Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling From: hekunze@violet.uwaterloo.ca (Herb Kunze) Subject: Wrestling TidBits - 09/30 Message-ID: Sender: news@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca (USENET News System) Organization: University of Waterloo Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1993 21:10:23 GMT Lines: 130 - Have you ever thought that you were going to have a pretty good steak for dinner and then ended up having hamburger? Both major Toronto newspapers mentioned that Bret Hart would be the guest on today's "Dini Petty Show," a talk show filmed in Toronto. The show airs in Edmonton (and probably across much of the country) on the CTV television network, so I tuned in this morning. Well, there was a wrestling guest - Hulk Hogan. Sigh. He was hyping "Mr. Nanny," which is slated to open in the next week, I believe. The interview was the usual safe tripe and they made it sound like this was Hogan's first movie ever and never mentioned that its release had been on hold since January because of poor preview audience reactions. The only comments of some note were: - Hogan mentioned that he just got back from a Japan wrestling tour. He said that wrestling in Japan is "Greco-Roman college style" stuff, with "less action off the ropes." That sounds a bit like UWFi, but nothing like New Japan. - He said that he really had no intention to return to wrestling on a schedule that takes him away from home for much of the year. He said working occasional dates in big cities, "like in Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens," would be okay, but his kids are now 3 and 5 years old and he wants to stay home with them. - His group's album will be released in four weeks. The group is called "Hulk Hogan's Wrestling Boot Trash Can Band." The album features a mix of musical styles from funky to country to rock. He said that the group includes Jimmy Hart and mentioned his musical career. He said the other wrestlers in the group were Hillbilly Jim, Brutus Beefcake, Koko B. Ware, and Typhoon. - He mentioned his TV show, which has been picked up for syndication. This prompted Dini to ask if he's ever failed at anything. Hogan responded, "I can't dropkick." Well, that's the start of a list anyhow. I was hoping he'd say "a steroid test." The Toronto Star today reported that Bret Hart would instead be appearing on MuchMusic this afternoon. - "Ladies and Gentleman, I have an announcement to make. Shawn Michaels has left the WWF." Officially, Shawn Michaels has been indefinitely suspended by the WWF for unprofessional conduct (the catch-all reason for suspensions within the WWF). Most papers are reporting that Michaels failed a steroid test and implying that that is what the WWF is saying unofficially. Others say that Michaels was unhappy with his contract with the group. The WWF has already announced that Michaels has been stripped of the IC Title (although he still has the belt) and that a tournament will be held to crown the new IC champion. This would seem to signal that either negotiations broke down to bring Michaels back in the fold or that the WWF is using some hardball negotiating tactics. Certainly, because Michaels quit (as opposed to being fired), the WWF will be able to exercise some sort of contractual clause to stop Michaels from working with any competitor in the immediate future. Perhaps taking the belt was an attempt to gain some leverage in procuring a quick contract release. Rumours abound that Michaels wants to jump to WCW. - The tournament to crown a new IC champion was won by Razor Ramon. Also, the Quebecers turned back the challenge of the 1-2-3 Kid & Barry Horowitz. Undertaker pinned Adam Bomb. - Matt "Doink The Clown" Osborne was suspended for eight weeks from house shows only by the WWF. This means that Matt will still play Doink at the TV tapings in the next eight weeks, but that he won't work the house shows. Steve Lombardi will temporarily replace Matt at the house shows. It is expected the Osborne will return full-time after the eight weeks run out. - Rick & Scott Steiner won't be working any WWF matches probably until Survivor Series. They will still appear for all advertised SMW matches but the future after that is a little uncertain. While the WWF hopes to have them back for the Survivor Series, the Steiners are apparently interested in working for New Japan or even WCW, if the money is right. We'll have to wait and see. - Mr. Hughes is gone from the WWF. - Pat Tanaka is back in the WWF. I don't know in what capacity. Brian Christopher worked his first WWF match on the weekend, losing to Jimmy Snuka. Terry Funk has been talked to. - As reported a few weeks ago, Stan Hansen & Ted DiBiase won the PWF & All Japan International Tag Titles in DiBiase's debut match with All Japan. This was done just to make the tag team tourney more interesting. The tournament matches start in mid-November, with the tag titles being vacated and awarded to the winners of the tourney. - Road Warriors Hawk & Animal will both appear at WCW television tapings, Clashes, and PPVs beginning in November. Animal won't be allowed to wrestle again until early 1994 and will only appear as a cornerman, a la the most recent Clash. - WCW has apparently finally signed deals with Rick Steamboat and Big Van Vader, who had both been working without a contract in recent times. - UWFi from Japan will run a shoot-style PPV which will air in North America on 10/05/93. The card will feature: *- Nobuhiko Takada vs. Billy Scott *- Dennis Koslowski & Dan Severn vs. Salman Hashimikov & Vladimir Berkovich among other matches. Naoki Sano faces Big Van Vader on the show, which will be taped on 10/04/93, but it's doubtful that that match will be able to air in the US. UWFi will run a second PPV show on 10/25/93 and possibly run a third on 12/05/93. - WCW has Halloween Havoc on PPV on 10/24/93 (tentative date). Tentative line-up includes: - Big Van Vader vs. Cactus Jack in a "Spin the Wheel, Make The Deal" match - Nasty Boys vs. 2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Bagwell for the Tag Titles - Rick Rude vs. Ric Flair for the World Championship - Sting vs. Sid Vicious - Dustin Rhodes vs. Steve Austin for the US Title *- Steve Regal vs. Ricky Steamboat for the TV Title - WCW has Clash of Champions XXVI on 11/17/93 from Tampa. - WCW has the Lethal Lottery on PPV on 11/20/93 and Starrcade just after Christmas. - The WWF has Survivor Series on PPV on 11/24/93 in Boston. Tentative line-up would seem to include: - Team USA: Lex Luger & Steiners & ? vs. Team Foreign Scum: Ludvig Borga & Yokozuna & Quebeckers - Mailing List: I've received many notes this weeks from people asking to be added to my e-mail distribution list. As I posted a couple of weeks back, I won't be e-mailing my weekly post while I'm in Edmonton. Computer access here is nowhere near what I'm used to in Waterloo and I just have the time to do all the maintenance involved. Herb...