5 WWE Superstars who survived major accidents

#1 Ric Flair survived a plane crash

Ric Flair is regarded by many as the greatest professional wrestler of all time. He is a 16-time World Champion and his reign-count is only matched by WWE legend John Cena. Back in October 1975, Flair and several other pro-wrestlers boarded a flight that was scheduled to travel from Charlotte to Wilmington, NC.

The pilot decided to release some fuel to reduce the plane's load since he couldn't get the overstuffed plane off the ground. It suddenly began spinning and crashed to the ground at a speed of 85-100 miles per hour. Flair suffered a broken back in three separate places, while the other wrestlers sustained major injuries as well. The pilot, Joseph Michael Farkas, had to have surgery on his head following the crash and passed away two months later.

Flair went into recovery mode over the next few months and came back better than ever. Over the next three decades or so, he turned into one of the best wrestlers this industry had ever seen. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Zaid Khan