Fans are still talking about the excellent match that served as the headliner of Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view event that saw Asuka beat Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch in the first-ever Women’s Triple Threat TLC Match in order to win the SmackDown Women’s Title.

This match was an extremely memorable TLC match that saw the crowning of Asuka as the top talent in the SmackDown Women’s division. The fans wanted this match to be the main event and WWE officials gave into that demand which was a wise decision.

Although WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair wasn’t in attendance to see this match live, he was watching on WWE’s streaming service and took to social media in order to praise them for their stellar performances in San Jose, CA. He wrote the following:

“Congratulations To @MsCharlotteWWE, @WWEAsuka, And @BeckyLynchWWE On One Of The GREATEST Performances I Have Ever Seen While Making History Last Night In Your TLC Match.”

“Going On Last With Names Like Orton, Rollins, Mysterio, Rousey, Jax… Is Pressure That Only Few Are Ever Fortunate Enough To Understand. You Ladies Not Only Followed Some Tremendous Bouts, But You Stole The Show. This Morning, I Bow Down To All Three Of You. WOOOOO!”

Going On Last With Names Like Orton, Rollins, Mysterio, Rousey, Jax… Is Pressure That Only Few Are Ever Fortunate Enough To Understand. You Ladies Not Only Followed Some Tremendous Bouts, But You Stole The Show. This Morning, I Bow Down To All Three Of You. WOOOOO!

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) December 17, 2018

Charlotte Flair has already achieved a staggering amount during her six-year career with WWE.

From holding gold in every WWE brand she’s been a part of, to dealing with copious media duties whilst still diligently performing every week, Charlotte can hold her head high over what she has accomplished.

She’s even surpassed a record set by her father, the legendary WWE Hall Of Famer, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair.

Breaking A Record

Recently, Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet sent out a Tweet asking the “Wrestlers of Twitter” to “tell us all one fun fact about yourselves that fans probably wouldn’t already know.”

Charlotte responded by revealing that she has officially had “more matches than my Dad in the WWE.”

I’ve had more matches than my Dad in the WWE. https://t.co/nnR3pA7PCM

— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) December 7, 2018

According to CageMatch.net, Charlotte Flair has wrestled 695 matches (at the time of writing) compared to Ric’s 675. It’s important to note that these stats seem to be referring specifically to matches held within a WWE ring.

Flair is currently slated to participate in a triple threat Ladder Match at this Sunday’s Tables, Ladders and Chairs event. She will attempt to reclaim the SmackDown Women’s championship. In her way are the defending champion, ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch, as well as ‘The Empress of Tomorrow’ Asuka.

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair had some good news to share when speaking with fellow Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin during a recent appearance on his podcast, “The Steve Austin Show. That good news is the fact that he was cleared by his doctor to take bumps again in the ring.

Flair had surgery in Georgia to remove an obstructive piece of his bowel, which led to various complications last August. The most serious complications were kidney failure, necessitating dialysis treatment and ongoing hospitalization.

He was discharged the following month and made an appearance on a November 2017 edition of SmackDown Live to congratulate Charlotte after she won the SmackDown Women’s Title from Natalya in Charlotte, North Carolina. Flair was last seen on WWE television when he appeared on the SmackDown 1000th episode for an Evolution appearance back a few months back.

Flair stated that he had difficulty doing anything when he still had a bag on his side that was attached to his intestines. However, once he got off that then he was back to do doing squats as he just needed a goal to achieve. This led to him getting more weight back but started putting more than he wanted to have. He started working out and can do anything now.

He brought up how he’s full speed ahead and they’ve cleared him to do anything including “actually been cleared to get knocked down in the ring. I didn’t know if they were going to use me in some capacity. He added that he would need to pass health policy by WWE if he wanted to do a bump.

“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair is often recognized as one of the most charismatic performers pro wrestling has ever had. This is partly due to being so memorable on the mic. Whenever he would speak, he knew people were going to listen.

Flair spoke recently with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on the latter’s podcast, The Steve Austin Show. During the show, he divulged what he considers to be a major problem with today’s current product and roster of superstars: heavily scripted promos.

Catch-22

He believes that the majority of current promos are so scripted due to WWE’s lack of faith in their superstars to talk and entertain in the way he, Austin, and The Rock did.

