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Issue # 262
Date:
Sunday June 27th, 1999 7:34 pm
The Wrestling Booking Sheet
IS WRESTLING A SLEAZY
BUSINESS?
In our last issue
(#261), I made a comment about the wrestling business being
sleazy. While many of you feel the same way (although for
many different
reasons), some of you
felt it was unfair to generalize the business so harshly.
Below we have a well reasoned response from reader Josh
Hewitt, which
will be followed by my
own thoughts…
Written by reader:
Josh Hewitt (San316born)
Dear Steve,
While I share your
sentiments about the death of Owen Hart, I must confess
that I do believe that
your labeling of Pro Wrestling as a "Sleazy" business
was harsh, and really
too broad of a stroke. First of all, I don't proclaim to be
a person who "gets" the WWF's Attitude (some of the things
that they
manage to do on
television offends me quite often), but to simply label them
as "sleazy" is, I believe, a huge misnomer.
The face of wrestling
didn't change with Stone Cold Steve Austin, it changed well
before that with Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, the then Deisel
Kevin Nash, and many others. I remember back when
Austin was the "Ringmaster"
warring with Savio Vega, when Kevin Nash flipped off the
Undertaker on National Television. Rick Rude's hip wiggling
and sexual innuendo was constantly present in wrestling. Ric
Flair's "dirtiest
player in the game" attitude was around way, way back. Did
we utter names like "sleaze" and/or "filth" then??? Simply
determining that Pro Wrestling has suddenly gone bad, or has
been bad since the beginning
of the 80's is not a
fair and practical approach. Simply put, wrestling changed
with the times.
As
America becomes more
comfortable with "Taboo" subjects, like sexuality, wrestling
was there to pick up on it. We hear tales of nudity going
unfettered on Italian television, do we merely call them
"Trashy"?? Of course not,
we realize that they
have a different culture. Is Pro Wrestling wrong because it
show people getting beat up? Well, as Kevin Nash stated on
his webpage, "I'd gladly like to return to a time when kids
used fists instead of guns". Pro Wrestling doesn't cross a
line that hasn't been crossed before, with programs like
NYPD Blue or Homicide. Did we call Homicide "sleazy" for its
violence? No, we gave it numerous Emmy awards.
Is the language of pro
wrestling bad? Well, maybe. But, we have seen maturity in
movies, where a movie can still get a "PG" rating with words
like damn, bitch, and hell. And we have seen this going on
in TV as well. Did we call "The Simpson's" evil cause Bart
stated "I'm Bart Simpson, who the hell are you?"? No, we
made it one of the most popular programs on television.
To make a long letter
short, and I apologize for the length of this letter,
Pro Wrestling is not
doing anything that hasn't been done before. And what right
do we have to proclaim anything as being "wrong"? According
to a legal standpoint, the only thing that is "wrong" is
something that infringes on
someone else's rights.
Morally, wrong is a gray area, so I won't deal with
that. So, where does
that all leave us?
Is Owen Hart's death
to blame on Pro Wrestling? Not necessarily. Owen knew the
dangers, and chose to do it. He knew what he was getting
into. Blaming the WWF for Owen's death is like blaming
Florida for the death of a
visitor who got skin cancer from not wearing sunscreen.
Great to see the
newsletter is back, and I hope that I have made my point
sufficiently.
Josh Hewitt
IN RESPONSE…
By Steve Appy
Although the
circumstances of Owen Hart's death has already been examined
in detail (Dave Meltzer's coverage springs to mind) I'll
share my thoughts as well. The behavior of Titan Sports
since the tragedy has cast a shadow over their organization,
a shadow that leaves me feeling uneasy.
First of all, the lack
of safety measures CAUSED OWEN'S DEATH. Owen was hooked into
the harness where he would be released by disconnecting
ONE cable, which is not the
standard practice when dealing with non-professional stunt
men. When Sting made all of his jumps from the rafters, you
may have noticed some clumsy exchanges upon landing.
Sometimes he would have trouble disconnecting the harness
and the heels (Hogan, Nash, Hall) would look silly when they
had to stand around and take abuse from the "hung up"
invading babyface (Sting).
While these snafus
hurt the intended angles, they were necessary. Sting's
safety was the priority, and WCW ensured this by hooking
Sting up with THREE safety releases, all of which had to be
disconnected for Sting to leave the harness. If one of the
releases were accidentally disconnected with Sting 90 feet
in the air, he would not come crashing into the ring. He
would still be connected in two places, and would safely
make the descent to the ring. Using three releases is
difficult, and can visually hurt the angle. At the same
time, it would prevent a tragedy.
