November 22, 2023 • 54 mins
The Nature Boy delves into the harrowing experience of surviving a plane crash, providing a vivid account of the life-altering event. Flair emotionally breaks down while discussing his son, offering a raw and intimate perspective on the challenges and heartbreaks he has faced in his personal life. The conversation shifts to his reflections on The Rock and John Cena, highlighting the ever-evolving landscape of professional wrestling. Flair proudly discusses his daughter's journey into wrestling, showcasing the legacy of flair in the family. The episode takes a philosophical turn as Flair explores the key ingredients for the longevity he shares with Tom Brady and LeBron James. He addresses the backlash he received from WWE for venturing into AEW and humbly reflects on being considered a wrestling GOAT. This episode is a compelling mix of personal revelations, wrestling insights, and reflections on an unparalleled legacy in sports entertainment. #Volume
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You mentioned you were in a plane crash and you
broke your back, So obviously that's got to be a very,
very scary feeling. Because plane crash, they are not normally
a whole lot of survivors. So what's going through your
mind as the plane is starting to grow go down?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I don't remember anything when the second engine shut down.
We were six thousand feet and I don't remember. The
first thing I remember is back then they were putting
this You remember the ambulances like, yeah, where they were racked,
not the luxury yeah today, right. I just remember them saying,
I think we might lose this one. And that was you.
(00:37):
I thought they were talking about me. No, it wasn't me,
it was it was the pilot that eventually died. Yeah,
but you don't want to gould and talk. And I
woke up and but the funny thing is I was
wrestling Wild that night and we're talking about the cafe,
right will, When I were resting, We're Big Angle and
Johnny Valentine and Tim woodswork the Woods walked out of it,
(01:02):
and by god, he went he went to this shirt.
The territory would have died. They'd all phoned out wearing
that playing together and and Wahoo. When Wahu came in,
they said, this is all. This is the woman that
where Ike's from. Right when Wahu came into the hospital,
he came in running and it scared him. But they
thought he was coming in to beat me up because
(01:22):
because of what had happened is I had hit him
with a with a table leg and the angle was
shot and that nailed the table. They didn't break right,
and I hit him with her nail put forty sitchens
in his head. Wow. So then they playing all that
the hospital was they called the conference. You're coming to
see what I was? Okay, laying on the metal table. It's
(01:43):
a boy, all right? You know he was right right?
Well he ran hard. I read on the where you
switched seats? Now that didn't that it happened? No, no,
what a matter of fact, yeah, I did want is wrong?
I do want to. I like sitting at a and see right,
but Johnny Wander and Johnny is senior.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
But had you not been, had you been in that seat,
could the outcome have been different?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Oh? Entirely? They pulled John. Well, John didn't have a
seatbelt on, right, So John, they pulled John up right
here right, he pulled his arms out of the dashboard. Wow,
like this, And of course the pilot ate the steering
on right. And you said the pilot ended up dying
(02:31):
a year later. So how was how severe was with John?
John paralyzed? They couldn't treat people in Wilmington. And by
the time that they flew him in a military plane,
he and Bob Bruggers to Houston. But by the time
they got there. But you know that kind of stuff
needs to be treated immediately. Yes, yes, you so, what
(02:55):
was what was your recovery? So how long I went?
I went from two fifty five to one? And they
first and first of all that said I wouldn't wrestle again.
And then six months later the doctor said there's something right,
like did the thought of not wrestling again ever cross
your mind? Yes? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Was that the first and only time that the thought
of wrestling might not happen again cross your mind? Has
there ever been any other injury or any other situation
in which you say, you know what, there's a chance
I don't wrestle again.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
No, that was a be everything else must fixable. Rotator
comes Jim Andrews Younger. Everybody knows that jim and right, yep,
yeah he Jimmy's to say every time I work on news,
like putting a piece together and old but putting a
piece of old leather together, right, because I Terry's there
was the size of a quarter. I'm both my rotators, wow,
(03:51):
because I waited so long to do it.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
So now you you survive that you come out. Nobody
can tell that you went through this, this tragic injury.
Did you not did you feel different anything about you?
Did you change the way you wrestled? Did you change anything?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
It just took me a long time to land on
my back. And I used to there's no payphone, no
cell phones back then. I would call the doctor at
home on the payphone in the lobby. People go in
the wool rip flair. Right, I'm going to the doctor
Johnson his Shrek and do this, he said, the only
one way to find out, Right, I can't guarantee everything.
(04:33):
I would call him every day.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
But when you did, but when you when you failed,
when they threw your slammed on your back or you
fell on your back for the first time, and you're like.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Okay, yeah, okay, that was actually I was okay with that.
The hardest thing was going into the turnbuckle. Yeah. He
had heart, and I mean and then it's like taking
a backdrop. So George got unsympathetic guy that it was.
He made me wrestle an hour every night in nineteen
seventy six until I took a backdrop. That's what that's
where they gotta throw it in right right and lift
(05:06):
ship and you flipped it. Ye. Yeah. So finally one
day I said I'm not doing it there all front
of the two hundred people in farm Farm Mill, uh, Virginia. Right.
I I took it. I was fine, but it's like
everything else, you gotta you gotta dry it out.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
You lost weight, You took the insurance settlement. Do you say,
did you take the insurance settlement and bought a caddy?
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yep? Blew Coop Deville, Coop Deville. Yeah did did?
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Did you need to get the caddy to be part
of the persona, to be the nature boy, to be Rick,
it had to be a caddy.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, that's the road. You only comes there one time.
Why not pass behind a Cadillac? So did you did
you drive that car from the city from location to location? Wow?
Speaker 1 (05:53):
So it's not like it is now because these guys
now do they do they still wrestle like you guys.
They don't do it like they like you guys did
it do They didn't wrestle small cities and no, no.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
But they're much more sophisticated. But they still work like
my daughter's schedules show wrestle one hundred and fifty five matches, right,
and then when you're on top. Now, the difference for
us is if you're on top in our business now,
even in your day's off, you're doing media. You got
you're doing all day long, right radio. That's not like
(06:25):
you ever have time off. Right.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
So, because when you had you had to built, you
still had to wrestle. It still had your obligations, although
they weren't like what they are now. But you still,
like you said, you was wrestling twice on Sunday, twice
on Monday, and you probably had a couple of gigs
on Monday and Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yeah, of course I did. I didn't want one of
your well, actually three years but one year the most
ever rest was four hundred twenty five times one year
four twenty five and one year there's only three undred
sixty five days. I know, I'm talking about or twice
on Saturday. Ye, so what did your body feel like?
And that never bothered me? But you didn't know any better.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
No, do you think there's someone that wrestled more in
a calendar year than what you did that four twenty five?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
I doubt that, but I'm I'm pretty sure I wrestled.
Because here's my deal. I tell people this and they
just can't believe it. I was in Melbourne or in
Sydney one hour right, right, flew to Auckland one hour right,
flew to christ Church right, one hour, flew to Saint Louis,
(07:43):
one hour with Harley Rays, flew to Atlanta, one hour
with Dusty Road right, and took out for Tokyo Wow
one week in one week. So that's that's a lot
of twenty plus thousand miles. That's a lot of drinking.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
You speak of your relationship with Harley, Harley was when
I was growing up.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
He had the belt, he was the man. Harley Race
was the guy. Yeah, uh, I don't know. Did you
ever wrestle Nick Botwin? Yeah? Sure, one in one in
in Winnipeg and Nick was great too, But Harley Rays,
you're kind of guy. Yeah, so you believe. So Shannon
Ricky took Rogers gimmick to a whole new level.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
So who you if give me your Mount Rushmore of wrestlers,
Well my Mount Rushmore.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Yeah, it's hard, Duke, because I honestly I love the
old guy guy, But in a contemporary world it's Undertaker,
Hogan Austin and Shawn Michaels because Shawn is the greatest
of all time. Really, yes, better than you yep yep,
not not talking, but in the ring yet. I gotta,
(09:06):
I gotta, I can't, I can't. You gotta give it
up to me. I knew that the day I came
home and my little son said, do you then salt,
I said why why? Why? Why? I okay?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
So what was it like when you when your first
match against Andre the Giant? What was that when they
told it was so ridiculous because he's a mass amount
of a man.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Now you just take me over the head, like he said, Buss,
just have a relax. You know what I would say?
I used to say, the Big Show, right, big show
tells the story. Can I use somebody graphic language? Go ahead?
That's how if it's too bad with no, no, no,
I would go with the Big Show. Sell your balls
in your eyes. That's what I need to do. So
(09:50):
like going ball shot Big Show dropped to his knees.
He's my size, boom boom. I can actually work with him,
but when he's standing it up, not a chance, right,
blind him, He turned blindery when I polkim blind and
I walk away from me and anybody one hundred twenty
found h defensive back of the clip a guy, right,
(10:12):
because if you just start to think of a logic, right,
because no one's gonna believe, not gonna have a testa
strength with the I mean right. And he's a great
athlete and he played basketball, which laws kate right, who
was Who's bigger Big Show? With andre Andre fivet? He
was that yeah. And they tell the stories of him
(10:33):
drinking one hundred and two cans of Fair six downtown
her in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Frank Vone drink fifty six.
That was the original manager.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
I was really looking listening to his documentary and they
and he was so massive and he was gonna have
surgery and they didn't really know how much anosthesia to
give him. And it's like, well, they said, well he
and Drake. I think they said two fifths of vodka
and it's like okay, and so they deduced two filths
(11:06):
of vodka and still walk. I mean for a man
to be drink two filths of vodka or one hundred
and two cans of beer and stand up and walk
out of a bar, that's not that's not normal.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Rick. Now, well, he the fact doesn't. A couple of
times he fell down, Well who got him up? Well,
they didn't know what happened. They they took him to
his room in Boston one night and he fell down
on top of Peeder Morales and he was caught between
the bed and Pedro couldn't get up underneath him. He
literally had they fought like it had, you know, five
(11:37):
hundred pounds on the top of yere right, and all
you can do is try to nudge the bed over
he was He just fall asleep. They just leave in
the lobby. So how do you how do you like?
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Okay, okay, Andre, Rick's gonna win tonight or this guy's
gonna win because nobody can really beat him.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
If he didn't want to lose, exactly, he didn't, so
was he was? He? And here is the thing, Harley
was a super lexm Yeah, and I would say, you go,
like a story. We're in greens for one time and
he was super super Hardy supplex him and slamming him,
and Hardy stood him up, and I go, I go
(12:14):
to Harley. Did you ask him? I mean, I was
so Hardly had this unreal not a weightlifter, but that body. Yes, yes,
And I said, did you ask Connory? You could do that?
He's got to marlbro right all ask him what I said,
(12:36):
slam sup lex kick out on two. So he told
him what was gonna happen? Nobody? Nobody, argued Harley. Nobody.
