Notes on Matt Hardy, Ric Flair, CM Punk, and AJ Lee
– During an appearance on The Drive With Josh Graham earlier this week, Matt Hardy discussed his career, being a fan of Ric Flair, and Ric Flair trusting him with a Superplex bump during the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 22. Below are some highlights (via WrestlingInc.com):
Matt Hardy on working with Ric Flair later in his career: “A lot of my earlier memories were Ric Flair in the Greensboro Coliseum doing his thing as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Obviously I was a huge fan of Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen growing up in North Carolina. It was hard not to be. So it was great to actually know him and get to work matches with him and become friends with him. Actually when we did our Money in the Bank ladder match together, Ric pulled me aside and said ‘look, I want to take a big bump off this ladder. You’re the only person I trust to give me a suplex off the top. I know you’ve got experience (in these matches), and you’re good.’ That was like the ultimate compliment, coming from someone who I grew up watching as a childhood hero. Lot’s of love for Ric Flair. Those are my fondest memories from the Greensboro Coliseum growing up.”
Hardy on his entrance for his Version 1 gimmick: “We had the idea of doing the overlay for the entrance of Matt Hardy, Version 1. Once I was doing a computer, online, cyberworld type deal, I wanted to relate to that. We talked about doing a computer like screen, which was an old Windows Media Player is what that screen was based on. And they put that little spot down there, and I want to say it was a Kevin Dunn idea. I’ll probably give him credit for it as I think it was his. He said ‘what if we put up a little Matt Fact? A fact about you during this thing.’ I said ‘yeah, we can call it a Matt Fact.’ They ended up doing of those per entrance, and it’s crazy how remembered those things are. It was so different, it was so unique and so catchy. And I submitted three or four every time I was going to wrestle, and they would select two of them. So there were a ton of Matt Facts that I had created that never got utilized. I’ll share one with you right now that’s a little more current, that it one that would definitely be going on if I was walking out to a Matt Hardy Version 1 entrance right now. ‘Matt absolutely adores spicy mayo.’”
– CM Punk on a potential AJ Lee comeback via ESPN…
“I know her and if I said, ‘Hey, you want to do this wrestling match?’ & if she was all to do it, I know she would want to get into stupid shape to do it & I like her thick. So I don’t want to take that away from myself”
