Issue # 146

Date:  Monday January 25th, 1999  11:10 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

WCW Nitro Report for January 25th, 1999
By Steve Appy
Live from Reunion Arena in Dallas TX
Nitro opened with clips of the nWo internal conflict from the 1/21 Thunder.
Curt Hennig & Stevie Ray seemed poised for trouble, finally acknowledging that
the Wolfpac was probably their enemy.

Ric Flair forced Eric Bischoff to sell merchandise for the evening; Bischoff
sold this as utter humiliation. How will Bischoff turn this to his advantage
tonight?

Disco Inferno pinned Al Greene in 2:50
Disco actually dominated the offense, and scored the pinfall after The
Chartbuster.

The nWo Black & White waited at the airport for the Wolfpac; when their private
plane landed, the Wolfpac destroyed Curt Hennig, leaving him for dead. As the
Wolfpac left in their limousine, the Black & White members followed in their
rentals.

The entire nWo entered the arena, making jokes about "smelling Nitro Girl's on
Scott Steiner". Stevie Ray was teased about his non-nWo uniform; it appears
that Stevie Ray is in for an ass whipping tonight.

Bam Bam Bigelow challenged Scott Hall to a Ladder Match, citing his own
"hardcore credentials". He gave a 100% babyface interview; Hall watched from
the locker room, making fun of Bigelow...

Eric Bischoff cheated a fan at the merchandise stand; with all the merchandise
in the background, it was a great advertisement, if nothing else.

Gene Okerlund interviewed Ric Flair; Flair ordered a Hart US Title Defense at
Superbrawl against an unnamed opponent, and a match against Booker T tonight.
He warned Kevin Nash that a wall of human wrestlers would protect the tag team
tournament tonight; Flair then ordered Hogan to pick two partners, because he's
facing The Horseman in a Six Man Match tonight.

Saturn's "friend" Scott Dickinson watched from the front row, a bitter look
marking his expression.

Scott Hall & The Disco Inferno, taser & ladder in hand, accepted Bigelow's
challenge for a ladder match. Hall proclaimed himself to be "The King of the
Ladder Match:.

Bam Bam Bigelow fought Scott Hall (w/Disco Inferno) to a No Contest in 13:50 in
a Ladder/Taser Match
The referee ordered Disco back to the locker room; Mike Tenay vaguely
acknowledged Hall's past history w/ ladders. Both men used the ladder as a
weapon; with Bigelow's weight, this is the wrong kind of match to highlight his
considerable strengths. That said, both men put in great performances. Bigelow
finally grabbed the taser, and received a low blow in response. Disco returned
to ringside and gave Hall his own taser, which brought Goldberg to the ring.
Although both Bigelow & Hall tried to destroy Goldberg, he ended up spearing
them both. Scott Norton made the save for Hall, but was no match for the former
champion.

Gene Okerlund interviewed US Champion Bret Hart. Hart called Booker T "a
loser";
he seemed to be underestimating his opponent later in the evening. Hart claimed
the El Dandy is the proper # 1 contender; although his rant was entertaining,
both Hart & Okerlund diminished Dandy & Psychosis with their lack of respect.

Meng & The Barbarian (w/Jimmy Hart) defeated David "Fit" Finlay & David Taylor
in a World Tag Team Tournament match in 7:26
Dozens of WCW wrestlers surrounded the ring, intent on repulsing any possible
nWo interference. This match was mediocre at best, and should have aired in the
first hour. The Barbarian pinned Taylor after a Powerbomb.

Perry Saturn pinned Norman Smiley in 10:46
Saturn continued wearing his dress; while silly, it does get him some attention.
Scott Dickinson glared at Saturn; there appears to be some back history between
the two that dates further back then the current angle. Smiley spanked Saturn,
which led to Saturn mounting a comeback. Saturn imitated "The Big Wiggle", and
put Smiley away with the Death Valley Driver.

Gene Okerlund interviewed Scott Dickinson; he looked sincerely mournful, truly
upset about his 30 day suspension. A great piece of acting on Dickinson's
part...

US Champion Bret Hart pinned Booker T in 15:31
Both Hershel Walker & Jean Claude Van Dam watched the action from ringside.
This was a non-title match; WCW has made a huge blunder in the way they present
both of these men. Hart's being presented as a mid carder, instead of a top
tier icon. Booker T is a future main eventer, and is very marketable. After a
solid, competitive match, is it too much to ask for a clean finish? Apparently.
Hart scored the pinfall after hitting Booker with the US Belt.

Eric Bischoff roamed the stands, selling WCW foam fingers. It was revealed that
Bischoff is now wearing a toupee, embarrassed about his new haircut.

Bill Goldberg pinned Scott Norton in 5:30
Norton, one of the more overrated men in the sport, fell victim to the
Jackhammer. With all the criticism Goldberg has received for his lack of
technical ability, his workrate is improving more and more each week. This man
will only get better. Goldberg escaped a Powerbomb, and used a Spear and the
Jackhammer to secure the victory. The nWo Black & White jobbers tried to ambush
Goldberg, but he was too much for all of them. Chuck Norris, Bret Hall, Jean
Claude Van Dam & Hershel Walker celebrated with Goldberg in the ring after his
victory.

