Issue # 150

Date:  Saturday January 30th, 1999  5:29 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

SANDMAN DEBUTING
As I said on Wrestling Radio, I have it from a good source in WCW that the
Sandman is set to debut on Nitro this Monday from the Target Center. From what I
have heard, he will not be debuting as Raven's friend Jim, as that angle is
supposed to be scrapped, but instead will debut using his Sandman gimmick that
he made famous in ECW. (Reported by Dave Scherer of http://www.1wrestling.com)

THE FABULOUS ROUGEAUS RETURN!
Long time fans will remember a time before Jacques Rougeau was the laughable
"Mountie" (or equally laughable half of a tag team with Pierre Outlette) and
before Ray Rougeau was part of the WWF's French-Canadian commentary squad.
Together, the brothers were one of the WWF's best tag team duos of the late
1980's. And for the first time in nearly a decade, they will be reuniting on
February 14.

They'll be reforming to take on the duo of Greg Valentine and Abdullah the
Butcher on an indy show in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Valentine's Day. Fans
in Quebec can listen to CKOI 96.9 for details on the historic show which will
also feature King Kong Bundy and others.
(Thanks to: David Trahan)
Reported by http://www.wrestlemaniacs.com/ )

NEWSLETTERS
In the reader mailbag, we have an insightful letter by Jeff Westfall. Although
some of his points I would disagree with, he does present some very real
concerns about the entire wrestling/interent community. In his article, Jeff
cites two newsletters that he enjoys. I subscribe to both, and enjoy them
myself. There are many other newsletters that are of high quality as well,
though.

The House of Wrestling (bcelticsfn) is one of my own personal favorites;
Jared has produced a tremendous newsletter. Rich Verde (Crockett5)
produces the terrific West Essex Wrestling Online Newsletter, a weekly
newsletter.
Dale Moore (Cmoore316 puts out The Wrestle Pro Report, another fine
newsletter. There are many entertaining newsletters out there that I haven't
mentioned, that I do enjoy on a weekly basis. Though there is alot of garbage
on the internet, there are many terrific sources of information as well.
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Found at: http://freeweb.digiweb.com/sports/thejackal
Jackyl's Winnipeg Sun Column
by Don Callis
He has a name straight from the archives of pro wrestling's greatest heels and
he is responsible for the recent spell that we Winnipeger's have enjoyed, from
Parts Unknown.....still undefeated and always misunderstood....El Nino! Despite
being shrouded in secrecy, and being responsible for the melting of the polar
ice cap, I kind of dig El Nino. After all, how can you argue with the snow
melting in January for god sake?

The only person in Winnipeg who is not a proud member of the El Nino fan club
might be IWA promoter Tony Condello. Don't get me wrong, Tony likes balmy
weather as much as the next guy, he just doesn't want it to come at the start of
February. You see, February, best known by paramours as the month of Valentines
Day, is better known to struggling pro wrestlers as "Hell Month". Hell Month
because every year at about this time, Tony embarks on his "Northern Tour", and
if the weather gets too warm the frozen tundra cut out of the bush which call
themselves winter roads will thaw, and the tour will be off, and that would mean
that several young wrestlers would miss out on a yearly right of passage.

Comparable in pain and suffering to doing the Iditarod naked, the Northern Tour
takes the happy traveler on a fun filled, all expense paid (except for food
which you buy at triple the normal price at the appropriately titled "Northern
Store".) journey across the normally impassable winter roads to the normally
inaccessible northern communities of Manitoba.

I've done two of these trips and because of that, I am always a bit more
appreciative of having a roof over my head and something soft to sleep on around
this time of year. The fun begins right away, as the unsuspecting wrestlers who
have come from out of town and are comfortably ensconced at their hotel are
loaded into a 12 passenger van for the ride up north. I should say that the term
"12 passenger" is only accurate if you were traveling with 12 anorexic midgets,
and is not intended to describe 12 well fed wrestlers bundled up in parkas.

About four hours out of Winnipeg on Highway 6, you begin to wonder if its too
late to jump out and hitchhike back. Tony's chainsmoking and incessant story
telling are the only in-flight entertainment. About six hours in when you make
the turn off of highway 6 onto the winter roads, you begin to become
increasingly distressed at Tony's penchant for not watching the road while
telling stories, but, wait, the best is yet to come.

