Issue # 156

Date:  Thursday February 4th, 1999  8:47 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

THE GIANT'S WWF DEBUT?
Paul Wight could very well be banging on Titan's door in time for the 14th. A
PPV debut makes perfect sense to set something up between the big man and Kane
for WRESTLEMANIA in March!
(Reported by Al Isaccs of: http://www.scoopscentral.com )

THE ROCK IN PLAYGIRL?
Getting back to The Rock for a sec, fans of the female persuasion might be
interested to know that "The Great One" may be following in Shawn Michaels
footsteps right into the pages of PLAYGIRL. No definite committment or date for
this one. But the gentlemen out there can tell you that the one month countdown
'till Sable's PLAYBOY is on.
(Reported by Al Isaccs of: http://www.scoopscentral.com )

HAWK CONTRACT DISPUTE
Hawk is in limbo, and apparently contract negotiations (or lack thereof) have
hampered him from being in action. Hawk's preference at the moment is to head
back to Atlanta, but there is apparently very little interest from WCW, be it
due to their tag team situation or the recent angles concerning the LOD. The
reason that Droz has been tossed into the angle with the Oddities is for him to
see action and remain in the consciousness of the public, but at the same time
allows enough obscurity so that he can eventually be repackaged and distanced
from LOD, who may or may not be a part of the WWF tag team landscape in 1999.
(Reported by Al Isaccs of: http://www.scoopscentral.com )

SHANE McMAHON TO WRESTLE?
And who's that training with Dr. Tom Pritchard? Yep, it looks like Shane McMahon
is prepping himself for a legit bout with X-Pac at WRESTLEMANIA or the April
IYH. Expect the McMahon offspring to set things up during this month's PPV as
Waltman takes on Kane. (Our thanks to T.D.H.!)
(Reported by Al Isaccs of: http://www.scoopscentral.com )
===========================================
ONE COUNT--a column by--OSIRIS (burkeandhare@xxxxc...)
Nothing major this time-----just a few musings for your considertion:

1) What if the Chyna situation is a big set-up, like the DX wool-pulling
vis-a-vis Vinnie Mac. What if Chyna is there to split up Team Corporate, so
that all Vinnie Mac needs will be one massive bodyguard--the Giant--coming in as
Titan?

2) I look for Stevie Ray and Booker T to reunite-----witness the manuevering of
the Black-and-White into situations designed to humiliate them. Face it: Harlem
Heat
needs to re-emerge--they`re too great a team to waste----

3) It`s also good to see Mr. Perfect re-emerge as his bad self. I never saw him
as
a group member-----

4) Mankind`s recent title reclamation. It was one of the best old-style matches
I`ve seen in a long time. Congratulations, Mankind, and I also have to say that
Mankind is at or near the top of my list of favorite wrestlers. Speaking of
that, why don`t you who are reading this send me a list of your top 2 wrestlers,
explaining why, and send them to burkeandhare@xxxxc.... It might make an
interesting piece--------well, that`s it------see ya next time------ring the
bell!!
osiris ``don`t look behind, something may be gaining``
===========================================
POLL, By Swami (nwo4life4ever)
Last weeks poll:
What did you think of the Royale Rumble?
A. Best ever -10 votes
B. Very good - 42
C. Average - 12
D. Sucked - 12
E. Horrible - 4

This weeks poll:
What would be the least amount of money you would accept to job to Goldberg?
A. free - $100
B. $101 - $1,000
C. $1,001 - $10,000
D. $10,001 - $100,000
E. $100,001 - 10 million
Send all responses to: nwo4life4ever
===========================================
LIVE NITRO NOTES
Submitted by reader: Mike Monson (mikemonson)
My name is Mike, and I was at Nitro last night here in Minneapolis. For anyone
interested, I have a few comments on the show. I have to start out by saying,
it SUCKED!! This is the third or fourth time Nitro has been to the Target
center in Minneapolis in the last couple of years and I've got to say I'm tired
of being ripped off by WCW. I'm not sure who they have booking Nitro now, but
after seeing that crap last night, its no wonder why RAW has been winning the
ratings. You can call me what you want, I say the WWF is much more
entertaining. I don't know what the crowd sounded like on TV, but let me tell
you the place was quiet except for a couple of SHORT moments.

