WWE had three RAW versions ready in case of Ric Flair’s death in 2017

Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has accomplished a lot in his career, but he remains a very controversial figure no matter what. It appears that there were three different versions of RAW in the event that Ric Flair died from his health issues in 2017.

As fans know, Ric Flair’s health hasn’t always been the best. He has been hospitalized for a long time. In 2017, Flair suffered a complete rupture of his intestine, total kidney failure and became septic as his body tried to fight off the infection. This would lead to respiratory heart failure and pneumonia.

AEW Executive Producer and Senior Director of Production Mike Mansury recently shared a story from his time in WWE during his appearance on Talk Is Jericho. During his tenure with WWE, Mansury helped produce shows for Monday Night Raw and recalled a particularly distressing moment involving wrestling legend Ric Flair’s health scare.

Mansury recounted that on the day in question, Flair’s family was providing the company with updates on his dire condition. As a result, WWE prepared three different versions of this evening’s show in anticipation of possible developments regarding Flair’s health.

There are so many to list (highlights from my time producing WWE Raw). I would say one of the scariest moments I’ve ever had on Raw and the one that stuck with me like crazy was the night we all thought Ric Flair was going to die. So Ric was in very poor health and I think they were willing to give him the last rites and everything else. So we had prepared three versions of the show. We had the version that it was going to be performed as written, a version that we would do if Ric, God forbid, succeeded before the show, and then if he succeeded during the show.

We were getting updates through family as the day progressed and I remember thinking, “Holy shit.” I felt the enormity of this kind of situation. Being in a position where there’s probably one of the most iconic names in the business – 100 percent (we should change the course of the show), and then all the elements that would sort of have a domino effect. It was quite a nerve-wracking time. I mean, also because of the relationship I developed with Ric. It was quite scary and you know, thank God he got through it. It’s alive and better than ever now, all these years later, but it’s definitely one of the shows that really comes to mind, like, woof.»

Ric Flair had his last match at the event titled Ric Flair’s Last Match on July 31, 2022, where he suffered a legitimate heart attack and is now a part of AEW as he is definitely healthy now. Regardless, fans hope Flair stays healthy and that’s all that matters.

Are you shocked to hear this story about Ric Flair? Let us know in the comments section below!