Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #205 October 18th, 1999 The Opening Word: "One hundred four degrees ... is that bad?" I asked. "It's not good," replied the doctor. I didn't see No Mercy. Instead I was laid up in a hospital bed, running a high temperature, being pumped full of fluids and pain killers. It all started Saturday morning, when I got home from my night job. I wasn't feeling well, and tried to sleep through it. By Saturday evening I was burning up, doubled over in pain with a burning sensation in my stomach. Aspirin and Pepto Bismol didn't do a thing. I'd get dizzy every time I moved, and when I tried to sit up, I vomited hot white goo. Like it or not, the family packed me up and shuffled me into the emergency room. A thorough exam by a doctor (and I do mean THOROUGH, as in poking things where even I don't poke them) revealed I had a dangerously high white blood cell count, elevated levels of something or other, a high temperature, and a burning abdomen, with localized areas of sharp pain changing every few minutes. I was somehow retaining fluids, yet also dehydrated. Then my extremities started to tingle, and I felt very, very cold. Next thing I know I was being wheeled to a waiting hospital bed, being admitted as an overnight patient for the first time in my adult life. Sunday was a blur of IV drips, blood tests, and a pain killer (Demerol?) which kept me in a narcoleptic haze. The doctor thought I might have pancreitis (sp?), but that wasn't normally associated with a high temperature. They suspected a problem with my gall bladder. Even appendicitis wasn't ruled out until the abdominal pain went away. By this time the big concern was that I couldn't urinate, and all the fluids they were pumping into me seemed to be absorbing into my tissues, or something. Somebody mentioned a kidney problem, and suddenly this was all very scary, given what my Dad is going through. At 2:00 AM I filled a quart jug full of piss, feeling like I'd just scored a game-winning touchdown. By Monday morning the only thing remaining was the high temp, and that subsided to the point where I could leave if wanted. I knew wrestling would be on that night. Nitro was on TNT, on channel 23. RAW was on USA, on channel 53. The TV in my room didn't have a remote control, just a manual channel changer, which you changed one channel at a time by pressing a button on the rail of the hospital bed. Start at TNT, and it was thirty clicks to USA. You then had to click up to channel 62. One more click and the TV shut off. Another click and it was back on, starting at channel 2. Twenty-two more clicks got it back to TNT. So I went home. Still pretty high from the pain medication, and having no clue what had happened to me other than it being some kind of "viral infection", I curled up in bed and dozed until shortly before the wrestling shows started. Tuesday afternoon I woke up with a headache, runny nose and sore throat. Tuesday night I went to work anyway, and started working on getting things caught up. Then the spacebar on the keyboard died. Life sucks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WCW Monday Nitro: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Three Hours+. Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. HOUR ONE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - Tonight's action kicks off with a long limousine pulling up to the arena. Sid and a team of suit-wearing lawyer-types disembark. - JUVENTUD GUERRERA vs. EVAN KARAGIAS "Screw the cruiserweights!" sez Vince Russo, as Bret Hart comes out moments in the match and does a "shoot" interview. Hart says he left the WWF for WCW to wrestle Hulk Hogan for the World Title. Since it looks like that won't happen, he wants a shot at Sting. And here's Sting, ready to give Hart a reality check. Actually he offers him a shot at the belt tonight, in that really lame style of his where he's trying to be "hip". Sting's a man in desperate need of a good catchphrase. So ... why didn't Juvi and Evan finish their match? - Schiavone tells us tonight is the first night for WCW's new Creative Team, led by Russo & Ferrara. This, of course, means absolutely nothing to a good 80 or 90% of the TV audience, mind you. Running down tonight's show we learn that WCW will be trying one of the WWF's staples, the "Evening Gown Match". Clearly *innovation* isn't high on WCW's priority list. - Mike Tenay, playing Michael Cole this evening, tries to interview Sid. Sid's lawyers advise him not to answer. Another limo pulls up. It's Goldberg this time. Schiavone's going nuts. "What does