Flair recalled watching Austin pace the backstage area, collecting his thoughts before getting on the mic. He had full faith in Austin because he “knew where he was going” with the flow and point of the promo. He had a “gameplan” and didn’t need “40 writers” to help him craft his story.

“[…] when you have that groove and the capacity to entertain the crowd, they [the WWE] have to let you run with it, and I don’t see that much these days because I think they’re worried that the kids don’t have enough experience,” Flair explained.

“It’s not that they can’t, but that they don’t have enough experience, so I think it’s harder these days from that standpoint.”

The issue becomes a Catch-22 for the WWE. With no faith in their superstars, their roster will never develop and learn the skills needed. Without those skills and trust, the WWE will never veer from heavily scripted promos.

What do you think? Should WWE trust their talent more? Do you believe that scripted promos are fine the way they are?

Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair had quite the health scare in August of 2017. “The Nature Boy” was hospitalized and underwent an emergency surgery to remove an obstructive piece of his bowel. Flair suffered from complications from the surgery, including kidney failure which required dialysis treatment. He remained hospitalized for over a month before being released.

There was a point in his hospitalization where Flair was fighting for his life. However, “The Nature Boy” emerged from his hospitalization in good health and is still “stylin’ and profilin'” all over the world. A lot of Flair’s health issues were due to his excessive drinking throughout his life. After his hospitalization, Flair was advised to no longer drink alcohol. According to Flair, this was because doctors feared once he had another drink, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

Controlling Alcohol Consumption

Flair spoke to fellow Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin on an episode of his podcast, “The Steve Austin Show.” He revealed that he does still drink from time to time since his hospitalization, but seems to have it under control:

“I’m gonna be completely honest with you. I’ve asked the doctor ten different times and of course I’ll ask other doctors because I refuse to believe – at my wedding I had three glasses of champagne.

“At my daughter’s wedding I had the same or maybe one glass of wine with the champagne and while I was in Florida with Wendy, this past week, we were there for Thanksgiving, I drank about four beers, so it’s not the alcohol that’s gonna hurt me.

“It’s that the doctors are afraid that if I have one, that will lead to another, but I have had a drink, so alcohol is not gonna kill me. I’ve never had any hard liquor and that won’t happen, but I have had probably ten or twelve beverages with alcohol in them; beer, wine, or champagne.”

What do you think about Flair still drinking despite his health scare last year?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVrssIG3FI0

H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions

Ric Flair’s health scare was one of the biggest stories in wrestling last year. On the most recent edition of The Steve Austin Show, Flair revealed in more detail than ever before just how dire his medical situation was.

Ric Flair Health Scare

“I don’t remember anything for two months,” Flair said. “I was in a coma for twelve days, ICU for thirty-one days. I had kidney failure, respiratory and heart failure, I was septic, and I had pneumonia.”

“I lost forty-three pounds. It’s a miracle, Steve,” Flair said.

“Twelve days in a coma, thirty-one days in intensive care, then I had to go over to a rehab facility to learn how to walk, starting from scratch, and I never had any memory of anything,” Flair said.

“Obviously I’ve been told, and it’s been filled in for me, but I don’t remember one person that came to see me. From Michael Hayes, to Ricky Steamboat, to Hulk Hogan, people came from all over to see me. I don’t remember any of it.”

Flair added that even when he returned home from the rehab facility, he was still out of sorts. “They wouldn’t give me my cell phone because every time I said something to someone, it was crazy. Hunter said please don’t let him talk on his cell phone because every time I try to make sense with him, it’s out there.”

Overcoming Depression

Flair says that he had a difficult time coming to grips with what happened to him at first. “I would sit in a chair all day and worry about dying,” Flair said. “After learning how sick I was, I wondered why of all people I was still there and somebody else wasn’t.”

Now that he is more than a year past his ordeal, Flair has a more positive outlook on his crisis.

“I literally look at it as a miracle. The doctor told me it was a miracle. And after I look back, and came to realize what took place, it is a miracle. I’m great now. I feel like a million dollars.”

Ric Flair & Alcohol

Flair says that while alcohol abuse may have been to blame for his health crisis, he has very sparingly had drinks on three social occasions over the last year.

“It’s not the alcohol that’s going to kill me,” Flair said. “The doctors are afraid that if I had one, it’ll lead to another, and that will never happen.”

