Insider Timeline: 1996

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January 1-7 -- WCW uses some bookkeeping artifices to turn a “profit” in 1995, for the first time in its seven-year history in the Ted Turner empire. In reality, the company lost roughly the same amount as usual -- $5-$6 million -- but amid rumors that Turner will soon merge with the Time-Warner conglomerate, the promotion’s accountants use their savoir-faire to position its finances in the most favorable light possible. These sleights of hand include transferring Hulk Hogan’s $4 million annual salary to the Turner Home Entertaiment, Inc., division of the Turner empire; having Turner Broadcasting, Inc. foot the bill for the production costs of its three weekly TBS programs; and earmarking the profits from “Halloween Havoc” ‘94 and “Starrcade” ‘94 to the bottom line fine 1995 while still crediting “Halloween Havoc” ‘95, “World War III,” and “Starrcade” ‘95 to the 1995 books.

 

- WCW’s legal team forces Gene Okerlund to recant a WCW Hotline report asserting that Ricky Steamboat would be honored in a ceremony at the January 1 Nitro. After catching wind of this fabrication, Steamboat had threatened legal action unless Okerlund issued a retraction.

 

- The WWF attempts to reach an agreement with Giant Baba’s All Japan Pro Wrestling, using long-time AJ star Dory Funk, Jr. as a liaison, with hopes of tapping into AJ stable members who it feels will be marketable in the U.S., including Steve Williams, Stan Hansen, Gary Albright, and Johnny Ace. Thus, as a favor to Baba, both Funk and young Takao Omori are given slots in the Royal Rumble.

 

- Razor Ramon allegedly expresses umbrage to the booking team over the homophobia-geared direction of his feud with Goldust. In particular, he objects to ‘Dust’s habit of touching, fondling and kissing opponents.

 

- After negotiating with both the WWF and WCW, Public Enemy sign a three-year deal with WCW.

 

- New Japan’s annual January 4 Tokyo dome show draws a crowd of 64,000 paying a near-record $6 million gate. In the main event, Keiji Mutoh defeats Genichiro Tenryu: a rematch from the previous year’s Jan. 4 Dome show.

 

Monday Night Wars, 1/1: Raw - 2.61 (RAW Bowl tag team elimination match); Nitro - 2.52 (Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair)

 

 

Jan. 8-14 -- The WWF’s newest batch of “Billionaire Ted” skits plays the steroid card: The “Nacho Man” asks the “Huckster” what will happen should he be drug tested by WCW officials, and his red-’n’-yellow pal responds that they don’t need to worry about getting busted for that, “because we’re not in the WWF anymore.” Vince McMahon had faxed a letter to Ted Turner prior to these skits, challenging him to compare WCW’s steroid testing policy to the WWF’s with an independent drug policy advisor. He also claims that he adopted his own, stricter policy because the WWF “is concerned with the health and well-being of its talent.” In response, Turner threatens McMahon with a lawsuit but ultimately fails to follow through on it.

 

Elsewhere, “Scheme” Gene tries to trick people into calling his hotline with the inducement of finding out whether the sun will come up tomorrow.

 

- After doing a job to Bob Holly at a house show, Sid disappears from the WWF. He had recently expressed his misgivings over having to lose cleanly so frequently.

 

- Mick “Mankind” Foley’s (excellent) introductory vignettes begin airing on WWF TV.

 

MNW, 1/8: Raw - 3.04 (Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith from December PPV); Nitro - 2.81 (Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair & Arn Anderson)

 

 

Jan. 15-21 -- The WWF holds its “Royal Rumble” PPV, a lackluster show featuring a Shawn Michaels Rumble win, Goldust over Razor Ramon to capture the Intercontinental title, and an Undertaker DQ victory over WWF champ Bret Hart.

 

- Buddy Fuller, father of WCW’s Col. Robert Parker and one of the most noteworthy promoters in wrestling history, passes away on January 15 at his home in Pensacola, Florida from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 71. In addition to being a wrestler for over 20 years, Fuller had owned all or part of nearly a half-dozen territories at various times, including in Florida, Georgia, Memphis, Knoxville (TN), Arizona, and Pensacola. He was also instrumental in helping Fritz Von Erich form his famed World Class promotion in Texas in the ‘60s. In the ‘70s, Fuller also had a major hand in running Ann Gunkel’s outlaw promotion in Georgia, which aired on Ted Turner’s WTCG (which later morphed into WTBS), then backed Jerry Jarrett in helping to establish his Memphis-based promotion in a war against former partner Nick Gulas.

 

- Eric Bischoff faxes a condescending letter to Vince McMahon’s office at Titan Towers as a response to the WWF’s recent legal threats against WCW. The Fed actually briefly broadcasts a still of the memorandum on its weekend programming (“Action Zone” and “Mania”), and it reads as follows: “Dr. Mr. McMahon: Your letter dated Jan. 3, 1996 to Mr. Ted Turner and your subsequent letter of January 10 have been directed to my attention. Although initially mildly amusing, the WWF programming that you refer to as ‘satirical vignettes’ has become defamatory and disparaging to WCW and its wrestlers. Accordingly, we have referred this issue to our legal counsel for review. In addition, Mr. McDevitt’s letter of Jan. 11, 1996 on your behalf to Mr. Lambrose of this office (WCW attorney Nick Lambrose) has similarly been referred to legal council for review. By copy of this letter, we are informing Mr. McDevitt of this referral and advising him that we found his previous letters wholly without merit and undeserving of a response. In light of WCW and WWF programming ratings, we understand your concern about the content of our programs. Your encouragement is duly noted, however WCW programming decisions are the responsibility of WCW and Turner Broadcasting. Finally, as you are aware, WCW has a comprehensive Substance Abuse Policy which includes drug testing. While we can appreciate your intent in combining the efforts of the WWF with certain facets of our program, we are not so inclined. Signed, Eric Bischoff, Senior Vice President, WCW.”

 

- Public Enemy debut on Nitro, winning a poor match against the American Males and putting Marcus Bagwell through a double-stack of tables afterward. The show draws its highest head-to-head rating to date, largely on the strength of a great Ric Flair vs. Sting match. Many onlookers point to RAW’s off-putting “Billionaire Ted” as the reason for the high level of audience turn-over.

 

MNW, 1/15: Nitro - 3.52 (Ric Flair vs. Sting); Raw - 2.4 (Undertaker vs. Isaac Yankem)

 

 

Jan. 22-28 -- Randy Savage beats Ric Flair to win the WCW title in the opening match of the Jan. 22 Monday Nitro in Las Vegas.

 

- WCW runs a “Clash of the Champions” TBS special on January 23 in Las Vegas, with Ric Flair & The Giant beating Randy Savage & Hulk Hogan in the main event when Flair pinned Savage. Also, Miss Elizabeth makes her debut in the company, in the corner of Hogan and Savage; Woman (Nancy Sullivan -- wife of Kevin Sullivan) re-debuts, also in the corner of Hogan and Savage; and the Road Warriors make their return, challenging Sting and Lex Luger to a Tag Team title match. In the most memorable incident of the otherwise-forgettable card, Brian Pillman slides out of the ring during his match with Eddie Guerrero and grabs color commentator Bobby Heenan from behind, causing Heenan to freak out and audibly utter “What the fuck are you doing?!” into his headset. From there, Heenan starts to decamp to the safety of backstage, but he eventually thinks better of it and returns to ringside. Pillman -- at the height of his worked-shoot “Loose Cannon” phase (see below) -- spends the remainder of the match toying with Heenan numerous times.

 

Surprisingly, the show draws a terrific 4.5 rating, making it the most-watched two hours in the history of the promotion up to this point. Other Clashes have drawn equal (August 1994 -- Flair vs. Hogan) or higher (September 1990 -- Sting vs. Black Scorpion; November 1989 -- Flair vs. Terry Funk; March 1988 -- Flair vs. Sting) ratings, but because TBS is wired for so many more homes than at any of these previous points, the same ratings percentage now has a wider penetration.

 

- The newest envelope-pushing “Billionaire Ted” skit features the Ted Turner character claiming he wants money and power so that when he dies and sees his father in heaven, he can tell his dad to “kiss this.”

 

- In response to the skits, WCW begins airing commercial “bumpers” on its weekend programming that feature ex-WCW/current-WWF wrestlers like Mark “The Undertaker” Callous, Cactus “Mankind” Jack, and Vader losing matches to established WCW stars, accompanied by the tagline “WCW: Where the Big Boys Play.”

