Mar 19th 2024 05:55am

Sign Up / Sign In|Help

 

WWE right to deny Flair Fame

WWE right to deny Flair Fame

Posted: Jun 9th 2008 By: mikeiles

THIS week's comedy of errors in the pro wrestling industry comes to us from the organisation that just won't die - The National Wrestling Alliance.

The loose grouping of independent federations, clinging to a name that no longer carries any cache with today's generation, has made the decision to try and bring back the promotion.

It?s the umpteenth time they?ve tried to resurrect from the ashes left when Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling made the decision to become WCW and discard the NWA almost 20 years ago.

Now a bit of a disclaimer here.

It's pretty common knowledge that I had Shane Douglas throw down the NWA title in 1994 at the ECW Arena and proclaim himself the new ECW world champion in the wake of the death of the NWA.

And I have to also admit, my only reservation about doing that angle was whether or not we could get anyone to care about the practically non-existent NWA back then.

And that was 14 years ago!

So now, almost a decade and a half later, some people got a few dollars together, and decided to put on an NWA show at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jim Cornette - an excellent choice, mind you - was smartly hired to be the Master of Ceremonies for a nostalgia-filled ?NWA Hall of Fame Ceremony? that would feature The Midnight Express, Wildfire Tommy Rich, Nikita Koloff, The Iron Sheik and The Corsica Brothers.

But the main attraction of this night was the induction to the NWA Hall of Fame of WWE contracted performer Nature Boy Ric Flair.

Well I'm sure before announcing and advertising Flair's appearance, the NWA?s head honcho Robert Trobich - a lawyer, no less - got written confirmation from WWE regarding their contracted personality who was just in a featured match at WrestleMania.

I mean, surely an attorney at law would have the common sense not to go public with Flair's appearance before having something in writing, right?

UH OH.

What do you think happens?

On the week of the show, as the NWA is doing everything it can to exploit the name of Ric Flair to sell tickets to this event, World Wrestling Entertainment pulls Flair from the show.

And get this... the NWA is surprised by WWE's decision.

World Wrestling Entertainment does not want Ric Flair to appear in a wrestling ring, especially following his retirement ceremony on Monday Night Raw.

The Nature Boy got some serious coin for his retirement weekend, and you can't blame WWE for protecting their marketing rights by keeping Flair out of a wrestling ring until it's time for him to re-appear in a ring to create attention.

And you can bet your last bottle of JR's BBQ sauce that when the time comes for Flair to appear in a wrestling ring, the initials on the side of that ring will read WWE.

World Wrestling Entertainment does not want Flair appearing on anyone else's DVD releases, either.

Can you blame them for that?

The longer Flair is kept out of the public eye, the more a simple guest appearance will mean when Vince McMahon decides "it's time to play the Flair card".

World Wrestling Entertainment has made a substantial investment in the Ric Flair brand and they don't want anyone else tinkering with it.

The NWA went forward with a marketing campaign built around Ric Flair because, unfortunately, there's no other way for the promoters involved to get people to come to their event.

Advertisement

Yesterday, a store in Atlanta named Aaron's - a pretty big name in the Southeast - offered FOUR free tickets to the event to anyone who wanted to go, and would then give a discount to anyone who brought their ticket stub into the store.

I guess the NWA has given up on getting anyone to pay to see their Hall of Fame Ceremony.

NWA attorney/honcho/intellectual Robert Trobich released a statement saying: ?I am deeply sorry that Ric will not be in Atlanta for the Hall of Fame ceremony.

?Ric was very honoured to be recognized by the NWA and wanted to be in Atlanta to thank his fans. Unfortunately, the WWE refused to allow him to be there.

?It is truly a sad action on their part, as the main people injured by the WWE's seeming petulance is the wrestling fans.

?Nonetheless, Ric Flair was a legend in the NWA long before the WWE was anything other than a regional promotion in the northeast.

?As such, Ric will still be a member of the 2008 class. He has earned that honour, and we intend to bestow it upon him."

What's the slang for bull excrement?

Ric Flair was a legend in the NWA long before the WWE was anything more than... blah blah blah?

If I ever need an attorney, and I do seem to need them every now and then, please don't ever have Robert Trobich present my case to a jury.

WWE is petulant because they want to protect their intellectual property rights, and their sizeable investment in the retirement of Ric Flair?

WWE is to be criticised for opting not to have Ric Flair water down the retirement ceremony the company spent so much valuable time during WrestleMania weekend to make so memorable?

A weekend-long tribute, I might add, that WWE is counting on propelling its DVD sales through the roof.

And yet, the attorney who serves as spokesperson for this incarnation of the long-dead NWA wants to point the finger at WWE when the NWA had no right to market/advertise/promote Flair to begin with?

In the past week, I've seen Vince McMahon move forward with his campaign to offer a million dollars a week to viewers just to watch Raw.

I've seen another eccentric billionaire, Donald Trump become the public face of a new competitor to UFC.

I've seen Kimbo Slice damn near get beat, and while the ratings were spectacular for the EliteXC primetime network debut the stock took an IFL-like nosedive.

