
WWE legend Ric Flair, 76, shares major update on skin cancer battle after surgery
The WWE legend, 76, sparked fears last month when he announced that he was battling the disease for a second time, before pulling out of a scheduled meet-and-greet in Mississippi roughly a week later.
At the end of June, he told fans that surgery was 'coming up' while asking them to keep him in his prayers and sharing a photo of his stomach - which appeared to have a number of sutures in from previous treatment.
And roughly three weeks later Flair has confirmed that op was a success, meaning he has beaten skin cancer again.
The 'Nature Boy' took to Instagram to share a photo of himself sporting bandages on his forehead and left arm in a medical facility and wrote: 'Thank You Academic Alliance In Dermatology! I'm Now Cancer Free! WOOOOO!'
Fans flooded the comments with tributes to Flair, including one who wrote: 'Thank God!!!! Diamonds are forever, and so is Ric Flair'.
The WWE legend sparked fears last month by announcing he was battling the disease again
'To many more healthy years, Naitch!! WOOOO,' said another.
'Let's gooooo!! Keep Going Naitch,' posted a third.
While one simply commented: 'WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!'
Flair is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time with his daughter, Charlotte, following in his footsteps.
He first declared that he would be retiring in 2008 after losing to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24 but has continuously returned to WWE in rare appearances.
In the years since, Flair has tragically suffered with a number of significant health issues.
In 2017, he was in a coma for 11 days and reportedly near death after his intestine ruptured.
Flair had been hospitalized with stomach pains and just a few hours later suffered early stages of kidney failure. He also came close to congestive heart failure as a result of alcohol abuse.
Despite his family being told he only had a 20 percent chance of surviving, Flair eventually recovered after being placed into a medically induced coma and having an obstructed piece of bowel surgically removed.
The 'Nature Boy' is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time
In 2019, he was rushed to the emergency room after reportedly suffering a 'very serious' medical emergency. He later underwent successful heart surgery at the Atlanta hospital.
Boasting 16 WWE world championship titles, Flair cemented himself as one of the greatest icons of the ring. He is also the only WWE superstar to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame twice.
He rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s with the WCW and the WWF (now the WWE), and he ultimately headlined WrestleMania VIII in 1992.
Flair continued to wrestle well into his 60s and recently made an appearance at 2019's WrestleMania 35.
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The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump and Hulk Hogan forged a decadeslong bond based on wrestling, reality stardom and politics
One was a businessman turned reality TV star twice elected president. The other was a professional wrestler who became politically active later in life. Donald Trump and Hulk Hogan 's paths first crossed at a late 1980s wrestling event at one of Trump's Atlantic City, New Jersey, hotels, kicking off a more than three-decadelong friendship that was marked by their obvious career parallels. Both were '80s celebrities who found greater fame in the world of reality television before wielding their influence in politics. Just over a year before his death Thursday, Hogan delivered a rousing speech at the Republican National Convention in July 2024 in Milwaukee during which he dramatically ripped off his T-shirt — to reveal another one bearing the Trump-Vance campaign logo — and endorsed his 'hero,' Trump. Hogan said he was motivated by the attempted assassination of Trump days earlier at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. 'What happened last week, when they took a shot at my hero, and they tried to kill the next president of the United States, enough was enough, and I said: 'Let Trumpamania run wild brother. Let Trumpamania rule again, let Trumpamania make America great again,' Hogan said. On Thursday, Trump mourned his 'strong, tough, smart' friend, who died of a heart attack in Clearwater, Florida. He was 71. 'We lost a great friend today, the 'Hulkster.' Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart,' Trump wrote on his social media site, using the acronym for his 'Make America Great Again' campaign slogan. 'He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week," Trump said. "He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive.' Trump offered warm best wishes and love to Hogan's widow, Sky, and said he 'will be greatly missed.' The official White House account on X shared a photo of a suited Trump and Hogan, wearing a Trump-Vance campaign T-shirt with the sleeves cut off, with their arms clasped as if they were wrestling. The caption said, 'Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!' and included a red heart emoji. Trump went on to enjoy a long association with professional wrestling and some of its top officials, including the husband and wife duo of Vince and Linda McMahon, the founders of World Wrestling Entertainment. Linda McMahon served Trump in both of his administrations and is currently education secretary after heading up the Small Business Administration in his first term. In 2013, Trump was inducted into the celebrity wing of WWE's Hall of Fame. In Milwaukee, Hogan said he had known Trump for more than 35 years and talked about how he won wrestling's world title as the future president sat ringside during a WrestleMania event at Trump Plaza hotel and casino in Atlantic City. 'I was bleeding like a pig and I won the world title right in front of Donald J. Trump and, you know something, he's going to win in November," Hogan said at the convention. Hogan also addressed thousands at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden last October. After Trump was reelected, Hogan was among thousands of supporters who went to Trump's victory rally at a Washington sports arena on the eve of the presidential inauguration in January.


