Ric Flair notes: WWE Royal Rumble clarification, thoughts on Andrade, Sami Zayn, Eric Bischoff

Ric Flair has clarified what he’ll be doing in San Antonio for the Royal Rumble, as well as his thoughts on Eric Bischoff, Andrade, and Sami Zayn in the Bloodline. 

Flair addressed these topics and more during an episode of To Be The Man released on Wednesday. 

Speaking on the topic of his son-in-law Andrade, Flair said he doesn’t feel AEW has used him right. 

“I like the stuff with Matt Hardy but I don’t think they use him properly, myself. I’m going to be, obviously, biased. I think he is a much better singles performer than he is in a tag match,” Flair said.  

Flair continued to comment on Andrade recently revealing he suffered a torn pectoral muscle. 

“It’s to be determined, I don’t know. I know it was a bad tear, so he’s going to be out awhile with it,” he said. 

The 16-time World Champion also addressed the men’s WarGames match and stated he’s not a fan of Sami Zayn in the Bloodline because he feels the character is too comedic. 

“Looking at Roman and what Bloodline is and how they conduct themselves, I found him bringing way too much comedy to it. But apparently, it’s worked, so maybe that’s me being old school.”

“I didn’t like it because I thought the kid’s comical, his character’s comical,” Flair continued to say of Zayn. 

Flair also stated that he would like to see Tony Khan start his own Hall of Fame someday. 

“I wish Tony would start a Hall of Fame, that would create a lot of interest and do it based on people who he thinks were good in the history of the business not just guys from AEW the last three years. That would actually draw a lot of attention if he had his own Hall of Fame,” Flair said. 

Flair also clarified earlier comments he made on last week’s show about being invited to the Royal Rumble. He noted that he will not be in the Rumble match or participating in the show itself but rather will be in San Antonio signing autographs on the day of the Rumble. 

“I have not been invited to the Rumble. I’m going to San Antonio to sign autographs separately,” he said. 

As the conversation turned to Hulk Hogan, Flair said that he always had a good relationship with him. He would continue to say that this is unlike the relationship he had with Eric Bischoff.

“Everybody wants to think there was animosity between me and Hulk. Hulk didn’t sign my cheques, Eric did. Eric f–ked me every time he turned around. When you see my documentary, he’s still a prick in it. Oh, he’s still a prick, he’s an arrogant prick.”

Wrestling Observer Radio: WarGames fallout Raw, Steamboat, Owens, ratings, previews

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including Ricky Steamboat, the Teddy Hart documentary, William Regal’s future, Kevin Owens update, Andrade getting surgery, ratings, NXT and AEW previews, RAW report from Monday with War Games fallout and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:

Start: Ricky Steamboat returns to the ring, Teddy Hart documentary

7:17: William Regal update

9:48: The Kevin Owens/Roman Reigns situation

14:30: Brian Kendrick brought in as producer for Survivor Series match

16:12: NXT and AEW Dynamite previews

24:54: Andrade El Idolo suffers torn pec

26:58: Ratings

34:40: WWE Raw recap

58:51: DirecTV and Fox contract dispute

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Wrestling Observer Live: Andrade and Sami fight, three-year anniversary Dynamite, WWE switches up announce teams

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including a bunch of details on what happened with Sammy Guevara and Andrade building up and leading to their brawl last night, lots of questions coming out of it, a full look at the 3-year anniversary Dynamite, WWE switching up the announce teams and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Sammy Guevara, Andrade warned by AEW about not fighting, altercation details emerge

Both Sammy Guevara and Andrade El Idolo were both warned by AEW management on Tuesday about not fighting or else they would be sent home.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed everything they heard in the wake of Guevara and Andrade’s backstage skirmish Wednesday that resulted in the latter being sent home.

Following their back and forth on Twitter this week after an Andrade interview where he said had an issue with Guevara, Meltzer said both men were talked to Tuesday and were told no fighting or else both would be sent home. In Andrade’s case, he was told he would not be fired if he got into a fight. Both agreed and said there would be no issues.

Meltzer said he got five different accounts of what happened: three of which were identical with a fourth pretty close to the other three.

The consistent story is that Guevara did not throw any punches or fight back even after Andrade punched him, possibly a “sucker punch” according to what Meltzer and Alvarez heard. One account had Andrade spinning Guevara around, Guevara then pushing him, and Andrade punching him.

Meltzer said he had heard Andrade was waiting in a hallway for Guevara and got two punches in before it was broken up. He noted that despite the punches, Guevara didn’t have any marks on him for his main event match on Wednesday’s Dynamite. 

