Issue # 151

Date:  Sunday January 31st, 1999  11:11 am

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

BUFF BAGWELL STILL ON HIATUS
Buff Bagwell was originally supposed to return to the ring this past weekend,
beginning 1/29. For whatever reason, this did not happen. I don't know if WCW
is just being cautious and didn't want to rush Bagwell (which would be a good
thing), or if there was a setback in his recovery. Either way, I think Bagwell
is poised to become a HUGE star upon his return.

JAPAN ANGLES
Two "major" angles were done on 1/29, one by NJ and one by AJ. The All Japan
angle saw Kawada enter the All Japan offices and ask Misawa to declare Akira
Taue the challenger for Vader at the 3/6 Nippon Budokan show (for Triple Crown.)
The NJ angle saw the company declare Yuji Nagata "in a slump" and made him out
to be a loser at the moment. its sort of like the Malenko angle used when he
went "home." They are using it to garner sympathy for Nagata for his upcoming
IWGP Tag Title match. (Reported by Zach Arnold at http://www.1wrestling.com )

ALL JAPAN/WWF CONNECTION
No deal has been made, but doors have been opened regarding negotiations when
Baba gets out of the hospital to perhaps use some WWF talent at the Dome Show.
The two names I keep hearing are Steve Austin & The Rock; other WWF talent that
could possibly make an impact in All Japan include Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and
All Japan superstar Steve Williams.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

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'HALFTIME HEAT' EXPECTED TO BRING IN HUGE NUMBERS
By Mike Mooneyham
Sunday, January 31, 1999
While football fans will have to wait until the end of today's Super Bowl to
discover the outcome of that championship game, wrestling fans won't have to
hold their breath for results of today's WWF world title rematch between The
Rock and Mankind.

The WWF is shooting for one of its biggest television numbers ever for its
special "Halftime Heat" showing on the USA Network of a match between The Rock
(Rocky Maivia) and Mankind (Mick Foley) filmed last Tuesday in an empty arena in
Tucson, Ariz. Mankind, who first defeated The Rock for the WWF title at Raw
tapings Dec. 29 in Worcester, Mass., but dropped the strap at last Sunday's
Royal Rumble pay-per-view, regains the belt in today's "Halftime Heat" showdown.

The match, however, is hardly a secret. The WWF, hoping to pop a huge
audience for the "empty arena" bout, claimed on its website last week that the
match was much more hard-core and violent than the "I Quit" brawl at last
Sunday's PPV. The WWF's Sunday Night Heat program (7-8 p.m.) will immediately
switch to the match at halftime of the Super Bowl. That edition of Heat and next
week's show all were taped last week.

Foley, who has risen to legendary status in the wrestling business due to
his body-risking and death-defying approach, once was considered a longshot
candidate for world title status, but has become one of the WWF's major players.
Foley's worth to the company is not lost on WWF owner Vince McMahon.

"He is a wonderful, wonderful man," McMahon told The Post and Courier. "I
have nothing but respect for Mick as a performer and as a human being. He gives
to the extent that you have to say to him (take it easy). It becomes a situation
where you have to look out for performers despite what they would want to give
the audience and the company and everything else. You have to say no. He's the
epitome of that kind of mentality we're looking for that wants to give to the
audience."

• Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeats Kane (Glen Jacobs) in a cage match to
highlight this week's Raw (taped Tuesday night in Tucson) and punches out Chyna
(Joannie Lee) as he exits the cage. Chyna retaliates the following week on
Sunday Night Heat when she gives Triple H a low blow to set up a victory for
Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett over Helmsley and X-Pac.

• The WWF's Super Bowl commercial, which is being billed as the most
controversial commercial in the history of that storied game, is scheduled to
air during the third quarter. The price tag for the 30-second commercial is a
whopping $1.6 million.

• Terry Taylor has ended his six-year relationship with WCW and joined the
WWF. Taylor, who will work in the office writing television with Vince McMahon,
Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara, should be a stabilizing force who hopefully can
temper some of the WWF's more bizarre storylines with his logical, "make-sense"
booking approach.