Later in the show, Flair discusses his 2019 appearance schedule, his appearance at Starrcade this past weekend, and how Charlotte is doing in WWE these days. The first part of the show can be found below. The full episode can be found here.

When referencing this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.

https://youtu.be/oVrssIG3FI0

Last night WWE held its Survivor Series pay-per-view (PPV) event from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The card featured several big match-ups between Monday Night RAW and Smackdown Live’s champions.

Universal Champion Brock Lesnar faced WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, Charlotte Flair of SDL faced RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, and the traditional RAW vs. SDL Elimination Tag Team matches also took place. RAW emerged victorious on the night with a 6-0 clean sweep over SDL. It wasn’t only a big night in the ring, however, as some notable stars were backstage for the show as well.

UFC Hall Of Famer Tito Ortiz and his family were backstage at Survivor Series. Also, WWE Hall Of Famers Mark Henry, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Rikishi, and Ric Flair were at the show. And former WWE stars Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Darren Young, Candice Michelle, and former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia were all backstage.

Check out some photos of the stars at the event here below:

At #survivorseries and look who I found….@DIVACANDICEM ? @WWE pic.twitter.com/gx5lb0kSNK

— Lilian Garcia (@LilianGarcia) November 19, 2018

I promised my boy @ATelagaarta that I’d personally bring him to a wrestling show myself so that night was last night @STAPLESCenter @wwe ‘s #SurvivorSeries. It was an absolute pleasure sitting with you watching my colleagues roll up the sleeves and go to work. ?? ya homie pic.twitter.com/kA5tHZ5ycs

— nodaysoff FRED ROSSER III (@realfredrosser) November 19, 2018

@goSwaeLee Was In The House Last Night At Survivor Series! WOOOOO! pic.twitter.com/DO0bCmmKkV

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) November 19, 2018

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqWZPCbnIyC/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqWo9ZTnmxF/?utm_source=ig_embed

Some news and notes have surfaced regarding tonight’s (November 13, 2018) episode of WWE SmackDown Live in St. Louis, MO at the Enterprise Center on the USA Network.

First up, Pwinsider.com is reporting that WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is in town for the show. As of this writing, there’s word yet on if The Nature Boy will appear on the show. It’s possible that he is used to talk his daughter, former SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, into being the captain of the women’s Survivor Series team against Team RAW at this Sunday’s pay-per-view event in Los Angeles, California.

Flair has not been seen on SmackDown Live since SmackDown 1000 last month when Evolution (Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista) reunited together.

Also, for those who are wondering, WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is not slated to appear on the show in order to further build his champion vs. champion match at Survivor Series against WWE Champion AJ Styles. Thus, the next time that they square off, it won’t be until Survivor Series.

Finally, Triple H and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon are not backstage at the show. Instead, Michael Hayes and Kevin Dunn are the ones in charge of running the show.

David Arquette’s wrestling career has been revived in 2018. According to the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion, his comeback is not a publicity stunt either. “It’s too painful for that,” Arquette told ESPN recently.

He also told the media outlet he thought management was joking in 2000 when they told him they were putting the belt on him.

“I thought it was a bit of a joke and he was like, ‘No, I’m serious. I think [my] response was, ‘That’s a terrible idea. No, we can’t do that,’ but then they explained the storyline that I wasn’t pinning a wrestler. I was pinning Eric Bischoff.”

Ric Flair Defends David Arquette

Arquette continued to say the reason he went through with it is he wanted to have the experience.

“To be honest, the reason I wanted to do it was so I could be part of it. The fact of the matter was, yeah, I get to be the champion. Whoever gets that opportunity? Part of that was that I would get to travel with all of them and see behind the curtain and walk through the airport with Hulk Hogan and be on the same show as Ric Flair. For a fan of wrestling if I hadn’t done that, I never would have had that experience — and to me, life is about experiences.”

He also said that Ric Flair was one of the guys who defended him.

“Ric Flair at one point put his arms around me and said, ‘Hey guys, he’s one of us.’ That made me feel really great.”

This Sunday at WWE Evolution, Becky Lynch puts the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match. Their feud has been one of the highlights of WWE television over the past several weeks and Lynch is starting to come into her own as a heel character. Fans are beginning to accept Becky as a villain, but she’s been an underdog fan favorite for so long that getting people to boo her has not been an easy task.

