Once upon a time I told myself that I would update my articles at least once every 3-4 weeks. Yeah, well... I figure since only there are only 2 or 3 of you that actually reads my 4th grade level writing, no harm done.

- Crappy Gimmick Dept.: Apparently the WWF Tag Team Champions, "ChuckAss", have a personal stylist by the name of Rico. This stupid gimmick they saddled this poor guy with will probably be dead faster than you can say Just Joe.

- So Sony in Japan has created a dancing robot. It's good to see that money isn't being wasted on stupid things like the feeding the homeless or on medical research.

- Props go to the crowd in Montreal for keeping the memory of Survivor Series 1997 alive. Did they ever give it to Vince Monday night on "Raw". So much for no one caring about Bret. Reports have it that Vince snapped on the crowd during the commercial break after his segment with Ric Flair. Vince must really love Canada right about now.

- Yay, X-pac is back. I think it would be funny if Vince and Flair refuse to draft this greazy punk.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

Pipe Dreams

I believe we are all in agreement that Excess sucks pretty hard. It also seems that most internet wrestling fans are also dreading the nWo. So lets kill two birds with one stone.

How about a new program featuring the cruiserweight division? This division was one the the best parts of the old WCW even up to the final Nitro a year ago. Imagine a one or two hour program featuring the likes of Christian, Kidman, Jerry Lynn, Tajiri and others. Such a show could be one of the most exiting wrestling shoes ever.

I was watching one of the ECW dvds the other day and came across a 3-way match with Tajiri, Jerry Lynn and Super Crazy. Holy crap-on-a-stick! What a match! A fast pace and move combos to no end. I began thinking there in no way that any wrestling fan could call this boring. In other words more in-ring action and less backstage boredom would be the way to go.

This new show would be independent of Raw and Smackdown. No cruisers on those shows and no big men on the cruiser show. No squash matches like the one on Nitro where Scott Steiner destroyed three cruiserweights.

As for titles, the WWF could add "world" to the Cruiserweight title. Restarting WCW's short lived cruiserweight tag division would also be a good idea. Maybe even bring over the European title or revive the United States title for a secondary singles title.

When to do this? They could tape matches before Raw or Smackdown. Like anyone watches Heat anyway.

I know this is such a foolish dream, but what would the WWF have to lose. No way a show like this gets lower ratings than Excess or Heat gets now. It would give the smaller guys on the roster something to do besides jobbing on Jakked/Metal.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

WWF Red, WWF Blue?

In Defense of...

Rather than talk about the WWF/ Alliance fued like most every other site is doing, (since they can write circles around me) today I will defend (sort of) The Big Show.

Why the Big Show? I know I have ripped on the "Big Slow" in the past and probably will again, I write this mainly because I couldn't think of anything else to write about. Also, when compared to other giants the industry has seen, the Show isn't that bad.

To compare the Show to other wrestlers today, of course he is going to look like a clumsy oaf. However, in the intrest of fairness, he should be measured against other giants, as few as there are.

Obviously the first giant the Big Show gets compared to is the late Andre the Giant. Now Andre served his purpose well in the Hulkamania days of the WWF, but in all honesty, Andre wasn't that good of a performer. Sure when your biggest fueds in the WWF are with Lord Hogan, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan Andre is going to look like Ric Flair. Andre, by the time he was in the WWF anyway was a slow, lumburing monster who had fewer moves than Hogan, and was French.

I will only mention Giant Gonzales/El Gigante in passing just to show that things were worse one time.

What of guys like UnderTaker, Kevin Nash, and Sid? I really don't see them as giants so much as really tall dudes.

What the WWF needs to do to help the Big Show out? Perhaps bringing in a manager for the guy like the way Andre had Bobby Heenan to do the talking. I'm sure the Sinister Minister from ECW could bring out the dark side in the Show. I guess what I am getting at with this article is to get you to realize that things could be a lot worse. But tagging with Billy Gunn is pretty damn low. Just my opinion, and it's right!

Speachless

WOW

As the comic book guy from "The Simpsons" would likely say,
"Best RAW ever!"

If you call yourself a wrestling fan, and did anything short of totally marking out during the last half of RAW tonight, then you are a cold, cold person.

Whether this was the long term plan, or a quick change after the poor reaction Tacoma, WA gave WCW last week; throwing ECW into the mix is the shot in the arm that this Invasion angle needed. WCW had seemed to only infect WWF, tonights RAW was truely an invasion.

