To Be The Man #17: Ric Flair in the WWF

In this episode of To Be The Man, it’s all about Ric Flair’s arrival in the WWF! How the contract negotiations went, the vignettes leading up to it, the Big Gold Belt, Bobby Heenan, Ric’s debut on Prime Time Wrestling, and much more! 00:00 INTRO 00:40 RIC FLAIR DRIP WEED 01:19 How close was Ric to going to WWF in 1986? 02:56 Did Ric call Vince McMahon? 04:46 Was “Champion vs Champion“ on your radar? 07:53 Did Ric Flair have an agent? 09:53 Ric was offered $3mm across 4 years to stay in WCW 11:06 The Big Gold Belt making appearances ahead of Ric 12:39 Getting Paired with Bobby Heenan 13:55 BREAK RecTeq 15:32 Did Ric even GO to Summerslam 1991? 16:38 Did Ric have any time with Hulk Hogan before their match? 17:27 Why Booking Committees SUCK 19:16 The Ultimate Warrior held up Vince 20:40 Who were you looking forward to working with? 21:43 Did WWF not see any value in “The Nature Boy“ brand? 23:35 First time on WWF TV 25:33 Did the WWF make Ric a bigger Star? 27:49 How the Dr. Zahorian trial could have played into Ric’s signing 30:38 BREAK Wooooo Wings 31:32 VKM getting involved in Ric’s angle 32:22 FAN QUESTIONS 32:47 FAN QUESTION: Was there any talk about changing your character? 33:07 FAN QUESTION: Had you gone to WWE in 86? Would it have been you vs Hogan at WM 3? 34:23 FAN QUESTION: WHERE is “Vegas Big Gold“ 36:05 FAN QUESTION: Was Bobby Heenan one of the best managers ever? 36:48 FAN QUESTION: Did you get to work with Steamboat while you were both in the WWF? 37:10 FAN QUESTION: WHO in the WWF did you want to work with? 38:06 FAN QUESTION: When did you realize VKM was the best wrestling promoter? 38:58 FAN QUESTION: What was Bobby Heenan like in real life? 39:16 DDPs Last Match?!?!?! 40:21 FAN QUESTION: Did the pairing with Hogan matter to you? 40:40 FAN QUESTION: Was WWF a goal for you before 1991? 42:00 FAN QUESTION: Were fans SHOCKED to see you in WWF? 42:47 FAN QUESTION: How relieved were you to leave WCW? 43:34 Why WCW’s booking was BAD 45:39 Is Ric STAYING HYDRATED? 47:33 FAN QUESTION: Did Ric go to Vince McMahon’s house? 48:57 FAN QUESTION: Were any WWF wrestlers threatened when he joined the company? 50:00 OUTRO