Issue # 128

Date:  Monday January 11th, 1999  11:18 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

WCW/NBC SPECIAL POSTPONED
Now that basketball is back on, WCW will lose the timeslot they had on 2/14 and
maybe 3/28 to air their pro-wrestling specials on NBC. Both shows were to run
opposite WWF PPVs. WCW is still going ahead with a show on 2/14 from Las Vegas
called Love Hurts which will be shown on TNT at 8pm, still running head-to-head
with the WWF's IYH: Valentine's Day Massacre. If the show had aired on NBC, it
was expected that some of the stars from the network's top sitcoms would be on
the WCW show. It doesn't look like the deal is totally off, just that some
rescheduling will have to be done.
(Reported by Micasa at: http://www.wrestlemaniacs.com/ )

ECW INTERNAL CONFLICT
Of course, you all know by now that Masato Tanaka missed the PPV show. As best I
can tell, Tanaka is done with the company. In the Japanese press last week, he
said that he was homesick and had nothing bad to say about the company. There
was word that ECW had not filed the proper papers to get Tanaka into the
country. I have also heard that there is a lot of heat between FMW and ECW,
still, over the Chris Candido/Tammy Sytch no-show in November of ’98. Whatever
happened, ECW most likely dropped the ball on this one, which is a shame because
the kid was a strong worker and was very over. In any event, Tanaka, whose match
with Rob Van Dam was heavily promoted, was forced to be cancelled. This caused a
major problem with Sabu, as he was under the impression that Tanaka’s paperwork
was all in order and when he found out that it wasn’t, he got very mad, since he
felt it reflected poorly on his relationship with FMW. Sabu’s reputation means a
lot to him and he does not want to embarrass his uncle, the original Sheik, in
any way. I respect that. I got word that he actually quit the company on 1/7 and
said he would not be at the PPV. Eventually though, he changed his mind and
showed up.
(Reported by Dave Scherer of http://www.1wrestling.com)

SHANE DOUGLAS UNHAPPY
And he was not alone in threatening to skip the show either. Shane Douglas, who
had a beef over how the main event was being planned (since he thought,
correctly in my opinion, that they owed the fans a "straight" match without tons
of interference and BS after the N2R) actually was thinking of not coming to the
show, which he knew would, in effect, mean he was retiring from the business. My
take on it was that he no problem with doing the job in the main event but just
wanted to be treated with the respect that he felt he deserved after all he has
given to the company. In the end, like the pro he is, he made it to Orlando on
Saturday night, so another disaster was averted for the company. For now at
least. Shane told me after the show that he honestly did not know what he was
going to do. He was seriously thinking about retirement. I have been vocal in
the past about the ridiculous way that he has been booked in ECW, as a coward
who was afraid of Taz. If he was going to go over in the end, that would have at
least been palatable from a storyline standpoint, since he would have gotten
some of the heat he lost back at the end. Instead, he was played up like a
coward, and then lost, which is a weak way to book one of your strongest and
most recognizable characters, especially at a time when they need to get the
most out of what they have to work with. Personally, I hope we see Shane in the
ring again, and I hope that Paul Heyman sits down and realizes what he has done
with, and to, the "Franchise" character.
(Reported by Dave Scherer of http://www.1wrestling.com)
===========================================
WCW Nitro Report for January 11th, 1999
By Steve Appy
To subscribe to The Wrestling Booking Sheet, please e-mail Appy@xxxxs...

Gene Okerlund interviewed WCW President Ric Flair. He pushed his match at
Souled Out, teaming with his 19 year old son David. He claimed to have met with
Ted Turner & Harvey Schiller, and proclaimed that Hogan is contracted to WCW
through the year 2001. Wonderful. Flair said that he can't strip Hogan of the
title; he then rehired JJ Dillon for his front office role. Apparently, Hogan's
first title defense will be at Superbrawl against an un-named opponent.

The main event for Souled Out was officially announced; Goldberg VS. Scott Hall
in a Ladder, Taser on a Pole Match. Flair called out the LwO, and mentioned
that Eddie Guerrerois out of action with a broken leg. He promised them money
and women if they disbanded the LwO and rejoined WCW; although at first
reluctant, Juvi led the campaign and the LwO is no more.

Flair showed the LwO respect, and called them the greatest group of athletes in
WCW. This is one move that's a good one; hopefully WCW will show the Luchadors
the commitment to properly push them. In a puzzling move, Rey Mysterio Jr.
refused to discard his LwO shirt and left the ring alone. Flair booked himself
for tonight against Curt Hennig, perhaps the most disappointing talent in the
sport. All that talent, but with no remaining fire.

Tony Shiavonie announced that Eric Bischoff has been taken off the announcing
team, and will be given a new assignment later tonight.

