WCW {Pro} - Sunday 12/21/97
- Once again, {Pro} was pre-empted but we decided to grace you with our thoughts anyway.
- Trivia: Out of the fifteen Starrcades, when was the only Starrcade where the World's champion did not wrestle in a single's match?
- We received two interesting e-mails this past week. One was from mdaustin@engin.umich.edu who commented that all of the matches at Starrcade have been presented through revenge motives. This is in direct contrast to many past Starrcades which have failed miserably such as the Iron Man/Iron Team Competition (1989), the Pat O'Connor Tag Tournament (1990), Battle Bowl: Lethal Lottery (1991 and 1992) and the World Cup of Wrestling (1995).
- We also received an e-mail regarding the Disorderly Conduct/Texas Hangmen team. ladue@earthlink.net wonders if they once competed in ECW around the time that Eastern Championship Wrestling became Extreme Championship Wrestling under the name the Bad Crew. He says the similarities are striking. If anyone has any details, e-mail us.
- WCW showed their confidence in Kevin Nash and Scott Hall by signing them to four-year contract extensions this week. In another more subtle way, they have been showing Hall is one of the best showmen in the ring for the past several weeks. We noticed when attending Nitro that there are two matches each week in which a man comes out and then his opponent is introduced after a commercial break. This is very awkward for the audience. Hall has been given that spot in three consecutive weeks because he can sustain a crowd without actually wrestling.
- Speaking of the Outsiders, has anyone else noticed that two former world champions are wrestling on top of a pay-per-view to determine who the real "Giant" is. Is there not a more important issue they could use to set up this match? This is almost as bad as Van Hammer wrestling Max Payne to determine who the better wrestling guitarist was. In their case though they did not have much else to feud about. That leads us to our reader response portion of the week: What is the dumbest feud you have seen in wrestling?
- The biggest news on Nitro this week was Bret Hart's debut. It left most saying, "That's all?" While many have given negative feedback regarding the timing of this angle and the angle itself, we support WCW.
- Many felt that Bret did not have as big a build up as many other newcomers. When Curt Hennig and Raven debuted on June 30th, there was a month of build-up to a "big surprise." Their appearance was used throughout the entire program to bait viewers into remaining tuned in. Hart's debut appearance, while anticipated for many weeks, was announced two days before on WCW's weekend programming which many fans no longer watch. His appearance was made with a good portion of the show remaining. Many felt that this made his appearance anticlimactic.
- Hart did not need a bigger build up. Raven had very little mainstream support when entering WCW and needed the build-up. Hennig's greatest success came under a name he could no longer use and he had not appeared in the ring in many years. A substantial push was needed to get him over as well. In contrast, Hart was a five-time world champion coming of one of the biggest angles in history. His segment was strategically aired head-to-head with a taped Steve Austin segment. Austin is the only star the WWF has left and is WCW's best shot at losing in the ratings.
- Many claimed that Hart lost a great deal of momentum by not responding to comments made by Ric Flair on the previous week. WCW did not want to establish him as a face or heel to build tension for the match he was refereeing. Had Hart retorted Flair in Charlotte, he would have been labeled a heel instantaneously. It would have defeated the purpose of having him appear in the first place. Also, expectations were so high that Hart would have had to simultaneously decapitate Vincent and Glacier with that sword Masa Chono used to carry to the ring to meet expectations. Actually, that's not a bad idea as it would eliminate Glacier and Vincent and WCW could still claim Hart as neutral as he would have murdered both an nWo and WCW wrestler.
- Some have claimed Hart's debut will add nothing to Starrcade. WCW has hyped the Sting-Hogan match for over a year and the Zbyszko-Bischoff match for months. A Zbyszko return has been teased for nearly a year. Had Bret's debut overshadowed these successful angles, his own debut would have been unsuccessful. Without overshadowing any of their previous developments, WCW inserted him into one of the main event matches and allowed him to distract from a match that will inevitably be poor considering one man hasn't wrestled in years and the other hasn't wrestled.
