Nottavictim
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December 1995 - End of the Line
December began with Eric Bischoff organizing WCW in lieu of the demands put upon him. Bischoff job was such a stressful position that the media began to speculate about a breakdown, drug use, or both. Bischoff did quiet his associations with other people, but had little time for drugs or a breakdown. He first dumped most of the Mexicans and cruiserweights, moving some of them to Georgia Wrestling, particularly Rey Mysterio and Pyscosis. He next took calls from Georgia Wrestling and asked for volunteers to go down there to evaluate talent.
Jim Cornette volunteered to help Jesse Ventura and the Armstrong Family at Georgia Wrestling. Or rather, Jim Cornette volunteered to rescue Georgia Wrestling. Prior to Cornette’s arrival, Georgia Wrestling was not exactly breaking records for wrestling workrate. In the main event of their large show, The Mountie captured the Heavyweight Title against Roland McQueen. If you’re curious who Roland McQueen is, well so was everyone else. A backstage pool started in WCW about McQueen and how long he would last before Cornette saw the situation and punted him down the card or issued a release. McQueen was actually one of the better workers at Georgia Wrestling, but had not earned a victory. People called him the “Main Event Jobber,” if such a push existed.
Eric Bischoff then organized WCW’s feuds, many of which carried over from the previous month. The Giant was still battling The Misfits, but now fought all of its members, almost weekly. He defeated New Jersey Jim and Samu the Savage on successive Nitros, but then Jimmy Hart ambushed him and ordered all of his wrestlers to rush the ring and attack The Giant. All of them piled on, with the massive Beast collapsing on top of the pile. Like a superhero, The Giant busted up out of the massive heap and tossed all of them out of the ring one by one. The Giant then motioned them to bring it on. Well, that’s when the malicious Harley Race interrupted. Race said that if The Giant wanted action so much, he would enjoy his match at Starrcade. He was going to face BOTH New Jersey Jim and Samu the Savage in a handicap match. No word on where The Beast went, but apparently his appearances were cut.
Unfortunately, The Giant’s feud was relegated to an opener at most shows and at Starrcade. Except for the pile-on segment, nothing else was noteable about the feud. The matches were below average and the reaction was below average. It was certainly a below average couple of months for The Giant, who was put up against The Misfits to try to accomplish the opposite. These green wrestlers did make The Giant look like a good worker, if it was any consolation to him. Before Starrcade, Bischoff made a promise to the big man that he would move on to other things, a promise he made to other wrestlers too.
Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko had faced off several times during the year, crafting some great matches. But together, they seemed to continue to elicit a great reaction as a team. That’s when Michael Wallstreet bought the services of Barry Windham and together, they both put Dean Malenko through a table. WCW did not often use props in this way, but it seemed appropriate to the stiff, high-energy level that often was associated with Benoit. Chris Benoit made it his mission to even the score, but had to dodge Michael Wallstreet’s money first. Wallstreet even tried to run down Benoit in an expensive car, but the technician swiftly dove aside. Chris Benoit’s promo the following week was irate, as expected. After he demolished Barry Windham later that night, he wanted to go straight to the source at Starrcade.
Eddie Guerrero and Diamond Dallas Page split, ending their friendship in a storyline that built toward Starrcade. Ironically, the two had worked their way onto the card wrestling together, not each other. Eddie Guerrero played the cocky heel, while DDP played a more sympathetic role and the two actually headlined WCW WorldWide once against each other. They had said on Nitro that they couldn't want to wait until Starrcade. It raised ratings, at least. Long after the messy match ended in a no contest, Eddie Guerrero continued to beat on DDP. He went up to deliver his pattened frog splash, but Kimberly rushed in and threw herself on DDP. Guerrero frowned as Kimberly asked for mercy, which only made him smirk. He jumped from the top turnbuckle and actually viciously dropkicked Kimberly, tumbling her across the ring. DDP staggered up, but Guerrero threw him from the ring and he went back to the top rope. Some people were throwing trash at Guerrero as he viciiously smiled in anticipation of what came next. He hit the frog splash on Kimberly. If they wanted mercy, Guerrero picked up a mic and said they should have stayed in the back.
DDP couldn’t possibly wait for next Nitro to confront Guerrero, tearing up the locker room in search for him. Meanwhile, Kimberly was carted out by medics, intensifying the feud. The following week, Guerrero played up the cowardly heel angle, but his evading only made him laugh at his cleverness and think himself even smarter than DDP. Guerrero however, was the one to scurry for his life when DDP interrupted his match against Terry Funk. A face run-down attack was rarely done, but WCW did it anyway. Funk merely peered at the melee from the outside and grabbed Guerrero when he tried to escape, tossing him back in the ring to get what he deserved. DDP would have to wait until Starrcade however, as Guerrero even escaped this, scurrying out the other side of the ring to the ramp.
Another person who probably should have scurried away, was Brian Pillman. During one promo, he insulted Steve Austin, ran him down and called him all the names he could think of. He even dumped out a beer without drinking it, a serious offense, it seemed. Austin then interrupted and then in a cool manner, took a mic, asked for a moment of Pillman’s time and then when Pillman turned toward him, gave him a stunner in the ring.
However, the real challenge for Austin was going to be Mr. Hughes. Hughes had obviously failed to defend Pillman in their original confrontation, but traded backstage brawls with Austin. It was the messiest fight to date by far, as Hughes possessed that Terry Funk ability to take punishment and keep coming. Austin once hit him with a steel chair three times, dropping the big man, but he amazingly got up again. A fourth time crumpled the big man and even Austin seemed impressed by the pain tolerance.
The everyman Ron Simmons continued the revel in his newfound popularity, exceeding his previous WCW push by far. Dr. Death was also FINALLY getting over with the fans, as stated in the previous month. However, in November, Dr. Death was not given a PPV match. In December, he was and it was against Ron Simmons. The two men were popular apart, so Eric Bischoff figured that they might be even better together. Unfortunately, Dr. Death again pushed for a hardcore match, as he had earlier in the year. Back then, Eric Bischoff was solidly against it and denied his request immediately, but being in his current state of mind, couldn’t care less. Dr. Death faced Ron Simmons for the US Title in a hardcore match at Starrcade, but Ron Simmons hadn’t wrestled hardcore in a long time. These two strikes against the feud was a bad sign. They muddled through at Starrcade, where the weapon shots were at least stiff enough to get a good reaction.
Rick Rude was also put at a disadvantage, as Sherri legitimately became annoying. Rude did not say anything at the time, but perhaps would have said something to his friend Ric Flair, the positive locker room voice. Rude dreaded each and every promo he had to give, as Sherri would sometimes go over the top in her reactions, make faces at the camera and go off on a tirade more times than he could count. Rude was paired against Sting and felt bad, as he was putting on good matches, as feuding with Sting was an honor. But it was just everything else associated with Sherri that was not as good. Rude once walked out to the ring without Sherri, purposely leaving her behind and caused her to blowup after he returned. Sting tried to be a peacemaker, but Rude had a blowup himself, saying that he was leaving WCW because of her. After Starrcade, he said he was going to pack his bags, clear his locker and tell Sherri to go jump off a bridge. Preferably, a tall bridge. It actually made him feel better to cut his losses and get that off his chest.
Vader had earned his title match at Starrcade and there wasn’t much else for him to say. He was the quiet stalker, regaining some patience after such a reckless November. Vader seemed like he was on a quest to regain the title, but Bret Hart was named the favorite for their match by Mike Tenay. Vader then came out and manhandled Tenay, questioning this prediction. He then informed Tenay that the match had been made a steel cage match and he wasn’t going to be responsible for Bret Hart’s head colliding with the steel wall. Multiple times.
Starrcade 1995
Handicap Match: The Giant defeated New Jersey Jim & The Savage Samu
Eddie Guerrero defeated DDP
Harlem Heat defeated The Queen’s Team
Chris Benoit defeated Michael Wallstreet w/ Barry Windham
Ron Simmons defeated Dr. Death w/ Bones
The Midnight Express defeated The Road Warriors by DQ
Steve Austin defeated Mr. Hughes w/ Brian Pillman
Sting defeated Rick Rude w/ Sherri
Steel Cage: Bret Hart w/ Elizabeth defeated Big Van Vader
The WWF extended its large monthly show to three hours, headlined once again by The Ultimate Warrior. This time, every fan wanted to see the heel Warrior get beat by Hacksaw Jim Duggan and that he did. The Warrior was pinned for the first time since his arrival in the WWF, contrasting his original face run in the company. Many doubted the Ultimate Warrior could work heel, but with his over the top expressions and insults, he accomplished it. Also at the show, Fatu regained the intercontinental title and continued his feud with the New Clique, including Shawn Michaels. In fact, the best match of the night was Fatu against Michaels, while The Warrior’s match was only ten minutes. The match had to be short, else it would have stunk up the joint. When the receipts came in, the WWF sold out 20,000 seats, while WCW did not.
A little over 18,000 people attended Starrcade in Charlotte, North Carolina. Without Ric Flair advertised, this was low for the company. But buys well exceeded the WWF, as they had most of the year, but the gap hadn't shrunk or widened. The next day was not the best day for the company. They had lost Rick Rude and some other wrestlers also quit. Upon hearing of whiney Rick Rude’s attitude, Sherri left and quit WCW, later being bought out. Ricky Steamboat also left WCW, saying that he hated the locker room and had been a notorious latecomer for that reason. Terry Funk also left WCW quietly when he asked for a buyout of his contract. Then Eric Bischoff got a call.
The call was from a secretary, who said that Ted Turner wanted to inform Bischoff that he was terminated from WCW, effective immediately. Bischoff later commented that Turner did not even have the guts to call him personally. He left WCW quietly, paying no one respects. If that was any hint, Turner’s expectations had not been met. Young wrestlers had not been pushed or not pushed enough. Even Steve Austin, who had become more popular than any of the youngsters, was stuck wrestling a 350 pound guy at Starrcade.
