rovert Posted August 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 I take it you didnt see racist Ric wrestler in his underwear on IMPACT this week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 The thing about Flair is that he certainly should be considered the greatest ever, or #2 at the very least, but there's going to be an entire generation of wrestling fans who see him as the equivalent of Jordan playing for the Washington Wizards. I could imagine how difficult it would be to convince someone that started watching wrestling in the 2000s that Flair is one of the all time greats. Generation? He retired in 1998. He cameback in 2001 and retired in 2003. I don't even think there's a "generation" of fans who started watching in 2001-2003 releative to the folks who watched from 1982 (win over GTown) through 1998. Flair's different. He's the "best ever" based on what he did in the 80s. There were fans who watched his retirement match that hadn't even been born when he was at his peak. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 I'm a little disappointed in Keith that he didn't post is cagesideseats.com piece over in the Flair Thread in Bruce's forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted August 11, 2010 Report Share Posted August 11, 2010 I think I would compare Flair more to Jerry Rice with the Seahawks & Broncos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cross Face Chicken Wing Posted August 31, 2010 Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 The last 10 years of Flair's career and life have been like the Don Draper character on the current season of Mad Men. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovert Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Not linked to the Highspots case but it is exhibiting the same behaviour cited in the case. RIC FLAIR MISSES TNA EVENT IN GERMANY AFTER INCIDENT IN IRELAND By Mike Johnson on 2011-01-25 16:08:59 Ric Flair missed today's TNA house show event in Berlin, Germany after sources within the company described to me as "Flair refusing to get on the plane to Germany". There were a number of stories making the rounds as to what the exact issue was, but TNA sources have confirmed there was some sort of blow-up between Flair and a member of TNA Management in Dublin, Ireland. "He threw a fit," said the source, who would speak only under condition of anonymity. "He was playing 'Nature Boy' on the tour and got pissed off and threw a tantrum. As far as we all know, he's in Dublin still. He said he wasn't coming and he wasn't in Berlin." This wouldn't be the first time we've heard of a Flair outburst since he signed with TNA a year ago, although most were incidents after events that wouldn't have caused a change to scheduled cards. Flair was not advertised to wrestle in Berlin, but is advertised as teaming with Kazarian against Douglas Williams & Matt Morgan.on 1/27 in Glasgow, Scotland. When reached at the TNA offices in Nashville, TNA's head of publicity, Steven Godfrey noted, "TNA does not comment on personnel matters." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehschmidt Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 UPDATE: A source close to the situation reports that Flair pulled out of the tour due to money. According to the source, the issue at hand was TNA not giving Flair an advance pay for the remaining dates on the tour. [Credit: PW Torch] UPDATE #2: - More details on the incident are coming out. As reported before, Flair wanted advance money for the tour. When the request was denied, Flair tried to play hardball by refusing to get on the bus that was taking the roster to the airport. The decision was then made to leave him behind. Certain members of the roster were said to be in favor of leaving Flair behind and mocked him after the bus left, using his "signature promo lines" to do so. There was also discussion among the talent about how much of Flair's partying may have factored into the situation. Flair was not sent home by the company; he was left behind and could easily catch up to the troupe in Scotland, if he chooses. [Credit: PWInsider] Posting these as a follow up to what Rovert posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bix Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Am I the only one who's surprised that Flair's not on some kind of guaranteed deal that you would expect to prevent this kind of BS? EDIT: Nevermind, Meltzer says Flair was requesting a draw and got turned down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 So Ric was broke again and needed to take an advance to pay for his lifestyle? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovert Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Alan4L made it pretty clear that he wasnt joking saying this. Flair is staying in someones house around the corner from Alan's home in Dublin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 God, Flair in Dublin. I think everyone on his plane coming home will die of alcohol poisoning just being around him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Flair is pathetic. If he was anyone but Ric Flair, he'd be blacklisted from wrestling for pulling stuff like this. This is Ultimate Warrior-level professionalism. Ridiculous that someone who has made more money in wrestling than all but a handful of people has to pull stuff like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovert Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 PWInsider Check out the fourth and fifth paragraph: There were a number of wrestlers who rolled their eyes when they heard Flair was coming back to the tour, but I've heard the decision was strictly a financial one. Since the European tours are sold shows and TNA has had a number of changes (AJ Styles and Alex Shelley injuries, Kurt Angle leaving early due to the premature birth of his daughter, etc.), the feeling was that TNA needed to keep Flair on the tour as a way to maintain good relations with both the local promoters and the European fans who kept supporting the company even as their TV was on hiatus. TNA added Matt Hardy to the tour, initially unadvertised, for the same reasons. The decision to bring back Flair is not going to be a popular one among at least some of the wrestlers. The majority of the crew was in favor of leaving Flair behind in Dublin and now he has to face them. I was told that