The Wrestling Booking Sheet online newsletter

Issue # 313

Date: Wednesday September 15th, 1999 9:01 am

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

BENOIT COMMENTARY ON HILDEBRAND
Reported by Al Isaacs at: http://www.scoopswrestling.com
& http://www.chrisbenoit.com/

Chris Benoit shared his thoughts of Brian Hildebrand in his first
commentary on the all new http://www.chrisbenoit.com/

The Crippler Crossface Online Commentary
September 14th, 1999
By Chris Benoit

This commentary may be reproduced with proper credit given to Chris
Benoit, ChrisBenoit.com and the Scoops Network.

'Let me just take the opening minute to thank everyone for supporting
me in my career, and taking the time to visit my official site. We will
be doing a lot of cool things here in the future, and this is just the
tip of the iceberg of some of the
features we will have available.

On the subject of Brian Hildebrand, I want to thank all the fans that
sent cards, and flowers and called the house. While I was at his house,
his wife Pam got calls from various wrestlers and fans and even those
who prayed or took a moment of silence to think about Brian. He was the
most inspirational person I ever met in my life. We all have trials and
tribulations day to day, but when you compare the fight that he put up
for two years... every mountain I've ever climbed pales in comparison.

I talked to his nurse, and his nurse had said that out of all the
patients she's ever had, Brian was the only patient that never
complained. He never oncecomplained about his fight, about his
sickness, about his pain. Which says a lot about the content of his
character and what kind of person he was.

A lot of people stood up at his funeral service, and spoke of Brian and
anyone that knows Brian or got to know Brian realized how sincere all
the words that were said about him really were. Talk about true people
in the world, he was definitely a true person as well as a true friend.

I wish I could have met Brian a lot sooner then I did. People like
that are great to be around. I like surrounding myself with those kind
of people and he was a big influence in my life. He led by example, and
the example he set was how he lived day to day. He was very straight
forward, and you could always get an honest opinion from him. I'm going
to miss him, I'm really going to miss him and I'm never going to forget
him and what kind of impact he had on my life.

He was a great guy.

We just experienced a huge change here in WCW, apparently Eric Bischoff
has been relieved of his duties. I don't believe he has been fired, but
I believe he has been transferred to another division of Turner Sports.
Right now, as far as I know, Dr. Harvey Schiller and Bill Busch have
taken over operations and it just seems to be a little chaotic right
now because a lot of the guys don't know what to anticipate.

At the meeting I got a very positive feeling listening to Dr. Harvey
Schiller and Bill Busch. They seem to be very sincere with their
intentions and as I understand it, Harvey Schiller is a West Point man
and talking to my very close friend Perry Saturn (who was in the
military), its all about organization and they are very organized.
They do things by the book. I got a lot of faith in what he intends on
doing, and I'm very optimistic about it. There are a lot of other
people in the company that are kind of up in the air because they don't
feel perhaps they're job is secure, or they are wondering where they
will be in six months. I believe whatever decisions they make will
better the company. WCW is in a definite state of disarray and things
needed to be changed, and I'm looking forward to change. I think any
change will be optimistic because it was heading downhill.

I want to give my full support to the company, I always have. I'm a
player, I believe in the company and I believe in working hard for the
company. When the company succeeds, all the employees succeed. I do
think it is going to take time, its going to be a matter of months,
but already changes are slowly taking place. There is more of a team
effort, on the last Nitro people were a lot more open and more
communication was taking place then usual.

In saying all this, I'm not knocking Eric. I have a lot of respect for
Eric Bischoff. He did a lot for me, he gave me opportunities and I
wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for Eric. He brought me in and
always took good care of me. But I believe that perhaps he got burnt
out, maybe things got a little out of hand and he lost control. I wish
him the very best, and I hope he succeeds and is happy with whatever he
does. He always treated me very fairly, and was always very straight
with me and I respect him for that.

I don't know Dr. Harvey Schiller or Bill Busch personally, I've had the
opportunity to speak with them on different occasions, but I'm hoping
to develop a good working relationship with both of them because I
think that is very important. I'm going to give them my full effort and
trust. In listening to Dr. Harvey Schiller, he sounded like a very
positive person who wanted to make a change for the better and I have
faith in him and Bill Busch. Hopefully we can bring WCW back to being
#1, I believe competition is healthy and I'm glad that the WWF has been
doing so well because it made WCW look into the mirror and realize
changes need to be made.

