Before Sean Oâ<80><99>Mac dives into what was an emotional episode of Raw, I think itâ<80><99>s time to ease some of the suspense regarding the big countdown to Wednesday.
You loyal Sean Oâ<80><99>Maniacs out there have seen the hints. Youâ<80><99>ve seen the days counting down on my official MySpace page. Sean Oâ<80><99>Mac is going to be coming at you bigger and better than ever, live, each week. And so will others. And so will you! Itâ<80><99>s almost time, fans, for us to start Pullinâ<80><99> No Punches! Keep watching www.totalwrestling.net , loc.wrestlezone.com , and my MySpace page at www.myspace.com/wzseanomac for where to go when the sands run out of that hourglass.
On another note, I know some of you out there are anxiously awaiting Sean Oâ<80><99>Macâ<80><99>s Take on WrestleMania 24. Rest assured, itâ<80><99>s coming folks.
Tonight was all about one man, Ric Flair, and rightfully so. At last nightâ<80><99>s WrestleMania, Flairâ<80><99>s career as a wrestler came to an end when he fell at the hands, or foot, of Shawn Michaels. Right from the opening promo, Sean Oâ<80><99>Mac had goose bumps. We saw some great memories tonight, watching scenes from 35 years of a legendary history. And what better way to end the show than surrounded by comrades and friends from both the past and present?
Former Four Horsemen were on hand, Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, and the entire WWE roster it appeared, to say â<80><9c>thank youâ<80> to Ric Flair for all heâ<80><99>s done in this business. And believe me, they were joined by thousands of fans in the stadium and millions around the world.
Think about this, Maniacs. Flair emphatically stated, â<80><9c>I will never wrestle in this ring again.â<80> Those are words weâ<80><99>ve heard before in one form or another, but I truly believe he meant them. Ever since Sean Oâ<80><99>Mac was a little Mac, heâ<80><99>s watched Ric Flair. He grew up booing the Four Horsemen when they would destroy their face opponents. But there was always something about that ringleader with the expensive robes and golden hair. I canâ<80><99>t remember what wrestling was like before Ric Flair because, simply put, the manâ<80><99>s been putting it on the line in the ring longer than Sean Oâ<80><99>Mac has drawn breath.
So, with the end of such a career, tonight was appropriate. There will never be another Ric Flair, and everyone knows it. The fans know it. The wrestlers know it. No one will ever be â<80><9c>stylinâ<80><99> and profilinâ<80><99>â<80> like The Nature Boy.
Now, the limousine is riding into the sunset. The jet is past the horizon. There may be more kisses to share, but the wheelinâ<80><99> dealinâ<80><99> is done. Ric, you son of a gun.
Iâ<80><99>ve said it before, and Iâ<80><99>ll say it again. Whether you like it, or you donâ<80><99>t like it, Ric Flair will always be â<80><9c>The Man.â<80> Iâ<80><99>m ecstatic that he went out on top, putting on the best match weâ<80><99>ve seen in years. Flair gave his all in that ring one last time.
Thank you, Ric Flair, for 35 years of busting your arse, night after night, simply for the entertainment of others. None of us who watched you will ever forget you.
As easy as it would be to end this Take on Raw right there, there is other business to attend to. I mean, hell, we did have a few matches tonight right?
First, letâ<80><99>s hear it fans! â<80><9c>Money, money â<80>¦ yeah, yeah!â<80> Crime time is back, and itâ<80><99>s nice to see. They made pretty short work of Cade and Murdoch tonight, but what was important here isnâ<80><99>t the match itself. But the return of such a charismatic duo. The fans were obviously surprised and pleased, as â<80><9c>welcome backâ<80> chants rang out for the team. Does this mean that after much harping by yours truly and thousands of other fans out there that perhaps the WWE is going to start pushing the tag-team division once again? Hereâ<80><99>s hoping!
Another sign that could be coming was that they didnâ<80><99>t make a completely foolish move and have London and Kendrick split and duke it out after their bout with Umaga last week. The duo looked good again tonight as they took on the champs, Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly, and got a clean win out of the deal as well! Does that mean what was one of the more exciting tag teams out there is finally done jobbing for a while? Good move, writers, but way overdue.
An interesting feud seems to be brewing, after the unexpectedly still champion Randy Orton came out to boast a while but was confronted by a much-more hated heel, JBL. Turns out the â<80><9c>self-made millionaireâ<80> wants a shot at the strap, and said it well when he concluded that â<80><9c>if you think the fans donâ<80><99>t like you as champion, theyâ<80><99>re going to hate me.â<80> Nice line. And an interesting angle is born. Whenâ<80><99>s the last time you can remember heel vs. heel? But then again, could this end up turning Orton back into that arrogant, cocky face that he was when Evolution turned on him?
Mr. Money in the Bank, CM Punk, took on the next-closest competitor from that bout, Chris Jericho. The match, despite a couple of flubs and miscues, still came off really well overall in Sean Oâ<80><99>Macâ<80><99>s opinion, and it was interesting to see that Jericho got put over by the man who just earned his title shot to be had anywhere and anytime. Granted, you know Iâ<80><99>m one of the Jerichoholics, so Iâ<80><99>m not complaining.
It looks like despite all of their efforts, the writers at WWE have accepted one thing. Big Show is a face. The fans love him, are glad to have him back, and itâ<80><99>s time to build on that. After cutting a promo, the one man that Show has to look up to, Khali, came out to â<80><9c>send a message.â<80> Oye. Get the hint. The fans keep chanting it. I know theyâ<80><99>re both giants and all, but canâ<80><99>t we get Show in a better feud than this?
Matt Hardy was on tonight to seek revenge against Orton for that whole backstage attack to send a message to Jeff thing. It was a pretty good match between the two, and greater even to see Matt back in action. He didnâ<80><99>t appear to have suffered from any rust, but both of them did a great job. Matt had the opportunity to dominate the WWE Champion for a nice chunk of the match, and appeared to have the contest well in hand. But you know that RKO! It comes out of nowhere, and certainly did tonight to allow the champ to pick up the win. Welcome back, Matt.
And finally, if you can believe it, an intergender match was slated between Maria and Santino Marella, who basically trashed all the Divas backstage and suggested they shouldnâ<80><99>t be wrestling at all. He, in fact, pretty much said they should all be at home cooking, cleaning, and having babies. Well, that went over like a lead balloon. After shoving Maria to the mat, every Diva came out, face and heel alike, to beat the hell out of Marella and allow Maria to pick up the win in this â<80><9c>anything goesâ<80> match. Nicely taken, Santino!
Don’t like my take? Let’s hear yours! Send me your e-mails to wzseanomac@yahoo.com… the best and worst of the bunch may be featured in editions of Sean Oâ<80><99>Macâ<80><99>s Pullinâ<80><99> No Punches. Remember, short ones are good, long ones may be cut, and keep the name of the column in mind when you come looking for answers!
Miss an article? Want to look back over Sean O’Mac’s past columns? Now you can check them out on his MySpace page, www.myspace.com/wzseanomac.
And while youâ<80><99>re out there cruising the Net, be sure to check out the newest sports entertainment site on the World Wide Web, www.totalwrestling.net. With former WWE announcer Kevin Kelly featured, the site is adding more and more content every day, so be sure to keep visiting to see all the new and exciting stuff!
