Issue # 082

Date:  Monday November 30th, 1998  11:07 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

Triple H showed up at the Fleet Center in Boston on Saturday and fought a match against Al Snow. Ironically, Helmsley replaced Steven Regal in the bout.  You might remember that when he was still Jean Paul Levesque in WCW, Helmsley was slated to tag with Regal as The Blue Bloods but jumped to Titan before the team was formed. Anyway, Helmsley managed get the victory.
(Reported by Scoops at: http://www.scoopscentral.com )

Speaking of great returns, WCW held a card yesterday in Knoxville, TN dedicated to Brian 'Mark Curtis' Hildebrand, who was in attendance to receive the PWI Man of the Year award, the Referee of the Year award, and in a heart felt presentation, Ric Flair, along with Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, and Chris Benoit presented him with a replica of the WCW World Title with his name engraved on it.  

Anson Norman, who was in attendance also reports that he even got involved in the tag match which pitted Malenko and Benoit against Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero. At one point the designated ref was knocked out, so it was Hildebrand who slid under the bottom rope to make the three count. At the end of the evening he said that he hopes to be able to return to ring duty in the next two months.
(Reported by Scoops at: http://www.scoopscentral.com )

It looks like Taz vs. Shane Douglas plus Terry Funk vs. Tommy Dreamer will be on the March PPV.

(Reported by Dave Scherer of http://1wrestling.com )
===========================================
WCW Nitro Report for November 30th, 1998
By Steve Appy
Live from Chattenoga TN
Tony Shiavonie & Larry Zbyszko discussed Hogan's announcement. Clips were shown of The Tonight Show, edited to where Hogan came off as credible. Shiavonie speculated about the nWo's reaction to this huge news.

The nWo Black & White arrived at the arena and walked directly to the ring.  Scott Steiner was announced as the new leader, the "heir apparent" to Hogan.  Steiner claimed to have the blessings of Hogan (I smell an angle coming up).

 

Steiner may be the scariest looking figure in the sport (he must work out alot).

 

All joking aside, this does elevate Steiner a level. Announcing Horace as his tag team partner, Steiner challenged Scott Hall to a tag team match later in the evening. WIth the remaining nWo members in the background (Buff Bagwell & Bret Hart were not present) this group looked pathetic. The Giant was the only credible member remaining; both a recruiting session and purging is in order.

Konnan pinned Chris Jericho to win his first WCW Television Championship
Jericho is getting pretty accomplished at carrying anybody to a good match.  After Jericho tried to hit Konnan with the belt, Konnan ducked and hit a facebuster on Jericho for the victory. I'm not sure if Konnan is best used in the ring every week; he may be exposed if shown actually wrestling every week.  I hope a US Title is in Jericho's future.....

Gene Okerlund interviewed Ric Flair, sans Horseman. Flair gave one of those semi-shoot interviews, calling Bischoff an a**hole, among other things. He acknowledged many greats from the present and past (including Tully Blanchard & Ole Anderson). Flair challenged Bischoff to a match, anywhere, anytime. A great interview, made more effective due to the passion Flair sold as real.

Scott Hall walked to the ring, wearing an old Outsiders shirt. He accepted the tag team challenge for later tonight, despite having few friends and no tag team partner.

 

Kevin Nash interrupted, and offered to be Hall's partner later on tonight. I hope this isn't yet another swerve on Hall's part....

Scott & Steve Armstrong defeated Kanyon & Raven when Scott pinned Kanyon
Raven was apathetic and Kanyon was both concerned and annoyed. The
Armstrong's double teamed Kanyon, with Raven silently watching from the corner.  Eventually, Raven left the ringside area, leaving Kanyon easy prey for The Armstrongs.

Gene Okerlund interviewed Bret Hart. Hart acknowledged his legit groin injury, and was hesitant about facing DDP later in the evening. Since Hart is the challenger, it looks silly to have him beg out of a title match. DDP charged the ring and goaded Hart into keeping the match. I don't know what it is with these guys. They are both good workers and give solid interviews but for some reason they just don't click together.

WCW Cruiserweight Champion Kidman pinned Eddie Guerrero
After the referee was knocked out Juvi tried to interfere, to no avail. Rey Mysterio Jr. then dropkicked his leader and a prone Eddie Guerrerofell victim to The Shooting Star Press. The angry LwO chased the two babyfaces from the ring.

Bam Bam Bigelow was shown in the audience, ready for trouble. Eric Bischoff joined Barry Windham in the ring and spouted on about morals and heroes.  Bischoff then called Dean Malenko to the ring, with the rest of The 4 Horseman watching from the ramp.

Bischoff told Malenko that if he defeated Barry Windham tonight, Flair would receive a shot at Bischoff. Malenko accepted the challenge and Bischoff introduced the special referee: Dusty Rhodes! Dusty wore his nWo shirt and seems poised to cheat his old nemesis Ric Flair. There must be a twist...

