The Wrestling Booking Sheet online newsletter

Issue # 354

Date: Saturday October 16th, 1999 7:51 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

VAMPIRO & HAK POSSIBLY LEAVING WCW
Reported by Dave Meltzer at: http://www.eYada.com
At the Thursday Thunder tapings, Vampiro was informed that his current
four year deal will be terminated, as per 120 days notice. Vampiro,
believed to be making $300,000 a year on a four year deal, was
evaluated as overpaid by WCW management.

It is believed that WCW is interested in renegotiating the deal to
$140,000 a year; despite Vince Russo claims to be interested in using
Vampiro, this move indicates otherwise. Vampiro has already contacted
the WWF to gauge interest, which is ironic timing considering Terry
Taylor's (a big booster of Vampiro's potential) current problems with
the WWF.

Hak, who is on the verge of returning from a shoulder injury, is
another name that WCW may be releasing from his current deal.
Currently making $200,000 a year, the thought is that he will be
offered a lower deal as well. Although reports are often conflicting,
one would think that there may be an opportunity for the former Sandman
to return to his roots in ECW.

STRAIGHT SHOOTING UPDATE
PWBTS guru & Booking Sheet columnist Fritz Capp's latest edition of
"Straight Shooting" can be found directly at http://pwbts.com

While I disagreed with several of Fritz's points (I think that we may
be on different sides of the political spectrum), his columns are
always packed with a detailed knowledge of both the business and those
who report on it.

Fritz shares his views on several internet reporters, which is one of
the reasons this installment won't be appearing in WBS (Does "Too Hot
for WBS" have a ring to it). Some of it I agree with; some of it I
don't. Either way it is well worth checking out.
Find "Straight Shooting" at http://pwbts.com
===========================================
THE NO-COMPETE CLAUSES
Written by reader: Kshi8762

This is in response to the WWF making their on-air talent sign
no-compete clauses. This stops the folks in TurnerLand from doing what
made them #1 some years ago, raiding talent. With the jumping ship of
Russo, it makes sense for McMahon to institute this. However, in your
article you said it would prohibit those wrestlers who are fired from
jumping to WCW.

Being an attorney, I have seen that most court cases side with the
"former employee" when that person cannot obtain the type of money to
support his lifestyle
except from one other source, that being the company with which the
no-compete was signed to prohibit. Where on the face of the earth
could a WWF
talent obtain anywhere near the money he makes to sustain his
lifestyle? WCW. Hopefully the WWF realizes this and will watch whom
they fire and when.
+++++++++++++++++
Steve Appy responds:
WCW's use of similar no-complete clauses have already been shown to
have no legal teeth, and its likely that the WWF will learn the same
thing. The unfortunate thing is that the test case will likely be
someone who can ill afford to spend the time and money challenging the
clause, but instead a member of the front office (someone like Terry
Taylor).
===========================================
GORILLA MONSOON
Written by reader: Richard Steinberg (SqrlNMoose)

I had been involved in pro wrestling for many years and specifically
worked for WCW during a 4 year stint. After relocating to Florida,
about 4years ago, I had the opportunity to hook-up with a number of my
old friends.. the boys .. at a WWF PPV Event in West Palm Beach.

I entered the backstage area about 5 hours before show time and found
myself
sitting on a bench next to "Gorilla." I had never been introduced to
him before so I did so and we struck up a glorious conversation about
Gorilla, VInce's Dad, events at the old Uline Arena in Washington, D.C.
and the glory days of the WWWF.

While watching some of the boys work out, I turned to "Gorilla" and
remarked that the georgeousSouth Florida weather sure beat the hell
out of the weather inOuter Mongolia! (Remember, when "Gorilla" was
first introduced he "spoke no English" and was billed as coming from
Outer Mongolia.)

I will never forget his magnificant roar of laughter and the tears
running down his eyes which continued for the next ten minutes. I hope
"Gorilla" finds the peace and good weather that he so richly
deserves......
-Richard Steinberg
===========================================
JEFF JARRETT
Written by reader: hopkotel

While you do make it clear that it did take a huge franchise type push
to get Jeff Jarret over, and has in many occasions before, the "New"
Jeff Jarrett has in some sense a brand new character compared to what
he had before. He's no longer a weak midcard wrestler, with exceptional
skills and not over at all. He now has a new more hip look and style.
He draws alot of heat, which I believe can stay with him, and has
learned to use the mic, and is actually not that bad at all.

