tqwcw

Thursday, July 1st, 1999

9:45am

Office of Tom Quinn, Vice-President of World Championship Wrestling

Atlanta, Georgia

I had been very industrious on Wednesday; Thunder was booked and ready to go for the next day. It was not an easy task. I had to flesh out the Sting-Kevin Nash thread of my “A” storyline, but Steve Borden’s contract stipulated that he didn’t have to work Thunder -- ever. So it took a phone call to him to get him to agree to work the show as a favor. I had also been informed that Randy Savage and Gorgeous George were unavailable to work the show, so I figured it was useless to include Sid, Madusa, or Miss Madness, either. Instead, I dispatched a camera crew to Savage’s home in Florida and had them pre-tape a segment to air on the show.

I sat in my Atlanta office on Thursday morning brainstorming for Nitro. I had exchanged emails with Brad Siegel discussing the ratings situation. He let me know that there was no immediate pressure to be getting RAW-like numbers -- not just yet, at least. I had a meeting scheduled with Bill Behrens that afternoon to discuss plans for what we were tentatively calling “Atlanta Championship Wrestling.” The roster was, at the time, burdened by two types of dead weight: the useless type (see Vincent) and the type that was just beyond green, but not without potential (see Evan Karagias). I liked the idea of giving the latter more exposure in the form of in-ring and live microphone experience in a regional federation specifically designed to develop and fine-tune talent. I had several workers in mind for the territory.

My plans for the afternoon, however, would soon change.

Jamie walked into the office. “You want the scoop on Rey?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Do I?”

“His knees are holdin’ up -- for the time-being,” she reported.

I breathed a sigh of relief. “So he’s good to go for tonight?”

She nodded. “We were right about Flair, though,” she said. “It was wise not to pencil him in for a match at the pay-per-view. His doctors faxed over a note this morning stating that his back will continue to keep him out of action for a couple of weeks.”

“Do you think it’s legit?” I asked.

“Ric wasn’t happy with Nash’s booking. I don’t think he has a lot of faith that things are going to get any better now,” she said.

“He doesn’t want his career to end on such an underwhelming note,” I nodded. This was yet another developing issue of which to keep track.

“Now would be a good time to discuss Nitro,” she said. “Have you taken a look at the events calendar?”

“I haven’t had much time to get caught up,” I said, shaking my head.

“We’re at the Dome on Monday,” Jamie revealed.

“The Georgia Dome?” I asked.

“You haven’t been watching closely over the past few weeks, have you?” she asked. “We’ve been hyping it up pretty seriously.”

“So next Monday’s show is supposed to be big?”

“Right,” she confirmed. “And not just because it’s the go-home show before Bash at the Beach.”

“I don’t exactly have a myriad of options at this point,” I complained.

“You’ve got to come up with something,” she said, unsympathetically.

I took a deep breath. “Clear my schedule for this afternoon. I need you to make a couple of phone calls.”

***

11:03am

Delta Airlines Flight 597

Charlotte, NC to Monroe, LA

Ric Flair returned from the airplane lavatory and retook his seat next to Arn Anderson. “So, I had my doctor fax the note to the office this morning.”

“Saying you won’t be good to go till after the pay-per-view?” Arn asked.

“That’s right.”

“I thought your back had stopped bothering you,” Arn said.

“It has,” Ric said.

“Oh,” said Arn. “I get it.”

“Look,” Ric explained. “There are a lot of things I’m willin’ to do. This comedy stuff with David -- that’s fine, in the short-term, especially if helps him out. But in the long-term, these people don’t have my best interests at heart. You know that.”

“You think you’ve still got enemies to worry about, even with Bischoff gone?”

“There are a lot of people who figure I’ve got one foot out the door,” Ric noted.

“Well, yeah,” said Arn. “Because you do. How many times have you spoken to Vince over the past couple of months? At least three, right?”

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: my contract’s up in January, and I’ve got a better gig and fewer ill feelings waiting for me in New York.”

“Things might be getting better here,” Arn replied. “You’ve seen the early Thunder script: you’re the center of the show.”

“There’s a difference between knowing I can draw a rating and marketing me well,” Ric argued. “This new kid hasn’t done anything to prove to me that he sees me as anything other than a selling point to exploit.”

***

OOC:

I know it's an arbitrary concept, but I've always been a sucker for star ratings if you catch my drift.

Tuesday, June 29th, 1999

8:20am

The Waffle House

Chicago, Illinois

I’ll admit it. I had absolutely no clue who we’d eventually reveal to be the driver of the hummer. When I sat down to write my Nitro script on Sunday, I had to make a decision: either continue that storyline (and others) despite not really knowing where they’d ultimately end up, or abruptly drop it (and others) and start afresh. I decided that asking viewers to pretend that Kevin Nash had never been slammed into by a humvee on live TV would have done more harm than good, and so I went forward with it.

Booking Nitro itself was an interesting process. The first order of business was to let Mr. Nash know that his services as a booker were no longer required. I met with him on Saturday morning in Chicago, and told him that the decision had been made that it would be most beneficial to everyone involved if Nash focused on his on-air role and left the creative tasks to those hired to handle them. “That’s cool,” Nash said -- before reminding me that his contract included provisions that would allow him to refuse to participate in any matches or angles that he deemed potentially damaging to his marketability. He was telling me, in other words, not to even think of trying to bury him.