So what are some of your favorite locker room moments?
Oh jes, the camaraderie you know, you know, a good
(12:58):
locker room or a bamon right when you're winning, everybody's
in a good mood. I don't know. I just I
don't know. My thing is I just want to be happy.
I want I want to get along. It hurt me
financially to say that, but rather than argue about it
(13:18):
every night, just beat me. Right. If I got to
fight you for my page, I mean, it takes all
the fun away from doing it. If everybody having fund
you if I've been dated, I'm sure when you go.
I don't want to do this. I don't want to
fight with anyone. I don't want to be part of it.
Did was it hard to be in a locker room
(13:39):
or wrestle someone that you didn't like? Or did you not?
Or did you get along with everybody? There are a
couple of guys. I didn't get along with it, But
you don't. Yeah, I just you're just internalize. You don't
bring that to work though. No, you can't just make
yourself miserable. The move so your move was the figure
for Yes, how did you come up with that move?
(14:02):
I got that from Buddy too well? Actually, Jack Briscoll,
I did ask Jack if I could use it? Right?
Jack was great? Jack and Jerry Briscoll, Jack and Jerry
Jack Brisco Junior Oklahoma Oklahoma State right thirty one and
old thirty one pens no One scored a point on him. Wow,
(14:27):
he was going to the Olympics and he got a
girl pregnant. You know back then that took that took president. Yeah,
you got you got a job. Yeah, thirty one and
old No One took him down. Wow? Yeah, I mean
I think about that when I talk to Jerry, and
Jerry is still tougher now, but to this day I
(14:48):
see Jerry quite a bit. How many different wrestlers do
you think you've wrestled over your career? God, everybody, not
not the new guys now, But I haven't missed anybody.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Yeah, because I remember you wrestling from like you said,
black Jack Mulligan, Hunk Hogan, uh, Sergeant Slaughter, Andrea Giant Bobo,
Buzail Abdullah the Butcher, Dusty Rose Wyhoo missed the wrestling
number one, number two, Baron.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Bond RASKI Baron Rask the Great? Yeah. Uh so how
do you how?
Speaker 1 (15:25):
What difficult was it to go from good guy to
hell back and forth? Because you're one of the few
guys that could do.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
It, rehabit I was. I hated being a good guy?
Did you I could? I don't have any I don't
have that. I don't drop kick right right, and all
I got, all I don't really have is a good
guy is a job in the wood, right. I mean,
I still be taking the bombers. I'm better. I'm much
better being a hill.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
I mean I'm looking at you know, Andre the Giant
Sting Randy Savage, Lex Luger, the Giant, Kevin Nash, Undertakers,
Long Cold, Big Show, Triple h Booker.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
T the Rock, Rowdy Piper, Who's who? To name a few,
to name a few, and a lot of a lot
of them.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Our younger generations, Like I said, we go back and
you're talking about Abdula, the bunch of Bobo Brazil, but
the Patterson, uh, the junk Yard Dog, all those guys,
Tony Atlas.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Yeah, that was a bit, that was a rivalry. I
broke him in the business. Yeah yeah, Tony the state
high school champion from Ronold, Virginia. So what what was
your favorite I've seen Tony close closed script right bench
Brench Princes five oh five for a reps. He was unbelievable.
(16:37):
Try to try, mister world. I think you want he
If I'm not mistaken, I think maybe a couple of
years ago, I saw him still wrestling. Is he? Is
he your he's brought your age? Is he he's younger
than me? But I broke him in. He's following even
in the sixties on late sixties or men.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yeah, yeah, So what was your favorite match to be
a part of? One match that says you're gonna remember
that you remember this match.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Forever because they're bringing up only every year the either
the I Quit match or had with Terry Funk in
New York Class Champions, or the match with Steamboat or
first night I met Jim Harbaugh in eighty nine called
(17:27):
Shytown Rumble where I dropped the title of Steamboat.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Right, So, how do when you go into a match,
how did they decide like, Okay, Rick tonight, you're gonna
lose the bell.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Okay, Rick tonight, you're gonna keep the bell? How do
they come to that decision? From just ask you and
you do it? See that's why I'm when I'm sixteen champion,
I'm technically I have won the title twenty one times. Right,
you know I told you about about when we're in
New Zealand, right right, I'm wrestling Harley Hardy goes to me.
(18:00):
Let's yeah, I wish you could have met him. I
guess he let's do Ricardo Steve Occaron's every morning a
favor and you dropped the title to me tonight. But
that wasn't what was playing, No, but he did called
it one am I gonna say? Ally raised and you
(18:20):
you pick her back up tomorrow and then we head
back to the States. I said, well we're now, I'll
get in trouble. He said, no, I don't know who's
gonna tell him here, and I'll tell riccard To He
said a word, I would come back and see him personally.
Sure enough they found out. So that's sixteen seventeen, right.
(18:43):
They had the same thing in Santa Domingo with Jack Venato,
the hot potato, beautiful scale riot. If he try to
give me the bell, I said, I don't want the bell,
keep it, want to go back and get it right.
And the same thing in the Islands were rough trinderdadded
with Brody. Brody was a big tough guy.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Boy weapons. I mean to have the brass knuckle match.
You have barbed wire, thumb tags, bat sledge hammers. I mean, so,
how did how did you know to like the tape?
And sometimes they have the tape on the wrist and
you know, how did you how did you know?
Speaker 2 (19:22):
I just warm mind in my finger. Some guys carry
in their mom I didn't like that. No, and that
guy's carried on the tape like that, right, I kept
that right there? You didn't you weren't scared that never,
but I couldn't. I got to the point where I
couldn't work with a really in an hour. Sometime when
(19:43):
you're wrestling the guy, they can't wrestle ten, it's like
it would be like eleven year old kid trying to
throw to you right with that thing. Who's a great corner?
Oh yeah what corny corners? Now you got pantsil ten
you yeah you gottu sans yeah? Yeah right right, eleven
(20:04):
year old kids trying to know to you, right. I
wrestled guys like that for an hour. They abdominal stretch,
ain't getting it. Put the sleeper on n it. The
guys can't do it, but they promoters or they wanted
to get that. They didn't want to get beat. They
were their hometown arrow. Did have you ever? When was
(20:24):
the last time you wrestled the match and you didn't bleed?
I didn't, Yeah, oh I didn't. I didn't bleed it
at all in the latter years of w W. Right know,
they he got real real strict about that. As a
matter of fact, But Jericho Jericho hit me with a
(20:44):
TV monitor when we were doing everything was with Mickey Rouric,
and he find Jericho because I didn't put my hand
in the block. I'm just trying not to write right.
But twenty five that gumpany he didn't find me, but
he find Jericho twenty five grand wow. And Dave teeth
himself in a cage match one night, and Vince find
him one hundred and when Vince lays an you know,
(21:08):
you know, you know none of that. So guys don't
bleed anymore? No, A w laws it right, right, right,
But it's it's not it's not mandatory work. It's optional, right.
The worst injury that you've saw, it's just so fire,
you know. And that's and I know this is the
old school, but you grew up on old school. So
(21:30):
if you throw a guy into a cage match and
said man, and he doesn't bleed, right, how is that?
That's the phoniest part of it, all right. But in
the old days, when you when you what you like,
when you saw its bleeding, you couldn't wait to see it.
I see a guy get hit with a chair, I'm
expecting his head, yeah, exactly, it's supposed to, yes, So
(21:51):
that's why the head shots are all right, But those
are pretty much out everywhere.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
What I mean, seeing you had a torn rope headed cuff,
tryp staples in your head, concussions, you never had hip
knee replacement.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
I've never had a concussion that I know. Really I
probably have, but I don't.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
They probably they probably didn't call them concussions. Back you
got the bail rum, Yeah, yeah, exactly. So if Rick Flair,
I'm gonna go back and I'm gonna take you all
the way back, if you had to do it all
over again, what would you change?
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I don't know, I get that's a I get to
ask that question a lot. I don't know. I couldn't
have been a world champion. Here's what I my best
answer I can give them, That is why am I getting?
Why am I looking of at seventy four could be
sitting here with you? That's how I look at it,
(22:49):
So you look at it so when they're obviously there's
things I've done wrong, right, but maybe I wouldn't be
here with you, right and seventy four? Who but seventy
four realer ext wrestle are sitting there with challenge? Are true?
You're the I mean, obviously you know the rock is
is right now, but it's of that old guard no,
but I mean I'm I answering a question. You Yeah,
(23:11):
you wouldn't you? Don't you one of your wrestlers, does
Steve a the highest rated thing on his pan? I
would assume first take is I'm gonna kill that bad
dog bad harm? Why yesterday? The first three days of
the week with you guys are the best?
Speaker 1 (23:32):
So was pay per view the game changing for wrestling?
So much money because that was when they first did
the WrestleMania.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Yeah, that really really big money is but it's amazing
to me, and I'm sure you've thought about this too.
When they do Raw or SmackDown or a w S
or so ask whatever. To get the arenas even though
it's on TV. The arenas are so long, and I
(24:01):
can't imagine why anybody would want to sit and roll
eight hundred and forty right in the bleachers, right when
you could be home watching it on TV.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
They want to say I was there, Yeah, it's amazing.
It's just like a a in a in a football event,
or you know, you at the very very top. Yeah,
but something special might happen and I can say I
was at that game.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
What do you think about that guy's playing the irup
on all that time. Think they enjoyed it. Yeah, they
love it, Yeah, they love it. Yeah, they didn't realize
they go on Friday. That's I think early.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Some some go on Friday, but I think the Dolphins
went like on a Tuesday or wind. But a lot
of times they say, like, if you're not gonna go
over there for the whole week, it's just best to go,
you know, Friday, play early.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Sunday and yeah and hot tailor back. Yeah. So WrestleMania
is the super Bowl for wrestling. Yes, it's the top
of the top.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
And if you're the last match, if you're the man,
that's how many those have you done? I've you've never
been in the rain event?
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Why not? Well, you know, I'm not taking any way
away from me, but I was never really a big
star a w W E. That makes sense. Yeah, when
you talk about the big stars of w W, you're
talking about the Rocks, the Rock seeing a Hull, Undertaker,
(25:27):
hb K. I mean all those guys, and I was
a coal main event, I guess with Randy Savage, but
I didn't have never been. My daughter has been a
last I haven't, so she reminds me of that. But
I think the thing. I mean, without you and those
old guards, there is no w w E. Yeah, but
(25:50):
don't don't want to say that too loud. They came
they came along after, you know, but I would I
was the main event for Tanna Stark. Do you know
what that is? Yeah? You know what?
