Ric Flair Treated at Boston Airport ... After Bizarre Behavior

Ric Flair was treated for a cut on his hand at Logan International Airport in Boston Wednesday morning ... but witnesses say it was the culmination of a very bizarre morning involving the WWE legend.

Here's what we know ... Flair hit up Lucky's Lounge in the airport before his flight -- and multiple witnesses say Flair was acting like a drunk person.

One witness says Flair was loud and obnoxious. Another witness says he was "having a tough time" and "shambling about."

But we spoke with Airport Police Sgt. Donlon who tells us Flair was NOT intoxicated.

Sgt. Donlon says airport officials got a call for a "man with a cut on his hand" -- and police and medical personnel responded. Flair was treated -- deemed not drunk -- and was allowed to get on his flight.

We spoke with Flair's rep who told us Ric is fine -- and made his flight.

As for how Flair injured his hand -- we're working on it.

9:43 AM PT -- Ric's agent, Melinda Morris Zanoni, tells us she has spoken with Flair and issued the following statement:

"Ric has been working every day around the clock, including internationally, for a month straight and has injuries on his hand that were being looked into this morning."

"While it is true Ric Flair and his buddies have been keeping airport bars in business since the 70s that was not the case at all in Boston. I just hung up with Ric, he is already on the flight and all is good."

4:28 PM PT -- A rep for the Mass. State Police tells TMZ Sports ... Flair's injury was NOT to his hand, but rather his head.

Cops did not say how Flair sustained the injury.

Witnesses at the airport tell us Flair was bleeding from his forehead ... with one person saying, "It was dripping down from his head to his neck. A significant amount of blood."

We reached back out to Flair's rep -- so far, no word back.

source: tmz.com

Sneak peek: Seth Green imagines kid wrestlers for 'Camp WWE'

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and John Cena are superstars in a pro wrestling ring, but Seth Green is on a mission to make their kid selves just as entertaining while toasting marshmallows and driving grownups crazy.

The actor and longtime wrestling fan is reimagining grapplers as 8-year-old boys and girls at summer camp in the adult animated series Camp WWE. The show premieres on demand May 1 on the WWE Network streaming service.

Green and his team at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios regularly tackle pop culture with series such as Robot Chicken and SuperMansion, but with Camp WWE, Green says, “getting to introduce these characters to a different audience (and) a new generation in a way they’ve never seen before is like a unique kind of privilege for me.”

The summer camp is headed up by Vince McMahon — with the WWE chairman, president and CEO voicing himself — though he’s an even more over-the-top persona than in the ring, as he rides giraffes and takes swigs from McMahonade. His daughter Stephanie McMahon and Triple H are 15-year-old camp counselors, while “Nature Boy” Ric Flair and Sgt. Slaughter are activity supervisors for the kids.

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Sting on WWE Hall of Fame induction, WrestleMania match with Triple H, More

Sting was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated's Extra Mustard. Below are a couple of highlights:

Losing to Triple H at WrestleMania 31:

"People took the loss personally, but in this business, you have to learn real quick not to take anything that personally. For me, it was a memory just being in Levi Stadium in California, my home state, with that crowd there."

Planning to still appear at select independent wrestling shows:

"I'm going to kick back. I'll pick and choose some events, but I won't be traveling as much. These grassroots shows remind me of my humble beginnings–even the smell of the building reminds me when I started. It's an honor to still be in front of the fans."

Sting also discussed being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Ric Flair doing the induction, having DX and the nWo together at WrestleMania 31 and more. You can read the full interview by clicking here.

WWE Announces WrestleMania Week TV Appearances For John Cena, Stephanie McMahon, The Flairs, Others

WWE takes over the airwaves starting March 24 with Sheamus appearing on "Conan" on TBS at 11/10 p.m. C.

Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair and his daughter – WWE Divas Champion Charlotte – will appear on the March 25 episode of "Boomer & Carton" on WFAN and CBS Sports Network starting at 6/5 a.m. C.

The Celtic Warrior will also appear on the March 28 episode of "Men in Blazers" on NBC Sports Network and NBCSports.com at 11/10 p.m. C.

On March 27, WWE Chief Brand officer Stephanie McMahon will be featured in a special segment on "CBS Sunday Morning" at 9/8 a.m. C.