Whoever invented winter roads should be taken to Portage and Main and publicly
flogged. That's as simple as it can be put. The one good thing about the USA, is
that there would never be anything like a winter road, so what if the road leads
to nowhere, if this were America those winter roads would be beautiful divided
highways. The one good thing about winter roads is that you have lots of time to
view the scenery since you can only drive five miles an hour. The bad part about
that is that it tends to add to your driving time (first day is usually about a
23 hour non-stop drive). If you get tired of thinking up ways to pass the time,
you can always amuse yourself by watching Tony, whose ability to avoid the
crater size potholes on the road erodes steadily after the 16 hour mark.

Like a prize fighter who is out on his feet, but still wants to fight, Tony
continues to insist on driving. The most commonly asked question after about 19
hours is, of course, "how much farther?", to which Tony always replies..."Just
around the corner". Just when you begin to lose your second-hand nicotine rush
from Tony's smoking, you arrive at your destination. Being locked in a van for
23 hours under such conditions can make the most remote outpost seem like Club
Med, and for a few minutes everyone is happy.

After dining on canned tuna and porridge heated up in the high school home
economics room, the evening's event begins. Tony's shows are generally pretty
good, and long, because the shorter the show is, the sooner you'll find yourself
getting ready for floor. I would normally say getting ready for bed, but since
there are no beds, its really a misnomer. This character building experience is
repeated every day for some two weeks, at the end of which if you're still in
the wrestling business then, well, you must really like wrestling.

So as I sit in my heated home, complete with bed and hot water, and watch as the
mercury in the thermometer rises, one part of me prays for 30 below. I picture
Tony, cigarette perpetually hanging from his mouth, getting ready to pack
another group of unsuspecting lads off to the hinterland. So to all those brave
souls, I say, may your parka be warm, may the floor be soft and may Tony's
stories be short. Tally-ho!!

Please visit the Jackal Website at http://freeweb.digiweb.com/sports/thejackal
you may email me at: jackal
Jackyl
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ROUNDING THE SQUARED CIRCLE
"OVERHEARD AT A DUDLEY FAMILY DINNER"
BY SAMJERRY
1. "Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit."

2. "its been hotter'n a goat's butt in a pepper patch."

3. "Big Dick fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."

4. "Have a cup of coffee, its already been 'saucered and blowed.'"

5. "its so dry, the trees are bribing the dogs."

6. "My cow died last night so I don't need your bull."

7. "Don't pee down my back and tell me its raining."

8. "Bubba Ray's as country as cornflakes."

9. "This is gooder'n grits."

10. "Busier than a cat covering crap on a marble floor."

11. "If things get any better, I may have to hire someone to help me enjoy it.
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GOLDBERG IN NEW JAPAN
Submitted by reader: YakuzaThug
I doubt Goldberg would go over in Japan. Look at the past "big guys" that graced
NJPW: Scott Norton, Hercules Hernandez, Big Van Vader, Hulk Hogan, Bam Bam
Bigelow, Big Titan. Each of these wrestlers have an air of "power" to them. The
images they portray are what attracts the fans to them. Titan, for example...He
established himself in FMW. When he joined the nWo, New Japan fans loved him
more. Unlike the nWo in the US, the nWo in Japan is highly respected and
admired. He had a rugged, hooligan look to him which went well with Japanese
fans. Goldberg won't be as big in Japan. I can say the same thing of DX, Austin
and other crappy gimmicks in WWF.
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NEWSLETTERS
Submitted by reader: Jeff Westfall (Dogg16)
The ever so opinionated "Dean" of Pro wrestling is back once again to talk about
something that gives me the red ass. Now I know that many of you readers out
there know me from other articles but this one is to the point, and more
importantly, honest. I'm here to expose many of you so-called "Insiders" out
there for what you KIDS are...pathetic. I'm not being told by anyone to write
this, or let alone being a liar when what I'm about to say pisses some of you
off. There will be casualties of this article and I'm sure many of you will
write me in email or call me saying I don't know anything about anything, or
"Who the hell are you to say this?" Well who I am is someone who knows both
sides of the story and what you problems many of you
(cough) insiders can cause, so step on up to the Dean's Customer Service Desk
for Complaints...you can reach that at my website, more on that later!

