Apologies for missing last week. This would be the first week I've missed posting this year (likely a fair bit longer than that). Hopefully, this edition of TidBits will make up for things. This term, I'm teaching third year partial differential equations, but I hope to be able to maintain the weekly schedule that I've been on for the past 8 years or so. _________________________________________________________________ Action Picture of the Week I've put together a collage of images from the 03/20/96 Shinjiro Otani vs. Chris Benoit WCW Cruiserweight Title match in Japan. Since WCW wants so hard to forget about this match, I think it's necessary to document it well. The image is a 1024x768 JPEG saved with 95% image quality to minimize file size (still a whopping 415K) ideal for a Windoze, OS/2, or X background, I suppose. If there's positive feedback, perhaps I'll try to put together something like this more regularly. Let me know. Anyhow, this looked like one hell of a great match. Still shots include a powerbomb sequence, suplexes, Benoit's great dropkick to the back of the head on a sitting Otani, topes, the finishing sequence (a wonderful springboard DDT), a shot of Otani with the title & trophy, and a shot of a fallen Benoit being checked upon by Jushin Liger. _________________________________________________________________ [red_dot.gif] Over the past week, I had the chance to catch up on a lot of videos that accumulated during the busier part of this past term. A large chunk of the tapes contained wrestling from ECW. I always seem to get flamed when I talk about ECW and people always tell me that I have to watch more of it to develop an appreciation; well, I'm still owed that big chunk of tapes from 1994 through to late 1995, but I've arranged to get the TV shows from 07/95 or so to present. Keep in mind that I don't have the time to add stuff to my wrestling-watching schedule if I don't think it's worth seeing. Despite being cast as an ECW-hater, I really want to like the promotion, and I find some good stuff that motivates me to track down tapes. What were the strengths wrestling-wise of what I saw? * Ones that I've listed before: Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, 2 Cold Scorpio. * Some that have improved in time: Taz, Sabu; on earlier shows, they'd been booked as wild animals and wrestling was really a secondary event in their matches, but on the more recent (yet still old) shows, they wrestled a lot more and the wild characters were toned down. * Some that show glimmers of excellent work: Rocco Rock, Shane Douglas, Cactus Jack, Al Snow. IMO, these guys are hindered from showing their full talent by the style they work, comparable to the usual complaints about the great workers in WCW and the WWF. The much-heralded TV show usually features very little new wrestling. Ocasionally, there is an excellent match, but the same is true of WCW or the WWF and they don't get the same praise (The same is true of the angles, IMO). Just like WCW and the WWF, the TV show is tolerable when watched on tape, with the fast-forward button at hand. The focus is squarely on brawling. Sure, they run some excellent wrestling programs (Malenko vs. Guerrero, Rey vs. Guerrera), but in the end, the great majority of the matches are focussed on brawling, blood, and incredibly unbelievable, violent (and dangerous) spots. While I know there are fans of the promotions that don't fit the stereotype, the fans at the major shows and on TV come across as bloodthirsty and violence-hungry. The bit where they filled the ring with chairs scared the hell out of me. Yes, they'll cheer a high-spot-filled match with the guys above, but is it any surprise that according to the Observer, the blood ban is being relaxed? Guys like 911 and the Sandman would be jeered if booked the same way in any other promotion. When Sandman was laid out by Tommy Dreamer, Woman put a cigarette in his comatose mouth and he recovered. Whether it's beer or smokes, this is no different that the Undertaker's urn and Hulk Hogan's hulking up. They all are really shitty, unbelievable ideas. Of course, I know the response is that ECW is "making fun" of the other promotions by doing this, that the ECW fans are so smart that they understand this, etc., but in the end, it's ECW that laughs all the way to the bank as fans pay to see the same tripe that they likely criticize elsewhere. Along a similar line, Heyman also booked the "knocked-out ref crawls across the ring, seemingly counting the fall for the face, but that's a screw job and he recovers to count the pin for the heel" finish that would make Dusty proud. The more things change, the more they remain the same. Joey Styles is still a mixed bag for me. I'm a relaxed Canadian wrestling fan that enjoys commentators that actually call a match. Joey sometimes does that. Other times, he's as big of a huckster as Gene Okerlund. He is very good at getting over intricate story lines and I tend to enjoy his strengths and ignore him when he strays. The best commentators in (pseudo-)wrestling remain