ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR RIC FLAIR IN NORTH CAROLINA

With all the talk of WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair being a "traitor" to the Carolina Panthers for taking a paid appearance where he gave a motivational speech for The San Francisco 49ers, one of the side stories has been whether Flair would attend this weekend's game between the two teams in Charlotte.

Flair's agent issued a statement yesterday (which you can read by clicking here), claiming there had been "death threats" against Flair issued via social media and that Flair wouldn't be attending the game.

The reality is that Flair can't attend the game without running the risk of being arrested on an outstanding warrant issued in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The warrant has been the reason Flair has been living for the last six months in Atlanta, GA (where his girlfriend, the former "WCW Fifi the Maid" resides) and Tampa, FL (where Flair had been living with former WCW star Joe Gomez as a way to be near his daughter, current WWE NXT star Charlotte).

The warrant, issued on 7/3 ordered Flair arrested for contempt of court after the former NWA, WCW and WWF World champion failed to adhere to a June judgment against him, requiring the two-time WWE Hall of Famer to pay close to $33,000 in legal fees and support to his most recent ex-wife, Jacqueline.

A similar warrant was issued against Flair several years ago when he failed to pay a settlement he agreed to resolve a civil case brought against him by wrestling merchandise dealer www.highspots.com after they lent him a sum of money and Flair used the original NWA World championship belt as collateral on the loan. Highspots was eventually paid, so the warrant was rescinded. The NWA belt now sits in Triple H's office in Stamford, CT.

While the charge is technically a misdemeanor, the judge's ruling issuing the warrant calls for Flair's immediate arrest with the stipulation that he not be released until the complete amount he owes is paid off.

The warrant was issued just a month before Flair's Summerslam weekend outburst during the WWE 2K14 videogame panel discussion, which left WWE requesting Flair take care of personal issues if he wanted to have a relationship with the company going forward. Flair was not used again until this past Monday's Old School Raw. His 49ers appearance was booked via WWE, according to the Facebook statement issued yesterday.

So, Flair can't attend the game without risking being arrested in a very public forum.

"What can I say? Iâ€™ve always been a very good heel!â€ said Flair in the press release announcing he would not be at the game.

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