[1992-09-20-WWF-Wrestling Challenge] Interview: Ric Flair & Mr. Perfect

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Flair in gloating mode is always fun. They were clearly headed toward a Warrior title win until real life intercepted.

[shoe]

Flair in a robe, in a suit it doesn't matter he's a charismatic promo.

[Kevin Ridge]

Good promo here. Warrior has been determined by Jack Tunney to be the number one contender. Flair states if Warrior had played along originally and sided with Mr. Perfect he could have been champion by now.

[PeteF3]

Flair mentioning "Atlanta, G-A!" couldn't have been a coincidence. His Warrior impersonation is a marvelous sight. Monsoon of course treats it like it's a foregone conclusion that the belt is going to Warrior, which is a great way to get this big main event over.

[WingedEagle]

Flair in gloating mode is always fun. They were clearly headed toward a Warrior title win until real life intercepted.

Did they actually have plans for a long term Warrior reign on top here? Flair cuts a pretty funny promo about Warrior's veins cramping up.

[garretta]

This is the first Flair promo that's felt wrong since he's been in the WWF.

 

As you all know by now, I'm no fan of screaming Flair. It goes against what his character is designed to be and makes him look like a total fool. Here, we get some nonsense about Warrior's veins cramping up when he's in the figure four. HUH? We also get very little mention of Savage except when Flair dismisses him as a wimp. I'm not sure he ever got a major rematch, and considering what a flake Warrior was known to be even then, Vince would have wise not to banish Randy to the sidelines as quickly as he did. He'd have come in awfully handy when Warrior walked out. No offense to Bret, but if you'd taken a fan poll at this time I'm guessing most people would have rather seen a third Savage title reign instead of Bret's first. Not that Bret wouldn't have been a fine champion eventually (as indeed he was), but Randy still had some meat left on his carcass, if you would.

 

I agree about the Atlanta mention not being a coincidence. I wouldn't be surprised if there were already talks going on between Flair and WCW, since Ric had to know that he was going to drop the belt pretty quickly this time, whether it was to Warrior, Bret, or whomever else.

 

I'm not sure which announcer performance was worse: Okerlund lecturing Flair about defending the title with dignity or Gino pretty much guaranteeing a Warrior victory. I'm not one to worry too much about announcers getting themselves over at the expense of the product, since unlike in non-fixed sports they're as much a part of the product as the wrestlers. But to hear Gino totally dismiss Flair as nothing even though he'd just won the belt back bothered the hell out of me. He's becoming unbearable to listen to, and it's breaking my little mark heart, since there was a time when I considered him one of the best announcers I'd ever heard, regardless of sport. (Yes, I'm serious.) I knew he was going downhill, but he's doing it even faster than I feared.

 

The same goes for Okerlund unless he gets the hell off his moral soapbox. He's always been an indignant little cuss around the heels, which was part of his charm. But seeing and hearing him do everything but going after them with a paddle for being bad little boys is getting real old real fast. I never thought I'd see the day when I could make a legitimate case for Bobby Heenan being the best overall announcer in the WWF, as much as I like him. But as of now, he's number one.

[dawho5]

Fun Flair promo with a mention of Atlanta, G-A, which has to have some sort of significance.