Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: ric flair, wrestling coronavirus, wwe

Ric Flair's Wife Reportedly Has COVID-19; Flair Says He Doesn't

A report from the New York Post claims that Wendy Barlow, the wife of WWE Hall-of-Famer Ric Flair, is currently suffering from COVID-19. But the Nature Boy himself claims he's totally fine, noting that he lives in a 5000 square foot home and is able to socially distance from his wife. Even so, The Post claims a source tells them Flair does have the coronavirus but is largely asymptomatic. Either way, Flair has been spotted hitting the Starbucks drive thru without a mask, the newspaper reports.

Reports from multiple wrestling dirt sheets including F4WOnline claim that tonight's episode of WWE Raw had to be rewritten at the last minute. based on both negative reaction to last night's Extreme Rules PPV and the absence of talent expected to be there. Based on the way the storyline has been going, one would expect Flair to be present during the match between Big Show and Randy Orton, as Flair has been part of the angle for weeks. We'll find out soon if he's there, which would seemingly prove what he said correct, since one must pass a COVID-19 test to enter a WWE taping at the performance center.  But don't expect anyone to be forthcoming about the reason Flair is absent if he's not there. WWE has kept mum about the reported 30 positive cases that have struck the company in the past month.

"That is absolutely incorrect," Flair told the Post when asked whether he has COVID. "My wife does [have the virus]… we live in a 5,000 square foot home. I live in the basement. She lives upstairs on the third floor and she got sick."

Flair has repeatedly appeared on WWE Raw amidst the outbreak, raising concern with fans. However, Flair defended WWE's handling of the virus, even though they only started actually performing coronavirus tests when dozens of people were already infected and only instituted penalties for failure to wear a mask when Kevin Owens complained to Vince McMahon about it.

"The sensationalistic journalism that's going on with wrestling right now is so exaggerated and just people looking to start shit," Flair said earlier this month. "They got nothing else going on in their life. All we can do is follow the guidelines and do the best we can. If a person elects not to do it, god bless them. It's not a big deal. They got a product to produce, and they're gonna take the people that will participate and do it. There's no hard feelings. It's a bunch of bullshit."

Asked if he would return after learning that even more people tested positive following his appearance, Flair said, "I went back the next day. What are you talking about? Of course, I would. And I've got a preexisting condition, and I'm in my seventies. Let me tell you something: you are safer going to a WWE event than going to a Kroger's grocery store."

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