With that in mind, I had a conference call with the rest of the booking team that afternoon. This crack team consisted of Dusty Rhodes and Kevin Sullivan. No, seriously; it did. I told them during the call that I was interested in trying some new directions and freshening things up, but that I wanted to do so in such a way that wouldn’t be jarring to either the viewers or the talent. All Dusty wanted to know is what I had planned for Team Madness on Nitro. I explained that the only option I saw for the planned David Flair-Kevin Nash match was essentially to make it a clusterf*ck. Dusty, being the run-in enthusiast that he is, registered no objections. When I shared my plans to put Chris Benoit over Dallas Page, Sullivan warned me about damaging DDP’s stock, but I suspect he just wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Benoit actually getting some heat. Once that was out of the way, I realized that at some point in the not-too-distant future, I’d need to retool my not-so-creative team completely.

These were the kinds of thoughts populating my head as I stared into my cup of tepid coffee at the Waffle House the morning after my first Nitro. I didn’t feel strongly one way or another about last night’s show; it had been exciting, of course, to see my booking come to life live, but on the other hand, I wasn’t so crazy about a lot of the storylines I’d inherited -- or about a lot of the top names I had to cater to, either. Backstage, the boys continued to seem suspicious. One thing that did work in my favor was the Jericho news. That he had chosen to re-up with WCW came as a shock to people both within and outside of WCW. My having been able to convince him to stick around seemed to have suggested to a lot of the younger talent that, at the very least, I wouldn’t be another Sullivan, Rhodes, or Bischoff.

Jamie met me at the restaurant as planned. “How long till we get some numbers?” I asked, anxious for the ratings.

“Not till this evening, at the earliest,” she said. What would I do with myself until then (aside from booking the Saturday Night taping, of course)?

“There’s something you should know,” Jamie said.

“Has Siegel changed his mind?” I asked, only half-jokingly. “Is he bringing in someone who’s actually qualified?”

“Rey Mysterio is getting his knee scoped today,” she said.

“That’s not good, is it?” I asked. “He’s been in and out of action for months.”

“He was complaining of some pain after the Rednecks run-in last night. It could be nothing. But, then again,” she said, “he might be back on the shelf.”

Great. Not only had I had a Rey match for Thunder announced on Nitro, but he was also, obviously, pencilled in for the Bash.

“We’ll know more tomorrow,” Jamie revealed. “Have you come up with anything for the pay-per-view? We’ve got to get some more matches announced on Thursday.”

“I know,” I said. “You know how I feel about Rick Steiner, but he’s got the TV Title, so I think we’ll do him and Disco at the Bash.”

“All right,” Jamie said. “That brings us up to a total of four.”

“Bagwell and Piper makes sense at this point,” I continued. Jamie nodded.

“And what about the US Title? What do you have planned for that?” she asked

”Well,” I said. “Here’s the thing. The tag main event is not going to help us shatter any buyrate records, unless we’re talking about the low end of the scale. I’d like to at least try to add another major selling point to the show.”

“What’d you have in mind?”

“We just ran a US Title tournament less than three months ago. It would cheapen the whole concept, and the title, to do another one so soon. So I figure we go with the next best thing.”

“What’s that?” Jamie asked...

WCW Wednesday Morning Newswire

Nitro did a 3.1 composite rating this week, unchanged from last week. The highest quarter hour was Q7, which featured, partially, both the Benoit-Page match and the Guerrero/Jericho segment. That did a 3.7 rating. Q3, featuring Steiner vs. Lenny, dipped as low as 2.5, up against a Corporate Ministry promo on RAW...

Most wrestlers were stunned by the news that Chris Jericho had agreed, at the last minute, to a new contract with the company. A number of sources have indicated that Jericho was offered a number of unorthodox perks to remain with WCW.

There are serious concerns within WCW regarding the lineup for Bash at the Beach, with the feeling being that the card, as it stands, simply won’t generate a lot of buys. A number of ideas aimed at bolstering the show are being discussed...

Kevin Nash was said to be cooperative but not overly friendly with new management backstage at Nitro. He didn’t have much to complain about, given the fact that he was still booked as the centerpiece of the show, but there is the belief among many that the focus of storylines will slowly shift following Bash at the Beach.

Rick Steiner was less than thrilled to learn that he’d be working with Disco Inferno over the next few weeks. Steiner feels he should be pushed as a major player...

Master P is done with WCW. The 8-man No Limit Soldiers vs. West Texas Redneck bout for Bash at the Beach had already been announced, and the promotion will be following through on that match, but it is expected that the No Limit Soldiers gimmick will be phased out in the weeks following the pay-per-view. That said, there is support on the creative team for the West Texas Rednecks gimmick. On a related note, No Limit Soldiers 4x4 and Chase Tatum both have been sent to the Powerplant and will remain there indefinitely. Swoll remains on the active roster for the time-being. Brad Armstrong, who has been a part of the soldiers as “BA,” will likely be repackaged...

Management is in talks with Bill Behrens about opening a “farm” territory in the Atlanta area in an effort to develop new talent.

WWF Notes

RAW popped a gargantuan 6.8 rating with a strong card and weak competition from Nitro.

Rena Mero appeared on Jay Leno on 6/24 to discuss her lawsuit against the WWF. When Leno asked if she would consider signing a contract with another promotion, Mero noted that it would be two more months before her no-compete clause expired...

Vince McMahon is said to feel more than a little embarrassed by the Chris Jericho snafu and may try to recover by pulling what one Titan source described as “a fast one” on WCW...

Quick Raw Results

Ken Shamrock nc. Steve Blackman (Weapons Match)

Chaz def. Meat.

Hardcore Holly def. Kane

The Rock def. Triple H via DQ

Edge def. The Godfather

Bradshaw def. Billy Gunn

Jeff Jarrett def. X-Pac to retain the Intercontinental Title

Steve Austin def. WWE World Champion The Undertaker to win the title.

