Enigma 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2004 The 6/14 Raw came out with a lot of booking twists. With Chris Benoit vs. Edge dropped as the Vengeance main event, because HHH's movie is delayed in production, they announced Eugene vs. HHH on 6/21 in Miami for the title shot. Where this gets interesting is Benoit vs. Eugene makes no sense, particularly this early. Benoit vs. HHH makes perfect sense. I thought it would be better to save it for SummerSlam, just because they need a match that big on that show, but it's stronger than Benoit vs. Edge, which would have to be rushed and won't be ready. However, HHH beating Eugene this early is right out of WCW booking. They have plugged The Rock with videos a lot over the past few weeks, and as of 6/15, he was planning on coming to this show, so this would be the match he'd probably get involved in. If he is coming, I'd have advertised the hell out of it this week on TV and the rest of the week on Spike and Smackdown. In Miami, he's going to get a fantastic pop either way, and is it better when he's not going to be a weekly character, to have a great pop and maybe help ratings for part of the show or have just a great a pop and have people telling friends all week about it? (NOTE FROM S_D: I am 99% positive that Eugene vs. HHH is NOT a #1 contendor's match, but if HHH wins, he'll get the #1 contendor slot. I just didn't want to completely change what Dave said.) They are also doing a Lita pregnancy angle. If that's the case, for credibility, she needs to stop wrestling. Of course the deal will be the question of if Matt Hardy or Kane is the father. They did an insulting segment that brought back WCW flashbacks where Lita took an early pregnancy test and it was positive. She then confided in Stacy Keibler that she was pregnant, but wanted it a secret and not to tell anyone, while it's broadcast on national television. In particular, she didn't want Matt to know. I think they told her to get across the point that she didn't want Matt to know but relied on her to come up with her own words, and she botched it a little bit. It isn't quite WCW, as Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross did acknowledge it, as opposed to having to play dumb, which is a killer to announcers' believability and credibility. But wrestling's track record with pregnancy angles is something like 99% horrible, from the Terri Runnels fake miscarriage, to Mae Young, to that horrible Stacy Keibler WCW pregnancy where Vince Russo was going to be the father and Ric Flair was going to be revealed as Stacy’s real father, thus making David Flair and Stacy romantic siblings. But not just the angle, but the idea people are talking backstage unaware there is a TV camera there, is the stuff that makes you embarrassed to be watching. The Shawn Michaels angle with Kane on Raw was to set up his absence because his wife is due with their second child next month. I believe he's out until SummerSlam, and no doubt would face Kane. Chavo Guerrero Sr. was fired on 6/15 after missing house shows the previous two nights without calling in ahead of time. His son was trying to reach him both days and also never got a call back. He did show up in Chicago and was immediately told he was done, but was asked, and he was professional enough to drop the cruiserweight title clean to Rey Mysterio in a squash. This may be a blessing in disguise because apparently Mysterio had been told they had no ideas for him, so he fell into the title, which if they can get someone other than Chavo over as a foe, could be his idea. At the St. Louis show, Chavo Jr. told the audience that his father was busy with some girls in the back and he'd face Spike Dudley. Since it was a replacement deal, they had Spike go over. They had the same result the next night in Springfield, IL, but decided not to even acknowledge Classic not being there. This was at least the third time Chavo Sr. has screwed up. He was only supposed to be in for two weeks, but between his younger brother having power and the writers enjoying humiliating the old man by pulling down his pants, and making the cruiserweight title a joke by putting it on the old man, he kept his job. A few months back, when they worked the Monterrey, Mexico show, there were behavior issues. Even worse, since it was public and in front of so many insider fans and wrestling legends, was his well publicized series of incidents at the Cauliflower Alley Club, which caused him to be kicked out of the hotel twice and everyone was talking about how bad off he was. Chavo Sr. was trying to get into TNA literally minutes after his firing. TNA is interested, but it all depends on his non-compete term. I can still remember in 1995 at a WCW Bash at the Beach PPV in Los Angeles, where in an after-show party, Chavo tried to start a fight with Vader. The guy in his youth was a fantastic talent, but he was one of those guys who was his own worst enemy. He also didn't help his cause by being vocal about turning down some humiliating things they wanted him to do, like have Jacqueline pull down his pants and he'd be wearing thong underwear. Variety reported that The Rock is the front-runner for the lead role in a movie called "Sup Mariner" that would be released in 2006. Vince McMahon and Steve Austin are still talking from time to time. It's said to be highly unlikely he'll return in the immediate future, as the feeling is Austin is in no hurry to come back. He's focusing on acting right now and trying to open some doors in Hollywood for movie and TV work. Austin is being represented now by Barry Bloom. Bloom