Reciting a laundry list of poor decisions that make Lenny Dysktra look fiscally responsible by comparison, Grantland’s Shane Ryan (“The Wrestler’s Real Life”) successfully humiliated one of the last century’s greatest pro wrestling performers with an article that while well within the public’s right to know, fell well beyond what anyone needed to know. Having accomplished this for the greater glory of the Klondike ice cream bar company, Ryan now finds himself the target of (cough) planned legal reprisal from Flair, according to the always-accurate TMZ :
A rep for Flair — — whose real name is Richard Fliehr — tells TMZ, “While the information gleaned from courthouse records may be credible, Mr. Fliehr is currently evaluating his legal options with respect to falsehoods in the story, specifically the untrue statement that he suffers from alcoholic cardiomyopathy.”
The rep adds, “Our client understands that these allegations are part of the territory when you are not only famous, but a living legend.”
Sadly for Flair, the claim of alcoholic cardiomyopathy can also be culled from the Nature Boy’s autobiography, ‘To Be The Man’ (WWE Books / Simon & Schuster, 2004), as Deadspin’s Jack Dickey points out. At the risk of taking any pleasure from Flair’s circumstances, this could be a fantastic storyline opportunity for the creatively-challenged TNA ; if Flair belongings being repossessed doesn’t galvanize the viewership, perhaps a lengthy diatribe against the institution of sports blogging will do the trick?