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Wrestler Ric Flair to appear in fan fest before matches in Springfield

Posted: Nov 10th 2014 By: George Lenker

File this under "Things that make you go Woo!"

One of pro wrestling's greatest rivalries is coming to the MassMutual Center on Friday. But instead of facing off in the ring, they'll be there for a meet-and-greet autograph session before the actual matches.

Ric Flair?with his trademark "Woo!" war cry?and his longtime rival Ricky Steamboat will appear together outside of the ring for the first time since their "feud" started three decades ago. The event precedes a wrestling card that includes seven matches, including one between Tommy Dreamer and Harry D.H. Smith.

Flair answered a few questions about his storied career during a recent telephone interview.

You trained under the legendary champion Verne Gagne. What was that like and what was he like?

Verne was an incredibly good guy. A real man's man. Tougher than hell--a little bit on the insensitive side, but just what you needed to get in this business back then. (Laughs.) But he was just a great athlete. He was a great amateur wrestler and he also played football for the Packers for a year.

The prematch event also features Ricky Steamboat. Talk little bit about your rivalry with him and why your matches seemed to rise above the rest?

He was the greatest of all time. I should say the greatest good guy of all time. He's not the greatest of all time, I am. Let's not get carried away. (Laughs.) I remember seeing him down in Atlanta when he was starting and I just went into the dressing room and said that we had to get this guy because he's too good. And we've made great music for a long time. Better than anybody else ever has.

Despite the rivalry, you're actually friends with him. Do you enjoy seeing him when you can?

I love seeing him. We never really hung out socially that much because we had different ideas about what should be going on after the matches. (Laughs.) But we always got along great.

Speaking of what happens after your matches: you're a legendary partier. Was that reputation earned?

Let's just put it this way: I just couldn't go to bed at 11 o'clock at night after all the adrenaline from a match. Are you kidding me? I've been waiting all day. I've had 35 cups of coffee so I have to at least one glass of wine. Or 10. (Laughs.)

Where did your trademark "Woo!" shout come from?

I got that from Jerry Lee Lewis when I was riding on the road in the '70s. I was in the car and heard him do it and then I started doing it and the rest is history.

You wrestled all over the world but you certainly wrestled a lot both here in the Northeast and down south. Is there a big difference in the audiences?

Wrestling is pretty universal now but they used to be different. Back when I started?and I'm from Minneapolis?I was pretty shocked when I started wrestling in the south. You could get stabbed just walking in the ring down there. I was wrestling once in Asheville in the '70s and I got you an 8 foot rattlesnake in the ring. In the old days, the south was a tough place to wrestle. It was wrasslin'. They loved their wrasslin'. (Laughs.)

Your daughter Ashley is an up-and-coming wrestling star. How do you feel about that?

She's more than up-and-coming. She's going to be the best female wrestler they've ever had. Along with being a beautiful girl?and I'm obviously prejudiced because I'm her father?she's got athletic gift second to none. She's already surpassed me.