The Wrestling Booking Sheet online newsletter

Issue # 340

Date: Wednesday October 6th, 1999 8:59 am

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

HART/BENOIT NOTES
Reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer &
http://www.eyada.com
Before their now classic 10/4 Nitro showdown, Bret Hart requested that
Chris Benoit win the match. Such an outcome would have elevated Benoit
without costing Hart any credibility; for whatever reason, WCW
management vetoed the idea.

Hart deserves a lot of credit for making such a request, which is
almost unprecedented in today's often selfish environment. Not that
the actual finish was bad; both men looked strong, and Benoit was
elevated by being in the position.

DROZ INJURED AT SMACKDOWN TAPINGS
In a match taped for Smackdown Tuesday at the Long Island Nassau
Coliseum, something went horribly wrong. Bill Apter of Wrestleline
reports that Drozdov has suffered a fractured neck and is currently
listed in serious condition at the Nassau County Medical Center. I'm
certain that this won't be shown Thursday night; here's a firsthand
report from Tom Dodson:
"Something went horribly wrong tonight at the Nassau Veteran's
Coliseum. In a match between Droz and D-Lo Brown, Droz was seriously
injured. After a pretty good match between the two,
D-Lo was in the corner with Droz's head between his knees. Just as D-Lo
was getting ready to bodyslam Droz to the canvas, something went wrong,
and he instead fell forward landing on top of Droz, who landed on the
canvas face first. D-Lo stood up quickly and went to the other side of
the ring, but you could tell from the look on D-Lo's face that he knew
something went wrong.

He stood looking out into the audience for about two minutes while they
was looking at Droz, and then got out of the ring quickly. Prince
Albert, who had come down to the ring with his bag of tricks only
moments before,then came into the ring as well as a number of
additional refs. It was only a little while before the ring was filled
with refs, security, WWF officials, and EMTs.

Everyone in the arena was so involved with trying to see if Droz was
OK, that they didn't even notice that Shane McMahon had come down to
ringside and was checking things out in person. What was really
spooky, was seeing Jerry "The King" Lawler leave his post at the
announcer's table to go to the ring. It reminded me of when he was
cradling Owen Harts' head the night he died in Kansas City.

When they finally moved Droz out of the ring, he was strapped to a
backboard, with a cervical collar, and his head strapped down to the
backboard to prevent movement. They slid him very slowly out of the
ring and onto a stretcher, and then continued to move him very slowly
out of the arena. At this point Droz received a very loud standing
ovation from the crowd at the Coliseum.

The scary thing was that in all this time, I and the people around me
did not see Droz moving at all. The show went on just as it did that
night in Kansas City, and the event was never mentioned again. I doubt
that any of this footage will make it on to Thursday night's show, but
at least one camera seemed to be taping the EMT's working on Droz. I
don't know how Droz is, but we can all hope and pray that Droz will be
OK."
-Tom Dodson (seltaeb)

SMACKDOWN SPOILERS
At the conclusion of this issue we will have the Spoilers for
Smackdown; as always if you would like to be surprised, be sure to skip
that section…
===========================================
"Straight Shooting"
By : Fritz Capp (afcapp)
October 5, 1999

http://pwbts.com
PWBTS 2000

There was no glitz or glamour. There were no pyrotechnics hailing the
upcoming combatants. No large lead in. No long dragged out speeches in
the ring. It wasn't saved for pay-per-view and it certainly wasn't done
to boost any ratings. OnOctober 4, 1999 in Kansas City, Mo. at the
Kemper Arena in front of a capacity crowd and being shown nationwide on
television, two men entered a wrestling ring not to battle for a title,
not to boost themselves in the rankings, nor for any glory.

They entered this particular ring on this particular night with only
one purpose in mind, to pay loving respect to the memory of a fallen
comrade, a fallen friend and in one man's blood lineage, a fallen
brother. On this night Bret Hart, surviving brother to the late Owen
Hart, entered into what could only be called one of the purist
wrestling matches that we have had the pleasure to see in years against
one of Owen's dearest and closest friends Chris Benoit.

From watching these two enter the ring to the early moments of the
match you could see that this was not just an ordinary match. It didn't
start out fast and furious as so many matches do these days.
Considering the short time limits that most matches are allotted, this
match started with basic wrestling holds and started to build as time
went on. This match had what so many matches do not anymore, ring
psychology. But there was more than psychology at work here as these
two men put on a wrestling exhibition that came from the heart for this
match was a one in a million match and hopefully the only each will
have to wrestle in their lifetime.

