Guest Author - Patty Therre

WWE�s Ric Flair (real name: Ric Fliehr) is having a really bad week.

A warrant was issued for his arrest on November 28 for allegedly being involved in a case of �road rage�. According to several news sources, including WSOC TV in Charlotte, NC, Flair was involved in the incident on Wednesday, November 23.

According to reports, Flair was driving on busy Interstate 485 in Charlotte, his hometown, when the alleged victim, 29-year-old Robert Steele, noticed the person in the car behind him was flashing his headlights. Steele hit the brakes on his Toyota Four-Runner and Flair (the man flashing the headlights behind him) pulled alongside Steele�s vehicle. According to the police report, Steele alleges that Flair got out of his car, grabbed him by the neck and kicked and damaged his car. There were two warrants out for Flair�s arrest � one for simple assault and one for damage to personal property. Flair flatly denied the incident when it became public but later turned himself into police and was booked by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office. He was released on a $1000 bond for the two charges. A court date has been set for January 12, 2006.

Flair, through his attorney, maintains that he is innocent and says he will be exonerated of both charges when he has his day in court.

The WWE website acknowledged Flair�s legal woes by stating on the site that there was a warrant out for Flair�s arrest. This more than likely prompted Flair to turn himself in five days after the incident.

You can see the police report and Flair�s mug shot at the Smokin� Gun website by clicking on the "related link" at the top right side of this page.

But Flair�s troubles don�t stop there!

According to WSOCTV.com in Charlotte, Flair�s wife, Beth, who filed for divorce in May, claims he was violent and abusive to her during their marriage. She claims that Ric slapped, kicked, choked, and bit her and that he is involved in steroid and alcohol abuse.

Ric denies these charges as well, countering that his wife assaulted him more than once, striking him. He claims to �fear for his physical and emotional safety� according to the divorce papers.

This is in such contrast to what Flair said in book published just last year. He was extremely complimentary toward his wife saying she had endured more than any woman should (which I bet is true!) and that he planned to spend the rest of his life with her.

In just a week, Ric Flair has gone from �The Man� to an alleged out of control, alcohol and steroid abusing, wife beating, ticking time bomb. Obviously all the allegations made against him are just that at this time � allegations. He has not been found guilty of anything illegal at this writing. The judge will decide on January 12 whether he was, indeed, out of control on the interstate and we may never truly know the real situation behind the bust up of his marriage.

I worked with Ric Flair in WCW for a long time. He certainly was animated and temperamental. While I personally never saw a truly violent side of him, I have seen quite a wild partier, buying drinks for the whole bar, taking limos to various nightclubs, and living it up (truly stylin' and profilin'). Naturally, that was back in the mid to late nineties and Flair, age 56, may have slowed down some now.

He was involved a few years ago in an incident where he reportedly exposed himself to some flight attendants and was intoxicated on a WWE overseas chartered flight. Several flight attendants complained about the behavior of many of the WWE wrestlers and crew and, as usual, Flair�s name popped up. It�s well known in just about every wrestling circle that Flair has no problem dropping his drawers when he is drinking. Trust me, it�s not a pretty sight.

Nothing much came out of that incident except a company-wide policy to ban liquor during overseas flights which greatly reduced the incidences of crazy behavior.

As for Flair, he once again denied the allegations against him and passed them off as �totally ridiculous�.

Flair was recently defeated by Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match on the Survivor Series pay per view and stetchered out of the area. How long he will be off television is uncertain but the injury angle was not a punishment or an excuse for Ric to take time off. The finish, according to a source in the company, was planned by Ric himself, who turned down the proposed ending of the match which was a pull apart by the referees and suggested the angle where Triple H got the better of him with a sledgehammer.

News of Flair�s legal and marital woes have hit many news stations and newspapers and have saturated his hometown markets where he is extremely well known. He has yet to comment on his wife�s allegations or his pending divorce.

I will keep you informed about these situations � and WWE�s response to them if any � as I find out more.

I certainly do hope that if Beth�s allegations of steroid and alcohol abuse are correct, that WWE insists that Ric get help to straighten out. At his age, wrestling as often and as hard as he does, his body must be wracked with pain and the substances no doubt help him to keep going. Perhaps these incidences are a wake up call telling him that he shouldn�t keep going at the pace he has been and that it is time for him to step into a managerial role or some other less physically demanding role in WWE.

His Book �To Be the Man� is a fascinating read and I highly suggest picking it up or asking Santa for it. I found it to be one of the more enjoyable and honest (or so I thought, now I wonder when the trouble with Beth began�) books I have read and it gives tremendous insight into the man that many call the greatest wrestler ever.

You can take a look at his book below.

I�ll be back with much more so check back and don�t forget, you can CALL me now! See the article I posted about that on this page or click the little phone icon at the bottom of this page for details.

See you on the forum and ON THE FRINGE!

And don�t forget my daily challenge! A brand new month has begun and everyone is at the same level once again. Jump in and play daily and make it to the Fringe Hall of Fame. You can check that out HERE. Join in! It�s a lot of fun and sometimes very challenging.

Patty

Ric Flair's book is a great read and his collection of great matches is a must have for Flair fans. No matter what happens in his personal life, Flair will always be respected and seen as one of the best talkers and workers in the wretsling business.