Tag: Ric Flair

“Ric Flair’s Last Match” 7/31/2022

The “Jim Crockett Promotions Presents: Ric Flair’s Last Match” event will take place this Sunday, July 31 at 6:05pm EDT from the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN, during Starrcast V weekend. The three-hour event will air live on FITE TV and various bundles are offered for the events of the weekend. Below is the updated card, along with the aforementioned clip, photos and posters:

Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and David Crockett, Ian Riccaboni representing ROH and NJPW, Tom Hannifan and Scott D’Amore representing Impact Wrestling, Joe Dombrowski and Dave Prazak representing MLW, Carlos Cabrera and Hugo Savinovich as the Spanish announce team.

CARD

Ric Flair’s Last Match
Ric Flair and Andrade El Idolo vs. Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal (with Karen Jarrett)
Commentary: Tony Schiavone and David Crockett.

Impact World Title Match
Jacob Fatu vs. Josh Alexander (c)
Commentary: Tom Hannifan.

Impact Knockouts World Title Triple Threat
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rachael Ellering vs. Jordynne Grace (c)
Commentary: Tom Hannifan.

Impact Wrestling Match
The Wolves (Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards) vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley)
Commentary: Scott D’Amore.

MLW Match
Killer Kross vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Commentary: Joe Dombrowski.

AAA Fatal 4 Way
Bandido vs. Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Fenix
Commentary: Joe Dombrowski.

NJPW Match
Clark Connors vs. Ren Narita
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni.

Impact – MLW Interpromotional Match
The Briscoes vs. The Von Erichs
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni.

Legacy Match
Representing The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express – Ricky Morton and Kerry Morton (with Robert Gibson) vs. Representing The Four Horsemen – Brian Pillman, Jr. and Brock Anderson (with Arn Anderson)

Four Corners Independent Wrestling Dream Match
Jonathan Gresham vs. Alan “5” Angels vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Nick Wayne
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni.

Bunkhouse Battle Royal
Bully Ray (ECW), James Storm (Impact), Crimson (NWA), Rickey Shane Page (PROGRESS), Kommander (AAA), Sinn Bodhi (FSW), Big Damo (PROGRESS), Crowbar (Black Label Pro), Brian Myers (Impact), Adam Priest (Terminus), Gringo Loco (The Wrestling Revolver), Wolfie D (USWA), Kal Herro (OVW), other participants TBA
Winner receives bronze boot and belt buckle.
Commentary: Dave Prazak.

Ric Flair To Team With Andrade El Idolo Against Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal In His Last Match, Ric Flair Left Bloodied After Parking Lot Brawl

On July 31st, Ric Flair is set to have the last match of his wrestling career. His teammate and opponents have been revealed.

On July 31st, Jim Crockett Promotions will present a PPV called “Ric Flair’s Last Match.” The show’s main attraction is predictably the final match of one of the most infamous athletes that pro wrestling has ever seen. Several other matches will also be featured on the card, including a tag team match between the Briscoes (Jay and Mark Briscoe) and the Von Erichs (Marshall and Ross Von Erich) and an IMPACT Knockouts Title Match between champion Jordynne Grace, Deonna Purrazzo, and Rachel Ellering.

Starrcast recently uploaded a video in which Ric Flair revealed who his tag team partner will be in this match as well as who they’ll be facing in Nashville.

Ric Flair’s partner is his son-in-law, AEW star Andrade. This isn’t surprising given their personal relationship. Their opponents will be former WCW star and current WWE superstar, Jeff Jarrett, and his partner Jay Lethal. Jarrett was a longtime rival of Flair back when the two were competitors. AEW star Jay Lethal has been a training partner of Ric Flair for a while, so his involvement also makes sense.

The match was officially announced at 6:05 pm on Monday evening, and it came with a pretty brutal video showing how the match came about, at least in terms of the storyline attached.

That’s when things get particularly nasty. A wound up Jarrett asks his wife Karen for her high heel shoe and proceeds to use it to bust Flair open. The blood quickly flows down the two-time Hall of Famer’s face but the beat down doesn’t stop there. Lethal returns to get a few more licks in and by the time all is said and done, Flair is wearing a crimson mask.

