Club Shay Shay - Ric Flair Part 2

Episode Date: November 22, 2023

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. #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolf. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Michael Rapoport, and I have been professionally podcasting for 10 years. The podcast game has changed so much, and if you're looking for the most disruptive podcast in the world,

then subscribe to the I Am Rapaport Stereo Podcast today. We're talking sports, politics, pop culture, entertainment, and anything that catches my attention. Listen to the I Am Rappaport Stereo Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Can't get enough football? Look no further than the Good Morning Football Podcast. Join me, Jamie Erdahl, alongside Peter Schrager, Kyle Brandt, and Akbar Bajabiamila for a daily breakdown of the league's biggest stories. Hey, you want to know the secret ingredient that makes Patrick Mahomes unstoppable?

Or maybe which reality show best describes the Jets season? Look no further. We've got recaps, retweets, and reactions to all the wild moments you might have missed both on and off the field. Make sure to listen to the Good Morning Football podcast Monday through Friday on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. There are not normally a whole lot of survivors. So what's going through your mind as the plane is starting to go down?

I don't remember anything. When the second engine shut down, we were at 6,000 feet. And I don't remember, the first thing I remember is back then they were putting, you remember the ambulances? Yeah.

Where they were racks, not the luxury back today, right? I just remember them saying, I think we might lose this one. And that was you? I thought they were talking about me. No, it wasn't me. It was the pilot that eventually died. Okay.

Yeah. But you know, we couldn't talk. I woke up and the funny thing is I was wrestling Wahoo that night. And we were talking about the kayfabe, right? Wahoo and I were a big angle and johnny valentine and tim woods were okay well woods walked out of it and by god he went he went to this the territory would have died they all found out we're not playing together and and wahoo when wahoo came in this is all this is the moment number makes from right when wahoo came into the hospital he came in, this is the moment you know where Mike's from, right?

When Wahoo came into the hospital, he came in running. And it scared him, but I thought he was coming in to beat me up. Right. Because what had happened is I had hit him with a table leg, and the angle was shot. Right. And I nailed him. The table leg didn't break right.

Right. And I hit him with a nail, put 40 stitches in his head. Wow. So, and they're playing all that. The hospital was scared. They called the cops. They come and see if I was okay. Right.

I'm laying on the metal table. It's a boy, all right. You know, he was right. Right. But he ran hard, man. I read on the, where you switched seats. No. That didn't happen?

No. No, no, no. As a matter of fact i did want i do want i like sitting in the front seat right but johnny wanted and i johnny's senior but had you not been had you been in that seat could the outcome have been different oh entirely they they pulled john well john didn't have a seatbelt on. Right. So John, they pulled John out, right here, right? Pulled his arm out of the dashboard. Wow. Like this. And of course the pilot ate the steering wheel. Right. And you said the pilot ended up dying.

Yeah, a year later. Right. So how was how severe was was John John paralyzed? It is where they couldn't treat people in Wilmington, right? And by the time they flew him in a military plane he and Bob brothers to our Houston Mm-hmm, but by the time they got there with you know, that kind of stuff needs to be treated right immediately. Yes. Yes You so what was what was your recovery so how long i went from 255 to 180 and they first went first of all they said i wouldn't wrestle again and then um six months later the doctor said there's something right it's kind of like

did the thought of not wrestling again ever crossed your mind? Yes. Yeah. Was that the first and only time that the thought of wrestling might not happen again crossed your mind? Has there ever been any other injury or any other situation in which you said, you know what, there's a chance I don't wrestle again? No, that would be everything else is fixable. Roll Tater Cubs, Jim Andrews, everybody. Rotator cuffs, Jim Andrews. Everybody knows that, Jim Andrews, right?

Yep. Yeah, Jim used to say to me, every time I work on you, it's like putting a piece of old leather together. Right. Because my terrier set was the size of a quarter on both my rotators. Wow. Because I waited so long to do it. So now you you survived that you come out nobody can tell that you went through this this tragic injury did you not did you feel different did anything about you did you change the way you wrestled

did you change anything no it just took me a long time to land on my back right and i used to remember there's no payphone no cell phones back then right i would call the doctor at the way you wrestled? Did you change anything? No, it just took me a long time to land on my back. Right. There was no cell phone back then. I would call the doctor at home on the pay phone in the lobby. People going, hey, Rick Flair, right? Dr. Johnson, you sure I can do this? He said, there's only one way to find out.

Right. I can't guarantee everything. I would call him every day but when you did but when you when you failed when they threw you slammed you on your back or you fell on your back for the first time and you like okay yeah I'm okay you know but that was actually I was okay with that the hardest thing was going into turnbuckle yeah yeah the heart boom and I meant and then it's like taking a backdrop.

