Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #192 July 19th, 1999 The Opening Word: Jesse "The Body" Ventura will referee the main event at SummerSlam. The usual WWF Critics are laying into him for "selling out" to the WWF, and his not revealing how much money he will ultimately make off the deal. They seem to be under the mistaken impression that the general public here in Minnesota actually gives a sh*t. We didn't care about how much money his action figure would generate; we didn't care about how much money he'd get from his book deal; and now we certainly don't care about how much money he'll make for a few hours work on his night off. What we *do* care about, on the other hand, is the $1.3 BILLION tax rebate he secured for working Minnesotans. While Ventura's critics are joking about his "political suicide", we'll all be busy cashing rebate checks ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars (depending on one's yearly income). Ventura may well have sold out to the WWF, but a great many of us here in Minnesota have sold out to Ventura, and we will continue to do so as long as our state enjoys economic prosperity, and Ventura himself continues to do a solid job as Governor. Don't expect one night back in the WWF to make any kind of dent in his job approval numbers. I suspect quite a few of us will be using a bit of those rebate checks to see him back in the ring at SummerSlam. Don't pretend to be outraged by his actions if you don't even live in this state! Would these same critics be trashing Ventura if it was WCW he had signed a deal with? I seriously doubt it. Would WCW Critics be trashing Ventura for hooking up with WCW? Probably. I say let him do what he's going to do, and see if he adds to or detracts from the SummerSlam experience. I personally can't see any downside to his being there, which is probably what has the critics bitching so loudly. The WWF, and Ventura, are going to make a ton of money ... and WCW knows it. Moving on ... Any questions regarding ChatTHIS! 2.5? Good, keep them to yourselves. Hey, ECW had a PPV this past weekend. ... Moving on ... Goldberg and WCW have come to terms on a new agreement, so look for him to return to WCW TV soon. Tonight, perhaps? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WCW Monday Nitro: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Three Hours+. Location: Rockford, Illinois. HOUR ONE Hosted By: Scott Hudson and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - "Don't Miss a Minute!" video. WCW Logo. "Last Week" video. Intro. WCW Saturday Night announcer Scott Hudson has replaced Tony Schiavone this week. Dennis Rodman, the Insane Clown Posse and Robert "Arli$$" Wuhl will all be on the show. Wow! - Ric Flair "Abuse of Power" video package. - Sid Vicious comes out and does his "Ruler of the World" promo. He'll be facing "Hollywood" Hogan later tonight. - Nitro Girls. - FIT FINLAY vs. JERRY FLYNN Jimmy Hart appears on the big screen and taunts him with the "King of Hardcore" trophy he stole last week. Hart says Finlay can get it back at Road Wild. Flynn is a "surprise opponent", based on Scott Hudson's reactions. Flynn gets most of the fan support as he works over Finlay. Fit then stages a comeback, only to run from the ring to try and catch Hart outside the building. Jimmy tries to hide under a charter bus, busting the hardcore trophy in the process. Finlay is about to get his hands on Hart when he's jumped by the other First family members: Brian Knobbs, Hugh Morrus and Meng. They stomp Fit into the concrete. Lodi and Lenny Lane are in a meeting with J.J. Dillon. J.J. says he is reviewing whether or not to renew their contracts, but has some problems with the way they filled them out. Dillon says he knows all about them, that he didn't come out of a closet, and that they need to sign their real last names (like Stevie Ray, Booker T. and the Windhams). Dillon says he knows they're BROTHERS. They act relieved, and sign their new contracts. Dillon suffers a hearing problem when they ask for a raise. So, was this the punchline planned from the start, or just as easy way to kill off the gay angle? Can't say as I care much either way. - "Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews "Hollywood" Hogan, who says nothing worth repeating here. - Sting/Flair video, hyping their match tonight. - LODI (w/ Lenny lane) vs. NORMAN SMILEY Lenny comes out prancing and sucking on a lollipop. This match features about a dozen moves, half of which look good, the other half not. Why can Smiley do a great scoop slam, but he can't competently whip someone