______________________________________________________________________ My ppp account hadn't come through yet when I was in at work to submit my final grades. I imagine it will be waiting for me when I get back to work in the new year. For the time being then, I haven't bothered to update my pages with a new, working e-mail account. ______________________________________________________________________ I do not offer subscriptions to a mailing list! I do not e-mail images! ______________________________________________________________________ RAW RAW on 12/21 aired live in Canada; well, it was a taped show, but it aired in Canada at the same time as it aired in the US. The show opened with Vince saying that he was going to work out in preparation for the Rumble. He put Shane McMahon in charge, but said that he'd hold Pat Patterson & Gerald Brisco responsible for anything that happened. Shane went to the ring, with the corporate team, and the DX squad came out onto the ramp as the weekly opening interview battle took place. DX brought out Mankind. Standing there holding all of the title belts, the Corporate Team reminded one of the Four Horsemen of old. Shawn Michaels announced tonight's matches: Ken Shamrock vs. Billy Gunn, Big Boss Man vs. Road Dog, Hunter Hearst Helmsley & X-Pac vs. Rocky Maivia & Test. Shane said that Mankind would face Shane..."right here in this very ring." Al Snow beat Gangrel. Afterwards, the Brood hit the ring and the lights went out. When the lights came back on, Al was covered in red kool-aid at ringside. Why don't the victims of these "lights out" attacks go after the guy manning the lights? As Billy Gunn came to the ring for his match against Ken Shamrock, Michael Cole had the nerve to call him one of the most tremendous wrestlers in the WWF. Maybe when you watch the show on drugs. He also said that RAW, which doesn't target children as viewers (right?), would later be visited by the real Santa Claus. The match was supposed to be this awesome wrestling tour de force, but it fell flat on me despite the commentators' attempts to make it seem special. Finish saw Shamrock hit a victory roll, with Billy Gunn reversing it for the pin. Gunn was announced as the new champion, since the match had been announced as a title match. Shawn Michaels came out and said that this was a non-title match, awarded the title to Shamrock again, and was mooned by Gunn. We came back to a Steven Regal vignette, which made me wonder what was edited off the Canadian broadcast. In the past, they've plugged a Regal plug into offensive spots on several occasions. Hawk came to the ring with a broken arm after his push a little while ago. He announced that Drozdov was a dope pusher ("and I was the dope"). Animal made the save. This angle died. Steve Blackman faced the Blue Blazer. Of course, Blazer was unmasked as Owen Hart last week, so you know that this wasn't Owen. Sure enough, as Blazer was in the ring, Owen Hart came out and said he is not the Blue Blazer. Yeah. Owen interfered, climbing into the ring to lay into Blackman. Goldust ran in. Poor Owen is no reduced to working a tag program with Goldust & Blackman. The faces unmasked the Blazer as Jeff Jarrett. Road Dog faced Big Boss Man. Road Dog goaded Boss Man into putting his Hardcore Title on the line. Road Dog is a ring entrance and not much else. Hey, at least it's an entertaining ring entrance. One couldn't say that about Ultimate Warrior or Hulk Hogan (well, I never could). Road Dog took some bumps in an out of the ring brawl. Eventually, Road Dog threw powder into Boss Man's eyes. He whipped Boss Man with a belt and Boss Man sold it, which seemed stupid since Boss Man wears a security vest as part of his ring outfit. They brawled some more around the ringside area. Mankind came out and whacked Boss Man with a tire iron. It was an ECW style brawl. I guess that means that some people will love it. Throughout the show, Jackie & Terri Runnels got it on with Mark Henry, who shows more depth of character in his vignettes than he has in all of his matches together. Poor D'Lo had to hand around outside the locker room in which all of the shenanigans were happening. Dressed in lingerie, the women covered Henry with whipped cream, after putting a dog collar on his neck and soft rubber ball in his mouth. They put leather handcuffs on him and a C-clamp on his crotch. The whipped cream led to Jerry Lawler saying that the women had made a sexual chocolate sundae out of Henry. The Acolytes, Faarooq & Bradshaw, faced Too Cold Scorpio & Bob Holly. It was more of a brawl than a wrestling match. The bell rang, with the commentators saying that the referee lose control. The JOB Squad got the DQ win. Shane McMahon came out to face Mankind. Jerry Brisco & Pat Patterson were trying to talk Shane out of it, since they were responsible for anything that Vince might get upset over. Shane got in a few punches before Mankind hit the DDT. Mankind went out to get a chair and the microphone as the corporate team stood on the platform. Mankind gave Shane the chair and told him to use it. "Make your daddy proud. Lay me out, Shane, lay me out." Mankind no-sold the chair shot and started whacking Shane. Pat Patterson came in for the save, but whacked