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1 hour ago, sek69 said:

  This is kind of surprising, Taz doesn't seem like the kind of guy Russo would normally be into.

Both New Yorkers and Taz had a strong promo delivery at the time.

[DeanColes1987]

Terry Taylor leaving WWF creative weeks after Russo didn't help him either, it's actually amazing that Taz, a guy who thought Johnny Swinger folding his arms during intros was meant to be a shot at him and who thought anyone who did suplexes was stealing his gimmick, never had any real backstage drama in WWF.

[TheDuke]

I am surprised that Austin was already moving down the card in Fall 1999. My memories are always a bit hazy of what exactly the storylines in wrestling were in this period of 98-2001 because it seemed like there were heel and face turns and people jumping between companies every week. I remember being a fan with me and my friends at that time was less about reacting to booking and storylines, and more about just picking which wrestlers were your favorites and cheering them regardless of if they were heel or face or which show they were on. Actually, I feel like with most of WWE's crappy storylines and booking today, I am sure most current fans still just cheer their favorites regardless of what the storyline is supposed to be.

I wonder if WCCW would have lasted longer if they had turned the Von Erich boys heel when business started to head downwards. I haven't watched much WCCW other than some of the 1982 stuff whenever I tried to follow along with the Ex-Titan Worldcast podcasts, but I feel like Johnny Sorrow made some really good points on that show about how some of the things the Von Erich's did looked, that could have been used for seeds for a heel turn.

[DeanColes1987]

One of the major problems creative had with Austin in 99 is that he had a select group of guys he enjoyed working with and saw no reason to change it (Taker/Kane/Rock/Foley/HHH/Bossman) and felt going from a feud with for example Undertaker (even though it was stale) to working Jeff Jarrett or Billy Gunn was a demotion in both position and pay. He also had a habit of saying no to a propsed idea without offering an alternative which is something Vince hates.

Edit: Bossman is in that list because he worked a lot of house shows against Austin

[C.S.]

To be fair, Boss Man was a new feud for him, and Jeff Jarrett and especially Billy Gunn were major steps down compared to Taker/HHH/Foley/etc. I realize you gotta work with new talent to keep things fresh, but J-E-Double-F-Ha Ha-J-A-Double R-Ha Ha-E-Double T and Mr. Ass weren't the answer (even as once-off opponents on a b-level PPV or something).

[sek69]

3 hours ago, TheDuke said:

I wonder if WCCW would have lasted longer if they had turned the Von Erich boys heel when business started to head downwards. I haven't watched much WCCW other than some of the 1982 stuff whenever I tried to follow along with the Ex-Titan Worldcast podcasts, but I feel like Johnny Sorrow made some really good points on that show about how some of the things the Von Erich's did looked, that could have been used for seeds for a heel turn.

The issues that brought down WCCW would have happened regardless, but a Von Erich heel run might have prevented the absolute cliff they fell off of.  Of course there's no way Fritz would have ever gone that direction. His boys were ultimate Christian superheroes, no matter what reality was telling him. 

In another reality, a heel Kevin and Kerry team would probably have done good enough buisness that they wouldn't have felt the need to push Mike so fast as the replacement Von Erich. I could see Kerry in particular having good heel charisma, and it would have livened up a territory that saw crowds drop by half or more post-Freebirds feud. 

[DeanColes1987]

"Bob Geigel canceled his 6/15 Central States card which was to include Harley Race and Dusty Rhodes since Titan found out about it and booked a card in Kansas City the same night" - May 29, 89 Observer

"Before the Russo/Ferrara situation changed everything, Shane Douglas was given permission to propose detailed booking proposals in writing for the Revolution." - Oct 13, 99 Torch

"WWF is producing a line of bibs for babies with the likeness of Austin, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and HHH" - Sept 28, 98 Observer

"Upcoming Nitro line-ups....Sept. 18 in Johnson City....Meng vs. Vader... Halloween Havoc has slated....Meng vs. Vader." - Sept. 9, 95 Torch

"A deal was completed between Crockett and WPIX in New York for the Worldwide show. The deal would cost Crockett $6,800 per week. In fact, the inaugural showing, scheduled for last week, was even printed up in the New York TV guides. However , the deal fell apart because Crockett's deal with Ted Turner gives Turner the right to nix any affiliates Crockett may get his syndicated shows on. Turner feels WPIX, as a satellite station is competition to his own WTBS." - Apr 6, 87 Observer

"The biggest loser of this entire strange scenario is 1-2-3 Kid, who was scheduled to face Michaels in a series of matches for the Intercontinental Title. Kid was scheduled to have Perfect in his corner, leading many to believe that Perfect would eventually turn on Kid, setting Kid up for a second lucrative feud. Instead, Kid is stuck far from the main events; he is wrestling Bastion Booger in the opening matches and losing. On Monday Night Raw he teamed with Barry Horowitz against The Quebecers and instead of Horowitz doing the job, Kid was pinned. Not only has Kid's standing in the WWF taken a big drop, but so will his payoffs, which drop from title match main event status to opening match caliber." - Oct 2, 93 Torch

"Travis Tritt's management held up WCW at the event for his money in advance (which actually was no big deal), a bonus of three motorcycles and a lear jet ride home or it was threatened that he wouldn't perform." - Aug 17, 98 Observer

"Taz did his best to persuade Heyman into letting him sit out the remainder of his contract after the last PPV. Heyman objected and plans to use Taz until his deal expires at the end of the year. Sources close to the situation say Heyman may be hoping the WWF offers him perks to give Taz an early release." - Oct 2, 99 Torch

"There were three matches taped that didn't air for various reasons. Disciple vs. Scott Armstrong, because since it being taped they'd decided to do the Disciple being kidnapped angle. Raven vs. Billy Kidman because nobody realized that Kidman would get over like he did and they didn't want to kill him by having him job on TV so quickly now that he was cruiserweight champ. And Juvi vs. Disco's cruiser title match where Disco did the angle that he was too tired from training couldn't air since Juvi had already lost the title" - Sept 28, 98 Observer

"WCW was originally going to have the Vader-Hogan match at SuperBrawl stop due to one of the wrestlers bleeding in the replay of the 1988 Bash pay-per-view main event between Lex Luger and Ric Flair. Because of the blood stopping the match, the WCW Uncensored rematch was going to stipulate that the match could not end due to blood. However, that plan was quashed when, due to the Mushnick publicity, Turner higher-ups ordered that SuperBrawl be squeaky clean for the kids and not be overly violent." - Feb 25, 95 Torch

"Mulligan and referee Rick Hazzard got into it in the dressing room.... Hazzard called him a lousy wrestler and blamed him for the fact his match with Brody drew 200 fans.... Mulligan punched Hazzard out and rammed him into a wall." - July 7, 86 Observer

"Tod Gordon announced from his offices the Dec. 4 television tapings at ECW Arena and the next major card, "Holiday Hell," for Dec. 26. On his bulletin board was the New York Daily News headline on McMahon's indictment" - Dec 4, 93 Torch