What do the WWF and WCW get out of this? Well, the WWF does lose alot:
mostly
one of their BEST heels right now, a good worker, and the whole base of
their women/chovanist pig angle, which drew huge pops. But they now
have Val Venis' heel turn to focus on now, and a doorway for the
SUPERHERO Chris Jericho to finally see some IC gold.

What about the WCW? They have everything to gain. Russo and Ferrara made
the new Jeff Jarret and know how to work with him. I see good matches
with
Benoit, Eddie Gurrero, and Douglas, amongst others.
===========================================
THE THREE FACES OF THE JEFF JARRETT STORY
Written by reader: Bagelwolf

For some reason, everyone seems to be abuzz about this whole JJ
chauvenist angle. There's no reason to be so upset over it. With JJ
now going to WCW after No Mercy, everything makes sense and is cleared
up. Just like a play format, this angle has 3 parts:

In "Act One", the story and characters are laid out. In this case, the
women in the WWF gain superstar status by getting involved in some of
the matches (i.e. Puppy flashing for JJ and low-blows by Chyna for Triple H
when the ref's back is turned.).

In "Act Two", the whole purpose is to deepen the conflict and have the
villain(s) get the upper hand. Hence, JJ starts throwing the Figure-4
on everyone from the makeup lady, to Lillian Garcia, and all the way on
to Debra.

Then comes "Act Three", the final act. Now the "good guys (or gals)"
prevail in a final showdown with the villain. This brings us to No
Mercy, where Chyna will face and defeat JJ for the IC belt. Chyna
wins, women are liberated, the title changes hands which clears JJ to
go to WCW, and the story is wrapped up nicely.
===========================================
FORGOTTEN LEGENDS
Written by reader: Wolfeman79

I have been an avid fan of this sport for many years, and have watched
its recent popularity soar far beyond what was ever thought possible
for this world of "sports entertainment". Yet, nevertheless, I, like
many others, have enjoyed watching this sport grow in size, in
popularity,and from a creative end. It seems when you think you've seen
it all, they surprise you one more time, which is good and bad.

However, there has been one thing that has made me continuously sick to
my stomach, and that is repeated bashing of Hulk Hogan. This man who
brought 93,000 plus to their feet when he slammed the 500 lb. Andre the
Giant, is now nothing more then the butt of every so-called wrestling
journalist, or self-proclaimed wrestling experts, criticism, in some
way or the other. These men write nothing but derogatory statements
about a man who has given nothing less than the last 20 years of this
life to make this sport great.

I often hear this "experts" rant and rave of how he is too old to be
doing what he does, and that it is time for him to retire. Let me
remind you all of a few examples of men who didn't let their age get in
the way of something they loved and wanted to do. George Foreman
returned to boxing in his 40's to prove to America and the boxing world
that it wasn't youth that made a star, but it was all about heart and
determination. Shocking the boxing world, he regained the heavyweight
championship and proved all his critics and skeptics, that if you had
the desire and heart, you had the ability, despite age.

Nolan Ryan was playing Major League Baseball well into his 40's. Not
only playing baseball, but pitching no-hitters, something that most
pitchers in their 20's and 30's never achieve. Had he have given up due
his middle age, he would have never broken
the records he did. Due to his determination and ability to beat all
odds his name now hangs with the likes of Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, in
Cooperstown, New York in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

These men are just a few guys who didn't listen to the "experts"
telling them they were too old to do it, they knew in their hearts they
still had the desire to do it and they did. These men aren't wrestlers,
folks, they're men who took repeated punches to the head and body, and
men who threw 100 pitches in a game at a 90-100 miles per hour. This is
enough to make the even the youngest athletes give up, but yet these
men endured criticism and the bumps and bruises, and without wavering,
they
pressed on.

If the desire and the ability is still there than why quit, because a
bunch men who have never stepped foot in the ring, or never found
something they truly love to do, said you should?

Then you come to the critics who say Hogan isn't a draw anymore,
obviously they have not been watching Nitro. No man could tell me that
the fans don't go nuts when they hear his name called or see him rip
that shirt off. When he finally returned to the red and gold, there
wasn't a fan in that arena who wasn't screaming with excitement. His
popularity is obviously evident when he steps on the ramp and you hear
then entire crowd chanting, "....HOGAN! HOGAN!...." this not an
accident, and it is not
evidence of a star's declining popularity.

This roar of the crowd is what keeps Hogan lacing up his boots and
going to the ring and giving everything he has to his fans. He doesn't
need the money, he has plenty, he does it because he loves this sport,
and he loves what he does. Who is anybody to take that away from anyone
else?

