As noted, two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair recently appeared as a guest on fellow WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s weekly podcast, The Steve Austin Show, for an in-depth interview. Featured below are some additional highlights from the conversation.
On women’s wrestling in his day, talent like Sheri Martel and if he would’ve ever dreamed it would become as big as it is today: “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.”
On his daughter Charlotte doing as well as she’s doing: “I’m overwhelmed by it, Steve. 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.
“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. She’s definitely out of my shadow and doing her own thing. And I think everyone recognizes that.”
On Charlotte’s PPV matches against Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey: “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. I actually think from the start of the match, people could feel that [Charlotte] wasn’t afraid of Ronda.”
Check out the complete episode of the Steve Austin Show featuring the Ric Flair interview at PodcastOne.com.