John Cena returns to NBC's "TODAY' as co-host during the 9 a.m. hour for three days beginning on March 28. Cena will also appear on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" on Tuesday, March 29, at 11:30/10:30 C on NBC.

Also, starting on March 28 with an appearance by Brock Lesnar, WWE will be featured on ESPN throughout WrestleMania Week, including appearances by Stephanie McMahon, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Triple H, Shane McMahon and The Undertaker.

Eva Marie will appear on Hallmark Channel's "Home & Family" on March 28 at 10/9 a.m. C.

Check your local listings for exact times and channels.

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WWE Issues Statement Responding to Accusations of Sexism

Following WWE programming last week, two story line points emerged which caused some stir on the internet and on social media, and lead to accusations of sexism towards women on WWE TV.

One of the story line points in question was when Ric Flair, at last Sunday’s Royal Rumble, forcibly kissed Becky Lynch during her match to distract her from Charlotte, an act which was mostly lauded by the announce team as a joke. The second story line was on WWE Raw this past week when The Rock delivered a speech to Lana describing an apparent sexual encounter the two had last year.

The story lines prompted writer Alex Groot to pen an editorial over at Vocativ.com, called “WWE’s Looming Sexism Problem”. The following is an article excerpt:

Sadly, such treatment is nothing new for Lana, real name C.J. Perry, who was once positioned in storyline as a strong, confident manager and mouthpiece for Rusev, the “Bulgarian Brute” who tore through much of the roster upon his arrival. But before long, John Cena was calling her a “ho” and suggesting she performed favors to procure matches, rival Ryback was taunting her about “going all the way” with a fellow competitor, and lead commentator Michael Cole led off an interview by probing into her sexual history.

What do all these characters have in common? They were positioned as babyfaces in their storylines, the good guys that fans were expected to support and cheer for. That, for far too long, has been the strange ethos of the WWE, where women are objects, crude name calling is to be cheered, and slut-shaming is righteous. Indeed, it is no secret that the company has a checkered, problematic past, not only with women, but with race, homophobia, and taking care of its own employees. The empire Vince McMahon built has a rather retrograde history, much like that of American professional wrestling, more broadly.

WWE issued an official statement to Vocativ, responding to the article, and it reads as follows:

“WWE programming, which features fictional characters that cover a range of personalities similar to movies and television shows, tells stories of good versus evil. In addition, as our on-going storylines develop, we will continue to position women as both strong competitors and compelling individuals.”

Steve Austin And Ric Flair On His Legacy, Vince McMahon And Triple H Relationships, Charlotte, More

Steve Austin's pre-recorded "Stone Cold Podcast" with Ric Flair kicks off on the WWE Network from Austin's Broken Skull Ranch in south Texas. Austin says it's hot as hell and he's got the greatest pro wrestler on God's green Earth in front of him. Flair jokes about how far out Austin's ranch is and asks how he went from Los Angeles to being 100 miles away from anything. Austin says it's relaxing and he dedicates two months to staying there and getting away.

Austin says he believes Flair is the greatest ever to lace up a pair of boots and Flair thanks him. Austin asks about Flair calling himself a "black market baby" in his book. Flair says he was "stolen" from a hospital and put into an orphanage. He's never met his original parents and never wanted to. He was adopted and moved to Detroit, later told at age 10 that he was adopted. Flair says it didn't bother him as a kid and he didn't think about it. He says he has an ex-wife who is still upset that he never looked into his real family. He says his mom and dad were great and probably didn't understand the kind of kid they were taking on. Austin asks if Flair was a little crazy growing up. Flair says in 9th grade, he was going to either private school or detention school. He was driving his parents' motorcycle and car around while they were away, and got caught trying to buy liquor. He went to a private school in Wisconsin and said within two days, he was handed a fake ID that said he was 18 years old.

Flair talks about selling life insurance before getting into pro wrestling. He sold a bunch of his friends $10,000 policies and was "riding high" or living good. Flair says still to this day, he has a hard time understanding what moderation means. Flair talks about trying pro wrestling out and says he quit after the first two days of training but Verne Gagne made him get back in and not give up. He wanted to use the name Ramblin' Ricky Rhodes and go as Dusty Rhodes' brother but Verne said that wasn't happening and he's been using Ric Flair from the beginning. He says he was making $1,000 per week within a month and back then, that was big money. Flair says he went and bought a black four-door Cadillac Fleetwood. Austin brings up the tragic plane crash in 1975 that broke Flair's back. Flair says they hit the ground going 230 mph and the seat belt held him but was part of what caused his back injury. Flair was back in the ring 8 months later after being told he would never wrestle again. He was still paid weekly by Crockett Promotions while at home in bed. Flair knew a a month and a half later he would return one day.

