WWF Byte This! Report with Ric Flair: 12/7 Submitted by Kevin Gregg on Friday, December 7, 2001 at 5:47 PM EST
WWF Byte This! Report with Ric Flair: 12/7
Friday, December 7, 2001 Hosts: Kevin Kelly and Dr. Tom Prichard Guest: Ric Flair Report by: Kevin Gregg of PowerWrestling.com
Kevin Kelly and Dr. Tom Prichard kicked off the show in the studio, and Dr. Tom said that he sees that things haven't changed, because he can't hear a thing! Tom said it's so good to be back on Byte This! in this studio, and Kevin pointed out that they have fountains and marble trim. Anyway, we've got Vengeance this Sunday on pay per view. You'll be able to see live streaming video of Vengeance on WWF.com. The registration for that will close on Saturday, and there are a limited number of spaces. Big Country pointed out that they have until the pay per view to order the event online. Dr. Tom and Kevin talk about WWF Smackdown!, and Tom asked Kevin if he would kiss Mr. McMahon's ass to keep his job? Kevin said that he would, and Tom agreed that he would do it, too. They then talk about the return of Rikishi and how The Rock shoved Vince's head up Rikishi's ass on Smackdown!.
This Sunday at Vengeance, the WWF and World Titles will be unified, and The Rock and Stone Cold want to face each other to decide the best of the best between the two of them. Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho are involved as well, so they may not be able to recreate Wrestlemania. Chris Jericho has really raised his game, and Kurt Angle is a former WWF and WCW Champion. He's done everything there is to do in his first year in the WWF. Don't sell Angle or Jericho short. Ric Flair will be today's guest on Byte This!, and who better to talk to about the Unification of the Championship than one of the greatest Champions of all time, Ric Flair? Droz joined the show, and they talked about Vengeance. Droz said that this is the first time in history that there's been a Unification. It's about time it came down to that. There are two Champions, The Rock and Stone Cold, and it's time to see who is the overall, number one Champion.
It's definitely going to be an exciting night with The Rock and Chris Jericho going at it for the World Title, and Stone Cold against Kurt Angle for the WWF Title. After that, the two winners will clash to determine just who is the Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion. Tom said that the four greatest Superstars in the world are in this match, and they know what's on the line. They are going to be going on adrenaline alone. Tom said looking at the past history in wrestling when WCW came into the fold and all these guys came over, did Droz ever think that we'd see the day where we'd be able to say that there's an Undisputed Champion? Droz said that he honestly never thought that day would come. Droz has been looking forward to seeing this. There is going to be one person that's going to be able to say that they are the Champion, and that's that. Kevin talked about other matches at Vengeance, and he started off with the Undertaker and Rob Van Dam.
What are Droz's thoughts on this match up? Droz said going from past history and the Undertaker having his hair cut off, watching him, he hasn't lost his edge, but it's a big difference, and hopefully that won't hurt him in any way. Tom said that he doesn't think that the hair cut has anything to do with his edge. The fact is that Rob Van Dam is getting a bit on edge. Tom has got to believe that the Undertaker is a man who doesn't forget to easily, and he's on a quest to make Rob Van Dam earn some respect in the WWF. Droz said that you have to remember that Rob Van Dam is Mr. Pay Per View. He puts on a great show no matter what it is, but when it comes to pay per views, he's above and beyond his game. The Undertaker always puts on a great show, and that's a bottom line, there. Kevin said that it's funny that you mention the hair cut. A lot of the casual fans are talking about that. Edge and William Regal will be going at it for the Intercontinental Title, and it'll be brother vs. brother when Matt goes against Jeff with Lita as the referee.
