WCW in 2000 - With the Radicalz

[Jesse Ewiak]

So, I'm posting over on the alternatehistory.com forums, but I figure I'll let you guys read it as well. First though, a brief look in the possible future...

 

O'Brien: ...he's starring in the new film Hercules, coming out in two weeks on July 18th, he's a former WCW World Heavyweight champion, please welcome Dave Bautista to the show!

Baustia: Thanks for having me on the show, Conan.

O'Brien: Well, you'd kick my ass if we just let you backstage.

[Laughter.]

O'Brien: Anyway, so you're starring in this big blockbuster movie, still appearing on wrestling regularly, and there were even rumors that you were going to compete in an MMA match earlier this yeah. Now, don't you ever just lay back and eat some cheetos and drink a two liter of soda like a normal American?

Bautista: Oh, there'd be days when I'd love to, but I've been blessed with a work ethic that means if I'm not doing something, I feel like I'm losing, so I'm stuck always needing to do something. Hell, I almost tried to fixed that busted chair that was in the green room.

[Laughter.]

O'Brien: Yeah, you could send the bill to NBC. Maybe they'd be scared enough of you to pay it. Now, when you first got to wrestling, you weren't exactly the cool 'Pinoy Punisher' character you currently are, right?

Bautista: Oh boy, yeah. Now, look. Imagine, I'm down in Kentucky, where the WWF was training guys. I'm already behind the 8-ball by getting into things as an older guy, surrounded by a bunch of young pups. So, I'm open to any wacky idea they dream up for me. So, Jim Cornette, the guy who ran things down there said, “OK, Dave. From now on, you're going to be the “Demon from the Deep” Leviathan. Now, go ahead and shave your head -

O'Brien: - shave your head?

Bautista: - hey, I guess demons from the deep don't have hair. So, I shave my head, get new gear, all that good stuff. But now I'm told by a guy in the office to show up down by a small river in my gear, which ya' know, at this point is just some little black trucks and a chain around my neck. So, I go there, and there's Jim, a camera guy, and another dude who handled um, props, and stuff. So, the prop guy hands me some cheesy fangs, then Jim says, “OK, now go ahead and get in the water. All the way under, and come out like you're a monster rising from the bottom of the sea!”

[Laughter.]

O'Brien: So, what do you do?

Bautista: I did it! Almost damn near got a gallon of water in my lungs, but I did it. I guess it worked well, because right after the next Wrestlemania, I'm told by Vince McMahon, “buddy, you're coming up to the main roster and you're going to be the next Undertaker!”

[Laughter.]

O'Brien: Obviously, that didn't quite work out for you. Not able to rise enough zombie from the dead or something?

Bautista: Something like that. Actually, I never felt like myself. The old line is that the most successful wrestlers, whether they'd be Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Steve Austin, The Rock, Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar or even somebody like CM Punk is just their normal personality, just turned up to eleven. Now, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not a demon from the deep, Conan.

[Laughter.]

O'Brien: Nobody has gotten possessed or disembowled by you, so I think I believe you.

Bautista: So, that's why when WCW approached me and said they had faith in me and what I could do as Dave Bautista instead of Leviathan, I was willing to go work for them. So far, two World title reigns and three blockbuster movies later, I think it's gone all right.

O'Brien: I'm not going to argue with that, and not only because you could crush my trachea with your pinky. We'll be right back, but first, let's look at a scene from Hercules...

- Transcript: Interview with Dave Bautista on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien – July 3rd, 2014

 

 

 

#13: Kurt Angle wins the WCW Title on Nitro in impromptu title match – November 21st, 2006

It wasn't just Kurt Angle had only come to WCW the previous Summer, with a bucket load of hype, promises, and dream matches, all throughout the Internet. It wasn't just that all throughout 2006, the WCW World title had been a bit of a bouncing ball, ending up in the hands of three or four different guys from the beginning of the year.

It's that at the start of that edition of Nitro, we weren't even supposed to have a World title match. 'The Fallen Angel' was the new World Champion and that was that, even if the 4-way the previous night at Mayhem had ended in an inconclusive way that we all assumed was setting up the main event for Starrcade in Seattle.

We continued to think that, even as Styles, Hudson, and Douglas ran down the card for the night, and the hype began for not only Starrcade, but the main event of Daniels teaming up his “Apostles” to take on Styles and the perennial leaders of the tag division, Knoble & Yang.

