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Vandy! (September 1996)

 

Beer!  (February 2006)

Issue # 178

Date:  Saturday March 6th, 1999  10:09 am

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

RAW SPOILER
At the conclusion of this issue is the RAW Spoiler for
3/8/1999. If you want to
be surprised, skip that section.

4/10 NEW JAPAN LINEUP
New Japan officially announced the main matches for their 4/10 Tokyo Dome show.
They could not get Bill Goldberg from WCW. They still claim that they are in
negotiations with WCW for getting Goldberg, but that's basically small talk.
Main match is for the IWGP Title between Keiji Mutoh and Don Frye. IWGP Tag
Title has Tenzan and Kojima, the champions, taking on the winner of the
Tenryu/Fujinami vs. Sasaki/Koshinaka match coming up soon. Also, Kazuo Yamazaki
and Kazuyuki Fujita face Yuki Ishikawa and Alexander Otsuka from Battlarts.
(Reported by Zach Arnold at http://www.1wrestling.com )

HARLEM HEAT REVIVAL?
Despite being the #1 contender for Scott Hall's belt, don't look for Booker T to
get that strap anytime soon. he reunion of Harlem Heat is just around the
corner. This also means that Stevie Ray's days in the nWo are numbered as well.
I have to think that Booker T is beyond teaming with his brother, but someone
disagress...
(Reported by Al Isaccs at: http://www.scoopscentral.com )
===========================================
The Decline of The Horseman
By Steve Appy
The fans still respect them; they still consist of some of the best workers in the business. The crowd reaction, especially in the
Carolina's, is surpassed only by Goldberg's. That said, the Four Horseman are in a definite decline.

its surprising that anybody still cares. The last time that they were
presented well was in 1988, w/Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, & Barry Windham. Although selfish, Dusty Rhodes kept the Horseman in prime spots.  After all, he needed them to play off. Future booking regimes buried them, either from professional jealousy or incompetence.

We were stuck with the likes of Paul Roma & Steve McMichael; Curt Hennig publicly embraced the nWo in favor of the Horseman. Titles were few & far between, with the last World Championship reign back in 1996. Flair was banished, Arn retired, Benoit jobbed, Mongo got even worse. One would think the legacy was dead.

Somehow, the legend survived. "We Want Flair" chants disrupted live Nitro broadcasts and there was even interest in a proposed Horseman lineup that included Fit Finlay. Perhaps we remembered when Dusty Rhodes suffered a broken arm, or when Benoit & Arn turned on Kevin Sullivan. Against conventional wisdom, we still cared.

In August, we received our reward. The Nature Boy returned, and the Horseman were resurrected. Tears were shed and bloodshed was promised. Dean Malenko seemed a fine addition, a worthy successor of Arn. Benoit seemed poised for superstardom and Mongo could be kept in the shadows. The future seemed bright and I was optimistic.

Then reality hit. We were treated to a full two months of interviews with no program in mind.  While Flair & Arn can talk with anybody, yelling at Bischoff only goes so far. Benoit & Malenko failed to get a push and may have been hurt by the association. After all, their personal interview time was reduced even further, visibly reduced to lackeys. A suspicious mind would call it intentional, but incompetence is just as likely. Curt Hennig, Barry Windham, Bischoff & Hollywood Hogan all went over, and the Horseman came out of it looking second rate.

At this point, the future looks bleak. Kevin Nash has allegedly dubbed Benoit & Malenko "vanilla midgets", and is committed to burying them in preliminary bouts. Flair has been humiliated and its doubtful that Hogan will allow him to go over, despite both logic and business sense.

Today's fickle fan will soon turn on the Horseman, eventually giving WCW the opportunity to eliminate them altogether. Can they be redeemed? Easily.  Replacing Mongo would be a start (Goldberg, Bret Hart, Booker T or Sting are all possibilities). Put Flair over Hogan, even if it is short term. Let Benoit bypass the tag team ranks entirely and push him to the stars. While he is not colorful, he has a quiet charisma that complements his intense demeanor. Make Arn Anderson the leader, taking over the role that JJ Dillon vacated in 1988.  Arn injects crediblity into any angle, and has history with almost all of today’s top stars.

