Welcome to the latest edition of "RDLee Free Insanity". And this time, I bring you a very special shoot from a man who is considered a "legend" around these parts, our very own wrestling historian and the author of the book "Wrestling's Greatest Moments" The Magnificant Mike Rickard! He gave us a hell of an interview and held back on NOTHING! Check it out below and be sure to leave your feedback on the Insanity Message Boards under the new forum "The Gathering of Wood" and I know you will enjoy so get to reading!

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RDLee: Hey now! Glad to finally have you join me today Mike, how are you doing And are you mad that I just stole your catchphrase?

MR: By the time you read this, you'll already have read the summons and complaint I had served on you.

RDLee: Your book, "Wrestling's Greatest Moments" is out now at bookstores across the country, how has the response been to it so far?

MR: It's been great! My editor told me the book's sales have been strong despite a weak economy. Better yet, it's had strong sales and continues to do so. I would like to thank everyone who's bought the book as well as you yourself for hyping it.

RDLee: In your mind, what is THE single greatest moment in wrestling history, besides RDLee joining WWI?

MR: That's always a tough call to make. I really thought long and hard about it when I wrote my book "Wrestling's Greatest Moments" (on sale at fine bookstores everywhere, amazon.com, and my site wrestlingsgreatestmoments.com). Just like rating a match, there are so many criteria- place in history, how it drew, how original was it, etc. etc. Having said that, I still stand by my decision in my book that Wrestlemania was the greatest moment of all in wrestling.

RDLee: I have claimed in the past that if I equal ratings, then you must equal magnificence. Care to follow up on why you should be called that?

MR: I'm actually okay if people call me "Mr. Rickard". If they want to call me the Magnificent One, I won't object but that term really belongs to Don Muraco.

RDLee: I also know by listening to your audios that you are joined on occasion by "Mighty Mel"... what makes Mel so "Mighty"?

MR: She's one of the mightiest wrestling fans I've ever met. She actually became physically sick when Matt and Jeff split up (the first time). She is so gung-ho that it's never boring to be around her when we watch wrestling. She also is stronger than Hercules. She actually moved a heavy oak trunk when I bought it at a garage sale. All of this has nothing to do with her nickname though. I started calling her "Mighty Mel" when Molly Holly was playing "Mighty Molly", the Hurricane's sidekick.

RDLee: What is a "Fritz Stephey"?

MR: Animal, vegetable, or mineral?

RDLee: If you were able to become a jobber on WWE TV in a Kozlov squash match with NO wrestling training for $1000.00 dollars cash, would you do it?

MR: At this point in my career, a grand is nice but it's not worth getting potatoed. If the WWE paid all my medical bills related to a Koslov match, I'd probably think about it but back out.

RDLee: Canadian Bulldog or Aaron Wood? Who would win in a fight? In a pie eating contest? In a spelling bee?

MR: CB would kick Sir Aaron's ass around the block. While CB's training in the Canadian Army's Special Forces is the equivalent of Girl Scout training in the U.S., Aaron is just "in no condition to perform". Wood would be tapping out in record time. Pie eating contest? Sir Aaron wins hands down. Spelling bee? CB would get the duke. Sir Aaron couldn't spell "cat" if you gave him a "c" and an "a" (c) the late great Ernie Ladd.

RDLee: To break down your forum's name, Do you live in a "House or an Old School"?

MR: Actually it's an old schoolhouse converted into a home. The chalkboard is nice but I can't fit in those damned seats!

RDLee: You recently met ThinkSoJoe at a Raw event and had your picture taken, did he try to recruit you for his site BoredWrestlingFan.com?

MR: Joe was one hell of a guy. He and his lovely lady were fun to hang out with before the show and regaled me and Mighty Mel with their tales of shows gone by. As for Joe's site, he opened up a Halliburton full of cash and I signed on the spot!

RDLee: What is the deal with this Susan Boyle character? Does Jillian Hall have her number in the vocal department?

MR: Susan Boyle exposes my hypocrisy towards singers. While I've always lamented the fact that average looking (or worse) talented singers are often subordinated to hot untalented singers, I really don't want to watch Susan Boyle (In fact, when I heard she was having a makeover, I naturally assumed someone gave her a refrigerator box to put over herself). I don't watch "Idol" and think she's probably more of a publicity stunt. Still, congratulations to her on her latest success.

RDLee: Hot topic questions time! If Owen Hart were alive today, would have been World Heavyweight Champion at least once by now?

