It's on record that Ric Flair, Harley Race, Nick Bockwinkel, the Funk Brothers, Superstar Billy Graham, Dusty Rhodes, Bruno Sammartino, and Pat Patterson have all said that Ray Stevens was the greatest worker and/or most influential to their respective careers.
And both Patterson and Bockwinkel had legendary tag team runs with Ray Stevens. If Nick and Pat were still alive, it would be interesting to hear their opinions on which tag team was better.
I dabbled in watching wrestling as a kid but once I saw him (Ray "The Crippler" Stevens) powerdrive Snuka outside the ring I was hooked. That angle with Albano locked me in 4life
Ray Stevens absolutely brilliant worker, he got me hooked as a kid when he came to Australia in 1965 66and 67.He won our version of the world title IWA at the time against Spiros Arion in 1966 he also held our version of the tag team titles with Art Nelson. Ray is one of the very best ever.
I thought i knew pretty much everything about Stevens being a hard core AWA fan that i was but today is the first time i ever learned he was a star also in Australia > wow
I grew up watching Ray Stevens in the mid 1960's in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was such a heel back then. He was said to be from New York City, I guess that was to show he was an outsider. He was both a singles wrestler and a tag team partner with Pat Patterson. Great memories thanks to Ray.
There's footage on RUclips of a match between Bockwinkle and Stevens and Bruiser and Crusher where Stevens does the head over heels flip over the top rope. Absolutely magical.
Loved Ray The Crippler Stevens an You Ric Flair an my Late Dad You Are One of The Greatest Ric Seen You Wrestle Jack Brisco in Torontos Maple Leaf Gardens when you were NWA World Champion.Enjoy Your Retirement Nature Boy ! 🇨🇦🇺🇸🙏🏼🙏🏼✌️
Average talker? Really? Ray was GREAT on the mike in the 60's/70's Bay Area pro wrestling scene. Ray packed the Cow Palace like "Sandine Cans" back in the CH2/CH40 days not just because of of in ring skills but also his mic skills.
My favorite Ray memory is from a tv taping in Mpls (AWA) with the Heenan Family in the ring, Ray was looking like he was getting phased out of the family over a few shows or basically leaving the territory, and Bill Apter was there to give Bobby Heenan a Manager of the Year award and one thing led to another and Ray broke the 4 foot tall trophy into dust and chaos ensued. It was one of the great AWA moments of all time. Ray was as good as the Naitch says he was. Classic.
@@hockeyman1054 they were great. My dad and I did not always get along, but for an hour on Sundays we laughed and cheered. And when Ray smashed that plastic trophy we were in heaven. I miss watching those guys
@@mikeharlan8708 the seventies and eighties AWA shows were probably the best TV wrestling of all time. No other roster matched up with what Gagne had built. I miss it too. Lot of great replays on here though...
Ray spent around 8 or 10 short months in the WWF back in 1982/1983, was lucky enough to see him perform at a few live events back then. By far the highlight of his WWF stay was his feud with Snuka. If you happened to be watching the WWF during that time the attack on Snuka by Stevens, Albano & Fred Blassie was the most important thing that ever happened to Snuka's career.
Stevens was probably at his peak from the early 60s to the early 70s. As a kid, I saw him during that period against the likes of Haystacks Calhoun, Pepper Gomez, Bobo Brazil, Kenji Shibuya, Pat Patterson, Mighty Brutus, Billy Graham and so many others. Ray was the king of San Francisco.
Funny to here Flair talk about Ray Stevens. Have both in my NWA tabletop rassling game with Stevens getting ready to work a match on 4/27/22 against Ron Garvin. Let the good times roll!!!