 

- Texas independent wrestler John Hawk, aka “Justin Hawk” Bradshaw, debuts at the WWF’s TV tapings in California.

 

- Gene Okerlund props himself up as a key witness in the ongoing sexual harassment suit against Hulk Hogan in WCW. Incidentally, the last two wrestlers for whom Okerlund had served as a defense witness, Ken Patera and Masa Saito, served two years in jail apiece.

 

- Raven wins the ECW title at the ECW Arena, defeating Sandman in a typically wild, bloody brawl.

 

MNW, 1/22: Raw - 2.93 (Bret Hart vs. Goldust); Nitro - 2.71 (Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair)

 

Jan. 29-Feb. 4 Alex Marvez of the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News conducts an interview with Eric Bischoff regarding myriad topics, including the use of blood in WCW. Bischoff claims, misleadingly, that there has never been a policy in place in the company vis-a-vis blading. Mike Tenay of the WCW Hotline also conducts an interview with Bischoff in which the WCW VP famously calls Vince McMahon the “Verne Gagne of the ‘90s.”

 

- WCW runs its first non-televised house shows in some time, in Baltimore and Norfolk, and draws terrific houses of 8,000 and 6,500, respectively. The big turnouts prompt the company to explore the possibility of expanding its touring schedule, which has been limited to TV tapings and PPVs for the past year or so. Amazingly, the Baltimore card draws the promotion’s first $100,000 gate for a non-pay-per-view show since Ted Turner purchased it in 1988 -- an indication of the restorative effect the Monday Night Wars are starting to have on the business.

 

- A Texas-based independent promotion called the Confederate Wrestling Association holds a forgettable (taped) pay-per-view, featuring such notables as Justin Hawk Bradshaw (now known simply as “Bradshaw”), Rod Price, Alex Porteau, and Scott Putski.

 

- Paul Heyman threatens to file a lawsuit against Terry Taylor and WCW in connection with Taylor’s statements on the WCW Hotline to the effect that Sandman is a “drunken drug addict.” As usual, Heyman fails to follow through.

 

- ECW’s “mascot,” 911, leaves the promotion after a dispute with Heyman regarding character direction.

 

MNW, 1/29: Nitro - 2.82 (The Giant vs. Randy Savage, Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan); Raw - 2.41 (Shawn Michaels vs. Yokozuna)

 

 

Feb. 5-11 -- WCW presents a highly memorable "Superbrawl" PPV in which Miss Elizabeth turns on Randy Savage, costing him the World title in a great cage match against Ric Flair; Hulk Hogan gets by the Giant in an execrable cage match (the show finale, controversially) and then lays out the entire Dungeon of Doom with chair shots; and Kevin Sullivan beats Brian Pillman in about 30 seconds of a “Respect Match,” in which the loser has to surrender by shouting "I respect you." It is that third match which is both the most notable and the most notorious; in a con that perhaps only Sullivan, Eric Bischoff, and Pillman are apprised of, Pillman comes roaring out to dominate Sullivan, only to drop his arms, drop his strap, and spit the phrase, "I respect you, booker man." As Sullivan stands in stunned silence in the ring -- ostensibly reacting to seeing more than a century of wrestling dogma being outed on a national PPV telecast -- Pillman storms back to the dressing room and starts to leave the arena. However, As part of the elaborate ruse, Bischoff stops him and gets him into a furious shouting match, then fires him on the spot, in front of a gathering of numerous awe-struck wrestlers. It marks the first "worked shoot" angle in the history of the business, spilling over not only onto the TV camera (ala ECW), but to the insider wrestling community as well; Pillman has spent the last month trying to convince wrestlers, dirt sheet writers, and smart fans that he is legitimately insane, and this incident is the denouement. As a result, he becomes the talk of the industry for several weeks to come, and the incident is used as a blueprint for numerous other wrestlers who try ill-fated versions of the stunt in the stunt in coming years.

 

- Davey Boy Smith is found Not Guilt in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on charges of aggravated assault in connection with an incident that occurred in a bar there in 1993. The accuser, Calgary resident Cody Light, alleged that Smith had attacked and powerbombed him, causing brain damage that confined him to a wheelchair. Smith’s defense largely turns on the testimony of a doctor who ordains that Light’s injuries are more consistent with those of someone who had slipped and landed on the back of their head than someone who had been physically assaulted. In addition, several witness testimonies assert that it was , in fact, been Light who instigated the fight by making objectionable remarks about Smith’s wife, Diana, before attempting to headbutt Smith. According to them, Smith then responded by headlocking the assailant and calmly walking him over to be assumed by the custody of a bouncer. In addition, a few local wrestlers are called on to testify that it is virtually impossible to powerbomb somebody without their cooperation -- as anyone who’s ever backyard wrestled can attest.

 

- Demonstrating that the buy rate success of the Royal Rumble was not a fluke, the WWF’s house show business goes on a dramatic upswing. Most within the company credit the remarkable turnaround to Shawn Michaels’ return to the road following the hot concussion angle in October.

 

- WCW threatens more legal action against the WWF over the “Billionaire Ted” skits on Raw, this time in connection with the Federation’s usage of the “Huckster,” “Nacho Man,” and “Billionaire Ted” characters. Particularly, WCW attempts to have a restraining order instituted that would ban the Fed from running its planned Huckster vs. Nacho Man match at WrestleMania.

 

The WWF counters on RAW, of course, this time by airing a still of a print ad that reads as follows: “Attention, Stockholders. Has Ted Turner lost $40 million of YOUR money in his personal vendetta against the World Wrestling Federation? Where are these losses reported in TBS financial statements? TIME-WARNER, BEWARE!” The ad, which, of course, is planted by the WWF itself, runs in major publications like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. The $40 million figure refers to WCW’s cumulative losses since Turner purchased the company in 1988.

 

Also, WWF attorney Jerry McDevitt sends yet another threatening legal letter to Eric Bischoff’s office, citing that the “Ted” skits are simply a response to the disparaging remarks WCW has deigned to make on the air against the WWF, as well as to WCW’s copyright and trademark infringements (referring in specific to the Renegade character), WCW’s tampering with WWF-contracted talent (Madusa and Lex Luger), and various disparaging remarks made about the Fed by WCW Hotline personality Mark Madden.

 

- After nearly three years as a heel, Yokozuna turns babyface and starts a feud with ex-“Camp (Jim) Cornette” stablemates Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart.

 

MNW, 2/5: Nitro - 2.9 (Sting & Lex Luger vs. Road Warriors); Raw - 2.72 (Bret Hart vs. Undertaker)

 

 

Feb. 12-18 -- At the February 18 “In Your House” PPV, Bret Hart retains the WWF title against Diesel in a steel cage match, after the Undertaker pops up through a hole in the ring and drags the challenger into it. Elsewhere, Shawn Michaels downs Owen Hart in a four-star match. The show draws a 0.65 buy rate, one of the best ever for an IYH.

 

- The annual Westminster Dog Show preempts RAW on the USA Network, giving Nitro the night to itself. In a legitimately shocking development, Hulk Hogan uses the increased viewership opportunity to lose via pinfall for the first time in his WCW career: Arn Anderson pins him after Ric Flair had walloped him in the eye with Miss Elizabeth’s shoe. Naturally, Hogan’s growing list of critics allege that Hogan’s decision to lose is a response to a recent batch of “Billionaire Ted” skits in which the “Huckster” character commented that “my contract with Billionaire Ted says that I never lose” -- a reference to the “creative control” clause in Hogan’s contract.

 

- ESPN begins airing a promo for “Sportscenter” featuring several WWF wrestlers.

 

MNW, 2/12: Nitro - 3.74 (Hulk Hogan vs. Arn Anderson)

 

 

Feb. 19-25 -- Scott “Razor Ramon” Hall, 37, agrees to terms on a three-year contract with WCW, throwing the WWF into disarray. With the wrestler nearing 40, and with his pay-checks from Titan having decreased markedly in recent month, WCW uses the lures of a huge big-money guaranteed contract and a lighter schedule of house show matches to woo Hall. Upon hearing the news, Vince McMahon makes the questionably-timed decision to immediately suspend Hall without pay for violating the WWF’s drug policy. Also, McMahon orders all references to Ramon to be edited off of forthcoming editions of the Fed’s TV.

