Issue # 420
Date:
Thursday December 2nd, 1999 10:38 pm
The Wrestling Booking Sheet
KEN SHAMROCK RETURNING TO THE
WWF
Reported by Dave Meltzer of
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Ken Shamrock is expected to
receive medical
clearance to return to the
WWF in mid-December,
probably in the weeks
following Armageddon.
His actual injury was
diagnosed as a soft tissue
sprain of the cervical spine;
there is no word
as to whether or not he will
return to the NHB
scene.
Wouldn't this be the perfect
time for Shamrock
to finally get that main
event push, possibly
against The Rock? Considering
all of the
injuries there will never be
a better time...
To subscribe to The Wrestling
Observer,
send $11 for 4 issues to:
The Wrestling Observer
P.O. Box 1228
Campbell, CA 95009-1228
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TORRIEWILSON.com
Torrie Wilson released the
following
statement on her official
website regarding
her future in WCW:
Courtesy of
http://www.TorrieWilson.com
"December 1- Hi guys! The
rumor going around
town is that I have been
released from WCW
as of late. All I can say is
that WCW and
my agent have not been able
to agree on much
in the way of a contract and
that I hope that
things work out with
them...but I also know
that everything happens for a
reason and I
have a lot of options at the
moment and, as
always, will just go with the
flow of things!
I will be shooting with a
fashion photographer
today in downtown Los Angeles
and am looking
forward to it...this
photographer is awesome!
Have ya checked out my
profile on playboy.com?
.....Be sure to do so and I
hope you like it!
(sorry, but no, I didn't
shoot with them)
Later Gators!"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
JERRY MONTI
Written by reader:
WHITEJMOD
I just want to share my
memories about
watching Big Time Wrestling
as a kid on TV
Channel 44 out of the Bay
Area. I do remember
Jerry Monti. He had black
hair and a mustache
and did wrestle Pat Patterson
a couple of
times on TV. That is the same
Pat Patterson
who is on the Monday Raw as a
helper for
Vince McMahon.
Back to Jerry, I do remember
that he did
wrestle Ray Stevens, who has
passed away,
and he did team up with Tony
Garea, who
works with the WWF. Most of
all I just
want to wish Jerry Monti best
wishes in
his recovery.
-Jonathan White
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WCW THUNDER LIVE FROM:
TOPEKA, KANSAS
By Rick Phelps (wrestleric)
Norman Smiley versus The Wall
*Hardcore Championship*
Screamin Norman got the three
count after
Berlyn blasted Wall with the
Hardcore strap.
Winner: Norman Smiley via
pinfall
(Retained Hardcore Title)
--The Total Package entered
the production
truck and had the technician
rewind the tape
to find out that he would
have to face Sid
in the main event. Throughout
the evening,
Luger acted frightened, but
agreed to the
match after finding out from
the Powers
That Be that he would receive
a title shot
on Nitro if he could defeat
Sid. At one
point, Luger tried to escape,
but his
tires had been flattened.
--Silver King challenged Dr.
Death to a
match with the check Williams
took after
the "Pinata" match on the
line. Oklahoma
then volunteered Dr. Death to
face Silver
King and some friends in a
handicap match.
--Kaz Hayashi told Mene Gene
that he does
his great (voice over)
interviews with pure
skill.
--Mike Tenay announced that
he has a meeting
with the Powers That Be,
where he will ask
for an immediate suspension
and large fine
be placed on Jeff Jarrett,
who knocked out
Tenay with a guitar shot.
--The Bret Hart/Goldberg
match at Starrcade
will be no DQ and there must
be a winner.
Maestro versus Kaz Hayashi
The piano man ran for the
back after seeing
David Flair whack the
Kazmaster with a crowbar.
Winner: Kaz Hayashi via
countout
--Big Vito and Johnny the
Bull followed Disco
Inferno and Lash Leroux into
the building.
Chavo Guerrero Jr. versus
Buzzkill Buzzkill
was almost pinned early when
he took one of
Chavo's for sell headphones
and began
listening to music. He came
back to nail
Chavo in the back with the
briefcase for
the win. After the bell,
Buzzkill took money
from the referee to buy a
lamp from Chavo.
Winner: Buzzkill via pinfall
--Chris Benoit said that
Jushin Liger is the
most technically sound
wrestler in Japan,
but he would show him what
"silent but
violent" was all about.
--Meng entered his dressing
room. Lash Leroux
and Disco took Meng's sign
off the door and
placed one with their names
on it.
--In the back, Madusa
promised to give
Karagias everything he
wanted...and more.
Dr. Death versus Silver
King/Villano IV/Villano V
Larry Zybysko walked away
from the broadcast
booth, saying he would have
nothing to do
with Oklahoma or his
nonsense. Silver King
took the pinata check after
Vampiro took
out Oklahoma. Williams put
out one of the
Villanos with the Oklahoma
Stampede.
Silver King jumped into a
taxi that Luger
was trying to get into and
took off.
