Ric Flair says he is going to be okay. The 77-year-old wrestling legend was taken to Tampa General Hospital after a fall in Tampa, Florida, on October 23, 2026, and the next day he posted an update on Instagram, wearing an eye patch, to tell fans he is focused on his recovery. The fall came just hours after he revealed he had been diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg.
What happened in Tampa
According to TMZ, Flair, whose real name is Richard Morgan Fliehr, fell outside a Wagamama restaurant in Tampa on the evening of October 23. He cut his head and his eye in the fall, and TMZ reported that his eye was bleeding extensively.
He was taken by ambulance to Tampa General Hospital, TMZ reported.
By the following day, Flair was able to speak to fans directly. On October 24, he shared a health update on Instagram showing himself with a patch over his right eye, according to TMZ. In the post, he thanked his supporters along with the hospital staff and doctors who cared for him until 4:30 a.m.
“Thank You To All The Tampa General Hospital Staff And Doctors That Put Up With Me Until 4:30am,” Flair wrote, as quoted by Hollywood Life.
Deadline noted that Flair confirmed in the post that he had been treated at Tampa General Hospital. He also gave fans the reassurance they were waiting for.
“I am focused on my healing and recovery right now. I will be okay!” he wrote, according to Deadline.
The blood clot diagnosis
The fall came on the same day Flair shared separate health news. Hours earlier, on October 23, he announced on social media that he has a blood clot in his leg, Deadline reported.
According to Deadline, Flair explained that his doctors had limited his travel to three to four hours. That restriction meant he had to cancel a scheduled appearance at Washington State Horror Con in Seattle.
“Seattle falls outside that range, and as disappointed as I am, I have to put my health and recovery first,” Flair wrote, per Deadline.
He was also direct about how seriously he is taking the diagnosis. “Blood clots are extremely serious and can be life-threatening,” he wrote in the same post, according to Deadline.
As for treatment, Flair said he is scheduled to have a procedure to strip the affected vein, TMZ reported. His doctors expect that the procedure will allow him to be cleared for more travel once it is done.
A family message and a long history in the ring
Flair’s daughter, WWE star Charlotte Flair, posted on X to let fans know her father was going to be okay, NBC News reported. Her message carried a light touch that longtime wrestling fans will recognize, along with the reassurance that mattered most.
“Not my dad telling the doctor he fell bc of warrior dropping him on his head… (ps: he’s going to be ok),” Charlotte wrote, as quoted by NBC News.
Flair is a two-time WWE Hall of Famer and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Over a career spanning decades, he became one of the most recognizable figures in the sport, and his family has continued that legacy, with Charlotte becoming one of WWE’s top performers in her own right.
This is not the first time Flair’s health has drawn concern from fans. In 2017, he nearly died after an intestinal rupture and spent weeks in the ICU, part of that time in a medically induced coma. He recovered and returned to public life, and many fans have followed his health closely since then.
What comes next
For now, Flair’s priorities are clear from his own words. He has stepped back from travel that falls outside his doctors’ limits, canceled his Seattle convention appearance, and is preparing for the vein procedure his doctors expect will help clear him for more travel, according to TMZ and Deadline.
He also made a point of thanking the people who looked after him overnight at Tampa General Hospital, and the fans who reached out after news of his fall spread.
His message to those fans was short and direct: he is focused on healing, and he will be okay.