"Most of the rules listed as far as ring work goes that we listed last week are being flagrantly violated on house shows, particularly the off-color gestures ban" - Mar 27, 89 Observer

"Brian Christopher fought Chris Candito to a double-DQ. Christopher worked the crowd for the first few minutes, as did Candito in a strange mix of both men trying to be more hated. At one point, Candito told a fan to shut up. The fan said something again, so Christopher told him to shut-up, to which Candito said. 'I told him that first!' " - July 12, 93 Torch

"They had a match where Maniac Mike & Rude Dog lost to the Texas Mustangs (John Hawk & Bobby Duncum Jr.) when a woman came to ringside with a cat on a leash and Rude Dog started chasing them around ringside leaving Mike alone to get pinned." - Nov 16, 92 Observer

"Landel came out for an interview in a suit and tie and did a shoot-like interview, talking about how he was making good money and owned a house and wrestled in main events years ago but blew it because he was young and a screw-up. He said he is only 33 and his best years aren't behind him. He then went on to say that Tommy Rich had brainwashed him like David Koresh but now he's seen the light." - Oct 29, 94 Torch

"Now at the house shows, after Baba works his undercard six-man tag, he actually showers and leaves and lets Misawa run the show, except at Budokan." - Nov 16, 98 Observer

"Bischoff planned to give steady pushes to Berlyn, Brian Adams, and Vampiro in hope they turned into main eventers for the future" - Sept. 18, 99 Torch

"Giant came out smoking a cigarette because Sting did an interview last week talking about Giant spending all day smoking and being so out of shape. He wore a t-shirt over his regular ring outfit, I guess because he was subconscious about being out of shape." - June 22, 98 Observer

"Flair came back and locked in the figure four but Arn Anderson came to ringside and pulled Windham to the ropes. Windham got out of the ring and Anderson whispered something to him. Windham left the ring and Anderson followed as the show came to an end....WCW did nothing on Nitro to further the storyline they started on Thunder with Flair, Arn and Windham where it appeared Arn turned on Flair." - Apr 3, 99 Torch

"Brother Love started making accusations that Demolition needed Fuji to win and he always interfered in all of their matches....They told Fuji to go to the back (remember, this airs in two weeks down the line after they start the Demo turn) and started arguing with Bruce saying he's too fat and not eating the right food....Then the music played and Demoliton sans Fuji came down....The fans booed them anyway. I was trying to do my duty as a good fan and inform those around me that Demo were good guys now and it's your duty as good wrestling fans to cheer them but nobody listened." - Nov 28, 88 Observer

"Terry Taylor, who is still trying to live down his recommendation that the WWF hire Public Enemy, is pushing for the hiring of Shane Douglas. Douglas would not command the type of price that Jericho would and the WWF thinks Douglas could be a valuable veteran heel" - May 8, 99 Torch

"I just finished watching the Main Event show on TBS. The first match was a submit or surrender match between P.N. News and Mr. Hughes. For some unexplained reason, one of the Young Pistols came to ringside to cheer on News and then Harley Race hit him, grabbed his towel, and threw it in the ring costing News the match. Later in the show the Pistols did a heel interview. They made several references in the interview to being from the South. Later, before their title match win over the Patriots they were announced as being from Wyoming. The last time I checked, Wyoming wasn't in the South. So on one television show, WCW had the Young Pistols as both babyfaces and heels and from the North and from the South." - Jan 10, 92 Observer

[Indikator]

"Mulligan and referee Rick Hazzard got into it in the dressing room.... Hazzard called him a lousy wrestler and blamed him for the fact his match with Brody drew 200 fans.... Mulligan punched Hazzard out and rammed him into a wall." - July 7, 86 Observer

This was likely Fort Worth on 6/23, Mulligan probably left the promotion immediately

[sek69]

Damn, I would have had David Manning in the pool of WCCW officals most likely to get KTFO. 

[SPS]

On 11/3/2018 at 6:50 PM, DeanColes1987 said:

Terry Taylor leaving WWF creative weeks after Russo didn't help him either, it's actually amazing that Taz, a guy who thought Johnny Swinger folding his arms during intros was meant to be a shot at him and who thought anyone who did suplexes was stealing his gimmick, never had any real backstage drama in WWF.

Taz was the epitome of a bully, no problem berating a guy like Stevie Richards or his House of Hardcore students but backed down like a coward when anyone remotely tough like RVD when he slapped across the face and challenged him to fight or when 2 Cold Scorpio told him to fuck off when Taz tried telling him that he couldn't wear his orange and black tights because they were Taz's "colors"(If Sting with his spot in WCW gave up on Scorpio getting rid of the scorpion on his tights then like Taz was gonna make Scorpio do shit). Taz really thought because Paul pushed him as their Ultimate Fighter character that he was the real deal and strutted around like it was the truth with his bullshit workout tapes he hawked and his worked win over Paul Varelans. 

Tazz in WWF didn't have the political stroke to start drama in that era and wasn't really tough enough to do shit, it wasn't until ironically enough he became a coach on WWF Tough Enough that he was able to get his rocks off acting like king shit tough guy wannabe shouting at some kids.

Taz is chilled out quite a bit since then but man back then I had no respect for what he was about, real tough guys don't have to go around harassing those weaker or lower than them.

[DeanColes1987]

"Heel ref Ron Hayter claimed his sport was badminton and on TV said, and I kid you not, 'I've been hit by the hardest cocks in the world' " - June 8, 87 Observer

"The original plan was for Hulk Hogan to use the return to the red and yellow as a precursor to his heel turn this month. Hogan received such huge positive reactions at Nitro on Aug. 9 and 16 that he changed plans and decided he’d remain a babyface. The storyline was going to include Sting giving the presidency of WCW back to Bischoff, then Bischoff turning heel on Sting once he regained his power. Bischoff would also dye his hair black again. As bizarre as it sounds, apparently the entourage led by Bischoff and Hogan was going to include a big black woman and two midgets." - Aug 28, 99 Torch

"There is talk that Titan is going to run a house show on 5/6 in Nashville to hurt the live gate for the PPV event the next night" - Mar 27, 89 Observer

"Former announcer David Crockett had a hand in designing the new Nitro set. Among a number of complaints about the new set from the wrestlers is that the entry way is too steep and that the bottom of the letter C (in WCW) sticks up through the ramp and they are forced to walk around it. One concern is that they will not be able to brawl from the ring to the back without having to watch their footing around the new sign." - Apr 10, 99 Torch

"Nashville this past weekend was the latest battleground for Wrestle War 89. The NWA ran its PPV show from the Municipal Auditorium on Sunday afternoon, while the WWF countered by running a show the night before in the same building. The NWA then countered by running a free autograph session and T-shirt giveaway promotion at a local mall. The WWF then countered by bolstering its announced line-up (with the wrestlers coming in on the swing from Washington, D.C.) with the main matches on the other major show occuring that night by chartering a plane in from Indianapolis and flying in the two top matches from that show" - May 15, 89 Observer

