Kurt Angle Interview Highlights

Alex Barie of WNW interviewed Kurt Angle earlier this week in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Below are the highlights: Who convinced him to go to WWE over WCW: Kurt Angle: WWE, F at the time, was going through the Attitude Era. I actually, thank God, met Ric Flair. I asked him about WCW and he straight up told time right to my face to not go there and go to WWE. Ric pretty much scared me off. WCW would do nothing with you. Vince McMahon would make you a star. Ric was right. I am very grateful what Vince did to me. He utilized me the right way. I believe if I would have went to WCW, it would have taken a heck of a lot longer to get to where I am now. The program that "put him on the map": Kurt Angle: My favorite was Triple H and Stephanie. That is what really put me on the map. That was my first year wrestling. Triple H, God bless him, is a great leader . Talk about getting in the ring with somebody and just carried you through everything. I had a concussion at Summerslam that first year and I don’t even remember what I was doing. I don’t even remember the match, but I know watching it over again Triple H, Dawyne, The Rock, just kept telling what to do and carried me through it. When I was suppose to duck out of the way, they literally pulled my head down themselves to miss and hit the other guy. You can just tell if you look back that I literally knew nothing what I was doing. I learned a lot that year. But that storyline with Triple H and Stephanie was my favorite. That or the comedy I did with Stone Cold. That was different. We were both injured and Vince McMahon wanted both of us on TV. We just had great chemistry. One of those two. Would you ever believe you'd be working with Eric Bischoff? Kurt Angle: No. At first I didn’t like Eric Bischoff. I didn’t think he would do anything to help the company. Hulk Hogan…..I always liked Terry. I didn’t have a problem with him. I thought he had one of the top three minds in the business because he was around Vince McMahon so much and when you are around Vince McMahon so much, you learn a lot! Thank God. …Him, Bruce Prichard, and Hulk Hogan are going to take TNA to the next level. Have they yet? No, but it always takes time. Everybody is always expecting overnight result. It doesn’t happen like that. Will you ever return to WWE? I can’t answer that (he smiles). I will say that I signed a three year deal with TNA recently. They want to extend the deal. I probably will. But anything is possible. A lot of wrestlers like to retire at Mania. They like to go out with 80,000-100,000 fans watching you. I’m no different, but I like the way TNA treats me. I like the money they pay me. Put it this way, my schedule, which is a part-time schedule, Thank God, I’m making the same money in TNA, maybe more, than what I would make in WWE if I was on the same schedule, so why would I want to leave? It doesn’t make any sense.

Hulk Hogan UK Interview Highlights

Hulk Hogan spoke with SportsVibe.co.uk this week to promote TNA’s Maximum Impact tour of the UK. Here are some highlights:




Q. You’re of course over here for the TNA Maximum IMPACT tour, what can the fans expect?



Nothing against Nottingham and nothing against Manchester but Wembley is the most important day for this company. This is going to be the most important day this company has ever had so far because we are filming the TV show here and it’s going to be in front of the greatest fans in the world.



It will make a statement to Spike TV and it’ll make a statement to Dixie Carter. Even though you send the TV signal out and all these people watch us, you can’t just leave it at that, you need to follow up and can’t just stay in Universal Studios. You need to go on the road and play the big game. I think Wembley is the most important day ever for TNA.



Q. Who in TNA should we be looking out for in 2012?



There are a lot of great guys in TNA, with the current champion Bobby Roode, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. There are a lot of talented guys but the wrestling part in the ring is only ten per cent of this business and they have to learn more than just that. There’s a lot more to the business than having a five-star match, there’s the media cross over, being in character, knowing when to break character, knowing how to deal with a locker-room full of men or knowing how to deal with a room full of kids that have cancer.



As soon as these guys figure that out and get off this ‘I’m a TNA original’ out of their mindset and look at the bigger picture, I think more of them will be like Bobby Roode and start to step up.



One guy that is doing that is Christopher Daniels, he’s starting to step out of that mould. When I see Daniels and shake his hand I say ‘Good morning super hero.’ I call him super hero because that’s what he’s going to be. He’s got the look, he’s got attitude, plus he’s so smart and is really stepping up.



Q. You’ve had many great matches and rivalries in the ring, but there has been a war of words on Twitter between the Ultimate Warrior and yourself. Do you think we could see the first ever Twitter wrestling match?



I don’t think it will happen because, number one, you can’t do business with him, he really never loved this business, some of us have the business in our veins like Ric Flair, Vince McMahon, Macho Man and myself. That’s what we are, we can’t move without this business. I think the Ultimate Warrior came in just to make money and he only lasted a couple of years, then when he left, he tried to do independent things but would screw the promoter’s over.



He’s really not what we would call one of the boys. The last time I saw the Ultimate Warrior, he was at my house spending time with my family, having a great time. Then all of a sudden I haven’t seen him for 10-years and I see all this crazy stuff he was putting on Twitter. Someone must of hit him in the head with a brick or something.



You just have to ignore him because he’s an idiot and you can’t do business with him. I can just pray for him and feel sorry for him, the guy is messed up, so there isn’t going to be a Twitter wrestling match between me and him because he might not show up or he might do something crazy. I’m into doing positive good things, I don’t need that crap.



Q. There is a lot of talk at the moment with regards to the Four Horsemen being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and Ric Flair attending the Hall of Fame this year whilst under contract with TNA, what are your thoughts?



I think it’s great, everybody is being very open and Dixie Carter is open and the lines of communication are open. It’s great that the two companies can agree on this and have a common bond because Ric Flair has been a staple in this industry, and as they are going to induct the Four Horsemen in the Hall of Fame it’s only right Ric Flair is there.



It’s like the WWE saying Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were never here just because we’re now with TNA. It doesn’t make sense because people know we were there and helped build that company. I think with the lines of communication opening it’s good business for everybody.

Jim Ross New Blog HIghlights

Jim Ross is back with a new blog over on jrsbarbq.com. Here are some highlights from this entry:




- Get well wishes to Rey Mysterio who had knee surgery in San Diego this past Friday. Rey had ACL and MCL issues addressed and will be out of action for several months. This is the same knee that Rey has had multiple surgeries so his rehabilitation work will be even more magnified and important.



- Many have asked me via Twitter @JRsBBQ and in the Q&A Section of this site to comment on the ESPN/Grantland article regarding Ric Flair's personal finances and other personal issues. Ric has been a friend for well over three decades and I was uncomfortable reading the piece. Ric has always enjoyed life to its fullest, and beyond, which, last I looked, wasn't a crime.



Lots of famous athletes and entertainers have had financial hurdles to overcome. If Ric has the issues that Grantland outlined, I wish Naitch well and he has my support.



- Several people have asked me about Samoa Joe. I personally like Joe's work and feel that his best days lie ahead. I do not know Joe. I've never conversed with him that I can recall. Bottom line is 1. he has a contract where he now works and 2. I am not involved in talent acquisition for WWE.



- Could Scott Hall fit in the announce booth as a color commentator? It's not an easy transition for many former wrestlers to make the move from the ring to the announce table so it wouldn't be automatic. However, Scott is a bright guy who is glib and he knows the genre well. If he put in the work that it would take to be an asset who's to say that Scott Hall wouldn't be a good broadcaster? I do know that it takes great focus, commitment and study to be as good as one needs to be in today's world. I don't know if Scott has an interest in this matter but it was a question from a Twitter follower.

Well worth a read Ric Flair Expose

Below is courtesy of http://www.grantland,.com/

Ric Flair has been physically attacked by at least three of his four wives.




