Ric Flair On Who He Thinks Qualifies As The Greatest, Advice To Young Wrestlers About Less Is More
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair was recently a guest on "Stone Cold" Steve Austin: The Broken Skull Sessions.
While talking to Steve Austin, Ric explained how the word great is passed around too much, though wrestlers that could draw and be good workers are on his list for being the greatest of all time.
"That's what's wrong with the business today," Flair said about everyone thinking they are the best. "If you ask around everyone is great, but everyone is not great. That word is so passed around, so badly. Everybody is not great. There are some good workers out there, but great is a whole different category. Steve Austin is the biggest box office to this day. I wasn't here for a lot of it and I told you the story. When Vince inducted you, when he was going down what you drew, what you have done, and the fact that you were a great worker, that's number one. Number two, I don't think he's a great worker, he doesn't think he's either but got to go to Hogan for drawing money. I could be wrong. To me, because I think he's a good worker, even outside of his gimmick and has drawn a fortune is The Undertaker. Now you can take Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Hunter, and put us where you want to put us."
He also went on to explain that wrestlers have to be relevant too. Flair used Harley Race and Terry Funk as examples of great workers, but people that will never get the recognition they deserve.
"It drives me crazy, it's not personal, but if you see guys like Harley Race, he was a great worker, but he will never get the recognition because times have changed," he explained. "Terry Funk, great worker, better than Dory, but he'll never get that recognition. Everything now is how do you stay relevant. At 70, I'm relevant because of what I did in the '80s. The cut off for relevancy for me is about 80."
Ric Flair noted that he's not a fan of everyone doing superkicks and moonsaults. He also felt that finishers have dramatically changed. His advice to young wrestlers is less is more.
"Everybody is using that superkick," Flair said. "I can remember sitting at a table, TV and they came down, a guy goes, 'Mark wants to use the superkick, there's a highspot tonight and Shawn goes, 'Absolutely not.' That was it. Now if you watch the show, I want to tell the kids – I don't want to tell the kids what's up, but you can't have 27 moonsaults. You can't have 27. What used to be finishers, when I started has drastically – I mean Wilbur Snyder, the abdominal stretch, St. Louis sold out. So now I want to tell the guys less is more, but it goes in one ear and out the other."
The full episode is available to stream on the WWE Network.