Issue # 181

Date:  Saturday March 13th, 1999  9:58 am

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

BRET HART'S WCW CONTRACT
Hart's three year deal was actually a two year deal with option years. WCW can
actually cut him in nine months, but if WCW wants to keep him, he can't go to
the WWF (and WCW has gotten so bad that isn't as far fetched as it sounded even
two months ago) for a long time. Of course, that's assuming that Hart would
consider returning to Titan, which is not a given. There was alot of heat
between Hart & Bischoff over an autograph session scheduled for Campbell, CA on
2/20. Basically, most of the top WCW guys do autograph sessions and get paid
very well for it (one top guy who does them every weekend grosses up to $40,000
per month on them) but technically they aren't supposed to. For whatever
reason, the company decided to flex its muscles and ordered Hart, Benoit,
Kidman & Jericho not to appear and threatened the store with a lawsuit. The
other three sort of chalked it up to another bad experience, but Hart was more
upset because of the knowledge that everybody does it and he felt that his
contract allowed him to do it. Diane Meyers of WCW Legal disagreed, putting an
end to that issue.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

ALL JAPAN LEADERSHIP
There is a quiet power struggle going on for control of All Japan between
Mitsuharu Misawa and Motoko Baba (Giant Baba's widow). While it will be
Misawa's company at some point, Mrs. Baba understands aspects of the company
that nobody else has been exposed to and wants to oversee everything Misawa
does. Misawa would prefer being left alone, without interference. The key in
her favor is she has the kind of money to fund the business if it gets weak,
which Misawa doesn't. There have been no discussions with the WWF about
bringing in talent for the 5/2 show, although Misawa has expressed interest in
using The Road Warriors. The WWF would probably not have an objection, since
they aren't booking the LOD at the moment. Many of the foreign stars are
naturally worried about what their future holds without Shohei Baba, but Misawa
assured all of them that everything would remain the same. While Stan Hansen is
being phased down, his spot does appear to be secure.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

CHOSHU COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT
Riki Choshu of New Japan announced that he is coming out of retirement.
Renouncing his earlier vow, Choshu said he would return and wrestle on rare
small shows and not big shows, and only in cities where neither Chono or
Hashimoto will be appearing. This has led to speculation about New Japan's
finances, despite their claims to the contrary.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

TOMMY DREAMER'S FUTURE
ECW mainstay Tommy Dreamer, motivated by ECW's recent cash flow problem, once
again went on a radio show this week saying that if he got a serious offer from
either the WWF or WCW that he would take it. Dreamer claims that he is not
under contract to ECW, and instead has a handshake agreement with Paul Heyman.
While Dreamer is a hard worker and is definitely a team player, he would stick
out like a sore thumb in either company. Heyman knows how to book Dreamer, and
makes him look adequate in the style presented. Still, its hard to argue with
the guaranteed paycheck a move would bring.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

FLAIR HOUSEHOLD VIEWING HABITS
Here's something for the useless trivia department: In the Flair household on
Monday's they watch RAW and only switch to Nitro when Ric is on. While I'm not
sure of the significance, its not a ringing endorsement of the WCW product...
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

WWF LADIES
The WWF is talking about doing a one hour weekly show patterned after the old
GLOW show for women characters. They are doing a casting call next week in Los
Angeles to bring more pretty women into the company; if the Sable situation
stabilizes, I imagine she would be the franchise star.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

STONE COLD JAKE CAGE?
The WWF has been contacted by CBS about doing a Movie of the Week starring Steve
Austin in the he played on Nash Bridges which would probably double as a
potential TV pilot for a series. The episode of Nash Bridges that Austin
appeared in finished No. 23 in the prime time ratings and the show had never
finished higher than No. 33 in its history. Austin opened up a lot of bigwigs
eyes, particularly at CBS and Time-Warner because he had major network ratings
drawing power, something that it isn't believed either Hogan or Piper have.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

To subscribe to The Wrestling Observer, send $11 for 4 issues to:
The Wrestling Observer
P.O. Box 1228
Campbell CA 95009-1228
===========================================
Flair's Heel Preferences
By Steve Appy
Over the years, Ric Flair has made his preferences known. He enjoys wrestling
as a heel; his natural inclination involves enraging the crowd, not romancing
it. To his credit, he's been one of the best heels in the industry. Nobody has
built as many unstoppable babyfaces, and nobody made them look quite as good.
Whether it was Sting, Lex Luger, or Magnum TA, Flair excelled when he was
responsible for making them look good. Debatably, Flair was the last opponent
that Luger even looked adequate against.