Speaker 1 (26:03):
And you mentioned that that that I forget who. You
told me you were fighting in Puerto Rico and they
tried to give you the bell. You're like, nah, I
don't want to bail Santamingo. Yeah yeah, Jack Veernano, You're like, nah, nah,
they're gonna ride at me. You know it's sitting in
the front row watching Elvert pooholes. Really yeah, first time
I saw over. I didn't know that at that time, right,
(26:24):
I'm like, nah, You're like, I don't want to bail.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
He became an international hero when he beat me. Wow?
So how many times did that happen? So you I
remember you said something earlier.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
You said like local promoters when their guy was fighting,
they wanted their guy to win.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Yeah, and you accuetter that you're Ricked Clair. These guys
are not Rick Clair. And you was like, okay, cool.
They know that they wanted that going hour I didn't know.
What happened was that was the end of the champion.
He is a champion? Duke grades right or he in
(27:00):
an hour? That was the rules? Are the rules similar now? No?
No hours are pretty It's hard with television and that
to put together. Yeah. Yeah, there are some guys that
can do it. They're few and far between because they're
not trained doing In all fairness, it's like you know,
(27:21):
you're you're trained to be a specialist at that. When
I first got the Bells, I thought I thought I
was the greatest. I found out about two weeks. I
didn't know ship. Seriously, I didn't know anything because what
comes along with because I was wrestling whil and guys
like that every day. All of a sudden, I'm in
Kansas City with Bob Brown. You know you always crack
(27:45):
on Kansas. I feel bad. But the Witchita in front
of two hundred people going to an hour? Who wow?
Is basically man the greatest wrestling promoter? Yes? What makes
him so good? Afraid of nothing? He just he used
to say to me, the only thing that I compete
(28:06):
with it and only only because of the brand name,
is Disney twelve Disney Right, he did I'd tell him,
how how do you aga? He didn't got to be
you know, I could talk to him, you know, we
really could relate once in a while, and I'd say,
how do you how do you you know, how do
(28:26):
you keep your game face on? Because he never lets
the game base out right said that. I got three
hundred people in the building here right now, they'll depending
on how he keep my game base on. He just
he's got You've got to say that, did you always have?
I mean, what's your relationship relationship with him?
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Like?
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Now? Well, I don't talk too much now, I'm actually
I'm I saw him let wrestle any of last year.
I mean there's lots going on, not not no one.
It's not privileged information, right, So I just think he's
under the under the down right. I know taker went
(29:08):
to uh sorry to watch Fury with them because Tyson's
work force before him, Right, did you see that I did? Yeah?
You know Mike train that kid. Yeah he did, yeah, Mike, Yeah,
like me personally, I think in Ganu one me too,
I'm watching when you're kidding me, I'm biggie one. Yeah, right,
(29:28):
So do when when they have events like now paid
make a fortune for that, did they? Yeah? Wow, Well
he did a great mics in good shape. Yeah, I
just saw him the other day. Yeah, he runs every
day in like the Super Bowl America. Like the Super Bowl,
they'll bring the NFL to bring the best players. They'll
bring some of their greatest, the Lawrence Taylors, the Joe Montana,
(29:51):
the so Forth song. They'll bring those guys back. When
they have WrestleMania. Do they bring the older wrestlers, the
great older wrestlers back. M hmm. So it's still so
you still feel close to the game or to the
sport of wrestling. Oh, yeah, yeah, I feel I feel close.
I think some people are upsetting me now that I
(30:12):
went to work at AW I don't know why you
think that, I guess, and I'm sure you feel the
same way. If you're acknowledging and you think I've contributed
to the business right, and I know I have because
I hear it every day, you would think that they
would let me do whatever I want to do as
(30:33):
long as it doesn't affect them. I'm not gonna get
on TV and say, w A W is better. I'm
not doing something stupid. I'm just working. I don't what
to do. But they're mad, not mad, but they they
did something else tary off camera. Is it that you're bigger?
Speaker 1 (30:53):
I mean, look, they got some, but they starts not you.
I mean unless this was the Rock or one of
those guys. The guy's not you, you Rick those guys
that's wrestling. Now you're you're you know, everybody knows who
you are. I mean, you're in songs and everybody like man,
that's not the nature boy. Everybody can't have that.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
I know you you people be a graduated that you
don't know. But you know they were saying that you
want to hear someone doing good but not too good
or not better than me, better than that makes sense? Yes, oh,
I forgot.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Some of the guys that also played Luger played football, Goldberg,
Brock Leslar Roman.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Reigns ye ye Brock almost made the Vikings. Yes, and
had it hadn't played hadn't played that football since high school? Right,
he's a big command What football player did you think
could be a professional wrestler? Now? Well he did? You
know he did? Did the DJ have a job? Lt
wrestled now? Yeah, bam bam bigelo Yeah LTZ just a
(31:54):
different cat. I mean Jesus Rodman wrestled. Dennis said, yeahs good.
You think the white how would be a good wrestler. No,
I didn't get too lanky lanky, yeah, and you know,
I don't know how his knees are and all that,
so it's just stop and the starting. And I love Dwight,
(32:15):
but I don't think I think I heard he's trying
to get into the n XT too, But yeah, I
don't know. I think it's a little bit too late.
It takes a while to learn your craft, right.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
And maybe you need to be You need to be
really young to take those falls. As you get older,
falls hurt more.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Yeah, yeah, it takes a long time. It's like you
are saying, is time off is your worst enemy? Right?
Speaker 1 (32:37):
So that's why Is that why guys rushed back so
soon from injuries and things like that to wrestle, because
you said time off is the injury.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
I mean in terms of your skin, yeah, matt burns
and stuff like that. No, I think that they they're
very conscious of people coming back too early because you know,
the when you tear attendant and stuff like that. And
look look at this poor thing. I mean, I've never
met him personally. But when I heard that, uh watched
(33:08):
him played that whole game with that shoulder. Yeah, that's
pretty courageous. Yeah, a lot of guys would walk off.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
I'm looking at uh, celebrity guys. This's this wrestle, Mike Tyson,
mister t Snoop Dogg, Shack.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
Yeah, what about Shock did a good job? He did? Yeah,
he did Mayweather grunt. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
I mean, and now you see Logan Paul and Pat McAfee. Yeah,
what do you think about Logan Paul? You think you're
doing a good job.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
He's doing a real good job. Yeah, he's he's better
than some of the guys him doing it. But I
didn't know that Sean Michaels was training him personally so
that he ain't trying afraid to do anything right and
some of that stuff he does, forgot who hasn't done
it in his own life? Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
So what's what's it like? I mean, because you know
you mentioned Laws Taylor. He's a friend of yours, Pete Rose,
Charles Barkley, Yeah, real good friend.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Yeah. So what's it like?
Speaker 1 (34:03):
Because Rick, I mean, that's I mean, you're one of
the few wrestlers that have celebrities outside of your sport
that embrace you.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Football players and actors, actresses.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Uh, like I said, rappers, baseball players, they hang with
the nature boy.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Yeah, me and Charlie. Frankly, he just asked me, anyone
I need to go to the who is in town?
I can't remember anyway to a concert in Atlanta? But
we were in Florida right now. How he's got you know,
the owners are a suite in the Ritz. Yeah, in Atlanta, sweet, so.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
He stays down there. Now it's just still a traveling
back and forth because you gotta play something in Philly
and in Arizona.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
You wrestle fifty years and Tom Brady played twenty three years.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Lebron is now in year twenty one. What is.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
That allows you to wrestle as long as you did
at the level of whatch you did, and guys like
Tom Brady and Lebron to play as long.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
As they have at the level they have. Well, for Lebron,
I think it's just number one. He's got an unusual gift.
But he also trains like a madman. I don't know.
I just think that Tom Brady, you know, for that
mild manner demeanor, and that I've heard that. I've heard
(35:32):
that he's a brutally fierce competitor. Yes, I mean, he's
not afraid to scream at somebody. But you don't see
that when all you see is this incredibly handsome guy.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
You know.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
But I've heard that he just pushed himself and he
expects you of us. You other guy, I know if
he drops the ball, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (35:52):
When you kept wrestling and people were saying, man, Rick,
is he tarnished in his legacy?
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Man, he needs to just go out on man. When
you hear that, I know, I want to say when
I hear it next time. I just was untied the
Sharp show. Where were you? But you didn't feel like
it's your legacy.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
You felt you should be able to wrestle as long
as you wanted to wrestle, considering your contributions, you should
be able to like.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Hey, but I wanted to do right. And then once again,
if you could do it, you would too, right and
not you the other people. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Yeah, the match sewn Michael wrestled Man in twenty four.
In two thousand and eight, it was praised as the
match of the decades. Is that when you actually wrestled him.
Is that when you realized just how great he was
or you knew No.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
I knew how Grady was before that. I had no
self confidence back then, and he's the first guy ever
not even highly raised it to me. He said, just
shut up and listen to me out there, and then
he said he look at me, and we'll call it
gorilla in front of the old places, sold out, shut
up and listened to me, and uht to see. I
could have gone on. They offered me to beeting ma
(37:08):
An event Sean it there, but I said it's gotta
be the world title. So I missed that one opportunity
that I mean, Vincent. Vince has treated me like gold,
I mean anyway, and he just he worked for both
of us. He did all my spots. He took a
slam off the top and I was dying. Wow.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
How did your wrestling career impact your kids? In your
relationship with your kids in Korea? No, your kids your
wrestling career, because you said you have been I.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Never saw them, and I never expected when I got
to Borus, I never expected Leslie to move to Minneapolis,
so one place n W didn't go. So I think
I only got to see him in the summer for
a month. Did they Did they hold that against you?
I think it is in it, but I'm just so
(38:05):
I was so close to both my daughters. It's you know,
you look at life at the end of the day
and you go, this is an under saying that we say, Well,
when you're fifty, if you have five friends, you're lucky. Right, Right,
I'm seventy four, I've got ten I just made I mean,
I got fifty and I just made another one today, right,
(38:27):
And I'll be texting every time I see him. How
that guy, thank your.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
Daughter said, instead of time, he would bring me back
like sixteen twenty cabbage batch kids at a time. Yeah,
because you understood what it was going to take to
get for them to live the type of lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
Kids don't understand it.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
Kids don't understand like, but they have no sense of
money and what it takes to go to those private
schools and to get whatever they want to get. You
understood it. They want time, And I think now as
they're much older, they understood what you would do.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
Yeah. So do do your daughters have kids in their own?
My oldest one does one? Not yet? Yeah, she's right.
She's right in the peak of her career, so you
know one of them, Well, I don't. I think she's trying.
But she's so damn good at what she does. I
mean you've seen her, right, did you think that's what she?