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Hulk Hogan was an era-defining American brand: big, brash and bizarre
Hulk Hogan broke containment. As popular as professional wrestling became during the 1980s, its ins and outs were not as well-publicized as the highlights of more superficially respectable sports such as football, baseball and basketball. Even non-sporty 80s kids could probably name a bunch of teams and a few ultra-famous players such as Michael Jordan, Joe Montana or Darryl Strawberry. Wrestlers, meanwhile, were essentially both the players and the teams, which should have made them easier to differentiate – but, in reality, made the whole thing seem like a TV show that you either watched, or you didn't. Hulk Hogan, who died this week just shy of 72, was different. For better or worse. Hogan, born Terry Bollea, had a wrestling career that synced near-perfectly with wrestling's growing 1980s-era popularity. After bouncing between the World Wrestling Federation (the Vince McMahon-run organization now known as WWE) and the American Wrestling Association in the early 80s, Hogan returned to the WWF in 1983 and presided over an outbreak of what was diagnosed as 'Hulkamania'. Even those who received the proper vaccinations against Hulkamania – namely, not paying attention to wrestling – could see the symptoms manifesting in others, and especially in the Hulkster himself. The red-and-yellow shirt he would tear off, the biker stache, the bandana atop his thinning blond mane became instantly recognizable trademarks even for non-fans. He was so recognizable, in fact, that it's surprising in retrospect that he wasn't able to make the jump to feature films, his inability to establish a movie-world beachhead so vivid that later stars such as Dwayne Johnson and John Cena were considered almost miraculous when they made it happen. Even Stone Cold Steve Austin eventually established a somewhat more robust filmography, using supporting roles to consort with the likes of Sylvester Stallone (whom Hogan also knew, via an early part in Rocky III, where he's ultimately upstaged by Mr T) and Adam Sandler. Hogan, meanwhile, had the one-two punch of a flop wrestling drama (No Holds Barred) and a flop kiddie comedy (Suburban Commando), the latter of which led to a few more movies of that ilk, presumably owed to some kid-driven home-video success. In terms of both quality and box office, the best Hogan could do was feature in a bizarre meta moment midway through Joe Dante's anarchic horror-comedy sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch in 1990. After the movie 'breaks' as a result of mischievous Gremlins invading the projection booth, the film cuts to an usher fielding complaints about the holdup. He then makes his way into an auditorium, where a yellow-and-red-outfitted Hulk Hogan is munching popcorn, waiting for the movie to resume. At the behest of management, he loudly berates and threatens the creatures until they roll the film again. It's his most memorable film moment, and it lasts all of about a minute and a half. Yet that scene did speak to a bizarre, potent iconography. I had never seen a single wrestling match in my young life, but watching Gremlins 2 in a theater, I already knew Hulk Hogan and understood exactly what his deal was. It was a little odd that he was turning up in my Gremlins movie, but not as odd as it should have been. After all, he wasn't Larry Bird or Magic Johnson, who were safely ensconced in the world of athletics and accompanying big-budget commercials. Hogan was more akin to a living action figure, or the Kool-Aid Man. You had to hand it to him. By the dawn of the 1990s, he wasn't just the player and the team; he was the product, too. But Hogan was also a human, and by many accounts not a particularly good one. In the 2010s, he achieved a twofer of infamy. First, a sex tape he made in the 2000s was leaked. That was all consensual private business, but, more pressing, said tape featured an racist rant from Hogan, including the use of a particularly vile slur. When this portion of the tape came out in 2015, he was banned from the WWE ring, his still-existing merchandise was yanked from store shelves and he was removed from the WWE Hall of Fame. Well, for a few years. All of those distinctions were reversed by 2019, seemingly not because Hogan did anything more than clumsily apologize several years earlier. Just because, well, who is anyone else to say when someone's horrible racial slurs are really racist? The more lasting effect of Hogan's sex tape was that the website Gawker posted a portion of it in 2012. Hogan, quietly bankrolled by billionaire Peter Thiel, sued the site's company more or less out of existence. Its assets were sold off and eventually controlled by private-equity firms that did their best to strip them for parts. (Gawker no longer exists, but some of its sibling sites have survived under new ownership.) Hogan was basically hired out as the face of billionaire vengeance. This is all to say that while Hogan often felt like wrestling's enthusiastic mascot to the outside world less steeped in the sport, there's another, less whimsical symbol of capitalism run amok that Hogan also came to resemble. An 80s brand name who went on to feature on several reality TV series, make racist remarks and endorse a variety of questionable products using the power of a billionaire to exact personal vengeance that changed the media landscape? It's no wonder that Hogan appeared at the 2024 Republican convention to endorse Donald Trump for president. Trump had essentially been following the Hulk Hogan handbook, right down to his refusal