So George Scott, the unsympathetic guy that he was, he made me wrestle an hour every night in 1976 until I took a backdrop. That's where the guy throws you in right and lifts you up. And you flip him. Yeah. So finally one night I said, I'm not doing another hour in front of 200 people in Farmville, Virginia. I took it. I was fine. I'm not doing their all in front of 200 people in farm farm will Virginia right I took it I was fine

But it's like everything else you got a you got to try it out You lost weight you took the insurance settlement. Do you say did you take the insurance settlement and bought a caddy? Yep? Blue Cooperville Cougarville yeah Blue Coop DeVille. Coop DeVille. Yeah. Did you need to get the caddy to be part of the persona, to be the nature boy, to be Ric Flair? It had to be a caddy. Yeah, Dusty Rhodes. You only come through one time. Why not pass by in a Cadillac?

So did you drive that car from location to location? Mm-hmm. Wow. So it's not like it is now because these guys now, do they still wrestle like you guys? They don't do it

like you guys did it, dude. They didn't wrestle in small cities and... No, but they're much more sophisticated. But they still work. Like my daughter's schedule, she'll wrestle 155 matches.

Right. And then if you're on top now, the difference for us is if you're on top in our business now, even in your days off, you're doing media. Yeah, you're doing pro-ball. All day long. Right. Radio, it's not like you ever have time off.

Right. So because when you had the belt, you still had to wrestle, you still had your obligations, although they weren't like what they are now. But you still, you said you was wrestling twice on sunday twice on monday and you probably had a couple of gigs on monday and tuesday yeah of course i did and i didn't want one year uh well actually three years but one year the most i ever wrestled 425 times in one year 425 in one year There's only 365 days.

I know. I'm talking about twice on Saturday. Yes. Yeah. So what did your body feel like? It never bothered me. But you didn't know any better? No.

Do you think there's someone that wrestled more in a calendar year than what you did that 425? more in a calendar year than what you did that 425 um i doubt that but i i'm sure i'm i'm pretty sure i've wrestled more because that here's my deal i i tell people this and they just can't believe it i was in melbourne or in um sydney one hour right right flew to auckland right one hour, right? Flew to Auckland one hour. Flew to Christchurch one hour. Flew to St. Louis one hour with Harley Race. Flew to Atlanta

one hour with Dusty Rhodes and took off for Tokyo. Wow. One week. In one week. So that's 20 plus thousand miles. That's a lot of drinking. You speak of your relationship with Harley.

Harley was, when I was growing up, he had the belt. He was the man. Harley Race was the guy. Yeah. I don't know. Did you ever wrestle Nick Botwin? Yeah. Oh, sure.

Once in Winnipeg. Right. And Nick was great, too. But Harley Race, you're the kind of guy. Yeah. So you believe. So. Shannon.

Ricky. Took Roger's gimmick. To a whole new level. So who are you? Give me your Mount Rushmore of wrestlers. My Mount Rushmore... It's hard to do because I

obviously love the old guys. 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.

Not talking, but in the ring. I can't. You've got to give it up to him. I knew that the day I came home. My little son said, can you go moonsault? I said, why?

Why, why, why? Shawn Michaels can. So what was it like when your first match against Andre the Giant? What was that like? When they told you, OK, Rick. It was so ridiculous. Because he's a mountain of a man.

He just took me over there like, he said, boss, just have a relax. Normally I would say, I used to say to Big Show, right? Didn't be able to big show tell the story. Can I use some my graphic language? You sure go ahead. That's all if it's too bad. We're with no no I would go with the big show sell your balls in your eyes. That's I need to do right So I go in ball shot big show drop to his knees. He's my size, right? Boom boom, I can actually work with him right but when he's standing up not a chance right if i blind him he

can turn to turn it out blind me when i poke him blind eye walk away from me and anybody 120 pound uh defensive back you could clip a guy right you. You start to think of a logic, right? Cuz no one's gonna believe not gonna have a test of strength with the right I mean, right And he's a great athlete man. He played basketball at Wichita State, right? Who was who's bigger Big Show or Andre Andre? 540 He was that yeah, they tell the story of him drinking 102 cans of beer. 106, half of the other ones.

Downtown or in Charlotte, North Carolina. And Frank Von Wall drank 56. That was his original manager. I was listening to his documentary, and he was so massive, and he was going to have surgery, and they didn't really know how much anesthesia to give him. And it's like, well, they said, well, he can drink. I think they said two fifths of vodka. And it's like, OK. And so they deduce two fifths of vodka and still walk.

I mean, for a man to be drink two fifths of vodka or one hundred and two cans of beer and stand up and walk out of a bar. That's not normal, Rick. No, well, listen. A couple of times he fell down. Well, who got him up? Well, they didn't. They took him to his room in Boston one time and he fell down on top of Pedro Morales.

And he was caught between the bed and Pedro couldn't get up underneath him. He literally fought like it had, you know, 500 pounds on top of you. Right. And all you can do is try to nudge the bed over. Right. He was.

He just falls asleep. They just leave him in the lobby. So how do you like, okay, okay, Andre, Rick's going to win tonight or this guy's going to win? Because nobody can really beat him if he didn't want to lose No, exactly. He didn't So was he was he and here is the thing you know Harley was the suplex Yeah, and I would say you're like this story William Granger one time and he he was super super I suplex him and slamming them and my heart already stood him up. Yeah, and I go I

Go to Harley did you ask my good I mean I was so hardly I just unreal not a weightlifter but that body yes yes and he I said did you ask how you could do that He's got a Marlboro by now. Ask him what? I said, slam, suplex, kick out on two. So he told him what was gonna happen? Nobody argued with Harley, nobody. So what are some of your favorite locker room moments? Just the camaraderie. So what are some of your favorite locker room moments?