(39:23):
How did when did when did she tell you? Just
like dad, I want to wrestle. She never even thought
she do, never even watched them me and she came
to see me, But she had watched wrestling. You've been
watching gras anatomy or you watch another things, all that stuff, right,
And uh, but we were in Miami for the Hall
of Fame and one of the guys that worked in
(39:46):
the office look at and Sai, why don't you, why
don't you, why aren't you in the wrestling business? Because
she had a world class athlete, and uh, she looked
at me that I don't know. And then she got
up and walked away, and I just I watched her
walk around the room. I knew what's coming next. She
(40:08):
walked over and sat down next to me. Daddy think
I could do that? And my exact words, drum, I said,
I'm sure you could, but why do you want to? Right?
And in June, she was in Tampa well that was
April and July.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
She was in Tampa raw but so but you never
tried to push, you not to try to sway them,
either to do it or not to do them. No,
that was going to be their decision and whatever they decided.
And your son's death, yeah, she she she actually fulfilled
his dream. That's kind of our You found him, You
found your son, correct, yes, so, because he was going
(40:45):
to be the rest, but he was going to follow
daddy's foot steps.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
He was going to take on the flair lineage and
keep this thing going. How did that impact your rate?
Kills me? Did you know he was dealing with these demons?
He'd been in life support four other times? Oh man
(41:11):
four at the time you try to get him help.
Stays clean for ten ten rehab centers nine or ten,
but I think it's ten. But herefore were from Phoenix
to Colorado. One time he lost complete complete. Yeah, he
(41:31):
used up his right leg. That's a right to center
of Colorado where he's mountain climbing, and you know, we
episoded the last time before he died. His auction level,
you know, the thing's to put every right was at
forty two. The doctor called me and said, when I
(41:51):
call the minister when he wakes up, he'll be brand
dead if he makes it, I said, And I went
in the room and I went and told everybody he
woke up, nothing wrong. Wow. The doctor will dot me
is an Indian doctor, right from India. I mean the Indian.
(42:12):
He goes, you just saw you just saw a miracle.
I have never seen that. Because your action level just
can't be that low low for twenty four hours. He
can't be that low for five hours. Wow, that's the
guy's honest truth. So I was so upset with him
because he wasn't drinking, but we found pills. I'm just glad.
(42:36):
I opened the door. I went and met my daughter
and I said, I'm just gonna leave read home. And
I went and opened the door. And it's like the
same thing I've seen him in Purple. And they come
and shoot him an ark on and the same cops,
same fire crew women in Charlotte's a small town, and
they came and at out in the hall and the
(42:59):
guy said, he say, didn't make it. I walked across
the street to the bar because I got done truth,
and I just drank for five years.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
You blame yourself. Ye, why because you don't think you
were a father, you were more of a friend. Yes,
what could you have done differently? Rickon, I don't know.
(43:36):
I traveled the world will I took it you fan
in Europe, we traveled together, and I don't know. I
don't know what different except you know that's one of.
Speaker 2 (43:59):
The So it's so easy for these doctors to say
you got to let them bottom out, kick them to
the curb, right, And I just could not know. You
could not could not know, we're not that wasn't there
because I kicked him out. Then I can't imagine how
(44:23):
someone feel in that situation. You know, you're not welcome,
can't come home, get you're kicked out and the next day,
I don't know what's words.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
You never turned your back on him, never, I mean,
but that has to make you feel good. You were
fighting for you were fighting for him to the very end.
Speaker 2 (44:43):
Yeah, well you find out that heroine is not it's
not an addiction to disease. But he was doing so
good and he just come back to come back from Japan.
I brought him back to take him to WrestleMania to
watch Ashley debut, and we were leaving, and we were leaving,
(45:08):
and I got them two gigs that weekend before us
on Anium for fifteen hundred dollars a night to wrestle.
Makes some money while I was here. That was it.
How's your help grade?
Speaker 1 (45:25):
I mean you you your kidneys failed, you placed in
the medically induced coma, and you told us earlier they had.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
For six months. You didn't remember anything back back, nothing,
But you're good. But you're good now you're helped. There's
a horse. So what's it like to be a grandfather?
You say you have grandkids? Now? Yeah, I only get
to see the one a lot. The other ones are
in Minneapolis. My oldest granddaughter's travelers. She's in she comes
(45:54):
to visit, and she's a sophomore at at Alabama. Right,
all places?
Speaker 1 (46:02):
Marriage? You believe in marriage, not dating. You're like, hey,
I met your beautiful wife.
Speaker 2 (46:09):
When dare you lost a lot of money through divorces though? Rick? Yeah?
And attorneys editorney yeah, and rs you gotta put yeah
when the wives, when the wives won't sign, the won't
sign their returns and then they get away with it.
What can you do?
Speaker 1 (46:28):
Are you you interested in having any more kids? I
see Robert and narrow Appucino and they're older than you.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
When when they Wendy gave us to sign off camera like, yeah,
when these kids are my kids? Yeah, by her personage,
I've been with them for thirteen years now. Wow.
Speaker 1 (46:57):
So what sports? What's your favorite outside of wrestling? What's
your favorite sport to watch?
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Oh? NFL football? Who's your favorite player? My favorite player
right now in the league Aaron Rodgers. I love Aeron.
I hope he comes back. I mean, I hope the
Jets can come back. I don't want to see him
get hurt. You, but I just I can't get over
the way he has that quick release. He didn't have it,
(47:23):
and I mean it's accurate and strong. I guess my
favorite player right now. I love Travis Kelsey. I like that.
I've never Matt Patrick went home, but Matt Travis. I'm
really I'm really happy for the two kid. Yeah. Yeah,
because last year that was just horrible. When he's having
(47:45):
the hell of a year. Yeah, he's having a lot
of parody in the league. The game, that game that that,
it's a big game, big game. Yeah. So who's gonna
win the Super Bowl? Who's going to win? You played
for the Ravens. Right, I played for the Ravens. Won
the Super Bowl in two thousands with John No no,
all about with Brian Bellikip he was in Minnesota. Yes, yes, yes,
ye who you got winning the Super Bowl? Well, just
(48:15):
because it's so damn entertaining. I hope Dallas gets beat.
Oh you want to get because Steve. If Dallas win
the Super Bowl, Steven, they gonna have to take off
for like a month. I know he won't fill out
the TV. You won't let him. I'll visit to that
chair the course. Yeah no, but it's so entertaining. I
(48:37):
mean I look for that and it's and he so
he's got a gift. He's got a gift and he
can give it and take it. So I like Philadelphia.
I'm really happy. I'm really happy for that kids from
Hurts the other way to transfer to Oklahoma. All out,
he's really playing well, he's playing. It was a bad
(48:59):
will Yep. I don't know. I just I love the event. Yes,
I don't have a favorite this year.
Speaker 1 (49:06):
Really, what football player basketball player? Is like Rick Flair?
If you had to say, who embodies your personality?
Speaker 2 (49:13):
Well, he's really slow down a lot now by the
ltd LT when he had that. Yeah, with him the
three m n LT is he came to Senior wrestle
in the Middle Lands. He is bribing that blue jag
wire one way and he went together. The next day
(49:34):
he had three sacks. It was over four o'clock in
the morning and he had three sacks. Oh, he's unbelievable
this story. Yeah, Lebron, you love Lebron. I do Jordan
and Lebron. Best player? Who you got? I got Lebron. Yeah,
I don't know what else he can do. Wow. And
(49:58):
you know, I mean, I'm not sure if you were
a part of that debate or not. When he said that,
everybody's already saying that Miami made his career. I don't.
I don't know necessarily think I think wherever he would
have gone. I mean, you look at him now, Ian
he he defies everything. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (50:17):
I think the thing is is that individually, but I
don't think we're gonna look at him the same individually
if he doesn't have those championships.
Speaker 2 (50:26):
For sure. I know that's that was my argument. People
are like saying, oh, you try to say he's going up.
Speaker 1 (50:31):
No, I'm saying we're not looking at him through the
same lens because he has two regular season MVPs and
two finals MVPs. You can't say, well, if he went
he went to Miami for a reason. There was a
very specific reason that he went to Miami. Yeah, so no, yeah,
I do believe individually, but I don't think we're gonna
look at him through the same lens as we look
(50:52):
at him now.
Speaker 2 (50:53):
Yeah. Yeah, well I don't know. I mean, it's just
it's just unbelievable. I mean, I love myel Jordan, who
doesn't right right? And Barry you're talking that that documentary
that did the Last Dance. Yeah, he was intense, yes, yes, yeah,
I'm real close to Dentis. Yeah, that was a phenomenon
(51:17):
and I really enjoyed that. But he's intense to guy too,
Mike Go Go didn't mind screaming. Yeah, yeah, I don't
see that, Ron. I don't see lebron and screaming a guy. Nah,
he's not. That's that's not the way he leads.
Speaker 1 (51:30):
Not to say there's something wrong with someone else leading
that way. Yeah, but that's just not the way he
choose the lead. There's a video of Mike Sean Michael
telling you I love you before kicking you that memos?
Speaker 2 (51:40):
So have you seen it? Yes? How would Rick Flair
have done in the seventies, eighties, and nineties with social media?
You'll be over in San Quentin doing an interview. Isn't
San Quentin, California? Yeah? You kidding? You are? You've heard
(52:03):
the stories? What does it mean to be in the
Hall of Fame?
Speaker 1 (52:08):
And many say you're the greatest wrestler of all time,
not just because of the longevity, but because of what
you meant to the sport, the way you carry the sport,
the way the the way people when they think of wrestling,
they're not going to be but to have if there're
any gonna get mentioned before yours, what does that.
Speaker 2 (52:31):
Mean to you? It means a lot of And being
knuck in the Hall of Fame was was you know
the story? I talked for like forty five minutes and
I couldn't. I decided to thank everybody in my life.
My career has been so long, right, and I left
some people out, I mean, but I was trying to
get everybody in and I ended up it never never,
(52:54):
It was wonderful. It was tremendous. I mean, the Hall
of Fame is you know well. I mean it was
sold out and it was the first time I ever
went to a big venue and you know, you don't
want to expect because it was a town. I wrestled them,
but I didn't know what the crowd it would be.
It was like the whole weekend was magical. And then
(53:18):
the next day they did that tribute to me and
if I left, I went on a cruise and I
was lost. Wow. On Tuesday, I was lost, no where
to go to. No one asked about the ratings. You know,
it works right, like I'm back into business now right right,
(53:41):
and every segment I'm on right like I did my
whole career. You can't wait till five o'clock until the
rating comes out. And what your SEGM did your quarter hour? Right?
That's important. Yeah, it's what we look for. We pride
ourselves on that.
Speaker 1 (54:00):
Rick, thank you for giving me some of your time.
I really appreciate you an honor. I love you on
Club shack Shaye, Thank you, sir, nature boy, Rick Clair,
thank you.