The ironic part is
that Owen's entrance was intended to be anything but
graceful; the plan was that he would be lowered to five feet
above the ring, and then dropped face first as a mockery of
the clean living babyface The Blue Blazer claimed to be. If
Owen had trouble disconnecting himself from the harness,
wouldn't this have helped humiliate The Blazer? Either way,
the sub-standard precautions caused a tragedy.
McMahon deliberately
ignoring Martha Hart's request not to show footage from the
service was shocking; the decision to continue the PPV
scary. Major League Baseball and NASCAR have shown us that
the Carney phrase "The Show Must Go On" doesn't apply in
these days of million dollar Sports Entertainment,
highlighting just how heartless Titan Sports really can be
(many longtime fans learned this lesson in the Mid-80's).
When I connect
wrestling and the word sleazy I'm not even talking about the
WWF television product, though there are very valid
arguments in that direction. Instead I'm referring to the
soul of the organization (as much as a business entity has a
soul), the ethical makeup of those in power. When Vince
McMahon bragged to the
Calgary Sun that he paid for
the grooming of the WWF stars before Owen's funeral, didn't
he realize what a silly point that was to try to make? We
should applaud him because he wanted his employees to look
glamorous to the television cameras? This brief quip told a
whole story.
Not that WCW is much
better. The ethical makeup of those in power has already
been endlessly examined (Hogan, Bischoff, Nash, Piper,
Rhodes). Neither side has adequately addressed their drug
problems, and HGH (Human Growth Hormone), steroids dangerous
little brother, is more and more common. Do other industries
have drug and safety problems? Yes. What they don't have is
the staggering body count.
I've been a "hardcore"
wrestling fan since January of 1987 and its a hobby that
I've spent
ALOT of time involved with. I
want this industry to succeed, I want it to be successful.
At the same time, I would like to see it clean up its act. I
don't want to be embarrassed by the corporate behavior of
the industry leaders, and I don't want to grimace the next
time another wrestler dies young.
Not everybody
associated with the business is sleazy (Mick Foley and Terry
Funk are two obvious examples of gentleman). I want to be
able to enjoy a Ric Flair interview and a Chris Benoit
classic without feeling regrets about the recent death of
someone far too young; my hope is that the wrestling
business will one day learn to police itself. While the odds
are against it, we can hope…
===========================================
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===========================================
The Good, Bad, and the
Ugly......
By: Mark George (attkdonkey)
First things first, it
is GREAT to have the Wrestling Booking Sheet back in action.
Not to discredited any of the other heavy hitters in the
world of online wrestling newsletters, but I missed the
clear and candid style the Booking Sheet provides. Hopefully
the upcoming changes in store for the Booking Sheet take it
to a new level of excellence.
Due to the absence of
the Wrestling Booking Sheet the past few weeks, I have been
unable to find a forum to express my takes on recent events
in the world of wrestling. Topics ranging from the tragic
death of Owen Hart to recent lawsuits being lobbed at Vince
McMahon have outdated themselves and therefore, seem like
old news.
Instead of laying out
the good, bad, and ugly of wrestling current events, I
decided to write a personal commentary on the state of
wrestling. This is strictly my opinion and nothing more.
Basically wrestling
sucks right now. I am a HUGE fan and hate to say that. I
know ratings are high, especially for WWF, but everything
seems stale and unimaginative.
WCW has become a
generic version of MTV with Master P, DJ Ran, and a pathetic
attempt to pump new life into its shows by altering the set
and Nitro logo. its bad enough that week after week I have
to see a bunch of fossils in their forties prance around the
ring like they were the Backstreet Boys while guys like
Kidman, Benoit and the Luchadors job or engage in brutal
hardcore matches only to have that tub of goo Tony FAT ASS
Schiavonie make half assed comments. When I heard Sid had
signed a deal with WCW all I did was YAWN. Sid is garbage
and is just another lackey smothering the exposure of young
and far more talented wrestlers.
Then there's the WWF.
I watch RAW and I am amazed the ratings are strong despite
the lack of talent. Week in and week out
Austin, The Rock, Mankind,
etc., go out and beat the crap out of each other. If one of
these stars goes down due to major injury, say good-bye to
the WWF. I love the WWF and feel the over the top attitude
it portrays is entertaining to an adult audience, not kids.
Sex, violence, disrespect, drinking, you name it you got it
in the WWF. But how many times can Austin feud with Vince?
