Ric Flair's Son Reid Dead at 25

Shocking and sad news to report today as Ric Flair's 25 year old son Reid was found dead this

morning at the age of 25.  Reid is known to many wrestling fans for being involved on WCW Nitro in the late 90s as a kid at his dad's side.  Reid had since become a pro wrestler himself and was actively competing on the independent scene as well as in Japan.

There are no details as of yet on Reid Flair's cause death as of this writing, and we are all in hopes there is no connection to his 2009 arrest for drug possession therefore we won't speculate.

Reid was always talked about as a great amateur who had the ability to make it in pro wrestling, unlike his brother David who obviously didn't inherit his father's skill.  Reid debuted in 2008 in a much talked about match where he teamed with his brother against the Nasty Boys, with very special referee Hulk Hogan.  Since then it had been expected that it was only a matter of time before Reid popped up in TNA or WWE. 

This is without a doubt a devastating day for Ric Flair who as we all have seen is always highly emotional about his family.  Our condolences are with the Nature Boy as are those of the entire wrestling community.  Below is a match featuring Reid Flair from Japan that happened less than 2 weeks ago, and shows what a promising young talent he was.

 

Breaking Spoilers: New World Heavyweight Champion Crowned at Smackdown Tapings

**Spoiler warning: don't read this post if you want to be surprised**

With The Rock returning Monday on RAW, the early "Road to WrestleMania" vibe is already in the air which means you can expect the unexpected for the next few months.  That very vibe was evident tonight as the World Heavyweight Championship changed hands at the Smackdown tapings when Alberto Del Rio defeated The Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match for the title.

With Del Rio recently turning face and Ricardo Rodriguez being used to help get him over as a good guy, defeating the Big Show will definitely propel Alberto back to a top spot in the company.  This title change really comes out of the blue, since it seemed Big Show was in the midst of a long reign that would go until at least WrestleMania.  All this could be to set up a rematch at The Royal Rumble that would see Show regain the title after claiming he wasn't actually pinned or submitted in the Last Man Standing match.  There was some early buzz that Ryback would take on Show at WrestleMania, but this title change may turn things more toward an Alberto vs. Dolph Ziggler title match at 'Mania.

Things are heating up in WWE right now, and they are making an effort to bring back some "must see TV" since the ratings have been low the past few months.  Alberto's title win will air this Friday on Smackdown, along with The Rock's first appearance on the show in 10 years.

Happy Black Friday: Wrestling DVD and Merchandise Deals

Happy Holidays, Everyone!
Thanksgiving brings back a lot of Wrestling memories. A couple years back we posted a "Remember When" about The Survivor Series Thanksgiving Tradition.

After spending Thanksgiving with family, a lot of shoppers choose to take advantage of the "Black Friday" sales. It's late afternoon now here, so most of the early bird chaos has subsided. Perhaps you took advantage of some of these deals.

May we offer another suggestion? Black Friday deals are often found online, and next Monday comes the newer online shopping "holiday" of Cyber Monday.

At any time during the year, if you are looking for some good deals on Wrestling merchandise, take a look at the PWR DVD Store, stocked with wrestling DVDs and Blu-Ray.

For more general online deals ( we know our audience is shopping for more than just Wrestling merch), I don't really think you can beat the Black Friday deals ( great prices on just about everything, free shipping offers, sometimes no sales tax), whether you are looking for TVs, video game systems, tablets, laptops, Kindles, iPads, everything offered by Amazon:

That's a link to their general Black Friday deals. So far this shopping season I took advantage of the following deals:

I got the Kindle Fire HD. Also picked up the newest generation of the iPod touch ( Amazon doesn't allow us to link to that directly, but once you get on their site you can search for just about everything), and a few toys.

Is Ryback the Change WWE Needs?

Some online "experts" may say he's green, clumsy, a Goldberg clone, etc., but one thing is for sure, Ryback has exploded on to the scene and has made an impact unlike any superstar in years.  I remember reading house show reports from his first few appearances and not understanding what the former "Skip Sheffield's" new character was.  "Ryback" sounded like some sort of robotic monster similar to John Cena's "Prototype" character from his early years.  In reality, Ryback has just turned out to be an ass kicker that plows his opponents and doesn't have much to say....very similar to Goldberg's rise to stardom in the 90's which has played a big part in the "Goldberg" chants that are still heard during Ryback's matches.

The build for the Ryback character has been great, he's destroyed everyone in his path, and even multiple opponents at once.  We knew the moment would come that Ryback would be matched against higher level opponents, but it seems WWE's lack of ratings has sped up the process and now Ryback finds himself in the main event picture.  For the past few weeks, Ryback has made his presence known to WWE Champion CM Punk, and now we may even see that match on pay per view after the events on RAW last Monday.

While it may seem rushed, I pose the question, is Ryback main eventing exactly what WWE needs?  Ryback is a character that is an anti-John Cena....no goofy jokes, no being the good guy in any situation, just straight up ass kicking.  The fact of the matter is, Ryback is a guy that adult males aren't afraid to cheer for.  He gets in the ring and destroys opponents, and in brutal fashion.  John Cena has driven these fans away with his antics, and these fans need someone to cheer for if WWE wants to bring them back.

Another fact is that Ryback brings back a sense of realism to the WWE Title scene, he's a guy even non fans would stop and watch because they want to see the big "freakishly huge monster" in the ring and see what he can do.  In a visual side by side comparison, Ryback SHOULD beat Punk.  Seeing him defeat Punk wouldn't feel out of place to a casual fan, Ryback looks like someone who physically should be the champion and would plow most opponents.  The bigger question is, can WWE keep the Goldberg-esque mystique with Ryback by keeping him undefeated for a good long while, unlike Goldberg who was infamously sabotaged in WCW.

Is Ryback ready? Time will tell.  But I have a feeling Ryback would be a champion that would have casual fans drawn in just to see who could possibly beat him.  Is there that type of mystique with Cena or any other top guy?  Not at all, we've seen them matched up in every way and interest just isn't there.  So what do you think?  Would Ryback as WWE Champion spark interest or fall flat? Is now the time or should Ryback continue moving up the roster at a slow pace before reaching WWE Title level?

Birthdays For July 16

Born on this day: July 16, 1976



July 16, 1976 - Former WWE Superstar: Bobby Lashley

July 16, 1974 - Former ECW Wrestler: Chris Chetti