These moments were inspired by Ric Flair, Big Poppa Pump, and Chris Jericho.
Out of a three hour show, we saw about 30 minutes of actual wrestling, 30
minutes of commercial time, and the rest of the show was all talk, and boring
talk on top of it all. How many interviews and pre-recorded promos can you
possibly fit into a 3
hour event? And the thirty or so minutes of wrestling there was looked like
they were not even trying. It was one missed spot after another.

And this hardcore attempt by WCW is absolutley pathetic. Someone needs to tell
the bookers that you can't go hardcore and still keep your program clean... You
just can't do both at the same time, and when you try, it makes your show look
incredibly cheap. The Sandman sold out, but I can hardly blame him as his
paydays have got to be better now. I wish I had more to report about the actual
show, but like I said, NOTHING HAPPEND. I'll give you a couple of notes...
During a commercial break, someone threw a beer at Big Poppa Pump and he
actually jumped into the crowd and went after the guy. Needless to say the
idiot got kicked out. (He didn't miss anything so at least he got a good nights
sleep!) WCW was taking signs away that they didn't think were OK for TV.
(Nothing new there) This should sum up the event... I've never been to an
event where the people start to walk out during the main event. I can't wait
for Summerslam here in Minneapolis!!
===========================================
MORE LIVE NITRO NOTES
Submitted by reader: RavenKult2
3 biggest pops of the evening...
#1 Michael Buffer- when he asked if there were any Mn Viking fans in the arena,
he then said he hopes John Elway comes back next year so the Vikings can kick
his ass!!!!!!!

#2 Goldberg- a huge chant of Goldberg all night, people expected him to come out
and destroy The Cat.

#3 Ric Flair- without a doubt, he is way over in Mn, people loved his Big Sexy
impresion. Biggest pop.

Scott Steiner- my girlfriend was pissed at the way Steiner acted on Nitro. She
thought it was tasteless, but it fit the angle. When DDP came out the crowd was
on its feet, they loved the Diamond Cutter on Disco Inferno.

Other notes.........In a pre-nitro dark match a Ric Flair look alike beat Chris
Adams- after a version of Goldust's curtain call. For the post-Nitro dark match
a tag team Lucha Libra match, I forgot there names, sorry, very fast paced
action, by far the best match of the night, there was more wrestling in the 7
minutes than all of Nitro!

Sandman got no reaction at all from the crowd, only me along with a handful of
people knew who he was. People loved the ECW style match, Bam Bam was over as a
babyface, but later in the show he was placed as a heel against Goldberg.
People hated the Bischoff/Flair angle this week, it was very slow and boring.
All the nWo video features sucked and killed the crowd. The Nitro Girls danced
alot during the commercial breaks, when there was no wrestling. You could not
hear any of the Hogan and his friends video, I had no idea what happened. No
Raven, Hart, Hogan, or even Norman Smiley or Chavo Gurerrero, or Lucha Libra
matches.

The main event was a nice change of pace, rather than Hall vs Bigelow or
Goldberg every week. As I said before Steiner and the rest of the Wolfpac got
mixed reactions
along with Hennig, Norton, and Jericho. A group of people near me had a sign
that said "Bam Bam Fears Gary Anderson" who is the Vikings kicker. I also saw
another sign that said "Beer Match" and alot of Ric Flair signs and Wolfpac
stuff.

On a end note this was a lame Nitro, and I hate to say it but it was!!!
===========================================
FANTASY BOOKING (THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN)
Submitted by reader: DJSuave74
July 1999 Nitros
In a return of their feud from the year previous, Jericho battles with Dean
Malenko. On the July 26th Nitro, Jericho loses a "Loser Leaves WCW" match to
Malenko. End of Jericho's career in WCW.