Wrath pinned Bobby Blaze
Wrath just destroyed the former Smokey Mountain star with The Meltdown.

Sonny Onno defeated Ernest Perry Saturn via disqualification
It never stops. Miller put out an open challenge, which was accepted by Saturn.  Miller told Saturn that if he defeats Onno he would get a shot at The Cat.  With the referee distracted, Glacier hit Saturn with the Cryonic Kick. As Onno attempted to hit Saturn with a chain, Saturn recovered and nailed the DVD for the pin. Right after the three count, the referee saw the chain and disqualified Saturn.

Contract signing for the main event of Starrcade
Nash was flanked by Konnan and Luger; Goldberg wore street attire. Terry Taylor represented the championship committee; it was nice to see Taylor on TV. The contract stated that the world championship will not be defended before Starcade, finalizing the main event. Bam Bam Bigelow attempted to storm the ring, only to be held back by security. While it would have been nice to have some words from the participants, a contract signing does lend gravity to the proceedings.

Booker T pinned Mike Enos
Booker disposed of poor Enos with The Sidewalk Slam; both these guys are underated workers.

Bigelow paced outside the arena, challenging Goldberg to join him. Something more has to happen with this tonight.

Lex Luger defeated Brian Adams (w/Vincent) via submission
Two of the worst in WCW. When the referee was knocked out Vincent interfered, and Luger ended up knocked down with a chairshot. It wasn't enough for the victory, though, and Luger kicked out. After making a comeback, Vincent's interference backfired, setting Adams up for The Torture Rack.

Dean Malenko defeated Barry Windham via disqualification
Malenko shouldn't be placed in there with guys as tall as Windham. Malenko sold his injured knee the entire match. After Windham continually cheated, Dusty called for the bell. In a surprising reversal, Dusty awarded the match to Malenko, setting up Flair VS Bischoff (at Starcade). An enraged Bischoff fired Dusty and watched the Horseman destroy Barry Windham. All five members destroyed Windham, with Flair priming himself for the beating he plans to inflict on Bischoff.

Scott Hall & Kevin Nash defeated Horace & Scott Steiner when Hall pinned Horace
Hall & Nash still have the same chemistry together. The nWo referee was the ref for this showdown. The Starcade showdown for Flair VS Bischoff was made official.  After the nWo double teamed Hall, Nash made the babyface save. Hall nailed Horace with The Outsiders Edge and attempted to pin Horace. The nWo referee refused to count the pin, which led to Nash Powerbombing the bogus official. An official WCW made the three count; Nash quickly left the ring, leaving Hall to celebrate alone. This was not a full reconciliation yet as the soap opera continues. It is decent TV, though.

Goldberg and Bigelow were shown brawling outside the arena. Although security intervened, there was great heat for the brawl. To really get Bigelow over, now we have to see Bigelow squash some opponents, monster style.

Bret Hart pinned Diamond Dallas Page to win his third United States
championship.
This US Title match was no DQ. After DDP took the advantage, The Giant
chokeslammed Page twice, knocking him out cold. Hart applied the Sharpshooter and DDP was unable to respond. The blatant outside interference made a mockery of the stipulation.
===========================================
ROUNDING THE SQUARED CIRCLE
"IF MANKIND WERE PRESIDENT"
BY SAMJERRY
VISIT my Home Page: http://members.aol.com/~samjerry

1. The official residence would be the boiler room at Titan Towers, Stamford CT.

2. Al Snow would named Secretary of (Mental) Health.

3. Head would be appointed Ambassador to the United Nations.

4. Everyone would be required to wear duplicate leather masks.

5. All government disputes would be settled in Hell-In-A-Cell Death Matches.

6. Mr. Socko would replace the Eagle as our National Symbol.

7. Leaf Blowers would replace Attache Cases in Corporate Board Rooms.

8. Have A Nice Day would become the motto of the country, and be printed on every dollar bill.

9. Last names would be replaced by, "Mrs. XXXXX's Little Boy/ Girl/ Other."
I.E., "This is Norman, Mrs. Bates' Little Boy," or
"This is Luna, Mrs. Strange's Little Girl," or
"This is Nicole, Mrs. Bass' Whatever."

10. All Letters, Speeches, Conversations, etc., would end with "Bang, Bang."

11. This years big Christmas toys would be Hardcore Barbi and Rejected Ken.

12. Everyone would be required to have at least three personas and the
appropriate number of Social Security Numbers and Voter Registration Cards to match.

13. Kissing the boss' @$$ would be National Policy, no matter how many times you are kicked in the @$$ in return.

14. Problems with Saddam would be solved in a Hardcore Championship Match on the next PPV, with a Loser Faces The Firing Squad Stipulation.