At the end of the year party, the remaining members of WCW seemed depressed or glum. Everyone was curious who was going to be the new president of WCW. Perhaps it would be Scott Sassa, who had become successful in Turner’s entertainment division. Or maybe Jim Herd would return, to everyone’s chagrin. Of course, some people may have deserved a promotion, like Tony Schiavone or Stu Hart.
The job went to someone unexpected, but not inexperienced. After interviews with Ted Turner himself, he was most impressed with the interview given by Greg Gagne. Gagne had never been a remarkable wrestler, nor a charismatic personality. However, he was somehow win over the big boss and remarkable businessman. What he told Ted Turner was not revealed when Gagne walked into the WCW offices and this became one of wrestling’s mysteries. Several people would investigate this mystery, including Jim Cornette.
Meanwhile, Gagne had one look at all of Eric Bischoff’s notes, paperwork, and other documents, then wondered how that man ever got anything done. He assigned tasks to each of the Booking Team, promoted Tony Schiavone to a road agent and then did an assorted number of other things. He had made a call and it was returned on his first day in WCW, when they were packing up in Charlotte, North Carolina. Apparently, he was in the area.
”Woo!”
Ric Flair was back.
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Wrestling with Shadows - Terry Funk
“Welcome back to Wrestling with Shadows, the investigative show that delves deep into the latest issues in pro wrestling,” Peter Michaels says, “And on today’s show we look at a man who has been in the business since late 1965. We visited this man, Terry Funk, as he was competing as a fulltime wrestler for World Championship Wrestling. He has told us that lately, he has been reconsidering this schedule.”
The screen changes and fades in on a nondescript locker room, where wrestlers mingle about as they prepare for a match or unwind after wrestling. Terry Funk is attempting to unwind as he walks into the picture minutes after a match, walking very gingerly to a bench. He sits down and looks totally spent, bending forward. His face contracts with the deep frown of pain and a hand goes to his lower back.
“Terry, how do you feel?” Peter Michaels asks as he approaches Funk.
With a gruff smirk, Funk rubs his back and says, “Like hell, pal. Mah back is killing me. I think I took a bump wrong. On second thought, maybe the bump took me wrong.”
“Where did you take the bump?”
“Backdropped onto concrete. That stuff don’t give,” he says with a hint of amusement.
“Do you always feel this much pain after a match?”
“Not always,” Funk lets out with a sigh, “Really it’s not the matches, it’s the mileage.”
Peter Michaels nods and asks, “Why did you tell us that it might be time to leave WCW?”
Terry Funk begins removing the tape from his fists and says, “It’s my family. My family doesn’t want me to wrestle anymore. I think I got a few more years in me but you know, I said that a few years ago. Those few years turn into a few more and every time I tell my family this is the last one, somethin‘ always comes up.”
“Why do you continue to do it?”
“There’s young guys who deserve some kind of rub, you know? They aren't gonna do much with an old guy like me anyways, least ah can do.”
The picture changes to a recent Terry Funk match with Brian Pillman. Funk is taking most of the abuse. Pillman kicks him in the midsection and after Funk backs against the ropes, Pillman clotheslines him to the outside. Funk tumbles over the ropes dangerously, his shoulder hits the apron then his body collides with the floor mat with a loud thump.
Funk and Pillman fight on the outside as Peter Michaels narrates, “Terry Funk just turned 51 in June. Almost everyone around Terry seems not to know if his career is running to a conclusion or not. His birthday was attended by everyone in the Funk family.”
Back in the match, Brian Pillman distracts the referee as Mr. Hughes takes a steel chair and whaps Funk with it stiffly. Funk backs against the apron and Mr. Hughes whaps Funk again over the head. Funk collapses.
“Happy birthday Terry!” a dark haired man says with a grin.
The picture fades in on a smiling Terry Funk, who sits at his kitchen table surrounded by dozens of his friends, family and grandchildren. One young boy smiles and tells Terry to blow out his candles. A woman claps and smiles excitedly.
“Oh, guess I gotta blow out the candles eh?” Funk says amusedly, then leans forward and blows out the candles.
“Yeah grandpa! Cut the cake!” the boy says.
The screen cuts back to Peter Michaels in the studio and he says, “WCW had no comment about the status of Terry Funk, but we did talk to them off the record. Apparently, as long as Terry Funk wanted to wrestle, they had no problem letting him.”
The screen cuts from this conclusive statement back to highlights of another recent match with Vader. Vader slings Funk around like a ragdoll, propelling him into the corner. Funk collides with the turnbuckle violently and collapses on the ground holding his back. Vader comes over and stands him up against the turnbuckle, then stiffly punches Funk in the face, at least five times. Vader repeatedly whips his forearm across Funk’s face and then clotheslines him. Funk collapses and some blood can be seen trickling from his nose. Vader covers him but Funk kicks out.
Peter Michaels narrates, “Terry Funk did not comment on retirement. Saying he has a love for the wrestling business might be an understatement, but his family have an even greater love for his safety. It may be a deciding factor in the months to come.”
--
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November 1995 - What are the consequences again?
The WCW backstage area was solemn and quiet upon hearing of Ric Flair’s release. No one wanted to upset Eric Bischoff further or get on his bad side, lest they be booked into a squash match. Eric Bischoff tossed out the plans for November and did not even meet with the Booking Team. He did most of the booking himself, except for the main event of the November pay per view, which he assigned to Dusty Rhodes and Stu Hart.
This main event was the BattleBowl match, from which the pay per view took its name. The BattleBowl match was a battle royale, but to qualify for it, a wrestler had to win a tag match with a random partner. The prize for winning the BattleBowl was a title shot at Starrcade. Thirty men were then narrowed to 15 over the course of the month, with only a few wrestlers exempt. Most of the champions were exempt, like World Champion Bret Hart and tag-champs, The Queen’s Team. Stu Hart was slow to action, perhaps a bit overwhelmed at booking a large tournament and battle royale both. Dusty Rhodes did not help. He just sat backstage quietly, all by himself.
Dusty Rhodes put little effort into his job because he was still depressed, until his son came to visit him backstage at WCW. Apparently, Bruce Hart had arranged the meeting. Dusty snapped back to his old self after having lunch with his son and even negotiated Dustin’s job back. Dusty was back to his old self in no time. Bischoff threw Dustin a bone a few times during the month, giving him a couple matches, but few wins. Stu Hart however, was able to slip in a feud for Dustin against Brian Pillman. But Steve Austin was what made this feud possible.
Austin was having a beer, giving his usual promo on Nitro, when he perked the crowd’s interest with a surprise. Austin said he ran into a man who loved WCW and wanted nothing more to come out, drink beer and kick ass. Simple as that. And with that, Austin introduced Dustin to a good reaction, but the reaction wouldn’t last. Brian Pillman and his burley bodyguard, Mr. Hughes, interrupted their beer celebration. Mr. Hughes was able to toss his weight around during the feud, trapping Austin in a two on one the next week on Nitro. Dustin Rhodes made the save again and gave Mr. Hughes a low blow, Ric Flair style. He then cut a promo while a cool Steve Austin looked on, challenging Brian Pillman to a match at BattleBowl.
The Booking Team did not expect two workers on the roster to get so over with the fans. They were the gimmicky tough guy and supernatural wrestler, Dr. Death and everybody’s favorite brawler, Ron Simmons. Simmons became so popular in a short feud with Davey Boy Smith that he was booked to win the US Title at BattleBowl. Critics were confused and speculated that Simmons’ character was approachable, that is, not an upper class man like Flair or an untouchable perfectionist like Bret Hart.
Over at the WWF, they pushed The Ultimate Warrior. The Ultimate Warrior had only wrestled six matches since being originally signed to the WWF, including one opening a new TV show called WWF Primetime. Some rumors began to speculate that The Warrior was holding out for money because of these rare appearances, but other critics argued that the Warrior was better used on the mic anyway. The promos on WWF Wrestling Challenge were successful because of the Warrior’s energy, and McMahon booked him with partners to complement his style. Together, they wrestled a survivor series match, which the Warrior’s team won.
Owen Hart was also seeking a win against Michael Wallstreet. Wallstreet had been doing very little since the departure of Bobby Eaton and was pleased to get a new feud, if only to keep him busy. The feud however, had some focus on Bret Hart too. When Owen Hart would need help or get ambused, he would later complain and whine to Bret Hart, just like old-school Owen from the WWF. However, this attitude was tempered by Terry Funk, playing the old, wise-man able to give Owen some advice. Michael Wallstreet came out once to say that he didn’t need any advice, because all he needed was money. That’s what the character was about, after all. In any case, after Funk lent his advice, Owen repaid the favor by saving him from an ambush. Terry Funk accompanied Owen to ringside when the youngster faced Michael Wallstreet.
Meanwhile, while Owen tried to find more singles independence, Bret Hart continued his dominance as WCW champion. He feuded with Rick Rude, accompanied by Sherri, who had joined Rude’s side after the departure of Ric Flair. However, unlike Flair, Rude was a bit more over-the-top with his self-promoting. He wouldn’t come out claiming to be the best in wrestling, instead saying that he was the best looking in wrestling. A big difference to Rude, it seemed. Rude did have the muscled physique, like many popular wrestlers in the business. It helped to have Sherri fawning over him too, but sometimes she would go overboard and toss her shoe or purse at an opponent. She also continued her rivalry with Miss Elizabeth, that had begun a month ago. During one Rude promo hyping his match, Sherri swiped the microphone and viciously cut into Elizabeth. Sherri said that Elizabeth was a no-good nitwit and a fake, as if Elizabeth was a little less innocent and proper than everyone believed.
