Issue # 058

Date:  Saturday November 7th, 1998  7:44 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

WCW Hotline Report for 11/7/1998
Host: Mean Gene
------------------------------------------
Reports by The Flying Scotsman | The Seeker
-Gives Ratings, the WWF had 1,000,000 more viewers than the WCW this
past week. Thunder did a high 3.

-Someone said 'If it wasn't for Jesse Ventura's mouth, he'd be
nowhere.' Gives history on him. Vince McMahon tried to get on his
side on the Today Show, as they're not on good terms really. Ventura
had to sue Vince to get his money from video tapes he appeared on
while he was in the WWF.

-Chris Jericho and Raven's pushes are well deserved.

-Kevin Nash is not leaving the WCW, to shoot down another set of
jumping ship rumors.

-Barry Windham has signed with the WCW, but Flair and Anderson won't
let him take Mongo's place.

-Flair and his agent tried to get his contract back with WCW, to no
avail. The meeting was heated.

-Bam Bam Bigelow has signed with WCW, his top sources say. Gene, you
work for WCW yourself, you don't need sources. He'll be a top face in
WCW.

-Hogan has moved for Florida to Southern California to please his wife.
-The Flying Scotman

THUNDER RATINGS from 11/5/98
- WCW Thursday Thunder (Live from Roanoke, VA) - 11/5
- Hour 1(8:05 PM - 9:00 PM EST): 3.7
- Hour 2(9:01 PM - 10:05 PM EST): 3.5
- Composite: 3.6
Thanks to Dave Scherer and Uncle Rupert for these numbers
-David Tyler

Wrestlemaniacs reports that Scott Norton has been challenged by Manabu
Nakanishi to defend the IWGP World Title at the December 4, 1998, Osaka
Prefectural Gym show.

 

"Norton isn't as scary as everyone makes him out to be," exclaimed
Nakanishi.
-Frank Rios

Frank Shamrock was backstage at the ECW November to Remember
Pay-Per-View.  According to Wade Keller of The Pro Wrestling Torch, Shamrock of UFC has expressed interest in joining the ECW family. ECW said they would enjoy building the promotion around Frank Shamrock. Frank Shamrock, who is the younger brother of Ken Shamrock through adoption, doesn't always get along with his older brother Ken.
-Frank Rios

World War 3
Kevin Nash is the heavy favorite Nov. 22 to win World War 3 at The
Palace. Hulk Hogan, who has creative control over his own scenarios,
was finally made to realize that interest in him is low at this time.
   
The winner of the three-ring, 60-man battle royal is guaranteed a
title shot at undefeated Bill Goldberg at Starrcade in Washington,
D.C., on Dec. 27. Nash is one of the few people fans believe can
actually beat Goldberg.
-Frank Rios
The above news items are directly from The Big 3 Newsboard, which can
be found at:
http://209.143.151.27/big3/index.html
===========================================
WCW Saturday Night Report for November 7th, 1998
By Steve Appy
Konnan defeated Tokyo Magnum via submission in 3:54
Magnum, yet another promising student of the Ultimo Dragon, was
squashed by Konnan. The Dancing Fool submitted to the Tequilla
Sunrise; I'm still not sure if Magmum or Kaz Hayashi is the more
promising of Dragon's WCW students.

Scott Norton (w/Vincent) pinned Barry Horowitz in 3:24
Although I guess Norton is a real life tough guy his current nWo ring
outfit doesn't do much for him. Norton won the match after delivering
a Powerbomb.

Johnny Swinger defeated Barry Darsow via forfeit.
Darsow did his usual golf/put routine. Although its aiming to be
campy, it comes off as more pathetic. Swinger missed his put and
Darsow attacked Swinger before a match was even started. Swinger was
laid out with Darsow muttering golf garbage.

Gene Okerlund interviewed Eddie Guerrero(w/his silent bodyguard).
Eddie expressed his desire to add Rey Mysterio Jr. to the group; I like
the whole LwO concept much better if it just comes down to Eddie
exploiting the Luchadors. The group will eventually break up and
Eddie will be over stronger as a heel than ever.

Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated El Dandy via disqualification in 5:15
its great to see Mysterio back; El Dandy is an underrated worker and
he mostly sold for Rey. As much as squash matches usually bore me
its a different story when Mysterio is in the picture. Psycosis,
followed by the rest of the LwO, ran in to cause the DQ. Eddie stopped
the damage early, hoping to recruit Rey to the LwO; fortunately,
Mysterio declined.

Jerry Flynn defeated Steve Armstrong via submission in 3:29
Flynn is scheduled for a tour of New Japan; I wouldn't be surprised to
see NJ find a way to make Flynn a star. Flynn scored the submission
after a Cross Armbreaker.

Lodi pinned Johnny Boone in 3:44
"If you can read this, hug a Lodi", his signs are hilarious. Lodi won
the match after hitting Boone with a loaded glove. Lodi needs a
foreign object to beat Johnny Boone?

Glacier defeated Lenny Lane via submission in 4:19
Several readers have commented on Lane's parody of The Rock; I don't
feel its a ripoff as much as a satire. Just what the world was
waiting for: The Return of Glacier. Glacier scored the victory with a
Cobra Clutch Sleeper.

Gene Okerlund interviewed Perry Saturn. Saturn announced his new vest
is a lifestyle choice, a statement. Saturn challenged Jericho to a TV
Title matchup; he acted very chummy with Okerlund, which killed his
character. Saturn is supposed to be a take no prisoners bad ass and this interview contradicted that.

Juventud Guerrera Jr. pinned Kaz Hayashi in 6:33
Scott Hudson tried to tell us that Juvi has never submitted, which is
untrue. Jericho made him tap out several times. Two of the best
Cruiserweights in WCW. Juvi hit a top rope Hurricarana on Hayashi for
a near fall. This match was for the number one contender for Kidman's
Cruiserweight Title. After a reverse roll up, Juvi scored the
victory. Good match. Sonny Onno berated Hayashi after the match, of
course.

Scott Hall (w/Horace Hogan, Scott Norton, Stevie Ray & Vincent) pinned
Mike Sullivan in 2:19
Fortunately, they seem to have dropped the drunk angle with Hall. The
untalented nWo flunkies all got their shots in, of course. Hall won
the contest after an Outsiders Edge.

Thunder was previewed for Thursday: Rey VS Juvi for the #1 contender

Lex Luger defeated The Giant via disqualification in 3:57
Typical awful match between the two. The Giant was DQ'ed after Horace
and Scott Hall tried to interfere; Luger still maintained the
advantage and destroyed all three men.
===========================================
Lethal Injection
An Editorial By: Ryan Oaks A.K.A. The Ticking Time-Bomb, The Loose
Cannon, High Flyin Ryan Pillman. Any questions or comments are to be
sent to me at
Warriorism@xxxxpuno.com
Hi again everyone, that’s right, I am writing another article just for
you, the wrestling fans. I just want everyone to know that I still
love wrestling. As if you didn't know.

Okay first things first, the wrestler of the article is not a person
that is in the wrestling business anymore, and I just thought I would
sort of honor him. Ladies and gentlemen, the wrestler of the article is
the 8th Wonder of the World, Andre The Giant. The guy was undoubtedly one of the, if not the greatest of all time. God bless his soul.

Andre, we all still love and miss you. Lord love Andre Rousemoff.  Also, for anyone that doesn't know by now, NO, The Giant is in no way related to Andre The Giant, no matter what WCW claimed.

Now I want to move on to a little mail I got regarding my comments
about the wrestling special on NBC. I am going to leave the e-mail
address out of this but this is what the person had to say, and I
think some of you might have something to say about this person's
comments.

"Okay, first off there are some people out there that didn't know all
the information that NBC reported Sunday night.  The people of
wrestling don't try to come off as if wrestling is real, so I don't
see what the problem is. They did say there's risk involved and the
wrestlers do get hurt. If you already knew everything they reported,
what's your problem with other people knowing? If I'm correct, this is
America, and we do have something called free speech. There was
nothing slanderous about what was reported. I doubt seriously that
NBC tried to ruin wrestling for everyone. You seem to enjoy it just
fine, and you already knew everything, am I right?  A true wrestling
fan would have found the information very interesting, and then
continued on enjoying it. Instead of wasting your time boycotting NBC
for something so silly, why don't you spend time doing something on a
voluntary bases or boycotting something that's going to help
humanity!?!"

