Shelton Benjamin Talks Race And Dislikes, Flair Radio Recap, Kimbo A Free Agent & More
- Ric Flair was on Mark Madden's radio show today on WXDX in Pittsburgh. Madden mentioned Ric's return to Raw and "possibly" his return to the ring. They were busting on each other about the NHL Playoffs with Flair's Carolina Hurricanes losing to Madden's Pittsburgh Penguins. They also talked about how ex-Steeler coach / Carolina native Bill Cowher gets to sound the warning siren at Hurricanes games when Flair actually sounded it three times this past season. According to Flair, Cowher only comes in and does it when he can't. Madden then asked what's going on with Raw and whether or not he's coming back, to which Flair replied, "They won't let me." He also joked and said, "I didn't retire... they retired me." Madden responded by saying, "You sound like Terry Funk now." Flair noted a few times in the interview about how he misses wrestling. (Thanks to Logan)
- FightLine.com is reporting that Kimbo Slice is now a free agent after he was unable to come to terms on a deal with Strikeforce. The article also notes that he may be heading into boxing. Kimbo's charisma and star charisma is second to none, and I always thought he would be a great acquisition for either TNA or WWE. For more on the article and what's next for Kimbo Slice, check out FightLine.com by clicking here.
- Shelton Benjamin recently did an interview with The Cincinnati Enquirer, where he talked about how being an African American in wrestling, what he enjoys about the sport and much more. Here are some excerpts (Thanks to Trent):
On about he enjoys most and least about being a wrestler:
The least is easy – the physical toll it takes on your body and the time you're away from your family. Those are the number one and two things that most of us experience. But the great thing is, I get to travel the world.
I've performed in Afghanistan, South Africa, Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, South America, Canada and a few other places – Italy. It's really hard for me to think of places I haven't been.
On how far African Americans have come in wrestling, and where he sees himself in that history:
Honestly, as far as being African-American goes, I think we're to a point now where I think of myself not as an African-American superstar; I think of myself as a superstar who just happens to be African-American. While I recognize African-Americans have come a long way and I think I'm a testament to that because I see myself in that light, it's because of all the hard work of previous African-American superstars.
I don't compare myself with only African-Americans ... I do not grade myself on a color scheme.
On the negative rap given to pro wrestling over the years:
I think a lot of people, despite the fact what we do has been brought to the forefront – I mean, we are entertainers – the only problem I see is it makes it hard for people to group us. I think a lot of people, when they think of pro wrestling, still think of the '80s and earlier, and within the last 20 years, pro wrestling has completely transformed, especially with all the behind the scenes being exposed.
I think a lot people look at pro wrestling as what it used to be and not what it is. In years to come, people will have a better understanding of what we do now, and we'll be judged by our standards today later on. It's one of those things that pro wrestling's been around for so long, it's not going to be an easy transition.
To me, pro wrestlers are the toughest athletes, period. And I say this very proudly, and I say this because unlike any other sport or entertainment profession, we don't have an off-season. If you're in sports, you have an off-season. If you're in television, you have a certain number of weeks where you shoot your show and then you're off to another project or whatever. For us, there is no break in the action.
Secondly, we are the only people that I'm aware of that go on no matter what. There are tons of times – people don't even recognize it – that we get hurt in the ring, but we're such professionals and most of us have such pride in what we do that even when we're hurt, we still go on.
I'm not saying or suggesting anyone do that, but that's what it means to be a pro wrestler. It's like the mail: Rain, sleet or snow, the show must go on.
To check out the full interview with The Cincinnati Enquirer, click here.
- Finally, a note from our store. Taken hit DVD and Blu-Ray last week and I finally got a chance to check out a review copy on Blu-Ray over the weekend. It's the type of movie that I think wrestling fans would really enjoy and if you haven't seen it, you should grab a copy today. It's loaded with action, suspense and excitement at every turn. The Taken Blu-Ray Disc and DVD reveal an intense two-disc extended cut of the film with a digital copy for portable media players. Additional bonus features include audio commentaries by the director, writer and cinematographers, exclusive behind-the-scenes "making of" featurette and action packed side-by-side comparisons. To purchase a copy of the film on DVD, click here