The two went at it again at BattleBowl and it was apparent that Elizabeth was still steaming from the biting comments from Sherri. So much so, that when Sherri again threw her shoe at Bret Hart when he fell to the outside, Elizabeth jumped her. Joey Styles was not present to yell ‘cat fight’, but fight they did, pulling at hair and clothes. They began rolling on the outside and Sherri hit her head on the steel steps of the ring, knocking herself out. While Sherri sold that injury, the focus again shifted to the in-ring action. Unlike Vader, Rick Rude’s style was about precision and crispness, not about being stiff.
When the two began to chop each other across the chest the crowd went ‘woo’, summoning the spirit of Ric Flair. Fans had been wondering about Flair. He did not join the WWF in November, did not debut at some independent show and didn’t go to Japan. Flair sat at home for November, seemingly content with remaining out of the spotlight. He was so far out of the spotlight that little, if any, news or rumors emerged about him for a month. He did appear on a radio show however. Critics later commented that Flair sounded defeated, subdued somehow, as if his energetic persona had left him.
WCW BattleBowl 1995
Dustin Rhodes defeated Brian Pillman
Owen Hart defeated Michael Wallstreet
Ron Simmons defeated Davey Boy Smith for US Title
Midnight Express defeated The Queen’s Team for the WCW Tag-Titles
Bret Hart w/ Kimberly defeated Rick Rude w/ Sherri
Vader won the BattleBowl battle royale
For some reason, Bischoff pushed older, veteran wrestlers again in November. However, these older teams like the Midnight Express were getting a good reaction from fans. Perhaps it was because this particular team was new or brought a different kind of energy that elicited the good reaction. They certainly weren’t any older than other WCW teams, but it was their gimmick that was considered aged. Sweet Stan Lane particularly would get tired during longer matches, especially against stiffer opponents like the Road Warriors. He had not been in wrestling prior to his return the previous month. Regardless, The Midnight Express wanted to begin some new, winning ways and said so in a few brief promos. Fans wanted to see them beat The Queen’s Team for the titles at BattleBowl.
Vader gained momentum again to get a match against Bret Hart, which he claimed he deserved to get. However, Harley Race refused to book him against Bret Hart for the title, as Vader's previous two title matches earlier in the year had shown that he was not worthy of another. Vader then made it his personal mission to win the BattleBowl and claim that title shot, which he might never get otherwise. He qualified for the BattleBowl with Barry Windham, although Windham saw little action, as Vader dominated the match as his new, driven motivation prompted him to. Vader crushed both his opponents, Ricky Steamboat and Greg Valentine, who were not getting along to begin with. Vader was particularly brutal in this match, stomped on Steamboat’s hand, and there was blood when he legitimately busted open Greg Valentine on live television. It was live, so very little could be done about it, as several people backstage began to get alarmed and upset about Vader’s blatant violation of WCW’s “no-blood” policy. This policy was particularly annoying to hardcore wrestlers like Dr. Death, Terry Funk and Mick Foley, when he was with WCW. However, WCW had to be consistent, so gave Vader a small fine.
Ricky Steamboat had to get his left hand evaluated by a specialist thanks to Vader. Greg Valentine meanwhile, was taken off the air, as he required stitches and was in no condition to compete. Perhaps a lecture would have been the appropriate approach to Vader, but none was given. Thankfully, Vader did not focus on one or two people during the BattleBowl, so most thought they were safe from injury during this battle royale. However, Vader was notoriously stiff regardless of whether it was a tag-match or battle royale. His crossface moves were especially stiff, as Mick Foley likes to tell people. In that move, Vader would crouch over a fallen opponent, raise their head and then whip his fist and arm across their face. In some cases, Vader would break noses or cause bleeding.
Vader thought this type of style was not uncalled for. Wrestling was hazardous, after all. It was also just how he was and his character seemed to benefit from these harsh moves, as fans loved to boo him for his viciousness. After BattleBowl, WCW reconsidered their “no-blood” policy as Billy Gunn had bladed himself during a match against Kevin Sullivan. Sullivan was another wrestler who wrestled stiff or had developed that reputation. Gunn bled more than Valentine had and gave fans pause. They seemed to actually like or pay more attention when blood was involved, giving rise to WCW reconsidering their policy. However, WCW did not want to consider itself like the WWF, who had begun running more adult angles. Eric Bischoff wondered why WCW always had that conservative or family mindset, which sometimes put the company at a disadvantage when recently they were competing against more edgy companies like ECW.
ECW was gaining momentum, having done so by changing to an “extreme” style that they were already doing partially as Eastern Championship Wrestling. They now just did it all the time, at every show. Sabu was the main draw for this type of style, as was a wrestler called The Sandman. Other competitors actually wrestled, such as Jerry Lynn, which the fans enjoyed. ECW began to acquire the help of Marc Mero and Brian Knobbs for a short time, getting mainstream attention, as well. Taz finally beat Kevin Nash for the World Title at the November to Remember, giving ECW the biggest payoff yet. This progress showed that ECW was doing everything right.
In contrast, WCW still pulled in a good buyrate for BattleBowl, but in comparison to the WWF, it was not a homerun. After BattleBowl, Ted Turner personally called Eric Bischoff, not sending any messenger boy this time. Bischoff was understandably surprised, because in three years of operation, he had never gotten a call from Ted Turner. As a matter of fact, Ted Turner taking an interest in WCW was quite unusual, much less comments twice in two months from the big boss. Turner said that he heard about Vince McMahon’s brief phone call and Bischoff suddenly understood that it was a personal matter. Turner had never liked McMahon and his relaxed business style. He would do whatever is necessary to gain an advantage against McMahon. He expressed this to Bischoff and added that he was slipping him extra funds to widen the gap. Turner reminded Bischoff that what Bischoff did with that money what was mattered, as he had been told little had changed. Bischoff fumed at this.
On the other hand, McMahon had taken advantage and used his younger roster skillfully. A frustrated Bischoff seized the opportunity to voice his concerns to Turner, arguing that the Bischoff way, the veteran way, had earned WCW a healthy profit. Not a push of youngsters. Turner was said to not be very understanding of Bischoff’s “excuses” but this time, informed Bischoff of the consequences. Whereas he hadn’t through Scott Sassa, Turner now made himself crystal clear. If Bischoff didn’t do what he was asked to do, he was going to be fired.
---
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Wrestling with Shadows - Eric Bischoff
"Welcome back to Wrestling with Shadows, the investigative show that looks deep into the latest issues in wrestling," says Peter Michaels, "And on today's show, we're looking at the head of WCW, Eric Bischoff. But is that role a privaledge or a curse? We answered that question when we went to interview Eric Bischoff this week, during Halloween Havoc."
The pictures shifts to a busy backstage area. Wrestlers are wandering back and forth, but wrestling staff seem even more busy. A backstage agent quickly adjusts his glasses as he fumbles with his clipboard, perhaps being a little too young for this hectic job. He squints at his notes and then smiles, pleased at what he reads. He looks up at Bret Hart, who stands there calmly. The young man smiles and says, "Here's the finish, I found it. You finish him off with a vicious clothesline off the ropes! Bam! Quick pin and then three count!"
Bret Hart merely turns his head and regards this man for a moment, then smirks a little, "It's a good start. But I don't think that's gonna work."
Eric Bischoff suddenly walks up to the duo and snatches the clipboard with a knowing smile, "Okay Mike! I got it from here! Thanks for taking over," he tells the young man.
As the young man sheepishly departs the scene, Eric Bischoff pats Bret Hart on the shoulder and smiles, "Ah, sorry about that Bret! Okay, let's fix this match, okay?"
The picture shifts again to Peter Michaels in the studio, who says, "Scenes like this happen daily. Eric Bischoff seems to stretch himself just enough to form the organized chaos into a WCW show. We were curious if Eric Bischoff ever stretches himself too thin or perhaps feels the pressure of so much responsibility. We later asked Eric about this."
Eric Bischoff is sitting with Peter Michaels in a more comfortable setting now, the plush offices of WCW. As Bischoff reclines, Michaels says, "Eric, fans see your shows as organized and thoroughly well-planned. Is this the case all the time?"
Bischoff smiles slightly and replies, "Well, I'll be honest, not all the time. A show can be easy to put together, but it's planning for the future that gets me. I suppose that's why we have a whole team of writers looking after these kinds of things."
Peter Michaels nods slowly and says, "Someone told us that your job is at risk if you don't consider those kinds of things, Eric. Someone has been talking to the press and even to Vince McMahon, voicing his concern. He's been leaking many things for a good while now and seems concerned you're not addressing them."
Bischoff tightens his jaw and begins fuming as he says, "Who told you that? Huh? Huh??"
"Why, he's here today, I'll let him tell you himself," Michaels says, "C'mon in...Ric Flair!" he announces.
Bischoff looks stunned and angry in a series of seconds, as Ric Flair calmly walks into the room. Flair walks around to a seat and looks across at Eric Bischoff, but only for a moment. Bischoff's piercing eyes perhaps are too much, but Peter Michaels breaks the tension with a question.
"Ric, you've been a leak for a lot of WCW rumors. Why did you choose to do that?" Michaels asks.
Just as Ric Flair opens his mouth to answer, Bischoff stands from his seat and exclaims, "You're fired, you piece of [beep]!"
Even Peter Michaels looks a bit taken aback by that outburst and clears his throat after Bischoff departs the room. Looking at the calm, composed Ric Flair, Michaels begins again, "I apologize, Ric--"
"No need," Ric Flair says, "I've seen guys a bit more upset than that. But not by much," he chuckles a little.
"Why did you decide to leak some information from WCW?" Michaels asks again.
"Let me tell you something, this guy is ruining the company," Ric Flair says frankly, "That's why. I'll just be honest. Oh sure, his ideas were great at first. Bring in a whole mess of WWF guys. Fill the whole place with WWF guys. ECW guys. Independent guys. He doesn't have any confidence in WCW guys. A WWF guy is holding our World Title for god's sake and got over by beating me."