"Roddy Piper came out on crutches. He said he had been attacked by a shark and showed scars as evidence. He talked about the Royal Rumble Encore Plus. Scenes aired of the broadcast. Piper then trashed Shawn Michaels for his role in the Rumble and "hiding" rather than fighting. Piper told Michaels he couldn't get a date with a $100 bill taped to his head and then spit on Michaels. Michaels slapped Piper in response, knocking him off of his crutches." - Feb 4, 95 Torch

"It was no coincidence WWF booked Nashville the night before the NWA's PPV, then stretched the show out to past 11:30 p.m. (forcing the NWA to start setting out the special effects at 1 a.m. before an afternoon show when normally these type of things require 24 hours set-up time)" - May 29, 89 Observer

"Johnny Polo (Scott Levy) resigned from the WWF, giving his two week notice the week of Aug. 15. He had been producing WWF Mania and All-American and was taken off TV entirely. He has chosen to restart his in-ring wrestling career." - Sept 3, 94 Torch

"To show how much times have changed, in Montreal, the New Age Outlaws got bigger babyface reactions than the Quebecers." - Aug 10, 98 Observer

"There is heat on Dallas Page stemming from his Jan. 11 Nitro match against Scott Steiner. Page was asked to sell a lot for Scott to help elevate Scott. Page apparently wanted TV viewers to think he wasn’t dominating the match because he was sick, not because Scott was getting the better of him, so Page told the announcers to say he had walking pneumonia." - Jan 30, 99 Torch

"NWA has a Bash booked on 6/23 in New Haven and suddenly the WWF booked Hartford the night before with Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage (Hogan never works Thursday nights) and the guys were doing localized interviews specific for the market on television this weekend. There's nothing wrong with this--in fact, it's smart to do because it should hurt the NWA crowd but just don't tell me about not being concerned about the opposition and the opposition not even being considered competition" - May 29, 89 Observer

"Luger came out and grabbed Yokozuna's belt from Cornette. McMahon then asked the ring announcer to introduce Luger as WWF Champion 'so Cornette will see what it will be like if Luger wins.' Luger then returned to the back and tape started rolling. The ring announcer did a full-fledged introduction of Luger as the new champion. Luger then took a victory lap around the ring with the belt. This will air on WWF TV the week after Mania." - Mar 5, 94 Torch

"Speaking of Slick, I keep forgetting to print the story of how he really injured his arm. It was in Tacoma, Wash. on 11/12 and Mathilda was chasing him around. Slick climbed to the middle rope and Mathilda leaped up and grazed him in the crotch, Slick fell off the ropes backwards, and landed, elbow first, on the arena floor. Even though he was in severe pain, Slick didn't want to get treated for the injury because he was supposed to get involved in the finish of the match (screwing up his own team so Bulldogs would win again)" - Dec 29, 86 Observer

"Buff Bagwell refused to do the job to Berlyn at the PPV because he didn’t feel the angle had enough time to develop. Hacksaw Duggan took his place but got mad while working the match because he didn’t know what he was supposed to do." - Sept. 18, 99 Torch

"3/19 in Chicago drew 7,391 ($94,632) as Hogan pinned Orndorff (sub for Hernandez who accidentally flew to Tacoma instead)" - Apr 6, 87 Observer

"WCW has approached Stevie Ray about reworking his deal which pays him around $750,000 per year. The deal is considered one of Bischoff’s least justifiable expenditures." - Nov 7, 99 Torch

"Col. DeBeers beat Tom Zenk via DQ (after the match they did the challenge for an immediate rematch angle with the fans money from Vegas/Oregon but nobody offered any money for them to do the angle, finally DeBeers said that the fans have shown how little they care for Zenk and a few fans pelted the arena with about $2 worth of quarters and pennies before they finally gave up and realized this wasn't the place to try and pull this angle off in)" - Feb 20, 89 Observer

"Sandman questioned whether he could be sued by WCW for working for ECW before his contract expires. Heyman said he called J.J. Dillon at the WCW office to verify that no action would be taken. Dillon told Heyman they wouldn’t take action, but payment of Sandman’s WCW deal would cease. Sandman agreed and gave up nearly $47,000 he would’ve been paid through his WCW deal." - Oct 30, 99 Torch

"You knew things were going to get off on the right foot when Jack Reynolds (who was being considered by TBS to be the new announcer to replace Tony until his performance as ring announcer here) started with an 'are we on?' and then announced the Russians as being from 'Kilos, Russia at a combined weight of 288 pounds.' " - Mar 1, 89 Observer

"Guerrero continues to become more popular at each Center Stage appearance." - Nov 4, 95 Torch

"The AWA cancelled its scheduled TV taping on 3/4 in Pittsburgh because of a poor advance, and it turns out it got a good walk-up and drew 3,510 fans ($33,000)" - Mar 13, 89 Observer

"Sources say Austin may have agreed to turn heel in coming months." - Oct 23, 99 Torch

"Col. DeBeers beat Ken Patera via count out in 5:50, then they did the money angle where DeBeers wouldn't wrestle unless the fans paid more, they raised another $125 and Patera pinned DeBeers in 53 seconds (DUD)" - Apr 3, 89 Observer

"Big Bossman came out and told Jericho to shut up and leave the building or he would be doing hard time. 'If Canada was a living, breathing thing, Winnipeg would be it’s asshole,' Bossman added." - Aug 28, 99 Torch

"Douglas then said Dick Flair sucks Eric Bischoff's ass, which shows he hasn't been reading the news of late, and the fans groaned at that outdated reference." - May 11, 98 Observer

"With the WWF scaling back to one show per night, several wrestlers will be released or working very few dates. Among the names are Damien Demento, Terry Taylor, Bob Backlund, Tito Santana, Virgil, Blake Beverly, Steve Keirn, and Papa Shango." - Aug 14, 93 Torch

"Col. DeBeers wasn't allowed to work on a card on a Naval Reserve base because they wouldn't allow him because they felt he was a security risk because of things his character had said on television about the United States. DeBeers also made a smart remark at the commission. He had a draw on television and asked for five minutes and wanted a fan out of the audience to be the timekeeper. He then stopped wrestling and said that he had been informed by the commission that the timekeeper hadn't taken his AIDS test and that everyone was in danger and he wouldn't wrestle under those conditions" - June 12, 89 Observer

[Ricky Jackson]

4 hours ago, DeanColes1987 said:

Heel ref Ron Hayter claimed his sport was badminton and on TV said, and I kid you not, 'I've been hit by the hardest cocks in the world' " - June 8, 87 Observer

That's from Stampede and I would guess a classic Bruce Hart line 

[DeanColes1987]

"Iron Sheik was fired after an altercation with security guards in the Nashville Airport after the PPV show. They wanted to check Sheik's bags, Sheik became belligerent and an incident occured" - May 29, 89 Observer

"Ross reports that Austin, Rock, and Road Dogg are the top three merchandise sellers for the past month." - Sept. 25, 99 Torch

"Jim Crockett bought a new jet to transport the UWF guys, which will be based in Dallas" - June 8, 87 Observer