But nothing in the past week made me shake my head as much as the stupidity of those who believed that it was appropriate to advertise Ric Flair without written authorisation from the company to which he is contracted.

This industry is driven by an investment of time and money, and the allotment of minutes given to someone on whose performance and marketability that first investment is made.

Ric Flair is WWE's Goodwill Ambassador.

Whether you like it, or don't like, learn to love it. Because Diamonds are forever, and so is Ric Flair's association with World Wrestling Entertainment.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

Tags: Ric Flair, NWA, WCW, Shane Douglas, ECW, Jim Cornette, Midnight Express, Nikita Koloff, WWE, Jim Ross

Printable version Email to a friend

Supplemental Information

Latest News

1
Stan Hansen and the AWA Championship Belt Scandal

Stan Hansen and the AWA Championship Belt Scandal

Although Stan Hansen earned countless championships over the span of his 28-year career, he was always a man who knew whe... Read More

All News

The Scoop

The Scoop

NEWS Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted about Thunderbolt Patterson being part of the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame class saying “He was a champion in the ri... Read More

All Columns

Upcoming Events

Complete Calendar

1

Spotlight in History

  • 1956 Don Evans def. Bull Curry for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 1974 The Texan def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 2004 Terry Montana def. Shadow of Death for the TPW Hardcore Champion
  • 2006 Seth Allen def. Cody Jones for the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
  • 2016 The K. C. Wolves/The Diamond Dogs (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) def. What Wrestling Should Be (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 2016 Double D def. Damon Windsor for the IZW Heavyweight Champion
  • 2022 Anarchy [2nd] became the UWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 2022 Ronnie Morton became the RDW Brass Knucks Champion
  • 2022 Murder, Inc. (Mr. Nasty & Killbane) def. The OMGs (John Omari & Mike Anthony) for the WCR Tag Team Champions
  • 2022 Moonshine Mantell became the WCR Heavyweight Champion

