WWE Byte This! Recap – 05/30/2003
By Michael Hoffman

Hosts:   Howard Finkel, Dr. Tom Prichard

Guests: Billy Kidman, Jim Ross, Ric Flair

The show opens with no opening video or title sequence, and Howard and Tom set up the show.

The two talk briefly about the Mr. America/Vince McMahon storyline and the Badd Blood PPV until…

Droz joins the show.

The group discusses matches already signed for Badd Blood:

• Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
• Chris Jericho vs. Goldberg
• Christian vs. Booker T – Intercontinental Championship Match
• La Resistance vs. Kane & Rob Van Dam – World Tag Team Title Match

Droz thought Steve Austin did a good job singing America The Beautiful, but is happy he doesn’t do it for a living.  He enjoyed that Lilian Garcia stopped singing in spots to force Austin to show off his voice, and that she participated in the beer bash that followed.

Droz promotes his latest column and leaves the show.

Howard and Tom both send best wishes to Classy Freddie Blassie, who at the time of the show was ailing in a local hospital.  Dr. Tom speaks of reading his autobiography, while Howard discusses Blassie’s recent visit to the WWE locker room in Philadelphia.  Finkel comments that Blassie truly enjoyed being around the boys, and that being around was great for his health.  Prichard follows up by recounting Blassie’s enjoyment of the company’s Christmas party.

Finkel announces that all military personnel coming to Raw Monday night in full uniform will receive free admittance.  Also, all military personnel are eligible to view Bad Blood free of charge.  (Click HERE for details.)

Finkel and Pritchard discuss the first dark match of Ultimo Dragon.  They both speculate as to which brand Dragon will compete.

Billy Kidman joins the show.

Kidman talks about his shoulder injury.  Kidman inadvertently hooked his foot on the rope as he attempted a shooting star press, which caused him to land awkwardly on his opponent.  He says that he came as close to dislocating his shoulder without actually doing so.  He has been cleared to wrestle as of Thursday.

He says that watching the WWE product, he tries to be as impartial as he can.  He has enjoyed being a fan, but says the he gets the itch to compete whenever he sees something good happening on the shows.

Kidman thinks that the Basham Brothers have a lot of potential in WWE.  He has previously worked with Doug Basham and says that he has good in-ring ability, and that the team has a good look.

He has no reservations about doing the shooting star press again.  He says that he landed similarly on another occasion, but states that he has done the move so often that he has no doubts of being about to hit it.

He felt that Brock Lesnar attempting the move at WrestleMania was disrespectful to him because there is an unwritten code of ethics that states that wrestlers do not steal each other’s finishing moves.  He says that he could F-5 his opponents if he wanted, but doesn’t because of the respect he has for his fellow workers.  Prichard points out that Lesnar performed the shooting star press on many occasions while wrestling in OVW; Kidman admits to being aware of that fact.  He states that he would have much of a problem if a Raw performer were to use the move since it was a different brand.  He recounts meeting with Johnny B. Badd/Marc Mero in WCW when Mero asked if he could try the move in a match.  Kidman told him at that time that he preferred that he didn’t, and Mero obliged.  When Mero signed with the then-WWF, he began to use the move as his finisher, and Kidman had no problems with that.

While injured, Kidman has stayed in touch with Kanyon and Edge, but not too many other wrestlers.

Kidman and Torrie Wilson are preparing for their July wedding, planning their honeymoon.

He admits that he was not sure how he would feel about the Playboy shoot, but since it would help her career, he was very encouraging of the decision.  He says that Playboy was very cool to deal with, and allowed her final say in what photos were included in the magazine.  He thought that the layout was done very well, and was surprised with how well he was able to handle the situation.

Kidman does not like to only be classified as a cruiserweight because he feels he can compete on all levels.  That being said, he looks forward to returning and working in the cruiserweight division.

About Ultimo Dragon, Kidman hopes that he does wrestle on the SmackDown brand because there are so many wrestlers who could have good matches with him.

Prichard asks Kidman about his experience working with Hulk Hogan in WCW.  He would definitely look forward to competing against him again; he feels lucky to have worked with legends such as Flair, Savage, and Page.  He points out that he is the only cruiserweight to ever pin Hogan.

Howard wishes Kidman good luck in his return, and Billy Kidman leaves the show.

Jim Ross joins the show, in part to promote his new cookbook.

Ross says that a lot of memories came to mind while writing the book.  The cookbook is a mixture of family recipes, traditional southern recipes, and grilling recipes to please a wide range of people.  He says that the cookbook describes the difference between barbequing and grilling, and also includes “Top 10” lists and interesting stories from his career.  He feels that WWE fans will be interested in the stories in the book, while non-WWE fans will enjoy the recipes.

Ross then details the many appearances he is making to promote the cookbook, including many book signings.  He says that the best market research is being able to meet face to face with fans and hear their opinions.

Ross will also be featured on a special on Food Network on Tuesday, June 17.  He may also be doing a cooking segment on Regis and Kelly toward the end of June.

Ross hopes that his autobiography will be completed by the end of next year.  He, Austin, and Dennis Brent are putting the finishing touches on the Stone Cold Steve Austin autobiography.  He says that he will need to find the time between performing on Raw, on the PPV’s, completing his Talent Relations duties, and watching Oklahoma Sooners football to write his book.

Regarding the state of WWE, Ross says that he is learning to take an optimistic view toward things.  He says that the economy is struggling at the moment, and that the United States has shifted its priorities.  He says that WWE needs to focus on developing younger talent, mentioning the OVW talent participating in house shows recently.  He is happy with things, but admits that they could be doing better.  He says that the members of the creative team have a thankless job at times, with many people second-guessing their performance.  He mentions injuries that need to be healed, and that the younger talent needs to seize the opportunity they are given.  He feels the “glass ceiling” theory is a lame excuse being used by some of the talent.  He believes that eventually, the office does notice hard work; workers need to maintain a positive outlook.