Shane. Mankind laid out Patterson & Brisco. Mankind pulled out a sock. Throughout all of this, Shawn Michaels held back the corporate team, which I guess will lead to a future story. Rocky Maivia came in and attacked Mankind, with DX coming in and attacking Shane & the stooges. Afterwards, DX & Mankind were in the ring together. Head Bangers faced D'Lo Brown. Mark Henry was too busy being whipped by Jacqueline & Terri backstage. Jerry Lawler couldn't believe the clip of Henry. Let's see: they told us that the "real" Santa Claus would be on the show at some time, and then aired a sadomasochistic story line with Henry, while the commentators talked about vibrators, hot wax, and gerbils. Add the covered-in-blood bit from earlier and the "Droz is my drug pusher" bit and it makes sense to hype an appearance by Santa Claus. D'Lo was crushed by the Head Bangers. Henry came out in his boxers, with the bondage tools still attached to him. D'Lo really laid into him. Vince McMahon arrived, with the stooges meeting him and telling him that everything is alright. Vince didn't know what had happened, but acted pissed at the idea that something untoward had occurred. DX did a weird pseudo-homosexual ring intro, with Billy Gunn lying down underneath a standing Hunter Hearst Helmsley. HHH & X-Pac faced Rocky Maivia & Test. Test is short for testosterone. Shawn Michaels said that the corporate team would stay at ringside to watch the match, but the remainder of DX would have to leave. Vince McMahon came out and said that DX could stay at ringside in the spirit of the Christmas season. Test was a needed addition, wasn't he? As DX finally rallied, the lights went off and Kane's music came up. Kane came down to ringside and chokeslammed the DX members one after another. As Chyna was on the verge of being chokeslammed, TSN faded to black to end the show. - An ode: Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land The wrestling business was booming for Bischoff and McMahon. With Bischoff influenced by Hulk Hogan, strong-willed, The promotion ignored for the future to build. With a very thin roster, Vince knew not where to start, "Oh, I know," said Vince, "it's all about Bret Hart!" "Steve Austin is over, he's my top babyface, To spice things up more, I'll use sex and use race. And swearing and catchphrases and ring entrances too, Anything to avoid in-ring work wrestlers should do." "But I need something else," he said to each stooge. Thanks to the movie, I'll cast myself as a Scrooge! On Patterson, on Brisco, on Slaughter, on Shane! I'm the one who draws ratings! I am Vince McMahon!" Meanwhile, poor Eric saw his ratings drop, Because Hogan v. Warrior was an embarrassing flop. The cruisers stole the show but in the midcard were stuck, While big salaries were offered and paid to wrestlers who suck. Hyping only main events led to huge buy rate drops. This fact was ignored, like the cruiserweight pops. The morale of good workers, it fell through the floor, And come '99, they may walk out the door, To the land of Vince, to the smut, what a trip! But they should get over...with a valet who will strip. They'll be given a catchphrase, a gimmick, they'll swear, And they'll be marketed at children 'cause Vince doesn't care. As the quality of their stories and their roles do increase, The actual wrestling, their in-ring work, will decrease. Fans of wrestling won't watch, they won't order the shows. Why would they pay when the actual wrestling blows? The casual fans who are part of this boom, Will soon rise up and yawn, they will too leave the room. Critics and moral pundits will point and guffaw, "The sex, language, and smut brought you down, you scofflaw!" And the great workers we see now, with so much skill and elan, They'll be screwed by a business which for the future did not plan. Nitro Nitro on 12/21 aired in full in Canada. I have to admit that I was looking forward to Ric Flair's interview response and anger at Eric Bischoff. The show began with a summary of Eric Bischoff's reign and the recent deal with Ric Flair. First match saw Dave Finlay beat Scott Putski. We saw the effect of the new regime again, as this match (and those to follow, as it turned out) was a longer match that attempted to tell a story. Even though there's a risk of keeping some of the guys out there longer than their appeal really permits, I like the idea of longer matches as a general rule. It will help make WCW's TV product different from the WWF's and will hopefully lead to the WCW audience developing a further appreciation for ability over ring entrances, gimmicks, and the like. I'm all for the big stiffs being exposed as big stiffs, so that they get demoted. Okay, maybe that's a little harsh, since it is a workable idea to have a few big stiffs in the mix on top. Anyhow, Finlay beat Putski with his tombstone. We were treated to another recap of the Ric Flair vs. Eric Bischoff situation from last week. It's reported that this was a last-minute booking idea, with the hope that it will get a Flair win at Starrcade over even stronger. There is a risk of reminding fans that Ric Flair is an old guy. Flair's fans don't care about that reminder, but any newer casual fans might not be as forgiving. Ernest Miller, wearing his WCW