across the ring? Every time he does his Big Wiggle the camera cuts away. Smiley wins with a roll-up. He then celebrates with the Big Wiggle, causing Lodi and Lenny to copy him. The camera quickly cuts away. I don't understand what WCW hopes to accomplish by coming off as so gay. Honestly, there's this serious "queer" vibe running through this whole company. DJ Ran plays a record put out by the SSSUUUUUURRRRGGGGGEEE!!!!! label. - Eric Bischoff joins the announce team. Another Sting/Flair video package (or the same one replayed--wasn't paying attention). HOUR TWO Hosted By: Scott Hudson and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - RIC FLAIR (w/ Arn Anderson, Asya & Charles Robinson) vs. STING Bischoff blames all of WCW's ills on Ric Flair, who he says has run this company in one way or the other since about 1989. Hey Eric, you're not going to cozy up to the "smarts" by lying to them. They know better. Bischoff again apologizes for his mistakes, saying he helped keep the younger guys down in favor of the vets like Flair. How sincere is a worked apology? Sting starts off by giving referee Robinson the Stinger Deathdrop, taking him out of the match. Another referee takes his place. The usual match between these two, which means it's good, but we've all seen it. Arn pops the ref when things get hot. Sting nails Arn. Sid comes out and blasts Sting. Flair applies the Figure Four, and a third referee is in to make the count, but Sting gets a shoulder up. The action continues, with Sting beating up Flair, Arn and Asya. He then puts Flair in the Scorpion Leglock, but there's no ref (he was wiped out by a Stinger Splash). Bischoff goes in, checks on Flair, and calls for the bell, giving Sting the win and control of WCW. Umm ... by what authority is Bischoff making this call? Sid comes back out and clotheslines Sting and Bischoff. Eric staggers (only stunned by the same blow which knocks Sting completely out). Sid gives him a powerbomb. Hogan comes out for the save, ending one of the most contrived, manipulative segments I've ever seen. Rumor has it that Sting will now hand "control of WCW" over to Bischoff. I'm all for that, if Bischoff subsequently removes himself from television. If not, don't expect me to lay off him anytime soon. - RICK STEINER vs. HORACE HOGAN Kevin Nash comes out and hits Horace with a chair, allowing Steiner to get the win. Hogan then comes back out, asking Nash what the deal is? Nash says he lied to Hogan before, that this is *real* personal. Great, Hogan's back two weeks and already he's got his nephew back in the storylines. Ed Leslie can't be too far behind. SEE WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU CHEER FOR HOGAN! If John Tenta, Kamala or the One Man Gang show up in the next few weeks, you have no one to blame but yourselves. - Nitro Girls. - EDDIE GUERRERO vs. PSYCHOSIS Good match, though a bit short. Eddie wins with the Frog Splash. He's then attacked by La Parka and some of the others he humiliated last week (or was it the week before? Why did Eddie do that anyway?) Rey Mysterio comes out for the save, shaking Eddie's hand afterward. Okay, so Eddie--the heel--makes fun of the luchadores, then gets his ass stomped by them. So why is Rey Rey saving him? There's just no logic to any of this. I guess I should just shut up and be happy that Eddie may be turning babyface ... yet I'm a bit uncomfortable with the whole concept that I'M IN THE WRONG for spotting WCW's lapses in logic. It's like WCW is saying "oh, just shut up and enjoy it." Yeah, well screw you WCW. Stevie Ray gripes about the New Jersey Triad. Brian Adams and Vincent could care less, despite assurances that they have his back. - KANYON (w/ Diamond Dallas Page & Bam Bam Bigelow) vs. STEVIE RAY Stevie Ray wins with an ugly Pedigree. DDP and BBB attack. Booker T. makes the save. Harlem Heat will reunite, and vie for the Tag Team Titles. Will WCW screw the fans again? Buy Road Wild and find out. HOUR THREE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - Actor Robert Wuhl joins the announce team. Wuhl, known for such movies as "Bull Durham" and "Batman", currently stars as "Arliss Michaels" on the HBO series "Arli$$", about the trials and tribulations of a sports agent. Isn't HBO part of the Time Warner family? Why yes, I believe it is. An upcoming episode of "Arli$$" will be featuring some WCW stars. Wuhl, who will referred to by his character name "Arliss" from this point on, is there to do color commentary for the next match, and is awaiting the arrival of Dennis Rodman, so he can sign him as a client. Yes, friends, they