WWE Notes from the 3/22 Observer

[Enigma 0]

“After a successful Wrestlemania, paced by what will probably be remembered as one of the great Mania matches ever, there is no time to savor the victory, because there are uncharted waters ahead.

 

Early indications are that Mania will wind up near or above records as the biggest money pro wrestling event in history. We also set an all-time record, by far for poll responses to the show. That would seem an amazing comeback from the late 2003 low point of Armageddon. But much of the success of the show was based on other factors, the significance of a year-long promotion of the 20th annual event, and main stars that are not with the company as it goes forward.

 

When Brock Lesnar told management at Smackdown on 3/9 in Atlantic City that he was quitting after Wrestlemania, a panic set in, even though business has been on the upswing. In particular, Raw now has a string of four straight television sellouts, with the 3/15 show in East Rutherford, NJ drawing an announced 17,418 fans, the largest crowd for a WWE television taping in a few years. The decision was made to shake things up, and on 3/22 in Detroit, they are going to have a lottery. Vince McMahon made the announcement on Raw on 3/15, claiming "Where it all begins again," the Mania slogan would be in force. He said that everyone, presumably including announcers, although he specifically said General Managers and his own family members (signifying a return of Stephanie and/or Shane as weekly talent), as well as Steve Austin and all wrestlers would be up in the lottery. He specifically pointed out that groups like Evolution would likely be broken up. He also said all champions are up, which may wind up with titles vacated. He claimed some General Managers have been favoring talent and indicated there would be changes there. All members of Smackdown will be rushed back from a 3/21 show in Glasgow, Scotland to Detroit on 3/22 and appear on the show. None of the Smackdown wrestlers were aware of any of this until they got word in Manchester, NH that McMahon had made the announcement on Raw, and that they had to now be in Detroit. It should also be noted that when McMahon was at a Wrestlemania press conference in New York where fans were invited, at Planet Hollywood, when he brought up the success of the brand extension, he was heavily booed.

 

Many seemed to take the McMahon speech about being unhappy with the General Managers and making changes to apply to it being the end of Paul Heyman. What seemed to be a hint was Heyman on the 3/16 show from Boston talking about himself being the only one who was untouchable, and then the show ending where Undertaker laid him out with a tombstone piledriver.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Business of WrestleMania

“While the indoor setting in Madison Square Garden drew a crowd announced at more than 20,000 (which sounds like an exaggerated number as the place sells out at just under 20,000, and they had a big stage set-up which would have blocked hundreds of seats), this may end up being the most lucrative wrestling show in history.

 

The show grossed in excess of $2.4 million live, which would be the third largest live gate for a U.S. pro wrestling event in history, trailing Wrestlemania X-7 at the Astrodome and last year's show at Safeco Field in Seattle. It would be No. 6 in company history, also trailing two Wrestlemanias at Sky Dome in Toronto and the Global Warning show in Melbourne in 2002.

 

The all-time record for total show revenue was Wrestlemania X-7, which combining live gate, merchandise and PPV, grossed $42.59 million. We don't have merchandise figures at press time, but reports were that all merchandise brought to the building was sold, so I'd guess that would be no less than $350,000, and likely significantly more. Because of the increase in price from $39.95 to $49.95, this show would need about 800,000 buys to top the record. If poll responses are any indication, it should have beaten that figure easily.

 

The all-time record for wrestling in Madison Square Garden was November 17, 2002, for the Survivor Series at $1,250,580.

 

Many had believed the company, in a concession to history, since MSG was where Wrestlemania started in 1985, was giving up money by holding it there instead of at a larger domed stadium. However, with the increased ticket prices, the total gross was nearly as large with probably 18,000 paid in MSG, as it was last year with almost three-times as many fans paid. Far more important, because even if it wasn't the case, the company generated tons of media publicity this year because of it being held in New York. This was probably the most publicized Mania mainstream since XIV and the $3.5 million fee for the appearance of Mike Tyson. Even if the difference was $ 1 million at the live show (and it was actually closer to $350,000), it only takes about 40,000 more PPV orders to make that up and all the New York media publicity going national had to easily be worth that and more. Evidently the company is feeling that way, because next year's show is on March 27,2005, will be at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, a building even smaller than MSG, figuring that would be the second best market in the country for mainstream pub.

 

The Hall of Fame ceremony on 3/13 drew 2,900 fans, although tons of those were guests, and most of the stars, including Rock and Steve Austin, were there. Between the Hall of Fame, which went for $200 per ticket, and a Sunday morning brunch, another $365,000 was generated.

