The Wrestling Booking Sheet online newsletter

Issue # 278

Date: Wednesday August 18th, 1999 8:13 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

We will be back late Saturday night with the results of our Franchise
Survey. There looks to be some surprises in order...

In the meantime, several readers have been asking for the best places
to find wrestling news. I have three sources that I recommend you all
check out:

1) Dave Meltzer's 'Wrestling Observer' is THE BEST SOURCE ANYWHERE of
wrestling news. For those of you who consider yourselves students of
the business, there is no substitute.

As a wrestling writer, there is nobody who's viewpoint I respect more.
While there are some terrific web sites out there, there is not one
wrestling writer anywhere on the internet that can compare to Meltzer.
The internet writers with the most credibility (Mike Samuda is a great
example) often cite Meltzer as a top source; as a wrestling fan, you
will love the Observer.

Since its not free, that will deter some of you; the rest of you will
realize what a bargain The Observer truly is. To subscribe, send $11
for 4 issues to:
The Wrestling Observer
P.O. Box 1228
Campbell, CA 95009-1228

Another terrific source of insight is The Pro Wrestling Torch. To
enjoy the opinions
of Wade Keller, Jason Powell, & Bruce Mitchell send $36 for 20 issues
to:
The Pro Wrestling Torch
P.O. Box 201844
Minneapolis, MN 55420

For those of you who prefer your news online, and don't mind missing
out on the Observer & Torch (I couldn't last a week), there is a
relatively new website that has made a quick impact. Wrestleline has
become a site I check out almost daily, and I highly recommend it.
Columnists that combine both crediblity and humility, what a
combination! Visit it at:
http://www.wrestleline.com/
===========================================
Ventura fires verbal blast at long-time rival Hogan
By Mike Mooneyham
Sunday, August 15, 1999

The responsibilities of a governor can be many and far-reaching. Just
ask Jesse Ventura.

Minnesota's colorful governor made the transition from being the big
name at the National Governors Association meeting last Monday in St.
Louis to being the big name on Monday Night Raw in Chicago later that
evening.

Ventura worked the sellout crowd at the Rosemont Horizon as
effortlessly as he worked the room at the governors convention, where
he earlier had attracted the attention of President Clinton, with whom
he discussed pro wrestling and posed for photo-ops.

Ventura, at Raw to promote his appearance later this month as a guest
referee at Summer Slam, took full aim at long-time in-ring and
out-of-ring rival Hulk Hogan, declaring that he was a real Navy SEAL
and not someone "who likes to pretend they're Navy SEALS on television
shows or bad-acted, made-for-TV movies with Bozo the Clown haircuts
(referring to Hogan's role in "Thunder in Paradise"), and that he
actually served his country fighting in Vietnam, unlike others "who
when it comes time to serve their country, they run off like gutless
cowards and probably played in hippie rock bands (a long-haired Hogan
played in a Tampa-based club band before beginning his wrestling
career).

Ventura also appeared on "Face The Nation" last weekend and defended
his upcoming pay-per-view gig at the Target Center in Minneapolis. He
said the event would not demean his position as governor, likening it
to former NBA star Bill Bradley, a Democratic presidential candidate,
returning to basketball to referee a game. He said that his wrestling
appearance was no different than a politician doing a movie.

Ventura, who says he's keeping the payoff figures for his Summer Slam
appearance confidential, had appeared the previous week on "Meet the
Press" and noted that the mayor of St. Paul had worked as a paid radio
show host. He also responded to an editorial that called him a
"washed-up wrestler" who sold out the office of governor for $1
million. Ventura resented the "washed-up" label, pointing out that
current pros such as Hogan was only two years younger and that Ric
Flair was a couple years older, and that Verne Gagne was a world champ
in his late-50s.

• Ventura, ironically, was interviewed on Raw by Jerry Lawler, who has
political aspirations of his own. Lawler, the "King of Memphis" who
wants to be "Mayor of Memphis," recently told the Memphis Commercial
Appeal that the WWF will "adopt" Memphis city schools (now that's a
scary thought) if he's elected mayor. He vowed to bring WWF performers
to local schools for live events and appearances.

Lawler said he wanted to send the message that public schools were the
place to be. He addressed the gang problem and suggested having gang
members fight it out in a ring, not the streets, with the winners being
given trophies.

Lawler, 49, one of the best talkers in the business, will run against
seven other candidates in the October election. His son, Brian
Christopher (Lawler), is currently recuperating in Memphis after
surgery to repair a tornACL and is campaigning for his dad.

