The Wrestling Booking Sheet online newsletter

Issue # 257

Date: Sunday May 23rd, 1999 10:12 am

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

-TENTATIVE Line-up for In Your House:Over the Edge:
TONIGHT, Sunday, May 23rd, Live on PPV
Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker for the WWF World Title Shane and Vince McMahon
as the special guest referees
The Rock vs. Triple H
X-Pac/Kane vs. D'Lo Brown/Mark Henry for the WWF World Tag Team Titles
Road Dogg vs. Billy Gunn
Mankind/Test/Big Show/Ken Shamrock vs. Acolytes/Viscera/Big Boss Man
Jeff Jarrett/Debra vs. Val Venis/Nicole Bass
The Godfather vs. The Blue Blazer for the WWF Intercontinental Title
Al Snow vs. Hardcore Holly for the WWF Hardcore Title
The Brood vs. The Hardy Boyz/Michael Hayes
(Reported by the Jobber Report; to subscribe to The Jobber Report, contact
Suptman for your free subscription)

WWF House Show Results for May 22nd, 1999, in Rosemont, IL
Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett defeated The Brood
Steve Blackman pinned Hardcore Holly
Val Venis & Tori defeated D-lo Brown & Ivory
Droz defeated Hardcore Champion Al Snow in a non-title bout.
X-Pac & Kane defeated the Acolytes
Mankind & Ken Shamrock defeated Viscera & Median
Road Dogg defeated Bad Ass Billy Gunn via countout
Godfather pinned Goldust
Stone Cold, the Rock, & the Big Show def the Undertaker, Triple H, & The Big Bossman.
Note : After the match was done, the ref (Hebner) repeatedly whipped the
Bossman w/ a belt that the Bossman had whipped him w/, also Stone Cold stunned
Triple H 4 times after the match.
(Reported by B54forTRE)
===========================================
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===========================================
Pillman show was a class act
By Mike Mooneyham
Sunday, May 23, 1999
Every once in a while professional wrestling puts its best foot forward.

Such was the case on Wednesday night when WCW, the WWF and independent
promotions from around the country joined forces at the Cincinnati Gardens for
the second annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show.

The event was a class act from start to finish. Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat,
two of the greatest stars to ever lace a pair of wrestling boots, served as VIP
hosts for the tribute to Pillman, who died Oct. 5, 1997, at the age of 35.

Among the other talent appearing on the Pillman '99 show were Mankind (Mick
Foley), Di-Lo Brown, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Rey Mysterio Jr. Konnan, Al
Snow, Road Dog (Brian James), Terry Taylor, Dr. Tom Prichard, Woman and Missy
Hyatt.

Former pro wrestler Les Thatcher, who organized the event, called it a labor of
love and said he found the uniqueness of the "Big Two" organizations working
together refreshing. Political barriers were broken. Egos were checked at the
door. Everyone came together for a good cause.

"I think the reason the 'Loose Cannon' would have looked down and smiled is
because the tribute to him was the fact that all these guys went out there and
busted their behinds and cranked it up and performed as well as they could. And
they did it for nothing."

Thatcher, who runs a gym, wrestling school and Heartland Wrestling promotion in
the Cincinnati area, said the show was a reflection of Pillman's work ethic in
the ring.

"What I liked about Brian is that he was old school. He came to the ring to give
100 percent of whatever he had that particular night, he was an artist, he had a
passion for the business and he wanted to perform. That's the kind of people
we've tried to invite to the show both years. Guys like Terry Taylor, Tom
Prichard, Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit exemplify that kind of spirit."

Thatcher brought Flair out at the top of the show to one of the biggest pops of
the night. Recounting his introduction of Flair, Thatcher told the audience: "I
wrestled this guy over 25 years ago when he was just a kid. I was impressed with
the ring knowledge he had for such a short time in the industry at that point.
And I knew he had potential, but Lord knows, I didn't know how much potential,
and he proved over and again what he had. You may call him the 'Nature Boy,' you
may call him the 14-time world champion. There's an old adage in our business
that a guy is so good, he has a match with a broomstick and makes the broomstick
look good. This is the guy they wrote that adage for. I call him 'The Man' -
'Nature Boy' Ric Flair."

The WWF's Di-Lo Brown bowed in respect to Flair and Steamboat upon his arrival
in the ring. "You're the guys who are the reason I'm in this business," he told
the two masters of the mat.

Before Di-Lo left the ring, Flair took the mic and responded, "Hey, kid, I've
caught your act. If everybody was like you in this business, I'd stay another 10
years."

