Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2020 5:10:22 GMT -5
1996 February
Feb 5, 96
"They had the Huckster character say, "It's in my contract with Billionaire Ted that I never lose" which I believe is the case and WWF knows it. They had a copy of Hogan's WCW contract to use if need be for cross examination in the trial in 1994 since WWF was given the option by his agreement with them of a right to match WCW's contract terms and he'd stay with WWF but the terms were so huge financially to Hogan that McMahon declined to match the figure"
"Bischoff, who had kept quiet on Nitro for two weeks, after the piece aired responded out of nowhere to those watching with a "Forget about it Vince, get a job in a pizza parlor." "
"In something people thought they would never live long enough to see, Hulk Hogan put Ric Flair over for the first time on the 1/29 Nitro show from Canton, OH. The match finish saw Arn Anderson get one of Elizabeth's high heels and give it to Flair, who hit Hogan in the eye with it. Hogan juiced (and they showed a close-up of it so they must have gotten TNT to alter its standards) and laid down for the three count in 14:09."
"The result probably stemmed from all the noise Flair had been making about wanting to quit over the past week because he didn't like them taking the title off him so quickly and that he felt he was again going to be used as Hogan's stepping stone. The match was originally booked for a Hogan legdrop finish and Flair had agreed to it, but as happens on a fairly regular basis, Hogan showed up on Monday and changed the booking around."
"It is believed nobody in WCW had any advanced knowledge of the implications of the McMahon skit going on head-up so Hogan doing a job was just a weird coincidence rather than a response."
"In an apparent response to WWF having a cage match headlining its 2/18 In Your House show, WCW has responded by making both the Hulk Hogan vs. Giant and Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair title match as cage matches. Originally Hogan vs. Giant was going to be a falls count anywhere match."
"Sherri pinned Madusa in 1:49 (*). Sherri was wearing a short black dress and Madusa came from behind off the top rope on her. This wasn't done as a wrestling match but was simply a way to give the audience panty shots of Sherri. After the match Madusa german suplexed Sherri and beat the hell out of her. There is tremendous heat regarding Sherri and Madusa. Sherri had no idea the german suplex was coming from behind as it wasn't booked in advance, however Madusa did get approval to do it from someone in power but Sherri never got the word and was knocked silly. Sherri didn't want to work with Madusa but her own position has been tenuous since she missed her flight to Japan in November and apparently thought if she refused to do the match she may lose her job. However, she insisted on going over in the match in order to do the match, which explains the result."
"To show just how paranoid everything is, at the show in Canton, the fire alarm went off (probably because of the pyrotechnics) and people immediately thought it was a dirty trick played by Titan. If the reverse were to happen at Titan, the reaction would be the same."
"Bischoff signed a three-year deal to continue running WCW at between $350,000 and $500,000 per year."
"Jacques Rougeau and Pierre Oulett (Jean Pierre Lafitte) will be coming in after Pierre's WWF contract expires on 7/7. The paper itself hasn't been signed, but Jacques released it to the media in Montreal on 1/29. Both men have agreed to two years at $150,000 apiece, plus Jacques, who is a great self promoter, will get 25% of all PPV revenue in the province of Quebec and also be the local promoter for WCW in Montreal"
"Originally the figure going around was $200,000 but Bischoff convinced Jacques to take the lower amount claiming to him that even Lex Luger is only making $150,000 per year, which is something I'd be dubious of as one thing Lex is good at is handling his career from a business standpoint."
"Latest angle is that Dallas Page is putting up his $13 million to get another shot at the TV title and that Badd turned it down. Both reactions are, of course, totally believable."
"They ran clips on bumpers of Steve Austin doing jobs claiming WCW is Where the Big Boys Play."
"In the Flair vs. Alex Wright match, Flair came to the ring with the belt (taped 1/18 or before he lost it and he wore it so as not to call attention to the fact he was obviously going to lose it). The camera shots were chest up. However, during the match in several shots, you could see the belt in the corner by Arn Anderson as they didn't take it to the back."
"At the NATPE convention, at one time or another, Flair, The Giant, The Giant's attorney, Nasty Boys, Road Warriors and Pillman all came to meet with McMahon. They were basically all social visits although Flair apparently expressed displeasure with how he was being used. McMahon was said to have acted as if he was totally ill at ease with all the WCW guys in his booth."
Feb 12, 96
"During the television main event, a WCW tag title match with Sting & Lex Luger facing the Road Warriors, the power in the Lakeland Civic Center went out for several minutes. TNT first showed a slide of TNT Nitro, then went into commercial after commercial before the back-up generator in the building could get enough power to run a television shoot. According to WCW sources and the building, the power failure was the result of a construction foul-up at an adjacent Exhibit Hall which caused power in the entire complex to go out.