The biggest crowd in the history of the Music City Wrestling promotion
(1,200; 990 paid) turned out last month at the Nashville Fairgrounds to
watch Lawler defeat area legend Jackie Fargo (the two feuded during the
mid-'70s). Fargo, who is in his late '60s, got his head shaved as a
result of putting his hair on the line against the hair of Stacy Carter
(Lawler's half-his-age girlfriend).

• The main event for Summer Slam was changed last week for the third
time and will now be a triple threat match with Steve Austin, Hunter
Hearst Helmsley and Mankind. The change was prompted by a leg injury
suffered by Austin, who hasn't wrestled since TV tapings three weeks
ago when he suffered the injury during a pull-apart brawl. The
three-way match will be easier for Austin (and Mankind, since he's far
from 100 percent following double knee surgery), to work and would
allow Helmsley, who has been promised a title run before the end of the
year, to possibly win the strap without Austin doing the job.

Mike Mooneyham can be reached by phone at (843) 937-5517. Beginning
Aug. 24, he can be heard every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. on "Rinside
Wrestling Talk" on WQNT ESPN Radio 1450. For wrestling updates during
the week, call The Post and Courier Info Line at 937-6000, ext. 3090.

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.
===========================================
ADVERTISEMENTS
Check out two of the more exciting sites on the web. Find them at:
The MEWF Official Web Site: http://indywrestling.interspeed.net/mewf/
The Official Chastity Home Page: http://www.chastitywrestling.com/

Do you want the two most reliable newsletters on the web? You do?
Well, you are subscribed to one of them if you are reading this
message, but you still need to sign up for the Ringside Wrestling
Newsletter! With both the Wrestling Booking Sheet and the Ringside
Wrestling Newsletter both delivered to your e-mailbox, you are
guaranteed to never miss one piece of news! Join today by sending a
blank e-mail to ringsidewrestlingnews-subscribe You
won't be sorry....

WWF, WCW, and ECW News has gone wild at Wrestle Haven's new website!
If you
love wrestling, and who doesn't make sure you check out all our latest
news and happenings. We've got PUPPIES! Be sure to check out
http://wrestlehaven.hypermart.net

Are you old with all of the other feds that say they are good but are
really not? Then join the MwF: Melenium wrestling Federation. Its new,
its owner is young, and its fun! So join today. E-mail Boblem1
today!

FANTASY WRESTLING LEAGUE
You score based on how well your wrestler does in real life! Just
e-mail UNCblue33 for the details. Be sure to mention your
e-mail address.
===========================================
Those of you with a refined sense of humor will not enjoy Senor Diaper;
those of you with an IQ over 80 won't be able to relate. For the rest
of us I present Senor Diaper!

Knights of the RoundTable
By: Senor Diaper (BGPapaPOOP)

Hola mi Amigos!!!!!

Once again it is me, Senor Diaper, your wrestling insider, bringing you
quality wrestling insights and a potpourri of goodies. This week the
famed Knights have departed for parts unknown. They are in an immense
slump and decided to visit the Isle of Bitch and enjoy a few cervesas.
Best wishes to them all. Senor Appy is allowing us to put
together a Top 10 franchise and figured what better way to let Senor
Diaper show his booking prowess. ARRIBA, ARRIBA!!!!!

#1 Mark Henry.
Mark Henry is the epitome of poop. Only Sexual Chocolate can make
eating a "special" sandwich glorified.

#2 The Cat.
Oh yes my friends, The Cat is a superstar!!!! His red shoe will soon
be brown.

#3 Sid Vicious.
El SID!!!!!!! Sid's raw power will knock the POOP out of anyone.

#4 Lex Luger.
Lex is an icon. Many fail to realize that he once cleaned Port-A-
Potties at INDY shows inMiami. Go Larry Go!!!!

#5 Billy Gunn.
Billy will be a star and rename himself "KaKa Pirate."

#6 Paul Wight.
The Big POOP will run rampant through and industry that will only have
the great Mark Henry in his way. Epic match for DiaperMania VIII.

#7 Tony Schivone.
Antonio is the only announcer that soils himself during an exciting
match.

#8 Roddy Piper.
You need a talker who's mouth runs more that an 90 year old on prune
juice.

#9 Stevie Ray.
3 parts diaper, 2 parts feces, and 1 part "to go" container = CHAMPION.

#10 Vincent.
A franchise!!! Instant spokesman for Huggies. High risk maneuvers will
make anyone's colon spastic.