 

The ceremony went five hours, and nearly didn't have one of the participants. Superstar Billy Graham was hospitalized all day in New York on 3/12 when his intestine once again started popping through his stomach. Still, he was in great spirits at the five-hour event. Everyone was told to limit their speeches to three minutes, but this was wrestling and that backfired. About the only person who did it in less than 3:00 was Jimmy Hart, a surprise guest to present the plaque to Greg Valentine. Bobby Heenan was the star of the show, doing a comedy routine that had people rolling on the floor. He also had people crying at other times, particularly when he broke up talking about former Prime Time Wrestling co-host Gorilla Monsoon. WWE agent Jack Lanza, who Heenan managed for years in the Midwest and South, presented him. Ric Flair presented to Harley Race. Ernie Ladd presented to the daughter of the late Junkyard Dog. Shawn Michaels presented to Tito Santana. HHH presented to Graham (HHH insisted, since Graham was one of his childhood heroes). Pat Patterson presented to Sgt. Slaughter (the two had a famous 1981 feud in the Northeast). Kane presented to Pete Rose. Rose was booed out of the building in MSG. Mick Foley presented to Don Muraco, since Muraco took the splash in the famous Jimmy Snuka clip with Foley at ringside, with Foley hitchhiking to MSG for hours from college to see that match. Show presented to John Minton Jr., the son of John Studd, which was apropos for more than one reason.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Guys’ switching from Raw to Smackdown and the other direction, from time-to-time is a good idea to shake things up and create fresh match-ups. It should only be done with a viable storyline reason (which more often that not, have been terribly weak), and not done with so much frequency that people consider the moves trivial. Mass changes end up as confusing and numbing. Smackdown desperately needed a top heel. The truth is, there are so many champions that almost nobody remembers them, and except for the WWE and World singles titles, nobody cares much about any of them. It was funny when the APA was on "Cold Pizza" plugging Mania, they forgot who the champions were in their match. Stripping them for no reason would only make them more meaningless. Other questions regarding the potential split up of the cruiserweight division on Smackdown, and putting the women who can wrestle onto the side with the women whose best talents are in doing bikini and lingerie matches.

 

Every major restart we've had from both companies, from the WCW invasion, the later brand extension, the Raw re-start when Steve Austin quit and Ric Flair was made talent, and later when Eric Bischoff was brought in, as well as in WCW twice under Vince Russo, has resulted in an early ratings increase and an eventual decline a few weeks later to consistently lower levels of business than before. We don't know what's in store and have been given the idea the changes aren't going to be that widespread. Ideas, such as the hinted breaking up of Evolution don't seem like a good idea. The original brand extension, which broke up the established tag teams like the Dudleys, Hardys and APA proved to be a mistake, as all floundered as individuals.

 

After the decision was made, the company got worse news the morning after Wrestlemania when Kurt Angle called and said he was numb in his fingers once again. Whether it was from the match or Angle has been keeping an injury quiet and working through the big show, was unclear. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI this week to see what the damage is, but based on what Angle had told people, there is tremendous concern about his future. He's coming off two neck surgeries in the past year, and has been told that another one could be it for him. He's been taken off the active roster. In addition, Ric Flair is also set for different tests to see what the neck damage he has, and has been working with. Flair has numbness in the three middle fingers on his left hand and can't grip well. He was telling people over the weekend he's decided against taking time off, and will try and rehab it through using traction during the week. Big Show was also scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his elbow and both knees after Wrestlemania. When Lesnar left, Show, recognizing the situation, postponed his surgeries, which would keep him out two to three months, for a few weeks. With Angle down as well, the last word is he's postponed surgery indefinitely, but he's hurting.

 

While the biggest drawing thing on the show was the name Wrestlemania XX, it appeared that the two biggest money matches were Rock & Mick Foley vs. Evolution (which I thought was the biggest based on build-up) and Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar with Steve Austin as ref (which, based on a poll we did, got the most votes for what people thought was the biggest drawing match on the show). Of the 12 participants in the top four matches, three are done (Rock, Goldberg and Lesnar) at this point. Foley agreed to stay for another month for a singles match at Backlash against Orton. Angle and Flair are in question. HHH will have to take time off for a movie and Big Show at some point needs surgery. The return of Undertaker was not successful, as after his ring entrance popped the crowd, within minutes, people saw it was the same guy. While people were clearly psyched for his comeback, this was hardly a Hulk Hogan return. As noted before, the push of Edge on his return is of prime importance.

 

The fact the company has Eddy Guerrero and Chris Benoit as its two main champions isn't nearly as significant as the loss of the main stars. Benoit is likely a short-term champion, getting a belt more for years of being one of the great in-ring performers ever. But it's doubtful the Raw brand will be built around him, and he's just keeping the belt warm for HHH's return. Guerrero, on the other hand, is pegged as a long-term champion, but unfortunately looks to be without obvious contenders. The plan for a rematch with Angle at June Smackdown PPV in Los Angeles (which was not a lock before Angle's injury) is up in the air and looking doubtful. With Lesnar gone, the next top heels would have been Show, who Guerrero has not had good matches with in the past, and Chavo Guerrero.

 

Lesnar's decision to quit was based on a number of factors. As noted, while he loved the actual performing, although I'd bet he didn't at Mania, he hated the travel. He had personal issues of not seeing his baby daughter because he was gone so much. He told one person at Mania, that "I'm young, and I'm healthy and want to try something else," that being the NFL. On Mike Morris' radio show in Minneapolis. Lesnar said that he doesn't want to look back at age 40 and wondered if he could have ever been an NFL star. "I'm not saying I may never go back there somebody." Later, he said if he'd consider going back, that he was disappointed there and "I'm walking away from the wrestling business for now."