Speaker 3 (54:11):
All my life, grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle back
the price, Wanta Slice, got the brother to swap all
my life.
Speaker 2 (54:20):
I've been grinding all my life, all my life.
Speaker 3 (54:22):
Been grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle, back the price,
want to slice, got the brother swap all my life.
Speaker 2 (54:30):
I've been grinding all my life.
You mentioned you were in a plane crash and you
broke your back, So obviously that's got to be a very,
very scary feeling. Because plane crash, they are not normally
a whole lot of survivors. So what's going through your
mind as the plane is starting to grow go down?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I don't remember anything when the second engine shut down.
We were six thousand feet and I don't remember. The
first thing I remember is back then they were putting
this You remember the ambulances like, yeah, where they were racked,
not the luxury yeah today, right. I just remember them saying,
I think we might lose this one. And that was you.
(00:37):
I thought they were talking about me. No, it wasn't me,
it was it was the pilot that eventually died. Yeah,
but you don't want to gould and talk. And I
woke up and but the funny thing is I was
wrestling Wild that night and we're talking about the cafe,
right will, When I were resting, We're Big Angle and
Johnny Valentine and Tim woodswork the Woods walked out of it,
(01:02):
and by god, he went he went to this shirt.
The territory would have died. They'd all phoned out wearing
that playing together and and Wahoo. When Wahu came in,
they said, this is all. This is the woman that
where Ike's from. Right when Wahu came into the hospital,
he came in running and it scared him. But they
thought he was coming in to beat me up because
(01:22):
because of what had happened is I had hit him
with a with a table leg and the angle was
shot and that nailed the table. They didn't break right,
and I hit him with her nail put forty sitchens
in his head. Wow. So then they playing all that
the hospital was they called the conference. You're coming to
see what I was? Okay, laying on the metal table. It's
(01:43):
a boy, all right? You know he was right right?
Well he ran hard. I read on the where you
switched seats? Now that didn't that it happened? No, no,
what a matter of fact, yeah, I did want is wrong?
I do want to. I like sitting at a and see right,
but Johnny Wander and Johnny is senior.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
But had you not been, had you been in that seat,
could the outcome have been different?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Oh? Entirely? They pulled John. Well, John didn't have a
seatbelt on, right, So John, they pulled John up right
here right, he pulled his arms out of the dashboard. Wow,
like this, And of course the pilot ate the steering
on right. And you said the pilot ended up dying
(02:31):
a year later. So how was how severe was with John?
John paralyzed? They couldn't treat people in Wilmington. And by
the time that they flew him in a military plane,
he and Bob Bruggers to Houston. But by the time
they got there. But you know that kind of stuff
needs to be treated immediately. Yes, yes, you so, what
(02:55):
was what was your recovery? So how long I went?
I went from two fifty five to one? And they
first and first of all that said I wouldn't wrestle again.
And then six months later the doctor said there's something right,
like did the thought of not wrestling again ever cross
your mind? Yes? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Was that the first and only time that the thought
of wrestling might not happen again cross your mind? Has
there ever been any other injury or any other situation
in which you say, you know what, there's a chance
I don't wrestle again.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
No, that was a be everything else must fixable. Rotator
comes Jim Andrews Younger. Everybody knows that jim and right, yep,
yeah he Jimmy's to say every time I work on news,
like putting a piece together and old but putting a
piece of old leather together, right, because I Terry's there
was the size of a quarter. I'm both my rotators, wow,
(03:51):
because I waited so long to do it.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
So now you you survive that you come out. Nobody
can tell that you went through this, this tragic injury.
Did you not did you feel different anything about you?
Did you change the way you wrestled? Did you change anything?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
It just took me a long time to land on
my back. And I used to there's no payphone, no
cell phones back then. I would call the doctor at
home on the payphone in the lobby. People go in
the wool rip flair. Right, I'm going to the doctor
Johnson his Shrek and do this, he said, the only
one way to find out, Right, I can't guarantee everything.
(04:33):
I would call him every day.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
But when you did, but when you when you failed,
when they threw your slammed on your back or you
fell on your back for the first time, and you're like.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Okay, yeah, okay, that was actually I was okay with that.
The hardest thing was going into the turnbuckle. Yeah. He
had heart, and I mean and then it's like taking
a backdrop. So George got unsympathetic guy that it was.
He made me wrestle an hour every night in nineteen
seventy six until I took a backdrop. That's what that's
where they gotta throw it in right right and lift
(05:06):
ship and you flipped it. Ye. Yeah. So finally one
day I said I'm not doing it there all front
of the two hundred people in farm Farm Mill, uh, Virginia. Right.
I I took it. I was fine, but it's like
everything else, you gotta you gotta dry it out.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
You lost weight, You took the insurance settlement. Do you say,
did you take the insurance settlement and bought a caddy?
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yep? Blew Coop Deville, Coop Deville. Yeah did did?
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Did you need to get the caddy to be part
of the persona, to be the nature boy, to be Rick,
it had to be a caddy.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, that's the road. You only comes there one time.
Why not pass behind a Cadillac? So did you did
you drive that car from the city from location to location? Wow?
Speaker 1 (05:53):
So it's not like it is now because these guys
now do they do they still wrestle like you guys.
They don't do it like they like you guys did
it do They didn't wrestle small cities and no, no.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
But they're much more sophisticated. But they still work like
my daughter's schedules show wrestle one hundred and fifty five matches, right,
and then when you're on top. Now, the difference for
us is if you're on top in our business now,
even in your day's off, you're doing media. You got
you're doing all day long, right radio. That's not like
(06:25):
you ever have time off. Right.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
So, because when you had you had to built, you
still had to wrestle. It still had your obligations, although
they weren't like what they are now. But you still,
like you said, you was wrestling twice on Sunday, twice
on Monday, and you probably had a couple of gigs
on Monday and Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yeah, of course I did. I didn't want one of
your well, actually three years but one year the most
ever rest was four hundred twenty five times one year
four twenty five and one year there's only three undred
sixty five days. I know, I'm talking about or twice
on Saturday. Ye, so what did your body feel like?
And that never bothered me? But you didn't know any better.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
No, do you think there's someone that wrestled more in
a calendar year than what you did that four twenty five?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
I doubt that, but I'm I'm pretty sure I wrestled.
Because here's my deal. I tell people this and they
just can't believe it. I was in Melbourne or in
Sydney one hour right, right, flew to Auckland one hour right,
flew to christ Church right, one hour, flew to Saint Louis,
(07:43):
one hour with Harley Rays, flew to Atlanta, one hour
with Dusty Road right, and took out for Tokyo Wow
one week in one week. So that's that's a lot
of twenty plus thousand miles. That's a lot of drinking.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
You speak of your relationship with Harley, Harley was when
I was growing up.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
He had the belt, he was the man. Harley Race
was the guy. Yeah, uh, I don't know. Did you
ever wrestle Nick Botwin? Yeah? Sure, one in one in
in Winnipeg and Nick was great too, But Harley Rays,
you're kind of guy. Yeah, so you believe. So Shannon
Ricky took Rogers gimmick to a whole new level.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
So who you if give me your Mount Rushmore of wrestlers,
Well my Mount Rushmore.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Yeah, it's hard, Duke, because I honestly I love the
old guy guy, But in a contemporary world it's Undertaker,
Hogan Austin and Shawn Michaels because Shawn is the greatest
of all time. Really, yes, better than you yep yep,
not not talking, but in the ring yet. I gotta,
(09:06):
I gotta, I can't, I can't. You gotta give it
up to me. I knew that the day I came
home and my little son said, do you then salt,
I said why why? Why? Why? I okay?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
So what was it like when you when your first
match against Andre the Giant? What was that when they
told it was so ridiculous because he's a mass amount
of a man.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Now you just take me over the head, like he said, Buss,
just have a relax. You know what I would say?
I used to say, the Big Show, right, big show
tells the story. Can I use somebody graphic language? Go ahead?
That's how if it's too bad with no, no, no,
I would go with the Big Show. Sell your balls
in your eyes. That's what I need to do. So
(09:50):
like going ball shot Big Show dropped to his knees.
He's my size, boom boom. I can actually work with him,
but when he's standing it up, not a chance, right,
blind him, He turned blindery when I polkim blind and
I walk away from me and anybody one hundred twenty
found h defensive back of the clip a guy, right,
(10:12):
because if you just start to think of a logic, right,
because no one's gonna believe, not gonna have a testa
strength with the I mean right. And he's a great
athlete and he played basketball, which laws kate right, who
was Who's bigger Big Show? With andre Andre fivet? He
was that yeah. And they tell the stories of him
(10:33):
drinking one hundred and two cans of Fair six downtown
her in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Frank Vone drink fifty six.
That was the original manager.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
I was really looking listening to his documentary and they
and he was so massive and he was gonna have
surgery and they didn't really know how much anosthesia to
give him. And it's like, well, they said, well he
and Drake. I think they said two fifths of vodka
and it's like okay, and so they deduced two filths
(11:06):
of vodka and still walk. I mean for a man
to be drink two filths of vodka or one hundred
and two cans of beer and stand up and walk
out of a bar, that's not that's not normal.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Rick. Now, well, he the fact doesn't. A couple of
times he fell down, Well who got him up? Well,
they didn't know what happened. They they took him to
his room in Boston one night and he fell down
on top of Peeder Morales and he was caught between
the bed and Pedro couldn't get up underneath him. He
literally had they fought like it had, you know, five
(11:37):
hundred pounds on the top of yere right, and all
you can do is try to nudge the bed over
he was He just fall asleep. They just leave in
the lobby. So how do you how do you like?
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Okay, okay, Andre, Rick's gonna win tonight or this guy's
gonna win because nobody can really beat him.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
If he didn't want to lose, exactly, he didn't, so
was he was? He? And here is the thing, Harley
was a super lexm Yeah, and I would say, you go,
like a story. We're in greens for one time and
he was super super Hardy supplex him and slamming him,
and Hardy stood him up, and I go, I go
(12:14):
to Harley. Did you ask him? I mean, I was
so Hardly had this unreal not a weightlifter, but that body. Yes, yes,
And I said, did you ask Connory? You could do that?
He's got to marlbro right all ask him what I said,
(12:36):
slam sup lex kick out on two. So he told
him what was gonna happen? Nobody? Nobody, argued Harley. Nobody.
So what are some of your favorite locker room moments?
Oh jes, the camaraderie you know, you know, a good
(12:58):
locker room or a bamon right when you're winning, everybody's
in a good mood. I don't know. I just I
don't know. My thing is I just want to be happy.