"McMahon told some wrestlers under contract that they would be paid a base income of around $300-400 a week even if they weren't booked on cards, an unprecedented move for the WWF. That didn't help satisfy one main event wrestler whose most recent paycheck after his nightly $200 advances were taken out was said to be nearly zero. Others complained out loud that their WWF contract prohibited them from working elsewhere, yet they weren't earning enough to pay their mortgage or rent." - Nov 18, 95 Torch

"A correction from last week regarding the 9/7 Jericho vs. Neidhart match. It wasn't a finish booked on crack. Actually Neidhart tapped out from the Lion tamer and ref didn't see it and Neidhart was hurting from being stretched which is why the hold looked so bad and then Jericho broke it. The ref didn't call it a finish, so it fell apart from there and Jericho went back to the Lion tamer, Neidhart didn't want to tap again and Jericho told the ref to ring the bell. The ref said that he didn't tap and Jericho said it was a work and to ring the bell. It sure looked like a mess." - Sept 21, 98 Observer

"Some wrestlers aren't thrilled about the number of dates they'll be working this summer. Many signed their WCW contracts expecting to work 10 dates a month and instead it looks to be in the 20s. Since they're on guarantees, they get paid the same no matter how often they wrestle." - May 25, 96 Torch

"NWA had a big meeting on Monday night before the taping in Macon with Jim Herd where it was stressed that everyone who is asked to do a job had better do the job or they would be fired. There was a problem with one of the leading wrestlers last weekend (My Note: Sting didn't want to lose to Terry Funk)" - July 3, 89 Observer

"A fan at the Raw taping had an ink board. He had written on it, 'WCW Nitro Sucks.' At first Vince told them to erase it. Then Lawler suggested they erase 'sucks' and put 'stinks' instead. McMahon liked the idea and agreed they could keep the sign." - Oct 28, 95 Torch

"They opened with a very strong Taz interview where he talked about how the ECW fans say f*** WWF and WCW and they popped big. The same fans who popped big are the same people in the front row when WWF and WCW come to Philadelphia which makes it kind of hilarious." - Aug 3, 98 Observer

"Pierre missed the final three house shows on the latest tour due to stomach ailments. Some think those ailments will last exactly as long as his contract with the WWF runs (into early 1996)." - Nov 18, 95 Torch

"Danny Spivey pinned Sting in 7:39 (you read that result correctly)....Apparently Spivey was upset about the prospect of putting Sting over and even selling much for him since he believes himself to be a foreign 'monster' in Japan like Brody was. Sting on the other hand didn't seem to mind and since Spivey is a regular in Japan and it is very difficult for Baba to even book Sting due to his NWA contract that basically explains the illogical result" - June 19, 89 Observer

"The way Flair originally booked the Jimmy Hart angle at Uncensored, Vader was going to drop a badly beaten Hart at Hogan's feet after the match to further the feud. Hart and Hogan apparently vetoed the idea and Hart ran out from the locker room with his clothes ripped up instead." Apr 1, 95 Torch

"Several WWF wrestlers, most notably Undertaker and Hunter Hearst Helmsley had publicly denigrated Flair, 49, for being too old and that he should retire and in their own personal beliefs that there was no place in the WWF for him." - Sept 7, 98 Observer

"Ricky Rachman plugged the WCW 900 line. When he forgot the Canadian number, he said, 'Give me a break, I’m the new guy' " - Apr 10, 99 Torch

"Sting beat Terry Funk in a no DQ match by pinning Bill Irwin in 14:35" - July 31, 89 Observer

"On Action Zone, Todd Pettengill gave a final push to In Your House disputing Diesel's claims that he doesn't care about the WWF Title. He added that Diesel said if he wins the belt, he's going to take the belt 'where it's never been before' and carry it like the 'Olympic torch in Atlanta.' " - May 4, 96 Torch

"Eight Ball (Ron Harris?) followed. To show that the crowd live really only knew the top stars and didn't care or know anything else, many people popped when he came out thinking it was Steve Austin." - Jan 26, 98 Observer

"Nitro’s ratings are at about the same point they were a year ago. That’s the bright side, and it’s probably why Bischoff still has job security. But the pie of wrestling viewers has expanded substantially and Raw is the recipient of all of the gains." - Apr 24, 99 Torch

"It took PE more time to set up three tables on top of each other than it takes 300,000 channel clickers to switch stations when they see Jeff Jarrett on the air." - Aug 17, 98 Observer

"Warrior's entrance pop was noticeably less intense than at Wrestlemania. I bet that cigar he smoked was the healthiest thing he injested all weekend." - May 4, 96 Torch, Bruce Mitchell

"Juventud Guerrera worked both the 2/26 and 2/27 shows still wearing his mask. When he returned to Mexico, he claimed that he went into hostile territory (U.S.) and the promotion "stole" his mask. Since the mask is licensed in Mexico and was lost outside of licensed territory, the commission accepted his story and allowed him to wear it." - Mar 9, 98 Observer

"On the WWF Europe tour, Brooklyn Brawler was introduced as a new member of the Corporation, but after losing his matches, Gerry Brisco and Pat Patterson fired him." - Apr 17, 99 Torch

"At one point Parka tried a power bomb, but Psicosis turned it into a huracanrana for a near fall. Geez, what was Parka thinking doing a power bomb and thank God for Psicosis reversing it. On his salary, he can't afford the fine and with his immigration status committing a felony could be grounds for deportation. And I'd hate to think how he'd get over in prison wearing that outfit. They might try to unmask him and then he'd have to return to Mexico and create some story about how the dirty Americans double-crossed him and stole his mask." - Apr 27, 98 Observer

"On the WCW 900 line commercial, Johnny B. Badd's face is blocked out while he is talking to Sting at a restaurant." Apr 6, 96 Torch

"Iron Sheik will be returning against everyone's wishes. Apparently the attornies at TBS felt that Sheik had a legit gripe in saying he was unfairly fired, so they are going to bring him back as a jobber since George Scott had signed him to a one-year contract." - July 24, 89 Observer

[DeanColes1987]

"McMahon was very vague about how he, who was actually bankrupt at the time, from previous non-wrestling related businesses that had gone south, raised the money to buy the company from his father, talking about a guru and a real sharp guy, and he admitted he paid back the other co-owners of the business with 'mirrors' (he actually used cash from the company's bank account earned during the period before his ownership to use as payment money to buy the company)." - Oct 26, 98 Observer

"There are a lot of people questioning the salaries of Harlem Heat and the Steiners ($750,000 to $1 million per year)" - Oct 9, 99 Torch

"The Ding Dongs are going to work a date in August in Hong Kong against some wrestler over there called King Kong. There have been a lot of people of late who have been saying that the stuff the NWA has been doing of late doesn't have any rhyme or reason, but at least now it has rhyme" - July 3, 89 Observer

"Sid actually went out of his way to tell Chris Benoit not to chop him during their Nitro match a couple weeks ago." - Oct 30, 99 Torch

"C.J., Embry's valet, left the tour last week and claimed sexual harassment on the part of Eric Embry and no word how this will all be settled." - Mar 9, 92 Observer