Well, there you have this person opinion on it. I personally don't
agree with it one bit, but oh well. I am posting this because I think
you all might find it very interesting. Now, right here below is my
response and my opinion on the issue. I think some of you might agree
with this, and if there is anything I would like to hear your
responses on it would be this. So please mail to me.

"I know that there are some people out there that didn't know that
and I am glad that they found out. What I am not glad about is that
some of the things they said were obviously false, such as the sign
incident. I know the people of wrestling don't say that wrestling is
100% real, but the problem is NBC is trying to make wrestling fans
look stupid by constantly repeating phrases like: "And once again the
wrestling fans are fooled" or "And once again the wrestling fans are clueless as to what is going on" and even "Again the wrestling fans have been duped"!!

You may not find this attack offensive but I DO, and I am not about to put up with some a**hole company trying to make people think that the wrestling business is stabbing them in the back or something like that. And trust me, there are people that think that.

 

Yeah you are right, this is America, and there is such thing as
freedom of speech, thanks for the history lesson. You can't tell me that when NBC aired that program that it wasn't an attack on the sport I love so greatly. The title itself is enough to tell you that. The so -called secrets that the promoters don't want you to know. I didn't say that I knew everything, I am just saying that anything that was true about that special was no surprise. I am a true wrestling fan, I would have found it very interesting if I didn't already know, but don't go implying that I am not a true wrestling fan.

You can call me silly for boycotting NBC for something you say is
"silly" but I don't consider wrestling silly. I love wrestling, I eat
sleep and breath wrestling. For NBC to blatantly try to insult the
wrestling fans and the business in such a way it is just mind blowing.
I watch wrestling on a voluntary basis and in my mind boycotting NBC
is helping humanity. The way I see it, since I spend my life thinking
about wrestling, there must be some other people out there that love
the sport as much as I do and are somewhat the same way. If there
are, then I know that it is at least making a difference to them.
Also, NBC never admitted it had risks, the wrestlers said the moves
were risky, and then the announcer would say "But not if you know the
secrets" which just looking at that part in itself tells me that NBC
is really trying to give wrestling a bad name once again. They are just pissed because wrestling gets better ratings than them, and they're also mad that wrestling is not a big joke like it used to be.""

There you have it, that was my opinion, you can expect a larger
article later on how I feel about it. Anyway, that's it for now, I
just wanted everyone to know how I feel. Please join me in the
mission of boycotting all NBC programming. Please be sure to tune in
to The ShadoweMan on Squared Circle Talk on C.R.N. The Cable Radio
Network, from 10:00 PM to Midnight Pacific Time.

Any questions or comments are to be sent to me at Warriorism@xxxxpuno.com
and be sure to read my next edition of Lethal Injection. And remember, I welcome all your comments
===========================================
Reader Mailbag
Submitted by reader: Wwwaref
Now you are someone who knows what the business is all about.  Being a
former referee for ECW (before it became Extreme) I understand very well what you are talking about.

As a Referee there was no way I was going to work like that and risk getting hurt (I have a family as well). I have been in this business for 14 yrs now.

 

I worked WWF, NWA (WCW now) GLOW, as well as IWCCW, UWF and many Indy's
AND I also feel ECW is not wrestling and its a shame that it will
have to take a MAJOR STAR to get killed working for them or a career
ending injury for someone to step in and stop them from doing this so
called wresting.

Thanks for having this place to vent. Hers my web
site if you are interested:
http://members.aol.com/WwwaRef/WWWA.htm
Dan VP and Sr. Referee WWWA
===========================================
Reader Mailbag
Submitted by reader: Si316
I am writing to apologize for Steve Regal. The man himself just
doesn't do credit to Blackpool, I am from the North of England and
Blackpool is only 30 minutes from my door. Maybe its not Steve who I
should be angry at, since the line that Regal has been given is after
all, due to the WWF staff. He was given a terrible line in his
previous haunt -WCW as well 'Lord Steven Regal' just did nothing but
give England / English wrestlers a bad name.