Now, the fact the main evented started at 10:30 seemed weird, but at the same time, Raw was hyping up a confrontation between Shawn Michaels and Robert Page [2] over their title match at Survivor Series, so maybe there was a big angle to set up Starrcade. At least, that was my thinking.

So, imagine my surprise when before the main event even starts, the Apostles, along with Helms and his bodyguard of the month wipe out Styles and the tag champs from behind. Daniels is in the ring, being the arrogant prick he was spectacular as, when all of the sudden, Angle's music hits and the crowd in Cleveland freaks the hell out.

Next thing we know, the match is on and we all know what happened – Angle wins his 1st WCW World title. It's just too bad what happened only a few years later, but it was bound too, with everything that was going on, both in wrestling and the rest of the sports world.

- culturewave.com - “Top 25 Moments of WCW Nitro in the 21st Century” by Thomas Reis.

 

 

Pro Wrestling X (PWX) was an American pro wrestling federation, that was open from March of 2002 to July of 2005. The company was formed by Fusient Media Ventures, and ran by Eric Bischoff until his departure from Fusinet in April of 2005. It's main stars included Hulk Hogan, Jerry Lawler, Marcus Bagwell, The Road Warriors...

- http://en.wikipedia.org/Pro_Wrestling_X

 

 

[Jesse Ewiak]

The Night They Put Old Russo Down - Souled Out and Beyond...

 

“To put it kindly, the run up to Souled Out was a clusterfuck. Russo had been sent home by management, but at first, it looked like ole' Sullivan was going to be given the reigns. To say that didn't go over well with the younger guys was like saying the trip to Ford's Theater went well for the Lincoln family. The truth was, people already knew feelers were being sent out by various guys up in New York to various guys in WCW. Konnan, Kidman, Chris, Eddie, all of 'em had been discreetly contacted in ways that did and didn't break various contract tampering laws.

But of course, up until 48 hours before the Pay Per View, not only were the inmates running the asylum, but half the inmates were pretty sure the other half were about to shiv them as well...”

- Interview with Shane Douglas on 'Inside the Business : Volume Nine' from heymanhustle.com – November 19th, 2009.

Bryan Alvarez: Next question is from Steven in Minnesota. He asks, what actually happened in WCW right after Russo was fired? All I remember is a couple of weeks before, the shows were a trainwreck and all of the sudden, half the bullshit is gone and it begins to kind of look like a wrestling show again. Dave, we could be here all night with this one, right?

Dave Meltzer: Oh my God. Everything going on. I must've had twenty guys send me emails or call me up about the all hands meeting before Souled Out. First of all, actual Turner guys are at the meeting. Well, I guess um they were Time Warner by then, but all the wrestlers still called anybody from the management side Turner guys. So um uh Bill Busch, right?

Bryan Alvarez: Yeah, I think it was him.

Dave Meltzer: Yeah, he basically lets the whole roster know that Sullivan not only isn't booking, but he's been sent home as well. So of course, everybody wonders who's actually running things? Now, I had guys tell me they half expected Russo to walk in the door like it was some weird work shoot thing, but instead, they tell everybody that along with a few Time Warner guys -

Bryan Alvarez: - to stop WCW from spending money on stupid shit -

Dave Meltzer: - that, and to stop another tequila bottle incident. So, yeah, right, the Time Warner guys, Terry Taylor, Mike Tenay, Konnan, and let me think, was Jarrett there yet? No, that was another couple of months. Anyway, they tell the boys it's those three, plus Ed Ferrarra is hanging around to help write the actual TV, but is done on air. Of course, without a few guys on the roster basically blowing the whistle on the shit show WCW was at the time, they might've kept Sullivan and who knows what the hell would've happened.

Bryan Alvarez: Jesus, was that why you got a call from some guy in Time Warner management that didn't know a damn thing about wrestling, but was told to call you to explain to him why it was bleeding money?

Dave Meltzer: Yeah. That was an experience. Especially when I tried to get them to understand why their ratings and buyrates fell in the toilet.

Bryan Alvarez: I think that about covers it. If we go any further, we'll be here all night. Next up, Jason asks, 'are Johnny Jeter or Cappotelli ever going to get a push above midcard...”

- Partial Transcript of May 7th, 2013 edition of figurefour.com podcast with Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez.

