Ric Flair says 'I will be okay' after fall and hospital stay

Ric Flair says he is going to be fine. The 77-year-old wrestling star posted an update on Saturday, Oct. 24, after a fall outside a Tampa restaurant sent him to the hospital, according to NBC News and Deadline. The scare came a day after Flair revealed that a blood clot in his leg had forced him to cancel a convention appearance. Here is what Flair himself has shared, and what is still unknown.

*This report draws on reporting by NBC News, Deadline, E! News and TMZ; full list of sources below.*

What happened on Friday?

Flair fell outside a restaurant in Tampa, Florida, on Friday, Oct. 23, according to NBC News, which credited TMZ with breaking the story. He was then treated at Tampa General Hospital, as Flair's own post later made clear.

Flair has not explained in his own words how he fell, and NewsCubby is not going to guess. Several outlets have repeated TMZ's account of the scene; we're sticking to what Flair has said publicly about his health, and we attribute everything else to the outlet that reported it.

What has Ric Flair said?

In an Instagram post shared Saturday, Flair thanked the staff at Tampa General Hospital, joking that they put up with him until 4:30 in the morning, NBC News and Deadline reported. He wrote that he is concentrating on his "healing and recovery" and told fans, "I will be okay." The post included a selfie of Flair wearing a patch over one eye.

He also addressed confusion online. According to E! News, Flair said he no longer owns his Facebook page and apologized for posts that appeared there while he was in the hospital, making clear they did not come from him. Fans looking for updates should rely on his verified Instagram account, which is where his recent health posts have appeared.

What did he say about the blood clot?

The fall came on the heels of a separate health announcement. Also on Friday, Flair posted on Instagram that he was canceling a planned appearance at the Washington State Horror Con in Seattle because of a blood clot in his leg, according to Deadline and E! News.

In that post, Flair said his doctors had limited him to trips of about three to four hours. He described blood clots as extremely serious and potentially life-threatening, and he said he is scheduled for a procedure to "strip the affected vein." According to Flair, his doctors expect that procedure to clear him to travel again. He apologized to fans who had planned to meet him in Seattle.

Flair did not share a date for the procedure, and he has not said whether Friday's fall changes those plans. Nor has he linked the fall to the clot. Any claim that one caused the other goes beyond what he has said.

How is his family reacting?

His daughter, WWE star Charlotte Flair, weighed in on X. In her post, she joked about the explanation her father gave his doctor for the fall, a wrestling-style punchline in keeping with his larger-than-life persona, before reassuring fans that he is going to be OK.

The light tone from both father and daughter suggests the family sees this as a setback rather than an emergency. Still, neither has shared a detailed medical update beyond Flair's own posts.

Who is Ric Flair?

Flair is one of the best-known names in professional wrestling. Known as "The Nature Boy," he became famous for his flamboyant robes, his trademark "Wooo!" and his swaggering promos. Deadline notes that his career spanned about 50 years and that he won at least 16 championships.

He retired from in-ring competition in 2022, according to Deadline. Since then, he has stayed in the public eye through convention appearances, podcasts and social media, which is why a canceled fan event and a hospital selfie drew so much attention this weekend.

Why the news hit fans hard

For several generations of wrestling fans, Flair is a living link to the territory days and the Monday Night Wars. His catchphrases still turn up in stadiums and on social media far beyond wrestling, and his daughter's success in WWE has introduced him to younger audiences.

That reach is also why rumors spread quickly. Flair's note about his old Facebook page, as reported by E! News, shows how easily unofficial posts can cloud the picture. The clearest guidance comes from Flair himself: he is recovering, he expects to be fine, and he still plans to have the vein procedure his doctors recommended.

Timeline: Ric Flair's weekend, in his own words and as reported

- **Friday, Oct. 23:** Flair posted on Instagram that a blood clot in his leg meant he had to cancel his Washington State Horror Con appearance in Seattle. He said doctors had limited his travel and that a vein procedure is scheduled. - **Friday, Oct. 23:** he fell outside a restaurant in Tampa, as first reported by TMZ, according to NBC News. - **Overnight:** he was treated at Tampa General Hospital. By his own account, the staff "put up with" him until 4:30 a.m. - **Saturday, Oct. 24:** Flair posted that he is focused on healing and will be okay, shared a selfie with an eye patch, and said he no longer controls his Facebook page, according to NBC News, Deadline and E! News. - **This weekend:** Charlotte Flair posted on X that her father is going to be OK.

What about the canceled Seattle appearance?

Flair apologized to the fans who had planned to see him at the Washington State Horror Con. He has not announced a makeup date. Anyone who bought a ticket or photo op specifically to meet him should check with the event organizer about refunds or changes, since those policies are set by the convention, not by Flair.

What is a blood clot in a vein?

NewsCubby is not describing Flair's condition beyond what he has said publicly. In general terms, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says blood clots that form in a vein, often in the leg, can be serious, and that a clot can break loose and travel to the lungs. The CDC lists swelling, pain or tenderness, and red or discolored skin in the affected limb as possible signs, and it advises people with those symptoms to contact a health care provider right away. Treatment depends on each patient, and only Flair and his doctors know the details of his care.

What happens next

Flair's next steps, by his own account, are recovery and the scheduled procedure on his leg. He has not announced new convention dates or said when he will travel again, and his doctors' three-to-four-hour travel limit means longer trips are on hold for now.

NewsCubby will update this story if Flair or his family share more. Until then, the most reliable information remains his verified Instagram posts and reporting from outlets that attribute what they publish.

*This report draws on reporting by NBC News, Deadline, E! News and TMZ. It summarizes their reporting in our own words; quotes are attributed to the people and outlets that published them.*