The legacy of Bret Hart and his travels through the wrestling world are
legendary to say the least. It is also known throughout the business
today that Bret has been out of sorts for the past couple of years as
far as the "business" was concerned. Long before Bret lost the WWF
title to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series in 1997 and the whole "Bret
screwed Bret vs. Vince Screwed Bret" discussion came into play Bret was
growing increasingly annoyed at the direction that professional
wrestling was taking, at least in the WWF.

Bret headed south toAtlanta hoping to reclaim the "smile" in his heart
that he used to hold dear when he thought of his chosen profession. But
as we all know, Bret never really took hold in WCW thus aggravating the
deepening chasm of questions that he then asked himself on a more
regular basis. You could see it in his workrate and in his interviews,
Bret's heart just did not seem to be into it anymore, and with the
heart goes the mind and soul. With the passing of his brother Bret did
not know what direction his life was heading.

On July 5, 1999 Bret returned to the ring to talk to his fans. With
the buildup that WCW gave to this return, along with the show leading
up to the actual in-ring appearance of Bret adding to that the timing
of this appearance, I took this as a total blow to the memory of Owen
Hart, not only by WCW but also by Bret himself. It appeared to be for
no other reason then as a ratings ploy. While I still hold that
contention as far as Eric Bischoff and WCW are concerned, after seeing
Bret's eyes before and during this match I may have been too over
critical of the man. I watched for the past 10 years who calls himself
"Hitman". In fact it could be safe to say I was downright WRONG!

As the story grew in this match through each man's moves you could feel
that this was more than just a match being put on for the wrestling
fans. This match was needed, probably demanded from deep within both
men's souls as they looked for a way to find closure on this tragic
event that touched them both so deeply. Back and forth both traded
moves and counter moves, hold after hold building up to a finish and a
match that they could not only be proud of but also a match that
equaled the meaning of dedication, something that is not taken lightly
by friends or family members.

I have to say I was surprised at the way the actual show built up for
the match. I expected another trashing of Owen's memory for the sake of
ratings. I expected to be able to say today that WCW and Bret Hart had
once again dropped the ball. All I can say is I am sorry for having
such an opinion because I was very wrong in my assumption. The buildup
was so tastefully done it reminded me that there are sometimes human
beings at the helms of these promotions. Wrestling is not known as
being able to be so touching, so real. This time WCW climbed and
surpassed all expectations. My sincerest thanks to everyone who was
involved in this part of the production as it was done first class.

When I saw Bret coming to the ring Tony Schiavone said that Bret had
his "game face" on. No he didn't, not at all. What I saw in Bret's face
was determination. I also saw pain and hurt and loss. I saw the
determination to have the match of his life. I saw the hurt of losing
someone close and also the pain of knowing that it was in that very
building that the tragedy struck. I also saw the realization that this
was the only way that Bret could say good-bye, because Bret and Owen
worked in different promotions at the time of Owen's passing so their
schedules kept them apart probably more at this time then at any other
time in their lives.

Bret wrestled this match like he had wrestled matches years ago when he
was coming up through the ranks. There was a fire in him that for
awhile had appeared to be extinguished but was now rekindled. He knew
what he was going to do before he did it. He looked to be focused for
the first time in a long time. No backstage politics playing on his
mind, no pandering to the crowd, the only thing Bret knew was he was in
a ring and this match was dedicated to the memory of his brother and he
wrestled exactly as he wanted to and that way.

But this match could not have gone down like it did with any other
opponent. Chris Benoit is like a brother and son within the Hart
family. He was trained with the Hart's, wrestled with the Hart's, in
fact basically grew up within the business with the Hart's and it
showed as you could see the true dedication that Chris also put into
this match.

The jaded wrestling columnist in me looked for a mistake. I looked for
the flaws but yet I found none. In fact, I never even saw anyone
calling this match as is so often to happen and been seen in today's
matches. This is the caliber of mat technicians that were in the ring
together. Take note people, they are becoming a rare breed.

