Why Ric Flair, 73, will step into the ring one last time

TAMPA, Fla. — Ric Flair stepped between the ropes and into the ring at The Wrestling Lab three weeks ago. The pro-wrestling legend had been doing private workouts with his trainer, Jay Lethal, for several months. But on that early July day, Flair and Lethal had a visitor at the St. Petersburg, Florida, gym.

Charlotte, Flair’s WWE star daughter, was in attendance ringside to watch her 73-year-old father go through the paces. At one point, Lethal called for Flair to do a “blow-up drill” — an exercise designed to test a wrestler’s cardio and respiratory system. Flair was told to run the ropes, hitting each of them 10 times each, and then lay down on the mat and get up quickly (and technically) 10 times.

Flair was five years removed from being on life support for two weeks and intensive care for a month, the result of several devastating health issues. He told ESPN he was given about a…