have brought in a well known actor to play his TV character. WCW IS SO F#@%ING STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 - RANDY SAVAGE (w/ Gorgeous George & Miss Madness) vs. KIDMAN Kidman has little to work with here, so some token offense aside, the match is all Savage beating him up. At one point he chokes him with some Slim Jims. I'm not kidding. Miss Madness accidentally nails Savage with a drop-kick off the top. She may be the best wrestler in WCW. Savage then drops the elbow off the top, and covers, but picks him up before the ref can count through. Savage punks out the ref, and drops another elbow on Kidman. Out comes Dennis Rodman, to ... make ... the save? Dressed like a street corner pimp, Rodman nails Savage with a small travel bag. "Arliss" quickly enters the ring, telling him that fighting Savage here, on free TV, will ruin their PPV profits. Officials flood the ring to keep Savage away from Rodman. A guy with a huge ass tries to interview Rodman, but the Worm says nothing. (Turns out it's our missing announcer, Tony Schiavone!) Arliss asks the crowd if they'd like to see these two go at it on PPV? Little reaction from the crowd. Savage says he'll make Rodman his bitch. Then, as if things couldn't get any weirder, Madusa (wearing the silliest outfit I've seen yet) comes in and attacks Miss Madness. The cameramen have to work hard to avoid glaringly obvious shots of Madusa's bare ass. ESPN ought to have a field day with all this. ... I'm nearly speechless. Best to just block the whole segment out and move on. - EL VAMPIRO vs. KONNAN Not much a match here, as the Insane Clown Posse run in and attack Konnan. They are followed by Raven, who does his usual cool detached bit and just watches from the apron. A high school teenager--I mean Rey Mysterio--runs in for the save, but winds up clobbered as well. One of the ICP do a moonsault. Vampiro lays Rey out with a Juvi Driver. Is the crowd chanting for Goldberg? Signs in the crowd say "Rap is Crap". Doesn't that apply to both teams here? You know, the ICP were good for two things in the WWF: the good theme song they recorded for the Oddities, and getting their asses kicked. In ECW too they got their asses kicked (by Sabu and Rob Van Dam). Now they're in WCW and they kill Konnan. Doesn't that say something about the level of competition in WCW? Seriously, I think the whole reason the ICP choose WCW over the WWF is because WCW is stupid enough to put them over the wrestlers. I will admit that Vampiro, Raven and the ICP do make an interesting group. - Nitro Girls. - LENGTHY clips from last week are shown. - Buff Bagwell, with his head shaved (or wearing a latex skullcap), and his skin dyed, comes out with some guy wearing a Sonny Onoo mask. Buff launches into an Ernest Miller imitation. This goes on for a bit, until the Cat and the real Onoo come out. Miller pulls his ruby slipper out of a briefcase and knocks out Bagwell. Miller covers, and Onoo counts three. Only a slightly funny bit, the crowd was pretty much killed when Miller got the upper hand again. Is any of this worth seeing Bagwell get his "revenge" by pinning Miller at a future match (on PPV most likely)? These two weeks working with Miller have killed most of the heat Bagwell had built coming out of the "Young vs. Old" feud. - CURT HENNIG/BARRY WINDHAM vs. CHRIS BENOIT/SATURN Is this still the "Young vs. Old" feud? Another match we're supposed to forget about, as WCW drops yet another "surprise" on us tonight. Kendall Windham and Bobby Duncum help Curt and Barry beat on Benoit and Saturn. Dean Malenko tries to help, but it's still four-on-three. Shane Douglas then runs in and clears house. Grabbing a mic, he says it's time the young guys like Benoit, Saturn and Malenko took over WCW. And Douglas shall lead them. As feared, few in the crowd show any sign of recognition. A few fans chant "E-C-W!" - Nitro Girls. - "HOLLYWOOD" HOGAN vs. SID The "WrestleMania Revenge" tour continues. Last week it was WrestleMania V. This week it's WrestleMania VIII. They did WrestleMania VI last fall with the Ultimate Warrior. I'm telling you, King Kong Bundy is missing out on some sure money by not calling WCW! Sid sucks. Hogan ain't much better. They do give it their all here, though, God bless 'em. Kevin Nash runs in, causing a DQ. Sting tries to make the save, but he's followed by Rick Steiner. With the show running way over, Goldberg eventually makes his way to the ring (his old theme music replaced by that Megadeth song "Crush 'Em"). I smell a six-man tag match next week. - This Thursday: Nothing announced. