I thought I'd offer some quick comments about my trip to the honeymoon cities of Alberta, namely Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff. The moutains were incredible, many with startlingly different character; it never got boring. Many of the lakes (Louise, Peyto, and others) have a vibrant green-blue colour at this time of year and were something to see. Lake Louise was by far our favourite place; I can't imagine any hotel in the world having a more beautiful view than the Chateau Lake Louise - the green-blue Lake Louise framed by two mountains with a glacier between them lies right outside the back door of the Chateau. Both Lake Louise and Banff get a lot of Japanese tourists. I was on my best behaviour, trying to resist the temptation of striking up conversations on Japanese wrestling with these guests. One funny note: at the breakfast buffet they had a basket of eggs, which any North American tourist would assume were hard/soft boiled. Several older ladies took an egg each and the hostess charged over to stop them, saying that the eggs were raw. The Japanese guests like to break open the raw eggs, pour in some soya sauce, and drink the contents. The looks on the older ladies' faces was priceless. The Chateau Lake Louise was also hosting a Billy Graham conference while we were there. We'd often pass people that were talking about various biblical passages. It became tiresome to always hear about Jesus everywhere I went, so I figured I'd joke around a bit. Want some advice? Never stroll onto an elevator filled with Christians and pretend to be in mid-sentence, saying "...and then Satan told me that I had to find a sacrifice..." Christians don't have that kind of sense of humour. And when they comment on how in love you and your SO look, don't mention that you aren't married and that you live together. Along the road to Lake Louise, driving through Jasper National Park, we passed by many mountains, one of particular interest being Mt. Brazeau. The mountain had a tinny sheen to it, making me think it was most certainly Mt. Brazeau de Plata. On the long drive back from Banff to Edmonton, we drove through Calgary and passed Calaway Park, a highway-side amusement park, but decided not to undertake it. We also passed McMahon Arena; I think the circus was playing there. All in all, a very enjoyable trip. ______________________________________________________________________ - Arn Anderson & Sid Vicious were stabbed in England a couple of nights ago. Reports have them in satisfactory condition. - Shawn Michaels has been talked into returning to the WWF after a very short holiday. He'll work in the USWA first and then return to the WWF with the IC Title saying that he was unjustly stripped of the belt by Jack Tunney and challenging Razor Ramon. - Dave Meltzer reports that the stuff that WCW taped teasing Erik Watts as a potential Horsemen is just a tease. - WCW has Clash of Champions XXVI on 11/10/93 from Petersburg. The Road Warriors are scheduled to appear. Tentative line-up includes: * Van Vader vs. Ric Flair for the WCW Title * Rick Rude vs. Hawk (with Animal at ringside) for the Gold Belt * Dustin Rhodes (with Dusty) vs. Paul Orndorff (with Assassin) * Steve Austin vs. Brian Pillman On the 10/30/93 WCW SN show, Ric Flair & Sid Vicious will square off in a television match to determine who gets the title shot at Van Vader, with Flair coming out on top when Colonel Parker gets Sid DQ'ed. This will lead to Sid turning face. On paper this looks like a very good show. - WCW has the Lethal Lottery on PPV on 11/20/93. The ad for the show has pictures of Sting, Rick Rude, Cactus Jack, Dustin Rhodes, Ric Flair, Rick Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes, and (I believe) Hawk. Underneath each wrestler is a quote that gets across their gimmick. You know, "I'm fired up to win," "I'm the only one crazy enough to win," "I'm a natural to win," etc. The Lethal Lottery & Battlebowl idea is kind of neat, but always seems to get fouled up by really stupid pairings in the "random" draw. Any chance they'll do it right this year? - The WWF has Survivor Series on PPV on 11/24/93 in Boston. Tentative line-up includes: * Team USA: Lex Luger & Steiners & Undertaker vs. Team Foreign Scum: Ludvig Borga & Yokozuna & Quebeckers * Rick Martel & Diesel & Adam Bomb & I.R.S. vs. Razor Ramon & Marty Janetty & Curt Hennig & 1-2-3 Kid * R'n'R Express: Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson vs. Heavenly Bodies: Tom Prichard & Jimmy del Ray for the SMW Titles * Team Doink: 4 Doinks (Doink & Randy Savage & Men on a Mission) vs. Team Crush: Crush & Bam Bam Bigelow & Headshrinkers * Team Hart: Bret Hart & Owen Hart & Bruce Hart & Keith Hart vs. Team Lawler: Jerry Lawler & 3 Knights (three masked men) I wonder what Randy Savage is thinking? What good fortune to be able to dress up as a Doink for a PPV. - WCW has Starrcade '93 on 12/27/93 from Charlotte, NC. The line-up is rumoured to include: * Sid Vicious vs. Van Vader * Sting vs. Rick Rude * Nasty Boys vs. Ric Flair & Rick Steamboat * Arn Anderson vs. Paul Roma - New Japan has the annual beginning of the year show in Tokyo Dome on 01/04/94. The line-up might include: * Hulk Hogan vs. Antonio Inoki - The WWF has Royal Rumble on 01/22/94 in Providence. - The WWF has WrestleMania X on 04/03/94 from MSG in New York. - Awards: We are fast approaching the beginning of the voting period for the year-end awards. I'll be adding the remaining nominations to the list in the next few days and I'll post the call for votes some time next week. I'm hoping that participation this year will be at an all time high.