There’s a moment in the video, before Flair winds Jarrett up to the point that he turns on him, where Double-J exclaims “he’s 70-something”. Even though most wrestling fans familiar with Flair’s work will have seen Flair bleed as much as he does in the clip a number of times, this is different. The man is 73, and he was so close to death in 2017 that WWE reportedly made a package for him just in case.

https://twitter.com/KXNGAO/status/1549166923220385793

His age and his health in recent years makes not only the footage above a lot harder to watch, but some fans remain uncertain Flair should be wrestling at all. The match is going to happen though, 24 hours after Jarrett is the special guest referee for the Unified WWE Tag Title match at SummerSlam. That’s likely why Flair teased one of his opponents would be from WWE prior to the announcement yesterday because, well, technically that’s true.

Source: TheSportster

Backstage News On Ric Flair’s Health Before His Final Match, Flair Set To Announce His Final Opponent Tonight

Ric Flair is reportedly hurt right now, and is dealing with a foot injury according to Dave Meltzer on the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio.”

The Nature Boy is just weeks away from competing in his final ever wrestling match at Starrcast V on July 31st, and his mystery opponent is set to be revealed later on today. While he is currently hurt, Flair is expected to still be able to compete in the match and put on the encounter that will be headlining the show.

From the moment it was announced that the 73-year-old would be returning to compete for the first time since 2011 when he competed against Sting for TNA there has been a concern. That was primarily over Flair’s general health, with the former WWE Superstar having a pacemaker fitted, but during the press conference for the show, he claimed he is able to work around his issues, admitting that his inner-ear and blood thinner medication concerns alongside his pacemaker.

“There are two things that could go wrong,” Flair said. “My heart’s pacemaker can come unplugged, but I can plug it back in.” When it comes to the issue surrounding his blood thinners, he simply stated he “just won’t take one that day.”

Flair has shared plenty of footage of himself training and getting into shape as he has been actively training inside the ring with AEW’s Jay Lethal. It is unclear whether it was during the training sessions that the Nature Boy picked up his injury, but the videos have shown him even taking a bump from the top turnbuckle.

Flair’s final match is not the only thing on the card on that night though, as The Briscoes will be in action against The Von Erichs, while Josh Alexander is set to compete against Jacob Fatu, amongst many other bouts. The two-time WWE Hall Of Famer is going to be busy throughout that weekend, as there will be a panel show featuring the Four Horsemen, and the “Roast of Ric Flair” that will celebrate the career of the HOF’er while allowing wrestlers and celebrities to poke fun at his career.

Ric Flair Set To Announce His Final Opponent Ahead Of WWE Raw:

The day has arrived. Ric Flair is finally ready to reveal who his opponent will be for his last match on July 31. And it will happen tonight.

A tease was first made by Conrad Thompson on Friday evening that the announcement would go down on Monday, but it was Flair who put out a message on Twitter Monday morning, giving fans more speculation as to who the adversary will be.

“On July 31, I’m coming after one of your own,” Flair tweeted. “And tonight At 6:05, the entire world will find out.” Flair also used hashtags for “WWE Raw” and “Ric Flair’s Last Match.”

https://twitter.com/HeyHeyItsConrad/status/1548102931336925184
https://twitter.com/RicFlairNatrBoy/status/1549017103256231936

The “one of your own” comment along with the “Raw” hashtag provides added intrigue, particularly as Flair was recently added back to the WWE signature show introduction. The question of who Flair’s opponent will be has become a hot topic in the wrestling world since Ricky Steamboat shut down reports of him tagging with the Rock & Roll Express to face Flair and FTR. The announcement will be made at 6:05 PM ET as an homage to Jim Crockett Promotions.