Droz said that this match could finally tear them apart for good. Especially when you have one brother's girlfriend refereeing the match. If the match goes one way or the other, you never know what's going to happen. There's so many things going on in this match. Seeing the two brothers fight each other, Droz didn't want to see this, but they're taking it to the extreme with their sibling rivalry. Tom said that when you have a girl in the mix, it could add a lot of problems. Kevin asked Droz to pick a winner for the Unification match, and Droz thinks that Austin will come out on top. Kevin talked about the poll results on WWF.com, and The Rock has a slight lead with Kurt Angle a distant fourth. Tom said that you can't discount what Kurt Angle or Chris Jericho have done in the WWF. One thing for sure is that there's been a lot of surprises lately, and the Unification match is going to be full of them. Kevin thanked Droz for his time, and he'll be back next week on Byte This!.
Today's Poll for the Classic Clip is:
* Ric Flair vs. Steamboat - Chi-Town Rumble 1989 * Flair wins the Royal Rumble - 1992 * Ric Flair vs. Savage - Wrestlemania 8 * Ric Flair vs. Vader - Starrcade 1993
The one that wins, the classic clip will be played at the end of the show.
Kevin pointed out that The Fink will be calling into the show for Out Think the Fink!
Howard Finkel joined the show, and he's about ready to get a ticket to enter the New Jersey turnpike. He entered the Meadowlands, the home of the Bodydonnas first match! Kevin asked Howard his thoughts on the history that will be made this Sunday. What will this mean for history? Howard said it's going to be the dawning of a new era. Since 1963 when they were the WWWF and when they changed it into the WWF in 1979, that was shocking. Then you look at the tradition of the NWA. With all the great Champions were there, and that eventually became WCW. A lot of monumental things have happened over the years, and this Sunday, with the outcome, it's the dawning of a new day. Kevin said that with today's guest being Ric Flair, this week's question has a Ric Flair theme to it. The winner will be getting a Vengeance T-shirt and the Triple H magazine. This week's question: Today's guest is Ric Flair. They want to go back to Ric Flair's first run in the WWF. He joined in late 1991, assumed the WWF Title from the Royal Rumble in 1992. What they want to know is the very last televised match that Ric Flair had, who was his opponent? It ended in the early part of 1993.
Kevin said that he knows what it is, and he remembers watching that as it happened. Howard said that he knows what it feels like to be miserable driving in traffic in the New York Metropolitan area, just like Tazz. Howard plugged some upcoming House Shows for the World Wrestling Federation. For information that, go to WWF.com's Live Events section. Howard left the show, and they will be talking to Tazz in a few moments. Tom talked about Danny Davis, and he's working out pretty hard. He's one of the co owners of OVW. It was a great time getting to see all those guys down there. Tazz joined the show, and Tazz thought that this may have been Tom's first time as a part of Tales from the Hook. Tom pointed out that he may have been the last time he was here, but Tales from the Hook is all new! Kevin talked about the Unification Match at the pay per view, and what does Tazz feel about that? Tazz said that he thinks it's great. As a wrestler and a wrestling fan, it's something that you've been waiting to see for years.
One Champion. That's it. Period. Tazz thinks it's a great thing. Kevin said that he asked Tom about the endurance factor before. What does Tazz think these guys are going to be dealing with, going into these matches? How difficult is it going to be for the two survivors to make it through? Tazz said that in the first round, they need to get the win as fast as possible, so they aren't spent when they face The Rock or Jericho later. Tazz said in recent times, WWF Championship matches are average 20-30 minutes. Your body is spent. What are they going to try to do to stay loose? Tazz said that all he does is drink coffee. Like he said, you have to get past the first match, and then you have the match at the end. It's going to be tough. For wrestling fans who are watching this pay per view, this has got to be real cool. First to see the merger of ECW / WCW, that had to be cool, and now, an Undisputed Champion. If you're a basic wrestling mark, that's cool stuff.