The Retro Review Showcase: WCW Souled Out 2000 - [1]

Oh boy, this is going to be rough. In multiple ways. As most of you know, WCW was drifting along the sea like a ship without a captain leading up to this show. Russo had been fired, then Sullivan was fired, then there was booking committee put in charge of saving things, despite the fact that both Hart and Jarrett were out injured. Oh, and the fact most of the storyline involved violence against women, incongruity from week to week, and of course, a locker room so poisonous that it was dangerous for small children to watch it.

The good news was, of course, Vince Russo wasn't a part of the promotion anymore, so there was a possibility of actual wrestling on a PPV.

We are live and in living color with Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay. One note is that throughout this show, you can already tell that least the commentators are aware of what's happening, as there's no complete silence from the announcers trying to come up with the explanation for dumb shit going on, since there wasn't much and hey, somebody on the booking team is at the announce table.

We start out with Schiavone explaining the injuries to Bret and Jarrett, then announcing the Benoit vs. Sid, then going over the fact that the Triple Threat Theater would be a series of matches between Billy Kidman and The Revolution (Douglas, Benoit, Malenko, and Saturn, for those of you that forgot), thanks to a brawl in the pre-show (in reality, Konnan and Rey Jr. were injured). [2] Also, we're told there will be a bonus match between four tag teams to determine a new #1 contender.

1.) Billy Kidman vs. Dean Malenko – Basically, the gimmick is that if Kidman can defeat all three members of The Revolution, including a mystery member of The Revolution, he'll get a match with Shane Douglas tomorrow night on Nitro. Looks like they weren't completely disposed of Russo-ish booking yet. Anyway, as you all know, I'm terrible with match recaps. All I can tell you is from what I've read, by going a little over ten minutes, this was the longest match on either Nitro, Thunder, or PPV in weeks, and it was also probably the first decent non-Saturday Night or Worldwide match in forever. But, near the end, Malenko goes for the Cloverleaf, but Kidman small packages him for the win. After the match, Dean tries to attack, but Kidman sends him outside, then hits a plancha. Decent match - ** ½

From there, we go to a recap of the David Flair/Crowbar/Vampiro feud. Yikes. Talk about your odd and weird feuds. Despite what two of these three guys later became, this was nowhere close to their best work.

2.) Crowbar (w/ Daffney, David Flair, and a physical crowbar) vs. Vampiro – [3] Flair and Crowbar are the tag champs, but of course, the titles aren't being defended tonight. Again, can't fix everything in a day. Again, solid match here. Vampiro still cared enough to bump some, Crowbar was young enough to do stupid things, including a ridiculous cross body from the top on Vamp and David Flair, where it seems Crowbar takes the worse bump. Near the end, Daffney distracts Vampiro, allowing Flair to nail him from behind on the outside, but Crowbar, being crazyyyyyyy, refuses to throw Vampiro in. We get a little bit of argument between ole' Crowbar and David, allowing Vamp to recover, kill David with a roundhouse kick (which he sells as well as you'd expect), then throws Crowbar in and hits the Nail in the Coffin to end this match and mercifully, this feud. - * ¾

3.) Shane Helms and Shannon Moore vs. The Mamalukes vs. Psicosis & La Parka vs. Lane & Lodi (w/ Stacy Kieb – er, Miss Hancock) – Evidently, this is a bonus match according to the commentary. Yes, 2000 Stacy Kiebler is a bonus for anybody. Oh right, the match. Actually, I can't complain too much about this. Yeah, it was spotty as well. I had no idea who the faces or heels were. And we got 'kind of drunk and bored Heenan' during commentary during this match, but again, it was a little under ten minutes, and at the end, there was a cool series of dives, and then Big Vito hit a DDT out of nowhere to get the pin on Lodi. After the match, Lane & Lodi argue with Hancock, before Helms and Moore attempt to dance for her. - ** ¼

We go backstage, where Scott Hudson is with Commissioner Terry Funk. He announces that, “due to extreme violations of WCW policy, and a blatant disregard for the sanctity of the WCW Cruiserweight title, and the continued insulting of one of the greatest announcers of all time,” that Oklahoma is stripped of the WCW Cruiserweight Title. [4] Glory glory hallelujah! Funk announces a tournament will start tomorrow on Nitro.