 

He had expressed concerns over winding up crippled, seeing the plight of many of the wrestlers, and having consistently worked through an assortment of injuries much of his time on the main roster. The one thing he can legitimately be criticized for is only giving five days notice, because in most jobs you give two weeks. While walking out of a wrestling company is standard operating procedure by many, given the company's situation and him being in a valuable position, he should have given two weeks minimum. Lesnar claimed he had done so, saying he first told Vince two weeks before Mania that he would be leaving, and told him he wasn't happy about the schedule and the lifestyle six months ago (probably around the time his relationship broke up). Lesnar said he was tired of being unhappy, and that a lot of people in wrestling are unhappy.

 

Lesnar has trained with NFL players, and no doubt, in the gym, he's probably stronger, and with his amateur wrestling background (amateur wrestlers train far harder then NFL players as a general rule), probably trains harder. He would likely have better balance, and his athletic ability is world class. But the negative is that while he has the athletic gifts to be an NFL player, he never played in college, so there is no way he'd have the football experience or skill. Those close to him note he's fully aware it's a long shot. Two former NCAA heavyweight champions of the past 15 years, Carleton Haselrig (who won three Division I titles and three Division II titles and was 143-2-1 in college wrestling from 1987-89) and Stephen Neal (who beat Lesnar 3-2, in the 1999 NCAA heavyweight championship match), both never played college football, and both ended up as NFL starters. Haselrig was even a Pro Bowl player, before being booted out of the league. Even though he had never played in college, his rep as a physical force was such that the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in the 12th round in 1989. He tried out as a defensive lineman, spending a year in developmental before being switched to guard and becoming a star. His NFL career ended in 1995 after several failures of the league's substance abuse policy (steroids among the problems) and he wound up in jail after football.

 

Neal, who at 6-4 and 290 pounds is around the same size as Lesnar, is currently on the injured list with the New England Patriots. He's since become friends with Lesnar. The other similarity is Neal was 210 pounds when he got out of high school and was not recruited by any colleges for football, but was for wrestling. Lesnar also increased similarly in weight after high school. Neal was also in developmental for a while learning the skills, and he was considered a phenomenon as far as how quickly he picked things up. Then again, Lesnar was similar as a pro wrestler. But unlike Lesnar, Neal was always a football player at heart, and was a star in high school, but it was his size, surprisingly enough, that worked against him in (getting recruited. Lesnar was all-state in South Dakota as a junior, but was injured during his senior year and missed some of the season, but wouldn't have played since 1996.

 

Neal was considered a better wrestler than Lesnar, as he followed his 1999 NCAA title with a world championship at heavyweight in 1999, but lost to Kerry McCoy the next year in the Olympic trials. In 2001, he tried out for the Patriots, lasted a month in camp, and was cut, which was actually considered good for someone with such limited experience. A week later, the Eagles, impressed with his speed at his size, picked him up, but also let him go. The Patriots brought him back for the practice squad at the end of the season. In 2002, he made the Patriots and earned a starting spot, until being injured, but he started much of last season. Still, even with those examples, most in football don't think much of his chances. Lesnar had, in 2000, talked about going out for the University of Minnesota football team, but after setting up doing so, ended up not doing it. He also had tryout offers from both the Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming out of college, but opted for the sure thing guaranteed contract in pro wrestling. He was heavily recruited, because of his look, for pro wrestling starting in 1999 and largely made his decision that year, although had he not won the NCAA tournament, he may have continued wrestling to make the Olympic team. When he won a national title, since he didn't win a state title in high school, he felt his wrestling goals were complete, felt burned out on wrestling, and retired rather than tried for the Olympics. He'd have been considered a major long shot for the 2000 games had he not turned pro.

 

He was recruited by WWF, WCW and New Japan, which caused him to sign one of the most lucrative developmental contracts WWF ever offered at a reported $250,000 per year. Although Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Tice said they had no tryout with Lesnar scheduled and it was something he hasn't even thought about, the two teams that have expressed some interest in him are the Vikings and the Redskins. There is talk, because he's got great foot speed to go along with his power, to attempt to make him a monster middle linebacker, although most MLB's are in the 230 pound range and Lesnar is 290 right now. He has no interest in playing in Canada or NFL Europe if he can't make the NFL.

 

The feeling is a best case scenario, like Neal, would be to spend a year minimum on a practice squad (standard pay is about $60,000 per year although there are exceptions). Of course, for the two notable success stories of wrestlers going into the NFL without playing college ball, there are many more former wrestling stars, including most notably Kurt Angle (who was a far better high school player than Lesnar, as an all-state running back in Pennsylvania), who never played college ball, that had an NFL tryouts after the 1996 Olympics, that weren't picked up. With Angle, it was more his size that was an issue.