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: Nice to see WCW finally come through on most of the stuff they've been promising for the last month: Shane Douglas, Insane Clown Posse, Dennis Rodman, Goldberg, etc. It made for the most surprise filled show in ages. I think that's about all it had going for it, though. One or two okay matches aside, and the surprises notwithstanding, this was another in a long line of bad shows. Embarrassingly bad, actually, depending on which parts you choose to focus on. I'm sure, though, that this will be hailed by some as the Greatest Nitro Ever, or at least the most awesome in many months. The bit with Robert Wuhl pretending to be Arliss quickly joins Chucky and Robocop on the list of WCW's darkest moments. It's embarrassing to see WCW whore itself out to the other branches of the Time Warner tree. It's one thing to plug these corporate siblings, and another to bring on their talent for some cross-promotion, but actually using them in the guise of the characters they play, as if those characters were real people, that's pretty bad. They didn't even have the common courtesy to have the announcers be on our side, wondering "what is Robert doing? Does he think he really *is* Arliss?" I think back to that time William Shatner was on RAW, and how mortifying it would have been if Shatner suddenly started acting like he was Captain Kirk, and Vince McMahon had played along! It was bad enough when Jim Ross conducted a telephone interview with that pig from "Duckman". Rodman vs. Savage? If it goes down, it could be the worst match ever. I'm serious. Just think back to how bad a match it was against Diamond Dallas Page, and DDP is an okay wrestler. Savage is terrible. Neither of these two can do an interview to save their lives. And need I remind WCW that if they do this match at Road Wild in Sturgis, they'll once again be facing a crowd which, how do I put this delicately ... isn't exactly on the side of minorities? Fifteen thousand drunken bikers may not be the crowd which you try to pass off Dennis Rodman as the good guy. (Didn't Stevie Ray or Booker T. get hit by a beer bottle there a few years back?) I can't think of many WCW fans in general who would want to cheer for Rodman. His whole public image is one of being a "bad guy". Looks like WCW is once again ignoring the predisposition of their fans. WCW is clearly hanging their hopes of a turnaround on celebrities, new talent, and Hulk Hogan. I'm always amused by the concept that a company is "so good" that they have to rely on outside talent to save their asses. All the things fans will consider "cool" about WCW this week (Norman Smiley, Arliss, Dennis Rodman, Raven, ICP, Shane Douglas, Goldberg) weren't even with the company last week! Stuff like this should just enhance what's already there, not be considered what's best about the company. WCW pretty much shot whatever load they may have had this week. All they have left now is Scott Hall, whenever he comes back. And Bret Hart. Hogan's return last week gave them a little nudge in the ratings, but not enough to make any dent in the WWF's ratings. If Hogan's return was a success, the numbers should be even better this week (especially with all the new stuff they brought in). Some of this better start paying off in ratings soon. If not, it's a sure sign that WCW needs to do more than just go for the pop and sizzle of celebs and hotshot angles. More on this below. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WWF RAW is WAR: Live/Taped: Taped 7/13. Length: Two Hours+. Location: Lexington, Kentucky. WWF RAW Hosted By: Jim Ross and Kevin Kelly. - "Austin versus McMahon" video package. - The Corporate Ministry wheels Vince McMahon to the ring. Only Chyna is absent, as she is presumably backstage getting ready for her "Dog Pound" match against Road Dogg (a match made on Heat). On the mic, McMahon immediately launches into talk about the "End of an Era" this Sunday, as either he will disappear from WWF TV forever, or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will never again get a shot at the WWF Championship. McMahon guarantees Austin will lose the title. He then goes a bit far by suggesting the Undertaker's career is on the line too, as McMahon will hold him responsible for beating Austin. The Man from the Dark Side takes offense, and gets right in McMahon's face. Triple H steps in, launching into the Undertaker by suggesting that McMahon can't trust or rely on him. Helmsley offers up his own loyalty as proof that he deserves the shot against Austin, not the Undertaker. The two nearly come to blows. McMahon proposes a match between the two tonight, with the winner facing Austin at the PPV. The loser will face the Rock in a "Strap Match" (first announced on Heat, I believe). Either way, says McMahon, the Corporation wins. ***KEE-RASH!