During a recent interview with Wrestling Inc, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair commented on the rumor that he was supposed to appear at “Double or Nothing”, his thoughts on AEW and the future of the company, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On AEW and Tony Khan: “I’m very close to Tony and I think he’ll match up and will work as hard as he can to bring the best product forward. He’s got some good people that have worked in really high places like Jim Ross and Jericho … I heard that his dad was there in Vegas and he really didn’t get ‘it’ and understand what Tony was doing because he hadn’t been to a live event. But he was over the top with Tony and told him, ‘I get it’ which is really cool because they have a lot of money. They’re not gonna be foolish because they understand sports. They need to take their time, not worry about WWE and just do their own thing.”
On Arn Anderson: “One of the greatest finish guys in the business. Make no mistake, there’s another guy who should be in the Hall of Fame. Don’t even get me going on that. But for finishes for tag matches, there’s nobody better.”
On the rumor that he was supposed to appear at Double or Nothing instead of Bret Hart: “No. Absolutely not. I heard that too and I’ve never discussed that with anybody. I’m flattered that I was under consideration but I was never approached for that deal.”
On what he thought of Double or Nothing: “I thought it was great. I just saw Dustin in Austin, Texas a few weeks ago and I talked to both of them after the show. They were tremendous. I thought Chris Jericho was tremendous. I’d never seen the guy he worked against [Kenny Omega] and I’d never seen The Young Bucks. I’m told I did in TNA, but I don’t remember them. But they lived up to everything I’d heard and more. Then the surprise with Jon [Moxley] at the end, I thought they did a great job with that. They hit a home run. …If you are a young, aspiring wrestler you couldn’t be in a better position than right now.”
On Cody’s throne-smashing moment during his entrance: “If you are going to make a statement, Hunter’s a top guy. Hunter is a disciple of the business and could not have come along at a better time in wrestling than he did. Then of course marrying Stephanie and he’s got a work ethic just like Vince has. In my mind, if something ever happens to Vince, God forbid, Hunter will be the one running the company. So, that’s how you get someone’s attention. You jump on a guy. When they are talking about you, you’re doing something good. That’s a good saying in this business.”
On if this is a new Monday Night War era: “There’s the potential for that but I tell you when you’re really gonna feel it – after they air their first [TV] show in October. That’ll set a whole different dialogue. It’s gonna build momentum and I think they have another show at the end of August [All Out]. If they hit a home run there and go into October with people talking, they will nail it.”