Taylor, who has served behind the scenes at WCW as an assistant booker, had
been working without a contract. His stock in WCW had fallen since coming out on
the short end of a power struggle last year with Annette Yother of the WCW
production office. More recently, however, Taylor was brought before WCW head
Eric Bischoff, who suggested Taylor leave if he wasn't happy.

Taylor, who has been suffering from the effects of a very stressful job
along with the fact that his father has been hospitalized since a car accident
more than a year ago, was offered an option of taking time off without pay. That
same offer had been extended a year ago to fellow booker Kevin Sullivan, whose
absence was attributed to "personal burnout" (wife Nancy Sullivan had left him
for Chris Benoit), with the difference being Sullivan was paid during his
five-month layoff.

Taylor, who asked Vince McMahon for a job and was immediately hired, should
prove to be of immediate value to the WWF braintrust since he is very
knowledgeable of the inner workings of WCW and reportedly has information
pertinent to the WWF's lawsuit against WCW regarding Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Paul Levesque), who Taylor helped during his brief stint
at WCW, reportedly was instrumental in Taylor landing the WWF position. Taylor,
though, would probably like to forget his last stint in the WWF where he spent
more than a year strutting his stuff as The Red Rooster, complete with purple
hair spiked like a rooster's, in one of wrestling's worst gimmicks ever.

Mike Mooneyham can be reached by phone at (803) 937-5517 or by e-mail at
mooneyham@xxxxc.... More wrestling news with Mike Mooneyham is
available every Monday on The Wrestling Observer Hotline. The number is
1-900-903-9030. Calls are 99 cents per minute, and children under 18 must get
parental permission before dialing.
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GOLDBERG IN JAPAN
Submitted by reader: RhythmFIX
I just read a reader letter in your past sheet stating how the author thought
Goldberg would not be big in Japan. Yet he never really gave a reason as to
why. I lived in Japan for a few years and I missed out on the wrestling
revolution that went on in the States from 93-95. I did get to watch plenty of
Japanese wrestling, which in my opinion, is much better in mat quality by leaps
and bounds than most of the stuff I see in WCW and the WWF. That aside, I think
Goldberg would do well in Japan. The Japanese love their wrestling and treat it
with far more respect than here in the States. It is so respected, in fact,
that in the daily papers they have the prior night's
wrestling results in the sports section. They also follow what is going on with
wrestling on our continent closely. To them, pro wrestling is an American sport
and this is where are all the greats come from.

A few years back they had a special event where Japanese and American wrestlers
took on one another. It was a great night and the fans flooded the Tokyo Dome
to see the spectacle. Hogan, Sting, Ed Leslie and of course Norton were there.
These men were treated with great respect and class during the whole event.
Hogan was even a heel for the event and this was before he became Hollywood
Hogan. The main event was Antonio Inoki, a Japanese legend, vs Sting. It was a
great match and the fans showed their great respect for Sting. Sting lost the
match, of course, but it opened my eyes to the degree in the respect and
knowlege that the Japanese have of American wrestlers.

I was living in Japan when Brian Pillman, Vader, Hawk and the Steiners were
working
here. They love American wrestlers and to them the bigger, the meaner and
uglier the wrestler, the more they like them. That is why I think Goldberg, if
given the opportunity, would be received very well in Japan. Plus, I think it
would do great things for Goldberg in terms of experience and learning. For
those of us who have complained in the past of his lack of experience or work
rate would see this change if he is given more chances such as this. Goldberg
had already improved quite a bit since his debut, and he is trying hard to get
better. He has been the WCW U.S. and World Champ. Because of this the Japanese
already know who he is and more than
likely would love to see this star of the American wrestling scene live and in
person. I think it would be a great thing for Goldberg to go work New Japan,
and it could possibly mend some of the damage between NJW and WCW. I think
Goldberg would go over well with the Japanese. To think otherwise is showing a
lack of knowlege of the Japanese wrestling fan.
Lars
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NEWSLETTER RESPONSE
Submitted by reader: Mike Leonard (Rebel4War)
In response to Jeff Westfall's letter:
While much of what you said may hold some truth, I was, as you'd predicted,
struck and offended by the unprovoked criticism of the so-called
"wrestling-junkies" of the internet, a category into which you obviously,
despite any objection you can muster, fall. I subscribe only to The Booking
Sheet, and was not personally offended by anything you wrote, but rather shocked
by the harshness with which you choose to judge and criticize people formerly
enjoying a sport to the best of their abilities that we all have come to love.