Kevin asked Tazz if he'll ever think about doing a movie. Maybe he can play the great Oz from the Wizard of Oz. We saw the big head of Tazz on the Titantron, and Tazz said that people always say that he's small, but he looked real big on Monday! Tazz would love to see Edge beat Regal, because he's never liked Regal. When Regal kissed Vince's ass, Tazz punked him out, and then Regal beat him. Regal shut him up, but if Tazz ever gets in the ring with Regal again, it'll be a different story. He switched places with Edge, because Edge was supposed to be at WWF New York. Kevin asked Tazz his thoughts on Rob Van Dam against the Undertaker? The Undertaker's search for respect, and Rob Van Dam is cool and cocky. Not willing to give respect. Tazz said that he got a piece of the Undertaker right after he did the stuff with Jim Ross and turned heel. The Undertaker, he's the American Bad Ass. Tazz stood in there with 8 or 9 minutes, and he felt it. If Rob Van Dam doesn't bring his A game, he's going to be in trouble.
Tazz hates to say it, but he has to go with the Undertaker on that one. Kevin asked Tazz his thoughts on the return of Rikishi, and Tazz said that was the funniest thing he's ever seen in his life. That's the spot that you don't want, and Kevin pointed out that Rikishi will be at WWF New York for the pay per view. Tazz said that you've got to respect Vince, because he's a team player. Everybody on the Internet was really down on the ass kissing angle. Then Vince swerved everybody as usual, and the big pay off is that Vince ended up on the wrong end of the fence, and it was great. Hilarious, and by far, in the business for him, one of the funniest things he's ever seen. The only thing funnier than that was watching Al Snow hug the kids in Tough Enough. Tazz said that he talked to Big John, and they've got some heat. He talked to him last night, and he asked how Tough Enough is going? He said it's doing great, and Tazz said that it's probably going a lot better, because there's no mean people there.
Tazz then said that Bob is there, and maybe his stuff can wind up on the producer's floor like Tazz's stuff was. Seriously, Tough Enough 2 will be good. Tazz asked if Al Snow hugged anyone, and he hasn't. As soon as the hugging happens, he has to be called. He wants to know when Al Snow is hugging people. Tom said that Maven is down in HWA, and he's not being hugged or cuddled down there. He's being taken care of the right way. Tazz said that's good to know, and he's got a good attitude. He's a good guy and he's willing to pay his dues, which is cool. Kevin said that Nidia is getting along well with everyone in OVW. Tazz said to send them his love. Tazz said that he loves all the fans on the Internet. Every once in a while, he goes on and reads some stuff. A couple of weeks back, he said that the Internet fans bury everything, and they'll never be happy. He stereotyped them, and he was wrong. There are only a couple of sites that bury everything.
He's always had a good following on the Internet since his ECW days. Hardcore fans aren't happy with the way he's used in the WWF. Tazz can reassure everyone that he's very happy in his role. It's not the same Tazz that was in ECW. He doesn't know if we'll see that Tazz. If the WWF wants it, he'll do it. In ECW, he was a big fish in a small pond, and in the WWF, he has to earn his stripes. Kevin said that Tazz is a different guy, now. His life has changed in the past 3 years, and Tazz agreed. Kevin said that would lead to his character changing, and Tazz told Kevin that he's a genius. Tazz will be a man. He wants to take it back. He didn't mean to come across like he was burying all the web sites and all the Internet Reporters. He jumped the gun. He hates being stereotyped, and he shouldn't have done it. He's not looking to kiss ass. There's only a couple of sites that really suck. There's two of them he can't stand, and he wouldn't mind if they died a slow death. Kevin said that a lot of the Internet sites are dying a slow death right now, so oh well.
Kevin made mention of Tazz writing for the WWF Magazine. Tazz said that he forgot that he did that, and it's coming out very soon. It's Tales from the Hook in the magazine. Kevin asked for a preview, and Tazz didn't know if he was supposed to. Kevin said that Tazz put Byte This! over, and they appreciate the support. Tazz said that the story wasn't about Byte This!, and Kevin said that he knows what he heard. It's about Droz, and Tazz put a nice mention in there about Byte This!. Tazz said they came to him and said they want him to do a deal at the end of the magazine. He wrote about whatever he wanted to write about. He wanted to write about Droz. Tazz never knew Droz like a best friend. He knows the man, and he met him in ECW and the WWF. He's pretty happy with what he wrote about Droz, and he hopes that Droz is happy with it, as well as the fans. There's more to this guy than people know. He's a part of the WWF locker room, and he will be forever.