 

- WWF attorney Jerry McDevitt grants an interview to Prodigy members, moderated by Bob Ryder, in which he discusses the slew of litigation issues currently implicating the WWF. “There was a series of attempts by Turner,” he says, “including from Ted Turner personally, to try to but the World Wrestling Federation or have interest in the company. All offers have been rejected. There were attempts in the late-’80s... up until ‘93’-’94. The WWF is a family-owned business and Vince is a third-generation promoter. He doesn’t want stock in TBS. He’s a wrestling promoter. When it became obvious that the WWF was not for sale we started hearing the statements that Turner was going to put the WWF out of business.”

 

- Sure enough, Brian Pillman debuts at the ECW Arena, where he threatens to whip out his penis and piss in the ring. Apparently, Eric Bischoff really has granted him a full release from his WCW contract as an extension of their ongoing con game. This aspect of the artifice will come back to haunt Bischoff a few months later, though. - In a shocking turn of events, ECW temporarily bans blood on its cards as a PR response to the revelation that ex-heavyweight boxer Tommy Morrison is HIV positive. Also, news-magazine show “A Current Affair” airs a negative piece on ECW, with footage culled from a card in Queens, NY.

 

MNW, 2/19: Raw - 3.1 (Undertaker vs. Tatanka); Nitro - 2.91 (Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage)

 

 

Feb. 26-March 3 The wave of bad news for the WWF continues, much to the delight of most WCW employees and fans: Kevin “Diesel” Nash gives his notice to Vince McMahon, announcing that he’s agreed to a three-year deal with Eric Bischoff under the same terms as his friend Hall. Unlike Ramon, Diesel maintains his presence on Federation and builds toward a match against the Undertaker at WrestleMania.

 

- With two of its top babyfaces scheduled to be departing, the Fed rushes to fill the void, enlisting the services of both the Ultimate Warrior and Roddy Piper. Naturally, the Warrior forces Vince McMahon to capitulate to several special demands before agreeing to return; ultimately, though, a satisfactory agreement is reached by both sides, allowing the WWF to begins building toward the Warrior’s return -- slated for WrestleMania -- on its programming. As for Piper, he returns in the capacity of figurehead president, filling the role vacated by Gorilla Monsoon, who is still sidelined by “injuries” suffered at the hands of Vader.

 

- Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Dean Malenko re-up with WCW for three years.

 

- ECW runs its major monthly cards in Queens and Philadelphia. On the former show, Raven retains the ECW title against Sandman; on the latter, the Gangstas win a three-way dance against 2 Cold Scorpio & Sandman and the Headhunters of Puerto Rico.

 

- The fierce competition in the Monday Night Wars continue to re-ignite the business: Raw and Nitro set a combined viewership record, with Nitro eking out its fourth win (vs. four losses) of the year.

 

- On Raw, Roddy Piper returns to the fold as the WWF’s “interim president.” His first act is to rule the much-anticipated Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels WWF title match at “WrestleMania” a 60-minute Iron Man match in which the wrestler who scores the most falls in the designated time frame emerges as champion.

 

MNW, 2/26: Nitro - 3.21 (Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, & Brutus Beefcake vs. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, & Kevin Sullivan); Raw - 3.13 (Yokozuna vs. Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith)

 

 

March 4-10 -- In what is considered a major transaction within the industry, Johnny B. Badd quits WCW and then promptly agrees to terms with the WWF. Badd had been working without a contract -- his previous one reportedly paid $300,000 a year, which is huge money by mid-’90s standards -- and, in the process of renegotiating, had a disagreement with Eric Bischoff over the terms of a prospective new deal. Badd had also disagreed with the direction of his on-air relationship with Kimberly Page; he cites that to be portrayed as being romantically involved with someone other than his real-life wife, Rena Mero, came into conflict with his Christian ethics.

 

- In other WCW roster move, the Steiner Brothers sign huge guaranteed contracts, allowing them to make an unannounced return on Nitro, battling the Road Warriors to a non-decision. The Nasty Boys had originally been scheduled to take on the Roadies, but they had been released only days before.

 

- Ric Flair is arrested in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, on charges of aiding and abetting underage DWI in his native. According to Flair, he, his wife, and two of his wife’s friends had attended a Charlotte Hornets basketball game that night and had stopped by a local bar for a few drinks afterward. Because he’s wary of driving after having even one or two drinks, he asked someone else to drive him home from the bar in his $100,000 Mercedes, and 20-year-old NC resident Collette Eileen McCune volunteered. During the short drive, local police pulled over McCune and found her to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 -- about twice the legal limit. “I would not have put a person I thought was drunk behind the wheel of a $100,000 automobile,” Flair tells a local paper. “She seemed fine.” Unfortunately, the local media turns the minor incident into a disproportionately-large scandal.

 

- Mick Foley files a lawsuit against WCW in connection with the incident in which he lost his ear in a match against Vader in Germany in 1994, charging that the company created unsafe working conditions.

 

MNW, 3/4: Raw - 3.62 (Bret Hart vs. HHH)

 

 

March 11-17 -- The U.S. Supreme Court settles to uphold an original ruling ordering that the WWF pay former announcer/wrestler Jesse “The Body” Ventura over $800,000 in back royalties from 1980s videocassettes bearing his voice and likeness for which he was never compensated. In addition, the Fed must also pay $200,000, covering interest on the original order as well as Ventura’s legal fees. Ventura had original won the verdict in a court in his home state of Minnesota, before the WWF took its appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and then the Supreme Court.

 

- Vince McMahon releases a statement through the WWF’s AOL site acknowledging Diesel’s departure. “Kevin Nash and I are friends. I think from my perspective, he didn’t make a good business decision (in joining WCW). Diesel could have become an icon here in the World Wrestling Federation, an icon which he would be able to derive great benefit from financially and aesthetically for the next 20 years, perhaps far outlasting his time as a wrestler in the ring. But, yes, it hurts and the people in Ted Turner’s organization know that it hurts. Athletes must have a love for the business they are in, a strong work ethic and a sense of loyalty to remain here in the WWF. Many performers (in the WWF) make very large sums of money, and those athletes that have confidence in themselves and in the company compete very, very well with Turner’s guaranteed contracts. Turner’s organization has no idea how to make a star. All they can do is buy them. The idea to acquire the services of Kevin Nash is so Diesel ceases to exist, thus hurting the World Wrestling Federation.”

 

- Eric Bischoff does an interview with Bob Ryder of Prodigy, responding to the WWF’s charges that he’s tampering with its talent: “We haven’t tampered with their talent. I get calls all the time from their people (wrestlers). I’ve gotten a stack of calls just in the past few weeks. If one of their guys comes to me and tells me he’s ready, willing and able to talk to me about coming to work for us, I’ll listen. I don’t know what the specific accusations are about tampering, but I believe it’s just more WWF whining.”

 

- WCW and the WWF both make a play to sign Rey Misterio, Jr., who has been drawing raves for his work in both ECW and AAA in Mexico.

 

- “Diamond” Dallas Page’s wife, Kimberly Faulkenberg, appears nude in Playboy’s Book of Lingerie.

 

- Brian Pillman briefly quits ECW over a dispute regarding the financing of his 900-line, but he and Paul Heyman smooth the issue over only a few days later.

 

- Similarly, the Road Warriors briefly walk out on WCW, upset that Kevin Nash and Scott Hall have been signed to much more exorbitant contracts than their own. They return only days later.

 

- The WWF’s house show business continues to show signs of life, as the company draws a sellout crowd of 17,000 to Madison Square Garden; Diesel & Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart & the Undertaker is the main event. It marks the first sell-out of the building for a regular house show in several years and also sets a non-PPV gate record of $300,000; even the heydays of Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund were unable to match.

 

MNW, 3/11: Nitro - 3.2 (Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair & Kevin Sullivan); Raw - 2.91 (Yokozuna & Undertaker vs. Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith)

 

 

March 18-24 -- WCW’s second annual “Uncensored” PPV marks only a marginal improvement over the first installment. And therein lies the problem. In one of the worst main events in the history of the company, Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage beat Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Meng, the Barbarian, Kevin Sullivan, Lex Luger, Ze Gangsta’ (actor Tony Lister -- “Zeus” of 1989 WWF fame), and the Ultimate Solution (the late Jeep Swenson) in the Doomsday cage. Naturally, Flair is the one pinned in the match.

