Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling From: hekunze@jeeves.uwaterloo.ca (Herb Kunze) Subject: Wrestling TidBits - 01/27 Message-ID: Sender: news@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca (USENET News System) Organization: University of Waterloo Date: Thu, 27 Jan 1994 17:53:31 GMT Lines: 121 - I mentioned last week that Dusty Rhodes seemed to be history as booker for WCW. Over the past week, many people have posted rumours that he indeed is history. Well, word has also reached me that this is the case. Dusty is out - period. WCW has returned to a booking committee consisting of Greg Gagne, Mike Graham, Robert Fuller and Ric Flair. Dusty Rhodes will not become WCW's figurehead commissioner as a result of this; last word is that Nick Bockwinkel will still get that job and will debut at the Clash. - WCW has Clash of Champions XXVI tonight, live on WTBS at 8:05pm. The rebroadcast will be next Friday at 10:05pm, I believe. The line-up has: - Ric Flair & Sting vs. Vader & Rick Rude in a tag elimination match - Nasty Boys vs. Maxx Payne & Cactus Jack for the WCW Tag Titles - Dustin Rhodes vs. Steve Regal for the TV Title - Brian Pillman vs. Colonel Parker with the loser having to wear a chicken suit on 01/29/93 WCW SN TV - Ice Train vs. Ron Simmons - Marcus Bagwell & 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Paul Orndorff & Paul Roma Jesse Ventura will not be on the show tonight due to other commitments, so Bobby Heenan will debut as colour commentator. Add that to Nick Bockwinkel's debut and, hopefully, the removal of any "Dusty finishes" and things should be interesting. Colonel Parker will have to wear the chicken suit on this weekend's Saturday show (a 2.5 hour-long show), so we know that ending. Vader also talks about injuring Ric Flair, so we can expect something of that nature to happen tonight as well. The Johnny B. Badd vs. Tex Slazenger hair vs. mask match also got bumped from the Clash and will appear on the Saturday TV show with Tex unmasking. There's a rumour that the "elimination tag" main event will actually become an "elimination tag ascension" match with the winner being annointed with holy water by a pope look-alike to officially become a saint. The April PPV will be re-named "April Armageddon" and will debut with a video (a la Halloween Havoc) of all of the WCW wrestlers pushing a giant rock from in front of a cave and the newest wrestler to WCW, the Undertaker, walking out of the cave in a smoky mist for his surprise match against the saint for the unofficial-but-newly- recognized-by-WCW-International God Belt, not to be confused with the *Gold* Belt. Bobby Heenan will say: "They're heading to the ring! The saints are marching in!" Tony Schiavone will say: "An arm-drag and twist this time." Jesse Ventura will say: "Where's the drag?" Gene Okerlund will say: "Drag? Forget about it!" Ted DiBiase will say: "I can't believe it! I just can't believe it! It's unbelievable!" Herb Kunze will say: "This is shit. -***." Evan Schelsinger will say: "Fits the characters perfectly and what workrate! ***1/2." Many others on the net chime in: "Yeah, what workrate?" Well, keep in mind, it's only a rumour. - Talk is that the Undertaker may or may not be back to the WWF. Meltzer reported that New Japan had expressed some interest in having him come in. Alright, eh, Andy? Can you imagine Undertaker vs. Shinya Hashimoto? - The Steiners will pull an Owen Hart style move and work some weeks for New Japan and the remainder of the year for the WWF. Of course, Owen actually quit the WWF and worked in Japan before returning. It's a sign of the times that Vince allows the Steiners to arrange to work in Japan for 10 weeks of the year with no difficulty. The WWF taped a Steiners vs. Harts tag match for home video release. - Kevin Sullivan, who was rumoured to be coming to WCW as new booker and as figurehead commissioner at different times, is in WCW - as a wrestler. I don't think we'll see him at the Clash, but could you imagine them working him onto the side of Maxx Payne & Cactus Jack? ;-) Also coming to WCW is Del Wilkes, better known as the Patriot from both the old GWF and All Japan. Del has actually learned to work in All Japan and his tag matches with partner Eagle (Jackie Fulton) are often very good. 2 Cold Scorpio and Steve Regal signed new contracts. - There's been talk that Madusa, er.., Alundra Blayze, will be able to bring in Japanese wrestlers to challenge for her WWF Title. Talked about names have been Devil Masami (who has apparently expressed interest), Akira Hokuto (who will work outside of AJW most of the year, with just a few AJW shows, building to her retirement in November), Bull Nakano (who is part-time with AJW) and Noriyo Tateno (half of the old Jumping Bomb Angels, so the WWF has clips of her that they can show). Madusa spent a fair bit of time in Japan (~two years) starting in 01/89 or so when she came in and feuded with Chigusa Nagayo for the IWA Title. While Nagayo's retirement was the real event at Wrestlemarinepiad I on 05/06/89, Madusa headlined in a match against Lioness Asuka billed as deciding the "global" world champion. Madusa represented the USA, Asuka represented Japan and the best women's promotion in the world, and Nick Bockwinkel refereed. All of these early 1989 matches were pretty brutal as far as ringwork goes. She learned to work much better than most American women, but really only had very good matches when involved in a tag with stronger workers. - Talk is that this year Jushin Liger will get to hand-pick the wrestlers involved in the annual Top of the Super Jr. Tourney in New Japan. He's been appearing at the shows of other promotions "scouting" potential entrants. If this gets pulled off, it could make this year's tourney even more popular on video in North America than other ones. - WCW has SuperBrawl IV on 02/20/94. Rumoured line-up includes: - Ric Flair vs. Big Van Vader in a Thunderdome cage match - Brian Pillman & Sting & Dustin Rhodes vs. Steve Austin & Paul Orndorff Rick Rude in the Thunderdome cage - Steve Regal vs. Arn Anderson for the TV Title - Nasty Boys vs. Maxx Payne & Cactus Jack (seemingly non-title now) - Johnny B. Badd vs. Michaels Hayes - Harlem Heat vs. Thunder & Lightning - Diamond Dallas Page vs. Terry Taylor - Jungle Jim Steele vs. Equalizer It was originally the plan to set up Vader vs. Super Shockmaster at this show by having SSM be the referee in the main event cage match, but both wrestlers didn't like the idea and the idea was dropped. I think we can expect Flair to come out on top here since he has talked about having matches with Sting and Rick Steamboat for the WCW Title and it doesn't seem possible to squeeze that all in before this show. Flair has talked about retiring and becoming a booker. - The WWF has WrestleMania X on 03/20/94 from MSG in New York. - The WWF has the King of the Ring PPV in 07/94 from Baltimore. - Videos: I have posted something about the availability of videos. If you missed it, I'll send it to you in e-mail upon request. Herb...