5 things we learned about WWE from Bill Apter's Sportskeeda interview

Some of the biggest moments in WWE history have been witnessed, photographed and documented by legendary professional wrestling journalist Bill Apter.

Apter has written and photographed for numerous professional wrestling publications. He has been working actively since the 1970s and is even still working today.

Many of his articles reported professional wrestling in kayfabe, sticking to the angles and storylines in the various promotions and territories at the time.

The legendary journalist was so closely associated with these publications that the magazines became known as "Apter Mags."

Sportskeeda Wrestling's Dr. Chris Featherstone recently interviewed Bill Apter for another episode of UnSKripted.

A variety of topics were discussed, including his career covering numerous territories such as WWE, his memorable moments and famous interviews.

Let's take a closer look at five things we learned about WWE from Bill Apter's Sportskeeda interview.

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#5 Bill Apter discusses the allegations against Ric Flair on the WWE Plane Ride from Hell

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has experienced quite the year in 2021. The 16-time World Heavyweight Champion requested and was granted his release from WWE in August.

Historical allegations of improper conduct and sexual harassment against Flair during the infamous Plane Ride from Hell in 2002 resurfaced on VICE's Dark Side of the Ring documentary series in September.

The Nature Boy released a statement denying the allegations, however WWE were quick to remove mentions of Flair from their intro signature afterwards.

When asked how Flair could bounce back from the allegations, Bill Apter suggested that the WWE Hall of Famer had already bounced back:

"He's already bounced back. He's done a lot of appearances and conventions. The lines for Ric Flair haven't diminished at all. Back then, people looked the other way in the wrestling business. It was like being a rockstar. If there was internet back then, they would have been in jail every night. This is the same thing with sports entertainment, wrestling people, football players, boxers." said Apter.

Apter further suggested that the Plane Ride from Hell is synonymous with how the industry used to be back then:

"Back then it was not in public and now these things are coming out. This is what the business was like. Unfortunately, back then guys just wanted to have fun and it did hurt a lot of people. I think Ric Flair has already bounced back and people still want to meet him," Apter said.

Prior to the allegations surfacing, Flair was rumored to be joining AEW. However, these rumors now look unlikely.

#4 Bill Apter discusses a pivotal moment in wrestling history for WWE and Vince McMahon

WWE's purchase of rival World Championship Wrestling in 2001 was one of the most important and talked about moments in professional wrestling history.

When discussing what the biggest angle in wrestling history was, Bill Apter stated that while it wasn't an angle, WWE buying its competition changed the entire wrestling industry:

"The wrestling angle that changed the wrestling industry was when WWE took over WCW. It changed the entire world. It cut down on the major competitive part of the business." Apter said.

WWE held a large monopoly on the wrestling industry from 2001 until 2019 when All Elite Wrestling was founded by Tony Khan. However, Vince McMahon and his company are still the world's largest professional wrestling organization.

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#3 Bill Apter reveals WWE Hall of Famers as the best wrestlers he has ever interviewed

Throughout his 50 years covering professional wrestling, Bill Apter has interviewed some of the biggest names in wrestling history.

The list includes legends, former champions and Hall of Famers.

However, when asked who the best wrestler he had ever interviewed was, Apter singled out two WWE Hall of Famers:

"Best wrestler I ever interviewed? There's a lot of them. Of course on the entertainment type of side, of course it's The American Dream Dusty Rhodes. When you talk about a wrestler who was an athlete, who was the personification of an excellent interview, throughout my whole 50 years of covering wrestling, that would be the legendary Bruno Sammartino."

Dusty Rhodes was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the class of 2007. Bruno Sammartino, the longest reigning WWE Champion in history, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the class of 2013.

#2 Bill Apter talks about which WWE scandals were the biggest in wrestling history

WWE and professional wrestling have been synonymous with scandals and major headlines throughout its history.

When asked which scandals were the biggest in professional wrestling history, Bill Apter singled out two major WWE stories that rocked the wrestling business:

"Oh my goodness. Probably the steroid scandal that took place ages ago with Vince McMahon. That was one. A lot of people were trying to put the kobash on The Fabulous Moolah and the way she treated a lot of the girls. So that would be another one of those scandals."

In November 1993, Vince McMahon was indicted in federal court on suspicion of supplying illegal anabolic steroids to his professional wrestlers in WWE. McMahon was found not guilty on all counts on July 23, 1994.

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#1 Bill Apter reveals which current WWE Superstar would have fared best in professional wrestling in the 70's and 80's

Many WWE fans often wonder which names in the current crop of WWE Superstars would fare well against the legends of yesteryear in professional wrestling.

Bill Apter was asked which current WWE star he thought would have fared best in 1970s and 1980s professional wrestling. The legendary journalist singled out a former Universal Champion who would have fared well against icons such as Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales:

"Oh, i think when I talk about opponents for Bruno [Sammartino] and Pedro [Morales] and people like that, Brock Lesnar. Man Bruno Sammartino vs Brock Lesnar would have been a dream match for me."

Brock Lesnar is currently set to once again challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WWE's Day 1 pay-per-view on January 1, 2022.