While Andrade’s side is what was originally reported by TMZ, both Meltzer and Alvarez noted that if Guevara threw the first punch and had indeed fought Guevara, he wouldn’t have worked the main event with Chris Jericho against Daniel Garcia & Bryan Danielson.

Andrade was sent home and there is no word on what AEW plans to do with him now. It was noted that he is under contract for several more years and there is speculation he would like to return to WWE — part of the reason for this behavior this week.

Wrestling Observer Radio: Sammy vs. Andrade altercation, three-year anniversary Dynamite, Inoki and more

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the Sammy Guevara vs. Andrade incident backstage at AEW, the three-year anniversary Dynamite, NXT, more on Antonio Inoki, ratings and more. A packed show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:

Start: Andrade/Sammy Guevara fight

18:56: AEW signs Bandido

24:22: Antonio Inoki and Roland Bock clarification

29:48: Memphis Tales from the Territories episode

32:16: Ratings

40:46: Kevin Holland unretiring

41:03: AEW Dynamite recap

1:02:48: NXT recap

1:12:48: Antonio Inoki bio set for this week’s Observer

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Speak Now: Andrade-Sammy drama, AEW Dynamite anniversary show recap

This is a loaded episode of Speak Now Pro Wrestling with Denise Salcedo! 

The episode kicks off with an in-depth recap and analysis of the backstage drama between Andrade and Sammy Guevara, then Denise dives into AEW Dynamite coverage. Topics discussed include Wheeler Yuta vs MJF, Wardlow and Brian Cage, the women’s segment, National Scissoring Day celebration, and lots more! This is a fun and engaging show perfect for all fans of AEW! 

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AEW’s Andrade sent home following backstage fight with Sammy Guevara

A situation that got heated on social media this week became physical Wednesday as AEW’s Sammy Guevara and Andrade El Idolo got into a backstage fight at Dynamite in Washington, DC.

TMZ first reported the news. From their report:

“Sources tell us words were exchanged, and then things turned physical. Sammy allegedly pushed Andrade, and punches were thrown, according to our sources. It’s unclear if anyone was hit.”

There are conflicting stories as to who started the fight. The TMZ side aligns with Andrade’s side while sources within AEW dispute that Guevara started it.

Andrade was set to face Ten on Friday’s live Rampage in an AEW career vs. mask match, but Tony Khan announced shortly before Dynamite that the match was off.

As of now, Guevara is still set to team with Chris Jericho against Daniel Garcia and Bryan Danielson tonight. 

This is the second such incident Guevara has got in recently as he and Eddie Kingston had a confrontation following language used in an unseen promo regarding Kingston’s weight. Kingston was suspended for two weeks following their altercation.

Andrade did an interview Monday where he said Guevara is the only wrestler he has ever had a problem with, stemming from an alleged confrontation the two had after a match where Guevara accused him of being too stiff.

The two then engaged in a war of words on Twitter with Andrade tweeting he would see Guevara Wednesday and would “tell it to your face again.”

AEW has yet to publicly comment.

Wrestling Observer Live: RAW report, Andrade vs. Sammy, Inoki, NXT and Dynamite previews

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with — well, no Mike Sempervive as his cord is broken right before National Scissoring Day. So Bryan will talk RAW from Monday night, Antonio Inoki, NXT and Dynamite previews, Sammy vs. Andrade on social media, and all the big stories. A fun time as always so check it out~!

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Wrestling Observer Live: Flair’s last match, Kenny Omega return, RAW report, NXT 2.0 battle royal, more

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including Ric Flair’s final match, odds for blood and such, line-ups for NXT and AEW, the 20 women in the battle royal, Kenny Omega’s return, the RAW REPORT and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Speak Now: AEW Rampage and WWE SmackDown show recap

Happy Friday! Join on-camera personality Denise Salcedo as she recaps both WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage! 

Topics include Andrade vs. Rey Fenix with the AEW formation of La Faccion Ingobernable, more matches added to Forbidden Door, and the continued build towards Money in the Bank!

This podcast is sponsored by Wrestle Rumble.

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AEW’s Andrade El Idolo says he was set to face Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door

AEW’s Andrade El Idolo says he was supposed to face Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door, but the match was changed for political reasons.

Appearing on Hugo Savinovich’s Lucha Libre Online interview show, Andrade said that he was set to fly to Japan to shoot the angle for the match with Ospreay, but that plans changed. Credit to LuchaBlog for the translation: 

The change is a result of  the complicated political situation involving NJPW’s alliance with CMLL, as AEW has a working relationship with Mexico’s AAA promotion. Andrade worked one match for AAA in 2021, and one match so far this year, last appearing at Triplemania in Monterrey on April 30. 