In a 2005 divorce case with Elizabeth Harrell — wife no. 2 — Flair's lawyers detailed their accusations. "On more than one occasion," they wrote, "Plaintiff (Beth) has assaulted the Defendant (Flair), striking him about the head and body in an effort to provoke him into a physical confrontation."



In 2009, Flair filed a criminal complaint against Tiffany Vandemark — wife no. 3 — whom he accused of "hitting him in the face with a phone charger."



And in 2010, Flair and his current wife, Jacqueline Beams, returned to their Charlotte, N.C., home after dinner at the Lodge Restaurant. There, for reasons never made explicit, Jacqueline punched him repeatedly in the face. She was arrested.



The story of Ric Flair was once about a college dropout who rose through the ranks of professional wrestling to become a legend. It was about his nickname, "The Nature Boy," and his signature figure four leglock, both lifted from an older wrestler named Buddy Rogers. It was about his multiple championships, his bleach-blond hair, his fast-talking patter (by his own reckoning, Flair was a "stylin', profilin', limousine-riding, jet-flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin'-n'-dealin' son of a gun!"), and his signature, trademarked cry: "WOOO!"



Today the story is about a man known in the court system as Richard Morgan Fliehr, 62, born in 1949 and adopted by parents who raised him in Minnesota. That's what he was called this past April, when a judge ejected Fliehr from his Charlotte home because he couldn't pay his rent. That's what he was called in May, when he faced an arrest order for an unpaid $35,000 loan. That's what he's called on the paychecks from Total Nonstop Action, a second-tier outfit where he's still compelled to perform despite suffering from alcoholic cardiomyopathy, and where almost everything he earns goes toward old debts: lawyers, ex-wives, the IRS, former business partners, and anyone who made the mistake of lending him money.



Richard Fliehr declined to comment on the legal matters discussed in this story.



The Mecklenburg County courthouse in Charlotte contains thousands of pages documenting Fliehr's legal adventures. There, it's possible to unearth the gory specifics of a lifetime: how he passed out after attacking his son Reid in a fit of anger after the boy broke his drunken mother's arm by pushing her out of an elevator; how he lost a fistfight with his daughter's boyfriend; how he exposed his genitalia to airline attendants.1 One can also read how Fliehr allegedly flew into steroid-induced rages against his wife and children; how he suffered anxiety attacks and at least one nervous breakdown, how he broke his back in a 1974 plane crash; how he was mistreated by powerful bosses such as Eric Bischoff; how he bought millions of dollars' worth of jewelry for the women in his life; how he was cited for letting a drunk 20-year-old woman drive his car in North Carolina; how he used the same NWA title belt as collateral for two different loans.



Taken together, the information produces a rough timeline that illustrates Fliehr's self-destructive impulses. It includes excesses that Hollywood screenwriters wouldn't have the audacity to invent, and yet it follows its own logic — one bad decision comes after another, each magnifying the damage of the one to follow.



1990: Fliehr's poor decision-making expressed itself from the beginning of his professional career, but the consequences began to emerge after his 40th birthday.



He had a lifelong enemy in the IRS. Throughout the '80s, he did not pay his taxes. Finally, the state of North Carolina issued its reckoning: a 1990 notice that he owed more than $62,000 in back taxes from 1982, '83, and '88. Fliehr presumably paid without consequence. He wouldn't always be so fortunate.



In November 1990, Fliehr was caught traveling 95 mph in a 65 mph zone in Beckley, W.Va. He was forced to apply for a restricted license so he could drive from airports to his wrestling events. The superior court granted his request almost a full year later.



The same year, a woman named DeAnn Siden began to stalk Fliehr. Siden spent the next eight years following him from city to city, getting kicked out of wrestling venues, and eventually threatening his life. She claimed the two had an affair.



During the time of the stalking, Fliehr had been married to his second wife, Elizabeth, for seven years. They would have two children, Ashley and Reid. His first marriage to Leslie Goodman lasted from 1971 to 1983 and produced two other children, David and Megan.



1991: In August, Fliehr switched from WCW to the WWF. The NWA filed a lawsuit against him, angry that he was using his NWA title belt from 1990 in televised WWF promotions. Fliehr refused to return the belt, but a judge ruled that he could not use it for any commercial purpose. Additionally, he was barred from referring to himself as the NWA champion.



1992: DeAnn Siden, the stalker, gave birth to a girl named Tiffany. She claimed the child was Fliehr's.



1996: Macrolease International, a New York company, sued Fliehr for failure to pay $66,000 in gym equipment and fees for his Gold's Gym in Hickory, N.C. They earned a default judgment, meaning that Fliehr chose not to plead or defend himself in any way. This is the first documented sign of Fliehr's inability or refusal to repay his debts.



In March, Fliehr was arrested for letting a 20-year-old woman named Colleen McCune drive his car with a blood alcohol content almost twice the legal limit.



1997: A Charlotte painter named John Henighen received a $1,500 judgment for work on the Fliehr home. "We painted their large house inside and out," he wrote. "Had one day's work left for one painter and they would not let us complete the work and have not paid a red penny towards all the painting we did, which took 3 weeks or more and she Mrs. Fliehr treated us badly. Rude."



1998: Fliehr, unhappy with a proposed three-year contract with WCW, missed several appearances and was sued as a result. He countersued soon thereafter, complaining of mistreatment, especially by executive producer Eric Bischoff. While his appearances were being reduced, wrestlers like Hulk Hogan were promoted. Fliehr and his lawyers alleged that Bischoff treated him "in an increasingly hostile, rude, threatening and degrading manner. … [Bischoff's] language is crude, rude and 'socially unacceptable' even in the world of professional wrestling. He has threatened to bankrupt Plaintiff, put Plaintiff out of work, banish him to some foreign country and has referred to him as 'garbage.'"



They settled, and Fliehr stayed with WCW until 2001.



On January 3, DeAnn Siden phoned Fliehr and threatened to kill him and her own daughter if he didn't meet with her. She later phoned Elizabeth multiple times, voicing threats such as, "You will be sorry, you bitch!" and "You bitch, you are not going to get away with this!" Over the next month, Fliehr and Elizabeth identified several of her calls coming from the McDonald's restaurants where she worked.



After these calls and years of confrontations, Fliehr finally had his lawyers pursue criminal warrants for Siden's arrest.



In response, Siden made the bizarre move to file a domestic violence complaint against Fliehr. In the complaint, she said he had threatened to kidnap her if she didn't bring her daughter to visit from Houston, and "would tie me up, beat me up, and rearrange my face." She contacted Fliehr and told him she would drop her suit if he dropped his. Instead, a judge issued an injunction preventing her from having any contact with the family.



That seemed to end the drama, at least as far as Fliehr was concerned. In 2003, Siden was arrested for stalking another wrestler, Kurt Angle, and threatening to kill his wife.



Bad Money: The Early Signs of Trouble

2000: A judgment against Fliehr showed $15,000 in back taxes, interest, and late penalties to the state of North Carolina from 1989.



Branch Banking and Trust (BB&T) received a default judgment in March for the more than $20,000 Fliehr and Elizabeth owed on a loan. Again, Fliehr chose not to make any plea or defense after the suit was filed. Matters would soon become more critical, and he could no longer afford to stay above the legal fray.



2001: Back in 1999, Fliehr and Elizabeth purchased $19,871.21 worth of furniture and financed it through Household Bank, operating in North Carolina. Fliehr left the repayment to his wife, as he did with most financial matters, and the family suffered the consequences. Elizabeth was tricked by the bank into paying more than $26,000 on the principle, and they didn't sue until it became clear that Household still showed a balance of $7,921.07 plus interest accruing on the account. In September, bank representatives called Fliehr at 1:30 a.m., threatening his wrestling earnings. The bank asked if Fliehr thought he deserved special treatment. In a different phone call, Elizabeth heard a voice in the background say, "Tell him you're Steve Austin." Austin was a popular wrestler at the time.



