Showing posts with label WWE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WWE. Show all posts
BENOIT. Wrestling With The Horror That Destroyed A Family And Crippled A Sport (PDF)
The Death Of WCW Explained
And why wasn’t it making money? Well, because Vince Russo made lots and lots of bad decisions. He took a company that turned a profit of $30 million dollars, and made it one that lost over $60 million dollars.
But, Russo was only there to fix the mess that Bischoff had put the company in. Russo is an easy scapegoat, but Bischoff’s refusal to look past Hogan is a huge contributing factor to the death of WCW.
Hogan had a shelf life, and Bischoff – and Hogan – couldn’t see that. And giving Hogan creative control from the get go did lead to a lot of issues on what were supposed to be big shows.
He also spent big on contracts.
Contracts that were so big that when WWF bought WCW, they didn’t pick up a lot of the TimeWarner contracts for the likes of Hogan, Hall, Nash, Goldberg etc because it would have upset their own pay structure in the WWF.
But perhaps the person who killed WCW was the man who created it in the first place.
A lot of WCW’s problems can be traced back to Ted Turner’s decision to merge with Time Warner in 1995.
If Turner hadn’t made that merger, they wouldn’t have been involved in the AOL merger of 2000 which wouldn’t have brought in Jamie Kellner who pulled the trigger on the Death of WCW
Turner lost a lot of power after the TimeWarner merger, and even more from the AOL one.
Eric Bischoff even argues that once Turner lost his power after the TimeWarner merger, he no longer was able to have Eric’s back and sign off on his big money spending, and he had other people to answer to who didn’t like the way he spent money, like giving wrestlers big contracts.
You could make the argument for any one of these people being the ultimate reason for the downfall of WCW, but in actuality, it was all of them.
Behind The Scenes Look Into One Of WWE's Most Controversial Figures, Chris Benoit
Before those final three days, he was considered to be one of the best wrestlers who ever lived. He was a bona fide top star, a future Hall Of Famer, a well-respected veteran, and many of his peers considered him a friend. For many, the tragedy of Benoit's murder/suicide was a shocking event that came out of nowhere. However, with the benefit of hindsight, it seems like there were a lot of strange stories and bizarre occurrences which can now be looked at as warning signs for what was going to happen. Chris Benoit was leading a tragic life a long time before those final three days.
Chris Benoit would punish himself if he made a mistake in the ring
On his own podcast, "Talk Is Jericho," Chris Jericho told a bizarre story about working with Chris Benoit in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. During a tag match, Jericho slightly botched a spin kick, with Benoit selling a move that had barely touched him. The spot would have happened so fast that barely anybody would have noticed anyway, but the imperceptible mistake weighed heavily on Benoit.
Talking about finding Benoit backstage after the match, Jericho said on "Talk Is Jericho," "After the match was done I went looking for him. I couldn't find him anywhere. I found him in the boiler room doing squats. And I said, 'what are you doing?' And he said, 'you know I never should have bumped off that, that was so unprofessional of me and it was such a bad rookie mistake, I had to do squats.' He did 500 squats as like purging himself for making that mistake ... You know, when you hear things like that then you kinda equate it to the last few days. There was a lot of issues with him."
It goes without saying that this is very odd behavior, that Benoit thought he would have to put himself through physical pain because of a botched spot nobody even noticed. It shows Benoit's mindset even as a younger man.
Chris Benoit's infidelity
In 1997, Chris Benoit started dating Nancy Toffoloni, a fellow talent best known in WCW as Woman. How Chris and Nancy got together is perhaps a story that could only happen in the wrestling business. Toffoloni was married to Kevin Sullivan at the time, who was Benoit's boss as head of WCW Creative. Sullivan booked the storyline of his own wife starting an onscreen relationship with Benoit. Much to his surprise, this storyline became a reality and Toffoloni started dating Benoit in real life. It has become wrestling legend that Sullivan booked his own divorce.
That wasn't the only time infidelity would plague Benoit's life, however. In documents featured by the Fayetteville Daily News (via PWInsider), it was revealed that Nancy suspected Benoit of having a relationship with "one of the WWE Divas" months before the tragedy.
A popular fan theory at the time was that this WWE Diva was Victoria. However, Victoria categorically denied these rumors at the time on her MySpace page (via WrestleZone): "A MySpace friend emailed me yesterday to let me know that a wrestling gossip website is claiming that they have an anonymous source or sources that say I was Chris Benoit's secret mistress at the time of his murder-suicide. First let me say, this is absolutely false. I invite the 'reporter' from that website to come to my home city, and I will submit myself to a polygraph."
Benoit was in a terrible car accident with William Regal
William Regal spoke on his podcast "Gentleman Villain" of a terrible car accident he had with both Chris Benoit and Nancy Toffoloni. Regal referred to it as a near death experience for all three of them. It happened as Regal, Benoit and Toffoloni were returning to a hotel from the gym in preparation for the WCW pay per view, Spring Stampede 97.
Regal tells the story of stopping at a stop sign when he noticed a car coming towards them at speed in the rear view mirror. Unable to move, Regal could do nothing as the car slammed into them. Regal said on his podcast, "This car hit me, I have no idea what speed ... it must have hit us that hard ... it flipped onto the grass verge, it flipped my car three times." He considers himself lucky that he survived, and took note of his surroundings: "I was upside down with the roof crushed on my head ... I look across and Chris is hanging with his tongue out, and I look across at Nancy and her eyes are closed. I think they're both dead."
Regal somehow managed to kick his way out of the car and pulled both Chris and Nancy out through the window. Amazingly, both Benoit and Regal wrestled on the pay-per-view that night in spite of the near death experience.
Chris Benoit was a bully to younger WWE talent
Chris Benoit had a long career in wrestling, spanned 22 years. In that time, Benoit often exhibited toxic behavior and was accused of several counts of severe bullying. Current AEW ring announcer Justin Roberts went into detail of these in his autobiography "Best Seat In The House." According to Roberts, on one such occasion, Benoit tackled him to the ground in an airport along with Jaime Noble. Both men put him in a double crossface and refused to let go even after he tapped. The incident left Roberts unable to walk for days afterwards. Oddly, in spite of the bullying behavior to Roberts, Benoit would also treat him with kindness, and often called Roberts' father to check up on him as he was going through cancer treatment.
Another famous example of Benoit's bullying comes with The Miz. Miz said in his "WWE 24" documentary that in 2006 he was eating chicken in the locker room and accidentally got crumbs on a WWE veteran's bag. In turn, Benoit overreacted and confront him saying, "You are not allowed to dress in our locker room. I think you should just stay out of the locker room." Miz was then forced to change and shower elsewhere for seven months, all because Chris Benoit wouldn't let him back in the locker room.
Benoit was always paranoid people were following him
In the weeks and months leading up to Chris Benoit's death, many of his friends were saying that dealing with Benoit was like dealing with a completely different person. On the "Dark Side Of The Ring" episode focusing on Benoit, friends said Benoit was exhibiting extreme paranoia and was starting to obsess over child kidnappings and violent fans, which they say was very out of character for him.
According to "Dark Side Of The Ring," Benoit began to take different routes to the gym every day, as well as different routes home from the airport, fearing he was being followed. Benoit even took different cars with each journey to evade whoever he thought was following him. Speaking on "Talk Is Jericho," Nancy's sister Sandra Toffoloni would go into detail on Benoit's paranoia. "What really became noticeable was a little bit more of — like a sense of — un-safeness and paranoia for the family. He'd just would like, be constantly checking the alarm at night, constantly be checking things, and for himself. He used to be fairly laid back about stuff like that, there was never any issue like that, so when it did start happening I noticed immediately. I still kind of look back on it ... Was it a precursor to everything that happened? I don't know."
Benoit became known as The Crippler because he broke Sabu's neck
In 1994, Chris Benoit started wrestling in ECW, and it was here he would get his most famous moniker, The Crippler. This nickname was cemented when Benoit wrestled Sabu at November 2 Remember 1994. The match, the main event of the show, ended after just two minutes, when Benoit threw Sabu into a face first bump. Sabu miscalculated and tried to change direction mid-air, causing him to land directly on his neck. Sabu broke his neck, causing damage to his spinal cord and nervous system.
According to the book "Ring of Hell," Paul Heyman found Benoit hiding in a closet, rocking and weeping uncontrollably at what had happened. He was terrified that he had crippled Sabu in the ring. Paul Heyman had to physically pick Benoit up and send him to the hospital with Sabu.