In the interview with Savinovich, Andrade also expressed frustration with AAA, as he says that they have not booked him as they said they would, leading to a situation where he cannot work for NJPW due to the NJPW-CMLL relationship. Andrade says that he was scheduled for this weekend’s AAA Triplemania show, then that booking was canceled. 

Andrade’s full interview with Savinovich can be seen below.

Speak Now: AEW x NJPW, full Dynamite show recap

Join Denise Salcedo on the April 20th edition of Speak Now Pro Wrestling in which she covers AEW Dynamite! This episode includes a coffin match, CM Punk vs Dustin Rhodes and an announcement from Tony Khan regarding AEW and NJPW partnership! This is a fun and lively show perfect for all fans of AEW! 

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AEW Dark Elevation results: The Hardys & Top Flight vs. Andrade Family Office

It’s Monday and you know what that means: a seven-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Excalibur and Paul Wight were on the call tonight on a very Andrade Family Office-centric edition of the show.

Kris Statlander defeated Ashley D’Amboise

From the second the bell rang, Statlander worked in a more aggressive style and annihilated D’Amboise. She hit an impressive delayed standing suplex which the crowd went nuts for. Statlander (41-17) won in quick fashion with the Big Bang Theory.

Andrade El Idolo (w/ Jose the Assistant) defeated Alan “5” Angels

Andrade used his size to overwhelm Angels by grounding him and preventing him from using his speed. Andrade, at times, underestimated Angels and the Dark Order member would make him pay. In the end, Andrade (13-7) used his modified Rings of Saturn-type submission for the win.

This was an important win for Andrade ahead of his coffin match against Darby Allin on Dynamite.

Tony Nese (w/ Mark Sterling) defeated J. Spade

This marked the AEW debut for Spade. He and Nese had a bicep flex showdown and Nese used this distraction to destroy Spade. Spade was able to surprise Nese at times, but a running knee strike ended his hopes. Nese picked up the win to improve to 11-2.

Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno, John Silver & Stu Grayson) defeated Dale Springs, Kameron Russell, Izaiah Zane and Allen Russell

The Dark Order’s experience with this type of match and their chemistry helped them dictate the tempo. Uno and Grayson ended things after hitting Fatality on Russell. They are now 3-2 in eight-man tag action.

Roppongi Vice (w/ Orange Cassidy & Chuck Taylor) defeated The Factory (Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto)

Roppongi Vice started out by isolating Solo from Comoroto. Trent Beretta tried to take o Comoroto, but that was an impossible task and he paid for it. Roppongi Vice struggled at times with Comoroto’s strength, but Trent was eventually able to get some payback from earlier. Beretta and Rocky Romero used Strong Zero on Solo to get the win.

Anna Jay, Hikaru Shida & Ruby Soho defeated Emi Sakura, Raychell Rose & The Bunny

This was the battle of experienced tag teams with Soho and Jay against Sakura and The Bunny with the additions of Shida and Rose to spice things up.

Rose did well considering the competition and didn’t get overwhelmed like other wrestlers in the same position might be. In one of the most interesting spots of the match, Sakura was going for her crossbody to the turnbuckle, but Shida caught her former mentor and threw her away. Shida used her stretch muffler on Rose to get the submission win.

The Hardys & Top Flight defeated Private Party, The Blade & Angelico

This match had a lot of cool things happening with a very fast tempo as there was always something happening in the ring.

The babyfaces would try to control the flow of the match, but the AFO members used their heel shenanigans to shut them down. AFO picked Darius Martin as the weak link and isolated him from his team for a while, but this was design for an eventual (and awesome) Dante Martin hot tag. 

A Twist of Fate/swanton bomb combination from the Hardys to Angelico was enough to end this match and give the babyfaces the victory. This was super fun and well worth watching.

Speak Now: Full AEW Dynamite rundown, show recap

Join on-camera personality Denise Salcedo as she rundowns the March 30th edition of AEW Dynamite and also discusses this weeks event! This is a very fun and informative show. Enjoy the podcast!

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Speak Now: The best of AEW Rampage & WWE SmackDown

A super fun stream tonight! We had newsworthy editions of both AEW Rampage and WWE SmackDown.

The first portion of the stream is all about AEW Rampage including news of Paige VanZant signing with AEW, the TNT Championship match, and more!

The second portion of this stream is all about WWE SmackDown, including thoughts on Ronda Rousey and the Pat McAfee match! 

I will be back on Monday to chat AEW Revolution. I will also be attending the event LIVE in person so I will have lots of information for the show. 

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