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Detailed Recap of Last Night's WWE Network Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels Podcast

Backstage News on Ric Flair’s Upcoming ESPN 30 for 30 Special and What it Will Cover

According to F4WOnline.com, Vince McMahon reportedly signed off on allowing ESPN to use archival footage for the upcoming ESPN “30 For 30” special that Ric Flair has been filming. Flair spent four hours being interviewed earlier this month and camera crews were filming backstage at WWE Survivor Series in Atlanta.

The ESPN special will reportedly cover Flair’s entire career, his personal life, financial issues, Reid Flair’s death, the 1975 plane crash and more. There will be a focus on the 1980s when he was at the peak of his career as NWA World Heavyweight Champion with the Four Horsemen.

Ric Flair Talks About the WWE RAW Ending with Paige and Charlotte

This week's Monday Night Raw made waves, but perhaps not in the manner in which WWE wanted. The show closed with a controversial angle that saw Paige bring up Charlotte's deceased brother Reid. Many fans, wrestlers, and even Reid's mother thought it was in bad taste.

Ric Flair, Reid's father spoke out on his CBS Radio and Play.it Wooo! Nation podcast, about the controversy and said that he was never approached about his feelings regarding the angle.

Flair also said that his daughter Ashley, better known as Charlotte, was probably too afraid to shoot down the angle because she's not been on the roster very long.

"Obviously I have an opinion, but I'm afraid to voice it because I don't want anything to affect Ashley's career," said Ric. "I know that Hunter and Stephanie and Michael Hayes have her back. I don't think she feels she's comfortable enough to say 'no' to anything yet, she's only been up there three-months"

Flair mentioned that just because Charlotte is the current Divas Title holder, it's still tough for anyone to say no to storyline ideas on the WWE main roster.

"It's a pressure cooker, and a tough spot to be in," Flair explained. "If you're asked to do something, that's pretty much the way things operate up there. Everybody walks on pins and needles. Just because you're the champ, doesn't mean you say no. It's a very sensitive issue, it's very new. I know her mom is on fire. I'm not going out on a limb to say what I think."

Flair very clearly wasn't happy with the angle, and wasn't approached prior or after it happened on television, saying "I never heard a word about it. I started crying when I was watching." He reiterated that Triple H, Stephanie and Michael Hayes wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt Charlotte.

Flair said that even though he wasn't approached, he doesn't think it would have mattered.

"I don't think that it would have made any difference. If they ask you to do something, what is she going to say? 'No, I quit?," Flair said, before asking his co-host what the fans on the internet thought

Flair also mentioned that he'd be in Atlanta for Survivor Series, and that he thinks this situation will be old news be then. You can hear the full, emotional podcast over at the Play.it podcast network this link.

Ric Flair Talks ESPN 30 For 30 Special, Hurdles With WWE, Which Other Wrestler They Were Considering

Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair will be featured on an upcoming episode of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Flair recently took to his podcast, WOOOOO! Nation, to share some details on the upcoming project.

According to 'the Nature Boy', the special will be a full 30 for 30 episode, unlike the 30 for 30 Shorts episode detailing the Von Erichs. Flair stated that his episode of 30 for 30 will cover his whole life, including his professional wrestling championships, his personal life, and more.

"Well, it's my whole life. It [has] a little bit to do with my airplane crash, of course, and then coming back from that. And then the titles and the championships and it touches a lot on my personal life, which has been up and down. Right now, it's perfect, but I had a couple rough years there. And it talks about my son, Reid. [ESPN] wanted to talk about him, how special he was to me. And then, a lot about Ashley, Charlotte, who is now the champion in WWE, the Divas division. And about my other two children, Megan and David. So, it was very nice. And then, it talked about where I am today".

Flair stated that the project has taken over a year and a half to come together and the main hurdle was getting permission from WWE to use its video footage.

"The WWE is very, very protective of their intellectual property," Flair claimed. "[The project] is mutually beneficial for all of us, but it just took a while to get everybody on the same page and to work on it diligently for, I guess, it has been a year and a half now. And all of a sudden, it's coming to fruition."

