Ric Flair has made a bold claim about Hulk Hogan, saying that what killed his fellow WWE icon was street drugs.
The 76-year-old Flair, who has had his fair share of health issues and brushes with death over the years, made the statement during a podcast appearance earlier this week.
Flair was speaking on the DOUBL3 COVERAGE podcast when the pro wrestling icon shared his thoughts about Hogan, saying that he had spoken to him days before his death.
“I talked to him the day before he died. I shouldn’t say this, but what killed him was street drugs,” Flair said, according to NoDQ.com. “When the doctor wouldn’t prescribe anymore, he was in so much pain. Then he had a neck surgery and got infected. So back in the hospital — imagine 10 back surgeries, two knees, two hips, all this.
“And then when the doctor would not prescribe any more pain medicine, they just couldn’t do it. All due conscience, right? So they went and got the drugs off the street. His body just said, ‘You know what? Bingo. I can’t do it anymore.’”
Flair also said that it was Hogan’s famous finishing move, the running leg drop, that caused the many issues that plagued the late professional wrestling legend.
“You know what caused the back surgeries? Dropping the leg. Dropping the leg jabbed his bones. That’s what did it,” Flair said.
While many fans of pro wrestling may take Flair’s claim with a grain of salt, others have noted that while many other retired grappling stars tend to embellish — Hogan is legendary for this — others note that, if anything, Flair has been too honest in the past.
Hogan’s official cause of death
Hulk Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, died on July 24 from an acute myocardial infarction – otherwise known as a heart attack – as per the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center.
An acute myocardial infarction is when blood flow to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked, causing tissue damage.
The outlet also reports that Hogan had a history of atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is a heart condition characterized by an irregular and often rapid heart rate.
While it was widely reported that Hogan suffered heart failure last Thursday at his home in Clearwater, Fla., the reports also showed a previously unreported health struggle for the late WWE legend.
Per the records, the pro wrestling icon also had a history of leukemia CLL, a type of cancer that affects white blood cells called lymphocytes.
It was not public knowledge that Hogan had ever battled cancer.
It had been reported earlier this month by Hogan’s friend and radio DJ Bubba the Love Sponge that Hogan had been in poor health, which was shot down at the time by others close to the Hulkster.