COLUMN: The Farewell Edition Of Offbeat Shenanigans



Offbeat Shenanigans



by: Kevin McElvaney

Hey Shenanifans! Well, this is it. After a hair under 40 of these gems, this week’s edition of Offbeat Shenanigans will be my last. I’ve had a great time posting for all of you here. If I’ve done my job correctly, I’ve been able to entertain, enlighten, or at least distract every one of you reading this at some point through the past 9 months or so.

A lot’s changed, both on WrestleZone and in my life, personally, since I started doing this column. Both of these factors have played an influence in my decision to hang up the proverbial boots. I’ll still be around, of course, and you can always feel free to email me at kjmcelvaney@yahoo.com.

Also, I’ve got to say that I laughed when Scott Hudson advised readers to buy the band Sugar’s album Copper Blue in his most recent column. I had actually just purchased the CD a few days before! Go figure.

Anyway…

IT’S ONLY WRESTLING

Most of the people I’ve dealt with on this site – either by email or on the message boards – have been civil, polite, and very cool. Still, there are plenty of people in cyberspace who take great pride in insulting other people and badmouthing almost anything going on in mainstream wrestling to anyone who will listen. To these people, please heed the subheader. Please remember:

IT’S ONLY WRESTLING

It’s a fact that many of us (myself included) are prone to forget. Why get so wrapped up in whether so-and-so is getting a push or whether or not Eric Young is actually funny or just funny to Dutch Mantell and Vince Russo. (I happen to think he’s great.)

Indeed, why get into heated arguments about anything related to the squared circle, unless you’re having fun doing so? If you don’t like something, change the channel. If someone calls you a name when you’re debating the new Brian Kendrick gimmick, then maybe you should step away or close your browser window.

Wrestlers do it, too. How many times have you heard one wrestler level that much-maligned insult at another wrestler: He’s a mark for himself. The insult really hits home because, yes, even wrestlers tend to take things too seriously at times. But why should they? After all…

IT’S ONLY WRESTLING

I’ve surely been guilty of getting too wrapped up in the crazy world of pro wrestling, myself. It’s entertainment, people, and we’ve got to remember that. Sure, there’s some absolute crap that we’re expected to not only pay for and watch, but actually become EXCITED about. That said, we do have remotes. We also have dollars we can choose to spend or not to spend.

I’ve said it before, and it’s definitely worth repeating – wrestling is amazing. It’s a very unique and potentially wildly entertaining form of sports entertainment. So much can and does happen. Athleticism, stage combat, humor, and pathos all combine to create what is sometimes derogatorily called a “male soap opera.”

Whether that “soap opera” occurs on USA, Spike, or in a little gym or hall in a small or big city, it’s something that can truly be magical. But then again…

IT’S ONLY WRESTLING

That does it for me, Shenanifans. I’d like to thank Chris Cash for inviting me to write for WrestleZone.com. Thanks also to my fellow writers, who have made sure that there is never a dull moment on this site. Thanks to Glenn Gilbertti, for at least knowing that my name is pronounced “Mac” and not “Mc,” despite all of his humorous misspellings of it. (Most people don’t know that, and I’ve gotten used to it.) And hey, he not only taught me everything I know about pro wrestling, but he’s also the greatest wrestling writer of all time!

Thanks, finally, to the readers of this site. Some people may call you geeks, but I want you to know that, whenever they do, I’ll be there with you in spirit. We’re geeks together.

Keep in touch!

Kevin McElvaney is a contributing writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated and The Wrestler / Inside Wrestling. He can be reached at kjmcelvaney@yahoo.com, or by shining the Shenani-Signal into the skies of Gotham.

TRENDING


X