When the match was over Bret stood and saluted towards the top of the
arena. A gentle nod to Owen saying "Thanks for everything, I miss and
love you and this one was for you bro". If you looked hard enough you
could see a small almost hidden smile quickly come across the lips of
Bret. He knew the match was good, he knew that it was worthy of his
brother. I also think it laid to rest some of the questions that have
been burdening Bret these last few years for on this night I believe
that Bret Hart returned to wrestling.

Thank you Chris and thank you Bret for this match. It was a true
testament to your love for Owen. Welcome back Bret, your fans missed
you.
===========================================
AUSTIN BASHING
Written by reader: HEYLUKE

A lot of people are starting to write and say that Austin should job to
people like Jeff Jarrett and Billy Gunn to "get them over." Obviously,
these people don't know any true wrestling marks- you know, the vast
majority of the fans, the non-internet fans who would laugh in your
face if you told them that Chris Benoit was better than Triple H (yes, this
happens to me alot).

These people would not see Austin's loss as a helpful gesture to get
people over (after all, they don't even know what "over" means), but
instead think that Austin's "starting to suck."

Although I like the Rock better than Austin, I promise you that fan
support is far greater for Austin. The thing is, Austin's been off of
TV for awhile, making only occasional appearances. Give him a few long
segments and he will quickly show everyone that he is the "Hulk Hogan
of the nineties."

Austin can get away with things that would quickly turn the Rock heel.
Things such as stunning a huge face Mankind or being the first man to
attack Chyna (at the Royal Rumble, I believe) come to mind. On another
note, the Jericho/Rock match Monday was the best I'd seen on Raw in a
long, long, time. I'm so glad to see Jericho in the main event. He is
the only wrestler I "mark out" for. I've been a huge Jerichoholic for
about two years now, and have no plans of giving up my addiction
anytime soon.
===========================================
ANOTHER REACTION ON THE BULLDOG
Written by reader: Richard P. Glenn (en7rpg)

Hailing from Britain myself, I think Joesph Cassidy's opinion on the
Bulldogs heel turn in England at Rebellion is wrong. I think it is a
great move by Vince McMahon. British tabloid newspapers still carry the
odd article on wrestling every once in a while, often on the Bulldog
(for example: when he hurt his back landing on the trapdoor in WCW). A
major heel turn would remind people over here that the Bulldog is
stillwrestling and is an impact player.

Most people have forgotten all about him since he last left the WWF. I
believe this would generate interest in the WWF product and also show
us British fans Vince is really committed to continuing or establishing
new angles at British pay-per-views (something lacking fron the WWF's
previous visits to the U.K)

I agree with Joseph in saying they could have found a better way of
making him 100% HEEL than beating up women, but to say that this move
will ruin the British wrestling market is ridiculous. I think the
opposite will happen; more British fans will tune in to see what the
dastardly Bulldog is up to this week on Raw. A face Bulldog will never
work, thats a character from the 80s/early 90s and people just do not
want to see that kind of stuff anymore. And lastly to say that the
British kids look up to the Bulldog is crap, ask any Brit who their
fave wrestler is and you'll get100% Austin or the Rock.
-Richard Glenn
===========================================
RUSSO/FERRERA REACTION
Written by reader: Rocck420

What with the recent acquisition of Vince Russo and Ed Ferrera, it
seems that many people are already starting to jump back onto the WCW
bandwagon. While many WWF fans were upset with the fact that Russo and
Ferrera left, I for one am very pleased. The WWF will get through this
thing. They already have the formulas they know to follow. I look at
this as a good thing because now maybe WCW can actually put together a
whole 3 hours of entertainment and not just a bunch of crap that looks
like it was thrown together just hours before.

So Russo & Ferrera jumping is a good thing. As a fan of both
feds, this recent chain of events excites me. I can't wait to see what
Russo and Ferrera have got up their sleeves.
===========================================
ADVERTISEMENT
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In the main event, Jimmy "The Boogie Woogie Man" Valiant returns to
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The original scheduled opponent Beastmaster Rick Link was suspended
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Plus you will see, Otto Schwanz, Cham Pain, King, Nite-Stic Eddie
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For information, call the New Dimension Wrestling hotline at
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There!!!!
===========================================
SMACKDOWN SPOILERS
Reported by YankeeSR23 & Sister Midnight at:
http://www.cataclysmal.com/big3/index.html