The case was settled out of court. It's tempting to see this incident as an innocuous case with a relatively small penalty (especially by Fliehr's standards), but it gives the first hint of Elizabeth's method of dealing with money.



In November, Fliehr returned to the WWF.



2002: In May, Fliehr and a group of other wrestlers, including Scott Hall ("Razor Ramon") and Virgil Runnels III ("Dustin Rhodes a.k.a. Goldust") were on a chartered flight back to the United States after a series of shows in Europe. They began drinking, and the situation quickly deteriorated. Two flight attendants, Taralyn Cappellano and Heidi Doyle, would compile their allegations into a 2004 lawsuit. Chief among the chronicled misdeeds was Fliehr's sexual aggression. He wore nothing but a jeweled cape, the flight attendants said, and "flashed his nakedness, spinning his penis around." He separately grabbed each woman's hand and placed it on his crotch, and then "forcibly detained and restrained" Doyle "from leaving the back of the galley of the airplane while he sexually assaulted her." Other wrestlers on the flight passed out syringes to the flight attendants with instructions to dispose of them. The specifics of the assault aren't clear. At other points during the flight, Hall licked Doyle's face, told her he wanted to "lick her pussy," and asked Cappellano to "suck his dick." Runnels advised Cappellano that, "You and me are gonna fuck."



Fliehr has insisted that there's no truth to the allegations, but WWE settled with the women out of court.



In May, a man named Troy Wilkinson sued Fliehr for failing to pay him a share of a project involving the sale of "Crown Point," which likely related to gyms managed by Wilkinson in which Fliehr owned an interest. Fliehr admitted to owing Wilkinson $35,000 plus interest, though Wilkinson was demanding only $22,500 at the time. The two settled out of court.



2004: The federal government issued a lien on Fliehr's property and rights to property for $874,000 owed in back taxes from 1994, '95, '96, '98, and '99. A lien is a claim on property used to secure any tax debt. It stops short of a levy, which actually takes the property to pay the debt. This was the first of the really significant sums demanded by the government.



Ward Cagle, a Charlotte resident, sued Fliehr in July for breach of contract. Cagle had loaned Fliehr $40,000 in 2000, and Fliehr had agreed to pay the money back within 70 days. Nearly four years later, it was still unpaid. He did write Cagle a check in April 2001 for $44,000 (the loan plus interest), but it bounced. The men settled out of court, with Fliehr reportedly paying Cagle $10,000 and giving him a motorcycle.2



2005: Peter Wirth, a general contractor and part-owner of Testa & Wirth, put a lien on Fliehr's home in Charlotte due to $107,000 Fliehr and Elizabeth owed for work done on their home. "I will be able to get a list of people who say the Fliehr's [sic] do not pay their bills," Wirth wrote. "I thought of them as true friends and keep doing work for them figuring we might straighten out at the end. … Mrs. Fliehr was well aware of the past due bills and smart enough to know all of the work she asked for would have to be paid for."



Among the work Wirth's company performed was the installation of a $9,000 cedar ceiling, a $5,000 circular staircase, and almost $4,000 in marble work. Wirth's name would come up again before long.



Fliehr was also sued, again, by BB&T for repayment of $35,000 on a $400,000 loan they'd given him in 1998 to start "Flair with Wood," a business that operated his Gold's Gym in Hickory, N.C. "It seemed like it would be a home run in Hickory," Fliehr later said. He went on to speak about his partners in the enterprise, saying, "They just robbed, stole, cheated, and left me holding the debt." He told lawyers he couldn't sue them because they lived in Dallas, Texas, and the DA and BB&T wouldn't press charges. "They didn't have to," he said. "They had me."



Fliehr eventually paid off the $35,000. He sold the Hickory club.





Don Arnold/WireImage

Divorce from Wife No. 2 — Elizabeth

Fliehr left his wife in February 2005 for his "safety, health and wellbeing."



In the divorce settlement, Elizabeth accused Fliehr of "cruel and barbarous treatment," which included all of the following: abandoning the family, failing to provide love or affection, slapping her, kicking her, choking her, biting her, pulling her hair, verbal and emotional abuse, demeaning her in public, exposing his genitalia to the parties' friends, acquaintances, and even complete strangers, excessive use of alcohol and prescription drugs, steroid use and attendant bouts of rage and violence, adultery, exposing the children to his "paramour," crippling them financially because of his spendthrift ways, starting a fistfight with his son Reid at a wedding reception, taking his son to a strip club and serving him alcohol, opening up wrestling scars in order to appear bloody after he called the police on her, insulting her friends with racial slurs, bragging about the size of his genitalia, calling Beth fat, old, and a slut, accusing her of dressing "sexily" for other men, saying she would be "nothing in this town" without him, demanding sex, and, finally, forcing her to have sex.



She withstood it all, she noted, despite suffering from a cracked lumbar, osteopenia, and high cholesterol, and stood by Fliehr "in the midst of his nervous breakdown and frequent anxiety attacks." Not to mention the times she played his "loyal wife" during skits, bleached his hair, picked out his wardrobe, and helped in developing the "Nature Boy" persona.



In turn, Fliehr had some accusations of his own. Elizabeth, he said, was emotionally unstable, "as verbally abusive as any person [he'd] ever known," and physically violent. She spoke in a vile and profane manner, using the word "fuck" as a "noun, adjective, adverb, exclamatory remark and in every other way one can imagine." She told her kids to "fuck off" and told Fliehr to "get fucked." She projected her weaknesses and faults on others, was "mentally and physically slovenly," and lounged around the house. She was mean-spirited, belligerent, and had nothing nice to say about anyone. Further, she refused to engage in a meaningful or intimate relationship, and even encouraged him to look outside the marriage. She would often assault him in an attempt to provoke a fight, and was compulsive in her habit of making things up about Fliehr to humiliate him.



In her original affidavit, Elizabeth gave some insight to the couple's lifestyle and subsequent debts. She and Fliehr were accustomed to spending $5,500 per month on clothing and more than $2,000 per month on dining out, as well as $750 per month for a home lease that had expired. In Fliehr's response, he noted that Elizabeth had requested $17,000 per month for child support, despite the fact that both children were grown and out of the house, and $950 per month in gas. These demands were curtailed in later versions of the affidavit.



The Fliehrs acquired more than $750,000 in jewelry throughout the course of their marriage. He owned 20 guns — nine Magnums, four shotguns, four rifles, one 9mm semiautomatic pistol, and two other 9mm handguns.



But the truly lasting legacy of the marriage, especially for Fliehr, would be debt. Before the settlement was finalized, the couple already owed more than a million dollars. Most of those debts stayed with Fliehr and were aggravated when Elizabeth was awarded a lump sum of $140,000 and $15,000 per month in alimony for two years (a total that declined gradually as the years went by). Fliehr would eventually owe her more than $700,000. Combined, they were also liable for $1.15 million in taxes.



Lost somewhere were the two children, particularly Reid, who Fliehr admitted had "significant difficulties in the past two years, some of which are the result of the dysfunctional family dynamic in our home." He had been arrested during the divorce proceedings (he was bailed out by Fliehr's lawyer), and Fliehr attributed this at least partly to his upbringing. Reid Fliehr has since been arrested for assault and battery, possession of black tar heroin, and DWI. Ashley Fliehr, too, would clash with the law. In 2008, she was arrested for kicking a police officer after her father got in a fistfight with her boyfriend.