"In the opening dark match, Body Donna Skip pinned Dwayne Johnson, who was receiving a tryout. Skip debuted in his new outfit which is just trunks instead of the singlet. Johnson looked to have potential." - Mar 16, 96 Torch

"Rocky Maivia will be appearing at the R.F. Video store at the Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia on 10/11 from Noon-2 p.m" - Oct 12, 98 Observer

"Flair's Gold's Gym in Charlotte is said to be doing great business. He is expected to open a second Gold's Gym in Greensboro with Stan Lane working there full-time." - Sept 11, 93 Torch

"WWF ran split shows last Sunday in Montreal and Hamilton, ONT with Hogan vs. Bossman on top. They did fantastic business, something like 15,000 in Montreal and 13,500 in Hamilton however they had a transportation problem and the wrestlers didn't arrive in Hamilton on time for the 7:30 p.m. show. They started nearly an hour late, then had Johnny K-9 (who wasn't booked for the show but was there anyway) and someone else (I believe Tim Horner, but forgot to write down in my notes) and they stalled in the ring forever. Then Hogan and Bossman, who worked early in Montreal and caught an earlier flight than the rest of the boys, had to go on second and actually work more than 20 minutes of a mainly stalling match until the rest of the crew arrived. My friends on the East Coast can recall NWA cards like this." - Dec 19, 88 Observer

"Val Venis was slated to join DX the day after WrestleMania, but current DX members were against the idea and spoke out against it. It wasn’t anything personal against Val as a wrestler, but the rationale apparently was that Val wouldn’t fit in and they should at least wait for a while after Hunter’s departure before trying to replace him." - Apr 3, 99 Torch

"Apparently Baba didn't have a clue who Bart Gunn was when Ace made the deal for him as his partner." - Nov 16, 98 Observer

"Both Lawler and Kerry came to Chicago having been promised that they were going to win this match and Kerry nearly refused to work the show when he found out he'd been double-crossed." - Dec 26, 88 Observer

"The original "In Your House" line-up had Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels, Bret vs. Hakushi, Undertaker vs. Kama, Ramon & Kid vs. Jarrett & Roadie, Head Shrinkers vs. Owen & Yokozuna, and Bob Holly vs. Pierre." - May 6, 95 Torch

"TBS sent 200 posters to Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis for their show this past Sunday night. Listed as the main event was Sting vs. 'Terry Fox' " - June 26, 89 Observer

"The wrestlers who were among those disgruntled at the time of the major Torch cover story in November ('Titanic Sports: Low morale plagues the WWF,' #361) for the most part, sources say, remain unhappy with their paychecks. The names most often mentioned over the past few months have been Owen, Bulldog, Yokozuna, and Undertaker (they travel together)." - Mar 16, 96 Torch

"It doesn't look like Ric Flair is going to be doing the Kansas City, Nassau Coliseum and Philadelphia house shows against Goldberg after all. Flair nixed the deal saying that since his Starrcade match against Bischoff is supposed to be if he loses, he retires, and his first match back, and if that's the case, he can't work KC since it's before Starrcade, and he can't work Nassau and Philly or at least be advertised in the main event because it wouldn't make sense since he has a retirement match beforehand. Since when does making sense have anything to do them advertising and booking of pro wrestling?" - Nov 16, 98 Observer

"Busch has been going the extra mile to make a good name for himself with the wrestlers. Mid–card wrestlers are impressed that he takes the time to say hello to everyone, unlike Bischoff who would only associate with top talent....As a sign of that growing level of organization, for the first time in months the booking board was ready when the wrestlers arrived in Cincinnati last week. A popular complaint among the underneath talent has been having to show up at television events six hours prior to air time only to sit around because booking plans had yet to be finalized. Wrestlers last Monday were shocked to see that plans had already been finalized. " - Oct 2, 99 Torch

"One of the reasons the Richmond crowd was so small was a screw up either at the NWA or the local TV, the last weekend before the show they instead ran promos for the 12/11 card (Dusty/Sting/Luger vs. Warriors/Ellering which I guess will headline a lot of cities next month) instead of this one." - Dec 5, 88 Observer

"After having pinned Chris Benoit in their first match in New Japan, in return Sabu was scheduled to do a job to Benoit in their second match. Before the match, he told New Japan bookers he decided he didn't want to do the job. He pulled a powerplay, testing his pull in New Japan. New Japan officials agreed to change the match only if Sabu would appear on an Apr. 8 card that he had previously said he couldn't make. Sabu agreed, knowing ECW was booked that day, but thinking he could either make both shows due to time delays or get out of his ECW date." - Apr 15, 95 Torch

"Because of all the Havoc controversy, Bischoff rescinded the original plan to give out the result of the Raw main event between Steve Austin and Ken Shamrock on the taped show during the first hour of Nitro." - Nov 2, 98 Observer

"Douglas left and Kid got up and shoved Ramon for costing him the victory. (This angle may have played out in a different way leading into King of the Ring where Kid vs. Ramon was a scheduled semi-final, but Kid got injured so he sat out the tournament.)" - Sept. 2, 95 Torch

"Larry Zybszko is out of action until 12/25 due to an auto accident but the injuries aren't too serious. AL Perez has dissappeared and everyone assumes he's gone but nobody seems to know for sure. They were booked this weekend against Cornette's team and all four no-showed every city. Zybszko because of the injury, Perez because he's apparently history and Cornette's team because they figured that if there were no foes, there was no reason to send them to the cities, so instead of two minor no-shows, now you've got five, three of whom are significant which does wonders in cities that didn't draw in the first place because of all the no-shows last time in." - Dec 19, 88 Observer

"They are still advertising Flair vs. Goldberg as the main event for Kansas City, Nassau and Philadelphia. As far as the WCW books are concerned, it is still the main event." - Nov 23, 98 Observer

"WCW V.P. Bischoff had a face to face meeting with Ted Turner on Monday. Bischoff is saying that Turner is happy with the current product. Bischoff says he is confident this year will be the first year WCW delivers a profit for Turner." - June 10, 95 Torch

"For those who think WCW overpays its wrestlers, the total payroll for the company is $36 million and the company this year will gross between $175 million and $200 million. If you compare that with pro sports, the wrestlers, and that includes Hogan, Hart and everyone except Rodman, are totally underpaid by the standards of baseball and basketball." - Nov 16, 98 Observer

 

[sek69]

11 hours ago, DeanColes1987 said:

"Both Lawler and Kerry came to Chicago having been promised that they were going to win this match and Kerry nearly refused to work the show when he found out he'd been double-crossed." - Dec 26, 88 Observer

 

Nice to know that even on a show that could make or break the company, Verne's gotta Verne. 

[DeanColes1987]

25 minutes ago, sek69 said:

 

Nice to know that even on a show that could make or break the company, Verne's gotta Verne. 

