Ric Flair recounts how alcohol abuse nearly led to his death

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE Magazine, Ric Flair said that what he went through over the past few weeks trumps anything he had been through before, including surviving an airplane crash, breaking his back, and getting hit by lightning.

Years of alcohol abuse caught up with the two-time WWE Hall of Famer just over a month ago where within hours, Flair was in the early stages of kidney failure and on the verge of congestive heart failure.

Flair revealed that his family members were told that he only had 20% chance of making it through as doctors scrambled to save his life, including removing part of Flair’s bowel and inserting a pacemaker. “It scared the sh!t out of me. But I’m not out of the woods yet,” Flair said.

The 16-time World Heavyweight champion says that he now needs a nurse to help him steady his shaking hands so he can have some water from a glass. He admitted that he never thought he was an alcoholic, an opinion which has now changed. “I’ll never drink again,” says Flair. “I never want to go through this again.”