The event was clearly traumatic for Benoit. However, Heyman took advantage of the accident and used the footage, which would become infamous and one of the most replayed spots in ECW history, to push Benoit even further, using it to emphasize The Crippler nickname.
Benoit suffered intense grief for Eddie Guerrero
Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero were long-time friends and considered each other to be brothers. Chris Jericho, a friend of both Benoit and Guerrero, said on "Talk Is Jericho" that Eddie's death broke Benoit. Jericho remembers comforting Benoit with a hug at Guerrero's funeral, saying it was "the most desperate, saddest 'I'm hanging on for dear life' hugs that you could ever get."
Benoit's grief for Guerrero was plain to see on the tribute show on "Monday Night Raw," Benoit was visibly crushed, openly weeping on camera. On "Dark Side Of The Ring," it was revealed that Benoit's wife Nancy had told Vickie Guerrero that Eddie's death was "really affecting him in so many ways." Benoit decided to stay out of the public eye after Eddie's death, and even started shutting himself off from his own friends and family. Sandra Toffoloni, Nancy Benoit's sister, revealed on "Dark Side Of The Ring" that Benoit would go months without talking to his own family and that he had started a journal to work through his depression at losing Eddie, but it was all too late.
Chris Benoit wanted to open a wrestling school after Eddie died
Upon the death of Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit was emotionally distraught and was even considering quitting WWE altogether. Sandra Toffoloni spoke on "Talk Is Jericho" that Chris Benoit was scared of moving on and leaving WWE, as wrestling was all he had ever known. Sandra said that Nancy was ready to move on but Chris Benoit was hesitant, "She was ready for the next move, and I don't think that he was, in his mind, physically or emotionally — he was just really scared, so a lot of that boiled over into their personal life."
Chris, led by Nancy, began to consider alternate career options outside of WWE and settled on the idea of starting a wrestling school in Atlanta. The school would have been called Benoit Academy and Chris and Nancy had begun developing business ideas for the school and even had merchandise made. After Eddie's death, Benoit was still heavily involved in WWE — he never took any time off, he was still booked in big storylines and angles, including being booked for an ECW World Championship match on the day he died. Any potential retirement seemed like a long way off.
Chris Benoit abused steroids
At the time of his death, it was revealed the Chris Benoit's body contained 10 times the normal levels of testosterone, which is incredibly high for any normal man, and it is a huge indication that Benoit was abusing steroids at the end of his life. Many wrestlers of Benoit's era have spoken about using steroids, it was just part of the game back then, and Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer (via LA Times) speculated Benoit had abused steroids for 20 years.
Nancy Benoit had a low opinion of the WWE wellness program In texts found of Benoit's phone, Nancy said, "I will not accept this steroid induced roller coaster ride of emotional abuse ... Ignoring the problem or running away isn't going to help you face it. You need professional (help) and only if you're fully honest about all of it ... Get off the stuff. I'm probably not the only one who can see and we both know the wellness program is a joke." In a criminal case against Dr. Phil Astin, Benoit's personal physician, it was revealed that Astin's prescription to Benoit far exceeded the normal amount for a testosterone disorder and was well above the normal dose. The discovery of Benoit's steroid abuse led many to believe, especially the mainstream media, that "roid rage" was the reason Benoit snapped and murdered his family. However, Benoit's father thinks it was another element of wrestling which was responsible for Benoit's downfall, namely head trauma.
Benoit suffered a lifetime of chronic concussions/CTE
Chris Benoit suffered a number of concussions during his long in-ring career. During his time in the ring, it was not uncommon for wrestlers to take unprotected chair shots to the head, concussion protocols were lax and it wasn't uncommon for wrestlers to take no time off from a concussion. ABC News reports that Benoit himself had told friends that he had suffered "more concussions than he could count." This sloppy protection from concussions is what Benoit's family believes to be the reason for him snapping.
Chris Benoit's father, Michael Benoit, turned over his son's brain to Julian Bailes of the Sports Legacy Institute. Bailes, the head of neurosurgery at West Virginia University, studied Chris Benoit's brain and found that at the time of his death, Benoit had the brain of an 80-year-old suffering from severe Alzheimer's disease. Damage was found in all four lobes of the brain and deep into the brain stem. Bailes told ABC News, "It was extensive throughout Chris' brain. This is something you should never see in a 40-year-old."
Bailes said that while he can't know for sure that this brain damage is the reason Benoit did what he did, he does believe it is the leading cause.
Benoit murdered his wife and child
Over the weekend of June 22nd 2007, Chris Benoit uncharacteristically missed a WWE event, though nobody could have ever imagined that a simple no show would become one of the darkest days in wrestling history.
Late at night on the Friday, Chris Benoit killed his wife Nancy in an upstairs bedroom in their house. Nancy's limbs were bound and her injuries showed that Benoit had pressed his knee into her back while pulling at a cord around her neck, strangling her to death.
The next morning, Benoit drugged his son 7-year-old son Daniel with Xanax, leaving him unconscious, and then Benoit brutally suffocated him.
Benoit left a copy of the bible by each body, which Sandra Toffoloni considered strange on "Talk Is Jericho," as they weren't very religious.
On that Saturday, Benoit talked on the phone to his good friend Chavo Guerrero and told him that Nancy and Daniel were suffering from food poisoning. On "Talk is Jericho," Chavo said something sounded off with Benoit, especially with the way he said goodbye, saying, "Chavo, I love you."
Nancy and Daniel would have both been dead by the time Benoit made that call.
Chris Benoit died of suicide
On June 24th 2007, Chris Benoit died by suicide, creating a noose from the end of a weight machine cord to hang himself. Benoit was found by the police hanging from the pulley cable.
On "Talk Is Jericho," Sandra Toffoloni gave further details of just what Benoit was doing over that horrible weekend. Sandra said that Benoit's computer search history shows he has researched the quickest and easiest way to break a neck. On "Dark Side Of The Ring" it was also revealed Benoit had googled a bible story about the prophet Elijah and, quite morbidly, the resurrecting of a dead boy.
When nobody from WWE had heard from Benoit in over 24 hours, Chavo Guerrero showed the messages he got from Benoit to WWE management, WWE then called the Fayetteville police who discovered the three bodies at the house.
Michael Benoit told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Cageside Seats) that Chris Benoit had left a handwritten suicide note saying, "I'm preparing to leave this Earth."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Credits: WrestlingInc.
When WWE Will Start Streaming Exclusively On Netflix And Exit SuperSport, DStv And GOtv Across Africa?
"WWE events, including RAW, Smackdown, NXT, Wrestlemania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble will continue being available on SuperSport". "As Africa's premium sports broadcaster, we're pleased to continue entertaining our viewers with the best in international wrestling".
In November 2022, MultiChoice and the WWE announced a major broadcast partnership and said in a statement that it will see Showmax becoming the new home of WWE Network in Africa. Only the streaming portion never to pass as seen with the linear offering on DStv.
Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, with more territories to be confirmed soon and others added overtime. Raw will be exiting linear television since it's inception 31 years ago.
Although Netflix won't get access to WWE's extensive line-up of shows when it streams in selected territories by 2025 due to an existing agreement with MultiChoice. They may be able to snatch the rights from the pay-tv company once it expires in 2027.
This means Netflix can only become the official home of the WWE Network in Africa two years after it launched elsewhere meaning by late 2027 or early 2028. Raw, SmackDown and various other content from WWE would have exited linear television after 26/7 years in Africa.
Foley Is Good: And the Real World Is Faker Than Wrestling (PDF)
The book covers the last years of Mick Foley's in-ring wrestling career up until the birth of his second son, Michael Francis Foley, Jr., which he mentions in the book's epilogue.
It has a more celebratory tone than his first book, as he is writing about the time of his career where he has already achieved success. The book alternated between in-ring wrestling activities and Foley's life away from the ring. In the book, he also describes his obsessions, such as theme parks and Christmas.
He also writes about his experience writing his first book without the aid of a ghostwriter. He defends himself against being misquoted by news program 20/20, and explains the events surrounding his "I Quit" match with The Rock at the Royal Rumble in January 1999, which can also be seen in the documentary Beyond the Mat.
The book also heavily defends the World Wrestling Federation against accusations of being violent. Foley made an effort to pointedly refute claims made by detractors, citing statistical data and other evidence he compiled himself. He criticizes the actions of the Parents Television Council.