the UFC team and All Japan's Akira Fukuzawa, whom I don't understand, of course, but who calls so many moves in English names that it's a pleasure to listen to. [red_dot.gif] The UPN show Swift Justice featured a timely episode this week. Hot on the heels of the controversy surrounding ultimate fighting and extreme fighting, the show focussed on "supreme fighting," a possible evolution of things where skilled fighters fight to the death in a cage, broadcast for gambling purposes on an illegal satellite network, of course. It was interesting to see the fight scenes be rather realistic (Gracie guard, elbow strikes, and some more flashy kicks) - or maybe I've just seen to much "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues." A weird scene had vigilante cop Swift visit the evil promoter's battered brother in the mental hospital. Lo and behold, in the background on TV, I swear there was an "ECW! ECW!" crowd chant. Sure enough, there were a few moments where you could see cane shots and the like from ECW TV. [red_dot.gif] There's talk that Curt Hennig, Mr. Perfect, will return to the ring later in the year to work a program with Shawn Michaels. That looks promising on paper. [red_dot.gif] WCW has just done an absolutely terrible job in making the Cruiserweight tournament mean anything to casual fans. Sure, it will be great to see title matches involving guys that can work a fast-paced, high-flying style, but it would have been nice if they tried just a little to make the belt seem important. First, Dean Malenko is out, but then the tournament mysteriously becomes a "double elmination" affair and then Dean is out anyhow. Chris Benoit faces Eddy Guerrero on Nitro and it's announced that Benoit wants to take out Eddy because Benoit is out of the tournament (in which Eddy, Bobby Eaton, and Brad Armstrong remain as North American contenders). Well, not a week passes and Benoit is back in the tournament again. Why Eaton and Armstrong, who are clear jobbers to any long-time or new fan, are even in the tournament without any rebuilding first is beyond me. Shinjiro Otani wins the title in Japan and now that match is seemingly forgotten, effectively killing the value in Japan of what could have been a hot title there. This follows a few months on the heel of WCW screwing Kensuke Sasaki out of the US Title (airing the false finish of the match against One Man Gang as the finish), which left Japanese fans wondering. [red_dot.gif] Lots of talk in the newspapers here about the Extreme Fighting Championship this past weekend. The Quebec provincial government tried to block the show's broadcast at the eleventh hour, but the promotion went ahead with it anyhow. Some of the fighters have been arrested for taking part in the event which was unsanctioned by any recognized sports commission. Despite the arrests being interesting news, the most interesting paragraphs I read about the show were from the Globe & Mail before the event: "Reporters from Japanese martial-arts magazines who had flown in for event mingled with Mohawk youths in black bomber jackets. Adding to the odd atmosphere was the presence of half a dozen big-haired Penthouse models. (One promoter is General Media International, the publisher of Penthouse; another is a local resident, Mike Thomas, who runs a tae-kwon-do school.) "Organizers say extreme fighting is not as violent as another type of competition with which it has been confused, `ultimate fighting.' In ultimate fighting, opponents from various disciplines duel bare-handed. all moves are allowed except for biting, eye-gouging, and fishhooking (snagging an opponent's mouth with the thumb to force him to turn his head). "In Kahnawake, however, the fighters were wearing 5.6-ounce, fingerless padded gloves, the fights were refereed and three physicians were to watch at ringside. But the event still would not conform to the standards of the provincial sports safety board." So, two of the three items that differentiate "extreme" and "ultimate" fighting are common, IMO, and the third thing (gloves) actually makes extreme fighting more violent and dangerous. Sigh. [liger_tiny.gif] My Japanese friend Masaki reports the results of New Japan's Tokyo Dome Battle Formation from 04/29/96. * Yuji Nagata & Ishizawa (NJ) vs. Koji Kanemoto & Shinjiro Otani (NJ): Nagata b. Kanemoto * Riki Choshu & Takayuki Iizuka & Osamu Nishimura & Satoshi Kojima (NJ) vs. Shiro Koshinaka & Akitoshi Saito & Michiyoshi Ohara & Akira Nogami (HI): Choshu b. Nogami * Randy Savage vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan: Savage b. Tenzan * Lex Luger vs. Masahiro Chono: Chono b. Luger * Road Warriors & Power Warrior vs. Steiners & Scott Norton: Animal b. Rick * Jushin Liger (NJ) vs. Great Sasuke (Michinoku) for the IWGP Jr. Title: Sasuke b. Liger to win title * Great Muta vs. Hakushi: Muta b. Hakushi * Tatsumi Fujinami (Mu-Ga) vs. Genichiro Tenryu (WAR): Tenryu b. Fujinami * Nobuhiko Takada vs. Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP Title: Hashimoto b. Takada with "SANKAKU JIME" (submission hold) to win title [red_dot.gif] There's much talk that Lanny Poffo (Randy Savage's brother) will come to WCW with an effeminate gimmick. [red_dot.gif] There's also persisting talk that Terry Taylor will be used as the fourth Horseman. I probably like Terry more than the next fan, but, hell, they should put another young guy in there and have Arn Anderson & Ric Flair "pass on their knowledge to them" as the story line. [red_dot.gif] Bam Bam Bigelow is being held back from working for WCW, by the conditional release of WCW. Bigelow really wants to work in New Japan again, and since the promotion is booking foreigners through WCW, he wants a job there, but of course the WWF doesn't want to make that easy. [red_dot.gif] Finally, there's talk that Carl LeDuc, son of legendary Jos LeDuc, will join Pierre Oullette and Jacques Rougeau when the go to WCW in a couple of months. This is timely for me since I've just recently seen an interview with LeDuc from years back in Memphis where he talked about his son being free to do whatever he pleases and Jos suggesting the pro-wrestling was a hard life and something he wouldn't encourage. [red_dot.gif] [wwf_monday_night_raw_icon.jpg] beat [wcw_monday_nitro_small.jpg] on 04/22 with a 3.3 rating (5.1 share) against a 2.7 rating (4.1 share). The Monday ratings show a pretty even battle to date. [red_dot.gif] The PPV buy rates of the past six months (year or so) show that the WWF has an average buy rate of 0.75 (0.75) and average gross of $1.94-million ($1.74-million), while WCW has an average buy rate of 0.55 (0.57) and average gross of $1.59-million ($1.59-million). The details are an interesting read. [red_dot.gif] WCW has Slamboree on 05/19/96. Line-up has: * Battle Bowl, featuring a "blind draw" 16-man tag tournament with the winning teams then entering a Battle Royal for a the Battle Bowl ring and a shot at the WCW Title. Announced matches thus far: + Hawk & Booker T vs. Animal & Lex Luger + Kevin Sullivan & Chris Benoit vs. Public Enemy + Stevie Ray & Bubba Rogers vs. Scott Norton & Ice Train + Alex Wright & Disco Inferno vs. Dick Slater & Bobby Eaton + Dave Finlay & Steve Regal vs. V.K. Wallstreet & Jim Duggan + Booty Man & Rick Steiner vs. Craig Pittman & Scott Steiner + Ric Flair & Randy Savage vs. Eddy Guerrero & Arn Anderson + Bobby Walker & Barbarian vs. Meng & Hugh Morrus * No Hulk Hogan * Sting vs. Giant * Konnan vs. Jushin Liger for the US Title * Shinjiro Otani vs. Chris Benoit or Eddie Guerrero (presumably to decide the Cruiserweight title, which Otani already won in New Japan) Bobby Walker will be replaced by Diamond Dallas Page, when the "return from retirement" story line finishes up. Was anybody else annoyed that Ric Flair was announced in the tournament before he lost the WCW Title? Wouldn't it have made sense to have the Giant in Flair's spot in the announced line-up, but when Giant wins the title early on Nitro, Flair takes his place to prove himself for a title shot? [red_dot.gif] The WWF has [wwf_in_your_house_icon.jpg] on 05/26/96. Both Diesel & Razor Ramon finish up a week before this show. [red_dot.gif] The World Wrestling Peace Festival takes place in Los Angeles on 06/01/96. New Japan, WCW, AAA, EMLL, and others are going to put on a joint card featuring: * Antonio Inoki & Dan Severn vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Craig Pittman * Great Sasuke vs. Alex Wright * Giant vs. Sting * Lex Luger vs. Masa Saito * Akira Hoktuo & Lola Gonzales vs. Bull Nakano & Neftali * Dos Caras & Hector Garza vs. Gran Markus Jr. & Dr. Wagner Jr. * Octagon & El Ultimo Dragon vs. Heavy Metal & Psicosis * Atlantis & El Hijo del Santo vs. Silver King & Negro Casas * Konnan & Perro Aguayo vs. Cibernetico & Pierroth Jr. * Chris Benoit vs. Jushin Liger The second and third matches above could presumably be title matches, for the IWGP Jr. and WCW titles respectively. It's sort of weird to have all of those lucha matches be straight tag matches instead of trios. The WWF will not be involved in the show and is instead running a usual house show in Tampa. [red_dot.gif] WCW has Great American Bash on 06/16/96. [red_dot.gif] The WWF has King of The Ring on 06/23/96. [red_dot.gif] The WWF has [wwf_in_your_house_icon.jpg] on 07/21/96. [red_dot.gif] WCW has Quake At The Lake on 07/07/96. [red_dot.gif] WCW has a PPV on 08/11/96. [red_dot.gif] The WWF has SummerSlam on 08/18/96. [red_dot.gif] WCW has Fall Brawl 09/15/96. [red_dot.gif] The WWF has [wwf_in_your_house_icon.jpg] on 09/22/96. [red_dot.gif] WCW has Halloween Havoc 10/27/96 from Caeser's Palace. It will be an outdoor show. [red_dot.gif] The WWF has [wwf_in_your_house_icon.jpg] on 10/20/96. [red_dot.gif] The WWF has Survivor Series on 11/17/96. [red_dot.gif] WCW has World War III 11/24/96. [red_dot.gif] The WWF has [wwf_in_your_house_icon.jpg] on 12/15/96. [red_dot.gif] WCW has Starrcade on 12/29/96. [red_dot.gif] 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. _________________________________________________________________ If you have any feedback regarding my web pages, please send me