evilclown Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 More in the sense of that going through someone's head. I certainly wouldn't ask Ric it in that way. I'm guessing Austin has talked about going out and wrestling after Owen died. I haven't read his book, and haven't looked for what he's said about it. That would be a tough question to ask Austin, and you'd have to come around to it in a circular fashion: talking about Owen, then talking about the night, then talking about what everyone was feeling, then talking about whether there was any talk of stopping the show, then how hard it was for him, and then perhaps getting to an "on reflection / in the years since then, do you think about doing anything differently..." type of a question. Tough one to ask or get to the point of asking. An interview is definitely a dance. That would be a tough one, but likely do-able. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cross Face Chicken Wing Posted September 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 The whole Brody segment of the podcast still irks me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the banter between Austin and Flair -- two old hands shooting the shit -- but forget the argument about whether it was a journalistic type of interview (it wasn't, nor should it be) or if Flair was actually there (he wasn't, obviously). If I'm just having a conversation with an old friend/colleague who is a pro wrestler -- whether it's being recorded for a podcast or not -- and that friend/colleague tells me that he went out and worked an hour long match right after another friend/colleague got stabbed to death in the shower, I'm going to say something. "You did what?! You went to the ring while Brody, a fellow wrestler, bled out in the shower?! What the fuck were you thinking?!" Okay... that's a good point, and a pretty reasonable way to look at it. Hadn't thought of it that way, and yeah... "Went out and worked an hour" does take Ric's bullshit to another level where follow up wouldn't be out of line. I thought it was a great response after reading the post but I think it would be a horrible way to approach the subject. Flair's response... "You wrestled after Owen died on a WWF PPV". If it were me interviewing Flair, I wouldn't ask him like that, either. My tongue was somewhat planted in my cheek with how I phrased it in my previous post, but I definitely would have found some way to approach it. Austin: "So I gotta ask, Ric...Why go out and wrestle when Brody -- a longtime friend/colleague/fellow wrestler of yours -- is dying in the shower? Don't you think that's kind of strange?" Flair: "It was a tough call, Steve. But the situation was so chaotic, that I felt the best course of action was to go out and give the people what they paid to see. I'm sure you had similar misgivings wrestling after Owen died." ......commence what might be an interesting discussion comparing the two situations -- much more interesting than the typical old road drinking stories and shoot interview BS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjh Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 http://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/10/16/48...tag-team-titles Ric Flair has been staying out of the spotlight since his disastrous showing at the WWE 2K14 announcement prior to SummerSlam back in August, and now it seems we know why. Flair was reportedly undergoing WWE sponsored rehab for his alcoholism and has just recently been released from treatment. Flair had been telling people that he was visiting with his daughter, Charlotte, in Florida where Charlotte trains at the WWE's development center. Good for Flair if true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 It is definitely true. 100 percent positive of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovert Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Will await what is in the Observer but Dave gave a non-answer on the forum. Obviously financially driven. Among everything else he likely needs counselling over Reid's death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Not sure if Dave is going to report the details. I have now heard the same story from multiple people who don't know each other so I'm fairly confident with what happened. Without going into details, or saying anything that could potential betray confidences, there was an intervention, it was WWE sponsored, it was NOT just the WWE pushing for it, and Flair was having an understandable emotional crisis related to Reid's death that was obviously making things worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dooley Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Obviously financially driven. Explain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjh Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Obviously financially driven. Explain. Ric Flair was in so much debt in 2011 that he faced home eviction. That was before his fourth divorce and he lost his gig with TNA jumping the gun on a return to WWE. I'd agree with rovert that this was likely a decision primarily motivated to get his WWE job back that he cost himself with his performance at the WWE 2K14 symposium. I can't see Flair ever stopping drinking completely, but hopefully he gets help for his anxiety issues and recent bereavement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 I just hope he's getting the help he's needed for years on this, especially after Reid. I can see how it's financially driven but I hope it's much more than that, because the elephant in the room has pretty much squeezed everyone against the wall by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovert Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Mike Johnson said voluntarily went for six weeks and then discharged himself after that time. He is staying with Joe Gomez of WCW fame. Here is Ric pictured yesterday with his daughter Ashley and Shaul Guerrero: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BW0UskDIAAAhOz6.