From: ag725@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Rick Scaia) Subject: [INFO] the News From Dayton -- 11/25/96 Date: 1996/11/25 Message-ID: <57b8c3$50q@alpha.sky.net> followup-to: rec.sport.pro-wrestling Organization: The National Capital FreeNet Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling.info,rec.sport.pro-wrestling Welcome folks.... another week, another News From Dayton. If you're familiar with all the schtick, please feel free to skip to the News, proper. If not, the usual miscellania: the NFD starts off with highlights of the weekly Alex Marvez pro wrestling column (in every Sunday's Dayton Daily News), and then moves on to other bits of info I feel that you, the home viewer, would be interested in reading about. If you're checking this out on the NFD Web Page (which, by the way, is located at http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~ag725/HomePage.news.html if you want to make a note), then check back regularly and scroll down to the Update section. If you're seeing this info on RSPW or mirrored at MiCasa's superb news page, then please take the time to stop by the official NFD Web Page, where you'll always get my updates first, and where there are tons of other cool features that are exclusive to the page. And now, onto Mr. Marvez -- * Alex's article is very short this week, exclusively focussing on recent WCW Nitro events and their bearing on tonight's World War 3 PPV. Last week, Piper verbally agreed to fight Hulk Hogan, and it seems this match will now headline Starrcade from Nashville, TN, on 12/29. Alex incorrectly states that this will be the first time Hogan and Piper ever fight in a singles match. Even if he meant "singles match on a major show or PPV," the statement is not accurate, as Hogan and Piper battled on the "War to Settle the Score" show that aired on MTV to set up the first WrestleMania, and the duo also headlined the very first PPV *ever*, the 1985 Wrestling Classic. Neither man scored a decisive pinfall win in those contests, though some reader's have mailed me and said that house show matches between the two ended with Hogan getting pinfall wins. * And off-shoot of the Piper angle was that Eric Bischoff revealed his allegience to the NWO last week on Nitro. This turn by Bischoff will be used to explain why the NWO always managed to get their acts put on TV, and will provide the NWO with a play-by-play man once NWO takes over one half of Nitro. Bischoff will share announcing duties with Ted DiBiase. * It is expected that the first "split" Nitro will take place on Dec. 2, from a Nitro event held right here in Dayton, Ohio. The NWO will take up roughly the first hour of the show before handing it back to WCW for the second hour. Anyone interested in attending the Nitro taping on 12/2 at Dayton's Hara Arena can call (513)278-4776; this is not a TicketMaster charge-by-phone number, but the number for Hara itself. No line-up has been announced, as it is expected that much of what we get at the show will be set-up by tonight's PPV and tommorrow's Nitro. * Speaking of tonight's PPV, Alex notes that the Piper/Hogan thing has overshadowed just about everything else on the show; only the 3-ring, 60-man battle royal main event seems to have any prestige. Current thinking is that Lex Luger will come out the winner of the battle royal (for "political reasons") and will face Hogan at the NWO pay-per-view in January. * Alex covers the Cincinnati Bengals for the Dayton Daily News, in addition to covering wrestling. He remains accessible on a limited basis, both via e-mail (Alex1Marv@aol.com) and in his "Bodyslams" folder on the AOL Grandstand Wrestling Area. Some other stuff: * A breaking story out of ECW: a show last night in Revere, Mass., was marred by an odd and disturbing incident. Details are sketchy at this point, but it began with Axl Rotten being unable to fill his slot in a tag team match (teaming with D-Von Dudley) against the Gangstas. A large (described by one fan as "600 lbs.") kid -- a very green rookie, obviously, and likely a local kid with little or not training -- came in dressed in a cop get-up to take Axl's place. As is often the case with the Gangstas, the match degenerated into an all-out brawl, with the tag champs using their traditional garbage can full of gimmicks to assault the other guys. But instead of targeting D-Von, New Jack unleashed the majority of the violence on this rookie. It is said that New Jack used a "knife-like" object to really open this kid up, and then proceeded to attempt to spear him with a fork. The kid's family was there, and the father rushed the ringside area to demand the match be stopped, reportedly screaming that what his kid was doing was beyond juicing, no matter what your definition. When the match finally ended, tons of paramedics (not ECW "Damage Control") hit the ring. The kid was really busted open, and the carnage was so bad that at least a handful of fans simply left the buildling during the bizarre break in the action this incident caused. More on this as other reports filter in.... * Last weekend, Kevin Kelly was the on-line "host" for all of AOL's coverage of the Hall of Fame and Survivor Series. In hosting, Kelly confirmed that a program called "Shotgun Saturday Night" will begin airing on January 4, and that it will be "different" and "innovative." Also, at the HoF dinner, Kelly revealed that Missy Hyatt (most recently active in the AWF) was in attendence, and it was being heavily hinted that