The Untimely Passing Of Former Impact Wrestling And WWE Star Chris Candido
It was after he beat his addiction issues and got his life back together that things tragically ended. Candido was back on a major national wrestling stage. His marriage was back intact. He even looked like he could be a top star again. However, just like that, he died at 33 after what should have been a routine surgery.
Chris Candido's Road To WWE Began With ECW And Jim Cornette
Chris Candido got his start in wrestling as a teenager in New Jersey. In 1986, he and a friend began working in the industry by setting up rings. He went on to train at Larry Sharpe's Monster Factory and then made his debut in the ring that same year. Candido was 14 when he worked his first match. By 1993, Candido made his way to the pre-Extreme ECW, where he worked in a stable known as The Suicide Blondes. This led to Jim Cornette taking notice of the wrestler.
Candido had fallen in love with Tammy Lynn Sytch in high school and the two joined Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling together, where she worked as his manager. He won several titles while working for Cornette and then even won his only world title when he captured the NWA World Championship after Shane Douglas vacated the title when ECW broke away. He held the title for three months and then one year later, he and Tammy signed with WWE.
WWE changed his name to Skip and made Tammy into Sunny, and they took on a fitness guru tandem who often mocked other wrestlers for being out of shape. It was here that Sunny became one of the biggest stars in WWE and Candido found his biggest national success as part of the Bodydonnas with Tom Prichard (Zip). However, it was also here that his life began falling apart. Reports that Sunny cheated on him with multiple wrestlers strained their marriage. This was also when both wrestlers began experimenting more with drugs.
Chris Candido Had Stints In ECW And WCW After Leaving WWE
In an interview, Chris Candido's brother Jonny said that when they got to WWE, they started abusing drugs more. He was just in the eighth grade when this happened, but he said he remembered a lot of messed up stuff going on with his brother and Sunny. Many of his stories were horrific, and it was obvious things needed to change fast or Chris might end up dead. By 1996, Chris quit WWE and went to ECW, and eventually Sunny joined him there.
This was a fresh start for Candido. Sunny was only in ECW limited times, but Candido himself became part of Shane Douglas' Triple Threat faction with Bam Bam Bigelow. He had a long tag team title reign with Lance Storm before he finally left after three years. After this, Candido worked in WCW for a short time in 2000, but mostly disappeared from the world of professional wrestling outside of indie promotions.
The Tragic Death Of Chris Candido Came After An Injury In TNA Wrestling
According to Jonny, Chris Candido was doing more and more drugs to block out the idea that Sunny was cheating on him. "He desperately didn't want to believe it because she would come home to him every night, and he literally had this unconditional love for her," Jonny said. "He was so nice and so naïve; he would...believe anything she told him."
That isn't how his life would end though. Chris reportedly got his life back under control again. He even got another chance at wrestling on a big stage again when he signed with TNA Wrestling in 2005. He worked with some top stars, including AJ Styles, Dustin Rhodes, and Diamond Dallas Page. Candido was on his way up the ladder, but it all came crashing down when he broke his leg in a tag team match at Lockdown 2005. TNA kept him involved in storylines, even having him come out in a wheelchair to help The Naturals win the tag titles. However, that episode aired days after he died.
At 33, Chris Candido had titanium plates and screws inserted into his legs after the injury. While recovering, he ended up developing a blood clot in his leg. Though many people believe the blood clot killed him, his brother Jonny said the autopsy said that the cause of death was acute pneumonia, caused by a sleep aid he received against doctor's orders. His lungs reportedly filled with fluid, and he died while recovering from his surgery. TNA honored him with a tag team tournament in his name and in 2009, the Hardcore Hall of Fame inducted him into its membership.
Credits: The Sportster
Here Are Some Did You Know Facts About
The professional wrestling fraternity was saddened to learn about the demise of the former WWE World Champion Bray Wyatt at the age of 36. He has long been dealing with an undisclosed illness but nobody expected his condition to have deteriorated, this much.
Earlier this month, Fightful Select reported that the illness Wyatt was dealing with was indeed life-threatening. The source also noted how Wyatt contracted COVID-19 earlier this year which exacerbated heart issues for him.
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Bray Wyatt as WWE Champion in 2017 (image courtesy YouTube)
Bray Wyatt as WWE Champion in 2017 (image courtesy YouTube)
Positive progress towards his pro-wrestling return was noted in recent months but he ultimately suffered a heart attack to pass away. As we mourn the death of one of the most entertaining WWE Superstars of the modern era, here are some lesser-known facts about him:
- Real name Windham Rotunda, Bray Wyatt comes from an enriched family with a tremendous history in pro wrestling. He is the son of former WWE wrestler Mike Rotunda who oversaw the company's non-televised house shows for years until the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two of Mike's brothers, Barry Klinton Windham and Kendall Windham were also wrestlers as they followed in the footsteps of their father, Blackjack Mulligan. Even Bray's own brother, Taylor Rotunda was an ex WWE Star best known as Bo Dallas.
- Bray Wyatt returned to WWE last year at Extreme Rules 2022 with an Uncle Howdy character tagged alongside him. This persona was supposed to be played by his brother Bo but WWE never got the opportunity to reveal the identity.
- In real life, both Bray Wyatt and his brother have been attached to either active or former WWE personalities. While Bo is dating active WWE Superstar Liv Morgan, Wyatt has been married to former WWE in-ring announcer JoJo.
Morgan and Bo reportedly run a farm together and they entered a relationship for their love of farming in the first place. As for JoJo, she took a break from the WWE to focus on her personal life with Bray.
- Following his October 2022 return, Bray Wyatt only competed once on WWE TV which was at the Royal Rumble earlier this year, where he defeated LA Knight in a first-time-ever Pitch Black Match presented by Mountain Dew.
WWE arranging a sponsored match for a particular superstar is an example of how Wyatt was over with the WWE Universe. If the WWEShop.com sale is to go by then he was the second-highest merchandise mover.
Being the franchise player of the WWE, Roman Reigns usually covers the top spot while Wyatt overtook him on quite a few occasions with the invention of The Fiend and those puppets from Firefly Funhouse.
The original Wyatt Family gimmick was so popular among the fans that The White/Black Sheep mask sold like hot cake almost a decade ago. Even during his latest return, he moved tons of merch with Uncle Howdy before illness sidelined him.
- Bray Wyatt was one of those very few top WWE Superstars who never had the chance to successfully defend the WWE Championship in a singles capacity. He won the prestigious belt back at Elimination Chamber 2017 PLE.
Just when people thought that WWE was about to give Wyatt his deserved push, Wyatt lost the momentums by dropping the belt to Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 33. Things went worse for him with the follow-up House of Horrors rematch that ended up being a debacle.
Overall, Bray Wyatt is a three-time world champion in the WWE. After 2017, he won the Universal Championship in 2019 as The Fiend only to be victimized by Goldberg. Then in 2020, he regained the title for just seven days before Roman Reigns took it.
From Abduction To Being Idolized: We Look At The Life Of The Nature Boy, Ric Flair
Whether or not you’re a pro-wrestling superfan, you’ve most likely heard of the name Ric Flair. And that’s because he’s a legend and is always featured in lists discussing the best wrestlers of all time. Flair has been in the WWE Hall of Fame for over a decade and has had the nickname of “Nature Boy” for quite a while now.
So, what’s the deal with this guy? Rap fans have probably heard his famous line: “limousine-riding, jet-flying, kiss-stealing, wheeling, dealing,” and on it goes. But there’s so much more to learn about Ric Flair, like his 20-year boozing routine that he has somehow lived through, or his insane spending habits, or his multiple near-death experiences. Buckle up and prepare for take-off: This is the wild and crazy ride that is Ric Flair!
He Might Have Been Abducted as a Baby
It might intrigue you to know that the wrestling legend came from both humble and mysterious beginnings. While it has never been confirmed, given that his parents adopted him from the notorious Tennessee Children’s Home Society, he was likely abducted as a baby.
Why? Because after the children’s home was investigated, it was discovered that children were stolen from impoverished mothers to facilitate black market adoptions. The children’s home had a habit of destroying records, so we might never know the truth about Flair’s origins. But don’t be saying “aww” just yet – the man isn’t hellbent on finding out the truth. He doesn’t even know what his birth name was, either.
How Old Is Ric Flair?
The most anyone knows is that Ric Flair was born in Memphis in 1949. The now 72-year-old was named either Fred Phillips, Fred Stewart, or Fred Demaree. After his adoption/abduction when he was one month old, he was raised by his adoptive parents, who named him Richard Flieher. For the record, his adoptive parents were in the dark about all the shady events that took place at the orphanage.