I'm looking very forward to the next few months, and seeing what kind
of changes will be made. I think the most important change that needs
to be made is moral. Morale seems to be at an all time low for quite
awhile, and just in this last Monday Nitro we did you could see the
change and feel the change. There was more communication, and more of a
team effort. I really believe we are going to turn the company around
and start competing the way we should against the WWF. I want to take
it back over, and be number one. I believe if they are doing a 7.5 in
the ratings, we need to should be doing a 9.5. If they do a 10 rating,
we should do a 12.

I think we have a lot of great talented wrestlers, and a very talented
crew. I think its just a matter of getting organized and prioritizing
certain things and getting the morale back.

Be good to yourself, and keep watching for more here at my official
site!

Chris Benoit
===========================================
THE HARDCORE TRUTH
By Josh Hewitt (San316born)

I did something this past Monday night I haven't done in almost two
months. No, I didn't win an argument with my girlfriend (Lord knows I
never do that). No, I didn't go to church. And no, I didn't wash my
clothes (Geez, I'm a single guy......we have to wait for four months
before we'll do something like that.) I did something that I'd never
thought I'd do again. I watched Nitro.

Let me clarify--I never was much of a WCW mark, with only Ric Flair
capturing my fandom. I , for most of the years I've watched wrestling,
stuck with the WWF, mainly because of Triple H, my fave. But,
something excited me about WCW this week--and, no, it wasn't the Nitro
Girls (though they do possess the abilities to "excite" if you catch my
drift.....). It wasn't the fact that Bischoff was gone.

It was the fact that Benoit was getting a shot at the Strap. And, as a
Benoit mark, I wanted to see that happen. The first match of Nitro,
Benoit vs Malenko, was one of the better matches I've seen.....great
work, great intensity, and moves you couldn't believe.

Then came Sting and Lugar, now heels, beating up Ric Flair. Sigh. As
boring as the "Bad Guy" Sting is, nothing can compare with that inbred
nimrod, Sid (and, on a side note, please, WCW, give a gun to the ring
girls, so if they see that freak going for a microphone they can shoot
him and put us all out of our misery.....please!).

Later on, I was reminded how "old school" WCW was with Berlyn.....for
the second time, sigh. I guess I should know that all foreigners think
that Americans are lazy and stupid, and that their nationality is the
master race. Wasn't that Nikita Volkoff's angle in the 80's??
(another side note: Does anyone besides me notice how all of Berlyn's
entourage look like rejects from "Sprokets"???).

Then, finally (and mercifully) the Benoit match came. But it didn't.
Instead Benoit beat Rick Steiner, took a lower belt than the one he
lost, and we, who were guarenteed the match, once again found out that
WCW just doesn't really give a damn about us. And I was left sick.

All I had suffered through, the boring Sting, the moronic Sid, and the
idiotic Berlyn (who received the win over Buff Bagwell.....the BEST
talent next to Benoit WCW has....), with one reward in my mind was
fruitless, as that reward was stripped from me. So, in this age when
everyone is telling WCW how to do things better, I'm going in the fray.
All I have to say is this......GIVE US WHAT WE WANT!!!!!!!!!!

The WWF does. ECW does. WCW? Nope, they give us what the wrestlers
want. So, is it any surprise why WCW is doing so badly? Take note,
WCW: When the WWF promises something, they deliver. They announced
that Mick Foley would win the championship. It happened. It was big.
They announced that Shawn Michaels would be on Raw, Heat, Smackdown,
etc. It happened. It was big. WCW announces that Benoit will get a
title shot. He doesn't. It suckes majorly. Simple formula, eh?

So, in light of my Nitro experience, I'm not gonna watch ANY WCW
program for a while. What's the point? And, for all you readers
searching for some real meaning to this column, instead of a rant about
how I hate Sid, how Berlyn really sucks, and that I'm pissed off that
Benoit didn't get the chance, sorry. No real meaning here. I might
have promised you one, but, I go to the WCW school of promises: They
are only needed to gain quick heat.
===========================================
ADVERTISEMENT
To check out the webpage of a cool backyard fed, go to:
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Ring/1870/ehwhome.html
===========================================
CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW
Written by reader: PnkVicious

The way that WCW's and WWF's (to an lesser extent) announcers conduct
interviews and promos just seems to really get on my nerves and not
help to get their newer talent over. Recently in a Berlyn interview
conducted by Gene Okerlund, (who I have always thought conducted a
horrible interview) he repeatedly yelled at Berlyn "you know English!
Speak English!". Wouldn't it have helped to get a new piece of talent
over by acting frightened and bewildered rather than demanding and
stupid? WCW had a chance with really getting Berlyn over, in my
opinion, but they have probably already missed another opportunity.