How many evening gown matches can take place before the
crowds get restless and demand T & A. Honestly, not too much
longer.
Instead of relying on
catchy logos or shock television, I would like to see a good
old fashioned wrestling match where the win is clean and the
wrestlers work hard. I don't think that is asking for too
much. I miss the days of HBK bouncing around the ring like a
human pinball or Ricky Steamboat busting his ass at all
costs. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some of the adult
oriented material and more modern approach to wrestling, but
only in moderation. I do not want to be force fed the same
BS week after week and have 1 out of every 10 PPV's actually
be worth seeing. Maybe someday, the two wresting companies
will shake themselves and actually revert to wrestlers
wrestling. What a concept!!!!
===========================================
ROUNDING THE SQUARED
CIRCLE
"STING
HAS TWO WORDS FOR YOU"
OR
"BUT DADDY, YOU SAID
IT WAS
SAFE FOR ME TO WATCH WCW"
BY
SAMJERRY
Visit my Home Page:
http://members.aol.com/samjerry
Item: This past Monday
on NITRO, Franchise Boy, AKA Sting, "thinking" NITRO had
gone off the air did the unthinkable. He used one of
Degeneration X's most famous "adult" type interactions with
the crowd: He asked them a question that elicited a response
of "Suck It." The world is in shock that the fair haired
golden boy of WCW would do something other than a super
sterile routine. His response that he thought they were off
the air is an insult to our intelligence. If that's the
case, then WCW's so called "G Rated" programming is only for
those watching at home and its OK to say/do whatever you
want in the arena. That's better than having your cake and
eating it to. That's having everyone else's cake and selling
yours at a profit. Either you are "G Rated" or you're not.
Of course anyone watching NITRO regularly knows its a crock.
Consider The Buffed Macho Man's repetitive use of the word
"B*stard" when his limo was used as a commode for raw sewage
(come to think of it, is dumping a honey truck load of s*it
"G Rated?"); said Buffed One's Bimbo's coming out a few
weeks ago in outfits that would make Debra's Puppies blush
and having it explained away by Big S*xy as an attempt to
garner ratings that failed (meaning that the "G" Rating
doesn't apply in that case either); Slick Rick's stripping
down to his Fruit Of The Loom's (if that didn't scare every
female under 75, then nothing will), etc. For shame Sting,
you were our
last bastion of
integrity. If we can't count on you, who are we to put our
trust in? Are Superman, Popeye and Batman next?
Item: WCW has gone
into the Sports Entertainment business: Well not quite. What
it looks like they are doing is converting themselves into a
new outlet for rap music. This past week we saw Master P and
his No Limit Soldiers take over a good portion of the first
hour of NITRO. He swore he would deliver WCW to the Promised
Land (Of Neilsen). It looks like he may have to wander the
dessert for another 40 years before he finds it. Eager to
cash in on his "ratings bonanza," it is reported that Good
King Eric (GKE) is said to be bringing in Snoop Doggy Dogg
and Naughty By Nature to join the caravan to The Promised
Land. I'm not a big fan of rap, but I am of wrestling and I
fail to see how this is going to help. There are also words
that Willie Nelson will be mounting a camel to join the
search, albeit on the side of country music.
With Dennis Rodman due for
another ride, Kevin Greene warming up in the camel pen and
Jay Leno available as Designated Camel Jockey, WCW's
wrestlers will be lucky to get a shot at cleaning up after
the camels. Of course, it will solve the problem of how to
fill three hours every week. At the rate they are going, it
will be 2 1/4 hours of "Everything But Wrestling," 1/2 hour
of "The Wonderful World Of Hollywood Hogan," 10 minutes of
PPV commercials and 10 minutes (counting the overrun to Fat
Tony's weekly "We are desperately running out of time"
spiel) of wrestling.
Item: The Beaver is
dead: While everybody need a little "Head," it looks like no
one really wants any "Beaver." Citing a poor response to the
Beaver Cleavage and his Mommy angle, the WWF has decided
against the angle and buried the Beaver. I don't know about
anyone else, but I'm going to miss "Mommy" Cleavage.
However, she is rumored to be one of the WWF's female
wrestlers being brought in, in anticipation of Smackdown. I
will be happy to see more of this Beaver.
Item: Insane Clown
Posse (ICP) has changed their mind about signing with WCW
and instead will sign with the WWF. This has to be a secret
plot hatched by GKE to undermine the WWF and if it is, it is
a stroke of genius. These clowns were a joke last time they
were in the WWF and nothing they have done since leads me to
believe they will be anything else this time. It could also
be that Master P is the "Higher Power" in WCW and kicked
their butts to the curb. As they say, "That's Show
Business." Ooops, I almost forgot, WCW is not in the "Sports
Entertainment" business, it is where wrestling purists can
go to be satisfied.
