Straight Shooting
by : Fritz Capp
October 1, 1999

Well everyone who loves to trash and bash get your e-mails open because this week your gonna have a lot to say.

WCW.com is reporting that Bret Hart has requested a special "tribute" match in memory of Owen Hart coincidentally in the very same building that Owen died in earlier this year. Now I think that is great, a true way to once again remember Owen Hart right? Well it would be if Bret's wishes didn't once again show the utter hypocrisy of both Bret Hart and WCW. You see, if Bret and company would have just kept their mouth shut as far as saying that the WWF did their Owen tribute just to increase their ratings everything would be fine. But neither did so every time that they do something to promo something on Nitro using Owen's name it just rings that little alarm in my head saying, "ummm...aren't you doing the same thing right now?" I am sure that Bret is going to go through many emotions when he walks into Kemper Arena and I understand how he feels, truly I do. He is not the only person to lose a family member. And my sympathies have always gone out to the Hart family because the loss of Owen was tragic and needless, but it was an accident and no one entity should be blamed for it. I guess what I am trying to say is that Bret in his infinite wisdom should learn to keep his mouth shut on certain things because they always seem to come back and bite him, especially when it comes to Owen and ratings. This is now twice Bret has allowed WCW to use Owen's name for ratings or to draw viewers since Owen passed away. Keeping the memory alive is one thing, allowing and hoping this will bring viewers is another. I can imagine the outcry if the WWF every 4-6 weeks found a way to mention Owen.

This past week I went haywire posting around the new Playboy cover featuring Rena Mero. I have come to find out that at that particular time I was one of the very elite who had it. I got it in my mail. The person who scooped the Internet on that was Georgiann Makropoulos. Since I got it in my mail I really didn't know that at the time or I would have given Georgie credit in my posts. Anyway I saw that NO ONE had it and I posted it around as I said above. Only this time, (and this is one of the very few times I did this) I didn't put the pic on the boards, I kept it on my site and directed people there. Now as I see it this is done hundreds of times everyday, this is not something new to the Internet, in fact scores of reporters do that, even on my site. Well one newsboard dropped me because I did that. After all the news I have provided for them they got all pissy because for once I did something to promo my site. Awww....what I saw was funny was that they deleted my post and another one replaced it with the picture. Talk about little kids. So to all the people who read the top-rope newsboard and are wondering where I am, that's what happened. (I was going to trash the juveniles but why?...they probably wouldn't get it anyway)

I am trying to figure out where some of you utter morons get your wrestling news? Did you get it out of your favorite cereal box? Maybe someone in school is related in someway to your neighbor who has a friend who knows someone who is the second cousin twice removed from the janitor who used to work for the company who picks up the trash next door to the advertising firm who used to do the ads for a small indie promotion? I mean come one, in the past couple of weeks while browsing the boards I have seen that Jimmy Hart died, Road Dog was out of the WWF because of a drug suspension, people are leaving their company although they have contracts, people are signing contracts although they have never even contacted or been contacted by anyone. It is all so mind boggling it isn't funny. What really gets me is a lot, and I mean a lot, of this crap is taken as factual news and it shows up everywhere. Now I have to say that save the very very very few people on here who actually work for a promotion (and even their news is suspect because they are told what they can say and what they cannot) almost every person on the net in nothing more than a read and paste or cut and paste artist. The PWBTS site has a former wrestler, a current wrestler, two referees, an announcer and people who have been around the business longer than most of you have been alive. Think about it.

A lot of whining and crying came out of the NWA-New Jersey promotion on Thursday due to a piece that Dan Moreland wrote on the PWBTS site. It basically mocked last years Eddie Gilbert Memorial debacle where Dennis Corralluzo and The Gilbert family had a screaming match with some fans at ringside during the "plaque presentation" part of the show. In fact Dennis himself called me up trying to "hold me responsible" and tried to strong arm me into taking the post down. What a hoot! Dennis tried to talk to me about credibility. Who is this guy to even mention that word? Just check into some of the things that Dennis has been involved in. Can we say "Charity Show" Dennis?

Two so-called "big names" on the Internet are once again working the fans pretending to be fighting hoping that people will grab this and run with it thus getting their name mentioned all over the Internet. How sad is this? I will not ever understand how these two overweight jobrones could ever be considered credible considering how many times they have "worked" all of you. But then again, maybe you like it like that huh?

A lot of people are trashing the 20 minute piece that the Rock and Mankind did on Raw. Personally I loved it bu then again I do not hide the fact that I am a "Foley" mark. While I hope the WWF does not continue this as it should be just a one shot deal I fear that since it garnered an 8.4 rating for that quarter hour we will be subject to another attempt at this kind of programming which I feel will be a big mistake.

Speaking on that for a second though I have a question, "How much is the WWF product going to suffer when Vince actually starts to get into television programming and making movies like he is positioning his company to do? I remember when Paul Heyman went more into production instead of booking and the results were two years of dismal ECW product. Will the same thing happen when Vince does this? Give me your opinions and I'll print some next week in this column.

Do the WCW cruiserweights kick ass or what? I now realize why Bischoff and the top guys would never really allow these guys to get air time or would just have them squashed. Because they make the top names in the fed look like horse crap in comparison that's why. Give me a night of Kidman, Benoit, Malenko, Mysterio, Psychosis, Juventud and the rest anytime over DDP vs Hogan.

I hope that Vince doesn't do to Taz what he is doing to The Dudley's. Vince is killing them with the stupid stuttering gimmick. Here we have one of the top ECW tag teams ever and they can't even beat the Acolytes. This feud is generating no heat what so ever in my opinion. Get rid of the stuttering, Bubba Ray can rip a crowd apart and generate a lot of heat if you would let him.

Eric Kulas is suing ECW again? While it is true that New Jack cut this guy open so bad that the blood flowed from his head like a gushing fountain and poured out like running stream (you have to see the tape to believe this) Kulas has to realize that this is going to be another failed attempt. My guess it is to keep his name in the limelight so to speak because I highly doubt he is going to get a dime and I cannot imagine a promoter wanting to touch this kid with all these lawsuits.

What do you think of when you think of the NWA? Sold out Tokyo shows? The Four Horsemen showing people why they were the true force in the business? Magnum T.A. doing a perfect belly to belly suplex on his opponent? Ric Flair showing you why he was "Space Mountain"? For those of you who remember this once great promotion send in me in some of your fondest memories. Try not to have them too long as I am looking to have them in upcoming issues of "Straight Shooting". In fact if I get enough of a response I'll make a special section in "Straight Shooting" devoted to just that.

And with that I am outta here. Remember wrestling is nothing more than it appears to be.

"I've been pulling a limp white thing out of my pants for years, I just never got cheered for it before" - Mick Foley : WWF TV

Fritz Capp is the editor of Pro Wrestling's Between The Sheets - for comments or opposing viewpoints please e-mail to Fritz Capp