"Bischoff, who on the air is at times as much of a loose cannon as Brian Pillman, when the show went back on made insinuations that it was an act of sabotage in a heated wrestling war. While not mentioning anyone by name, he came back on the air as the match was still in progress saying almost sarcastically, "I wonder how that happened?" and "Desperate people do desperate things" and later, "I like the competition. I love a good fight. If the fight isn't good, I don't like being in it." This left McMahon furious because it was at least an insinuation of him being involved in something that was illegal and his company had absolutely nothing to do with"
"WCW won't attempt to stop WWF from running the Huckster/Macho Man "match" on Wrestlemania by taking legal action because TBS and/or Marvel Comics own the likeness to the Hogan, Savage and Turner personas for marketing purposes. Unlike a television parody, this is using the names for marketing when using it on a PPV event. However, Titan apparently had geared up for that with its audience in portraying itself as the underdog babyfaces standing up to the billionaire's lawyers. Bischoff felt that filing legal action to block the match, even though they would probably win, would ultimately be playing into McMahon's hands."
"It appeared Sullivan and Pillman were doing a worked shoot so to speak as it looked out of control but you could see they were still working. Sullivan hung Pillman upside down in the corner and threw his knee into the corner, and at this point the match momentarily got out of control. Pillman didn't sell the move, got out of the corner and came up swinging. Anderson and Morris immediately sensed what was happening and separated the two. Pillman went for a front choke on Sullivan, but didn't lock it on and Sullivan turned him over and immediately went to gouge the eye, which is something old school wrestlers like Sullivan were taught in a street fight situation is stick your finger in the guys' eye immediately and Sullivan has a rep for having had his share of those. Anderson, panicking, said to Sullivan, not the eye, and the two began working the planned spot where they brawled to the back and Paul Orndorff hit Sullivan with a broom handle"
"In the ring the finish was supposed to be with Anderson KO'd, that they'd double on Pillman, Morris would moonsault him (which is what happened), and Sullivan would whip him with a belt leading to a "Respect match" (basically an I Quit strap match) on the 2/11 PPV show between the two. Pillman took two lashes and simply rolled out of the ring and stormed to the back with Bischoff ordering the director not to shoot Pillman going back for fear of what he might do on camera. The match went 7:08 and had no finish. By this point, probably just trying to make sure things didn't get any worse, Anderson was already back in the ring not selling the angle blow from Orndorff."
"We've received two reports on what happened backstage immediately after the match. In one, Pillman and Sullivan had words again with Pillman complaining that Sullivan wasn't selling for him, and re-watching the tape, it was Sullivan who didn't sell Pillman's offense first although it appeared both didn't exactly place full trust in the other going in. The other report is that Pillman simply stormed out of the building without saying a word with those in WCW believing he was quitting."
"Although many thought Bischoff's comments during this and other broadcasts of late regarding Pillman's tenure are just building up his character and some were, many of the comments were shoots as Pillman has been on thin ice for weeks and has come perilously close to being like Sabu and being fired on live television by Bischoff. Bischoff even went so far as on television talking about the PPV match between the two saying that it may not happen."
"The biggest things revealed at Disney were babyface turns of The Giant and Zodiac, largely due to them being friends of Hulk Hogan's. Giant has moved to Florida near Hogan and the two have become friends as Hogan is grooming the guy to be the next Andre, and Ed Leslie has been Hogan's running around buddy since the beginning of time. Hogan has always wanted for kayfabe purposes for Zodiac to be turned back so people wouldn't make comments when the two are hanging around together. At the first taping, which airs in about a week or two, ring announcer Dave Penzer announced The Giant had a changing of heart and he needs the support of the fans and taped several matches as a babyface, including two against Dungeon of Doom member Morris."
"It's not clear when the Zodiac turn will take place, as he didn't appear until the April tapings on 2/4, as a babyface accompanied by the Giant, as "The Clipmaster," back in his old Brutus the Barber gimmick with the shears. After the match he went to clip the jobbers' hair, but Giant kept him from doing so."
"At the Orlando Residence Inn where many of the wrestlers were staying, there was a hostage situation. At about midnight, a woman was thrown out of her room naked outside in 20 degree weather while the guy in the room barricaded himself in the attack, and the SWAT team had to come to tear gas him out. They had to evacuate all the rooms while this was going on, which included both WCW wrestlers and officials. Apparently the scene was almost directly out of a bizarre movie with Pillman and Disco Inferno, in character, saying that the Horsemen were there to save the day and him having everyone so confused as to what to make of him had people believing he was actually going to try and apprehend the guy himself (which he didn't do, although we've got reports that after the guy was apprehended, that Pillman kept giving him the four finger Horseman signal)."