Lawler and Kerry spent most of the show negotiating a finish as well which led to a production screw up

 

"The best part of the show was when Bill Apter went to give Lawler an award for Most Inspirational Wrestler after the girls Battle Royal. Bill had this big speech about how Lawler had strived for 16 years to win a World title, never gave up, etc. and here he is, Jerry Lawler. Except there's no Lawler. Apparently he was still negotiating a finish with Kerry at the time. So Cowboy Bill was standing there with egg on his face. No matter, after the next match, they went back to the dressing room where Apter got to present Lawler with the award. The only problem was, then we had to hear the same speech a second time" - Dec 26, 88 Observer

[DeanColes1987]

"Dusty Rhodes missed some dates this past week because he had to appear in Florida because of the lawsuit against him by former pro wrestler Steve DiBlasio (Big Daddy) stemming from an incident in 1983....In typical Rhodes fashion, when asked about DiBlasio, 'He had no athletic ability, no charisma, which you have to have. He was as dry as a piece of bacon. I'm the most charismatic guy you've ever had sit in this room here' " - Oct 2, 89 Observer

"At last word Hogan wasn't in favor of doing a job at Hog Wild while others were pushing for it" - Aug 3, 96 Torch

"Koko Ware was fired after a hotel room brawl with executive Jim Troy. Troy, a former ice hockey enforcer, got into it with Ware in Brussels but Ware came out the better of it. Trouble always seems to happen when the WWF goes to Europe. The Rockers were also fired in Europe, but were re-hired the next day" - Oct 30, 89 Observer

"WCW has postponed its Germany tour due to filming a movie with David Arquette. The tour was scheduled for October but has been rescheduled for Feb. of next year." - July 31, 99 Torch

"After the Great American Bash was over, in a powerplay attempt, the NWA's three key heels, Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson all more or less resigned and for a week things were shaky as to their future. However, Crockett didn't take the threat seriously, stayed with Rhodes, and all three came back" - 88 Observer Yearbook

"Can the Goldust character becoming more and more 'homosexual' in nature each week really mix with angles targeted at kids, such as slop matches and Santa? Or will each offend the audience the other approach is trying to attract?" - Dec 23, 95 Torch

"Supposedly Koko Ware will be back early next year after being fired in Europe. Apparently, Jim Troy, the Titan VP in charge of international affairs and lying on PPV buy rates was the instigator of their fight in Brussels. Troy has officially resigned from the company in order to work more in Boxing, although he's still working out of the same office and is still a consultant to Titan" - Nov 6, 89 Observer

"The row of photographers on two sides of the ring blocked the view of the fans in the front row throughout much of the card. Whenever the row of photographers kneeled down, the fans in the front rows gave them standing ovations." - Apr 8, 95 Torch

"Blanchard's complaints about Rhodes to Jack Petrik, who was going to take over the control of the company upon the TBS purchase, got back to Rhodes and feeling were hurt when Blanchard was no longer a fixture in the main eventer private jet." - 88 Observer Yearbook

"Brian Christopher outright said no to the gay wedding idea for Too Much. He got his way, but it will likely eliminate any chance he and Scott Taylor have of getting a push anytime in the near future. Originally McMahon was pushing for Too Much to marry each other on the Feb. 14 PPV." - Feb 13, 99 Torch

"For the September house shows, the top programmed matches will be Savage vs. Ramon and Warrior vs. Kimala as the two headline matches. The top secondary programs are Undertaker vs. Flair, Bret Hart vs. Shango, Bossman vs. Nailz and Bulldog vs. Repo Man. Well, there's always winter." - Aug 3, 92 Observer

"The talk is stronger than ever that Bischoff’s position as head of WCW is on shaky ground. Some believe odds are against him lasting much beyond January 2000. The only allies Bischoff has in Turner are some of the wrestlers, but that is for selfish reasons. Wrestlers have nicknamed Bischoff 'ATM Eric' because of his reputation for generous pay on contracts (i.e. Rick Steiner earning nearly a million a year on his new three–year contract)" - Sept. 4, 99 Torch

"Don Muraco and Junkfood Dog are no longer with Titan after some insubordination in France. To the talent, the story is that Muraco and JFD were fired, and to the office side, the 'word' is they were temporarily suspended (which in Titan is often the same thing, since fired employees are generally asked to return after a few months)" - Nov 7, 88 Observer

"WCW's vice president Eric Bischoff called ECW owner Todd Gordon a few weeks ago proposing to establish a working agreement related to Slamboree in Philadelphia. Gordon says Bischoff proposed ECW could use WCW talent and some ECW talent would be put on TBS." - Apr 16, 94 Torch

"Joel Gertner of 2245 E. 38th St., Brooklyn, NY 11234 is looking for a regular supplier of All Japan women, UWA, Smoky Mountain and old GLOW, TNT and Pro Wrestling this Week tapes." - June 22, 92 Observer

"It will be listed as one of the top ten stories of the year. Probably one of the top five. WCW announced last week plans to launch a new two hour wrestling program to go head to head with Monday Night Raw which airs on USA Network....No name has been decided upon although the "WCW Head to Head" is being considered, both for its in-ring connotations and its political connotations of airing at the same time as Raw." - June 17, 95 Torch

"We've got a Virgil and a Dream now in the WWF, can a jobber named Dusty Rose be far behind?" - Nov 21, 88 Observer

"McMichael said he didn't think the Males would have a chance, but they've been 'kicking the jag out of Lex Luger.' Bischoff clearly feared McMichael was going to say a different word than jag and said, 'My heart just skipped a beat,' and commented to Heenan its scary working with McMichael." - Nov 4, 95 Torch

"There is a behind-the-scenes mind set in the WWF right now regarding HHH, that he may have gotten as far as he can as far as moving up the ladder and doesn't have the working ability and attitude to past those higher on the ladder. There is a feeling the guys on top, such as Austin and Undertaker, would have been back for Survivor Series, for instance, with the same knee injury, and even that X-Pac, who is limited somewhat by size but is the best worker in the ring in the company, may have already surpassed HHH as the singles star of the DX group even though HHH is both bigger in a promotion where that usually matters a lot, and the stronger interview." - Nov 23, 98 Observer

[...TG]

9 hours ago, DeanColes1987 said:

In typical Rhodes fashion, when asked about DiBlasio, 'He had no athletic ability, no charisma, which you have to have. He was as dry as a piece of bacon. I'm the most charismatic guy you've ever had sit in this room here' " - Oct 2, 89 Observer

Don't know about the first sentence, but the second is obviously true.

9 hours ago, DeanColes1987 said:

"Koko Ware was fired after a hotel room brawl with executive Jim Troy. Troy, a former ice hockey enforcer, got into it with Ware in Brussels but Ware came out the better of it.

Troy must never have seen Koko's squash match against The Masked Patriot. He learned, though. Interesting: Jim Troy's Wikipedia article cites Bret Hart's book in reporting about this incident. If anyone has a copy, can they post the relevant bit? No page numbers on the citation, alas.

[DeanColes1987]

44 minutes ago, ...TG said:

Troy must never have seen Koko's squash match against The Masked Patriot. He learned, though. Interesting: Jim Troy's Wikipedia article cites Bret Hart's book in reporting about this incident. If anyone has a copy, can they post the relevant bit? No page numbers on the citation, alas.

