The Wrestling Booking Sheet online newsletter

Issue # 251

Date: Monday May 17th, 1999 11:07 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

SHANE DOUGLAS' OFFICIAL STATEMENT
With Shane Douglas' future plans under scrutiny, a representative of his sent the
following statement to Dave Scherer of 1wrestling.com:

From: Bridget Petrella Media Relations
May 17th, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The following is an Official Statement from ECW Wrestler SHANE DOUGLAS:

"Since there have been several inaccurate variations posted on my "alleged"
departure from the ECW, I thought it would be best for me to address these
issues directly. First of all, my agent is currently speaking with the WWF on my
behalf. No monetary offers have been "officially" discussed in any context.
Prior to ECW's "Hardcore Heaven Pay-Per-View Event", I attempted to contact the
ECW several times, as I had never been issued a plane ticket. In fact, I was
never given an itinerary sheet (which is customary for all wrestlers). I made
numerous calls to the ECW general offices as well as to Paul Heyman's personal
lines, including his cell phone and studio line. My calls were never returned. I
realized at that moment my services were not required. I had spoken at length
with Paul last week and told him I was more than willing to "Do the job" with
Justin Credible. Obviously, Paul Heyman had other plans, none of which were
mentioned to either myself or my agent. I was completely shocked and taken back
by this sudden turn of events. I am a professional wrestler with 18 solid years
of experience under my belt. It has always been my intent to act in a
professional manner in all of my business dealings, as I am truly a man of my
word. Anyone who knows me, knows that my reputation in this business is
absolutely impeccable. My integrity is flawless. I have always felt that the
fans are a vital part of wrestling and should be treated with great respect, as
their loyalty and commitment is priceless. I had every intention of being an
intregal part of ECW's "Hardcore Heaven Pay-Per-View-Event". Unfortunately, the
ECW never made the necessary arrangements for me to be there. As far as my
"alleged" departure from the ECW, that also came as quite a shock to me. I
actually read it on quite a few of the wrestling message boards. Can you imagine
what it would be like to read about your job status via the internet? I was
NEVER contacted by the ECW in an "official" capacity. As far as I know, until I
am told otherwise, either in writing or verbally, I still consider myself to be
an employee of the ECW. I will be participating in an official chat at UPBEAT
Entertainment Entertainment News' UNCUT Wrestling Chat Room (www.2upbeatmag.com)
in order to respond to any/all of your questions."

Address ALL Interview Requests and Responses to: http://www.2UPBEATmag.com

I called Paul Heyman for comment and he said:

"I wish Mr. Troy Martin the best of luck in his future endeavors".
Reported by Dave Scherer at: http://www.1wrestling.com/
===========================================
WCW Nitro Report for May 17th, 1999, live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
By Steve Appy

As a limousine pulled up the arena, out came Aysa, Ric Flair, Charles Robinson,
Arn Anderson, and Diamond Dallas Page. Charles Robinson replaced a nameplate
bearing Roddy Piper's name with Flair's, unofficially crowning a new WCW
President.
Is DDP the next Horseman?

As Gene Okerlund interviewed Flair & his entourage, Arn Anderson GUARENTEED that
Malenko & Benoit would regain the Tag Team Championship tonight. Pushing the
envelope, Flair threatened to romance Jane Fonda if Ted Turner doesn't reverse
Eric Bischoff's Slamboree decision. Flair ordered a Flair & Robinson vs. Savage
& Gorgeous George for later tonight, along with a DDP/Kevin Nash title rematch.

DDP introduced an ally of his own, and Bam Bam Bigelow promised to watch Page's
back when he faces Nash tonight. Of course, does Flair have the authority to
book matches? Didn't Piper fire him at Slamboree? Why didn't Piper refute
Flair's claims?

In a taped video, a silver-haired Eric Bischoff admitted his past mistakes, and
promised to do what it takes to make WCW #1 once again. Hinting at the WWF's
rating dominance, he really came off as sincere and humbled. While I may be
naive, Bischoff's short statement makes me hopeful. its still surprising to
see Bischoff so humble; Bischoff claimed to have no official standing, and
claimed that his Slamboree influence wasn't about power, but doing the right
thing. While admitting this, he spoke with a tone that indicated that he is the
man in charge.

Roddy Piper & Eric Bischoff entered the arena; although its nitpicking,
shouldn't the leaders of WCW be backstage BEFORE the start of Nitro?

Mike Tenay, speaking for Bret Hart, announced that Hart will be on The Tonight
Show Tuesday (5/18) to answer Nash's challenge.

WCW Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned Evan Karagious in 2:09
Rey scored a quick victory with a Frankensteiner off of the top rope; maybe I'm
spoiled, but I'm not used to seeing Mysterio in quick squashes...

Citing the sins of Fritz Von Erich, Verne Gagne and Bill Watts, Ric Flair
offered Buddy Lee Parker the world if he would lay down for David. With AA,
Benoit, & Malenko flanking him (when was the last time we saw the Horseman
together?), Flair flirted with Torrie Wilson and promised his son title success.
Charles Robinson is incredible in his "Little Natch" persona, hilarious!

Gene Okerlund interviewed Booker T; angered over his Slamboree loss, Booker
challenged Rick Steiner to a Television Title match later tonight. It was taken
for granted that Steiner would accept...