this means?!" It means ... Goldberg's here. Relax, buddy. - Sid and his lawyers talk over the contract Goldberg voided by attacking Sid last week. - DISCO INFERNO vs. EL VAMPIRO "Screw the cruiserweights," sez Vince Russo, "and screw *you* Vampiro!" Disco pins Vampiro in about a minute. Lash LeRoux, who had just enough time to mangle some english at color commentary, attacks Disco after the match. Larry Zbyszko, playing Terry Taylor this week, gets comments from Goldberg. - Black Dustintaker Scorpion promo. He and his demonic child will debut "on the seventh night"--whatever that means. - Mike Tenay asks Madusa her thoughts about competing in an "Evening Gown Match"? She isn't happy about it, says she won't wear the gown, and that there may not even be a match. - Nitro Girl Search. The proceedings are interrupted by Buff Bagwell, who waltzes in and tells us how great he is. He feels he's "the Chosen One", meaning he's the one the "Creative Team" has destined for greatness. Kimberly's backstage, and she's WALKING! Okay, that's not my schtick, but it is worth noting the stylistic change here, emulating RAW's between-match use of backstage footage. - Sid's talking to the lawyers again. Seems they're sticking him for a ton of money in hourly fees. Is this going anywhere? - KONNAN/REY MYSTERIO, JR. vs. HARLEM HEAT Booker T. is wearing shorts, which looks weird. The other Filthy Animals sit in on color and crack jokes and such. Backstage, we see Hugh Morrus, Brian Knobbs and Jimmy Hart watching the match on a monitor. Very little attention is paid to the match, and the camera even misses stuff when Booker T. comes to the announce desk. Left on his own, and because he sucks, Stevie Ray falls victim to the doubleteam, and is pinned, making Mysterio and Konnan the new Tag Team Champions. - Kimberly has found David Flair, and invites him back to her hotel room. David's natural red-faced glow makes it look like he's blushing. Mike Tenay gets a word with the Filthy Animals, who are backstage celebrating. The First Family come along and challenge them to a match at Halloween Havoc. - MENG vs.HUGH MORRUS (w/Jimmy Hart) This is the weekly match where Hall & Nash arrive at ringside, making the in-ring action meaningless. Meng with the Tongan Death Grip. The Drunk-O-Meter is turned a bit higher this week, with Nash being seen drinking from a bottle of Nyquil. Sid and his lawyers are on the move. Goldberg, elsewhere, looks on via monitor. Turn down the volume and hum the "dudda-dudda" music from RAW and you'll notice how familiar this looks. HOUR TWO Hosted By: Tony Schiavone and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - Sid and the lawyers hit the ring. The usual rambling diatribe from Sid, the crux of it being that Goldberg doesn't get his shot at the U.S. Title because he touched Sid last week. Goldberg comes out, spears one of the lawyers (nearly killing him as the guys head snaps off the turnbuckle), at which point Sid delivers a boot and powerbombs Goldberg. Sid promises to kick his ass at Havoc, stuffing the contract in Goldberg's mouth. ... and we're not done yet. On his way out, angered at the jeers of the Outsiders, Goldberg goes after the two at ringside. Security steps in to keep the men apart. Security guards then expel Hall & Nash from the building. Bret Hart talks about his title shot tonight, telling Tenay that if he wins the belt, he'll put it up against Hulk Hogan this Sunday. Sting enters the lockerroom and lays Bret out. - They still haven't got Nash & Hall out. Goldberg, meanwhile, is looking for Sid. - BERLYN (w/ Bodyguard) vs. RICK STEINER Well, this is odd. The bodyguard wallops Steiner with a chair, giving Berlyn the pin. I guess the idea here is that with Steiner being such a "main eventer", a win over him will really elevate Berlyn. Riiiiiiight. Brad Armstrong then comes out to check on Steiner (huh?), so Steiner beats him up. I'd be really depressed (disgusted, nonplussed, apathetic, take your pick) if this all had actually lasted over a few minutes. Hall, Nash & bottle of Nyquil have snuck back into the building. Kimberly arrives at the local Marriott hotel. Damn lucky for WCW there's a cameraman there to record this. I bet there's already one up in her room too. - Yup ... Kimberly enters her room and removes her coat, revealing THE GREATEST NITRO EVER! Someone is waiting in the shower. Kimberly has some pills, with which she will load up a glass of champagne and send David Flair to la-la land. It's not David in the bathroom, though, it's the Nature Boy! Ric Flair comes out, dances, and promises to give