MR: Unquestionably yes. He's one of those guys who fit into the Eddie Guerrero/Chris Benoit mold of getting a title reign because he was consistently excellent in the ring and was very loyal to the WWE. I could also see him breaking out as a long-term champion if he caught the right break. Think about it, the guy was AWESOME in the ring, had star-level charisma, and looked good. He wasn't fantastic on the mic but he was above average. People like Dave Meltzer were very high on his work early on in his career. Unfortunately for Owen, the WWE dropped the ball with him for years (Blue Blazer, High Energy) until he feuded with Bret (BTW, check out the Harts vs. Steiners tag match-it's one of the all-time best). Owen was a late bloomer and had he lived, I think he would have finally hit the main event on a regular basis and been world champion one time (if not more).

RDLee: Will Christian ever become the World Heavyweight champion?

MR: I could see it happening. I love Christian's work but right now there's still something missing from his act that would make him a viable long-term World champion. I could see a brief one-time reign right now but not a multiple reign like Edge (who needs to stop winning the belt every other week. At this rate he's going to pass Ric Flair's record before Triple H). Fortunately for Captain Charisma, he's really been improving in the WWE and he has a long career of him (barring accident or injury).

RDLee: Will James Guttman ever become the World Heavyweight champion?

MR: You know, I always thought he had a brief run sometime during the dying days of WCW.

RDLee: Will the Rock come back and face Cena at next year's Wrestlemania?

MR: To quote THE MAN (Ric Flair for the Philistines out there), "It's never gonna happen!" (That comes from a great interview where Flair was taunting "Macho Man" Randy Savage about Elizabeth. By this point in time, their divorce was public and Liz was teaming with Flair. Flair ran down Savage telling him how he dreams that "one day, the lovely one would be back home". In Flair's words "It's never gonna happen!"

As for Rock and Cena, I just don't see it happening. It would be HUGE for the WWE and a great way to sell Wrestlemania. However the Rock really seems content with making movies. Truth be told, who can blame him? He's making a mint without busting his ass in the ring and being on the road 24/7. Making movies isn't a walk in the park but at his level, he's making more and doing less heavy lifting.

One of my pet peeves is people harping on the Rock for "selling out" or "abandoning" the fans. He made a slow transition out of the ring, made it clear he was done, and has been totally positive whenever he speaks of his former life in the WWE. My understanding is that after his contract expired, the WWE basically wanted nothing to do with him for a while despite his offer to work with them in some capacity. He has nothing to be ashamed of and I just don't see him owing anything to the fans. He got a lot out of the business but he also gave a lot to it.

RDLee: Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego.... I mean Matt Dawgs?

MR: I have to admit that I actually played one of the Carmen Sandiego PC games back in college. It was actually fun. I never liked the game show though. BTW, Matt Dawgs is the new Carmen Sandiego. That guy is all over the globe! Every time I read his Facebook wall, he's jetting to and from another exotic locale. I just don't understand why he's such an Angry Young Man when he gets to traverse the continents!

RDLee: If you spent a night out on the town with Festus and carried a ring bell with you, what would you have him do?

MR: He's be great for a night out on the town. First, I could use him as a hat rack/coat rack. Second, he looks like he makes a great doorjamb. If I went out for dinner and there were a lot of people waiting for me, I could ring the bell. When it came time to pay the bill-you guessed it! You could also leave him in the car since no one is going to break in with him in there. The possibilities are endless!

RDLee: Well that wraps up this interview, Please let everyone know what's coming up next for you?

MR: Right now I'm enjoying time off from school. I'm working on a new audio series called The Wrestlemania Experiment which is a set of audio commentaries for every WM. Aaron Wood claims he came up with the director's commentary bit but he knows I'd have the case tied up in court for decades. I'm working on a new book proposal (non-wrestling) and if the book continues selling well, a sequel wouldn't be out of the question. I'm particularly excited about returning to college this fall as I'm taking a screenwriting class. That should be a blast!

RDLee: Thanks for joining today and I wish you nothing but the best of luck in all your future endeavors!

MR: Does this mean I have to sign a 90 day non-compete clause? Ha ha! Thanks RD! You really do equal ratings!

RDLee: Much appreciated Mike, and I agree that I DO in fact equal ratings. Thanks again!

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I hope you all enjoyed the shoot, thanks to Mike Rickard for being a great guest and there will be more RFI's on the way in the future, speaking of the future, in the next few hours, be sure to drop back by on the site and check out the 2nd best Smackdown recapper (with me being number 1) on World Wrestling Insanity, Aaron Wood as he gives us the Friday Night Smackdown report as only he can. However, Bagpipes are not included!

Take Care now, Bye Bye then!