 

An NFL superstar takes punishment, but not the daily punishment without an off-season like a pro wrestler, and not for as many years. They also make more money generally, but in this case, Lesnar did anything but sell out. He had signed, and was walking away from a seven year deal that would be worth probably eight figures for him considering his position and age. He reportedly had gotten a downside in the $1 million to $1.25 million range. He left it to try something where the odds are strongly against him, and with no financial guarantees. A first-year player with no rep in the NFL will generally make the $230,000 minimum, but he'd have to make a 53-man roster to earn that, and the $60,000 developmental figure is far more likely. The average NFL career is 3.3 years, far shorter than pro wrestling, and most players start at 22 or 23. The difference between 24, when Neal started, and 26, is considered significant in the NFL. where generally big money comes once you reach free agency in your fourth year. If he was to become an average starting defensive lineman by age 30, by current NFL standards, his pay range would be roughly $ 1.3 million to $ 1.7 million. At the same time, he would also, if he fails, be able to go back to pro wrestling probably any time over the next ten years.

 

A few guys have left wrestling to try movies or television, but they had people in their corner and were assured of some success, like Rock and Roddy Piper. A few people, like Steve Austin, walked out of wrestling due to pressure, pain and frustration, but Austin had made ridiculous money. Lesnar made good money for 20 months in developmental, and excellent money for the past two years, most of which he's spent as a consistent main eventer. It may seem like enough to live on now, but it won't last forever, and as an athlete, you only have so many years where you can make that kind of money. The odds are he'll regret walking away from it at some point, but it's his decision, and it may turn out to be foolish. But it's certainly one of the gutsiest moves anyone in wrestling has made.

 

Lesnar had contacted Neal from the beginning of the year to talk with him about pro football. He told Neal he was miserable wrestling and asked Neal for advice. Ironically, two years ago, Lesnar was telling friends when he was in OVW, that he thought pro wrestling was the greatest job in the world. But while OVW prepares you for the ring, it doesn't prepare you for the travel or the politics. And if you look at everyone was the "the top guy" in WWF over the past 25 years, you'll find a lot of problems when it came time to being replaced. Bruno Sammartino left voluntarily twice, so it wasn't an issue. Hogan didn't take well to it. Bret Hart didn't take well to it. Shawn Michaels walked out on it. Austin was never replaced, but injuries did him in, but I think being on top while business declined greatly got to him at some level. Rock graduated from it, and HHH married his way into an untouchable position.

 

Lesnar had just signed his new deal, since McMahon wanted to lock him in long-term at a high downside to keep him from leaving. Ironically, that led to "You sold out" chants at Wrestlemania. 1 had expected the decision to take him from the top because of the surprising popularity of Guerrero, and to feed him to Undertaker, would be hard for him to handle back in January, when signs of his discontent were getting known. Few people had anything bad to say about Lesnar months ago, because of his quick adaptation to the ring. But he did rub people the wrong way, thinking he had become the Smackdown locker room leader and because he was so confident in his ability, a trait that dated back to his success in amateur wrestling. His being broken up with by his long-time girlfriend who is the mother of his child was a big change in his attitude toward the business. That, combined with him being taken from the top and the company not having any tangible long-term plans for him after the Goldberg match, that he was originally to win clean, made him miserable. Many veterans, who never had the opportunities nor talent he had, and had been through the same personal life issues and the grueling travel as simply part of the business, were not sympathetic to him on the way out. Most also expect him back, since most major stars who make enough money to leave always wind up being drawn back.

 

As soon as work broke that Lesnar was leaving, several MMA groups immediately started talking. Because Lesnar had a long-term contract, he either already has, or will have to negotiate terms of a contract release. It is not a question that WWE will release him where he can play football. I'm certain the release agreement would include a long-term deal of not being allowed to wrestle in the U.S., and possibly on PPV. The status of whether he could do MMA based on the release is unclear, but I'm betting it would be prohibited. Lesnar wasn't thinking in that direction anyway.

 

Pride immediately expressed interest in him, both for fighting or doing their Hustle shows, both as a new opponent for Japanese headliners, as well as a Mania rematch with Goldberg. Sadaharu Tanigawa of K-l specifically stated that except for Mike Tyson, they would be more interested in Lesnar than anyone. Even UFC has expressed interest. Lesnar in the past has stated MMA wasn't something he'd be interested in doing, other than he was up for doing the boxer vs. wrestler match with Lennox Lewis when both sides were talking about it more than a year ago.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The problems noted in last week's issue involving EchoStar (owners of the Dish Network) and Viacom (owners of numerous TV stations, including CBS, MTV, Spike and UPN) were settled two days after they were made public. Terms were not disclosed, but it appears EchoStar got the worst of the deal when CBS pulled out of Dish Network homes in 16 major markets. A long-term agreement was signed on 3/11, which included Dish Network adding a new Viacom-owned station Nicktoons. It also extended the contract with Dish Network and many others stations, among them, Spike TV.”

 

“The Wrestlemania DVD will be a three-disc set and will include the one-hour "Mania of Wrestlemania" TV special.”

