Ric Flair has discussed an early interaction with Kurt Angle and how the Olympic Gold Medalist’s professional wrestling career could have looked very different.
Prior to signing with WWE and becoming a multi-time World Champion, Angle was incredibly successful in the 1996 Olympics as he won a gold medal with a broken neck. Looking to transition to the professional wrestling world, Angle was faced with 2 options at that time, WWE or WCW. According to The Nature Boy, he helped Angle make the life-changing decision.
Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Flair recalled an early meeting with the Hall of Famer and how he told Angle to not go WCW:
“I said, you don’t want to go to Atlanta, brother. You will get lost.”
Continuing, Flair stated that when Angle asked him about WCW he called Vince McMahon and got the ball rolling for Angle’s eventual WWE debut:
“We were in a gym working out in Nashville, TN and I met Kurt several times and he walked over and said, ‘I’m thinking about getting into professional wrestling,’ he said ‘What do you think about me going to WCW?’ I went in the locker room, got my phone, came out, called Vince [McMahon], put him on the phone and he was working out with Dory Funk Jr. two weeks later. Kurt when healthy, is absolutely one of the great ones. Kurt is a special kind of athlete and a special kind of guy and legitimately really tough.”
Ric Flair Hits Back At WCW Project
Vice TV is set to premiere its latest wrestling project in June titled Who Killed WCW, a docuseries focused on the downfall of the promotion that once rivalled WWE. The project is being produced by The Rock’s Seven Bucks Productions and is set to feature some of the biggest names from the company. However, despite being one of the biggest stars in WCW, Ric Flair was not asked to be a part of the project and expressed his displeasure over the exclusion.
Ric Flair has also given his thoughts on who killed WCW.
H/t to SEScoops.