Arn Anderson Reveals Why Ric Flair Stepped Down From WCW Booking In 1995

WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson shared insights into Ric Flair’s decision to step away from his role as a booker in WCW in 1995.

Speaking on his ARN podcast, Arn Anderson explained that Flair was dissatisfied with the responsibilities of the position, preferring to focus on his in-ring career rather than managing storylines and talent.

Well, Flair pretty much quit, to be honest with you. Ric wanted to wrestle as the World Champion and be Ric Flair; he didn’t want to sit down and be the booker. I don’t think that was what he aspired to do. As a matter of fact, I know he didn’t.

Anderson elaborated on the pressures Flair faced as a booker, noting the demanding nature of the role and the difficulties of balancing creative responsibilities with the day-to-day challenges of working with talent.

It was just too time-consuming; he was having to deal with all the headaches with the guys. He was great at booking himself as a world champion—he had no competition where that was concerned. But to now be the booker and have to book two, three shows, figure out talent, angles, and all that, I just think that’s not what he signed up for.

Flair’s departure from the booking role occurred during a transformative period for WCW, as the company prepared to challenge WWE in the Monday Night Wars during the late 1990s. While Flair remains celebrated as one of the greatest wrestlers in history, Anderson’s comments shed light on the challenges that come with transitioning from performing in the ring to working behind the scenes.

Which WCW Match Did Arn Anderson Know Was Going To Be “Awful” Before It Happened?

Arn Anderson spoke about how he knew one of his WCW matches was going to be awful before it even occurred. Anderson spoke about his June 1995 match against newcomer Renegade at The Great American Bash pay-per-view event, where he lost his WCW World Television Championship and said that he knew it would be bad when he found out the match was happening. Anderson said that the company should have only had the match go for 2 to 3 minutes instead of the 8 to 9 it ended up being.

H/t to ITRWrestling.com