 

“Linda McMahon confirmed this past week to investors that there would be two PPV shows in June and 14 in total this year. We had the dates noted before, but at the time they weren't confirmed. They'll be a 6/13 Raw PPV in Louisville and a 6/27 Smackdown PPV in Norfolk. They will then come right back with a 7/1 I Raw PPV in Hartford. In October, there will also be two PPVs, a 10/10 Smackdown show and a 10/19 Raw show. The latter, in an experiment, a Raw brand show on a Tuesday night. I'm guessing that means Smackdown would either be taped that week on a Wednesday or air live. McMahon also confirmed that when the current contract with BSKYB in the U.K. expires this year, that all the PPV events will become PPV events in the U.K. Previously, some of the events aired on Sky television while a few of them were PPVs. They also said they have to clean up their video library even more due to music copyright issues, as well as the old WWF logo issues. That probably explains why, when they aired the Leilani Kai vs. Wendi Richter match from the first Mania on Confidential, that "Girls Just Wanna have Fun" was edited off and new music was put in its place.”

 

“Updated figures from Royal Rumble are ahead of last year slightly. The show now looks to have done a 0.98 buy rate with 530,000 buys, up from the 515,000 in 2003.”

 

“There were a number of incidents over the past week leading up to Mania. It basically started because a few weeks back on the South Africa tour, they flew commercial and there was a complaint about drinking (apparently directed at Bradshaw). When they got back, at the 3/2 tapings, John Laurinaitis brought it up at a group meeting that neither Ross nor McMahon were at. Big Show stood up and embarrassed Laurinaitis saying that they just got off a hard tour and they should be thanked before being yelled at. On 3/9, there was something with Ron Simmons and Show stemming from that, but it wasn't a fight and we're told what was reported was way overblown. Also on 3/9, Wilson and Sable got into a yelling match but it was also not a fight. Reports they were taken off the TV show because of it are untrue.”

 

“Sable is temporarily out of action because one of her implants is leaking and she needs surgery to get a new one put in.”

 

“In the ultimate irony for a number of reasons, the ghostwriter for HHH's bodybuilding book will be Mark Madden. The irony you don't know is that WWF went after Madden savagely during its lawsuit against WCW, but apparently Madden got in good graces with his work editing the Flair book (which is advertised as coming out in June, but we just heard this week the current plan is late July at the earliest). There is no date on the boards for the HHH book, which hasn't been written yet. Adam Copeland's autobiography, "Over the Edge," (which may be changed due to the connotation with the PPV show that Owen Hart died at), is scheduled for a November release. The Billy Graham book has been moved back to October of 2005.”

 

“The next "Blade" movie, which features HHH, had its debut moved back from 8/13 to 12/10.”

 

“Ric Flair was on ESPN 2's Cold Pizza on 3/10 and because of all the baseball controversy, and because John McCain was going to be on later talking about steroid use in sports, Flair was asked about the subject. He said there was no steroid use in WWE, that the company randomly tests and they are absolutely prohibited. Well, if he went into his time machine and it was 1992, he'd be pretty close to correct. He said he'd never seen anyone do steroids but had heard rumors, and said, "If you can't get it done with your own abilities, then go home, you don't belong there." Not that this will happen now, but the same company was devastated by a legendary blond world champion who said almost the same thing, but at least the other guy didn't try and claim the entire promotion was clean, just himself.”

 

“And speaking of blond world champions, HHH was on ESPN radio the next day and asked the same question. He didn't seem ready for the steroid talk, because he's usually calm and relaxed discussing any subject, and suddenly got really nervous and started stumbling. When asked if he used steroids, he nervously said. "No." He said that while athletes have gotten bigger in other sports, the size of wrestlers has declined which he tried to use as evidence few are doing steroids. He said he can't speak for every worker in the country, but said overall there was no problem. That's such crap. The size of wrestlers has declined because the physical demands of being a wrestler have changed and because so many more talented guys who are smaller that used to have the door closed to them now have it open because Rey Mysterio in WCW in 1996 removed all size barriers if you have talent. Also, so few huge men are trying to get into wrestling, forcing even WWE, which likes big guys, to have to promote smaller guys. In addition, there is no place for a clumsy big man (the Nathan Jones’s and the Jon Heidenreichs of the world), as they don't get over, as opposed to the 80s where a clumsy big man if they were impressive enough physically, the fans would buy. In the 80s with Hogan and the Road Warriors, fans were taught the biggest muscles makes you the toughest guy, and modern fans look at things differently—he did admit doing steroids to rehab his torn quad in 2001, and then got defensive on them, saying that if performance enhancing drugs are outlawed (which, considering they are a felony, they are), then they should also eliminate weight training and cardio, since that also enhances performance. HHH said it's more than just appearance, because you need to be able to tell a story, have athleticism and the right look and that steroids get a bad rap because they aren't like heroin. He was said to have come off very poorly once that subject was introduced. Vince and Jim Ross need to talk with talent about this subject because it's not going away in sports.”

 

“HHH also talked about liking being a bad guy better because he gets a thrill out of being better in the ring and creating new stars. Wrestling sometimes writes the greatest comedy. Well, he did a great job this week.”

 

“The Rock wasn't at Raw, nor is he scheduled for any time in the near future, because there was a premiere of "Walking Tall" that screened that night in Nashville.”

 

“Not only was the death of Ray "Hercules Hernandez" Fernandez not acknowledged on any WWE TV show, even though he worked on six Wrestlemanias, but the company's web site also never made mention of it. Fernandez had a military funeral on 3/12 in Bushnell, FL, but it was only attended by 50 people. The family tried to get out word that they would like any fans or wrestlers to come. The only people who attended were family and close friends, and one wrestling reporter, but none of his peers even though so many live in the area.”