I want I want to get along. It hurt me
financially to say that, but rather than argue about it
(13:18):
every night, just beat me. Right. If I got to
fight you for my page, I mean, it takes all
the fun away from doing it. If everybody having fund
you if I've been dated, I'm sure when you go.
I don't want to do this. I don't want to
fight with anyone. I don't want to be part of it.
Did was it hard to be in a locker room
(13:39):
or wrestle someone that you didn't like? Or did you not?
Or did you get along with everybody? There are a
couple of guys. I didn't get along with it, But
you don't. Yeah, I just you're just internalize. You don't
bring that to work though. No, you can't just make
yourself miserable. The move so your move was the figure
for Yes, how did you come up with that move?
(14:02):
I got that from Buddy too well? Actually, Jack Briscoll,
I did ask Jack if I could use it? Right?
Jack was great? Jack and Jerry Briscoll, Jack and Jerry
Jack Brisco Junior Oklahoma Oklahoma State right thirty one and
old thirty one pens no One scored a point on him. Wow,
(14:27):
he was going to the Olympics and he got a
girl pregnant. You know back then that took that took president. Yeah,
you got you got a job. Yeah, thirty one and
old No One took him down. Wow? Yeah, I mean
I think about that when I talk to Jerry, and
Jerry is still tougher now, but to this day I
(14:48):
see Jerry quite a bit. How many different wrestlers do
you think you've wrestled over your career? God, everybody, not
not the new guys now, But I haven't missed anybody.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Yeah, because I remember you wrestling from like you said,
black Jack Mulligan, Hunk Hogan, uh, Sergeant Slaughter, Andrea Giant Bobo,
Buzail Abdullah the Butcher, Dusty Rose Wyhoo missed the wrestling
number one, number two, Baron.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Bond RASKI Baron Rask the Great? Yeah. Uh so how
do you how?
Speaker 1 (15:25):
What difficult was it to go from good guy to
hell back and forth? Because you're one of the few
guys that could do.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
It, rehabit I was. I hated being a good guy?
Did you I could? I don't have any I don't
have that. I don't drop kick right right, and all
I got, all I don't really have is a good
guy is a job in the wood, right. I mean,
I still be taking the bombers. I'm better. I'm much
better being a hill.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
I mean I'm looking at you know, Andre the Giant
Sting Randy Savage, Lex Luger, the Giant, Kevin Nash, Undertakers,
Long Cold, Big Show, Triple h Booker.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
T the Rock, Rowdy Piper, Who's who? To name a few,
to name a few, and a lot of a lot
of them.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Our younger generations, Like I said, we go back and
you're talking about Abdula, the bunch of Bobo Brazil, but
the Patterson, uh, the junk Yard Dog, all those guys,
Tony Atlas.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Yeah, that was a bit, that was a rivalry. I
broke him in the business. Yeah yeah, Tony the state
high school champion from Ronold, Virginia. So what what was
your favorite I've seen Tony close closed script right bench
Brench Princes five oh five for a reps. He was unbelievable.
(16:37):
Try to try, mister world. I think you want he
If I'm not mistaken, I think maybe a couple of
years ago, I saw him still wrestling. Is he? Is
he your he's brought your age? Is he he's younger
than me? But I broke him in. He's following even
in the sixties on late sixties or men.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yeah, yeah, So what was your favorite match to be
a part of? One match that says you're gonna remember
that you remember this match.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Forever because they're bringing up only every year the either
the I Quit match or had with Terry Funk in
New York Class Champions, or the match with Steamboat or
first night I met Jim Harbaugh in eighty nine called
(17:27):
Shytown Rumble where I dropped the title of Steamboat.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Right, So, how do when you go into a match,
how did they decide like, Okay, Rick tonight, you're gonna
lose the bell.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Okay, Rick tonight, you're gonna keep the bell? How do
they come to that decision? From just ask you and
you do it? See that's why I'm when I'm sixteen champion,
I'm technically I have won the title twenty one times. Right,
you know I told you about about when we're in
New Zealand, right right, I'm wrestling Harley Hardy goes to me.
(18:00):
Let's yeah, I wish you could have met him. I
guess he let's do Ricardo Steve Occaron's every morning a
favor and you dropped the title to me tonight. But
that wasn't what was playing, No, but he did called
it one am I gonna say? Ally raised and you
(18:20):
you pick her back up tomorrow and then we head
back to the States. I said, well we're now, I'll
get in trouble. He said, no, I don't know who's
gonna tell him here, and I'll tell riccard To He
said a word, I would come back and see him personally.
Sure enough they found out. So that's sixteen seventeen, right.
(18:43):
They had the same thing in Santa Domingo with Jack Venato,
the hot potato, beautiful scale riot. If he try to
give me the bell, I said, I don't want the bell,
keep it, want to go back and get it right.
And the same thing in the Islands were rough trinderdadded
with Brody. Brody was a big tough guy.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Boy weapons. I mean to have the brass knuckle match.
You have barbed wire, thumb tags, bat sledge hammers. I mean, so,
how did how did you know to like the tape?
And sometimes they have the tape on the wrist and
you know, how did you how did you know?
Speaker 2 (19:22):
I just warm mind in my finger. Some guys carry
in their mom I didn't like that. No, and that
guy's carried on the tape like that, right, I kept
that right there? You didn't you weren't scared that never,
but I couldn't. I got to the point where I
couldn't work with a really in an hour. Sometime when
(19:43):
you're wrestling the guy, they can't wrestle ten, it's like
it would be like eleven year old kid trying to
throw to you right with that thing. Who's a great corner?
Oh yeah what corny corners? Now you got pantsil ten
you yeah you gottu sans yeah? Yeah right right, eleven
(20:04):
year old kids trying to know to you, right. I
wrestled guys like that for an hour. They abdominal stretch,
ain't getting it. Put the sleeper on n it. The
guys can't do it, but they promoters or they wanted
to get that. They didn't want to get beat. They
were their hometown arrow. Did have you ever? When was
(20:24):
the last time you wrestled the match and you didn't bleed?
I didn't, Yeah, oh I didn't. I didn't bleed it
at all in the latter years of w W. Right know,
they he got real real strict about that. As a
matter of fact, But Jericho Jericho hit me with a
(20:44):
TV monitor when we were doing everything was with Mickey Rouric,
and he find Jericho because I didn't put my hand
in the block. I'm just trying not to write right.
But twenty five that gumpany he didn't find me, but
he find Jericho twenty five grand wow. And Dave teeth
himself in a cage match one night, and Vince find
him one hundred and when Vince lays an you know,
(21:08):
you know, you know none of that. So guys don't
bleed anymore? No, A w laws it right, right, right,
But it's it's not it's not mandatory work. It's optional, right.
The worst injury that you've saw, it's just so fire,
you know. And that's and I know this is the
old school, but you grew up on old school. So
(21:30):
if you throw a guy into a cage match and
said man, and he doesn't bleed, right, how is that?
That's the phoniest part of it, all right. But in
the old days, when you when you what you like,
when you saw its bleeding, you couldn't wait to see it.
I see a guy get hit with a chair, I'm
expecting his head, yeah, exactly, it's supposed to, yes, So
(21:51):
that's why the head shots are all right, But those
are pretty much out everywhere.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
What I mean, seeing you had a torn rope headed cuff,
tryp staples in your head, concussions, you never had hip
knee replacement.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
I've never had a concussion that I know. Really I
probably have, but I don't.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
They probably they probably didn't call them concussions. Back you
got the bail rum, Yeah, yeah, exactly. So if Rick Flair,
I'm gonna go back and I'm gonna take you all
the way back, if you had to do it all
over again, what would you change?
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I don't know, I get that's a I get to
ask that question a lot. I don't know. I couldn't
have been a world champion. Here's what I my best
answer I can give them, That is why am I getting?
Why am I looking of at seventy four could be
sitting here with you? That's how I look at it,
(22:49):
So you look at it so when they're obviously there's
things I've done wrong, right, but maybe I wouldn't be
here with you, right and seventy four? Who but seventy
four realer ext wrestle are sitting there with challenge? Are true?
You're the I mean, obviously you know the rock is
is right now, but it's of that old guard no,
but I mean I'm I answering a question. You Yeah,
(23:11):
you wouldn't you? Don't you one of your wrestlers, does
Steve a the highest rated thing on his pan? I
would assume first take is I'm gonna kill that bad
dog bad harm? Why yesterday? The first three days of
the week with you guys are the best?
Speaker 1 (23:32):
So was pay per view the game changing for wrestling?
So much money because that was when they first did
the WrestleMania.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Yeah, that really really big money is but it's amazing
to me, and I'm sure you've thought about this too.
When they do Raw or SmackDown or a w S
or so ask whatever. To get the arenas even though
it's on TV. The arenas are so long, and I
(24:01):
can't imagine why anybody would want to sit and roll
eight hundred and forty right in the bleachers, right when
you could be home watching it on TV.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
They want to say I was there, Yeah, it's amazing.
It's just like a a in a in a football event,
or you know, you at the very very top. Yeah,
but something special might happen and I can say I
was at that game.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
What do you think about that guy's playing the irup
on all that time. Think they enjoyed it. Yeah, they
love it, Yeah, they love it. Yeah, they didn't realize
they go on Friday. That's I think early.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Some some go on Friday, but I think the Dolphins
went like on a Tuesday or wind. But a lot
of times they say, like, if you're not gonna go
over there for the whole week, it's just best to go,
you know, Friday, play early.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Sunday and yeah and hot tailor back. Yeah. So WrestleMania
is the super Bowl for wrestling. Yes, it's the top
of the top.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
And if you're the last match, if you're the man,
that's how many those have you done? I've you've never
been in the rain event?
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Why not? Well, you know, I'm not taking any way
away from me, but I was never really a big
star a w W E. That makes sense. Yeah, when
you talk about the big stars of w W, you're
talking about the Rocks, the Rock seeing a Hull, Undertaker,
(25:27):
hb K. I mean all those guys, and I was
a coal main event, I guess with Randy Savage, but
I didn't have never been. My daughter has been a
last I haven't, so she reminds me of that. But
I think the thing. I mean, without you and those
old guards, there is no w w E. Yeah, but
(25:50):
don't don't want to say that too loud. They came
they came along after, you know, but I would I
was the main event for Tanna Stark. Do you know
what that is? Yeah? You know what?
Speaker 1 (26:03):
And you mentioned that that that I forget who. You
told me you were fighting in Puerto Rico and they
tried to give you the bell. You're like, nah, I
don't want to bail Santamingo. Yeah yeah, Jack Veernano, You're like, nah, nah,
they're gonna ride at me. You know it's sitting in
the front row watching Elvert pooholes. Really yeah, first time
I saw over. I didn't know that at that time, right,
(26:24):
I'm like, nah, You're like, I don't want to bail.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
He became an international hero when he beat me. Wow?