Item: Kane may join
DX: The Big Red Machine turned into The Jolly Green Giant?
The ultimate loner becoming a joiner? What the hell is
McMahon thinking?
He has turned the once
"immovable object" into a jobber and now he wants to
make him a part of a
group. If this be true, it also be stupid. Kane's whole
persona was built upon his invincibility and his "me against
the world" outlook. In the words of the immortal Cat In The
Hat, "Leave me be." Since Kane is one of their few genuine
title contenders, the WWF shouldn't screw him up worse than
they already have.
===========================================
QUOTES FROM THE
PAST...
KONNAN ON THE HITMAN
Although a
controversial figure, Konnan is known to be extremely
outspoken in media interviews. Konnan spent extended time in
the WWF in the early 90's, although his role generally
involved wrestling dark matches on TV tapings. In a 1994
interview with Wade Keller of The Pro Wrestling Torch,
Konnan shared his thoughts on Bret Hart:
Keller: "What do you
think of Bret Hart?"
Konnan: "This is a
funny story. You can ask Bret Hart and he'll even admit
it. That's why I like
the guy so much. People are funny because sometimes
people can be nice in
front of you, but you never know how they are when you
leave. But I thought Bret was authentic. Bret Hart, when I
got in there,
said, "Hey, say hi to Babyface" who was a Mexican wrestler
he had met in
Japan. He was really nice and
really cool. He didn't look at me as a threat. I have the
utmost respect for Bret Hart. I think he's great,
incredible. It was about time they gave him that spot. You
will not believe this. You know that Sharpshooter he does?
He didn't know how to do this. He just said in the locker
room out loud, "Hey, does anybody know how to do that thing
where you cross your the legs and turn around like in
Japan?" I said, "oh, you mean the thing that Sting does?" He
said, "Yeah." So I showed it to him, The next thing I know
that was his finishing move. I've always felt proud about
that.
When I came back to
the WWF, listen to this-this is why I love this guy so much.
I had forgotten that I had showed him the move. He goes,
"Hey, you're the guy who showed me the Sharpshooter." He's
beyond reproach."
Torch Talk, conducted
on August 21, 1994
To subscribe to The
Pro Wrestling Torch, send $36 for 20 issues to:
The Pro Wrestling
Torch
P.O. Box 201844
Minneapolis, MN 55420
===========================================
Ratings for June 21st,
1999
RAW Nitro
1st Hour n/a 3.6
2nd Hour 5.9 2.6
3rd Hour 6.1 3.1
Composite 6.0 3.1
Other weekend numbers
saw Heat do a 4.2 (off of quarter hours of 3.7, 4.1, =
4.4, and 4.6), Live
Wire did a 1.8 and Superstars did a 2.0. Thunder from 6=
/17 did a 3.0 off of
hours of 2.5 and 3.4.
(Reported by Dave
Scherer at:
http://www.1wrestling.com)
===========================================
AS FLAIR IS ABUSED,
WCW BURNS
Written by reader:
KFITZPATI
Steve- its good to see
the Booking Sheet back in action. And I have to agree with
Mooneyham's points in this newsletter, too. I'll be straight
up- I've followed Flair for over a decade and a half, and I
have to give him all of the credit in the world right now
for him putting in a heck of a lot of time and doing
something I never thought I'd see- him doing the job EVERY
NIGHT.
Whether its the
pay-per-views or the house shows, he has gone out and
continually been a constant professional. its been that way
for a long time in WCW- when Flair is around and not getting
in these court room problems, he's out on the road
constantly. And he is working as hard as a 50 year old man
can be working under all of these circumstances. What is
unfortunate is that I am of the opinion that McMahon could
use him and treat him with a hell of a lot more respect then
what Bischoff has. And to me the handling of Flair tells me
all I need to know about WCW, too: like many fans out there,
I have given that organization several chances. But the
NITROS seem to get worse, Randy Savage is now the cross
between Hugh Hefner and Steven Seagal (women everywhere,
being a badass and beating up everyone in sight) and the
angles get more distorted each week. All I know is that I
have taken heat for telling what I think of WCW angles-
well, I can be truthful and just say that it doesn't look
like "Good King Eric" will get his throne back anytime soon
if VAN HAMMER is getting a push.............
===========================================
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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