Each child used a Yukon Denali, Jet Skis, a Sundancer boat, and a Land Rover between them.



In April 2005, the IRS began to seize Fliehr's WWE earnings to pay back taxes.



In November, while stuck in a Thanksgiving weekend traffic jam, Fliehr was charged with assault after a motorist on I-485 in North Carolina said Fliehr grabbed him by the neck and kicked the vehicle's door. Witnesses to the incident never showed up for court, and the case was dropped.



2006: Gary Wright of the Charlotte Observer reported that Elizabeth's attempt to have Fliehr held in contempt for not sharing his Carolina Panthers season tickets failed.



A company called Conbraco Industries, which manufactures water valves, filed a suit against Fliehr for repayment of a $300,000 loan. According to a source close to the situation, Conbraco provided Fliehr with the financing to open 10 Gold's Gyms. When the gyms were sold or closed, Fliehr still owed more than $200,000. He stopped making his regular payments in April 2003.



Conbraco eventually received a favorable judgment; Fliehr owed them $185,000 plus interest from 2003 and $10,000 in attorney's fees.



Fink's Jewelers filed an action against Fliehr for $81,000 plus interest. Receipts show that Fliehr bought at least $76,000 of jewelry in a four-month period between November 2004 and February 2005. The case is ongoing.



On May 27, Fliehr married his third wife, Tiffany Vandemark. As his marriage to Elizabeth came to an end, he allegedly cashed in an annuity to buy a $100,000 engagement ring for Tiffany. He also bought her a Louis Vuitton bag and a Rolex watch. The wrestler Triple H was his best man.



2007: Greg Leon, who owns seven restaurants in South Carolina, loaned Fliehr $47,750 in October. According to Leon, Fliehr and Tiffany visited him at the time of the loan to decide on collateral. Fliehr offered to give him the engagement ring off Tiffany's finger, but a female friend of Leon's balked at the notion, and Leon reluctantly said no.



"I should have taken the ring," he said, "but that's just degrading." Instead, Fliehr gave him a Rolex watch, a motorcycle, and a boat. When it became clear that the debt wouldn't be repaid, Leon sold the Rolex. The boat and motorcycle, however, turned out to have no proper title. The boat is at a marina and the motorcycle stays in Leon's garage. A South Carolina judge awarded Leon a full judgment against Fliehr in early 2008, but the full amount hasn't been repaid.



When asked what it was like dealing with Fliehr, Leon said he regrets ever having done business in the first place. "I thought he was an honorable man."



But Fliehr had been a victim, too. Earlier in the year, he and his ex-wife finally began to realize the extent of their financial mismanagement. They filed a complaint against Scott Storick (among others), a man who had been their financial advisor and had gradually milked them in a staggering multiyear process.



The Storick Episodes

In the simple version of the story, alleged in a lawsuit, Storick repeatedly convinced Elizabeth to purchase replacement life insurance policies for herself and Fliehr. He told her that it would be a better deal for both, when the truth (speaking broadly) is that life insurance policies accrue money as they age, and prematurely dumping one before it pays off is a waste of money.



The problems began in 1994. At the time, Fliehr had whole life insurance with Guardian, a low-risk policy that accrued value over time. The beneficiaries were Fliehr's parents and Elizabeth. Scott Chamberlain, a representative of Principal Life, convinced the Fliehrs to switch their coverage to a universal life policy by showing that the premium payments would be less and the death benefit more. What he didn't explain was that because universal life policies oftentimes fluctuate more wildly with the market, less cash is guaranteed. Also, the new policy essentially meant that the insurance company could charge higher premiums if they determined over time that Fliehr — already an aging professional wrestler who would later admit to using steroids — was increasingly likely to die.



When Fliehr and Elizabeth figured out what happened, Storick entered the equation. Also a Principal Life agent, he "exhibited great concern" about Chamberlain's mismanagement and guided the Fliehrs into buying a Principal whole life policy. But he left out the fact that Fliehr's original Guardian policy, with all its accrued value, had yet to expire and could still be used. Instead, he led them through the process of surrendering that policy in favor of the new one. The new annual premium was more than twice the Guardian rate, and Storick benefited from the commissions. (The policy was put in Elizabeth's name "to prevent Mr. Fliehr from borrowing against the cash value of the policy.")



Storick became close to the couple as time went on. He was their main financial advisor and became so trusted that "Mrs. Fliehr confided to him the combination of her home safe."



That's when the policy churning began. In 1998, he sold Elizabeth a life insurance policy from Guardian, his new company. When he became a Travelers agent in 1999, he convinced Beth to replace both of Fliehr's Principal policies with Travelers universal policies. In 2000, he had Beth replace her own policy with a Travelers option.



Every time he made a switch, Storick approached Elizabeth as a friend, promising her that he'd found a better deal. Instead, Fliehr and his wife forfeited any accrued money, exposed themselves to greater risk, and lined the pockets of Storick and his successive companies.



In 2002, when Storick went to General American, it happened again. Two new policies for Fliehr.



By the time it was over and the divorce was settled, every active policy was surrendered to Elizabeth, though none of them were worth anything like their purported payout value. Fliehr was left without life insurance (at a time in his life when he was becoming less and less insurable) and with a net cash loss around $270,000.



But it didn't end there. If it was so easy for Storick to churn their life insurance policies, why not sell them annuities too? An annuity is a stock market investment, with the idea that at a specified date you'll receive annual payments. Many investors use them as retirement security, but the key aspect of an annuity is that it acts slowly. There's rarely an immediate benefit, and taking money out early often comes with associated penalties.



By telling Elizabeth that annuities were good substitutes for a savings account, he convinced her to buy 12 annuities for $1.24 million between 1994 and 2003.



In one particularly ruthless case in 2003, he advised Elizabeth to repay money borrowed from Fliehr's mother by purchasing two final annuities totaling more than $700,000. He didn't tell her that annuities are perhaps the worst kind of investment for debt purposes since they take too long to pay out. In the end, almost all of this money was levied by the IRS for back taxes.



In early 2000, Storick told Elizabeth that in order to use $150,000 she'd made from the sale of Fliehr's gyms as collateral for a different loan, she would have to put the money in a mutual fund. This advice, nearly absurd in its inaccuracy, was swallowed hook, line, and sinker. She listened, and lost $53,000 to the market by 2003.



After the divorce Fliehr received less than $150,000 on all annuities, after an initial investment of $1.24 million.



Storick couldn't keep the Fliehrs to himself. In 1999, he introduced Fliehr to Peter Wirth, the contractor who would later sue the family for unpaid work. Within a year, Storick and Wirth convinced Fliehr to invest $220,000 in a commercial real estate project. Next came a new project and an investment of $142,000. Then another for $101,000. A series of maneuvers by Wirth followed (including contracting the construction of an office building to his own company, Testa & Wirth, at a discount rate). By the time Fliehr's divorce went through, he'd made no return on the property investments and had lost almost $150,000.



Fliehr sued both men, eventually settling out of court for $230,000. Of that total, $60,000 went to his lawyers, and the remaining $170,000 went to pay part of the $708,000 he owed Elizabeth in back alimony payments.



After it was all over, Elizabeth Fliehr still considered Scott Storick a close friend.



2008: A Charlotte golf club, The Tournament Players Club of Piper Glen, received a $5,000 judgment against Fliehr for unpaid membership fees.



Blair Academy, a New Jersey private school attended by Reid, won a $33,859 judgment for unpaid tuition.



Chris Porter, a business partner, sued Fliehr for $115,000 on a $140,000 loan.