So how many times did that happen? So you I
remember you said something earlier.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
You said like local promoters when their guy was fighting,
they wanted their guy to win.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Yeah, and you accuetter that you're Ricked Clair. These guys
are not Rick Clair. And you was like, okay, cool.
They know that they wanted that going hour I didn't know.
What happened was that was the end of the champion.
He is a champion? Duke grades right or he in
(27:00):
an hour? That was the rules? Are the rules similar now? No?
No hours are pretty It's hard with television and that
to put together. Yeah. Yeah, there are some guys that
can do it. They're few and far between because they're
not trained doing In all fairness, it's like you know,
(27:21):
you're you're trained to be a specialist at that. When
I first got the Bells, I thought I thought I
was the greatest. I found out about two weeks. I
didn't know ship. Seriously, I didn't know anything because what
comes along with because I was wrestling whil and guys
like that every day. All of a sudden, I'm in
Kansas City with Bob Brown. You know you always crack
(27:45):
on Kansas. I feel bad. But the Witchita in front
of two hundred people going to an hour? Who wow?
Is basically man the greatest wrestling promoter? Yes? What makes
him so good? Afraid of nothing? He just he used
to say to me, the only thing that I compete
(28:06):
with it and only only because of the brand name,
is Disney twelve Disney Right, he did I'd tell him,
how how do you aga? He didn't got to be
you know, I could talk to him, you know, we
really could relate once in a while, and I'd say,
how do you how do you you know, how do
(28:26):
you keep your game face on? Because he never lets
the game base out right said that. I got three
hundred people in the building here right now, they'll depending
on how he keep my game base on. He just
he's got You've got to say that, did you always have?
I mean, what's your relationship relationship with him?
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Like?
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Now? Well, I don't talk too much now, I'm actually
I'm I saw him let wrestle any of last year.
I mean there's lots going on, not not no one.
It's not privileged information, right, So I just think he's
under the under the down right. I know taker went
(29:08):
to uh sorry to watch Fury with them because Tyson's
work force before him, Right, did you see that I did? Yeah?
You know Mike train that kid. Yeah he did, yeah, Mike, Yeah,
like me personally, I think in Ganu one me too,
I'm watching when you're kidding me, I'm biggie one. Yeah, right,
(29:28):
So do when when they have events like now paid
make a fortune for that, did they? Yeah? Wow, Well
he did a great mics in good shape. Yeah, I
just saw him the other day. Yeah, he runs every
day in like the Super Bowl America. Like the Super Bowl,
they'll bring the NFL to bring the best players. They'll
bring some of their greatest, the Lawrence Taylors, the Joe Montana,
(29:51):
the so Forth song. They'll bring those guys back. When
they have WrestleMania. Do they bring the older wrestlers, the
great older wrestlers back. M hmm. So it's still so
you still feel close to the game or to the
sport of wrestling. Oh, yeah, yeah, I feel I feel close.
I think some people are upsetting me now that I
(30:12):
went to work at AW I don't know why you
think that, I guess, and I'm sure you feel the
same way. If you're acknowledging and you think I've contributed
to the business right, and I know I have because
I hear it every day, you would think that they
would let me do whatever I want to do as
(30:33):
long as it doesn't affect them. I'm not gonna get
on TV and say, w A W is better. I'm
not doing something stupid. I'm just working. I don't what
to do. But they're mad, not mad, but they they
did something else tary off camera. Is it that you're bigger?
Speaker 1 (30:53):
I mean, look, they got some, but they starts not you.
I mean unless this was the Rock or one of
those guys. The guy's not you, you Rick those guys
that's wrestling. Now you're you're you know, everybody knows who
you are. I mean, you're in songs and everybody like man,
that's not the nature boy. Everybody can't have that.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
I know you you people be a graduated that you
don't know. But you know they were saying that you
want to hear someone doing good but not too good
or not better than me, better than that makes sense? Yes, oh,
I forgot.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Some of the guys that also played Luger played football, Goldberg,
Brock Leslar Roman.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Reigns ye ye Brock almost made the Vikings. Yes, and
had it hadn't played hadn't played that football since high school? Right,
he's a big command What football player did you think
could be a professional wrestler? Now? Well he did? You
know he did? Did the DJ have a job? Lt
wrestled now? Yeah, bam bam bigelo Yeah LTZ just a
(31:54):
different cat. I mean Jesus Rodman wrestled. Dennis said, yeahs good.
You think the white how would be a good wrestler. No,
I didn't get too lanky lanky, yeah, and you know,
I don't know how his knees are and all that,
so it's just stop and the starting. And I love Dwight,
(32:15):
but I don't think I think I heard he's trying
to get into the n XT too, But yeah, I
don't know. I think it's a little bit too late.
It takes a while to learn your craft, right.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
And maybe you need to be You need to be
really young to take those falls. As you get older,
falls hurt more.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Yeah, yeah, it takes a long time. It's like you
are saying, is time off is your worst enemy? Right?
Speaker 1 (32:37):
So that's why Is that why guys rushed back so
soon from injuries and things like that to wrestle, because
you said time off is the injury.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
I mean in terms of your skin, yeah, matt burns
and stuff like that. No, I think that they they're
very conscious of people coming back too early because you know,
the when you tear attendant and stuff like that. And
look look at this poor thing. I mean, I've never
met him personally. But when I heard that, uh watched
(33:08):
him played that whole game with that shoulder. Yeah, that's
pretty courageous. Yeah, a lot of guys would walk off.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
I'm looking at uh, celebrity guys. This's this wrestle, Mike Tyson,
mister t Snoop Dogg, Shack.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
Yeah, what about Shock did a good job? He did? Yeah,
he did Mayweather grunt. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
I mean, and now you see Logan Paul and Pat McAfee. Yeah,
what do you think about Logan Paul? You think you're
doing a good job.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
He's doing a real good job. Yeah, he's he's better
than some of the guys him doing it. But I
didn't know that Sean Michaels was training him personally so
that he ain't trying afraid to do anything right and
some of that stuff he does, forgot who hasn't done
it in his own life? Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
So what's what's it like? I mean, because you know
you mentioned Laws Taylor. He's a friend of yours, Pete Rose,
Charles Barkley, Yeah, real good friend.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Yeah. So what's it like?
Speaker 1 (34:03):
Because Rick, I mean, that's I mean, you're one of
the few wrestlers that have celebrities outside of your sport
that embrace you.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Football players and actors, actresses.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Uh, like I said, rappers, baseball players, they hang with
the nature boy.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Yeah, me and Charlie. Frankly, he just asked me, anyone
I need to go to the who is in town?
I can't remember anyway to a concert in Atlanta? But
we were in Florida right now. How he's got you know,
the owners are a suite in the Ritz. Yeah, in Atlanta, sweet, so.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
He stays down there. Now it's just still a traveling
back and forth because you gotta play something in Philly
and in Arizona.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
You wrestle fifty years and Tom Brady played twenty three years.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Lebron is now in year twenty one. What is.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
That allows you to wrestle as long as you did
at the level of whatch you did, and guys like
Tom Brady and Lebron to play as long.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
As they have at the level they have. Well, for Lebron,
I think it's just number one. He's got an unusual gift.
But he also trains like a madman. I don't know.
I just think that Tom Brady, you know, for that
mild manner demeanor, and that I've heard that. I've heard
(35:32):
that he's a brutally fierce competitor. Yes, I mean, he's
not afraid to scream at somebody. But you don't see
that when all you see is this incredibly handsome guy.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
You know.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
But I've heard that he just pushed himself and he
expects you of us. You other guy, I know if
he drops the ball, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (35:52):
When you kept wrestling and people were saying, man, Rick,
is he tarnished in his legacy?
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Man, he needs to just go out on man. When
you hear that, I know, I want to say when
I hear it next time. I just was untied the
Sharp show. Where were you? But you didn't feel like
it's your legacy.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
You felt you should be able to wrestle as long
as you wanted to wrestle, considering your contributions, you should
be able to like.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Hey, but I wanted to do right. And then once again,
if you could do it, you would too, right and
not you the other people. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Yeah, the match sewn Michael wrestled Man in twenty four.
In two thousand and eight, it was praised as the
match of the decades. Is that when you actually wrestled him.
Is that when you realized just how great he was
or you knew No.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
I knew how Grady was before that. I had no
self confidence back then, and he's the first guy ever
not even highly raised it to me. He said, just
shut up and listen to me out there, and then
he said he look at me, and we'll call it
gorilla in front of the old places, sold out, shut
up and listened to me, and uht to see. I
could have gone on. They offered me to beeting ma
(37:08):
An event Sean it there, but I said it's gotta
be the world title. So I missed that one opportunity
that I mean, Vincent. Vince has treated me like gold,
I mean anyway, and he just he worked for both
of us. He did all my spots. He took a
slam off the top and I was dying. Wow.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
How did your wrestling career impact your kids? In your
relationship with your kids in Korea? No, your kids your
wrestling career, because you said you have been I.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Never saw them, and I never expected when I got
to Borus, I never expected Leslie to move to Minneapolis,
so one place n W didn't go. So I think
I only got to see him in the summer for
a month. Did they Did they hold that against you?
I think it is in it, but I'm just so
(38:05):
I was so close to both my daughters. It's you know,
you look at life at the end of the day
and you go, this is an under saying that we say, Well,
when you're fifty, if you have five friends, you're lucky. Right, Right,
I'm seventy four, I've got ten I just made I mean,
I got fifty and I just made another one today, right,
(38:27):
And I'll be texting every time I see him. How
that guy, thank your.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
Daughter said, instead of time, he would bring me back
like sixteen twenty cabbage batch kids at a time. Yeah,
because you understood what it was going to take to
get for them to live the type of lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
Kids don't understand it.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
Kids don't understand like, but they have no sense of
money and what it takes to go to those private
schools and to get whatever they want to get. You
understood it. They want time, And I think now as
they're much older, they understood what you would do.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
Yeah. So do do your daughters have kids in their own?
My oldest one does one? Not yet? Yeah, she's right.
She's right in the peak of her career, so you
know one of them, Well, I don't. I think she's trying.
But she's so damn good at what she does. I
mean you've seen her, right, did you think that's what she?
(39:23):
How did when did when did she tell you? Just
like dad, I want to wrestle. She never even thought
she do, never even watched them me and she came
to see me, But she had watched wrestling. You've been
watching gras anatomy or you watch another things, all that stuff, right,
And uh, but we were in Miami for the Hall
of Fame and one of the guys that worked in
(39:46):
the office look at and Sai, why don't you, why
don't you, why aren't you in the wrestling business? Because
she had a world class athlete, and uh, she looked
at me that I don't know. And then she got
up and walked away, and I just I watched her
walk around the room. I knew what's coming next. She
(40:08):
walked over and sat down next to me. Daddy think
I could do that? And my exact words, drum, I said,
I'm sure you could, but why do you want to? Right?