Monday, June 28th, 1999

from the United Center in Chicago, IL.

Hosted by Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and “Iron” Mike Tenay

We open with a shot of Kevin Nash seated in the parking lot, looking on as cars enter and exit. Tony Schiavone notes that Nash is determined to find out who was driving the hummer that slammed into the limo in which Nash was seated weeks ago on Nitro.

The Nitro opener is shown.

Pyro goes off in the arena as the announcers kick off the show.

Tony: You are looking live at a capacity crowd at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois and you are locked in for two solid hours of action as only World Championship Wrestling and only WCW Monday Nitro can bring you, and Mike Tenay, the World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Nash is a man possessed.

Mike: Tony, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash so focused -- he is determined to find out who it was who was driving that hummer -- a person who clearly tried to end Nash’s career, at “The Macho Man” Randy Savage’s behest. But, Bobby Heenan, I think it would be a grave mistake for Kevin Nash to lose sight of the fact that he has to contend with David Flair and, more important, the entire Flair contingent, tonight on Nitro.

Bobby: And this is exactly what Savage wants, Tenay. He’s got Nash being pulled in so many different directions that he’s not keeping his eye on the ball -- the World Heavyweight Title.

Tony: Well, Brain, whether he’s focused on it or not, Nash will be in action at the Bash at the Beach in a mere 13 days in tag team competition alongside Sting as they take on the tandem of “The Macho Man” Randy Savage and his associate, the dangerous Sid Vicious. But without urther ado, it’s time to go to the ring for our opening contest, live on Nitro.

Friday, June 25th, 1999

7:30am

Apartment of Tom Quinn, WCW Creative Director and General Manager

Atlanta, Georgia

After Jamie had ironed and starched a fresh shirt for me, I asked her to schedule a meeting with Chris Jericho and to arrange for the entire active roster to assemble for a meeting before Nitro in Chicago on Monday afternoon.

“Not so fast,” Jamie said. “You need to pack your bags.”

“Why do I need to do that?” I asked.

“We’re flying to Auburn Hills,” she explained. “Siegel wants you to be backstage at the house show.”

“Well, that sounds very nice -- it really does. But the soonest I’ll be able to get away is Monday, for TV. I need to make arrangements for my dog, and--”

“Don’t worry about Faith. Buddy Lee Parker loves dogs; he’s already agreed to take her for the weekend.”

“Buddy Lee Parker?!” I asked. Was she serious?

“You need to dive in head first,” she told me.

“I could’ve sworn I had,” I spat.

“The boys have heard about Eric Bischoff’s firing. I’m sure they’re interested in meeting you; hearing what you have to say.”

“I don’t have anything to say,” I told her. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

“You’ll figure it out,” she said. She didn’t seem concerned.

9:49am

Marriot Hotel

Lafayette, LA

Being the self-proclaimed Big Sexy had its perks. Kevin Nash hadn’t paid his tab at his favorite Louisiana strip club, Charlie’s Angel’s, in years. But this morning, he was sufferring the after-effects of a night of lap dances and shots, all on the house. He poured a cup of hot coffee, and nearly dropped the cup when his phone rang -- loudly.

Nash answered. “Yo,” he said, rubbing his temples.

Lex Luger was on the other end of the call. “It’s true,” he said.

“Bischoff’s out?” Nash asked.

“I talked to him this morning,” Luger confirmed. “The suits, they want a ‘new creative direction,’ whatver that means.”

“They want to take the book away from me,” Nash said, shaking his head.

“What are you gonna do?” Luger asked.

“I can’t stop them from getting a new booker. But I don’t have to make it easy for the bastards, either.”

12:37pm

USAirways Flight 3310

Atlanta, GA to Detroit, MI

Jamie hung up the on-flight phone. “I’ve got good news and bad news,” she said. I braced for impact. “The good news is that Jericho’s agreed to fly in to Detroit and take a meeting with you backstage at the show tonight.”

“Nice,” I said.

“What do you plan on sayin’ to him? What makes you think you’ll be able to convince him to stay?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Tell me the bad news, already.”

“I spoke to Lou in production. He says they had the announcers promoting Kevin Nash vs. David Flair for Nitro on the voice-overs for the weekend shows.”

“You’re kidding,” I said.

“Nope. It’s signed and sealed, and now you have to deliver.”

“How am I supposed to pop a rating with Kevin Nash and David Flair?” I bitched.

“Don’t look at me,” Jamie said.

5:40pm

The Palace

Auburn Hills, MI

As I walked with Jamie into the Palace of Auburn Hills, I flipped quickly through a grainy copy of Chris Jericho’s expiring contract. Stapled to the contract was a note indicating the new perquisites Eric Bischoff has offered Jericho during negotiations in order to try and convince him to remain with the company. Bischoff had offered plenty of money, so that was clearly not Jericho’s chief concern. At this point, I was afraid he’d simply laugh me out of our meeting.

Jamie nudged me with her elbow after we turned our third or fourth corner. “I’m trying to read,” I said.

She cleared her throat. I looked up, and before me were Diamond Dallas Page, Sting, Bam Bam Bigelow, Kanyon, Buff Bagwell, Madusa, Miss Madness, Curt Hennig, Bobby Duncum, Billy Kidman, Rey Mysterio, Hardcore Hak, Johnny Grunge, Rocco Rock, Perry Saturn, Silver King, El Dandy, La Parka, Psicosis, Scotty Riggs, and Prince Iaukea.

“Guys,” said Jamie. “This is Tom Quinn. He’s replacing Eric.”

“Hi,” I said. None of them seemed impressed. “Thank you all for being here. I look forward to meeting each of you, discussing the future. I’m very excited about the future. And, uh -- good luck tonight.”