Flair announced back in May that he’d be coming back for one last match under the classic Jim Crockett Promotions banner during Starrcast V in Nashville. Starrcast V is highlighted by “Ric Flair’s Last Match,” which has a preliminary card full of dream matches that fans can look forward to, but the weekend will also play host to “The Roast Of Ric Flair” and a Four Horsemen reunion that will feature Flair, Arn Anderson, JJ Dillon, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, and Lex Luger. Most recently, it was reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer that Flair is currently suffering from a foot injury, giving the Nature Boy just under two weeks to work through it and get ready for his match.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ric Flair’s Last Match Moving To Significantly Larger Venue

Ric Flair’s Last Match will now have a bigger live audience.

A press release was sent out by Starrcast V this morning announcing that Flair’s in-ring finale will no longer take place at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Instead, the match will now take place at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The venue is no stranger to hosting some memorable Flair fights as “Nature Boy’s” 1989 NWA WrestleWar match against Ricky Steamboat occurred at the arena, which also plays host to the Musicians’ Hall Of Fame.

The full press release is below.

“After selling out The Nashville Fairgrounds in less than 24 hours, Jim Crockett Promotions’ “Ric Flair’s Last Match” will be moving to the over-7,000 seat Nashville Municipal Auditorium. “Ric Flair’s Last Match,” produced by Thuzio, a Triller Company, and streaming worldwide, exclusively on FITE, will be held at 5:05 p.m. CDT (6:05 p.m. EST) on Sunday, July 31.

“The additional tickets, starting at $39* for “Ric Flair’s Last Match,” go on sale at noon EDT on Friday, June 24 at RicFlairsLastMatch.com.

“‘On July 31, I’m still going to walk that aisle and style and profile as only I can. But now, a bigger crowd, brighter lights! “The Nature Boy” can’t wait to do what I do best. WOOOO!’ said 16-time professional wrestling champion and cultural icon Ric Flair.

“‘Like so many times before, having Ric Flair’s name on the marquee has the wrestling world buzzing,’ said Jim Crockett Promotions President, David Crockett. ‘On Sunday, July 31, we look forward to bringing the fans at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, and our worldwide audience, a night of professional wrestling that they will never forget.’

“‘When we announced that STARRCAST was coming back, with our partner Thuzio, we knew the last weekend in July was going to be a celebration for wrestling fans. The party’s main event has now moved to a bigger room,’ said STARRCAST and AdFreeShows.com founder Conrad Thompson. ‘There will still be numerous events and experiences happening throughout the weekend at The Nashville Fairgrounds, who have been wonderful to work with. However, the demand for Ric’s last match to move to a bigger venue was one we couldn’t ignore.’

“‘Due to the overwhelming demand by fans to be in the building for ‘Ric Flair’s Last Match,’ we have made the decision to move this once-in-a-lifetime show to the Nashville Municipal Auditorium,’ said Jared Augustine, CEO of Thuzio. ‘Once the initial batch of tickets at the Nashville Fairgrounds went so quickly, our team immediately started to look for a larger venue, and the Nashville Municipal Auditorium is an ideal solution.’

“Current ticket holder’s seats will be honored, and communication on the changes will be emailed to them this week.”

Flair’s Last Match will be in conjunction with Starrcast V which has several other Flair-themed moments set for that weekend. Including a reunion of the Four Horsemen and the “Roast of Ric Flair.” Flair has released footage of himself working in the ring and stated the following when it came to getting medical approval:

“I don’t have any aches or pains. I know I’ve had the health issues, but I asked 40 different doctors and I decided I’m only gonna listen to one. Not necessarily the one that was gonna give me the right answer, but that I felt the most comfortable with.”

Ricky Steamboat Declines To Wrestle Ric Flair At Starrcast V

It turns out Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat will not be taking part in Ric Flair’s retirement match at Starrcast V after all. While confirming a Fightful Select report that he was approached for a match at the event, the 69-year-old former NWA World Heavyweight Champion said he would not be part of the match during a Highspots Superstore signing (as transcribed by Fightful).

