TBL WEEKENDER PART 3 of 3
Stephanie Ujhelyi
WCW
SATURDAY NIGHT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAVAGE MAKES A QUICK EXIT,
STANDING UP HIS OPPONENT
by F. Dehlinger
<FDehl...@aol.com>
correspondent
----------------------
- Started out with Savage walking out of the
building.
- Schiavone & Rhodes were the announcers
and they talked about Savage
- Comments by Eddie Guerrero. Said when he
won the Lord of the Ring title it was the best.
Said that Dallas went and made it personal
when he tried to hurt his neck and his nephew.
- Diamond Dallas Page vs. Scotty Riggs
(with Marcus Bagwell) Bagwell would be an
awesome heel. Not funny how good a heel he
could be. Send him the Shawn Micheals route,
and hello future champion. Riggs started out by
hip tossing Dallas into the corner. Dallas came
back and hit him with some back elbows.
Dallas then started to stomp on him. Dallas set
him up for a Piledriver, but just slammed him
into the mat horizontally. Riggs came back
[Bthough and hit Dallas with a double sledge
off the top rope. Riggs then got a Sunset Flip
off the top rope. He got a two count. Dallas got
up and slapped him in the stomach and then "Badda
Bing" Diamond Cutter. Dallas gets the win.
Winner : Diamond Dallas Page
- Interview with Diamond Dallas Page. Dallas
gloated over his win. Dallas said that Eddie
Guerrero knew about the Diamond Cutter very
well. Dallas said he had no idea where the Lord
of the Ring was. Dallas said in his home away
from home, he would play La Bamba with Eddie's
head at Vegas and then smack his head around
like a pinata doing the macarena.
- Halloween Havoc promo
- Look at Rey Misterio Jr. Frankensteiner,
Frankensteiner, Frankensteiner.
Boy, he does that so well
- "The Man of a 1,000 Holds" Dean Malenko
vs. "Das Wunderkid" Alex Wright
Rematch. Dean had Rey Jr's mask. Shoulder block
by Dean then a spin wheel by Alex. Dean then takes
Alex's leg outside and runs it against the pole. Dean
then put on a leg submission. Dean then started
kicking his knee. Dean continued doing this for at
least two minutes. Alex came back with a German
Suplex and a few European Upper Cuts. Alex then
drop kicked him. Alex then tried a spin wheel kick,
but Dean hit him with a drop kick to the knee. Dean
then got him into a kind of bridge and got the win.
Winner : Dean Malenko
- Interview with Dean Malenko. Tony said that Dean
was on a hot streak. Dean said that he beat Brad
Armstrong and he beat Alex Wright. Both examples of
his excellence. Said that he was a betting man and
said that lightning doesn't strike twice for Rey Jr.
- Halloween Havoc Update: All matches announced
- 'Double J" Jeff Jarrett vs. Steve Armstrong
Jarrett needs to get some different color tights.
Jarret drop toe holded him then walked on his back.
He styled and profiled, and then Armstrong drop
kicked and clotheslined him. Jarrett came back and
jumped on Armstrong's shoulder. Jeff then kicked
him in the knee and got a swinging neck breaker.
He then got a two with a back slide. Armstrong
came back with a lariet andthen a Powerslam.
Jarrett then took Armstrong's knee and nailed it
against his and got the Figure-4 on for the win.
Winner : Jeff Jarret
- Interview with Jeff Jarrett. Jarret said that it
was "8 days and counting." Said he made an impact
on Nitro and WCWSN as he promised. Said that he
was going to Havoc to make a huge impact. Jeff
said that he would chop him down the Giant and
then get him with the Figure 4 and then the NWO
would respect him. Jeff then said that the NWO
didn't impress him at all. Said it was NWO -
Non Wrestling Organization. Said it would happen
in the ring. Said that he knew that the Giant had
chokeslammed almost everybody - except him.
Said he would remain as the one to escape the
chokeslam.