@@jeremy19175 It may have been...not for sure...I know it was his nickname in San Fran...I got to see him wrestle once in Fargo where he arm dragged a guy off the top turnbuckle...I still couldn't believe the agility he had to pull off the move...he was in his 50's at the time...towards end of AWA
@@jeremy19175 San Francisco at the Cow Palace was a major AWA stop too...for sure. I only knew about Stevens-Gomez because of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestler mags...Stevens was the top heel in the area...Gomez the cast iron stomach baby face...🤣🤣🤣
@@jeremy19175 Gomez was on AWA wrestling a few times in the 70's out of the Twin Cities...remember seeing him on TV when I was little...lots of tv appearances of Bockwinkel and Stevens
These clips really feel like Ric can't be bothered, and is using the same buzzwords and phrases, while the host desperately tries to have Ric talk for more than 3 seconds at a time
Among the first wrestling I ever saw as a kid (about 8 yrs old) was from the San Francisco territory in '63. Ray Stevens was the star. Seemed like he was on tv every week. He went up against the likes of Bearcat Wright, Andre Draupp, Dom Denucci and Pepper Gomez. Later 60's he did a face turn and had a rip-roaring feud with Pat Patterson. Never got to see him at a house show, but based on how well he performed on the tv tapings, they must have been incredible. He would take bumps you wouldn't believe. You believed it was real. In the 70's he and Patterson were a top face tag team and they got over big time.
Watching this, I’m so lucky to watch all the Saturday morning wresting back in the ‘60’s in the SF Bay Area with Ray Stevens and Pat Patterson. Also Pepper Gomez. Got to met him through my dad at the gym. Always thought RS was one of the greats. Nice to here Ric’s opinion.
@@philaman1972 you know what I was of the same opinion, but thought I must be wrong, l will have to check it out. I was going on what they were saying. Thanks for that.
@@philaman1972 Had a look he's in the 2020 legacy version as he should be.WWE used to release their Wrestlemania dvd including a disc with that years Hall of Fame inductees, it was the main reason l bought it, but they haven't done that for a number of years now. I don't buy it since then.
OMG, YOU NEVER SAW RAY STEVENS MATCH IN SAN FRANCISCIO VS BIG BILL MILLER... flair you missed a blood bath.. it was on wrestling covers.. i saw the match it was amazing...
I had the great privilege of seeing Ray Stevens in Australia in 1966 & 1967. No one came close to him as a worker. His matches against Mark Lewin & Domenic Denucci are legendary.
I was never too impressed with Ray Stevens but I saw him at the end of his career when he came to JCP during the time Flair is talking about. He was a believable heel but when the card is stacked too to bottom you really have to do a lot to stand out. Everybody who was anybody came through the Carolinas in the 70s and early 80s
Say what you want about the Naitch. He was the best of the best. There was never anyone that would dream of being as loyal to the business than Ric Flair! Wooooo
Turn to Jesus people he died for your sins, Repent of what the New Testament describes as sin. Believe the gospel obey the teachings of Jesus documented in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus is the only way to be saved, be baptized if you have faith in Jesus then you will live life with him as your example. If you need prayer i'll pray for you. If you want to keep contact with a brother in Christ i’ll keep contact with you. The love of God is beyond our understanding. God bless
Ray was great saw him so many times in Sacramento so many battles I remember he wrestled lar Anderson ray went for an atomic drop and dropped over the rope told hank that his knee slipped lol God he was great
So are these just old clips? Because I know that once you say anything bad about the Ric Flair, the Nature Boy (which he stole), or “The Man” (which he cried over because Becky was getting over more than Ashley and Ric doesn’t have the pencil ✏️ and eraser so he couldn’t stop her like he did to everybody in the 80s/early 90’s until he was wrestling in his mid-late 40s which isn’t old in life but it’s time for guys in his their mid twenties and 30’s to hold the belt…. Anyways, Richard Flair lol, will resent you until he dies. It makes sense why his friends are floating in the air like arm, Tully, hhh, and more. He claims he just wanted to wrestle because he loved it but then he admits he was broke when he talks to a badass like Steve Austin and he can’t lie. I love what he’s done for te business however madden didn’t say anything malicious ablution tbejr gaming ohh and he’s been doing radio before podcast we’re a big deal. I don’t want to ever hate flair because he’s one of the t I greatest of all time (he’s also has a lot of say in his wins until Hogan/Bischoff came along and had different ideas, they became the devil to Ric! I love Flair and he’s in the Mt Rushmore even though it’s hard to pic wrestlers for that because it’s predetermined and in real sports even if the team or individuals (golf, UFC, tennis, etc) are hated by the media or controversial, the numbers don’t lie and spell great itself!
