Issue # 188

Date:  Saturday March 20th, 1999  12:12 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

JERICHO'S FUTURE
Bischoff had a discussion with Chris Jericho about his future and made it clear
that WCW wanted to keep him. Despite what you may have heard, at this point WCW
has not offered him a new huge money contract although at some point everybody
expects that they will. There has been talk in the office, and I'm not sure
its been proposed to Jericho directly, that they would give him a Piper's Pit
type segment weekly on Nitro if he were to sign. Those close to him seem to
feel he's not 100% in either direction but probably leaning towards leaving.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

FUNK TO RETIRE?
Although we've heard this before, Terry Funk has said that's he's going to wind
down his career. While on the mend after contracting Hepatitis A, Funk said he
and his wife discussed his future in the ring. They pretty well agreed that
he'd fulfill a few bookings that he made before getting sick and that would be
it. He will not officially be retiring as he could do a show here and there but
wouldn't be on the road to any degree as he decided it was time to stay home.

Funk is among the elite workers of his generation; his 1989 feud w/Ric Flair
stands out in my mind as one of the most entertaining pairings yet. A former
NWA World Heavyweight Champion (back when the belt was THE World Championship),
Funk's greatest success was in Japan as a team with his brother Dory. Along
with peers like Flair, Steamboat & DiBiase, Funk knew how to balance his in-ring
performance and character in a way that is rarely matched today.

In 1993 & 1994, Funk was partly responsible for putting ECW on the map. Besides
his own amazing work, Funk put over fledging talent like Shae Douglas, Sabu &
The Public Enemy. Victories over the legendary Funk gave them credibility, and
Paul Heyman wisely considered Funk ECW's patron saint.

Heyman wants to brink Funk in for the PPV Sunday to re-start the Tommy Dreamer
angle, although if he does come, which is not a definite, it would probably only
lead to a one-match blow-off on the May PPV show.

Acknowledged his friends as one of the more creative minds in the business, WCW
would be wise to hire Funk for a position on the booking committee. Maybe one
more feud, putting over Chris Benoit, and then a retirement victory over Chris
Jericho. All three men would benefit from the association, and Funk could then
focus on being the best damn booking assistant in WCW. Either way, Funk leaves
a legacy that is a credit to himself and the business he grew up in.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

STEVIE RICHARDS INJURED
Stevie Richards was hospitalized with a collapsed lung after an NWA match on
3/12 in Toms River, NJ. He may have also suffered a separated shoulder;
Richards was apparently working the show with pneumonia. Despite all the
enemies Richards has made, his potential in the business is huge. Healthy,
Richards has all of the potential in the world...
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

TOMMY DREAMER UPDATE
Regarding the Dreamer statement last week on the radio, apparently we got the
story out of context. Dreamer said that he was working on a handshake agreement
and didn't have a contract. He said he'd take a huge money offer thrown his
way, but had not received a substantial offer. Even in recent weeks he's been
given offers as Raven called him just a few weeks back and wanted him to come
into WCW as his tag team partner against Hak; Raven said that he could get it
through Nash, but Dreamer turned down the offer.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

JUSTIN CREDIBLE'S STATUS
There was a ton of rumors over the past week regarding Credible's future with
ECW. There was definitely talk with he and WCW. He is also under a five year
contract, according to Heyman. Heyman said on Friday that he offered Credible
his release if he wanted to go after the PPV but that Credible decided to stay
and the plan for now is for him to work a program with Douglas in singles, tags
and six-persons (possibly involving women valets). At one point if he was going
to leave they were going to put him against Taz in a singles match at ECW Arena,
, just so they would have footage of Taz choking him out before leaving.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

BISCHOFF RUMORS
Eric Bischoff returned from France on 3/15 after rumors swirling all week that
he may be quitting the company. Bischoff had apparently privately told some
stars in the company he was considering leaving, and still seemed disinterested
at the Nitro. At this point, speculation can take you anywhere. Will he really
leave? Where would he go? Who would replace him? While details are scarce,
this could become one of the bigger stories of 1999 over the coming months...
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

WCW CONTRACT EXTENSIONS
The Disco Inferno, Bobby Heenan and Larry Zbyszko have all signed three year
contract extensions.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

BACKGROUND ON TORI
About ten years ago, Tori (Terri Poch) started in Portland as a bodybuilder
valet and was supposed to do a fight and wore pants. The booker at the time,
Lynn Denton, told her she needed to wear a short skirt because she may someday
be a wrestler. She wasn't one at that point, and she was really there for guys
just to see her panties (I Know...). So over the next ten years, she gives up
her life and goes to Japan full-time and destroys her body to learn how to be a
wrestler. And ten years later, things are exactly as they were on day one,
except she's making a ton more money.
(Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer)

