Ric Flair Biography, Career, Net Worth, And Other Interesting Facts

Ric Flair, whose real name is Richard Morgan Fliehr, is a legendary American professional wrestler born on February 25, 1949. He currently wrestles for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). People often call him the greatest wrestler ever and he’s been in the ring for more than 50 years from the 1970s till now.

He’s spent a lot of time wrestling for different organizations like Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) World Championship Wrestling (WCW) World Wrestling Federation (WWF now WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Most of his success came from his time with JCP and WCW where he won many titles. He’s been known as “the Nature Boy” since the mid-1970s. Throughout his career, he’s been a big deal in pay-per-view events like Starrcade and WrestleMania.

He’s won lots of awards too like being named Wrestler of the Year six times by Pro Wrestling Illustrated and eight times by Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He’s also been inducted into multiple Halls of Fame including WWE’s twice.

WWE recognizes him as a 16-time world champion winning titles in NWA WCW and WWF/WWE. However, some sources say he’s won even more titles like 17 to 25 championships. He says he’s a 21-time champion. He was the first WCW World Heavyweight Champion and also the first to hold both the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship at the same time. He’s also won different championships in WWE making him a Triple Crown winner there too.

Ric Flair’s Early Life and Education

Ric Flair was born on February 25, 1949, in Memphis Tennessee. His birth parents were Luther and Olive Phillips. However, he was adopted by Kathleen Kinsmiller Fliehr and Richard Reid Fliehr because Kathleen couldn’t have more children after her first baby passed away. The adoption happened through an organization called the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. His adoptive dad was studying to be a doctor in Detroit at that time while his adoptive mom worked for a newspaper.

They all moved to Edina Minnesota where Fliehr grew up. He went to Wayland Academy in Wisconsin for high school where he played sports like wrestling football and track. After high school, he spent a bit of time at the University of Minnesota.

Career

In the early 1970s, Ric Flair began his wrestling career after training with Verne Gagne. He debuted in 1972 in Wisconsin under the name Ric Flair and soon moved to the American Wrestling Association (AWA) where he faced off against notable wrestlers like Dusty Rhodes and André the Giant.

Flair also wrestled in Japan with the International Wrestling Enterprise (IWE) in 1973. The next year he joined Jim Crockett Promotions in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and quickly won his first championship by teaming up to claim the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship.

In 1975 a serious plane crash nearly ended Flair’s career but he recovered and returned to the ring just months later. His wrestling style shifted leading to his famous “Nature Boy” persona. Flair continued to wrestle intensely winning and losing various championships throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s.

In 1981 Flair achieved one of his career highlights by winning his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Dusty Rhodes. He went on to become a central figure in professional wrestling during the 1980s, especially under Jim Crockett Promotions.

Flair’s career saw numerous ups and downs including forming the iconic group known as The Four Horsemen. He faced challenges both inside and outside the ring including a contract dispute with WCW in the early 1990s that led to his departure.

Ric Flair’s wrestling career is packed with memorable moments across different promotions. He started touring with All Japan Pro Wrestling while wrestling for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in the late 1970s. During the 1980s he defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Japan against stars like Genichiro Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta. In 1985 he faced Rick Martel in a match for both the NWA and AWA World Heavyweight Championships ending in a draw.

In the late 1980s as All Japan Pro Wrestling left the NWA WCW began collaborating with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Flair continued his career with New Japan from 1989 to 1991 and then again from 1995 to 1996. He competed in high-profile matches including a double title match against Tatsumi Fujinami.

Flair joined WWF (now WWE) in 1991 famously flaunting the Big Gold Belt as “The Real World’s Champion.” He feuded with top WWF stars like Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan. Flair won the WWF Championship at the 1992 Royal Rumble but lost it shortly after to Randy Savage at WrestleMania VIII. He later regained and lost the title in a series of dramatic matches.

Returning to WCW in 1993 Flair held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and later won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice. He played a crucial role in WCW’s battles against the New World Order (nWo) in the late 1990s forming alliances and feuding with top stars like Hulk Hogan.

Flair’s career in WCW continued into the early 2000s culminating with him leading the villainous group known as the Magnificent Seven. When WCW folded in 2001 Flair returned to WWE marking the end of an era in his storied wrestling career.

Ric Flair took a break from wrestling for eight months before returning to WWF on November 19, 2001. He reappeared on Raw after the WWF won a big match against WCW/ECW. Flair’s new role was co-owner of WWF buying in after Shane and Stephanie McMahon sold their shares. This led to a feud with Vince McMahon culminating in a Street Fight at Royal Rumble 2002 which Flair won. He also fought The Undertaker at WrestleMania X8 but lost.