It was not a promising start.

Ric Flair entered the room with his son, David, following close behind. He took stock of the situation. “It’s the new guy,” he said.

“He’s very excited about the future, Ric,” Sting said. I was already the butt of jokes.

“I’ll bet he is,” Flair said.

“I’m a big fan,” I told him, asserting myself (or so I thought).

Flair shook my hand. “Okay, son,” he said. I wasn’t sure if he was referring to me or David. He walked off.

As I exited the room, I bumped into Randy Savage, who was with [the very] Gorgeous George. I extended my hand. “I’m T--,” I started.

“The new guy,” Savage said. I’d always read that he was a legit loose cannon. I now believed it. “I’m real interested to hear what your plans are,” he said, walking off. I knew that none of these men were going to be easy to please.

Jamie rejoined me outside the room. “Jericho’s ready. He’s down the hall, this way.”

I followed Jamie. Suddenly, my high hopes for the Jericho meeting had faded. He was done with the company, and what could I, being the newbie that I was, do to change his mind? Absolutely nothing.

I entered the room in which Jericho was listening to some nondescript rock. After he noticed me standing in the doorway, he turned off his stereo and shook my hand. “How ya doin’, man?”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said. “Tom Quinn.”

“I don’t envy you, man. Good luck with this.”

“Thanks,” I said.

Jericho turned to resume play of the CD he was listening to, but I spoke, prompting him to stop. “I was actually hoping we could talk,” I said.

“Talk?”

“About your contract,” I said.

Jericho laughed. “I’m done -- in four days, and I have a pretty sweet contract waiting for me in New York.”

“I know you do,” I said. “But I might be able to offer you a pretty sweet deal, too, to stay right where you are.”

“Listen, man; there’s nothing you could offer me to make me stay. I’m not into the politics and the glass ceiling.”

“Neither I am,” I told him. “You like Ric Flair?” I asked.

“Who doesn’t?” Jericho replied.

“I can give you a program with him.”

“That’s not gonna do it,” Jericho stated.

I upped the ante. “One of the top three matches at Starrcade.”

Jericho paused. I had his attention, at the very least.

“And the freedom to pursue your music and other outside interests. That’s the offer,” I said.

“New York is telling me I can work with The Rock. They’re telling me I’ll be headlining WrestleMania before I know it. They’re promising time off for music, too,” he revealed.

“Well,” I shrugged. “The ball’s in your court.”

Jericho tapped on his stereo. I started to wonder if he might actually be considering my offer. “Where’s the paperwork?” he said. “Is this in writing?”

“It can be,” I said. “It can be by the time you’ve wrestled your match tonight.”

“Make it happen,” Jericho said.

In disbelief, I ushered Jamie over to the room from the other end of the hall. While she made her way there, I turned back to Jericho. “Why?” I asked. “What made you decided to stick around?”

“Eric Bischoff’s a prick,” Jericho said. “But so’s Vince McMahon. The option of not working for either of them just presented itself, and I’m going to take it.”

I was pleased. Thrilled. My encounter with the wrestlers in the back had been disconcerting; this was going to be no cakewalk. But I’d accomplished something that day -- something substantial. And for the first time, I believed this thing might actually work.

The next order of business: booking Nitro and finding a way to make it a buzzworthy event, even if I had no choice but to include Kevin Nash vs. David Flair on the card.

***

OOC: Good point, LB! Of course, I have a pretty good feeling that Sid would've thought of Malenko as nothing more than a "vanilla midget," so it still kinda works. Thanks for reading/commenting!

Nitro should be up later today.

Friday, June 25th, 1999

6:59am

Apartment of Tom Quinn, WCW Creative Director and General Manager

Atlanta, Georgia

WCW Creative Director and General Manager. This wasn’t going to end well, but I was rolling with it. After I told Mr. Siegel that I’d do it, he said that his assistant Sam would fax over a new contract and what he described as a “talent breakdown” in the morning. Sam had prepared a summary of my responsibilities at WCW:

Talent Relations: I’d been given the power to hire and fire workers, and to renegotiate expiring contracts. Of course, I didn’t [yet] have the authority to rid the company of Hulk Hogan and other similar malignant growths, but the autonomy I was handed was overwhelming enough as it was. I knew full well that I was simply a guinea pig; Siegel just wanted to know if this radical idea of his could actually work. For what it was worth, I planned on proving to him that it could. Not that I wasn’t intimidated by the prospect of laying the verbal smackdown on the likes of Sid Eudy and Big Poppa Pump.

Booking: I’d gone from penning tripe at Turner script development to head writing World Championship Wrestling’s television and pay-per-view broadcasts. Some would argue that I was better off before, but I was excited by the prospect. I’d done my fair share of fantasy booking over the years. It wasn’t long before I learned that this was no fantasy -- it was real, and it was hard as hell, too.

Operations: I had a considerable say in the way the company was to operate. Siegel suggested I take a trip to the Powerplant, familiarize myself with the house show process, and review the talents’ contracts. I had no idea where to begin.

Sam’s “talent breakdown” provided a bit of a kickstart. The fax came in just as I poured my bowl of Cheerios. I suddenly realized that, given my new salary, I’d never have to resort to consuming curdled milk ever again. I pushed the morning’s Journal-Constitution aside and perused the overwhelming talent breakdown.

Active Roster

Denotes Face

Denotes Heel

Denotes Disposition Not-Applicable

* = Contract Expiry Imminent

Main Event

Kevin Nash

Randy Savage

Ric Flair

Roddy Piper

Sid

Sting

Uppercard

Bam Bam Bigelow

Booker T

Buff Bagwell

Chris Benoit

Chris Jericho*

Curt Hennig

Diamond Dallas Page

Kanyon

Rick Steiner

Midcard

Billy Kidman

Bobby Duncum, Jr.