Oh, just the camaraderie. You know a good locker room or a bad one, right? Yep. 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 to get along. It's hurt me financially to say that, but rather than argue about it every night, it just beat me.

Right. If I've got to fight you for my pay, I mean, it takes all the fun away from doing it. Right. You're not having fun. There have been days, I'm sure, when you go, I don't want to do this. Right. I don't want to fight with anyone. I don't want to be part of it. I'm sure when you go up and if I don't do this, right, I don't want to fight with him. I want to be part of it did Was it hard?

To be in a locker room or wrestle someone that you didn't like or did you not did you get along with everybody? Oh There a couple guys. I didn't get along with it. But you know, you don't yeah, just you just internalize you don't bring that to work Don't know you can't Just make yourself miserable the moat so Your move was the figure for yes How did you come up with that move? I? Got that from buddy to mm-hmm. That will actually Jack Briscoe. Right? I did ask Jack if I could use it, right?

Jack was great dumb Jack and Jerry Briscoe the acting Jerry Jerry. But this is Jack Briscoe, junior year, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, right? Right. 31-0, 31 pins. No one scored a point on him. Wow. He was going to the Olympics, and he got a girl pregnant. You know, back then, that took precedent.

You got a job. Yeah. 31-0 then that took that took precedent. Yeah. You got it you got a job. Yeah. 31 and 0 no one took him down. Wow. Yeah I mean I think about that when I talk to Jerry and Jerry's still tougher now much to this day. Mm-hmm. I see Jerry quite a bit. How many different wrestlers do you think you've wrestled over your career? God, everybody. Not the new guys now, but I never missed anybody. Yeah, because I remember you wrestling from, like you said, Black Jack Mulligan, Hulk Hogan, Sergeant Slaughter, Andre the Giant, Bobo Bozell, Abdullah the Butcher, Dusty Rhodes. Wahoo.

Wahoo. Mr. Wrestler number one, number two, Baron Von Raskin. Baron Von Raskin, the great Baron. Yeah. So how do you, how, what difficult was it to go from good guy to heel back and forth? Because you're one of the few guys that could do it, right? Yeah, but I, but I hated being a good guy. Did you? Yeah, because I don't have that. I don't drop kick, right? Right. And all I really have as a good guy is a chop and a woo.

Right. I mean, I still would rather be taking the bumps. I'm better. I'm much better at being a heel. I mean, I'm looking at, you know, Andre the Giant, Sting, Randy Savage, Lex Luger, the Giant, Kevin Nash, Undertaker, Stone Cold, Big Show, Triple H, Booker T, The Rock, Rowdy Piper. Who's who? To name a few. To name a few.

And a lot of them are younger generations. Like I said, we go back and you talk about Abdul Labuchir, Bobo Brazil, Thunderbolt Patterson, the junkyard dog all those guys Tony Atlas yeah that was a big that was a horrible you only I broke him in the business yeah yeah Tony was in the state high school champion from Roanoke Virginia mm-hmm so what what was your favorite I've seen Tony close close grip right right bench bench press 505 for a reps He was a yeah, I'm gonna try to try to try something. Yeah, mr. World. I think you yeah, yeah he uh, If I'm not mistaken, I think maybe a couple years ago. I saw him still wrestling I don't know. Is he is he your he's brought your agent me?

He's younger me. Yeah, I broke him in. Yeah yeah he's probably even in the 60s Oh late 60s the erm mid yeah yeah so what was your favorite match to be a part of if one match you says you you're gonna remember that you you remember this match forever because they bring it up every year. Either the I Quit match I had with Terry Funk in New York, Clash Champions, or the match with Steamboat, or the first night I met Jim Harbaugh in 89 called Chi-Town Rumble, where I dropped the title to Steamboat.

Right. So when you go into a match how did they decide like okay Rick tonight you're gonna lose the belt okay Rick tonight you're gonna keep the belt how did how do they come to that decision for motor just ask you and you do it see that's one that when I'm 16 champ dumb technically I've won the title 21 times right you know i told you about about when we were in new zealand right right i'm wrestling harley harley goes to me let's yeah i wish you could have met him i guess you let's do ricard steve ricardo's a promoter right a favor and uh you dropped the title to me tonight but that wasn't what was playing oh no but he did called it what am I gonna say I'll erase and you know and

you pick her back up tomorrow and then we head back to the States I said well we're now again trouble he said no I don't know who's gonna tell him here I'll tell her card if he says a word I'll come back and see him personally sure enough they found out so that's 1617 right then same thing in in San Domingo with Jack Veneno right the hot potato in a full-scale riot he tried to give me the belt I said I don't want the belt keep it went to go back and get it right and then same thing in the islands were rough Trenton Trinidad with Brody right Brody was a big tough guy boy weapons I mean

to have the brass knuckle match you have barbed wire thumbtacks bats 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 know? I just wore mine on my finger. Yeah. Some guys carry it in their mouth. I didn't like that.