Flair’s co-owner storyline continued into 2002 with him controlling Raw while McMahon ran SmackDown! This led to conflicts with Hollywood Hulk Hogan Stone Cold Steve Austin and eventually McMahon himself. Flair had matches at events like Judgment Day and King of the Ring facing opponents like Brock Lesnar and Chris Jericho.

In the Evolution stable from 2002 to 2005 Flair aligned with Triple H Batista and Randy Orton. They dominated Raw’s championships with Flair and Batista winning the World Tag Team titles twice. Evolution faced off against top stars like Goldberg and Shawn Michaels maintaining control until internal tensions led to their eventual breakup.

After 2005 Flair continued wrestling engaging in feuds with Edge Mick Foley and others. He won the Intercontinental Championship and had memorable matches including a career-threatening stipulation that saw him triumph over several opponents. Flair’s career culminated in his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008 followed by his retirement match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV.

Flair made sporadic appearances in WWE and other promotions until 2009 including a stint with Ring of Honor and matches against Hulk Hogan in Australia.

On January 4 2010 Ric Flair made his debut on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling’s (TNA) Impact! He arrived in style and watched the main match between A.J. Styles and his old rival Kurt Angle. Reports soon confirmed Flair signed a one-year deal with TNA despite his past loyalty to WWE and his desire to finish his career there. With no contact from WWE since June 2009 Flair joined TNA after waiting six months for a call.

At the Genesis event on January 17, Flair helped A.J. Styles cheat to beat Kurt Angle and keep the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He also started managing Beer Money Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm) and Desmond Wolfe forming a loose alliance. The storyline continued with Flair and Styles facing off against Hulk Hogan and Abyss leading to a bigger feud involving Jeff Hardy and others.

Throughout his time in TNA Flair formed and renamed stables like Fortune and Fortune guiding wrestlers like A.J. Styles and Kazarian. He had memorable matches including a loss to Jay Lethal and a later win under Street Fight rules. Flair’s journey in TNA culminated with involvement in stables like Immortal until his departure due to disputes and injury.

In 2012 Flair returned to WWE where he had a successful second run appearing in various roles mentoring wrestlers like The Miz and accompanying his daughter Charlotte to the ring. He had notable moments such as being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice and engaging in storylines with wrestlers like CM Punk and Batista.

Flair’s career continued with sporadic appearances until his release from WWE in August 2021 marking the end of his time in the wrestling spotlight.

Ric Flair made a grand entrance into Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) at Triplemanía XXIX on August 14, 2021. He accompanied Charlotte’s fiancé Andrade “El Ídolo” to ringside during his bout against AAA Mega Champion Kenny Omega. Flair even got in on the action delivering chops to Omega and applying his signature Figure Four leglock on Omega’s ally Konnan.

Flair returned to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) at NWA 73 on August 29, 2021, marking his first NWA appearance since his 2008 Hall of Fame induction. He expressed gratitude to both NWA and WWE for the memorable moments and emphasized the importance of having multiple wrestling organizations.

On May 16, 2022, Flair announced his final match set for July 31 in Nashville titled “Ric Flair’s Last Match” concluding nearly five decades in the ring. On July 18 it was revealed that Flair would team up with Andrade against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal. The buildup included Lethal attacking Flair for being left out of the match card and Jarrett turning on Flair after an initial attempt to help. Flair and Andrade ultimately won the match.

After the match, Flair revealed he had passed out twice during the bout and regretted calling it his last match. A few days later on August 6, 2022, Flair accompanied Andrade for a match against Carlito at the WWC Anniversary show. Flair attempted to interfere but was thwarted leading to Andrade’s loss.

During his 50th anniversary celebration in professional wrestling on September 26 2022 Flair announced he would never retire. However, in January 2023 he clarified he didn’t want to wrestle again except for a possible redo of his last match.

Flair made his AEW debut on the October 25, 2023, episode of AEW Dynamite. This marked his first appearance on TBS since 2001. He appeared as a gift from AEW co-founder Tony Khan to Sting celebrating Sting’s upcoming retirement. On November 2, 2023, it was announced that Flair signed a multi-year deal with AEW.

Flair made his AEW pay-per-view debut at Full Gear on November 18, 2023, supporting Sting Darby Allin, and Adam Copeland. He performed his iconic chops and a low blow to Christian Cage.

On January 6, 2024, Flair accompanied Sting and Allin at AEW Collision and delivered a promo with Sting. On January 10 2024 he again accompanied Sting and Allin during their match delivering chops inside an AEW ring for the first time. On February 21 Flair appeared on Dynamite expressing his desire for a more significant role in Sting’s retirement. The following week during Sting’s final Dynamite appearance on February 28 Flair delivered punches and chops to The Young Bucks.