Flair loves his playboy image, and his "styling & profiling" fit him like a
charm. Baby Doll, Woman, Fifi, Elizabeth, they all adorned his arm over the
years. The ironic part is that Flair is not a natural heel. The fans have
always admired Flair, and it made him work that much harder to earn their
hatred. While Rick Rude or Paul E. Dangerously could be hated on sight, Flair
had to constantly remind us that he was the evil one. We want to cheer Flair,
we respond to his personality.

As Flair grew older, the heel character became dated. The women made Flair
cool; we admired his limousines and "$10,000 suits". Shouldn't a fifty year old
man have outgrown stealing his opponents ex-wife? Fans didn't really want to
boo him anyway, we had far too many good memories. Many of us viewed him as the
best ever (a debatable term), and we wanted him to be WCW's spokesman. Since we
didn't respect Hogan anyway, let him be the villain. Flair could be our leader.

We wanted Flair to be our Babe Ruth, our Joe DiMaggio. He's a compelling
talker, and can still outwork most of the WCW roster. Why couldn't he wrestle 4
or 5 PPV's a year, and lead the Horseman the remainder of the time? He could be
the icon, and avoid over-exposing himself. His few bouts would come to mean far
more than weekly Nitro main events, and his interviews can help get the rest of
The Horseman over.

Alas, Flair still wants the world. He looks to be in the midst of yet another
heel turn, and may become the heel World Champion at Uncensored. Where does
this leave the Horseman? Will they also be turned, all in one fell swoop? How
will the heel Flair co-exist with the nWo? Can he turn Hogan into a babyface?
Many of us feel that Flair can do just about anything.

We just wish he wouldn't. its not the craziest idea. Flair can immediatly
feud with Goldberg, Sting or Savage, all big matches (though we've seen him
wrestle Sting & Savage too many times too count). He'll eventually do the job,
and he'll help Goldberg reach that next level. He'll remind us how to sell,
he'll give out some classic attacks. He'll also show us how far he's fallen,
and why he should have stayed in the background.

Here's a prediction for Uncensored: David will turn on Hogan, and rejoin his
father. Flair will win the title, and immediatly feud with Goldberg. Sting
will return, perhaps dropping through the top of the cage (what a visual!).
Flair will have a title reign of not more than a couple of months, returning the
belt to Hogan in some weird scenario yet to be developed. WCW will realize
their mistake, and Flair will make his babyface return. No harm done; he's
turned so many times that nobody takes it seriously anyway.

All the critics will jump on the Anti-Flair bandwagon, and paint him with the
same brush that's marked Hogan's recent past. A part of his legacy will be gone
forever, and it'll be that much harder for the rest of us to explain exactly why
he really was the man. We all remember "To be the man, you have to beat the
man". This time, Flair is beating himself.
===========================================
March 6th, 1999
Jackyl's Winnipeg Sun/Thunder Bay Chronicle Column
by Don Callis
Be sure to check out: http://freeweb.digiweb.com/sports/thejackal
Professional wrestling has never been as popular as it is right now. Long seen
as a weird psuedo-sport like roller derby or monster trucking, professional
wrestling has emerged from the sports and entertainment hinterland and has
broken through into the mainstream.

Stone Cold Steve Austin and Ric Flair are every bit as recognizable in terms of
celebrity status as Wayne Gretzky or Mark McGwire, and the WWF name is likely on
par for name recognition with the NHL or NBA. Wrestling pay per views events are
consistently huge revenue generators and the respective Monday night wrestling
shows are the highest rated programs on cable television in the United States.

Professional wrestling now attracts viewers from across the spectrum, some
watching because of the pure wrestling, some for the girls and some for the
cool, hip Melrose Place feel of the television shows. Mainstream media types,
who heretofore would only mention wrestling in a negative manner, if at all, now
use it for everyday pop culture references. Witness A CNN sports anchor refer to
a basketball player giving the crowd the "Stone Cold Salute" (we all know what
that is). This is interesting not just because the anchor in question works for
Time Warner (the WCW parent company), but because it is a glaring example of the
infiltration pro wrestling has achieved into every facet of mainstream society.

