The legendary Ric Flair is set to make another ring walk as it was announced Monday that Fiair will wrestle his final match on July 31. Flair, who many consider to be the greatest professional wrestler in history, is 73 years old.
The match will take place at an event associated with the Starrcast wrestling fan convention in Nashville the day after WWE hosts SummerSlam in the same city. According to the Starrcast website, the event is "under the banner of Jim Crockett Promotions." It is being produced by Triller-affiliated Thuzio and will stream live on Fite TV.
The Rumors Are True! I’m Going To Walk That Aisle, Style And Profile, One Last Time! July 31st! Nashville, Tennessee! Jim Crockett Promotions!
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) May 16, 2022
I Will Prove Once Again, That To Be The Man, You’ve Got To Beat The Man!
Now We Go To School!
WOOOOO!
TIX: https://t.co/IcvXCCDxBa https://t.co/1mmHUiaL18 pic.twitter.com/eVCaiefDpf
Flair began his wrestling career in 1972 but became a massive star in the wrestling world under Jim Crocket Promotions, where he was the centerpiece of the National Wrestling Alliance as world champion. He would wrestle around the world, including stints in Japan and WWE, but his time as an NWA and WCW staple define his claim to being one of the best to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots.
Flair has retired from wrestling multiple times before. At WrestleMania 24, after several other retirement matches throughout the years, he lost an emotional match to Shawn Michaels with his career on the line. 20 months later, Flair was wrestling Hulk Hogan in a tour of matches in Australia. He would go on to wrestle 12 times in TNA throughout 2010 and 2011 before tearing his triceps in a match with Sting, which Flair would eventually state was the last time he'd ever step into the ring as a wrestler.
A host of health problems have also plagued Flair in recent years. He suffers from a heart condition and suffered kidney failure after having a piece of his bowel removed in 2017.
Flair is most commonly acknowledged, including by WWE, as a 16-time world champion, though the politics of wrestling and tours where the champion would sometimes drop the title for a match before regaining it and returning to their home promotion mean the actual number is higher. Flair claims to be a 21-time champion.
The specifics of the match are not yet known though many matches involving aging former stars are held as tag team or six-man matches where others can do the majority of the heavy lifting.
