I watched the entire thing, I've heard stories of it before, and... you're 100% correct. Vince was on the plane, Michael Hayes whipped out his dick and nearly pissed on his wife... they've been publicly traded since October 1999 and this was the one that revealed that they're scumbags.
Jim Ross said Ric Flair got away with it because he's a made man. He was absolutely correct. Ric Flair as a human being is a piece of shit, and he makes lying arse Hulk Hogan look like a saint in comparison. How they discerned that Hennig got fired (and wound up dead a year later), Scott Hall got fired (they knew he had alcohol problems and goaded him into binging, in my opinion) but Dustin DID NOT (JR: "well he was a really nice guy...") is utterly ridiculous.
Then again, they were all drunk with GHB in their system. At least X-Pac was the true winner, taking cocksucker Michael Hayes' ponytail as a trophy.
Still, it's kind of a hit-piece considering WWE is the target rather than wrestling as an industry itself... all of the major fuck ups on that plane had been in WCW and other territories, not just WWE. Hall and Hennig were certified cokeheads, and Ric Flair is an embarrassment as a human being, but hadn't been in WWE for a year at that point.
Vince knows what's up, and seldom were Triple H, Taker, Austin and Rock problems for the company.
I am, however, looking forward to the Chris Kanyon doc. Guy was guy, committed suicide, he claimed he was discriminated in WWF... in WCW he was big and actually offered a lot in the ring. He was over. I wanna see that one, I haven't been into this series before.
Couple of things. Been a while since I've kept up on industry info (it really is fascinating), but here we go:
- Flair IS a legend, but his fucking bum has been out the window for four decades. Multiple wives, multiple bankruptcies (Vince bailed him out once), a PERFECT retirement ruined to go to TNA, and a legacy destroyed because kayfabe is dead. He's amazing, and I'd love to sit down with him for a pint and listen to every word he'd have to say... But I wouldn't believe any of it when it was done.
- Hennig got fucked. I hold to this strongly, as watching his matches later in life, he was a genius on par with Bret Hart. He was safe, and he made everyone look good. His Dad Larry "The Axe" didn't even have the pure talent Curt did, and Curt's son had the potential to even surpass him - except WWE fucked him over as Curtis Axel. There's a reason Macho Man wrote the song "My Perfect Friend" about Hennig.
- Brock is a meathead farm boy. That's a blessing and a curse. A curse because there's nothing to him besides his own desire; the passion isn't there in his work unless he's motivated. But a blessing because he knows it's a business and can fuck over the only guy who never gets fucked over - Vince. I admire Lesnar in a way, but I don't think much of him. Not that he'd care, which I also admire. To control your own destiny is a dream of all men.
- I love Scott Hall. A psychological ring genius. Even at his lowest, his talent was still there. I'm glad he's doing better, and he's the only addict I feel for when he relapses. He's had a very rough life and clearly still holds trauma over killing that man, but unlike most addicts, he is very likeable, and highly intelligent. He always has my support.
- Michael Hayes always has been, and always will be, a callow piece of shit. The Freebirds were a lifetime ago, and he sold his soul to be one of Vince's boys. He echos only what Vince believes, which for a southern territory boy must kill him inside. He deserves his own hell. Has good stories, though.
- I'm very happy Dustin Rhodes turned his life around. With age he's actually gotten better, and is a better athlete in the ring than his own brother and father - and not far off from Dusty in speaking with sincerity (doesn't have the charisma though). But, he shouldn't have been shielded from blame either. He was a mess.
- Jim Ross is, outside of Gordon Solie and my personal campy favorite Tony Schiavonne, the best announcer I've ever heard. He's also a two faced twat with his own drinking problems. He talks out of both sides of his mouth (that's not a Bells Palsy joke), and clearly he's sanitizing things as much as he can. Remember, this is the guy who failed to renew Jeff Jarrett, allowing Double J to hold Vince hostage at the pay per view where he dropped the IC belt to Chyna - a boon to Jeff because a smoz would've ruined his career. Vince never forgave Ross for that; that was worse than Warrior pulling a power play for more money on the day of the PPV that led to him being fired.
I'm basically saying they're all trash - but interesting trash.