With six WWF wrestlers defecting to WCW/ECW, and most of their big names out with injuries; the WWF may actually be the underdogs going into the Invasion PPV in under two weeks. Could be the right time to really push guys like Hardcore Holly, Al Snow, and the Big Show to fill the void.

Tonight's show will be a hard one to top for a long time (if ever!), and with three more main programs to go before Invasion, will there be more suprises along the way? Probably, though not like tonight. Perhaps we could see:
- Mick Foley as WCW/ECW commissioner

- Goldberg brought in under the WWF banner

- the return of Jerry Lawler to fill Heyman and Tazz's announcing positions

- people on the net actually looking forward to a WCW TV program

Just wild guesses and speculation on my part, much like most of the wrestling "news" found on the net.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

WWF vs WCW Thoughts

- Who ever runs TNN should get their heads checked. Why does it seem to be such a chore to find a time slot for WCW? Is TNN allergic to better ratings?

No one, under 80, wants to see the replay of the Grand Ol' Opry, let alone the first showing of it. Higher ratings = more money. With more money, TNN can buy a bigger trailer to broadcast from.

MORONS! Remind me never to go to Nashville.

- I would haver marked out if it was Scott Steiner who decked Austin last night at the King of the Ring. Not that I am against Booker T., he and Austin could have a good match if the time comes.

- Rumors of big roster changes to even things out talent wise. If this is true, who knows where any one will wind up? Maybe Rock in WCW, or Shane Helms in the WWF.

- Will WCW have their own pay-per-views? I would guess in time they would. What I would do is rotate the PPV schedule. WWF one month, WCW the next month, WWF, WCW, etc... . It would be less of an expense to the WWFE to continue with 12 PPV's than running 18-24 PPV's a year. It would give both companies two months to build up storylines, almost like the old days before the "In Your House" every other month.

- Hopefully those who were faithful WCW fans up to the sale of the company back in March, will return to see what a McMahon run WCW will be like. It can't be worse than what they wave watched for the last two years.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

Random Thoughts

-I bought Mick Foley's new book, Foley is Good, and the real world is faker than wrestling the other day; and I must say that this man is not a one hit wonder. With the current downswing in wrestling's popularity, I wonder if Foley is Good will be a #1 best seller again. It certainly is good enough to be there.

-Has anyone else noticed that former WCW stars like Benoit, and Jericho are in the same situation right now that they were in when they were in WCW. Politics (alleged) and seniority seem to be holding these young talents back. Though unlike WCW, I am sure that in the WWFthey will eventually get their shot.

-I went to see The Mummy Returns last week, I blinked and missed the Rock's scene. Was it any good?
Seriously, it was a very small role that the studio made seem like the Rock was the star of it. I guess it worked, they made about $70 million in the opening weekend. We shall see next year when The Scorpion King is released to see the Rock's acting skills out of the ring.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

A Small Update

Call it laziness or a lack of enthusiasm of the current product as to why I have not been updating my commentary.

The only thing I can think of when it comes to wrestling lately is how weird it is now that the WWF is the only big player now that ECW has declared bankruptcy, and WCW has been bought by the WWF. I still watch Raw and Smackdown each week, more out of habit than out of a "mark"-like sense of excitement as to what will happen next.

I am also tired of all the nay-sayers declaring that Vince McMahon is not going to run WCW as a separate company after all. It has only been a month since the WWF bought WCW. Give them a little time. WCW was a mess when they bought it and they are going to need time to sort out a direction for the company and to hire the staff that will carry out that vision. Throw into the mix the wrestlers that AOL/Time-Warner still has under contract to them. Also having to decide which WWF talent to lend to WCW will take a while. Anyhow, the re-launch of WCW, whenever that will be, is the one thing that am somewhat excited to happen.

Despite my current feelings about the WWF right now, I still plan to attend the Smackdown taping in Edmonton on May, 29. Should be good since I have not been to a live WWF event since they were in Saskatoon in 1997.