"Each and every week people talk about WCW's television ratings being better than those of WWF. Guess what. If you look at cable ratings, that is nothing new. Every year it's overall been that way. Some years more than others, and many years more than this past year. WWF always had the edge in syndication, and still does."
"With The Giant doing the turn, it would appear that Flair is staying heel and everyone is happy with that. The problem with Flair was never that he balked about doing any jobs for anyone, it was that he balked about turning face. However, the wins at the Clash and the Hogan match, both of which were changed finishes from original plans, may have been Hogan appeasing him although it wasn't acquiescing to Flair's demands."
"There are people who believe that Hogan got wind of what WWF was going to do last week and that's why he at the last minute moved the Flair match from the fourth match on TV to the opener and changed the finish, so he could do the job right before WWF would claim it's in his contract that he never loses. The only person who knows is Hogan since he's the one who changed the finish and spot on the show."
"WCW showed clips of Vinnie Vegas getting pounded during bumpers on Saturday Night."
Feb 19, 96
"McMahon wrote a letter, sent fed-ex, to Turner, on 2/8 which read: "Dear Ted: Since there has been no response to my repeated request that you and your pro-wrasslin' company stop the practice of self mutilation, I can only assume based upon the last two weeks of Nitro that the practice of self mutilation (slicing oneself with a razor blade) is not only condoned but encouraged. As you know, Hulk Hogan has been bleeding all over the place the past two weeks. There have been numerous references on your wrasslin programming that this weekend's double cage match will be so violent that one opponent will be "bleeding to the point of no recognition." This encouraged practice of self mutilation is disgusting, violent, potentially infectious and completely contradictory in everyway to your testimony before Congress in June of 1993 and contrary to your 1995 participation of "Voices against Violence." Notwithstanding numerous unprecedented predatory practices against the World Wrestling Federation, if you continue to promote self mutilation, I hope your stockholders hold you accountable for this unethically, guttural, potentially unhealthy practice."
"McMahon is portraying this as if Turner has a vendetta against him, because several times over the years there were either strong suggestions or outright conversations by Turner or his minions to McMahon wanting to either buy into or buy the company in total, all of which were rebuffed."
"McMahon also rebuffed various TBS officials over the years when they proposed the idea of doing a joint PPV show. At one point, Bill Shaw offered McMahon complete control of all the finishes if they were to do a joint show, so McMahon could have booked a clean sweep of WWF victories on a card of interpromotional dream matches, but McMahon turned down the offer because he wanted to keep his company separate in the public's eye."
"Bischoff was forced by TBS lawyers to apologize on the air during Nitro on 2/12 for insinuating WWF caused the power failure, claiming his remark wasn't meant seriously and some people take things too seriously trying to say they're just out there trying to have fun. He's also been put under a gag order against making any comments either on television or in the media to respond to anything McMahon has said until after the Time-Warner merger goes through."
"McMahon complained of contract tampering, bringing up in specific, Diesel, The Bushwhackers and Jean Pierre Lafitte."
"He claims Diesel was offered a three-year deal by an intermediary (from all sources this has basically been confirmed that Hogan wants to bring him in as a heel and work a program with him) but not an official representative of WCW. McMahon told others, and Diesel has also claimed to those in the dressing room that they are offering him $750,000 per, and most expect him to take it when his Titan contract expires in April. At his age, with a family, if that figure is accurate, he'd be a fool not to."
"The Bushwhackers were definitely offered $120,000 per year apiece a few months back, but although rarely used, are still under contract to WWF (which I don't believe WCW actually knew). When they went to McMahon to get out of their contract, he refused to let them out, citing that he's in a wrestling war."
"Lafitte, whose Titan contract doesn't even expire until 7/7, on the surface appears to be tampering since it is well known and has been reported everywhere that he's going to WCW after his deal expires, so obviously he was talked with about a deal while under contract to Titan, although there are technical ways around it such as Lafitte doing his dealing through Jacques Rougeau, who didn't work with WCW but made a package deal for the two of them."
"WCW has also made overtures about bringing in Razor Ramon, who was originally a strong WWF team player in the locker room, but his mood has changed with a shrinking paycheck during the fall along with being unhappy about many aspects of how he's been used, including the feud with Goldust, not to mention family issues which are a prime issue since the WCW road schedule is so much easier."
"Pillman came to the ring with the strap, that he supposedly had stolen earlier that day, whipped Sullivan a few times, Sullivan punched him in the face hard and kicked him a few times, and Pillman went to a totally stunned ref and grabbed his mic and said very sarcastically, "I respect you, booker man," and walked out, flipping off the crowd on his way back."
