The Wrestling Booking Sheet online newsletter

Issue # 419

Date: Thursday December 2nd, 1999 9:39 am

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

WRESTLING RATINGS FOR MONDAY, 11/29/1999
Reported by Dave Scherer at: http://www.1Wrestling.com
RAW NITRO
1st Hour n/a 3.8
2nd Hour 6.3 2.8
3rd Hour 6.7 2.8
Composite 6.7 3.1

The Test/Stephanie aborted nuptials were obviously
very anticipated, especially considering the second
hour rating.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WEEKEND RATINGS
Reported by Dave Scherer at: http://www.1Wrestling.com
ECW on TNN (11/26) 1.1
WWF Live Wire (11/27) 1.7
WCW Saturday Night (11/27) 1.6
WWF Superstars (11/28) 1.9
WWF Heat (11/28) 3.1
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SHAWN MICHAELS UPDATE
Reported by Wade Keller & Jason Powell at:
http://www.ProWrestlingTorch.com
Shawn Michaels has expressed interest in pursuing a
short-term role in ECW; besides the opportunity to
work with longtime friend Justin Credible, this
could also be the opportunity to establish connections
for his trainees from his San Antonio-based wrestling
school.

After establishing ties with FMW for two of his
students, ECW is the next logical forum for him to
explore. While he obviously will not be wrestling,
and given the condition of his back he will probably
(and hopefully) never wrestle again, his likely role
is unknown. Perhaps refereeing a Storm & Credible
vs. Raven & Dreamer title match?

The decision is Vince McMahon's and at this point
it's impossible to determine his next move.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
JERRY MONTI
Written by reader: Mike Lano (WReaLano)
Longtime Roy Shire SF promotion worker, and
confidant- Jerry Monti has been given no more than
10 days to live by "wonderful" Kaiser doctors in
California. He's battled liver cancer for the last
8 months, and has surprised doctors by lasting that
long.

He had lots of TV battles with Stevens, Patterson,
Shibuya, Tolos, Blassie, Muraco, Gomez and was
mostly a babyface from his debut in 1964. He's been
a great friend, and anytime I've needed his help on
my TV show, Jerry always gave it.

In the last 15 years, he's promoted his own shows with
varying old Shire partners like Woody Farmer and
Alexis Smirnoff and even Roland Alexander's APW. He
was well liked by everyone in the biz, and helped Titan
when they began in SF in '82, working for years as a
TV jobber for them too.

He'd dropped down from 280 to 165 lbs in the last few
months, and fell asleep at the wheel (heavily medicated)
and was involved in a 5 car pileup that hospitalized
him for injuries suffered.

As of this writing (12/1/99) he could use some get
well cards and wishes at:
Jerry Monti
11718 Los Ranchitas Ct
Dublin, CA 94568.

Thank you everyone,
Michael Lano
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
STEPHANIE & HHH'S "MARRIAGE"
Written by reader: Tim Wan (TWAN)
Legally, Stephanie McMahon doesn't have to divorce
Triple H. Any court would easily grant an annulment
for a situation where the bride is unconscious. But
nevertheless, it was good TV.
- Tim Wan, attorney-to-be, June 2000
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
IWO JIMA
Written by reader: HEYLUKE
Why is it that the U.S. Army, Navy, and several
other of the Armed Forces have pulled their adds
from the WWF- which has never done anything to
disgrace them- and then still advertise on WCW,
which insulted the Marines by Monday night's mockery
of Joseph Rosenthal's famous picture of Marines
raising the flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WCW DISRESPECT
Written by reader: Kevin Bryce (KevinBryce)
I want Eric Bischoff back!!!

Eric Bischoff would never of done what Russo did
to Jushin "Thunder" Liger. Bischoff was more
dignified than Russo and is not a racist. Vince
Russo deliberately made Liger look bad because
he doesn't like Japanese wrestlers. He wants
Liger to look bad and he wants the IWGP Title
to look bad as well. Russo does not care about
wrestling or tradition, he just cares about
"Sports Entertainment" and his ratings.

I still cannot believe that an I.W.G.P. Title
match did not end clean. I have never seen
it before, and I had never seen Liger in a
bad match, but that all changed on Monday and
it is all Russo's fault.

