Enigma 0 Report post Posted May 19, 2008 This is from the January 1997 WWF Magazine that largely went to press in about October 1996. It was written by Vince Russo, who ended up becoming the TV writer at some point in the year. Stone Cold Steve Austin We may as well open it up with a prediction that's way out there...WAY out there! By the end of 1997, Stone Cold Steve Austin will be in a major feud with the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. Whereas that may not seem surprising to anyone, here's the twist--Austin WILL NOT be in the corner opposite Shawn, he will be SHARING the same corner with him!!! Mankind & Paul Bearer Throughout 1997, the "Mankind Family" will continue to grow at a rapid pace. Relatives and "close" family members will come out of the woodwork, making this "Krazy Klan" a force to be reckoned with by the year's end! There will be NO reconciliation between Bearer and the Undertaker and, in fact, their hatred toward each other will only DIG deeper and deeper. British Bulldog & Owen Hart The reign for the brothers-in-law as World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions will be short-lived. That, HOWEVER, will not be the big news. By the first glance of the summer sun, Bulldog and Owen will be involved in an ugly and bitter family feud that will make the flames between the brothers Hart look like a two-twig campfire! James E. Cornette 1997 will be the year that Camp Cornette finally burns down the ground! After various unsuccessful attempts to gain the World Wrestling Federation Title, the man they call Vader will fire Cornette, prompting the now EX-manager to find employment elsewhere. Before the end of the year, however, James E. will land a job with some renegade promotion based in Philadelphia. Crush Don't be surprised if Crush's singles career doesn't live up to its high expectations. With his hunger to "dis-obey" all rules, Crush will soon find himself in the Federation doghouse. HOWEVER, don't lock the door and throw away the key just yet! A former old buddy of the ex-inmate will show up just in the nick of time to get Crush back on track! Faarooq There is Intercontinental gold in the future of Faarooq in 1997. HOWEVER, the real story here is that be the time the leaves fall, Faarooq and Ahmed Johnson will be one of the most impressive tag teams that the World Wrestling Federation has ever known!!! Goldust The truth about Goldust--who he really is--will not only be revealed... but, IT WILL SHOCK THE WRESTLING WORLD!!! Bret "Hitman" Hart As of press time, Bret's future in the World Wrestling Federation is still unknown. I, however, just don't see Bret leaving the Federation until he takes care of some unfinished business--that of course being the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. Personally, I think Bret WILL make a full-fledged comeback, REGAIN the Federation title and then--and only then--trade it in for a career in Hollywood. Hunter Hearst-Helmsley & Mr. Perfect The scam known as the "Perfect Alliance" will come to an abrupt and not so "perfect" end, when Hunter Hearst-Helmsley and Mr. Perfect discover that their respective egos cannot co-exist in the same habitat. By the time the ball falls in Times Square, Perfect and Hearst-Helmsley WILL square off in the middle of the ring in the eagerly anticipated--and much overdone--"Perfect Match"! Dok Hendrix After excessive and unrelenting scrutiny by journalist Vic Venom, Dok Hendrix, a.k.a. Michael P.S. Hayes, will come out of retirement, forcing the controversial columnist to PHYSICALLY eat his words! Ahmed Johnson Look for a drastic change in Ahmed Johnson in 1997. Both his religious and political views will come to the forefront, taking full priority over his life. In an effort to follow God, the Almighty Allah, Ahmed will turn his back on the fans and become one of the most feared--and hated--athletes in the history of the World Wrestling Federation. Mark Henry The World's Strongest Man will find out that the superstars of the World Wrestling Federation are not just a bunch of weighted DUMBBELLS! After suffering a severe injury in the ring at the hands of a heartless opponent, Henry will turn to another Olympian in an effort to gain the proper tutelage and guidance needed in order to succeed in the squared circle. Once that "secondary" education is completed, Henry will come back with a Vengeance! Rocky Maivia This rookie sensation will go on to have a stellar 1997--HOWEVER--toward the year's end, a former ally of his father, Rocky Johnson, will return to the squared circle to kick some dirt in the face of the bright sensation. Clarence Mason In 1997, Clarence Mason will successfully put together one of the most fearsome stables ever to be housed in the World Wrestling Federation. His "FIRM", as he will dub it, will dictate the future of the Federation in 1997. AND at some point during the year, Mason will shock the world when he signs--on the dotted line--one of the most popular fan favorites in Federation history to serve as the head council of his malicious group! Vince McMahon Under brilliant legal council, Jim Ross will find a loophole in his contract, forcing Vince McMahon to turn full control of the World Wrestling Federation and Titan Sports over to him. The only way that McMahon will be able to seize his family business back is by paying Ross and his attorneys the cool sum of $100 million OR by agreeing to settle it the old-fashioned way--IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING!!! Wildman Marc Mero & Sable Early in 1997, Marc Mero and Sable will go their separate ways, as a result of a continuous verbal lashing of the beautiful valet by the Wildman. In time, HOWEVER, Mero's true feelings will surface when he rescues Sable from the clutches of her new, physically abusive employer... whose name you will NEVER forget! The two will reunite and possibly hear wedding bells by the summer's end. Shawn Michaels It's going to be an up-and-down year for the Heartbreak Kid in 1997. Early in the year, he will successfully recapture the World Wrestling Federation Title, only to lose it to Bret Hart at WrestleMania XIII two months later. From there, Shawn will go into a deep depression, forcing him to take a few months off. HOWEVER, after coaxing by none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn will return to the ring as his tag team partner for one match, regain the eye of the tiger and thus recapture the Federation Title from Bret at the Survivor Series. Brian Pillman Before cupid's arrow pierces the heart... THE TIME BOMB WILL EXPLODE!!! Jake "The Snake" Roberts Sometime