WATCH: Wrestling icon Ric Flair recounts Wilmington plane crash on Joe Rogan podcast

Before Ric Flair became, well, Ric Flair, he was just breaking into the pro wrestling business.

Then came a plane trip from Charlotte to Wilmington in 1975, and Flair's life changed.

The former world champion recently went on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast to discuss the plane crash that nearly killed the man known as "The Nature Boy."

On Oct. 4, 1975, Flair was en route to Wilmington and Legion Stadium for a match and flying alongside fellow wrestlers and a promoter. According to Flair, upwards of 10,000 fans were slated to be at the venue, which would've been a packed house even with ringside seats included.

However, the plane ran out of fuel and crashed just yards from the airport runway.

"He took five of us on the plane, and what we didn't know at the time was he was carrying no fuel because we were 1,400 pounds over gross," said Flair on the podcast about a lack of reserve fuel.

According to a 1975 StarNews article, the plane crashed into a railroad embankment just outside what was then called the New Hanover County Airport (now Wilmington International Airport).

One of Flair's first recollections moments after the crash were emergency personnel nearby saying they weren't sure he was going to make it. Turns out they were talking about someone else on the plane.

Flair broke his back in three places and didn't return to the ring until March 1976. Fellow wrestlers Tim Woods, Robert Bruggers and Johnny Valentine also survived, but Valentine was paralyzed. The pilot died.

"I never got myself to land flat on my back again," said Flair on the podcast of taking bumps in the ring.

Flair made trips back to Legion Stadium to wrestle, including in May 1976 alongside greats such as Andre The Giant and Chief Wahoo McDaniel.

During his recovery, Flair dropped weight and picked up a new gimmick mirrored after another wrestling star, the original "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers. Portraying a lavish lifestyle in and out of the ring, Flair's popularity skyrocketed as he won multiple world championships.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Ric Flair recounts Wilmington plane crash on The Joe Rogan Experience