 

“While John Cena believed he had broken a few bones in his wrist from a TV match with A-Train on 3/2 in Savannah, X-rays showed no breaks. That may have been why his 3/9 match with Rhyno was so rushed. They've been booking Cena in short matches to help his knee recover, as well as because the book on using him right now is to have him rap, get jumped, make a fast comeback and hit the FU because of the feeling he can be a superstar if he isn't exposed in the ring for long lengths of time. Cena’s father, John Cena Sr., is now doing independent gigs as a manager in Massachusetts as Johnny Fabulous. Cena noted that when he signed his first WWF developmental contract, it was for $250 per week, and at the time his apartment in Los Angeles rented for $800 per week. Cena noted he didn't even know about his first TV match ever with Angle until 3:30 p.m. that day (it was a last minute idea from Heyman, who was wanting to create an instant star, and Cena had a rep for having the most potential in OVW, even though, like so many, he was brought up way too soon). That first match was a success, which he attributed all to Angle. "That was nothing to do with me," although his career floundered for a while until the rap gimmick turned his fortunes around.”

 

“WWE Originals this past week fell to No. 156 with 8,317 sales, leaving the total sales at 174,371.”

 

“In Lakers games last week after Shaq had big dunks, he looked at his hands like Booker T. does. A Lakers fan also noted that while Shaq has been saying "can you dig it" for years, Booker T. started using that catch phrase in WCW (and O'Neal has been a fan since before he started in the NBA) before O'Neal did.”

 

“Regarding the piece from 3/8 on the Monday Night War DVD and the comparison of Jim Ross' leaving WCW for WWF and Lex Luger going in the other direction: Like all things, nothing is exactly similar. The major difference was that Luger wrestled on a Sunday night somewhere in Canada for WWF and showed up on Nitro the next day in Minnesota, since he found a loophole in his contract. WWF was not expecting it and Luger never told them he was leaving. The idea that Luger took a pay cut to leave was floated at the time (Bischoff himself claimed New Japan was funding much of it and Luger was coming for $150,000, but in hindsight, that was bunk since Luger never did work New Japan except for maybe a big show here or there and anyone who knows Luger knows he wouldn’t jump for $150,000 per year). However, we did have in the Observer beforehand that Luger was negotiating to leave, so the idea nobody knew wasn't the case. With Ross, he was taken off television completely as an announcer in the fallout of Bill Watts losing power, which was a decision made by Bischoff. He had a long-term contract with WCW, which assigned him to selling commercial time for syndicated TV. He asked to be released from his contract and he was. The radio show on WSB in Atlanta was his own baby, but it had been a pure WCW show. He was released first, by his own request, and then McMahon showed up as a guest on his radio show and announced Ross would be announcing at Wrestlemania (1993 version in Las Vegas where Ross showed up working with Heenan and both were wearing togas).”

 

“Just to clarify the Howard Stern deal from last week. Vince didn't call Stern on 3/9. Stern just talked about it on his 3/9 show. Stern may have even confused Vince's offer for SummerSlam a few years back with a Mania offer.”

 

“Jim Ross in an interview with "The Wrestling Guys" radio show said that he wouldn't be surprised to see Austin wrestle at least another match. He said nothing is on the drawing board but if his health continues to improve, they may do a retirement match at the right time and under the right circumstances.”

 

“We did get a Hollywood insider who reviewed what is supposed to be the final cut of "Walking Tall." The prediction is the movie won't help Rock, but he will get good reviews. It's probably not going to be a blockbuster movie. The feeling is the buzz for this movie is nothing compared to Rock's other movies, but in Hollywood, people do like him because they see him as down to Earth. But that won't mean anything because it’s a "What have you done for me lately?" business even more than wrestling. He said it was a good movie and a good performance. Rock will be doing Conan O'Brien, Bob Costas, David Letterman and Regis & Kelly all on 4/1, since the movie comes out the next day.”

 

“Mike McHugh, a WWF ref in the 80s who worked shows in Pennsylvania, passed away on 2/28 at the age of 47. He was never a full-time ref, but did it during the period the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission would assign refs to the shows in the state. He was never a full-time ref and actually worked for Prudential Insurance before getting his law degree in 1996, and he had been practicing law since 1998 as well as teaching business law at a local JC. He was elected district justice in Jenkintown and Cheltenham, PA in November.”

 

“Rip Rogers was fired as an OVW trainer. He hadn't been able to get in the ring after surgery to repair two torn rotator cuffs, so that could have been the reason. Danny Davis' assistant trainer position has been the musical chairs spot in the company, as in recent years we've had Bobby Eaton, Ray Traylor, Rocky Johnson, and Rogers all in the spot and none lasted very long. Rogers, when it comes to wrestling psychology, is one seriously smart dude.”

 

“Jamie Noble stretched some ligaments in his knee at Mania. He worked the next night in a four-way, but they got him out very fast.”

 

“Kidman's neck and shoulders were banged up from the bad landing on the shooting star to the floor at Mania, but he also worked the next night.”

