Former WWE and TNA star Kurt Angle was the recent guest on “The Ric Flair Show” and below are some interview highlights.
To listen to the entire interview, please subscribe to MLW Radio where you can also listen to Flair’s interview with Dana White in this same podcast.
On the talent of Cody Rhodes:
He is so talented. You know, watching him in WWE, I just think he is so entertaining, and didn’t realize how entertaining he can be outside the ring. I don’t agree that Stardust was the right character for him, I was just impressed that he can do it. So, I think Cody is such a valuable talent, I’m just surprised that he didn’t get pushed.
On Conor McGregor:
Conor McGregor is an incredible athlete. A wonderful fighter; I watch himhe’s so polished. I believe that Conor has taken the wrestling playbook and utilized in the UFC. In other words, he loves being the heel, and he does it very well. I know somebody else that was the best heel of all time and that was Ric Flair, and the thing is, Ric knew how to get heat, and this kid is getting heat. You know, the comments he made about pro wrestling, whether he thinks it’s real or not, I do believe that his comments were real and that he really meant it, but I think he said it because it makes his character even more hateful. What Conor is doing is strictly for the money. The more he can stir people up, the more popular he becomes, and I also believe he wants to cross over. I believe he wants to go to WWE, and this is a good opening, a good avenue for him. I don’t believe Conor McGregor can fight much longer and I wouldn’t doubtyou know, you saw Floyd Mayweather do it against the Big Show, I wouldn’t doubt if Conor wants a oneoff with the WWE and that’s just me. I think it’d have to be a gimmick match, kind of like Mayweather had against the Big Show. He is a great entertainer and can kick a.
Read Also: Brock Lesnar Rips Into Conor McGregor in Expletive-Laden Rant
On meeting Dana White:
I did talk to him. I met with him twice, and we had some great talks. One was in 2006, one was in 2010, and we just couldn’t come to an agreement of when to start. It was tough, I mean, the first time, whether you think I’m dumb or not, but Dana offered me a great deal, but I just signed with TNA, and felt an allegiance to TNA, and I had spent time with him a week prior, and told me that when you are done wrestling just give me a call, and I was going to leave back in 2010 when that whole ordeal happened with Jeff [Jarrett] and Karen [Jarrett], I called Dana and he met with me. I took the physical and I did everything I had to do, but unfortunately again, Dana gave me a great offer but he wanted me to start in 4 1⁄2 weeks and to face Kimbo Slice, and I just felt like he was setting me up to fail. He wanted me to be on Real Fighter with Kimbo, like 6 years ago and he wanted me to start that way, but I said, Dana, I am not going on there for free, so you know, he gave me a significant amount of money and an offer to be on the show, plus the fight, but the problem was, 4 1⁄2 weeks before the show started, I wouldn’t even have time to get ready for the show, let alone the fight, so I felt that he was asking for too much, too fast.
On Brock/UFC Situation:
Listen, Brock is never going to be known as the greatest UFC Fighter of all time. He has technique, but he is not a polished technician, like Anderson Silva or Royce Grace, or Conor McGregor, but what Brock Lesnar has athletic ability, strength and his stamina. He is a Beast at 300 lbs, nobody moves like him. Nobody has the strength like him, or the power he has. So, what he lacks in technique he makes up in athleticism, so Brock is one of a kind, one in a trillion. He can be good in whatever he wanted. If he would have stuck with Football he would have been a ten time allpro. He is definitely a bad a. Thing is, with Brock, he is always going to excel in whatever he does. The thing that happened with Randy Orton at SummerSlam, Brock is a pro, he follows orders, he is not a guy to take things into his own hands. I don’t Brock opening up his own parameters and say, you know what, I’m going to open this son of a bch up and I’m going to beat the hell out of him, screw Vince McMahon, screw the WWEBrock is not like that. He has always been a pro so I find that very hard to believe that it wasn’t planned.
On the success of AJ Styles:
AJ is one of a kind. I have always compared him to a lot of people like: Shawn Michaels. He has a knack in the ring. He just knows where he is and what to do, he has it all. He knows when the fire up at the right time, he knows when to sell…the kid is just phenomenal at what he does. I have never had less than a 5 star match with the kid. With AJ, I can’t believe it took him this long to get to WWE, that is what blew my mind because I have known him for 11 years and it’s like, what’s going on here? Why hasn’t this kid ever had the opportunity, and I’m sure right now Vince is saying to himself, damn, I wish I had this kid 10 years ago, so I’m just glad he made it. AJ had a great career in TNA. He went to New Japan, but it’s good to see him end his career in WWE. I’m very happy for him. The great thing about AJ, and why he also reminds me of Ric Flair is because he can go in there and I can wrestle AJ for a half hour and not break a sweat. He makes it really easy to wrestle him. I was injured a lot when I wrestled AJ and I didn’t have to do anything, he was doing all the work.
On His Health:
I feel real good. I am glad I took this year off. I’m down to 225lbs. My neck, knees and back feel great. This is the best I have felt in years. I wrestled Zack Sabre Jr in June in the UK. They gave me a lot of money out there to wrestle. He is talented. I know WWE signed him for the Cruiserweight thing, he is a rare talent. I enjoyed working with him. Before him, I wrestled Rey Mysterio in March for a ppv called …., but I have a couple of matches in the Fall in the UK. The money is good and the wrestlers are pretty talented. I am also wrestling Cody Rhodes out there again. So I am excited about getting out there again with Cody, and a third match somewhere else so we will see what happens.
On His Future:
Well, I’m not sitting at home waiting around. I am doing my own thing. I just signed with an agency. I did a really funny TV Show called, “Those Who Can’t.” It is a comedy on TruTV, and they are in their second season. I am doing stuff like that. I’m booking my own thing and doing my own appearances. If I go back to WWE it would most likely be the year or year after. I did talk with Triple H a few months ago, very loose conversation. They have interest, I have interest. They don’t know what to do with me yet, you know, it was more of a loose conversation. Put it this way, I wouldn’t be surprised if I go back next year and I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t go back at all. But it was kind of cool to talk to Triple H and bury the hatchet with the past. We are both on good terms with each other. I reach out to Vince every once in awhile. It’s just good to be able to let the past go behind you and you know, if something does happen, it just feels good to know that I will end my career there. If I don’t, then that’s fine too. The Hall of Fame is important to me, but it wouldn’t kill me if I wasn’t in. You just never know.
To listen to the entire interview, please subscribe to MLW Radio where you can also listen to Flair’s interview with Dana White in this same podcast.