Tom said that he's a guy that has worked his heart out for the business, and he's a part of Byte This! every week, and he'll be with the WWF for many years to come. Tazz complained that Droz should be putting Tazz over a bit on Byte This! when he does his segment. Kevin said that the Internet Fans are giving Tazz a hug for his apology! Tazz said "Oh my God, I love them! I'm getting goose bumps, and my nipples are hard." They talked about Tough Enough, and Tom said that he's waiting to see Tough Enough 2, because Bob Holly and Tazz's attitude are very similar. Tazz said that he's telling us right now, they won't air it. It's not the WWF, it's MTV. They want the fuzzy feelings. They want the love. They wrap up Tazz's segment on Byte This!, because Ric Flair will be coming on! They showed the clip of Ric Flair's debut before Flair joined the show. Kevin said that it was one of the greatest moments in World Wrestling Federation history.
Tom said that it was a shock. Ric Flair is probably the greatest technical wrestler / entertainer of all time. Coming back to the WWF, not only making an impact, but being 50% owner with Vince McMahon. This is a dream that a lot of fans had, and it was all about timing. This Sunday at Vengeance, Ric Flair has to be ecstatic that he's going to be there in California as the 50% owner of the WWF. He's a 16 time World Champion, and he has a chance to be in this generation, realizing that this is gonna be the day that we've all waited for. Ric Flair is going to be there, and he's going to be happy to present the Championship to whoever it might be. Ric Flair's music hit in the Byte This! studio, and he joined the show on the phone! Ric said that he's so excited to be a part of the WWF. After all these years, he's part of something that's going forward. It's a huge opportunity for Flair, and he's enjoying it. Kevin said that you look at the age old arguments of who is the better Champion. Was it Ric Flair or was it Hulk Hogan? After this Sunday, those questions will finally be answered.
Flair said that has been something that's been going on for years. Whoever wins this match on Sunday, they'll be declared the one and only World Heavyweight Champion, and at this time, the greatest. Tom said that after WCW was purchased, everybody came along. Ric Flair was on the sidelines, and now, he comes back as 50% owner, and this Sunday, Ric has to feel those butterflies, and something special, being a 16 time World Heavyweight Champion? People say that he's one of the greatest, if not the greatest. This Sunday, who does Flair think could win? Ric said that there are four awesome performers. They've all got a unique style, and he doesn't know who he's going to put his money on. He's going to be thrilled to be there to see these matches, but at this point in time, he can't pick a winner. He's watched the guys from afar, and grow and mature and become great stars on their own. He really doesn't know right now who he'd put his money on. It's going to be some great wrestling.
There will be four great wrestlers competing for one title. It's going to be an awesome evening for wrestling. Kevin asked Ric how tough it was to sit on the sidelines? Ric said that he's been asked this question a lot. It wasn't hard at all. If he made the transition from the last week of Nitro to the first week of RAW, his life would have changed drastically. He was so depressed with the direction the company was going on. He was thrilled when the WWF was buying WCW. He knew the WWF would take the company and handle it with respect and dignity or take it to another level. Kevin asked Ric if he would put his finger on one thing that lead to WCW's demise, what was it? Ric said it was obsession with competing with the World Wrestling Federation. Kevin brought up Jim Crockett and Dusty Rhodes. There was a period of time in the late 80s when the WWF and the NWA had a good war. Ric said that he can never remember one time when he walked out on TV as the NWA or WCW Champion and compared himself with a person with the WWF.
He can remember saying that it was the Title, and he was the man, but that was his job. He really believed it for whatever that's worth, but he was never stupid enough to go out and take a shot at anybody else, because it doesn't make any sense. Ric Flair competed with himself. When he got in the ring, he was hoping to have the best match. If he was ever obsessed with anything in this business, it was having the best match. It was a big challenge, and he was never once caught up with something that was going on somewhere else. He just didn't think about the competition. All he had on his mind was his opponent. He felt like he was the better product over the years. If Flair was carrying the torch, he felt stronger. If he passed the torch, he believes that whatever he did that night with that guy was better than what somebody else can do. It's just the way he was brought up in the business. Tom said that Ric Flair always had that passion. He may have lost that over the years with what was going on in the background. His passion is what separated him from the competition.