Flair said that six hours of interview footage has already been shot and another 12 or 13 hours of interviews are left to shoot.

"We shot the first six hours and we'll shoot another six or seven hours, which [WOOOOO! Nation co-host, Conrad Thompson] will be a part of, at [WWE] Survivor Series. And then, there will be another six hour shoot. And then, of course, all of the stuff [ESPN] will pull from the library in Stamford, Connecticut with the WWE to put together the whole film. So it'll be exciting!"

For Flair, being the subject of ESPN's 30 for 30 is a point of pride both as a fan of the series and as a legendary professional wrestler.

"For me, I love watching that show. I've seen, probably, 25 or 30 of the 30 for 30 [episodes] in the last couple of years. It's a great, great format and to be the first [professional] wrestler they've ever even considered doing it with, I know they were entertaining the idea of [doing an episode on] Andre the Giant, and how they arrived at me, I don't know, but I'm very proud of that fact. And, certainly, there are a lot of guys in our business that have been successful, but, at the same time, I guess they feel like I've kind of transcended pop culture and stuff like that. And all the years of entertaining myself have paid off!"

Also, on this episode of WOOOOO! Nation, Flair talked with former professional wrestling announcer, Tony Schiavone. Click here to listen to the podcast.

source: WOOOOO! Nation podcast

Triple H, Chyna And Others Attend Private Funeral For Roddy Piper Earlier This Week

A private funeral for WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper was held in Portland on August 11th, attended by family and friends. Ric Flair was among those that spoke.

Notable names who attended were Triple H, Chyna, Chael Sonnen, Michael Hayes, Brian Knobbs and Bret Hart. Triple H and Chyna were reportedly in the same room for about an hour but never spoke. Vince McMahon was not there.

WWE Hall of Famer Meeting with Vince McMahon to Potentially Replace Hulk Hogan on Tough Enough

There have been many names being discussed by WWE to replace Hulk Hogan on Tough Enough, and those names include Ric Flair, The Miz, Chris Jericho, and the possibility of rotating the coaches as judges.

Wrestlezone.com has learned Hall of Famer Bret Hart is on his way to meet with Vince McMahon about taking over Hogan’s role on the show, and it’s a very strong possibility Hart will end up landing the job.

Interesting Character Details Revealed For 'Camp WWE' Adult Comedy On The WWE Network

We noted earlier this year that WWE Network would be premiering a "Camp WWE" animated comedy series in late 2015. Billed as WWE's "first adult comedy," the show is a partnership between WWE and Seth Green's Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.

We now have new details on the show as Executive Producers Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, Eric Towner and John Harvatine and casting directors Ruth Lambert and Robert McGee have been looking for voice actors for the Camp WWE tapings. The tapings will be on August 9th in Los Angeles and those doing the voice work will be paid $906. Below are details on the characters:

* Vince McMahon - head of the camp and a 50 year old, big brash, ego-maniacal billionaire who is also a loving father that hates complaining campers and ass-kissing subordinates, but loves money and power and is always thinking of new ways to run down his competition. Vince's character is billed as "clearly, the most intelligent character on the show."

* Triple H - a 14-15 year old co-head camp counselor called Hunter. His character is tough and intimidating and he's a vindictive prankster who is always trying to get Vince's respect and always trying to win the love of Vince's daughter. Hunter considers himself to be highly intelligent "but still has a long way to go."

* Stephanie McMahon - the other co-head camp counselor, her character is also 14-15 years old. She has all of her father's traits - arrogant, ruthless and intimidating but lacks the maturity to get the job done. She tries to run the camp but runs to her father at the first sign of trouble. Stephanie's character is "beautiful, bold, confrontational and fearless."

* John Cena - an 8 year old camper described as the "most adorable, cherry, upbeat boy scout type" and a cute goody two-shoes who will do anything to make the other campers happy. Cena's character is also described as a polarizing figure at the camp who is sometimes used by others to do their dirty work. He annoys people because he never gives up at anything and is always trying to inspire others.

* The Undertaker - the scariest 8 year old you'll ever meet, a large gothic kid obsessed with mystical powers and death. His character is based on Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy and Satin from Game of Thrones.

* Big Show - a big, dumb and gentle 8 year old. Big Show's character is both childlike and monstrous in size but doesn't understand his own strength or the meaning of any word with more than two syllables. This was described as an 8 year old Homer Simpson.