 

“From the April 10, 2000 issue: "Throughout the show, they kept pushing that Pete Rose should be in the baseball Hall of Fame. It actually got annoying by the end of the show. Maybe they'll induct him into the WWF Hall of Fame as a publicity stunt." It's funny in 2000 they were pushing the unfairness of Rose not being in the baseball Hall, considering who was and wasn't in their own Hall in 2000.”

 

“Tentatively, the July PPV will be in Hartford and the August SummerSlam will be in Toronto. Royal Rumble will be 1/30 of next year.”

 

“William Moody (Paul Bearer) actually signed his new contract back in October, so they were planning on putting him back with Undertaker almost from the time this angle started.”

 

“Jim Ross in a New York Times story noted they were going to recruit at the NCAA tournament, which takes place 3/18 to 3/20 at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. All sessions are sold out as the goal is to top 100,000 tickets sold over six sessions. Last year, in the same building, they sold 96,994 tickets. I believe Gerald Brisco will be going since he's the unofficial liaison to keep up with amateur wrestling because of his background and friends in that game. Jack Brisco is also going, but not for recruiting. He'll be making an appearance and selling his new autobiography. The top seeds in the heavier divisions are Damion Hahn of University of Minnesota in 197, the defending champion, who we've written about here already since his father was a pro wrestler and he's talked about pro wrestling (although maybe not until after the 2008 Olympics) and the favored heavyweight is Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State. ESPN 2 will be covering the finals live at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time on 3/20.”

 

“Actual paid for Raw TV on 3/1 in Atlanta was 9,000 and Smackdown in Savannah the next day was 3,400.”

 

“Raw on 3/15 drew a sellout 17,418 in East Rutherford, NJ. Only house show of the weekend was Smackdown on 3/15 in Manchester, NH, which drew 3,500.”

 

“In Manchester, with all the injuries, they were left with Eddy Guerrero over Show after a belt shot and frog splash to keep the title. Both guys were hurting bad after Mania. Guerrero was just beaten down and Show has his injuries he's trying to work through. Chavo won the four-way over Mysterio, Dragon and Noble to keep the cruiserweight belt when Chavo used the ropes and tights and held onto Chavo Sr. to pin Mysterio. Heyman did a promo and said Angle had the night off because he was so mad about being cheated at Mania. Lesnar's name was never acknowledged. Cena and Heyman did their verbal duel, and as Cena was about to attack Heyman, he was gored by Rhyno. Heyman made the match, which Cena won with the FU in 2:00.”

[Guest Choken One]

Jesus Christ...that was long.

 

Nice to see WMXX was a success...

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

Guys, if Walking Tall BOMBS then The Rock will be forced to come back to wrasslin.

 

I'm not seeing it... will you?

[Guest Choken One]

sad thing is that it will likely do better then RUNDOWN did...

 

I want it to bomb just so he comes back permantly but want him to succeed so he doesn't look like a failure like Hogan was.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

sad thing is that it will likely do better then RUNDOWN did...

 

I want it to bomb just so he comes back permantly but want him to succeed so he doesn't look like a failure like Hogan was.

Hogan's career in the ring survived long after his movie career died.

 

[Highland 0]

Big Show was also scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his elbow and both knees after Wrestlemania. When Lesnar left, Show, recognizing the situation, postponed his surgeries, which would keep him out two to three months, for a few weeks. With Angle down as well, the last word is he's postponed surgery indefinitely, but he's hurting.

 

It basically started because a few weeks back on the South Africa tour, they flew commercial and there was a complaint about drinking (apparently directed at Bradshaw). When they got back, at the 3/2 tapings, John Laurinaitis brought it up at a group meeting that neither Ross nor McMahon were at. Big Show stood up and embarrassed Laurinaitis saying that they just got off a hard tour and they should be thanked before being yelled at.

 

By respect for Show grows everyday.

[Guest Choken One]

sad thing is that it will likely do better then RUNDOWN did...

 

I want it to bomb just so he comes back permantly but want him to succeed so he doesn't look like a failure like Hogan was.

Hogan's career in the ring survived long after his movie career died.

 

right...which is what I was talking about...

 

Hogan's movie career was a complete failure...

[2GOLD 0]

You do realize no matter what, the studio is running with SpyHunter and they don't expect WALKING TALL to be a blockbuster.

 

Rock will not come back to wrestling for good. If anything, he has enough money to just quit if his movie career doesn't work out.

[Guest Anglesault]

Show is a true pro. Postponing and then canceling his surgery is very selfless.

 

I can't believe that they were actually considerinr running Angle/Eddie again at one of the next shows

 

 

And finally, I hate Heyman for suggesting that "Cena detroys any momentum Angle got from making Hogan tap" angle.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Big Show's a trooper. He definitely deserves another shot at the WWE Championship.

[Guest I Got Banned for Sucking]

Big Show's a trooper. He definitely deserves another shot at the WWE Championship.

 

A shot, but not a reign.

 

I can't see it happening any time soon, what with his knees and all.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

Show is a true pro. Postponing and then canceling his surgery is very selfless.

 

I can't believe that they were actually considerinr running Angle/Eddie again at one of the next shows

 

 

And finally, I hate Heyman for suggesting that "Cena detroys any momentum Angle got from making Hogan tap" angle.