Sadly, WCW is pursuing other solutions to their problem. Despite serious concern about their recent two point rating defeats, an effort to rebuild a TV ratings juggernaut is not in the cards. By this time next year, will the Four Horseman even exist?
===========================================
The GOOD, BAD, & the UGLY........
By: Mark George (attkdonkey)
Maybe its just me, but wrestling seems to have hit the wall. Don't get me
wrong, I still love wrestling as much as ever, but lately everything seems to be
at a stand still. With that said, what better time to push another installment
of the Good, Bad, & the Ugly. Enjoy!!!!

THE GOOD.................
1) REY MYSTERIO JR. WCW does little right in my opinion, but letting Rey get
some serious push as a "Giant Killer" is great!! Although I have lost a lot of
respect for Kevin Nash, it was nice to see him do the job to get Mysterio over.


2) DEBRA McMICHAEL. What a RACK.....er, uh... personality. Yeah that's it.
For all of you women's libers out there, save your hate mail. Debra's sexy
little number on last week's RAW was SWEET!!! It doesn't matter that her mic
work is subpar, her body is all that is needed to make her a hit. Long live
implants!!!!!

THE BAD...........
1) GOLDBERG'S CHALLENGE. I will not be afraid to admit that I have been on and
off the Goldberg Bandwagon. Lately I have enjoyed watching Goldberg improve
with his technique and become a very athletic big man. But his challenge to
Steve Austin on The Tonight Show was weak. C'mon!!! I am sure Bichoff was
responsible for the comments.
Austin is 10 times more over than Goldberg and
his charisma is infectious.

THE UGLY.......
1) WCW. Right now WCW is barely watchable. Their PPV's are horrible and the
bookers have little concept of what to do. Most of their potential stars are
being held down by outdated has beens. Lex Luger?? Are you serious?? That
dude should have been taken out back and shot years ago. At least with his
current injury we don't have to see him wrestle. WCW's idea of incorporating
sex into their programing is having Rosie O'Donnell prance around in a thong
while shoving twinkies in her pie hole. Television ratings for Nitro are
getting slaughtered by RAW. Do they care?? They say they do, but it doesn't
look like it. WCW is still making money hand over fist, so as long as the cash
rolls in don't look for any earth shattering changes.
===========================================
ROUNDING THE SQUARED CIRCLE
"COME OVER HERE BOY, I'M GONNA MAKE YOU A STAR"
OR
"FROM JOBBER TO MAIN EVENTER IN ONE EASY STEP"
BY SAMJERRY
VISIT my Home Page: http://members.aol.com/~samjerry
On the
March 2, 1999, edition of RAW, WWF Owner (and resident @$$hole),
Mr. McMahon, announced that The Big Bossman would face The Undertaker in a Hell
In The Cell Match at Wrestlemania 15. The Big Bossman has come a long way in the
past year.

You may remember that The Bossman / Ray Traylor went through several failed
gimmicks in WCW and eventually left. Within a year of what may have been the low
point in his career, he will be facing The 'Taker at Wrestlemania. The 'Taker
has been a Main Eventer for several years, and for Traylor to be facing him at
the first Wrestlemania since his return to the WWF is a major step in his
career. While never a particular favorite of mine (and many others based on what
I read), I am happy to see him finally succeed. He is not the first to go from
obscure to star. Stone Cold Steve Austin (SCSA) is the Poster Child for this
phenomena. There have been others.

Of course, it works in the other direction as well. Look at how The Canadian
Crybaby has improved his career. Old Baldy, The Once-Was-A-Macho-Man, The
Ancient Piper, The Alpha Male of the Wolpac, Scott "I have given up jobbing for
Lent" Hall, among others went to WCW and became stars there after failed careers
in WCW. Not!