On March 3, 2024, Flair accompanied Sting and Allin at the Revolution pay-per-view in Greensboro Coliseum where Flair and Sting had a memorable match in 1988. During the event, Flair was superkicked by The Young Bucks.

On July 12, 2024, it was reported by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Flair had parted ways with AEW.

Net Worth

Rick Flair’s Net Worth is estimated to be $500 Thousand as of 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Personal life

Ric Flair’s been through a lot when it comes to love and family. He first got married to Leslie Goodman back in 1971. They had a daughter named Megan and a son named David but sadly they split up in 1983 after being together for twelve years.

Then on August 27, 1983, he tied the knot with Elizabeth Harrell with wrestling promoter Jim Crockett Jr. as his best man. They had two kids together Ashley and Reid. You might have seen Beth and their kids on TV between 1998 and 2000 when they appeared in WCW.

But like many couples Flair and Beth ended up divorcing in 2006 after almost 23 years of marriage. Soon after Flair married his third wife Tiffany VanDemark a fitness competitor in May 2006. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long and they split up in 2008.

Moving on in November 2009 Ric Flair walked down the aisle for the fourth time with Jacqueline “Jackie” Beems in Charlotte North Carolina. But even that marriage didn’t go the distance as they divorced in 2014.

Then came Wendy Barlow who Flair affectionately called Fifi his “maid” from WCW. They got married on September 12, 2018, in Florida. But even their relationship had its ups and downs as they announced their separation on January 31, 2022. However, they patched things up and got back together in May 2022.

Flair’s eldest son David followed in his dad’s footsteps and was a wrestler for WCW and made a couple of appearances in WWF in 2002. His younger son Reid also got into wrestling signing with WWE in 2007. Sadly Reid passed away on March 29, 2013, due to a drug overdose.

In 2012 Flair’s daughter Ashley joined WWE going by the name Charlotte later adding the Flair surname in honor of her dad’s legacy.

Other media

Ric Flair has been on TV a lot. In 1996, he and some other wrestlers from WCW were on an episode of Baywatch as themselves. Then in 2013, he acted as a character named Dr. Roland Grayson on a show called Stuff You Should Know. He also voiced himself in an animated show called Uncle Grandpa in 2014 and in another show called The Cleveland Show in 2011.

He wrote a book called “To Be the Man” in 2004, which comes from one of his famous sayings.

In 2009, Ric Flair was the voice for a character in a video game called Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Uprising.

In 2012, Flair was supposed to host an event called Insane Clown Posse’s 13th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos, but he got hit by a water bottle from the crowd, so he left early.

He appeared in a movie called Magic Mike XXL in 2015 and hosted a podcast called “WOOOOO! Nation” from May 2015 to April 2016. Then he started another podcast called The Ric Flair Show in July 2016 but stopped it in December 2016 because he couldn’t stay neutral about WWE.

In 2017, there was a documentary about him on ESPN called Nature Boy.

In 2017, he was in a music video for a song called “Ric Flair Drip” by Offset and Metro Boomin, and another music video called “Chambea” by Bad Bunny.

He worked with TickPick, an online ticket exchange, in 2018. He also did ads for CarShield in 2021, but they paused them because of some accusations against him. They started airing them again later in the year.

He brought back his podcast “WOOOOO! Nation” in 2021, but renamed it “Wooooo Nation Uncensored” and then changed it to “To Be the Man” in 2022.

He started working with Nu Image Medical in 2022 to promote men’s health products.

And WWE and Peacock made a documentary about him called Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair, which came out on December 26.

Business ventures

Ric Flair is selling his stuff on his website. He teamed up with Scout Comics in 2021 to make a comic book series called Code Name: Ric Flair. But when people accused him of bad stuff on a TV show, Scout Comics said no to the comic. So, Flair sold it himself. But later, in December 2022, Scout Comics changed its mind and decided to sell it. The series started in April 2023 and was written by the boss of Scout Comics, James Haick III.

In July 2022, Flair opened a virtual restaurant called “Wooooo! Wings” in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s not a real place, just online. The name comes from Flair’s famous shout. Other restaurants cook the food, and the company behind it expanded to six more cities in August 2022. Flair’s friend, Conrad Thompson, helped make it happen.

Flair also worked with Mike Tyson and a company called Verano Holdings Corp. to make his weed called “Ric Flair Drip”. It came out in October 2022 in a few states.

In July 2023, Flair joined up with Carma HoldCo and LGNDS to make an energy drink with mushrooms in it called Wooooo Energy!.