From: ag725@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Rick Scaia) Subject: [INFO] The News From Dayton - 6/9/96 Date: 1996/06/10 Message-ID: <4pgc8d$ihd@freenet-news.carleton.ca> Sender: ag725@freenet5.carleton.ca (Rick Scaia) Organization: The National Capital FreeNet Reply-To: ag725@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Rick Scaia) Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling Back to the regular grind... here's the run-down of the weekly Alex Marvez column (reproduced, as always, without permission of the Dayton Daily News... but now brought to you with the full knowledge and blessing of Mr. Marvez himself!): * Headline reads "Nitro Ratings Soar; Wrestling Sinks". In a nutshell, Nitro banged a strong second hour rating, peaking at the end of the show with the Razor angle to net a ratings win against RAW, despite what Marvez characterizes as "terrible" wrestling and "uninteresting" storylines,if you don't count the Scott Hall angle. Alex notes that things will only get worse this week, when Nitro is "headlined" by the Giant vs. Scott Norton and Arn/Flair taking on Joe Gomez and Renegade. * Also, Alex got his hands on the quarter hour ratings breakdowns this week, and made the following observations: RAW's ratings were strongest while the tag team/Sunny angle was being played out (and while Sunny was on color), while the segment that focussed on Goldust and Mankind scored poorly. As noted above, Nitro peaked in its last 15 minutes with the "intrusion" of Scott Hall. * Brian Pillman, who can legitimately claim the title of "Wrestling's #1 Free Agent" that both Bam Bam Bigelow and Randy Savage used during their 80s WWF stints, had not reached an agreement with anyone as of this past Monday. But it is Marvez's theory that all the derrogotory interviews Sullivan has been doing regarding Pillman are leading to Pillman returning to WCW this Sunday at the Bash (to manage Benoit). In other Pillman news, there was legit heat between Pillman and Nu Jack of the Gangstas after Pillman's racially charged comments at last Saturday's ECW card. Trouble was averted, though, as Nu Jack was willing to settle for interview time to run down Pillman in front of the ECW Arena crowd. * Marvez apologizes for last weeks column, in which he inadvertantly stated that Jake Roberts won a 12 second decision over HH Helmsley; it should have read a "12 minute" pinfall win for Jake. I also apologize for any further confusion caused by my reporting this tidbit of info to the internet community. * Also, if *you* would like to leave a question for Marvez, you can now do so by calling (513)436-4636 and entering code number 3036, or by sending Alex e-mail at his new address: "alex_marvez@dni.com". Also, it seems like Alex has also surfaced on AOL; somebody with the screen name "Alex1Marv" has posted a couple times in the NewzFirst folder in the GSWrestling area. As always, I try to scour other info resources for the biggest and best news for my loyal readers. And as usual, you will have to settle for a bunch of crap I culled from various places on America On-Line: * Multiple (reliable) sources are reporting that, contrary to Marvez's thinking, Brian Pillman has signed with the World Wrestling Federation. Reports say the deal was inked on Friday (6/7) and is for two years. * It is said that British Bulldog has another 2 years on his WWF contract, so even if he has quit, it will be a long time before you see him working elsewhere. However, latest word is that Smith is merely upset with the current angle he's in with Michaels, and will tough it out and stick with the company, having only used the threat to quit as a negociatng ploy. * On the other hand, it appears some/all of the WWF Samoan contingent has left the promotion. At the very least, there was talk of Yokozuna and Fatu being upset following the decision to drop the Samoan Gangstas angle (Fatu's mysterious "family members"). The Gangstas in Paradise (or whatever they are calling themselves) have already resurfaced in ECW, but no concrete word on what's up with Yoko and Fatu. [Some say they also gave notice, but others say they are content to stay with Titan.] * Being proudly related to a brother who is a WWF Magazine subscriber, I was lucky enough to receive the brouchure for advance SummerSlam tickets (taking place in Cleveland, OH, on August 18) this past week. If it matters to you, Michaels, Warrior, Sunny, and Ahmed Johnson are the prominently featured stars in the ad art. There aren't any hints for what matches might be on the slate, but the "by-line" for the event reads "Hot Men, Hotter Women, HOTTEST Matches." To be considered for the "pre-sale" tickets, the Gund Arena has to receive your ticket order by June 21. Any of you interested in attending SummerSlam live might want to look into placing an early order. * The latest WWF Mag also arrived this week. As I have said before, they are really stepping up the content of the mag to play better to the informed fan. I don't know if they are still doing "worked" interviews, or if they actually are sitting down with the stars and letting them talk in their own words, but either way, the interviews are a lot more interesting. This month, the Ultimate Warrior was the subject, and had some thing to say worth mentioning here: - First of all, "Destrucity" (for all those of you who give a rat's ass) is a way of living your life that means creating a TRUCe between your DESTiny and you realITY. See how that works? You have to be true to your dreams and asperations while working within the system. Or something like that. There's more to the Warrior's "philosophy," but you'll have to forgive me for not including it here, as I happen to think it's a big load of crap. - On the difference between the WWF of today versus back in his hey-day: "It's obvious that the drawing power of the talent pool available a few years ago was much greater than that what has been labeled the 'New Generation'... PERIOD. You cannot deny that more of the new guys in the business can 'wrestle,' but the best wrestlers don't generate the revenues that a 'sports-entertainer' does." - On Vince McMahon and Loyalty: "I have respect for Vince for numerous reasons -- mostly because he has a love for what he does, and he was, and still is, willing to make sacrifices to get the job done. [...] Vince is a big boy, and he runs a big company doing big business. In business, there is no room for any dependency on somone else's loyalty. I for Vince and vice-versa." * The departure of Diesel is continued to be handled in a classy way. Rather than just ignoring him following his departure, the Mag continued making mention of Diesel quite extensivly in this issue, including a comparison of the paths of Shawn and Diesel; one who made it to the very top and is there right now, and one who made it to the top, only to become frustrated and decide to leave the WWF. Also, in the rundown of the April IYH, quotes are attributed to Diesel that allow the fan to continue to believe that Diesel could have bested Shawn that night if luck had just been a bit different. On the other hand, a quote attributed to Razor Ramon, regarding his loss, was "Chico, I lost, he won. No excuses." Not quite so flattering a way to go out, eh? * The "final four" for the KotR tourney will have Vader facing Jake Roberts (who is doing a surprisingly engrossing series of interviews with Jim Ross on the Action Zone over the next couple weeks) and Steve Austin taking on Marc Mero in the semi-finals. Best guess has Vader going over, but my personal feeling is that Austin will walk away the King. The other non-tourney matches officially announced for the PPV are: Shawn/Bulldog for the WWF Title, Goldust/Ahmed for the IC Title, Gunns/Godwinns for the Tag Title, and Undertaker/Mankind. * Here is the full line-up of WWF PPV dates and sites for the rest of 1996: - King of the Ring Milwaukee, WI June 23, 1996 - In Your House Vancouver, BC July 21, 1996 - Summerslam Cleveland, OH August 18, 1996 - In Your House Philadelphia, PA September 22, 1996 - In Your House Indianapolis, IN October 20, 1996 - Survivor Series MSG, New York City November 17, 1996 - In Your House Lakeland, FL December 15, 1996 Later..... -- Rick Scaia | I'm on the Web now! All of a sudden, I'm relatively sane | http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~ag725/ ag725@freenet.carleton.ca | Prepare to be Disappointed!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------