SteveJRogers Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 To be fair, Hogan's ego is probably no better than Flair's though they operate in different ways. Not to bury Flair, but the pathetic comment is based on his public behavior, marriage problems, financial problems and all the other stuff not just his clinging to the spotlight. I can see that. I can easily see Hogan willingly walk away from what he's doing now with the WWE and believably say "I don't need this, I have XYZ to fall back on to get my attention fix in." I can't say that about Flair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherwagner Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Is it just me though or has Flair developed a weird speech impediment, like a lisp or something. He never did that when he was younger. If memory serves me right I noticed that same thing back in 2005 or 2006 when I started watching WWE again for a while after not watching anything since 2001. It's distracting, I'd describe it as a lisp just as you did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 The new one with Foley is a blast. Flair goofing about how he never beat anyone with the figure four was hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 I loved the Abyss bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 I'm 3/4 in and laughed way more than I usually do listening to a wrestler podcast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 It always frustrates me when wrestlers seem unaware of any wrestling outside their bubble. Flair clearly didn't follow the WWF in the 90s when he was in WCW. Bret clearly never followed Flair as NWA champ. I know you could say the same for a lot of wrestlers, but I think it surprises me the most when it comes from great workers. You'd think they would want to be in tune with what everyone else is doing to either steal ideas or try to top them. I wonder if Bret has ever seen an All Japan match, or if Flair has ever seen one from the 90s, for example. I think there are more wrestlers now that keep up with everything, but they still seem to be a rare breed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKWildcat Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 It always frustrates me when wrestlers seem unaware of any wrestling outside their bubble. Flair clearly didn't follow the WWF in the 90s when he was in WCW. Bret clearly never followed Flair as NWA champ. I know you could say the same for a lot of wrestlers, but I think it surprises me the most when it comes from great workers. You'd think they would want to be in tune with what everyone else is doing to either steal ideas or try to top them. I wonder if Bret has ever seen an All Japan match, or if Flair has ever seen one from the 90s, for example. I think there are more wrestlers now that keep up with everything, but they still seem to be a rare breed. I can look past that. (Back then) Most were on the road every day and probably didn't have time to watch the competition or have the Internet at their fingertips. Today, most only wrestle on weekends and can watch stuff on YouTube, Wwe.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 Bret didn't know Flair pre-WWF, but he seemed to know Austin (he's said he pushed Vince to go after the Hollywood Blonds). On the other hand, his book pretty strongly implies that he didn't and may still not know who Mitsuharu Misawa is. To him, the Tiger Mask he wrestled at the big Dome show was just a random, inferior substitute for the original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 I get it in the 80s, but Flair worked a far reduced schedule in the 90s, so not keeping up with the WWF guys during that time surprises me. He wasn't even aware on that show on the Network that Mike Tyson was the selling point for Wrestlemania 14, or that it was pretty much when the WWF turned around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKWildcat Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 I get it in the 80s, but Flair worked a far reduced schedule in the 90s, so not keeping up with the WWF guys during that time surprises me. He wasn't even aware on that show on the Network that Mike Tyson was the selling point for Wrestlemania 14, or that it was pretty much when the WWF turned around. Oh I agree. I don't get it if you're a wrestling fan (which we presume most wrestlers are), why aren't you watching everything. Maybe to pick up ideas, or spot talent, whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 I think with Flair, he viewed wrestling as fun, much like a QB in the NFL when playing a game. Neither of them are fans of watching film. With the qb it's part of his job. A wrestler not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cross Face Chicken Wing Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 It always frustrates me when wrestlers seem unaware of any wrestling outside their bubble. Flair clearly didn't follow the WWF in the 90s when he was in WCW. Bret clearly never followed Flair as NWA champ. I know you could say the same for a lot of wrestlers, but I think it surprises me the most when it comes from great workers. You'd think they would want to be in tune with what everyone else is doing to either steal ideas or try to top them. I wonder if Bret has ever seen an All Japan match, or if Flair has ever seen one from the 90s, for example. I think there are more wrestlers now that keep up with everything, but they still seem to be a rare breed. Eh, wrestling's a job. Most people don't want to spend their time off the clock doing stuff related to their job. I think to a lot of the old-school wrestlers, they'd rather BS with their fellow wrestlers about