From: hekunze@watmsg.waterloo.edu (Herb Kunze) Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling Subject: Wrestling TidBits - 03/29 Keywords: Wrestling... Message-ID: <35780@watmath.waterloo.edu> Date: 29 Mar 90 20:58:43 GMT Sender: daemon@watmath.waterloo.edu Distribution: rec Lines: 151 Posted: Thu Mar 29 21:58:43 1990 - WWF Exodus: Red Rooster (to Rooster heaven; who'll dare touch this guy?), Tony Schiavone (back to the NWA). - Seems that the Midnight Express and Jim Cornette are still having problems with the NWA bookers who still want to split up the act. It's rumoured that Stan, Bobby, and Jim may just leave the organization. I wouldn't blame them since they haven't been put to proper use in a year. I mean they set up this feud with Pillman & Zenk and then downplayed it when it could be the hottest thing they have going. Jeez. - Yup, as we all would have guessed, Norman's box contained Abdullah The Butcher, who'll hang around till mid summer. - It seems that Arn Anderson just ain't healing all that fast. Rumour has him out for up to a year. - WWF Bound: Rumours have Paul Diamond jumping from the AWA to the NWA after WrestleMania. Hopefully he'll reform a team with Pat Tanaka. - Well, it's sad to say but the CNWA seems to be going downhill. Although they've listed some good talent as coming in, these names have yet to show, leaving only smaller league players in the organization. This is great for them because they actually get to work some good angles and I am starting to see a fair bit of potential in some of them. But it's sad when compared to the awesome success that Stampede Wrestling once had. Until things pick up (I'm still optimistic), I won't bother posting anything about the CNWA. - The Ultimate Warrior was on Arsenio Hall last night. Arsenio introduced him with just a few minutes left in the program - I guess he blows up quickly during interviews too. After running through the audience and turning over Arsenio's furniture, the Warrior actually sat still for a few seconds. I really don't understand how the grunting, growling, wild animal image he brought across is supposed to keep him a babyface. Arsenio asked him if he wanted to be called "Ultimate" or "Warrior" or what. The Warrior rambled that only those who have made the sacrifice can call him UW, others call him Ultimate Warrior. Huh? Arsenio had some great facial expressions during the ~3 question interview, expressions that said "What the hell is he saying??" It didn't work for me. - There was an interesting article in the Toronto Star on the weekend. As you might imagine, with Toronto being the host city for WrestleMania every pseudo-journalist/quasi-fan is writing some sort of wrestling article. This one had some revealing quotes from Steve Planamenta, Manager of Media Relations for TitanSports. It opened with: "We see ourselves as a family organization, along the lines of Disney. When you go into a Disney property you see the Mouse ears, you hear the music, you recognize the characters. It's clean. It's neat. And you know you're in Disneyland." The writer goes on to say that most of the wrestling world is holding its breath in anticipation of the WM main event. "So am I," says Steve Planamenta. "Who knows how it'll turn out? I'm as interested as the next person. But the strength of our product is that we are able to change it to meet the changing demands of the fans. Our demographics show that the Ultimate Warrior appeals to the younger fans; the kids, the ones who are starting to come to the matches. The audience of the future, if you will." Hmmm. You wouldn't want the audience of the future's future champion to lose to the current champion, would you? "Our demographics are completely different from those of other quote-unquote professional wrestling organizations. Most of theirs are still the midnight sneakers; males 18 to 24. Ours are 38% women, and a lot of children. The message is, we're delivering mainstream family sports entertainment. So far, Hulk has been the perfect symbol of that product." The writer goes on to speak to Randy Savage. Personal questions? Sorry. Never whether his name is really is really Randy Poffo, ex-St. Louis Cardinals baseball player. Nor whether he is truly married to the lovely Elizabeth, his erstwhile manager. Savage chooses to concentrate on his personal philosophy. "Everybody's their own manager. TCOB. That's Take Care Of your Body. If you don't work, too bad, in sports or any walk of life. Follow a 24-hour-a-day plan. Check in, get up, go to a gym. I'm a bobcat