"The fact of the matter is, you helped him get over," Peter Michaels says pointedly, "If you believed all of what you say, why did you even wrestle?"
"Listen, Ric Flair is loyal. I'm loyal to this company. I want to see it stay ahead of the WWF. It can, I'll tell you. But the way its going, it's gonna come crashing down with Eric Bischoff. I'm fired, you know what, so I don't care. I'm fired, I'll just say it. I got nothing to lose now."
"You certainly don't. Seems like you're out of a job," Michaels says.
"All I've wanted to do in my life is wrestle," Flair says slowly, "And I just tried to do two things. Leak a little of this, little of that, you know. Put a little pressure on Bischoff. And I tried to keep my job at the same time, so I could go out there and wrestle for the fans."
"Why did you decide to come here today?"
"It's just gotten out of hand. Those rumors didn't do a darn thing. I kept covering my ass while trying different rumors, but Bischoff just plowed through and ignored them. I found out that he even ignored Ted Turner. What's The Nature Boy gonna do if Bischoff won't even listen to Ted Turner?"
Peter Michaels nods and says, "It looks as if things might be decided by a power higher than either of you. But that's still to be seen."
The camera fades out on this conclusive statement and solemn scene. But it quickly fades in again as a camera tries to catch Eric Bischoff in his office, which he has now sought solitude in. Bischoff swipes papers off his desk and angrily flips over a briefcase. After this tirade, Bischoff slumps down into his swivel chair and depressingly looks at the floor. Eric catches sight of a picture laying there, of Eric Bischoff shaking the hand of Hulk Hogan.
In the picture, Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan are in sunny Orlando, laughing and joking. Jesse Ventura grins next to them, displaying Hogan's contract while he has his hand patting Hogan's large shoulder. Several crew are filming the pleasant scene. Bischoff reaches down and picks up the picture, then tears it up. He catches sight of the camera then gets up suddenly, pushing it out the door. The door itself slams closed.
The scene fades in on Peter Michaels back in the studio as he says conclusively, "Eric Bischoff had no further comment to us about Ric Flair identifying himself as the leak in WCW. We learned today that Ric Flair is no longer with WCW. The future for this company looks grim."
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WCW Spotlight
"Welcome to the FINAL episode of WCW Spotlight. WCW Spotlight has attempted to bring you the latest about WCW wrestlers, to explain those details that might go unnoticed. WCW is going to bring you a brand new show to replace Spotlight, so look for it soon! Today we're in focus on the gimmicky wrestlers of WCW.
Top 5 most gimmicky wrestlers
5. Sting - Some fans have argued recently that Sting is a gimmicky wrestler and perhaps one of the more gimmicky main eventers. With his face paint and bright colored outifts, he embodies today's wrestler. Sting is known to change colors for each show, matching his face paint to his outfit.
4. Lord Steven Regal - Speaking of outfits, the more British and eccentric his outfit, the more Lord Steven Regal succeeds at his gimmick. Lord Steven Regal plays the uppity, arrogant British snob. He usually dresses like a British nobleman, with long coattails, high white socks and a belt with an annoyingly bright silver buckle. He used to wear a white wig, but only does so now on special occassions. He sometimes snaps off his gloves to smack his opponent upside the face with.
3. The Hangman Terry Gordy - The Hangman is the most gimmicky of The Executioners. He wears a black hood over his head, which hides his face but there are holes cut out for his eyes and mouth. His matching black robe is loose on his body and synched at the waist by a thick piece of brown rope. Hanging from this belt is a noose, from which he takes his name. He sometimes carries a sickle. Unfortunately, Terry Gordy asked for his release in October.
2. The Varsity Club - The Armstrong Brothers are the two most gimmicky wrestlers of the Varsity Club, a new stable that has developed in the past few months. They try to imitate the Steiner Brothers, another gimmicky athletic team. The Armstrongs however, wear orange varsity jackets with the letter A emblazoned on the back and seem to lack a university affiliation. Their ring attire is also colorful. Their shorts and ring wear are multi-colored, orange, red and black. The Armstrongs are led by The Skipper Ole Anderson and flanked by beautiful Tammy Lynn.
1. New Jersey Jim and Samu the Savage - Perhaps the most gimmicky wrestlers are the Misfits duo of Samu and New Jersey Jim because they exude their gimmick. Jim just looks like he could be from New Jersey, having ripped jeans, dirty ripped shirt and a tire iron. Jim also has a scruffy beard and never combs his ragged hair. Samu also looks the part, with his spotted black and yellow loincloth. He often claws at his opponents and makes menancing scowls, having amazing control over the muscles in his face.
Thanks for getting behind the scenes with WCW Spotlight!"
(Note: I hope everyone is enjoying the story of the wrestling business, even with its alternative structure. This post makes this diary my longest. I bent a few of my initial rules and have been including portions of promos, like from Ric Flair. I think this adds to the story and might consider more sometime. Lastly, these little episodes were supposed to be for a nice break between long, monthly posts. Spotlight explained what the wrestlers were all about, since you couldn't learn about them in the same way as traditional diaries.)
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October 1995 - A Frustrated Bischoff
In October, Sid Vicious was offered a part in a small-budget movie. Therefore, he left the wrestling business altogether and went to Hollywood, although wrestling insiders criticized him harshly for putting himself and his new ‘career’ over at a BCW show. Hulk Hogan could not be reached for comment, but most WCW wrestlers assumed this new career choice was a disaster waiting to happen and Sid would be back soon. When shooting began, there were immediately rumors about how unprofessional Sid was on the movie shoot. Some critics began to wonder about the quality of this so-called movie and it began to become known as a B-list production.
The deadline imposed by Ted Turner did not seem to motivate WCW backstage. First, Bischoff began to follow his old habits, pushing the bigger men and older veterans in feuds. However, there were some exceptions. One was a feud with the Giant versus the Beast, a confrontation that began a month ago in September when the Beast interfered in the Giant‘s match. The two wrestled rarely because The Beast was just not improving in the ring and even Jimmy Hart was being overwhelmed. Some people backstage disliked the two wrestler’s styles and others believed only true workman like Chris Benoit could get anything out of The Beast.
Furthermore, horrid characters hurt attendance and ratings. These characters were just too gimmicky even for WCW, such as the three man Executioners stable and the Varsity Club. Nevermind that Dusty Rhodes had invented most of them. Dusty sat in the backstage area however, and sipped his coffee, no matter what occurred. He contributed little to developing these gimmicky characters and neither The Misfits nor The Executioners became focused.
Wrestling critics reported that Dusty was depressed or had lost his passion for the wrestling business. When Bischoff asked Dusty for ideas, he had none to give. That was surprising, as Dusty always had something to say, though his ideas might not be the best ideas. He at least had something to contribute to the Booking Team, but not this time. Some then began to speculate that his problems with his son were really getting to him. Dustin Rhodes was cutting lawns for a month and then went to Canada, leaving his father’s watchful eye again. Dustin wrestled the Canadian independents, but did not make a blip on anyone’s radar.
WCW fans enjoyed the ‘mysteries’ that were developing in the storylines. First, the identity of The Skipper became the hottest mystery, but then again, everyone already knew that he was really Ole Anderson. The mystery became about when Arn Anderson would get the opportunity to unmask Ole Anderson. In the meantime, Ole used his varsity boys as bullies to threaten Arn Anderson, telling them what to do and when to do it.
Arn challenged him to a match to put the "mystery" identity on the line at Halloween Havoc. If Arn won, The Skipper would reveal his identity, but Ole wanted something if he won. He said that if he won, Ole was going to shave Arn completely bald. A humiliating prospect. Ole continued to encourage his stable, the Varsity Club, to harass and taunt Arn. Tammy Synch aka Tammy Lynn, who had been managing Paul Orndorff and Barry Windham, was moved into the stable as a gimmicky cheerleader, complete with outfit. She was good for cheap heat when she slapped Arn at one Nitro.
At Halloween Havoc, the mystery was solved and Arn Anderson beat the supposed Skipper to do. Ole had a suspicious smile and knowing look to give Arn after he whipped off his ballcap and disguise. Ole then offered to shake Arn’s hand, which was accepted. But then Ole clotheslined Arn Anderson and stomped him into the mat, viciously attacking him in classic heel style. Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko ran out to make the save, having competed together in a tag-match earlier in the night. However, by then it was too late. Ole had left, donned his varsity jacket again and was accompanied to the back by the arrogant Armstrong Brothers.
Second, Harlem Heat were blackmailed by The Queen’s Team, specifically Steven Regal. Regal came out each week with pictures and footage of Booker T living in a run-down apartment, broken down car and noisy neighbors. Regal even kicked the door of Booker’s car once and put a dent in it, but then remarked that he would never notice. This focus seemed to characterize Booker T as a hard-working wrestler. One time, the Queen’s Team paid a surprise visit to Booker T’s apartment building, which looked old and partially condemned. However, the people were not portrayed in usual stereotypical way, which might have been anticipated. Instead, when Booker’s neighbors saw Regal talking about Booker and filming the building to run him down, they defended him. These neighbors called Booker a hard-working man and courageous. One woman even began hitting Regal with her purse when he began to talk back to her. The Queen’s Team often departed in this fashion, which made Regal even more angry.
At Halloween Havoc, Regal tried to convince Booker T to fight him on the outside. Regal would roll from the ring and motion for Booker to join him. However, Booker T would stand in the ring patiently and remain confident that he didn’t need to fight Regal on the outside. A few minutes later, Chris Adams tossed Booker T to the outside forcibly and Regal revealed his plan. He took the mini-camera which he had been filming his Booker T footage with and began filming Booker T while Adams stomped him. The picture went to the overhead video wall for everyone to see. Then Stevie Ray made the save, knocking the camera from Regal’s hands and busted it. Regal kicked Stevie Ray in the midsection and threw him over the guardrail, then in his rage, took the broken camera and busted it over Booker T. Unfortunately, the referee was busy being distracted by Chris Adams.
