Issue # 351
Date:
Wednesday October 13th, 1999 10:15 am
The Wrestling Booking Sheet
HOGAN RUMOR A WORK
Reported by Bruce
Mitchell of The Pro Wrestling Torch
As many figured, the
rumors of Hulk Hogan leaving WCW were actually
false rumors started
by the promotion itself.
While nobody knows
exactly how Hogan's relationship with Vince Russo
will ultimately play
out (at this point they have not even met), Hogan
has NOT given notice
to World Championship Wrestling.
Mitchell reports that
the angle will play out over the next two weeks
(could this be the
first time one of their insider angles draws a cent
in revenue? Probably
not)..
A troubling aspect of
all this is that WCW is using their in-house
journalists in an
attempt to sell the angle. By working these men (or
letting them in on the
work) they risk damaging their credibility
long-term, which
defeats the purpose of building internet connections.
Where will this angle
go? I'm not sure, and lets hope that it won't
just be the
reformation of the nWo.
ECW ON TNN RATING
Reported by Dave
Scherer at:
http://www.1wrestling.com
ECW on TNN on Friday,
10/8/1999, drew a 0.9, with
quarter hours of 0.8,
0.9, 0.9 and 1.1. The
TNN owned Roller Jam drew an 0.6.
===========================================
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EDITORIAL ON THE WOMEN
OF THE WWF
Written by reader:
TWOD
THE FANS OF THE WWF -
MEN
ARE FROM MERCURY, WOMEN ARE
FROM PLUTO
Female Fans Type #1
In reference to reader
TJ's editorial:
Female fans of
wrestling are different from female fans of any of other
sport. After years of
dealing with these women in business and
personal arenas, I can
tell you that Vinnie's marketing machine has not
been able to
successfully pinpoint just what the XX fan is waiting to
see.
Men are from Mercury
and Women from Pluto is truly a tongue in cheek
comment, but it does
bear some merit. The vast majority of men have
gotten away from the
kayfabe belief systems that other sports fans
jeered and sneered
about, and have now become savvy and "source-er-ers"
when it comes to
substantiating a rumor. They are interested in all
forms of the business
from the training schools to injury
rehabilitation. It is
really hard to contrast this with the sports
fans (males) of any
other game such as football or baseball. There are
less differences than
similarities today. Astrologically, Mercury is
the planet closest to
the sun and rules over communication and swift
interaction and the
spread of knowledge.
The female fans are
another story, and frankly, may be the reason why
the storylines for
females are poor and the gimmicks fall short.
As TJ so aptly states,
"Being a female fan of wrestling sure as hell
ain't easy; ...
criticism, sexist remarks and degrading roles that the
female wrestlers take
and that we must endure." (TJ 10/12)
Why do I say we are
from Pluto ? Pluto is the furthest out in the
universe, the least
known about and the most recently discovered. We
have just scratched
the surface of this planet, and discovery takes
time. Also,
astrologically, Pluto guides the underworld, the unknown,
unexpected, fantasy
and occult. We will get back to this in a moment.
But from a woman's
view: TJ is right on track. The type #1 fan (as I
have labeled it) loves
the sport - she is made of the same cloth as the
football fan or
baseball fan, who enjoys the art of the sport, and
enjoys the company of
her male friends.
This fan (and I think
I would place TJ there too) can not understand
why Chyna can not be
used in a productive wrestling role; why Moolah is
degraded or why
Jarrett must be portrayed as a misogynist; why Mark
Henry's storyline is
offensive at best
(remember George the
Animal's psycho story line years ago) and at worst
defames female
psychologists who do not wear their skirts up to their
patootie, try to
seduce their patients (against ethics code) and can
communicate in
grammatically correct sentences.
Also to agree with TJ,
Ivory looks like she needs a meal more than the
retirement home or
wrestling ring. Debra's and Miss Kitty's types are
alien to former
tomboys. The best thing about Sable, to these fans,
was when she left. In
one chat room I was in - we discussed our
favorite Sable
matches: all anyone could offer was the thrill of seeing
the Undertaker not be
affected by the jiggling chemical canisters and
choke slamming her
(which we all wanted to and therefore could
vicariously). A match?
When was she really in a match?
Evening gown matches
are one thing, Tori is totally another and the
topless fixation has
to go - she is another one who needs to eat.