The "wrestling-junkies" you choose to lash out at are merely enthusiastic about
wrestling and hope to be exposed to it for as much time as they can. We all
know plenty of people who do the same thing with another sport, or with music,
or with some form of entertainment, attempting to get the "inside scoops" and
learn all that they can of their favorite entertainers.

Let me share with you this little bit of knowledge I've managed to pickup along
the way: the less one knows about a subject, the louder he is.
-Mike Leonard
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TAMMY SYTCH RESPONSE
Submitted by Tamara Johnson (szucsko)
I would like to comment on reading "Tammy Sytch Responds". I agree with what
Tammy has said about the WWF. From what I see, wrestling isn't wrestling anymore
in the WWF. I agree with Tammy in saying that Mankind is a true hardcore
wrestler. I don't know many wrestlers that would of done stuff he has done it
the past in ECW, WCW etc. and now in the WWF. I also agree with why didn't the
Rock jump down on Mankind at the Rumble. The Rock wouldn't have gotten hurt that
much considering he'd probley land right on Mankind.

I have ALWAYS watched the WWF. I don't follow WCW or ECW but I do know that
Vince has changed wrestling from what it USED to be. Wrestling used to be about,
well.......wrestling and now basically its to do with SEX and sex related
issues. He has done this because he thinks its what WE want. Me, as a female, do
not want Sable walk around half naked. Every women in the WWF has gotten
implants on Vinces request. He thinks big breasted women wearing basically
nothing is what WE want. Sure a lot of older guys would watch it but what does
that have to do with wrestling???

Then you have Val Venis whose character is VERY perverted. Then you have Jackie
& Terri as PMS, the name is something I wouldn't want to talk about in class or
to friends. Such as quote: "PMS rules". Which MOST people would refer to that
as something else then Pretty Mean Sisters. One of the biggest things I have
heard was that more females want to see women in control. Sable and Vince both
said this and I think its wrong. Like Tammy said, Luna would have to be the
only one with true wrestling knowledge. I think Chyna also fits this because
she has trained long and hard and would be a great wrestler. Jackie has wrestled
in WCW for a while and she really is pretty good. Why does she have to walk
around with Terri Runnles doing
NOTHING at all when SHE could be the next womens champion rather then a fraud.
My final conclusion would be: Get rid of the Godfather's pimps...get the girls
to dress up a little more.....get the Undertaker to stop his "cult" thing....get
the wrestlers to
stop acting.....get Vince a new brain and make wrestling more enjoyable for ALL
ages, females & males!!
~TaMaRa Lee JoHnSoN~ szucsko http://sytch.8m.com
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FUNK/FOLEY CLIPS
Submitted by reader: Tim Armstrong (thefnswits)
FYI, the Terry Funk/Mankind clips are from Stranglemania, a psycodelic film,
hosted by ICP, and is available, surprisingly, at about any mall movie store.
About ECW, if they went mainstream, they would dilute the high quality,
ass-kicking hardcore style that we now see. I wouldn't like it to be as big as
WWF or WCW, but if they had 2 or 3 shows a week, and monthly PPV's, it would be
perfect.
cul8r-mike
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TOP 10 WRESTLING MOVIES TO COME
Submitted by AcidDropX4
10) Much Ado About Jobbing
9) Truth or Flair?
8) 4 weddings and a WCW main event ending in DQ
7) The truth about pimps and hoes
6) The Dudley Family
5) Don't be a jobber in south central WCW while Goldberg is in the arena:
A Spike Lee Marshall Film
4) Piledriving Ms. Daisy
3) 3 way dances with wolves
2) Hogan and the Giant Speech
1)What's eating Gillberg's grapes?
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The staff of The Wrestling Booking Sheet
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