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===========================================
RAW PREVIEW
Reported by: http://www.wwf.com
This Monday on the live RAW from Albany, New York, World Wrestling Federation
owner Mr. McMahon is out to prove Paul Wight is a loyal member of Team
Corporate! With less than a week remaining from WrestleMania XV this Monday,
Vince has inked a match pitting Stone Cold Steve Austin against all 7'2", 500
pounds of the "Big Show" Paul Wight! Who can The Rock trust? Hopefully, we'll
get our answer during RAW on the USA Network when two worlds collide!
===========================================
March 20th, 1999
Jackal's Winnipeg Sun/Thunder Bay Chronicle Column
By Don Callis
Be sure to check out http://freeweb.digiweb.com/sports/thejackal
There are many misconceptions about the professional wrestling business. Fans
thinking that they can do what we do, thinking that they are "smart" to the
business and of course the odd fan who is convinced that I am paid in the same
ballpark as pro basketball players. but perhaps the greatest misnomer about the
wrestling business is that "the travel must be wonderful"...Yeah, right. While I
will admit that my first couple of trips overseas were pretty exciting, once I
settled into the day to day dreariness of travelling to and from the fabulous
United States, my fondness for travel changed dramatically.

Travelling to go to work, no matter how much you like your job, just isn't the
same as going on vacation. Of course, it helps if your actual period of transit
is comfortable and stress free. Welcome to the wonderful world of airline
travel.

During the past few years I have travelled many, many different air carriers,
and I can tell you that a good, comfortable flight with courteous flight
attendants can make all the difference in the world to a business trip. As a
result, for your future travelling enjoyment, I have compiled a list of helpful
travel hints derived from my many hours spent in purgatory aboard commercial
airlines. These are the Secrets the Airlines Don't want you to know:

Secret Number one: Always dress sharp. A jacket is an absolute must if you want
to get treated with any respect, and a business suit can be the difference
between a first class upgrade and a seat next to the lavatory at the back of the
plane.

Secret Number two: Never look a security person directly in the eye, like
chimps, they take it as a threat, and may ask to measure your carry-on luggage
in one of those ever-shrinking carry-on bins. Which brings us to hint number
three.

Secret Number three: Never check luggage, it only encourages the airlines to
lose it. Most people overpack anyway, and any good luggage store can hook you up
with a garment bag that neatly packs away all your belongings and can easily be
stowed in an overhead compartment on the plane. Not checking luggage will save
you tons of time waiting like a mark in front of the baggage carousel, while the
musclebound chaps on the ramp play dodgeball with your Samsonite.

Secret Number four: Never call them stewardesses. (Politically correct speck is
"flight attendants".)

Secret Number five: Never ring the call button. They're like fingernails on a
chalkboard to a flight attendant. Yes, that's what they're supposed to be there
for, but its a sure fire way to get short-changed on the free pretzels.

Secret Number six: Once on an aircraft with your carry-on luggage, don't let
anyone convince you to check it if there is a lack of space. See secret number
three.

Ringside Insider:
I head out this weekend to the ECW pay per view, "Living Dangerously". Just
returned this past weekend from Philadelphia, where I debuted at the fabled ECW
Arena, surrounded in razor wire in a scary section of Philly. The fans greeted
me with their usual level of aplomb, chanting F**K YOU JACKAL at me...Chris
Jericho and Eric Bischoff have apparently hit yet another impasse in the
struggle to keep Chris in WCW...My pal Edge recently appeared on Off the Record,
giving a good accounting of himself...I return to action in Canada when I travel
to Regina on March 30 to face my old bodyguard and mentor Bad News Allen in what
should prove to be an excellent matchup...You can awaken the giant within
yourself be emailing me at jackal Jackal can be heard
every Sunday at 6:00pm on 92 CITI FM with Joe Aiello for the Joe & Jackal...No
Holds Barred.
Jackyl
===========================================
ROUNDING THE SQUARED CIRCLE
NEW ARTICLE - MARCH 19, 1999
"THUNDER EXPLAINED, IF SUCH A THING IS POSSIBLE"
OR
"GOOD-BYE PROFESSOR RHODE; HELLO VERY OLD PERFESSA MIKE"
BY SAMJERRY
VISIT my Home Page: http://members.aol.com/~samjerry
To keep all fans who had one of the acceptable excuses for missing Thunder last
night (Giving Birth*, Called to immediate active duty in Kosovo or a Scheduled
mission on the Space Shuttle), RTSC presents the highlights. *Must be the person
actually giving birth. The previously allowable reason of having been sent to
bed without dinner and no TV is no longer included as per memo circulated late
last year.

Item: Fat Tony agreed with Booby Heenan. Yes, you read it right. Not only did he
agree with Booby, but he did so at the expense (and obvious annoyance) of The
Very Old Perfessa. This is apparently in response to Booby's outburst after
Highly Censored this past Sunday Night. It seems that Booby was most unhappy
that Fat Tony totally blew him off and ignored him at the PPV. Either that or
Good King Eric reminded Fat Tony that Booby is the only thing worth watching or
listening to on WCW telecasts. To understand how monumental this was, until it
happened there was a higher probability of Mars and Earth colliding next
Tuesday, or even worse, Fat Tony skipping a meal.

