Welcome to this weekâs edition of Sean O’Mac’s Pullin’ No Punches (PnP for short). Each week you’ll find Sean’s opinions on one or more topics in the WWE world as well as letters from readers. Remember that you, too, can chime in with your thoughts anytime. I like the props, but love the debates and disagreements too. Just keep them brief or I’ll be choppin’ ya down!
Hey wrestling fans! Hope that you all had filling Thanksgivings and are surviving the onslaught of holiday shopping. My apologies for not having a PnP last week, but things have been a bit chaotic around the McGuinney household. I hope both of my readers have been patient with me. 😉
On a different note, I’m going to start a new feature here on PnP. Along with your normal letters with opinions and takes on the WWE or what you read here, you can now suggest a topic of the week. Each week I’ll pick the best one (yes, it’s a dictatorship) and give my all-out, no-holds-barred opinion on the matter. Just send your e-mail to wzseanomac@yahoo.com and label it TOPIC in the subject line and remember, controversy DOES create cash. Well, not so much cash here, but you get my point!
KEEPING YOUR BALANCE
Well, it looks like the WWE is finally getting some color back into the mix. In recent weeks weâve had the return of Y2J, Ric Flair with a decent storyline (hopefully it lasts), Edge, and at long last weâre seeing some of the drama back on the screen.
Youâve all read my opinions in the past about how badly the WWE needs great characters just as much as athletes who can wrestle. All wrestling all the time would be pretty boring. But whatâs important now (this is for you, creative team) is for a good balance to be maintained.
Those of us whoâve grown up watching wrestling know there are certain staples that make a show more interesting. Good storylines, great characters doing promos, and a few twists and turns thrown in for good measure like the classic run-in. But this last weekâs episode of Raw lost its sense of balance â” something I hope will be the exception rather than the norm.
Only two matches ended cleanly in a night where there were five bouts. The night was also filled with much promo time, some good, some not so good. The WWE has to remember that while we do indeed need to see the stories be built up and unfold, weâre tuning in for both â” great stories and great matches.
Before Iâm accused of being impossible to satisfy, I will say this. Props to WWE for finally getting some decent stories going.
And now for something completely different â¦
SHOCK AND AWE
An interesting thing happened to me at work today. Those of you who have been reading my stuff know by now that Iâm a full-time newspaper guy and a volunteer firefighter. While outside the office adding to the cancer genes with the aid of a Marlboro, I heard a crash â” a two-car wreck had just happened at the intersection nearby.
With instincts kicking in, and the whole âduty to actâ premise, I popped my trunk and grabbed some latex gloves (yes, I keep some handy) and ran over to help. Luckily, the mother and approximately 5-year-old in the minivan that had caught the worst end of the wreck only had minor cuts and bruises.
It may sound sick to say this, but unless youâve done he job itâs hard to understand. The event made my day. Itâs been a while since Iâve been able to respond to a scene, so having that shock value and adrenaline rush kick in brightened an otherwise boring afternoon.
Then, believe it or not, it got me to thinking about the wrestling business (well after the wreck when I resumed working on this weekâs column, mind you.) We have characters, we have in-ring action, but something is indeed missing â” the shock value.
Now there have been debates lately over who is to blame for that, and certainly the Internet and sites such as Wrestle Zone are far from innocent. We put up all the information we can about the business and the people in it, spoilers included. We let you know well in advance that âThe Codeâ was mostly likely the return of Chris Jericho. And if youâre reading the articles, you even know by now where the titles may rest through the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania.
The wrestling business is a victim of the information age. But thereâs still much they can do to change that.
Improvise, adapt and overcome. Write two endings like some much-anticipated movies do. Throw us some curve balls at the last minute that nobody, us writers included, see coming. We need the excitement back, and itâs time to catch up to the era and figure out new ways to leave fans in awe of what theyâve just seen on their televisions.
No, I donât have all the answers on how to accomplish this goal â” but Iâm not paid to figure out those problems.
THE PUNCHING BAG
Itâs your turn again! This is where, each week, youâll find e-mails and feedback from wrestling fans on my Takes and opinions. You’re welcome to send yours, good or bad, to wzseanomac@yahoo.com. But be warned – the WWE isn’t the only ones I won’t pull punches for!
Hey Sean firstly I would like to say that I love your columns there great! Now what I want to say is that the whole Vickie and Edge story line is totally wrong, it should have never been thought of, but thats just my opinion. And lastly I’m starting to think that that the match between Batista and Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship next week may turn into a triple threat with Undertaker getting another shot at the title also, what do you think? Well thanks for your time and keep making great columns.
– Tony A.
Well, Tony, forgive me for not getting your letter in a column last week but now we know that the triple-threat match is exactly whatâs going to happen. As far as the Vickie-Edge storyline â” under normal circumstances I think this story could work. But I must say that Iâm not pleased with it. To me, the death of Eddie is still too fresh in my mind for a story like this involving Vickie â” but thatâs personal opinion and not meant to be a bash at her. Personally, Iâm glad to see sheâs still involved in the business that her husband loved and able to support her family through it.
Thanks for the props, Tony.
Hey Sean O’mac, just wanted to say i love the article!â It’s very cool!â But I’veâ got two questions.
1. Why was Jericho in the Nutshellers?â I thought his match with Santino was good.â I liked the new “Code Breaker” that Jericho does.â It’s looks very devastating and that in the future when Jericho uses it, it will end the match.
2. I found the Hornswoggle/Carlito funny.â That was like the old cartoon “the Road Runner” i think its name was.â But then again I’m a teen so i probably still find that funny.
– Jaws1005
Thanks Jaws, appreciate both of my readers. 😉
Keep in mind that The Headliners is a category that I generally reserve for whatever has the most significant storyline impact, and The High-fliers obviously for the best match of the night. While I enjoyed Jerichoâs bit and love seeing him back, I just couldnât bump the top match out with Jerichoâs match this night.
Iâm no teen by any stretch, but even I can appreciate seeing the occasional episode of Looney Tunes. But I expect something a bit more sophisticated from wrestling storylines. While I can fathom what theyâre doing now with the whole Vince âtough loveâ and Finlay angle, I just canât help but shake my head and sigh when they go all cartoon on us.
Hi, have just rewatched Raw from monday Night and in the segment with Coachman and Vince where they are trying to outdo each other for next weeks Raw, Vince does NOT say HULK HOGAN will be headlineing RAW what he says is HORN HOGAN which leads me to think they are going to dress up Hornswoggle as Hulk Hogan, just thought i would pass on this information
– Jon M.
Thanks Jon, always appreciate it when fans forward opinions and information. I could have sworn that Vince said âHulk Hogan,â and would think that the sound of âHorn Hoganâ would have perked my ears significantly, not that they arenât big enough already. I donât have it recorded however and thus canât check it again. Guess weâll see next week!
Sean “O’Mac” McGuinney’s day job is as a newspaper editor. He has been a journalist for nearly 10 years and has covered everything from government to sports. The wrestling? Well, that’s just been enjoyed since he was a kid. Don’t ask how long ago that was.