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or wherever you get your podcasts. You guys carried on tape like that. I kept it right there. You weren't scared? Never. I got to the point where I couldn't work without it. Really? In an hour.

When you're wrestling a guy, you can't wrestle 10. It would be like you got an 11-year-old kid trying to throw to you. Right. With a guy who's a great corner. Oh, yeah. What, corner corners now? You got Panzer Tan. You got Deion Sanders. Yeah, right.

An 11-year-old kid trying to throw to year old kid right I wrestled guys like that and for an hour the abdominal stretch ain't getting it right let me put the sleeper on rabbit the guys can't do it but the promoters are they they wanted to get that didn't want to get beat they were their hometown hero did um have you ever read when was the last time you wrestled a match and you didn't bleed? I didn't? Yeah. Hold on, I didn't bleed at all in the latter years of WWE.

Right. No, he got real strict about that. Okay. As a matter of fact, Jericho hit me with a TV monitor when we were doing that thing with Mickey Rourke. And he fined Jericho, because I didn't put my hand to the block, I was just trying not to, right?

He put 25, he didn't fine me, but he fined Jericho 25 grand. And Dave Bautista caught himself in a cage match one night and Vince fined him $100. When Vince lays a lot on him, you know. None of that. So guys don't bleed anymore? No.

AEW allows it. Right, right, right. But it's not mandatory. It's optional. Right. The worst injury that you've suffered. It's just so fire. And I know this is old school, it's optional right the worst injury that you've suffered it's just so fire up you know and that's i i and i know this is old school but you grew up on old school so if you throw a guy into a

cage man and bang gets there and he doesn't bleed right right how is that that's the phoniest part of it all right but in old days when you when, what you liked was when you saw us bleeding. Right. You couldn't wait to see what happened. Yeah, I see a guy get hit with a chair, I'm expecting his head to open up. Yeah, exactly. It's supposed to.

Yes. So that's why the head shots are out. Right. But those are pretty much out of the world. I've been seeing you have a torn rotator cuff, triceps, staples in your head,

concussions. You've never had hip, knee replacement, any concussions? I've never had hip knee replacement no i've never had a concussion that i know of really no i probably have but i don't they probably they probably didn't call them concussions back you got your bell wrong yeah yeah exactly so if 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? I don't know.

I get to ask that question a lot. I don't know. I couldn't have been a world champion. My best answer I can give to that is, why am I looking up at 74 to be sitting here with you? That's how I look at it. That's how you look at it. So, obviously there's things I've done wrong.

Right. But maybe I wouldn't be here with you. Right. And at 74, what 74 year old ex-wrestler is sitting here with Shannon Sharpe? True. What 74-year-old ex-wrestler sitting here with Shannon Sharp? True. I mean, obviously, you know, The Rock is right now, but it's about old guard.

No, but I mean, I'm answering your question. Yeah, you wouldn't. You don't. You wouldn't. I'm going to do a wrestler that's Stephen A. The highest rated thing on ESPN, I would assume, first take is. I'm going to kill that bad dog. He's a bad dog. He bad-mouthed the hardball yesterday. Ha, ha, ha, ha. take it mm-hmm I'm gonna kill that bad dog yesterday the first three days of the

week with you guys are the best so what was pay-per-view the game changer for wrestling yeah so much money because that was when they first did the WrestleMania yeah yeah the money that's where the big money is. Right. But it's always amazing to me and I'm sure you've thought about this too. When they do Raw or SmackDown or AEW as their show, right? That's whatever they get. The arenas, even though it's on TV.

Right. The arenas are so loud. And I can't imagine why anybody would want to sit in row 840 in the bleachers. Right. The arenas are so loud. And I can't imagine why anybody would want to sit in row 840 in the bleachers when you could be home watching on TV. They want to say I was there? Yeah. It's amazing. It's just like in a football event. You know, you're at the very, very top.

Yeah. But something special might happen and I can say I was at that game. What do you think about the guys playing in Europe on all this? Do you think they enjoy it? Yeah, on all this like I think they enjoy it Yeah, they love it. Yeah, they love it. Yeah, they didn't realize they go on Friday. I thought they'd go Some some go on Friday, but I think the Dolphins went like on a Tuesday or Wednesday Oh, they did but a lot of times they said like if you're not gonna go over there for the whole week It's just best to go, you know Friday play play early Sunday did yeah and high tail it back yeah so WrestleMania is the Super Bowl

for wrestling yes it's the top of the top and if you're the last match if you're the main event that's how many of those have you done? I've never been to Main Event. You've never been to the main event? I've never been to Main Event. Why not? Well, I'm not taking anything away from me, but I was never really a big star in WWE. That make sense?

Yeah. When you talk about the big stars of WWE, you're talking about- The Rocks, the Cena's. The Rock, Cena, Hulk, Undertaker, HBK, all those guys. And I was a co-main event, I guess, with Randy Savage. But I've never been on last. My daughter's been on last. I haven't.