During an episode of Busted Open Radio this week, co-host Bully Ray pitched a pretty clever idea about how WWE should book the finish of this match. He suggests that WWE should utilize Ric Flair in a way that would all-but-guarantee a negative reaction for the Irish Superstar.

“So, remember last week how we were talking about how can you possibly get heat on Becky Lynch?” Bully Ray posed. “We were saying you have to do something drastic, and probably the only person you can utilize in this whole situation would be a feeble Ric Flair.”

“Alright, so what if at Evolution, in the ‘Last Woman Standing’ match, something really, really bad happened to Charlotte at the end of the match. Let’s just say … and I know this is not going to happen … let’s just say Charlotte was bleeding. Let’s just say Charlotte was busted open. Let’s just say Charlotte was in a really bad predicament, and [Ric] Flair came out … ‘Naitch came out because he was really concerned about his daughter. He didn’t put his hands on her, he didn’t try to help her up, he didn’t get involved in the match in any way, shape or form.”

Bully Ray continued, “But as he’s walking over to his daughter, he were to trip and fall and take a bump. Then we saw him clutching or hurting or something happened. What if Becky Lynch were to take a chair and stand over Ric Flair, threatening to cave his head in unless Charlotte stayed down for the ten count. How would you feel about that?”

Threatening physical harm against Ric Flair (who is shielding his daughter from harm) would be a despicable move by the champion. Even Becky Lynch fans would question if she’s going too far to score a victory. Sounds like great storytelling to us.

Becky ‘Balboa’ appeared on Busted Open earlier today (Friday). We will have a report up soon.

Catch Busted Open on SiriusXM satellite radio weekday mornings from 9am-12pm EST on channel Rush 93.

Riki Paul Johnson has filed a lawsuit for defamation against his former wife, Charlotte Flair. The couple was married between 2010 and 2011. Johnson alleges that comments made by Flair in her book “Second Nature” about him are untrue and have had a negative impact on him and his family.

The lawsuit alleges that Flair’s book states Johnson is sterile, a claim he denies. Johnson also claims the book contains “multiple false allegations physical and/or psychological abuse.”

He is also disputing parts of the book stating he lost 2 jobs due to illicit drug use. The lawsuit is seeking $5 Million in damages. The lawsuit contends that Johnson was made to look bad in order to showcase Flair as a “victim who overcame personal adversity and domestic abuse.”

Neither Ric nor Charlotte Flair has commented on the lawsuit.

Charlotte and Ric Flair’s “Second Nature”

Ric and Charlotte Flair released “Second Nature” together last year.

“Charlotte grew up in the shadow of her famous father, “the dirtiest player in the game,“ but now she is poised to take the Flair name to new heights,” an intro to the book states. “As the inaugural WWE Women’s Champion, Charlotte has had an impressive career, and she’s just getting started. With the (dare we say it) flair of the “Nature Boy“ running through her blood, Charlotte is destined for greatness. Find out how she embraced her heritage and battled her own challenges through her rise to the top of WWE. For these two Champions, sports entertainment is simply SECOND NATURE.”

If ever there was a pro wrestling bucket list, Rolex shopping with the Ric Flair has to be up there. The legendary Nature Boy appeared on Peter Rosenberg’s Open Late with Peter Rosenberg show on Complex to promote the release of WWE 2K19. The two went jewelry shopping in New York City so Rosenberg could purchase his first Rolex.

Flair and Rosenberg’s jewelry shopping adventure begins around the 11-minute mark of this video:

Ric Flair on “Open Late With Peter Rosenberg”

Flair advised Rosenberg during the trip to be careful not to spend too much money. Rosenberg is married to MLB Network host Alexa Datt and Flair was quick to explain he didn’t want to purchase any jewelry which would cause his wife to worry. He did stress that if Rosenberg wants to be seen as one of the top celebrities in New York, however, he needs some flashy jewelry.

“You are Peter Rosenberg,” Flair said. “You cannot be one of the top 3 or 4 celebrities in New York City and not have a little bling – You want to walk through the door – You want to push it open – You want the sunlight to hit the diamonds – You want someone to turn around. In my case, it would have been a woman years ago. In your case, just your kids and family.”

One thing Flair was adamant about, however, was that purchasing a used Rolex is simply not acceptable.

Episodes of Complex’s “Open Late With Peter Rosenberg” are released through YouTube and on Complex’s website here.