These men who write this garbage are the men who can't believe that
after 20 plus years in the sport, Hulk Hogan is still one of the most
dominant men in the business, and like or not, he is. These are the men
who love to see a hero torn down, the men who thrive when someone who
is popular is cast to the wayside. But it is the wrestling fans, not
the critics, who keep this man beating the odds every time he laces up
his boots. This isn't just about Hogan, its about people everywhere who
give up because someone who really doesn't know what their talking
about tells them they can't do it.

Heroes are formed in the face of opposition, they are created by
defeating the odds. Age is something we all have to come to terms with
eventually, but why not thrive in it, as opposed to dying in it. I
would rather be remembered as a man who lived his whole life defeating
the odds, then a man who was forgotten when the odds beat him. When we
forget the men who once challenged us to become better people and to
overcome our adversity, we forget why we accepted the challenge in the
first place. Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper; these
are the names of just a few of the men created wrestling as we know it
today, so let the men who created it and love it, do it for as long as
they can.

Everyone has youth at some point in their life, but few ever have the
heart to carry on after that youth is gone, but these men do, so let
them.

Through the Eyes of a Fan,
Richie Hartsfield (Wolfeman79)
+++++++++++++++++
Steve Appy responds:
Richie, first of all, wrestling is a form of entertainment, not a pure
sport. Nolan Ryan's ability to dominate baseball well into his forties
is contrasted by Hulk Hogan/Sting drawing less than a .3 buyrate at
Fall Brawl (the lowest in the history of either WCW or the WWF).

Reliable estimates peg Hulk Hogan as the second highest paid wrestler
in the business, making somewhere around $5 Million Dollars a year
(more than The Rock). He has shown himself to be unwilling to elevate
talent, perhaps his greatest potential value to WCW.

I shudder at the thought of Hulk Hogan being called a hero; a longtime
steroid abuser who lied on national television about his drug use is
not a hero. It doesn't make him evil, but Hogan the man has proven to
be anything but heroic.

Does Hogan still have a place in wrestling? Sure, but not as the top
guy, and with a salary that reflects his current market value. We'll
see if Hogan will allow himself to be used as anything but the
franchise star, and how soon it will take for him to legit leave the
company if his ego is at all threatened.
===========================================
DEMOGRAPHICS & CONTENT
Written by reader: SnakePitt7

I had a thought the other day. I was sitting at my computer typing
away while working on the plans for an upcoming PPV for this E-fed that
I am the Vice President for. E-fed? What's an E-fed? E-Fed is short
for Electronic Wrestling Federation. In short its a roleplaying game
on the internet. Oh no, here it is, your expected reaction: "Oh GOD,
this guys a gamer!!!" Yeah this guys a gamer, so even if you never
listen to another word I say PLEASE listen to this. =) I'm anet-nerd,
sorry!

I was working on these plans for this PPV we have coming up.{Shameless
plug:
http://NAIWF.tripod.com For the other very talented net-nerds like
myself, its worth it!}. As I was going through the strategies for the
matches, sent in by the players, I stopped for one minute and looked at
all of the hard work that was going into this project. These players
are thinking out strategies for how their wrestler will approach the
match, what kind of moves they'll try to use and whether or not they
are willing to cheat.

Their Flashes that I talked about earlier are done (by the better
players) on a daily basis and read as if you are watching an interview
with your favorite wrestler! its a lot of fun to do, but its what I
like best is setting up our version of Monday Night {Insert favorite
company show here}.

Anyway, looking at the hard work and dedication it takes to do this on
a weekly basis PLUS a monthly PPV (its hard work let me tell you, but
FUN) it all made me look at what it must take to run WCW or WWF. What
must it take for these men and women to keep in character every day of
the week while they're working?

I guess in short what I got out of the whole incident was that while I
don't agree with the way Vince DOES in fact market his product to
children, the man is a genius. I know, I'm going to be attacked and
yes, adults also collect toys, but adults don't collect pajamas or
lunch boxes or various other things of that nature, NO MATURE ADULT IS
GONNA HAVE STONE COLD ON HISBED!!!!

The WWF doesn't prduce them for adults. The marketing is brilliant,
but directed at
children. I'm not talking 13-14 year olds, I'm talking grade school
age children, and younger!!! There is nothing wrong with what the WWF
does, its who its directed at. That's my only problem with the WWF,
well, and the whole Bret Hart issue but that's for another day.

