Pro wrestler, daughter involved in dust-up in Chapel Hill  
 
BY BETH VELLIQUETTE : The Herald-Sun
bvelliquette@heraldsun.com
Sep 9, 2008
 
CHAPEL HILL -- Sounds like a script from a World Wide Wrestling event.  
 
Father, daughter and daughter's boyfriend have a disagreement, get in a fight and before the end of the night, father is bloodied and beaten and cops haul off daughter screaming and kicking. Boyfriend walks free.  
 
Imagine Ric Flair playing the role of the father and his daughter, Ashley Fliehr, playing the daughter.  
 
Oh, wait, this is no script. It's real life.  
 
Yes, folks, Ric Flair, otherwise known as Richard Morgan Fliehr, but more commonly known as Nature Boy Ric Flair, one of the greatest entertainment wrestlers of all time, was in Chapel Hill last week at the Sunstone Apartments, with his daughter, Ashley Fliehr, 22, and her boyfriend.  
 
Police got a call about 2:30 a.m. Friday about a fight in the parking lot at 207 Connor Drive, said Lt. Kevin Gunter.  
 
When the officers got there, they saw fresh blood on the stairway and went to investigate, Gunter said.  
 
They found Ashley Fliehr and a 22-year-old man, whom Gunter didn't name, and Ric Flair in an apartment together. The trio had just returned from somewhere else, Gunter said.  
 
"They ended up getting in a fight over what, we're not sure," Gunter said. "Ric Flair was the victim."  
 
Huh?  
 
"Ric Flair is the one that received the majority of the wounds, but he refused to file charges and refused medical treatment," Gunter said.  
 
Flair had injuries to his face and was bleeding, Gunter added.  
 
The 22-year-old man, whom Gunter identified as Ashley Fliehr's boyfriend, was the suspect but since Flair didn't want to file charges, police didn't arrest him.  
 
During the course of the investigation, however, Ashley Fliehr interfered with the police officers, so they charged her with resisting, delaying and obstructing a police officer, Gunter said.  
 
As the officers took her out to the police car to take her to the police station, "she kicks Officer McKinney," Gunter said.  
 
In professional wrestling that would likely get the crowd on its feet screaming and yelling.  
 
In real life, however, that got Ashley Fliehr another charge -- assault on a law enforcement officer.  
 
Alcohol was involved, Gunter said.  
 

There's also news footage at http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6377701 and here's another post-whatever happened photo:
 

As Ron Simmons would say -  DAMN!!!!

Some of my boys in Chapel Hill are telling me that it was Flair's daughter who dotted the champ's eye and her boyfriend was trying to restrain Flair's daughter.

Quote from 16times on Sep 9^th, 2008, 12:49pm:

 
If there is any good news here for the people at Signamania, it is at least you have the option to exchange your photo op for an extra autograph. It may be something to consider.

I don't think flair weighs 230 now.  I could be wrong but I'd bet you he weighs less.

You tell me.  You pointed it out in your earlier post.

Quote from Rich Landrum on Sep 9^th, 2008, 5:11pm:

I expect you are right about Ric not fighting back but he should at least try to defend himself by blocking a punch or whatever he was hit with. Of course I've been sucker punched before and it's impossible to block it when you didn't see it coming.
 
It is bad that it became public, but I guess it didn't bother Ric enough to stay home.

Easy now, Bradley. Don't shoot the messengers.
 
I do see your point and will pretty much stay away from this discussion, only pointing out that I think all of us should re-examine our family relationships. None of us would want our squabbles out in the open for the world to see.  
 
This reminds me a lot of the situations around other famous wrestling fathers and their families. Hulk Hogan, Fritz Von Erich, Dusty Rhodes. Imagine growing up in the shadows of those guys. I know it has to be tough on Reid and his siblings.
 
I don't know Reid Flair. I passed him a couple times during the day Friday at fanfest. He caught my eye, but both times I though "Nah, that's not Reid." He came up to me on Saturday and introduced himself, and I told him I hadn't ignored him on Friday, I just really didn't think that was him. Just him coming up, introducing himself to me made me think he's had a decent upbringing. Most kids fresh out of high school wouldn't give an old fart like me the time of day.
 
Ric is old enough to take care of himself and be responsible for his actions. And I'm sure he can take any jokes anyone wants to throw his way about his new shiner. But let's remember this is a real person -- our hero -- and his very real children that find themselves in a very public situation.

Another aspect of this story that makes it approprate for discussion on the forum is that it wasn't just any wrestler, it was Flair.     This is a man who has built his image (and profited greatly from it) as a hard partying playboy.
 
An internal family fight has now made the newspapers, but alongside the news comes photos of some recent partying, with Flair sporting his new "shiner".     This is not a man who appears to be asking for privacy.   As Greg said earlier, Flair can handle the comments.
 
All of us respect Flair, and we certainly do not wish hardship on his family, but I haven't read anything posted on this thread that I see as inappropriate.

Be careful what you wish for:
 
An article on Carolinas politician Mike Campbell notes that he is thinking about working with Ric Flair on a new reality TV series.
 
 
http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=65983

The following comments about the Flair situation have been showing up on other forums.    I couldn't help but share.   I laughed my a$$ off reading this stuff...........
 
"I wonder if he bladed himself."
 
"Back story was the boyfriend asked for his daughter's hand in marriage, but Ric told him, "In order to be the man, you have to beat the man..  Ashley and her boyfriend will be wed in June 2009."
 
"After the boyfriend got a few good shots in, I wonder if Flair stumbled around for a moment and then flopped on his face."
 
"Perhaps there wasn't room on the living room floor for Flair to put the figure-four on him."
 
"How would you like to be the guy who, at parties, could claim you beat the JD Costello out of Ric Flair?"
 
"Why didn't the rest of the Four Horseman come running from the apartment next door to stomp down the daughter's boyfriend?"
 
"Was Tony Schiavone standing in the kitchen yelling "We're outta time! We gotta go! Stay tuned for Braves baseball"
 
"Would it be too much to ask that the boyfriend's name be Tommy "Wildfire" Rich?"
 
"Better than what happened when Brooke Hogan's boyfriend beat up her father. After a few punches, Hulk Hogan reenergized and kicked his a$$."
 
"This is definitely not a Dusty finish"
 
"Let's just hope The Nature Boy doesn't end up in an insane asylum again."
 
"What is great about Flair is that 3-4 different generations can share stories about him."
 
"Mean Gene Okerlund was waiting in the kitchen to interview Flair after it happened"
 
"So is 207 Connor Drive the biggest house with the biggest yard on the biggest side of Chapel Hill?"
                 
"I'm just bummed he didn't block any punches and go into a series of chops"
 
"Any word on whether there was any blood on the cashmere sweater or gatorskin shoes?"
 
"Is it fair to say that Flair got "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPED?"
 

Quote from greatbologuy on Sep 11^th, 2008, 9:31am:

 I was agreeing with you, sorry if it was not clear.