Chyna, Moolah, Luna -
there are women who are in the WWF that can
certainly be role
models if you will to the Type #1 female fan.
Hopefully, as new
writers come in and then things settle down - they
can check these things
out and put together a better program.
I quote TJ here again:
"The sexual references on the show has become
so uproarious that
GUYS have lowered themselves to grabbing other guys'
crotches. Admitting to
an addiction to sex. Sleeping around with the
"whore" of the WWF and
fighting for her pleasure. Has the WWF *really*
resorted to
pornographic material to get better ratings?"
Excellent point, low
blows have always been used but it seems there is
some appendage
reference every 10 seconds - it is too much and the fans
get turned off.
Henry's storyline is the most offensive
yet...addiction to sex
can be ...well a topic for humor, but Mark
Henry, first with a
man, then with his sister. Come on, this is not
entertaining but
painful.
Terri needs a
storyline or get back to regular managing - she cannot
display the class of
Marlena if she is jumping from bed to bed with
guys that look half
her age. Not that I would not take that job if
available, lol, but
really???? Again, sad but not entertaining. I am
waiting for a Jenny
Jones or Jerry Springer and for the expert analyst
to come out and tell
everyone how to solve their psychological
dysfunctions.
I have always been
able to handle the soap opera aspect - but to
pattern one's self
after failing fad-laden talk shows is, ignorant, and
worse...sick.
The type #1 female
fans want the women to stop being hidden and be
brought, not
necessarily to the forefront, but to a deserving place in
the sport. Get them
into the known and closer to the sun, if you will.
If women race car
drivers can at least be accepted at the local dirt
tracks and at Indy, is
it not time for a real woman to be allowed to
wrestle as athlete and
a sports entertainer?
===========================================
THE WARRIOR
Written by reader: Ed
Pyle (epyle)
Suppose a few days
after David Wells' perfect game last year he had
left the Yankees,
changed his legal name to "Boomer", and disappeared.
He spoke publicly only
occaisonally despite the fact he was a hot free
agent, only editing a
comic book about himself, and opening a pitching
school. A few years
later, he signed with the Blue Jays, only to walk
out after a bad
performance against an old second rate ball club,
claiming he had been
used wrong in an unintelligible, website that
reads like the
Unibomber Manifesto. We would call David Wells crazy.
Substitute Warrior for
David Wells,and you get the idea that Warrior is
really a deeply
disturbed individual. This guy needs some serious
help, he's a danger to
himself and may be to others. I've studied a
little psychology,
though I'm not qualified to make a diagnosis, but I
think the writing is
on the wall.
-Ed Pyle
===========================================
AAA LUCHA LIBRE
RESULTS
Written by reader:
Todd Jackson (tj_only)
Quick results from the
10-11-99 AAA show on Galavision:
Antonio Silva / Thai
Boxer / Street Boxer / Carlos Gutierrez >DQ
Picudo /May Flowers
/Nygma /Charly Manson
(Kick Boxing vs. AAA)
Sangre Chicana earns
DQ for los technicos by attacking Thai Boxer;
R-15 and Oscar Sevilla
get into parking lot brawl
Felino /
Alebrije/Cuijel / Path Finder / Oscar Sevilla > Abismo
Negro/ Pentagon /
Apache / Electro Shock
Perro Aguayo / Latin
Lover / Canek > Sangre Chicana / Cibernetico /
Luchadore Sorpresa
(Adios de Perro Aguayo)
===========================================
HOGAN'S "RETIREMENT"
Written by reader:
MNR1118
I really feel bad
about Hulk Hogan's apparent departure from WCW and
quite possibly from
wrestling altogether. I've been a Hogan fan since I
was a little kid
watching him on Verne Gagne's All-Star Wrestling (
AWA). But it is time for Hulk
Hogan to retire. Why? The main reason is
that Hulk no longer
possesses the wrestling skills to put him over. In
most PPV main events
each wrestler usually has an equal chance of
winning, That's how it
sells. Now tell me how is WCW going to sell a
Sting v.s Hogan match?
Sting is younger, faster, and in much better
physical condition
than Hogan is, The Hulkster just isn't able to put
on a good match
anymore.
He hobbles around the
ring on that bad knee, his moves are slower than
molasses, and his
finishing move guillotine leg-drop is really pitiful
looking now. It really
hurts to write this because my two-year old son
loves him to death.