I went jewelry shopping w @RicFlairNatrBoy …when he realized I was considering a used Rolex — lol — his reaction … https://t.co/5kmasj1sBC

— Peter Rosenberg (@Rosenbergradio) October 11, 2018

On Wednesday, we (and other mainstream outlets such as TMZ and People) reported that WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair married his longtime love, Wendy Barlow.

Several of Flair’s friends and family members gathered for what looked to be a wedding ceremony. Notable names in attendance included The Undertaker, Dennis Rodman, Dolph Ziggler, Fit Finlay, Michelle McCool, Conrad Thompson and of course, Charlotte Flair.

However, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, what transpired this week was not actually a wedding – it was a “commitment ceremony.” As a result, Flair and Barlow would not be legally married.

For what it’s worth, Ric Flair himself tweeted the following on Thursday night:

Ric Flair Marries Longtime Love Wendy Barlow: ‘Dreams Do Come True’ https://t.co/x1Y5vyReFL via @people

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) September 14, 2018

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair was recently interviewed by The News-Press. During the discussion, he spoke at length about his health, his legendary career, his famous robes and much more. Of course, he also spoke about his daughter Charlotte, who has been one of the centerpieces of WWE’s ongoing women’s revolution. 

When speaking about Charlotte, Flair gushed with pride and said he lives vicariously through his daughter.  He told the publication, “I live my life vicariously through my daughter. She’s doing phenomenal. She’s above and beyond the legacy.”

Missing Wrestling

After being on the road for decades, Flair admitted that he still loves pro wrestling and does miss it as he reflects on it as not hard and not as work but just loved it as it became a way of life for him. He stated that he misses it a lot now but really enjoys watching Charlotte and attending events.

He said, “I stay in touch with a lot of the kids who all come out… It’s been a wonderful experience.”

Ric Flair was last seen on WWE television when he appeared on a November 2017 edition of SmackDown Live to congratulate Charlotte after she won the SmackDown Women’s Title from Natalya in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In case you missed it, Flair had a commitment ceremony with his longtime girlfriend, Wendy Barlow this week and for more on that, please click here for the details.

Charlotte defends the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch this Sunday at Hell in a Cell.

• Photos & Video from Ric Flair’s Wedding

Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is married once again. “The Nature Boy” and longtime fiancee Wendy Barlow tied the knot during a ceremony at a resort in North Florida on Wednesday. This was the fifth time down the aisle for the 16-time World Heavyweight Champion.

The wedding was attended by a few WWE personalities. According to TMZ, WWE legend The Undertaker was in attendance, along with RAW tag team champion Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler had the honor of walking Flair’s bride down he aisle.

Flair and Barlow have been dating for over six years, and have known each other since their days in WCW when Barlow portrayed Fifi the Maid. Congratulations to Ric and Wendy!

Check out this video from Ric Flair’s wedding:

Update: On Thursday, Ric Flair and Charlotte tweeted out these photos from the wedding.

?? September 12, 2018 ?? pic.twitter.com/QrKweUK9s5

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) September 13, 2018

? pic.twitter.com/VfPinisyHz

— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) September 13, 2018

Ask any professional wrestling fan who’s the best of all time, you’ll get several different answers. Instantly names such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, John Cena, and Bret Hart come to mind. The debate could go on forever, but Steve Austin is very sure in his answer.

In fact, he says “anybody that actually knows the business” will agree that the greatest of all time (GOAT) is – “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Flair is a two-time WWE Hall Of Famer and a 16-time World Champion.

A fan on Twitter posted a GIF of Flair and Angle together in the ring. The fan tagged Austin in the Tweet, and “The Texas Rattlesnake” responded. He said “Flair is the GOAT. And that’s the bottom line.”:

Flair is the GOAT. And that’s the bottom line. @WWE RT @DeVon_FNMfan2K8: @PWGifs @steveaustinBSR @RicFlairNatrBoy Looks like Steve Austin thinks Flair is #1!!!

— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) September 7, 2018

One fan attempted to battle Austin on his claim. He suggested that the GOAT is, in fact, Andre The Giant. The fan argued that, had it not been for Andre’s contributions to the business, there would be no Ric Flair. Austin says there is no comparison and Andre just simply was not in Flair’s league.

No comparison, bro. Andre was a great star. Important for the business. Anybody that actually knows the business knows Flair is the GOAT. That is all.

— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) September 7, 2018

While many would choose stars like Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin as their top babyfaces in the history of pro wrestling, Ric Flair has a different approach.

The WWE Hall Of Famer, alongside his daughter and the SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair was recently a guest on the WWE Network series Photo Shoot.

During the episode both the stars were shown a number of photos. While talking about the pictures, Ric went down the memory lane and discussed things like his angle with Randy Savage over Elizabeth and more.

Ric Flair On Who Is The Greatest Babyface Of All Time

When shown a picture of himself and Ricky Steamboat, Flair called Steamboat the greatest babyface of all time. He said that he doesn’t think anyone has had better matches in the history of pro wrestling than Ricky and him.

Recalling his WrestleMania 18 match with the Undertaker, the former World Champion claimed that he had confidence issues over wrestling at the age of 55 and revealed that the Dead Man helped him in restoring his confidence.

Apart from this, Ric Flair also called Dusty Rhodes the most creative mind in Pro Wrestling and Roddy Piper the greatest bad guy in the business.

The full episode of Photo Shoot can be seen at WWE network. You can check out a promo for it featuring both Ric and Charlotte in the video below:

Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker and a few Hall Of Famers have been announced for a Texas church sermon series.

Grapevine, Texas-based pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church will be interviewing Taker, Ric Flair, Sting and Ted DiBiase. The interviews are part of Young’s new “Wrastlin'” sermon series. The series lasts four weeks and kicks off on Sunday, September 9th.

Fellowship Church’s main stage will feature a wrestling ring where the interviews will take place. On the other side of the church a section will be available for the congregation to see the interviews. An official statement and video announcement for the series has been released. Check those out below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptys38AWg3M&feature=youtu.be

Wrastlin’ – A Series by Ed Young. Beginning September 9, 2018

Over four weeks this September, Ed Young and Fellowship Church welcome four legendary guests from the world of professional wrestling – Ric Flair, The Undertaker, The Million Dollar Man, and Sting!

The Bible often compares the Christian life to that of a warrior, a wrestler. Wrestling is a metaphor commonly used in the Christian life and one that will remind us that no matter what, God is ready and able to step in between the ropes and help us overcome any challenge we face!

For more information, visit Fellowshipchurch.com/wrastlin.

Earlier this summer Hulk Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Several years ago Hogan was essentially black-listed from WWE history after some racist comments of his became public via a leaked sex tape. After years of apologies and rebuilding his reputation, Hogan is now back in the WWE fold.

Hogan apologized to the entire WWE roster backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV). The roster’s response to Hogan’s apology was essentially split. WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair recently gave his thoughts on the matter.

Flair On Hogan’s HOF Reinstatement

“The Nature Boy” spoke to Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc. and admitted he’s “very happy” to see Hogan back with WWE:

“I’m very happy to see him back,” Flair said. “I don’t pretend to understand any of that. I’ve heard so many different sides of the story and all that.

“I think that anyone who portrays him as anything less than a good person that has done an excellent job, I mean he’s been through a lot — just think about it. His wife was terrible during the divorce and then there was the accident with [Hogan’s] son and then this.

“I mean, he’s had to go through a lot and the thing is great about Hulk is that he’s still the most expensive guy to get out there to sign autographs. He’s still Hulk Hogan, they can do whatever they want. If you want Hulk Hogan, you gotta have a big wallet, that’s the way it is.”

Flair explained how he’s glad there wasn’t the technology around in his day that there is today to catch him in some of his old antics:

“I mean Jesus Christ, we’re all sitting here wondering if [there’s] a spy camera now, you know?” Flair continued. “You never know, right? It’s a good thing they never put a camera in my room, Wendy would be a national hero. I couldn’t probably get work for her anywhere.

“I wonder how I’d react to social media in the 80’s wearing my robe up and down the airplane serving drinks. [I] would have probably ended up on the cover of Time.”

Discussion: What do you make of Flair’s comments? Sound off in the comments below!

Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair had some high praise for Roman Reigns recently.

Reigns is preparing to challenge Brock Lesnar tonight for the WWE Universal Title. The action goes down from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York at SummerSlam. This will be Reigns’ fourth attempt at dethroning Lesnar from a World Title position.