ring jacket, came out to chat up the crowd. Santa Claus came out, suplexed Miller, and revealed himself to be Perry Saturn. Next match saw Kaz Hayashi (in the ring, no ring entrance) face Chavo Guerrero Jr. It's a real shame that Hayashi gets placed in such a meaningless role. And then they go hire Mikey Whippreck with the intention of programming him with Billy Kidman for the Cruiserweight title, ignoring that Hayashi and, oh, ten other wrestlers all clearly outclass Whippreck. Oh yeah, those guys aren't white. Hayashi lost in short order, sigh. Kevin Nash did an interview hyping the PPV, saying that he would become the champion on Sunday. Nash announced that Goldberg was 173-0, which of course would make Nash number 175. Yes, it is Nash's job to get himself over when he does an interview like this, but I can't shake the feeling that his input in the booking process doesn't respect the need to keep or get others over. Perhaps to avoid overexposure, the promotion really hasn't placed a lot of focus on Goldberg over the past months (remember when they hyped his PPV match a few months back by saying that we'd have to order the show to find out who his opponent would be?). Goldberg's stock has fallen as a result, to the point that the in-company joke is to call him "Coldberg." Anyhow, even with a screw job loss (with Bam Bam Bigelow interfering, presumably) it seems weird to have Goldberg lose the title at this point. I guess the argument can be made that Starrcade might be the biggest show of the year (and they have done an excellent job hyping things for it), so a title change may keep casual viewers watching. And maybe they'll turn Goldberg into a monster after the screw job, having him beat Bigelow in January before facing Nash in February, or something like that. Raven came out for an interview with Gene Okerlund. Gene said that Raven has been in therapy for years. Raven said that his mom wanted to be television, that she doesn't about him. His mom came out. Gene called her "Mrs. Levy." She called Raven "Scotty." Raven grudgingly left with her. The story is that Sandman and Chastity from ECW will be paired with him to keep him on the good side, but he'll end up making them dirty. Eric Bischoff came out for an interview. Eric said that Flair couldn't be with us tonight, which of course meant that he'd be running in at some time. Sure enough, as Eric gloated in the ring, the camera cut away to the Four Horsemen arriving to the building. Flair led the pack and tried to weave his way to the ring. Along the way, the Horsemen destroyed IWGP heavyweight champion Scott Norton backstage four-on-one. Bischoff had to stretch out the interview since Flair took a while getting to the ring. Finally, Flair came out and raced down the aisle, with Eric pretending that he thought the reaction was for his speech. The commentators said that a man who had had a heart attack wouldn't be able to run like Flair did. Flair and Bischoff have usually ran really fast during these chases, making them more real than usual. It's also great to see Flair sprint for 30 seconds and not be blown up in any way, not be sucking wind. Flair came back to the ring and delivered a great, short interview. Giant vs. Diamond Dallas Page was recapped. In another moronic move, the fed Lizmark Jr. to Wrath. Argh. Wrath has given his 90-day notice, but the belief is that he just wants to increase the number on his pay cheque. Eddie Guerrero faced Rey Misterio Jr. By giving us so many short matches between the cruisers, they've sort of diluted my reaction to the prospects of seeing this sort of match up. I used to get stoked because I expected great things, but now I expect the match to go 6-8 minutes, tops, and feature a lot of posturing and interference. Eddie talked about the LWO. The story is that they'll show tapes of things to reveal that Eddie is using the other Mexican wrestlers more than Bischoff ever did. The worked fast at the start. Larry: "these guys are both just as quick as a...uh...as anything." Match was good. Eddie ripped Rey's mask over. The idea was that Eddie wanted to injure Rey to make it easier for Juventud to win the Cruiserweight title triangle match at Starrcade. They worked through two segments, so the match was a bit longer than usual. Billy Kidman came out when the referee bumped. Kidman climbed on the apron and offered to whack Eddie, but missed and ended up hitting Rey, setting up the pin. I guess they had to do something to make Rey & Kidman have an issue for Starrcade, since they've sort of acted like teammates to date. Scott Steiner came out. Nobody gets more interview time and remains less over. Buff Bagwell came out dressed as Mark McGuire. I didn't care. Norman Smiley beat Prince Iaukea. They are doing this goofy bit with the pronounciation of Norman's name. Norman's dancing cracks me up. Barry Windham faced Van Hammer, with Ric Flair running in immediately and beating up Windham. Flair seems to be on fire for what he called his last shot weeks ago. Vincent & Brian Adams & Horace tried to run in, but Arn Anderson & Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko cut them off and beat the crap out of them. The NWO guys were punching bags who got in no offence. The best part was that