Everytime he's on television, my son runs to the
screen and yells "
Dee-Dah who's that? its...........HOGAN!! Yayyyy! "
Because of what he has
meant to wrestling, I think he should have one
last match before he
retires, and pass the torch down to Bret Hart like
he should have done
years ago.
-MNR1118aol.com
===========================================
A DISSAPOINTED
ROCK FAN
Written by reader:
TacoElf2
I went to the first
RAW is WAR EVER in the Georgia Dome. People were so
jacked for the show it
wasn't even funny. People were about to break
into a riot when they
kept us waiting to get in for so long. Now first
of all let me say that
Atlanta truly is ROCKlanta.
EVERYONE went there
to see the Rock. 75%
of the signs were Rock signs. When we were waiting
to get in, the crowd
chanted "Rocky" once every 5 minutes. During the
jobber matches, the
crowd chanted Rocky at least twice during each
match. Fans were
reeling off Rock catch phrases left and right.
We REALLY wanted to
see the Rock and we REALLY wanted to sing along
with him. We were all
anticipating "Finally, the Rock
HAS COME BACK to
Atlanta" (50% of the Rock
signs said that exact phrase, and they even
made TSHIRTS that said
that!). During every commercial break (when we
weren't ripping on
Mets fans) the crowd chanted "Rocky" at least once.
Now throughout the
WHOLE night, they kept teasing us making us think
The Rock was coming
out. They kept showing vignettes of him, and when
the vignettes would
end, everyone would hold up their Rock signs and
anticipate his
arrival. He never came out after one of these. When the
first limo got there,
everyone was SURE it was The Rock and starting
going crazy, but it
was only Sexual Jobber Mark Henry.
During the "phone
call", they put a big Brahma Bull up on the
Titantron, and we were
SURE this was it, but we were let down yet
again. Then one
commercial break, "IF YA SMELLL..." suddenly blared
over the speakers, and
the place went nuts. This turned out to be a
stupid ad for The
Rock's website. People were getting really pissed
now. Austin and Triple
H had already been shoved down our throats, and we
wanted the Rock. We
wanted to sing along with him.
When Rock appeared on
the Titantron, the crowd popped big yet again.
But we wanted to see
him in person. FINALLY, he came out for his match.
BUT WHAT THE HELL? NO
"CLIMB ON THE TURNBUCKLE" PROMO! We were SO
PISSED! We DIDN'T
GET TO SING ALONG WITH THE
ROCK!!! On top of all
that, all the signs
and shirts that said "Finally, The Rock has come
back to
Atlanta" were for NOTHING.
That's ALL we really wanted him to
say, and he DIDN'T SAY
IT!!! I along with many others know that
recently after the
show ends, the Rock and Mankind have come out and
entertained the fans.
So I saved my anger and justified it by telling
myself that he would
come out after the show. BUT WHAT'S THIS?! NO
PEOPLE'S ELBOW! I
DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS FUNNY ATALL! Nobody else did
either as they started
booing.
Then The Rock stood at
the top of the ramp and looked as if he'd come
back down, but no. So
I waited and waited after the show, and "IF YA
SME---" blared over
the speakers, but was CUT OFF! Then Austin's music
played, he drank beer,
yadda yadda everyone started leaving. After
Austin left I was sure
The Rock would come out and we'd get to sing
along with him. HELL
NO!! Now I would have thought all the teasing us
about the Rock coming
outwas funny, IF WE HAD GOTTEN ENOUGH OF HIM.
Truly everyone there
wanted to see the Rock, and wanted to sing along
with him. I am very
disappointed. After 7 long years, the WWF holds
back. We didn't get to
see the single most exciting move. We didn't get
the after the show
performance. Andthe worst of all, no singalong
promo.
The WWF doesn't come
back until February, and I am VERY disappointed.
The ONLY way they can
make up for this is to have a Rock autograph
session (very
possible) where he gets on the mic before or after and
does his catchphrases.
===========================================
FANTASY BOOKING (This
will not happen)
Written by reader:
hopkotel
It would seem that now
would be the best time for Hogan to exit World
Championship
Wrestling, especially after signing Russo and Ferrara as
head writers. With all
types of rumors and news running rampant on the
internet scene, saying
that the older workers have nothing more to give
and to gain, it seems
now that quite the contrary, the older workers of
WCW have everything to
give and gain, especially Hogan. Now would be
the best time for him
to hang up his trunks, put away his boots and
leave the wrestling
business with some dignity. This would also be the
best
time to usher in a new
era of WCW. If he has really put in his 90 days
notice, here's how WCW
should act upon it in a month's time...