Gene Okerlund interviewed Perry Saturn, still wearing his neat vest; Perry
begged for a rematch against Chris Jericho. Jericho (w/Ralphus) responded,
accepting a challenge for Souled Out with one stipulation; if Saturn loses, he
must wear a dress for the rest of his career. Although at first reluctant,
Jericho goaded Saturn into accepting the challenge.

Ernest Miller (w/Sonny Onoo) defeated Perry Saturn via disqualificiation in 4:25

Randy Anderson was originally supposed to referee the match, but Scott Dickinson
interrupted and told Anderson that Dillon wanted to see him in the back.
Another angle that's getting old. Saturn hit a Frog Splash on Miller for a
certain victory, but Dickinson chose to argue with Onoo instead. At this point
Jericho hit Saturn with a shovel, which somehow resulted in Saturn being DQ'ed,
perhaps for arguing with him for his earlier mistake. Jericho tried to shove
Saturn into the dress, an effort that fortunatly failed. First TEddie Long, then
Nick Patrick, now Dickinson. WCW has a knack for heel referee's...

Eric Bischoff tried to enter WCW headquarters to meet with Ric Flair, and met a
hostile new regime. While kept waiting, he started muttering about what a bad
job Flair & Jim Ross did in running WCW in 1991 (although he has the time line
wrong).
First Foley, now Ross. WCW is not acting super classy these days. Jamie Engle

(the sister of Dory & Terry Funk) escorted Bischoff to Flair's new office.
Flair reprimanded Bischoff for his lackluster announcing job last week, and gave
him his new assignment: assisting the ring crew. I'm not sure this is really
the worst job in the world...

Gene Okerlund interviewed Chavo Guerrero Jr.; he wished Eddie well. Chavo was
sad that Pepe was sick (I know), and Chavo planned a birthday party for Pepe.
Norman Smiley interrupted, angry that he wasn't invited. Eventually, he turned
on Pepe & Chavo, and sent Chavo into the birthday cake. Smiley stole Pepe and
had a great time riding him (maybe too good of a time!). Pepe ended up in a
shredder, and poor Chavo mourned his lost friend. This segment was moronic; it
was also hysterical. Both Chavo & Smiley played their roles perfectly, and had
great comedic timing.

Raven & "Jim" (Sandman) played chess, and began a search for their high school
yearbook. I love this skits...

The Wolfpac entered the arena, flanked by The Hells Angels. The nWo jobbers
confronted the "elite" members, angry at the constant snubs. Hall carried
around a Tazer; Buff & Elizabeth seemed chummy in the corner. Steiner
challenged DDP for later tonight, and vowed to show Kimberly a great time.
Okay, she might go for a roided up rage machine. Poor Kevin Nash was never
given the mic; doesn't Scott Hall have to hype his match against Goldberg?
Great career move, guys...

Rey Mysterio Jr. fought Kaz Hayashi to a No Contest in 1:51
Mysterio is one of the best, and Hayashi may be one day. Rey wore his LwO
shirt;
Lex Luger, hoping to get heel heat by interrupting the best match of the
evening, demanded that Mysterio remove his LwO shirt. When Rey refused, Luger
jumped the much smaller man. Mysterio briefly made a comeback, which was cut
short when Luger overwhelmed the Luchador. Konnan interrupted, and questioned
Luger's motives. The nWo destroyed poor K-Dawg, even allowing Hall to use his
tazer on the unconscious former nWo mainstay. After some spraypaint on the
back, poor Konnan was left laying.

Gene Okerlund interviewed The Giant; the poor guy was out of breath just from
the walk to the ring. He promised to kick Kevin Nash's ass later in the show,
with a Chokeslam that will destroy the Outsider.

Booker T pinned Lenny Lane in 3:50
An easy squash; Booker T put Lane away with The Harlem Sidekick.

A Hogan/Nash lovefest was shown. They both gave each other respect; lame! In
one week's time, Nash has gone from cool to a lackey.

WCW Television Champion Scott Steiner (w/Buff Bagwell) defeated Diamond Dallas
Page via submission in 10:18
While DDP is not a super worker, he does work hard, harder than most of the true
elite in the business. Buff's constant interference was too much for DDP;
Vincent forced a ref bump, which led to Steiner destroying Page with a chair. A
Steiner Recliner later was all that was needed to put DDP away.

Klondike Bill abused poor Eric Bischoff, who obviously didn't appreciate the
disrespect. Bischoff had trouble setting up the "simple" ring...

Scott Hall pinned Bam Bam Bigelow in 3:36
Hall finally got his mic time; he took a survey asking the crowd "How many of
you want to see Goldberg get shocked?". An expected response followed. Wrath
tried to charge Bigelow, which enabled Disco Inferno to slip Hall the tazer.
This put Bigelow straight to sleep; Wrath was not attempting to help the nWo,
but instead simply wanted to destroy Bigelow.

