Ric Flair on the BEST and WORST bookers in wrestling

[@angelvalle9963]

I miss ric in the ring so much if I could give him my youth I would just to watch him work again, i hate that these guys get old and pass away I wish they could stay young forever.

[@kenrickeason]

We all get old and pass away.. it happens.. Ric Flair is a legend and people will be saying his name a 100 years from now..

[@2000Cowboys]

Really like these Ric Flair stories.....so we can have both sides of every story 👍

[@michaelrose5614]

It's okay getting both sides of a story l always preferred the true one to preserve in history. I suppose to any truth, one only knows if they were there.saw or heard.

[@2000Cowboys]

@@michaelrose5614 I only mentioned it because in mick foley's book..Have A Nice Day..he wrote about ric as a booker?

[@michaelrose5614]

@@2000Cowboys All good. I used to have the book, can't remember what he said but have heard comments in the past where certain wrestlers blame Ric, they weren't pushed hard enough or buried by Ric, l always thought he wasn't the lone booker and he's really stating it was a committee of them.

[@2000Cowboys]

@@michaelrose5614 Yes...that's why I said it's good to hear from all sides....it's all Entertainment 👍

[@michaelrose5614]

@@2000Cowboys 👌👍

[@gojirajenkins8528]

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to Ric and Mark and all us Marks

[@fredmillsaps5268]

Really???????

[@gojirajenkins8528]

@@fredmillsaps5268 Indeeeeeeeed

[@Mo-fu9sm]

Best booker is Booker T, followed by King Booker.

[@BudSchnelker]

Nobody can touch Baba's record of big business combined with a tremendous product. Yeah, it helped that he had the absolute best wrestlers on the planet, but Baba used them perfectly.

[@brianlogan4243]

Yet baba also booked NWA Champion Ric Flair against all his top talent, especially in the peak of AJPW.

[@virgiljohnson9880]

Dusty vs Dusty if he could have booked it.

[@michaelrose5614]

Got that right. He would be into cloning, for sure.

[@Methodius93]

That egg suckin dog Dusty Rhodes!
This was something Terry Funk used to say in case any of you unawares thinking I myself am saying that ha.

[@JaviEnding]

This show makes me realize how good Mark Madden is. Ric is constantly giving one worded answers but Mark comes right back with something to keep the conversation going.

[@charliewise1971]

What happened between Flair and Madden?

[@potas8]

This interview is gold

[@larrykhanmiller9971]

Booking is a hard job. Wrestlers or former Wrestlers should be in charge of it cause it's takes lots of knowledge of the demographics of cities or towns and best ways to use the best talent. Ric Flair mentioned some of the best bookers and to me.... he would of made a great booker himself cause he knows the business inside and out as the greatest of all time. Flair can do it all ......inside the ring and out and that's the kind of smart wrestling knowledge this business needs to take it to the next level ........guys like Flair are a rare commodity to find in the business today. That's why they need to be acknowledged , cherished and respected as innovators and veterans of the wrestling business that endured the ups and downs of stupid outside idiots that never knew how to run the business such as the mid 90s or the later years of WCW because they never were brought up in it or participated in the product.
It takes one in the business to run the business .......cause its all about experience, knowledge and dedication to the wrestling business. FLAIR .....is the wrestling business......always.

[@kenrickeason]

Ric Flair gets it! Bookers must keep up with the times but also keeping a little old school in there.. Ole Anderson was a good wrestler and could move quick for a big man..

[@jaybaker1592]

Grew up watching you!!! Thank you !!!

[@kenrickeason]

Ric Flair said one thing right.. When you can Book yourself *"Win or Lose"* you will make sure it looked good for both people.. and Pro Wrestling Promotions need to stop hiring people who don't know a damn thing about Pro Wrestling.. That's what hurts the business as well..

[@kennethgriffin7921]

best booker = vince mcmahon 1985-2002. worst booker = vince mcmahon 2003-2022

[@johneastwood3039]

Spot on.

[@soupnatzi788]

Gary Hart was a great booker, apparently “Ricky” Flair doesn’t agree.

[@michaelrose5614]

There are a few caustic comments from ex wrestlers out there, blaming Ric for how they were booked. I was always sceptical thinking l am fairly sure he was never the outright booker...good to hear him telling he wasn't. So it was coming from jealousy directed at him.

[@kwmusic4560]

Ole Anderson's booking of the Georgia territory was arguably the best in wrestling history. But by the time he took over WCW in 1990, wrestling had completely changed and Ole just didn't fit in. Jim Herd wanted cartoonish WWF style wrestling and Ole didn't know, and didn't want, to make that kind of wrestling, so what we got was awful.
But damn, those old Georgia shows were fire.

[@stephenhanft1226]

I agree with you. I also think Dusty Rhodes had the same problem. Dusty did a great job booking JCP in the mid-to-late 1980s. Unfortunately, when he came back to WCW in 1991, he went too cartoonish, with stupid gimmicks and was terrible the second time around. However, JCP was great television (especially in 1985 and 1986) and Dusty was the booker responsible for making it happen.

[@refrich2729]

I hope that all is well with you Ric, You're a great person.

[@DveMcGuire]

I've dealt with Dundee on a few occasions with hospitality business. Ownership, responsibility are not his strong suits when the chips are down.

