Professional wrestling legend Ric Flair was hospitalized overnight in Tampa, Florida, after suffering a fall outside a local restaurant on Friday, just hours after disclosing that he was being treated for a blood clot in his leg.
The 77-year-old retired wrestling star, whose legal name is Richard Morgan Fliehr, posted an update on Instagram on Saturday showing himself smiling while wearing an eye patch. Flair thanked the medical team at Tampa General Hospital who treated him until 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
“Thank You All For The Messages And Prayers! I Will Get Back To You Each Individually As I Get Stronger,” Flair wrote on Instagram. “I Am Focused On My Healing And Recovery Right Now. I Will Be Okay!”
Fall Outside Restaurant
TMZ first reported that Flair fell outside a Wagamama restaurant in Tampa on Friday morning, Oct. 23. Flair reportedly left his drink and phone behind as he walked across the street, subsequently falling and sustaining cuts to his head and around his eye, which was bleeding heavily. Emergency personnel transported him by ambulance to the hospital.
His daughter, WWE wrestler Charlotte Flair, offered reassurance on social media on Saturday while sharing a humorous moment from the hospital room. “Not my dad telling the doctor he fell bc of warrior dropping him on his head…(ps: he’s going to be ok),” she wrote in a post on X.
Prior Diagnosis and Canceled Appearance
The fall occurred shortly after Flair had announced to his supporters on Friday that a newly disclosed medical condition would prevent him from traveling. Flair stated on Instagram that he had to cancel an appearance at the Washington State Horror Con in Seattle due to a blood clot in his leg.
TMZ reported that Flair had been dealing with the blood clot for months before the incident, according to In Touch Weekly. In his social media announcement, Flair explained that physicians had restricted his air travel to three to four hours, making the trip to Seattle unsafe.
“Blood clots are extremely serious and can be life-threatening,” Flair wrote on Friday. He referenced Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who recently suffered complications from blood clots in his lungs, as a reminder to take the diagnosis seriously. Flair added that he is scheduled to undergo a procedure to strip the affected vein, which medical professionals anticipate will restore his ability to travel for future public engagements.
History of Medical Battles
Flair has navigated multiple life-threatening health scares over the past decade. In 2017, the wrestler suffered an intestinal rupture that led to an 11-day medically induced coma, from which he eventually recovered. Two years later, in 2019, he underwent another emergency procedure in the Atlanta area after experiencing serious complications.
More recently, Flair revealed in June 2025 that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer for the second time in three years. Following surgical treatment at Academic Alliance in Dermatology, Flair announced in July 2025 that he was cancer-free.
It remains unclear when Flair will be fully discharged or when his scheduled vein procedure will take place, but the wrestling star maintained that he is focused entirely on his recovery.