I know that a character is not always a true reflection on the actual man but people do think that a wrestler is his character 24.7. OK, so should I call WWF or Steve himself for his terrible persona?. Maybe it is a reflection on the man's draw ability that he keeps getting weak storylines?

One last queried point though - Steve Regal is never going to be a top
draw so maybe expecting him to have better lines is over expecting of
him. I just think as one Englishmen talking about another

- Steve Regal A Real Man's Man just won't work.
===========================================
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===========================================
Reader Mailbag
Submitted by reader: Lightnstrx
I totally agree with you on the ECW SELLOUTS article. I attended
the November to Remember PPV in New Orleans and talked with New Jack.
He had an offer to go to WCW but decided to stay with ECW. He was
more pissed off at Paulie for not putting him on the 1st Extreme Music
CD and actually quit. Paulie actually ended up almost matching his
WCW offer in order to keep New Jack.

New Jack told me he wouldn't go to WCW because he doesn't like their methods or politics. I'm glad because ECW is the best and I hate to see them losing their stars. While I can understand that what they do tremendously puts them in danger, etc.  New Jack made a comment that while the fans love to see him do the dives, who would care if he seriously injured himself out of his career and its sad to say, that while fans love the wrestlers for what they do.

This is indeed often the cold hard facts and I for one hate to see it.
Rageina Cage
===========================================
Reader Mailbag
Submitted by reader: SKYNYRD578
You said that you would like to see Paul Heyman get his hands on Chris
Benoit and that he would make him the biggest star in the business.  Paul Heyman had Chris Benoit in his hands and it is one of the reasons that Benoit is what he is today, Benoit picked up a lot of experience in the Indy's and Japan but really started to come into his own with Paul Heyman and being one of the original members of the Triple Threat along with Douglas and Malenko. The shows he put on in the World's Most Famous Bingo Hall are still talked about and the lines that form outside of the arena every Saturday before a show were buzzing about the possible return when he was having contractual problems down south.

WCW has gotten some very good talent from ECW, some that started in this promotion and others that came from smaller less known Indy's to ECW.  These wrestlers talents were recognized by the big 2 and were considered threats to put ECW way over the top and possibly surpassing both feds.  In a short time Heyman has taken a very mediocre fed and made it #3, and personally I think the only thing that holds them back now is the money it takes to cover insurance policies that the major arenas require to rent these facilities.

I would bet that on any given Saturday that ECW is in Philly, they could easily fill an arena the size of the Civic Center or the Spectrum and with a little more TV exposure, could perhaps take the # 2 spot
easily. Just the thoughts of a rabid wrestling fan that watches all 3
promotions faithfully.
===========================================
Reader Mailbag
Submitted by reader: STINGdremr
This is to reply to the reader submission by Pufinstuff: I
TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. You hit the nail right on the head. I am a
loyal WCW fan. But I do not sit here and knock WWF or ECW. All three
federations have their advantages and disadvantages. But the one
thing that is true is that they each offer a different form of
entertainment. So people watch what best suits them. I choose to watch
WCW for many reasons, and one of which is the fact that I have a 7
year old son. But that doesn't stop my husband from watching WWF and
ECW. We don't bash the other organizations, we just watch what we
prefer.

That is what EVERYONE else should do to. So these people who
federation bash should get off their high horses and for once just like and watch what you want, and if you don't like the other one, then just forget its there!!! OK!!!
Thanks,
TDR
===========================================
The staff of The Wrestling Booking Sheet
Editor: Steve Appy
Columnist: Mark George
Columnist: SamJerry
Columnist: Fritz Capp
Columnist: Rick Phelps
Columnist: Cindy Barnes
Columnist: Josh Hewitt
Columnist: Swami
Columnist: Tom Misnik
Columnist: Nate Pelley
Columnist: Robert Troy (Osiris)
Columnist: Tom Kirkbride
Columnist: Ryan S. Oaks
Columnist: Darren Kramer

Any submissions sent in by readers or columnists become the property
of The Wrestling Booking Sheet, and are subject to editing due to
grammar, spelling, or content. Any information taken from The
Wrestling Booking Sheet must be credited properly, with our E-Mail
address listed.