Every time he stepped into the ring, he always seemed to have that passion, love and pride in the work. Ric said that he cannot remember ever worrying about the wrestling in the other company, or even thinking about the other company until 1989 when everything was going down with Jim Crockett. A lot of his friends left the NWA for the WWF, and he didn't over think that. He just thought that they were making money and doing good. When he ran into them on the road, they didn't compare notes. They got drunk and had a good time and talked about their matches. Ric Flair said that there was so much good going on in that ring. That tag match at the end of Smackdown! was as good as it gets. The end of that match with Stone Cold and The Rock is as good as it gets. Ric is qualified to say that he's seen it all. That was huge for the business. It caught Ric and a lot of the fans. Kevin said that there was that moment when Ric and Stone Cold locked eye to eye. That was magic. Ric said that was huge for him, and it was a very respectful thing for Steve.
He turned out to be an awesome guy. He didn't know what to expect from anybody, because when kids get rich, it goes to their head. Ric Flair said that everyone in the WWF made him feel like the Ric Flair from 1985, and that's a big difference from when WCW closed down. Tom said that Triple H and Austin came from an early career in WCW, and they saw guys like Ric Flair, going out there and having a tremendous wrestling match. We're getting back to the wrestlers who know how to get in the ring and go, and get the crowd going. Ric said that everybody has their preference. There are so many awesome performers. Ric said that he could never do what the Hardy Boyz do. Those guys are awesome. They took a look at the poll, and 67% of the fans have voted for the Chi-Town Rumble in 1989. Ric said that he sat with Bubba Ray Dudley. He's 300 pounds, and Ric could never in his wildest dreams do the stuff that Bubba has done. These guys are at a different level, and that's what keeps the business so interesting. There are so many guys that are so good at different things.
The deck is pretty stacked in the WWF, and it has been for a while. They went to a caller, and the caller said that Ric Flair's career has gone over a great amount of time. He's got one catch phrase that even other wrestlers have emulated, like Owen Hart and Kurt Angle, and that is Wooo! Where did that start and come from? What's the story? Ric Flair said that he got that from Jerry Lee Lewis. Great Balls of Fire. That's the true story. Kevin said that the other night, Michael Jordan made a comeback. He apologized to the fans, because he had to sit out. He said he will make it up to them the best he can. The line between sports and sports entertainment is going on more than ever. Ric Flair's name goes with ownership in wrestling. Ric said that the fact that a guy like Jordan that doesn't have to do anything for anybody, but realizes what he means to the fans, he takes time to apologize, Ric said that a lot of people are disappointed in his comeback, but Flair thinks it's awesome. If he were on a different team, he'd probably be averaging 35 points again.
Michael Jordan is a class act. He brings a lot more to the table than just playing the game. Kevin said that night after night, Ric Flair has gone 60 minutes. It didn't matter where it was and who it was against. Ric Flair always gave his money's worth. Ric said that he must have been fortunate enough to be around a bunch of guys that made him realize the responsibility of that position. He felt like he had the ability to do anything, and he didn't think about the time away from home, and finances in terms of getting the most money, and making enough money per hour. He just wanted to be the best at what he's doing, because he was thrilled. The 80s was a fabulous time, and the 70s were awesome. He was in the Carolinas with all the greats. Ric never looked at it as being a job. He was having a great time. Ric told Vince the other day that he should have paid him for the time that he was there in 1991, because he was having such a good time. No insult to his family. He was in there with a group of guys, and the roster was so complete.