Flair Praises Reigns

“The Nature Boy” was recently a guest on fellow Hall Of Famer Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report. The pair touched on tonight’s SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV). Flair praised Reigns for his lack of fear towards Lesnar, an ex-UFC heavyweight champion:

“One of the things that’s cool about Roman is that he’s not afraid of Brock. You know what I mean?

“A lot of guys are and they can tell you they’re not all day long; but, Roman coming from his mom and his dad and his family – he wouldn’t be allowed in the house if he was afraid of Brock.

“You and I know that and know what that means. Me, when I had to wrestle Brock I wanted to kill you [Jim Ross] for even listening to Vince [McMahon] and book it.”

As for what should main event SummerSlam, Flair said Lesnar vs. Reigns should get the nod if the women don’t main event:

“If it’s gonna be the guys, it’ll have to be them.”

Lesnar vs. Reigns isn’t the only World Title match on SummerSlam’s card. From SmackDown Live, WWE Champion AJ Styles will defend his strap against Samoa Joe as well. In regards to steam behind the respective matches, Flair says it isn’t even close:

“There’s just no comparison in the amount of steam. It’s not the individual talent. It’s just the steam on this one.

“The last two weeks with Brock not even being advertised and doing that and [Paul] Heyman did a great job in the setup.”

Discussion: What do you make of Flair’s comments? Should Lesnar vs. Reigns main event SummerSlam? Sound off in the comments below!

H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions

Last summer, the wrestling world almost lost one of the greatest of all-time. Ric Flair was placed in a medically-induced coma in mid-August 2017.

The 69-year-old Flair is almost completely recovered he says. Flair spoke with Sports Illustrated earlier this week.

“It’s almost a year ago, August 14, when I went through everything with my surgery,” said Flair. “But now I feel great. I just had another surgery a couple weeks ago to reverse the stoma. Now I need a couple of months of rest, and I still can’t work out yet, but I feel fantastic. It’s a miracle.”

Ric Flair On His Health

According to Flair, he’s doing better physically than many wrestlers of his generation.

“I’m not physically banged up,” he said. “I feel great. My knees, elbows, and back, they don’t bother me at all right now. When I look at my friends with back operations, hip replacements, knee replacements, I’m just thankful I’m in one piece because so many have been through a lot.”

Over the last year, Flair has consistently mentioned what a big help Hulk Hogan was to him during his recovery. Flair has been a big supporter of Hogan’s reinstation to the WWE Hall of Fame.

“Hulk has had like nine back operations,” Flair continued. “Guys in my generation and even the generation younger than me are all physically banged up much more than me, but I’m lucky to be doing great. Thank you to all who’ve asked.”

Flair also commented on Charlotte taking time off recently.

“She was at the ESPYs, presented an award, and did the ‘Body Issue’ for ESPN,” Flair said of his daughter’s summer thus far. “She’s built her brand, and her brand gets bigger every day. By the time she’s ready to figure out whether she wants to stay in the business as an executive or do something else, her brand will be that big where she’ll be able to make the choices she wants. I’m really happy for her.”

Video game publisher 2K has announced WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair will be the centerpiece for the upcoming “Wooooo!” Collector’s Edition of the WWE 2K19 video game.

Customers who purchase the Ric Flair collector’s edition of WWE 2K19 will receive a plaque with a piece of one of Ric Flair’s robes, a Ric Flair Funko Pop vinyl figurine, a replica Flair’s Hall of Fame ring and bonus in-game content.

WWE 2K19 “Wooooo!” Collector’s Edition

The Ric Flair collector’s edition of WWE 2K19 will feature several bonus characters that the Nature Boy feuded with during his illustrious in-ring career (plus Charlotte):

• “Rowdy” Roddy Piper character (1980s)
• Dusty Rhodes (1980s)
• Rick “the Dragon” Steamboat (1980s)
• “Macho Man” Randy Savage (WM8)
• The Undertaker (2002)
• Ric Flair (WM24 attire)
• Charlotte Flair (WM32 attire)
• NWA Starrcade 1983 Arena

The following pre-order bonus content is also included in the collector’s edition:

• Rey Mysterio (Royal Rumble 2018 Attire)
• “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey (WrestleMania 34 attire)

2K sent out a press release that included this quote from Ric Flair himself: “For all of my fans around the world, it’s exciting and humbling to see my career immortalized through the power of video games. This is going to be one stylin,’ profilin,’ limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ ‘n’ dealin’ son of a Collector’s Edition, and you don’t want to miss out. Wooooo!”