The show, which drew 1,400 paid and 1,800 in the building, raised nearly $35,000
for the Pillman Foundation after accounting for building costs and other
expenses. A celebrity auction generated the bulk of the proceeds, which will go
toward an education fund for Pillman's six children.

Last year's high-ticket item was a "Hitman" hockey jersey, signed by Stu, Bret,
Bruce and Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith and Jim "The Anvil" Niedhart, that netted
$475. Some of this year's items netted considerably more.

Flair's robe went for $2,250. A pair of Benoits boots and long tights with the
Horsemen logo got a $700 bid. Di-Lo Brown's chest protector and a plaque from
his European title brought more than $600. Road Dog's autographed shin guard and
T-shirt went for $400. Steamboat brought a hundred 8x10s, autographed them, sold
them for $10 apiece and turned the money over. Other items included a Diamond
Dallas Page leather vest, an Al Snow "head" and T-shirt, Missy Hyatt lingerie
and a gown donated by Woman. Raffled off were a copy of the NWA world TV title
belt and a poster-sized portrait of Pillman autographed by all of the wrestlers
on the show.

"Bless his heart, Steve Austin sent us a check for $10,000 too," said Thatcher,
who added that only personal issues prevented the WWF champion from attending.

"Everybody had a great time, in terms of fans and the wrestlers themselves,"
said Thatcher. "I'm an old war horse, but it was an honor to be a part of this.
The boundaries are down, the guys communicate, there's a camaraderie that used
to be there. It was really something special."

Thatcher said Flair even asked to wrestle at next year's event. During the show
he hinted at a possible meeting with his most celebrated opponent, Steamboat,
when he said, "Hey, what do you think, let's do it again."

"The place came unglued. It was really neat just to have been there with them
when they (Flair and Steamboat) were just kids cranking it up," said Thatcher,
who was a mainstay in the Jim Crockett-run Carolinas territory when both Flair
and Steamboat were rising to national prominence.

A special touch to the show was added when Brian Hildebrand (WCW ref Mark
Curtis) served as ref for the main event between Malenko and Benoit vs. Mysterio
Jr. and Konnan. Hildebrand, who for the past year has been battling stomach
cancer, was himself the subject of a tribute show last November in his hometown
of Knoxville.

"You couldn't have kept him away," said Thatcher, who added that when
Hildebrand's wife was hauling him off to the hospital recently, she called
Thatcher to let him know. "I could hear Brian in the background yelling over his
shoulder, 'Don't worry. I'll be there for the 19th,'" Thatcher said.

Hildebrand was scheduled to officiate only the Taylor-Prichard legends match
because of the slower pace. Thatcher said he was pleasantly surprised when he
was introducing the main-event tag-team bout and saw Hildebrand walking down the
aisle.

"I'm going to try," Hildebrand assured Thatcher. "You may have to pick me up and
carry me back, but I'm gonna try," he said.

"What determination that guy has," said Thatcher.

• WCW referee-turned-celebrity Charles Robinson suffered a partially collapsed
lung as a result of Randy Savage's elbow drop from the top rope last week on
Nitro. Robinson, who suffered breathing problems backstage immediately after the
match, was taken to the hospital and released the following day.

Savage, who since major reconstructive knee surgery has been placing most the
impact on his opponents to limit further damage to his knee, has injured several
wrestlers with the maneuver, including Ric Flair and Ed Leslie (The Disciple).

• Look for a major angle coming out of the Steve Austin-Undertaker WWF title
match at tonight's Over the Edge pay-per-view in Kansas City, Mo. Undertaker is
scheduled to meet The Big Show (Paul Wight) at the King of the Ring pay-per-view
in June.

• Raw came off a record-setting performance to destroy Nitro last week by a
6.34-3.36 spread. Raw posted hours of 5.62 and 7.06 against Nitro's hours of
3.94, 3.54 and 2.60. The April 10 Raw was the most-watched wrestling show ever
on cable television as an estimated 13 million viewers tuned in, with the
program earning a phenomenal 8.09 Nielsen rating and 12.1 share.

Last week Raw (Austin vs. Helmsley) obliterated Nitro (Nash vs. Page) in the
final quarter, 7.2-2.5, and 7.8-2.4 in the overrun that pit The Undertaker
crucifixion angle against Savage interfering in the Nash-DDP bout. Raw peaked at
a 7.3 for the Rock-Undertaker casket match.

