As someone who has watched, practiced and promoted professional wrestling for almost 30 years, I’m accustomed to the ridiculousness that the genre has to offer. Weird and zany names come with the territory.
So, when I heard that WWE’s July pay-per-view is titled Great Balls of Fire, I thought it was a rib and no sold it. Then, my podcast partner in crime Frank D ensured me that this was no ruse. The name of the show is legitimately called Great Balls of Fire.
Vince McMahon has made some ill-advised creative decisions over his career. This one, well…Why? The name in question isn’t particularly offensive, insulting or even embarrassing. It’s not as if the name is such an artistic travesty that it signals the fall of wrestling culture.
If the Katie Vick angle didn’t kill the business, nothing will.
Still, why Great Balls of Fire? Is Jerry Lee Lewis going to tickle the ivory and sing his popular song of the same name? Will there be actual balls of fire used in one of the matches? Maybe this is where Kane makes his return and throw a fireball of two at an unsuspecting opponent.
Unless there is a specific theme or gimmick attached to the show such as an inferno match, the dubious heading is just lazy and screams “Why bother watching this show.” While I could say that this name represents WWE’s lack of ingenuity, I’m not going to go that far.
Instead, I’ll assume that either someone lost a bet or marketing caught Vince McMahon on a really, really off day.
For all we know, Great Balls of Fire could end up being a stacked card filled with great matches courtesy of Monday Night Raw. Still, it’s hard to imagine the voice actor not having a laugh or two when trying to put over the seriousness of Brock Lesnar’s first title defense when hyping the event.
Man, it’s going to be nauseating when that name is utter all over TV leading up to the event. Wrestlers challenging each other, authority figures making matches, and PAUL HEYMAN’S PROMOS. If anyone can sell it with believability, it’s Heyman.
If nothing else, at least cable, satellite, and internet technology has advanced to the point where we no longer need to call an operator to order the show. “Hello, I would like to order Great Balls of Fire.”
Goodness, Gracious.
Ringside Logic 