My Favorite Ref

When the NFL officials went on strike over their reduced pensions, replacement refs were hired and some fans and athletes complained about the bad calls.  To lampoon the whole situation and mock the angry fans and athletes, WWE brought in their own hapless replacement ref:  Brad Maddox.

This handsome young man has caused quite a stir in the WWE universe.  Some are even calling him the Hottest Referee Ever.  I agree that he is certainly easy on the eyes, so if they had to bring in a new ref for this story, at least they chose one who is pleasurable to look at.

It seems the nervous young official missed a rule violation during a recent C.M. Punk match, causing Punk to lose.  Angry over the bad officiating, the Heel verbally abuses and humiliates the kid, who tries desperately to apologize.  Awww, poor Brad — are you gonna cry because the Big Bad Rassler is screaming in your face?

Please don’t tell me this story arc is going away now that the NFL refs are back to work.  Please tell me that Punk and Maddox are going to face off in the ring some day soon — hopefully after Brad rips that referee uniform off.

Mr. Punk, if you’re reading this, PLEASE keep bullying and fighting with this ref.  You KNOW he cost you the match on purpose just to mess with you.  Go ahead and attack him already!

Brad Maddox is certainly able to defend himself in the ring because he is actually a trained pro wrestler himself.  He has been training in OVW, FCW, and NXT, preparing for a career in the Big Leagues.

It’s kind of a waste to cover that body with a loose, heavy referee shirt.  Its like using Matt Striker as an announcer rather than a wrestler — yes he looks good in his suit, but DAMN, what a missed opportunity to see him in trunks.  (And both Matt Striker and Brad Maddox have been known to wear some spectacular trunks!)

Brad Maddox began his wrestling career using his real name: Brent Wellington.  He’s also called himself “Beef Wellington” (nice porn star name.)

He used to have a shaggier look with longish hair and a beard, and I suspect he was an arrogant Bad Guy when he looked like that.  If I can give this kid some advice, I’d say stick with the gorgeous Good Guy gimmick — it works for you, pretty-boy.

So for now, we can see Maddox serving as the ref, watching the other men wrestle, patting them down before the match, raising their arms after the match, telling them to break the hold or asking if they’ve had enough — performing all the functions that a typical wrestling official must perform.

But if the WWE promoters are wondering if the fans want to see Maddox put on the trunks and boots and get in the ring, the answer to that would be: “Yes!”