According to Fliehr's response to the lawsuit, Porter had convinced Fliehr to start a company called Ric Flair Finance, which was "intended to use the fame popularity of Fliehr in order to build a lead generation company for mortgages." Porter told Fliehr that they didn't need a lender or broker license to start the online company, which would generate leads and pass them to lenders for a fee. Fliehr advertised the company on WWE television broadcasts and before a NASCAR race in Delaware. When RFF finally launched, the "business model … turned out to be completely illegal." North Carolina shut down the company for noncompliance.



C&G Leasing sued Fliehr for $130,000 plus interest owed on a loan to rent gym equipment. In a deposition with C&G lawyers, Fliehr said he stopped making payments because "I couldn't afford to make them," and continued: "I'm saying that the crux of the matter is, I will make it good. I just can't do it today. That's where I'm at with a couple other things. … Right now, I can't do it. I'm going to court for a divorce on Tuesday, and things are tight again. The last divorce cost me $5 million. This one is costing me a lot, too. I never really saw it coming."



William K. Diehl, Fliehr's former attorney, demanded $180,000 in fees. "In the past, you have promised to pay me, but you have failed to do so," Diehl wrote in a letter. "I will also want you to bring me up to date on exactly the status of your obligations to Beth. You mentioned last night that she's excited that you have left Tiffany and she wants you to come home. Great idea!"



The letter also reveals that Fliehr signed a consulting deal with WWE and was planning to start a reality television show.



In August, Fliehr signed a security financing agreement with Conbraco. As collateral for the $185,000 he owed the company, he put up two championship belts, wrestling gear, a Rolex watch given to him by Shawn Michaels engraved "To Be the Man," framed magazine covers, an autographed poster of Michael Jordan, a poster of Fliehr and Vince McMahon, and any future earnings from the Storick lawsuit (these were never collected by Conbraco since they went to paying Elizabeth's alimony).



In September, Fliehr got in a fight with the 22-year-old boyfriend of his daughter Ashley at an apartment in Chapel Hill, N.C. When officers responded, they found Fliehr bloodied and bruised, lying on a bed. They described him as "elusive," and said he "just wanted everything forgotten." The Associated Press reported that Ashley "became belligerent and kicked an officer." She was charged with resisting arrest.



The Divorce from Wife No. 3 — Tiffany

Just two years after their wedding vows, Fliehr and his third wife were separated.



In June 2009, Tiffany hired a moving company to retrieve her possessions from Fliehr's house. She allegedly broke into the home using a shovel. In the process, she destroyed five "Flair Bear" stuffed animals and took 25. Also taken from Fliehr's house were 12 action figures, two handguns, three robes, a ruby necklace, and Fliehr's dog. One of the destroyed Flair Bears was found in a "lewd and lascivious" position in Fliehr's pool.



The ruby necklace was worn by Fliehr's mother and given to him after her death as an inheritance.



The dog was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Natch. Fliehr confirmed with his veterinarian that not only did Tiffany take the dog, but also had the "temerity to re-name Defendant's dog."



Fliehr, at this point, had debts totaling $1.7 million. He now earned a $32,824 net monthly income from WWE.



Tiffany was $754,948 in debt. "I struggled to maintain our living expenses along with an enormous debt that I had amassed during my previous marriage," said Fliehr. "I borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars from WWE, my family, and friends to make ends meet. Tiffany and I also accrued marital liabilities related to our own failed business ventures& Tiffany knows as well as anyone that we have no assets and a lot of debt."



Fliehr, bereft of a life insurance policy, had been persuaded to buy a new policy through Tiffany's mother. Tiffany was designated as an owner as well as a beneficiary, with 75 percent of the payouts going to Fliehr's children. Following their separation, Tiffany canceled the policy, leaving Fliehr, again, without life insurance.



Despite his troubles, Fliehr gave each of his children $1,600 per month for allowance. He spent $14,000 on Christmas gifts in 2008, bought Tiffany $200,000 worth of jewelry and a 2006 Porsche, spent $1,300 per month to dine out, and lived in a home that cost $5,000 per month.



Fliehr paid $7,000 per month as part of a separation agreement, but the payments lasted only until mid-2009. By May 2010, all matters had been settled and the case was dismissed.



2009: Fliehr's contract with WWE expired in June, and he was hired soon thereafter by TNA. As of February 2011, he made $22,000 per month with the organization (though the figure, a source told me, can fluctuate from month to month).



He filed a June complaint against Tiffany for assault and stalking after she hit him with a cell phone charger while trespassing near his home. In the complaint, one question asks whether the defendant abuses drugs or alcohol. Fliehr circled "alcohol" and wrote "a lot" in the space provided.



On November 11, he married Jacqueline Beems, his fourth wife.



2010: Three months into their marriage, Jacqueline was arrested for punching Fliehr in the face after a night on the town. She spent three hours in jail.



The State of North Carolina issued a certificate of tax liability against Fliehr for $45,000 in back taxes from 2008.



The federal government placed another lien on Fliehr's property for $627,758 in back taxes from 2005 to 2008.



Fliehr purchased a new Corvette and Camaro, both immediately subject to the IRS lien, leaving a total purchase balance of $110,000.



Ring of Honor, a wrestling promotion company, won a judgment for more than $40,000 against Fliehr for his failure to make contracted appearances.



Fliehr trademarked his familiar cry of "WOOO!" to make a trust for Jacqueline and his children.



2011: Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Fliehr's former lawyers, sued him for $88,000 in legal fees. They had helped him in his divorce proceedings against Tiffany and also advised him on other matters, such as how to protect trademarks such as his signature phrase: "To be the man, you've got to beat the man."



Wells and Donna Hall, property owners, received a default judgment against Fliehr for $17,000 in unpaid rent from 2010 and damage to property.



The Morehead Inn won a $4,000 judgment for money owed after a party Fliehr threw for his daughter Ashley.



In April, Fliehr received a judgment of ejectment from his home on Sharon Road in Charlotte. He was $4,542 in arrears on rent. The judge ordered that he "be removed from the premises." A source close to the situation says that Fliehr has caught up on rent and is still living at the property, which costs $3,683.00 per month.



As of February, TNA had not paid him royalties for six months.



He and Jacqueline still spend four to five thousand dollars per month traveling and dining out.



On May 26, an order for contempt and arrest was issued on Fliehr for failure to pay $35,000 he owed to Highspots, Inc., a wrestling merchandise company. They had previously tried to sell an NWA title belt Fliehr used as collateral to recover the loan, only to discover that it was already being used as collateral for Fliehr's debt with Conbraco.



Michael Bochicchio, the owner of Highspots, told me that he'd arranged a six-figure deal with Fliehr for promotional appearances and DVD projects, but that it fell through. He became Fliehr's friend during the process, and still describes him as "the greatest wrestler of all time." Soon, Fliehr asked to borrow money. The initial sums were small, only a few thousand, and were consistently repaid. Then he began asking for more.



"I felt like, you know what, this is still a good investment for my business," said Bochicchio. "I didn't mind doing it."



Fliehr put up the title belt, which Bochicchio called "the holy grail of wrestling merchandise," as collateral. When the deal fell through and Fliehr still owed $35,000, Highspots tried to sell the belt. They had an offer of $100,000, but soon discovered the conflict with Conbraco.



"We made our bed with Ric Flair, and it took us two years to get out of it," Bochicchio said. "He has absolutely no plans for the future. He could never separate Ric Flair from Richard Fliehr."



Shane Ryan is a staff writer for Grantland. Follow him on Twitter at @TobaccoRdBlues.