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Flair shacking up with Gomez is the weirdest shit I've heard in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheapshot Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Flair shacking up with Gomez is the weirdest shit I've heard in a while. I am trying to think of a more obscure former WCW worker that Flair could shack up with. I have: 'Hard Work' Bobby Walker Ice Train Scott 'SickBoy' Vick The Gambler Frankie Lancaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Ranger Ross Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Ranger Ross Considering what Ranger Ross had to say about Flair in his shoot interview (that he was a two-faced hypocritical looking out for himself excusively), I highly doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradhindsight Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 The bigger follow-up is - Ranger Ross has a shoot interview? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 The bigger follow-up is - Ranger Ross has a shoot interview? Yes, and it's actually a pretty fascinating one. From his days as a ranger to his short stint in WCW to why he ended up robbing a bank and spending years in prison. I remember Raven mentionning that he met Ross at some convention and thought he had a great story to tell. I didn't get why, then I listened to the interview and understood. He also comes off as a really good guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheapshot Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 The bigger follow-up is - Ranger Ross has a shoot interview? Yes, and it's actually a pretty fascinating one. From his days as a ranger to his short stint in WCW to why he ended up robbing a bank and spending years in prison. I remember Raven mentionning that he met Ross at some convention and thought he had a great story to tell. I didn't get why, then I listened to the interview and understood. He also comes off as a really good guy. FYI The shoot was conducted by Highspots and it's well worth a watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Mike Johnson said voluntarily went for six weeks and then discharged himself after that time. He is staying with Joe Gomez of WCW fame. Here is Ric pictured yesterday with his daughter Ashley and Shaul Guerrero: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BW0UskDIAAAhOz6.jpg Speaking of, didn't it come out that Shaul leaving developmental to go back to school or whatever was a cover for her getting treatment for an eating disorder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 It's probably terrible that my immediate thought in response to that is how amazing a Raquel Diaz/Tyler Breeze pairing would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bix Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 I remember the heart issues, didn't remember the alcoholic part being directly tied to the heart, though probably should have. I think a lot of us know that Ric is an alcoholic. I do recall that when people have pointed out that Ric is an addict of booze (at the very least), there was some resistance: As for "addict", if he's an alcoholic, he's a highly functional one. One incident related to alcohol in Chapel Hill over a year ago, one that may or may not have been last week, and if it was the police didn't seem to think so. By the way, if the police were covering for Flair, why didn't they just go home? It's because they weren't covering for him. The damage was in the incident getting in the paper and sponsors not being happy, and that happened. THere are millions of people in this world who go to bars on a weekly basis, drink alcohol regularly, and take care of themselves and their families. Are they all alcoholics? Maybe you know more about Flair's drinking than I do, but I don't see it. That was about a year and a half ago. John Was looking through this thread and this post deserves to be bumped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrickHithouse Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 i always thought Bruce Mitchell's initials "BM" fit the type of stuff he says perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 I wonder if he'd see it this way if Sid Eudy was the one drinking all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrickHithouse Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Pretty safe bet there . Every single BM column would have a line referring to "Unemployed Idiot Alcoholic Sid Eudy..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 I remember the heart issues, didn't remember the alcoholic part being directly tied to the heart, though probably should have. I think a lot of us know that Ric is an alcoholic. I do recall that when people have pointed out that Ric is an addict of booze (at the very least), there was some resistance: As for "addict", if he's an alcoholic, he's a highly functional one. One incident related to alcohol in Chapel Hill over a year ago, one that may or may not have been last week, and if it was the police didn't seem to think so. By the way, if the police were covering for Flair, why didn't they just go home? It's because they weren't covering for him. The damage was in the incident getting in the paper and sponsors not being happy, and that happened. THere are millions of people in this world who go to bars on a weekly basis, drink alcohol regularly, and take care of themselves and their families. Are they all alcoholics? Maybe you know more about Flair's drinking than I do, but I don't see it. That was about a year and a half ago. John Was looking through this thread and this post deserves to be bumped. There are some thing I wish I wasn't right on... but that was a pretty obvious one. I would have thought it was obvious more than 20 years ago to everyone close to Ric that he was an alcoholic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 i always thought Bruce Mitchell's initials "BM" fit the type of stuff he says perfectly. Bruce is a terrific writer, and has been for 20+ years. He, like all of us, have some soft spots. Ric is one for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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