*** Here comes Steve Austin, driving the local bloodmobile. Parking at the edge of the crowd, Austin takes a spot on the roof of the vehicle, toasting McMahon with a few fingers and Steveweisers. Austin promises that before the night is done, he will draw blood from McMahon. There's Chyna, and the Road Dogg, backstage awaiting their match. - Vince is hiding out in a small room, worried about what Austin may do to him. Shane McMahon says everything will be okay. Triple H assures him that if McMahon takes care of him, he'll take care of McMahon. - ROAD DOGG vs. CHYNA The last "Dog Pound Match" on RAW seemed to be named such because it was the Road Dogg who got pounded on. The same happens here, as "Mr. Ass" Billy Gunn comes out almost immediately and helps Chyna work the Dogg over. Road Dogg is hung by his collar from the top rope. X-Pac comes out for the save. There's a knock on the door and Vince freaks. Turns out to be the Mean Streets Posse. - Shane leads his posse to the ring. There he calls for his sister Stephanie to come out, so he can apologize for accidentally elbowing her last week. Backstage, Test is trying to convince Stephanie not to go out. She says she will be okay, and makes her way to the ring. Shane apologizes to her, blames the situation on Test, and tells her that Joey Abs (of the Posse) is willing to take her back. She says she wants nothing to do with him. Abs takes a turn on the mic, saying he'll take her back. She slaps him across the face, and tells them to stay out of her life. The Rock is in the back dealing with an autograph-seeking fan named "Mark". The joke there is self-evident. - VAL VENIS/GODFATHER vs. ACOLYTES vs. HARDY BOYZ vs. DROZ/PRINCE ALBERT Four team elimination match for the Tag Team Titles (held by the Hardy Boyz). The Godfather's got a choice assortment of Ho's with him this week. Before the match they show some clips from the Ventura press conference. Droz and Prince Albert are eliminated first, when Bradshaw totals Albert with the Clothesline From Hell. The Acolytes are then eliminated after the Godfather whacks Bradshaw with his cane. Godfather hits the Ho train on Matt. Val goes up top for the Money Shot, but he's knocked off. Jeff sends Val to the canvas with a huracanrana, then Matt covers for the pin, winning the match. Jeff Jarrett and Debra are in the building. - "GTV" now has a fancy video opener. This week we see Ben Stiller ("There's Something About Mary"), Janeanne Garofalo, Paul Reubens ("Pee Wee Herman") and some other guy, discussing wrestling and their forthcoming film, "Mystery Men". Stiller says he'd rather see Debra's puppies than watch his own movie. He then spots the camera filming them, at which point the signal cuts out. An odd celebrity cameo, and a pretty blatant plug for "Mystery Men". Still, at least none of them thought they were their movie characters. - JEFF JARRETT (w/ Debra) vs. CHRISTIAN Jerry Lawler replaces Michael Cole (who has done an adequate job thus far). Jarrett again does his bit about nobody getting to see Debra's puppies, and how Steve Austin should stay away from his Intercontinental Title after he loses the WWF Championship to the Undertaker. The match is a quickie, with Christian having a pin cover, but Debra has the ref tied up. There's some brief action on the floor, then back in the ring Jarrett gets the pin following a reverse Russian legsweep. The lights then go out and Jarrett receives a bloodbath. Edge comes out to check on Christian. Jarrett, thinking Edge gave him the bloodbath, scraps it up with him. The Rock is up next. In another part of the building, Triple H sends Chyna out to deal with their "problem". WWF WAR ZONE Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler. - Jarrett tells Terry Taylor that at the PPV, he's going to get "gothic" on Edge's ass. - THE ROCK vs. "MR. ASS" BILLY GUNN Chyna makes her presence felt and, late in the match, clocks the Rock with a steel chair. Gunn gets the upset pin. Austin ... pacing. - In the back, McMahon and Triple H are looking over the contract for the Austin/Undertaker match at Fully Loaded. Triple H has pointed out something to McMahon, which has Vince highly pleased. No doubt he noticed that Austin forgot to sign the contract last week. - AL SNOW (w/ Head) vs. THE BIG BOSSMAN Head still has the big railroad spike stuck in it. Snow