Winner: Dr. Death via pinfall
Chris Benoit versus Jushin
Liger
Juventud Guerrera, along with
La Parka
and Psychosis, took the
broadcast position.
Benoit was disqualified when
the Luchadores
attacked Liger. Thunder and
the Crippler
cleared the ring.
Winner: Jushin "Thunder"
Liger via disqualification
--Buff Bagwell told Mene Gene
that he would be
the man to take out Meng.
--Vito and Johnny the Bull
entered what they
thought was Disco and Lash's
dressing room, only
to get tossed around by Meng.
Buff Bagwell versus Meng
Meng took out Bagwell with
the Tongan Death
Grip after interference by
Vito and Johnny
the Bull, who were attacking
both men.
Winner: Meng via pinfall
--Mona said she wanted to
prove that she
deserves a title shot.
Jarrett said that
he was the chosen one and
that he would
finish what he started with
Goldberg and
Dustin Rhodes on Nitro.
--It was announced that there
would be a
three way match on Nitro
between Madusa/Mona/
Evan Karagias on Nitro. If
either one of the
women win, they get the
Cruiserweight title
shot at Starrcade and if
Karagias wins, he
does not have to defend the
title.
Jeff Jarrett/Mona versus Evan
Karagias/Madusa
Jarrett never wrestled in
this match, instead
sitting on the outside. After
being pinned
following a twisting
corkscrew splash by
Karagias, Mona was laid out
by Jarretts' guitar.
Winners: Evan Karagias/Madusa
via pinfall
--The history of Bret Hart in
WCW, culminated
by his world title victory at
Mayhem, was shown.
--The Revolution once again
stated why they
hated America and why the
Revolution was better.
Saturn added his bit by
saying they have two
Christmas' per year, and that
happy hour is 10
hours long.
Disco Inferno/Lash Leroux
versus Dean Malenko/Saturn w/Revolution
Douglas began by insulting
Italians/New Yorkers,
which brought out Vito and
Johnny the Bull, who
battled the Revolution until
security intervened.
In the end, Malenko forced
Leroux to submit to the
Texas Cloverleaf.
Winners: Revolution via
pinfall
Sid versus Lex Luger
Bret Hart joined the
broadcast booth for this
match. Liz tried to spray
mace in the eyes of
Luger, who took the mace and
sprayed it in Sid's
eyes. Luger then rolled up
Sid, gaining a world
title shot on Nitro. However,
Sid powerbombed
Luger after the bell.
Winner: Lex Luger via pinfall
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WRESTLING'S TREATMENT OF
MINORITIES
Written by reader:
Egg1poppa
Perhaps with ECW as the lone
exception, WCW,
the WWF and professional
wrestling in the United
States have been lacking in
the promotion of
minority wrestlers. The Rock
is the lone minority
exception that the major feds
have to offer.
Latino wrestlers are doomed
to mid-card status
due to the perceived language
inferiority, while
Asian wrestlers all seem to
suddenly turn Japanese
with an unbridled hatred of
all things American.
It's a shame a Juvi/Liger
matchup was ended with
an anti-Mexican stereotypical
ending. Heck, even
the Rock's Samoan family
background is stereotyped
as "savages" (the Wild
Samoans). Talents such as
Chavo Guererro are ridiculed
and relegated to
non Main Event status. Even a
superstar such
as Taka Michinoku is turned
into a buffoonish
anti-American heel.
When will these rascist
promotions realize that
not only do they make these
talented wrestlers
look bad, but by doing these
disgusting angles,
they make all Americans look
stupid,
shortsighted and naive.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CLEAN FINISHES IN TITLE
MATCHES
Written by reader: Paul
Haeckel (phaeckel)
Just a thought concerning the
title change
in the match between Liger
and Juvi....
Which scenario would be less
preferable to
the Japanese organization and
fans: that
Juvi is not able to beat
Liger in a clean
match and resorts to the
dastardly use of
the tequila bottle and Liger
subsequently
rises above this and cleanly
regains the
title against this
underhandedness)
OR that Juvi cleanly wins
against Liger,
proving that he is at least
his equal. If
it's a given that the title
change had to
take place because of various
agreements
with all parties involved, it
sounds to
me like Liger's, and the
belt's reputation,
is tarnished much less (and
perhaps even
bolstered) by the first
scenario.
Certainly I have a lot more
respect for a
wrestler who can win the belt
cleanly
(which is one reason I
dislike constant
run-ins and foreign objects
so much).
-Paul Haeckel
phaeckel
++++++++++++++++++++
Steve Appy responds:
Paul,
The funny part is that
Juventud Guerrera
would be a HUGE addition to
the New Japan
Junior Heavyweight division.
Juvi really
is that good, and potential
matches against
Kanemoto & Ohtani would be
tremendous. Any
of the three can have good
matches with a
broomstick (to borrow a
description once
used with Flair or Funk).
As long as the favor was
returned I can't
imagine that Liger would have
had any problem
putting Guerrera over clean.
