Ric Flair was responsible for Austin, Foley, HHH departure from WCW?

[Chrome]

So I was listening to the Mick Foley shoot interview (RF) and he mentioned that Flair was the head booker and that the decsion came from him to let them all go. NOT Eric Bishoff.. all of which became big stars in WWE.

Was a great shoot.. real Eye Opening.. he even went on to say that HHH, and Austin and Undertaker could not stand Flair when they left WCW.

(Undertaker didn't like Flair ever since (the HoF thing was business apparently for Vince))

According to Foley the Bookers had the authority to let go talent.. and the business side normally would agree with what ever the booker wanted.
(Like most companies do outside of the WWE)

So Bischoff agreed to it, wow I am conflicted with how much info was givin in this shoot..

Foley completely opened up Flair.. they even read quotes form Flairs book and debunked a lot he wrote in it.

 

[Rulk25]

On at least the Austin part its old news. It was pretty well known that Flair was scared Austin would take the spotlight from him so he had him buried from splitting the blondes to having him lose to being squashed by Dugan.
Did not know about HHH as that is surprising given their later friendship.
Flair did not and still will not let go.

Foley is a guy no one ever seems to have a bad word about personally so I would pretty much think that he speaks the truth. Imagine if he had given HHH and Austin a chance though I think right now we would be seeing a WWF reunion show with Duke the Dumpster, Kwang, and the GOON

 

[closet_fan]

if the bookers had the authority to cut people, then that was bad business.

but to be honest, who know just how honest foley was actually being. if he had a beef with flair, he is intelligent enough to spin a few stories. it's not like foley isn't a good storyteller.

 

[Carpathian Florist]

Did not know about HHH as that is surprising given their later friendship.

Well maybe not so surprising, Triple H has always talked about being a huge Flair mark when he was a kid, so a chance at working closely with your idol is bound to overwrite something like that.
Triple H strikes me as a very intelligent man as well, he didn't have that much experience in the business at the time that Flair supposedly let him go, WCW had very little upward mobilitiy anyway and it eventually folded due to various reasons we're all aware of. Maybe he doesn't hold a grudge because he can see the long term picture where that slight set back allowed him to jump forward. His friendship with HBK, Nash and Syxx is well known too, who knows if they've ever run into each other had Triple H not been fired?

From my point of view, I wouldn't be too harsh on Flair if I was Triple H considering what he meant to me as a child. Despite being fired, Triple H's career blossomed.... perhaps his feelings would be wholly different had this act derailed his career completely.

 

[dman1373]

wasn't it dusty rhodes who was head booker. I don't ever remember ric flair ever being head booker. That wouldn't even make sense since when all these people left wcw he either was in wwf or just got back from wwf which would mean he probably wouldn't be booking.

 

[Derrtown]

Austins ECW shoot promo mentions Hogan, Flair, Rhodes, and Bischoff. When talking about the Blondes he does a Dusty impression.

Austin now says Flair is the greatest ever and calls him a good friend as does Flair who openly says Austin was the biggest star ever. I was actually shocked to hear Flair was keeping Austin down in WCW.

 

[closet_fan]

in the end, sometimes letting someone go is the best thing that could have happened to that person. (eagles cutting cris carter)

imagine where these guys would be if flair hadn't let them go? heyman is the one who tapped into austin's potential by letting him be him. not some stupid blonde guy from "hollywood"

 

[AJM]

Austin was buried when Hogan showed up in WCW as was 95% of the roster. Austin & HHH have shown Flair a lot of respect and vica versa.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

None of us were there to see what was exactly going down, but I have no doubt that the egos of big stars always affect things, but I am not going to be so quick to put the blame on just one individual in that dynamic. After all, at the end of the day it's the company's responsibility to know who they hire and fire, at that time guys like Hogan and Flair still had their say so and pull in the promotion.

But as far as I see things, we shouldn't be so quick to believe everything we hear, or read on the net, if this was pre-internet days such ideas would not even be brought up amongst fans.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

What year was this?? Flair was removed as head booker in 1990 wasn't he??

The Undertaker worked with Flair in WWF in 91, and Taker has had the utmost respect for Flair since!! Isn't it weird how much these 2 have connected though, i mean their match at Mania, Flair picking Taker first for the draft pick and takers worked reaction?

As for the others, HHH and Austin became stars after they left, so in a way, letting them go helped their career...I mean who would know where they would have been now?

 

[Chardee Macdennis]

As anyone who has followed wrestling for any length of time knows, it is a cut throat business where the guys on top try to stay on top. Flair is one of the best of all time, yet in the end (of his WWE run), he was putting talent over left and right. I'd imagine a rub from Flair would be one of the highlights of most current superstars careers. We all know the bad blood between Foley and Flair, so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Foley embelished some of the story here. I respect both men a great deal and feel they should be considered among the best ever, but obviously anything they say about each other needs to be taken w/a grain of salt.

 

[The Underking]

What, if I remember Foley asked for his departure after Ric was fired and then Ric verbaly blasted Foley about his wrestling style saying he won't live to be thirty or something like that. Anyways I read a part of Flair's book and unless that entire book is a lie which wouldn't be too surprising he showed a lot of respect to both HHH and Austin to Foley not so much.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

What year was this?? Flair was removed as head booker in 1990 wasn't he??

