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What's the story?
Ric Flair was recently interviewed by CBS Sports about his upcoming roast at Starrcast II as well as many other things, including thoughts on All Elite Wrestling and Cody.
He mentioned his endless respect for Dusty Rhodes and the prospect of his son Cody starting his own promotion with All Elite Wrestling. 411mania.com carried transcripts of Flair's interview.
In case you missed it...
Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair battled each other for most of the 1980s as each man had a hand in booking Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW.
They squared off in many title matches as well as WarGames' contests while with WCW. Cody obviously grew up around his father in WCW and learned a lot from behind the scenes from Dusty and Flair before becoming a pro wrestler himself.
The heart of the matter
Rhodes and Flair shared many feuds and also shared the fact that each sired children who followed their footsteps into the ring. Dusty became influential in the running and booking of NXT, going back to his time as a backstage booker in WCW.
Since Flair and Dusty Rhodes were close in real life as well, 'the Nature Boy' showed respect for the Rhodes family and their influence on the pro wrestling business in his interview with CBS Sports.
"It was a magical time in life when his dad and I were working together. People ask me all the time who was my best opponent and they think of Steamboat and Sting, but when I look back on my career, the run I had with Dusty was 20 or 25 years.
At worst, we agreed to disagree, but he was a genius and I think he finally got the recognition that he deserves for being as creative as he was from Starrcade to the War Games to the Last Tango in Tampa with him and Harley [Race]. He was so far ahead of his time that I think I would put Dusty, in terms of creativity, right along with Vince [McMahon].
When asked about AEW and Cody's role in the company, it reminded 'the Nature Boy' of the resolve of his foe in the ring and friend outside of it.
"Cody is a great performer and I'm happy that he landed where he has landed on his feet like this. It takes someone with a lot of courage and not just motivation. But to generally take that step forward on your own and be prepared to put yourself in a position where you might not be the most popular guy in the world but you are determined to make something work. It takes a hell of a man - that's' my take on Cody."
What's next?
May will be a huge month for Flair, Cody and All Elite Wrestling. Flair's roast will kickoff the weekend's festivities on Friday, May 24th while Double or Nothing will give fans a little taste of what to expect in AEW's product. Both nights should be interesting and entertaining for those involved and those watching alike.