[B- Bunkhouse Buck and "Mean" Mike Enos
vs. Faces of Fear (with Jimmy Hart)
Reformation of Studd Stable. But I thought that Enos
and Slater didn't like the Colonel. Never mind. Jimmy
said that this was for the Taskmaster. Don't ask me
why. Parker then came out and got Binto an argument
with Enos. He then walked away. Meng started by
beating up on Buck. Back elbow then foot to gut
by Buck. Meng then body slammed him. Enos and
Barbarian came in. Barbarian got in some forearm
shots but Enos came back with some kicks. Powerbomb
by Barb. Double head butt by the Faces and then a save
by Buck. Barbarian came in and started chopping him.
Buck then got in a bunch of forearm shots. Barbarian
then got a two count, but Enos made a save. Meng then
came across the ring and just started dealing on Enos.
He then threw him over the top.Buck was beating on
Barbarian and then Meng came over. Buck kicked him
in the gut. Colonel's back and Sherri's with him.
Barbarian then got Buck with a Mafia kick. Sherri
then starts kicking Enos. Enos gets up and stalks them
out of the arena. Meanwhile, Barbarian pins Buck for
the win.
Winners : Faces of Fear
- Mark Starr vs. "The Total Package" Lex Luger
Starr came out to his Men at Work music. Luger had
the tape. That's about as exciting as it got. Torture
Rack wins the match
Winner : Lex Luger
- Interview with Lex Luger. Luger said that his back
was feeling pretty good. Said he would be a 100% by
Havoc. Luger said that Arn had really bad timing.
Blah Blah Blah Blah. Luger said that he would Rack
Arn at Havoc
- Nitro recap
- Big John Studd vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
They had pre recorded comments from Studd. Said
that he would beat Jarrett on Nitro. Kept slapping
his head. Studd pushed Chavo down, then he flipped
back up. Studd got on his knees to lower the height
differential. Chavo then drop kicked him at least
four times. Chavo then did a Springboard Moonsault
and just barely got Studd down. Studd then brought
Chavo up and got him with two backbreakers. He
then back body dropped him and got the win.
Studd wins. Who cares?
Winner : Big John Studd
- NWO Saturday Night
- 1st Round of the NWO Cruiserweight Invitational
Tournament. They showed like a bio of the jobber.
- Johnny "Too Ta" Acapella vrs. Syxx
No crowd, but they booed Acapella any ways.
Hall and Nash did the commentary. Syxx got a
great pop. Hall said that Syxx was his favorite
wrestler. Same masked ref and DiBiase and Vince
were the audience. Acapella had the upper
hand but Syxx came back with a belly to back
suplex. He then took him outside and slammed
him into the safety barriers. Barriers went
way back. Syxx then brought him back and
vertical suplexed him. Syxx then did like a
kind of diving leg drop. Syxx got him with a
great drop kick and then he got him witha great
spin wheel kick which got him the win. Few notes.
They have a really big TV hung up in the rafters.
You could see it when they went to weird camera
angles. Must be fun to watch it on that big a screen.
I'd say its like 1/6th of Imax theatres. You could see
people at the entrances that were watching, saying,
"What the hell are these guys doing". They also had
replays go around the screen like picture in picture.
Very funny, but not that great a match.
Winner : Syxx
- Interview with Syxx. Said that Acapella was a
tough guy. Said that whoever faced him, they would
get hurt.
- Halloween Havoc Update: All matches announced
- Look at the Horsemen/Dungeon of Doom feud
- "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit vs.
Sgt. Craig 'Pitbull" Pittman (with Teddy Long)
I had a report for this match but then I played with
a menu option I wasn't supposed to, and it
disappeared since it wasn't saved. Benoit got
the win with a Swan Dive.
Winner : Chris Benoit
- Interview with Arn Anderson and Woman.
Woman said no more Miss Elizabeth and that
she was all Horsemen. Arn called Luger a
coward and a quiter.