The “Wooooo! edition of WWE 2K19 will available on October 5th, 2018, four days before the game is on sale the general public. WWE 2K19 will be released for Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Earlier this month, 2K confirmed the game will not be released for Nintendo Switch. Visit WWE.2K.com for more information.

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has made his first public comments about his recent surgery.

If you recall, just last week, the pro wrestling legend underwent the knife for an ileostomy procedure. At first, it was reported that he was scheduled to get surgery to remove a colonoscopy bag but that was not the case. Flair wrote the following on his official Twitter account:

“Thank You To All The Staff At Gwinnett Medical Center For The Excellent Care During My Stay! I Was So Lucky To Be In The Hands Of An Amazing Surgeon, Dr. James Elsey. Truly Grateful For Everything! The Naitch Is Back Up And Runnin’! @GwinnettMedical.”

Thank You To All The Staff At Gwinnett Medical Center For The Excellent Care During My Stay! I Was So Lucky To Be In The Hands Of An Amazing Surgeon, Dr. James Elsey. Truly Grateful For Everything! The Naitch Is Back Up And Runnin’! @GwinnettMedical pic.twitter.com/nPnzaDgRpQ

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) July 18, 2018

His fiancé, Wendy Barlow, went on record by telling Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet that the procedure had to be done after his health scare last summer and reverse the stoma that way he’ll no longer be forced to drain the bag.

The reason for the confusion at the time about the surgery was the differences between the two procedures as an ileostomy is defined as an opening in the belly (abdominal wall) that is made during surgery and that the lowest part of the small intestine is brought through this opening to form a stoma while surgery to remove a colonoscopy bag applies to the large intestine and not the small intestine.

Flair was last seen on WWE television when he appeared on a November 2017 edition of SmackDown Live to congratulate Charlotte Flair after she won the SmackDown Women’s Title from Natalya in Charlotte, North Carolina.

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is slated to undergo surgery next week.

According to a recent report by Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet, Flair will not be undergoing surgery to remove a colonoscopy bag despite that rumor going around but instead, he will undergo an ileostomy procedure.

His fiancé, Wendy Barlow, told Satin that the procedure has to be done after his health scare last summer. The wrestling legend is scheduled for surgery on July 9th with pre-op on July 6th.

According to the American Cancer Association, an ileostomy is defined as an opening in the belly (abdominal wall) that is made during surgery and that the lowest part of the small intestine is brought through this opening to form a stoma.

Thus, a colonoscopy bag applies to the large intestine and not the small intestine. The WWE Hall of Famer hopes to reverse the stoma so he’ll no longer be forced to drain the pouch.

We wish Flair a successful surgery and speedy recovery.

As we’ve previously noted, WWE Hall Of Famers Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan were interviewed by WSVN-TV Entertainment Reporter Chris Van Vliet at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

During the interview Flair seemed to indicate that Rousey’s deal with WWE was only for one year, as she planned on starting a family soon:

“In my humble opinion, if Rousey wants to elevate her status in the company she needs to go through The Queen and The Queen ain’t afraid of her, I got news for ya. I just saw her deadlift 315 lbs and she can bench 205 lbs for 6 reps. She is gifted beyond belief.

“I’m not involved obviously in any of the thinking but if they’re ever going to put the women where they belong, this is the year because I think Ronda has only signed a one-year deal and then she wants to get out of there. She wants to have kids and all that. She just needs to be be prepared to lose. Not if sure if Ronda likes that.”

A new report from Wrestling Inc. suggests that Rousey’s deal with WWE is actually a multi-year deal. It should be noted, however, that Rousey did tell Yahoo! Sports in March that she plans on having children with her husband, UFC heavyweight fighter Travis Browne, soon:

“We’re ready to start having kids soon and I was thinking about what I’ve left unfinished in my life because I want to entirely focus on having kids when that time comes,” Rousey said.

“I took a long look at my life and thought that if I don’t try and take a shot with the WWE, I would regret it for the rest of my life. I want to be an example to my kids about pursuing your dreams and being able to do anything. I guess this is my way of nesting and getting ready for children. I’m trying to prove to my unborn babies that they can accomplish any dream that they want to go after.”

Discussion: How long do you think Rousey’s WWE career will last? Do you expect her to take a significant amount of time off soon to begin a family?