Right. So she reminds me of that periodically. I haven't. So she reminds me of that periodically. But I think the thing, I mean, without you and those old guards, there is no WWE. Yeah, but you don't want to say that too loud. There's a truth. They came along after.

Yeah, but I was the main event for 10 Starcades. You know what that is. Yeah, you know what? And you mentioned that I forget who you told me you were fighting in Puerto Rico and they tried to give you the belt. You're like, nah, I don't want the belt. San Domingo. Yeah. Jack Veneno. You're like, nah, nah, they're going to ride me. I was sitting in the front row watching. Albert Pujols. Really? Yeah. First time I saw Albert, I didn't know that at that time right i'm like no you're like i don't want the belt he became an international hero when he beat me wow so how many times did

that happen it so you i remember you said something earlier you said like local promoters when their guy was fighting they wanted their guy to win yeah and you accu act you Western that you're Ric Flair. These guys are not Ric Flair and you like okay cool They know that what they wanted to go an hour. I didn't know though What happened was that was the end of a champion either? He's a champion guys do grazed right or he won an hour, right? That was the rules Are the rules similar now no no hours are pretty hard it's hard with television and that to put together yeah yeah there are some guys that can do it um they're few and far between right because they're not trained to

right in all fairness it's like you know you're you're trained to be a specialist at that right but i first got the bells i thought i thought i was the greatest i found out about two weeks i didn't know seriously i didn't know anything because what comes along with because i was wrestling wahoo guys like that every day all of a sudden i'm in kansas city with bob brown you know or I always crack on Kansas. I feel bad, but in Wichita in front of 200 people. Right. Going an hour. Whew.

Wow. Is Vince McMahon the greatest wrestling promoter? Yes. What makes him so good? Afraid of nothing. He just used to say to me, the only thing that I compete with, and only because of the brand name, is Walt Disney. Right.

He did. I'd say to him, how do you, because he and I got to be, you know, I could talk to him. You know, we could relate once in a while. And I'd say, how do you, you know, how do you keep your game face on? Because he never left his game face on, right?

He said, I got 300 people in the building here right now. They're depending on me to keep my game face on. Right. He just, he's got a set man. Did you always have, I mean, what's your relationship with him like now? Well, I don't talk to him much now. Actually, I saw him at WrestleMania last year.

I mean, there's a lot going on. Right. But not, no one's, it's not privileged information. Right. So I just think he's on the on on the download right i know taker went to uh saudi to watch uh fury um with um because tyson's worked for us before right did you see that i did yeah you know mike trained that kid yeah he did yeah mike yeah me personally i think, personally, I think Ngannou won.

Me, too. I'm watching him going, are you kidding me? I think he won. Yeah. Right. So, when they have events like now? They paid Mike a fortune for that. Did they?

Yeah. Wow. Well, he did a great job. Hey, Mike's in good shape. Yeah. I just saw him the other day. Yeah. He runs every day.

He's standing. Like the Super Bowl. America, like the Super Bowl America like the Super Bowl they'll bring the NFL will bring their best players they'll bring some of their greatest the Lawrence Taylor the Joe Montana the so forth so on they'll bring those guys back when they have WrestleMania do they bring the older wrestlers

the great older wrestlers back so it's still so you still feel close to to the game of to the sport of wrestling? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I feel close. I think some people are upset with me now that I went to work at AEW.

I don't know why. Right. But you think, 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. Right. As long as it doesn't affect them.

Right. I'm not going to get on TV and say, AEW is better, I'm not doing something stupid. Right. I'm just working. Right. That's all I know how to do. Right.

But they're mad. Not mad, but they did something. I'll tell you off camera. Is it that you're bigger? I mean, look, they got some stars. But their star is not you. I mean, unless it's The Rock or one of those guys. That guy's not you.

Not you, Rick. Those guys that's wrestling now, everybody knows who you are. I mean, you're in songs and everybody's like, man, that's the nature boy. Everybody can't have that. I know. But people begrudge me that.

You don't. No. You know the old saying that you want to hear someone doing good but not too good? Or not better than me.? Or not better than me. Or not better than me. Does that make sense?

Yes. Oh, I forgot some of the guys that also played. Luger played football. Goldberg. Brock Lesnar. Roman Reigns. Yep. Yeah, Brock almost made the Vikings.

Yes. And hadn't played football since high school. Right. He's a beast, man. What football player did you think could be a professional wrestler now? Well, he did it he did did he did a hell of a job LT wrestled. Oh, yeah, Bam Bam Bigelow Yeah, yeah, LT is just a different cat. I mean Jesus Rodman wrestled. They were Dennis did yeah Dennis I good for you think the white Howard be a good wrestler

No, I think it's too lanky. Too lanky? Yeah. And I don't know how his knees are and all that. It's a stop and a start. I love Dwight. But I think I heard he's trying to get into the NXT too, but I don't know. I think it's a little bit too late. It takes a while to learn your craft

right and then you need to be you need to be really young to take those falls as you get older falls hurt more yeah yeah it takes a long time it's like you are saying is time off is your worst enemy right so that's why is that why guys rush back so soon from injuries and things like that to wrestle because you said time off is the injury no 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 right because uh you know the the wiener terror attendant and stuff like that And look at this poor thing. I mean, I've never met him personally, but when I heard that Watson played that whole game

with that shoulder. Yeah, I broke his shoulder. That's pretty courageous. Yeah. A lot of guys would walk off. I'm looking at celebrity guys that's wrestled. Mike Tyson, Mr. T, Snoop Dogg, Shaq. What about Shaq? Shaq did a good job.