Ray Stevens was not the greatest and I can prove it. Cosmetically he looked like shit, short beer belly and pasty white with a body that never saw the inside of a gym. That is just to begin with. He did the flair flip in the corner and it never got a rise out of a live crowd because it just made him look like a light weight which he was. (couldn't have weighed more than 215 pounds at about 5"10. Looked like he did curls with two Whiskey bottles and then drank them both dry. And now for the proof. Whenever Bockwinkle and Stevens (along with their manager Bobby "the Brain" Heenan defended their World Tag Team Titles, often times Stevens would no show. Probably drunk at some flop house in Barstow or possibly not booked on purpose. Why? Because nobody gave a crap about Stevens. And the show was better without him! What would happen was Wally Karbo would get on the house mic and announce that Ray Stevens missed his flight and would not be appearing for the title match. The crowd would boo and scream at Wally that hey wanted a refund. Then Wally would say " But you all paid for a world tag team match tonight and your going to get one. As manager Bobby Heenan is responsible for Ray Missing his flight. Therefor, Bobby Heenan will wrestle in his place! The place went crazy and Bobby lost his mind grabbing the mic and saying "I am not a wrestler". And then Bobby was given 15 minutes to borrow some trunks and be back at the ring or his team would forfeit the titles . (as we all know that you cannot lose the titles by disqualification. But you can forfeit them for not fulfilling your booking) The fans would spend the next 15 minutes buzzing if Heenan would make it back in time and could he and Bockwinkle possibly retain the titles. When the match started Heenan was dressed to wrestle and could do every move that Ray could do except when Bobby did the Flair flip in the corner he did it better and got a bigger reaction because the people had never seen him do it and thought it was a shoot. And Bobby sold it like a shoot. Bobby would bleed (being more dramatic with Bobby.s jet white hair in full contrast) and then do his famous one arm over the top rope bump and the crowd would go home happy. Win or lose and most of the time they would lose the titles that night. The fans felt they got an unexpected bonus. And if we are to include being the best worker means doing a great promo, please! So with great respect to all those famous people who said Ray Stevens was the greatest worker. I say Bobby Heenan was the greatest all around worker in the history of wrestling. I rest my case. (And in Bobbys own words, " I've been hit with a chair so many times my head smells like ass!)
It's on record that Ric Flair, Harley Race, Nick Bockwinkel, the Funk Brothers, Superstar Billy Graham, Dusty Rhodes, Bruno Sammartino, and Pat Patterson have all said that Ray Stevens was the greatest worker and/or most influential to their respective careers.
And both Patterson and Bockwinkel had legendary tag team runs with Ray Stevens. If Nick and Pat were still alive, it would be interesting to hear their opinions on which tag team was better.
Worked security for AWA in the 70's and gave a ride to Ray to the airport. Good guy...
I dabbled in watching wrestling as a kid but once I saw him (Ray "The Crippler" Stevens) powerdrive Snuka outside the ring I was hooked. That angle with Albano locked me in 4life
I remember Ray Stevens and Pat Patterson as Tag Team champs. No one was more exciting.
Ray giving Jimmy Snuka 2 pile drivers on the concrete floor got me into Wrestling back in 82
Ric marking out on someone is gold pure gold, really shows how much he loves the business.
💯
Ray Stevens absolutely brilliant worker, he got me hooked as a kid when he came to Australia in 1965 66and 67.He won our version of the world title IWA at the time against Spiros Arion in 1966 he also held our version of the tag team titles with Art Nelson. Ray is one of the very best ever.
I thought i knew pretty much everything about Stevens being a hard core AWA fan that i was but today is the first time i ever learned he was a star also in Australia > wow
@@reallifelebowski4732 l am glad for you that you now know.
I grew up watching Ray Stevens in the mid 1960's in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was such a heel back then. He was said to be from New York City, I guess that was to show he was an outsider. He was both a singles wrestler and a tag team partner with Pat Patterson. Great memories thanks to Ray.
There's footage on RUclips of a match between Bockwinkle and Stevens and Bruiser and Crusher where Stevens does the head over heels flip over the top rope. Absolutely magical.
Link or it never happened
Loved Ray The Crippler Stevens an You Ric Flair an my Late Dad You Are One of The Greatest Ric Seen You Wrestle Jack Brisco in Torontos Maple Leaf Gardens when you were NWA World Champion.Enjoy Your Retirement Nature Boy ! 🇨🇦🇺🇸🙏🏼🙏🏼✌️
Sadly, I have never seen a Ray Stevens match, but Ric Flair giving him that kind of praise goes a long way.