had heard indirectly (through Rick Steiner of all people), about the supposed Austin/Hulk Hogan offer from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates that we reported on last week that the AWA was attempting to broker, but nobody had even opened discussions with him. That's one of those crazy stories that nobody expects to ever happen, and even if the money came in, I'm guessing Hogan wouldn't do it, because he's turned down bigger money than that in Japan in recent years, and if Austin wanted to wrestle, he could build for a Mania match. Austin and Hogan (and I believe Bill Goldberg, although he was not yet confirmed at press time) are appearing together with many big celebrities, including Magic Johnson, Mary Lou Retton, and Donald Trump for a guest appearance by a series of superstars show on 7/11 at the Anaheim Pond. Even though Austin and Goldberg are tight, both are free agents and have talked for years about doing a match that they would promote on their own, we've heard nothing about any plans in that direction, and Austin really isn't looking to wrestle. Internally, the feeling in WWE is currently negative toward our idea of putting Austin on Smackdown for an immediate impact. They seem to have the approach it's better to work to get the existing talent over through long term planning, although it is well acknowledged the weakness in star power of the show and it appears most of the writing is week-to-week, although on Smackdown, what appears to be the recently changed angles based on what the Bash PPV card was at first, are for the better. Brock Lesnar's workout on 6/11 for his home town Minnesota Vikings garnered a ton of publicity, including ESPN news and many newspapers around the country. The main thing was that on a groin that had not healed, he ran a 4.75 40 at 286 pounds. Teams are interested. The Vikings didn't offer him a deal, with Coach Mike Tice telling him they had no roster spots open, but left the door open to come back in a few weeks and see if he'd improved on football skill and his groin healed. He has scheduled workouts with many other teams planned over the next month. Scott Studwell of the Vikings said he's a project with the physical tools, but has a long way to go. At the workout, his football skills were not there, as he struggled with the agility drills and had trouble getting into a defensive stance. He didn't have the first step, footwork or hand speed they look for. While this didn't make the local media, an inside source on the Vikings said they were a lot more negative about him than came out. His actual workout was bad, and they were not impressed. The other problem is that he had an MRI done on his body by the Vikings, and he had a lot of physical issues, as far as injuries going in, from those three plus years in pro wrestling. Still, the feeling is some team will take a chance and sign him. Even though people in football really don't understand how quickly Lesnar adapted to becoming a top pro wrestler and wouldn't respect that, they do respect his NCAA championship because everyone in football knows the type of training and skill it takes to win that title. Tice suggested Lesnar hire an ex-defensive end to coach him on his football skills, and not worry so much on the gym training he's been doing to have impressive sprint, bench press, squat, and jumping numbers. Tice said he liked Lesnar and saw a glimmer, and if he had a roster spot open, he'd consider rolling the dice. Lesnar has made it clear he'd rather play with the Vikings than any other team, because of his daughter living in the area. Being away from his daughter so much was a big factor in his leaving WWE. The Big Show did a TSN web site interview and said he's lost 30 pounds since having knee surgery, and is targeting August or September for his return. He said they had to drill his kneecap because his knee was bone-on-bone. He also talked a lot about the Bradshaw controversy. His take was Bradshaw made a mistake but isn't a bad person. He said it was a decision in the heat of the moment that turned out to be bad, but it wasn't with malice and just a mistake. He said as a heel, it's hard because doing things like ripping on the local sports team isn't as effective as it used to be so you have to do more things to be a heel and push the envelope. He said John Layfield may have crossed the line but he didn't mean to offend people to that magnitude. To show how much of a turnaround UPN has made as a viable network, it’s up front ad sales were up 40% from last year. Evidently the TV advertising for Shawn Michaels vs. HHH in a street fight for 6/26 in Madison Square Garden was either false advertising, or a lack of communications. Since the promotions side is really strict these days about not false advertising, and the cards themselves are booked more for internal purposes and for venues to publicize, it is most likely that as of a week ago they were intending on Michaels staying at least two more weeks. The Raw tour not only sold out all four shows, but the merchandise business was through the roof. They did $772,000 in merchandise over four shows, which was $17.71 per person for the two shows in Dublin as well as Manchester and Birmingham. Mick Foley postponed his knee surgery after getting a second opinion. He would be available if asked for the 7/25 Hustle show and Hustle has apparently talked about it but not made a concrete offer. Attorneys for Dale Gagner of the AWA responded to the WWE legal letters threatening suit if they don't cease and desist from using the AWA and All-Star Wrestling names, since WWE