And in June, she was in Tampa well that was
April and July.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
She was in Tampa raw but so but you never
tried to push, you not to try to sway them,
either to do it or not to do them. No,
that was going to be their decision and whatever they decided.
And your son's death, yeah, she she she actually fulfilled
his dream. That's kind of our You found him, You
found your son, correct, yes, so, because he was going
(40:45):
to be the rest, but he was going to follow
daddy's foot steps.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
He was going to take on the flair lineage and
keep this thing going. How did that impact your rate?
Kills me? Did you know he was dealing with these demons?
He'd been in life support four other times? Oh man
(41:11):
four at the time you try to get him help.
Stays clean for ten ten rehab centers nine or ten,
but I think it's ten. But herefore were from Phoenix
to Colorado. One time he lost complete complete. Yeah, he
(41:31):
used up his right leg. That's a right to center
of Colorado where he's mountain climbing, and you know, we
episoded the last time before he died. His auction level,
you know, the thing's to put every right was at
forty two. The doctor called me and said, when I
(41:51):
call the minister when he wakes up, he'll be brand
dead if he makes it, I said, And I went
in the room and I went and told everybody he
woke up, nothing wrong. Wow. The doctor will dot me
is an Indian doctor, right from India. I mean the Indian.
(42:12):
He goes, you just saw you just saw a miracle.
I have never seen that. Because your action level just
can't be that low low for twenty four hours. He
can't be that low for five hours. Wow, that's the
guy's honest truth. So I was so upset with him
because he wasn't drinking, but we found pills. I'm just glad.
(42:36):
I opened the door. I went and met my daughter
and I said, I'm just gonna leave read home. And
I went and opened the door. And it's like the
same thing I've seen him in Purple. And they come
and shoot him an ark on and the same cops,
same fire crew women in Charlotte's a small town, and
they came and at out in the hall and the
(42:59):
guy said, he say, didn't make it. I walked across
the street to the bar because I got done truth,
and I just drank for five years.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
You blame yourself. Ye, why because you don't think you
were a father, you were more of a friend. Yes,
what could you have done differently? Rickon, I don't know.
(43:36):
I traveled the world will I took it you fan
in Europe, we traveled together, and I don't know. I
don't know what different except you know that's one of.
Speaker 2 (43:59):
The So it's so easy for these doctors to say
you got to let them bottom out, kick them to
the curb, right, And I just could not know. You
could not could not know, we're not that wasn't there
because I kicked him out. Then I can't imagine how
(44:23):
someone feel in that situation. You know, you're not welcome,
can't come home, get you're kicked out and the next day,
I don't know what's words.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
You never turned your back on him, never, I mean,
but that has to make you feel good. You were
fighting for you were fighting for him to the very end.
Speaker 2 (44:43):
Yeah, well you find out that heroine is not it's
not an addiction to disease. But he was doing so
good and he just come back to come back from Japan.
I brought him back to take him to WrestleMania to
watch Ashley debut, and we were leaving, and we were leaving,
(45:08):
and I got them two gigs that weekend before us
on Anium for fifteen hundred dollars a night to wrestle.
Makes some money while I was here. That was it.
How's your help grade?
Speaker 1 (45:25):
I mean you you your kidneys failed, you placed in
the medically induced coma, and you told us earlier they had.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
For six months. You didn't remember anything back back, nothing,
But you're good. But you're good now you're helped. There's
a horse. So what's it like to be a grandfather?
You say you have grandkids? Now? Yeah, I only get
to see the one a lot. The other ones are
in Minneapolis. My oldest granddaughter's travelers. She's in she comes
(45:54):
to visit, and she's a sophomore at at Alabama. Right,
all places?
Speaker 1 (46:02):
Marriage? You believe in marriage, not dating. You're like, hey,
I met your beautiful wife.
Speaker 2 (46:09):
When dare you lost a lot of money through divorces though? Rick? Yeah?
And attorneys editorney yeah, and rs you gotta put yeah
when the wives, when the wives won't sign, the won't
sign their returns and then they get away with it.
What can you do?
Speaker 1 (46:28):
Are you you interested in having any more kids? I
see Robert and narrow Appucino and they're older than you.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
When when they Wendy gave us to sign off camera like, yeah,
when these kids are my kids? Yeah, by her personage,
I've been with them for thirteen years now. Wow.
Speaker 1 (46:57):
So what sports? What's your favorite outside of wrestling? What's
your favorite sport to watch?
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Oh? NFL football? Who's your favorite player? My favorite player
right now in the league Aaron Rodgers. I love Aeron.
I hope he comes back. I mean, I hope the
Jets can come back. I don't want to see him
get hurt. You, but I just I can't get over
the way he has that quick release. He didn't have it,
(47:23):
and I mean it's accurate and strong. I guess my
favorite player right now. I love Travis Kelsey. I like that.
I've never Matt Patrick went home, but Matt Travis. I'm
really I'm really happy for the two kid. Yeah. Yeah,
because last year that was just horrible. When he's having
(47:45):
the hell of a year. Yeah, he's having a lot
of parody in the league. The game, that game that that,
it's a big game, big game. Yeah. So who's gonna
win the Super Bowl? Who's going to win? You played
for the Ravens. Right, I played for the Ravens. Won
the Super Bowl in two thousands with John No no,
all about with Brian Bellikip he was in Minnesota. Yes, yes, yes,
ye who you got winning the Super Bowl? Well, just
(48:15):
because it's so damn entertaining. I hope Dallas gets beat.
Oh you want to get because Steve. If Dallas win
the Super Bowl, Steven, they gonna have to take off
for like a month. I know he won't fill out
the TV. You won't let him. I'll visit to that
chair the course. Yeah no, but it's so entertaining. I
(48:37):
mean I look for that and it's and he so
he's got a gift. He's got a gift and he
can give it and take it. So I like Philadelphia.
I'm really happy. I'm really happy for that kids from
Hurts the other way to transfer to Oklahoma. All out,
he's really playing well, he's playing. It was a bad
(48:59):
will Yep. I don't know. I just I love the event. Yes,
I don't have a favorite this year.
Speaker 1 (49:06):
Really, what football player basketball player? Is like Rick Flair?
If you had to say, who embodies your personality?
Speaker 2 (49:13):
Well, he's really slow down a lot now by the
ltd LT when he had that. Yeah, with him the
three m n LT is he came to Senior wrestle
in the Middle Lands. He is bribing that blue jag
wire one way and he went together. The next day
(49:34):
he had three sacks. It was over four o'clock in
the morning and he had three sacks. Oh, he's unbelievable
this story. Yeah, Lebron, you love Lebron. I do Jordan
and Lebron. Best player? Who you got? I got Lebron. Yeah,
I don't know what else he can do. Wow. And
(49:58):
you know, I mean, I'm not sure if you were
a part of that debate or not. When he said that,
everybody's already saying that Miami made his career. I don't.
I don't know necessarily think I think wherever he would
have gone. I mean, you look at him now, Ian
he he defies everything. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (50:17):
I think the thing is is that individually, but I
don't think we're gonna look at him the same individually
if he doesn't have those championships.
Speaker 2 (50:26):
For sure. I know that's that was my argument. People
are like saying, oh, you try to say he's going up.
Speaker 1 (50:31):
No, I'm saying we're not looking at him through the
same lens because he has two regular season MVPs and
two finals MVPs. You can't say, well, if he went
he went to Miami for a reason. There was a
very specific reason that he went to Miami. Yeah, so no, yeah,
I do believe individually, but I don't think we're gonna
look at him through the same lens as we look
(50:52):
at him now.
Speaker 2 (50:53):
Yeah. Yeah, well I don't know. I mean, it's just
it's just unbelievable. I mean, I love myel Jordan, who
doesn't right right? And Barry you're talking that that documentary
that did the Last Dance. Yeah, he was intense, yes, yes, yeah,
I'm real close to Dentis. Yeah, that was a phenomenon
(51:17):
and I really enjoyed that. But he's intense to guy too,
Mike Go Go didn't mind screaming. Yeah, yeah, I don't
see that, Ron. I don't see lebron and screaming a guy. Nah,
he's not. That's that's not the way he leads.
Speaker 1 (51:30):
Not to say there's something wrong with someone else leading
that way. Yeah, but that's just not the way he
choose the lead. There's a video of Mike Sean Michael
telling you I love you before kicking you that memos?
Speaker 2 (51:40):
So have you seen it? Yes? How would Rick Flair
have done in the seventies, eighties, and nineties with social media?
You'll be over in San Quentin doing an interview. Isn't
San Quentin, California? Yeah? You kidding? You are? You've heard
(52:03):
the stories? What does it mean to be in the
Hall of Fame?
Speaker 1 (52:08):
And many say you're the greatest wrestler of all time,
not just because of the longevity, but because of what
you meant to the sport, the way you carry the sport,
the way the the way people when they think of wrestling,
they're not going to be but to have if there're
any gonna get mentioned before yours, what does that.
Speaker 2 (52:31):
Mean to you? It means a lot of And being
knuck in the Hall of Fame was was you know
the story? I talked for like forty five minutes and
I couldn't. I decided to thank everybody in my life.
My career has been so long, right, and I left
some people out, I mean, but I was trying to
get everybody in and I ended up it never never,
(52:54):
It was wonderful. It was tremendous. I mean, the Hall
of Fame is you know well. I mean it was
sold out and it was the first time I ever
went to a big venue and you know, you don't
want to expect because it was a town. I wrestled them,
but I didn't know what the crowd it would be.
It was like the whole weekend was magical. And then
(53:18):
the next day they did that tribute to me and
if I left, I went on a cruise and I
was lost. Wow. On Tuesday, I was lost, no where
to go to. No one asked about the ratings. You know,
it works right, like I'm back into business now right right,
(53:41):
and every segment I'm on right like I did my
whole career. You can't wait till five o'clock until the
rating comes out. And what your SEGM did your quarter hour? Right?
That's important. Yeah, it's what we look for. We pride
ourselves on that.
Speaker 1 (54:00):
Rick, thank you for giving me some of your time.
I really appreciate you an honor. I love you on
Club shack Shaye, Thank you, sir, nature boy, Rick Clair,
thank you.
Speaker 3 (54:11):
All my life, grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle back
the price, Wanta Slice, got the brother to swap all
my life.
Speaker 2 (54:20):
I've been grinding all my life, all my life.
Speaker 3 (54:22):
Been grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle, back the price,
want to slice, got the brother swap all my life.
Speaker 2 (54:30):
I've been grinding all my life.
Host
Shannon Sharpe
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