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!
No apologies?
Well, the saga between the WWE and CNN continued with CNN saying they didn’t owe former WWE Champion John Cena an apology for hacking his answer to pieces and taking him completely out of context.
Really.
Let’s look at things on a larger scale for a moment to compare. Let’s say, hypothetically, that President George W. Bush was asked the question, “Are you planning to use military force against Iran?”
And let’s say, hypothetically, that his response was something along these lines: “Absolutely not. We are pursuing diplomatic solutions and sanctions in conjunction with the United Nations and European Union. We want Iran to come clean on their nuclear program, join the international community, and be held accountable. But make no mistake about it, if they continue to show defiance in the face of international pressure and continue what we believe is a program geared toward acquiring nuclear weapons, then absolutely we will use everything at our disposal to ensure a state that sponsors terrorism can’t get nuclear weapons.”
Now, imagine if you will, the shouts and uprising that would come if, in order to press their belief that Bush was pursuing war, the interviewing news organization decided to cut that long, political answer and aired only the bolded portion.
I know this is an extreme comparison, but it’s the same basic principle. The man gave an answer that started with a clear, concise and definite negative – and CNN found a way to slice it to make it sound almost guilty.
In the newspaper business, many of us are taught that running corrections is actually a boost to your credibility, especially if you apologize for any errors that were your fault. We don’t like running too many of them, but don’t hesitate to run them when needed. It’s the right thing, the responsible thing, for any credible news organization to do.
Perhaps you should remember that, CNN, and rethink your response.
Lion among us
Well, it’s almost here. The next week in the WWE is going to be an exciting one. The return of Edge is expected at Survivor Series, and on Monday’s episode of Raw the countdown will end once again with the return of Chris Jericho.
And it’s not a moment too soon for either of them.
The WWE thrives on great personalities, face or heel. We know both of these men are superb talents on the mic, and it’s going to be great having them both back in the ring. If the fans are any indication, as shown by a recent poll that gave overwhelming approval to the Nov. 5 episode of Raw, having episodes filled with well-written promos and humor can be just as satisfying as those filled with good matches.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not satisfied unless I get my dose of good in-ring action. Hopefully Y2J will give us plenty of that too, giving away recently that he’s not only been working off his “ring rust” but has a few new moves to show off to the fans.
Welcome back to Raw is Jericho, folks!
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 [email protected]. But be warned – the WWE isn’t the only ones I won’t pull punches for!
Dear Sean,
First off I love your column! Very insightful and entertaining (especially the Big Daddy V and Kahli comments- they crack me up!) Well I just read your thoughts on CNN’s manipulation of John Cena’s interview. When I went to wwe.com the other day and watched both videos, I was shocked. It makes me sick that CNN did this. That they would stoop that low. What they did was just plain wrong! I feel that all they care about is ratings and creating something in order to fit their needs and wants. It was clear to me that they don’t care who they hurt nor who’s reps they have damaged (or tried to). I appaud WWE for taking a stand and essentially sticking it to CNN. John Cena didn’t do a damn thing to deserve this. All he did was give an insightful and intelligent answer to a very sensitive question in sports. He handled himself well and CNN decided to capitalize on that and make him and WWE look like idiots. But I believe that in the end Cena and WWE will have the last laugh and Cena fans such as myself will be laughing right along with them!
Keep up the good work!
– Kristen B.
Thanks for the props, Kristen. I love getting e-mails from the ladies.
The problem that’s faced now by the WWE and John Cena is not with the wrestling fans, however. Unfortunately, it’s with the many thousands of viewers who watched the CNN special but don’t follow wrestling. They’re the ones who will have drawn an uninformed conclusion, and it isn’t their fault. No one should be put in a position by a news organization where they are making conclusions based on anything less than all the facts.
But, perhaps CNN can make amends. In keeping with the spirit of WWE changing to accentuate “sports entertainment” rather than “wrestling,” let’s do the same with CNN. Henceforth, the network shall be known as CPN – the Cable Propaganda Network.
Good afternoon.
During the above rebroadcast, they did add his “Absolutely not,” quote to the interview, then spliced the controversial comment afterward. The later rebroadcasts (10 p.m. Central & 1 a.m. Central) did not have the “new splice.” The new splice made it seem as if he was speaking out of ‘both sides of his mouth.’
Kinda hurts – I’ve always thought CNN could be trusted.
FYI. Take care, and if you are a veteran or in the family of one, thank you so much for serving our country.
– Miss Paula
Well, I guess we’ve all wised up a bit Paula – myself included. And, as a veteran from a family of veterans, thank you and you’re welcome.
I agree with you a 110%.Being an aspiring wrestling journalist this pissed me off because journalists already have a bad reputation for supposedly doing things like this and CNN did nothing but prove everyone right. CNN is supposed to be the head news channel out there but pulling off something like this makes them look like a disgrace. I think every wrestling fan should be disappointed whether or not they are a fan of John Cena because not only did that documentary make him look bad, but it also made pro wrestling in general look bad as well. Like you, I will be watching a lot less of CNN. Hopefully since they have been caught red handed, no one will never have to go through what John Cena did.
– Shanti
Good luck in your goal of becoming a wrestling journalist. I can certainly name off a litany of much more boring beats to cover! Lord knows there’s plenty of intrigue, drama, and other news in both sides of the wrestling world, reality and on-air.
You are definitely right in that what CNN did not only hurt their own credibility, but hurt the news media in general as it pertains to the wrestling world. Seeing what happened to Cena, it wouldn’t surprise me if it didn’t get a bit more difficult to secure interviews or, if you do, get the entertainer to feel as though they can trust you. The latter, probably, won’t return at all.
Taker will get title at armageddon, not ss.
– Brett W.
Brett is referring to my recent prediction that Taker would get the strap from Batista this Sunday. I predicted he’d get the belt back in order to bring on a rivalry with Edge, who stole the belt from him if you recall. But, who knows. Guess we’ll find out Sunday!
Sean,
With WWE losing multitudes of stars at the moment whether it be to injury or contract issues,what is the state of WWE? It seems to me that the locker room is down. Carlito wants to leave, young stars like the Major brothers are seen as having massive attitude problems. Is WWE falling? More importantly…if they are…will TNA take their place or will something like UFC take its place?
– Mike
Mike, there’s no doubt that the WWE has been down recently. But make no mistake about it, the WWE isn’t going anywhere without an act of whatever supreme being you believe in. WCW had the WWE beat for quite some time, but look who’s standing now. I don’t see TNA, as much talent as they have, gaining enough momentum to put themselves in a WCW-like position. The WWE is here to stay.
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.