Scott Steiner intently watched Kimberly as the Nitro Girls performed. its
funny, Steiner's character is a roided up, out of control pervert. He seems
legit out of control; he does a super job of selling this character. Some might
wonder where the lines of fantasy and reality blur...

Ric Flair, Chris Benoit & Steve McMichael defeated Hollywood Hogan, Scott
Steiner & Kevin Nash via disqualification in 18:15
At this point, nobody can sell offense like Benoit; he is good enough to even
make Steiner look good, something that hasn't been done since 1995. Bischoff,
who has turned the tables every week, handed Kevin Nash a foam finger with a
metal pole attached to it. Nash nailed Flair with it to cause the DQ; Bischoff
had a razor ready, prepared to shave Flair's head. The locker room emptied,
with almost the entire WCW roster prepared to defend the fallen WCW President.
Finally, a logical response to the nWo brutality. Goldberg joined the fray, and
destroyed one nWo member after another as Nitro concluded...
===========================================
ROUNDING THE SQUARED CIRCLE
"FOLEY REALLY IS GO/O/D "
OR
"REALLY ROCKING ROYAL RUMBLE"
BY SAMJERRY
VISIT my Home Page: http://members.aol.com/~samjerry

Prior to last night's Royal Rumble, Mick Foley/Mankind promised he would provide
fans with his most memorable performance ever. There was a lot of skepticism
about his being able to outdo himself after last years Hell In The Cell match v.
The Undertaker. You may recall in that match he was launched off the top of the
Cage and thru the Spanish Announcers Desk (If I was a Spanish Announcer, I would
demand to be located in the locker room area). Later in the match, he was
dropped thru the Cage to the ring below. He ended up with a tooth coming out
thru his nose.

Last night topped that! He was thrown off a balcony by The Rock, onto a speaker
and/or electrical control box, causing him to be the center of a fireworks
display and knocking the lights out in the Arena. Sure, the stunt was set up in
advance, but so what? That Foley was the one to pull it off is what sets him
apart from every other wrestler in the business today. There are a couple of
people in ECW that have done the "fall / dive from a balcony" routine, but none
to compare with what Foley did last night. This is not to mention the seemingly
countless chair shots he took to the head and back. I seriously doubt there is a
wrestler anywhere in the world today that would be willing (or maybe stupid
enough) to do what Foley does to entertain wrestling fans. He is truly Go(o)d.
Note to Fat Tony: Stick that in your pile of grits.

Knowing that Foley would never utter the words, "I Quit" in a match, the WWF
somehow managed to tape him saying those words and played them over the PA
System to end the match. This was anti-climatic. The match between Foley and The
Rock deserved better. I have to think they did it with the full knowledge that
The Rock would have had to kill Foley before he gave in. Matches may be
"scripted," but in Foley's case, I believe killing him might have been the only
way to stop the match.

As for the rest of the Royal Rumble, it delivered everything one could possibly
expect from a PPV. When Mr. McMahon says, "Nobody does PPV's like the WWF," he
knows what he is talking about. Top to bottom, this was the best PPV is several
years. There were few weak spots. The undercard was solid, with the Sable / Luna
"match" the only obvious weak spot. As beautiful as Sable is, she is not a
wrestler. Luna has been a professional wrestler a long time and could have taken
Sable apart if that was the desired result. It also may have been the one match
that ended as most people predicted.

The Intercontinental Title Match between Nutso (C) and Bad @$$ matched two of
the purest athletes competing today. It was widely assumed that Bad @$$ would
win the Title, however, Nutso retained it in a physical encounter. I see Bad @$$
eventually taking the belt. The WWF may be waiting for Bad @$$ and Road Dogg to
firmly establish themselves as singles competitors before he wins it.

The European Title Match between X-Pac (C) and Bela Lugosi Jr. / Gangrel matched
two of the best young wrestlers there are. Too bad the WWF saw fit for it to be
so short a match. These two are capable of putting on a real memorable match.
This was another match whose victor surprised most fans. Gangrel was widely
predicted to lift the Title. He has gold (and a resharpened pair of fangs) in
his future

The non-title (Hardcore) match between Road Dogg may not have been as "Hardcore"
as some of Doggie's recent Title defenses, but it delivered. It should lead to a
Title Match between them, perhaps as soon as RAW tonight. I expect we will see a
match with the gloves completely taken off.

The Royal Rumble itself didn't disappoint. While not the best Rumble ever, it
was well worth watch. Here again, the expected winner (Stone Cold Steve
Austin/SCSA), didn't. With SCSA expected to destroy WWF Owner Mr. McMahon, in
yet another "swerve," Mr. @$$hole won it. With the winner of the Royal Rumble
guaranteed a Title shot at Wrestlemania, the angles set up by McMahon's win are
countless. Off the top of my head I can think of several: He will actually meet
The Rock; He will "sell/trade/give" his Title shot to someone else (Does the
name Titan ring a bell?); Get himself goaded into a match for the Title shot
(How about SCSA offering to leave the WWF forever if McMahon defeats him v. the
spot at Wrestlemania); Being declared ineligible for the Title by WWF
Commissioner Shawn Michaels because he is the Owner of the WWF, or some other
reason Michaels dreams up. The WWF Bookers are to be congratulated for this
twist.