Steve McMichael was nowhere to be seen. Benoit & Malenko brawled out into the parking lot, with security breaking them up. They maced Benoit & Malenko and cuffed everybody. Meanwhile, Flair & Arn stood in the ring, a sight for sore eyes. Flair delivered a great interview, talking about his history with Eric Bischoff and the recent angle. Flair was awesome here. Eric Bischoff came out into the aisle and Flair glared at him for one second before racing at him. Eric had WCW security stop him in the aisle, while Eric taunted him a bit. Flair yelled death threats. Flair is giving me another reason to watch WCW. Booker T beat Jerry Flynn. Lex Luger beat Kenny "Is he a world tag team champion or not?" Kaos. Kaos lost due to Rage distracting him and Luger sneaking on the torture rack. Rage & Kaos argued after the match. It was so important that they went to a commercial. Konnan faced Alex Wright. Disco Inferno came out with his Wölfpac shirt on to warn Konnan that Wright was a madman. Disco said that the two of them should talk to Kevin Nash after the match so that Disco can prove he is in the Wölfpac. Alex snapped. Chris Jericho snuck in and laid out Konnan, putting the title belt across his face and moonsaulting him. Jericho, Kidman, and Flair are the reasons to watch. Disco Inferno came back out and said that he would challenge any black and white NWO member to come out, listing Vincent, Horace, and Bagwell as possibilities. Giant came out. This was a funny bit. Disco took a chokeslam off the top rope to lose the match. Giant & DDP had an interview confrontation afterwards. Goldberg faced Scott Hall in a non-title match in the main event. Gee, did anybody expect to see Kevin Nash or Bam Bam Bigelow come out? Sure enough, Nash came out and stood at ringside. As Hall hit his spear, Bigelow ran in the ring; I guess the security was all pooped out from tackling the Horsemen earlier. Nash pulled Hall out of the ring, with the poorly explained idea being that he wanted Bigelow to soften up Goldberg for him. We went off the air as Goldberg and Bigelow were punching each other. - WCW has Starrcade on 12/27/98. Tentative line-up has: * Bill Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash for the WCW Title * Ric Flair vs. Eric Bischoff with Dusty Rhodes as referee * Giant vs. Diamond Dallas Page * Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Scott Hall * Konnan vs. Chris Jericho for the TV Title * Ernest Miller vs. Perry Saturn * Juventud Guerrera vs. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Billy Kidman for the Cruiserweight title * Mike Enos vs. David Finlay - This week's Observer talked a bit about the "Wrestling with Shadows" movie. Since the movie has now aired on A&E in North America, everybody has probably had the chance to see it. On Monday, while in the office, I surfed around the web a bit to see what reactions the movie had garnered. Would you believe that the known WWF cheerleaders are actually still suggesting that the whole double-cross was a work? The new reasons? The WWF storylines since that time have played to the movie a lot. The Observer sums up this moronic conclusion succinctly and sweetly by writing, "The basics of the conversation [regarding the finish on the day of Survivor Series], McMahon and Hart agreeing to a DQ finish, but not the conversation itself, is already well-known by now to virtually everyone in and around the industry, except for those who are still so smart that they believe this was all just an angle." Isn't that just a wonderful description? The real point of debate typically isn't that the double-cross was real, since most people realize that truth. No, the point of debate is really who was right and who was wrong. After being mostly on Hart's side as the details first surfaced, I found that the movie just solidified my opinion. I can't imagine it, but I'm sure that the movie also solidified the feelings of the pro-McMahon fans. "Bret's a mark for his character," they'll say, even though I see that as an irrelevant point. It all boils down to what "reasonable creative control" is and, IMO, why Vince McMahon found himself in a situation where Bret was exercising that clause in his contract. Still, in the current Observer a few more details emerged. In an Observer issue last year after the double-cross, the story was dissected with amazing clarity and accuracy. The pro-McMahon camp suggested that the Observer presented Bret's story, but the current issue of the Observer seems to suggest that Dave Meltzer in fact had access to a lot of the stuff that was used for the film, allowing him to look into the year prior to the double-cross and the captured-on-film-or-tape reactions of and conversations involving the principals. This current issue solidifies the Observer's original recounting of the situation as factually accurate. Additional comments from the Observer: * "Whether Titan Sports will answer back in a forum other than another year of petty booking attempts at humiliation of Hart, either by mocking the finish on nearly every show, or humiliating Owen in Canada, either in its publication, on its web site, or even on its Raw program the next night, doesn't seem certain." * "Realistically, the [WWF] on television has spent