When back in the ring, Booker T looked dazed, selling his outside injuries. The tag-team champions looked in desperate straights, as they tried to fight back, but Regal’s dirty tricks did the trick. This did not stop Booker T from kicking out several times, getting a good reaction from the crowd, who were urging him on. Regal rolled up the weaker Booker T and got the pin, thus winning the tag-team titles for his team. The tag-titles at last got attention from WCW.
Something funny happened to Austin during his feud with Brian Pillman, which continued from the previous month. During a match of Terry Funk versus Pillman, Steve Austin came down with a couple beers to join the announce team. Mr. Hughes tried to intimidate and argue with him, but Austin picked up a beer and cracked it off his forehead. However, that wasn’t the funny part. The funny part occurred when the match spilled to the outside and Austin again was goaded into a confrontation with Pillman. After throwing Pillman over a table, Funk stopped Austin by grabbing his arm. Austin frowned, looking at the older man in a confused manner. But it was not that Funk wanted to stop Austin from beating up Pillman, instead wanted to hand him a steel chair. Austin could only smile, take the chair and hit Pillman with it. The referee threw out the match but Austin and Funk ended it with a celebration.
The supposed ‘leak’ struck again. Untrue rumors began to appear in the wrestling news that Dusty had been removed from the booking team. The report alleged that Bischoff had made jokes about Dusty to several wrestlers too and cut down most of Dusty’s booking ideas. Dusty remained apathetic to these rumors, just sitting there in the meetings sipping his coffee as he had been doing for most of the month. Bischoff really hated this leak now, as it occupied most of his thinking and he qualified most of what he said to the Booking Team by saying, “Okay, now don’t leak this.”
Hulk Hogan made a few mistakes in his matches that not only hurt his popularity, but also his desire to have more frequent matches. When Bischoff suggested a short vacation, Hogan instead decided to lengthen it and took a leave of absence. In the meantime, The Misfits went from getting a reaction for how horrible they were to getting no reaction at all. The Hangman aka Terry Gordy asked for his release from his contract, even though very little was left on it. Sting then injured himself, landing on his leg wrong falling from the ring. Luckily, X-Rays were negative, however he risked his own health in wrestling through it. Lastly, the Great Muta’s mother died and he had to return to Japan for family business. These events really told the tale for the month: depressing.
Sting had been moving forward a tag-team storyline with Ricky Steamboat against Ric Flair and his partner, the evil Barry Windham. Windham acted like a cocky redneck, contrasted by four-color Sting and his positive attitude. Sting’s energy was sometimes over the top, which he would use to pump himself up with during matches, like Hogan had when he would ‘hulk’ up. It helped in the match at Havoc though, as he was turn the Figure Four over and make a comeback against Flair. Flair had been dominating the match until that point. However, Sting had to get medical attention backstage because of his injured leg. Everyone was concerned.
Halloween Havoc was not critically received and the arena was not even sold out for the event, the first time that had happened in a while. While WCW struggled, the WWF rode a wave of popularity and placed their event on the same day as Halloween Havoc, thus stealing some buys. This event was put over the top with hyped return of Kevin Von Erick to wrestling. In a WWF ring, they honored Kerry Von Erick, who died in 1993 and Kevin gave a speech. Vince McMahon was besting the master of surprises, Eric Bischoff. Afterward, some heels interrupted but Kevin disposed of them all and argued with them as they stood outside the ring menacingly. Vince McMahon then came out and proposed a one-time exhibition bout, which Kevin won over Kamala.
WCW Halloween Havoc 1995
Dark Match: Psicosis defeated Bones and Saturn
Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko defeated Eddie Guerrero & DDP
The Road Warriors defeated Midnight Express
Steve Austin defeated Brian Pillman w/ Mr. Hughes
The Queen’s Team (Lord Steven Regal + Squire Chris Adams) defeated Harlem Heat for the Tag-Titles
Mask vs. Hair match: Arn Anderson defeated The Skipper
The Giant defeated The Beast w/ Jimmy Hart
Sting & Ricky Steamboat defeated Ric Flair and Barry Windham
Bret Hart defeated Big Van Vader
WWF In Your House
Kevin Von Erick ceremony
Kevin Von Erick defeated Kamala
Pierre Oulette defeated Tatanka
The Natural James Townsend defeated the Model Rick Martel
Mr. Perfect defeated Mankind
Cataclysm (Tom Prichard + The Z-Man Tom Zenk) defeated Bob Backlund/Kevin Sullivan and Beefcake/Razor Ramon
Lex Luger defeated Ludvig Borga
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hacksaw Jim Duggan by DQ
Bret Hart concluded his feud with Vader in controversial fashion. Vader dominated Hart in this one until the final few minutes, which Bischoff commented was realistic due to Vader’s size. Hart worked Vader’s legs and got the big man in the sharpshooter, but Sherri distracted the referee by jumping up on the ring apron. Bret Hart released the hold to go retrieve the referee. However, Vader was quickly after him. When Vader came over to grab Hart and surprise him as he was arguing with Sherri, she missed with a clubbing shoe and hit Vader instead. Bret Hart simply pushed the annoying Sherri off the ring apron and got the pinfall on Vader.
The WWF main event again featured the Ultimate Warrior, who turned heel earlier that night. It seemed to surprise fans, but the WWF was able to take those kind of chances now that they turned the corner. The Warrior accomplished this turn by beating up HBK and putting him out. Actually, it was a little less vicious and more revengeful, motivated by the Heartbreak Kid’s scathing promo questioning the company for giving the Warrior a title shot. Wrestling critics commented that this promo was not a shoot, although was clearly planned as such and established similar angles as cutting edge. WCW lagged behind in popular entertainment angles like this. The WWF would regain most of its popularity it had lost in 1993 by the end of October.
At the end of the month, Eric Bischoff sat alone in WCW’s offices contemplating things. Things like the dropping buyrates. Things like a WCW without Hulk Hogan. Things like Ted Turner’s deadline. The supposed leak that was haunting WCW. That was when Vince McMahon called.
Eric almost hung up on him, but then Vince said, “Eric, I heard that your boss told you to change things up. But it seems to me you’re not listening very well.”
Eric paused a moment, tried to think of a snappy comeback, then hung up on him. He tossed the phone across the room.
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September 1995 - A Deadline for Change
Eric Bischoff was excited about Bret Hart as his WCW World Champion, as if the Macho Man or any other WWF champion was inferior. Bischoff did not fight a Hart and Flair feud, surprising most everyone on the booking team. After the booking team snuck in a little more for Flair to do last month and the entire pay per view concluded with a Ric Flair promo, Bischoff was put into a bad position. If he did not follow up on Flair’s challenge long-term, certainly WCW fans would not be happy, nor would some of the wrestlers. He decided to support the feud. There were other wrestlers that needed that follow-up too, such as Steve Austin.
Steve Austin came off well in his feud with Paul Orndorff and immediately Bischoff had an idea to feud him with Davey Boy Smith next. Both men however, did not like that idea. Smith did not like Austin’s character and Austin did not think he would work well with Smith’s style. The two argued when Bischoff tried to go ahead with it anyway, and eventually they had to be separated from arguing backstage. Bischoff then began to think of what to do next with Steve Austin instead of a Davey Boy feud, as he wanted to follow up on his momentum from the previous month. Nothing came to mind, so Austin was left with nothing except his weekly promos. And those promos really weren’t anything special.
The Giant won his first title off of Steven Regal on Nitro, becoming the TV champ, but then the booking team had a problem with what to do next . Unfortunately, like most big men in WCW, Dusty and Stu Hart found it a challenge to book him against credible challengers. Big men would undoubtedly come out either looking totally dominant or the Giant would look foolish, if the smaller man happened to get the pin.
Ole Anderson was assigned to The Booking Team to take on a new role helping two new recruits. Brad and Steve Armstrong were signed and became gimmicky college athletes, a take-off of the Steiner Brothers called the Armstrong Brothers. After they did not get much reaction in their debut, so Ole put on a pair of sunglasses, a ballcap and a varisty jacket to help them on-screen. After being disguised, they called him The Skipper. No, it wasn’t a Gillian’s Island gimmick, but a coach character. Throughout September, Ole’s usual gruff demeanor lended easily to being a coach on-screen for these wrestlers. He then began harassing his old rival Ric Flair, while the announcers speculated wildly about who The Skipper could be. It was quite obvious to the fans, but somehow Mike Tenay missed it. Wrestling fans liked to have questions answered and they were denied this opportunity. A mystery was formed and that seemed intriguing.
In September, Miss Elizabeth was signed by WCW, and rumors started that WCW was trying to get the Macho Man by doing so. However, Elizabeth was divorced from Randy Savage and had been out of the WWF for some time, so that rumor died quickly. She began escorting Bret Hart to the ring, of all people. Next, WCW recruited Sherri Martel to valet for Ric Flair, so both women were at ringside whenever Flair confronted Hart. This added an extra element for the main event at Fall Brawl, in that both women were acting out a rivalry too.
