[1994-03-19-WCW-Saturday Night] Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Gene is such a shit disturber -- coming out telling Steamboat that Flair would rather talk about Hogan when Gene is the one who led the interview in that direction! Flair just told someone to keep their mouth shut - yep, he's a heel! Not a very over the top one, but a heel nonetheless. Flair tells Steamboat he'll talk about whatever he wants in his interviews. Things get heated, and Steamboat mentions the legendary '89 series. "I beat you twice in '89 ..." ... would anyone in 2012 say "I beat you twice back in '07"?? Anyway, good stuff.

[Kevin Ridge]

From watching these back to back segments, Gene was doing Hogan's bidding here. He leads the Flair interview to talk about Hogan and then tells Steamboat the Flair wanted to talk about Hogan instead. Oh that Hulk. You definitely don't see backstage interviewers today interrupt like Okerlund does at times.

[Exposer]

I'll say it again. If Gene would stop interrupting, these interviews wouldn't have to be cut short. Flair already yells at a fan and he and Ricky argue about their past and reference the '89 series. This was pretty good.

[soup23]

Steamboat showed good fire here. I like the build up between those two and wish Hogan would have been placed on the back burner until after the WCWSN match in May.

[El-P]

I liked how Flair was showing some heel maneurism at this point, but in a subtle way, and Steamboat is showing good fire and seriousness. Yeah, Gene is such an annoying Hogan bitch at this point you can't help but dislike him somewhat. I miss Jesse...

[PeteF3]

The slow burn to Ric's heel turn continues--he calls out Okerlund for referring to Hogan as "immortal." He also passive-aggressively refers to Hulk as a "great movie star," which really comes off as a backhanded compliment--like how he praised the city of Memphis for having an airport.

 

The conversations with Ric and his World title constantly drifting toward Hogan would seem like a great catalyst for a Steamboat heel turn as well, but that's not happening. Ric does a public dressing-down of Steamboat over what happened the previous week and in the previous interview. Flair points out that as 11-time World Champion he can do whatever he wants. Steamboat responds that Flair BROKE THE LOCKER ROOM CODE by belittling him in front of the other wrestlers. Somewhere a lightbulb is appearing over a certain young WWF Magazine editor's head, but in this context it works. Steamboat ends up getting the last word in.