I get about 34 online newsletters from kids who think they're in the biz. Kids
who know what's what in the world of professional wrestling. Of these 34
letters I get, some multiple times a week, I find only a couple are even worth
reading. You see, I'm educated, I tend to delete all those letters that can't
spell the word wrestling, or write in big fonts, or all caps, or anything
retarded like that so they can get more attention. So when I cut down the list,
I think I read maybe four letters a week. I will name them for the mere reasons
of plugging them. But for now, let me tell you all why many of the online
newsletters basically are horrible, and more importantly, a waste of your time.
First off, any newsletter that says, "Yoko Zuna's lost weight and is returning"
is a f'n lie! This guy will never lose the weight, and thusly never return! So
what I'm critiquing here is BAD NEWS SOURCES. You can read everything on these
letters. Even the most respected ones are jokes! One said last week, "Tito
Santana found dead in Texas home!" and then there was a whole story on the life
of Tito Santana and how he died. GUESS WHAT??? TITO'S NOT DEAD!!!

This is proof that any child on any computer can do, what they would call a
newsletter! Any kid that knows how to sign on a computer can go the internet
and pull news from any of a million wrestling websites and give news. Many of
you will read this crap and believe it.

The newsletters that do a good job are the ones that don't print everything.
They mainly go by the theory of don't believe anything you read, and only half
of what you see. Which is good. You take that theory in everything you do and
you may not be considered a sucker. Adam Silver at the TRN does a great
newsletter. Sure, sometimes he considers himself an insider, but hey, who
doesn't want to be labeled with a title? Adam does a great thing with his
letter and makes sure the news you get is good. How old is Adam??? Well, he's
in the teen category. But because he's aware of what news he puts out, in this
case, doesn't matter.

The Wrestling Booking Sheet by Steve Appy is another high class newsletter
that brings you news when it happens and doesn't save it up for one BIG weekend
special. He may have only three or four bits of news but its fresh, honest and
usually well done. The best newsletter out there today isn't as heralded as
others. The Jobber Report is simply the best one going. I'm not putting down
the TRN or the Booking Sheet when writing this, because they are good. But
Suptman@xxxxpaol.com has been a constant in wrestling news and making sure you get
the story in a well put together letter with great news. Bar none, the best one
out there today.

You see, I used to be an internet junky like you guys, and would spend hours
upon hours reading the BS people put on their sites. One thing led to another
with me though, and before you know it, I'm having beers with wrestlers in
Toledo, or hanging
at post pay per view parties and after Monday shows get togethers. You talk to a
few guys back there and you begin to find out the truth. You begin to see what
a mark you are by doing what you do. Some of you say, "Well, were all marks!"
And that may be true when being a fan, but the mark they're talking about are
the psycho ring rats that freak at everything a wrestler does because they think
that they're so cool.

One point in my life I had a conversation with Shawn Michaels over the phone and
found out what he thought of the net, and the so-called insiders posting news on
him that he laughed at. He said it doesn't matter at what level you are.
Whether your a kid, a teen, a Bob Ryder, or a Dave Meltzer, they all say the
same. If they say you're gay, then damn gummit, your gay! I believe him. I do
the wrestling news thing, and I'm well aware of what I say and when I say it.
I've been lucky enough to move up in this world because of the stuff I've done.
I'm happy to be doing it, but remember this next time you guys go hit the keypad
for that ever important next issue. Many of the things you write can come back
to haunt you and give you a reputation. Quit being internet junkies, talk to
REAL wrestlers and people in the business and go from there.

You know what they say, "Second hand smoke is more deadly then first hand
smoke!" Well getting your news from websites is second hand to me...so you all
suffer from it when you're writing a retraction or trying to put yourself over
as a insider to the people who read your letter. Show some initiative to be
above everyone else by actually showing you know people or something in the
business. You guys probably think that because you got a email from Bob Ryder,
and that he works for WCW, that you now know Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash because
Ryder knows them.

Any complaints by you wrestling freaks out there can be sent in to my NEW
website... www.kissmyass.com. See ya'.Want A Good Newsletter???
Wrestling Booking Sheet: Appy@xxxxs...
Jobber Report: suptman
Top Rope Newsletter: AdamSilver@xxxxc...
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ADVERTISEMENTS
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Subscribe to "The You Just Have To Know" Newsletter. E-mail XCLAW
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If you want to get the NEWEST and HOTTEST news and rumors in the wrestling
world, then suscribe to the OKInsider. It is a 100% free newsletter that has
tons of great info on whats happening in the wrestling world. To subcribe,
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So were we, and its a promise that that won't happen with the EEWF, which will
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===========================================
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.

"When you're young and you pick up a guitar, it feels so powerful. It feels like you pulled the sword from the stone. I used to believe that it could save the world. But I don't really believe that anymore." - Bruce Springsteen

"The greatest challenge of adulthood is holding on to your idealism
after you lose your innocence and believing in the power of the human
spirit after you come crashing into the limits of the real adult
world." - Bruce Springsteen