the past year doing almost nothing but answering back to a degree that hs been often entertaining, and at times perversely pathetic." * With Vince's claim that Bret Hart refused to lose the title being debunked by the actual discussion excerpt in the movie, Vince's credibility with his wrestlers is shot. "Even with the company flourishing, it's a trust level among the top guys, even when they get along with him, that can never be fully had. His claims were that Hart had refused to drop the title at all, as opposed to simply not wanting to do it in Canada for Michaels." "The movie, accurately, makes it clear that Hart refused to lose to Michaels in Canada and he clearly had the contractual right to do so." * "Hart, and people close to him, in hindsight, believe McMahon was planning almost from the day he signed the 20-year deal, to find a way out of the contract and that he never intended to honor it." The idea is that Vince wanted desperately to stop the momentum that WCW had built with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall jumping. If Hart had appeared shortly after those two had jumped, Vince might have figured that his goose was cooked. * "One top WWF official stated to me in the days after Survivor Series that McMahon promised [Shawn] Michaels, who was younger and some would argue better and was threatening to quit the company after a back stage fight with Hart that he came out on the short end of, that he'd get rid of Hart to pacify Michaels." "In published interviews with Michaels after the fact, he certainly seemed well aware of the idea that McMahon was forcing Hart out." * "Clearly the portrayal of some watching the movie of Hart being duped by a man he trusted isn't altogether accurate, as his wife Julie Hart, now ex-wife, wasn't the only one who didn't trust McMahon. It appears Hart's `mistake' was that he did fully trust Earl Hebner and thus allowed himself into `the position.' If he did fully trust McMahon, he wouldn't have called the film crew which had already finished shooting all the wrestling scenes for the movie, to document his final week in the WWF, nor would he have been secretly wired (which was actually a suggestion from Julie)." It's that secret wire that led to some of the conversation with Vince being taped and used in the movie. Bret surmises that the discussion about the finish being taped by Bret really burns Vince up. * Vince McMahon ran with the racist angle, where it was suggested that Bret and company had written racial epithets in the Nation of Domination's locker room, even though Bret had refused to do any racist angles. * There is circumstantial, physical evidence from the production meeting the night before that suggests strongly that the double-cross was planned in advance with some key people (Shawn Michaels, Jijm Ross, and Earl Hebner) being clued in to Vince's plan. Finally, the Observer presents a transcript of the full conversation between Vince McMahon and Bret Hart the day of Survivor Series, a brief excerpt of which aired in the movie. Here it is: McMahon: Have you given some more thought on what you'd like to do? Hart: I think what I'd like to do is get through today, and I think tomorrow I should go in and do my speech and forfeit the title. I think everyone on the planet knows, and I think it allows me a chance to leave with my head up and leave in a nice way. If I lose anywhere, everyone knows I'm going to lose. They're waiting for it. And then at the same time for the next few weeks I can have matches where I think people would be kind of sympathetic. I got the feeling last night in Detroit that they, well, they kind of booed me, but I was a heel all the way through the match until the end of the match. Then when I walked around they, everyone was very emotional. People were crying, hugging me. It was like a ten minute walk around the ring. I don't think, they dropped, it was not a work anymore. I think that's the right way to do it. McMahon: Sensing that, it seems like everybody knows. There does seem to be that sympathy factor, too. Hart: I think I would feel really good about that. It would make me feel better. Me and Shawn could take the edge off. I don't have to beat Shawn. We could have a shmazz (run-in non-finish) or whatever you want. For me, I don't have any authorization or permission (from Bischoff) to do anything more than what I asked them. I haven't spoken to anybody. McMahon: That's what Pat (Patterson) told me. Hart: All I know is that I asked them, can I do a final four match on the 7th? And they said "that's okay." I don't really know if you want them dictating anything to you or me either. But I don't really have the right to call them back and say, "They changed it. I'm working a single match on the 7th." They might say, well, that's not what you promised, or not what you said. The same about tomorrow (on Nitro). I haven't got, but I believe I will get, some kind of word from them that, because I expect to hear from somebody even today, that I can try to get them to stop, or to not announce that I'm going anywhere. I wonder if it's even worth it now. Everyone knows. McMahon: It's probably not. Hart: But I would feel much better doing that. It would give me the right, I'd feel, I'd like