He did. Yeah. He did. Mayweather, Gronk. Yeah. And now you see Logan Paul and Pat McAfee wrestling. Yeah. What do you think about Logan Paul? You think he's doing a good job?

Yeah, I think he's doing a real good job. Right. Yeah, he's better than some of the guys that have been doing it. But I didn't know that Shawn Michaels was training him personally so that but he's not afraid to do anything right and some of that stuff he does it for a guy who hasn't done it his whole life yeah I love it so what's what's it like I mean because you know uh you mentioned Lawrence Taylor and he's a friend of yours Pete Rose Charles Barkley yeah real good friend. So what's it like? Because, Rick, I mean, you're one of the few wrestlers that have celebrities outside of your sport that embrace you.

Football players, actors, actresses, like I said, rappers, baseball players. They hang with the nature boy. Yeah. Me and Charles Barkley. He just asked me to go to do the Who is in town I can't remember um Anyway to a concert in Atlanta, but we were in Florida right now How he's got he owns a suite in the Ritz. Yeah in Atlanta He bought these water he bought a suite so the Ritz in Atlanta. He bought a suite. So he stays down there now instead of traveling back and forth

because he got a place, I think, in Philly and in Arizona. Yeah. You wrestled 50 years, and Tom Brady played 23 years. LeBron is now in year 21. What is it that allows you to wrestle as long as you did at the level in which you did and guys like tom brady and lebron to play as long 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 mannered demeanor and that, I've heard that he's a brutally fierce competitor. Yes. I mean, he's not afraid to scream at somebody. Yeah. But you don't see that when he, all you see is this incredibly handsome guy. Yeah. But I've heard that he's just pushing pushing himself right and he expects you ever else

He'll let a guy know if he drops the ball. You know, I mean When you you kept wrestling and people were saying Man, Rick is he tarnishing his legacy man. He's go out on top man. He lives When you hear that... I know what I'm gonna say when I hear it next time. I just was on a John and Sharpe show. Where were you? But you didn't feel like...

It's your legacy. You feel you should be able to wrestle as long as you wanted to wrestle. Considering your contributions, you should be able to like, Hey, but I want to do. And then once again, if you could do it, you should be able to like hey But I want to do right but when and then once again If you could do it you would too right and that not you know the the other people. Yeah. Yeah The match Shawn Michael at WrestleMania 24 in 2008. It was praised as the match of the decade Is that when you actually wrestled him is that when you realize just how great he was? Or you know, no, I knew how great he was before that. I had no self-confidence back then

Right, he's the first guy ever not even how I raised enemy. He said just shut up. Listen to me out there And then we said let you look at me in the world called gorilla right front of Vince the whole place is sold out Shut up. Listen to me and now no no see I could have gone on they offered me to be the main event was Sean it there but I said there's gotta be the world title so I missed that one opportunity right that means Vince Vince has treated me like gold I mean right anyway and he, he worked for both of us. Right. He did all my spots.

He took a slam off the top of his dying. Wow. Yeah. How did your wrestling career impact your kids and your relationship with your kids? In Korea? No, your kids, your wrestling career. Oh, my.

Because you're on the road. You said you had been. Yeah, I never saw him. And I never expected my, when I got divorced, I never expected Leslie to move to Minneapolis. So one place NWA didn't go. So I think I only got to see him in the summer for a month. Did they hold that against you?

I think they did then. But I'm just still, I'm so close to both my daughters, right It's it you know, you look at life at the end of the day and you go This is another saying that you say well when you're 50 of you have five friends you're lucky right? Right. I'm 74 I've got ten I just made I Mean, I got 50 and I just made another one lucky, right? Right. I'm 74. I've got 10. I just made, I mean, I got 50 and I just made another one today. Right. And I'll be texting you

every time I see you. Tell that guy, thanks, Stephen A. Your daughter said. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week,

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Instead of time, he would bring me back like 16, 20 Cabbage Patch Kids at a time. Yeah. Because you understood what it was going to take for them to live the type of lifestyle. Kids don't understand it. Kids don't understand

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 don't understand 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. I think now as they're much older, they understood what you were doing. Do your daughters have kids of their own?

My oldest one does. She's right in the peak of her career. Right. I don't I think she's trying, but she's so damn good at what she does. Right. You've seen her, right? Yeah. Yeah. Did you think that's what you how did when did when did she tell you,

like, Dad, I want to wrestle? It she never even thought she never even watched. I mean, she came to see me. She watched wrestling. She was watching Grey's Anatomy or... You'd watch other things other than wrestling. All that stuff, right? But we were in Miami for the Hall of Fame,

and one of the guys that worked in the office looked at her and said, why aren't you in the wrestling business? Because she's a world-class athlete. Right. And she looked at him and said, I don't know. And she got up and walked away. And I just, I watched her walk around the room.