Of course there were some low points in the Royal Rumble. Was it really
necessary for The Undertaker to perform his initiation ceremony during the
Rumble? It could just as well have been done between matches. It slowed the
action down. Having SCSA "taken away" in an ambulance because he was badly
injured by The Corporation in the ladies room, only to have him come storming
back without the slightest sign of an injury pushes the envelope of reality a
bit much. Check the way Bad @$$ returned after he was "injured" by Nutso. Coming
down with his leg wrapped gave an air of reality to things. Then there was Mr.
McMahon joining the announcers, while still alive in the Rumble. If he could do
it (Yes I know he is the Boss), why not anyone else?

To sum things up, I gave The Royal Rumble a 9.6. As I said earlier, it was the
best PPV in years. It definitely raises the bar on my expectations of future
PPV's. What can the WWF do to match it, let alone top it? What can WCW do to
compete? Their last PPV, Souled Out, was a real snoozer. There is no doubt that
Good King Eric, WCW Bookers and WCW Brass were watching last night. I hope they
took notes.
===========================================
SUNDAY NIGHT HEAT Report for January 24, 1999.
Anaheim, California.
By: Mark George (attkdonkey)

HEAT opens with a promotional video pushing the Austin/McMahon match-up for the
Royal Rumble later tonight.

** First piece of live action has Austin arriving to the arena in his truck, but
being denied access to the VIP area because he is not in a limousine. Stone
Cold peels out and speeds away. An obvious ploy by the Corporation to
discourage Austin.

The Corporation makes its standard show opening with Vince McMahon, Shane,
Patterson and Briscoe. Vince gives Austin 30 minutes to return to the arena or
he will be unable to wrestle in the Rumble. He then hypes tonight's Royal
Rumble and leads into the " I Quit" Title Match between The Rock & Mankind.
Vince then schedules a tune up match for Mankind later on HEAT against a mystery
opponent.

** A black limousine pulls up outside the arena and out steps a masked man, in
all black with incredible size. Looks to be Mabel.

J.O.B. Squad (Bob Holly/Scorpio) defeat Too Much via pinfall.
Too Much had too little in this match. Scorpio put on an array of quality moves
and Holly delivered a jackhammer on Brian Christopher for the win. After the
match the Acolytes stormed the ring and dispatched all, paving the way for the
Undertaker.

** Undertaker makes his entrance. In my opinion, one of the best entrances in
the business. Undertaker bellows a promise that the Ministry of Darkness will
sacrifice someone tonight at the Royal Rumble.

** Michael Cole interviews Sable.
As Sable comes to the ring, Shane McMahon shows obvious animosity towards her.
Sable looks good, but appeared as if she were reading her comments to Luna.
During the interview, Luna runs out and delivers a backbreaker to Sable leaving
her injured and at a disadvantage for tonight's Title Match.

** With Steve Austin's time limit up, Vince McMahon comes to the ring to inform
everyone Austin will not participate. As he is doing so, A MONSTER truck in the
form of a limousine comes crashing through a parking lot barricade, crushing
cars in the process. AWESOME!!! Out steps Steve Austin, sending the crowd into
a frenzy. He and McMahon meet in the ring and Vince says, " I've got one thing
to say". Then he slaps Austin in the face and flees for his life. Austin then
retaliates by manhandling the Stooges (Patterson/Briscoe).

** The Rock is shown entering the arena with a guy carting his gear. He
proceeds to clown the young attendant by calling him a "Candy Ass" and pulling
out a wad of bills and throwing $1.00 to the floor. Classic Rock.

Mankind defeats Mystery Opponent (Mabel) via DQ.
An obvious attempt by The Corporation to put Mankind at a disadvantage for
tonight match against The Rock. Mankind survives an early attack and goes for
the Mandible Claw when The Rock and Shane storm the ring and attack Mankind.
Heat comes to a conclusion with the Stooges pumping up a cocky Vince McMahon
===========================================
Last weeks poll (Sorry so late)
By Swami (nWo4life4ever)
What would you like to see Giant do upon entering WWF?
Join team corporate 29
Feud with Kane and/or Undertaker 26
Lose weight 12
Join DX 11
Job 5
Join oddities 4
Team with Undertaker 4
Join Kaientai 2
Join the Brood 2
Many other votes/ideas received one vote
Total numbers of votes: 132

This weeks poll:
What did you think of Royal Rumble?
A. The best ever!
B. Very good, definitely worth the money
C. Average, could have been better
D. Sucked
E. Absolutely horrible!
All polls MUST be sent to <nWo4life4ever>
===========================================
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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