Chavo Guerrero, Jr.

Dean Malenko

Disco Inferno

Eddie Guerrero

Hak

Hugh Morrus

Juventud Guerrera

Konnan

Lenny

Lodi

Perry Saturn

Rey Mysterio, Jr.

The Cat

Lowercard

4x4

BA

Barry Darsow

Barry Windham

Blitzkrieg

Bobby Eaton

Brian Adams

Brian Knobs

Chase Tatum

Chris Adams

Ciclope

Damian

Dave Taylor

El Dandy

Erik Watts

Evan Karagias

Fit Finlay

Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Hector Garza

Horace

Jerry Flynn

Johnny Grunge

Johnny Swinger

Kaz Hayashi

Kendall Windham

Kenny Kaos

La Parka

Lash LeRoux

Lizmark, Jr

Meng

Mike Enos

Mikey Whipwreck

Norman Smiley

Prince Iaukea

Psicosis

Rick Fuller

Rocco Rock

Scott Armstrong

Scott Norton

Scott Putski

Scotty Riggs

Silver King

Steve Armstrong

Steven Regal

Stevie Ray

Super Calo

Swoll

The Barbarian

Van Hammer

Villano IV

Villano V

Vincent

Enhancement Talent

Barry Horowitz

Buddy Lee Parker

Disorderly Conduct (Mean Mike & Tough Tom)

Women’s Division

Madusa

Mona

Managers and Valets

Asya [Ric Flair]

Chastity [Hardcore Hak]

Gorgeous George [Randy Savage]

Jimmy Hart [Hugh Morrus, Brian Knobs, Jerry Flynn, & The Barbarian]

Sonny Onoo [The Cat]

Torrie Wilson [David Flair]

Personalities

AC Jazz

Arn Anderson

Chae

David Flair

Eric Bischoff

Fyre

JJ Dillon

Kimberly

Spice

Storm

Tygress

Officials

Billy Silverman

Charles Robinson

Mickey Jay

Nick Patrick

Scott Dickinson

Broadcast Team

Bobby Heenan

Gene Okerlund

Larry Zbyszko

Mike Tenay

Scott Hudson

Tony Schiavone

Inactive Contracted Talent

• Alex Wright: Cleared to wrestle; under creative evaluation.
• Bret Hart: Taking time off in the wake of the death of his brother, Owen. Is in shape to wrestle, but may be disenchanted with WCW given its bad booking of him since shortly after his Fall 1997 arrival.
• Goldberg: Rehabbing knee injury. Tentatively cleared for August 1999.
• Hulk Hogan: Sidelined with knee injury and occupied by outside projects.
• Lex Luger: Out with bicep injury until October 1999. Luger did make a one-shot appearance on the 6/21 edition of Nitro.
• Miss Elizabeth: Recovering from breast augmentation surgery; under creative evaluation.
• Raven: Shoulder injury; may be able to work despite injury.
• Ray Lloyd: AKA Glacier. On-air angle had Glacier selling his gear to Kaz Hayashi. Lloyd is cleared to wrestle and under creative evaluation.
• Robbie Rage: Out with shoulder injury indefinitely.
• Scott Hall: Enrolled in substance abuse treatment program indefinitely.
• Scott Steiner: Under doctors’ evaluation with back injury; condition said to be serious.
• Shane Helms: Cleared to wrestle; has not yet appeared on television.
• Shannon Moore: Cleared to wrestle; has not yet appeared on television.
• Sick Boy: Cleared to wrestle; under creative evaluation.
• Vampiro: Cleared to wrestle; under creative evaluation.
• Wrath: Rehabbing knee injury. Out until at least the first of the new year.

Other Personnel

Danny Young (Medic)

Doug Dellinger (Head of Security)

Dusty Rhodes (Road Agent and Creative Consultant)

Kevin Sullivan (Road Agent and Creative Consultant)

Paul Orndorff (Road Agent and Trainer)

“Pistol” Pez Whatley

Powerplant Attendees

Alan Funk

Chuck Palumbo

Dale Torborg

Devon Storm

Elix Skipper

James Gibson

Jon Hugger

Kid Romeo

Mark Jindrak

Mike Sanders

Rick Cornell

Sean O’Haire

Championship Status

WCW World Heavyweight Champion

Kevin Nash

pinned Diamond Dallas Page at Slamboree on 05/09/99

WCW World Tag Team Champions

Diamond Dallas Page, Kanyon, & Bam Bam Bigelow

Page & Kanyon defeated Chris Benoit & Perry Saturn at the Great American Bash on 6/13/99

WCW World Cruiserweight Champion

Rey Mysterio, Jr.

pinned Psicosis on Nitro on 4/26/99

WCW United States Heavyweight Champion

Scott Steiner

pinned Booker T in tournament finals at Spring Stampede on 4/11/99

WCW World Television Champion

Rick Steiner

pinned Booker T at Slamboree on 5/09/99

Thursday, June 24th, 1999

9:19am

Office of Brad Siegel, President of Turner Entertainment Networks

Atlanta, Georgia

Sam knew her boss well. Very well. “You’re gonna need this,” she told Mr. Siegel as he arrived, handing him a steaming cup of coffee -- no cream, no sugar.

“I take it the news isn’t good,” Siegel said. He was hoping for a better start to the day.

Sam handed Mr. Siegel the report from marketing. “A 3.1 composite,” Siegel read aloud, shaking his head. “And how did RAW do?”