- Halloween Havoc Promo
- "Lionheart" Chris Jericho vs. Marcus Alexander
Bagwell (with Scotty Riggs)
Ok, good match. I guess their tag team match a
few weeks back flew out the window. Males got
to get rid of the clap though. Schiavone said that he
thought they were trying to land a plane. Went back
and forth until both guys arm dragged each other.
They then tried a drop kick at the same time, but
blocked it only. Bagwell came back with a hip toss
into an arm bar. Jericho hit Bagwell with a drop kick
off the top rope. Nice. Bagwell was able to get
Jericho in the arm after he came off the ropes.
Bagwell then did one of Malenko's moves when he
Gorilla Press Slammed him onto his knee into a gut
buster. Then then both tried for a cross body block
at the same time, but Jericho came out on top and
got the win. Bagwell was upset at the loss. Riggs
raised their hands, but Bagwell left without
shaking hands. Reminiscent of the Brian Pillman
vs. Marcus Bagwell match from Fall Brawl Main
Event (I think) last year.
Winner: Chris Jericho
- Interview with Chris Jericho. Jericho said that he
knew the NWO had never lost. Said that in Las Vegas
that invincibility record would fall. He said that the
NWO would leave with a chink in their armor
- Look at the history of Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan.
Some of it dated back to Starrcade '94
- "The Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Roadblock
I'll tell you this - he's not Giant. He's fatter, longer
hair, bigger goatee and he carries a roadblock on his
back. He hit the camera man with it. Really ugly dude.
Ref came out of the back and said that Savage wasn't
here. Roadblock got pissed, went in the back, pulled a
jobber off a seat (later identified as Dusty Wolfe)
and took him in the ring. He then Powerslammed him
three times for a win. He then challenged Lex Luger
to a match at Nitro.
Better idea - Road Block vs. Big Ron Studd feud.
Winner : Roadblock.
- Ended with some of the Miss Elizabeth video
*****************************************
Would you like to get reports for any of the
following TV shows? WWF Blast Off, Livewire
and Superstars; WCW Main Event, Saturday NIght
and Pro; AWF Warriors Of Wrestling;
WCW Monday Nitro and WWF Monday Night RAW
Then e-mail Yuriy at <Kle...@juno.com.>
You will only get TV reports for the shows
you want to get TV reports for and you will get
them within a day of the event, without long
play-by-play of every move or personal commentary.
******************************************
WWF
Live Wire
~~~~~~~~
BRET HARTS DECISION IS TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
ON LIVE WIRE WITH SPECIAL GUEST
STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN
by Stephanie Ujhelyi
<s003...@cc.ysu.edu>
TBL Weekender editor
----------------------
Live Wire is beginning to become what the WWF
had hoped it would be -- the fans' program. The
biggest topic of discussion for the hour was
whether Bret "Hitman" Hart would announce his
return or retirement during this Monday Night Raw.
Todd Pettengill and Sunny were back as the hosts
of Live Wire the second week in a row, so it
appears that this will be the permanent tag team
for this program.
Stone Cold was in the Live Wire studio, like he
said he would be. But his entrance to the
broadcast position was delayed as Todd
Pettengill tried to build up his appearance.
After showing the Shawn Michaels-Steve
Austin match from Raw, Stone Cold Steve
Austin stampeded out to the set, accusing
Sunny and Todd Pettengill of just showing
part of the match. He also informed Sunny
and Pettengill that Pettengill was not going
to sit Austin in the green room "like a jerk."
Austin accuses Pettengill of showing half a
match for not showing how "he beat the hell
out of both guys [Sid and HBK]." Pettengill
responded he was just trying to build Austin's
appearance throughout the show before bringing
him out. Austin said, "Yeah, you don't have to
build Stone Cold, brother."
Stone Cold didn't disappoint anyone when telling
both Pettengill and Sunny to shut up numerous
times during his segment. It has been something
fans have been wishing to do many times, but
they haven't had the opportunity.