Ole Anderson just hated the character of Mean Mark and was getting some of the booking team on his side by the end of the month. He just thought that the character was bland and rather generic, lacking the uniqueness that even made Dr. Death stand out. Bischoff really wanted to use some sort of undead gimmick to play off his WWF popularity, but feared a lawsuit. They then thought they might recruit the weird gimmick expert, Charles Wright aka Papa Shango to be his partner, but Bruce Hart realized that Mean Mark really needed to remain a face. In a meeting, they narrowed the new gimmick down to either a Preacher or a Russian Badass. Bischoff disliked both choices, but Ole argued for the Preacher or voodoo gimmick, saying that it played off his past established personality, a supernatural type. A preacher who no-sells and is badass cannot be that far of a stretch. In any case, they held out Mean Mark while WCW contemplated his new direction
The first week of September, ECW’s television show was cancelled after a scandal. USWA’s longtime syndicated show was also pulled, leaving only WCW and the WWF as the only American promotions with wrestling shows. ECW’s scandal damaged the wrestling business, because it featured controversial angles that went beyond storylines and gimmicks. They had blood, swearing, drinking and hot women getting their butts kicked. However, the TV network began to censor the show without telling Heyman, editing controversial angles and blood as well. After hearing of this, Paul Heyman cut a promo insulting the network for that censorship, in a lengthy diatribe. The network then began to censor Heyman’s promos too. ECW then created an annoying network executive played by the same gimmick expert WCW had talked about, Charles Wright. Wright wore wire-rimmed glasses, a white shirt and a suit that allowed him to look annoying as possible to go along with his annoying gimmick. Needless to say, the network found very little humor in this. ECW fans loved to see the executive get beat up though.
Another businessman that began making waves was Jesse Ventura. After walking out of WCW a month back, Ventura had disappeared from the wrestling radar. However in September, Jesse Ventura formed a financial partnership with Bob Armstrong in Armstrong’s small promotion, Georgia Wrestling. By the end of the month, Ventura had bought the small promotion outright from the Armstrong family but kept Bob on as the booker. A week later, WCW sued Jesse Ventura for breach of contract, unable to accept Ventura working for another company, no matter how small it was. However, Ventura refused to return to work. Bischoff and Ventura worked out a settlement where Georgia Wrestling would accept WCW wrestlers in exchange for WCW dropping their suit. The small promotion would give youngsters a place to practice their craft and for veterans to reinvent themselves. Needless to say, Ventura was not too happy about Bischoff boxing him into a corner in this way, but would not relinquish his new investment or return to work. So he was stuck with the settlement.
WCW sent down Jim Powers, Shogun, Mean Mark and the Mountie to participate in the Armstrong family promotion, but none felt welcome. Bob Armstrong hyped his first co-event with WCW as a ‘wresting’ show, which had excellent matches first and entertainment second. This seemed to go against the grain in present day wrestling and critics began to speculate how long it would last. Critics also had a field day speculating how long the Ultimate Warrior would last in the WWF.
As a result of the Ultimate Warrior‘s return, the WWF gained a little ground back on WCW. Bischoff tried a few surprises to keep Fall Brawl fresh, but only one worked like a charm. That was the return of Ron Simmons to WCW, immediately getting a babyface reaction and rightfully so, as he played up his badass persona excellently. Both Sting and Ricky Steamboat put over Simmons when he joined them in their 6-man match. Ron Simmons had this quiet, badass persona that seemed to work well for him.
After the team of Money Talks lost another match on Nitro, Michael Wallstreet turned on his partner and began beating up Bobby Eaton. Then Bischoff sprung his next surprise, Stan Lane ran out to make the save, thus reforming the Midnight Express. Stan Lane was further put over when a week later he tossed the untrustworthy Jim Cornette from the ring and the team came out on top of the Road Warriors. Beautiful Bobby and Stan Lane were favorites of WCW’s traditional, southern audience and this helped ratings, but did not seem to mix with alternative angles Bischoff wanted.
WCW signed Jimmy Garvin, another old veteran. However, Bischoff did not like his old style gimmick, instead Ole Anderson added him to The Executioners led by Dr. Death, naming him Bones. The supernatural trio of Executioners were fine for entertainment purposes, but not for wrestling. After all, no one on the booking team expected them to win and Bones got to paint his face white to reinforce their gimmicky nature. Steve Williams went to Bischoff and frustratedly explained his moniker, that Dr. Death was a hardcore nickname. This was ignored because of the gimmicks and Bischoff didn‘t want to change them. This inflexibility hurt the morale of the wrestlers. Bischoff caught wind of this disgruntled attitude and booked them to lose again to the Midnight Express. Whether the booking was a punishment was never discovered.
Brian Pillman then began a series of promos claiming that he had never been respected by anyone in WCW, not Davey Boy Smith, not Bret Hart and not Paul Orndorff. He had been the sidekick to all of them, but he himself was getting a ‘bodyguard’ to force people to respect him this time. At Fall Brawl, Brian Pillman brought out his bodyguard, Mr. Hughes, a large man with shades, reminiscent of Butch Reed or Ron Simmons. Pillman was so confident in his new bodyguard, that he issued an open challenge, which was answered by none other than Steve Austin, who finally had a budding feud. Unfortunately for Pillman, Austin was sure to win the match, but Hughes interfered and caused a DQ. Hughes then went further and powerbombed ‘The Stunner’. It seemed to get some reaction, at least. Hughes and Austin battled on the outside until Pillman leaped from the ring onto Austin.
The Skipper, with his disguise, continually tried to help his varsity boys, the Armstrong Brothers, cheat to win. Harlem Heat put them straight, but Arn Anderson appeared for the first time in a long time, coming down to the ring to confront this coach or “Skipper,” who everyone knew was Ole Anderson anyways. This confrontation never materialized, as the Brian Armstrong attacked Arn on the outside, thus leaving his partner victim to a pinfall. However, Arn had seemingly turned babyface with this appearance and got an appropriate reaction for doing so. WCW would definitely follow-up.
The Giant was free of the burden of a “cancer” angle, but as the TV champion, everyone seemed to want to get the title off of him instead of letting him run with it. How they would get this giant wrestler to lose was also up for debate and it became a second burden for The Giant. WCW tried to push the TV title and The Giant’s possession of it as important, immediately beginning a feud with Paul Orndorff. Orndorff was given the time to cut promos and once ambushed The Giant backstage after he came out to “backtalk” to him, as Orndorff called it. Orndorff attacked The Giant’s legs and hurt him with weapons.
Beyond these attacks, Bischoff figured that the easiest way to create a believable loss was by having an even bigger man attack The Giant. The only one was The Beast aka Paul Silva. He interfered in the Giant’s match and allowed Paul Orndorff to the get the pinfall. He actually bodyslammed the Giant when the referee was distracted by New Jersey Jim, a feat not having been done before. The Giant was then an obvious candidate for a feud with The Beast, but the booking team would have to talk about that first.
Fall Brawl - September 1995
Dark Match - Saturn defeated Samu the Savage w/ New Jersey Jim
Dark Match - Eddie Guerrero defeated Tracy Smothers
The Midnight Express defeated The Hangman + Bones w/ Dr. Death
Steve Austin defeated Brian Pillman w/ Mr. Hughes by DQ
Harlem Heat defeated the Armstrong Brothers w/ The Skipper
Paul Orndorff defeated the Giant for the TV title
Road Warriors defeated the Rock n’ Roll Express
Davey Boy Smith defeated Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit for the US Title
Terry Funk defeated Greg Valentine
Sting, Ricky Steamboat and Ron Simmons defeated Vader, Barry Windham, and Lord Steven Regal
Bret Hart w/ Elizabeth defeated Ric Flair w/ Sherri
Bischoff began to wonder if he had done too many new things in September and in the process confused and overwhelmed the fans. He signed a number of workers who even appeared on the PPV, such as Tracy Smothers, Stan Lane, Ron Simmons and Jimmy Garvin aka Bones. A dip in quality began to show when critics rated WWF Backlash better Fall Brawl for the first time since 1993. It did not show in the buyrates however, as WCW clearly remained stable there. But Bischoff began to wonder if it wouldn’t begin to show sooner rather than later there too.
WWF In Your House - September 1995
Dark Match: The Barbarian defeated Doink
Bam Bam Bigalow went to a double DQ with Mankind
The Anvil defeated Tatanka and Mabel
Rick Steiner defeated Crush
Cataclysm (Tom Pitchard and the Z-Man) defeated the Smoking Gunns for the Tag-Titles
James Townsend defeated Scott Steiner by DQ
Pierre Oulette defeated Fatu w/Afa
HBK and Macho Man defeated the Nasty Boys
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Lex Luger
Hacksaw Jim Duggan defeated Mr. Perfect to retain the WWF Heavyweight Title
Fans began to wonder just where Hulk Hogan had disappeared to. After the first Nitro main event was hyped as such a great confrontation between Ric Flair and Rick Rude, fans did not notice. The next week, Hogan did not appear either and suddenly Hogan had missed more shows than he ever had before. When he did finally appear in a taped vinette, fans actually responded negatively. Fans were getting sick of Hulk Hogan.
The fan reaction was like a broken record, however Hogan clung to his spot and Bischoff tightly held onto his moneymaker. That is, until Ted Turner’s Scott Sassa came to visit Eric Bischoff. Scott Sassa had been absent since Bischoff was named head of WCW. Bischoff wasn’t ready to listen to any suggestions from him, so made several excuses to put off the meeting. However, Ted Turner reportedly gave Sassa a single task, to call a meeting of the Booking Team and make an ultimatum. And Sassa was going to do that, as he had found confidence running an entertainment division of Ted Turner’s business.
Ted Turner apparently had been channel flipping and actually watched one Nitro, which he had never done before. That is true, not an exaggeration. Turner was never concerned about the content of WCW, only that they beat the WWF in the ratings and scored higher in buyrates. However, even Turner could feel the war begin to shift in the WWF’s favor. Sassa called a booking team meeting and explained what Turner had said was WCW’s problem. It was their aging roster and traditional style.