August 2 Raw
Between matches Lawler and Ross are talking about either the previous or
upcoming match when all of a sudden Jericho's WCW music starts playing. Ross
and Lawler look confused. Out from the Titantron comes Jericho w/Ralphus.
Jericho slowly walks to the ring while Ross comments on who Jericho is and that
he is currently not under contract with either WCW or WWF. Jericho, in the ring,
grabs the mic and comments how the WCW fans look worse than normal. After a
couple of minutes of shooting, Commissioner HBK comes out and grabs the mic. He
says that everyone in wrestling world saw him lose that match last week in the
other organization. HBK then changes it and says "Oh, no one watches that
show". Jericho demands a match for tonight's Raw. HBK gives him a one-time
match with Shamrock. Jericho loses to Shamrock due to HBK running out to
ringside.

Other August Raws
Ross still plays it off each week that Jericho is not under contract with the
WWF, but yet each week Jericho gets matches against various WWF talent.
Eventually, Jericho develops a feud with Owen Hart, who has the IC belt.

Sept/Oct Raws/Heat/PPVs
The Jericho/Owen feud heats up drastically. Vinnie Mac "refuses" to give
Jericho a contract (even though Internet fans that know Jericho has been signed
since July) and only pays him for each match. Jericho uses the fact that he
trained at the Hart Family Dungeon for extra motivation. Throw Jason Sensation
in there and you have some crazy matches. However, every time Jericho seems to
be about to win the IC belt, HBK interferes somehow and costs him the match.

Survivor Series 99
Jericho/Owen-No DQ/Interference match. If Jericho wins, Vinnie must give him a
contract. If he loses, then he is fired and can never be seen on WWF TV again.
Net smarks and WCW marks denounce the WWF for making a match that is too
predictable. Jericho/Owen put on a 5-star classic. HBK makes his way to
ringside after about 20 minutes of grueling wrestling. Jericho slaps Owen in
the Sharpshooter and before Owen can tap out, HBK calls for the bell. Jericho is
the IC Champ.

Next Night Raw
Vince comes out with HBK and then they both introduce Jericho as the new IC
Champ. Vince says that Jericho is the future of wrestling. (Note:The Rock has
turned against Vinnie Mac many months back) Vince wants to make Jericho his new
Corporate Champ and that he will be the man to win the belt back from either
Austin/Titan/Triple H/Kane/Mankind/Rock. Vince and HBK also couldn't pass up the
opportunity to screw the last Hart. Owen comes out at the Titantron with a mic
and says that Vince screwed the wrong person and that he will have his revenge.
Fake Net rumors of Owen having career ending surgery are circulated.

Nov/Dec Raws/Heat/PPV
Jericho in various defenses of the IC belt. Vinnie is grooming him for the
Heavyweight Belt.

Dec 27 Raw
Jericho/Val Venis-IC Match. Jericho is preparing for the Liontamer while the
ref is knocked out. Owen comes out of the crowd after not being seen in over a
month, cheap shots Jericho, giving Val the win, the belt, and the victory.

Jan 2 Heat
Jericho wants revenge on Owen and challenges him to a Hell in the Cell match on
the next Raw. Owen accepts.