His father, Richard Reid Fliehr, was training to become a doctor, whereas his mother worked for the biggest newspaper in Minnesota, The Star Tribune. The Fliehrs moved to Edina, Minnesota, and lived there throughout the boy’s childhood. Given his remarkable origins, his success is an inspirational “rags to riches” story.
He Got Into Wrestling by Accident
Growing up, Flair never hid his passion for wrestling. In high school, Flair was a gifted athlete in track and football and won the state championship in amateur wrestling. But his father wanted his son to get into the family business. At first, Flair humored him and studied medicine at the University of Minnesota.
Only when he happened to find a gateway into the wrestling business by accident did he drop his studies. As a student, he started working as a bouncer and met Olympic weightlifter Ken Patera. Patera saw something special in the young bouncer and introduced him to former wrestler Verne Gagne, who was also impressed by him. In 1971, Gagne invited Flair to attend his notoriously brutal wrestling camp. The rest, my friends, is history.
A Ridiculously Intense Training Camp
Flair was a natural from the get-go, but Gagne gave him no special treatment. His training camp for wrestling hopefuls was ridiculously intense. A wrestler in his heyday, Gagne had an old-school wrestling mentality. His wrestling camp wasn’t flashy like today’s performers. In fact, his methods shaped some of the best pro wrestlers to enter a ring.
Another wrestling camp trainee was Ken Patera – the first wrestler Flair met while bouncing. Patera recalls them working out in the ring, which was inside one of Gagne’s old horse barns. “It was below-zero temperatures, with one light bulb in the whole barn, just dangling on a wire. The slats on the barn were about an inch apart, so there were times when we’d show up to four-foot snowdrifts in the place. The ring was all broken down, and the ropes were f***** up.”
Flair Wanted Out After Two Days
Flair gave a first-hand account of his training on To Be the Man: “We’d start off running along this frozen creek, slipping and sliding… You’d have to wear three sweatsuits. The only way to stay warm was to keep moving and not slow down the whole day, for six or eight hours.”
They had to run around the farm on a “customized path that went about two miles.” Flair and his fellow trainees (including The Iron Sheik) were forced to do 500 squats, 200 push-ups, and 200 sit-ups. Flair wanted to quit after two days. Luckily for wrestling fans everywhere, Gagne wouldn’t let him quit so easily.
A Hippie in the Ring
Before Flair came to be known as the “The Dirtiest Player in the Game,” he adopted a pretty embarrassing gimmick for his wrestling shtick. That’s right: The celebrated Ric Flair was a hippie in the ring for a brief period during the early days of his career.
Why a hippie? Well, he was inspired to take on the persona because of Billy Graham, who was said to be representing the hippie movement, but it didn’t always seem that way. During this period in Flair’s wrestling career, he wore a headband and tie-dyed shorts – quite the opposite of the signature flashy appearance he adopted later.
His Longtime Beef With Dusty Rhodes
One of Flair’s iconic rivals was Dusty Rhodes, and their intense feud kept wrestling fans captivated for decades. The storyline was more or less: “what’s that shameful Flair going to do to our beloved Dusty Rhodes next?” Behind the scenes, however, the setup was reversed. According to Flair, Rhodes was pretty relentless in his teasing.
When Flair was still a novice during his first tour in Japan, his primary role was as the bag carrier for the wrestling veterans. It was then that he first met Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch. During that tour, Flair recalled the two wrestlers breaking down his door at the hotel before they “sprayed the room with a fire extinguisher and threw my clothes out a tenth-story window.”
He Survived a Plane Crash
If you can survive Verne Gagne’s boot camp, you can beat anything. Flair is living proof. In October 1975, amateur pilot Mike Farkas offered to fly Flair and a bunch of his fellow wrestlers to their next show for a low price. Flair, Johnny Valentine, David Crockett, Bob Bruggers, and “Mr. Wrestling” Tim Woods all boarded Farkas’ Cessna 310.
This is no joke. The small plane wasn’t built to carry six people, let alone a group of husky wrestlers. So, Farkas emptied a load of fuel to reduce the weight, which meant they ran out of gas before reaching their destination.
He Recovered After Only Three Months
The plane crashed into the Wilmington airport runway. Farkas died, Valentine was paralyzed, and Flair was seriously injured. The plane crash resulted in Flair’s spine being broken in three places, with his neck broken, too. The resilient soul didn’t take long to get back on track and re-enter the wrestling game – only three months!
His speedy recovery was a true testament to his character. Furthermore, he was lucky to be alive! And he knew it. The crash taught him a harsh but important life lesson and prompted a huge change in both his look and wrestling style.
His Doctors Told Him to Quit
Before Flair ever got into the business (and before the life-altering plane crash), he had his renowned charisma, but he was a lot bigger in size. He also didn’t have bleached blond hair. After the crash, doctors advised him to find a new career. But that wasn’t in Flair’s vision.
Rather than quit, he ditched his monster strength approach because it was just too physically demanding. He lost a lot of weight on his way to recovery. He came out the other end with his new motto: “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.” His new submission-based, cerebral style is what he became known for.
Conquering the Nature Boy Persona
Like all the wrestling greats before him, Flair borrowed from those who came before him. Although Flair was an original, he wasn’t the OG. After the plane crash, he started a process of creating a less demanding gimmick, but then someone told him he reminded them of the original Nature Boy, Buddy Rogers.
After this fateful encounter, Flair decided to become his own version of Nature Boy. He borrowed Rogers’ flamboyant character, emulating his strut, blond hair, and Figure-Four Leg Lock. In 1978, Flair and Rogers hit the ring to decide who was the definitive Nature Boy. Flair left victorious, and so veteran Rogers gave up his moniker.
He Embodied Jerry Lee Lewis in the Ring
Flair borrowed from other wrestlers besides Buddy Rogers. His infamous robes and flamboyance were also inspired by Gorgeous George, and he adapted his promo style from Superstar Billy Graham and Dusty Rhodes. Flair was also influenced by pop culture figures who had nothing to do with wrestling at all.
Rock 'N' Roll and country star Jerry Lee Lewis perform on a dark stage and flashy lights.
Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images
One major influence was rock and roll rebel Jerry Lee Lewis. Like Lewis, Flair would strut across the ring sometimes mid-match to highlight his arrogance. Aside from his general swagger, people say that Lewis inspired Flair’s signature “WOO” catchphrase.
Who Said You Can’t Be Struck by Lighting Twice?
According to the WWE, Ric Flair has been hit by lightning twice. The eternal survivor has again lived to tell his tale. Like his first near-death experience, a plane was involved. The first time he was hit, a storm delayed his flight, and the passengers on the plane were permitted to leave the aircraft with umbrellas.
Lightning hit Flair’s umbrella, but he survived. A fellow passenger wasn’t so lucky. Flair described: “My umbrella shot 50 feet in the air. I thought, ‘What the hell?’ Lightning hit the top of my umbrella, bounced off, and hit a guy in the eye five feet behind me and killed him. Right there. I just stood there looking at the guy and froze. It scared me to death.”
The second time? It was en route to a Fourth of July celebration when the plane he was on was hit by lightning.
A Quiet, Lonely Night After Getting the Belt
More backstage shenanigans with Dusty Rhodes occurred after Flair won his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1981. Of course, Rhodes didn’t like losing the coveted title in a city where he already had a large following. Losing in front of a small Kansas City audience who had no feelings toward either opponent wasn’t Rhodes’ cup of tea.
You can say that Rhodes was a sore loser and resented handing the belt over to Flair, who would soon gain a bigger following. Rhodes took it a step further by barely making an effort in the match. Since Rhodes had more backstage clout, they didn’t celebrate with Flair after his victory. Instead, he returned to his hotel and had a quiet night.
Gaining a Reputation as a Party Animal
Flair’s low-key celebrations didn’t last for long as he soon developed a reputation for being a party animal. It was hard to find a wrestler who could keep up with Flair’s affinity for partying and taste for extravagance. Whenever Flair was in a new town, he checked into fancy hotels and partied all night.
On a trip to Sacramento, Lex Luger and Flair each went to their own rooms and proceeded to go wild during the night. When they finally stumbled back to the hotel, it was time for their next flight. Luger later stated that the whole wild-child persona was “part of the image enhancement.”
Every Day for 20 Years
In his 30 for 30 ESPN documentary, Flair described his daily routine at the peak of his career. He explained how he would drink 10 beers, 20 vodkas, and five cocktails every day! Without fail! For 20 years! He said he told this to his therapist, who was utterly shocked because the average human wouldn’t survive such a long-term routine.