4.) Brian Knobbs © vs. Norman Smiley vs. Meng vs. Fit Finlay – Ah, early 2000's WCW hardcore wrestling. I miss thee – oh right, not a damn. Ya' know, for being a dumb hardcore match, this wasn't terrible. Oh sure, Meng no-sold everything, Knobbs was useless, and Smiley was still in his dancing idiot gimmick, but Finlay had some stiff shots, and actually ended up winning the match after nailing Knobbs with his forward roll move. – 1/2*, mainly for Finlay winning the belt. [5]

5.) Billy Kidman vs. Perry Saturn – Kidman vs. Revolution, Part 2. No Electric Boogaloo though. Honestly, this is probably the best match on the show. We get some nice early brawling, Saturn trying some nice weird mat-based offense, a nasty belly to belly to the outside, and of course, Kidman dying by going through a table by taking a bump off the top rope. In the ring, Saturn then goes for a powerbomb, but YOU CAN'T POWERBOMB KIDMAN! One Shooting Star later, and Kidman advances to the final confrontation. - ***

We get a pretty terrible, but entertaining in a weird way video of Stevie Ray 'on the streets', talking to all of Booker 'boys' and how Booker needs to remember where he's from and if he can't, he'll beat it into him.

6.) Booker T vs. Stevie Ray – Evidently, Booker T had some jacked up bodybuilder lady with him going into this show, but she's disappeared into the ether of wrestling history with this show. But yes, Harlem Heat explodes! The match somebody, out there in the world was waiting for. Wow, this was um, pretty god damn terrible. Of course, Booker is awesome, but wow, I know Stevie Ray was never good, but I guess all the wrestling talent went to his brother. Anyway, some random brawling, shoulder blocks, and stuff, but Booker makes a comeback, and it looks like he's going to get the win after hitting the Spin-A-Roonie, but hey, it's Ahmed John – I mean, Big T! Booker gets drilled by an ugly lariat by Big T, then gets nailed by the ugliest Pearl River Plunge in history. After the match, Stevie Ray cuts a promo, naming him 'Big T', then claiming this is the new and improved Harlem Heat! Well, it's new... - *

We get an interview with Gene Okerlund and Sid Vicious. It's about as good as you'd think. After that, a recap of the Buff/DDP feud, and news there'll be an 'earthshaking' announcement about the future of WCW during Nitro. Heenan jokes, “are we being sold to Prodigy?”

7.) Buff Bagwell vs. DDP – This is a Last Man Standing match, so I expect lots of brawling. And indeed, that's what we get. Brawling, brawling, brawling, and oh yeah, brawling. There's some random moves hit in there, but there's no real flow, and of course, Bagwell was never the best worker. They go all the way in the back to the WCW.com 'desk' where Page has to sell a keyboard shot, then Bagwell gets drilled (probably very lightly) by a big ole' CRT monitor. Anyway, they get back to the ring eventually, and Buff hits his Blockbuster leading to both men going down. They both get up at '9' and it looks like Buff has gained the advantaged with a baton (?!?) shot, but then Kimberly comes down to ringside. She gets in the ring and starts arguing with Bagwell – then she ballshots DDP, allowing Bagwell to hit another Blockbuster and get the win. Yay? This needed about five minutes cut or a lot more imagination. Post-match, Kim plants a big kiss on Buff, and they head to the back together. - ** ¼ [6]

Up next, Shane Douglas is in the ring with the rest of the Revolution, running down all the men they've taken out of WCW, before Kidman comes out, asking Shane who his next opponent is. After a second, Asya comes down to the ring and I'm beginning to dread this. Just before the bell rings though, the entire Revolution jumps Kidman from behind, stomping him own, then leaving him for dead, all with Douglas cackling all the way. This is more an angle than a match, so yeah. I guess they didn't book an actual new member. [7] After that, a quick Nash-Funk promo to hype up the semi-main event.

8.) Kevin Nash vs. Terry Funk – This is for the Commisionership of WCW, that lofty prize. I realize we were still in the Attitude afterglow, but it's kind of hilarious to see evil scheming heel Kevin Nash getting cheers and Funk getting booed for standing up for tradition. Now, for the actual match. Oh, jeez. Nash jumps Funk from behind in the aisle, and nails him with the powerbomb through a table at ringside. Nash says he'll let Funk keep his job if he crawls in the ring, then nails him with a boot to the face and say, “oh right, I'm a bad guy. So, I lied, Funk,” before trying to drop him with another jackknife, only for Funk to get out of it, and we get more brawling. Both men get a chair, but Nash misses his swing and hits the turnbuckle. Funk goes for a piledriver on the chair, but Nash kicks out at two, then drills Funk in the gut with a chair, and hits another jacknife to get the win. They tried hard. - * ½

We go backstage where Scott Hudson is with Arn Anderson. Arn mentions “he's been through this hell before,” but hopefully, there's a way WCW can survive. Something about shoot comments that aren't supposed to be shoot comments should be said here.