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Ric Flair Interview Highlights Re: Randy Savage

Ric Flair was a guest on 610-AM The Fan’s “The Drive” show with Taylor Zarzour and Marc James on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. In the interview they went over the awful death of Randy Savage. Here are some comments from the interview.


Flair on “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s death hitting hard: “It sure did (hit hard). It’s pretty sad. He just recently got married, it’s been a little over a year, and was happy and, you know, really seemed to be at peace with himself. He just had a phenomenal career and to have this happen is just really, really sad.”

Flair on his WrestleMania VIII match with Savage: “That was a huge day for me and my first dance at WrestleMania, of course. It was just a tremendously well-written program. It was like he was married to Liz back then and she was a huge commodity and a huge star with the WWF, or that’s what they were called back then, of course. And the thing was, ‘She was mine before she was yours.’

It was well-written and done and Randy worked hard at it and I worked hard at it. We had a really good match. Curt Hennig, God rest his soul, managed me and Liz managed Randy and we gave them a hell of a show and it was awesome. That was my first Mania and one of the finest memories of my career.”

Flair on Savage: “My thoughts about Randy are different. I think he was such a competitive guy. Randy had a really hard time relaxing and I feel bad. I think about the times I used to say to him, ‘Hey man, just calm down and don’t worry about this and this and this… whatever happens is going to happen.’

“If you go to sleep at night worrying about what’s going to happen the next day, it’s just too hard. You know, he worked like I did, 365 times a year back in the old days.

“He actually broke in in Charlotte in 1975. I’d only been here a year when Randy moved in down here. He played semi-pro baseball, I think, in St. Louis and was doing fairly well but wasn’t blowing up the ladder like expected so he came here and broke in the business.

“The irony in that is when I first moved here in ’74 I actually traveled with his dad (Angelo Poffo)several times. I knew the whole family very well. His dad just passed recently and I think that hurt Randy really bad. They were very close.

“Randy just dropped out of sight when the company was sold from WCW (to WWE). The thing I feel worst about, of all of the guys that are available and eligible to be in the WWE Hall of Fame — there most be something that I’m unaware of that’s gone on and they’ve never inducted him because Randy certainly was a major player for the WWF in the mecca days of the ’80s and ’90s.”

Flair on if Savage is one of the ten greatest wrestlers of all time: “Of course. Yeah. Of course. … I didn’t always agree with Randy. I’m not gonna lie to you. I didn’t sweat things out like he did. But I wasn’t… I didn’t have to fight like a dog in that race they had to be whoever they were in the eighties in that show, where everybody was fighting for position everyday of their life. I didn’t have to evolve from that.

“I never had personal differences with him, nothing about lifestyle. It was just about business and it doesn’t stop my opinion (of him)… he always did favors for me. He came in and opened some of my Gold’s Gyms.

“We were great friends. He and I clashed in business but outside of the ring we were great. He could drink beer and have a good time. And I made him laugh and helped him take his mind of things that bothered him. We got along great and had a lot of fun together.

“I used to say to him all the time, he probably died with 300 million dollars in the bank. I’m not exaggerating. I’m being facetious. But Randy was very thrifty. I used to say to him all the time, because he would stay at hotels that were less cost effective than where I stayed. (laughs)

“You can criticize it all you want but I’m going to enjoy the moment because you never know, you know. The irony in that is Randy was only 58 years old. That’s sad because I guarantee you he’s got enough money to live 200 more years. He made it. He worked hard to earn it. He worked very hard to earn it. He deserved it.

“But I always used to say to him, ‘Man, you live for the day.’ Today’s another example of why you have to live for today. You never know.”

Ric Flair Comments on Randy Savage

TNA Wrestling talent Ric Flair appeared on Charlotte’s “The Fan” 610 AM WFNZ sports radio station on Friday to discuss Randy Savage following his passing earlier in the day. Highlights are as follows:




Flair on “Macho Man” Randy Savage:



“It sure did (hit hard). It’s pretty sad. He just recently got married, it’s been a little over a year, and was happy and, you know, really seemed to be at peace with himself. He just had a phenomenal career and to have this happen is just really, really sad.”



Flair on his WrestleMania VIII match with Savage:



“That was a huge day for me and my first dance at Wrestlemania, of course. It was just a tremendously well-written program. It was like he was married to Liz back then and she was a huge commodity and a huge star with the WWF, or that’s what they were called back then, of course. And the thing was, ‘She was mine before she was yours.’ It was well-written and done and Randy worked hard at it and I worked hard at it. We had a really good match. Curt Hennig, God rest his soul, managed me and Liz managed Randy and we gave them a helluva show and it was awesome. That was my first Mania and one of the finest memories of my career.”



Additional thoughts on Savage:



“My thoughts about Randy are different. I think he was such a competitive guy. Randy had a really hard time relaxing and I feel bad. I think about the times I used to say to him ‘Hey man, just calm down and don’t worry about this and this and this… whatever happens is going to happen.’ If you go to sleep at night worrying about what’s going to happen the next day, it’s just too hard. You know, he worked like I did, 365 times a year back in the old days. He actually broke in in Charlotte in 1975. I’d only been here a year when Randy moved in down here. He played semi-pro baseball, I think, in St. Louis and was doing fairly well but wasn’t blowing up the ladder like expected so he came here and broke in the business.



“The irony in that is when I first moved here in ‘74, I actually traveled with his dad several times. I knew the whole family very well. His dad just passed recently and I think that hurt Randy really bad. They were very close. Randy just dropped out of sight when the company was sold from WCW (to WWE).



“The thing I feel worst about, of all of the guys that are available and eligible to be in the WWE Hall of Fame — there most be something that I’m unaware of that’s gone on and they’ve never inducted him because Randy certainly was a major player for the WWF in the mecca days of the eighties and nineties.”



Flair on whether Savage is one of the 10 greatest wrestlers ever:



“Of course. Yeah. Of course. … I didn’t always agree with Randy. I’m not gonna lie to you. I didn’t sweat things out like he did. But I wasn’t… I didn’t have to fight like a dog in that race they had to be whoever they were in the eighties in that show, where everybody was fighting for position everyday of their life. I didn’t have to evolve from that. I never had personal differences with him, nothing about lifestyle. It was just about business and it doesn’t stop my opinion (of him) — he always did favors for me. He came in and opened some of my Golds Gyms. We were great friends. He and I clashed in business, but outside of the ring we were great. He could drink beer and have a good time. And, I made him laugh and helped him take his mind of things that bothered him. We got along great and had a lot of fun together.



“I used to say to him all the time, he probably died with 300 million dollars in the bank. I’m not exaggerating. I’m being facetious. But, Randy was very thrifty. I used to say to him all the time, because he would stay at hotels that were less cost effective than where I stayed. (laughs) You can criticize it all you want but I’m going to enjoy the moment because you never know, you know.



“The irony in that is Randy was only 58-years-old. That’s sad because I guarantee you he’s got enough money to live 200 more years. He made it. He worked hard to earn it. He worked very hard to earn it. He deserved it. But I always used to say to him, ‘Man, you live for the day.’ Today’s another example of why you have to live for today. You never know.”

DVD Review - TNA Final Resolution 2010

DVD Review - TNA Final Resolution 2010

By Phil Allely

2010 had been a year of ups and downs with TNA, there had been many changes to the product and the behind the scenes moves and shakes have seen such people as Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, RVD, Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair join the array of talent that the company has on hand.  Final Resolution was TNA’s best shot at ending the year on a high and to a degree it did just that.

Opening things of were tag teams Beer Money and Ink Inc, Storm and Roode proved once again how integral they are to the TNA product by raising the game of their opponents Moore and Neal. The in-ring action was well paced and showed both teams to their best, Neal especially displaying much improved ability and psychology than before.