The Booking Team met at the end of the month to discuss that topic. They had over a half-dozen total wrestlers over 40, including Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan and others. Youngsters like Steve Austin rarely cracked the upper card because of Bischoff’s philosophy that fans wanted to see established stars. The WWF seemed to have the opposite philosophy, as they pushed young Fatu, their King of the Ring Winner James Townsend, HBK and others. They nicknamed Townsend ‘The Natural’ James Townsend because of his natural charisma and winning smile. As a bodybuilder, James Townsend had a great build, but was somewhat lacking in the ring. That didn’t stop the WWF. They re-hired the Warrior, after all.
Sassa set a deadline for Bischoff to meet. By the New Year, WCW had to reinvent itself with younger stars like the WWF had and gain that ground back or there would be consequences. Bischoff could not believe he was hearing about a deadline. He had actually made WCW profitable. With Hulk Hogan. With veterans that fans wanted to see. Sassa told Bischoff that what the fans wanted to see had changed and these same fans had to be given what they wanted. Being a simple businessman, that seemed like a good philosophy. Fans wanted something different, something new, exciting, like ECW was doing for their fans. Bischoff however, was impossible to talk to. He claimed that the WWF was playing dirty tricks, such as when they put their PPV on the same day as WCW. Sassa left, however the deadline was still on.
The whole corporate structure of WCW made Bischoff’s job nearly impossible. For example, executives like Scott Sassa could show up for no apparent reason and talk to the wrestlers like a boss. Other executives might show up to give “advice” to those same wrestlers, however this advice would never be consistent. This confused the wrestlers and really frustrated Bischoff. Bischoff just wanted to run things his way. And he had been, until Turner’s deadline for change. Many assumed Bischoff was not going to make any changes, but a decision like that might be dangerous for Bischoff‘s future.
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Wrestling with Shadows - Dustin Rhodes
"Weclome back to Wrestling with Shadows, the investigative show that delves deep into the latest issues in wrestling. Today we're looking at Dustin Rhodes, the son of the multi-time wrestling champion Dusty Rhodes," Peter Michaels says.
"Make no doubt about it, some people like Sid Vicious would claim that family members get special treatment because of influence of other family members on the booking team. For example, last time Eric Bischoff was adamant in his denial that none of the Hart family had any influence over the recent push of Bret Hart," Michaels continues, "But others have a different story."
The screen cuts to Dusty Rhodes sitting at a long, fold-table in what looks like a backstage area. He fingers a cup of coffee as he says, "Yeah, I'm not afraid to admit all the wrongs in my life. Not afraid to admit em. No sir. I gave my son a few matches to win when I was booking the show. But nowadays you have to work with a team, so really there's no way it could happen."
The camera fades to a video montage of Dustin Rhodes as he was wrestling and Peter Michaels narrates, "When Dusty Rhodes returned to WCW in May of 1995, he returned without young Dustin, who had himself begun to wrestle with more shadows in the wrestling business. Without his father, Dustin wrestled the independents, but bookings were very few until they dwindled to nothing. He eventually turned up on High-Octane Wrestling, a local promotion based in Mexico. We received permission to travel there to interview Dustin."
The screen fades in on the city of Chihuahua, Mexico. Peter Michaels stands in the sun in some plaid shorts and a ballcap. He says, "Welcome to hot Chihuahua. Don't ask me to repeat that. If I'm acting a bit on edge, it's because it's hot and the days are certainly long. Did I mention it's hot? Anyway, we visited High-Octane Wrestling here in the downtown district of the busy city. However, when we went inside, it was anything but busy."
The screen cuts to two men wrestling, obviously lucha-wrestlers from Mexico. Their appearance is nondescript, but the camera quickly pans to the crowd and only about a half-dozen people are there. One man eats a hot dog, another is yelling something in spanish and finally another sits looking bored. His t-shirt reads "I'm the Superfly, bitch."
Peter Michaels looks deadpan at the camera and says, "It was an exciting night. But that was just the beginning."
The screen cuts back to the ring of High-Octane Wrestling. A spanish announcer can be heard yelling through some microphone feedback, "ZZZZZZ...ahora...bienvenida por favor...Dustin...ZZZZhodes!" he barely says. Dustin Rhodes runs out to no reaction whatsoever. The man in the front takes a bite of his hot dog and licks some ketchup on his hand, then reaches out to attempt to high-five Dustin. Dustin looks at the crowd strangely.
"ZZZZz...BEEEEP...y antagonista...El Mosca!" the announcer tries to say. A man, perhaps a teenager, runs out looking like a human fly. His lucha character is obviously a fly, but his giant bug eyes obscure his vision as he trips over a cord while making for the ring stairs. He bangs his head on these pointed stairs, but thankfully gets up after only a few minutes of unconsciousness. A few shouts from the man in the Superfly t-shirt do not help. Mercifully, the screen cuts back to Peter Michaels outside.
Peter Michaels sighs some and says, "It was at least an air-conditioned building. Anyway, the masked Fly lost via submission, but we will spare you the match highlights ladies and gentlemen. My point in showing you all this is that Dustin Rhodes can fall no further. In all my years of reporting, I don't think I've ever seen such a horrible production. Imagine being trapped in a world where you speak very little of the language, make very little to live off of and have grown to hate, dare I say dispise, the very thing you used to love to do. That's how Dustin Rhodes feels."
"After seeing what we just saw, Dustin Rhodes refused to talk with us. But Dusty Rhodes released a tape of a phone message to us from Dustin after we also showed Dusty the previous footage. He was understandably concerned. As any father would be. Here is the phone message," Peter Michaels introduces.
"[bEEP] Hi Dad, it's Dustin. Listen, I just got done eating and I was thinking, maybe I should come home. You wouldn't be too proud of me, Dad. I wrestled in front of six [beep]ing today, Dad. God Dammit! Six [beep]ing people! I could not believe it, trust me. At first I was like 'Hey it's Mexico, they love WCW there, I'm gonna make out big-time.' But you were right, I got [beep]ed all over the place. They stuck me in a two-person room with five people and they had bunk beds. [beep]ing bunk beds, god dammit. What is this, the boy scouts or a wrestling promotion? They didn't even have me sign anything or promise anything, apparently they just slip the guys some money. If they make any. I dunno how it works really. The guy in charge gave me a bill once and I think he actually asked for change. Can you believe that? [beep]ing change. I'm coming home right [beep]ing now, Dad. And yes, I'm still mad at you but not mad enough to endure eating [beep] on toast and sleeping in a [beep]ing bunk bed."
Peter Michaels smirks and says, "Dustin Rhodes did not enjoy Mexico. He is currently cutting lawns back in the United States. No word on when he'll return to wrestling."
---
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August 1995 - Main Event Gold
With Big Van Vader as champion, Eric Bischoff felt a lot more creative in August. The World Title was the center of WCW programming again, as opposed to another feud. For example, when the two Bulldogs were feuding, Mean Mark did very little to build his feud against Vader in June and the World Title became second fiddle. However, Mark Callous was the master of the vinette, which helped. In August, Bret Hart and Vader became the center of the World Title picture. Hart began a feud with Vader that began more subtly at War Games, when the two brawled repeatedly.
Bret Hart was hyped as the last great challenger WCW had and Vader pulled out all the tricks to play mind-games with him, recruiting Davey Boy Smith to be with him at ringside for August. Unfortunately, no tricks could stop Hart and he put his determined character into overdrive. As the feud began, Vader destroyed Owen Hart and everyone knows Bret Hart defends the little guy, no offense to Owen. Bret came out and faced down Vader, amazingly enough, however Davey Boy attacked him from behind.
The feud continued immediately on the next Nitro with Bret Hart opening the show with an emotional promo. He seemed less casual and more determined, as he believed Vader crossed the line, making their rivalry personal. Vader did this even moreso by backing out of a tag-match and putting Davey Boy Smith in his spot. Again, WCW’s storylines imitated life, as Smith was the brother in-law of Bret Hart. The two, who have opposed each other before, did so one more time. During the tag-match, WCW cut to shots of Smith’s wife Diana in the crowd. She was the sister of Bret Hart, so the match was packed with as much past emotion as possible. Hart emerged victorious, but not without taking a vicious beating for which he didn’t wrestle until the pay per view. Backstage vinettes kept fans updated on Hart‘s condition, as he began “training” and rehabbing for a World Title match with Vader. The build-up was McMahon-esque.
Steve Austin was quickly put into another feud before he ruined Flair’s heat with promos of “The Flare for the Old.“ He began working against 44 year old Paul Orndorff, who had turned heel on Paul Roma a while back. Orndorff recruited hyperactive Brian Pillman to be annoyingly present at ringside for his matches. Pillman also jumped, beatdown or ambushed most of Orndorff’s enemies, except for Austin. Although Pillman caused a DQ in a tag-match, Austin delivered a stunner before Orndorff rescued him. So it was that the storyline heated up.
There was one thing Sid Vicious got right, if that’s believable. The Hart family was a big part of WCW, especially in August. Stu Hart was instrumental in not letting several wrestlers drift off the map, namely The Giant and Hulk Hogan. As big as these men had become, it was easy for Stu to get them to focus on what they needed to do. Stu Hart was the grandfather to everyone on the roster and so, gained respect because of his age. But after his age got him in the door, Stu was able to relate some advice that was actually practical. He let The Giant know that his “cancer” angle was not the best in the world, but had an idea to deflect the focus away from that and onto an interaction with the Road Warriors. The Warriors had, after all, attacked both The Giant and Hogan at the War Games.
Bischoff gave Stu free-reign after listening to this new direction for the team of Hogan and The Giant. The bigger man actually was portrayed as the weaker member, which Hogan liked, as he was used to carrying teams. The two of them struggled with the Road Warriors, as the hard-hitting heels were able to storytell perhaps the best of any team on the roster. Bischoff then interjected with a way to wiggle out The Giant out of his angle. Jim Cornette, manager of the Road Warriors, announced he had found a doctor to give The Giant surgery enough to cure him of the cancer.
