In 1974, two years into his wrestling career, Ric Flair debuted for the promotion that he would be come most associated with, the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, as part of the National Wrestling Alliance. He quickly won his first singles title, the Mid-Atlantic TV Championship, but his storied career nearly ended before it got the chance to really begin. On October 4th, 1975, Flair was involved in a serious plan crash in Wilmington, North Carolina. Also involved in the crash was David Crockett, "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods, and Bob Bruggers. Johnny Valentine was paralysed in the crash, and unfortunately the pilot Vietnam veteran Joseph Michael Farkas died in the crash. The plane crashed on approach to the Wilmington Airport when it ran out of fuel. The pilot actually dumped fuel during the flight to accommodate for the weight of the wrestlers. Flair is said to have originally been in Valentine's seat, but was uncomfortable being sat so close to the front, so they swapped. At age 26, Flair was told he would never wrestler again, but after rigorous training he was back in just three months to resume his feud with Wahoo McDaniel. While Flair was able to step into the ring, he could no longer wrestle the style he was accustomed to and therefore had to develop the style that would eventually lead him to sixteen World Championships.
