Ric Flair is rumored to be returning to the ring, but former WCW announcer Chris Cruise is trying to stop that from happening.
Cruise posted the following statement, revealing that he’s acting in the interest of Flair’s health and has sent a letter to the Maryland State Athletic Commission, asking them not to grant Flair a wrestling license:
Hey you rubes, I screw around here a lot, but this is serious: Ric Flair should not be allowed to wrestle. Some reports indicate he has been working out with Jay Lethal in preparation to returning to the ring. He can’t be stopped from doing so in states that don’t have athletic commissions and licensing protocols, but insurance companies can step in and refuse to issue a bond to a promotion that books him. And for those states that do have commissions, they should be contacted to demand that they not allow Flair to wrestle. Simply put, Ric Flair returning to the ring is not wise. No how, no way. He’s 73, in poor health, an alcoholic, and has a pacemaker installed.
Today I emailed the following to the Maryland State Athletic Commission, since I live in Maryland, and will contact other commissions as well. I would encourage you to also email the commission (athletic@dllr.state.md.us) and urge its members to deny Flair a license. It won’t take long, and could help keep Flair alive. Here is the email I sent:
To the Commissioners of the Maryland State Athletic Commission:
Recently, published reports indicate the professional wrestler known as Ric Flair, who is 73 and has a pacemaker, is considering returning to the ring. Obviously, that is not wise. It’s almost as if he wants to die in the ring. https://wrestlingnews.co/…/ric-flair-is-coming-out-of…/
I am writing as a citizen of Maryland to express my concern about the prospect of Mr. Fleihr being granted a license to wrestle in this state. I’m sure you understand how disastrous it would be for the Commission if he died in the ring during a performance for which you granted him a license.
I’d like to know what standards the Commission has for granting a license to a professional wrestler. Is a physical examination required? Are athletes over 70 and who have a pacemaker installed allowed to wrestle professionally in Maryland?
I look forward to your reply.
Cruise expanded on his thoughts in a subsequent post, claiming that he’s stepping in because Flair needs an advocate right now.
Sometimes adults don’t care enough about themselves and they need others to care for them, to care about them more than they are able to care about themselves at that moment. I know whereof I speak. There have been times in my life when I did not care about myself and others stepped in and cared more about me than I cared about myself, long enough for me to build up enough strength to be able to survive. I’m here because someone else stepped up. That’s the kind of person Ric Flair needs now. We’re not islands, we’re not unto ourselves; we’re part of a society that can benefit from our presence. Sometimes our judgment gets clouded, our mind starts playing tricks on us, we start believing lies about ourselves and we need a friend to help us get us to a point that we once again can be trusted to care for ourselves. That’s all this is. It’s not true that we have the freedom to do whatever we want. Absent a terminal illness or unbearable physical pain, we don’t have the right to take our own lives.
Cruise worked for World Championship Wrestling as announcer on its WCW Pro and WCW Prime shows in the mid-90s. He drew some attention in 2019 after he submitted a complaint to the MSAC in relation to the use of blood in the Jon Moxley versus Kenny Omega match at AEW Full Gear in November of that year. AEW was fined $10,000 for the match.
Read More: Ric Flair Confirms In-Ring Return On July 31