9.) Chris Benoit vs. Sid Vicious – This is for the vacant WCW World title, with Arn Anderson as the special ref. Early strength spots by Sid, then he sends Benoit ouside. Slam on the outside, then tries to send Benoit into the ringpost, but the Crippler reverses it, and then Benoit sandwiches Sid knee between the ringsteps and the post, and slams the steps. Back in the ring, some dropkicks to the knee by Benoit, and then he locks on an Indian death lock, but Sid won't tap and Benoit breaks. He goes for an ankle lock, but Sid kicks him off. Benoit tries some chops, but Sid no-sells them, and drops Benoit with a choke slam for a two count, when Benoit gets his foot on the ropes. Sid pulls Benoit up, but Chris does a quick switch and hits a German and goes up top to hit the headbutt. Benoit locks on the Crippler Crossface, but now Sid's foot is under the ropes, but Arn can't see it. Sid taps, Benoit celebrates, and Arn raises his hand, before handing him the belt. - ** 1/2

Backstage, Mene Gene is with Benoit, who cuts a decent promo putting over the belt and citing Dynamite Kid as an influence. Arn congratulates Benoit before Kevin Nash shows up and says he’ll make Benoit’s life a living hell now he’s the commish, and the nWo will be getting their WCW title belt back. Well, that didn't quite work out.

OVERALL – A weird show, in that in what was way better than the crap we'd gotten the last couple of months, but still pretty terrible when compared to what we'd be getting even just a few months down the road. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE. Watch it for the Benoit/Sid main event for historical reasons, the Kidman matches, and the spotty 4-way.

- From retrowcw.blogspot.com – June 9th, 2011

[1] – As IOTL, this is also the last Souled Out.

[2] – As IOTL

[3] – This was switched to a three-way IOTL, and was originally Vampiro vs. David Flair. Vampiro vs. Crowbar is a better match, and allows Vamp a way to get out of this feud with a win.

[4] – Ferrarra is still employed, but since literally everybody outside of Russo and Ferrarra thought Oklahoma was a terrible idea, he gets stripped here, and is never mentioned on WCW television for a long, long time.

[5] – Knobbs retained IOTL. Finlay gets the title, 'cause he's awesome.

[6] – The actual feud looked like it was heading this IOTL, plus one last Russo-esque swerve is nice to end things, especially since both Page and Bagwell were kind of stale by this point.

[7] – IOTL, The Wall debuted as a new member of The Revolution. This copout finish is a way to get out of the final match, quietly give Asya one decent spot in her career, and finally, give Kidman two wins without ever actually beating him, but not allow him to get his revenge quite yet.

[Jesse Ewiak]

Part 2a: Out of the Wreckage...

“...when it came to Benoit as champion, we all understood the arguments for him. He was a great worker, a decent promo, and a presence, even at his size. But, the truth was, he wasn't over at that level yet. Yeah, he could be a future World champion, and in another situation where things were more stable, I wouldn't have an issue with putting the strap on him.

In early 2000, without everything else falling apart, we had to do two things – rebuild the credibility of the titles and rebuild the credibility of the company. Unfortunately, to your average fan, Chris just wasn't the guy who they could buy as somebody to carry the belt. It's hard for some fans to hear, but you can take a risk when you're riding high or when you're at the bottom of the barrel with no other options. But, in 2000, we still had options and thank God there were still options who were still able to do put the good of the promotion over their own petty bull...”

Terry Taylor, “The History of WCW : An Authorized History,” - The Turner Archives

...along with the previously mentioned men, it looks like Ric Flair, Terry Taylor, and Bob Mould will be added to the WCW 'booking committee.' However, calling it a committee is a bit of a misnomer. In all reality, the power is already beginning to form around the Time Warner suits, Flair, Tenay, and Bob Mould, who all either have names that Time Warner management know or are the guys who helped brokered the deals to keep Benoit, Guerrero, Saturn, and Konnan in the company. It's still unknown who the WWF would've actually picked up or who they legally would've been allowed to pick up, but it's likely that at least Benoit and Guerrero would've headed to the WWF, and anybody else would've depended on the recommendation of guys like Jericho, Wight, and Undertaker will all be leaned on who'd even get a chance with the company.