About his impending autobiography, Ross says that he has had an amazing range of bosses, from the independent companies through WWE.  He has enjoyed his career, has a lot of stories to tell, and feel that he was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.  He is still a fan at heart, and says that when he stops being a fan is the day that he retires.

Ross recognizes that the fans love the wrestling business and want everything to be perfect, but reiterates that the workers and writer are human.  It is inevitable that some shows will be better than others, but that they strive to be better next week than this week.

Ross does some final shilling for the cookbook, his barbeque sauce, and the Austin book.

Jim Ross leaves the show.

Out-think the Fink Time:  At which WrestleMania did Jim Ross debut?  (WrestleMania 9)

Finkel and Prichard talk briefly about the WWE show in Portland this Saturday night, their first appearance in Portland in over 10 years.  The show is a near sell-out.

Ric Flair joins the show.

Flair starts by talking about his memories of working with Don Owen in Portland, starting in 1981.  He says Owen was one of the classiest guys in the business, a great pay-off man, and someone who cares for the people he employed.  He says that he was honest, sincere, and well respected.

Flair details his problems in WCW, which resulted in him losing his passion for the business.  He feels that Bischoff took him for granted, and after a period of time, he became worn down and no longer enjoyed what he was doing.  He says that he has never considered wrestling his “job” but as his “passion,” but that the way he was booked in WCW affected the way he carried himself in and out of the ring. 

Flair recaptured his enthusiasm when he realized that he still had two sons – David and Reid – who looked to him as a role model in their lives.  He decided that he needed to teach them by his example in the way he conducted himself as a man.  He says, “For lack of a better term, I ‘snapped’ one day.”  

Flair admits that he is not an Internet guy, saying he can’t even turn on a computer.

Prichard talks about the tribute given to Flair after the 05/19 Raw, and says that Flair, after all his accomplishments, is still humble in the locker room, and is willing to help out younger talent.  He mentions that there truly is no other performer than Flair.

Flair says that he had lost all sight of how he was perceived in wrestling.  He says that the tribute was the biggest moment of his career.  He says that there is nothing more rewarding than the respect of your peers, which he has always had, but lost sight of that fact after his treatment in WCW.  He says, however, that he does not blame anyone but himself for how he was treated.  

He mentioned some of the recent tragic deaths, and points out that the business is not to blame.  People make personal decisions on how they conduct themselves, and themselves are responsible for the consequences.  

Flair talks about helping the young talent.  He mentions than Vince McMahon had asked him a year ago to work with them but given his state of mind at that time Flair was not sure he could help.  He says that he has now cleared a big hurdle in his life, and feels like a 25-year-old again.  

Flair says that his first run with then the WWF was probably the most exciting of his career.  He mentions the great talent he worked with during that time – Hogan, Piper, Hart, and Hennig – and says that working with those names couldn’t get any better.  (MBH – Flair also had a main event program with Randy Savage, who he does not mention.)  Flair left the company after he received a very lucrative offer from WCW, which he still considered his home.  Flair remembers McMahon’s words when he told him of the offer:  “What’s best for you is best for me.” 

Flair again mentions that he has not been able to perform at the level he should until recently, and states that he hopes to give Shawn Michaels a great match at the PPV.

Flair says that he would never imagine that he would feel as well as he does for his age.  He says positive mental attitude is the key to succeeding at anything.  He says that he had lost the ability, in his opinion, to put on a great match, due to his loss of enthusiasm.

He says that in his match with HHH, Hunter wrestled exactly the way Flair has wrestled:  He simply made his opponent look good.  Flair says that he hopes his is remembered for being able to enhance the careers of his fellow workers.  He says that aspect of the business is very important.

Flair has already written a book and says that it is due to be released March 1, 2004.  He says that he has talked with many publishers and hopes to have it published in time for WrestleMania.

Flair says that one of his 1989 matches with Ricky Steamboat is probably his greatest match in NWA/WCW.  He says that he has not yet had is greatest match in WWE.  He considers his match with Hunter to be his best so far.  He wishes that he had been in a proper state of mind when he wrestled Undertaker last year, because he feels that he was not able to perform at the level he should have.

He hopes that he and Shawn Michaels can steal the show at the PPV.  He says that he has been watching himself, which he doesn’t like to do, to find things that he can improve upon before his match with Michaels.

Flair feels that Brock Lesnar has done a phenomenal job during his run as champion.  He says that he taken the high level position given to him and has excelled because of his attitude, training, and background in amateur competition.

Flair hopes he has another opportunity to wrestle Kurt Angle.  He again states that he was disappointed with his previous performance with Angle, which was caused by his lack of focus.

Chat room question asks why Flair wears his kneepads so far down his legs.  “Because I have skinny calves,” Flair responds.

Flair feels that Hunter is a quality person from a great family.  He is very flattered that Hunter thought so much of him as a youngster, and genuinely feels that Hunter is the best wrestler today.  He feels the three best are Angle, Michaels, and Hunter.  He says that the ability to perform at the highest levels four or five days a week makes them the greatest performances.

Flair talks about the thrill of both rosters to perform and feels that as long as the workers continue to perform at their best, at both televised and non-televised events, that the attendance will eventually rise again.

Ric Flair leaves the show.

Howard and Dr. Tom continue to discuss the renewed excitement that Flair has shown, and his effect on the entire roster.

Finkel apologizes for the technical problems earlier in the show as the show concludes.

“Byte This!” can be seen live Fridays at 4:00pm Eastern time at WWE.com.  Click HERE to listen to the archive.

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