The show drew 6,800 fans for a live gate of $448,502, making it the second highest-grossing North American independent professional wrestling event in modern history behind All In.
Production
Background
Ric Flair, who headlined the event in the final match of his 50-year career
Ric Flair debuted as a professional wrestler on December 10, 1972.[2] Flair lost his first retirement match against Shawn Michaels at WWE's WrestleMania XXIV in March 2008. He later wrestled on the Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin tour in 2009 and for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2010–2011. Flair has said he only came back to wrestle after the match with Michaels because he was significantly in debt, and regrets having done so.[3]
Footage surfaced of Flair training with former TNA rival Jay Lethal in April 2022.[4] It was then announced in May 2022 that Flair would wrestle one final match at Nashville Fairgrounds on July 31, 2022, as part of his son-in-law Conrad Thompson's Starrcast convention.[5] The convention was held the same weekend as WWE's SummerSlam, which took place at nearby Nissan Stadium on July 30.
The event included eleven matches that resulted from scripted storylines, in which wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match.[8]
Storylines were produced in a three-part weekly web series titled Ric Flair: The Last Match that aired between July 11, 2022 and July 25, 2022 on the show's official website. Narrated by Darius Rucker, the first episode detailed Flair's battle with alcoholism and subsequent health problems following the death of his son Reid Flair in 2013.[9] The second episode saw Flair get attacked by training partner Jay Lethal and WWE executive Jeff Jarrett outside of Nashville Fairgrounds following the event's press conference on June 23, 2022. Lethal was insulted that Flair could not get him booked on the card, and Jarrett was insulted that Flair disrespected his father, Jerry Jarrett. Flair was left bloodied in a parking lot following the attack. It was then announced that Flair would team with son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to face Jarrett and Lethal in the main event.[10] The third and final episode featured a contract signing between the main event teams, brokered by promoter David Crockett.
Tony Schiavone introduced Ric Flair for an interview segment, but instead Jay Lethal came out with Karen Jarrett to do a Flair impersonation and antagonize the crowd. Jarrett was interrupted by loud "Who are you?" chants from the audience.
Frank the Clown then entered the ring to insult Ric Flair, at which point Jacob Fatu came out. Frank the Clown attempted to escape up the entranceway, but Mick Foley prevented him from leaving and threw him back in the ring to get beatdown by Fatu.
The second contest of the show and final contest of the pre-show saw Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) star Mance Warner win the Bunkhouse Battle Royale by last eliminating Bully Ray. Prior to the match, the announced participants were already in the ring when Nick Gage came out and declared that he had brought a contingent of GCW stars as surprise entrants.
Preliminary matches
In the opening contest of the pay-per-view broadcast, The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) took on The Wolves in a tag team match. The Motor City Machine Guns picked up the victory after performing Skull and Bones on Edwards, who was pinned.
A backstage segment saw Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler consulting Jeff Jarrett in his locker room regarding the main event, with the group consensus being that Ric Flair stole his strut from Jackie Fargo and that Jeff needed to reclaim it.
In the main event, Ric Flair and Andrade El Idolo took on Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett (with Karen Jarrett) in a tag team match. The finish came after Conrad Thompson threw brass knuckles to El Idolo. El Idolo then gave the brass knuckles to Flair, who used them to knock out Jarrett. Referee Mike Chioda was knocked out, causing El Idolo to call for another referee from the back. Flair put Jarrett in the figure-four leglock, and with Jarrett's shoulders pinned to the mat, referee Dave Miller counted the pinfall. After the match, Flair greeted his family at ringside along with colleagues in attendance such as Bret Hart, Mick Foley and The Undertaker. Tony Schiavone then interviewed Flair ringside before he made his way up the entrance ramp, stopping to embrace singer Kid Rock and hoist the Big Gold Belt as the broadcast went off the air.
Multiple reviewers described watching Flair's performance in the main event as "uncomfortable" due to his poor physical condition.[18][20] In the leadup to the match, Flair revealed that he had been suffering from plantar fasciitis and planned on drinking prior to the bout.[22] Flair claimed that he passed out twice during the match due to dehydration.[23] His doctor later determined that Flair had in fact passed out after suffering a heart attack.[24]
The show drew 6,800 fans for a live gate of $448,502, with an estimated 20,000–25,000 viewers on FITE and 4,200 viewers on In Demand.[1] It was the second highest-grossing North American independent professional wrestling event in modern history behind All In.[1]
Before the match in July 2022, Flair had vowed to honor his word and never wrestle again, but said he would continue in the business as a manager.[32] A few days after the bout however, he regretted announcing that it would be his final match.[33] During a September 2022 celebration for the 50th anniversary of his debut in professional wrestling, Flair announced that he would never retire.[34]