“6.0,” Sam said. “The Corporate Ministry; Sexual Chocolate; Brisco & Patterson. People are eating it up.”

“And yet Bischoff had assured me that the No Limit Soldiers, Sid Vicious, and Ernest “The Cat” MIller could turn things around,” cracked Siegel.

“You gonna give ‘im another talking to?” Sam asked.

“Why bother? I’ve tried that -- more times than I care to recall.”

“Well, you know, neither of us knows much about this ‘wrestling’ thing. Who’s to say that this industry is big enough to house two successful promotions?”

“Are you kidding?” Siegel asked. “The viewership’s out there. The money’s out there. It’s just a matter of building up a sustained, loyal viewership.”

“But do you really think Bischoff is going to be able to accomplish that? We’ve both been watching the product for months. They’re always promising marquee match-ups and dropping the ball. There’s no internal logic involved. It’s a disaster. And what’s with that Brian Knobs guy, anyway?”

“We need a new approach, don’t we?” Siegel said, coming to the reaSamation.

“You’ve seen those financial breakdowns. Bischoff has been throwing good money after bad for months,” observed Sam.

“You know how much I hate firing people,” Siegel whined.

“Suck it up. It’s either him or you; if you don’t find a way to turn WCW around, the brass is going to find someone who will,” offered Sam.

“But you said it best: we don’t know a damn thing about this business. Not many people do. Where, exactly, am I supposed to find a suitable replacement for Easy E?”

“How did Bischoff, himself, turn the company around in ‘96?”

“He spent a small fortune buying up Vince McMahon’s talent,” Siegel said.

“Exactly. For the right price, I’m sure you could snap up McMahon’s creative director,” suggested Sam.

“Ah, yes. Mr. Russo,” Siegel responded. “That’s always an option.”

“Of course, if you bring Russo in, you make the decision to present WCW as nothing more than a cheap imitation of Titan.”

“Well, when you put it that way -- one Big Bossman is more than enough.”

“Exactly. You’ve got to find some new blood. Remember those focus groups we ran? People are drawn to the Chris Benoits, the Booker Ts, the Chris Jerichos.”

Siegel nodded. “The new blood. So I bring in an unproven commodity to turn a multimillion-dollar company around?

“From what I gather, Russo himself was an unproven commodity -- a magazine editor -- when McMahon brought him into his inner circle. You’ve gotta think outside the box, Mr. Siegel.”

1:49pm

Cajun Dome

Lafayette, LA

Chris Benoit angrily tossed his gym bag across the dressing room. Another Thunder booking sheet, another disappointment. Dean Malenko entered as Benoit took a sip of water.

“How’s it goin’, Chris?”

“Well, let’s just say I’m wishing I was Jericho right about now,” Benoit said.

“No kidding. One more week, and he’s free,” Malenko noted.

“So, Saturn and I are booked to go over Finlay and Taylor,” revealed Benoit.

Malenko nodded. “Well, at least you guys’ll be able to get some things done in the ring. I’ll be too busy putting my very life on the line for the sake of this show.”

“Oh, yeah?” Benoit asked.

“They want me to take a powerbomb from Sid,” Malenko explained.

“Nice,” remarked Benoit, sarcastically.

“Hey,” Malenko said. “It could be worse. They’re putting you and Perry against Page and Bigelow at the pay-per-view, right?”

“Yeah,” Benoit conceded. “But with Sullivan and Nash booking this shit, I have a pretty idea of where this is going to end up.”

Benoit left the room to call his wife, Nancy. It was getting harder and harder to justify his extended absences to her.

3:09pm

Office of Brad Siegel, President of Turner Entertainment Networks

Atlanta, Georgia

Siegel shook the hand of the Eugene Levy lookalike who entered his office. “Thanks for coming over, Leon.”

Leon Shapiro, President of Turner Original Programming, replied. “No problem. I assume you wanted to discuss that proposal I had for the Fall lineup.”

“Not exactly,” Siegel said, “although having nubile college coeds compete for a modelling contract is an appealing concept.”

“Reality programming,” Leon said. “It’s the future.”

“That may very well be,” Siegel said, “but at the moment, I’ve got some more pressing business to take care of. I’m reshuffling the deck at WCW.”

“That’s why you called me over here? This is about ‘wrasslin’?”

“Yes,” Siegel said. “I need a writer. Well, I need more than a writer; I need someone who’s young and creative, but focused and organized. A natural leader. Someone who won’t give me a lot of headaches, either.”

“You’re asking me to give up one of my best people for the sake of ‘Dubya See Dubya’?”

“Exactly,” Siegel confirmed. “Does anyone jump to mind?”

“You’ve sprung this on me out of nowhere. Give me a minute or two to think,” Leon demanded.

“I don’t have a minute or two. I need to make this happen today.”

“All right,” Leon said. “All right. I’ve got a guy in script development -- he’s good. And he jumped at the opportunity to take advantage of the skybox last time you guys did RAW at the Georgia Dome.”

“Nitro,” Siegel said. “We’re Nitro, not RAW.”

“Mea culpa,” Leon said. He didn’t sound sincere. “Do you want me to send this guy over, or what?”

“Yeah,” Siegel said. “I do.”

5:20pm

Cajun Dome

Lafayette, LA

In catering, Dusty Rhodes had felt compelled to regail fellow road agent Arn Anderson with Outlaws stories -- again.

“It was 1970 -- September 17th -- when we beat Lothario and Apollo for the NWA Florida Tag Team Titles.”

“Right,” Arn said. “You’ve mentioned that once or twice before.”

The arrival of “Pistol” Pez Whatley cut Dusty off before he could continue.

“Sorry to interrupt, guys,” Whatley said.

