October 05, 1999

FLAIR SHOOTS ON BISCHOFF FOR WCW MAGAZINE!!!

The following are excerpts from an article about Ric Flair that will appear in an upcoming issue of WCW Magazine.


Flair and Bischoff never got along. Not on camera, not off camera. Flair holds no animosity toward Bischoff. But, everything else being equal, he's happy Bischoff is no longer his boss.

"I have no idea why he had no use for me," said Flair. "Maybe it's because I knew him when he wasn't the boss. Maybe it's because he couldn't take credit for making me.

"But I feel like I did a lot for Eric. I wrestled in North Korea when Hulk Hogan wouldn't, and it solidified WCW's deal with New Japan. I made a lot of guys in this company look good. I did a lot and it was never appreciated. That's what wore me out, never getting a 'thank you.'"

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Flair left WCW for six months in 1998 because of his behind-the-scenes dispute with Bischoff. Flair sued the company. WCW sued Flair.

The lawsuits were ultimately dropped, and Flair came back to WCW in September 1998. The night of Flair's return was glorious, as he got a lengthy standing ovation in Greenville, S.C.

But things soon went downhill for the legendary "Nature Boy." Bischoff used Flair in ways Flair found unflattering. So did Flair's legions of fans.

"The heart attack was great," Flair said sarcastically. "It was the day after Dan Reeves had a heart attack on the sidelines while coaching the Atlanta Falcons, so that was real original. That took a lot of creative thinking, and it was in pretty bad taste besides.

"As far as the insane asylum stuff goes, geez, I was just so starved to be part of the storyline that I did it. I knew I could make it entertaining. It wasn't really me. But I'm in the entertainment business, and the more entertaining, the better. It didn't hurt me at all, and people seemed to find a lot of humor in it.

"But once it caught on, Eric pulled the plug. That's what hurt me. It was like Eric didn't want me to get over. He said, 'Oh, we'll just have you visit the asylum periodically.' That made no sense."

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Flair is quick to note that he's not bitter toward Bischoff.

"No, not at all. Life is too short and I've had too good of a career," Flair said. "I used to get very confused and very stressed out over things like this. But when I realize I can't affect something or change something, I'm OK with it. I don't let it ruin my life. I don't take it home with me.

"I feel for what Eric went through. I've run the company. I've been in that spot. His biggest mistake was not delegating any authority. He tried to do too much, and he made it a personal thing between him and [WWF owner] Vince McMahon. He wanted to put Vince out. Nobody's going to put Vince out of business. Eric worried too much about what Vince was doing and not enough about what he was doing."

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Flair is looking forward to one last run. He's looking forward to working for Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara, WCW's new creative directors.

"I'm very enthusiastic about the future," Flair said. "Whatever role they give me, I'll be the best guy there is at doing it. If I'm treated with respect, I'll do whatever the company wants.

"I keep saying this is going to be my last run, but I've said that before. Who knows how long this run is going to be, anyway? As long as I feel good and as long as I feel excited about getting on a plane and heading to Nitro, I'll wrestle. If they want me to help with the creative process, I'd be honored to do that, too. I really do love wrestling. And right now, I have the chance to come out smelling like a rose."

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Get the next issue of WCW Magazine to get the rest of the story as Ric Flair talks about his relationship with Eric Bischoff.

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