Ric Flair tells Joe Rogan about surviving a deadly plane crash

Ric Flair is largely recognized as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, having a storied career that spanned generations. In a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Flair told Joe Rogan about surviving a devastating plane accident that nearly ruined his pro wrestling career.

Ric Flair grew up with a love of athletics and participated in a variety of sports as a youth. After earning a reputation for himself on the amateur circuit, he decided to concentrate on wrestling. Flair made his American Wrestling Association (AWA) debut in 1972, competing against the likes of Dusty Rhodes and Andre the Giant. He then joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and became a titleholder. His wrestling career, however, was in jeopardy after he was involved in a horrific plane crash in 1975.

Despite being warned he would never be able to wrestle again, Flair recovered and returned to the ring in the first quarter of 1976. His stardom rose over the next decade after assuming the moniker ‘The Nature Boy.’ He dominated the NWA’s heavyweight division and established himself as the organization’s top draw, headlining the most prestigious yearly program ten times.

Flair joined the WWF/WWE roster in 1991 and quickly became a popular performer due to his antics and captivating character. He delivered some of the most memorable performances in WWE history, competing against The Undertaker, Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and other legends.

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Ric Flair speaks on his deadly plane crash

Ric Flair recently opened up to Joe Rogan in a YouTube video about his experience surviving a catastrophic plane accident. “We were going from Charlotte to Wilmington, North Carolina for outdoors show,” said Flair. “What happened ultimately is he took five of us on the plane and we didn’t know at the time he was carrying no fuel because we were 1400 pounds over gross. So, we get there and hit a little bit of a headwind or between seven to eight thousand, it’s not a pressurized plane so that’s not 310.

“He did what’s called past the point of no return. He should have landed in Raleigh and refilled but he’s looking and say it’s 100 miles. So unbeknownst to us the guy in front of me, Johnny Valentine, who got paralyzed kept looking at the gas gauge and looking back at me. I thought Johnny had that dry sense of humor.

“We’re flying along all of a sudden the right engine goes boop boop maybe like six times over and then bingo pinned. I went sh*t. He reaches down, pulls up the reserve, natural reaction there is no reserve gas, left engine went *boop* and boom plane goes down. Instead of flying into the Orchard trees, going to cartwheel a small aircraft, we were going so fast down anddd landed in a railroad makement stuck at the ground at 230 miles an hour. So we were probably going well over 300 and we were literally 200 yards from the runway.”

Flair described the devastating consequences of the car accident that nearly terminated his wrestling career. Despite being warned he’d never wrestle again, Flair returned to the ring in six months. Last June, Ric Flair inspired his fans with an aggressive exercise video. The 73-year-old appeared to be in great form as he plowed through the workouts in preparation for his originally scheduled farewell outing. Flair’s influence on the game was unmistakable. While he is past his prime in pro wrestling, it’s difficult to picture what the sport would have looked like if he hadn’t been allowed to continue because of the injury.

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