From a 1979 episode of NWA World Wide Wrestling from WRAL-TV Studios in Raleigh, NC. Rich Landrum is the host: The show closes with a promo by "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd, Big John Studd, and "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.
When it comes to promos, Flair, Piper, Rock, etc are given tons of credit for being among the best ever, but to me no one was as entertaining on the mic as Ernie Ladd.
It's not often that Ric Flair isn't the best promo guy on camera. But Ernie Ladd could be incredible when he got going. His promos on Chief Jay Strongbow were god-tier.
i was raised watching big cat ernie ladd, always the perfect heel inside the ring and a real class act outside the ring...loved his work..can watch and listen to him all day, every day..R.I.P. ERNIE & BIG JOHN.
JAVIER THE LEGEND you're welcome javier..as far as big john and the big cat, well if you're there opponents and the big cat is the ''smaller'' of the two you're facing..you're screwed :)
I saw Ric Flair in 76' I was 12 at the time all the Mid-Alantic stars was at my local high school gym here in North Carolina ... he was the tv champ at the time Wahoo was the Mid -Alantic champ that was a great show I will never forget it !! My first show I ever saw live .
The Big Cat was probably my favorite wrestler ever. I grew up in Houston and while Ernie Ladd was a heavy everywhere else, he was a fan favorite in Houston b/c he used to play for the Oilers.
They were killers and outlaws back then. What the fuck WE HAVE NOW. A bunch of Matt Damon clones. WTF just happen to wrestling...other than that non-wrestling Disney company called WWE
In 1979, a new pro wrestling publication hit newsstands and magazine racks across the nation. It was Pro Wrestling Illustrated. When the first issue went to press, Ken Patera & John Studd were ranked at #4 in the Tag Team Division. Patera was also ranked at #4 in both the National Wrestling Alliance and the Most Hated Wrestlers category. Ric Flair was ranked at #3 in the NWA and at #1 in the Most Hated Wrestlers category.
The Studness🤣🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣 The Cat👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾💥 and Slick Rick 🥇🏅. Ric would have been the perfect live action Shin if "Fist of the North Star" had been made in this time.
I agree with all those comments, back then it got all different wrestling leagues (NWA, AWA, WCCW, SMOKY MONTAIN, GCW and so on) all those great wrestlers in their own territory and wrestling matches were great.
Rich Landrum was a good announcer..I remember watching him and Johny Weaver..Weaver would "He is in Rich Landrum's no man's land" referring to a guy being trapped in a corner during a tag much and both guys beating on him..good stuff
Professional wrestling old school was so much fun.. the trash talk, the characters. The modern product can't really touch it. Once in a while the rock, or aj or some true talent breaks out.
Yo Rick was leading the pack since the days of way back I remember this interview damn this is when wrestling was indeed entertaining and made you care who was champion.
I wasn't even thought about then lol. But here he didn't look that bad. I saw him in person in '06 and he looked like wrestling had really taken a toll on him.
Before wrestling got so commercialized and when most people were watching on a home antenna. You might pick up 3 channels. Tuning in just to see Nature Boy.
Sounds like Morgan Freeman, look like Bill Withers. What a coincidence, Bill Withers song is Lean On Me, and Morgan Freeman starred in the movie of the same name.
I saw Ric Flair and Big John Studd at a local venue here in Pa. in '83.I believe Paul Ordorff and Superfly Snuka were there also.They put on a great show!Big John Studd looked like a mountain to my 14 year-old eyes.Lol
You *know* WCW going under had to be the worst thing that could have ever happened to Vince McMahon, cause then everyone would see all these guys that were around for the first couple Wrestlemanias were in Mid-Atlantic, Florida, Georgia, World Class, AWA, UWF, Memphis, Portland, Calgary, and whoever else I'm forgetting before they "began their careers" in the WWF. In a twist I'd have sold it to Bischoff (who'd have been more at home because all he knew to do was use old WWF guys), but he'd have been dead broke in two years anyway with no Turner to bail him out.
Back then, yes. Flair was getting his legs under him still. Flair was good compared to the likes of Steamboat, Wahoo, the Briscos, but Ladd was incredible. Flair became Flair later on in the mid 80's.
" C'mon Mr. Commentator, 'he's so great,...yik yik yik...and he's so brave....yak yak yak'...make gentlemans and atheletes like myself sick. Da masked bum No II, Dirty Rhodes, Andre the Gimp, Stumbleboat..SHUDDUP OUT DERE!!!!" Big Cat was a great one,if anyone knows why he didn't at least have a brief WWF title run in the early '80s. RIP Big Cat.