throws some chairs into the ring. He's snapped, and asks the Bossman to hit him. The Bossman does, with his nightstick, and then handcuffs him to the ropes to deliver further punishment. Huh? Whatever. - EDGE/D'LO BROWN vs. GANGREL/MIDEON Edge and D'Lo show a lot more teamwork than their opponents. D'Lo pins Mideon with the Frog Splash. More clips from the Ventura press conference. - TEST vs. STEVE BLACKMAN Test looks like he may have the upper hand, so of course Shane and the Mean Streets Posse do a run-in. Ken Shamrock makes the save. Hey, are they still both in the Union? The Undertaker is preparing. - There's Blackman, once again cooly exiting the building. - KANE/X-PAC vs. "THE BIG SHOW" PAUL WIGHT/"HARDCORE" HOLLY "Big Show" gets a real kick out of Holly telling him what to do. The match gets underway, then is halted by the arrival of the Undertaker. X-Pac gets a chokeslam, Wight takes the steel steps to the back of his head, and the Undertaker then dumps the steps on Holly. Kane isn't sure what to make of all this. Once he sees the replay of X-Pac getting chokeslammed, though, he turns on the Undertaker and chokeslams him! X-Pac gives his big buddy a hug. - HUNTER HEARST HELMSLEY (w/ Chyna) vs. THE UNDERTAKER Vince McMahon is wheeled to a spot at ringside. He will cheer for Triple H during the match. Austin comes out early in the match, attacking the Undertaker. The Rock then comes out to handle Triple H, and the two disappear through the crowd. Austin and the Undertaker fight their way over to the bloodmobile, in which Austin deposits the Undertaker. Austin tracks down McMahon, stunning him with a fist to the head. He then nails him with his "Smoking Skull" title belt. McMahon is busted open, a real bloody mess. Vince is dumped from his wheelchair. Austin then grabs the Fully Loaded contract and signs it at the announce desk, closing that loophole. Paul Bearer then appears and lets the Undertaker out of the bloodmobile. The Undertaker attacks Austin back at the ring, using a crushed beer can to reopen the cut he gave Austin two weeks ago. He dumps Austin at ringside, next to McMahon, and stands over the two on the apron holding aloft the WWF Title belt, as the show fades out (having run a good three minutes longer than usual). - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: Full PPV hype mode this week, as none of the matches did much more than flesh out the storylines leading to Fully Loaded. Speaking of which, here is the card: * Steve Austin vs. Undertaker. "First Blood" for the WWF Championship. * The Rock vs. Triple H. "Strap Match". * Jeff Jarrett vs. Edge. Intercontinental Title Match. * The Hardyz & Michael Hayes vs. the Acolytes. Tag Title Handicap Match. * Road Dogg & X-Pac vs. Billy Gunn & Chyna. Winner owns "DX". * "Big Show" vs. Kane. "Hardcore" Holly special guest referee. * Mideon vs. D'Lo Brown. European Title Match. I may skip this PPV and wait for SummerSlam. I'm not sure if this whole "End of an Era" thing is enough to get me to lay down another $30. At least the WWF fixed the spelling on that "Millennium" counter. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bottom Line: Speaking of WWF Critics, I came across something Mark Madden wrote about a year ago regarding WCW and its success at that time. I don't have an exact quote here in front of me, but the gist of it was how dare we fans on the Internet question WCW in the slightest, since it was doing so well money-wise. Anyone out there remember that? My, how the times have changed. I'd like to see his response if a fan on the Internet tried to use that defense on behalf of the WWF. If it's the WWF you can questions the means to the end, but with WCW no one could question them because the ends was a means unto itself. So Madden, and the people running WCW, ignored the criticisms and complaints of the fans, and look what happened to the company: total meltdown. WCW and its fans can bitch all they want about the WWF's "controversial" side--crucifixions, profanity, sex and such--but to do so while ignoring all the OTHER things that the WWF has done right, that borders on stupidity. The WWF keeps giving the fans what they want, and has also managed to listen to their complaints along the way. They've learned from many of their mistakes. Even the things WCW complain about have been toned down, cut back, or done away with altogether. When was the last time the Undertaker "symbolified" someone? When was the last time someone's puppies "accidentally" fell out? How many months has it been now--nine or ten--since Mark Henry had his genitals clamped? The