Ric Flair says ex-girlfriend has come ‘running back’ to him — then adds huge twist

Nypost · Aug 10, 2026 · 526 words · By Jenna Lemoncelli

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What to know about Ric Flair says ex-girlfriend has come ‘running back’ to him — then adds huge twist

WWE legend Ric Flair raised some eyebrows when he announced on social media that his ex Wendy Barlow “came running back” to him after their split in September 2024.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

WWE legend Ric Flair raised some eyebrows when he announced on social media that his ex Wendy Barlow “came running back” to him after their split in September 2024.

Why it matters

Flair, who was with Barlow for 13 years before their breakup, shared in an X post Sunday that he “is available” and gushed over Barlow for “taking the best care of me” during their relationship.

Common ground

In another post on Monday, Flair clarified that the pair are not back together, and instead explained how they’re focusing on renewing their friendship.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Ric Flair says ex-girlfriend has come ‘running back’ to him — then adds huge twist?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Flair and Barlow held a wedding ceremony in 2018, but they were never legally married, he confirmed to People in 2022?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/10/sports/ric-flair-says-ex-girlfriend-has-come-runni…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

help Insufficient Evidence 2

cancel Disputed 1

schedule Pending 1

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Claim 1: “Flair and Barlow held a wedding ceremony in 2018, but they were never legally married, he confirmed to People in 2022.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm they had a wedding ceremony in 2018 but were never legally married.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — After having separated a number of months ago, Ric Flair and Wendy Barlow are reportedly back together.The pair held a wedding ceremony in September 2018 but were never legally married.
https://itrwrestling.com/news/ric-flair-reconciles-with-wife…

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web search NEUTRAL — James Black/Icon Sportswire/Getty. Ric Flair and Wendy Barlow have ended their relationship. Despite hosting a wedding ceremony in 2018, the 72-year-old wrestling legend and Barlow confirmed on Monday…
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/wwe-superstar-ric-flair-wendy-2024…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ric Flair says he and Wendy Barlow are not resuming a romantic relationship.They held a wedding ceremony in Florida in September 2018 but were never legally married, separating in January 2022 before …
https://www.sescoops.com/article/ric-flair-wendy-barlow-not-…

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Claim 2: “In May 2019, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer was hospitalized for a medical emergency and underwent surgery, according to TMZ.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a medical emergency and surgery in May 2019.

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Claim 3: “The 16-time WWE champ was hospitalized with stomach pains and placed in a medically induced coma for 12 days for a ruptured intestine.”

DISPUTED

While all sources agree on the ruptured intestine and medically induced coma, there is a discrepancy regarding the duration: one source says 12 days, while two others say 11 days.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — When Flair announced the couple’s split in 2024, he thanked Barlow for “standing by my side through my terrible health crisis in 2017.” The 16-time WWE champ was hospitalized with stomach pains and pl…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/10/sports/ric-flair-says-ex-girlf…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The 70-year-old Flair has suffered a number of health issues including a ruptured intestine in 2017 that left him in a medically-induced coma for 11 days.
https://rock101fm.iheart.com/content/2019-05-16-ric-flair-ru…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A statement on Flair’s health has yet to be released. Flair had a very serious medical scare in 2017 when he suffered a ruptured intestine that resulted in being put into a medically induced coma for …
https://1051thebounce.com/2019/05/16/ric-flair-hospitalized/

help

Claim 4: “Flair said he spent 31 days in the ICU and that he was given a 20 percent chance to live.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the 31 days in ICU or the 20% survival chance.

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Claim 5: “Flair wrote Saturday, including a photo of the two sitting court side at Lakers-Pelicans game in Los Angeles in 2020.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the existence of a photo of Flair and Barlow at a Lakers-Pelicans game on February 25, 2020, in Los Angeles.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. As of November 2023, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in a leg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ric_Flair

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Four Horsemen is an American professional wrestling stable that originally consisted of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard. The stable originated in Jim Crockett Promotion…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Horsemen_(professiona…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2025 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_in_professional_wrestling

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Flair, who was with Barlow for 13 years before their breakup”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources explicitly state that Flair and Barlow were together for 13 years prior to their breakup.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2026 in professional wrestling describes the current year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_professional_wrestling

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “Ric Flair announced on social media that his ex Wendy Barlow “came running back” to him after their split in September 2024.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources confirm Ric Flair posted on social media that Wendy Barlow had returned to him, and that this followed a split announced in September 2024.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2026 in professional wrestling describes the current year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_professional_wrestling

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “She Is Coming To Tampa Primarily To Take Care Of Her Parents, Who Are Both In Their 80s And Not In Good Health.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report Flair's explanation that Barlow is returning to Tampa to care for her parents, who are in their 80s and in poor health.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was the world's third-largest hamburger fast-food chain, following McDonald's and Burger King. As of November 2, 2023, there were 7,166 Wendy's outlets, of which 415 a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy's

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Wendy is a Welsh feminine given name. In Britain during the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, a male Captain Wendy Oxford was identified by the Leveller John Lilburne as a spy reporting on his activ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Hungry for Wendy's? Get it delivered and save. Whether you're hungry for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Wendy's delivery is $3 off orders of $20+ — call it an obvious can’t-skip. Start your delivery ord…
https://www.wendys.com/

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Claim 9: “Flair clarified that the pair are not back together, and instead explained how they’re focusing on renewing their friendship.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report that Flair clarified they are not renewing their romantic relationship but are instead renewing a friendship.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fifi may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifi

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “praised Barlow for taking care of him during his health struggles in 2017.”

CORROBORATED

Sources mention Flair thanking Barlow for standing by him and taking care of him during his 2017 health crisis.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fifi may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifi

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 11: “Flair was previously married four times, to Leslie Goodman (from 1971-1983), Elizabeth Harrell (from 1983 to 2006), Tiffany VanDemark (from 2006-2009) and Jackie Beems (from 2009-2014).”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.