Nitro never came closer than a 4.2 posted for the Flair-Robinson vs.
Savage-Madusa match that earned a 4.2 going against a six-man tag-team match
that did a 5.0. The Roddy Piper segment followed with a 3.7 but, with the
exception of a 3.2 for the Sting-Rick Steiner match, never went beyond a 3 for
the remainder of the show.

Mike Mooneyham can be reached by phone at (843) 937-5517 or by e-mail at
mooneyham. More wrestling news with Mike Mooneyham is
available every Monday on The Wrestling Observer Hotline. The number is
1-900-903-9030. Calls are 99 cents per minute, and children under 18 must get
parental permission before dialing.
===========================================
ROUNDING THE SQUARED CIRCLE
BY SAMJERRY
A program reminder: NBC 9 - 11 PM Eastern Time tonight will broadcast a TV
Movie, The Jesse Ventura Story.

There is no truth to the rumor that Ted Turner arranged for it to be telecast
opposite the WWF PPV, Over The Edge. At least no concrete evidence has been
uncovered :-

As an aside, I have seen the same story in several Newsletters this past week
calling Jesse "an unpopular Governor." I believe that story to be 110% false. In
fact, I read a Newspaper Article just yesterday reporting that in a recent
interview he was asked about his Presidential aspirations in 2000. He said he
wasn't interested, however, would consider running for Vice-president on a
Reform Party ticket headed by retired General Colin Powell.
===========================================
SHOULD STEAMBOAT RETURN?
Written by reader: JJ29
I was a big fan of Ricky Steamboat but I say he should stay retired.

1. His last match may taint his legendary status because of his back injury..

2. Because of politics, it will have to be a WCW match, which will most likely
mean Steamboat will lose, even if Flair wants to lose.

So I say Steamboat should stay retired so we can live off all of his great
matches that shaped the wrestling world.
===========================================
ECW SPOILER (DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED)
Written by reader: Steve Gerweck (gerweck)
Be sure to check out Gerweck's Wrestling News, at: http://www.gerweck.net

ECW Television Taping Results from Detroit - May 22, 1999

-I arrived early to talk with some of the wrestlers. Many were in or around
the ring practicing their moves

- Rob Van Dam had a big cut over his right eye

- There was a gal there with the largest set of, uh, puppies I have ever seen on
a 5'4 or 5'5 frame. She was mobbed before and during the show for autographes.
She must be a porno star

- D-Von Dudley was watching UWF tapes when I walked in

- In the opening match, Rhino and Skull Von Krush defeated Danny Doring and
Roadkill when Von Krush pinned Roadkill. Rhino received a good face reaction
since he is from Detroit

- Chris Chetti did the job for Lance Storm, who was escorted to the ring by Dawn
Marie with a neck brace

- I spotted the best sign of the night.. "Old wrestlers don't die, they sign
with WCW"

- Little Guido beat Nova with assistance from Sal E. Graziano. Tariji did a run
in after the match and finched off Graziano

- Steve Corino was about to face a jobber when Taz appeared and was quickly
confronted for another ECW title show. Taz again defended the title and
destroyed Candido. Tammy Lynn Sytch did not appear

- Super Crazy beat TAKA Michinoku

- Justin Credible talked about Sabu being banned in the states, but of course,
Sabu appeared and they finally started the match. Some really good wild action.
The match however ended with a no contest. Sid also did a run in during the
match

- Judge Jeff Jones introduced Rod Price as a new member of his court. Sid ran in
and quickly chokeslammed and powerbombed Price for the victory

- The Dudley's came out and got into a heated argument with some fans in the
front row. The Dudley's and Joel Gertner were hit with flying debris. Balls
Mahoney and
Axl Rotten finally answered their challenge. This was an all out brawl. They
fought through the crowd, into the second row. The Dudley's placed thumb tacks
on a table, and set it ablaze. They slammed Mahoney through the table, and he
was covered for a Dudley victory. WOW!

- In the main event, Rob Van Dam, who is from Michigan, received a huge face
reaction. He defeated Little Spike Dudley to retain the TV title. During the
match, Francine and Dreamer signed autographs.

- The building manager told be the attendance was about 2,600. No return date
was announced.
===========================================
GOOD COMBINATION
Written by reader: Maggie Cowan (funkychicken316)
I just wanted to respond to what has recently been written about female
wrestling fans. I have read a letter in this newsletter about women who like
wrestling because its trendy and because of the cute guys...I have also read a
letter in this newsletter about women who love wrestling for wrestling, not
storylines.