WWF does continue to skirt the edge of good taste, which is what most of these complaints are about, and at any time could pull off the latest stunt which will get WCW and its defenders' panties all in a bunch. Yet week after week has gone by without the WWF needing to resort to such tactics, leaving WCW to complain about transgressions which are left further and further in the past: or new ones which have turned out to offend fewer people than WCW hoped. Jesse Ventura at SummerSlam is one of these "controversies". Most wrestling fans, no matter what side of the fence they are on, are probably more than a bit interested in seeing what he will do at the PPV. WCW does itself a grave disservice to raise a stink about a matter in which their own fans may be of a different opinion than they are. It makes them look petty, and gives WCW Critics like myself good ammo to use against them. What will hurt WCW far more, though, is if their own fans take offense to them. Were I a WCW fan I'd be asking myself "what is WCW complaining about? Didn't they just hose us with that Master P crap? And now Dennis FREAKIN' Rodman?!" Those in WCW are the last ones who should be taking shots at the WWF bringing in a celebrity. Maybe it is the WWF's skirting the edge which has pushed their business through the roof, but it's also their attention to storylines, angles and characters which helped them surpass WCW (I'm starting to sound like Jim Ross here). It's also WCW's inattention to such things which have hurt them. I've written on their deficiencies at great length in recent weeks (months). WCW needs to wake up to the fact that it's not only what the WWF is doing that is beating them, it's also what WCW itself is doing (or failing to do). Stop taking potshots at the guys who are kicking you ass, and start focusing on your own product. I don't expect them to listen to someone like me, even though the things I've complained about for so long have definitely lead to a decrease in business for WCW. Like it or not, a number of things I've pointed out have been valid criticisms, identifying problems which have led to WCW's decline. Ignore the stuff I say because of my WWF bias, or things based solely on personal taste, and there's still plenty left which simply have to do with the fact that I was once a WCW fan, and I desperately want to be one again. Those are the most valid complaints, and it's the ones which have led to WCW losing a huge chunk of their audience. That's what WCW doesn't get when they criticize something like the WWF bringing back Jesse Ventura--a move which has excited most WWF fans. WCW should ask themselves this question: when their critics complained about Master P (as just one example), was this something that most WCW fans were excited about? How many of WCW's own diehard fans were excited about Megadeth? Or bringing Dennis Rodman back? Or this upcoming KISS thing? The WWF, while it may turn a deaf ear to the complaints of the WCW faithful, have been pretty good about listening to the complaints of their own fans. Angles that aren't working are dropped. Characters and acts that truly offend are toned down, or dropped altogether. If something is broken, they fix it. And while WCW may not like it, the WWF shows no signs of abandoning that policy. It's not simply a philosophy of "give the fans what they want". It's much more involved and complicated than that. So, going back to the thing Mark Madden said about success being its own defense, that may well be true, so long as the fans continue to have a say in fostering that success. WCW seemed to lose sight of that--oh, let's say, about the time they brought in the Ultimate Warrior last year. I'm not blaming that one thing for WCW's entire turnaround, mind you, merely pointing it out one example of many where WCW had a chance to listen to their own fans, and refused to do so. WCW thought they were smarter than their fans. A fancier word for it is "hubris". Maybe it's time for those at the highest levels of WCW, and I'm talking about those even above Eric Bischoff, to step in and address some of the problems the company is suffering from. I wrote last week about WCW lacking drama and emotion. That has come about due to a leadership problem. Too many people backstage are calling the shots, without looking at the wants and needs of the fans and company first. Whether the blame lies with Kevin Nash's selfish booking, or Hogan's ego, or Eric Bischoff's inability to make the right decisions ... someone needs to step in and establish a direction for the company. They need to look at what has