With the addition of Mickie James and return of Tara to the fold the once mighty Knockouts division was back on track once more. James and Tara adding their brutal and exciting Falls Count Anywhere scrap to their spate of quality encounters.  As cat fights go this was a blinder, both ladies going all out to beat each other about the ring, ringside area and anywhere else they could.

Next up TNA newcomer Robbie E defended his X Division gold against Jay Lethal, with E’s good lady Cookie holed up in a shark cage for the duration of the match. The pair put forth a decent and involving bout, trading high spots and near falls.

Former buddies Rhino and RVD were certainly up for their First Blood match too, both unleashing a decidedly old-school ECW style battle.

The match of the night followed and in more ways than one showed that AJ Style is one of TNA’s best workers. His opponent Douglas Williams was no slouch either. The pairing moulded perfectly together to bring the audience in attendance and at home into their mini feud over Styles TNA Television Title. This was pure pleasure for fans of high risk moves, chain wrestling and hard-hitting action.

Generation Me and The Motor City Machineguns was a close second for match of the night though.  The added factor of the Tag Team gold on the line and a Full Metal Mayhem stipulation meant the fans expectations were high. Luckily both pulled out all of the stops and went through a roller coaster ride of a match that saw ladders, chairs, insane high-risk moves and some nice looking double teams.

Abyss and The Pope’s Casket match was pretty good considering Abyss’ garbage wrestling style. The pair trading the advantage and pulling the old Undertaker casket lid closing tease a few times.

Samoa Joe’s post match assault by rogue security guys Gunner and Murphy gave Jeff Jarrett a distinct advantage in their Submission match.  Jarrett held his own well against a weakened Joe, giving as good as he got, showing no mercy on Joe’s injured ankle.

The main event match between Matt Morgan and TNA Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy was a one sided affair at times, Morgan’s size and strength advantage leaving Hardy on the defensive a lot. The returning Mr Anderson as special referee also put Hardy’s back up too, making the match an exciting way to round off 2010.

Final Resolution was a very good effort by TNA, some of the finishes were not as popular as expected. But it did sprout forth some fine matches and the odd shock win.

TNA Final Resolution 2010 is available now form all good DVD stockists and www.tnawrestling.com

WWE DVD Cover - Very best of WCW Monday Nitro

Mick Foley new TNA DVD match line-up

he following matches will be appearing on TNA's new Mick Foley DVD, Hardcore Legend, which comes out on April 19th: 
* Mick Foley's TNA Wrestling debut in September 2008 
* TNA Genesis 2009: Mick Foley, AJ Styles and Devon vs. Booker T, Scott Steiner and Kip James
* Sting and Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley 
* Mick Foley Interviews Cactus Jack 
* TNA Lockdown 2009: Sting vs. Mick Foley for the World Title 
* TNA Victory Road 2009: Kurt Angle vs. Mick Foley for the World Title 
* TNA Bound For Glory 2009: Abyss vs. Mick Foley in Monster's Ball 
* TNA Final Resolution 2009: Abyss and Mick Foley vs. Raven and Stevie Richards 
* TNA iMPACT: Jeff Jarrett vs Mick Foley 
* TNA iMPACT: Ric Flair vs. Mick Foley 

AJ Styles Interview Highlights

Alex Marvez of Scripps News recently spoke to TNA's AJ Styles. Here are some highlights:


Fortune splitting from Immortal:

"I knew we eventually would have to go there anyway. Fans wanted to see Fortune turn on Immortal. They never wanted to see Fortune be a part of Immortal in the first place. When we teased going against them, it created a big rumble. I think it's a blessing in disguise that those guys took jobs with WWE. We're moving forward here with something I hoped that would be done."



Being put with Ric Flair last year:

"It didn't fit my personality at all. Ric casts a big shadow. I think I've learned more about how to get out of that shadow when I was up against him rather than with him. When you're with Ric, he's going to get your attention. I definitely learned some stuff like the way to cut an (interview) and stuff like that. I respect him. Even though he's 62, he's still one of the most entertaining guys in pro wrestling."



When asked if "the torch" has been passed with the Fortune push:

"I don't know. The whole thing with Sting and I, the torch was supposedly passed, but here he is back again (as TNA world champion). I don't know if there is a torch to be passed anymore because so many people change their mind about whether they're staying or going or retiring. The biggest thing is, I want to be part of something that everybody knows about whether it's Fortune or TNA, something that's as big as WWE. I'm not saying I want to go to WWE or anything like that. I want TNA to explode."

Best of WCW Nitro DVD Contents

Silvervision released the full content listing for WWE's new The Very Best of WCW Nitro DVD set. The DVD will be hosted by former World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page. Here it is:


Disc 1:



WCW History Lesson



Flyin’ Brian Pillman vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

4th September, 1995



Hulk Hogan vs. Big Bubba Rogers

4th September, 1995



"Macho Man" Randy Savage & Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair & Arn Anderson

8th January, 1996



“Rome wasn’t built in a day.”



WCW World Tag Team Championship Match

Sting and Lex Luger vs. The Road Warriors

5th February, 1996



Parking Lot Brawl

Lord Steven Regal vs. Belfast Bruiser

29th April, 1996



Eddie Guerrero vs. Ric Flair

20th May, 1996



Scott Hall Nitro Debut

27th May, 1996



Kevin Nash Nitro Debut

10th June, 1996



Migrating to Hot’Lanta



WCW World Tag Team Championship Triangle Match

Sting & Lex Luger vs. The Steiner Brother vs. Harlem Heat

24th June, 1996



nWo is Taking Over

8th July, 1996



nWo Awoke a Sleeping Giant



The Outsiders attack WCW Superstars

29th July, 1996



Sting & Lex Luger vs. The Outsiders Scott Hall & Kevin Nash

12th August, 1996



nWo takes Over

26th August, 1996



“Sting” attacks Lex Luger

9th September, 1996



The Enigmatic Sting



Sting walks out on Nitro

16th September, 1996



Rowdy Roddy Piper confronts Eric Bischoff

18th November, 1996



Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Dean Malenko

30th December, 1996



Disc 2:



Badda Bang!



Diamond Dallas Page vs. Mark Starr

13th January, 1997



Harvey Schiller suspends Eric Bischoff

3rd March, 1997



Sting attacks the nWo

17th March, 1997



The High- Flying Cruiserweights



WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match

Syxx vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.

21st April, 1997



WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match

Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Lex Luger

4th August, 1997



Disregard for Tradition & Authority



nWo mocks the Four Horsemen

1st September, 1997



Diamond Dallas Page vs. Buff Bagwell

29th September, 1997



Sting Saves DDP from the nWo

27th October, 1997



Sting vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage

2nd February, 1998



Jericho’s 1004 Holds

30th March, 1998



Who’s Next?



WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match

Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Goldberg

6th July, 1998



WCW World Tag Team Championship Match

Kevin Nash & Sting vs. Scott Hall & The Giant

20th July, 1998



Non-Title Match

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Chris Jericho

3rd August, 1998



WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match

Juventud Guerrera vs. Billy Kidman

14th September, 1998



Tradition Returns!



