Straight Shooting
The Good and Bad of Wrestling...Mostly Bad
May 23, 2000
By Fritz Capp
Well I am back from my week in San Francisco at the Ad-Tech convention for Americom and of course it took me another week to catch back up on everything, but at long last I finally have a moment or two sit down and actually enjoy some wrestling again.
One of the first things I saw at the convention was the iMarkerters trade paper being given out at the convention. On the front page was...you guessed it...another story on the WWF. I have to give it to Vince, a marketing genius always at work...he has the WWF so visible now that it is unbelievable.
Did they bring back the Undertaker as one bad dude or what? It is good to see Mark back in action, and while it may be a short bit before we actually see him hit the squared circle again, they are rebuilding his "indestructible" legacy back to its former glory. I have to say that I like the new gimmick as where they were heading with him before he left was a bit much. This is more realistic without all the satanistic garbage. Taker was always a bad ass and I see a major push as soon as he starts doing matches again. This comes at a great time as Austin is still out and the Rock/HHH feud is really going stale. Don’t get me wrong, they still put on great matches but it is time for a change and Taker could be the answer.
Can anyone tell me how Shane Douglas (on Nitro this past week) was getting choked out by the Wall one second and the next second he was showered and pushing Flair’s casket? Please, save the e-mails...I know it was taped beforehand, but just what is WCW thinking by having flaws like that when they are trying to rebuild credibility? I hope the Board of Directors loved it as much as I did.
ECW, fresh off its victory in the lawsuit where Ray Schwitzer sued them for injuries sustained at an ECW Arena show in 1995, have sustained a few injuries of their own in their locker room. Lance Storm defects to WCW and recent rumors and reports have ECW offering Scott Levy (Raven) his release from the company. Knowing Scott, that is probably exactly what he wanted them to do. Heyman thinks he is the master of all things, but he is easily worked and manipulated. I believe that if Scott does in fact take his release, that is exactly what happened. Paul Heyman is a creative genius, but is a more of a mark than most fans are and thus can be swayed and manipulated if done correctly.
I thought a belt had be defended every thirty days or the title was vacant? I guess it helps that daddy owns the company, doesn’t it, Steph? So much for the alive, now dead, now reborn, now dead again woman’s division in the WWF.
Is WCW getting some hot babes on television now or what? The funny thing is that I remember them condemning the WWF for doing that exact same thing. Why does Bischoff’s past interviews about them being "family entertainment" keep ringing in my head? I am as big a fan as the next guy when it comes to T&A, and WCW does have some great looking women, I guess it’s just the hypocritical factor that comes into play that bothers me.
Is Russo ever going to get a clue or what? He is not Vince McMahon, although he is trying so hard to be him, isn’t he? For someone who once said he would never be on television, he sure is on a lot - in fact too much. He over-emphasizes his statements, thinking he's putting himself over as a tough guy, when in fact the reality is he is about a 180 lb. annoying video vendor who knows how to position himself, probably frequently in the kneeling position. I’ll bet he needed that bat to walk around in real life as a kid so he wouldn’t get beat up by the neighborhood girls.
ECW in it’s infinite wisdom has filed a lawsuit against XPW. Is Paul out of his mind or what? These guys don’t give a rat’s a** who Heyman thinks he is. For those of you who don’t know, the XPW guys are the porn guys that Heyman tried to secretly form a partnership with a while back. When the story broke that this was going down, Paul cut off the deal because he was trying to build credibility for ECW at the time. These guys have money behind them, and I don’t mean daddy’s money like Paul has had to fall back on from time to time. Paul Heyman is not the WWF. He should stop acting like it. If Sabu wants out, let him go. If Sabu wants to work other places, let him. Paul should know by now that you are not going to control Sabu. Sabu can work Europe and Japan as his contract does not have a clause in it against him working overseas. He left once (1995) and he can leave again. Cut the losses, move on, stop with the lawsuits, and worry about your 0.7 rating. I highly doubt USA wants a promotion that can’t draw a rating to save its life.
Can Tammy Sytch stumble around the ring any more than she currently does? Either get this chick a walker or a reality check. When she hits the ring I’m begging for the 700 Club to interrupt the programming. There has to be some sin committed for putting us through having to watch her ego still have her believe she’s desirable and a draw.
Speaking of draws what is up with all the egos on the indy wrestling circuit? You go up and talk to some of these guys and they act like they are the second coming of Austin. Funny thing is they have been doing the same indy circuit for years with no hope of ever getting anywhere. Take Diamond Mike, a poor cross between Sir Oliver Humperdink and Lou Albano, who is now seen at the WWWA shows run by Dino Sanna managing Jack Hammer. Diamond Mike thinks he is destined for stardom even though he has not progressed one iota in over five years. Wait a minute, his new claim to fame is that he is used as an extra in movies. Him and 40,000 other people. I mean this guy even went as far as to have an action figure made of himself at the cost of $250.00. Talk about being a mark. With not one peep from a major federation, I just have to laugh at some of the egos I run into.
How many front pages does ECWwrestling.com need and how many banners and crap do they have to have when you finally get to their main page? Talk about whoring out the promotion.