to go away. Though his peak was past by the mid-90s, Hogan never well and truly quit wrestling for good. His non-wrestling career as a jack-of-all-trades all-purpose Famous Brand Name also wasn't unprecedented. But his particular brand of celebrity did feel like a 1980s novelty that metastasized into American culture as a whole. He was a consummate Famous for Famous figure not because wrestling is fake – plenty of wrestlers have built respectable careers in and out of the ring – but because he brought that fakeness with him, out into the world. There was scarcely a medium he couldn't cheapen with a Mr Nanny (allegedly a movie), a Hulk Rules (allegedly an album) or a Pastamania (a short-lived restaurant that operated out of the Mall of America). Did anyone really want any of this? Maybe some kids or hardcore fans, which would give all of that a more natural fanbase than Trump-endorsed steaks and fake colleges. Hogan may have left us, but spiritually speaking, Hulkamania never died.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Rebel Wilson hit with second lawsuit from The Deb producers over 'false and derogatory statements'
Rebel Wilson is facing a second lawsuit from the producers of her film The Deb over claims she made false and derogatory statements about them, according to a new report. Those statements include accusations of engaging in 'inappropriate conduct' towards actress Charlotte MacInnes, who stars in the film. They also claim Wilson falsely accused them of embezzling the film's funds, The Australian reported on Thursday. Producers Vince Holden, Gregor Cameron and Amanda Ghost on Thursday filed proceedings against Wilson in the NSW Supreme Court. Wilson is also being sued for defamation in the US courts by the three producers, who have accused her of injurious falsehood, misleading and deceptive conduct and breaches of contract and director's duties. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. They also allege that Wilson threatened the Australian distributor of the film, Kismet, by seeking an injunction to block its release. Wilson has been very vocal on the conflicts surrounding her stalled film The Deb. Taking to Instagram Stories on the musical's official social media account in May, the 45-year-old entertainer slammed star actress Charlotte MacInnes. Wilson is embroiled in a legal battle with The Deb producers after accusing them of misconduct and embezzlement. They countered by filing a defamation lawsuit against her in the US, before launching a similar case in NSW this week. She also accused them of 'inappropriate behaviour' toward MacInnes, which the rising star has denied. The Bride Hard actress reposted footage of Charlotte performing at Cannes, and wrote scathingly, 'Charlotte MacInnes in a culturally inappropriate Indian outfit on Len Blavatnik's luxury yacht in Cannes - ironically singing a song from a movie that will never get released because of her lies and support for the people blocking the film's release.' In a second post, she wrote sarcastically, 'So glad you got your record deal Charlotte at the expense of the 300 people who worked on The Deb and really wanna see it released.' In September 2024, Charlotte denied that there was any inappropriate behaviour, prompting Rebel to allege that the actress rescinded her accusations to secure a new role with one of the producers. MacInnes told at the time: 'There is no truth to the allegations made involving me. 'I made a statement to the film team when this was first said in September 2023 and am saying this now to draw a line under it. Making false accusations undermines real victims and I won't be the subject of a fabricated narrative.' After working with one of the producers, Amanda, on The Deb, Charlotte was later cast as Daisy in Florence Welch's musical Gatsby: An American Myth, staged at Boston's A.R.T. during its pre-Broadway run. Rebel subsequently shared a screenshot of the Daily Mail article on her Instagram Stories and wrote, per Just Jared, 'When an actress on her first feature film is asked by a producer to stay in the same apartment as them, and then makes a complaint to me as the director saying said producer "asked her to have a bath and shower with her and it made her feel uncomfortable" – what am I supposed to do. Of course I reported it.' She added, 'There is no world where this is acceptable. The fact that this girl has been employed now by this 'producer' in the lead role of a production called GATSBY (ART Boston) and given a record label – should be all the proof you need as to why she has now changed her story.' In documents filed to the Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by The Guardian in November 2024, MacInnes claimed she informed Wilson that she was never sexually harassed by Amanda. Despite Charlotte's claim that she informed Wilson harassment had never occurred, the Pitch Perfect actress still proceeded with the accusations of mistreatment. 'I was deeply disturbed by this behaviour by Wilson, who was the director of the film and in a position of authority over me,' MacInnes alleged. Charlotte added in her official statement: 'Nothing that I told Wilson could reasonably have conveyed that I was reporting any misconduct, because there was no misconduct. 'I also understand [there were] claims that I was subjected to 'depraved sexual demands' and that 'MacInnes remains captive by Ghost and (fellow producer) Cameron as she is shuttled from city to city with them including Boston, New York, and London.' 'These statements are completely false and absurd. I have no idea what could cause Wilson and her attorney to make up such lies about me.'