>>18125811Babyfaces don't punch.
Heels punch when the ref's not looking, they get heat for it.
The crowd builds with heat and tension as the heel keeps punching. Then the ref sees it and gives a warning.
The ref is somehow distracted and the heel continues punching. More heat.
Eventually the babyface snaps, when the crowd is ready, and now he starts to slug the heel. The crowd pops and cheers the punching, and the ref can't punish the babyface because the heel started it, but here's the angle from the TV show's point of view.
The promoter's rep (usually main commentary guy) talks about warning the babyface because: "now you know, punching ain't right in wrestling"
Babyface: "yes I know and I would like to apologise to the crowd here and to apologise for the people at home watching this, because I know it ain't right to hit a guy where it hurts and mean it, this is the sport of professional wrestling and I can be better than this, but you saw and everyone else saw that (the heel) broke that rule and he pushed me beyond reason and I had to resolve this like a man because that's what I am."
And all the dust clears, extra babyface cheers, no warning is ever issued, and the rule adds to the story.
They can't do that today. Nobody has the balls to tell stories this way anymore.
It's all got to be dramatic and careless and irrelevant.