“No,” said Double A. “Don’t worry about it, Pez.” He was clearly grateful for the intrustion. “What’s up?”

“Sid and Savage -- they ain’t too happy with the match breakdown with Bagwell and Malenko for tonight. They say ya’ll’re askin’ them to sell too much for the young guys.”

Anderson was not happy. “Well, you just tell Sid and Savage that they--”

Dusty interrupted. “You tell Sid and Savage that we’ll work somethin’ out,” Dusty said. Pez looked at Anderson, who now appeared angry. Pez left.

“Damnit, Dusty,” said Arn. He seemed to think that catering to the Sids and Savages of the promotion was counterproductive.

“And I thought all this time that you didn’t hold a grudge against Sid,” Dusty remarked.

“This isn’t about the damn scissors, Dusty. It’s about getting these kids some heat.”

“Dean Malenko and Marcus Bagwell don’t put butts in the seats,” retorted Dusty. “That’s the bottom line.”

Anderson was not satisfied.

6:35pm

Office of Brad Siegel, President of Turner Entertainment Networks

Atlanta, Georgia

Eric Bischoff saw this as the perfect opportunity. He wasn’t sure why Siegel had called him to his office -- perhaps Siegel wanted to schedule that golf game they’d been discussing for months. Regardless, Bischoff felt this would be the perfect time to make his pitch. Siegel’s assistant, Sam, showed Bischoff into Siegel’s office. Siegel and Bischoff shook hands.

“Thanks for coming in, Eric. I know it’s late.”

“Nonsense,” Bischoff shrugged. He was in good spirits.

“I was surprised when your secretary told me you were in town tonight. I thought you’d be at Thunder, wherever that’s running tonight...”

“Lafayette. No, I wanted to be there, but I had some paperwork to get done at the office,” Bischoff explained

“Never a shortage of that, is there?” Siegel remarked.

“No, sir,” Bischoff said. “You know, I’ve been wanting to meet with you -- there’s something I’d like to run by you.”

“What’s that, Eric?” Siegel asked.

“I’ve had some promising and exciting talks that could lead to something big. Really big.”

“Talks with whom?”

“With KISS,” Eric answered, pleased with himself.

“KISS, as in Gene Simmons?” an incredulous Siegel asked.

“Yeah,” said Bischoff. “See, what I’d like to do is have KISS perform, live on Nitro, and in conjunction with that, bring in some wrestlers -- a whole bunch of KISS-themed wrestlers. I’m talking about doing some cutting-edge special effects, some concerts, a lot of press. The synergistic possibilities are endless.”

Siegel could hardly believe it.

“What do you think?” Bischoff asked eagerly.

“I think we should take a step back,” Siegel said. “Have you seen this week’s ratings report?”

Bischoff’s smile slowly faded. “Yes,” said Bischoff. “Yes, I have. And as I’ve said before, we’re in a rebuilding phase at the moment. The numbers aren’t going to jump overnight.”

“RAW had twice as many viewers as we did, Eric. Something’s rotten in Denmark, or in Atlanta, as it were.”

“What are you saying?” Bischoff asked, on edge.

“I’m saying that I don’t dispute that WCW is in need of rebuilding. As a matter of fact, what I think WCW really needs is a whole new architect.”

“Architect? I don’t like the sound of that, sir.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” Siegel said. “Look, Eric, this isn’t easy for me.”

“It would be a mistake for you to jump to any hasty decisions, Mr. Siegel. There are some big names I’ve been looking at that could really help turn things around -- Jake Roberts, Jimmy Snuka, King Kong Bundy...”

“No!” Siegel interjected. “No King Kong Bundy. Eric, I believe that you still have the capacity to contribute to the WCW product -- on-screen. But in terms of the day-to-day management and creative direction of the company, I’ve decided to institute some changes, effective immediately.”

“But, Brad...” Bischoff started.

“I’d appreciate it if you removed your personal effects from WCW headquarters in the morning. I’m sure that, if you elect to remain with the company in an on-air capacity, our new creative director will contact you when and if he or she sees fit to write you into a storyline. Thank you for all of your contributions, Eric.”

Bischoff was speechless. Almost. “Who’s replacing me?” Bischoff asked. “Don’t tell me it’s Paul Heyman.”

“It’s not Paul Heyman,” Siegel said.

The door to Siegel’s office opened, and Sam stood outside with a young guy of about 22. Bischoff thought nothing of the interruption at first, but it eventually started to percolate; he was being ousted for a kid half his age. Bischoff turned back to Siegel before exiting. “Oh, good luck, Siegel. Good luck with this. You'll need it.”

****

6:32pm

Office of Brad Siegel, President of Turner Entertainment Networks

Atlanta, Georgia

When Shapiro told me that Siegel wanted to meet with me, I laughed. Shapiro’s expression, however, remained completely serious, and after a moment, I realized that Shapiro had been earnest: the president of Turner Entertainment Networks wanted to meet with me. I’d been out of college for six months. I got my degree in Dramatic Writing from New York University, and although I’d always imagined that I would create and produce a critically-acclaimed, ratings-record-shattering television powerhouse minutes after graduating, what I actually ended up doing was posting my resume online and being hired to churn out uninspired dreck for Time-Warner. But I couldn’t complain too much; I had managed to maintain a long-distance relationship with my college girlfriend, I was making enough money to live on, and Atlanta wasn’t a horrible place to live. The status quo was fine with me. Naturally, when I realized that Siegel really and truly wanted to see me, I feared the worst.