Kimberly a "fourteen-time spanking". Whooo! Goldberg. WALKING. Insane Clown Posse. "Where's Sid?" *Shrug* Clobber. Zbyszko asks Lex Luger and Liz what they think of Goldberg. Luger nervously says he isn't worried. - Mona and Madusa prepare for their match. - DAVID FLAIR vs. KIDMAN (w/ Torrie) Torrie's wearing a coat and acting like she doesn't have anything on underneath. The match ... David does a DDT and takes some bumps, but is still pretty worthless. Torrie opens her coat, revealing THE GREATEST NITRO EVER! Down David goes. Kidman puts him away with a nasty Shooting Star Press, squarely nailing Flair in the face with his knee as he comes down. David, green as grass, doesn't know how to cope, and lays there uselessly as the other Filthy Animals come in and try to lay the beatdown. The Outsiders are still looking for Goldberg. - Flair's back. Man, he didn't even go sixty minutes! Schiavone says something about the new creative team putting their stamp on the show. So all the previous Nitro's sucked, right, and it was the fault of the "creative team"? Is that what WCW's saying? Bend kayfabe, Tony, don't break it all to pieces. - MONA vs. MADUSA This is actually a "New York Evening Gown Match". Since we're in Philadelphia, I've got to assume this is some kind of shot at the WWF. And what a shot it is. Madusa's "evening gown" looks more like something you'd wear playing tennis. I don't mean to be so cruel, but Madusa just doesn't have it anymore in the looks department. Her legs are grotesquely over-muscled (remember Asya?), yet her ass is all cottage-cheesy. Sorry, but it's true. And I think that's the point here, as Madusa acts like she really doesn't want to do this match. She nails Mona with a steel chair and walks out, chasing Tony and Bobby away from the announce desk. She gripes about having to be in this type of match. Mona comes up from behind and pulls her dress off, revealing nothing any healthy male would get all that excited about. Mona wins, drawing a large boo from the crowd (for the weak effort). Madusa says she doesn't care, and we can all kiss her [*mute*]. How lame is it to try and send a message to the competition about T&A on a night when Torrie and Kimberly have shown about an acre of bare flesh? Besides, women's wrestling in the WWF isn't about T&A right now, it's about really, REALLY ugly old women. So there! Sting. Hart. I half expect to see the "Coast Guard Save of the Week" after the break! - BRET "HITMAN" HART vs. STING Sting controls the match early on, attacking before the bell and taking Hart to the floor. Hart rallies back. Five minutes or so in and they're mostly punching and kicking--little is being done to set up either's finishers. Hart is over with the crowd, but so is Sting. Hart's matches have a certain feel to them, and one can sense that this one isn't exactly building up for the long haul. Still, it is a long one, with Hart having the momentum nearing the fifteen minute mark. Lex Luger and Liz come out then. Some interference by both allows Sting to slap on the Scorpion Deathlock. Hart quickly taps out. HOUR THREE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - Ric comes across David in the back, and slowly draws the story of what happened out of him. Were this RAW (and it's sure looked like it tonight) the show would be over at this point. Here comes the curse of being three hours long. Hall and Nash again. - ... and again. Seems they found the luchadore lockeroom. Making off with the masks of Villano IV & V, they continue their search for Goldberg. And as in the case of the dog chasing the car, just what the hell are they going to do if and when they find him? - BUFF BAGWELL vs. LA PARKA This was set up on Thunder last week and ... made no sense, so let's move on. Bagwell acts dejected here, and wrestles the match like he's not paying attention. After a few minutes he seems to give up altogether, letting La Parka beat him up and pin him. A quick shot in the back shows others watching on a monitor and laughing. Bagwell grabs a mic and asks Vince Russo if he liked the "job". Jeff Jarrett then comes out and nails him with a guitar. The crowd pops because Jarrett is a WWF SUPERSTAR, and not one of these WCW jobbers. Jarrett says he's got the stroke, and grabs his nuts. That's it, I give up. Can't WCW just do a, you know, WRESTLING show? Do they have to do all this "insider", "smart" crap, play up the Internet fans, "swerve" and "work" us at every turn, obsess over the WWF, etc. This stuff is okay in moderation, but here tonight, that's all WCW has done for two solid hours, and there's