 

- Friction begins to surface between Eric Bischoff, Kevin Sullivan, and Hulk Hogan in after Hogan’s makes several last-minute changes to the Uncensored card.

 

- The WWF hires Dutch Mantell in a front-office capacity. He also lands an on-air roll -- as Justin Hawk Bradshaw’s manager, Uncle Zebekiah.

 

- ECW runs the ECW Arena in Philadelphia and overcompensates for its ongoing ban on blood when Raven attempts to “kill” Beulah McGillicuddy’s “unborn child” by kicking her in the stomach.

 

- Not surprisingly, the Ultimate Warrior threatens to no-show “WrestleMania,” forcing Vince McMahon to fly out to his home in Phoenix and placate him with several perks.

 

MNW, 3/18: Nitro - 3.61 (); Raw - 2.9 (Bret Hart vs. Tatanka)

 

 

March 25-31 -- At “WrestleMania” XII, Shawn Michaels wins the WWF title from Bret Hart in 1:30 of a sudden-death period, after neither man was able to secure a fall in the 60-minute regulation period. Also, the Undertaker beats the soon-to-be-departing Diesel, Roddy Piper beats Goldust in the “Hollywood Back-Lot Brawl,” and the returning Ultimate Warrior squashes Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 90 seconds. Allegedly, the Warrior makes several immoderate demands backstage prior to the match, including refusing to sell anything for Helmsley. Helmsley earns major stripes with management by playing the part of peace-maker in the face of the Warrior’s prima-donna antics and essentially consents to play the part of a jobber in the bout.

 

In a sidelight at ‘Mania, Rena Mero (Sable) and Marc Mero (Johnny B. Badd) make their collective entree into the WWF. Sable acts as Helmsley’s “valet of the week” on the show; when Helmsley brow-beats her following his loss, Mero comes to her aid.

 

MNW, 3/25: Nitro - 3.12 (Ric Flair vs. The Giant); Raw - 2.82 (Ahmed Johnson vs. Owen Hart)

 

 

April 1-7 -- Discord continues to develop between Hulk Hogan and the Eric Bischoff-Kevin Sullivan camp in WCW. As usual, most of it centers on Hogan’s penchant for using his vast influence within the Turner hierarchy to alter booking plans at the last minute. Also, the Hulkster fails to win himself any friends after he no-sells a chokeslam by the Giant on Nitro, even though the move laid out both Sting and Lex Luger elsewhere in the program.

 

Meanwhile, Hogan takes three months off to film his latest movie, “Santa with Muscles,” but not before refusing to a stretcher job for Sullivan and Arn Anderson to explain his absence. At this point, his future in the business seems to be in jeopardy.

 

- In a TV commercial, the WWF teases its 900 line by promising to reveal what Davey Boy Smith and Magic Johnson have in common besides that they’re both superstars in the world of sports. The ploy “works”: The line generates an inordinate volume of calls that day.

 

MNW, 4/1: Raw - 2.94 (Undertaker vs. Justin Bradshaw); Nitro - 2.8 (Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger)

 

 

April 8-14 -- Brian Pillman, 33, is seriously injured in a single-car accident in Boone County, Kentucky. After taking a recreational ride in his new humvee to “clear his head” from the whirlwind series of events he’d experienced over the previous several months, he had allegedly fallen asleep at the wheel, causing the automobile to swerve off the road and strike a large tree trunk, catapulting him through the windshield; he flew 40 feet through the air, landing heavily and sustaining several injuries -- the most serious of which being a shattered ankle. Police estimate that he had been going between 60 and 70 miles-per-hour at the time of the collision.

 

- Eric Bischoff grants separate interviews to the Miami Herald and the Charleston Post-Courier, making several incendiary statements about Vince McMahon. “Vince McMahon is an egomaniacal punk,” he tells the Herald. “McMahon’s ego would not allow him to sit down... first of all, Vince McMahon’s ego won’t even allow him to admit that I’m the one who’s kicking his ass every week. He’s out there trying to paint this picture that Ted Turner is beating him. Ted Turner has so many things he has to tend to. I don’t think Vince McMahon’s name flashes through Ted Turner’s mind more than once or twice a year... So, as long as his ego and his sense of reality is as distorted as it is, I don’t ever see the opportunity to sit down and discuss certain things... Vince McMahon cannot stand the fact that Eric Bischoff and Kevin Sullivan and Paul Orndorff and Jimmy Hart and a whole bunch of people who are working 16 and 18 hours a day are kicking his BUTT. He can’t deal with it because his ego is too large.”

 

- Bret Hart does an interview on a Chicago-area talk show and relates a story regarding Hulk Hogan: “This was right after WrestleMania 8 -- just after I became the WWF champion, as I remember. Vince McMahon told me, ‘Don’t worry about Hulk Hogan coming back. He’s going to come back and do some tag teams to boost his movie career.’ It wouldn’t have bothered me anyway because Hulk Hogan was this tremendous hero to me. When I finally did get to see Hulk Hogan and meet him after all these months he was off, I always thought he would have been very proud and happy that I had the success I had. When I walked up to him in Florence, South Carolina, he was with Brutus Beefcake. I offered my hand, and he wouldn’t accept it. I stood there for a few moments in shock and dismay. Then I went down the ramp and did my thing (wrestled a match). But I always remembered it, and it always bothered me that from his side of it, I had the belt, so I was his enemy. To him, I wasn’t this guy who had busted his ass for so many years on his undercards and had worked hard and fought for every inch I could get and finally had this level of success. Instead, I was opposition for him. I think he sought me out to destroy me. But ultimately, it got him in the end.”

 

Hart also explains his feelings on Razor Ramon and Diesel’s decision to leave the WWF. “It’s a personal thing. Everyone has a right to take care of themselves the best they can. I think some of them made the decision because maybe they were forced into it, like Randy Savage. He was a guy who was getting left on the back-burner until he finally jumped. I look at Randy as a guy who shouldn’t have had to do that. At the same time, there are other guys who have left that I think, even in the case of Diesel, I think he did it maybe for the money. If that’s the reason, I don’t think his career is going to go forward anymore. He’ll miss where he was. I think he’s going to digress. I think they’ll be miserable about two years from now because they’ll realize they went to a second-rate organization that is never going to take them to the heights they were at before.

 

- In his first professional match, Duane Johnson -- son of ‘60s-’80s star Rocky Johnson -- gets a tryout with the WWF and shows so much potential that the company promptly makes plans to sign him to a contract.

 

- The ever-slowly-growing ECW once again runs Queens and Philadelphia, drawing sell-outs both nights. In the Queens main event, The Gangstas beat 2 Cold Scorpio and the Sandman. On the undercard, Taz beats Chris Jericho in a “shoot match.” In Philadelphia, Raven retains the ECW title against Shane Douglas in the main event, and in a match of interest on the undercard, Sabu beats Rob Van Dam.

 

MNW, 4/8: Raw - 4.73 (Shawn Michaels vs. Jerry Lawler); Nitro -- preempted for NBA Playoffs April 15-21 -- Coming off of its recent strong house show outings in Baltimore and Norfolk, WCW devises plans to begin touring full-time once again starting in the summer.

 

MNW, 4/15: Raw - 3.12 (Goldust vs. Savio Vega); Nitro - 2.81 (Sting & Lex Luger vs. Giant & Ric Flair)

 

 

April 22-28 -- At the WWF’s In Your House: “Good Friends, Better Enemies” PPV, Shawn Michaels carries Diesel to a ****3/4 match -- one of the defining bouts of HBK’s career. It makes entirely worthwhile an otherwise lackluster card, which also sees Razor Ramon lose cleanly to Vader in his final WWF match for the next six years.

 

- WCW signs Kevin Greene of the Pittsburgh Steelers to a one-match contract for the “Great American Bash” PPV in June.

 

- WCW begins running bizarre promos on its TV shows, including Nitro, touting that “Our World is About to Change. Blood Runs Cold -- Coming Soon to WCW!”

 

- Madusa and Ron Harris of the Bruise Brothers get engaged.

 

- Still trying to put his best PR face forward as he prepares to launch ECW onto PPV, Paul Heyman writes a strongly-worded letter to promotional rival Dennis Coraluzzo, urging him to ban blood from the NWA.

