On Friday night, Ric Flair sparked a false death rumor about Ricky Steamboat by posting a cryptic tweet featuring an AI-generated photo of the two wrestling legends captioned “Thanks for the memories, Ricky Steamboat 2-6-26 WOOOOO!” The past-tense phrasing and the date caused fan panic, leading many to believe “The Dragon” had tragically passed away. However, Steamboat’s wife has since confirmed in the replies that this isn’t the case and noted Flair “didn’t post this with any ill intent.”
72-year-old Steamboat and Flair forged one of professional wrestling’s most legendary rivalries, which began in 1977 in the NWA Mid-Atlantic territory. Sharing a ring almost 300 times, their seemingly never-ending feud is highlighted by their iconic 1989 WCW/NWA trilogy, which featured three critically acclaimed matches for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title, often hailed as some of the greatest bouts ever. Yet despite their intense in-ring battles, the two developed a genuine friendship off-screen and shared mutual respect.