WCW is now banning photography from their events? Are these people crazy? Save the speech about copyright infringement, that is a ludicrous argument. WCW is having enough problems without now creating hassles for the fans. I can understand a ban on people selling these photos for profit, or having wrestling magazines buy these photos for use in the mags, thus not allowing WCW to receive any compensation for the photos or the likenesses, but to tell fans they cannot take photos is stupid. People taking photos at wrestling events have been going on for as long as I can remember and that dates back to 1964 when my parents first started taking me to wrestling events at the old Philadelphia Arena. Even the WWF encourages photo taking and they are the stiffest when it comes to worrying about their product being exploited for profit. WCW better back off their asinine stances that they are starting to institute or they will have less fans showing up for events then they already do. As I said, save the e-mails...I’m not interested in some long drawn out diatribe from people who think they are Internet attorneys.
Why haven’t I seen any "Yokozuna returning to the WWF" reports lately? I really miss those insightful reports.
A good friend of mine, Bob Cole sent me a very interesting letter :
Dear Fritz,
I was just glancing at some of the WCW programming while I waited for WWF RAW to begin.
I find nothing entertaining about the Kanyon Angle. When I first saw the fall that he took, while admittedly very dangerous, I could see that it was set up better and with better protection than many of Mick Foley's unprotected and legitimately accidental falls.
Worse, I think that to create an angle out of him with a neck injury, is a stab in the back and an insult to Steve Austin, Darren Drosdov, and all other wrestlers who REALLY found themselves having to wear a halo.
Thank you,
Bob Cole
Very interesting thought on the subject don’t you think? How do you, the wrestling fans, feel about this? Please send your replies to pwbtsfans@hotmail.com
File this one in the "I can’t believe it’s a girdle" folder. Paul Heyman, long time associate/employee and now owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling has come out in defense of legislation against "extreme" wrestling. "I support regulation as long as it’s fair," Paul Heyman said in a recent interview, "A fair commission is to the benefit of the promoter, wrestler and consumer." Is this guy for real? This is the guy who spearheaded "blood" as a normal part of wrestling in the mid-1990's. Could it be that Paul is just looking for a way to kill the competition? Probably, as it is no secret that ECW is nothing compared to its former self. Go Paul go, you can’t get ratings but you can sure back legislation to that you hope will squash your competition.
WCW can get some hot women to do interviews. Now how about some that have a grasp on the English language as well? What a concept huh?
Rebel Productions, one of Britain's largest professional wrestling organizations will be running a show on Saturday August 5th where they will be organizing a huge international sports entertainment event that will be taking place at North Bridge Leisure Centre in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
The list of functions for the weekend event are :
"EVIL INTENTIONS: The Weekend"
On Friday August 4th and Saturday August 5th, the whole of Halifax will be rocking when the FWA stars come to town! People from a far a field as New York City, USA will be coming to West Yorkshire, and we want to make it a worthwhile experience. Therefore not only will fans have one of the biggest sports entertainment shows in British wrestling history to look forward to, but a whole weekend of activities. Check out our impressive line-up:
Friday August 4th, 4PM, North Bridge Leisure Centre... "FWA Evil Intentions: About To Explode! Press Conference with Dan Severn and Becky Levi". A limited number of fans and press will have the chance to ask questions to some of the stars of Evil Intentions! Who knows what could happen when opponents go face-to-face in front of national media! Plus: could stars from rugby's "Super League" crash the party?
Friday August 4th, 7:30PM, Atlantic Studios, Halifax.... "Wild Intentions: The VIP Party" - Tickets £4. Fans are invited to come down and cheer as the stars enter this wild event, featuring live music from up-and-coming band 'Slightly Alien'! The red carpet will be rolled out for this very special V.I.P. party! Only a limited number of tickets are available.
Saturday August 5th, 10am, Workout Warehouse Fitness Centre, Halifax...."WANT SOME? The Official Fan Convention" - Tickets £3. The event sponsored by The Wrestling Observer will be a chance for UK fans to get together, meet the wrestlers and look around various stalls. There's no limit as to what could happen at 'Want Some?'
Saturday August 5th, 2PM, North Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax...."Training Seminar with Dan Severn and Becky Levi". A chance to see the world famous Dan Severn and Becky Levi up close and personal. Fans get the chance to get a submission move of their own on the only three time UFC Champion and deadly competitor Dan Severn!
Saturday August 5th, 6:15 PM, North Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax...."i.e: LIVE!" - free with Evil Intentions ticket. As fans enter 'Evil Intentions', they'll be welcomed with live music from one of England's top Indy groups.
Saturday August 5th, 6:55PM, North Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax..... "FWA Evil Intentions: About To Explode!" - The biggest British wrestling event to ever hit the North! - Tickets from £8. The hype will end as the UK's top wrestling talent gathers for one of the most talked about British wrestling events of all time. After the pyros explode and the action begins, there's no telling what hell could break loose! Presented by WOW Magazine (HS Media Corp.) and Workout Warehouse Fitness Centres Ltd. To reserve your tickets or for more information please call: 01422 252681 or visit: http://www.evilintentions.co.uk
Remember Owen Hart this week as it is the anniversary of his passing. We still miss you Owen. (This is really evident as my son and I watch old RAW and pay-per-view tapes where Owen was on the card)
And with that I am outta here. Remember wrestling is nothing more than it appears to be.
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