His fast-paced life obviously caught up with him. He was later induced into a medical coma due to organ failure. He appeared on The Dan LeBatard Show in 2016 and described what it was like to ingest “Between 3,700 and 4,000 calories worth of booze… in my body every day.”
Both Heart and Flair
Bret Hart and Ric Flair had their own wrestling beef during the ‘90s. The pair of respected and talented wrestlers always put on an engaging match for the fans. In the ring, they had some disagreements, but they always shared an amicable relationship backstage. Hart had respect for Flair and what he did for the business.
But Hart couldn’t keep up with Flair’s partying. One time, Hart called it a night as the sun started to rise. When he got up just a few hours later to work out, Flair was already in the gym. He may have been a party boy, but Nature Boy was a hard worker and took his job seriously.
He Had His Routine Down to a Tee
Terry Taylor revealed a fun story to prove just how hard Flair partied and how, after a night of partying, he could still go into the ring. When Taylor first wrestled Flair, the party boy came back from another long night out. He looked a mess, stunk of alcohol, and was still very intoxicated.
Security had to help him get into the venue, which didn’t look good for the wrestlers’ upcoming match. But, after an hour-long nap, a reinvigorated Flair walked into the ring. His conditioning was so down to a tee that Taylor was begging to end the match. Meanwhile, Flair was yelling, “let’s go, let’s go!”
Nature Boy Was Bad With Money
Flair is one of the most legendary wrestlers to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. But the man is notoriously terrible with his money. Following one lawsuit, he owed $35,000 to Highspots, Inc., and he just gave them his Championship belt to clear the debt. Then, when Highspots tried to sell the belt, Combraco Inc. didn’t let them.
As it turned out, Flair had already offered Combraco his belt to square off a previous debt. As a result, he was held in contempt of court since he failed to repay his Highspots loan and had to face up to 90 days in prison. He was also required to autograph 300 pictures for the company.
Baring It All
Ric Flair was so comfortable in his skin that he wasn’t shy when it came to showing it off. For some reason, most of his incredible stories took place on planes. In one instance, the wrestler was caught flashing unsuspecting passengers and staff.
On a flight to Portland, Oregon, he allegedly went into the plane’s bathroom and came out in a pair of alligator shoes, dress socks, and his wrestling robe. During 2002’s infamous Plane Ride from Hell, Flair drank too much and exposed himself to the flight attendants.
The “Naitching” King
Flair’s flair for spending cash inspired Triple H and a few others to create a new word, the “wheelin’ and dealin’ son of a gun.” Triple H coined the term “Naitching” to describe someone who spends stupid amounts of cash for no reason.
And it wasn’t all spent on limousines, hotel rooms, and booze. Flair also fancied the finest clothes and ring attire. In 1985, during the Great American Bash tour, he was at the height of his career and living his most lavish lifestyle. He and his peers traveled in a private jet. During one stay at the Tropicana, he got so drunk that he spent $40,000 on two fur coats. He never wore either of them.
He Had Expensive Taste
Flair spent excessive amounts of money on his flashy robes. At least he wore those regularly. He tended to have a specific taste when it came to his ring attire. Many of his wrestling robes from the ’70s and ’80s were made by Olivia Walker.
Walker’s robes weren’t cheap; she charged thousands of dollars to make his wrestling robes – up to $10,000 (worth over $20,000 these days). In his book Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte, Flair revealed that his sequin, rhinestone, and feather robes weighed up to 50 pounds.
Vince McMahon Lent Him $800,000
Flair acknowledged that he spent money that he didn’t necessarily have. We know now that a big part of it was his need to scratch his “Naitching” itch. Most of his spending was to make him look wealthier than he actually was in order to keep up his gimmick.
But his spending caught up with him, and he had to borrow $800,000 from Vince McMahon. “I wouldn’t let my kids borrow this amount of money from me,” McMahon said. But he took the calculated risk because he was sure he would get the money back, which he did. Flair eventually paid him with one single WrestleMania check.
One of His Wives Thought He Was a Pimp
A first impression is important in relationships. In Flair’s case, he didn’t exactly give off the best impression when he met his second wife, Beth. She thought he was a pimp! And it’s hard to blame her since he was donning his signature robe by seven women.
Ric Flair on a green robe accompanied by two women dressed in short tight leather and glitter outfits.
Still, Beth realized he was just a flamboyant wrestler. The two married and have two kids. Did you know that one of Ric Flair’s nicknames is The Alimony Pony? It might have to do with the fact that he’s been married five times and divorced four.
A Serial Groom
He married his first wife, Leslie Goodman, in 1974, and the pair had two kids, Megan and David, before their 1983 divorce. He then married Elizabeth (Beth) Harrell the same year he divorced Goodman. He and Harrel had two children, one of them is Charlotte Flair.
After 23 years, he and Beth divorced in 2006. Flair remarried again, the same year as his divorce. The man just can’t be alone! Tiffany VanDemark became his third wife, and their marriage lasted a few years before their 2008 divorce. A year later, he married Jacqueline “Jackie” Beems before divorcing her in 2012. By 2018, he was married again to Wendy Barlow. So far, so good.
10,000 Women? Could It Be?
Flair didn’t just marry a lot; he dated a whole lot. In the 30 for 30 ESPN documentary, he said he thinks he’s slept with around 10,000 women over the decades. Sure, it’s very likely an over-exaggeration, but still! It’s probably in the Gene Simmons zone.
Although he was candid in the documentary, he later expressed regret about talking so openly about the matter (and his hectic love life). His family watched it, after all. “What I said was the truth, but I feel bad now that I said some of it… Ten thousand women. I wish I hadn’t said that because of my grandkids.”
Has He Been With Halle Berry?
But it was too late. He already let the cat out of the bag. Not just that – he also spilled the beans about sleeping with a certain A-list celebrity on a podcast. Yup. He said he slept with Halle Berry. During a 2016 episode of The Ric Flair Show podcast, he exposed his love life further while speaking of the celebrities he had had relations with.
Halle Berry was one of them. The story? “She was in Atlanta, and she had just gotten divorced from David Justice.” Berry, however, denied ever visiting “Space Mountain.” Her representative stated: “There is no truth to this. Halle has literally never even heard of him, let alone met him!”
16, 21, or 25 Titles?
Ric Flair has enjoyed a long and impressive career. Just consider his cross-promotion in the WWE, NWA, WCW, and WCW. John Cena, for example, won two WWE Heavyweight equivalents 16 times, tying Flair’s record.
While Flair is acknowledged for having won 16 World Titles, he has actually won a lot more. The record books haven’t managed to attribute them all. According to Flair, he’s won more like 21 in total. Meanwhile, record-enthusiasts concluded that Flair won a maximum of 25. Either way, it’s all very impressive!
Naitch Did It First
In 1975, Inside Wrestling hailed Flair as Rookie of the Year. In 2008, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame while he was still an active wrestler. WWE then inducted him as a Four Horsemen member in 2012, when he retired four years later.
At the time, Flair was the only WWE wrestler to ever be inducted into their Hall of Fame twice. Since then, Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Sean Waltman have been inducted twice. But our Naitch did it first.
He Was in Magic Mike XXL
While many of Flair’s wrestling brothers made it their mission to make it on TV, like Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Roddy Piper, etc., Nature Boy knew to stick to his lane. Still, he wasn’t all that against taking on a few acting gigs here or there.
He was offered a role in Magic Mike XXL and also voiced himself on an episode of Uncle Grandpa. He once took part in the popular TV game show Family Feud and obviously left as the champion. That’s right, Ric Flair won the round of Family Feud.
Trouble With the WCW
When you’ve had a long career like Ric Flair, it’s expected that you’ll have problems along the way. Flair was once the hottest thing in the WCW, but when he got a little older, the promoter asked him to step down.
Jim Herd, WCW’s Executive Vice President at the time, spoke to then 39-year-old Flair and asked him to take a step back from the main show and take on a new Roman Gladiator gimmick. Naturally, he detested the idea and, as a result, was constantly butting heads with Herd, who eventually fired him.
Then With WWE
Flair’s relationship with WWE has been mostly good-natured, but only recently has he come to taint the long-lasting amicable relationship. In 2019, he tried to trademark “The Man.” The problem was that Becky Lynch was already calling herself “The Man” as part of her gimmick.