worked, and get rid of what hasn't. Nash, Hogan and Bischoff themselves have admitted as much in recent interviews. The problem is, each one thinks they are the one who can fix things. Do I even need to go into why that's such a bad idea? Time Warner, Ted Turner, whoever it is that directly holds WCW's purse strings, they should step in and make some changes now before it's too late. (Some would say it already us.) Merely throwing money at a problem, or copying what the WWF does, that won't cut it. Eric Bischoff could make a go at fixing things, but he's going to have to make some drastic choices. The biggest, and most obvious, is to remove himself from an on-screen role. He can't coach the team AND play on the court. He's got to whip the ego's in line. He has to put together a booking committee that can work without having their storylines overruled or canceled. The days of pushing one's next-door neighbor or their karate instructor are over. He needs to pick people who can come up with fresh storylines, or at least ways of making old ones seem fresh. They have to think better about contingencies, such as injuries, fan reaction and the veto power held by the likes of Hogan. It makes no sense to put so much time and/or money into a storyline which could be sabotaged by a wrestler getting hurt, the fans not getting into it, or a someone refusing to do a job. More bad ideas have to be stopped at the planning stages, rather than allowing them to see the light of day and turn off the fans. You can kill an angle, but you can't as easily kill the bad taste you've left in the fans' mouths. And for God's sake, figure out who your fans are and what they want to see! It's simply retarded to do something which will only be appreciated by a small percentage of your fans, and be derided by the majority (*cough*Master P*cough*). It's the company's business to know BEFOREHAND whether or not something like that will work. If you must experiment, go ahead, but don't blow a half million bucks each time you do so. I'm doubtful Eric Bischoff can do all these things, but if he can, then more power to him. In any event, it's about time somebody gave it a try. Okay, I'm running on now, but I guess if you're still reading this far along ... WCW needs to acknowledge in real time when some things fail. It doesn't help when something obviously tanks, and they ignore it or try and cover it up by declaring the show to once again be "the greatest [Nitro, PPV, match] EVER!" Worse yet, it does absolutely no good to blame the fans when something fails (or "succeeds" in the wrong way). Do you know that before Hogan won the title last week on Nitro, the show went something like EIGHTEEN SHOWS without a clean pinfall finish in its main event?! Of course Hogan didn't exactly get a clean win last week either, so the count currently stands at NINETEEN SHOWS. (It's actually 20 weeks, because there was one week when Nitro wasn't on.) Adding in this week's show, and the count hits TWENTY SHOWS (21 weeks). The last time a Nitro main event didn't have a DQ, run-in or screwjob finish was back on March 1st. That night Goldberg and Rick Steiner beat Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell, with Rick cleanly pinning Buff. The last time there was a clean finish in a singles match was ... was ... well, sometime back in 1998! The first Nitro of the year featured the match where Nash lay down and let Hogan pin him, so it's not as if that one counts. They came close on February 2nd, when Scott Hall beat Chris Benoit. Kevin Nash came out and distracted Benoit, allowing Hall to hit the Outsider's Edge. There was also the night DDP beat Scott Steiner when Kimberly came out of the crowd and hit Steiner in the head with a steel chair. We're talking about SIX-AND-A-HALF MONTHS with only ONE or TWO clean finish main event, devoid of outside interference or use of foreign objects. Is it any mystery then why the fans so often change the channel during Nitro's main event? It doesn't really matter *what* the WWF is doing so long as WCW has a track record like that going for itself this year. Well, I ended up branching off into too many different trains of thought to tidily sum up, so let me just wrap up by saying--LOOK OVER THERE!!! (*sneaks out the back door*) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 1999 by John Petrie, and all opinions expressed therein are his own, and not those of "USLink". Check the "Slobberknocker Central" main page for info on how to receive the "Recap" free via E-Mail every week. Volume One, Number 192 of the "Monday Night Recap", July 19th, 1999.