That's it. I hope the WWF storylines start to make more sense soon so that I will be inspired enought to update more often.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

The Company Without a Face

Quite the event last weekend. WrestleMania X-7 has been praised by most every one as being one of the PPV's of all time; however that is not the subject I wish to discuss. My concern is with the ending to the main event, the heel turn by Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Now, don't get me wrong here, I am glad to see Austin return to his old ways (sort of). I have been hoping for him to tell off the fans for years, and he finally did last Monday on Raw.
I also realize the only way to effectively turn Austin heel was to side with Mr. McMahon and long time rival Triple H. Again, I have no problem with this.

What I am wondering now, with the Rock being "suspended" from the WWF, who will stand up to this trio. Other than the (C)Rock, there really is no other "face" that the fans will true give a damn about, at least with the passion that they cheer the Rock with.
The best candidate right now is the Undertaker. He has been in the WWF for over ten years now, and has been fairly popular with the fans for a while now. This will grow old really fast though. Maybe a month or two, long enough for the Rock to finish filming the "Scorpion King" movie.

Other "face" options, Triple H. There have been rumours floating around for a while that Hunter will soon become a fan-favorite again. Too bad. HHH has bee one of the best heels ever in pro-wrestling. If HHH does turn into a "face", I believe it will temporary.

Maybe they will try to give another big push to Chris Jericho and Chris Beniot this year. Both have been in the wings waiting for a chance to step up to the main event status again, and fueding with Austin, Vince and HHH should do the trick.

I'm sure that whatever the WWF decides to do, it should provide us with an interesting summer of TV.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

Welcome to the WCWWF Era

I wanted to wait until I had the chance to see Raw on Monday and Nitro on Tuesday (TSN in Canada shows Nitro a day late), before I gave my thoughts on last Fridays historic announcement.

The big topic now is what does this "monopoly" that the WWFE has, mean for everyone from wrestlers to the fans? I don't think there is an easy answer to this one.

For the wrestlers:
If you have ever pissed off Vince McMahon before, you should settle for the independants, or look into another line of work. For those WCW workers who survive the transfer of ownership, those who work hard should do alright; and those who also have good mic skills will thrive. All the promises made by Vince Russo when he entered WCW will actually happen under McMahon. The WWF created the work environment they have, and will be the only ones who can carry it through.

As for the bigger name talent like DDP and Goldberg, who knows? Most are over 40 and have various injuries from years of competion, and the WWF likes competitors who have their best years ahead of them. The ones who have the best shot of working in the new WCW in my opinion; DDP, Booker T and Ric Flair. All of them are hard workers and would give the new WCW some star power for an inevitable WWF/WCW cross promotion down the road.

As for guys like Bagwell and Scott Steiner, the fans in Cleveland and those who have written the WWF may be giving these two a possible second chance. Both have been rumoured to have bad attitudes backstage, which the WWF apparantly will not tolerate. Perhaps working in a stable work environment will improve their dispositions.

For the fans:
Many fans may end up being disappionted. From most I have spoken to, expect to see the dream matches that have been talked about for the last 2-3 years. The WWFE has said that that WCW and WWF will be run separately from each other for the most part. Also some of the big names like Kevin Nash and Goldberg have been reported saying that they will sit out and continue to be paid by AOL-Time Warner under the guaranteed contracts they have. Fans are expecting Goldberg but may have to settle for Mike Awesome.

Some other fans may give WCW a chance now that it is owned by the WWF. Others likely will not due to the lack of the big name talent. The proposed time slot may also cause some trouble. Late night on Friday or Saturday will not work for the younger fan as most go out those night except for the nerdiest of wrestling fans.

As for myself:
I am excited by what may happen. I have enjoyed most of what WCW has done in the last year (cruiser-weights, Scott Steiner) and expect thing to only improve both in the ring and TV production wise. I am also excited of what may happen down the road. Once the WWF is able to create some big stars out of their roster and is able to get fans watching WCW again, then the possiblity of a WWF/WCW crossover and even a unified world title may become a possibility, but not before then. WCW needs to get on it's feet before it can think of keeping up with the WWF.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

Ramdom Thoughts

-Is anyone less excited about WrestleMania than yours truly? Rock vs. Austin, HHH vs. Undertaker, Chyna vs. Ivory? YAWN!

-I really hope something works out for WCW, ownership-wise. They cannot function much longer like this. I hope they will get the kind of leadership they need to survive and challenge theWWF once again.

-Crowbar has been fired from WCW??? Whatever the current management is smokin', LAY OFF IT!! I hope the potential new owners will fix this problem before someone else gets him.

