Ric Flair and Michael Hayes Discuss Wrestling Today, Working with Charlotte

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

On the most recent episode of WOOOOO! Nation with Ric Flair, “The Nature Boy” spoke with Michael P.S. Hayes about a number of topics including Charlotte, NXT, and the current problems with today’s product.

Before they began the interview, Flair thanked Hayes for helping his daughter learn the ropes of the professional wrestling business:

“Make no mistake about it, she has had the support of Michael and Hunter and from me, of course, and a lot of people that care about her. I just told her today, ‘if you have a problem, go talk to Michael Hayes.”

Hayes then went on to say that there was a time where Charlotte was not quite sure whether being a professional wrestler was what she wanted in life or whether she wanted to put the work in necessary to get to where she wanted to be before she turned the corner:

“But make no mistake about it, [Charlotte] didn’t get to where she is because she is your daughter and she’s not even close to where she’s going to be. Charlotte, Sasha [Banks], all of those girls, the reason they get where they are is because of their desire and the way they choose to play: they’re smart enough to take great coaching and then they utilize the tools that they’ve been given and the coaching they’ve been given.”

Flair and Hayes talked about some of the problems with today’s product; Flair suggested that too many performers are concerned about being made to look foolish and that performers should not be using each others moves:

“God, go for the gusto. Go for what they’re digging. Jesus, don’t worry about how you look,and everybody uses each other’s finish, too, for high spots.”

Hayes agreed with Flair, adding that in their day, doing false finishes could have gotten them kicked out of a territory or the professional wrestling business entirely:

“We could have never put somebody through a table. We couldn’t do a finish and make it a false finish. Back in the day, there were these unwritten rules, so you had these parameters that made you have to work to get it and once you learned how to work to get it and you got it, you just kept going there.”

Also, Hayes suggested that professional wrestlers today who treat the professional wrestling business as merely a job break kayfabe and this impedes their performance, as they might not sell an injury over a period of days:

“I’ll just go on the record saying this, I think some people, and maybe this gives them less stress in their business life, but some people almost come, clock in, and when the show is over, clock out, and that’s it and it’s just a job, a well-paying job, but it’s just a job.”

Despite all of this, Hayes still believes that the future of professional wrestling is bright:

“I will say this, I do think the future is bright because I love NXT. That’s probably the highlight of my career when I get down there and work with those kids. And I think what Hunter is doing with how we are teaching those kids that they are starting to get taught the right way again and they are starting to learn the whys and the hows and, more importantly, the why nots.”

With H/T to WrestlingInc.com.

You can listen to the entire podcast here.

Follow @NYJetsRule71587