The discussion quickly turned to Hart, causing
even more hostility from the Stone Cold one.
"Man, I don't have to invent a bunch of dumb
slogans to convince myself I'm great," Austin
said. "I think everybody out there turns on their
TV and says 'Damn right, he is the best there
is.' If [Hart] announces his retirement, he is a
very smart man. If he says he is coming back,
then I'll retire him. If Bret comes back, it will
be for a very short time. He don't have what it
takes to get in the ring with Stone Cold Steve
Austin."
When Sunny asked why Austin so angry with
Hart, and Austin seems never to cross Hart's mind:
"Well, let me tell you a little inside story.
He sent me a plane ticket first class to fly to
Calgary. We went down into the famous Stu Hart
basement and I whipped his ass for 30 minutes.
Put the sharpshooter on him for 10 minutes.
Then Stu came down and said, 'Ah Steve, let go
of Bret,' so I whipped Stu's ass. That is why he
doesn't say nothing about me, because I already
got his number. You know Bret that I'm better
than you. Stone Cold is the best there is and no
one here can tell me any different."
Stone Cold believes Hart's biggest problem is
his loyalty to the fans. "That is the problem
with Bret. He always wants to do everything
for the fans. He always cares about everybody
else." Austin continued, The bottom line is I
don't care a rat's ass about anybody and that is
why I'm at the top right now. I dont need
friends, I don't need family, I don't need anybody
asking me for my autograph. I know I'm the best
there is and if Bret Hart does come back, I'll
kick the hell out of him." And, then Austin
concluded his segment, stomping off.
Other comments by Stone Cold Steve Austin:
* His career & attitude: "I have been shortchanged
for seven years, and I am fixing to start kicking
ass just like it said at the beginning of the
program. My time has come and that is the
bottom line."
* On the Aldo Montoya incident: Well, [Montoya]
was just a sacrificial lamb. He showed up with a
jock strap on his face, got dumped on his neck and
that is exactly what is going to happen to anyone
else I get in the ring with."
* On his lack of a title: "I've never won a title
because everyone with a belt is scared to look
me in the eyes and say, 'Yeah, Stone Cold. I'll give
you a shot.' I whipped Mero's ass everytime I got
in the ring with him, and now he is the
Intercontinental champion. You answer me that
question. Shawn Michaels is the WWF champion
and he is scared to get in the ring with me, [too]."
* Shawn Michaels: "Shawn Michaels, give me a break.
You go out there in your little glitzy, glamour outfit,
your sparkles and everything else. I don't need any of
that stuff, because when the bell rings, son, I turn
into the human buzzsaw."
* Mr. Perfect: "Mr. Perfect, Curt Hennig, or whatever
you want to call him is 260 pounds of cholestrol
packed into a bargain basement suit. At one time, son,
you were a hell of a talent, but if you think you can
stay in the ring with me for more than five minutes
you are lot stupidier than I thought you were."
* Match at IYH vs. Savio Vega: They always say that
the Undertaker is the phenom of the WWF, or Shawn
Michaels is the most charismatic performer in the WWF.
Well, Savio Vega is the cockroach of the WWF and I'm
the exterminator. Son, I've tried and tried, but as much
as Ive tried, you keep coming back. Believe me, you have
been a thorn in my side for too long, and after IYH,
you won't be coming back."
Next week, Faarooq Asad will be Sunny's guest on
Live Wire. Of course, Pettengill will be there, too,
but Sunny said she was the one responsible for
Asad's presence on Live Wire. ;)
#################################
THE BOTTOM LINE & TBL WEEKENDER
is looking to fill the following positions:
- AWF correspondents
- WWF Blast Off correspondent
- Wrestling Channel correspondent
- ECW correspondents
- Online correspondents for
WWF's America Online site and
WCW's Compuserve site
- Opinion/views columnists
And, we are looking for correspondents for
the independent federations as well as
additional correspondents for the big two.