Taped 10/5 at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY

I had bad seats at the tapings. I could not see the oval screen so I
could not see what was going on in the back. They should have used the
hockey scoreboard to show the stuff. Here you go:

Dark Matches:
Fatu defeated Crash Holly
Stevie Richards as Dude Love defeated Kurt Angle
Godfather w/ho's defeated JR Rider

Heat:
Big Show defeated the Big Bossman by DQ when Bossman used his
nightstick

The Dudley Boyz beat Chris Jericho and Curtis Hughes. Jericho said this
was Hughes chance to make amends for screwing up on Raw. Hughes started
the match alone. Jericho wrestled but then he then left Hughes in the
ring after he got mad at Hughes. Dudley Boyz then used 3d on Hughes for
the win

Steve Blackman defeated Chaz. Blackman won the match and then Mariana
came out with police and wanted Chaz arrested for beating her up. The
cops arrested Chaz but then his former Headbanger (Thrasher?) came out
and said he had proof of Chaz's innocence. He pointed to the screen and
a GTV clip played showing Mariana bragging about how the bruises looked
real and not like the make-up she used. Cops then let Chaz go.

Smackdown
X-Pac and Kane defeated Viscera and Midian
It was a typical tag match with Kane getting the pin. Then The Acolytes
came through the crowd and attacked Kane and X-Pac.

Hardcore Holly defeated Road Dogg
Road Dogg came out with Bad Ass and they did their whole speech.
Hardcore Holly pinned Road Dogg

Round Three of the Terri Invitational
New Brood defeated Edge and Christian
This was a good match. The Crowd got very into this match. Terri came
out and said that this match would be a Texas Tornado match, meaning
all four men were in the ring at once. Edge and Christian started out
with control of the match. Then it went back and forth with some good
moves. The New Brood took this match and are 1 match from tying this
Tournament

Ivory defeated Ms. Kitty in a Mud wrestling Match
Jarrett came out and said there would be a mud wrestling match. He said
to win the match you did not have to pin your opponent; he said you had
to remove the top of your opponents, outfit thus leaving her topless.
This match lasted a few minutes and Ivory removed the top of Ms.
Kitty's bikini. Moolah and Mae Young came and tried to throw Jarrett in
the mud but he got them to go in the mud. Jarrett walked up the stairs
by the mud pit but Chyna came out and pushed him in the mud.

British Bulldog vs Mankind-
This match resulted in a Double DQ
This match was good. Mankind seemed to be thrown around outside the
ring. The ref got knocked out, when he recovered he called for the bell
and ruled it a double DQ. Mankind and the Bulldog continued to brawl
and had to be separated.

Droz vs. D-lo Brown. This match was stopped after Droz injured his
neck. D-Lo was going for a Powerbomb but could not pull it off. Droz
got dropped on his neck and did not move. EMS came out and had to put
him on a stretcher. Prince Albert came out and was worried about his
friend. This match may not show on TV due to the fact that Droz was
injured. I hope Droz can have a quick recovery.

The Rock defeated Val Venis in the main event for Smackdown
This match went back and forth for a while. Val Venis went to the
outside for a chair and when he came back in and tried to use it
Mankind came down and took the chair. He tried to use the chair on Val
Venis but he ducked and accidentally hit the Rock. Venis then fought
with Mankind. The Rock grabbed Mankind and gave him the Rock Bottom. He
then gave Val Venis the Rock Bottom and then he pinned him for the win

After the show Mankind talked on the mic and called the Rock out. They
had a great conversation. It is so funny to see them talking to each
other. Mankind was saying how he is from Long Island and did not want
to be embarrassed in front of his family. He also said there was a fan
that said they love Mankind. The Rock said there were eight ladies
saying they loved The Rock. The Rock was saying one of his phrases when
some fan interrupted him. The whole crowd started chanted "asshole" and
The Rock said they were calling the fan so he should take a bow.
Mankind asked the fan his name and as the fan was about to say it The
Rock said, "It doesn't matter what your name is!!!!!" The crowd all
laughed. Then Mankind and the Rock sang Smackdown Hotel and left

I could not see the oval screen so I cannot report what happened in the
back but it sounded good. I heard Mankind, British Bulldog, Sexual
Chocolate having conversations but the crowd was too loud to hear what
they were saying in the back
===========================================
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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