The recent "negative publicity" for the WWF and WCW over content on their Monday
night shows has only served to help ratings (the WWF recently eclipsed six
Niesen points, despite being head to head with Nitro). The end is not in sight,
as the WWF braintrust has apparently tapped into exactly what is cool, hip and
addictive in terms of television, and all that is left now is to simply promote
the talent and continue to create compelling storylines, something they do well.
Even more wrestling programming is certain to follow, and fears of
over-saturation, (which were huge just one or two years ago) are a thing of the
past.

Wrestling is likely to remain at the forefront of the sports entertainment
world, because unlike sports like football, baseball etc., wrestling can always
guarantee a great show. After all, how many football games have you turned off
after the third quarter?

Jackyl hits the airwaves with new radio show
So given that wrestling is now more popular than free money, it follows that the
Jackal would continue to do what he has always done: GIVE PEOPLE WHAT THEY
WANT!! Starting on WrestleMania Sunday (March 28th) myself and CITI FM morning
star Joe Aiello will be bringing you the coolest and most cutting edge in
wrestling with our new show: Joe & Jackal: No Holds Barred. Unlike other
pretenders in the wrestling radio market, my intrinsic knowledge of the sport
and endless number if high profile friends in the business will give the
listeners what they can get no place else. WCW superstar Chris Jericho is
already lined up for our first show, and my pal Bret Hart will follow soon. You
can get your fix of Joe & Jackal: No Holds Barred every Sunday on 92 CITI FM
from 6-7pm if you're in the Winnipeg area, or get the latest version of it off
my website at http://freeweb.digiweb.com/sports/thejackal/

Ringside Insider:
Got a look at the Sable Playboy pics on the net this week. She has a wonderful
personality...Apparently there is more to the WWF signing of Paul Wight then
meets the eye. Word is that he has been a done deal for the WWF since 1996,
having used an intermediary to negotiate a deal with WWF while still with WCW.
Good for him...Legendary wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling is running two
shows in April in Calgary and Edmonton...Rumor has it that Jimmy Hart is
returning to the WWF. Great, just what they need in todays hip environment,
another 80's style manager. I just don't see where he can fit in...Is it just me
or is Giant Silva a lot scarier looking than Paul Wight?...Remember, the
miserable have no medicine, only hope. There's hope for you if you email me at
jackal
Jackyl
===========================================
ROUNDING THE SQUARED CIRCLE
NEW ARTICLE - MARCH 12, 1999
"WELCOME TO WRESTLEMANIA XV"
OR
"DEBRA, DEBRA, DEBRA"
BY SAMJERRY
VISIT my Home Page: http://members.aol.com/~samjerry
What is going on here? What is the WWF up to now? Word has it that they have
approached the sponsor(s) to feel them out on how they would react to the
showing of a little skin at WM XV. The initial response is said to have been
less than enthusiastic.

If you recall, Sable provided us with a "painted over" look at her "plastic
enhancements" on a PPV last year. There may have been some objections raised at
the time, but I don't remember any major public outrage over it. What we are
hearing now is if it can be sold to the sponsor(s), Debra will be showing an
upfront and personal look at her plastic, sans the paint job. She has been
teasing us with her most ample cleavage for sometime now.

While I am not advocating that the WWF go ahead with their plan, I certainly
wont cover my eyes if they do. I suspect most red blooded American males with a
pulse will do the same. I also don't think too many ladies will leave the room.
As far as children are concerned, it is no different from any other "R" rated
program/movie and up to parents to monitor their children's viewing habits. If
Debra comes out and there is any indication that this is going to happen, kids
should be sent out of the room.

I know there are those who will say that they wont be watching and thus not
there to make that decision, but that just wont fly. Are they there to monitor
what their children watch 24/7? I don't think so. There has certainly been
enough written about the content of WWF nighttime programming, so it shouldn't
come as a shock or major surprise.

I personally think the whole idea is a publicity gimmick to promote WM XV and to
add an element of suspense. It comes on the heels of Sable's Playboy shoot,
which coincidentally was also timed to come out just prior to WM. Unless there
is a major swerve, just about everyone on this planet expects (knows?) Stone
Cold Steve Austin to come away as WWF Champion. Playing the "nudity card"
strikes me as nothing more than adding to the hype surrounding WM XV.