When I reached the penultimate floor of CNN Center, Siegel’s assistant instructed me to wait in the lobby which, it should be noted, was itself larger than my entire apartment. I waited impatiently, tapping my foot as I examined a picture of Siegel with Ted Turner on the wall. I looked over at the assistant, who was checking her watch impatiently. It was late; I needed to get home and feed the dog. Finally, the spunky assistant stood and ushered me over; she then burst into Siegel’s office as I trailed close behind. I couldn’t believe my eyes: Siegel was wrapping up what appeared to be a heated meeting with Eric Bischoff. The simple WCW fan in me was tempted to start a “Bischoff sux” chant then and there, but I remembered myself just in time. Bischoff addressed Siegel.

“Oh, good luck, Siegel,” he said. “Good luck with this. You'll need it.”

I hadn’t a clue what this meant, and I figured it was none of my business, although I couldn’t help but be curious. I’d read about Bischoff being on thin ice with management on more than one of the online dirt sheets. Bischoff brushed past me and hurried out of the office. I concluded then that it wasn’t just a gimmick; Eric really was an asshole. All of this was very interesting, but I was anxious to learn just what business Siegel had with me.

With Bischoff gone, Siegel addressed his assistant. “Thanks, Sam,” he said. He then turned to me. He wasn’t as imposing a presence as I’d imagined he would be. He extended his hand. “How do you do?” he asked.

“I’m very well, thanks,” I said, trying -- and probably failing -- not to appear jittery. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Siegel.”

“I didn’t catch your name,” he said.

“Oh,” I said. “Tom. Tom Quinn. I thought you knew. I mean, seeing as how you called me here, and...”

Siegel sat, and appeared amused. I began speaking again. “Mr. Siegel, if this is about my liberal use of the script development division’s broadband internet connection, I--”

“It’s not about the internet,” Siegel assured me. Now I felt like a real idiot. “You were referred to me by Leon Shapiro.”

“Referred for what? If you don’t mind my asking,” I said.

“I understand you’re a talented writer,” he continued.

“I don’t know about ‘talented,’” I replied, finding myself terribly humble. “But I would like to think I’m capable, at the very least.”

“That’s great,” Siegel said. “I also gather that you’re a well-informed follower of World Championship Wrestling.”

I was embarrassed. Despite the fact that I jumped at the opportunity presented by the company to attend Nitro at the Georgia Dome with skybox seats, my wrestling fandom was not something I liked to publicize. My girlfriend wasn’t crazy about my hobby, either.

“I, uh, watch Nitro and Thunder when I can,” I nodded. “And Saturday Night. And I keep up with RAW. I-- Mr. Siegel, why do you ask?”

“From what I’ve been able to learn about the wrestling business,” Siegel explained, “there are two types of fans: casual fans -- marks -- and then smart fans: fans who know all the tricks, understand the smoke and mirrors, follow the backstage drama. You belong to that group, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I guess I do.”

“Then you’ll probably discover online tonight that Nitro did a 3.1 rating on Monday,” revealed Siegel.

“Yikes,” I responded. “That’s not good. No offense.”

“None taken. We’re in trouble,” Siegel conceded.

“If you’re asking for my opinion, then I’d have to say that I agree with you. The whole Mr. P thing? That’s -- that’s a disaster. The young guys are constantly being squashed. It’s just not compelling television.”

Siegel was silent.

“Should I have kept my mouth shut?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “I’m very interested in what you have to say.”

“The WWF may push the envelope,” I said, “but they know how to hook you, and how to keep you watching. No one at WCW seems to even understand that accomplishing those two things are necessary to being successful. But what do I know?”

“What if I told you that I’m actually quite interested in what you might know and what you might not know? What if I told you that I really wanted to shake things up and turn WCW around?” Siegel asked.

“How do those things go together? Your wanting to turn WCW around and your being interested in my perspective? Are you just looking for feedback, here?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” Siegel said. “The reason Eric Bischoff was so upset when he left a few minutes ago is that I fired him.”

“You fired him?” I asked.

“I’m sure it’ll be online by the time you get home,” Siegel noted.

“Yeah,” I said. “News travels fast.”

“Listen,” Siegel said. “WCW is a massive organization We have over 100 talents under contract. We have a massive payroll of production people and support staff. We’re on the road 300 days of the year. We air at least eight hours of original programming each and every week. The amount of work that is involved in running this company is unfathomable.”

“I agree,” I said, not know what else to say. “Finding a replacement for Bischoff is going to be a challenge, I’m sure.”

“I want you to do it,” Siegel said.

“Do what?” I answered. “Find his replacement? I wouldn’t know where to start. It’s very flattering, Mr. Siegel, but I...”

“I don’t want you to find his replacement,” Siegel assured me.

“You had me going there for a second,” I laughed. “That was good.”

Siegel continued. “I want you to be his replacement.”

It was at that point that I seriously considered pinching myself in an effort to wake myself from what I was sure had to be a dream. “Is this a practical joke?” I asked. “Did Mr. Shapiro put you up to this?”

“Shapiro didn’t put me up to anything. I realize that it must sound insane to you, and it’s quite possible that I will regret this -- badly. But a wise sage has convinced me that I need to take a risk on this. I need to go out on a limb. You’ll have help. There are a lot of amazing people in the back who would be of great assistance to you. You’ll have creative consultants and agents and financial advisors and plenty of feedback.”

I forced myself to speak up. “Why?” I asked. “Why me? Why not do what’s always done in wrestling and bring back a washed up hack like Bill Watts or Jerry Jarrett?”

“WCW doesn’t need one of those washed up hacks, and I think you’d agree. We need a fresh perspective. Yours is as fresh as any.”

“So, the short answer for why you’re offerring me this job is that I’m here,” I said.

“You’re here,” Siegel said. “And I think this could work.”