to leave and say nice things and leave with... McMahon: Yeah. I'm all for that. One of the things I want to ask you about is, what exactly did you mean in that TSN interview when you said something to that extent of that it's not (the situation regarding Hart's decision) what it appears, and that's true. It's not. But I didn't know where you're going with, what the hell was that phrase; the deceitful business practices? Hart: I don't know. I was kind of scrambling. I have no idea. To be honest, I felt pretty bad. I felt bad about having to sort of... McMahon: Address it. Hart: Well, I kind of felt bad that I had to fight as hard all week long to sort of leave with my head up. I thought it wouldn't be such a hard fight. McMahon: Well, I appreciate that. Hart: I thought, it's kind of been really hard. I broke out in cold sores and everything. I've been so stressed out on it. Even in Toronto when they asked me to do the job in the six-man. Geez, why would they beat the only Canadion in the match, in Canada, in Toronto? It's like almost like you, if you wanted to aggravate me or really keep pushing my... McMahon: Stick you with a stick Hart: Yeah. It's like jeez, I didn't have a problem last night or anywhere else. But it just seems like, it wasn't, well I didn't think it was a very good call. McMahon: Well you and I have... Hart: If it's going to start to get nasty, like where it's, well I don't want to get nasty. I never ever wanted to leave here with any kind of bad feelings. But this week has been a bad week for me. I feel it's been really bad for me. I feel kind of betrayed a little bit. McMahon: Well, I do too a little bit. And it hasn't been a good week for me either. And like I said before, I'm determined this is going to wind up the right way. Because it should. And it should. So let's just make it that way. Hart: Work backwards. McMahon: Yeah. Hart: And go forward again. McMahon: Yeah. Hart: Well, that's what I'd like to do. McMahon: Okay. Hart: I think it would be the classy way to go. I think it would be applauded by all sides. I think people would look at it as a nice, nice exit for me. Everyone knows. (They're thinking) How's he gonna exit? How's he gonna leave? I think it's the right way for me to go. I've never had a problem putting somebody over. I don't so much have a problem putting Shawn over, mind you I don't appreciate some of the things he's said, but my biggest thing is I think how this thing has been depicted, like the way it's aimed it's really hard for me as a hero here to come up short this weekend, or tomorrow or the next day. And I've had nothing to do with the word getting out. McMahon: I know that. Hart: All I've tried to do is fend off the... McMahon: And again, as I mentioned to you when we had these conversations, all we're talking about is really is Ted Turner. That's what's coming between you and me. And that's all. I can't tell you how appreciative I will always be for everything you've done for this company. And like I said in our previous conversations I'd just be damned even though it's Ted Turner's money and Ted Turner's all that kind of shit, that's no reason for two people who have spent as much time as we have spent together through the years and have worked as closely as we have had through the years, it's no reason to have any problems. Hart: I couldn't agree more. I didn't want to leave with any problems. Actually I didn't want to leave at all. And then it's a point where you just, it seemed like there was no other choice but to go. But I've had a lot of hard feelings through the week I think over just what I thought should have been a fairly easy, I should have been able to leave fairly easy for just for what I've put in. (at this point the discussion breaks from the subject talking about other wrestlers, the fax machine story that is in the movie; WCW, what he wants to be remembered as a wrestler for, his legacy, and working with Hogan and his hoping the WWF would never erase his history from their history). Hart: I guess that's kind of why I've been so stubborn about this because for my 15 years here; it's been such a great story. McMahon: Uh, huh. Hart: Well, it's 14 years, to see 14 years here; to have it end in 20 minutes on a low note or a less than grand note just, I'd rather not have it at all. I'd rather not have any of it. I just take so much pride in everything I've ever done here; my Wembley match, my matches with Shawn (Hart starts going over his WWF career here and says that so many guys had their best matches with him) McMahon: I think there's no doubt. Not only the guys that are here now, but the guys that were here and left, and haven't had a good one since. Hart: Well, I'm gonna miss this place a lot. I'm already feeling it. It was really, really hard. It was hard in the (Maple Leaf) Garden and it was hard last night. I'd rather not get into a big head-butting thing over this thing. I'd rather look forward to working the next three or four weeks and leaving with my head up and just telling my story with a nice, I don't know what you want to do with me for the next three weeks. If I go in tomorrow, I'd like to say something really nice. I never intended to have any bad comments to make and leave it on that. McMahon: Okay. Hart: It feels better. You never know. You might have me back here anyway. McMahon: I'd love to. Hart: What would you want to do today then? McMahon: I don't know, maybe some sort of a, well we always have DX there to interfere. I'm trying to rack my brain thinking about doing something like this whereby it won't end too, you know, if you had Shawn in the sharpshooter for arguments sake and then DX feeds in, you can have Hunter take a bump and that sort of a thing to not make it too flat. Take a swing at Chyna and let her fall down or I don't know if you want to do that or not. I'm trying to think of something. Rick (Rude) could slip on his ass or something. Hart: Would I have my guys out there? McMahon: I wouldn't think so. I wouldn't think DX would be out there either until I think it'd be a run-in type thing. But I'm open to anything. I don't think the WWF would allow with the magnitude of this match, the way we've got this whole thing written, the situation where it goes, the marks out there are thinking this is going to be a shoot. I want to capitalize on that. I'm not going to work as a commentator so that I'm back here to make sure this match gets in the ring. It adds that, in the free-for-all (the pre-game show), that's going to be brought out and so forth. Not that Vince is a big deal. I'm just trying to say that all focus is on this match getting in the ring. We'll get a shot of like, we've got some uniformed, they don't look too menacing, but we've got some uniformed security guys that are going to be hanging around once the show begins. So the idea is we're trying to keep you two away from each other in the locker room because we know that's happened before. We're trying to build that tension all the way through. When you have that in mind, I don't think that the WWF would allow DX to go down with Shawn. That would take away from their classic of a match. You have to ultimately have some control of the match. Hart: Yeah. Alright. Why don't I go find Shawn? We'll start working on the match. I think if they do come down and even though I maybe nail everyone at the end, I think maybe it'll get a pop if I nail Chyna. Especially if she's, it might be the thing to do. It got a pop wherever it was the one time I hit her. But maybe Owen and them could come down after just so they don't look bad. McMahon: Whatever. Hart: Even if they get there as they're leaving just so they're there. McMahon: Whatever you want. Hart: I'll go find Shawn and come back and then I'll come back. McMahon: I put Pat with your match (Patterson was the one who suggested the spot where Michaels would get Hart in the sharpshooter and Hart would reverse, which ended up being the spot where the double-cross was pulled). He's the master. Work it through. Hart: Okay. Draw your own conclusions. - The preliminary reader vote in the Observer for the WWF's In Your House: Rock Bottom PPV saw just one person vote "thumbs up" and 92.8% vote "thumbs down." - Talk is that NBC wants to get back into the prime-time wrestling business. Interestingly enough, Eric Bischoff told the crew that WCW would be involved in a huge deal early in the new year that would likely turn the ratings battle around again and revoultionize wrestling again (as the NWO angle and Nitro did). - WCW's booking committee now consists of Bischoff as head, Kevin Nash, Diamond Dallas Page, Kevin Sullivan, and Dusty Rhodes. Even though I'm glad to see Hulk Hogan turfed (and he's biding his time waiting for this group to fail), there's something wrong with the booking committee having somebody on it that wants to put himself over everybody else. - The Observer reports that Eric Bischoff told the wrestlers that they shouldn't sink to a level of vulgarity that rivals the WWF's. He told them that all of the wrestlers have to try to hit their time marks better to avoid screwing up the planned live shows. And he told them that the finishes of the booking committee had to be followed. It also reported that Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage met with Eric Bischoff to discuss angles for their return. The wrestlers pitched the idea of returning as a tag team to feud with Scott Hall & Kevin Nash, who will be reunited by early next year. - Despite Diamond Dallas Page's attempts to convince him to stay, it seems like the Giant is definitely planning on leaving for the WWF. I guess we'll know by how Starrcade goes down. - PPV buy rates, revenue (in millions), and match statistics for the WWF, WCW, and ECW are presented in the following 1998 summary sheet (the PPV draw(s) are listed, as well as the quality matches): Show Data Match Rating Data Show Details Buy Rate Gross Mean Median Peak % >= * * * * WWF 98/10/18: Judgment Day Undertaker vs. Kane 0.89 $3.99 1.61 * 1/2 * * * 1/2 X-Pac vs. D'Lo Brown 0.0% (0 of 9) 98/09/27: Break Down Steve Austin vs. Undertaker vs. Kane 0.86 $3.85 1.69 * 3/4 * * * 1/2 Rocky Maivia vs. Ken Shamrock vs. Mankind 0.0% (0 of 9) 98/08/30: SummerSlam Steve Austin vs. Undertaker 1.48 $6.57 2.06 * * * * * * * 1/4 Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Rocky Maivia 12.5% (1 of 8) 98/07/26: Fully Loaded Steve Austin & Undertaker vs. Kane & Mankind 0.5 (WWF claims 0.95; WCW claims 0.34; 0.5 independent