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Statement from the Cauliflower Alley Club

Posted: Sep 1st 2026 By: Cauliflower Alley Club

September 1, 2026

Professional wrestling has long lived by a familiar phrase: “The card is subject to change.” Unfortunately, sometimes circumstances arise that are beyond the control of the talent or the promoter. When that happens, the responsibility is to communicate openly and make every reasonable effort to deliver something meaningful in its place.

We recognize and understand the disappointment expressed by some members regarding Ric Flair’s inability to attend our recent reunion in person. Many traveled to the reunion looking forward to seeing the “Nature Boy,” and we do not dismiss that disappointment.
Upon learning that Ric would be unable to appear, Club President B. Brian Blair addressed the situation directly with our membership on Monday evening.

The Club then worked on extremely short notice to secure WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler to appear at the reunion.
At the same time, we continued working with Ric Flair’s management to ensure that he could participate in the event. Those efforts resulted in Ric appearing virtually to accept his honor—the first virtual appearance of its kind in Cauliflower Alley Club reunion history.

Would we have preferred to have Ric standing before the membership in person? Absolutely. We know many of our members would have preferred that as well.

But his inability to be physically present does not diminish a career spanning more than five decades, nor does it disqualify the achievements for which his peers selected him to receive the Iron Mike Mazurki Award. The award recognizes a body of work and a lasting contribution to professional wrestling.

Those accomplishments remain unchanged by an unavoidable absence on one evening.
The Cauliflower Alley Club exists to celebrate the people who built and sustained our industry and, above all, to foster the friendship and fraternity that have defined this organization since 1968.

We appreciate the passion of our members, including those who have expressed disappointment, and we are grateful to everyone who helped us adapt when circumstances changed.

The card was subject to change. The respect behind the honor was not.