So while I don't agree with that aspect, I do have to respect the man
for running a successful business. But the focus is the content, and
it all comes down to what you like to watch. If you like the style the
WWF presents (i.e. Adult Entertainment) then watch that. If you prefer
the style of WCW then watch that. If you're one who can't decide which
. . . watch both. I realized I often find myself switching over to the
WWF just to see what they're going to get away with next.

If we tell Vince McMahon that he can't make these shows that he does so
well, because we don't agree with what he says or shows, then guess
what? That's censorship. Period. Vince doesn't HAVE to change what
he does, so if you don't agree with him don't support him, but don't
censor his right to do it. I am very outspoken in my disagreement of
how he promotes his company, but its the man's right to express
himself creatively and ours to teach our children our beliefs while
encouraging them to develop their own.

I agree with the recent flow of "Give it a rest" letters. WCW wants to
know what's going to make wrestling good again? I've got a clue for
'em . . .You listen to what your viewers want, and you'll move
mountains. You listen to what wrestlers want or exactly how a booker
wants it and you lose devotion, you learn what your viewers want and
you gain devotion. Stay in touch with what VIEWERS are interested in
and they'll start flipping the channel, soon it'll be that they start
switching for YOUR main events instead of the other way around, then
they'll just switch all together.

If Turner or WCW are smart they'll make Russo/Ferrara listen to the
fans. Pay attention! Vince McMahon knew when to update, but the
difference is that WCW wants to keep more of a wholesome environment.
Well you can do both, and I think Russo and Ferrara are the guys to do
it, but WCW is going to have to make sure that they stick to the plan.
There's nothing wrong with adding a kind of flair, which is what
"Sports Entertainment" is, its a flair, to the product. Just don't
take the focus away from the matches themselves.

Vince McMahon will undoubtedly find someone else just as innovative as
Russo
and Ferrara. And Russo/Ferrara know how to do what WCW doesn't, push
talent
WELL.So let's all drop the drama, and uproar and get back to watching
it. With the way things are set up now, everyone who likes wrestling
will have something to watch. Everybody on the outside of the TV wins.
Thanks for listening to the net nerd!! =)
===========================================
ADVERTISEMENT
NWWA has announced that "Rage in a Cage II" will be in Highland,
Indiana.
President Bill Kennedy announced that Saturday, November 13, at the
Highland
Lincoln Center will be the return of the "Rage in a Cage II".

Some key matches already signed:
Bedrock Brawler will defend his NWWA Heavyweight Title versus Rex "the
role
model" Hart. Kimalah II will challenge Jackknife in a weapons match.
Kennedy announced the signing of Billy Joe Eaton, one of the top Indy
wrestlers and has hinted to either an ECW Star of a WCW Star to
wrestle. Call the NWWA Hotline for up to date info at 219-641-5914!!
===========================================
ADVERTISEMENT
Xtreme Pro Wrestling, quickly becoming the hottest promotion west of
the
Mississippi, has relaunched their web site at http://www.xpwrestling.co
m

Like many sites, the XPWrestling features the latest news on XPW,
results, upcoming show information, photos and rankings. But, XPW fans
can also get
interactive with the company by posting on the message boards, voting
for the most popular and most hated, and chatting with the fans and
stars of XPW.

Additionally, fans can purchase merchandise and live tickets to XPW
events on
the site. Still to come are bios of the stars of XPW, Real Audio
programming and interviews, and the Girls of XPW photo gallery. Check
out XPWrestling.com today!

Xtreme Pro Wrestling Signs Donovan Morgan to Exclusive Contract!
West coast indy wrestling sensation, Donovan Morgan, has signed an
exclusive
contract with Xtreme Professional Wrestling. After debuting on XPW's
August 27 show, Morgan decided that being "Mr. XPW" was worth more than
just a gimmick.

Morgan has left northern California's All Pro Wrestling, where he has
wrestled for the past four years and will be moving to Southern
California, both to wrestle for XPW and accept the position as head
instructor at Xtreme's premiere wrestling training facility, The
Asylum, which will open its doors this winter. Morgan's first show
under contract will be XPW's HALLOWEEN IN HELL on Friday, October 29
where he will be part of the 20 man Battle Zone match to determine the
first XPW World Champion.

Morgan will also be in singles action that night as he faces the man he
sent crashing
from the balcony on September 24, Supreme, which is guaranteed to be
one of the most extreme matches of Morgan's career.
===========================================
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