WWE Hall of Famer “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson recently appeared on an episode of his ARN podcast, where he discussed a number of topics, including whether retirements in wrestling last.
Anderson said, “Do they ever stick? What percentage actually are really a retirement? Do we have — are there any numbers at all? So if you know that it’s not going to happen. In the back of your mind, if you’re doubting it, boy that really takes the edge off of it, doesn’t it? It really really does. And so if you’re going to retire, retire, that’s it.”
On Ric Flair’s retirement angle in 1995:
“One thing I knew, they weren’t going to leave Ric Flair off for a year. How can you pay a guy that kind of money, number one. Though I guess that’s the easy part, is to come up with the cash if you’re Turner. But you’re to leave them off a year? We didn’t have enough things that were hot to draw. Io replace Ric Flair, it’s a tough order.”
On why his retirement segment worked:
“Because it was legitimate. You know, I knew — my doctor already told me, ‘I will never clear you to wrestle again.’ Then I had the incident in the gym where the guy came up, smacked me on the back. I dropped the water bottle and, like an electric shock went through me which, if I didn’t believe my doctor, I did then. I knew, the first thing that went in my mind was, ‘If that little bitty smack on the back had that kind of impact on me, how am I gonna get bounced around by these beasts?’ And it just said, ‘You’re done.’ There’s a little voice in my head that said, ‘Hey, you’re done.’”
“And so it was legitimate. That all happened that day, and this was a spontaneous thing. When I got to TV, I explained to Eric (Bischoff) what had happened and the conversation I had with my doctor. And I thought I could rehab, but he just, ‘It’s not gonna happen.’ I said, ‘Could I have some time just to go out and retire tonight?’”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
