Woo! Woo! Woo! Well-loved and ever-popular former professional wrestler Ric Flair is returning to the ring for the final fight of his career.
Flair, 73, will perform on July 31 at the Nashville Fairgrounds on an independent card. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer and 16-time World Champion has been off the canvas since 2011 when he wrestled against longtime rival Sting for Impact Wrestling— his most recent WWE appearance came in 2008 at WrestleMania XXIV against Shawn Michaels.
It is unknown who Flair will share the ring with, or if his match will be singles or tag-team.
Ric Flair is back in the ring
Flair’s final cameo will come the day after WWE SummerSlam, also being held in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I’m going to walk that aisle one last time to prove once and for all that to be the Man, you’ve got to beat the Man,” Flair said in a statement to ESPN.
The titan of professional wrestling was most known for his iconic shouting and charismatic strut to the ring— he has not lost his touch with the younger generation either, most notably appearing in a 2018 music video for the song “Ric Flair Drip” by Offset.
Flair rose to prominence in the NWA and WCW, WWE’s archrivals in the 1980s and 1990s. He later appeared for WWE as an entertainer and on-screen manager on and off for two decades; he was recently released from a contract binding the two, allowing him to sign on for the July event.
Flair appeared in a AAA event in Mexico City last year, standing in the corner for his daughter’s fiancé, Andrade El Idolo, during a title bout with Kenny Omega. “The Nature Boy” could not help himself from sneaking in a chop to Omega’s chest, a signature move of his.
The rockstar from many people’s childhood had a serious health scare in 2017 and dealt with kidney failure and dialysis treatment as the result of bowel surgery, but has been in stable condition since.
Flair will be on a July 31 card for 6:05 p.m. ET, symbolic of past start times of Jim Crockett Promotions and WCW; tickets will go on sale at noon on May 27.