almost an hour left to go. Schiavone smugly gloating over WCW's signing of Russo and Ferrara, Hart pretending to shoot, Vampiro getting "squashed" because he's leaving, the evening gown nonsense, Buff "doing the job", and now Jarrett coming in as an enforcer for the bookers ... it's all too much. Why don't they just cut to the back and show Russo with a clipboard, reading off who is going to win and lose the remainder of tonight's matches? Were it not for the fact that I've actually enjoyed little bits of the show thus far, I wouldn't even bother recapping the rest of it. What's the point--it's all just a swerve-work-shoot-job-wink-wink-nudge-nudge-say-no-more-fest anyway?! - Security finally tracks down Hall & Nash. Nash pukes because he's drunk and/or flying from the cough syrup. - EDDIE GUERRERO vs. CHAVO GUERRERO, JR. vs. SATURN Shane Douglas is on color commentary, and I'm damned surprised they don't have him doing a shoot speech on Ric Flair. Instead he's downplaying the tensions in the Revolution. The early moments of the match are damn good, and I desperately try to cling to that as being uniquely WCW. Then the Filthy Animals come out. In case you hadn't noticed, they've pretty much turned heel tonight (which is fine by me). They hassle Shane. A chair is introduced into the mix. Eddie puts Saturn away with a Frog Splash, eliminating him by pinfall. Chavo then slaps a DDT on Eddie and wins the whole shebang! The Animals are in to stomp on Chavo. This was pretty good. - A quick look at Goldberg and Luger back in their respective dressing rooms. - HORACE vs. NORMAN SMILEY Hey, Vince, I don't wanna see EITHER of these guys, alright? To make things worse, this is a "Hardcore Match". Not being Smiley's forte, he whimpers like a woman as Horace beats on him. Heenan and Schiavone just laugh and crack jokes. Is this supposed to be funny? Horace gets a bit carried away in his assault, knocks himself out with a chair, and Smiley gets the pin. Hopefully next week the fans will call him a "faggot", which will get him booted off TV like Lenny and Lodi. Spotting Ric Flair WALKING is the last I'm going to bother mentioning one of these shots. - Flair starts off sucking up to the crowd by making some local hockey references. He then works himself up into a lather, removing his jacket and calling out Kidman and the Filthy Animals. They oblige, and the four-on-one results in Flair being beaten and stripped of all his valuables. (David comes out for some ineffectual assistance, and is left laying too.) I like what they've done with the Animals tonight, but I'm not sure if I like the idea of a young, mostly hispanic GANG being portrayed as common thieves. Still, as far as wrestling goes, this rocked. Lex Luger is checking up on Liz, and discovers her laid out in her dressing room. A smashed guitar nearby clues us in that Jarrett will be continuing his woman beating ways (*snicker*). This has been the hardest Nitro to recap ever, not made any easier by the fact that MYSPACEBARDOESN'TWORK!!! - GOLDBERG vs. LEX LUGER Goldberg is fired up. Luger is ... Luger. Before too long the Outsiders show back up. Sting comes out, as well as Bret Hart. Hart busts a baseball bat across the steel post in chasing Sting away. He then goes after Luger. Goldberg spears the two (Hart pretty much by accident), and covers Luger for the pin. - This Thursday: Nothing announced. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: I know this is a work in progress, but the Russo/Ferrara era in WCW seems to be signaled by three things: throwaway matches, backstage shots of people walking, and a ton of insider "smart" booking. They still had a few longer matches, but most of what you'd consider "quality wrestling" was absent. On the whole the show looked a bit different, but still felt mostly the same. Still, I'm upbeat, mostly because the show may get to be more entertaining ... and no one can accuse me of being "biased" when I point out that WCW is now blatantly stealing everything it does from the WWF. No shades of gray here--hire away the WWF's writers, and do our show like the WWF does theirs! Actually WCW has killed two birds with one stone: not only can they copy the WWF successfully, but they've also hurt the WWF's ability to do itself what it has done. I think that's what's bugged people about the Russo/Ferrara defection. I actually thought this show was a step down from the last two or three weeks, but hey--they got Kimberly and Torrie into their underwear, so who am I to complain? I think if anything, WCW will be helped in the ratings this week by showing a lot