Average talker? Really? Ray was GREAT on the mike in the 60's/70's Bay Area pro wrestling scene. Ray packed the Cow Palace like "Sandine Cans" back in the CH2/CH40 days not just because of of in ring skills but also his mic skills.
His attack on Snuka shocked me and got me into wrestling
My favorite Ray memory is from a tv taping in Mpls (AWA) with the Heenan Family in the ring, Ray was looking like he was getting phased out of the family over a few shows or basically leaving the territory, and Bill Apter was there to give Bobby Heenan a Manager of the Year award and one thing led to another and Ray broke the 4 foot tall trophy into dust and chaos ensued. It was one of the great AWA moments of all time. Ray was as good as the Naitch says he was. Classic.
That was my dads and mines favorite too
@@mikeharlan8708 Ray was solid gold all the way! Those were the greatest days of pro wrestling ever...
@@hockeyman1054 they were great. My dad and I did not always get along, but for an hour on Sundays we laughed and cheered. And when Ray smashed that plastic trophy we were in heaven. I miss watching those guys
@@mikeharlan8708 the seventies and eighties AWA shows were probably the best TV wrestling of all time. No other roster matched up with what Gagne had built. I miss it too. Lot of great replays on here though...
Ray spent around 8 or 10 short months in the WWF back in 1982/1983, was lucky enough to see him perform at a few live events back then. By far the highlight of his WWF stay was his feud with Snuka. If you happened to be watching the WWF during that time the attack on Snuka by Stevens, Albano & Fred Blassie was the most important thing that ever happened to Snuka's career.
Ray Stevens. Dick slater Terry funk wahoo McDaniel and Harley race were some of the pure helluva good ring workers I ever saw growing up watching
Ric you were, are & will always be a class act & I want to also thank you for all the great memories
Mark loved Ric so much you can see it and Ric just tossed him away.
Stevens was probably at his peak from the early 60s to the early 70s. As a kid, I saw him during that period against the likes of Haystacks Calhoun, Pepper Gomez, Bobo Brazil, Kenji Shibuya, Pat Patterson, Mighty Brutus, Billy Graham and so many others. Ray was the king of San Francisco.
Ray Stevens was well documented to carry his gun everywhere he went
I got to see Stevens and Snuka several times when they had the tag titles. Those were some of the best matches I have ever seen.
Funny to here Flair talk about Ray Stevens. Have both in my NWA tabletop rassling game with Stevens getting ready to work a match on 4/27/22 against Ron Garvin. Let the good times roll!!!
i can listen to flair revering legends like especially ray stevens, all day. total humility, unequivocally says he is not in ray's class
The wrestler that made San Francisco famous...no one took bumps like the Blond Bomber
wasn.t that also the name of his finisher
@@jeremy19175 It may have been...not for sure...I know it was his nickname in San Fran...I got to see him wrestle once in Fargo where he arm dragged a guy off the top turnbuckle...I still couldn't believe the agility he had to pull off the move...he was in his 50's at the time...towards end of AWA
@@godsnobody2915 yeah at the cow palace
@@jeremy19175 San Francisco at the Cow Palace was a major AWA stop too...for sure. I only knew about Stevens-Gomez because of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestler mags...Stevens was the top heel in the area...Gomez the cast iron stomach baby face...🤣🤣🤣
@@jeremy19175 Gomez was on AWA wrestling a few times in the 70's out of the Twin Cities...remember seeing him on TV when I was little...lots of tv appearances of Bockwinkel and Stevens
These clips really feel like Ric can't be bothered, and is using the same buzzwords and phrases, while the host desperately tries to have Ric talk for more than 3 seconds at a time
Flair is always buzzed plus he and Madden were in the middle of their falling out and were putting on a brave face trying to work together
I learned of Ray Stevens when he worked for Leroy McGuirk.
How can he forget chi town rumble??? Lol my god
I have no idea, that was the greatest card in the 80s
Ray's top ten alltime.