during 1997, Jake "The Snake" Roberts will announce his retirement from the squared circle and accept a position in the front office at Titan Sports. HOWEVER, shortly after that announcement, Jerry "The King" Lawler will coax Roberts back to the ring for one more match stating that, "If you defeat me... I'll also retire, BUT if I defeat you, I get to make a pair of boots out of 'Revelations'." After losing the match, Jerry "The King" Lawler will be forced to retire... until he comes back the following week stating that he was, "... only kidding!" Jim Ross After discovering a loophole in his contract that names him the owner, CEO and chairman of Titan Sports, Jim Ross will be indicted for failing to file his 1996 Connecticut income taxes. In his deposition, Ross will state that, "He really didn't mean that Connecticut was, literally, a HELLHOLE. However, the judge, a long-time resident of the Constitution State, doesn't buy it and forces Ross to pay his back taxes, which causes him to--LOSE EVERYTHING!!! Sycho Sid After dropping the Federation Title back to Shawn Michaels at the 1997 Royal Rumble, Sycho Sid will totally snap and return "home" to be comforted. Unfortunately, we will later find that "Home Sweet Home" will turn out to be none other than Mankind's comfy, cozy BOILER ROOM!!! Sunny With her managerial career behind her, Sunny will hire a famous Hollywood agent and become the talk of La-La Land in 1997. She'll go on to star in a number of made-for-television movies until her HART leads her back to the squared circle. The Undertaker Throughout the early stages of 1997, the Undertaker/Mankind war will continue to boil, HOWEVER, it will PALE in comparison to the fate that awaits the Taker by year's end. A secret will be revealed that could turn everybody's favorite Reaper into a helpless, almost human Clark Kent. Vader In one of the business coups of the year, Vader, will dump James E. Cornette as his manager, after Jim Ross guarantees him the World Wrestling Federation Title if he agrees to sign on the dotted line and join his RAPIDLY growing list of clients! Yokozuna Yoko will be named "Comeback Superstar of the Year" after he gets down to fighting weight and regains some of that championship form of past years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BruteSquad_BRODY 0 Report post Posted May 19, 2008 1996's version was not so great..... hard hitting stuff like Henry Godwin: Will not bathe in 96 Russo wrote this I surmise and you can see some of his booking ideas ahead of time (Kane etc) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FroGG_NeaL 0 Report post Posted May 19, 2008 Sunny With her managerial career behind her, Sunny will hire a famous Hollywood agent and become the talk of La-La Land in 1997. She'll go on to star in a number of made-for-television movies until her HART leads her back to the squared circle. Awesome. There's some good shit in there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RepoMan 0 Report post Posted May 19, 2008 Say what you well about Russo, but he kept the mid-card interesting during his time in WWF. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Celtic Jobber 0 Report post Posted May 20, 2008 Brian Pillman Before cupid's arrow pierces the heart... THE TIME BOMB WILL EXPLODE!!! Considering how Pillman died later that year, this one really stood out to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Enigma 0 Report post Posted May 20, 2008 Pretty funny I posted these. Ahmed Johnson did an interview over the weekend. He said he was told that when he came back from his injury, Faarooq's character was going to change after he embraced the Muslim lifestyle and he would start up a group full of people he converted. He said during the feud, Faarooq would constantly try to convert him, finally succeeding after a few months. Of course, when the Nation of Domination started, they chose to stay away from the Muslim/religious overtones and were just a group of thugs. Ahmed did eventually join, but that angle ended when he got injured again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Young 0 Report post Posted May 20, 2008 Shawn Michaels It's going to be an up-and-down year for the Heartbreak Kid in 1997. Early in the year, he will successfully recapture the World Wrestling Federation Title, only to lose it to Bret Hart at WrestleMania XIII two months later. From there, Shawn will go into a deep depression, forcing him to take a few months off. HOWEVER, after coaxing by none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn will return to the ring as his tag team partner for one match, regain the eye of the tiger and thus recapture the Federation Title from Bret at the Survivor Series. Damn. Shawn did win the belt at the Rumble, was scheduled to drop it to Hart at Mania, "lost his smile", did take a few months off, did return to win the tag belts with Austin, and did win the WWF title at Survivor Series. Russo just gave his shit away there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BruteSquad_BRODY 0 Report post Posted May 20, 2008 Well Shawn did cause most of those moves as he basically refused to work unless he got his way and once Vionce told him in Aug that he'd get the belt from Bret suddenly HBK was on RAW every week again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vampiro69 0 Report post Posted May 20, 2008 Sunny With her managerial career behind her, Sunny will hire a famous Hollywood agent and become the talk of La-La Land in 1997. She'll go on to star in a number of made-for-television movies until her HART leads her back to the squared circle. Awesome. There's some good shit in there. That was the one I noticed right away as well. Sunny days are here again! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrVenkman PhD 0 Report post Posted May 30, 2008 I also found the Pillman one to stands out. I also didn't know they referred to Dokken Hendrix as Michael Hayes at all until 1999. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boxer 0 Report post Posted May 30, 2008 I actually bought this magazine and still remember the cover with Austin and Michaels. Most of these were dead on but 12 years ago reading this I thought the WWF was gonna be a whole new place by the end of 97. I mean Bret with Sunny, Austin and Michaels? Ahmed as a heel? Those were the times when changes like that mattered. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boner Kawanger 0 Report post Posted June 28, 2008 You can tell Russo wrote this because the author has no grasp of how a contract works. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
