Wrestling legend Ric Flair couldn’t help but ponder his own mortality after his long-time friend and rival Hulk Hogan’s death at 71 – a tragedy the 76-year-old is starting to understand all too well.
‘I had just talked to [wrestling personality] Jimmy Hart the day before and I didn’t actually speak with Hulk, but everything was fine,’ Flair told podcaster Ariel Helwani.
‘I knew that he had health issues, but I thought that they were being embellished by that radio disc jockey, [Bubba the Love Sponge]. I talked to Jimmy, I talked to his friend and he seemed to be fine.’
Of course, as we now know, Hogan wasn’t fine. Years of wrestling and other health issues had finally caught up to the man born Terry Bollea, who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on Thursday.
‘I think he just got tired,’ Flair continued. ‘I mean, 11 back operations, hip replacements, now a neck surgery. I mean, how much can your body take? We’ve all put ourselves in a ridiculous position in the business.’
Flair, five years Hogan’s senior, has faced his own health issues of late, including a recent bout with skin cancer. And as he told Helwani, he knows time isn’t on his side, no matter how good he may feel.
‘But here I am, and I’m five years older than Hulk, and I don’t hurt at all,’ Flair said.
Hulk Hogan guides Ric Flair back to the ring on November 24, 2009 in Perth, Australia
Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan arrive at Sydney Airport in 2009 ahead of the Hulkamania Tour
‘I’ve had some serious health issues, but I don’t have an ache or pain in my body. It bothers me, and of course, it gives me anxiety that I could be next.’
Hogan’s universe is still reacting to last week’s tragedy. Even his estranged daughter, Brooke, has opened up about his passing.
‘My dad’s blood runs through my veins. His eyes shine through my children. And our bond has never broken, not even in his final moments,’ she began in a six-page message on social media Tuesday.
‘We had a connection deeper than words, one that spanned lifetimes. I am so grateful I knew the real version of him. Not just the one the world viewed through a carefully curated lens. We shared a quiet, sacred bond, one that could be seen and felt by anyone who witnessed us together. When he left this earth, it felt like part of my spirit left with him. I felt it before the news even reached us.’
In an astonishing video on social media shared back in March, Hogan’s ex-wife Linda first accused her former husband of being a ‘complete liar’ and ‘sex addict’.
She also claimed their family is ‘in the worst mess’ after Brooke cut both parents out of her life.
Ric Flair attends a game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the LA Lakers during
Hulk Hogan’s daughter Brooke has broken her silence on the death of the WWE legend
Brooke later retaliated, hitting back at her mom by alleging that her dad was not the only reason behind the shocking family divide, claiming she was ‘verbally and mentally abused’ during her childhood.
‘Sadly, it would frequently turn physical. And sometimes it’s not by the person you would assume, abuse comes in all shapes and sizes,’ Brooke alleged.
After Brooke’s stunning response, Linda then took a dramatic U-turn by defending Hogan and branding her daughter a ‘narcissist.’
Following his death, Brooke said that she feels the need to clarify the narrative surrounding their relationship, claiming that she had to ‘step away to protect my heart.’
‘We never had a ‘big fight.’ My father and I never ‘fought.’ It was a series of private phone calls no one will ever hear, know, or understand,’ she wrote.