Among the first wrestling I ever saw as a kid (about 8 yrs old) was from the San Francisco territory in '63. Ray Stevens was the star. Seemed like he was on tv every week. He went up against the likes of Bearcat Wright, Andre Draupp, Dom Denucci and Pepper Gomez. Later 60's he did a face turn and had a rip-roaring feud with Pat Patterson. Never got to see him at a house show, but based on how well he performed on the tv tapings, they must have been incredible. He would take bumps you wouldn't believe. You believed it was real. In the 70's he and Patterson were a top face tag team and they got over big time.
Yes Ray Steven's came to Florida in the 70's
It was right before he went to WWF.
Great worker.
Watching this, I’m so lucky to watch all the Saturday morning wresting back in the ‘60’s in the SF Bay Area with Ray Stevens and Pat Patterson. Also Pepper Gomez. Got to met him through my dad at the gym. Always thought RS was one of the greats. Nice to here Ric’s opinion.
The crippler
Ray Stevens not in the hall of fame????? WWE should close it down now, if he's not in it's the biggest injustice screw job in history.
@michael rose I believe he is the 'legacy wing' of the the HOF.
@@philaman1972 you know what I was of the same opinion, but thought I must be wrong, l will have to check it out. I was going on what they were saying. Thanks for that.
@@philaman1972 Had a look he's in the 2020 legacy version as he should be.WWE used to release their Wrestlemania dvd including a disc with that years Hall of Fame inductees, it was the main reason l bought it, but they haven't done that for a number of years now. I don't buy it since then.
I'm always beyond pissed that Ray isn't in the WE Hall of Fame.. it's a total injustice to the sport
He and Patera should both be in
OMG, YOU NEVER SAW RAY STEVENS MATCH IN SAN FRANCISCIO VS BIG BILL MILLER... flair you missed a blood bath.. it was on wrestling covers.. i saw the match it was amazing...
Laugh if you want but at one time Ray Stevens was more popular in the City of San Francisco and as well known as Joe Montana
I had the great privilege of seeing Ray Stevens in Australia in 1966 & 1967. No one came close to him as a worker. His matches against Mark Lewin & Domenic Denucci are legendary.
Wished Stevens and Flair fought, but could never find such a clip on RUclips. Unfortunate.
Lol, this is an awkward conversation. The rhythm is off between them. I think Flair had a couple before the podcast 🥴
You could hes a fucking drunk. Thats why this pair is not together any more.
I only remember Ray as The Crippler in WWF when he attacked Jimmy Snuka and bloodied him on TV
I was never too impressed with Ray Stevens but I saw him at the end of his career when he came to JCP during the time Flair is talking about. He was a believable heel but when the card is stacked too to bottom you really have to do a lot to stand out. Everybody who was anybody came through the Carolinas in the 70s and early 80s
Tampa ,Florida was a great place too !!!!!! 70s👍♥️
Ray Stevens is the most underrated wrestler of all time . To me , he's third greatest of all time behind only Harley Race and Nick Bockwinkle
Chi-Town Rumble 1989 at UIC Pavilion
Don't forget. ric you did a match you and valentine vs snuka and Steven's. And the cane across your face by valentine. When he turned on you
Legit broke Flair's nose.
@@30907bng valentine called flair apologizing.. and flair said we gonna make alot of money lol
I remember Rays famous bombs away hold !!!!!!!!! 😂👍☠️
Say what you want about the Naitch. He was the best of the best. There was never anyone that would dream of being as loyal to the business than Ric Flair! Wooooo
The GOAT RIC FLAIR
there was a rumor at one time that ray stevens and paul orndorff were related!
nobody nobody did that turn buckel bump like ray stevens first time i saw him do it was in the cow palace in the early 60s i thought he was dead lol
Im the opposite I can only remember the old guys lol guys like ray,flair buddy rodgers,harley race,andre, etc
Stevens feud against Pepper Gomez was legendary.
Turn to Jesus people he died for your sins, Repent of what the New Testament describes as sin. Believe the gospel obey the teachings of Jesus documented in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus is the only way to be saved, be baptized if you have faith in Jesus then you will live life with him as your example. If you need prayer i'll pray for you. If you want to keep contact with a brother in Christ i’ll keep contact with you. The love of God is beyond our understanding. God bless
Ray came to Florida a few times in the 70's.
Stevens never looked credible in the ring. Look at his matches against a young Curt Hennig. Hennig carried him and then had to do the job for him.
