Ric Flair Rushed to Hospital After Falling Outside Restaurant in Florida

Wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair was rushed to a local hospital following a bloody fall outside a restaurant in Florida on Friday, October 23. The incident unfolded just hours after the wrestling icon announced the cancellation of a convention appearance due to a serious medical diagnosis involving a blood clot in his leg.

Morning Incident in Tampa Leaves Legend Hospitalized

The sequence of events began on Friday morning when the 77 year old wrestling great was visiting Wagamama in Tampa. According to reports from TMZ, Flair got up from the restaurant bar and walked across the street, leaving both his phone and his drink behind. At some point during the walk, he fell and injured his face, sustaining cuts to his head and eye.

Sources with direct knowledge reported that Flair's eye was bleeding extensively. Emergency medical personnel responded to the scene, where they treated him before loading him into an ambulance for transport to a hospital. A photo obtained by TMZ captured first responders gathered around the wrestling legend following the fall. Beyond the facial lacerations, medical observers suspected that Flair may have suffered a concussion during the accident, though the full extent of his injuries remains unclear.

That leaves medical staff evaluating both the trauma from the street fall and the pre-existing vascular condition that had already disrupted his travel plans earlier that same day. There is no official indication at this point that the fall was directly caused by the blood clot, and no word yet on whether his hospitalization will alter his upcoming medical schedule.

Blood Clot Diagnosis Precedes Medical Emergency

The accident occurred only hours after Flair released a public statement explaining why he had to cancel a scheduled appearance at the Washington State Horror Con in Seattle. In his statement, Flair pointed to a leg blood clot that prompted strict travel limitations from his physicians.

Unfortunately, I Am Dealing With A Blood Clot In My Leg, And My Doctors Have Limited My Travel To 3–4 Hours. Seattle Falls Outside That Range, And As Disappointed As I Am, I Have To Put My Health And Recovery First.

Ric Flair, via EWrestling

Flair emphasized the severity of the diagnosis by drawing a parallel to recent athletic events, noting that blood clots are extremely serious and can be life-threatening, citing recent complications involving blood clots in the lungs of Jalen Hurts. He told fans that the diagnosis served as a reminder not to take the condition lightly.

Before the restaurant fall, Flair had outlined a treatment path to resolve the travel restriction. He stated that he was scheduled to undergo a medical procedure to strip the affected vein, an intervention his doctors expected would eventually clear him for extended travel. He also apologized to his agent, Steve Solomon, the Washington State Horror Con, @bigeventny, and his fans in Seattle for the cancellation.

A History of Recent Health Battles

The Friday medical emergency adds to a mounting series of health setbacks for the WWE Hall of Famer in recent years. In 2025, Flair revealed that he was battling melanoma, and he later suffered a torn rotator cuff that forced a sudden departure from an AEW Dynamite taping before he could make a scheduled television appearance.

These accumulated health challenges have forced the veteran performer to repeatedly balance public appearances against strict medical interventions. The intersection of a leg blood clot, a scheduled vein-stripping procedure, and now a traumatic street fall creates a complicated recovery timeline for the wrestling icon.

The immediate concern centers on his hospital treatment in Tampa and whether the suspected concussion or facial injuries will complicate his upcoming vascular procedure. Fans seeking updates can monitor official statements released through his representatives and agents, including Steve Solomon, as medical personnel determine the next steps for his discharge and subsequent treatment schedule.