10 Pieces Of Wrestling Trivia That Will Astonish You

3. Ric Flair Survived A Plane Crash AND A Lightning Strike

Ric Flair WWE Champion
WWE

Ric Flair is a human being with a supernatural constitution.

He was a man who took wild, tumbling bumps on the old concrete rings of yore in marathon matches that required incredible cardiovascular conditioning to work, much less get over to the world class-level he did. Flair was also known to enter nightly epics worthy of the biggest stages as the touring NWA World Champion, no matter how small the town. He was also a high-functioning alcoholic, and yet, he has somehow conspired to avoid the grim fate of the fast lane, even though he drove a more expensive car than most.

Ric Flair famously survived a plane crash, after which he had to modify the angle (if not the severity) of his bumps. He absorbed them on his side by twisting in the air near the point of impact. His back couldn't allow him the luxury of landing on the safest spot.

Flair in 2016 claimed on the Dan Le Betard show on ESPN radio that he once narrowly avoided being struck by lightning; in the late '70s, a bolt struck his umbrella, "bounced off," and struck and killed a bystander.

Flair is a wrestler, so you can't take him seriously - but if anybody could survive such a thing...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!