There is always the alternative. You can order any WCW PPV, and be guaranteed
you wont "be subjected" to nudity. Of course, you can also expect not to be
subjected to excitement either, unless watching Norman Smiley tell you how great
he is and then get his @$$ kicked...again. I understand that their next PPV may
be subtitled, "Winnie The Pooh, And WCW Too."
===========================================
ROUNDING THE SQUARED CIRCLE
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT - MARCH 12, 1999
BY SAMJERRY
As part of its ongoing commitment to wrestling fans, RTSC presents the following
Pubic Service Announcement:

For those 5 or 6 of you who are resisting the uncontrollable urge to rush out
and order Sunday's WCW PPV - Uncensored, this Sunday March 14, 1999, after WWF
Heat, the USA Network will be presenting Sunday Night Heat. The Undertaker will
host three programs that will then become regular series on the Sci-Fi Network.
The three programs are each one hour in length. All times shown are Eastern:

8 - 9 PM - Poltergeist, The Legacy - Which will also star our favorite dead
man, as The Soul Taker (Appropriate!)

9 - 10 PM - First Wave - Aliens are using an exclusive nightspot to cop the
memories of prominent humans.

10 - 11 PM - Farscape - A freak accident during an experimental space mission
throws an astronaut thousands of light-years across the galaxy.
===========================================
ONECOUNT--by OSIRIS (burkeandhare@ webtv.net)
Number 1, I`ve always been a WCW fan, having so stated in many columns. That`s
why I hate to be so harsh, but the Nitro broadcast of March 8th was the worst
example of scrambled eggs I have ever seen, even though there were a number of
quite competent matches. There is an old saying: one bad apple can spoil the
whole barrel, and this saying describes March 8th, to me, at least. There was
an extended period, at least 40-plus minutes, consisting of commercials, promos
for future events, videos, etc., while on WWF RAW, during the same period of
time, the wrestling contests were already in full swing. RAW was by far the
better show, at least this time. WCW, you really dropped the ball big-time.
THUNDER will have been broadcast by the time you fans read this. I hope it is
a better-presented show this go`round, since all this could give wrestling a
``bad`` name.

One of the least appreciated members of the wrestling community is the jobber.
He is like the crewman in the red shirt on an episode of the old Star Trek, the
one you know won`t return from an away mission, or else he`s the third spear
carrier from the right who`ll be the first to drop when the barbarians attack.
He provides a needed
counterpoint, since a victor needs a vanquished, or there is no contest! There
have been many great jobbers across the years, too many, really, to name. I am
going to name a few, anyway, `cause it`s my column. Two names come readily to
mind from years gone by, two of my favorites: Charlie Fulton, and Iron Mike
Sharpe, NWA and WWF, respectively. The WWF had another top one, Johnny Rodz.
Today, it almost seems as though the jobbers are the young guys from the
different federation`s training camps: some become stars, a still greater
number become mid-carders, but the vast numbers are low card, or jobber. The
thing is, we need them, for you can`t have a garden without soil, a car without
tires, a book without pages, and so on and so on. The next time you see a
preliminary match, watch and appreciate what those guys have gone through to
get as far as they have
--------SEE YA---------
osiris
===========================================
TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN WRESTLING
Submitted by reader: Maivia123
Just a little insight on the Ronnie Garvin issue you mentioned: I am from
Knoxville, Tennessee, and I go to a lot of Tennessee Mountain Wrestling events,
and I just wanted to let you know that it is a great organization. I love to
watch the familiar faces each week and I love to see the guys out in public and
talk to them. I don't know if you have ever heard of him, but there is a guy who
goes by the name Terry Landell, he is the owner I believe of TMW or at least he
is a big part of it. Well, anyway he is a great guy. It was him who really
brought Ronnie Garvin back. He is also the one who started saying the phrase of
"Who's your daddy," which is heard all over now. Yes, a lot of good things come
from good old Tennessee and I am proud to see Rugged Ronnie Garvin come back to
his roots. Tennessee Mountain is fun to watch and I am sure it will be even more
fun when Ronnie "Hands of Stone" Garvin comes back.The fans will blow the roof
off the place. ( even though there will be only about 300 people there) Yes it
will truly be a magnificent night.
===========================================
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