more Goldberg, and healthy doses of Hall & Nash. Bringing the episodic segment-to-segment feel to Nitro will also help sustain ratings, rather than let people tune out for longs stretches, coming back at the top of the second and third hours. If and when Nitro rolls back to two hours, as is being rumored for next year, then that could put Nitro back in the running. Here's Halloween Havoc: * Hulk Hogan vs. Sting. World Title Match. * Goldberg vs. Sid Vicious. U.S. Title Match. * Bret Hart vs. Lex Luger. * Ric Flair vs. Diamond Dallas Page. * Chris Benoit vs. Rick Steiner. Television Title Match. * Lash LaRoux vs. Disco Inferno. Cruiserweight Title Match. * Mysterio & Konnan vs. Morrus & Knobbs. World Tag Team Title Match. * Berlyn vs. Brad Armstrong. The true (and perhaps only) draws for this card are Goldberg vs. Sid, and the drama surrounding the Hogan "shoot". Hulk Hogan? Who's he? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WWF RAW is WAR: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Two Hours+. Location: Columbus, Ohio. WWF RAW Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler. - PPV still photos. - Here's the Rock, out to do his thing, this time in reference to accidentally nailing Steve Austin with a sledgehammer, and Triple H retaining the WWF Championship. Out comes Steve Austin to give his take on things. At issue between these two is who is the #1 contender, and who will get the shot at the titleshot at the next PPV. Vince McMahon comes out to settle that issue, but not before calling out Triple H to get his opinion. Triple H comes out (whew!) and basically tells everyone to kiss his ass. Long story short, "Triple Threat Match"for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series. - X-PAC/KANE vs. THE DUDLEY BOYZ The Head Bangers come out to annoy the Dudleyz, en route to an X-Factor/Chokeslam win for X-Pac and Kane. The Dudz and Bangerz brawl afterwards. Someone's been watching the "Heroes of Wrestling" PPV: Curtis Hughes is in a high stakes poker game with Faarooq. Bradhsaw sits by and guffaws at Hughes' poor luck, while Howard Finkel is there to support Hughes. The Hollys, because they beat the New Age Outlaws at the PPV, tell Vince McMahon they deserve a Tag Title shot. Tonight. - The Big Bossman comes out and puts the badmouth on the Big Show. Michael Cole is backstage with the Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young. Young makes a crack about Moolah's age, Moolah let's her have it, and just like that we're set for a Women's Championship match between the two on SmackDown! Kevin Kelly gets a word from the Big Show. Test is in the building. - Another "Sex Therapy Session" for Mark Henry. This time it's with an older woman who, over the course of talking to Sexual Chocolate, gets the hots for him. I thought this "sports entertainment", not "science fiction"? - THE GODFATHER (w/ Ho's) vs. VISCERA (w/ Midian) Looking at the Ho's I can only think "God bless America!" Viscera wins with a splash. Faarooq is taking Hughes to the cleaners. Finkel, holding Hughes' spit cup gets a terbacky shower. Mankind is looking for the Rock. - Mankind gives the Rock a copy of his autobiography. Once again it's made clear that the Rock is just barely tolerating Mankind and his eccentricities. - Chyna is out with Miss Kitty, who is now dressed similarly to her. Chyna tells the crowd how good it feels to be Intercontinental Champion. She says a lot of the guys in the back have a problem with her holding the belt. She throws out a challenge to any of them to come out and take it from her. Y2J Countdown! Chris Jericho calls her a disgrace to the title, recounting such past titleholders as Ricky Steamboat, Rick Rude and the Mountie (heh). He calls her a "freak of nature", and promises to beat the title off of her. Chyna dumps him off the apron and walks out as he throws his usual fit. Test and the British Bulldog are up next. WWF WAR ZONE Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler. - TEST vs. THE BRITISH BULLDOG A real disappointment here, as the Mean Street Posse quickly run in and lay out Test with a trash can, causing the DQ. When are we going to get this wedding angle back underway? I was hooked, dammit! Faarooq wins everything Hughes has, including Finkel. Al Snow is be-bopping along, and is about to blow a snag into the trash, when he notices the copy of Mankind's book there. Uh-oh. - Snow tracks down Mankind and gives him his book. It slowly dawns on Mick that the Rock just crossed the line. - VAL VENIS vs. AL SNOW Snow and Venis surprise everyone by putting on a solid match