"After the show most of the boys surfaced at a rock ’n’ roll bar near the hotel. The proprietress, a stunning Mulatto woman with a sexy French accent, made the kind mistake of giving all the wrestlers drinks on the house."

"At maybe 3:30 a.m., André lurched toward me, leering with a gray-toothed grin. He took a huge bite out of a big pear soaked in high-test grain alcohol and handed it to me. I took a bite, as did Shawn, Koko, Duggan, even Jim Troy. If you think you can get into a lot of trouble biting an apple in Eden, you wouldn’t believe what happened after biting that pear in Brussels! There are few times in my life when I actually got insanely drunk. This was one of them. I ended up enlisting the French girl to literally carry me back to the hotel, where I crashed into bed with the whole room spinning. She curled up next to me and promised to wake me up so I could make the nine-thirty bus. At around 5 a.m. I was jarred from my sleep by the sound of breaking glass and what had to be a wrestler, obviously one who had cracked, yelling profanities. I wanted no part of it."

"On the way to the elevator I couldn’t help but notice that dozens of the tiny, elegant crystal chandeliers that hung outside each door lay on the carpet smashed to pieces. When the elevator door slid open in the lobby I was startled to see an army of police in riot gear, with billy clubs and shields, glaring at me with eyes that said, Try your bullshit now, wrestler man."

"On the bus I found out that a huge fight had broken out between Koko B. Ware and Troy, seconds after I’d stumbled away from them at the bar. Troy, a former hockey player who once gooned for the New York Rangers, held his own before fleeing in a taxi with Koko in hot pursuit. Koko somehow got to the hotel first and decided to wait in the lobby for Troy. When Troy came through the doors, an enraged Koko tackled him, crashing through the plate glass walls of the gift shop."

"Around the same time, The Rockers were in the hallway on my floor, drunk and angry, destroying chandeliers because the hotel operator couldn’t connect a long distance call for Marty, who was concerned about his dad’s recovery from heart surgery."

"That morning Koko boarded the bus looking scared that he was going to get fired. The whites of his eyes were blood-red and his hands were covered with glass cuts. And he was fired—that night. The Rockers were spared, I think mostly because Pat had a bit of a crush on both of them. They only had to pay the cost of the damage they’d done."

"After the show I ran into Koko in the hotel lobby, surrounded by sympathetic wrestlers. Fighting to hold back tears, Koko implored me to understand that Troy instigated the fight by hurling racial slurs at him. 'What was I supposed to do? He kept telling me to eat fried chicken, watermelon, and I couldn’t let him talk to me like that!'

'Koko,' I said, 'you can’t beat up the second-highest suit in the company and not know you’re gonna get fired!' Koko started to sob uncontrollably. Everybody looked at me like, You big meanie, why’d you have to go and say that for? Well, because it was the truth!"

[Rocco]

On 11/3/2018 at 5:52 AM, DeanColes1987 said:

"Bischoff has strongly entertained the idea of creating his own Four Horseman to feud with Flair's group. Barry Windham, Tully Blanchard and Ole Anderson would be three of the members. All have been talked with. It appears Windham is already in and the other two are being strongly considered if not already in." - Nov 9, 98 Observer

 

Ole Anderson being considered for a role on TV in 1998 is pretty amazing.

[CarpetCrawler]

11 hours ago, DeanColes1987 said:

"Don Muraco and Junkfood Dog are no longer with Titan after some insubordination in France. To the talent, the story is that Muraco and JFD were fired, and to the office side, the 'word' is they were temporarily suspended (which in Titan is often the same thing, since fired employees are generally asked to return after a few months)" - Nov 7, 88 Observer

I don't know if Dave elaborates on this or not, but Muraco was asked to take a drug test by Nick Bockwinkel, who was the agent at the time, and threatened to get physical with Nick if he asked again.  JYD got so drunk he got into the aisle of a tour bus and pissed down the aisle in front of other passengers.  Vince was always kind of ready to cut the JYD loose and only brought him back in late 1987 kicking and screaming so I'm sure he was more than happy to have an excuse now.

[DeanColes1987]

"The Freebirds came in with only one tag title belt because the other one was stolen somewhere on the road" - Sept 25, 89 Observer

"WWF locker room talk said that Cornette was too sure of himself on his first few nights in the WWF and would have gotten over better with some of the wrestlers had he been a little more humble. Same goes for the Bodies, who also didn't win over the wrestlers by executing a lot of moves that other WWF wrestlers are known for. " - August 7, 93 Torch

"Singh wrestled Godfather. This match may not air as the crowd started chanting 'Eat shit' and 'Fuck you' really loud because they were bored with the match. Apparently this chant started at Wisconsin Badgers football but the WWF officials all acted confused. They just ended the match and had both guys walk out because the crowd wouldn't stop the chant....Outlaws defended against Snow & Mankind. The crowd paid no attention to the match and was back to doing the Eat shit and Fuck you chants. " - Oct 26, 98 Observer

"During the match McMahon said: 'Speaking of opinions, we certainly welcome yours ladies and gentlemen. Yes, many WWF fans were burning up Internet on the chat lines talking about the recent King of the Ring. We read you loud and clear notwithstanding your comments directed toward the WWF headquarters. We welcome very much your opinions and commentary and you're going to have a great deal of it following In Your House.' " - July 15, 95 Torch

"Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard gave their notice to the WWF at the TV tapings on Wednesday night in Louisville and will be leaving after Survivor Series on Thanksgiving Night to return to the NWA. If nothing else, this marks the first time in recent memory that the NWA has actually raided the WWF for main-line talent and been successful....While between now and Thanksgiving gives Titan plenty of opportunity to downplay Blanchard & Anderson, and I would say it is almost a certainty that unless they are persuaded to change their minds and stay, that the belts will be taken from them at the next set of television tapings, they still leave the WWF as main-line talent, not top drawing talent but still recent champions....The Rougeaus are also leaving the WWF and the loss of both teams does leave the WWF with a sizable void in the heel tag team department" - Oct 2, 89 Observer

"June 7 Winnipeg Sun, a large headline read 'just call him... Hulk Hoggin' next to a large photo of Hogan posing....'Steam belched from Mike Parisien's ears when Hogan was given his 12 reserved seats at Centrefold's halfway through Jane Hane's strip show. 'You guys gotta go!' said the bouncer to Parisien's party of 12, gathered for Sean Cox's stag. At that point the Hulk strolled up, shook a few hands, brushed them off, and took over the seats. Did the boys argue? uh-huh. Hulk's musclebound group included Brutus Beefcake, wrestling manager Jimmy Hart, the Million Dollar Man, Virgil and Papa Shango, who made a major pit stop at the hotdog stand outside" - June 14, 93 Torch

"The game Heyman is playing is to get the word out everywhere that he would use the money Sandman is being paid to try and buy out the contract of Chris Benoit from WCW." - Aug 17, 98 Observer

"The WWF apparently originally planned for the bodyslam challenge to air on All-American Wrestling, but as of at least two weeks ago, knew that USA Network was pre-empting the program for a special package of USA original movies all day. Instead, highlights aired on Raw and will air next week in syndication on Challenge and Superstars." - July 4, 93 Torch