- Some have said since they took the time to debut him, they should have given him more mic time. We disagree. He was often forced to speak in ten-fifteen minute monologues to fill two hours of air time for the talent-depleted WWF. WCW does not have the same problem. Recently in the WWF, Bret was ineffective and even ruined one angle by going to long on an interview. WCW was better served to spend their air time presenting wrestling. Mystery surrounding Hart is a necessity to this angle and more dialogue might give away too much of his WCW character. Besides, more wrestling means more commentray by Mike Tenay and you cannot get too much Tenay. Read: Sarcasm. Didn't Tenay play Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation?
- Since the build-up for the pay-per-view has been so solid and the pay-per-view was already sold out, some have debated the timing. Bischoff quoted the 7.5 million salary figure twice. This is certainly not his annual salary. This shows that he feels that if people believe Hart costs a lot they will except him as a superstar. Also, it indicates that money is on his mind and that he wishes to pay immediate dividends from a large investment. Bischoff probably wants to use Bret as soon as possible without defining his character. Those who feel he should have waited until the new Thursday show to begin new year on an up note have neglected to realize that Hart's initial appearance came just three weeks before the new year. Also, had he debuted on the new show he would have debuted with wrestlers such as Rick Martel and King Kong Bundy. Read: Wrestlers who peaked in 1985. That may not be that bad though. It's always worked for Piper and Hogan.
- Final judgement of the angle will depend upon the role Bret will play in the match. Many are already speculating that Hart will lead to the nWo's controlling of Nitro. Many feel that after he made the comment about impartiality it would destroy Bret's credibility if he shows favoritism. Particularly since his main problems with the WWF were because they went against his word. Many have already claimed he is a liar after going on record as saying he no longer wanted to discuss the incident publicly. We contend that those comments were made before the WWF sometimes subtly bring this up on their programming. In addition to other obvious things, the WWF has done things such as Road Dog Jesse James and Billy Gunn running out of their matches to a car. This was done because Earl Hebner ran to a car, driven by his twin brother Dave, to assure Bret would not catch him. Earl always was the evil brother (reference from the infamous Hogan-Andre angle from the 2/5/88 Indianapolis show to set up WrestleMania IV).
- The use of a guest referee is a sign that Bret has control over his own angles. It definitely reeks WWF. WCW through history seldom uses one, despite ironically Zbyzsko refereeing a match at Halloween Havoc. Two of Hart's biggest wins in 1997 were refereed by guest referees (vs. Stone Cold at WrestleMania XIII with Ken Shamrock and vs. Undertaker at Summer
Slam with Shawn Michaels). Three of Hart's final four WrestleMania matches were refereed by guest referees (Piper reffed vs. Yokozuna at WrestleMania X; Piper reffed against Bob Backlund at WresleMania X; and Shamrock reffed at WresleMania XIII against Stone Cold Steve Austin).
- Several current WCW stars served as guest referees during their WWF tenure. Hennig reffed the Yokozuna-Lex Luger match at WrestleMania X (3/20/94) and the Shawn Michaels- British Bulldog match. Ray Traylor (as Big Boss Man) reffed the Jake Roberts-Bad News Brown match at SummerSlam 1990 (8/27/90).
- Celebrity referees also have been common in the WWF. Mr. T. was frequently on WWF cards as late as 1987. World Champion Buster Douglas referreed a Randy Savage match in February of 1990. AL umpire Larry Young reffed Razor Ramon-Jeff Jarrett (4/2/95) at WrestleMania XI. Chuck Norris referreed a casket match between Yokozuna and Undertaker at Survivor Series (11/23/94). Many poor matches, involving wrestlers like Yokozuna, were compensated for by guest referees. We wish WCW would have a sexy blonde referee every Duggan match. The WWF has also debuted new talent through guest refereeing stint. Sid also once debuted as a referee in a key match.