I knew what was coming next. She walked over and sat down next to me. Did you think I could do that? And my exact words wrong i said i'm sure you could but why do you want to right and in june she was in tampa no that was april in july she was in tampa wow but so but you never tried to push you not to try to sway them either to do it or not to do it no no that was going to be their decision and whatever they decided your son's death

yeah she actually fulfilled his dream that's kind of her you found him you found your son correct so because he was going to be the wrestler he was going to fall in debt he was going to take on

the flair lineage and keep this thing going how did that impact you, Ray? Killed me. Did you know he was dealing with these demons? He'd been on life support four other times. Oh, man. Four other times.

You try to get him help. Stays clean at a time. You try to get him help, stays clean for a month. Ten rehab centers. Nine or ten. I think it's ten. But if we're from Phoenix to Colorado, one time he lost complete, complete. He was on his right leg. That's right in the center of Colorado where he was mountain climbing in a rehab facility. The last time before he died, his oxygen level, you know, the thing to put everybody right,

was at 42. The doctor called me and said, when I call the minister when he wakes up he'll be brain dead if he makes it I said yeah and I went in the room and I went and told everybody he woke up nothing wrong the doctor looked at me he's an Indian, Dr. Ryan, from India. I mean, Indian. And he goes, you just saw a miracle. I've never seen that. Because your oxygen level just can't be that low for 24 hours.

It can't be that low for five hours. Wow. And 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 I opened the door. I went and met my daughter and I said I'm just gonna leave Reed home and I went and opened the door. It's like the same thing you know I've seen them in purple and they come and shoot him with Narcon

and the same cops, same fire crew, Charlotte's a small town. And they came and I walked out in the hall. And the guy said, he said he didn't make it. I walked across the street to a bar, to the Captain's Truth, and I just drank for five years. You blamed yourself? Yep.

Why, because you don't think you were a father, you were more of a friend? Yes. What could you have done differently, Rick? I don't know. I don't know. I traveled the world with them. I took them to Japan and Europe and I mean,

we traveled together. I don't know. I don't know what could have been different. Except, you know, that's one of the oldest cases. It's so easy for these doctors to say, you've got to let them bottom out, kick them to the curb. Right. And I just could not know.

You could not? I could not know Not these guys. I wasn't there Because I kicked him out right then I Can't imagine awesome would feel in that situation right? You're not welcome here. Can't come on. Thank you. You're kicked out The next day is dead right? I don't know what's worse You never turned your back on him? Never. I mean, but that has to make you feel good.

You were fighting for him to the very end. Yeah. Well, you find out heroin is not an addiction to disease. Right. But he was doing so good, he had come back from Japan. I brought him back to take him to WrestleMania to watch Ashley debut. And we were leaving, Wendy and I, and Wendy was with me. We were leaving.

And I had gotten him two gigs that weekend before WrestleMania for $1,500 a night to wrestle, make some money while I was here. And that was it. How's your health? Great. I mean, your kidneys fell. You placed in a medically induced coma. And you told us earlier they had, for six months months you didn't remember anything back back nothing but you good but you're good now you feel there's a horse so what's it like to be a

grandfather you guys you say you have grandkids now yeah I only get to see the one alive the other ones um are in Minneapolis my oldest granddaughter is fabulous yeah she's in she comes to visit and she's a uh sophomore at Alabama right of all places marriage you believe in marriage not dating you like hey you met your beautiful wife Wendy yeah you lost a lot of money through divorces though Rick yeah and attorneys editor yeah and IRS yeah when the wives when the wives won't sign or sign the returns and they get away with it what can you do are you you interested in having any more kids I see Robert De Niro Al Pacino and they're

older than you Wendy gave us the sign on camera like uh-huh yeah Wendy's kids are my kids yeah fire person areas right I've been with them for 13 years now Wow so what sports what's your favorite sport outside of wrestling what's your favorite sport to watch oh I had a film football who's your favorite player my favorite player right now in the league Aaron Rodgers I love Aaron you know I hope he comes back. Right. I mean, I hope the Jets can come back. I don't want to see him get hurt again. Right.

But I just, I can't get over the way he has that. That quick release? He doesn't have it. I mean, it's accurate and strong. I guess my favorite player right now, I love Travis Kelsey. I've never met Patrick at home but um met Travis I'm really I'm really happy for the tour kid yeah yeah because I last year I was just horrible right when he's having a hell of a year yeah he's having

a lot of parodying the league that game that game tonight's a big game big game yeah so who's gonna win the Super Bowl? Who's going to win the NBA? You played for the Ravens, right? I played for the Ravens. Won the Super Bowl in 2000. With John. No, no.

Brian Billick. Brian Billick. Yeah. He was at Minnesota. Yes, yes, yes. Who you got winning the Super Bowl? Well, just because it's so damn entertaining, I hope Dallas gets beat. Oh, you want to be?