Ric Flair Returns to the Four Horsemen

14th September, 1998



WCW United States Championship Match

Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Diamond Dallas Page

26th October, 1998



Ric Flair vs. Eric Bischoff

28th December, 1998



Disc 3:



Cracks in the Armour



WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match

Kevin Nash vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan

4th January, 1999



Goldberg Spears The Hitman

29th March, 1999



WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match

Sting vs. Diamond Dallas Page

26th April, 1999



Solidifying a Legacy



Eddie Guerrero vs. Juventud Guerrera

21st June, 1999



Hulk Hogan & Goldberg & Sting vs. Kevin Nash & Sid Vicious & Rick Steiner

9th August, 1999



Billy Kidman vs. Diamond Dallas Page

16th August, 1999



WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match

Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Goldberg

20th December, 1999



WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match

Kevin Nash vs. Sid Vicious

24th January, 2000



Last Ditch Effort



The Bischoff & Russo Era Begins

10th April, 2000



Steel Cage Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match

Jeff Jarrett vs. Diamond Dallas Page

24th April, 2000



Tag Team Ladder Match

3 Count vs. Jung Dragons

18th July, 2000



WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match

Booker T. vs. Lance Storm

7th August, 2000



Triple Cage War Games Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

4th September, 2000



Vince McMahon Buys WCW

26th March, 2001



Sting vs. Ric Flair

26th March, 2001



Celebrating WCW



Special Features:



Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Mr. JL

26th August, 1996



Diamond Dallas Page Monday Nitro Highlights

Steve Austin Interview Highlights

Author Kevin Sullivan, who wrote the upcoming book on the history of the WWE Title, published the following comments from Steve Austin on his blog. Austin made the comments while speaking with Sullivan during his research for the book. Here's what Austin said when asked his thoughts on the greatest WWE Champion of all-time:




"There’s no way to name just one. In terms of drawing power and being a marquee name, I’m going to say it’s a tie between Stone Cold and Hogan. Hogan was the organization back in the ’80s, and I would say Stone Cold had the same appeal. Damn, I broke attendance records, pay-per-view records, merchandise records …



As far as pure wrestlers go, there are too many bad ass wrestlers, but I would say it’s a tie between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Randy Savage was bad ass, too. But he was more of an IC Title guy. But Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels told some great stories. It’s a dead tie. They could work circles around Hogan, and also outwork me.



I would say Ric Flair is the greatest World Champion that ever lived. But I don’t equate him with the WWE Title."

Eric Bishoff Discuss 'They' and more..

Extracts from a recent Eric Bishoff interview about 'They' and more from TNA...

"I don't think there's any one thing in success & failure. It's always a combination of several things. I think one of the things we are doing that is resonating with the audience in integrating more reality into our stories whenever we can. Keeping an edge on our stories & characters, more so than we have done in the past. Where we are in our storylines really started back in October at Bound for Glory, and it's continuing now where we are today and where we are leading up to on March 3rd."




His opinion on the new direction of the "They" storyline:



"I think 'Plan B' (the Fortune split from Immortal) was well-received. It caught everyone by surprise when everyone came to TV, because we didn't call everyone and give a heads-up in advance and because we like to contain & control information creatively as best we can. Once everyone wrapped their heads around it, I think the guys were very excited about it. Fortune is a strong, aggressive, young, emerging group of talent that saw a opportunity for them to step up, and now they're taking it."



What fans watching at home can expect to see on the March 3rd edition of iMPACT that's different from their normal Thursday night TNA viewing experience:



"What I'm hoping we're going to see is, I know we are going to see a pretty powerful show from a content point of view. You are also going to see a show in front of an energized crowd in a bigger arena that has a different kind of energy. I'm going to say better energy, but a different kind of energy than we typically see."

TNA Live Pics January 2011

TNA Live Pics january 2011

Triumph and Tragedy of World Class Championship Wrestling

The Triumph and Tragedy of World Class Championship Wrestling




By Phil Allely



Ever wonder where the idea for music driven entrances, over the top performances, glamorous valets and mega-shows came from in the world of wrestling? If you have this release is one for you. WCCW was a hotbed of in-ring action during its 1970s-1980s heyday, run by legendary grappler Fritz Von Erich it dominated local cable channels and grew into a very big concern for Fritz and his family. This DVD box et uses the WWE owned back catalogue of TV and pay-per-view recordings to their best and shows just how the company rose and unfortunately how it fell as well. Though the ride itself to the top and back down again is a heart wrenching one full of tragedy, yet somehow at the same time immensely watchable and involving.



At the centre of this set is a nice almost two hour documentary, (which does of course take a WWE slant on some things) which covers the Von Erich family in depth and highlights their in-ring triumphs and the personal demons each seemingly had accompanying them throughout their lives.



Brothers Mike, Kevin and Kerry were the main stars of the show in WCCW. They faced some of the wrestling worlds most well known and respected wrestlers during their prime and had some of the industries hottest and best attended matches of all time doing so. Across this set you get to see and hear comments from such luminaries as Ric Flair, The Fabulous Freebirds, Gary Hart and others of the era, plus a few talking heads from today’s sport. All of which are linked well with the documentary footage and other parts of the production.



For wrestling historians sets like this are pure gold, for fans of good honest wrestling they are stunning efforts too. The content has been well thought out and it’s not just the Von Erich’s who get profiled, whilst the sections on the late family members (many of which are deceased due to drug dependency, injury issues or other personal problems), we also get nice mini profiles of guys like ‘Gentelman’ Chris Adams, Gino Hernandez, Missing Link, Kamala and hardmen like Terry ‘Bam Bam’ Gordy. All of which pave the way for the second disc, featuring a dozen of the best matches from WCCW’s classic period. Matches include: Von Erich’s vs The Freebirds, Chris Adams and Sunshine tacking the paring of Jimmy Garvin and Precious, plus the wonderfully fulfilling NWA Heavyweight Championship cage bout between Ric Flair and Kerry Von Erich.



The Triumph and Tragedy of World Class Championship Wrestling certainly puts the emphasis firmly on the Von Erich boys and their determined father, the company they built out of Texas and how it spawned the way wrestling is presented now at all levels. The old footage is well delivered, the deceased wrestlers are lovingly remembered and last surviving Von Erich, Kevin has some interesting and moving nuggets of information on his family and the company they helped build.



The two disc dvd is available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.

More Flair News/Rumours re: Maximum Impact Tour 2011

Several TNA wrestlers are rolling their eyes at the news of Ric Flair coming back to the current UK tour. The decision to bring Flair back on the tour is said to be a financial one. The feeling was that they needed to keep Flair on the tour to maintain good relations with the local promoters and the fans. This is the same reason Matt Hardy was added to the tour after a number of recent changes with Kurt Angle leaving as well as injuries to AJ Styles and Alex Shelley.




Most of the TNA crew was in favor of leaving Flair behind in Dublin earlier this week and aren't happy about him coming back. Several wrestlers spoke up to TNA officials in the past day, pushing for him to be sent him and even released from the company.



On the other hand, a lot of the TNA talents feel sorry for Flair. One TNA wrestler, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Flair has asked several co-workers for money when his credit cards have been declined.



Another source says that the younger TNA stars have began to unite against the veterans with the feeling that they're the ones carrying TNA with their work while some of the veterans treat TNA like it's their "country club."

Ric Flair News

It appears as though Ric Flair has left TNA's tour of the United Kingdom.


The word is that Flair wanted a financial advance which was rejected by tour manager Craig Jenkins. As a result, Flair felt disrespected and decided to leave, not boarding the bus that was taking the TNA crew to the airport for their flight to Germany.

UPDATE: One anonymous source said Flair "threw a fit" and "He was playing 'Nature Boy' on the tour and got pissed off and threw a tantrum. As far as we all know, he's in Dublin still. He said he wasn't coming and he wasn't in Berlin."

TNA's head of publicity, Steven Godfrey has said, "TNA does not comment on personnel matters."

TNA Dublin 24 January 2011 Personal Pics

here are a few pics taken at the TNA Dublin National Stadium show on January 24th 2011....