GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — He's been around the world, battling good guys and villains while carving out his place as a pro wrestling legend.
And on Tuesday, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair came back to where it all began.
Many fans don't know that Flair actually grew up in Golden Valley, with a father who was a doctor at several Twin Cities hospitals. Flair started his career in Verne Gagne's AWA, left town in 1974 and never looked back. He is in town as part of a big AEW Dynamite and Rampage wrestling event at Target Center Wednesday night.
KARE 11 Sunrise anchor Jason Hackett is a HUGE wrestling fan, and jumped at the chance to chat the Nature Boy up on a number of topics. Among the things he learned:
- Flair survived a plane crash.
- He's been struck by lightning.
- He spent two weeks in a coma after suffering multiple organ failures.
- His daughter Charlotte is a professional wrestler and 14-time World Champion.
Flair told Jason that he believes God is the reason he is still around, and said the one thing he's learned, especially during his major medical episode in 2017, is to tell the people you care about that you love them, every day.
He'll be 75 in February, and says the fact he's survived and experienced everything that he has in all those years is "scary." When asked for his list of top rivals, he mentioned 4:
- Dusty Rhodes
- Sting
- Steve Austin
- Shawn Michaels
AEW Dynamite Rampage starts at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. For more on the event and how to get tickets, check out this webpage.
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