To all of that I have this to say; its a package deal!!! I love the cute guys
and I love the wrestling. I am a woman and I AM A WRESTLING FAN!
Maggie Cowan
http://whoopasswrestling.tsx.org
===========================================
PAST WWF DOOMSAYERS
Written by reader: KFITZPATI
Kudos to TPit402038 for his statements
in issue #252. I know that WCW diehards may not
be thrilled about comments like that, but to be honest,
it has become very, very hard to know what is going
on each week with the WCW storylines and angles.
Yes, sons of WCW, you can proudly state that Raven
and Hak/Sandman/Fullerton are getting some airtime
and some push. You can say what has been said for
the better part of 20 plus years in WCW/NWA rings:
"we've got Flair." You have potentially the biggest
new star in years in your Goldberg. You have a dream
roster of sorts: BUT....well, between the Torrie Wilson/
David Flair angle, good King Eric's posturing for "what's
right", what many people consider selfish booking
between Nash and Page, an unfortuante reliance on Flair
on TV and the house shows (those who keep up with results
know Flair has been a damn good soldier and doing the job to
everyone from Sting to Goldberg across the country) and now the
reemergence of Randy Savage, King of Sex.......look, WCW fans,
there are good things, but the bottom line is a lot of people feel
-KNOW- that things could be alot better. And the ironic thing is
that -again-whether you like McMahon, the WWF, the Son of
Texas (yes, boys, I know he used to be the forerunner to Billy
Gunn back in the early 90's in WCW, I know he just didn't
become the business's top draw overnight), or anything related to
Titan, the facts are that the WWF seems to be doing pretty well
right now...and ironically despite the words of two experts:
WHO? the leader of the top "wrestling magazine" and the proclaimed
top "wrestling promotion", who else. With explanation here they are:

1) STU SAKS, Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Those who have followed the
sport- and I know that there are lots of knowledgable folks who read this
newsletter day in and day out- know Saks to be one of the "Billy Boys"
a man of the magazines that Bill Apter dominated year in and year
out before he recently went to WOW magazine this year. Saks and his
sons have done a hell of a lot of promoting over the years. I'd say those
who were Crockett/Carolina diehards from the 80's remember the heavy
promotion of the Rock and Roll Express, the "Georgia Boys" of Tommy
Rich and the Road Warriors (who got their monster push and all the reader
awards) and so on. In the 90's, when my area couldn't even THINK of
getting ECW, I was to be sure to get Sabu and Sandman updates from Stu
and sons- they did a hell of a lot of articles, giving ECW alot of exposure
and credibility. And they have been consistent in saying that McMahon
was little more than a carnival manager- even when boys they put on the
pedestal like Bret Hart, Owen Hart and Ric Flair were in the midst of
major Titan pushes. So it isn't a shock that the Year End 1997 PWI
Awards Issue saw ol' Saks get down and say, "the WWF shows all signs
of being a very desperate company. With little or no hope of overtaking
WCW on a level playing field..." Good job Saks, ol' boy. As sure as that
Same magazine said that 1998 would be Glacier's year, you have been
proven wrong. But your comments are not even close to the man of #2:

2) GOOD KING ERIC!!!! Lords of Peachtree Plaza, want to know why
some people get PO'd at this man? Simple. Earlier in the TV season,
DATELINE NBC ran a pro wrestling story, mainly on McMahon and the
1998-99 tactics that he has had- with success. Good King Eric's quote of
McMahon? "He's an idiot." Bischoff,....well, the past actions of the last year
and a half-and the past newsletter takes- probably can't do the justice of that
comment. But here's the deal when you rest your eyes: McMahon was left
for dead in 1997 when the Prince of Pink left his company for Ted Turner.
But since the infamous "screw job" of Hart then, the WWF has gotten up,
produced new stars, thrilling matches, and did what Stu Saks, Eric Bischoff,
and millions of Mr. Wrestling II and the Georgia Boys fans thought would be
impossible- he has become number one AGAIN, with a bullet. And when I saw
the WWF- and McMahon-mentioned on the cover of a leading non-wrestling
magazine like US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT this week, it was proof-
to me at least- that pro wrestling is indeed in the minds of mainstream America-

and it is McMahon, not the Good King Eric, who is in the drivers' seat. I
know...I
know....as sure as Kevin Nash drank beer at the University of Tennessee one time
in the early 80's, it could change. But at the way things are going, its
looking
like an upward climb for the man who now has gray hair, Mr. Bischoff.
And before he rips McMahon again, hopefully he will think before he
speaks.......
===========================================
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.

"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