Why am I writing this Article you ask? OK, so you didn't ask. I'm going to tell
you anyway. Chris Jericho is debating his future. Should he re-up with Good King
Eric or try his luck elsewhere (WWF or ECW)? Although one of the most talented
wrestlers around today, both in the ring and with the mic, he has languished
behind the log jam of geriatrics at the top. With not much hope of any of these
"legends" packing their Depends and Support Hose, he has no where to go. Add to
that, the fact that Dirtbag Doophus Page has reportedly been booking with his
own career in mind.

If
Jericho's decision is based on long range goals, the WWF looks like his best
option. If
Jericho bases his decision purely on money, he'll probably stay with
WCW, and in all likelihood still be a mid-carder for the next few years. If he
makes the move, I foresee gold in the near future. I think his mic skills will
be exploited to his fullest advantage. The WWF will go all out to make him the
superstar he deserves to be.
===========================================
Tag Team Tragedy?
by Dale Moore
To subscribe to The Pro Wrestle Report, e-mail Cmoore316
WCW is in the process of rekindling their tag team division and actually start
having weekly tag matches on the various WCW programs. But will this work?

The Tag Belts are back and around the waists of Curt Hennig and Barry Windham, a
good idea on WCW's part but there is no team more deserving than Chris Benoit
and Dean Malenko. When will Benoit finally get gold? He's been robbed of the
U.S., TV, and at Superbrawl the tag gold.

Can the tag division work again? Well, WCW has already made mistake in that by
splitting up Meng and Barbarian. Expect teams like Hennig and
Windham, The
Horsemen, Raven and Kanyon, The Outsiders, and Armstrongs to lead the tag
division and try to make it sucessful again. Those teams cannot match what WCW
once had with Harlem Heat, Nasty Boys, Sting and Luger, and so on.

So we come to the only thing left? Will the new tag division work? My opinion is
yes, if WCW can market it the right way, and to do that putting the gold around
the Horsemen would be a good idea, followed up by an Outsiders/Horsemen fued.
Take Care!
===========================================
WELCOME BACK, JIM ROSS!
Submitted by reader: KFITZPATI
It was great to read issue #176 and see Steve report that Jim Ross will be
returning to the broadcast booth at the
Cleveland RAW. I figure very few people
are going to be losing sleep over Michael Cole leaving the broadcast table, but
I also figure that the last few weeks have shown just how valuable Ross is to
the WWF, and pro wrestling in general. Ross deserves a helluva lot of credit
for what he's done for the sport, and in particular the WWF the last couple of
years. It was Ross, as Foley put it a few weeks ago, that gave Foley the chance
in the WWF back in 1996. To say Foley has taken full advantage of it (and that
McMahon has been the beneficiary of it) is to be underspoken. Same goes with
Austin. As vice-president of talent relations
for the WWF, Ross has been the link to a lot of good angles and good bookings
that have helped the WWF take over and knock Good King Eric off of his ratings
perch.

Those of us who have followed the sport for years are not surprised- those who
remember Ross and Bill Watts booking the UWF/Mid-South of the 1980's remember
some of the best matches in TV wrestling history. He also did his best in the
WCW in the early 1990's, helping Sting go from UWF mid-carder and lackey of the
late Eddie Gilbert to a charismatic and popular WCW World champion. And he
again has been a primary factor in the WWF's weathering of the storm of the man
who would be king, Good King Eric, and the WCW/NWO activity of 1996-97. Plus,
he and Lawler make for one entertaining announcing team as well too. Though it
is not obvious to many "marks" who follow the WWF storylines week by week and
think of Ross as just a man in a cowboy hat who got a "Stone Cold Stunner" from
Austin in 1997, those of us who read the newsletter and follow wrestling day in
and day out know that Ross is a man who should be respected and welcomed back to
the broadcast table with open arms......
===========================================
CHAIRSHOT RETORT
Submitted by reader: katahajime
Regarding Rebel4War and "How to take a Chairshot"
What's Rebel4War trying to say, that Mick Foley is NOT really hurt when
he takes 11 chair shots? Backyard feds are stupid. Unless you've got a ring and
have experience in wrestling like how to take a bump, fall, etc, its just dumb.
I watched a report on the news a few weeks ago about some fed called "Extremely
Extreme Wrestling". In it, the kids were just hitting each other with garbage
cans and weapons, and the actual wrestling part of the match was a few elbow
drops and a
sleeperhold. They're doing these so-called hardcore wrestling matches because
its easier and more fun than a real wrestling match, and all they really have
to do is make a loud noise with the weapon and then pretend they're hurt. The
sad part of it all is that when one of these kids go through a flaming table or
fall off a rooftop the wrong way and get seriously hurt, either they or their
parents are going to blame it on pro wrestling.
===========================================
ICON?
Submitted by reader: SirDopeNes
Has your entire staff forgotten what the word "Icon" means? Its not who works
the hardest, has the best mic skills, size, or all of that combined.

