Taken from JRE #1974 w/Ric Flair and Tony Hinchcliffe:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7pqCMYGY2n07DXqu0tCX0d?si=83ea2e30ce2e4b15

It wasn't always cost effective, but I lived my gimmick.

What year did you make your first pro wrestling matches?

I started training in the fall of 72 and I made my first match in January of 73.

Those are the old days man, the killer Kowalski days.

But you started wrestling after the plane crash, right?

We were going from Charlotte to Wilmington, North Carolina for outdoor show, 10,000 at Legion Stadium, where Dr.

That's the first time I met Michael Jordan.

Not at that show, but I met him at the matches in Wilmington.

What happened ultimately is he took 5 of us on the plane and we didn't know at the time he was carrying no fuel because we were 1,400 pounds over gross.

So we get there and hit a little bit of a headwind.

It's not a pressurized plane, so that's not 310.

And he did what's called pass the point of no return.

He should have landed in Raleigh and refilled.

But he's looking and saying it's 100 miles, right?

So unbeknownst to us, the guy in front of me, Johnny Valentine, who got paralyzed, kept looking at the gas gauge and looking back at me and going, ah, ah.

I was going, Johnny, you have that dry sense of humor.

All of a sudden, the red engine goes boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, maybe like 6 times over like you see in the movies, and then bingo, pinned, right?

He reaches down, he pulls up to the reserve, natural reaction, there is no reserve gas.

And instead of a, we flew into a tree orchard, right?

Normally it'll cartwheel a small aircraft.

We were going so fast we tore it down and landed in a railroad embankment stuck at the ground at 230 miles an hour.

So we were probably going you know well over 300 and we're just literally 200 yards from the runway.

He died and he never regained consciousness and 2 chicks came both engaged to him double knock out at the door, at the hospital door.

I told the guy, he says, he goes, Joey, you and I could talk all day.

So they're putting us in the ambulance, right?

It's like the old military style, not like the ones today that are like a hospital room, right?

And he goes, I think we might lose this 1.

So I go, I told the guy, I said, I think he's talking about me.

Said tell Sheila I love her, but not to come see me.

The guy showed up 10 years later at the match.

So how bad did you get injured in the accident?

They just didn't think I'd ever wrestle again.

And I'm, you know, that was what we were gonna do, right?

They said you're never gonna wrestle again.

It was October of 75, and I was back in the ring in March of 76.

But I never got myself to land flat on my back again, ever.

Everybody knows I landed on my hip on my side.

Yeah, just couldn't get myself to land flat.

So the promoter I was wrestling said if you don't take a backdrop that's where you flip over a guy's shoulder and go up in the air like 6, 7 feet.

I'm gonna make you wrestle an hour every night until you do.

So I go after 2 weeks of wrestling and you know some of the crowds back then were 250, 300 people, you know what I mean, 5 bucks ringside, Fisherville, North Carolina, or Fisherville, Virginia, middle of nowhere, right, 1 hour every night.

Finally I said damn it I'm just gonna take the backdrop throw me in hit turbo took it boom that was over but I just couldn't get myself a landslide on my back.

When you did what happened were you alright?


Speaker 0: The Joe Rogan Experience. I lived the life, I have to admit. It wasn't always cost effective, but I lived my gimmick.

Speaker 1: Yeah, but it's such a fun life, man. What year did you start? What year did you make your first pro wrestling matches? 73. 73.

Speaker 0: I started training in the fall of 72 and I made my first match in January of 73.

Speaker 1: Those are the old days man, the killer Kowalski days.

Speaker 0: Berngania. Wow. And what's crazy- Crusher, Bruiser.

Speaker 1: Yeah. But you started wrestling after the plane crash, right?

Speaker 0: No, plane crash was in 75.

Speaker 1: Oh, wow. So tell us about the plane crash.

Speaker 0: We were going from Charlotte to Wilmington, North Carolina for outdoor show, 10,000 at Legion Stadium, where Dr. Michael's from. That's the first time I met Michael Jordan. Not at that show, but I met him at the matches in Wilmington. What happened ultimately is he took 5 of us on the plane and we didn't know at the time he was carrying no fuel because we were 1,400 pounds over gross.

So we get there and hit a little bit of a headwind. We're between 7,000 and 8,000. It's not a pressurized plane, so that's not 310. And he did what's called pass the point of no return. He should have landed in Raleigh and refilled.

But he's looking and saying it's 100 miles, right? So unbeknownst to us, the guy in front of me, Johnny Valentine, who got paralyzed, kept looking at the gas gauge and looking back at me and going, ah, ah. I was going, Johnny, you have that dry sense of humor. Well, we're flying along. All of a sudden, the red engine goes boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, maybe like 6 times over like you see in the movies, and then bingo, pinned, right?

I went, shit. He reaches down, he pulls up to the reserve, natural reaction, there is no reserve gas. Left engine went, bee-yooom, boom, whew. And instead of a, we flew into a tree orchard, right? Normally it'll cartwheel a small aircraft.

We were going so fast we tore it down and landed in a railroad embankment stuck at the ground at 230 miles an hour. So we were probably going you know well over 300 and we're just literally 200 yards from the runway. Wow. So he tried.

Speaker 1: And you're you.

Speaker 0: He died and he never regained consciousness and 2 chicks came both engaged to him double knock out at the door, at the hospital door. Oh boy. I told the guy, he says, he goes, Joey, you and I could talk all day. So they're putting us in the ambulance, right? It's like the old military style, not like the ones today that are like a hospital room, right?

You're put in a rack, right? And he goes, I think we might lose this 1. So I go, I told the guy, I said, I think he's talking about me. I said, man, go my shaving kit. Said a letter to a chick named Sheila.

Said tell Sheila I love her, but not to come see me. Last I seen the Sheila. The guy showed up 10 years later at the match. He says, you remember me? I'm the guy who got the letter for you.

I said, thanks.

Speaker 1: So how bad did you get injured in the accident?

Speaker 0: Broke My back 3 places, T10, 11, and 12.

Speaker 1: So fractured the actual bones of

Speaker 0: the spine? Compression fracture, yeah. I used to be 6 foot 2. So they had to fuse your back? Nope, no surgery at all.

Really? They just didn't think I'd ever wrestle again. And I'm, you know, that was what we were gonna do, right? They said you're never gonna wrestle again. Yeah.

Speaker 1: Yeah. That was in 75, would you say? When was it the crash?

Speaker 0: It was October of 75, and I was back in the ring in March of 76. Yeah. I went from 255 to 180, back to 218. Wow. But I never got myself to land flat on my back again, ever.

Everybody knows I landed on my hip on my side.

Speaker 1: Yeah, because of your back injury.

Speaker 0: Yeah, just couldn't get myself to land flat. So the promoter I was wrestling said if you don't take a backdrop that's where you flip over a guy's shoulder and go up in the air like 6, 7 feet. I'm gonna make you wrestle an hour every night until you do. So I go after 2 weeks of wrestling and you know some of the crowds back then were 250, 300 people, you know what I mean, 5 bucks ringside, Fisherville, North Carolina, or Fisherville, Virginia, middle of nowhere, right, 1 hour every night. Finally I said damn it I'm just gonna take the backdrop throw me in hit turbo took it boom that was over but I just couldn't get myself a landslide on my back.

When you did what happened were you alright? I was fine yeah. So it was just psychological. All psychological, yeah. Jesus Christ.

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Ric Flair on Surviving Horrific Plane Crash