HALLOWEEN HAVOC: Hogan
beats Sting to regain the WCW Heavyweight Title.
NITRO #1: (9:00) Hogan
comes out to ringside, talks with Mean Gene
about his battle and
all of a sudden, Sting comes out and attacks
Hogan. He gives Sting
his last chance for a fight in the main event.
During the main event
Hogan is knocked out a little and all of a
sudden...The OUTSIDERS
come out! Nash Jackknifes Sting, Hogan awakes
and they rejoice, and
everyone thinks that The Outsiders are fan
favorites. As Hogan
goes up to
the corner, still in
disbelief, Hall gets him in an Outsiders Edge.
Nitro #2: (8:00)
Outsiders do a huge shoot interview as tweeners.
(9:00) Hogan comes out
and says he wants to end what he started and
fight The Outsiders in
the main event. Bret Hart comes out, saying
Hogan is getting in
over his head, and that he (Bret) is there to help
him excellently
execute Nash and Hall, but wants a title shot too.
Hogan agrees and
promises to give him a title shot. Main Event: They
all brawl, until Luger
and Sting come out and interfere.
Nitro #3: Hogan/Hart
title match is set up for next Pay-Per-View.
(9:00) Sting and Luger
come out talking about how Nash and Hall were
interfering in their
business and then challenge Hogan/Hart and
Outsiders to a
three-way tag match for the main event.
Main Event: Back and
forth fighting with everyone, Sting goes for the
bat, swings at Hogan,
hits Luger by accident, Hart pins Luger, and
Nitro goes off the air
with The Outsiders looking angry.
Thunder: DDP comes out
saying Hogan is getting involved with everyone
else but him b/c Hogan
is afraid. Hogan says he would be pleased to
kick Page's two time,
two time, two timing ass. And Hogan wins.
Nitro #4: Hogan says
he's tired of all that is going on and just
wants to shut Sting up
for good.
Main Event...They
fight, Page rushes to ring, is stopped by Hart, Luger
rushes, Outsiders
come, Hogan gets pin on Sting, Sid comes out,
Steiners, Benoit,
Goldberg too. A big brawl ensues as
Hart and Benoit clear
the outside of the ring and Hogan and Goldberg
stand back to back,
clearing the ring and Hogan goes to shake
Goldberg's hand. They
hug, and Goldberg does Hogan's hand waiving
thing to the crowd.
Thunder: Big Poppa
Pump comes out saying how Hogan turned his back on
the N.W.O. and he was
going to pay. Hogan says his twenty four inch
pythons can kill his
little rattlesnakes (alluding to Stone Cold) any
day of the week. They
fight and Hogan wins.
Pay-Per-View (WCW
Mayhem)
Main event: A top
caliber match between Hart and Hogan, comparable to
the Hart/Benoit match,
but after a solid 20 minutes or so, Hart gets
the win.
(The first 2 hours of
Nitro that begin to start under Russo)
Nitro: Hart comes out,
the new WCW champion, says how he waited a
long time to become
the WCW Heavyweight Title holder, and waited a long
time to fight Hogan.
Hogan comes out, saying how he has accomplished
everything and more
anyone could possible accomplish in this sport and
thanked the fans and
hugged Hart.
Savage comes out,
saying how he made Hogan into what he (Hogan) is and
is nothing without him
(Savage). If Hogan thinks he (Savage) is crazy
now, he's going to let
Hogan feel the madness later. Hogan agrees, he's
had a long history
with Savage, and he can't wait to say his prayers,
take his vitamins and
kick Savage's ass.
Main event comes,
Savage comes out with Gorgeous George, big heat.
Hogan comes out, all
teary eyed, rips his shirt for the last time,
throws it behind him
and Hart catches it and follows Hogan to ringside.
Hogan and Macho fight
for a while, g.g. interferes, Hogan gets knocked
out a little, Savage
takes advantage, a couple elbows, Hogan hulks up
and a big boot here, a
leg drop there and he wins. Hulkamaina lives to
see its last night,
and the locker room empties to cheer him on.
Now of course with the
right marketing this can be big and Savage can
be replaced with Flair
as well.
===========================================
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
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editing due to grammar, spelling, or content. Any
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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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