Arn Anderson Recalls Ric Flair’s WCW Departure, Jim Herd Dismissing Midnight Express

On a recent edition of the ARN show, Arn Anderson’s journey through his career came to July 1991 and Ric Flair’s infamous departure from WCW. Arn listened to comments made by Jim Herd in a 2020 interview with Conrad Thompson for Ad-Free Shows. Arn took exception to negative comments made by Herd about the Midnight Express, and spoke further about Flair’s departure.

Arn on Jim Herd saying the Midnight Express were too small: “He’s talking out of his ass, everything he said. Bobby [Eaton] and Stan [Lane] are too small? The Rock N Roll Express are too small? Shawn Michaels is too small? Rey Mysterio is too small? Eddie Guerrero is too small? Small guys can’t draw money? Cause you’ve got to group them all in there, because that was a general statement. ‘Small guys have a hard time drawing money.’ That’s how much that dipshit knows about the wrestling industry.”

On Jim Herd having no clue: “He was just looking at big guys, that’s all he looked at. He wouldn’t’ve known who drew money in the territories that they had been working in, and how they did it, and why. He had no clue about that. It was just appearance only, big guys. Small guys had ‘no value.’ We just took a look inside the mind that made all those decisions on the front end of WCW.”

On fan reaction to rumours of Ric leaving WCW: “I’m sure this got leaked out to the fans, and the fans did not want to see Ric go to WWF. Ric was an NWA guy. I’m sure there was an outcry. There was no social media, but I’m sure whatever vehicles were available, there was an outcry. Do not let Ric Flair leave. Fix it! Which they didn’t listen to.”

On if Ric was justified taking the WCW belt to WWF: “If I understand it correctly, back in the day, when you were the champion, you had the belt, you put up a deposit so that you didn’t leave with the belt. That was guaranteeing that you would not take off to a rival company with the belt. When you changed the belt to a new champion, you got your deposit back. That was the way they did business. That being the case, if they would’ve offered to give him the 25 grand, or tried to give it to him, and then he left with the title anyway? Then you have something different. But I think them refusing to pay him? I don’t know what the right call is there.”

On ‘We Want Flair’ chants during Windham vs Luger at SuperBrawl: “What you ended up having on the backside was Barry and Luger struggling and wrestling for second place. They’re changing ‘Flair.’ That’s one of the vehicles we were talking about earlier. The fans used what they had at their disposal to let you know their distaste with what they were doing. If they were chanting ‘Flair’ during that match, since there was no social media, that was their way of going ‘what are you guys doing?'”

On Flair not dropping the title: “The guys are working their ass off out there, but the title was about Flair. The only answer that I can come up with and the only truth I can tell you: there is no second place. It wouldn’t have mattered [what they did]. It was not Flair defending the title and dropping the title. Anything else was a distant second place.”

If using any of the above quotations, please credit ARN h/t 411mania for the transcription.