K. Gitter

Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has been placed in a medically induced coma while he awaits surgery, a WWE representative confirmed to ESPN.com on Monday afternoon. https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/897182299111923712 Flair was hospitalized and admitted to an intensive care unit over the weekend. After initially downplaying the seriousness of the issue, a representative for Flair has made a plea for public support. Melinda Morris Zanoni, the CEO of Legacy Talent and Entertainment, tweeted out the latest on Flair's situation late Sunday night. https://twitter.com/LegacyTalentCEO/status/896947433061699584 As first reported by Pro Wrestling Sheet, Flair was hospitalized on Saturday morning for heart-related issues, with Zanoni initially reporting the situation involved "routine monitoring." PW Insider's Mike Johnson reported that Flair is hospitalized near his home in Atlanta. Flair, 68, has spent the past five decades in the world of professional wrestling with a reputation as one of the most charismatic personalities in the history of that business. His popularity and personality have transcended into the world of professional sports on many occasions, with athletes recreating some of his most famous wrestling promos and Flair himself often called on to serve as a motivational speaker. Update: 1:47 PM PT -- Flair is out of surgery and resting, a rep for WWE tells TMZ Sports. Unclear how the surgery went but we're told Ric's family is by his side and they're waiting to meet with doctors. Story Developing.... (SOURCE: ESPN and TMZ Sports) 411MEDIA UPDATES ON NEXT PAGE... UPDATEx6: TMZ reports that WWE has confirmed to them that Ric Flair is out of surgery, his family is by his side, and they are waiting to meet with the doctors. UPDATEx5: F4WOnline reports that Ric Flair has undergone surgery, but that his situation remains “extremely serious.” They add that Flair was scheduled to have surgery this week, but it is not known right now if the surgery he had today was the same surgery he was scheduled for earlier this week or a new surgery. Currently, there appears to be an issue with Flair’s heart, as well as another issue. UPDATEx4: PWInsider has also confirmed that Ric Flair is in a medically induced coma in advance of a surgery. They are also reporting that Flair’s daughter, Charlotte, flew to Atlanta this morning to be with her father. UPDATEx3: TMZ has confirmed with WWE the earlier Fightful.com report that Ric Flair has been placed in a medically induced coma. WWE has told TMZ that Flair is now preparing for surgery momentarily, though they have not gotten any further details yet. UPDATEx2: Jimmy Van, the founder, and owner of Fightful.com, posted the following scary update on Ric Flair, stating that Flair has been put in a medically induced coma. Fightful.com has been a very reliable news source in the past… https://twitter.com/jimmyvan74/status/897121769970118657 UPDATE: PWinsider states that there is a lot of concern in the wrestling industry over Ric Flair’s condition, and that different stories about Flair’s health are being passed around, but nothing that has been confirmed. Flair suffers from Alcoholic cardiomyopathy, a condition caused by excessive, prolonged alcohol abuse that can lead to heart failure. When one suffers from the condition, the toxic effects of alcohol on the heart’s muscle can lead to a situation where the organ is unable to pump blood efficiently. ORIGINAL: It was reported on Saturday that Ric Flair was hospitalized due to “heart-related issues.” Flair’s rep commented on the story and says Flair’s hospitalization is due to “routine monitoring.” Flair was taken to the ICU after his family admitted him. Now Flair’s manager, Melinda Morris Zanoni of Legacy Talent and Entertainment, posted the following on social media. Rory Karpf, director for ESPN’s upcoming 30 for 30 documentary on Flair, also asked for prayers… https://twitter.com/LegacyTalentCEO/status/896947433061699584 https://twitter.com/RoryKarpf/status/896955612134866944 Rick Flair's Greatest Moments Wooo! Next https://www.youtube.com/watch?vhA0MTkHLO0g Ric Flair is an American professional wrestling manager and retired professional wrestler signed to WWE under its Legends program. Widely regarded as the greatest professional wrestler of all time and the best American performer of the 1980s, Flair has cultivated a legacy over a career that spans 40 years. He is noted for his tenures with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Since the mid-1970s, Flair has used the moniker, the "Nature Boy". Flair is officially recognized by WWE and Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) as a 16-time world champion (eight-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and two-time WWF Champion), although the actual number of his world championship reigns varies by source, ranging from 16 to 25. Flair considers himself a 21-time champion. A major pay-per-view attraction throughout his career, Flair main evented the premier annual NWA/WCW event, Starrcade, on ten occasions, while also co-headlining its WWF counterpart, WrestleMania, in 1992. PWI awarded Flair their Wrestler of the Year award a record six times, while Wrestling Observer Newsletter named Flair as the Wrestler of the Year (an award named after him and Lou Thesz) on a record of nine occasions. The only two-time WWE Hall of Fame inductee in history, first inducted in 2008 for his individual career and for a second time in 2012 as a member of The Four Horsemen, Flair is also an NWA Hall of Famer. Flair was the first titleholder of both the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship (as well as the final holder of the latter title). In being the inaugural WCW World Heavyweight Champion, he also became the first person to complete WCW's Triple Crown, having already held the United States Heavyweight and World Tag Team Championships. He then completed WWE's version of the Triple Crown when he won the Intercontinental Championship, after already holding the WWF Championship and the World Tag Team Championship. Using the officially recognized totals (by WWE and PWI) of 16 world championships and six United States Heavyweight Championship reigns, Flair has won a total of 31 different major championships between the NWA, WCW and WWF/WWE, with numerous regional titles also to his credit. Fellow WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW and WWE producer, Dusty Rhodes, remarked that "nobody in the history of the business could lace Ric Flair's boots". (Source: Wikipedia)