Flair said that as long as WWE pays him for using “The Man,” he doesn’t mind letting Lynch use it. This caused some friction between him and the WWE. Last year, in May 2020, Flair gave “The Man” rights to WWE.
When Is Ric Flair Day?
Certain states have a special place in their hearts for the Nature Boy, mainly because of the old-school wrestling territory system. For example, Minneapolis, Minnesota, was the first to declare Ric Flair Day on October 19th, 1998.
10 years later, Columbia, South Carolina, announced March 24th as the day and went one step further by giving him a key to the city. Then, Norfolk, Virginia, marked November 15th as Ric Flair Day. In 2009, Charleston, West Virginia, declared April 18th to be the day of Flair, and they also gave him a key to their city.
He Faced Some Nasty Allegations
On a more negative note, Flair has faced sexual assault allegations, one about his actions on the “Plane Ride From Hell” in 2002, which ended in a 2004 lawsuit. Flair allegedly coerced flight staff into touching him inappropriately; he allegedly “forcibly detained and restrained” a flight attendant.
Flair denied the claims, and WWE ultimately settled out of court. In 2005, Flair was charged with damaging personal property as well as simple assault and battery. A police report states that Flair grabbed a driver in his late 20s by the neck and kicked the man’s SUV.
An Altercation With His Daughter’s Boyfriend
WWE made light of the incident by working it into Flair’s feud with Edge. The case was later dismissed because no witnesses showed up to court. Back in 2008, Flair was involved in an altercation with his daughter Charlotte’s boyfriend.
Charlotte Flair was the one arrested and fined and given probation for kicking a police officer. Ric Flair was visibly injured, but he refused to press charges against his daughter or her boyfriend. The intensity doesn’t stop there. He also had altercations with his fans in 2014.
Death Threats From Fans
In 2014, Flair announced that he wouldn’t be able to attend the Carolina Panthers vs. the San Francisco 49ers playoff game, thanks to all the death threats from Panthers fans. Flair, who has lived in Charlotte for years, was asked to give a motivational speech to the 49ers, and he did.
But Panthers fans didn’t take too kindly to his expression of support for his hometown team’s opponent. In 2016, Flair might have been a no show at the playoffs due to a warrant being issued for his arrest. He was allegedly detained by the police at Boston’s Logan Airport, but PWInsider reported that he actually had slipped on his luggage and hit his head, needing medical attention.
Despite all his past debt problems, he seems to be doing well for himself. His net worth is estimated at $3 million.
Showing Up in North Korea
In 1995, North Korea hosted the International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace, which opened their country to the West and its professional wrestlers. The new Japan Pro Wrestling founder and wrestling legend Antonio Inoki asked WCW if Hulk Hogan would face him in the main event.
Muhammad Ali, who faced Inoki back in the ‘70s, was also added to the list. Once all the wrestlers arrived, they were split into pairs, and their passports were removed. For the two days leading up to the show, the wrestlers made appearances for state media, honoring the late North Korean Supreme Leader, Kim Il-sung.
He Couldn’t Wait to Leave the Country
Whatever they did, it worked. On the first night, 170,000 audience members showed up, which increased to 180,000 by the second night. The event broke previous wrestling attendance records, including WrestleMania III.
According to a North Korean limo driver, “Nobody really wants to come. It’s forced attendance. If they don’t show up, they get a bullet in the head.” The spectators had no idea what professional wrestling even was and didn’t interact during the show. According to Flair, he had never been so happy to leave a place: “As soon as our plane landed in Japan, I bent down and literally kissed the ground. I was so glad to be back on friendly soil.”
10 Real Freak Accidents In WWE
Freaking accidents can be regarded as an accidental event that resulted in physical and mental harm. A freak accident can happen and this extends to superstars in WWE. Throughout WWE there had been several incidents where a superstar is involved in an accident either inside or outside of the circle. These accidents sometimes altered their career even ended their life.
Thankfully all the individuals on the list lived to tell the tale now a look at the 10 WWE wrestlers involved in a freak accident.
10. Randy Orton injured himself
The WWE wrestler had his fair share of freak accidents throughout his career but perhaps the most unusual freak accident involved him dislocating his shoulder at the 2010 Over The Limit PPV in his match with Edge.
He was setting up for an RKO by pounding his fist to the mat and that's how he wind up dislocating his shoulder. This had to be one of the weirdest ways anyone would injure themselves while wrestling. Due to the injury, Orton and Edge would have change the match if he was gonna walk out alive.
9. Shane McMahon is in a helicopter crash
Shane McMahon has been involved in dramatic stunts throughout his career and he managed to survive them all without serious injury.
However in 2017, Shane's life flashed before his eyes as he was involved in a helicopter crash that took place at the coast island of New York. The helicopter suffered engine failure forcing the helicopter to plummet onto the water.
The pilot had no choice but to call an emergency landing and legal authorities were able to handle the matter and no one was hurt and Shane addressed the whole matter in an interview:
Well, it's very unsettling when you have all of a sudden something happen. You hear a bang and then you say "we're gonna do an emergency landing in the water" yes it was unnerving.
8. Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder and Justin Robert's Limo Crash
In 2012, news broke out on WWE's website about the incident following the stars gig at Comic Con. The car unexpectedly went at the back of the limo. Robert suffered serious injury while Ziggler and Ryder were fine. Justin Roberts now an AEW announcer discussed this in an interview:
It was a big limo, so we couldn't tell exactly what was going on outside, but we merged on to a highway and then we braked. Zack basically slid down the bench, Dolph and I were sitting in the back facing forward and Zack was on the bench sitting sideways. Then, out of nowhere we got hit pretty hard.
7. The Undertaker's iconic entrance goes horrifically wrong
At the 22nd Hall Of Fame, The Undertaker obtained a reputation of being one of the toughest man to step foot into the WWE ring. He had the ability to push through injuries and personal turmoil to deliver his best performances as he never wanted to let his peers or fans down.
It was clear at the 2010 Elimination Chamber PPV, during his entrance his pyro malfunctioned and he recieved third degree burns, his hat and coat were burnt and it was even a miracle that he could even compete.
He had to apply water to the injury and the winner Chris Jericho revealed that he was able to smell the flesh burn off his skin and was amazed The Undertaker was pulling through.
6. Vince McMahon's Quad Tear
Although 2005 Royal Rumble should be known for Bautista winning the annual matchup. In reality, it's known for WWE Chairman Vince McMahon tearing both of his quads following a botched match where the referees declared John Cena and Bautista champions.
This resulted in Vince McMahon angrily entertaining the ring but tear both his quads while entering. It left him to set awkwardly in the ring and tell WWE officials what to do. He managed to walk out the ring without assistance considering a quad tear is one of the most painful experiences an athlete can face.
5. Seth Rollins Knee Injury
In 2015, Seth Rollins was in the middle of a 220 day reign as WWE Champion when a random freak accident with Kane changed everything. Rollins would go for a Sunset Power Flip Buckle and would tear his ACL and MCL and it couldn't be avoided and it was no fault of either man at the match of course the injury would put him out of action for 6 months forcing him to relinquish his championship.
This would be a huge blow for WWE as Seth Rollins became the top heel of the company and his injury altered their plans.
4. Vic Joseph in a car crash
After The Bell podcast showcases real life stories WWE talents have kept private. It was the place where Vic Joseph had to brief everyone in on the incident before his time on WWE.
I've never talked about this publicly, I went from the back seat to the front seat, and had to go to speech therapy to learn how to talk. There is a scar under my face that no one sees. My knee from top to bottom was completely out. I was on the side of the road with a white sheet over me. That's how bad it was, I'm being dead serious. I moved and they screamed 'he's alive'. They put me on a gurney, cut my shirt off and I made a joke. I woke up with a neck brace on. I have a scar on my face and there's still a piece of glass in there.
He even discussed how he had to learn and do speech therapy again and meet several WWE stars.
I had to go to speech therapy and learn how to talk, I went to an independent show and I met Rhyno. He and I closer than most people care to know. He is family to me. He said "start jumping in the car with me on my off weekend". Every weekend, I was in the car with him. He let me pick his brain in for hours in the car. He introduced me to Person A and B. I ended up meeting Tommy Dreamer. He had a promotion he was running. The day his promotion was going. He asked me if I wanted to call the show. This is what stated me on the road to WWE.
3. Triple H Quad Year
WWE Legend Triple H hasn't been lucky when it comes to injuries. He's torn his quad twice during his career and both occasions were freak accidents.