Its hard to put in words what I mean so I will try to give an example and hope
you understand what I mean. If you walk up to someone that doesn't like
wrestling, doesn't watch it, or whatever. Ask them who the first person that
comes in to their minds when you mention the word wrestling. I would put money
that "Hulk Hogan" and now maybe "Stone Cold" will be said 95% of the time.
Another example is of Computer icons. On your computer, just about everyone has
WordPad. Word Pad's "Icon" is paper with a pencil, because when you see a piece
of paper you think of writing.

I challenge anyone who reads this to ask a relative, or friend that doesn't like
wrestling, or doesn't watch it, "The first person that comes in their mind when
they think of wrestling". See what happens. My point is that no matter how hard
a wrestler works, how long they've been around, size, weight, anything, that it
doesn't matter. The word Icon is not a synonym for any of those. Mick Foley,
Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, are all great wrestlers, maybe the best, but in no way
an Icon.
SirDopeNes
===========================================
RAW SPOILERS (If you would like to be surprised, skip this section)
(Reported by Dave White at: http://www.wrestlemaniacs.com/ )

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler host RAW is WAR (3/8/99).
The Rock storms the ring right after the opening pyros and calls out Paul Wight,
but its Vince McMahon who answers. Vince says that if Rock keeps this up
everyone will start to wonder "what the Rock is smoking," and that Rocky had
better start toeing the corporate line. He even vouches for Wight, but Rock
isn't buying it. Wight comes to the ring and there's a tense stare-down that
breaks up when Mankind hits the entrance ramp. Mankind announces that he's the
new second guest ref at Wrestlemania XV, and offers to be the ref for a Rock vs.
Giant bout later tonight, but Vince interrupts and says that Mick isn't the
guest ref just yet. In fact, if he wants to be the guest ref, he'll have to beat
Stone Cold Steve Austin later tonight, with Paul Wight as the guest ref and the
Rock as the guest commentator. Stone Cold comes out to accept the match, and
then disappears as quickly as he came out.

Jim Ross hits the stage with a shopping bag, and calls Michael Cole into the
ring. He complains about the fact that while he was gone, wrestling turned into
"sports entertainment," Cole stole his job, and the WWF tried to give
all-American Steve Williams the crappiest gimmick ever (turns out the bag was
holding the red gi and crappy Japanese mask Williams was wearing when he
attacked Bart Gunn). He proceeds to kick Cole in the nuts. A pained Cole limps
back to the locker room while JR takes his place at the announcing table to some
huge cheers. Backstage, though, Vince and the Stooges aren't taking this very
well. They grab Terry Taylor and tell him to go sub for Cole. JR is
understandably pissed, and starts arguing with Taylor. Eventually Williams comes
out and leads Ross to the back. Taylor and Lawler handle the commentary for the
rest of the show.

Shamrock hits the ring for a mtch vs. Goldust (w/Ryan Shamrock and the Blue
Meanie). Goldie dominates the match early, and sets Shamrock up for the
Shattered Dreams when he notices that the Blue Meanie is having a little fun
with Ryan outside the ring. While he's arguing with the Meanie, Ken untangles
himself from the rope and suplexes the hell out of Goldust for the pin.