“Well, I was approached and [had] given it some serious thought,” Steamboat said. “A lot of respect to the guy in the ring … I thought about it for a week and just recently just declined on it. I know when I wrestled Jericho at WrestleMania 25, then we had the return match at Backlash in a singles [match], but at 69, and I know it’s a six-man tag and I could get a little this and that in, but with all due respect to our fans, I want them to remember me that last time I was in there with Jericho when they chanted ‘You still got it.’ I don’t want to scar that phrase … I don’t want to tarnish the memory that the fans have of me. It’d be a good payday, sure, but I don’t want them thinking ‘Maybe he should have stayed retired.’”

During the same signing, Steamboat also addressed recent comments by Jake Roberts regarding his health, telling everyone that he was doing okay and that doctors had described him as healthy. He attributed Roberts’ comments to being tied into a conversation about Roberts giving Steamboat a DDT onto a cement years earlier.

According to Fightful Select, Steamboat was scheduled to team with Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express to take on Flair and current AAA and ROH World Tag Team Champions FTR. There is no word currently on who will be replacing Steamboat, or if the match will be changed altogether.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ricky Steamboat Will Reportedly Be The Sixth Man In Ric Flair’s Return Match

After a couple of videos of Ric Flair training with Jay Lethal made it out into the wild, The Nature Boy officially confirmed this week that he really is returning to the ring. Flair will wrestle his first match in more than ten years, at the age of 73, at the Nashville Fairgrounds on July 31, 2022. If you won’t be in the area or can’t get a ticket, the match, and presumably the rest of the event, will stream live on Fite.

The only element of Flair’s latest return match that hasn’t been confirmed is who else will be involved. Thankully, it doesn’t appear as if Flair will be rolling the clock back 35 years and wrestling a 60-minute broadway. However, one of them he had some of his best matches ever with, Ricky Steamboat, will reportedly be involved.

According to Fightful Select (via Wrestling Inc.), Steamboat will be a part of the match, wrestling for the first time since 2010. Steamboat’s last match was actually even longer ago than Flair’s. Naitch’s final match was a losing effort to Sting on Impact in 2011. Steamboat’s last match was one where he tagged with his son Richie in 2010, though he was sort of involved in a match/physical angle with The Duke at an AIW show in 2018.

As for how Steamboat will factor into the match, if other reports are correct he will likely be teaming with The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express. The belief is that Steamboat, Ricky Morton, and Robert Gibson will take on the team of Flair and FTR. On paper, that gives Team Flair the advantage since the average age of the team will be far younger. Then again, if Steamboat is still in tremendous shape, which seems likely, he will probably wrestle like a man half his age.

As this plan continues to unfold, who exactly wants this match to happen outside of Flair himself remains unclear. Hopefully, the match will be well thought out and Flair won’t do much outside of the hits. Connecting with a few chops, taking the Flair Flop, that sort of thing. Whatever the plan, if you want to see it happen, tune into Fite on July 31.

The match will be taking place at Jim Crockett Promotion’s Starrcast event in Nashville, TN on July 31. The show is set to air just via FITE TV just one day after WWE’s SummerSlam, which will also be in Nashville.

Source: TheSportster

Ric Flair Confirms His In-Ring Return

WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair has confirmed he will be making his in-ring return for one final match on July 31st for Jim Crockett Promotions.

The Nature Boy announced the news on Twitter by writing:

“The Rumors Are True! I’m Going To Walk That Aisle, Style And Profile, One Last Time! July 31st! Nashville, Tennessee! Jim Crockett Promotions! I Will Prove Once Again, That To Be The Man, You’ve Got To Beat The Man! Now We Go To School! WOOOOO! TIX: RicFlairsLastMatch.com”

Rumors of Ric Flair making his return to the ring had begun after he shared a video of himself training with Jay Lethal online. Flair was seen taking bumps, and getting himself back in ring shape, and it is now clear why. According to a report by PWInsider, the current plan is for Flair to be involved in a multi-man match. It is unknown whether that would also feature AEW’s Lethal or not. No official opponents have been confirmed at this time.

That report added that Ric Flair has been training hard for this match, as he wants to look good when stepping back inside the squared circle. As of right now, the match is being promoted as the final one of his career. The last time he competed in a match was for TNA, back in 2011. The Nature Boy defeated Sting on that occasion.