15. The Title of President would only be an illusion, since we all know Mankind will never be allowed to "win" a Title
===========================================
WWF Sunday Night Heat Report for November 29th, 1998
By Steve Appy
From Pennsylvania, PA
Christian (w/Gangrel & Edge) defeated WWF Lightheavyweight Champion Duane Gill (w/Bob Holly & Scorpio) by disqualification in 1:42
I think I enjoyed The JOB Squad concept alot more in ECW. Gill was disqualified after the debuting Blue Meanie attacked Christian. Jim Cornette informed us that Meanie doesn't even work for the WWF but instead wrestles for ECW. A lackluster debut for The Meanie.

D'Lo Brown (w/Mark Henry) defeated Steve Blackman via countout at 2:15
After a brawl on the outside of the ring, The Blue Blazer attacked Blackman from under the ring. Only one problem; he got his cape stuck and was vulnerable to an enraged Blackman. As Blackman was pounding on The Blazer he was counted out.  The WWF is really telling us that The Blazer is a clown not worth fearing.

Vince McMahon was backstage telling his stooges to show respect to the arriving guests later in the evening. There was no mention as to the identity of the guests, however.

Kevin Kelly interviewed The Oddities about the alliance between The Headbangers and The ICP. An eight man challenge was put forth for Rock Bottom, with Golga, Kurrigan, Giant Silva & Luna VS. The ICP & The Headbangers.

Val Venis & The Godfather defeated The Headbangers in 2:05
Kama claimed that Venis kept his ho's awake all night and he gave them the night off. After The Oddities distracted Thrasher, The Godfather applied The Pet Drop for the victory. The Oddities stormed the ring and brawled with The Headbangers.

The special guests arrived and it turned out to be The New Age Outlaws. The stooges fawned over them as McMahon talked business.

European Champion X-Pac pinned Mark Henry (w/D'Lo Brown) in 1:48
Mark Henry read a poem to Chyna in preparation of his date with Chyna on RAW.  Henry was distracted by thoughts of Chyna the entire match and was easy prey for The X-Factor. X-Pac warned Henry that if he got out of line during his date with Chyna he would have him to deal with. X-Pac proclaimed that he hoped The Outlaws weren't kissing ass in McMahon's sky box, prompting James & Gunn to storm out of the box.

Jim Ross interviewed Steve Austin from The Fleet Center yesterday. He warned of the hell he would cause at RAW. In a separate interview, The Undertaker warned Austin that he would be sacrificed due to Austin impeding the progress of his ministry. Paul Bearer, as Kane's legal guardian, warned that if Kane stepped foot in the arena, he would be institutionalized.

Jeff Jarrett (w/Debra McMichael briefly) did a "I'm pissed off" video. His focus was baseball, and the New York Yankees specifically. Is this a pissed off attitude with a Southern theme?

Kane defeated Jeff Jarrett (w/Debra McMichael) via disqualification in 2:10
As Kane prepared to defeat Jarrett, Debra walked into the ring and distracted Kane. Amazingly, Kane prepared to chokeslam Debra. Jarrett made the save and broke his guitar over Kane's head, although it caused no injury. Jarrett & Debra fled from the monster.

Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock & The Big Boss Man defeated Al Snow & Mankind in 2:39 when The Boss Man pinned Snow
The Rock provided color commentary. An enraged Mankind attacked the Rock, which left Snow easy prey for a nightstick whack. The JOB Squad made the save, which led to The Brood getting into the fray as well. As Heat ended, Mankind and The Rock brawled into the backstage area.
===========================================
ADVERTISEMENTS
The ELW is now open and is accepting all applicants. Join and we guarantee you won't be disappointed. Check out our site at:
http://members.tripod.com/~cooper191/elwhome
===========================================
Reader Mailbag
Submitted by reader: KFITZPATI
In today's WWF only Austin can do no wrong or be in position to get the
heel/face switch that has made fan favorites out of such former mid-carders as The New Age Outlaws and Kane. This has kept things fresh with the three faces of Foley and Shamrock. With the Undertaker, its been a good seven plus years (Wrestlemania VIII verses Jake Roberts was his first big face match) since he's been pushed as a heel.

With the WWF continuing to promote matches with the Taker against Austin, Kane and Foley (see their European pay-per-view schedule-they've got a four-way bout next month) it looks that a way for McMahon and sons to get more gravy is to resurrect a Taker that does whatever the "evil" Bearer wants. And if the Federation's number one meal ticket- Austin- is to be programmed to get the World title back (which would not be a surprise via another Royal Rumble win in January added to a Wrestlemania win in March) what better way to start things rolling but for Austin to beat Taker at his own game- the "Buried Alive" match?

Just a thought- unless Taker has gotten into his character just a bit too much in recent weeks.....
===========================================
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: Osiris
Columnist: Tom Kirkbride
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. We have no problem if you want to use our stuff; just credit it properly.