If you watch Gene Okerlund's interviews he rather frequently does
things like this (including interrupting and changing the subject).
Hopefully for WCW's sake his contract will not be renewed.

Another topic that is similar is when the Dudley Boys came into WWF for
the first time. Jerry Lawler told everyone that they came from
"Extremely Crappy Wrestling" yet they were trying to get them over as
monsters. A large percentage of the wrestling audience probably has
not seen ECW and just took what Jerry Lawler has said over the years to
be true. While Jerry Lawler has admitted that he admires ECW and its
workers off TV, I don't think that in this situation it was a wise
choice to say the supposed new monsters of the tag team scene used to
wrestle for "Extremely Crappy Wrestling". Most people probably just
interpreted that to say that they are crappy wrestlers themselves.
===========================================
A REBUTTAL TO THE BISCHOFF DEFENDERS
Written by reader: crustacean.geo@xxxxs...

> Timing. Why do something this stupid less than 48 hrs before what
could have been a major PPV? If they were going to shaft the guy, why
didn't they do it before signing him to a brand new 3 year contract?
Now they still have to pay him the exact same salary that they would if
he were still running things..sound like a well laid out plan to you?<

Actually, it does sound like a well laid out plan. Very similar to the
contracts that wrestlers have to sign with no-compete clauses. This
way there is no chance that Bischoff can jump-ship, can blab his mouth
about things, can spoil basically anything. It was well thought out
and a very deliberate move, in my opinion. Perhaps they decided to
take action before the PPV to make some immediate changes, or to
prevent the squashing of one of the brightest emerging stars for the
company.

> of the next guy who should hold the position, If the employees know
all they have to do is bitch and moan like babies and become cancers in
the locker room to put pressure on the person who employed him...what
does that say for the next guy? <

Seeing as the employers have no union to represent them, the bitching
and moaning like babies is all they can do. When it comes down to it,
its the wrestlers themselves that look bad because the promotion is
failing. They look less than they should because they are amidst a
sinking ship. When you're company is popular you are popular because
people are watching you. The employees then have to put pressure on
the guy employing him or else s/he will never know that there is
discontent and that perhaps things are going wrong. Of course there is
always going to be one or two people moaning, but when half or more of
your performers are telling you something is wrong it is right that you
should stand up and take action to address their complaints.

> Outside Influence- Turner Sports. The stuffed suits. Eleven years
ago, when Ted Turner bought the NWA, <

If it wasn't for this outside influence WCW would not exist, the NWA
would have died a sad and slow death (perhaps what would have happened
to WCW if Bischoff hadn't been fired) and wrestling (perhaps) would not
be the popular and mainstream thing that it is today.

> spent (Triple Hmmm that's funny, all this despite the fact that Bischoff
made the funds everyone seemed so concerned about possible in the first
place). <

Actually, Im pretty sure it was Uncle-Ted who had the dosh and not
Easy-E.

> wrestling powerhouse? Would you have had the balls to take the risks
that it takes to build a company? Could you? Or are comfortable at your
keyboard in front of your monitor taking shots at those who can? <

What balls or risks did Bischoff have or take? Unlike Vince McMahon,
it was not his company or his money that he was risking with all the
moves that he took. In fact, it was Ted Turner's, and if I was Ted and
I saw that something I owned was doing badly and losing money I'd be a
bit peeved, and if I also noticed that many of the employees of that
company weren't happy with the boss I'd be a tad concerned as well.
And despite the fact that he may be a stuffed shirt and knows nothing
about
wrestling, it wouldn't take Ted too long to discover that certain
people were being paid lots to be main-eventers and were being pushed
ahead of everything else, but what they were doing wasn't actually
popular at the moment, I'd be even more concerned. The only decision
left was to get rid of Bischoff.

Sure Eric did a lot of good for the company, he took an idea that he
thought had promise, employed the guys who could carry it and took WCW
to heights never experienced before. But somewhere along the way it
went wrong, the nWo went stale and Eric could not think of anything new
to keep WCW going the way it was. Angles being booked by head
wrestlers were going nowhere, there were inaccuracies and things were
dropping.

In reality WCW was in chaos, running 2nd and even third rate shows. All
of WCW's shows have had their ratings almost halved, which would be
worrying to any executive of any TV network.

When you are the boss of a company you take responsibility for it. As
is the case in every business the head guys head is usually the first
to roll (or first significant anyway). Its similar in sports teams.
If the team isn't performing, the coach and top players are dumped in
favor of new people and fresh ideas.