- Bret's physical appearance surprised many. Many have commented on the youthful appearance of Hart. We felt it was because in his last role in the WWF as a heel he rarely smiled. A smile takes years off the looks of him. He seemed very pleased with himself for getting such a positive reaction in a venue he is unfamiliar with. Perhaps he assumes fans have
sided with him over Vince. Some were surprised he was called the Hit Man. He has rights to the name. Also, he designed the Hart Foundation logo so he could wear the Hart Foundation jacket. Bret is still the most pushed man on WWF television, he owed them some endorsement. Some took it as a sign that Bulldog and Anvil will be coming soon. His music, similar to his past WWF theme, was designed by WCW and friends. It has received negative response. What did they expect? Jimmy Hart has not had a hit since he was with the Gentry's.
- Ironically, the same week that Hart debuted, the proverbial f-word was audible on camera twice and La Parka returned the crotch shot to its rightful home of WCW. Hennig was reported to be drunk on the program which Eric Bischoff vehemently denies. We felt he would just admit to it. Even if he was, WCW still hasn't stooped to the WWF's level. At least Hennig did not get drunk on camera (i.e. Austin, Helmsey, Michaels). We have yet to hear an explanation to explain Hennig's other poor performances since his return.
- Another Canadian, Chris Benoit told the Living Legend newsletter that he will be receiving a championship before February 1st. This will make a lot of people happy. We think that championship and even winning are not necessarily important though. Diamond Dallas Page for example, won the television championship in 1995 (9/17/95-10/29/95). He won the Battle Bowl Lethal Lottery Ring in 1996 (5/19/96). Yet few would argue that Page's most successful year has been in 1997. He has not won any championships. He has wrestled on nine pay-per-views and has just one pinfall in those matches. He even lost to Scott Norton on pay-per-view (1/25/97). It's all in your positioning on the card and your opposition.
- What puzzles most is the motivation behind Benoit's character? He has engaged in long feuds with the Dungeon of Doom and Raven's Nest. While he is demonstrating his skills and winning feuds this is not moving him up the card. Benoit has not wrestled a Nitro match against a wrestler that was not in Raven's Nest since November 3rd. At least he hasn't lost on live television since that November 3rd match to Perry Saturn.
- Speaking of Raven, he and DDP and Kim taped a music video this week for the Atlanta- based band Stuck Mojo. For more on this band see http://www.ultimatebandlist.com/artists/005810.html. Speaking of Raven, he has not been in action due to a pancreas injury. He may or may not be able to appear at Starrcade.
- On a more positive note, Jacquelyn was fired/quit this week. She gets our vote for Most Hypocritical Comment of the Year when she claimed that Woman was fake and that she was real. She has had not one, but two breast enlargement surgeries. We're glad they went somewhere with her victory over Disco Inferno...
- Speaking of the Inferno, one disco hit he can relate to is the Ohio Player's #1 smash in 1975 Love Rollercoaster. Since returning he was rejected by the Nitro girls (9/1), and then lost in consecutive weeks to Hugh Morrus (9/8) and Dean Malenko (9/15). Then he won the television championship from Alex Wright (9/22) and maintained his championship in consecutive weeks in matches against Juventud Guerrera (9/29), Diamond Dallas Page (10/6), Alex Wright (10/13), Rey Mysterio Jr. (10/20) and Bill Goldberg (10/27). Then came the loss to Jacquelyn at Halloween Havoc (10/26), and then he lost consecutively to Perry Saturn (11/3), Chris Jericho (11/10), Saturn again (11/23), Randy Savage (11/24) and Scott Hall (12/1). Then, he regained the championship from Saturn (12/8) and defended it successfully against Yuji Nagata (12/15). And they wonder why people say WCW's booking lacks logic? Just imagine how far he could have gone had he mastered Uncle Guido's leg lock.