wrestling instead of actually watching and following the product of other companies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSR Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 I loved the Abyss bit. That was a great little story! I haven't listened to all of the episodes but have enjoyed everyone that I've checked out so far (Meltzer, Okerlund and Foley). I also find that the length of the podcast at around an hour is a nice digestable length and I don't find myself losing interest as I can do with other podcasts that seem to never end at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted June 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 One little thing I've noticed is that Flair seems acutely aware that some of the younger fans will remember him for the late WWE run. But that's also the run that he seems "closest" to. When he talks about Shawn carrying him and being genuinely grateful for it, I think he's being very sincere. He also runs himself down a bit more than you might expect. Humble isn't necessarily a word I'd associate with Ric Flair, but he doesn't really brag on these shows. Makes me wonder if the awful appearance of him on Legends of Wrestling were either a. him being drunk (since you can be sure him and Okerlund went out after those shows, probably Hayes too) or b. him working some sort of schtick / kayfabe deal. He doesn't seem the same here at all. Maybe he's just at a different point in his life. I do agree with Loss that it is painfully obvious that him and Bret were not aware of some of the matches the other were discussing. I kind of expect that though. The guys in the business who are the biggest wrestling nerds are guys who were not top workers -- Cornette, JJ Dillon, Jim Ross. Flair was on the road 300+ nights of the year and when he wasn't wrestling he was drinking or shagging. He doesn't strike me as the type of guy who is going to sit down and watch DVDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 His second banana has some issues but in general, I think he's good. He's knowledgeable for the most part, and there are times where he can chime in with a key focusing question. For instance, when Foley mentioned Gilbert, I barely wanted to hear what Flair had to say about him, even if it wasn't going to be that valuable, just the tone in which he'd talk about him, etc. And it was slipping away and Conrad (is that his name?) doubled back for it. I feel like maybe we'll never get another chance to hear Flair talk about Eddie Gilbert and we at least got 45 seconds of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 I think Conrad is on the board or has visited PWO based on the Meltzer interview when talking about Verne's credentials. His talking point was very similar to Parvs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 I guess the Benoit-Jericho-Eddy-Rey generation was the first to really pay attention to everything, but probably the biggest reason was that they worked everywhere. But I know Daniel Bryan and Cesaro, for example, follow modern New Japan, and Bryan has said he feels that it's part of his job to be in tune with this stuff. Regal has always seemed pretty in tune with everything too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted June 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 It can be a good and a bad thing I think. Hyper-awareness is undoubtedly bad, as is guys copying things without really understanding them. The older generation didn't learn by watching footage, they learned by taking car rides and on the job in the ring. Flair clearly watched a lot of other wrestlers when he was younger and freely acknowledges his sources (Stevens, Brisco, Wahoo, Harley etc.), but I imagine the first time he saw a lot of guys wrestling in All Japan is when he was in the ring with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 The Steamboat interview was really good when it was Ric and Steamer talking. Conrad threw the flow off at bits. The opening 20 minutes was fantastic stuff. Flair even answers Charles's question about watching footage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted June 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 The Steamboat interview was really good when it was Ric and Steamer talking. Conrad threw the flow off at bits. The opening 20 minutes was fantastic stuff. Flair even answers Charles's question about watching footage. Agreed, loving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadMick Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 I found it fascinating that Steamboat questioned the wisdom of being so tough on trainees. I've never heard that from an old-timer before. And I agreed with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 I know its minor, but they need to eliminate the semi-regular beeping that occurs throughout the podcast. Really annoying whether I'm at the gym or in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man in Blak Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 Outside of the beeping and some other minor production quibbles, Flair's podcast has been a pleasant surprise. I figured every episode would go like the Angle interview but, other than some of the "cordiality" with Bret, the rest of them have been pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 I listened to the Metlzer podcast and have a question. Does it get better, because I was not a fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadMick Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 What didn't you like? I'll tell you if it's gotten better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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