E-mail Stephanie at s003...@cc.ysu.edu
for details. If you have writing samples,
please send them along.
#################################
********
V I E W S
********
Just One View
~~~~~~~~~~~
PAUL KNOWS WRESTLING
by Stephanie Ujhelyi
<s003...@cc.ysu.edu>
TBL Weekender editor
----------------------
When I last saw Paul E. Dangerously on wrestling
television years back, he was toting a cellular
phone and bopping people upside the head with it.
He was a younger version of Jim Cornette, even
though the parallel might not be appreciated by
either man.
However, when I read Paul E.'s recent chat on
Prodigy, I have to admit I was impressed. While
the ECW is presented an animalistic wrestling
federation (comparable to something like the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, because of its
violent and "extreme" content), Paul E. seems to
have it all together.
While Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff seem to
be sounding more like Bill Clinton and Bob Dole
these days, Paul E. is taking the Ross Perot
approach. As McMahon and Bischoff rip each other
apart and openly vie for the top spot, Paul E.
is able to reap the rewards. While the big two
are focusing all their energies on eliminating
each other, ECW is able to focus on wrestling
and the fans.
Paul E. expressed his belief that ECW wouldn't have
anything to gain by entering the Monday night wars.
"Im not here strictly to counterprogram anybody.
I'm here to present the product that I believe is
a premium product worthy of your entertainment
dollars."
This commitment to the fans is what makes Paul E.
special in an environment where money is valued
before people (although both are connected).
Paul E. relayed one experience. Fans started chanting
refund, when they found out there would not be a
surprise like earlier promised. "We knew
walking into the scenario that some people would be
disappointed. We also knew we had a blockbuster
followup by offering to our audience the Gangsters vs.
Eliminators. I don't blame them for being angry. I
even agreed with them, which is why we offer
refunds in cases like this . . up through intermission.
The first half of the show is given to you for free as
our apology, and you have the opportunity to decide
whether you'd want to stay for the rest of the
show or have your money back with two hours
of free entertainment. It is a policy that I
encourage all promotions to adapt, copy and
follow. It's the right thing to do for your
audience, it builds good will, it's an honest
approach and it's a fair deal.
Paul E. believes that "if you buy a ticket,
you are entitled to be entertained." Seems
like a normal response in an entertainment
based business, but often rare in pro
wrestling. He added, It's our job to send
them home with the impression that if they
could turn back the clock and have the
opportunity to buy or not buy the tickets
for that night. . that they would buy the
ticket all over again."
Now, can you picture McMahon or Bischoff
doing this? I am sorry to say that I really
can't, even though they might have and
we are just unaware of it. But I strongly
doubt it.
When asked about Bischoff, unlike McMahon
(and Bischoff when asked about McMahon),
Paul E. responded with class. "I think his
job since taking over has been remarkable.
He accomplished more with interfacing
throughout the Turner empire than Jim Herd,
Kip Frey, Bill Watts and Ole Anderson did
combined. . He plucked key talent from the
WWF and even more talent from the ECW,
and he displayed grande cohones in spending
money to acquire talent. He's not afraid to
piss people off, and he is very headstrong in
his belief that with the empire behind him
he will take WCW to an across the board #1
position."
And, while he resents Bischoff's negative
remarks about ECW, he still respects his
ability. His goal is not to attack him, but
to prove him wrong. Seems like a very
healthy attitude.
On the other hand, like Bischoff has his
McMahon, Paul E. has his Cornette. He
responds, "I don't harass Cornette. . I'm
not the one who has incessently
badmouthed the other to people in this
industry. Cornette, for whatever reasons
he has, believes we are a blight on the
wrestling industry, an aberration in
sports entertainment and a cancer in today's
society. I have no idea why. That's his
problem, not mine. If I were Jimmy, I'd tend
to my own business, do my own job and
spend my creative energy, helping the WWF
regain lost ground."