"Expect a re-uniting of the Four Horseman, with the new quartet for 1990 consisting of Anderson, Blanchard, Ole Anderson and Lex Luger, all of whom will feud with Ric Flair" - Oct 2, 89 Observer

"Zbyszko legitimately hates Dusty because he still has a grudge against how Dusty booked him in the 80s in the Carolinas since, after all, both Larry Z and Flair were wrestlers of about the same level and one was always on top and the other in the middle, and also because after doing the angle for the Dusty turn, Dusty then pulled out and gave Larry Z no comeback. Anyway, the only comeback Larry Z gets is to say things like Dusty is so big he could be in both NWO's at the same time." - May 18, 98 Observer

"Lawler said he is willing to take McMahon's money. He said a lot of fans ask him why he's so mean in the WWF and said it was because New Yorkers hate everyone from the South, but even though he went to New York, he came back to Memphis regularly. He said when Dundee went to Atlanta, he didn't return to Memphis regularly. He then said Dundee went to WCW and wore a stupid hat and suit and changed his name out of embarrassment. Dundee responded by saying he was willing to make money, but that at least he didn't kiss McMahon's behind for the money." - Jan 21, 95 Torch

"Hak is telling people he wants his release from WCW because he’s upset Chastity was released." - Sept. 11, 99 Torch

"Rockers beat Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson in two straight falls (My Note: It wasn't) with Bobby Heenan firing Tully & Arn between falls....Supposedly Tully & Arn were forced into jobbing themselves out on television because they had a contract with Titan and Vince held the contracts over their heads and threatened not to release them from their contract if they didn't job themselves out" - Nov 13, 89 Observer

"Slated to co-host Monday Nitro with Eric Bischoff is Dusty Rhodes. There is talk of Steve McMichael being a third man in the announcing team as he goes through WCW's training camp." - Aug 12, 95 Torch

"Paul Heyman sent a letter to Eric Bischoff offering to buy Chris Benoit out of his contract, and, as you can imagine, Bischoff didn't think twice" - Sept 21, 98 Observer

"Steve Beverly is an easy mark for anyone in the business with a glib line who is willing to be nice to him. Eddie Gilbert, Joe Pedicino, and Boni Blackstone were just three who have found that being Steve's pal pays off with puff pieces in Matwatch....Beverly's rationalization for his best friend Joe Pedicino's behaviour during the Global Wrestling Federation debacle were so embarrassing that, coupled with his WCW connection, Beverly found that few, if any, people in wrestling took him seriously as a journalist anymore--except his friends" - June 7, 93 Torch, Bruce Mitchell

"If you saw the WWF tag title change this past weekend, you saw the 'promise' that the finish would be presented as controversial due to pinning the wrong man reneged upon. It all evens out. Blanchard & Anderson when they gave notice claimed they were leaving because of a Japanese offer, not to go to the NWA and Titan folks still swear they aren't NWA bound as they were all claiming to the office staff they weren't going as late as this past week, but they are" - Nov 13, 89 Observer

"When the Nasty Boys came out next, an on-screen graphic said 'Harlem Heat with Sensuous Sherri' although Sherri was not supposed to be revealed as Heat's surprise at that point." - Nov 29, 94 Torch

"I believe the drug test was a convenient excuse for the WWF because they wanted Tully out of their dressing rooms. The NWA very likely considers the acquisition to Blanchard & Anderson as a whole lot less of a coup today than it did when they were tag team champions and gave notice in early September. McMahon was able to successfully 'destroy' the two on television leading up to their planned NWA arrival, and did succeed in making it look like the NWA is bringing in two more WWF rejects ala Butch Reed and JYD rather than stealing tag team champions. At the same time, Blanchard has been in the wrestling business for 14 years, many of them in the front lines of promotional wars in Texas. He should have known Titan was going to use him to set an example for other wrestlers who were contemplating making the big jump. And they succeeded in more ways than one. When people are looking at destroying you, you've got to be careful enough not to give them the ammunition" - Nov 27, 89 Observer

"Reggie B. Fine got into an argument with Lance Russell over Fine stealing Frankie from Koko Ware the previous Monday. Fine said he never took anything in life other than a bath. Russell gave Fine such a hard time that Fine agreed to get Frankie. He then came out with a cooked chicken and began eating it, saying Frankie tasted good." - July 2, 94 Torch

"They finally got the second tag belt for the Steiners" - Nov 27, 89 Observer

[CarpetCrawler]

9 hours ago, DeanColes1987 said:

"The WWF apparently originally planned for the bodyslam challenge to air on All-American Wrestling, but as of at least two weeks ago, knew that USA Network was pre-empting the program for a special package of USA original movies all day. Instead, highlights aired on Raw and will air next week in syndication on Challenge and Superstars." - July 4, 93 Torch

That's fascinating and explains why they taped the entire thing in the first place.  Huh.  I'm glad they decided to keep everything they recorded and just put it up on the Network.

 

9 hours ago, DeanColes1987 said:

"Steve Beverly is an easy mark for anyone in the business with a glib line who is willing to be nice to him. Eddie Gilbert, Joe Pedicino, and Boni Blackstone were just three who have found that being Steve's pal pays off with puff pieces in Matwatch....Beverly's rationalization for his best friend Joe Pedicino's behaviour during the Global Wrestling Federation debacle were so embarrassing that, coupled with his WCW connection, Beverly found that few, if any, people in wrestling took him seriously as a journalist anymore--except his friends" - June 7, 93 Torch, Bruce Mitchell

Speaking of fascinating, seeing Steve Beverly get buried on his way out the door as a wrestling journalist as he transitions into being a general television/game show historian is interesting as hell.  He doesn't even really like to talk about wrestling that much anymore and with how much he hides it most people who know him today would have no idea at all that him and the Matwatch guy were the same person.  He only just recently really started talking wrestling again, and even then it's not that much.

[SPS]

6 hours ago, CarpetCrawler said:

Speaking of fascinating, seeing Steve Beverly get buried on his way out the door as a wrestling journalist as he transitions into being a general television/game show historian is interesting as hell.  He doesn't even really like to talk about wrestling that much anymore and with how much he hides it most people who know him today would have no idea at all that him and the Matwatch guy were the same person.  He only just recently really started talking wrestling again, and even then it's not that much.

I've only learned of Steve Beverly through his publication being mentioned on Between The Sheets these last few years. From what I've heard/read of his work, he really seemed to know his stuff for that era, why did he leave the wrestling world and why did he get buried like this by other wrestling writers? Jealously or just petty bickering among sheet writers?

[sek69]

Pretty much what Bruce described in the Torch quote, he was being worked by people he was friends with in the business and it damaged the credibility of the work he was doing. I don't think he was doing any of it on purpose, it seems clear in retrospect people he thought he  could trust were taking advantage of him. The fact that he barely even mentions wrestling anymore after being a big part of it for so long suggests to me it probably left a bad taste in his mouth and he washed his hands of it.