Who cares the Eric is gone, well in a way I guess I do, he did do
well, but I look forward to what WCW has now got to offer, perhaps
their flame can be rekindled and the Monday and Thursday night ratings
wars can build to a battle of epic proportions. After all, wouldn't we
all like to see both shows doing a 5-6 (or thereabouts) rating each
night?!
===========================================
its ALL IN THE NAME
Written by reader: JBanks1372

You said in your last report that, before his firing, Bischoff had been
threatening to cause trouble for Taz over his name if he signed with
the WWF? How thoroughly petty. Still, maybe it would be a good idea for
him to concider a name-change. True, they're both short, powerful, and
virtually unstoppable once on the move. But Taz the cartoon character
(one of my all-time favorites, by the way) is a ravenous, slobbering
monster with the IQ of naval lint. Not exactly a description of Taz the
wrestler. If he's gonna be moving into the big-time, and its about
time that he did, he should go with a more suitable name.
===========================================
ADVERTISEMENT
AWA Results, Sept 8th, Muncie, IN (Horizon Convention Center)
Sexxxy Ace Steel w/Dave Prazak def Devin Daniels
Wrestling's Clown DOINK def Adrian Lynch
Brandi Alexander def Malia Hosaka
GOLGAR def Rock'n Randy
Scrap Iron "Adam Pearce" def Mad Man PONDO w/Dave Prazak
Playboy Bob Starr def Brian Logan
WWF Light Heavyweight Champ GILLBERG def Sexxxy Ace Steel w/Dave Prazak

OCT. 20th Muncie Indiana (Horizon Convention Center)
Oct. 21st West Lafayette, IN (Harrison High School)
Oct. 22nd Laporte, IN (Civic Auditorium)

Already signed to appear:
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion "GILLBERG", Marty Jannetty, Lanny Poffo,
The Rock'n Roll Express, Mad Man Pondo, DOINK, "BLUE MEANIE", Playboy
Bob Starr, Adam Pearce, Sexxxy Ace Steel, and many more....

Both nights are TV tapings of Most matches......
(NO WWF Stars will be taped for TV)
ALSO: The "AWA" is an Indiana based promotion. Though we
occasionally do shows in Michigan, Ohio and WI. Our school is located
in Lafayette IN. Aside from our normal training program, our students
work with all the names we bring in for our shows. Many which we
bring in a day or so early to help the Training Center Program. I feel
its among the finest in the country.

If you would like additional information on our promotion, please
contact me at this address..... TheAWAinc
Thank you.
Michael Mercury
The AWA
(American Wrestling Alliance)
===========================================
ADVERTISEMENT
[NDWNews] New Dimension Wrestling news, results, & rankings

-NDW Wrestler Brute Shooter has issued an open challenge against NDW
Wrestlers Chilly Willy & Mike Gunner for the vacant NDW U.S.
Heavyweight Title. The three combatants will vie for the title on Sat.
Oct 9th in Thomasville, NC (the next NDW TV Taping). Brute Shooter,
who is a graduate of Jimmy Valiant's wrestling camp in Shawsville, VA,
has been a regular wrestler within New Dimension Wrestling since April
and now feels he is ready to take the next step against the two top
contenders for the title. Shooter also handles some behind the scenes
administrative work for NDW Wrestling.

-On their way out to Boise, ID Manny Fernandez, Brute Shooter, Tears,
Brad
Blackmon, & Bob Hunter were guests at legendary wrestler Terry Funk's
ranch in Amarillo, TX. Fernandez and Funk talked about old times and
the other wrestlers were happy to meet Funk.

New Dimension Wrestling Schedule (thru November)
Sat., Sept. 25, 1999 Taylorsville, NC Alexander County
Fair,7:30p.m.
Sat., Oct. 2, 1999 Altavista, VA National Guard Armory,
8:00p.m.
Sat., Oct. 9, 1999 Thomasville, NC National Guard
Armory,7:30p.m.
Sat., Oct. 16, 1999 Greensboro, NC Glenwood Rec.
Center,8:00p.m.
Sat., Oct. 23, 1999 Burlington, NC National Guard
Armory,8:15p.m.
Sat., Oct. 30, 1999 Ferrum, VA Ferrum College,8:00p.m.
Sat., Nov. 6, 1999 Thomasville, NC National Guard Armory,
7:30p.m.
Sat., Nov. 13, 1999 Laredo, TX Veterans Park,8:00p.m.
Sat., Nov. 20, 1999 Burlington, NC National Guard Armory,
8:15p.m.
===========================================
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

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"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

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