Apparently Shane has tacked a few conditions on his European Title Match with
X-Pac, as the next match is X-Pac (w/Triple H) vs. Test (w/Chyna and Shane). X-Pac
dominates early, but Test rolls out of the way of a Bronco Buster to gain
control. He dominates for a good bit, then goes to the top rope but winds up
landing on Waltman's boot. Triple H drags Chyna out of the ring when she tries to
interfere, but Shane gets past him and pastes X-Pac with the European Title.
Test gets the pin, but the Corporation is quickly chased to the back by Triple H.
Afterwards, Triple H comes back out and promises to destroy Chyna tonight. He sounds
like he really means it this time...

The Godfather and his Ho Train hit the ring for a quick match with Steve
Blackman. The crowd starts a loud "take the hos" chant, so Blackman does. On his
way out, though, he gets ambushed by Droz. Blackman rolls Puke into the ring and
the Godfather starts beating on him, until the lights go out and the Ministry of
Darkness destroys everyone in the ring. Undertaker threatens Bossman and
promises that there will be a sacrifice in the ring tonight.

Chyna comes out and tells Triple H to come get some. As soon as they lock up, the
lights go out and (Omigod its) Kane hits the ring. Some jerk throws a soda into
the ring. Kane pushes Triple H into Chyna and then tosses him from the ring, but
Chyna is down. Some medics run out to help her, but Kane tosses them too. He
eventually picks up Chyna and carries her backstage. I think he's the Big Red
Love Machine now...

They take an inordinately long time to set up for the next match, so the crowd
starts a loud "here we go Steelers" chant that lasts forever. Referee Earl
Hebner cracks up in the ring.

Sable and Tori are out, and Sable is brandishing a copy of April's Playboy.
There's an awful lot of posturing from Sable here, while Tori just stands in the
middle of the ring and gets ignored. Eventually Sable sits down to do some
commentary, and Jerry proceeds to borrow her Playboy and have the time of her
life. Luna rushes to the ring and pounds the snot out of Tori. After less than a
minute of non-stop pummeling, the ref calls for the bell (DQ?). Luna points at
Sable and yells something I can't hear in the nosebleed seats, and then leaves.
Sable goes into the ring to help out Tori -- no, wait, she slams her to the mat,
kicks her, and rips off Tori's "Sable Bomb" shirt for good measure. The crowd
still cheers anyway.

The Undertaker symbol gets lowered from the ceiling and painted with pyros, so
its no surprise when shortly afterwards the Ministry of Darkness drags out the
Big Bossman and ties him to the symbol. The Undertaker threatens to take away
everything that McMahon has "until you have only one thing left, and then she
too shall be mine." Apparently Farooq and Bradshow need to study their Boy Scout
Handbook a little better, because Bossman quickly breaks his bonds. The
Corporation is out to help him escape, and a buttload of cops is charging up the
entrance ramp at the exact same time. They cuff the Undertaker, who sets his
symbol ablaze as they're leading him away. All the while, Paul Bearer is talking
to someone on a cell phone...

The Rock comes to ringside to do commentary for the Stone Cold vs. Mankind
match. Paul Wight seems to be taking his role as guest ref pretty seriously --
he pats down Mankind, checks Austin's boots for studs, and tries to explain the
rules to Austin. Mankind eventually attacks Austin to get things started. its a
fairly dull match, actually, and the crowd is pretty dead after the talkfest
that the last hour has been. Eventually Mankind puts the Mandible Socko on
Austin, who's standing outside on the ring apron, but for some reason Wight does
a fast count and declares Mankind the winner by count-out. Wight holds up
Mankind's hand in victory, and then chokeslams the hell out of him. Austin is
back in, but gets attacked from behind by the Rock. Rock ultimately gets
stunnered and the Corporation is chased from the ring, and that's where the show
ends...
(Reported by Dave White at: http://www.wrestlemaniacs.com/ )
===========================================
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: Robert Troy (Osiris)
Columnist:
Tom Kirkbride
Columnist: Ryan S. Oaks
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.

Copyright- Steve Appy of The Wrestling Booking Sheet ©1998, 1999, 2000

"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

 

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