It's about Hogan, brother...

This is definitely not a post I was expecting to write this early. Of course, you've heard the news by now about the passing of Hulk Hogan. Hogan looms large over Mitchell's Mess & More and those of us who are associated with them. I think something about Hogan has come up in conversation every single time we have gotten together, regardless if it's the full crew or just a couple of us. Hogan was large in life - he has to be the most recognizable face associated with professional wrestling over the last few decades. Love him or hate him, that cannot be denied. 

I was a Hulkamaniac back in the 1980s - I sat in the living room floor and watched his feuds with Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Zeus, King Kong Bundy, etc etc. I even had the Hulk Hogan cardboard stand up: 

As time went on, my allegiance moved on to other wrestlers, but Hogan was never completely forgotten. I was happy to get to work Reid Flair's debut match in Charlotte on December 6, 2008. Reid teamed with his brother David (with Dad in their corner) vs. The Nasty Boys w/ Jimmy Hart. Hogan was the special guest referee. This was a huge match. There were four photographers at ringside, two guys running video cameras-ringside space was at a premium. There are plenty of videos of this event online, here's one - and that's my hand grabbing Hart's megaphone at 1:12.  

I've been working on a post with photos from 2004. Today's event though had me fast forward. So click here and take a look at Hulk Hogan in Charlotte, NC in 2008. 

Reid Flair

I was on the road in Spartanburg, SC on Friday, 29 March when I got two simultaneous texts after 1pm.  Reid Flair is dead they both said.  Tragic news and I thought what a shame, and what a loss, and what a lesson.  I'm not going to go into the wrongs or rights about Reid's life - it's not my place.  I was just a wrestling photographer.  So I'm going to show you some pictures.

These were taken on 6 December 2008, at Vance High School in Charlotte.  Wrestling in the Queen City on  Saturday night - a great feeling.  I was working for Highspots doing the VIP photo ops for Ric Flair.  This was the year of Ric's retirement and his big match at WrestleMania 24.  Everybody wanted a photo with the Nature Boy and I was lucky enough to get to be the cameraman.

His appearances for Highspots would culminate at a Premiere Wrestling Showcase show on 12/6 where he would be at ringside with his sons David & Reid versus The Nasty Boys with Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart. The special guest referee: Hulk Hogan.  The match was touted at Reid's debut match...which was sort of true.

As you can see below, Ric was a proud father at ringside.  He spoke before the match about his history in the Charlotte area and thanked the fans for supporting his sons and his career.  The Flair family was at ringside also.  The Nasty Boys did their best to beat the crap out of Reid, but in the end it was a 3-way Figure Four leglock that ended the show (the crowd went apeshit for this-it was a wall of sound coming at me from behind).  I had forgotten about the last two photos, and they seem more important now that Reid is gone.