believes they own the rights through purchasing the intellectual properties of Verne Gagne's AWA. The Gagner attorneys’ response was to tell WWE they own rights to both names and for WWE to cease and desist using the AWA and All-Star Wrestling names and threaten legal action if they did. I can't even recall WWE using the name, and I doubt they'd put out an AWA DVD just because it's going back too many years. The AWA video library is valuable because it has tapes of a lot of people like Bobby Heenan, Hulk Hogan, and Jesse Ventura, who are still well known. There is a lot of heat on Rikishi right now. First off, they asked him to lose weight and he lost little if any. Then he hurt his ankle, which is why he hasn't been around. They wanted him to come back but he was still injured, but managed to work a show for Afa in Allentown a few weeks ago, and you can imagine how that went over, even though he actually didn't do much in that match. Then, afterwards, apparently without telling the office, he underwent nasal surgery to help with his breathing in the ring, which will keep him out of action longer. According to those close to him, he signed a great contract, with a downside far more than you'd think for someone at his level. This works against him when he's hurt and they think he's not coming back as soon as he can. The heat is bad enough that it wouldn't shock me to see him fired. The Louisville Courier-Journal ran a main story and two sidebars on the success of the Eugene character. It noted that at 28, he has knee, back and neck issues already. He said a recent chair shot to the head compressed some vertebrae in his neck, and said his back and neck are killing him. He's had three knee operations, the first coming from high school football in 1993. His team won the state championship his senior year, and he also did well in high school wrestling. As you can imagine he's thrilled beyond belief about his last few weeks and character. The much talked about WWE Hall of Fame DVD will be the basis of the July Fanatix PPV. Victoria was told to drop the dance routine in her ring entrance. It was her idea but people thought it was too goofy. She was told it was too time consuming. Eric Bischoff did a radio interview this past week, and I guess he sure hates Konnan. When asked by the host in a trivia question about Konnan's finishing move, he said he couldn't remember it, and then said how Konnan sucked the air out of the building every time he wrestled. Reports were that Bischoff was incredibly rude to Konnan when he was at the shows a few weeks back. Chris Masters in developmental suffered a broken nose from tag partner Brent Albright when they were training on spots in front of Tom Prichard. Edge was scheduled to headline the 7/9 Six Flags show, but was pulled for an overseas promotional tour. Eddie Guerrero is being sent at the replacement. The 9/12 Unforgiven PPV (Smackdown) will be from the Rose Garden in Portland, which I believe is the first PPV ever in that city. For years, both WWF and WCW wouldn't run that city because the athletic commission actually drug tested. The Ultimate Warrior did an interesting multi-part interview with reader Daniel Flynn last week. He mentioned his famous 1990 match with Hulk Hogan, and said they only went over it one day, in an old building in Florida. Jim Hellwig said most of the guys used steroids, even people you would never imagine, just to keep up with the lifestyle. He said when Hogan lied on Arsenio Hall in 1991, it caused a lot of friction between Hogan and Vince McMahon (Vince never said it publicly, but I sensed that at the time). ''Hogan would say that Vince, by really trying to clean up, was dealing with it the wrong way. Hellwig said Vince was afraid he was going to go to jail at the time. He said the guys at the time were looking for ways to beat the tests, and were mad that the bodybuilders in WBF at the time were getting guaranteed contracts (Vince didn't start giving wrestlers guaranteed contracts aside from Hogan and a few others until 1996 when Brian Pillman came in). I sure can recall numerous wrestlers complaining about going out breaking their backs while Vince gave all this money to bodybuilders who just stayed home and went to the gym. He said he hated the Papa Shango angle but Vince had his mind set on it and he'd be on the road all worn down when he came to TV, and just didn't get it modified much. William Regal is medically cleared to wrestle. The 10/19 RAW PPV on a Tuesday night has internally been confirmed to be called Halloween Havoc. The 6/13 Smackdown house show in St. Louis drew 3,100, which was down from 8,900 when Raw came to the same building on 3/28. The 6/14 Raw in Dayton drew a good house, nearly full, estimated at 8,500. The 6/14 Smackdown house show in Springfield, IL drew 1,400 (down from 4,734 for a Raw show in the same building on 2/21). The 6/15 Smackdown TV taping in Chicago drew an estimated 7,000. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Cucaracha 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2004 Where this gets interesting is Benoit vs. Eugene makes no sense, particularly this early. Nice to see the Observer on the ball. Bischoff never said it was a number one contendership match, he said Trips gets the shot if he beats up Eugene, so there's no chance of Benoit/Eugene... ...which we've already worked out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest xSarahx Report post Posted June 19, 2004 The 9/12 Unforgiven PPV (Smackdown) will be from the Rose Garden in Portland, which I believe is the first PPV ever in that city. For years, both WWF and WCW wouldn't run that city because the athletic commission actually drug tested. YESS! Finally, a PPV in Oregon.....I'm so going Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dark Age 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2004 Having Benoit defend against Eugene on Raw some time would rule all kinds of ass, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Real F'n Show Report post Posted June 19, 2004 They need to have a PPV in Iowa. Laugh all you want, but I don't think there's been one ever. Iowa has wrestling fans too you know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dark Age 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2004 They need to have a ppv in UK. A real ppv, not a UK only one. The crowds over here are great. Heck, do a mini 2 week tour or something, and give us a few Raws. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted June 19, 2004 Laugh all you want, but I don't think there's been one ever. Iowa has wrestling fans too you know. Cedar Rapids hosted the Inagural Souled Out PPV. As you expect, Iowa requested Wrestling never to return to it's state after that show. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Real F'n Show Report post Posted June 19, 2004 Cedar Rapids hosted the Inagural Souled Out PPV. As you expect, Iowa requested Wrestling never to return to it's state after that show. Really? What year? Cedar Rapids is like an hour away from me... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Enigma 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2004 Cedar Rapids hosted the Inagural Souled Out PPV. As you expect, Iowa requested Wrestling never to return to it's state after that show. Really? What year? Cedar Rapids is like an hour away from me... nWo Souled Out, January 25th, 1997. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2004 Variety reported that The Rock is the front-runner for the lead role in a movie called "Sup Mariner" that would be released in 2006. Okay, did S_D hit a typo, or has Meltz never heard of one of the greatest characters in Marvel history? (I read one source already refer to him as the "Marvel version of Aquaman." That's a little like calling "Lord of the Rings" J.R.R. Tolkien's version of "Star Wars.") Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LucharesuFan619 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2004 was his well publicized series of incidents at the Cauliflower Alley Club, which caused him to be kicked out of the hotel twice and everyone was talking about how bad off he was. Talk about an understatement...the guy showed up drunk as can be and tried to beat Bruce Hart's amazing shoot about the entire business while still in that stupor. Oyyyy... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Real F'n Show Report post Posted June 19, 2004 Cedar Rapids hosted the Inagural Souled Out PPV. As you expect, Iowa requested Wrestling never to return to it's state after that show. Really? What year? Cedar Rapids is like an hour away from me... nWo Souled Out, January 25th, 1997. Wow, I never realized that Eddie vs. Syxx in a ladder match happened in my state. I love that match. Haven't seen the rest of the show, but I assume it's horrible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest netslob Report post Posted June 19, 2004 They are also doing a Lita pregnancy angle. If that's the case, for credibility, she needs to stop wrestling. finally, a GOOD reason for a pregnancy angle! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted June 19, 2004 Cedar Rapids hosted the Inagural Souled Out PPV. As you expect, Iowa requested Wrestling never to return to it's state after that show. Really? What year? Cedar Rapids is like an hour away from me... nWo Souled Out, January 25th, 1997. Wow, I never realized that Eddie vs. Syxx in a ladder match happened in my state. I love that match. Haven't seen the rest of the show, but I assume it's horrible. Well I wouldn't say horrible...thats reserved for shows like Judgment Day 2004... This was mind numbingly atrocious and I believe the purpose of the ppv was to piss off the fans who dropped 24 bucks for this show by screwing every face out of the matches and giving off this strange orwellian vibe with the tv screens and the voiceovers and the beauty pagent...my god that was beyond worst then Redneck Triathalon. Eddy/Syxx was an accident, they weren't supposed to work a good match but they said the hell with it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2004 Cedar Rapids hosted the Inagural Souled Out PPV. As you expect, Iowa requested Wrestling never to return to it's state after that show. Really? What year? Cedar Rapids is like an hour away from me... nWo Souled Out, January 25th, 1997. Wow, I never realized that Eddie vs. Syxx in a ladder match happened in my state. I love that match. Haven't seen the rest of the show, but I assume it's horrible. Well I wouldn't say horrible...thats reserved for shows like Judgment Day 2004... This was mind numbingly atrocious and I believe the purpose of the ppv was to piss off the fans who dropped 24 bucks for this show by screwing every face out of the matches and giving off this strange orwellian vibe with the tv screens and the voiceovers and the beauty pagent...my god that was beyond worst then Redneck Triathalon. Eddy/Syxx was an accident, they weren't supposed to work a good match but they said the hell with it. Oh, I so gotta find a copy of this show now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted June 20, 2004 and thats the thing...Eddy/Syxx wasn't that great (like ***) but because it was on such a shittastic card...it came out looking like it was on Shawn/Ramon levels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Real F'n Show Report post Posted June 20, 2004 Only 3 stars? Maybe your right, but I thought the match was excellent, and I saw it on a comp tape, so I didn't even see the rest of the show. I gave it ***3/4 in my Real F'n Show's Random Match Reviews (cheap plug), and I especially liked the spot where Syxx dropkicks Eddie off the ladder while both are on opposite sides of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ian. Report post Posted June 20, 2004 There was also a PPV on the Iowa/Illinois border, Great American Bash 97. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob E Dangerously 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2004 Cedar Rapids hosted the Inagural Souled Out PPV. As you expect, Iowa requested Wrestling never to return to it's state after that show. Really? What year? Cedar Rapids is like an hour away from me... nWo Souled Out, January 25th, 1997. Wow, I never realized that Eddie vs. Syxx in a ladder match happened in my state. I love that match. Haven't seen the rest of the show, but I assume it's horrible. Well I wouldn't say horrible...thats reserved for shows like Judgment Day 2004... This was mind numbingly atrocious and I believe the purpose of the ppv was to piss off the fans who dropped 24 bucks for this show by screwing every face out of the matches and giving off this strange orwellian vibe with the tv screens and the voiceovers and the beauty pagent...my god that was beyond worst then Redneck Triathalon. Eddy/Syxx was an accident, they weren't supposed to work a good match but they said the hell with it. speaking as the head booker for World's Worst Wrestling.. Souled Out is the benchmark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cawthon777 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2004 and thats the thing...Eddy/Syxx wasn't that great (like ***) but because it was on such a shittastic card...it came out looking like it was on Shawn/Ramon levels. I heard Hall gave both guys shit for not working the match right ... or something along those lines. Haven't seen the match since it aired live so I don't know what problems there could have been with it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cawthon777 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2004 They need to have a ppv in UK. A real ppv, not a UK only one. The crowds over here are great. Heck, do a mini 2 week tour or something, and give us a few Raws. I agree that you guys deserve it but due to time zone differences it won't happen. Either you'll have to show up at the arena at 1am or the West Coast fans will have to order the PPV at noon. Summer Slam 92 was on a 2 day tape delay. They could get away with that stuff back then but with the Internet ... nope. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cawthon777 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2004 double post Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vyce 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2004 Regal's FINALLY medically cleared to wrestle. Someone alert Bob Barron! I'm going to enjoy the Regal / Eugene tag title reign. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haVoc 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2004 For what it's worth, RVD did a interview recently and said he hasn't signed his new contract yet, but it's "as good as done." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob E Dangerously 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2004 Victoria was told to drop the dance routine in her ring entrance. It was her idea but people thought it was too goofy. She was told it was too time consuming. Yeah!!! Eric Bischoff did a radio interview this past week, and I guess he sure hates Konnan. When asked by the host in a trivia question about Konnan's finishing move, he said he couldn't remember it, and then said how Konnan sucked the air out of the building every time he wrestled. Reports were that Bischoff was incredibly rude to Konnan when he was at the shows a few weeks back. *takes notes* oooh.. a Bischoff/Konnan feud would heat things up in World's Worst Wrestling. But, that's just a rumor. William Regal is medically cleared to wrestle. Time for more jobbing Willie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
humongous2002 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2004 They need to have a PPV in Iowa. Laugh all you want, but I don't think there's been one ever. Iowa has wrestling fans too you know. I can't wait for the ppv in Alaska. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted June 20, 2004 remember when they went to Alaska for a house show and how it was like The Superbowl had come to them for those people. A Raw in Alaska would rule it. Quick Question though...Will Vince look at the map and go "Ah we're in Canada? Break out the Montreal Screwjob and bury all the canucks." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cawthon777 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2004 The Sullivan Arena in Anchorage only holds about 6,000. My high school graduation was held there. They would lose money on doing any TV show in AK. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Sandusky 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2004 Wasn't Good Friends, Better Enemies in Iowa? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ian. Report post Posted June 20, 2004 ^ I think it was nebraska Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