"Backstage, Pillman and Bischoff got into an argument in front of everyone with swear words and Pillman sarcastically telling Bischoff something to the effect of, "sorry about your 12 minute strap match," then left the building with Chris Benoit. Sullivan came back after his match with Anderson looking for Pillman, who had already left. Pillman then flew home before the Nitro the next night in Tampa, and while there was no official word of him being fired, Bischoff did vaguely bring up what happened at the onset of Nitro and made a remark about Pillman being history and there only being three Horsemen."
"Sometime around the time of Pillman's argument with Bischoff in the dressing room after the Sullivan match, Disco Inferno was the only wrestler to openly question things suddenly saying something to the effect of, "They're working the boys." "
"If it was a work, it was the most elaborate one in recent memory, as few if any of the wrestlers knew, the referees in the ring had no idea (notice Jimmy Jett at least seeming to have no clue at all of what Pillman was doing during the entire minute he was in the ring), the announcers didn't know and the production people in the back all flipped out and legitimately went into a panic when a planned 12:00 strap match ended in 59 seconds. Several things were implemented later in the show (such as Lex Luger taking forever to get into the ring during the tag match with the Road Warriors along with the Anderson scenario) to kill time because the show would be running short."
"Perhaps the work will be so elaborate that Pillman will be fired, as an angle. Either that or he'll simply be fired. Clearly, if after all this, he isn't fired, it has to be a work because this is too many different things in a two week period. But if it is a work, they'd know that and have to fire him anyway to continue the work."
"Hogan kept running Giant into the cage and actually bladed him except he somehow didn't get any blood so they called it as if Giant was bleeding, but if he was, nobody could see it."
"Former WCW wrestler Robert Ross Jr., who wrestled as Ranger Ross in 1989-90, was arrested on 2/11 on suspicion of being the point man in five major robberies as well as arson and embezzlement and admitted to all charges before the court the next day. He was immediately placed in a half-way house."
"Area police allege that Ross, when he knew he was about to get nabbed for the bank heists as the infamous "motorcycle bandit" who had used Army counter-surveillance tactics to avoid being detected in four bank robberies as well as a grocery store heist, attempted to burn down the City Clerk's office in Acworth because there was documentation that would have implicated him for embezzlement in his government job collecting fees."
"Can you imagine seeing Hogan do pin jobs two times in three weeks on television? I never thought I'd live to see that."
"It's almost hard to take the change in Elizabeth from the demure virginal type to someone playing the vengeful ex-wife pretty much intimating sex with Flair was so wild they put Flair down for the count."
"Sherri Martel was fired on 2/5. On the live Nitro, she was scheduled to do an angle where she was going to destroy Rob Parker's car with a baseball bat or sledge hammer, but was in no condition to do so. She's been on thin ice since missing her plane for the Japanese shows in November. There appears to be some concern she might file suit against the company."
"Barry Didinsky (My Note: the WWF guy in 95 shilling merch on TV and PPV) has been talked with about coming in to upgrade the merchandising side."
"Scott Norton & Ice Train were put together as a babyface tag team called Fire & Ice. Reportedly Norton was none too thrilled about that."
"During a Chris Benoit & Brian Pillman win over Dave Sullivan & Renegade, Pillman kicked Ralph's rabbit cage with Ralph in it high into the air which freaked several people out, not to mention Ralph."
Feb 26, 96
"Pillman was officially or at least very publicly fired by WCW on Thursday, although there are claims he's still on the payroll as there are indications the company is going to great, and even laughable lengths to try and get everyone to believe it's a shoot. The big danger in this is that wrestlers by nature never trust management to tell them the truth, usually for good reason but often it becomes a case of extended and out of control paranoia. This is only going to confirm and justify in the minds of those who don't trust anything, that they should trust even less and will eventually make nobody believe anything management tells them and thus create a worse working environment."
"It looks like WCW is going back into the house show business after doing $216,000 on three weekend dates, all headlined by Ric Flair defending against Randy Savage. The 2/17 show at the Baltimore Arena drew 11,000 fans, 8,000 paid with a $102,000 gate. It was the first legit $100,000 gate for a non-PPV show in the history of the company and Jim Crockett probably hadn't done one going back to 1988. The 2/18 show in Norfolk, VA drew 9,500 fans, 6,487 paid with a $72,133 house."
"The TV title changed hands twice over the weekend with Lex Luger winning the title from Johnny B. Badd in Baltimore, but losing it back in Norfolk."
"All matches involving Pillman in syndication were erased from upcoming shows with new matches being put in their places."