- Another one of WCW's younger stars who appears to be getting a renewed push is Buff Bagwell. He appears to have taken Syxx's place in the Wolf Pack. He now enters to the nWo A music and did a promo with Scott Hall this past week. He has not been paired with Norton has not appeared as part of Vicious and Delicious since November 17th and Konnan teamed with Scott Norton this past week on Nitro. This could be as much Bischoff's desire to eliminate concept tag team wrestling as pushing Buff, but not tagging with Norton certainly does not hurt Buff. Also, he has two consecutive wins over Lex Luger and a key match up at the pay-per-view. If only it could be held in Buffalo...
- Ted DiBiase can empathize with Ray Traylor in more than just being former nWo members. Most wrestled in the UWF in the mid-1980s when Traylor was known as the Big Bubba Rogers. Rogers even won the UWF heavyweight championship (4/19/87-7/11/87). Both then moved to the WWF where they received high-profile world championship matches in the late 1980s. Among other notables matches, DiBiase headlined Madison Square Garden (5/27/88) against Randy Savage and Rogers as Big Boss Man was in the main event against Boston Garden (3/11/89). Both were in successful tag teams as DiBiase won three world tag team championship with I.R.S. (V.K. Wallstreet aka Mike Rotundo) while Boss Man formed a successful team with Akeem (One Man Gang aka George Gray) as the Twin Towers. In fact, it was Boss Man's rejection of the Million Dollar Man that turned him face in early 1990. This also ended his WWF career because at the time all of the champions were faces and he was relegated to preliminary status as he could not contend with the likes of the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. WCW's pairing of DiBiase with Traylor is not the first time their careers have overlapped.
- La Parka has switched his colors form black and white to black and gold. It would not work to have the Chairman of WCW in nWo colors.
- The Ultimate Fighting Championships have reportedly shelled out big bucks to bring Ken Shamrock back into action. They might be better served to bring in Randy Anderson... Speaking of WCW referees, Scott Dickinson, banished until he lost weight, should return soon as he has already lost 15 pounds. In the meantime, he has booked for Killer Kowalski's promotion which has produced such stars as Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna.
- Flair speaking in a serious tone and then going to a Flairesque style only made him better.
- Trivia Answer: Lex Luger did not wrestle a single's match at Starrcade in 1991.
- Thanks for reading. Due to the fact that {Pro} is never on anymore, our new motto is: We would watch {Pro} so you wouldn't have to. Look for our {Pro} (if it's on) and Starrcade report next week.
American Male sends in the following results from last week's pre-empted {Pro}:
- Juventud Guerrera pinned El Dandy after a botched up Air Juvy. He springboarded into a forward roll but looked like he missed Dandy. Good
match.
- Dean Malenko made Mike Anthony submit to the Texas Cloverleaf. Good match, Anthony put up a good fight, almost matching all of Makenko's moves.
- Dave Taylor pinned Ciclope with the crumpet. Note to WCW: Don't mix heavyweights with luchadores. This was a Main Event Exclusive a while back.
- Bobby Blaze pinned Adrian Byrd with a Northern Lights suplex. Good jobber vs. jobber match. {Pro} is known for showcasing preliminary wrestlers who would never get a chance on Nitro or WCWSN.
- Psychosis pinned Chad Fortune with the guillotine legdrop. OK match, the last time I saw Psychosis win was against Alex Wright on Nitro, and Fortune on Worldwide last month. I guess it's better than his Techo Team 2000 stint in the WWF.
- Faces of Fear beat Road Block and Rick Fuller when Meng put the Tongan
Death Grip on Fuller. Road Block and Fuller are two of my favorite jobbers right now, bring back Ron Studd and they could be a very intimidating stable, but the Faces pretty much dominated.
- Interesting tidbit: Road Block last won a match against The Texas Hangman, while Fuller pinned Jeff Bradley. These matches were taped on 10/12/97 and 10/13/97 starting with the 11/30 edition of {Pro}.