WWE News: Word on Why Ric Flair Had to Miss NXT Takeover II

Back in January, WWE NXT was named the Best Weekly Television Show in Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards.

And if you tuned into NXT Takeover II last week, you’ll probably already be aware that such plaudits are truly and well-deserved.

The show was highlighted by a number of excellent title matches, the crushing re-debut of Baron Corbin and a thoroughly entertaining segment that saw Enzo Amore emphatically, “get the bucket!”

But one of the most significant moments of the entire night saw the eagerly awaited presentation of “international sensation” Kenta—now to be known as Hideo Itami. The WWE had given his arrival plenty of publicity and were even planning on having the legendary Ric Flair introduce its newest Japanese recruit.

However, Flair was, of course, unable to make it. And though no details were revealed as to why exactly the Nature Boy couldn’t be there, Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc is reporting that it was an emergency hospital visit that had Flair sidelined:

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It was reported last Thursday morning, just hours before the WWE NXT Takeover event, that Ric Flair would be missing the show due to a personal conflict. Flair was scheduled to appear at Takeover in a segment with Kenta, introducing him as Hideo Itami.

It turns out that Flair was hospitalized at the Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia. We know that Flair was in the hospital as of September 9th and the decision for him to miss Takeover may not have been made until late Wednesday evening, September 10th.

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The article goes on to explain that a stomach surgery may have been the reason behind Flair’s hospitalization and that he has visited the same hospital at least twice in the last fortnight or so.

While there’s currently no word on his current condition, at least this wasn’t the kind of news that we’ve seen before in Flair’s tumultuous past. Obviously any medical issue is no welcome development, but given his run-ins with alcohol and prescription drugs, for me it’s great to see that this wasn’t a relapse of the 16-time world champion to his ways of old.

Photo courtesy of WWE.com

Having passed the company physicals back in June of this year, it appears that Flair may have thankfully gotten the better of the demons that have plagued him in the past.

Furthermore, it is also revealed that Flair is still scheduled to appear at this week’s SmackDown tapings in Biloxi, Mississippi. He’s likely to be featured as a special guest referee in a dark match main event between Roman Reigns and Randy Orton, rather than on actual television.

But regardless of what role he ultimately plays, the simple fact that he’s expected to be available for the show suggests that this recent setback is not a particularly lengthy one. If the Nature Boy really was in a bad condition, then there’s no way the WWE would allow him to work so soon after a surgery—especially as the event is 400 miles from the hospital he checked in to and 600 from his home.

Ultimately though, we’re likely going to have to wait until the Wednesday morning spoilers to get a definitive answer on this one.

But here’s hoping that we’ll see Flair fit and active sooner rather than later and that his absence at NXT Arrival II was merely a case of unfortunate timing rather than anything more serious.