Ric Flair and Coca Cola

According to reports earlier this week, Coca Cola pulled out of a promotional deal with Ric Flair, who had or was about to sign on to endorse their products - this is apparently due to a violent incident involving Naitch, his daughter Ashley, and Ashley's (unnamed) boyfriend.

According to Jim Ross, Flair and Coke had only casually been talking, so this wasn't like a done deal lost - granted. But it does highlight the point that casual talks become more serious talks, and if Flair's personal conduct, and that of his family, is costing him the lucrative deals he'd hoped to free himself up to sign when he left the WWE, then Ross' earlier assessment that someone needs to 'protect Ric from Ric' is not far off the mark.

WWE might not have provided for Ric to the full extent of his POTENTIAL earning power; but they'd have provided stability, benefits (if his role as an 'ambassador' was more in the employee/'office' line), and a family to fall back on should he have continued his ways of financial mismanagement and poor judgement. If he's going to lose out on deals like this, howsoever early in the negotation stages, due to his personal behaviours, he might have been better to stick with the WWE after all.

Tune in this weekend for my thoughts on SD, and over the week ahead for more wrestling news and thoughts!