Ray was great saw him so many times in Sacramento so many battles I remember he wrestled lar Anderson ray went for an atomic drop and dropped over the rope told hank that his knee slipped lol God he was great
So are these just old clips? Because I know that once you say anything bad about the Ric Flair, the Nature Boy (which he stole), or “The Man” (which he cried over because Becky was getting over more than Ashley and Ric doesn’t have the pencil ✏️ and eraser so he couldn’t stop her like he did to everybody in the 80s/early 90’s until he was wrestling in his mid-late 40s which isn’t old in life but it’s time for guys in his their mid twenties and 30’s to hold the belt…. Anyways, Richard Flair lol, will resent you until he dies. It makes sense why his friends are floating in the air like arm, Tully, hhh, and more.
He claims he just wanted to wrestle because he loved it but then he admits he was broke when he talks to a badass like Steve Austin and he can’t lie.
I love what he’s done for te business however madden didn’t say anything malicious ablution tbejr gaming ohh and he’s been doing radio before podcast we’re a big deal.
I don’t want to ever hate flair because he’s one of the t I greatest of all time (he’s also has a lot of say in his wins until Hogan/Bischoff came along and had different ideas, they became the devil to Ric!
I love Flair and he’s in the Mt Rushmore even though it’s hard to pic wrestlers for that because it’s predetermined and in real sports even if the team or individuals (golf, UFC, tennis, etc) are hated by the media or controversial, the numbers don’t lie and spell great itself!
All from previous podcasts with Mark Madden.
@@michaelrose5614 I know bro I was being sarcastic because rics grudges last forever that I’m a surprised there’s clips.
Wow
As soon as you see Ray Stevens take a bump over the ropes, you know where Shawn Michaels got it from. Shawn says that was his favorite worker
Not. He learned it from me.
y
I gave you my answer next question....lol
Ray Stevens was not the greatest and I can prove it. Cosmetically he looked like shit, short beer belly and pasty white with a body that never saw the inside of a gym.
That is just to begin with.
He did the flair flip in the corner and it never got a rise out of a live crowd because it just made him look like a light weight which he was. (couldn't have weighed more than 215 pounds at about 5"10. Looked like he did curls with two Whiskey bottles and then drank them both dry.
And now for the proof. Whenever Bockwinkle and Stevens (along with their manager Bobby "the Brain" Heenan defended their World Tag Team Titles, often times Stevens would no show. Probably drunk at some flop house in Barstow or possibly not booked on purpose.
Why?
Because nobody gave a crap about Stevens. And the show was better without him!
What would happen was Wally Karbo would get on the house mic and announce that Ray Stevens missed his flight and would not be appearing for the title match.
The crowd would boo and scream at Wally that hey wanted a refund.
Then Wally would say " But you all paid for a world tag team match tonight and your going to get one. As manager Bobby Heenan is responsible for Ray Missing his flight. Therefor, Bobby Heenan will wrestle in his place!
The place went crazy and Bobby lost his mind grabbing the mic and saying "I am not a wrestler". And then Bobby was given 15 minutes to borrow some trunks and be back at the ring or his team would forfeit the titles . (as we all know that you cannot lose the titles by disqualification. But you can forfeit them for not fulfilling your booking)
The fans would spend the next 15 minutes buzzing if Heenan would make it back in time and could he and Bockwinkle possibly retain the titles.
When the match started Heenan was dressed to wrestle and could do every move that Ray could do except when Bobby did the Flair flip in the corner he did it better and got a bigger reaction because the people had never seen him do it and thought it was a shoot. And Bobby sold it like a shoot.
Bobby would bleed (being more dramatic with Bobby.s jet white hair in full contrast) and then do his famous one arm over the top rope bump and the crowd would go home happy. Win or lose and most of the time they would lose the titles that night. The fans felt they got an unexpected bonus.
And if we are to include being the best worker means doing a great promo, please!
So with great respect to all those famous people who said Ray Stevens was the greatest worker. I say Bobby Heenan was the greatest all around worker in the history of wrestling.
I rest my case.
(And in Bobbys own words, " I've been hit with a chair so many times my head smells like ass!)
I wonder if Rick ever did a program with Lonnie “Moondog” Mayne ?