Week of Sun 03-17 to Sat: 03-23

  • 03-17 1982 Bob Roop def. Ted DiBiase for the MSW North American Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2006 Beau Dalton & Bobby Dalton def. Tommy Smash for the SRPW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-17 2007 Kareem Sadat became the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-17 2007 Dexter Hardaway became the SWCW Sooner Xtreme Champion
  • 03-17 2007 John O'Malley def. Ryan Davidson for the IZW Impact Division Champion
  • 03-17 2007 Canadian Red Devil def. Rocco Valentino for the FCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2007 AWOL def. Rocco Valentino for the ComPro Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2007 Texas, Inc. (Tim Rockwell & Bernard Funk) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-17 2012 John E. Stone def. Drake Gallows for the SWCW All-American Champion
  • 03-17 2012 Aaron Neil def. Jermaine Johnson for the IZW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2012 The Old School Suckas (Gary Tool & Randy Price) def. Nemesis (Rage Logan & Damien Morte) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-17 2021 El Torito def. Flyin’ Ryan for the MWF Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2023 Edge Stone def. Shane Taylor for the TexPro Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2024 Micro Tiger def. Disco Don for the MWF Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-18 1963 Louie Tillet def. Bull Curry for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 03-18 1976 The Hollywood Blondes (Jerry Brown & Buddy Roberts) def. Greg Valentine & Gorgeous George, Jr. for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 03-18 2006 Aaron Neil def. Big Van Vader for the IZW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-18 2006 John O'Malley def. Kenny Campbell for the IZW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-18 2006 The Old School Assassins (Brad Michaels & Seth Allen) def. Impact Inc. (John Zorthos & Bernie Donderwitz) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-18 2012 Drake Gallows def. The Canadian Red Devil for the BYEW Caution Champion
  • 03-18 2012 Prophet def. Sam Stackhouse for the BYEW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-18 2017 Arrow Club (Ky-Ote & Kyle Hawk) became the IWR Tag Team Champions
  • 03-18 2022 Doz Camachos (Onyx Camacho & Zarek Camacho) def. The Unit (Charlie Haas & Dane Griffin) for the TexPro Tag Team Champions
  • 03-18 2023 Nashoba def. Skidz for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Champion
  • 03-18 2023 Skidz def. Nashoba for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Champion
  • 03-19 1956 Don Evans def. Bull Curry for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 03-19 1974 The Texan def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-19 2004 Terry Montana def. Shadow of Death for the TPW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-19 2006 Seth Allen def. Cody Jones for the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
  • 03-19 2016 The K. C. Wolves/The Diamond Dogs (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) def. What Wrestling Should Be (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-19 2016 Double D def. Damon Windsor for the IZW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-19 2022 Anarchy [2nd] became the UWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-19 2022 Ronnie Morton became the RDW Brass Knucks Champion
  • 03-19 2022 Murder, Inc. (Mr. Nasty & Killbane) def. The OMGs (John Omari & Mike Anthony) for the WCR Tag Team Champions
  • 03-19 2022 Moonshine Mantell became the WCR Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-20 1962 Bull Curry def. Jack Dalton 1st for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 03-20 1970 The Spoiler def. Tarzan Baxter for the TSW North American Champion
  • 03-20 1988 The Simpson Brothers (Steve Simpson & Shaun Simpson) def. John Tatum & Jack Victory for the WCCW Texas Tag Team Champion
  • 03-20 2009 Brandon Groom became the TAP Pure Xtreme Champion
  • 03-20 2021 Dimitri Alexandrov def. Tim Rockwell for the WFC Hometown Heroes Champion
  • 03-20 2022 Little Foot def. Li’l Show for the MWF Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-21 1972 The Continental Warriors (Bobby Hart & Lorenzo Parente) def. Tom Jones & Billy Red Lyons for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 03-21 1998 Rocco Valentino def. Jimmy Kane for the OPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-21 1998 Generation X (Zane Morris & Ian St. James) def. Body Count (Krull Danzig & Brett Knight) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champion
  • 03-21 1998 Bernard Funk def. Rocco Valentino for the OPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-21 2009 The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-21 2009 3rd Rail def. Kevin James Sanchez for the SWCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-21 2015 Paul Puertorico def. Matt Majestic for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion
  • 03-22 1980 The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy) def. Ted DiBiase & Paul Orndorff for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 03-22 2008 Canadian Red Devil became the TAP Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-22 2008 The Innovators (Anarchy 2nd & Fuel) became the TAP Tag Team Champions
  • 03-22 2008 Tim Rockwell became the TAP Oklahoma Heritage Champion
  • 03-22 2008 Dominique Lereaux became the SWCW Womens Champion
  • 03-22 2008 Sage became the SWCW Cruiserweight Champion
  • 03-22 2008 X-Rated (Kevin James Sanchez & Shane Sanchez) def. Death Row [1st] (Blade [1st] & Shank) for the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-22 2008 Nemesis (Damien Morte & Rage) def. X-Rated (Kevin James Sanchez & Shane Sanchez) for the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-22 2014 MHM, Inc. (Ray Martinez, Alabastair Hunt & K. P. Moore) became the SRPW United States Champion
  • 03-22 2015 A. C. Slaughter (Aaron Anders & Clint Cassidy) def. The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) for the WFC Tag Team Champions
  • 03-23 2007 AWOL def. Mustafa Sharmoot for the AACW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-23 2013 Hurricane Ross became the NAW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-23 2013 Pretty In Pink (Michael Duplanti & Mike Rose) became the NAW Tag Team Champion
  • 03-23 2013 Damien Morte became the IZW Impact Division Champion
  • 03-23 2013 Johnny Z became the IZW Heavyweight Champion
03-19
  • C. G. Mullins Mar 19th Today!
  • Kelsey King Mar 19th Today!
  • Scott Casey Mar 19th Today!
  • Matt Sydal Mar 19th Today!
  • Lisa Gennero Mar 19th Today!
  • Matt Majestic Mar 19th Today!
  • Rick McGraw Mar 19th Today!
  • Sting Mar 20th
  • J. D. Richardson Mar 20th
  • Sol Azteka Mar 20th
  • Sexy Diamante Mar 20th
  • Scott Summers Mar 20th
  • D Money Mar 20th
  • Al Madril Mar 20th
  • Terrance M. Garvin Mar 20th
  • Frank Dalton Mar 21st
  • Mike York Mar 21st
  • Shawn Sanders Mar 21st
  • Scott Sanders Mar 21st
  • Niles Plonk Mar 22nd
  • Luc Lapointe Mar 22nd
  • Seth Shai Mar 23rd
  • Sophia Mar 23rd
  • Karl Karlson Mar 23rd
  • Mr. Chale Mar 23rd
  • Ryuma Go Mar 23rd
  • Tank Patton Mar 23rd
  • Devion Black Mar 23rd
  • Cruze Mar 24th
  • Ricky Wingrave Mar 24th
  • Merc Mar 24th
  • Cruze Mar 24th
  • Fran Gravette Mar 24th
  • Buddy Fuller Mar 24th
  • Gorgeous George Mar 24th
  • Jake Hager Mar 24th
  • Clinton Starks Mar 24th
  • Rey Leon Mar 25th
  • Jake McCoy Mar 25th
  • Seigfried Stanke Mar 25th
  • Elephant Boy Mar 26th
  • Mike Mondo Mar 26th
  • John Swenski Mar 26th
  • Tom Hanley Mar 26th
  • Ron McFarlane Mar 26th
  • Gordon Nelson Mar 27th
  • Charlie Haas Mar 27th
  • Sheeva Mar 28th
  • Maddox Jones Mar 28th
  • Caine Carter Mar 28th
  • Keith Knight Mar 29th
  • Michael Hayes Mar 29th
  • Ron Garvin Mar 30th
  • Riley Grinn Mar 30th
  • Spur the Clown Mar 30th
  • Mace [1st] Mar 31st
  • Glenn Wade Apr 1st
  • K-Rob Apr 1st
  • Mighty Atlas Apr 1st
  • Oni Wiki Wiki Apr 1st
  • Richard Sharpe Apr 1st

More Look Back In History