 

MNW, 4/22: Raw - 3.3 (Goldust vs. Savio Vega); Nitro - 2.72 (Lex Luger vs. Ric Flair vs. Giant)

 

 

April 29-May 5 -- With Hulk Hogan seemingly on the outs with the promotion -- or, so they would have everyone believe -- Eric Bischoff and WCW put their star-making machinery into overdrive on the April 29 Nitro. The Giant (Big Show), 24, becomes the fourth-youngest World champion in the history of the business, beating Ric Flair cleanly with the chokeslam, less than ten minutes into their main event bout. The title switch receives a huge reaction live, although it’s not enough to prevent the show from getting creamed by RAW once again, since it is moved to an earlier timeslot because of the NBA Playoffs. Widely regarded due to his incredible agility and fitness for his size, The Giant is the first rookie ever to win a World championship.

 

- The WWF runs one of its token Foreign Tours from Hell. The main catalysts of the problems on this tour are Razor Ramon and Diesel, who fray a lot of nerves by showing up late for numerous bus rides, missing curfews virtually every night, and generally acting flippant toward agents and other wrestlers. The other “Clique” members take a lot of associated heat from the “boys,” with several wrestlers allegedly threatening to beat up both Michaels and Helmsley when the two stick up for their friends at various points. Michaels’ behavior in other instances all causes many of his co-workers to be working his last nerve, as he has run-ins with several of them for basically petty reasons. In fairness to HBK, he is booked to wrestle and make personal appearances nearly every waking hour of the tour and, naturally, is extremely stressed out the entire time.

 

The other main problem on the tour concerns Sunny, whom the Boys ridicule mercilessly after some salacious rumors circulate throughout the locker room, culminating when Michaels stoops to putting a piece of human feces in one of her meals. Perhaps fearing a sexual harassment lawsuit is on their hands, the road agents decide to send her home from the tour the next day -- a full 10 days early.

 

Upon returning home from the tour, Sunny’s boyfriend, Skip of the Body Donnas, loses the Tag Team Titles cleanly to the Godwinns.

 

- Shinjiro Otani, who won a confusing tournament to crown the first-ever Cruiserweight champion a few weeks earlier, loses the title to Dean Malenko.

 

- The 1-2-3 Kid takes a leave of absence from the WWF to deal with an addiction to painkillers.

 

- Michaels does a photo shoot for Playgirl magazine, a fact which is played up incessantly on WWF TV.

 

- New Japan draws 65,000 fans for a $5.8 million gate to the Tokyo Dome on April 29, making it the second most-attended show in the history of the company, trailing only the previous year’s October 9 card, which drew 67,000 to see the Great Muta (Keiji Mutoh) beat Nobuhiko Takada in an IWGP World title match. In the main event of this show, however, it’s Shinya Hashimoto who prevails in the IWGP title match, beating Genichiro Tenryu to win the strap. WCW is well-represented on the card: Not only is Eric Bischoff in attendance, but Randy Savage beats Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Masahiro Chono beats Lex Luger via submission, and the Road Warriors & Power Warrior (Kensuki Sasaki) beat the Steiners and Scott Norton.

 

MNW, 4/29: Raw - 3.92 (Ultimate Warrior vs. Isaac Yankem); Nitro - 2.11 (Ric Flair vs. The Giant)

 

 

May 6-12 -- In a decision with significant and long-lasting ramifications, WCW and TNT announce plans to expand Nitro to two hours every week, beginning with the May 27 broadcast, partially in response to the drubbing the show has taken since being moved to an earlier timeslot for the duration of the NBA Playoffs. The show is to air in the 8:00-10:00 EST timeslot. The philosophy behind the move is that the extra one-hour lead-in gives the program a chance to “hook” viewers who might otherwise watch the head-to-head hour of RAW. Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan are to serve as the second-hour announcers, while Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko are to handle the first hour.

 

- The WWF signs Duane Johnson (The Rock) and former Smoky Mountain Wrestling star the Punisher (Ben “Bull” Buchanan) to the first two “developmental” contracts in the history of the organization. In particular, management considers Johnson to have great promise, while the Punisher is recognized as an excellent athlete for his size.

 

- The WWF also signs Tony Anthony (“TL Hopper”), Johnny Gunn/Tom Brandi (“Salvatore Sincere”), Alex Porteau (“The Pug”), Tracy Smothers (“Freddie Joe Floyd”), and Jim Neidhart (“Who?”), ostensibly to serve as jobbers, and gives all of them offbeat gimmicks.

 

- At the latest ECW Arena card in Philadelphia, Rob Van Dam notches an upset win over Sabu, his former training-school classmate. Also, the Eliminators & Brian Lee beat Tommy Dreamer & the Gangstas in a bout in which Dreamer bleeds heavily, signaling the return of blading to the company’s playbook.

 

MNW, 5/6: Raw - 4.12 (Undertaker vs. Owen Hart); Nitro - 1.92 (Giant vs. Jim Duggan)

 

 

May 13-19 -- At the May 18 Madison Square Garden show, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash work their final matches in this phase of their WWF careers. Hall loses to Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Nash loses to Shawn Michaels, respectively. It's their post-show antics which cause the greatest consternation amongst onlookers, however: After the Michaels-Nash match, Hall makes an impromptu appearance in the ring, and the three men engage in a group hug. Watching from the back, Helmsley makes his way to the ring and joins them. The breech of kayfabe infuriates Vince McMahon, who is watching backstage. Although he can no longer punish Hall or Nash, he gives both Michaels and Helmsley a major tongue-lashing, then makes the infamous decision to forgo plans to give Hemlsey a big push, instead burying him in lower-mid-card bouts for the next five months. - Diamond Dallas Page emerges as the surprise winner of the “Battle Bowl” battle royal at WCW’s Slamboree PPV, setting the stage for his big career break. Elsewhere, The Giant beats Sting to retain the WCW title in the main event.

 

- Eric Bischoff delivers a pep-talk prior to the wrestlers prior to the show, extolling the merits of the new two-hour Nitro format. He says that the longer programs will relive pressure on the wrestlers to get their matches and interviews over with quickly to conserve time. Also, he promises to begin giving a greater number and variety of wrestlers exposure on the programs now that the company has more air-time at its disposal.

 

- Sufficiently recovered from his car-accident-induced shattered ankle to travel long distances, Brian Pillman meets with Vince McMahon at Titan Towers in Stamford, CT, to discuss a possible entrance into the WWF. Pillman is impressed by McMahon’s offer to such extent as that he no-shows a planned negotiation with Eric Bischoff five days later.

 

- The Road Warriors once again walk out on WCW -- permanently, this time. Their main bone of contention is, still, that Scott Hall and Kevin Nash are being paid significantly more than they are.

 

- The Hardy Boys, who have been working as jobbers at WWF TV tapings, receive a tryout match but are not hired.

 

- Yokozuna checks into the Duke University weight-loss clinic in an attempt to shed some excess tonnage. To explain his absence, Yoko cuts a demoralized promo on Raw saying he needs to “go find” himself.

 

MNW, 5/13: Raw - 3.54 (Shawn Michaels vs. HHH); Nitro - 2.32 (The Giant vs. Lex Luger)

 

 

May 20-26 -- In what is immediately touted as the best national wrestling angle in years, Scott Hall debuts on the first-ever two-hour Nitro, interrupting a match between Steve Doll and the Mauler (Mike Enos) by entering the ring and saying “You know who I am” over the house mic. Retaining his fake latino accent but little else about his former Razor Ramon character, Hall then launches into an anti-WCW diatribe: “You wanna’ have a war? Where’s ‘Billionaire Ted?’ Where’s the ‘Nacho Man?’” From there, he accuses Eric Bischoff of being a “Ken doll look-alike” and a “weatherman wanna’-be.” The live crowd initially reacts to Hall with confusion but start to roundly boo him after a few moments.

 

Hall returns at the end of the program -- after nearly sixty minutes of steady taunts from Bischoff, the second-hour announcer with Bobby Heenan -- and confronts the WCW VP face-to-face in the announcers’ booth. He vows that “We’re taking over” and challenges anyone in WCW to wrestle him in a match before the show goes off the air.