A pre-taped interview with Goldberg aired; he mentioned his match with Hall
Sunday, and almost dismissed him as a challenge. The main target of his anger
was Luger, since he was still shocked that Luger turned on him. Just like how
Barry Windham, Sting, Ricky Steamboat, & Hulk Hogan were once shocked by Luger's
turns...

A Wrath/Bigelow match was announced for Souled Out; after the way these two
worked together last week, not something to look forward to.

Ric Flair defeated Curt Hennig via disqualification in
its terrific seeing Flair back in the ring; with both Barry Windham & David
Flair at ringside cheering on their respective partners, it was clear that there
would be no clean finish's in this match. David Flair looked tentative at
ringside; of course, he will hopefully be given time to develop properly.
Windham abused David rather easily; after Flair locked Hennig in the Figure
Four, Windham interfered for the DQ. A four way brawl ensued, and David looked
a little more natural at this point. The heels ended up retreating to the
dressing room.

Kevin Nash (w/Scott Hall) pinned The Giant in 6:25
Although they are almost the same height, The Giant has gained so much weight
the size difference is misleading. Hall ended up in the ring, and The Giant
easily threw both men around. Nash eventually found the wrench that Bischoff
had earlier hid at ringside, and this led to The Giant being knocked
unconscious. Hall tazered the knocked out big man, and Hogan spray painted his
huge canvas of a back. Instead of leaving WCW with a bang, The Giant leaves
with a whimper...
===========================================
FANTASY BOOKING- THIS WON'T HAPPEN
Submitted by reader: Ginasdaddy
For ECW Living Dangerously:
1/16/99 ECW Arena:
Sid says he's in ECW for competition and he'll fight anyone. Spike Dudley comes
out and Sid seems to have the match won within 3 minutes, but Jeff Jones says
"Beat him some more." Spike hits a low blow and Acid
Drop for the win. Afterwards, Sid snaps and powerbombs anyone and everyone he
sees. Shane Douglas comes out and says he likes Sid's style and hires him as his
new bodyguard, and he says his first job is to take out Taz. Later on, Public
Enemy returns to take out the Dudley Boys.

ECW house show:
Chris Candido returns and says he's tired of Shane Douglas and ECW, and since
Shane was the franchise of ecw, before he "leaves" for "another company" he must
take out the greatest representative of the ECW.

Meanwhile, Taz gets attacked by Sid after Taz helps the P.E. win a tag match vs
Sabu and RVD

Living Dangerously:
Shane Douglas beats Chris Candido and then reunites with him, forming a new
Triple Threat with Sid. Public Enemy fight to a draw with a mystery team (The
Pitbulls), and Sid beats Taz for the ECW title with some help from Sabu and RVD.


Other Matches: Masato Tanaka vs Yoshihiro Tajiri for international bragging
rights, Tommy Dreamer vs Terry Funk, and Jerry Lynn vs Rob Van Dam, plus 1 or 2
jobber matches.

ECW Arena:
Sid and Candido turn on Shane claiming that with Sid as the champ, who needs the
Franchise. Sid and Sabu are slated to wrestle later on and RVD and Candido are
supposed to fight as well. RVD and Chris fight to a draw and Sid and Sabu quit
fighting as Van Dam and Candido hit the ring claiming that "you're both nuts,
together we can kill guys like Taz and the Franchise". Shane and Taz hit the
ring with chairs and clean house setting up a handicap match,
Sid/Candido/Sabu/and Rob Van Dam vs Shane Douglas and Taz
===========================================
WRESTLERS ARE PEOPLE TOO
Submitted by reader: STINGdremr
I would like to reply to what was Written by HitmanMoody in your recent Reader
Mailbag: I have never met Luger or Sting, but there are a few that I have met.
Let me put it this way, they all have their good and bad days. One morning after
a Nitro, I encountered numerous wrestlers, announcers, Nitro Girls, etc. Johnny
Grunge was in a terribly BAD mood, Scott Hall was sweet as pie, Bobby Heenan was
cooperative but not fan friendly, Larry Zybysco was uncooperative, The Nitro
Girls were sweet, Paul Orndorff was the biggest @$$ I have ever seen, DDP was so
down to earth I actually spent 15 minutes talking with him, yet Kevin Nash was
in such a bad mood he stormed out of the hotel grunting and groaning at us.
Yet, not too long after I met Nash again, and he was so sweet and nice. So they
all have their bad and good days, just like each and everyone of US!!! But
truthfully, wouldn't you sometimes get a little frustrated when you cannot even
take a Pee without a fan following you for an autograph!!!
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: Osiris
Columnist: Tom Kirkbride
Columnist: Darren Kramer

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