type mentality. It's a lifestyle. Everybody doesn't have to work out with me, but achievers like to hang around achievers. Discipline, you said the right word. If you're not disciplined, you're not world class. Hey, it's rough, but it's a lucrative field. You gotta stay hungry. And you keep you're feet on the ground it means there's less distance to fall." Blah, blah, blah. Next we talk about Vince McMahon, who brought marketing into wrestling. He put seven masters of sports administration in his promotions department. Vince McMahon made the Hulk. And by heaven and marketing research, Vince McMahon can break him. "What Vince McMahon did," Steve Planamenta explains, "is take the product of the past and infuse it with a new kind of excitement. A type of charisma that he had the idea for, that no one else had, or could have, put forth. And provide a product that gives full value for the consumer's discretionary entertainment dollar." And to sum it up, Steve says, "Can this last forever? I hope so. Because I believe that we'll always have the vision to keep the product changing. So we can give the fans what we know they want." - WrestleMania VI Predictions: I figured I'd look into my crystal ball and see what kind of predictions I come up with: 1. Hart Foundation will walk over the Bolsheviks and win as faces. 2. Rowdy Roddy Piper will win by DQ/countout over Bad News Brown; one last hurrah before Piper enters the TV world with Jesse Ventura in "Tag Team" which has apparently been picked up by CBS. 3. Big Boss Man will pin Akeem. 4. Curt Hennig will beat Brutus Beefcake with the help of Lanny Poffo. 5. Hercules will do a stretcher job for the Earthquake. 6. Barbarian will beat Tito Santana, since he'll presumably need a singles push. 7. Rick Rude will pin Jimmy Snuka. 8. Dino Bravo will pin Duggan. Duggan is being downgraded, and Bravo needs to redeem himself after jobbing for Hogan and Warrior. 9. Rick Martel will walk right over Koko B. Ware. 10. The Rockers will probably lose to the Orient Express in a screw job ending (salt?). Then again, Sato is apparently missing cards (with Fuji subbing) because of his involvement in Japan and Paul Diamond is supposed to be coming in. I wouldn't mind seeing Sato do a job, allowing Tanaka to join up with Diamond in the near future. 11. Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire will beat Randy Savage and Sherri Martel when Sapphire pins Sherri. This will lead into an argument between Savage and Sherri...to be resolved later. 12. Ted DiBiase will get a screw job win over Jake Roberts, who will probably DDT either Ted or Virgil after the match while the other one runs off with the million dollar belt. This will set Jake up nicely for a future feud with Martel (will he be part of the screw job?) and Ted is of course going to move on to the BBM. 13. Demolition will regain the tag straps from Andre & Haku. I hate to say it, but Andre's retirement is definitely fast approaching. I agree that he'll probably go out after a face turn. I wouldn't be surprised if the Hart Foundation play a role in the after match scene. Perhaps they'll watch the match from ringside, having made their world title aspirations known a short while back - this will be noted as a scouting mission by the announcers. Then, after the match, when Heenan is getting pounded by Demolition (or Andre? nah) the Harts will enter the ring to save him, solidifying their allegiance with Heenan, becoming heel number one contenders, and washing over the loss of Andre & Haku (who will also be all but done after the title loss). 14. The Hogan/Warrior match is tough to call. I think there will be a definite pinfall victory for one man, although it might be controversial. And I have to pick Hogan to be that man. In the drivel between matches, look for the SheepWhackers to interrupt Greg Valentine and Honky Tonk Man and smash their guitars over their heads. I'm hoping that the Rona Barrett interview with Elizabeth will be interrupted by Sherri Martel, and Savage already upset with Sherri about the loss, will come to Liz' rescue. Savage has been badly misused since his WWF title reign, and a face turn is in the wind. Herb... *********************************************************************** * Herb Kunze * "Whether you like it or not, * * Applied Math Department * learn to live with it, 'cause * * University of Waterloo * I'm the best thing going today!" * * hekunze@watmsg.waterloo.edu * - Ric 'Nature Boy' Flair * ***********************************************************************