Quote of the week: "If it looks, tastes, smells, and feels like feces,
it must be dinner time!!!" -----Lamont, SANFORD & SON
===========================================
"Straight Shooting"
By : Fritz Capp (pwbts)

August 15, 1999
Before I get started I just want to say thanks to Steve Appy of
"The Booking Sheet" for taking a chance on this column. Believe me, it
will make people write.

Is anyone else sick and tired of the Terri Runnels/Meat angle? I mean
come on, it basically makes me want to puke. My guess is this is
something that Terri cooked up to get under Dustin’s skin. It really
has no value what-so-ever. I hope they kill it soon.

Raven is being quoted lately as saying that he wants to work for Paul
Heyman and ECW again. Can you blame him? Paul Heyman allowed Scott Levy
a lot of creative control over the Raven character when he was in ECW
and he was a top draw. In WCW he keeps getting shoved into stupid
storylines that never show what Raven can really do or what he is
really about. If WCW isn’t going to use him, let him go back to ECW.
Heyman could really use him right now to help with his new venture.

Chris Jericho made his debut this past Monday night and swerved me
completely when he went heel. I have to say that Jericho’s debut was
great and if he does get a program with Rocky he will get the instant
notoriety someone of his caliber deserves. It is being reported that
the WWF had talked to Kid Rock about appearing with Jericho but it
seems that WCW now has Kid Rock under some sort of contract so at the
last minute the WWF had to rewrite Jericho’s entrance into the WWF.
When is WCW going to realize that it takes good consistent story lines
to boost the ratings, not one shot appearances from musicians. If you
think I’m just trashing WCW your wrong. I’m paraphrasing Sting from his
recent column in TV Guide. Now write him and tell him that he’s nothing
but a WWF mark because that is exactly what a lot of you would have
written me just then.

WCW is finally showing one of their best workers some respect. Chris
Benoit defeated Diamond Dallas Page at Road Wild to retain the US Belt.
Some are reporting that David Flair was stripped because Ric no-showed
Nitro. How about David Flair lost the belt because he had no business
having it in the first place. Some people were crying that it was the
same thing as Shane McMahon having the European Title. How is that?
WCW’s United States Championship is equivalent to the WWF’s
Intercontinental Title. It is the second highest belt for single’s
competition in the organization. When Shane held the European Title I’m
not even sure it was equal to WCW’s TV title in my book. It was a belt
that was created to help put the WWF over while they were touring
Europe. Everyone has seen how much credibility the European title has
so to even compare the two straps shows some peoples ignorance. It is
also being reported that since the workers in WCW saw Jericho’s debut
on Monday Night RAW a lot of them are upset that they didn’t jump to
the WWF when they had the chance considering the push that the WWF
gives to ex-WCW employees right out of the gate. (Paul Wight, Sean
Waltman, Chris Jericho) This could also have led to WCW allowing Benoit
to retain the title, albeit for the wrong reason if this is the case.
Chris Benoit is truly one of WCW’s front runners for their real
Millennium Man, if they were only smart enough to realize it. Maybe
allowing him to hold the belt for awhile and giving him some good
programs with some of their better talent will allow them to finally
see this.

We are being treated to another Hulk Hogan retirement rumor, but this
time it could be true. Hogan’s knees are banged up and the aging
wrestler may be feeling the sands of time starting to tick down on his
illustrious career. Like him or not, Hogan is the reason that wrestling
is at the pinnacle of success it is at today. Without Hogan wrestling
never would have received the mainstream notice that it now receives. I
know a lot of you will disagree with me but then again most of you are
under the age 25 so you wouldn’t know anyway. While I would like to see
Hogan retire along with the rest of you because his politics always
seems to hold the younger guys back because the show has to revolve
around him and his friends at the same time it is sad to see the first
mainstream media wrestlers career coming to an end. We are seeing the
end of an era, an era that took professional wrestling out of the smoke
filled auditoriums and onto the big stage of television and
pay-per-view. No one in professional wrestling could ever market
himself or remake himself over and over again like Hulk Hogan. This has
nothing to do with merchandise sales. This has to do with the ability
to constantly find a way to make people want to see what you are going
to do next and that is something that Hogan has consistently done over
the years. Heel or face Hogan got over. He put both wrestling
federations on top while with the respective companies. My guess is
Hogan is going to have one more short run while once again donning the
red and the yellow and hand pick who he will pass his torch onto, like
Andre did for him at Wrestlemania 3. My guess is....Goldberg.

And with that I’m outta here until next week...remember wrestling is
nothing more than what it appears to be.

Fritz Capp
PWBTS 2000
http://pwbts.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.

"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