David Flair (w/TorrieWilson & Ric Flair) defeated Buddy Lee Parker
via submission in 2:38
David entered the ring to the 2001 theme; Charles Robinson, minus pants, was the
referee. Parker set himself up for the Figure Four, and Robinson called for the
submission immediatly after the maneuver was locked. Not bad for what is was,
and kept thankfully short.

Randy Savage & Madusa (w/Gorgeous George & Miss Madness) defeated Ric Flair &
Charles Robinson in8:54 when Savage pinned Robinson
Madusa replaced the injured Gorgeous George; Robinson was dead on in his
impersonation of Flair. Madusa battered the befuddled referee, and ended up
battering Flair herself! The tides changed, and Flair nailed Madusa with
several Back Suplexes (a disconcerting sight). As Madusa occupied Flair on the
outside of the ring, Savage hit a Flying Elbowdrop for the victory.

Gene Okerlund interviewed Rowdy Roddy Piper; Piper claimed to be the real WCW
President, and came off as a bitter, envious has-been. Piper managed to turn
the crowd against him; the once witty Piper has become is now a pathetic shadow
of his past glory. As Eric Bischoff joined them, the two whined about their
past differences.

Randy Savage (accomponied by his entourage) attacked Piper & Bischoff when his
demands for a title shot were refused. As Piper was laid out with a Piledriver,
Kevin Nash made the save and refused to give Savage a title shot. When Savage
cited Nash's "title loss" to Hogan in the Georgia Dome, Nash looked as if he
belonged in the same ring as Piper & Bischoff.

Hardcore Hak (w/Chastity) fought David "Fit" Finlay to a No Contest in8:55
After throwing out an open challenge, Fit Finaly responded and triumphantly
entered the Hardcore Division. With the typical weapons on hand, both men were
battered hardway and took crazy shots to the head. Showing us that stiff shots
can be a substitute for ability, Brian Knobbs interrupted the action and
attacked both men, leading to a No-Contest decision. Someone needs to tell
Knobbs that this is a work, and that hurting your opponents legit is NOT the
idea (some of his offense looks a little reckless).

Sting fought WCW Television Champion Rick Steiner to a No Contest in 3:54
Steiner had a blond strip in his goatee; Booker T (Steiner's scheduled opponent)
was shown unconscious backstage, the victim of an attack. Sting responded to an
open challenge, and accepted a match against his former UWF tag team partner.
Scott Steiner interrupted the action, and the situation looked bleak for Sting,
when Lex Luger made the save and stood side by side with the Stinger. I was
positive that Luger would turn on Sting, but I guess we'll have to wait a couple
of weeks for that one.

Curt Hennig pinned Konnan in12:53
its scary that I think of The Disco Inferno when I hear Konnan's music.
Savage, sending a message to Nash, destroyed Konnan on the outside of the ring,
rendering him easy prey for a Hennigplex.

WCW World Tag Team Champions Raven & Perry Saturn (w/Kanyon) defeated Chris
Benoit & Dean Malenko (w/ArnAnderson) in when Saturn pinned Malenko in 16:45
Benoit & Malenko showed us how good tag team wrestling can be (and that's not a
slight on Raven & Saturn). Fast paced, with innovative double teaming, and
Benoit showing us some of the most realistic offense you'll ever see. Despite
Arn Anderson's interference with a tire iron, Saturn recovered and hit Malenko
with a Death Valley Driver for the victory. In the locker room, Bam Bam Bigelow
exchanged harsh words with Raven & crew, with a future showdown inevitable
(unless WCW forgets the angle over the next week).

WCW World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Nash defeated Diamond Dallas Page (w/Bam
Bam Bigelow) via disqualification in 6:21
As Nash was poised to defeat DDP, Bigelow & Randy Savage stormed the ring and
triple-teamed Nash. Savage applied lipstick to the prone Nash, exciting the
audience enough that a fan tried to make the save (he didn't appear to be a
plant). Nitro ended with Savage hitting Nash with a Flying Elbow Drop,
screaming "I'm the champion of the world!"
===========================================
HARDCORE HEAVEN LIVE NOTES
Written by reader: Archemides
There are just a few things I want to say about the ECW Hardcore Heaven Pay Per
View. First of all, I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did, and I was
privileged to be in the audience on Sunday. Just so everyone knows, there was a
dark match between Skull Von Crush and Danny Doring (w/ Roadkill) that was
surprisingly good for the two jobbers. Some of the best fan comments of the
night were heard during this match!

Also, basically between every match of the night, there was at least one or two
huge RVD chants, and every time a heel appeared, especially without an opponent,
there was a Sabu chant. The biggest pops of the night were definitely Sabu,
followed by RVD, followed Sid, who got the loudest pop I've ever heard. I
didn't know that it was possible for that much noise to errupt from an arena a
little bit smaller than my high school's main gymnasium.

Basically every single person in the house was on their feet and freaking out,
including me, who was praying that Justin Credible was going to kill the big
idiot. Everyone was very surprised at the ending also, as everyone expected
Sabu to wrestle an official match, as well as see New Jack, neither of which
happened. I don't know if the cameras were able to capture the full bloodyness
of the event, but Jerry Lynn vs RVD was very bloody, and they were both busted
open. Jerry Lynns' hair was red upon his exit from the ring.

Also, Taz's face was probably the bloodiest I've ever seen in my life! And one
last thing... to anyone reading this who was in the first four rows of section
103, thanks for ruining the supercrazy match by standing on your chairs so that
no one else could see... Anyway, this PPV was one of the better ECW ones I've
seen...
===========================================
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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: 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.

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