-It seem now that NBC could replace the XFL with "Titanic" and no one will notice. Get it? Two stories about sinking ships. Could I be any funnier?

-How long before the tag-team division in any company gets exciting again?

-Have you gone to an independant wrestling show yet? What are you waiting for? Some of the next big superstars may be there right now. Check for Canadian companies here.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

One Night Stand?

For the first time in months, I found myself eagerly waiting for Raw is War. As almost anyone who follows wrestling on the net had heard, last week the WWF had fired the Kat and with her went Jerry "the King" Lawler in protest of the seemingly unfair release of his wife. The King is not the focus of this commentary since I believe he will do alright for himself.
What I was waiting to see was who would be sitting next to good 'ol J.R., and much to my suprise there was the owner of ECW; Paul Heyman. I liked it!

Normally I would be complaining on something right now, but the team of J.R. and Paul Heyman wasn't too shabby. Heyman took a much different approach than the King. The King was J.R's buddy, Heyman seemed almost abraisive in his attitude, trying to get under J.R's skin. It was a different approach and I think the WWF pulled it off.

I now wonder if this was a one night deal or if Heyman will soon be the latest member of the WWF family. I hope for everyone's sake that Paul E. is still behind the desk next Monday.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

Biting the Hand That Feeds You

Last weekend I had too work so I missed WWF: No Way Out. When I got home I decided to check the PPV results on IWZ; where I usually check for results when I miss a PPV. Much to my suprise the webmaster at IWZ had a notice stating that due to a notice from the WWF's lawyers, IWZ was unable to post "live" play-by-play and PPV results that night without legal repurcussions. I however was able to find results elsewhere, but that is not the point here.

The WWF in the past has also attempted to eliminate photos and other multimedia from non WWF sites, and most recently has banned their performers from doing unauthorized interviews on non WWF sites. I'm sure from the WWF's point of view they are protecting their investment by wanting official WWF web sites and magazines as the primary source of WWF information.

Odd... the WWF didn't mind the fan sites back in the mid-1990's when they were in the position that WCW is in right now. The fan base on the internet played a role in the resurgence of the WWF. Now the WWF seems to be biting the hand that fed them during those lean years with legal warnings. I can understand the photos and multimedia aspect, but banning WWF stars from doing interviews and chasing fan sites that provide PPV coverage seems too much. Hey Vince, I thought the WWF was all about the freedom of expression, or is that just another phrase for the announcers to spit out on RAW. What is next? Will I get a legal notice preventing me from even typing the letters "WWF"?

When this wave of popularity ends for the WWF like it did in the late 1980's/early 90's, I hope the internet fans have a bigger heart than you do.

Just my opinion, and it's right!

They Ain't Done Yet

It is no secret among wrestling fans that there are those who simply do not like WCW. If you go into almost any wrestling chat room, look at a wrestling message board, or even speak to other people you will hear many negative comments when you bring up WCW. "It's a retirement home", "everyone there is over 80"...etc, are some of the comments you may come across. Today one name brings back memories of the way WCW was.... Eric Bischoff.

Ever since the news broke that AOL/Time Warner was working a deal to sell WCW to Fuscient Media Ventures; and that Bischoff was a part of the Fuscient team, many "wrestling fans" have been bitching and moaning about the return of the Bischoff's buddy Hulk Hogan.

Is actually sickens me to read and hear peoples comments on this matter. Let Fuscient actually gain control over WCW before you put the last nail in WCW's coffin. It is still a Time Warner company until the deal is final. Granted, it is no secret that Bischoff and Hogan are friends and in several interviews Bischoff has stated that he would like to see Hogan involved with WCW in some capacity. Take that as you will.

Call me naive, but I think that when this deal goes through Bischoff will try to improve the image of WCW. WCW does have a lot of young talent now like Lance Storm, Mike Awesome, Shannon Moore, Shane Helms, among others and would be foolish to brush them aside after being on TV for the last year. The cruiserweight division alone has given WCW some positive feedback as of late, and will likely be expanded on in a few months.

I guess all I am saying is for WWF marks... I mean wrestling critics to wait until the new WCW has been around a bit; to see if they are going to repeat mistakes, or once again usher wrestling to the next level like they did in the 1990's, before we tar and feather Bishoff and the rest of Fuscient.

Just my opinion, and it's right!