As for the WWF, the current plan for Wrestlemania looks the same with Rock vs. Triple H on top as the main event...”

The Wrestling Observer – January 24, 2000

“NASH: Now, it's time to fix a few injustices that happened under the reign of that senile old man, Terry Funk, who still think it's 1975, and one missed title defense is some huge deal. So, I'm happy to announce, and I'm sure all of you will be happy as well, to officially -

[At this point, the WCW Nitro theme hits and Terry Funk, along with an unnamed man in a suit walks out.]

FUNK: Oh, ya' tall long haired satchel ass, you think you're funny. Now, it's true, Nash, I'm a little crazy. I'm a little aged. But, the truth is, before you got lucky son, this old man was kickin' your ass from one side of Ohio to the other!

[Pop!]

Nash: Funk, now I know you're senile. I mean, every man, woman, and child saw you stumbling around like a spaz on acid, then reclaiming my rightful place at the top of the heap of World Championship Wrestling, where I can fairly dispense justice for those who deserve it. Who's the suit beside you, though? Did the court finally appoint you a full time guardian?

Funk: Har har har. This, Kevin, is Matthew Sharpe from the fine folks over in Atlanta, and he has a few announcements. I'll let him tell you the good news -

[Funk hands the mic over to the besuited man, whose name is supposedly Sharpe. Sharpe is the very definition of a 'guy in a suit.' Average height, average weight, bland appearance. His voice is very bland, with the normal Midwestern accent.]

Sharpe. Thank you, Mr. Funk. As he noted, Mr. Nash, I am with AOL Time Warner, and was charged with the task of oversight within this division of the company. Frankly, the last year has been ranked with chaos, change, destruction, and total financial irresponsibly, and men such as yourself have been at the top of the list in creating trouble for this division of the company.

['You still sound like an accountant but kind of buried the last year' pop!]

Sharpe: Thank you, I think. So, as a result, using the power that AOL Time Warner, as owners of this organization has, I, and my superiors are very glad to announce a few changes. First of all, as of this moment, the offices of WCW President, Commissioner, Vice-President, and a dozen other odd 'executive offices' we've seen listed on this divisions rosters are declared vacant and will be dissolved!

[big pop! Nash take the mic.]

Nash: Wait, wait, wait. I won this office fair and square in a match. It is complete bullcrap that I will be stripped of power I've promised to honorably uphold, as all other Commisioner's in this fine business have. This is a disgrace to the name of Nick Bockwinkel, JJ Dillon, -

Funk: - cut the crap, Nash. You lost. Go back with your nWo buddies and let 'em know they'll have to win titles. In the ring. By pinning or submitting people. Ya' know, the way old men like me did it. Now, Mr. Sharpe, you had something else to say.

Sharpe: In addition, all power previously given to men such as Mr. Nash or Mr. Funk in the past will now be given back to a reinstated WCW Executive Championship Committee, who will consist of five members with an impressive and glorious history within this fine division of AOL Time Warner. The customers of the content of this division will be relayed the news about the vacant er, championships later tonight, by the announcing crew. Thank you and good night. Enjoy the show!

[Pop again! Sharpe and Funk leave, while Nash throws a tantrum in the ring. Tenay, Schiavone, and Heenan go over the possibilities of who is on the championship committee and what there decision will be about the WCW World, United States, and Cruiserweight titles.]

- Transcript - “WCW Monday Nitro,” January 17th, 2000

“If I remember right, Sharpe was just an actual accountant or business guy working for the Atlanta office, who was backstage and on the road for WCW those couple shows. The actual Time Warner guys didn't want to go on TV, and anybody else would've looked like the start of an angle. So, Ferrara, along with the rest of the committee wrote up a script that sounded like the dozens of emails they'd gotten from corporate. I think the fact the guy sounded like a bored dude giving a Powerpoint presentation was just a bonus.”

- Post on WrestlingGeeks.com – July 16th, 2007

[InYourCase]

I have nothing to say other than the fact that I'm really, really enjoying this so far.