The Undertaker worked with Flair in WWF in 91, and Taker has had the utmost respect for Flair since!! Isn't it weird how much these 2 have connected though, i mean their match at Mania, Flair picking Taker first for the draft pick and takers worked reaction?

As for the others, HHH and Austin became stars after they left, so in a way, letting them go helped their career...I mean who would know where they would have been now?

He was on the booking commitee in 1993 and early 94. It was Flair who,when the idea was presented to put the World title on Cactus Jack,stood up and said "Do you really see Cactus Jack as the guy who should be representing this company?" At least that's what Foley says in his book.

 

[WCW_Sting]

I can believe Flair being responsible for Foley's firing. He says on his DVD that Flair, who was his boss, was very displeased with the ECW promo where he threw down the WCW World Tag Team Title. So I'll agree that Flair probably did have a hand in firing Mick Foley.

Austin and Hunter...that's a different story. The only name Austin mentions in his DVD is Eric Bischoff, and, as was mentioned before, he impersonated Dusty Rhodes in his infamous ECW promo. Maybe Flair did have a small hand in it, but obviously not enough to piss Austin off.

But Flair had absolutely NO HAND in firing the former Jean Paul Levesque. In fact, he wasn't fired at all. Way back in 2002, one of the first wrestling DVDs I bought was "The Game." Remember that one? Triple H himself says the World Wrestling Federation made him an offer, and because he was just now getting a push (yes...a push) in WCW, he was hesitant to accept it. His tag team partner at the time, Lord Steven Regal, told him to go to the WWF, so he did. Regal even says this on the DVD.

So...Foley, more than likely...Austin, maybe...Triple H, no freakin' way. Hunter wasn't fired; he chose to leave. Obviously I wasn't there, so I don't know for sure, but if Foley actually did say these things, I'd like to know why. The two other guys have two different stories.

As always, get over yourselves and enjoy some wrestling.

 

[misterglover]

Foley is the most overrated wrestler ever...in the words of Flair he was never anything more than a glorified stuntman. Austin has stated numerous times both in his book and on the Pillman DVD that is was Dusty's idea to put them together and Dusty's idea to break them up when they got over. By time Austin was let go Bischoff was in charge & Hogan and his buddies were basically running WCW....at the time Austin was fired he was even rumored to be a part of the reformed Horseman. HHH again came in as Terra Ryzing when WCW was doing the Disney tapings at which time Bischoff was in control and Hogan era had either just began or about to begin and I dont think he even got fired....As far as Foley well who cares, the best thing he ever did was get throw off and thru a cage.

 

[Chrome]

What year was this?? Flair was removed as head booker in 1990 wasn't he??

The Undertaker worked with Flair in WWF in 91, and Taker has had the utmost respect for Flair since!! Isn't it weird how much these 2 have connected though, i mean their match at Mania, Flair picking Taker first for the draft pick and takers worked reaction?

As for the others, HHH and Austin became stars after they left, so in a way, letting them go helped their career...I mean who would know where they would have been now?

You miss understand.. when I mentioned Undertaker I mention that foley speaks that Undertaker can not stand flair.

It was HHH and Austin that flair had hand in letting go. Note* Flair was head booker TWICE in WCW. Once just before he went to the WWF and once after.

Its amazing how much Heat Foley gets.. when its been more than known that he has had a reputation of being a straight shooter. Meanwhile Flair is known to be a brown noiser and liar? I feel ackwordness reading some of these replies.

I mean WCW had Foley, Austin, and HHH under flairs watch as head booker and he didn't do anything to keep them? I find it funny that people can accept Bischoffs excuse but not Flair being the one that let it happen. We all know how flair really is so I tend to believe Foley.. he has a rep of being a straight shooter. Where Flair doesn't.

 

[fraserbee]

It was Flair who,when the idea was presented to put the World title on Cactus Jack,stood up and said "Do you really see Cactus Jack as the guy who should be representing this company?" At least that's what Foley says in his book.

To be fair to Flair, in '93/'94, Cactus wasn't world championship material yet.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Ric Flair was responsible for doing the right thing at the time for WCW. Austin was a mid-card wrestler, which were a dime a dozen back in the early 90's. Austin was good, but not a great draw. He didn't come up with the "Stone Cold" gimmick until he was tossed around as the 'Ringmaster' with Ted Dibiase and was on his last legs after the Million Dollar Man took off for WCW.

Foley sucked. Cactus Jack was a cult wrestler who didn't have a huge following. And to me, is the single most overrated wrestler in history. He was, as Flair called him in his bio, "A glorified stunt man." When you think of Foley, you think of the nut who let the Undertaker throw him off a cage. When you think of Flair, you think of some of the greatest matches of all time. Exactly.

And HHH was as green as they came back then. He even mimicked Flair's look with 'Terra Ryzing'. It's not like these three guys were going to change the game at the time. There was nothing for them to do and no way to develop them to feud with anyone of importance, so they HAD to be let go. Flair done what was best for the company at the time.

So if he was responsible, which I suspect is the case, then he made good decisions. Because HHH would have fizzled out in WCW, Foley would have never been able to do his thing, and Austin's 'Stone Cold' gimmick may have never seen the light of day. So responsible or not... Flair did the right thing.