Cena didn't do shit to Angle's momentum.

 

He came out, surprised Angle, made a good run but came up short, Angle MADE UNDERTAKER TAP OUT the next week, and got a title shot at the PPV that month.

 

I'd say he came out OK, no one scorecards "momentum" week-by-week like you AS, but I'd say that Undertaker thing kept him looking strong.

[Vyce 0]

Although Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Tice said they had no tryout with Lesnar scheduled and it was something he hasn't even thought about, the two teams that have expressed some interest in him are the Vikings and the Redskins

 

The REDKSINS?!?!

 

It'll be.....interesting.....to see if Brock comes to my team.

 

As for Rock's movie career......I don't think he'll be coming back full time even if the movie bombs.

 

I think Rock has at least two more chances with his movie career. One - SpyHunter. Two - if that doesn't work, pair him up with another actual STAR that will aid in brining in the box office. Johnny Knoxville isn't that star. Neither is Sean William Scott. Or Michael Clarke Duncan. Everyone loves Christopher Walken, but people don't go to see movies just because of Walken. Put Rock in a movie where he has dual-billing with some other popular actor and he should be fine.

[Guest I Got Banned for Sucking]

Eddy and Kurt is definitely in the cards, considering their high-profile feud.

[Guest Anglesault]

Show is a true pro. Postponing and then canceling his surgery is very selfless.

 

I can't believe that they were actually considerinr running Angle/Eddie again at one of the next shows

 

 

And finally, I hate Heyman for suggesting that "Cena detroys any momentum Angle got from making Hogan tap" angle.

Cena didn't do shit to Angle's momentum.

Angle, a man who had just recovered from the Edge feud by making Hulk Hogan tap out, comes out, fights a 50/50 match with some no name rookie and sneaks a win off with a mf'ing backslide and then runs away.

 

He then became the job boy of the Undertaker/Rock feud, and wouldn't win another match until Summerslam, while facing such luminaries as Mark Henry and Billy Kidman, losing twice on one show at times

 

Eddy and Kurt is definitely in the cards, considering their high-profile feud.

 

It shouldn't be.

[SuperJerk 0]

Benoit is likely a short-term champion, getting a belt more for years of being one of the great in-ring performers ever. But it's doubtful the Raw brand will be built around him, and he's just keeping the belt warm for HHH's return.

 

Please note that the above quote is the opinion of the person writing the article, as the use of the words "likely" and "doubtful" indicate it is probably not actually based on any inside information, but speculation.

[The Tino Standard 0]

Small point, but I'm almost certain that Staples is larger than MSG.

 

Also, I'm a little confused about all this talk with Lesnar and football... Wouldn't he have to entry the draft like everybody else?

[Guest Anglesault]

Small point, but I'm almost certain that Staples is larger than MSG.

 

Also, I'm a little confused about all this talk with Lesnar and football... Wouldn't he have to entry the draft like everybody else?

I think teams have walk on try outs.

 

Not sure though

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

Everyone loves Christopher Walken, but people don't go to see movies just because of Walken.

Are you trying to tell me the theaters weren't packed for "The Country Bears"?

[Guest JumpinJackFlash]

They'll be a 6/13 Raw PPV in Louisville and a 6/27 Smackdown PPV in Norfolk.

 

Yes! Yes! Yes!

 

Finally, a PPV in Virginia. There hasn't been one here since 1997. This is going to be the first WWE PPV held at the Scope in history.

 

This is so freaking awesome!

 

I wonder how much the tickets will cost. Probably the same as a Backlash or Judgment Day. Does anyone here, who has been to a WWE PPV(not one of the big 4), know how much tickets cost?

[Guest thebigjig]

Show is a true pro. Postponing and then canceling his surgery is very selfless.

 

I can't believe that they were actually considerinr running Angle/Eddie again at one of the next shows

 

 

And finally, I hate Heyman for suggesting that "Cena detroys any momentum Angle got from making Hogan tap" angle.

Cena didn't do shit to Angle's momentum.

Angle, a man who had just recovered from the Edge feud by making Hulk Hogan tap out, comes out, fights a 50/50 match with some no name rookie and sneaks a win off with a mf'ing backslide and then runs away.

 

He then became the job boy of the Undertaker/Rock feud, and wouldn't win another match until Summerslam, while facing such luminaries as Mark Henry and Billy Kidman, losing twice on one show at times

 

Eddy and Kurt is definitely in the cards, considering their high-profile feud.

 

It shouldn't be.

ummm ACTUALLY thats not how it went. I have that match on tape... just finished watching it. He beat Cena cleanly with an amatuer style pin that I havent seen him use since and thats sad because it was an awesome pin

 

And you're making it sound like it was a 20 minute give and take match when in reality it went about 6 minutes... Cena came in strong, surprised Angle at first, but then Angle beat him

 

Christ, no one complained about it then... but now this seems to be Anglesault revisionist history... OMG Kurt actually carried a rookie to a decent short match!! But he didnt squash him, which would've been completely pointless anyway, so Angle looks like a loser in the fans eyes!!!