In 2001, as he enters Raw to to stop the welds of Chris Jericho and this resulted him struggling to put weight on one side of the leg another incident happened in 2007 when Triple H would perform a spin buster on Randy Orton.
2. Randy Orton's motorcycle accident
Randy Orton hit headlines in 2008 after it was announced that he was involved in a motorcycle accident that could have ended in tragedy. Orton who had been riding for a month revealed he was riding on a short sharp curve when a vehicle came in his way forcing him to make a huge turn hurt a curb and fly out of his bike to the ground.
In an interview he revealed he was lucky to have survived:
When I came to, I know I had rebroken my collarbone, When the police and foremost fireman got there, they asked me "where's the guy in the wreck" and I said "it was me". Without a helmet, I would be dead. Now that I have a newborn daughter, so much was going through my head.
1. Ric Flair's Plane Crash
On October 4th, 1975 Ric Flair's career almost ended when he was involved in a plane crash which took the life of the pilot and paralysed Johnny Valentine. Flair broke his back in 3 different places and was told he wouldn't be able to wrestle again but Flair had no plans to retire at the age of 26 as he entered intense therapies and returned to the ring in under 3 months which resulted in him changing his in ring style to one fans are accustomed to and this resulted in Flair wrestling until his mid 60s.
The Controversial History Of WWE's Most Prestigious Wrestlers, The Fabulous Moolah
The Fabulous Moolah was born Mary Ellison in 1923. Born and raised in the American south, by the 1930s Ellison was attending local wrestling shows with her fatherb seeing the polarizing women of the time; Mar Young, Mildred Burke, and Cecilia Blevins. From this point on Ellison was hooked on the sport and wanted to be a star. The story that follows is one of success and triumph, but also a tale of dark secrets, drugs, and deceit. Fabulous Moolah ran the women’s wrestling world for 30 plus years, and it wasn’t always a world of glitz and glam. The wrestler Moolah and the promoter, booker, and trainer Moolah have two very different, but equally dark histories.
Mary Ellison Becomes The Fabulous Moolah
During the early part of Moolah’s career, she was under the tutelage of Mildred Burke and her husband Billy Wolfe. Burke and Wolfe were, at the time, the premier bookers and promoters for almost all of women’s wrestling. The Burke/Wolfe playbook also asked for their contracted talent to engage in sexual favors with other promoters for preferential bookings, on top of an already huge booking percentage of all payouts. Ellison refused to participate in these practices, causing tension between her and Wolfe.
By the mid-50s Moolah and her husband Buddy Lee were using their own versions of Burke’s practices and had started booking and promoting their own women wrestlers, and booking them against their rivals. After Burke and Wolfe’s retirement, Moolah would have a stranglehold on the world of women’s professional wrestling. The same woman who broke barriers, like being the first woman to wrestle at the historic Madison Square Garden Arena, was now building walls to prevent the growth of the sport.
The Fabulous Moolah Becomes A Promoter And Booker
During this part of Moolah’s career, she would feed and house her trainees and wrestlers. Some women Moolah booked and trained told stories of the property being locked down by a certain point, and if you weren’t home in time, you would be left out until morning. These were not provided accommodations either. Moolah was collecting rent from the women who stayed there, living two and three people in a single room efficiency style cabin, charging upwards of $1,200 a month for their rooms in the 1970s. With inflation that equates to about $9,100 if charged today.
The financial strain didn’t end there. With Moolah and Lee handling all the women’s promoting and booking, women’s wrestling went through the Fabulous Moolah, so if a woman was booked to wrestle, she was also collecting a 25% booking fee of their payout whether they were “one of her girls” or not.
That means, “Moolah’s Girls” were also paying the 25% on top of their already outlandish rent. This, mixed with the allegations of forced sex, drug use, prostitution and theft, left the wrestling world buzzing when women started coming forward. The training schedules, the booking schedule, and the expectations Moolah had for the women wrestlers was also extreme. Princess Victoria was a superstar trained and booked by Moolah, who experienced a tragic career ending injury. Victoria aas quoted as saying that she was thrown out with almost nothing to her name, but would refute the allegations of Moolah being a pimp.
“Moolah was not a pimp and she hated drugs. She did steal from all of her girls including me, but she was the only way to keep wrestling back then, so it was Moolah or almost nothing. […] I think [The WrestleMania Battle Royal] should have stayed named after Moolah, no matter how crooked she was, she is and was a very important part of women’s wrestling and if they are going to do her like this, then Snickers better reevaluate their sponsorship on all sports after the many arrests made for multiple different things in sports.”
“My neck was broken in the ring and I was basically thrown out with no medical attention and very little to my name. I am now fully disabled sometimes having to use a wheelchair due to the lack of medical attention. I have had multiple concussions and have donated my brain for a future lawsuit to prove that we wrestlers have been misused by the WWE for many many years. […] I want nothing to do with the WWE and will not, even if invited to allow my name to be in their so-called Hall of Fame.”
The Fabulous Moolah Was Part Of The Original "Screwjob"
Moolah’s wrestling career inside the ring was just as cloudy as her booking and training reputation. During the early parts of her career, Moolah had a reign with the Women’s Wrestling World Championship that would rival Sammartino. Her initial reign lasting 10 years was ended, but she quickly and suspiciously picked the title back up almost a month later.
Then in the 1980s came the Rock and Wrestling connection. Along with that came a new and electric following for professional wrestling. With this following came a new star named Wendi Richter. Richter would go on to dethrone the reigning queen of wrestling. After 28 years of dominating the sport, with two generations coming and going, Richter was now the world champion.
After the match, during house shows, there were more rumors surfacing of Moolah intentionally trying to hurt Wendi in matches. Then, one night on the card, there was no Moolah, but instead Wendi was wrestling the “Spider Lady.” Through politics and the inner workings of WWE, Moolah would participate in the match under a masked disguise. This was the original WWE screwjob. After a small package rollup, the referee counted three despite a clear kick out by Richter. Richter left wrestling that night, and ultimately never returned, after giving her everything.
Whether or not fans believe the accusations, one thing is for sure. If it were not for the Fabulous Moolah, women’s wrestling would not be where it is. Changing the names of battle royals or memorials won’t answer the bigger question, however. What cost did it take to get us here?
Credits: The Sportster
10 WWE Superstars That Hated Each Other In Real Life
When you are WWE Superstar you don't expect to get along with everyone in the locker room. Sometimes the locker room is filled with different personalities and these personalities will clash. Sometimes these feuds are kept private and sometimes made public.
Here is a countdown to the 10 WWE feuds:
10. Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins
In 2019, Riddle's wife posted a negative video about Becky Lynch. This didn't sit well with Rollins so he vowed to never work with him.
During an interview, Riddle made the following statement:
I'll be honest, I've met Seth multiple times and he's met me and I don't think we'll ever be best friends, I don't think we'll like one another, we're just two different people. Although we love wrestling, I love my significant other said something about Becky that they didn't like and I did not like or agree with it. Seth didn't like me after that and I don't think Becky liked me or my wife either, which is understandable it is what it is.
The two ended up working together in 2020 so its unclear about the status between the two.
9. Becky Lynch and Nia Jax
Although it hasn't been confirmed, it's rumoured that these two never got along after Nia Jax broke Becky's nose in 2018 on Raw. Following that incident, the two have hardly been seen working together and what's strange is WWE never booked a march considering how publicized her injury was.
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Following Nia's release from WWE, she took to social media to address things from politics to covid. She even compared mask wearing to the horrors of the Ukraine war - controversial. Becky unfollowed her building up to that feud.
8. Paul Heyman and AJ Styles
The two had a great relationship when Paul Heyman managed Raw between 2019 and 2020. Paul Heyman considered him one of the best wrestlers to be put in WWE. However this relationship turned sour when Luke and Carls Andersen were released from WWE.
Paul Heyman doesn't make the decisions but AJ Styles exaggerated a bit about the whole situation. The two ended up working in different brands never to be put on anything together.
7. Ronda Rousey and Alexa Bliss
When Ronda Rousey joined WWE in 2018, one of the wrestlers she worked with the most was Alexa Bliss. The two never worked well together as Alexa Bliss made it clear after several months that Ronda Rousey was over stooping her in the ring and was almost out of action for a year due to her recklessness.
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Nia even give hints to the rumours and Bliss supported it then when Ronda returned and won The Royal Rumble. Alexa made a sarcastic meme written what a surprise.
6. Matt Riddle and Goldberg
Riddle never moves away from voicing his own opinion. Throughout his career, he's never shown any interest to Goldberg. Mocking his wrestling style declares Goldberg a danger to wrestling.
