Ric Flair On Why He Loved Charlotte Flair's WWE Survivor Series Match With Ronda Rousey
As previously mentioned, WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair was recently a guest on The Steve Austin Show with fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Steve Austin. Among many other things, Ric talked about women's wrestling and how far it has come. Ric shared his thoughts on his daughter, WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair, and whether she is out of her legendary father's shadow. Also, Ric weighed in on the hard hitting Survivor Series match between Charlotte and WWE Monday Night RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey.
On the subject of women's wrestling, Ric said it used to be a hard road for female pro wrestlers with an emphasis on toughness and not attractiveness. 'Naitch' went on to say that the one and only WWE Hall Of Famer Sherri Martel brought a lot to pro wrestling.
"I would've never dreamed it, no. From the time I started they were just an attraction and it is public knowledge that they were booked by [Fabulous] Moolah out of Columbia [South Carolina] and the girls were being underpaid and just being treated horribly. It was just not a good deal. And, of course, nobody said anything about it back then because you didn't get involved. They did their thing, but whatever we were doing, it was twice as hard on them because they weren't getting paid anything near what they were worth. And it's not that they weren't as feminine. That wasn't their role. Their role was to go out and be a tough woman wrestler." Ric continued, "I think Liz had brought a lot of glamour, but I thought that Sherri Martel brought a lot to the business. And she was never considered a glamorous person, but she was a great person, a great manager, and she was what the heart and the soul of the business was all about. That's my take on Sherri. Sherri was great."
With respect to Charlotte, Ric suggested that he gets emotional when he sees Charlotte wrestle. According to Ric, he always knew Charlotte could be good at pro wrestling if given the opportunity. Additionally, Ric divulged that Charlotte now gets upset with herself if she does not put on the best performance.
"I'm overwhelmed by it, Steve," Ric admitted. "Number one, I had no doubt that given the opportunity, which depends on which way the ball bounces sometimes as [Austin] know[s]. We both know if she's given the opportunity, she'd be great at it. She is at a point now like when she was competing in college. She can't stand not being the best. Does that make sense? Almost to the point where she questions herself."
When Steve suggested that Charlotte is already out of Ric's shadow, 'The Nature Boy' wholeheartedly agreed. In Ric's view, Charlotte is more athletic than he ever was.
"She built her own brand, Steve. I'm not saying it because I am [her father]. I am proud of her, but I'm saying it because, number one, she is that good. Number two, she made herself unique. I could tell you as an athlete, at any time in my life, she is what I wasn't and very few people are. She [has] got a gift. And she has found her niche. And she works. Somewhere right now, she's driving to a town and she's thinking about her match tonight." Flair declared, "she's definitely out of my shadow and doing her own thing. And I think everyone recognizes that."
During the conversation Steve mentioned that he really enjoyed Charlotte's pay-per-view matches recently against WWE SmackDown Live Women's Champion Becky Lynch and WWE Monday Night RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey. Ric replied saying that he really loved the match versus Ronda because 'The Queen' showed she was not afraid of 'The Rowdy One'.
"I loved them both for different reasons. The one I really love is the one with Ronda because, from the start, and I used to say this about Roman [Reigns], Roman Reigns might not be able to beat Brock Lesnar, but he's not afraid of him, which is important." Ric added, "I actually think from the start of the match, people could feel that [Charlotte] wasn't afraid of Ronda."
And that's the bottom line because Ric Flair said so. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit The Steve Austin Show with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: The Steve Austin Show