Legend on Ric Flair and Roddy Piper's alleged issues with two-time WWE Hall of Famer in WCW
Ric Flair was synonymous with WCW in the 1990s. In a recent podcast episode, fellow wrestling legend Ted DiBiase Sr. reflected on Flair and Roddy Piper's alleged problem with Sean Waltman in WCW.
In 1997, Flair teamed up with Piper and former football player Kevin Greene to defeat the nWo (Waltman, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall) at Slamboree. After the event, rumors emerged that Flair and Piper thought the two-time WWE Hall of Famer was not a big enough star to be in the match.
DiBiase Sr., a former nWo member, said on Everybody's Got A Pod that Waltman needed more experience to reach the next level:
"Sean's a good friend of mine, but at that time, he wasn't a big name for any organization, and so it's kinda like if you wanna make him a big name, well, then you make him a big name, and the only way you can make him a big name is by letting him have matches where he gets featured and he wins and he wins and he wins, and is elevated to that position." [1:13 – 1:49]
The nWo's original three-man group consisted of Hall, Nash, and Hulk Hogan. However, Waltman was chosen to represent the stable at Slamboree 1997 due to Hogan's television commitments outside of WCW.
Ted DiBiase Sr. understood Ric Flair and Roddy Piper's concerns
Sean Waltman, aka Syxx and X-Pac, was still establishing himself as a big name in the pro wrestling business when he joined the nWo. At that point in his career, he had not yet joined D-Generation X in WWE and cemented his legacy as an Attitude Era legend.
Given the star power involved in the match, Ted DiBiase Sr. can see why Ric Flair and Roddy Piper had reservations about working with Waltman:
"I don't remember a whole lot about it, but me looking at it from where I am now, would have said, yeah, I can see where those guys [Ric Flair and Roddy Piper] had an argument." [1:50 – 2:05]
Waltman joined the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a D-Generation X member. He was also part of the 2020 Hall of Fame class as part of the nWo.
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Please credit Everybody's Got A Pod and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.