 

- The WWF’s steady stream of misfortune continues as, for the first time in history, its pay-per-view is deep-sixed because it is unable to transmit its signal. Following a lightning strike, an electrical storm knocks out the power during the company’s “In Your House” PPV in Florence, South Carolina, interrupting the signal and causing the arena to go dark for those in attendance. As a result, all but two of the matches on the two-hour show fail to broadcast, with only Marc Mero over Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Shawn Michaels NC Davey Boy Smith coming off as planned.

 

Also at “In Your House,” Shawn Michaels gets himself into more hot water with WWF management by allowing himself to be distracted by the taunts of a ringside fan. At several points in the match, Michaels can audibly be heard firing pejorative remarks back at the fan, causing every fan in her section to start booing him. In fact, HBK becomes so unraveled by this situation -- with the frustration caused by the power outage also playing on his nerves, no doubt -- that he winds up flipping out at a WWF official at ringside who fails to cue up his music to his exact liking after the match -- a scene which is captured on the live PPV in its entirety. Vince McMahon is so upset over Michaels’ tantrum that he orders it edited off the replay. However, because HBK’s title reign has coincided with such a surge in house show business, it isn’t in any kind of imminent danger of getting kaboshed.

 

- In a dark match at the RAW tapings, the Ultimate Warrior squashes Vader -- whom the company is building to be its top heel -- in 10 seconds.

 

MNW, 5/20 (Nitro reallocated by NBA Playoffs): Raw - 3.13 (Davey Boy Smith vs. Jake Roberts); Nitro - 2.31 (The Giant vs. Arn Anderson)

 

 

May 27-June 2 -- Ted DiBiase, 42, gives notice to Vince McMahon that he will be joining WCW in August when his WWF contract expires, ostensibly to manage Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in their as-yet-to-be-christened faction. McMahon’s immediate response is to bury DiBiase in storylines; Steve Austin promptly wrestles Savio Vega on RAW in a match stipulating that DiBiase must leave the company if his charge loses, with Vega, of course, going over. Still collecting insurance from Llyod’s of London on a career-ending neck injury he suffered while wrestling for All Japan, DiBiase last wrestled in 1993.

 

- On Tuesday, the WWF attempts to pick up the pieces from its aborted “In Your House” PPV, offering a free airing of rematches of the bouts that were preempted due to the power outage. The matches emanate from the WWF’s “Superstars” TV taping site and include Savio Vega over Steve Austin in the Ted DiBiase-leaves-town match, Vader over Yokozuna, and Goldust over the Undertaker.

 

- In the second week of the “hostile takeover” storyline, the unidentified character played by Scott Hall gets into a face-to-face confrontation with Sting at the close of the broadcast, then promises a “big surprise” for the following week. The buzz surrounding Hall’s debut on the previous Nitro causes the ratings of this week’s edition to enjoy a huge pop against a lackluster Raw.

 

- Chavo Guerrero, Jr. receives a tryout with WCW.

 

- New Japan Pro Wrestling owner/legend Antonio Inoki’s latest attempt as part of a lifelong obsession/ambition to gain entry into the pantheon of American culture meets with disaster. His much-hyped “World Peace Festival” card in Los Angeles draws just 2,500 fans to the L.A. Sports Arena, which is especially scary since he originally planned to hold it in the 100,000-seat L.A. Coliseum and attract widespread attention from the U.S. media. He does manage to gain the cooperation of both WCW and Mexico’s AAA, however, with perhaps the most notable aspect of this collaboration being that Eric Bischoff attends and gets his first look at numerous future members of his talent roster. In the main event, Inoki & Dan Severn beat Oleg Taktarov (UFC star) & Yoshiaki Fujiwara (of Fujiwara Armbar fame); in WCW’s top representative match, The Giant beat Sting with the chokeslam; in the best WCW match on the card, Chris Benoit downs Alex Wright; in the best overall match on the card, Rey Misterio, Jr. & Ultimo Dragon beat Psicosis & Heavy Metal; and in an undercard match of note, Konnan beats Chris Jericho and Bam Bam Bigelow in a triangle elimination in Bischoff’s first-ever look at Jericho.

 

- At the latest monthly ECW Arena show in Philadelphia, the crutches-ridden Brian Pillman creates quite a stir by referring to the Gangstas tag team as “niggers with attitude,” based on the late-’80s Compton-based rap group of the same name. Most onlookers don’t think twice about the remark, but one person who does is Nu Jack of the Gangstas. After Pillman finishes his promo and makes his way backstage, Nu Jack allegedly flips out at him. Pillman apologizes and claims not to have intended the remark as a racial slut, but that explanation fails to conciliate Nu Jack, who threatens Paul Heyman that he will quit ECW if he doesn’t have an opportunity to respond by giving an offensive promo of his own. Heyman is upset by Nu Jack’s conduct and allegedly strongly considers calling his bluff but ultimately consents. Thus, in his promo, Nu Jack alleges that Pillman was caught having sex with “Z-Man” Tom Zenk at a WCW Saturday Night taping several years ago.

 

Elsewhere on the show, the Eliminators (Perry Saturn & John Kronus) beat the Gangstas -- who have a busy night -- in the main event.

 

MNW, 5/27: Raw - 3.34 (Vader vs. Ahmed Johnson); Nitro - 2.8 (Scott Steiner vs. Sting)

 

 

June 3-9 -- Ending one of the hottest free-agent hold-out periods in the history of the business, Brian Pillman signs a three-year deal with the WWF on a large downside guarantee -- the first guaranteed money contract in the history of the promotion. Rumors have it that Eric Bischoff’s final proposal was a three-year deal of his own, for an astronomical $340,000 per annum. Allegedly, Pillman would have accepted the WCW offer if Bischoff had not insisted on including a “90-day review clause” giving the promotion the right to review his performance every three months and terminate his contract if they so wish.

 

- Upset over the direction of the Shawn Michaels-Diana Smith sexual harassment storyline that has been the focus of the company for the previous two months, Davey Boy Smith gives notice to the WWF that he intends to sign with WCW when his contract runs out in August.

 

- In Buffalo for what is promoted as the “Legends of the Aud,” WCW breaks its all-time gate record for a regular house show, drawing a crowd of 14,082 paying $193,465. The company’s previous gate record was $190,000 for the 1989 Great American Bash PPV in Baltimore, featuring Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk in the main event. The Buffalo show is held professedly as a tribute show for the late Ilio DiPaulo, who was a beloved figure in the Buffalo wrestling scene in the 1950s and ‘60s and passed away in 1995. In that spirit, numerous area legends partake in a lengthy ceremony at the outset of the card, including Bruno Sammartino, who receives one of the biggest pops of the evening.

 

MNW, 6/3: Nitro - 3.01 (Sting & Lex Luger vs. Steiners); Raw - 2.31 (Jake Roberts vs. HHH)

 

 

June 10-16 -- Kevin Nash debuts on Monday Nitro, joining Scott Hall in badgering Eric Bischoff at the announcers’ table at the end of the show. “This show is about as interesting as Marge Schot reading excerpts from Mien Kamph,” he says, in a Dennis Miller-worthy opening salvo. “You couldn’t get a paleontologist to get some of these fossils cleared? You ain’t got enough guys off dialysis machines to get a team? Where’s Hogan? Out doing another episode of ‘Blunder in Paradise?’ Where’s the Macho Man, huh? Doing some Slim Jim commercial?” Nash then threatens to kick Bischoff’s teeth down his throat, which the crowd cheers heartily. Bischoff promises to try to get opponents lined up for Hall and Nash -- who still haven’t been referred to by any name at this point -- if they show up at the Great American Bash PPV in six days.

 

Surprisingly, despite the excellent angle, Raw still scrapes by with a head-to-head victory over Nitro. It’s the last time that will happen for the next 95 weeks -- 83 of which are head-to-head.

 

- To coincide with its suddenly-hot television product, WCW presents a blow-away PPV at the June 16 “Great American Bash.” In the main event, The Giant successfully defends his title against Lex Luger, while Dean Malenko’s Cruiserweight title defense against the debuting Rey Misterio, Jr. and Chris Benoit’s Falls Count Anywhere win over Kevin Sullivan furnish the card with a pair of workrate bonanzas. The show is much more notable, however, for a pair of angles: announcer-turned-wrestler Steve McMichael turns heel and joins the Four Horsemen in a great, self-contained swerve, at a time when they are still novel. Also, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall assault Eric Bischoff, with Nash powerbombing him off of the stage, through a table.