[@QuentinDude]

You met Crocodile Dundee? Did he show you his knife?

[@DveMcGuire]

@@QuentinDude boomer joke

[@chrisstoecker7189]

With monthly PPVs or whatever they're called now it's become nearly impossible to book WrestleMania a year out. Of course many other things factor in to make it difficult as well but they've gotten to the point where idea after idea gets used up because of the now decades long need to produce PPVs. It was one thing to do it in the 80s. They were able to get by the late 90s and early 00s when it became monthly but when those months and years start piling up it becomes nearly impossible to have a solid idea a year in advance as they turn into decades

[@dannyhoban]

Urgh this interviewer.... Stop shouting, just talk normal

[@Epsilonsama]

Good ol Mark Madden idk how can Ric Flair even work with him to be honest.

[@deli_g_]

I can't tell if that's Mark's office, or his kitchen!! Lol

[@MMACHMP]

Ric thank you sir for all the years of entertainment you truly are the GOAT and a class act.

[@Rypatriot]

Greatest wrestling podcast ever…WOO! 😎💪🏻😎

[@solank7620]

5:23 Whose he talking about here? I was thinking maybe he was talking about Bischoff, but he said WWE, but he then he said companies more generally. So I'm not sure what he was really trying to insinuate.

[@michaelrose5614]

The only bookers should be ex wrestlers, people who have had a vast experience in wrestling, and definitely nobody who is an active wrestler associated with the promotion.

[@Shielsproductions100]

What is a wrestling booker?.

[@michaelrose5614]

The match maker.

[@timmc8444]

Gary hart..excellent

[@FritziSchnitzel]

I love Flair but his opinions of Ole & Dundee seem more like personal heat than an evaluation of their booking talent. As far as I know both Ole & Dundee were successful bookers. And I sure enjoyed the wrestling in Georgia & Mid South that they booked.

[@ishfaqakram8260]

Where's Jim Cornette or Kevin Sullivan?

[@jimguts2764]

Its Me El' Jalepeno'....

[@Methodius93]

I wasn't there of course, but jeez I'd have to say Vince Russo was worse than Ole Anderson!

[@michaelrose5614]

100 percent.

[@bigj6143]

Flair on a booking committee but on the blame line (smile) as the booker. He is talking about Vince Russo when referring to a guy who knows nothing about wrestling.

[@TheKestevon]

Nope. He is referring to hollywood writers.

[@paulliddement]

Booker T?

[@AngelusNielson]

"I have a high opinion of myself." Yeah, so that's why you're talking over Ric Fuckling Fair? Couldn't tell.

[@charliewise1971]

Was he referring to Russo?

[@medellinf5077]

Tony Khan is absolutely terrible as a booker. Think about the crazy amount of good wrestlers his company has and they still can’t put a good program together on a consistent basis, and their fan base does not grow.

[@brianlogan4243]

Because wrestling doesn't draw, its the characters and the angles. Austin 3 16, nWo, DX and Mr McMahon, The Rock doing anything. That's what sold tickets and draws casual non fans, not 450 splashes and dives.

[@Epsilonsama]

@@brianlogan4243 TK needs to stop his hiring spree and focus on the top stars he has and delegate the underneath. He will burn himself out.

[@michaelrood2751]

Ole the WORST booker? Come on

[@jeffsandy5088]

Ole was the shits!

[@jimsheppard3166]

I've always preferred Booker T

[@34chummy]

Is there an interview in history where Ric doesn't complain he was run down by Jim Herd?? Herd ran WCW for what..3 years tops? Ric had a 30+ year career and i love him but ffs he whinges about being hard d one by forever

[@adamjohnson3973]

The trouble with booking wrestling is that it is so subjective.
Kevin Durant is a better basketball player than Stanley Johnson. Everyone knows that. Just look at the stats.
Everyone thinks they can draw.
Definitely think it needs to be one guy is the boss. Vince proved that. And then if you can get guys like Patterson helping the boss, I think that's the best way.
The thing about WWE is that they could hit high points - like build to SummerSlam, build to the Rumble and build to WrestleMania.

[@charliewise1971]

Dusty was a glory hound

[@TomStrohOptimalDailyLiving]

Vince Russo would be a great booker for AEW

[@djmeduna2009]

Wow yeah

[@clarkwayne7325]

Woooooo

[@patoni860]

This guy sitting here screaming and hollering the whole time you're doing the interview while your mic is so beautiful and just head your natural voice this guy is like screaming and hollering and man it's annoying as hell and I can't watch any more of this because of him

[@brianlogan4243]

There is no wrestler linking eras of the business through all its expansion like Ric Flair. No resume, and I mean NO resume has the names on it like his.

[@georgemaranville3305]

Meltzer definitely in Top 5

[@silverdollar7594]

Ric Flair is the sorriest human being alive. He was a great performer but as a human, he is not. I'll never forget how you did me, Ric! One day, you will be judged in front of our lord and you will then pay and pay dearly!!

[@cgasucks]

What did he ever do to you?

[@philipjacksonjackson5170]

Ole was a bigot.

[@leagueleaders]

Ric is such a boring Podcaster does he understand how this works?