several talents spoke up to management in the last 24 hours, pushing for Flair to be sent home and even let go from the company. Talents were burying Flair for his antics, noting that he was ruining the vibe of what had otherwise been a calm, happy tour. A few were comparing Flair to Booker T, who fell out of favor with several in the company during the Germany tour last year, something that was a factor in his eventual departure from TNA. As I noted yesterday, a number of wrestlers were making light of the entire situation after it went down, cutting "Flair promos" after the situation and quoting comments from his outburst, including Flair's claims that he was going to have a member of TNA management fired. One person I spoke to joked that Jay Lethal should have been booked on the tour, just so he could have been doing his Flair impersonation after everything went down. While there are some who are angry at Flair for the incident in Dublin, there are also some who feel sorry for Flair. One talent who emailed PWInsider.com this morning gave us permission to repeat the following under condition of anonymity: "The whole thing was stupid but most of us feel more sorry for him than upset. If someone told you everyone is mad, that's a lie. But, there are some pissed because it makes the entire crew look like a**holes and we are certainly tired of his sh**. Flair's asked several of us for money when he's had his credit cards declined. When that happens, the bar tab comes and others get stuck paying for the very drinks he said were on the house in the first place. Everyone loves the "Nature Boy", but when the limousines and party lifestyle is based on bad credit and lies, it suddenly becomes more pathetic than anything else. There is nothing glamorous about a guy who has no concept of money management and then lies to try and get out of it. The fact he has no money should be a lesson every wrestler today should take note of. Don't let this happen to you. If you read the Gorgeous George book that came out and then take an honest look at Ric, you realize, wow, that book is pretty much predicting his future - and that's not a happy ending." Another source commented that the Flair incident was the best thing that could have happened to the company, since it forces management to deal with it first-hand and might make TNA a little more leery of continuing to bring in expensive veteran talent when the last year has shown no upside to it based on the current ratings. That source noted that the younger side of the locker room has started to unite against the veterans, feeling they are the ones pulling the cart with their work and working regularly on the road, while a number of the veterans (but not all) treat the company like it's their "country club". That source noted, "I respect what the older guys have done, but they aren't making us any money. Nothing reflects that. We would draw the exact same if 99% of them were gone. Sometimes you have to take a step backwards to take a leap forward and I really think more and more that's where TNA is. Obviously, you need some veteran talents but there's a crew here that wants to build a company and we want to focus on that, not paying someone's bar tab and having to wait for him to fight it out with Craig Jenkins [TNA Management] when he doesn't get his way." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victator Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 To be fair to Flair, he is the only consistently entertaining thing in TNA. That is sad about him having to bum money in bars. But fuck he did more living than all of us combined. Shit I'm broke and I manage my money down to the last penny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Oh boy... that 5th paragraph is brutal. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wahoos Leg Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Some sad shit right there. Get a fucking financial manager for crying out loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Two problems with that: * Ric would have to pay a financial manager * Ric probably would pick financial managers as well as he picks wives John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Am I the only one that feels sort of weird when I'm watching old NWA and see him with that belt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjh Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I'm sure Ric has a fucking financial manager who does his best for his client. But he's so used to being able to rob Peter to pay Paul for Patricia's drinks, I doubt he'll ever change. He's lived the life of the Nature Boy for too long to change now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bix Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Sounds like he needs Ric Flair Finance and their revolutionary Figure Four Process! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Scary thought - for a while Flair was part owner of a financial management business and that was his "plan" for the post wrestling World originally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Was there ever a second book by Flair? Keith pulled an item from the 09/03/08 WON: "Ric Flair is now looking at doing a second autobiography, working with Mark Madden. There is no timetable set for the project, but it was one of the deals he wants to do as a free agent." Did that ever come off? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wahoos Leg Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Scary thought - for a while Flair was part owner of a financial management business and that was his "plan" for the post wrestling World originally. Ya know I forgot about that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Scary thought - for a while Flair was part owner of a financial management business and that was his "plan" for the post wrestling World originally. Someone needs to grab some of this before it falls off archive.org: Ric Flair Finance: Home of the Figure-4 Process Did anyone ever get the dirt on what level of scam that was? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovert Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Oh boy... that 5th paragraph is brutal. John I wonder how many TNA talents would know the story of Gorgeous George? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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