Jan 3, 2000 Raw
Main Event: Jericho/Owen-Hell in the Cell. Jericho is winning and about to slap
Owen in the LionTamer after another 5-star classic when all of a sudden a masked
man in black comes from under the ring and starts beating on Jericho. Vinnie,
not wanting his Corporate Champ to be destroyed rushes the ring with HBK. They
unlock the cage and go inside. Once inside they look back and see that someone
(maybe one of Hart's brothers) locking the cage. Owen and the Masked Man pummel
HBK. Owen then battles on the floor with HBK leaving the masked man and Vinnie
Mac in the ring. Vinnie goes for a swing, misses, and the masked man fires back
knocking Vinnie off his feet. The Masked Man then applies the Sharpshooter to
Vinnie Mac, holds it for about 2 minutes, and then lets it go. Vinnie on his
back, looks up to see the Masked Man reveal himself to be Bret 'The Hitman'
Hart. Hart spits and then pounds on McMahon. Eventually all are out of the ring
except for Owen, Bret, Bulldog, and Anvil (who make their way to the ring).
Bret says that Vince screwed him in a way that no one has ever, and for that he
must pay. Jericho was the first to feel the Hart's wrath, next is HBK, then
anyone else that dares to side with Vinnie Mac, and finally when its all said
and done Vince McMahon. Raw ends with the Hart Foundation in the ring. The
greatest work in pro-wrestling is finally revealed.
===========================================
WWF ATTITUDE
Submitted by reader: Alberto Rizzi (yalbster@xxxxc...)
I have heard a lot of thoughts about "the war" between WCW and WWFand I would
like to post my idea about it. They said that WCW is using all the Vince-made
stars in boring and un-entertaining angles: there is something true in this.
Back in 1996 Hall, Nash, Waltzman and DiBiase and alot of WWF superstars jumped
to WCW: viewing a great opportunity, the bookers of the Ted Turner's federation
put them over as disgruntled WWF stars. I mean, they didn't change their
personalities or use them as new hired stars. They just said that these
wrestlers had come to WCW to renew their success in previous organizations (NWO
angle). Doing this, they attract a lot of fans of these great names to their
shows: the idea lasted until FALL BRAWL 97 (the disbandling of the Horsemen),
then began to smell bad.

Meanwhile, after losing more and more audience, the WWF decided to do with their
women and their angles something new: make the storylines more adult oriented
and
stress the hottest details about them. So, I agree that the show is more
entertaining and funnier, but what about the wrestling matches ? Lately (with
the exceptions of the P.P.V.) WWF is forgetting that the target of a wrestling
organization is doing good wrestling matches, not only storylines. WCW is coming
back with more solid shows, with more wrestling than talking: they still abuse
the entire DQ-run-in situation, but their shows are increasing in quality. And
this is my final prediction: sooner or later, when the Vince/Austin angle will
begin to smell bad (and I'm already smelling after a year and a half...too much
!!) and when the hardcore angles will start to be similar one to the other, the
WCW will start to attract more fans.
===========================================
NEITHER THE WWF OR WCW
Submitted by reader: Tom McNeill (katahajime)
To the fan that was writing in response to Tamara Johnson's letter about the
WWF's new direction... you are one out of a huge following that WWF has gathered
up since their 'big change'. They go around in chat rooms and web sites, daring
people to cite why the WWF 'sucks', and then telling them why the WWF 'doesn't
suck'. Their usual responses are that the WWF is getting higher ratings than
ever before, plus its more entertaining,etc.

I don't watch WWF or WCW anymore. Why not? Because if I turn on the TV on
Mondays, I'll just see the same boring things week after week. WCW has one of
the deepest talent rosters of all time, yet their storylines are horrible and
they're losing in the ratings war. WWF is winning, but that's because they've
decided to win the ratings with cursing, a T&A show, and so-called hardcore
violence. Believe me, I do not want to watch a transvestite give a wrestler
'oral pleasures' when I turn on RAW,
because I should be watching wrestling, or "sports entertainment" as the WWF
likes to call itself. Nor would I like to see wife beaters, vampires, an S&M
act, crucifixions and sacrifices (don't tell me otherwise), a circus act, a
foreign-born man offering American women money to perform ridiculous acts,
and/or any of the other trash that thw WWF has presented us, the fans with so
far. And NO, the skit with Mark Henry was not 'damn funny'. If I wanted to
watch what the WWF is trying so hard (and failing miserably BTW) to do, I would
watch ECW, and I do. WWF's new 'hardcore
approach' is nowhere near what ECW and the Japanese promotions have done. I'll
at least give WCW some credit for keeping the family product or nothing at all
value, but they need to get rid of their wrestler/bookers and do something about
these horrible storylines. In conclusion, yes, the WWF sucks. But the only
reason they're winning in the Monday night ratings is because the WCW is doing
them a favor by
sucking more. Check your local listings for ECW, and check out the most for
once, you'll see what you've been missing all these years.
Tom McNeill
===========================================
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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

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spirit after you come crashing into the limits of the real adult
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