Item: Curt Hennig challenged Slick Ric for the WCW Championship. To punish
Hennig and in WCW's way of rewarding failure (Hennig lost the WCW Tag Team Title
at Highly Censored), he was allowed to challenge for the title. Not to worry,
Slick Ric instead rewarded him with a match v. Old Baldy, which he promptly
lost. We can now expect Hennig to get three Title shots. It is rumored that
Hennig's testicular show has lead the coach of Dudleyville University's winless
basketball team to challenge the winner of the NCAA Championships to a game the
week after the Tournament is completed.

Item: Cheers for Old Baldy at Highly Uncensored were piped in. While this is not
actually happen on Thunder, it is related so is being reported here. There have
been numerous reports in some of the most highly respected Newsletters that
people in attendance report that WCW pulled another "Goldberg" and piped in
cheers for Old Baldy. This was done due to fear that the PPV would have been
compromised if there was no reaction to WCW's highest paid individual.
Apparently getting the message, the crowd eventually joined in, much to the
relief of Good King Eric. What is not known is if they joined in because they
felt he deserved it or if they were reacting to a sign held up by a fan that
read "If you want to see Debra's T*ts at Wrestlemania, let me hear it."

Item: Fat Tony was right!! Even more startling than his agreeing with Booby was
that he finally got something right. However, there is a downside to this. It
proved that WCW has people on their payroll that are even more clueless than he
is. Fat Tony commented that Horrible Horace, Invincible Vincent, Slap Jack
Stevie, and Bashful Brian Adams were all kind of dumb for not knowing that Old
Baldy had told each of them they were in charge of the NWO Black And White. He
pointed out there was plenty of video tape evidence and he couldn't understand
why none of them had figured it out yet. Of course, coming up with a rationale
like that doesn't exactly give Sherlock Holmes much fear of losing his job any
time soon. Alas Tony, you haven't left yourself any place to go but down. We
will pray for you.
===========================================
ECW LIVING DANGEROUSLY LINEUP
ECW Living Dangerously will be shown live on PPV Sunday, March 21st. Here's the
lineup, courtesy of http://www.ecwwrestling.com/
By Joey Styles
As a result of what happened on Friday February 12 in New York City, the main
event matches have been signed for ECW:Living Dangerously live on pay-per-view
on Sunday night, March 21 at 8:00 PM Eastern

ECW World Heavyweight Champion, TAZ will collide with his long time enemy,
unrecognized FTW Champion, Sabu to unify the belts.

Believe it or not, Lance Storm and Justin Credible will join forces to try and
destroy ECW's greatest champion of all time, "The Franchise" Shane Douglas and
"The Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer. (Am I the only one who smells a
double cross?)

Jerry Lynn will be challenger for Rob Van Dam's ECW World Television
Championship. (This will be the sleeper match that steals the show)

Super Crazy and Yoshiro Tajiri will once again attempt to steal the show as they
did at ECW: Guilty As Charged on January 10.

Former tag team partners will wage war as Mustafa and New Jack try to kill each
other live on pay-per-view!

The event will once again take place at the Asbury Park Convention Hall in
Asbury Park, NJ. The live event at the Hall begins at 7:00 PM Eastern, one hour
before we go live on the air.

Tickets are selling even faster than they were last year. Get your tickets now
from TicketMaster by calling (212) 307-7171 or (201) 507-8900 or at
TicketMaster.com.
Tickets are also available at all Wrestling Zone locations in Philadelphia and
New Jersey as well as Breakdown Records in Queens, New York (718) 279-0040.
Hurry, as the event will sell out again this year.
===========================================
TWA DEBUTS
Reported by Al Isaccs at: http://www.scoopscentral.com
Shawn Michaels' Texas Wrestling Alliance had a big card last night, with their
first ever champion being crowned in an 8-man tourney.

In the first round of matches, Pete Lothario, son of "Super Sock", defeated
Chief Batu. Sho Funaki of Kaientai defeated Monbasa. Bobby Perez defeated Judge
Doom, while Madd Dogg Ken Johnson defeated Mike Black Hart.

In the semifinals, Pete Lothario defeated Sho Funaki, and Madd Dogg Ken Johnson
defeated Bobby Perez in what was the "Extreme" Match of the Night. Trash Cans,
stairs, nachos, etc. were used before Johnson scored the pinfall.

In the final round Madd Dogg Ken Johnson defeated Pete Lothario to win the Texas
Wrestling Alliance Championship.

Also on the card, Road Warrior Hawk vs. Desperado Rick Gonzales. Sergio Barrera
calls it: "It was a very lopsided matchup as Hawk and Animal came out to an
ENORMOUS response from the crowd. They proceeded to double team the Desperado,
and Joe Lothario came into the ring to send Animal back to the dressing room.
That led to an altercation between Lothario and Animal, which surprisingly,
Lothario won. HBK rushed out to the cheers and cleared the ring. The Desperado
and Hawk continued to brawl, but it was only a few short moments before Animal
rushed the ring and proceeded to beat down the Desperado in a vicious attack by
both members of the LOD. The match ended in a DQ win for the Desperado."

The TWA returns to action on April 2nd, with an appearance by Bradshaw and
Mideon, both of the Ministry of Darkness. Plus, Ken Johnson will defend his new
title against the Godfather.
Reported by Al Isaccs at: http://www.scoopscentral.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
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