In an interview Goldberg had this to say about the wrestler:
Yeah, the cocky kid, Riddle spouting off his mouth in the beginning and I didn't appreciate it very much by any stretch of the imagination. But the guy has put in a lot of frickin hard work and a lot of frickin hard work and he's dedicated his life to the business.
Whether I like him as a human being or not, I have to understand and appreciate his passion for the business and work ethic.
Because he works hard and that's what I appreciate as an athlete and as a human
Is he a prick sometimes? Absolutely, But that's him, That's his character and so am I.
5. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair used to be the best of friends but in 2021 fans found out that wasn't the case. The two used to be inseparable and as both their careers progressed things have changed.
They used to travel to many places together on a tour bus but that's not the case and they hardly speak to each other. No reason was given to the confrontation but it's believed to be Becky's rise in popularity with both women finding men in their lives mean less time spent together.
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4. Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville
This issue was highlighted following the infamous exchange in championship belts in 2021 when Charlotte Flair was suppose switch belts with Becky Lynch but went off script to make her look bad. Not only did it affect Becky but destroyed the authority figure in Sonya Deville.
Sonya was so angry that she wanted to fight Charlotte of course no details were given if she wanted to do anything physical.
3. Matt Riddle and Brock Lesnar
Riddle believes that he should be the one to end Brock Lesnar's career and although he didn't say anything derogatory to him. Lesnar loathe Riddle that he made it clear in the 2021 Royal Rumble that he would never work with him in any capacity.
The two wind up clashing when Riddle continues with his comments but never in single man matches.
2. Booker T. and Corey Graves
In 2018, Booker T. made it clear in a podcast that Graves was the reason he wasn't commentator for Raw and people believed he was going to attack him.
He made somewhat of a bizarre statement:
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Corey Graves, right now, I wouldn't necessarily say he's on my bad side but he's the reason I'm not on Monday Night Raw right now.
Because you know what a lot of people in the company thought I was going to jump him, I was going to do something bad to him, I was gonna drag him, I was gonna take him out of the woodshed, I was gonna beat that men so bad, I was gonna beat him until this man say "Please, please, please just don't beat me anymore".
There have been reports that WWE had tried to resolve their issues but no details have been given in regard to their relationship.
1. Matt Riddle and Roman Reigns
In 2021, Matt claimed he could beat him in a fight and had this to say:
No disrespect to Roman, he seems like a swell fella but at the same time, it's like when people say they're a great parent.
You know what? if you were a great parent
When he's saying 'acknowledge me' or 'move the needle', no you don't
You're related to Rock, Shut up
Like I'm not impressed I can beat you up in a real fight
So shut your mouth.
A few months later, it was revealed that he had to write an apology letter which he outright rejected.
Countdown To The Wildest Stories From Dark Side Of The Ring
10. Ric Flair's actions
Plane Ride From Hell was one of the worst instances of nothing going to plan. On that fateful day during WWE's tour of the UK. The plane was delayed for 7 hours and they were on a charter plane WWE stars consumed alcohol and waited for the plane to get going unfortunately the plane stayed long enough for the stars to consume multiple carts of alcohol. While some fooled around with Dustin Rhodes or his wife, Brock Lesnar and Perfect Brawley even cutting of Michael Ace's ponytail.
Things went wrong in a different direction, Ric Flair wore a robe with nothing underneath. According to a flight attendant and several other people, the wrestler cornered her in a plane forcing her to touch him. No one who knew bothered to help except Dustin Rhodes.
Tommy Dreamer revealed the flight attendant a bribe and compared the situation to his haircut which led him to get suspended from Impact Wrestling while Ric Flair possible losing any chance of getting into AEW.
9. Owen Hart's death
One of the saddest episodes of Dark Side Of The Ring, WWE had planned his entrance at the last minute which led to tragedy where he would fall and pass from the impact.
It was revealed in the show that the original plan was to have him lowered from the ceiling but they instead used a new rigging system from one they had initially.
It turned out that the rig that was holding Owen had been built for a sailboat which was designed to hold 6 pounds of pressure. On top of that his wife and son blamed WWE for his death and chose not to let him into the Hall Of Fame. According to people at the scene, Owen Hart's last words before plummeting to his death was "LOOKOUT".
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8. Life of Dino Bravo
Bravo was a heel of a wrestler who enjoyed a rich lifestyle. In Montreal, he was famous and respected and was suppose to face Hulk Hogan. WWE couldn't handle having their Babyface being booed at so they swapped the matches and event.
Bravo signed a new deal with WWE which would see him with new look but was repackaged as a heel. When it came time for him to retire, he didn't know what to do as he didn't save money and to try and keep his lifestyle going worked with his uncle in a crime family and a year later he would be found dead with drugs worth $400000 being confiscated.
7. Jimmy Snuka
The controversial wrestler sparked attention for allegations made on the death of his wife. Even before Snuka had killed Nancy. The family had doubts about him with her mother being supportive of their relationship.
There was a time where Snuka would struggle her throat and slapped her and she fled the scene seeking comfort with her sister who encouraged her to exit the relationship but continued on until her death.
Snuka was under investigation as he told different versions of his wife's murder saying she would fall and hit her head and that she was sleeping while he had a match.
There were allegations that WWE founder Vince McMahon offered Nancy's mother hush money of which hasn't been confirmed as there was no evidence of course the case was reopened and Snuka was unable to stand trial due to his dementia and cancer.
6. Godfather Hates Pimps
Despite his character being a pimp, it turned out in his personal life he had a history with pimps before WWE he worked as a bouncer. It was revealed he would hit any pimp that entered the strip club.
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5. Brawl For All
JBL wanted to find out who was the toughest man in the locker room though Vince Russo was the one who conceived it. Russo didn't like JBL for the way he was bullying everyone so he figured someone would embarass him.
All those involved suffered immensely while JBL was forced to eat dirt.
4. New Jack's storyline
Jack passed away around the time he was trying a minor who had hoped to face him. Hunter Ray punched him in the face and Jack angry stabbed him multiple times only for Jack to get arrested. Red came to visit him in prison hoping to turn it into a storyline and he agreed and the two never contacted each other again.
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3. The killing of Bruiser Brody
One of the most disturbing stories, Brody was one of the most respected wrestlers with his style being influencal. Invader and Brody didn't like each other.
When Invader came to WWE, Brody beat him badly which resulted in Invader holding a grudge. Brody went to WWC and told that he was owed money there. They were also talks of him becoming minority owner there.
Tony Atlas said the locker room there was tense and Brody wasn't looking good asked Tony to sketch a sign. Atlas came with a towel to speak with Brody and heard a punch only to see Invader holding a knife trying to stab Brody again and Tony protected him and laid him on the floor.
The ambulance arrived 45 minutes later, he needed surgeries for the cuts and bruises and Brody was alive when he left the hospital and died later in the morning. No one was arrested, Invader (Jose Gonzalez) got off saying it was self defence while police thought it had something to do with their jobs.
Brody was portrayed as a loving husband and father in Dark Side Of The Ring.
2. North Korea
In 1995, WCW teamed up with North Korea to hold a wrestling event. Ric Flair, Scott and Rick Steiner and several others made the journey. Muhammad Ali managed to make the event thanks to the organizer of the event, Antonio Anoki.
According to Eric Bishop, there was an attendance of 300000 with the audience being forced to attend. A group of wrestlers were confronted by security after trying to play pool. Scott getting his call interrupted as he had to fight with the country.
According to Too Cold Scorpio, he had considered playing the role of Warrior Hog with him taking a hit with a chopstick. Chris Benoit urged him not as he would regret it and Scorpio listened.
1. Grizzly Smith
He wrestled between the 50s and 70s and was father to including Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Rockin' Robin, and Sam Houston. Despite Jake being the most famous no one knew he was part of a wrestling family.
His siblings were estranged to each other as they lived separately for part of their childhood where Jake had to live with his grandfather then abusive husband.
Jake was sexually assaulted by his stepmother when he told his father she abused him. He found out Grizzly had been doing the same to his sister Robin from the time she was 8.
Robin revealed her mom left with her when she told her of the situation. Grizzly's fifth child was married and had a child by the time she was 18 then she was kidnapped and her husband was convinced although no body was found.
Robin believed that her father may have some involvement in the death of her sister. One time, he showed up at her house with a 9 year old girl and discovered Grizzly had been treating her the same way as her.
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