Flair’s final WWE match famously happened at WrestleMania 24 against Shawn Michaels.

The event will be taking place in Nashville, just one day after WWE’s SummerSlam, which will also be in Nashville. The show is set to be available to watch via FITE TV for fans who cannot attend live.

Even though Ric Flair’s in-ring return has now been confirmed, that does not mean everyone is supportive of it. Former WCW announcer Chris Cruise made a public appeal to stop the Hall Of Famer from being able to wrestle due to his age and various health issues.

https://twitter.com/RicFlairNatrBoy/status/1526205498852315137

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ric Flair Wants An Apology From Becky Lynch, Oh And $20 Million From WWE

A quick tweet and delete, something The Nature Boy is becoming known for nowadays.

Ric Flair had quite the year in 2021. He started it as a WWE Superstar, even making his return to TV and becoming an active part of what was a pretty odd and eventually scrapped angle. His latest stint with WWE came to an end after he was granted his release. While there doesn’t appear to be bad blood between the two parties for the most part, Flair refuses to let one thing go.

That one thing is WWE’s use of the mantra, The Man. Or, more accurately, Becky Lynch’s use of it. Lynch has been calling herself The Man for a while. However, The Nature Boy claims he owns it, at least in the wrestling world. Flair’s claim stems from when he would say “to be the man, you gotta beat the man” during his heyday.

The situation appears to have become even more complicated rather than get resolved. There has been talk since the turn of the year that WWE has abandoned the trademark. There are also conflicting reports that WWE has simply decided to not have Lynch refer to herself as The Man anymore. Either way, Flair seems to believe he is owed an apology, not to mention a hefty chunk of change for his troubles.

Naitch published a tweet demanding apologies from Lynch and WWE, but then quickly deleted it which has become customary for the 16-time World Champion. “I’ll take 2 apologies- one from Big Time Becks & one from WWE,” Flair tweeted, adding that he’ll also take 20 million. Assuming he means dollars there, and also assuming he believes WWE has made $20 million by having Lynch refer to herself as The Man for part of her career.

Whether WWE has admitted the trademark belongs to Flair or not, it’s hard to imagine a world where The Nature Boy receives $20 million for Lynch’s use of it. This appears to be more about a problem he has with Lynch as opposed to WWE referring to her as The Man. This isn’t the first time Naitch has tweeted something about her and then immediately thought better of it. Perhaps the Hall of Famer is still hung up on the title exchange between Lynch and his daughter Charlotte last year.

Source: TheSportster

Ric Flair Issues Statement In Wake Of Resurfaced Sexual Assault Allegations

Ric Flair has released a statement of denial days after sexual assault allegations against him resurfaced.

Ric Flair has responded to the resurfaced allegations of sexual assault made against him during the most recent episode of Vice’s Dark Side Of The Ring series

The latest Dark Side Of The Ring installment covered the infamous “Plane Ride from Hell” incident which occurred over the Atlantic Ocean in 2002 while a number of WWE personnel were returning to the United States from the United Kingdom. During the episode, flight attendant Heidi Doyle alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Flair, who was exposing himself while walking up and down the aisle wearing a robe and nothing else.

Doyle says her shift went from bad to worse when Flair showed up in the galley, robe still open, and pushed her up against a door. “He had me up against the back door, and I couldn’t move. I couldn’t get away from him,” the flight attendant said. Doyle and another attendant who worked on the flight took legal action against WWE in the aftermath of the incidents, but the lawsuits were settled out of court.

Flair took to social media to refute the allegations.

Every person that I’ve worked with, from my lawyer to my publicist to my wife has said not to post a response; but I’ve never run from past behaviors before and I’m not going to start now.

I want to clarify a few things:

About four years ago, I gave ESPN full access to my life for a “30 for 30″ special. They covered taxes, financial issues, adultery, divorces, the passing of my child and drinking/partying AT LENGTH.”