Because if Dallas wins the Super Bowl, Stephen A is going to have to take off for like a month. I know. He won't fill out a TV. You won't let him. I'll visit in that chair of the co-host. Yeah. No, but it's so entertaining. I mean, I look for that.

And he's so, he's got a gift. He's got a gift. And he can give it and take it. So I would like Philadelphia. I'm really happy for that kid from... Hurts. Hurts, yeah, the one who transferred to Oklahoma and all that. Yeah.

He's really playing well. He's playing unbelievable. With the bad wheels. Yep. I don't know. I just... I love the event. Yeah.

I don't have a favorite this year, really. What football player or basketball player is like Ric Flair? If you had to say who embodies your personality? Well's really slow down a lot now but LT right when he had that run that yes that night club yeah with him to 3 a.m. and LTS he came to see me wrestle yeah in the middle ends he is driving that blue Jaguar. One way, he went the other. The next day, he had three sacks. It was over 4 o'clock in the morning, and he had three sacks.

Oh, he was unbelievable. This story. Yeah. LeBron. You love LeBron. Yeah, I do. Jordan and LeBron. Best player.

Who you got? I got LeBron. Yeah. I don't know what got LeBron. Yeah. I don't know what else he can do. Wow. And, you know, I mean, I'm not sure if you were part of that debate or not when he said that everybody's already saying that Miami made his career. Right.

I don't necessarily think that. I think wherever he would have gone. I mean, you look at him now. I mean, he defies everything. Yeah. I think the thing is that individually, but I don't think we're going to look at him the same individually if he doesn't have those championships.

Oh, sure. I know. That was my argument. People are like saying, oh, you're trying to say he's going to win. 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, he went to Miami for a reason. There was a very specific reason that he went to Miami.

So, no, yeah, I do believe individually, but I don't think we're going to look at him through the same lens as we look at him now. Yeah. Well but I don't think we're going to look at him through the same lens as we look at him now. Yeah. Yeah, well, I don't know. It's just unbelievable. I mean, I love Michael Jordan. Who doesn't, right?

Right. And that documentary they did, The Last Dance. Yeah. He was intense. Yes, yes. Yeah, I'm real close to Dennis. Yeah. That was intense. Yes, yes. I'm real close to Dennis. Yeah. That was phenomenal.

I really enjoyed that. But he's an intense guy, too. Michael didn't mind screaming. Yeah, yeah. I don't see that. I don't see LeBron screaming at guys. Nah, he's not. That's not the way he leads.

Not to say there's something wrong with someone else leading that way, but that's just not the way he chooses to lead. There's a video of Shawn Michaels telling you I love you before kicking you. That meme on. So have you seen it? Yes. How would Ric Flair have done in the 70s, 80s, and 90s with social media? Huh.

You'd be over in San Quentin doing an interview. Isn't San Quentin in California? It is. Are you kidding? You already know that. You've heard the stories. What does it mean to be in the

Hall of Fame? 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 people when they think of wrestling, they're not going to be able to have, if there are any, going to get mentioned before yours. What does that mean to you? It means a lot being inducted Hall of Fame was

them Usually, you know the story I talked for like 45 minutes and I couldn't I decided to thank everybody in right in my life My career's been so long, right? And I left some people out. I mean, but I was trying to get everybody in You know, and you know, it never, it was wonderful, it was tremendous. I mean, the Hall of Fame is, I mean, it was sold out. I think it was the first time I ever went to a big venue. And you don't know what to expect, because Orlando was a town I wrestled in,

but I didn't know what the crowd would be. It was like the whole weekend was magical. And then the next day they did that tribute to me, and I left. I went on a cruise, and I was lost. Wow. On Tuesday I was lost. Nowhere to go to. No one to ask about the ratings.

You know how it works, right? Yes, yes. Like I'm back in the business now, right? Right. And every segment I'm on, right, just like I did my whole career, you can't wait until five o'clock until the rating comes out in what your segment is. Your quarter hour right that's important yeah it's what it's what we live for yeah we pride ourselves on that

rick thank you for giving me some uh some of your time i really appreciate it it's an honor i love your club shea shea thank you sir nature boy rick flair thank you all my life been grinding all my life sacrifice hustle pay the price sir. Nature boy, Ric Flair. Thank you. on the slice. Got the rolling dice. That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week

you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week but I can't do it alone

so I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolf. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Can't get enough football? Look no further than the Good Morning Football podcast. Join me, Jamie Erdahl, alongside Peter Schrager, Kyle Brandt, and Akbar Bajabiamila for a

daily breakdown of the league's biggest stories. Hey, you want to know the secret ingredient that makes Patrick Mahomes unstoppable? Or maybe which reality show best describes the Jets' season? Look no further. We've got recaps, retweets, and reactions to all the wild moments you might have missed both on and off the field. Make sure to listen to the Good Morning Football podcast

Monday through Friday on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Michael Rapoport, and I have been professionally podcasting for 10 years. The podcast game has changed so much, and if you're looking for the most disruptive podcast in the world, then subscribe to the I Am Rapoport Stereo Podcast today. We're talking sports, politics, pop culture, entertainment,

and anything that catches my attention. Listen to the I Am Rappaport Stereo Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.