Between the Sheets #48 (June 14-20, 2001) (Featuring Leonard F. Chikarason)

[KrisZ]

 

Kris & Bix are joined by Leonard F. Chikarason (CHIKARA) to discuss the week that was June 14-20, 2001. We discuss WWF’s vision of their new WCW, Masahiro Chono the new head booker of New Japan, ZERO-ONE in their infancy, Memphis promotional wars, and lots of US Indies featuring lots of BTS debuts. Great show so check it out!!!!

 

0:00:00 WWF

1:52:18 Japan: NJPW, Noah, Zero-One, RINGS, & NEO

2:45:03 Latin America: AAA, CMLL, Monterrey, X-LAW, & WWC

3:14:56 Memphis: Legends of Memphis & MCW

3:32:51 Potpourri

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http://placetobenation.com/between-the-sheets-48-june-14-20-2001-with-leonard-f-chikarason/

[BrianB]

Awesome guest this week. I'm early into the show, but I've got a couple thoughts for the discussions. I'm a little over an hour in and great stuff so far.

 

Regarding the Invasion PPV, I do think a big chunk of the PPV buys for that PPV were WCW getting interested enough to check out the show. I grew up and lived in South Carolina at the time, firmly in WCW country, I was a big WCW for most of the monday night wars, but gradually converted over to the WWF more during 1999, though I still watched some periods of WCW until it's demise. Kids and people in my area were definitely interested in the Invasion show at first, even people that stopped watching, just to see what the deal was. Pretty soon I became much more on an island as a wrestling fans because that PPV and some of the TVs, especially Stephanie and the ECW/WCW alliance, but also some of DDP and Booker's handling and no big WCW stars, just killed the interest for most fans. And while I enjoyed the creative of Austin as a heel, most kids I knew were pissed off and just stopped watching. They didn't want to see the badass playing a guitar, acting second fiddle to HHH before the quad injury, and then ass-kissing Vince and Kurt. But at least where I lived, while Austin teasing a return to going back babyface was part of people's interest for the show, the big lure that got people to buy the show was the whole Invasion angle, and people in my area wondering if it'd be like the nWo invasion or an even bigger hostile company takeover type of thing. I think some of them figured that the bigger stars like Goldberg, Sting, Flair, Hogan, etc. might make a surprise debut at the PPV, then were very pissed off that that didn't happen and the PPV wasn't that good.

 

Anyways, regarding, DDP. I do recall the Kimberly vs. Sara chatter at the time. I wasn't big into the boards or most sites at the time, though I read some and heard it there. I certainly thought that was one component in a bad storyline to debut DDP and my friends who used to watch WCW and saw Sara and either saw the angle or a subsequent part of the TV, most of them scoffed at it. (We were all teenagers at the time too. So I guess I've got the double story of WCW fans dropping off from watching wrestling and people my age getting much less into wrestling.) To me, the biggest issue was that DDP was just presented as a joke. When you thought about the stalking angle, yes, it didn't make much sense because of DDP's wife, but the rest of that promo he gave...it was all about how DDP was challenging the biggest dog in the yard and daring him to "make him famous." I hated it, yes it all fit what Undertaker said at the time and fit his gimmick and throwing his own words back at him, but at the same time, it just sent the message that DDP wasn't famous, was bush league, and needed to fight this guy to prove he belonged. And, of course, he got emasculated and constantly made to look terrible. The only people who got crushed worse were Kronik, and they arguably deserved it.

 

BTW, wow that Stacy and Vince scoop! I'd never heard that before. Those tidbits just thrown in are part of why this show is a must-listen.

[KrisZ]

Thanks brother

[Jesse Ewiak]

I think the DDP thing could've worked if as part of his promo he would've played off the stalking thing as something to get in 'Taker's head and played it off by saying something like "Jack, this ain't about your wife, everybody knows I've got a hotter piece of tail back home" or some other cheezy Jersey strip club DJ thing. Along with ya' know, not treating DDP as a joke.

[...TG]

I didn't think it could get creepier than the muscle bear YouTube videos. Then I learned about the world of custom fetish Mexican women wrestling videos. Then later I learned about women's sleeper hold comp tapes. Thanks fellas!

[Robert S]

The "choking" section might have been the most disturbing thing I have ever heard on a wrestling podcast and that covers a lot of ground.

[BrianB]

The "choking" section might have been the most disturbing thing I have ever heard on a wrestling podcast and that covers a lot of ground.

 

Yeah, entered a shortlist.

 

Thanks brother

 

No problem. I love these pods. Finally finished this one right before the 4th as I was cleaning up my apartment; another whooper of a show with way more interesting news than I'd have expected.

[ChuckScumm]

Did anyone see when New Heavenly Body Chris Nelson was a guest on the Jerry Springer show?