* Mark Henry - the strongest 8 year old in the world, who loves food and girls. He brags that he knows everything about women but it comes out that he knows nothing about women.

* Hulk Hogan - this character will be nixed due to the racist comments controversy but they wanted Hogan's character to be a camp legend who is huge, powerful and charismatic but tired from being old and being from a different era, still trying to connect with people by calling them "brother."

* The Bella Twins - Brie Bella is the cunning, cute and sneaky one while Nikki Bella is the tomboy of the two and has the best body of all the women campers. They sometimes play "twin magic" on unsuspecting campers.

* Ric Flair - a camper who is 5 years older than everyone else that rides in limousines and jet planes. His character is cocky, always styling & profiling and is also the dirtiest kid in camp who shocks Vince with stories of his sexual conquests.

* R-Truth - Neither big or bright but is funny and drives people crazy with his misguided theories on why things are what they are. His character is also the most gullible camper who always gives you second and third-hand information that's almost impossible to believe.

Rumor Mill - “Rowdy” Roddy Piper Reportedly Dropped From His WWE Legends Deal

WWE Hall Of Famer “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair noted on the latest episode of “Wooo! Nation” podcast that “Rowdy” Roddy Piper has been dropped from his WWE Legends contract.

The full details as to why are not yet know, but we do know that Piper’s podcast was recently removed from the PodcastOne network as result of issues with Steve Austin.

See also...

Roddy Piper Blames Steve Austin For His Podcast Being Removed From PodcastOne.com
Steve Austin Responds To Rumors He Got Roddy Piper Fired From PodcastOne.com

Ric Flair Talks Wanting To See Triple H In The Ring More, If He Will Return As A Manager, More

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair spoke to Tom Feaheny about his UK tour, his thoughts on WWE talent, his daughter Charlotte's current run in NXT and more. Below are some highlights:

Returning to the WWE as a wrestler:

"Physically I am more than able to return I don't think that's going to happen, Vincent Kennedy McMahon does not have me on the roster."

Returning to the WWE as a manager:

"I would love that I have been waiting on that for two years, but I don't anticipate that happening now, I understand that they have so many young guys, people they want to get established. I have no problem with it, but I don't think it will happen."

His daughter wrestling in NXT:

"I think she is going to be one of the biggest stars in the female division... I don't miss one of her matches, if I'm not there in person I am watching her on the network."

Triple H's role in WWE and NXT:

"I personally wish he was in the ring more because he is such a great performer. It's hard to maintain that edge when you are working part-time, I think he is doing a phenomenal job on a personal note, NXT is his baby and he has a lot to say about Raw and Smackdown and he is doing a great job, when you wrestle part-time the chances of injury can happen much easier."

'Rap is the new wrestling': how hip-hop heavyweights compare with WWE stars

New York rap and fashion maven A$AP Rocky thinks hip-hop has become like the theatrical, body-slam heavy world of WWE. Speaking to Elliott Wilson at a live recording of the CRWN hip-hop podcast at the Tribeca film festival, the 26-year-old rapper said: “Rap is the new wrestling,” before adding that in the world of contemporary hip-hop, rappers pick a strange name, say some ridiculous things and then wait until people pay attention (isn’t that just a guide to becoming famous in 2015?). He has a point though, even if there is more than a hint of irony in that theory coming from a rapper whose name is A$AP Rocky and whose biggest hit was called Fuckin’ Problems complaining about outlandish and gauche hip-hop acts with daft names. We’ve taken his assertion as a starting point and tried to figure out which WWE superstars (past and present) line up with contemporary rap stars...More?

source: theguardian.com

Recap of Hulk Hogan Appreciation Night at Madison Square Garden

Tonight’s WWE Live Event at Madison Square Garden was billed as Hulk Hogan Appreciation Night, and the show featured numerous special guest appearances for the Hogan ceremony. The segment featured appearances by Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Jimmy Hart and Triple H. During the segment, Madison Square Garden revealed a Hulkamania banner which will permanently hang in the rafters of MSG, alongside the Championship banners for the Rangers and Knicks. Throughout the Appreciation night segment, Hogan was said to be very emotional, and he became particularly emotional when they unveiled the banner.

Video: Ric Flair Responds to Triple H’s Action on Raw

Video: The vigilante Sting’s longtime rival, two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, tries to talk some sense into Triple H