Rory Kampf, desperate to matter for another 15 minutes, did an interview about it this morning. When Rory’s lips are moving, he’s typically lying, but one part of what he said was the God’s honest truth:

“I’d never heard that he had forced someone to touch his genitals,” Karpf admitted. “Everything with Ric that was construed as negative I tried to address in the 30 for 30. His drinking, his philandering, his adultery, his money problems, there’s quite a bit, but never, at least in the people that I spoke to, no one ever brought up that he would force himself on somebody.”

I allowed my personal life and the lives of my wife and children to be turned upside down for one reason: Whether it’s good or bad, even the really bad, the truth has to matter. Even in wrestling.

My issues have been well documented over my 40+ year career. The impact of drinking too much (which nearly killed me 5 years ago) has been told time and time and time again. The reason Rory (or anyone else for that matter) never heard stories of me forcing myself on ANYONE is simple: it never happened

Flair issued a follow up statement:

To clarify, the “helicopter” as it was called, is accurate. I wish I could blame it on youth, but it was a case of drinking too much and being inappropriate and I apologize for that (and have countless times over the years).

I made some bad decisions during dark periods in my life, and it is something I’ve spent a significant part of years I was given by the doctors in 2017 trying to make right.

I condemn sexual assault in any way, shape or form. I could (and have) written books (as have others) that have covered my transgressions. I’ve made some terrible decisions, but I’ve never forced myself on anyone in any way. Period.

In the aftermath of the episode’s airing, Flair’s Car Shield advertisement campaign was paused, and WWE removed from its streaming platforms an episode of its Story Time show in which Flair flashing flight attends is made light of.

Source: TheSportster

Ric Flair Potentially Facing More Trouble After Next Week’s Dark Side of the Ring Airs

Ric Flair may run into more bad press if the Dark Side of the Ring episode about Chris Kanyon discusses Flair’s running Kanyon down on Howard Stern.

This is not going to be a good couple of weeks for Ric Flair. Already being raked through the coals for his behavior as a WWE star back when he was on the road with the company and acting in a manner Tommy Dreamer just called Flair being Flair, the Dark Side of the Ring episode about The Plane Ride From Hell has hurt Flair’s reputation and likely his wallet. That episode shined a light on Flair’s immature and sexually inappropriate decision-making and next week’s episode could do even more damage.

Dark Side of the Ring next week will be about the late Chris Kaynon. Kanyon suffered from bipolar disorder, and he threatened suicide in the weeks prior to his death in April of 2010. Kanyon’s struggles and departure from WWE as an openly gay wrestler were well documented and in one instance, he had a run-in with Flair that he said damaged him deeply. It is believed that next week’s episode may show that run-in between Kanyon and Flair on the Howard Stern show back in 2006.

Flair called into the show to stand up for WWE — who Kanyon had taken issue with over his firing and Flair worked for at the time. Flair called Kanyon a talent who didn’t have the goods to make it in WWE and said he hadn’t been fired for his personal life choices. After that episode, Kanyon was very open about how much it hurt to be called out by someone he idolized and worked with closely while in WWE. In a separate interview, Kanyon said he almost threw himself in front of a train and only didn’t because his brother was with him at the time.

This is not to suggest that Flair is responsible for Kanyon’s death. That said, this isn’t going to likely paint Flair in a positive light after a week where he is already being criticized for his actions when he was still an active part of the business. Flair has seen his Car Shield advertising partnership put on hold, there are rumors he was headed for AEW but that might not be happening now and Peacock removed some Flair content that they felt was inappropriate considering the Dark Side episode that just aired.

Flair is undoubtedly a wrestling legend and an icon. He’s also been open about his partying ways and candid about his actions in the past as an active wrestler who went out, partied, drank, and was a magnet for the ladies. In fact, his entire gimmick (which he says is not a gimmick) is that he’s always stylin’ and profilin’ and that’s not helping him these days.

It appears those past decisions — which were inappropriate then, but at the time overlooked — are no longer being overlooked. It’s likely things get worse for Flair before they get better and this upcoming episode about Kanyon could pose even more problems for the Nature Boy.

Source: TheSportster