AEW star Andrade El Idolo has revealed that he initially believed Ric Flair was selling during his final wrestling match, only discovering months later that the WWE Hall of Famer had suffered a legitimate heart attack during the contest.
Ric Flair returned to the ring for what was billed as his retirement match on July 31, 2022, at Starrcast V in Nashville, Tennessee. The 16-time World Champion teamed with Andrade El Idolo, who was married to Flair’s daughter Charlotte at the time, against Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.
During the match, Flair lost consciousness, initially believed to be due to dehydration. However, it was later revealed that he had suffered a heart attack. Speaking on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast, Andrade recalled his concerns about Flair’s health before the match and explained why he initially failed to recognise the seriousness of the situation.
The former WWE star admitted that he was nervous about competing alongside Flair, particularly after discussing the potential risks with Charlotte beforehand. Despite Flair having trained for the encounter, Andrade worried about what might happen if the wrestling legend experienced a medical emergency.
Andrade El Idolo Recalls Concerns During Ric Flair’s Final Match
Andrade El Idolo explained that he became concerned when Ric Flair appeared to struggle during the contest, although he initially assumed that the veteran was simply selling.
“I was with him in the corner. Was a little scared. I heard a couple months later. At the time, I thought he was selling. I said, ‘Sir, are you okay?’ ‘Let’s go. Let’s go.’ Before the match, I was talking with my ex-wife and said, ‘I was scared.’ He’s strong and he trained, but I was scared because if something happened, what do I say to my ex-wife? If I was there, what do I do?”
Andrade recalled checking on Flair during the match before continuing with the contest, unaware that his then-father-in-law had experienced a serious medical incident. The AEW star said that Flair appeared to be in good spirits backstage afterwards, making the eventual revelation particularly surprising.
“I was a little scared. I’m happy nothing happened. He’s out there, he’s drinking, he’s fine in the locker room. Everything was fine. I think he went to the doctor later. ‘You had a heart attack.’ That’s when I knew. I was surprised. I was scared in the moment, but I thought he was selling,” Andrade said.
According to Andrade, he did not learn that Flair had suffered a heart attack until several months after the event. The revelation came as a shock because Flair appeared to recover after the match, with no immediate backstage indication of the medical emergency he had experienced.
Andrade’s comments highlight the concerns surrounding Flair’s return to the ring at the time, particularly for those closest to him who were involved in the contest. Although the match was promoted as Flair’s final in-ring appearance, Andrade’s recollections reveal just how frightening the experience was for him, even before he learned the true extent of the WWE Hall of Famer’s medical condition.
