Ric Flair Cancels Celebrity Roast Appearance Days After Hospitalization

Less than a week after being hospitalized, Ric Flair reportedly pulled out of the celebrity roast he was scheduled to attend in Las Vegas later this week.

The 70-year-old wrestling legend is reportedly in good spirits and confident he’ll be OK following his medical emergency, but will not be the guest of honor at The Roast of Ric Flair at Caesars Palace on Friday, where some wrestling stars and comedians were set to blast him the night before AEW’s first pay-per-view event.

A spokesperson told TMZ that Flair won’t be healthy enough by Friday evening to make the trip from Atlanta to Las Vegas.

Last week, it was reported that Flair was set to undergo emergency surgery on Friday but the procedure was postponed until Monday, if given the green light by his doctors.

On Friday, the sports legend’s wife, Wendy Barlow, said in a statement that the surgery was postponed for medical reasons. “Ric’s surgery has been postponed until Monday to address some complications that needed to be taken care of first,” the statement read, according to TMZ. “Thanks for all the well wishes.”

News broke Thursday that Flair had been rushed to an Atlanta-area hospital after suffering a “medical emergency.” Although details of the incident were unclear, the news outlet reported that it was “very serious.”

Speaking to Pro Wrestling Sheet, a source alleged that Flair was dealing with “some heart-related issues” as of late and that his Thursday trip to the emergency room was linked to that.

Barlow said later Thursday evening that the procedure was linked to “ongoing health complications.”

Clarifying the comments, Flair’s son, Conrad Thompson, explained during a media call that his father, as well as the family, had been aware that the WWE legend would be needing the procedure, and that he had opted to have it before attending a roast in Las Vegas. Thompson added that his father’s condition “is not as grave or serious” as reports had initially made it out to be.

In 2017, Flair was placed into a medically induced coma for 11 days after he suffered a ruptured intestine. TMZ reports that he’s had a troublesome past few months as far as his health is concerned and has reportedly undergone a total of four heart surgeries.