Ric Flair Explained Why He Faked A Heart Attack During Final Match

Legendary wrestler Ric Flair's final match took place in Nashville on July 31.

He capped off a stellar career in a memorable way: faking a heart attack in front of his daughter.

Even before the match, Jeff Jarrett, who was the match's promotor asked that he not fake a heart attack.

However, Flair — the consummate showman — did it anyway, not for shock value, but because he thought he needed to control the pace of the match.

“I made the mistake of saying to someone in the match that I felt lightheaded, so everybody jumped way too early , and I just said [in my head] that this was the only way to slow it down,” Flair said per The New York Post.

"It was not the plan. It was not in good taste. I realize that. It was the only thing that was going to keep everybody from going right to the finish.”

The truth is that Flair was dehydrated, but that's a little less exciting than a mid-match bout with a heart attack, isn't it?

Flair's final match came after several years of compounding health issues. First appendicitis, then a knocked bowel. This was followed by a reoccurrence of his bowel problem that left him septic and close to death.

He pulled through and after a few years spent recovering, Nature Boy left wrestling on his terms.

And horrifying his friends in family in the process.

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