Kevin went over an email, and it asked Ric about starting a new Horsemen group with WWF Superstars. Who would he select? Ric said that the thing that made the Horsemen good was the fact that everybody could wrestle and talk good. They were all a little bit different. They could all talk and wrestle. If he looked at the WWF, he would say that he would take The Rock, Austin, Helmsley and Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit or Kurt Angle. There's a number of guys. They weren't like four guys that always hung out. They were four guys, and they were all talented and capable of performing at a high level, individually or in a tag situation. Kevin talked about the main event for Vengeance, and he asked Ric how difficult it will be for the winners of the Championship matches to start over, and go another match. Ric said normally, it would be impossible, but those guys are so diligent about training, and so professional about their conditioning and their work ethic. He doesn't think it'll be a problem for the four of them. That's the least of their worries.
Ric has seen these guys work out, and it's a huge honor to be competing for that title. These guys are all ready to go. Conditioning won't be a factor between the four of them. It'll be awesome matches, and the guy that has the big man upstairs looking at them will be the winner. Kevin said that it's an honor to have Ric Flair back in the WWF, and Ric said that as an owner, he wants these guys to wrestle 35-40 minutes! Kevin, Tom and Ric laugh, and Ric said that he's thrilled to be here. He's looking to compete with and against Vince McMahon. Vince is the kind of guy that takes someone like Ric to the next level. Kevin thanked Ric Flair for his time, and they look forward to having him back on the program once again. Kevin said that's Ric Flair on Byte This!, and he always wanted to say that. The first time he met Ric Flair face to face, he bumped into him at an airport a couple of years ago. He introduced himself, and Ric Flair was gracious. Tom said that Ric would always come in and shake everyone's hand, as if you've known him for years. He trains like a Champion, and he's a class act.
Kevin said that The Coach has Ric Flair snowed, because Flair thinks that Coach is a good guy! Kevin asked Tom how David Flair is doing? Tom said that he's progressing. He has some big shoes to fill, and that's going to wear on him. Once he gets past the fact that he's not his father, and he has time to grow, he's going to be okay. He's 20 years old right now. David is the hardest person on himself. Once he gets over that, he'll be okay. Kevin said that he's going to be a very entertaining performer. There's going to be a lot of good guys coming out of the Farm. Kevin said that it's been tough, because there has been some cuts. Tom said that he knows how hard everyone works, and it's a tough decision on anybody's part to have to cut people. When you get rumors on the Internet, and they take life of their own, he objects to that. Most of these guys are worrying about a lot of nothing. It was a business decision, made at this time.
It's just that there isn't that opportunity for these guys right now in the WWF. That doesn't mean that there won't be anything later. Tom said that he didn't feel strongly about cutting these guys. They have a great future in this business, if they keep on. You never know what's going to happen in 90 days. Anything can happen in the WWF, and in life. That's the toughest part about it. Tom has watched these guys work, and they work hard and give it their all. Tom hates when rumors get started like that. He feels bad for everybody that got cut, but that's business. Of course, they have some budding stars in the HWA. Tom said that if the Island Boys do what they're told and get on the boat and make it, they're going to be big stars. Tom thinks that the Prototype is going to be a big time player in the WWF one day. Not to slight anyone else, but those three guys are going to be something. Kevin said that Jamie Knoble cracks him up in OVW. You look at him at first and say what in the hell, but once you hear and see him go, it's like okay, now I've got it.
They have a winner for Out Think the Fink, and the answer to the question was Curt Hennig, AKA Mr. Perfect. They put up the Poll Results, and the Flair / Steamboat match from 1989 won it with 74%. CREAMED everything else with Flair's 1992 Royal Rumble win in second with 12%. Tom said that he likes this studio, and he wanted to know if he could come back? Kevin said that he could come back anytime, and Howard will be back next week. There's room for three! Tom said that he'll come in anytime Howard needs to take a break. Jerry Lawler will be the week on Byte This!, next week. It is great not only to have Ric Flair in the WWF, but Jerry "The King" Lawler as well. He and Jim Ross will be at ringside calling the action at Vengeance. You can see Vengeance on WWF.com, Streaming Live! They end with a look at the Chi-Town Rumble from 1989 with Ric Flair against Ricky Steamboat.