Did Russo really
feel that he was clever when
he used a
Tequilla bottle as a gimmick?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
JEFF JARRETT
Written by reader:
JefJarrett
Finally Jeff Jarrett and
Chris Benoit are
getting what they, and so
many workers like
them deserve: A DECENT PUSH.
So many times
Jarrett has been pushed to
the brink of a
notable push to only be
buried back in the
mid-card ranks. The problem
so often cited,
Jarrett gets no Heat! Part of
the problem
stemmed from who he was
involved in feuds
against. Blackman, Venis,
D-lo...the list
can go on and on, the point
is WHO CARES!
Jarrett VS. Blackman would
have anyone
running for the bathrooms or
refreshment
stands.
What would it have taken to
have Jeff bash
Austin over the head with a
Guitar just
once? Even when (you know it
would happen)
Austin gets revenge and beats
the snot out
of him, Jeff would finally
get some fan
reaction.
The problem in my mind really
didn't lie
with the bookers, they tried
and tried to
get Jarrett over. Granted,
the Aztec outfit
really wasn't my idea of
instant stardom,
but it was well known that a
Jarrett/Austin
or Jarrett/Rock feud was
brought about only
to be shot down by the
respective counterparts.
This left Jarrett mired in
the life of a
mid-carder, fighting
Blackman, Val Venis,
and such. True, Jarrett was
given the IC
title, and was beginning to
get heat, but
was not allowed to progress
any further by
certain individuals with pull
in the company.
Not that I don't agree with
making your stars
happy, but that brings me to
another topic.
Remembering where you came
from.
Wrestling makes superstars,
superstars (with
the exception of Hogan) do
not make wrestling.
It is too obvious that many
superstars think
they are bigger than the
business. It can be
seen every night with an
increasing number of
run-in endings, stories of
who won't job to
who, and the list goes on. It
seems that the
wrestlers who understand that
wrestling made
them don't get too far until
recently.
Look at Jarrett, and Benoit.
Benoit has been
a consistent worker his whole
career, never
complains, always does his
job. He is JUST
finally beginning to become a
main eventer.
And why, because no one ever
wanted to put
him over. Jarrett was the
same way, he knew
he was not bigger than the
business. Case
in point, Unforgiven.
Jarrett was in no way
obligated to wrestle that
show. He could have easily
gone to WCW and
never have lost the IC
championship. Instead
he wrestled the show and put
Chyna over. He
has since gone to WCW and
prospered. He is
getting involved in feuds
with reputable people,
and for the first time on a
consistent basis,
he hears what is music to his
ears, the crowd
booing. A direct result of
who he is matched
up against. Notice it never
hurt the popularity
of Sid or Goldberg to be
bashed with a guitar,
but it helps Jarrett
tremendously. I commend
the entire WCW company, (this
coming from a
WWF mark) it is nice to see
those hard working
individuals, such as a Benoit
or a Jarrett
finally start to get what
they deserve. If
more wrestlers make an
example of Benoit and
Jarrett, and remember what
made them, maybe
wrestling will become more
enjoyable for
everyone.
++++++++++++++++++++
Steve Appy responds:
I have mixed feelings about
Jeff Jarrett's
potential. On paper it's a
no-brainer.
Jarrett's a good worker, both
experienced
& young (32 years old), not a
bad talker
& doesn't use drugs.
At the same time I've rarely
seen less reaction
for somebody that the
audience SHOULD react to.
As good as anybody feels that
Jarrett is, history
has shown that the audience
just doesn't connect
with him. He's been given
some pretty strong
pushes over the years and the
end result was
always fan apathy. How many
times did he hold
the Intercontinental title,
five times? While he
got a strong heel reaction
during his women
beating escapades, it seemed
that the vile acts
were more responsible than
anything Jarrett did
personally.
While I really hope that
Jarrett will make it to
the next level I'm still
skeptical. With Russo's
backing he'll never get a
better chance.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
COCA COLA
Written by reader: Paul
Stefanowicz (psflair@xxxxs...)
To respond to several
inquiries as to the
sponsors "picking on" the WWF
for removal
of their ad time, I would
like to say
something. If someone (Vince
McM) wants to be
considered the leading
forerunner of a certain
kind of entertainment, then
that party will
take the brunt of any flak
toward that business.
Vince has stated in the past
that (for sometimes
legal purposes) his show is
not real, and is pure
entertainment. WCW has yet to
do that. WWF has
made a public reputation for
being raunchy at
times, WCW has not (YET). I
have heard that
Coke will not pick on WCW
since it is
Atlanta-based, but I don't
necessarily agree
with that, being that revenue
of WCW is
relatively small in the total
Time Warner mix.
It is true that Atlanta
companies would benefit
by other Atlanta companies
doing well - goodwill
for the city, as well as a
sharing of tax burden
- but I don't think that WCW
proper is big
enough to warrant
preferential treatment for this
reason.
I think WWF is paying a
little now for their
reputation, and if WCW
continues in this direction,
then they will pay the piper
someday as well.
-Paul Stefanowicz
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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===========================================
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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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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