We’ve seen quite a bit of questionable marketing for the oddly named upcoming Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view over the past month or so. From “Eat at Samoa Joe‘s Diner” graphics to a logo that clearly resembled, well more than just *balls*…
Even WWE superstars like Sasha Banks have weighed in on the unfortunate logo, which has since been changed to a more tasteful ‘Hot Rod Reality Show’-esque design, and then *back* to the flaming phallic fiasco that hovers near the humorless faces of Brock Lesnar, Samoa Joe, and Braun Strowman in promos airing during last week’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view and regular WWE TV programming.
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Beyond the logo, many have questioned the very theme itself. Why name the event that marks a major stop-gap between WrestleMania and SummerSlam after a 60 year old Jerry Lee Lewis song? And shouldn’t you secure the rights first? Lewis nearly sued for copyright infringement, but thankfully a deal was reached, granting WWE full use of the song.
Up Next: WWE Changes Great Balls of Fire Logo
This brings us to the one bright burning exception the ongoing debacle of Great Balls of Fire‘s marketing. Fans may have missed it during last week’s Money in the Bank PPV, but the WWE aired the above video of superstars Sheamus and Cesaro, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, R-Truth, Finn Balor, Bayley, The Hardy Boyz and Dean Ambrose all doing their best to sing lines from the song.
The clip provided a welcome moment of levity between that PPV’s many controversial moments and disappointing outcomes. But despite the charming personalities of all the talents involved, few manage to properly hit a note of the rock-and-roll tune (with the exception of Sasha and the Hardyz)
Maybe next time WWE decides to have a musical-themed PPV they’ll call Aiden English and Elias Sampson to shoot the commercial. Or, as AJ Styles recently teased, perhaps we’ll see a flaming/dueling piano match befitting Jerry Lee Lewis legacy. For now, we’ll have to wait until July 9th to see what old-time outlaw rock-and-roll antics are in store at *sigh*… Great Balls of Fire.