Randy Savage may have been spotted. Also, in an interesting tidbit, he said that a return by Tatanka to the WWF was highly unlikely, as Tatanka was "retired and selling Amway." Hey, I thought that was kinda funny.... * Ratings for last Monday saw the gap between the two shows close once again (this time to under a half ratings point). In the head-to- head hour, RAW scored a 2.4 while Nitro (despite having a headstart on RAW once again and opening the show with the hot NWO angle) earned a 2.8. Quarter hour breakdowns saw RAW better its lead-in by a full half point in the first quarter hour with a 2.3, then grow it's audience to a 2.4, then to a 2.6, before settling back to a 2.4 in the final 15 minute period. Nitro started off with a 2.8, and stayed fairly steady for the first 45 minutes, with a 2.7 and 2.8, before catapulting up to a 3.3 in the final 15 minutes. The second hour of Nitro also didn't quite perform up to snuff, averaging a 3.45 (on the heels of a show the previous week that scored a 4.0 in Hour Two), with quarter hour breakdowns looking like this: 3.6, 3.6, 3.3, 3.3. On the whole, Nitro earned a 3.2. In an interesting development, as Nitro's ratings have soared to new highs, the ratings for the replay have been faltering lately... after frequent mid 1's, the replay this week once again came in low, with a 0.9. When people started noticing that after a certain point, Nitro was gaining viewers at RAW's expense, it was kind of a mystery where they *were* coming from. It looks like some of the west-coasters have decided that they can't wait to find out what happens on Nitro in prime time.... * Interesting news out of a WWF press conference in San Antonio, Texas, last Wednesday. The big news is that Shawn Michaels will be the #1 Contender to the WWF Title at the Rumble in San Antonio. This really leads me to believe Sid will somehow still be champ, as Hart/Michaels has "WrestleMania Main Event" written all over it. Then again, they also announced their intention to configure the Alamo Dome for football seating (that's a full 70,000 seats)! I had simply assumed that they'd use basketball seating, but I guess not... So maybe pulling something really big at the Rumble *is* in the offing; Michaels vs. Bret could be it. Also at that press conference, it was announced that the WWF had entered into a co-promotional agreement with the AAA promotion in Mexico. Until recently, this was where WCW was getting all of it's Cruisers from; but Konnan recently left the group, and took a lot of the AAA guys who were working with WCW with him. Currently, I think Ultimo Dragon is still with AAA, but the Wrestling Lariat reports that he's likely gonna leave, too, and work WCW full time here in North America. As it stands, the guy you saw in footage of the conference was Pierroth, and he prompted that "jock strap" comment from Bret Hart by saying he was happy to be coming to the WWF, and was going to kick some ass, including Bret's. He, along with Cibernetico and the Latin Lover, will represent AAA in the Royal Rumble. * Interesting development out of the WCW house show in Baltimore last night: Eric Bischoff accompanied the Outsiders to the ring, and over the hosue mic, said that all WCW workers have exactly 31 days (I assume that's till the next PPV) to convert over to the NWO. I'm not entirely clear on where they think their going with this, but we'll probably have a better idea after they talk about it on TV.... * Some quick-hitters: Shawn Michaels is live on RAW tommorrow night; in the past, everytime they've done a live cut-in to a taped RAW, it's been for a reason, so I wonder what kind of news will come out of this interview................ Speaking of RAW tapings, they are *not* going to a live RAW every two weeks starting next month; what is happening is that there is a 5 week (instead of 4 week) break between the Dec. IYH and the Royal Rumble, so a second set of tapings was added between the two events; the same thing will likely happen during the 5 week break between the Feb. IYH and WrestleMania............. the "Blue World Order" (or BWO for short) has been "taking over" ECW; "The Blue Guy," "Hollywood Bob Starr," and "Big Stevie Cool" are currently making appearances in full BWO attire, and are apparently "scouting" ECW talent to join their organization................. finally, the Headbangers, Mosh and Thrasher, debuted in the WWF on SuperStars today, and really look like they could be the real deal; the look is good, and these guys are superb in the ring; their finisher, a simultaneous powerbomb and top rope legdrop, is awesome; in SMW, these guys played more for crowd heat than anything, and as the Spiders in the WWF, they were basically jobbers; I didn't expect they'd make this positive and immediate an impact coming into the WWF as themselves. * WWF pay-per-view dates for the foreseeable future: o In Your House -- ??????????, FL -- December 15, 1996 o Royal Rumble -- San Antonio, TX -- January 19, 1997 o In Your House -- Memphis, TN -- February 16, 1997 o WrestleMania 13 -- Chicago, IL -- March 23, 1997 o In Your House -- ??????????, ?? -- April 20, 1997 o In Your House -- ??????????, ?? -- May 18, 1997 o King of the Ring -- ??????????, ?? -- June 15 or 22, 1997 -- Rick Scaia | I'm on the Web now! RSPW Posse Minister of OFFENSE | http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~ag725/ ag725@freenet.carleton.ca | Prepare to be Disappointed!!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------