Enuff said, Paul E. But it was also well said.
No attacks on Cornette's talent or job
performance. Again, can you imagine
McMahon or Bischoff responding this way?
This is just one example of Paul E.'s take on
the wrestling business. Not only does Paul E.
seem to stand by the fans, he stands by the
wrestlers. One fan asked him during the chat
about whether ECW tests its wrestlers for
AIDS because of the extreme nature of the
federation. How did Paul E. respond? Well,
he didn't get hostile, but he still stated his
feelings in typical fashion.
"This is a subject that involves many
people's private lives, and I am uncomfortable
in violating our performers' right to privacy.
We have implemented and will continue to
implement as many safeguards as we find to be
constitutional." He continued, "But to discuss
them publically is an affront to the personal
lives of the guys that are out there busting
their asses for this company."
This kind of loyalty is what keeps ECW from
expanding to a national federation. "I dont
know if I want their problems. I know that I want
to make this company survive and thrive. There
are people here who have mortgages to pay and
children to support. It is my goal to produce a
company that can provide them with that
opportunity, but to grow to their levels of
success, you have to take the accompanying
problems with that achievement."
This is not a kind of loyalty that obviously can
be found in the big two. Look at the recent
events in the WWF, for example. Jeff Jarrett
is attacked as a Milli Vanilli wannabe. Kevin
Nash and Scott Hall are treated like disposable
inconveniences, instead of the great talents
that they were, and replaced with cheap
imitations. And, fans are not supposed to know
that Jeff Jarrett could never sing and the WWF
probably was aware of that. The fans are not
supposed to notice that the debut of the bogus
Diesel and Razor Ramon are cheap shots at
Nash and Hall and at the fans' attention spans.
Paul E. is delivering a product that the majority
of wrestling fans like -- without the glitch
and pyrotechnics of the WCW and WWF, without
the interfederation bickering of the WCW and
WWF. Paul E. earns this respect by putting the
fans first.
Even though Bischoff and McMahon might have
the edge with the bucks and experience, they
could learn a few things from Paul E.
"Snapple has a great ad campaign right now.
'Happy to be #3. I would love for ECW to be
the most successful and recognized wrestling
organization on the face of the planet today.
I would cherish that opportunity, but it's not
my motivating factor. I simply want a viable
organization that provides a decent, if not
lucrative, living for its employees and provides
a product that we can all point to at day's end
and say, 'Damn, that's a good show."
Bischoff and McMahon could learn a few things
from Paul E. about running a wrestling
organization.
TBL WEEKENDER Survey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBL Weekender's editor starts off this
section by offering her top dream matches
from the WCW and WWF. Add your input
by e-mailing <s003...@cc.ysu.edu>
to subject line (DREAM MATCHES).
Here is her selections to start things off:
DREAM MATCHES BETWEEN WCW & NWO:
* Lex Luger vs. Kevin Nash
* Syxx vs. Glacier
* Konan vs. Scott Hall
* the Giant vs. Ron Studd
* the fake Sting vs. the real Sting
WWF DREAM MATCHES:
* Goldust vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
* Crush vs. the Undertaker
* Sid vs. Mankind
* Wildman Marc Mero vs. Shawn Michaels
* Ahmed Johnson vs. Brian Pillman
DREAM MATCHES BETWEEN WCW & WWF
(a real dream :0 )
* Lex Luger vs. Sid
* Kevin Nash and Shawn Michaels
vs. the Giant and Sting (fake or real)
* Mr. Perfect vs. Ric Flair
* Crush vs. Konan
* Harlem Heat (with Sister Sherri) vs.
Brian Pillman and Stone Cold Steve
Austin (with Sunny)
Also feel free to offer your selections for
these categories or any of the other
federations. Be sure to specify
what federations the wrestlers work for
in your selections if they are anything but
the WWF or WCW. Some individuals are
interested in the other federations but are
unfamiliar with them.