However, the injury to Juvi is a good thing for
NJPW (get back soon Juvi, and leave WCW), as he
will now have to default the title because of
injury. This means there should be no title
match on American soil and the belt will be
vacant. Liger can then win that back in Japan,
and then defend it on Jan 4th vs. Koji Kanemoto
at the Tokyo Dome. We will then have some
credibility given back to the title as we know
the match will end clean and no doubt be
a ***3/4+ match.

If Bill Goldberg is WCW Champion by the time he
wrestles at the Tokyo Dome, I bet NJPW won't degrade
their title (even though it doesn't mean anything)
like WCW degraded their prestigious title.
-Kevin Bryce, London
++++++++++++++++++++
Steve Appy responds:
Kevin,
First of all, it's unfair to label Russo a "racist'
just because he doesn't enjoy the Japanese or Lucha
Libre style of wrestling. Call him short sighted
or ignorant and it can at least be debated, but it's
unfair to make such a personal judgment off of the
little we know about Russo personally.

While Bischoff had enough respect for New Japan to
"borrow' the concept that led to the nWo, he also
never gave a substantial push to a Japanese performer
(Ultimo Dragon being the only one to get even a
mid-card presentation). Bischoff never saw the
potential in Yuji Nagata or Magnum Tokyo, two
athletes who most would call "can't miss".

When you examine Russo's publicly stated lack of
interest in Japanese wrestling (he admits to never
watching it), I can't imagine why New Japan would
have any interest in renewing their talent trading
agreement. If they do so, realizing the situation,
they may get what their lack of caution deserves.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PERFORMING STAMINA
Written by reader: DrawBoom
Three words regarding Nitro: Too-Many-Skits! I felt
as if I was watching a bad sitcom loosely based on
the WWF. Except for Chavo and a couple of the bits
in Russo's orifice...oh, I mean office...most were
a waste of time (my opinion).

Also, if the bookers/writers feel the need to have
shorter matches -- and this goes for the WWF as well
-- then fine. But is it really necessary for the
wrestlers to look completely spent after about the
first five minutes of action in most cases? They
don't want to stage a lengthy match but insist that
the competitors LOOK as if they did? In the Liger/Juvi
match, after just a couple of minutes they looked
as if they'd been slugging it out for an hour!

The Hart/Meng match was little better. In fact
we've all seen Bret go for an hour and look more
fresh at the end than he did midway through Monday
night's sprint. I KNOW there are ways to stage a
shorter match without the wrestlers having to look
as if all their much vaunted stamina languishes alone
on the dusty shelf of some forgotten lost-and-found.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ELEVATING AL SNOW
Written by reader: joe.cassidy
In reply to Rick Phelps' comments at the end of his
Raw Report in WBS #417 ("Why in the hell is arguably,
the most popular and biggest money draw in the
WWF...The Rock messing around with second class
tag team matches?"), I think he has the whole
idea of the wrestling business wrong.

The Rock getting involved in this match meant
setting-up what looks to be a feud with Al Snow
in the near future. If The Rock is, as you say,
the biggest draw in the WWF, then it is my opinion
that The Rock "lowering himself" a level to feud
with Snow is very big of The Rock.

It has long been claimed that Al Snow is one of the
best in the business, but has simply not had the
opposition to show his talent. Well, is The Rock
good enough opposition for you? Snow is being
given a chance to break into main event status
for good, and if he produces enjoyable matches
and segments with The Rock, then everybody was
right, and Snow deserves his position near the
top of the WWF.

If he blows it then he had his chance and it's
his own fault. Besides, DX, Kane and The Rock's
own partner, ManKind, aren't really "second
class" anyway, are they?
-- "Diamondius" -- http://acewrestling.cjb.net
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LIGER IN WCW
Written by reader: N8UREB0Y
I have no idea why everyone is getting worked up
by this Liger jobbing thing. The guy didn't even
catch Juvi, injuring him. I think that's grounds
for him to job without a clean finish. Besides,
this guy must have known what he was getting into
when he made the long plane trip.
===========================================
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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