here, which sees Val win at about the five minute mark with the Money Shot. The crowd looked bored (unfortunately). Bossman. Big Show. Next. Mankind is morosely searching for the Rock. - Mankind finds the Rock in his dressing room and rips into him with a killer promo. The Rock acts like he doesn't know what Mankind is talking about (which I suspect may well be the case. Who *did* throw Mick's book away?) Mankind tells him he doesn't want to have anything more to do with him, ending the Rock & Sock Connection, and putting in jeopardy the World Tag Team Titles the two won just last week at SmackDown! - THE BIG BOSSMAN vs. THE BIG SHOW No match. The Big Show is shown backstage being given bad news by a police officer. It's assumed that the news is that the Show's father died. The Bossman is awarded the match by forfeit. - THE NEW AGE OUTLAWS vs. THE ACOLYTES (w/ Howard Finkel) Finkel is made up to look like a half-assed Acolyte. Early on the top rope breaks, and whether planned or not, it becomes incorporated into the match. The loose turnbuckle is used as a weapon. The finish sees "Harold" Finkel slide a steel chair into the ring, the Outlaws using it instead of the Acolytes, and Road Dogg pinning Faarooq. - Michael Cole is out to interview the Brood. Scratch that--they'll go back to being Matt & Jeff Hardy from now on. Edge and Christian come out to congratulate them for winning the "Ladder Match" at No Mercy. (I'll have to get a copy of that show from someone.) The crowd gives the four an encore standing ovation. Gangrel and Terri Runnels then come out. Gangrel says while they were all wiped out from the match last night, he was the only one to score with Terri. All four men attack Gangrel, stomp on him, and leave him laying. The Hardyz walk out with Terri. "GTV" catches the Bossman having a laugh with the guy he paid to impersonate a police officer. That dirty son-of-a- The Rock is on the move. - THE ROCK/MANKIND vs. THE HOLLYS Mankind just sits on the apron, leaving the Rock to fight the match by himself. As it goes on Mankind teases going in, becoming slightly interested in the proceedings. The fans root for Mick to enter the fray. Eventually the Rock looks like he may be able to overcome the odds and beat the two Holly cousins, but out comes Triple H to apply the Pedigree behind the ref's back. 1 ... 2 ... 3--new World Tag Team Champions. Mankind walks off, at about the same time as Steve Austin comes out to take care of Triple H. The Rock gives Triple H the Rock Bottom, and goes for the People's Elbow, but is stopped short by a double bird from Austin, who then plunks Triple H with the Stone Cold Stunner. The show closes with Austin and the Rock giving each other the evil eye. - This Thursday: Moolah vs. Mae Young. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: The WWF seems to have lost just a bit of the "edginess" they once had, and are in fact taking the company in a slightly different direction. That's the impression I get, anyway. Maybe it's due to lack of talent depth, or maybe it's a response to fan request, perhaps a bit of both, but they sure seem to be focusing more on actual wrestling lately. Not a lot more, just a slight turning of the ship, so to speak. I wouldn't call what's going on right now boring, just a bit more down-to-earth. Of course that comes in comparing things to the phenomenal Austin vs. McMahon feud, and the more theatrical Austin/Undertaker stuff. Things are just a bit low-key right now, though you can see what's brewing just underneath the surface for the new year, and WrestleMania not too long after that. You hate to see Jarrett go, but it's hard to argue that he will be missed, what with Jericho easily stepping into his shoes. If nothing else it freed up a spot for others to move up. Jericho walking away from this with the IC belt would definitely be a good thing. Besides, it's not as if Jarrett's changed--looks like he'll be doing the same gimmick over in WCW! The Big Show's father, in real life, died several years ago. There's been so much tragedy in wrestling in recent years that Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler were able to look just a bit TOO convincing in expressing their condolences to Wight. Probably another argument against doing the angle in the first place. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bottom Line: One show and the Internet perception is that the tide has changed. Early Tuesday the most vocal out there were trashing this show. Then the ratings came in, and the tune changed. "Russo did it! Nitro went up in the ratings. RAW dropped. Nitro will be beating RAW by January. Game over!" Looks like we're going back to that old "doesn't matter which show was *really* better, the ratings PROVE which was the better show!" syndrome. Like most of 1996 through 1998, nothing the WWF ever does again will get any respect because the ratings tide has shifted. And WCW, even though it was terrible most of 1997, couldn't be criticized because it was the ratings champ. Cheerleaders for both sides no longer even look at their own shows, they just point to the ratings and say "see, we won." WCW did it from 1996 to 1998. The WWF has done it since. Now WCW is ready to do it again. All because WCW brought in a guy that they as a company, along with their fans, spent the better part of the last two years trashing. Of course that's why I quit calling a winner each week. It's meaningless. Picking a "winner" became an apples and oranges comparison two years ago. WCW was about "wrestling". The WWF was about "sports entertainment". Now WCW is shifting to "sports entertainment" (while the WWF, curiously enough, has dabbled in more "wrestling" lately). At the bottom of all this is what these two companies are about. The WWF of the Vince McMahon Jr. era has always been about entertainment. Look back at the first big boom in the 80's and it's hard to find a good wrestler on the WWF's roster, and even harder to find good matches. It was always about telling an entertaining story and raking in the bucks. WCW had its roots as a traditional wrestling promotion, bought by Ted Turner to provide programming for his cable networks. The people who run the company have usually tried to stay true to those roots. The corporation which owned WCW, however, has always lusted after that mainstream success and profitability McMahon achieved with his WWF. That's why WCW has been run by people not so much interested in staying true to wrestling than they have been to simply making money--lots of it. That's why Eric Bischoff got, and ultimately lost, his job as head of WCW. There's a new guy running WCW, and more than ever his mandate is to make money--lots of it. The only real model to doing that is by copying what Vince McMahon did. The best way to do that, WCW has decided, is by hiring away as many WWF creative people as they could. WCW's fans, meanwhile, are so fixated on beating the WWF that they've lost sight of the fact that to do so, WCW may well stop being the company they want it to be. WCW is in serious danger of becoming EVERYTHING WCW's fans hate about the WWF. You know what? It doesn't bother me. I don't care who "beats" who. I'm not a diehard WCW or WWF fan. I've said too many times to count I'm a "sports entertainment" slanted fan. I like the great matches when they come along, but on a week-to-week basis I want to be entertained with a variety of good, amusing and interesting storylines and characters. That's why the loss of Russo and Ferrara have been a noticeable hit, but are far from a nail in the WWF's coffin; and it's why bringing them in is the first necessary step of many for WCW, and not the final solution. The WWF still has the great characters, and enough people still there (and more sure to come in) who can write. WCW has a mix of huge name stars and talented undercard wrestlers. The key is picking the ones who can be interesting to watch in AND out of the ring. The greatest storyline in the world won't work if WCW decides to plug someone into it who has been rejected by the fans a dozen times. The ratings this week didn't mean a thing to me because I still liked RAW, and for the first time in a long time, saw some stuff on Nitro that caught my interest. From here on out whatever's going to happen is going to happen. I can't control it. I'll be sorely disappointed, though, if those good wrestling matches I could count on seeing on Nitro, when I was in the mood for them, aren't there anymore in the future. I'd hate to see it become a watered-down version of RAW with some pretty women, aging stars trying to act tough by swearing, and all that was once good abandoned in favor of video clips showing Hugh Morrus going on a blind date, Norman Smiley getting a sex change and Buff Bagwell discovering his mother Judy is from the planet Bleepzor. You know what I mean? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 1999 by John Petrie, and all opinions expressed therein are his own, and not those of "USLink". Check the "Slobberknocker Central" main page for info on how to receive the "Recap" free via E-Mail every week. Volume One, Number 205 of the "Monday Night Recap", October 18th, 1999.