orlando, Florida, the site of Monday’s post-Hell In A Cell edition of RAW, for a live event on February 2nd. The pre-sale password for tickets to the event is WWELIVE.
-The Big Lead website has a story, which includes an animated GIF, of St. Louis Rams player Chris Long doing a “Ric Flair strut” during a celebration he had after a sack during the Monday Night Football NFL game this week. Check it out, courtesy of TheBigLead.com:
– An original Bret “The Hitman” Hart painting is being auctioned off on eBay to benefit kidney research. Fans interested in bidding on the item can do so online at eBay.com.
-According to his official Facebook.com page, independent wrestler Damien Darling claims WWE Hall Of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch has tried to get him removed from some of the indy dates he was booked for.
-After taking time off to deal with some personal issues, WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is once again taking some bookings for appearances. Flair is now reportedly based out of Tampa, Florida, and living with former WCW wrestler Joe Gomez.
-For those wondering, Colt Cabana has yet to receive the WWE tryout that he mentioned he would be getting soon on his recent appearance on The Steve Austin Show.
-Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr. went to a 20-minute draw in their first match as a tag-team in years. The two worked against Masa Fuchi and Osamu Nishimura for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in a recent tag-team match.