 

- Brian Pillman’s signing is trumpeted during a “press conference” segment on Raw.

 

- Taz beats former UFC star Paul Varelans at an ECW Arena show after interference from Perry Saturn of the Eliminators. Varelans had backed out of Paul Heyman’s original proposal which was to see him lose the match cleanly, and he had resolved to flake out of the card, but Missy Hyatt manages to convince him to follow the prescribed plan.

 

MNW, 6/10: Raw - 2.74 (Undertaker vs. Davey Boy Smith); Nitro - 2.6 (Sting & Lex Luger vs. Ric Flair & Arn Anderson)

 

 

June 17-23 -- The WWF (Titan Sports, Inc.) files a federal lawsuit in the state of Connecticut against WCW, Turner Broadcasting, and WCW Executive Vice President Eric Bischoff in connection with WCW’s alleged attempts to deceive its viewers into thinking Kevin Nash and Scott Hall are acting under the direction of Vince McMahon in attempting to eradicate WCW. The four-point suit’s claims cite that: 1) WCW violated the Lanham Act by using “false and misleading descriptions of fact which are likely to cause confusion in the marketplace and deceive consumers”; 2) WCW infringed on WWF registered trademarks by having Hall play a similar characterization (latino accent, toothpick, etc.) to his Razor Ramon gimmick in the WWF; 3) WCW violated the Unfair Competition Act by permitting both Mark Madden and Gene Okerlund of the WCW Hotline to continuously and falsely insinuate that the WWF is on the verge of bankruptcy and to insinuate that Hall and Nash remain employed by the WWF; and 4) WCW is guilty of defamation and libel for the remarks Eric Bischoff and Steve McMichael made on the February 12 Nitro when they implied none-too-subtly that the WWF was somehow responsible for the brief power outage that interrupted the live broadcast that night. As far as damages, Titan is seeking all profits WCW made off the June 16 Great American Bash, triple the profits WCW will make from the Bash at the Beach PPV in July, and other unspecified punitive damages.

 

WCW does manage to notch an early victory in the court proceedings when Chief U.S. District Judge Peter Dorsey refutes WWF attorney Jerry McDevitt’s request for a restraining order that would have severely damaged the progress of the “hostile takeover” storyline.

 

The lawsuit will remain an unremitting source of headaches for various WCW personnel for the next three years.

 

- The WWF delivers a strong card in its fourth annual “King of the Ring” PPV, highlighted by Steve Austin’s historic KOTR tournament win and a successful Shawn Michaels title defense against Davey Boy Smith. Austin in particular makes waves in his post-victory interview, in which he uncorks both “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass” and “And that’s the bottom line, ‘cuz ‘Stone Cold’ said so” for the first time ever.

 

- WWF champion Shawn Michaels grants an interview to Mike Mooneyham of the Charleston Post-Courier, as usual holding nothing back. On WCW: “I’ve been made offers from WCW... right now what is important to me is performing, and you don’t get a chance to do that there. But WCW needs to be there. Competition is good. If one company were to get control it would be bad for us wrestlers because they would have control and could do anything they wanted.”

 

Regarding the “Clique,” he said: “There was this imaginary thing that we had some kind of control over the promotion. I guarantee there is only one man who runs our promotion, and that’s Vince McMahon. There are a number of guys who have no idea that Shawn Michaels has put in a good word for them (with Vince)... The wrestling business in general better be aware of us, because we’re on top in both places now so they better be awful nice to us.”

 

On the speculation that Bret Hart is waiting in the wings for Michaels’ title reign to fail, before swooping in and reclaiming the top spot: “I have the utmost respect for Bret Hart... that is something I don’t think is good for our company. But I can understand it. Bret did a wonderful job as WWF champion. If there are negative feelings toward me, that’s other people’s business, and I can’t control it.”

 

Regarding Hulk Hogan: “Hogan was probably not as fair to fans as he could have been. Claiming to be a role model and a superhero is something that’s very dangerous, especially when you self-proclaim that... I don’t claim to be a superhero or a role model. I’m just a 30-year-old man doing a job he loves to do... I’ve made plenty of mistakes in the past, and I’ll probably make plenty more.”

 

- Former WWF/WCW star Barry Windham, 36, contacts the WWF and is hired to a contract shortly hereafter.

 

- The WWF hires Florida independent announcer Kevin Kelly to serve on its Sunday afternoon “Action Zone” program.

 

MNW, 6/17: Nitro - 3.43 (The Giant vs. Scott Steiner); Raw - 2.32 (Goldust vs. Jake Roberts)

 

 

June 24-30 -- The WWF continues its house show resurgence, drawing some of its biggest respective crowds in years in the cities of Indianapolis, Detroit, and Pittsburgh.

 

- WCW makes overtures to ECW wrestlers Raven, Chris Jericho, and Mikey Whipwreck. Only Jericho demonstrates any immediate interest.

 

- In the biggest singles match win of his career up to this point, Eddie Guerrero wins New Japan’s annual Top of the Juper Junior Tournament, beating Chris “Wild Pegasus” Benoit in the semi-finals and Jushin Liger in the finals. Jerry Lynn (then known as “Mr. JL” in WCW) also participates in the tournament, tearing his shoulder and being put out of commission for several months.

 

- Hunter Hearst Helmsley does a chat room interview for the WWF’s AOL site and, in the same spirit of his “Clique” brethren, makes some controversial remarks regarding Brian Pillman: “They make a big deal out of his contract signing. I say, Big deal. Who cares? I’m sick and tired of this war with WCW allowing for guys to come in the door thinking they’re something because they made a little name for themsleves someplace else. If you’ve never been to the big dance and proven yourself there, then when you come in the door of the WWF -- which, no matter what anybody says, is the big dance -- then you start out on the ground floor just like everybody else. Until these people, including Brian Pillman, and we all know everybody else who I mean, prove themselves as main event draws that bring people to arenas, they have proven nothing to me. They should be forced to prove themselves.”

 

- Bret Hart grants a very forthright interview to the Sasaktoon (Alberta) Star-Phoenix in which he carps on Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, and even the WWF. On Michaels: “I don’t respect (Shawn Michaels). I dont like the message he sends. The whole message is arrogance... too obnoxious, too cocky.” From there, Hart promises that he will retire “when the time comes,” unlike Hogan and Flair, and that he hasn’t embarrassed himself in his acting career, unlike Hogan and Piper. On the WWF, he says the company has “wiped out all the little guys like my dad and killed the breeding ground for the future.” On himself, he says, “There’s not a whole lot of difference between Bret Hart the wrestler and Bret Hart the person.”

 

MNW, 6/24: Nitro - 3.24 (Sting & Lex Luger vs. Steiners vs. Harlem Heat); Raw - 2.71 (Undertaker vs. Steve Austin)

 

 

WWF Title-holders (as of Dec. 31, 1996) -- Hvt. champion - Sid; Intercontinental champion - Hunter Hearst Helmsley; Tag Team champions - Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith

WCW Title-holders -- World champion - "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan; U.S. champion - Eddie Guerrero; Tag Team champions - The Outsiders (Scott Hall & Kevin Nash); TV champion - "Lord" Steven Regal

ECW Title-holders -- Hvt. champion - Raven; TV champion - Taz; Tag Team champions - The Eliminators (Perry Saturn & John Kronus)

 

Quote of the Year: "Vince McMahon is an egomaniacal punk." - Eric Bischoff, to the Miami Herald.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Also at “In Your House,” Shawn Michaels gets himself into more hot water with WWF management by allowing himself to be distracted by the taunts of a ringside fan. At several points in the match, Michaels can audibly be heard firing pejorative remarks back at the fan, causing every fan in her section to start booing him. In fact, HBK becomes so unraveled by this situation -- with the frustration caused by the power outage also playing on his nerves, no doubt -- that he winds up flipping out at a WWF official at ringside who fails to cue up his music to his exact liking after the match -- a scene which is captured on the live PPV in its entirety. Vince McMahon is so upset over Michaels’ tantrum that he orders it edited off the replay. However, because HBK’s title reign has coincided with such a surge in house show business, it isn’t in any kind of imminent danger of getting kaboshed.

 

What did he say?

