WWE legend Ric Flair confirmed to return for one final match at 73 as video of his training emerges

Wrestling legend Ric Flair is plotting a comeback to the ring at 73 years old.

The 16-time world champion - as recognised by WWE - retired from pro wrestling at WrestleMania 24 back in 2008 against Shawn Michaels, commonly regarded as one of the greatest send-offs in wrestling history.

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Flair didn’t stop wrestling, of course.

He moved to TNA and also did some select independent bookings before having his last true match against Sting in 2011.

Now, Flair - the father of WWE star Charlotte Flair - is plotting a return to the ring.

He been training with former IMPACT peer and now AEW star Jay Lethal and insists he is serious about making a comeback.

According to Dave Meltzer on , the “rumour is The Nature Boy’s return match could be a six-man tag team affair pitting him & FTR against The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express & “somebody”. 

Rock ‘n’ Rollers Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton are currently on , and a date with Flair would be a marquee attraction for that. Presumably, Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler would ensure Ric doesn’t have to do too much during the match.

It's now been confirmed by ESPN's Marc Raimondi that Flair will return for a final match in July. The match will go down at the Nashville Fairgrounds on an independent card that will stream live on FITE TV.

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"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.

Although Flair is a legendary figure and one of the few wrestlers to truly transcend pop culture, his reputation and legacy was severely damaged with the allegations made on the Dark Side of the Ring series.

The wrestling world’s largely distanced itself from Flair as a result of Dark Side of the Ring’s “Plane Ride From Hell” episode which brought back tales of his past inappropriate behaviour, and added allegations of sexual assault, claims Flair denies.

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‘The Dirtiest Player in the Game’ left WWE in August 2021 after the company reportedly had no plans for him and many assumed he would pop up in another wrestling promotion fairly quickly, but that has yet to happen.

Flair did get involved with Mexican promotion AAA where his soon-to-be son-in-law, Andrade El Idolo, was facing Kenny Omega.

Flair landed his trademark chops on Omega and applied his patented figure-four-leg-lock on Konnan.

Still, it’s a big risk for any wrestling promotion to book Flair at this stage with the allegations against him fresh in the memory.

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Furthermore, ex-WCW announcer Chris Cruise has written to the Maryland Athletic Commission to try and prevent Flair from obtaining a licence to wrestle.

Cruise urged the commission to not grant Flair a licence to wrestle, stating that “he’s 73, in poor health, an alcoholic, and has a pacemaker”.

In 2017, Flair had surgery in Georgia to remove an obstructive piece of his bowel, which led to various complications, most seriously kidney failure, necessitating dialysis treatment.

Flair has said his situation was so dire that WWE had prepped a video package for his death.