figure) $2.23 1.81 * 1/4 * * * 1/4 Rocky Maivia vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley 0% (0 of 8) 98/06/28: King of the Ring Steve Austin vs. Kane Undertaker vs. Mankind 1.1 $4.99 1.72 * 1/2* * * * * 1/2 Undertaker vs. Mankind 11.1% (1 of 9) 98/05/31: IYH Over the Edge Steve Austin vs. Dude Love 0.65 $2.90 1.06 1/2* * * * * 1/2 Steve Austin vs. Dude Love 12.5% (1 of 8) 98/04/26: IYH Unforgiven Steve Austin vs. Dude Love Kane vs. Undertaker 0.85 $3.78 1.75 * * * * * Steve Austin vs. Dude Love 14.3% (1 of 7) 98/03/29: WrestleMania Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin Kane vs. Undertaker 2.20 $9.52 1.81 * * * * * * 1/4 Michaels vs. Austin Cactus & Funk vs. NAO 0.0% (0 of 8) 98/02/15: IYH No Way Out HHH & NAO & Vega vs. Austin & Owen & Funk & Cactus Kane vs. Vader 0.45 $1.67 1.43 * 1/2 * * * 1/2 HHH & NAO & Vega vs. Austin & Owen & Funk & Cactus 0.0% (0 of 7) 98/01/18: Royal Rumble Shawn Michaels vs. Vader Royal Rumble 0.97 $3.62 2.38 * * 1/2 * * * 1/2 Royal Rumble Max Mini & Nova & Mosaic vs. Battalion & Torio & Tarantula 0.0% (0 of 6) Last 6 0.93 $4.16 1.79 1.88 3.563 2.9% (1 of 34) 1998 1.00 $4.31 1.72 1.75 3.75 5.1% (4 of 79) 1997 0.61 $1.84 2.18 1.81 3.792 27.9% (6 of 21) Show Data Match Rating Data Show Details Buy Rate Gross Mean Median Peak % >= * * * * WCW 98/10/25: Halloween Havoc Diamond Dallas Page vs. Bill Goldberg Hulk Hogan vs. Warrior 0.78 $3.48 1.70 * * * * * 1/4 Diamond Dallas Page vs. Bill Goldberg 0.0% (0 of 12) 98/09/13: Fall Brawl Wargames 0.70 $3.11 0.19 DUD * * * 1/2 Perry Saturn vs. Raven 0.0% (0 of 9) 98/08/08: Road Wild Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Diamond Dallas Page & Jay Leno 0.93 $4.15 0.61 * * * * 1/2 Juventud Guerrera vs. Chris Jericho 0.0% (0 of 9) 98/07/06: Bash at the Beach Hulk Hogan & Dennis Rodman vs. Diamond Dallas Page & Karl Malone 1.6 $7.21 1.81 * * 1/4 * * * * Juventud Guerrera vs. Billy Kidman 11.1% (1 of 9) 98/06/14: Great American Bash Hulk Hogan & Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper & Randy Savage Sting vs. Giant 0.8 $3.52 1.67 * * 1/4 * * * 1/2 Chris Benoit vs. Booker T 0.0% (0 of 9) 98/05/17: Slamboree Kevin Nash & Scott Hall vs. Sting & Giant 0.72 $3.20 1.92 * * 1/2 * * * 1/4 Chris Benoit vs. Dave Finley Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko Eddie Guerrero vs. Ultimo Dragon 0.0% (0 of 9) 98/04/19: Spring Stampede Sting vs. Randy Savage Hulk Hogan & Kevin Nash vs. Giant & Roddy Piper 0.72 $3.20 2.40 * * 1/2 * * * * Ultimo Dragon vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. DDP vs. Raven 20.0% (2 of 10) 98/03/15: Uncensored Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage Sting vs. Scott Hall 1.10 $4.12 1.69 * * 1/2 * * * 3/4 Raven vs. DDP vs. Chris Benoit 0.0% (0 of 9) 98/02/22: SuperBrawl Hulk Hogan vs. Sting Outsiders vs. Steiners 1.10 $4.12 1.67 * 1/4 * * * 3/4 Juventud Guerrera vs. Chris Jericho 0.0% (0 of 10) 98/01/25: Souled Out Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair Giant vs. Kevin Nash Lex Luger vs. Randy Savage 1.02 $3.81 1.92 * * * * * Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Super Calo & Lizmark Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera & La Parka & El Dandy 11.1% (1 of 9) Last 6 0.92 $4.11 1.25 1.67 3.5 1.8% (1 of 57) 1998 0.95 $3.99 1.52 1.73 3.65 4.2% (4 of 95) 1997 0.77 $2.45 1.96 1.98 3.813 5.9% (6 of 102) Show Data Match Rating Data Show Details Buy Rate Gross Mean Median Peak % >= * * * * ECW 98/08/02: Heatwave Taz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow 0.23 $0.42 3.08 * * 1/4 * * * * Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka 16.7% (1 of 6) 98/05/03: WrestlePalooza Shane Douglas vs. Al Snow Sabu vs. Rob van Dam 0.24 $0.45 0.64 1/2* * * Mikey Whippreck vs. Justin Credible 0.0% (0 of 7) 98/03/01: Living Dangerously Shane Douglas & Chris Candido vs. Al Snow & Lance Storm 0.23 $0.42 1.56 * * * * * 1/4 Buh Buh Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley vs. Spike Dudley & New Jack vs. Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney 0.0% (0 of 8) Last 6 0.23 $0.43 1.69 1.58 3.08 4.8% (1 of 21) 1998 0.23 $0.43 1.69 1.58 3.08 4.8% (1 of 21) 1997 0.22 $0.38 2.10 2.50 3.583 10.0% (2 of 20) I'll update the figures for next week. Longer-term data is available. The data now runs back to 1991. A table of wrestlers who have delivered quality matches is also online. - WCW has Souled Out PPV on 01/17/99. Rumour has it that the show will feature Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan. - The WWF has Royal Rumble on 01/24/99. - The WWF has In Your House on 02/14/99. The plan is to have Brian Christopher & Soctt Taylor get married on this show (yes, to each other). - The WWF has WrestleMania XV on 03/28/99. - The WWF has In Your House on 04/25/99. - The WWF has In Your House on 05/23/99. - The WWF has King of the Ring on 06/27/99. - The WWF has In Your House on 07/25/99. - 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. ______________________________________________________________________ Thanks to: Masaki Aso. ______________________________________________________________________ If you have any feedback regarding my web pages, please send me e-mail. 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