Ric Flair

Background

Richard Fliehr, a.k.a. Ric Flair, was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 25, 1949. He is a world-recognized professional wrestler that has taken down many greats. His attitude, skill, and finesse within and outside the ring have won him fans worldwide. This 16-time W.W.E. World Champion was adopted by Richard Reid Fliehr and Kathleen Kinsmiller as an infant, through the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. Due to the involvement of this orphanage in a baby trafficking scam, Fliehr is uncertain about his birth name. He’s equally unsure about the names of his birth parents. However, by adoption, Flair is a Pisces of English, Dutch, French, German, Scottish, and Welsh descent.

After a brief time at the University of Minnesota, Fliehr went to wrestling camp. As a teen, he was a successful amateur wrestler. At the beginning of his professional career, he trained with Verne Gagne, and made his professional wrestling debut on December 10, 1972, at 23 years old. He adopted ‘Ric Flair’ in this fight against George Gadaski, a.k.a. “Scrap Iron.” As a part of the American Wrestling Association, Flair fought the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Larry Hennig, Chris Taylor, and several more professional wrestlers before his international wrestling debut in 1973 in Japan. He became the ‘Nature Boy’ in 1976 after injuries from a plane crash forced him to change his wrestling technique. This didn’t deter Flair, and in 1977, he defeated Bobo Brazil, winning the N.W.A. U.S Heavyweight Championship. He held this title for three years, with a five-time reign. His first Heavyweight Championship came after his defeat of Dusty Rhodes in September 1981.

In his four-decade career, Fliehr advanced to win seven more N.W.A. World Heavyweight Championships, six W.C.W. World Heavyweight Championships, and two W.W.F. Championships. He is a 21-time champion and the first W.C.W. World Heavyweight Champion. He has headlined Wrestlemania, and Starrcade, and is P.W.I.s six-time Wrestler of the Year. Fliehr’s career is subliminal, and his success is monumental. Although very successful in the ring, Fliehr hasn’t had success in marriage. He has been married five times and has four children. His most recent marriage was to Wendy Barlow in 2018. However, he announced his separation from Barlow in January 2022.