[JoeDirt 0]

Also at “In Your House,” Shawn Michaels gets himself into more hot water with WWF management by allowing himself to be distracted by the taunts of a ringside fan. At several points in the match, Michaels can audibly be heard firing pejorative remarks back at the fan, causing every fan in her section to start booing him. In fact, HBK becomes so unraveled by this situation -- with the frustration caused by the power outage also playing on his nerves, no doubt -- that he winds up flipping out at a WWF official at ringside who fails to cue up his music to his exact liking after the match -- a scene which is captured on the live PPV in its entirety. Vince McMahon is so upset over Michaels’ tantrum that he orders it edited off the replay. However, because HBK’s title reign has coincided with such a surge in house show business, it isn’t in any kind of imminent danger of getting kaboshed.

 

What did he say?

I believe he called her a fat cow.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Shawn basically swore at the girl a lot, to the point that people around her picked up on it, and started hecking Shawn as well.

[Prime Time Andrew Doyle 0]

Good read, Is there a part 2 from July to December?

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

what was the ESPN Sportscenter w/ WWF Stars in it like?

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Another great read. Post more stuff like this if you have any.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Bret Hart grants a very forthright interview to the Sasaktoon (Alberta) Star-Phoenix in which he carps on Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, and even the WWF.

 

Saskatoon is in Saskatchewan, not Alberta.

[Some Guy 0]

- Gene Okerlund props himself up as a key witness in the ongoing sexual harassment suit against Hulk Hogan in WCW. Incidentally, the last two wrestlers for whom Okerlund had served as a defense witness, Ken Patera and Masa Saito, served two years in jail apiece.

 

What was this all about?

[MikeJordan23 0]

These are excellent. Thank you.

[Kapoutman 0]

Good read, Is there a part 2 from July to December?

I was wondering the same thing.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

These are excellent. Thank you.

Agreed.

 

Will they continue? A July-December would be pretty good, I'd also love to see 97 and 98, 98 is my favourite year in wrestling ever.

 

It's pretty sweet to read about the stuff I hadn't thought of in a while, and there's lots of stuff I never knew.

[Betty Houle 0]

- Demonstrating that the buy rate success of the Royal Rumble was not a fluke, the WWF’s house show business goes on a dramatic upswing. Most within the company credit the remarkable turnaround to Shawn Michaels’ return to the road following the hot concussion angle in October.

 

-However, because HBK’s title reign has coincided with such a surge in house show business, it isn’t in any kind of imminent danger of getting kaboshed.

These statements are obviously false as many HBK-haters have repeatedly told me he's never been a draw in any way, shape, or form.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

While Shawn's return did mostly give house show business a boost, he was a negative draw for TV ratings, and his PPV numbers weren't that hot either. Shawn's run on top saw one of the lowest MSG houses of the modern era, the lowest rated Raw in history, and his March to September PPV numbers were all down on the PPV's held during the same months the previous year.

[Guest krazykat72]

According to this, he was ok for TV ratings.

I suspect they'll start falling during the latter part of the year, but a lot of credit goes to the nWo.

There was also really high MSG numbers too....It's all in one of the Observer articles Meltzer did awhile back.

The PPV numbers are slightly deceiving, as there were more PPVs in '96 and *far* hotter competition.

Shawn wasn't a great draw by any means, but the people who claim he was death are pretty far off too.

 

 

-Paul Jacobi-

[Betty Houle 0]

While Shawn's return did mostly give house show business a boost, he was a negative draw for TV ratings, and his PPV numbers weren't that hot either. Shawn's run on top saw one of the lowest MSG houses of the modern era, the lowest rated Raw in history, and his March to September PPV numbers were all down on the PPV's held during the same months the previous year.

I know all this. I was half joking with my post; I was just making reference to the way some HBK-haters go out of their way to find new ways to bash him. I don’t really want to get into this again but…

 

If you took what I said literally, what you said doesn’t illustrate how HBK wasn’t a draw “in any way, shape, or form”. Yes, he hasn’t always been a draw and is associated with some really bad ratings and buy-rates. He's also associated with some very good ones. He’s headlined (or co-headlined) over two dozen pay-per-views, some of which were quite successful. He also played significant roles in a bunch of other successful PPVs (Summer Slam 2002 and Wrestlemania 21, to name just a couple). And he did boost house shows in 1996 and drew 48,000 people to the 1997 Royal Rumble during a downtime for the company. Not saying he’s the greatest draw ever in American wrestling (that just might be Hogan, another person I’ll defend when few others will). Let’s not discount him entirely though!*

 

But that’s enough of that! I’m enjoying these articles and hope to see more of them. I’m always looking for time-killers between work!

 

*And, hey, what's the Wrestlemania with the lowest buyrate of them all? 13! Why? Because Shawn wasn't there!

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

I've never said HBK was never a draw in "“in any way, shape, or form."

 

He's far from the negative draw that his harshest critics say he is, but he's also not big draw that fanboys say he is either. There are worse than Shawn, but plenty better too.

[Betty Houle 0]

I've never said HBK was never a draw in "“in any way, shape, or form."

 

He's far from the negative draw that his harshest critics say he is, but he's also not big draw that fanboys say he is either. There are worse than Shawn, but plenty better too.

I never said you did...?

 

I said he wasn't that though.

[haws bah gawd 0]

Both this and the 1995 articles were excellent reads. I've read a lot of info that I never knew before. Is there any chance of getting the last half of 96?

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Please shut the fuck up about Michaels. No one directly, but I'm getting sick of it being in any thread that even mentions him.

[Guest Edgehead]

This all great. I cant wait for part 2

[JoeDirt 0]

I still want the second half of 1996!

[buffybeast 0]

I miss this era in pro wrestling. The feud between WWF and WCW directly effected the quality of the product. I wish WWE had solid competition today.

[ryankeast 0]

Thanks a lot for this - Great read.

[World's Worst Man 0]

- New Japan’s annual January 4 Tokyo dome show draws a crowd of 64,000 paying a near-record $6 million gate. In the main event, Keiji Mutoh defeats Genichiro Tenryu: a rematch from the previous year’s Jan. 4 Dome show.

 

The main event was Nobuhiko Takada defeating Keiji Muto, with Antonio Inoki vs. Vader on the undercard. The 1995 January dome show ME was Shinya Hashimoto vs. Kensuke Sasaki, not Tenryu vs. Muto.

 

- New Japan draws 65,000 fans for a $5.8 million gate to the Tokyo Dome on April 29, making it the second most-attended show in the history of the company, trailing only the previous year’s October 9 card, which drew 67,000 to see the Great Muta (Keiji Mutoh) beat Nobuhiko Takada in an IWGP World title match. In the main event of this show, however, it’s Shinya Hashimoto who prevails in the IWGP title match, beating Genichiro Tenryu to win the strap. WCW is well-represented on the card: Not only is Eric Bischoff in attendance, but Randy Savage beats Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Masahiro Chono beats Lex Luger via submission, and the Road Warriors & Power Warrior (Kensuki Sasaki) beat the Steiners and Scott Norton.

 

Hashimoto beat Nobuhiko Takada in the main event to win the IWGP Title.

[reign 0]

- New Japan’s annual January 4 Tokyo dome show draws a crowd of 64,000 paying a near-record $6 million gate. In the main event, Keiji Mutoh defeats Genichiro Tenryu: a rematch from the previous year’s Jan. 4 Dome show.

 

The main event was Nobuhiko Takada defeating Keiji Muto, with Antonio Inoki vs. Vader on the undercard. The 1995 January dome show ME was Shinya Hashimoto vs. Kensuke Sasaki, not Tenryu vs. Muto.

 

- New Japan draws 65,000 fans for a $5.8 million gate to the Tokyo Dome on April 29, making it the second most-attended show in the history of the company, trailing only the previous year’s October 9 card, which drew 67,000 to see the Great Muta (Keiji Mutoh) beat Nobuhiko Takada in an IWGP World title match. In the main event of this show, however, it’s Shinya Hashimoto who prevails in the IWGP title match, beating Genichiro Tenryu to win the strap. WCW is well-represented on the card: Not only is Eric Bischoff in attendance, but Randy Savage beats Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Masahiro Chono beats Lex Luger via submission, and the Road Warriors & Power Warrior (Kensuki Sasaki) beat the Steiners and Scott Norton.

 

Hashimoto beat Nobuhiko Takada in the main event to win the IWGP Title.

Sooo... you're saying the whole article is pretty much bullshit....fuck! I spent like twenty minutes reading that thing!!!