Stu Hart was a bit boggled at this revelation, wondering where these storylines had come from. In any case, Cornette refused to give up the name of the doctor or help The Giant in any way, unless of course, they could beat the Road Warriors at the Great American Bash. Not a complicated gimmick by any means, but not the best either. What was much better was Steve Austin’s interactions with Paul Orndorff.
Orndorff picked up the feud with a promo near the end of the month. He came out and simply said Steve Austin was a loser. And not just a loser, but reinforced his gimmick and said he was a redneck loser. Orndorff didn’t just walk up and say this though, but got into the ring with Tony Schiavone and WCW built it all up as an official interview. Orndorff was similar to Jesse Ventura in that he would take his time during promos and could make a mere sentence emotional. But, he was given five to ten minutes to speak, so that helped. And with Brian Pillman just standing in the background cackling, it was even better.
[promo]
“Austin, you’re a loser. I want you to hear me. I think you’re a loser and just like the other kids in this company, I’m gonna show you how to clean the toilet. But…maybe I won’t once you admit that when you’re in the ring with Mr. Wonderful, you‘re a made man. You can tell all your friends and your buddies that Mr. Wonderful took you to school and wrestled the hell outta you. There’s one guarantee. At the Great American Bash, you’re gonna get schooled, because it‘s gonna be a Street Fight. And you‘re not gonna graduate, boy,” Paul Orndorff said.
[/promo]
Jesse Ventura then renewed his backstage rivalry with Hogan. They both disagreed with the color commentary that Jesse provided during a Hogan match. Hogan claimed that Jesse was going out of his way to “run down” Hogan and over emphasize mistakes he made. Jesse Ventura later claimed to a radio show that he had no idea what “overselling” meant and so walked out on WCW instead of deal with these types of comments. Everyone knew a conflict was coming sooner or later, as the two men disliked each other. Inexplicably, Bischoff was left without a skilled color commentator, but at first tried JJ Dillon then switched to Larry Zybysko.
WCW signed Buddy Landel, the Nature Boy, who had been touring the independents since the closing of Smokey Mountain Wrestling. He immediately began a program with Ric Flair who was still thankfully a babyface, pitting Landel as an arrogant Nature Boy and Flair as the crowd favorite. Landel began by taunting Flair, as he had good microphone skills and was able to hold the crowd through a promo. Others on the roster could not do this, such as Greg Valentine or Barry Windham. The feud continued through the Great American Bash at the end of August.
Buddy Landel walked out with a sparkly robe, bleached blonde hair and had some of the same mannerisms of the real Nature Boy. He didn’t do the ‘Woo’ though, that’s where he said he drew the line. Of course, anyone who “ripped off” Ric Flair was the devil to a WCW fan, but when they were both in the ring, you had to blink your eyes a few times as you were seeing double. Landel challenged Flair to a “Nature Boy” match, which of course, put the monikur on the line. Flair began to think this was Bischoff’s way of getting him to change his wardrobe or cut his hair, as Jim Herd had threatened. But surprisingly, Bischoff wanted Flair to beat Landel soundly and smack him around like a rookie. Landel was to cheat even more than Flair ever had, illegally use the ropes for leverage, slip the fight to the outside and other tactics. The match was actually fairly decent, but fans really didn’t care much about Landel. They cared more about the main event.
Bret Hart was able to look the best out of anyone that month in promos, especially with Owen Hart standing next to him looking sympathetic. Owen began walking with a crutch, thanks to Vader’s attack earlier that month. And every wrestling fan knows what that means. The crutch becomes a weapon. During a tag-match, Ricky Steamboat and Bret Hart were taking on The Queen’s Team, Regal and Chris Adams. And again, Owen was standing at ringside, with his crutch, looking sympathetic. Vader walked down to ringside and started bullying Owen, then grabbed his crutch and broke it completely in half over his back. Well, needless to say, Bret forgot about the match and began brawling with Vader at ringside. The match broke down into a Mick Foley brawl. Vader finished off the night with a slam of Bret Hart through a table, shattering it.
Lastly, the other gimmick match on the pay per view, was the American Elimination Match. It was basically a regular, 6-man elimination match, but everyone wore American colors, even the heels. However, The Misfits disliked this stipulation, like classic heels. The Misfits stole and ripped up Chris Benoit’s American flag and choked him with the tattered pieces. No word on whether that is against US law. Of course, it came down to The Ice Man Chris Benoit against the largest man in wrestling. You’ve got to hand it to Benoit, he was actually able to wrestle The Beast. For the first time ever, The Beast looked decent. For five minutes, at least.
Great American Bash - August 1995
Dark Match: Saturn defeated DDP w/ Kimberly
Paul Roma defeated Eddie Guerrero
Ricky Steamboat defeated Lord Steven Regal w/ Squire Chris Adams by DQ
American Elimination Match: The Rock n’ Roll Express + Chris Benoit defeated
The Misfits (Samu, The Beast, New Jersey Jim) w/ Jimmy Hart
Street Fight: Steve Austin defeated Paul Orndorff
Harlem Heat defeated Barry Windham + Greg Valentine
Nature Boy Match: Ric Flair defeated Buddy Landel
Sting defeated Rick Rude
Hulk Hogan and the Giant defeated The Road Warriors
Bret Hart defeated Big Van Vader for the WCW World Title
Then something happened that was unthinkable and overshadowed everything WCW did that month, including the great main event feud. The WWF re-signed The Ultimate Warrior. Everyone in the locker room thought the Warrior was gone for good, but Vince apparently changed his mind. He later gave an interview and said that the fans still had been demanding the Warrior, but insiders knew it was a ploy to win the ratings war.
The Warrior dismantled Jerry Sags and Brian Knobbs on successive WWF TV shows, all the while putting on the most god-awful matches possible. The Warrior refused or simply did have the talent to put over the Nasty Boys, even though they were a hot attraction. Vince then put the Warrior in a feud with Lex Luger, a heel which did not seem to complement the Warrior’s style. Those matches were even more horrendous, however were short, sweet and to the point and extremely popular with the fans. The Warrior came out on top, horrifying insiders. The WWF however, sold out the arena. Meanwhile, they tried to boost the Summerslam workrate with the Macho Man taking on the youngster, James Townsend, an excellent match. Unfortunately, the WWF did not put this youngster over.
WWF Summerslam in August 1995
The Warlord defeated Otto Wanz
The Smoking Gunns defeated Team Edge
Men on a Mission defeated the King and Typhoon
Macho Man Randy Savage defeated James Townsend
Shawn Michaels defeated Mister Perfect
Pierre Oulette defeated Fatu for the WWF Intercontinental Title
Razor Ramon defeated Hacksaw Jim Duggan
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Lex Luger
Bret Hart was put over by WCW and won the World Title. After the Great American Bash main event was over, several wrestlers came out to shake Hart’s hand. Owen came out on his crutches, along with Ricky Steamboat, The Giant and several others. They were all flanked by Ric Flair, who walked to the ring slowly. The crowd seemed to enjoy this pay per view better than they had previous WCW pay per views. After offering his hand, Bret Hart was knocked on his ass by none other than Nature Boy Ric Flair. The other wrestlers restrained Flair as he stomped the Hitman and tossed Flair from the ring.
Flair was incensed, tossing chairs and upending tables. He grabbed a microphone, “Bret Hart! I…am…the Naaaa---ture Boy…Ric Flair! And I proved it tonight, baby. I proved it tonight in front of all these screaming fans! Listen to em’! Woo!” he said with a grin and then grew serious as he pointed at Bret Hart, “You know what Bret Hart, I prove it every night and people don't lose faith in winners. The Nature Boy just keeps winning and winning, and you know why, because I've got the greatest ability and talent and woo! I'm the greatest athlete alive today. I'm the man and you don‘t deserve to hold that belt. That's right. You’ll come and go, but there's only one Ric Flair and he deserves to be World Champion over all you! All of you in the ring! These fans want to see /me/. And I don't care if its Atlantic City, Atlanta, Georgia or Charlotte, North Carolina! Woo! I'm the man making this show possible. Only one. I am a winner Bret Hart, I walk down that aisle, get in that ring and win. Woo! And I'm gonna win against you too and bring that title home where it belongs, baby. That's why I am...the…greatest…haha!”
---
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Wrestling with Shadows - Sid Vicious
"Welcome back to Wrestling with Shadows, the investivative program looking deep into the heart of issues in wrestling," Peter Michaels says, "On today's show, we were supposed to bring you an interview with the Nature Boy Ric Flair, but while we were at WCW, our crew got caught up in another interesting story."
The screen blacks and fades in on Sid Vicious, but there is no sound. Vicious seems to be arguing with Arn Anderson and Larry Zybysko. Zybysko talks calmly, as if the mediator, but Arn Anderson simply waves dismissively and walks off. Sid Vicious looks annoyed.
"We followed around Sid Vicious around after War Games in July, and he told us about some of his personal problems in the company," Michaels narrates, "Sid Vicious told us his problems began when WCW brought Bret Hart on board."
Sid Vicious stands in a backstage hallway and tells Michaels, "I don't know what the deal is with Bret. He came on to give us a little more star power, you know. And he got attention right away, you know. Guess what I did during "Bret Hart" month? I jobbed to some youngster," Sid says.
The picture fades back to Peter Michaels in the studio again, "Sid told me that he was also a bit envious of Bret Hart, as his push continued for most of 1994 and for some of 1995. Bret seemed to be getting constant attention"
Pictured again in that shadowy hallway, Sid crosses his arms and continues, "Yeah there's a whole bunch of em' here, Harts I mean. His father Stu is on the booking team. Don't you think that's a conflict of interesting or something? Maybe. I don't know, man. Listen, Bret gets stuff all the time and I'm still doing the same thing."
"What would you suggest they do instead?" Michaels asks.
"Listen, I can do a storyline. I can, really. But hey, when the youngsters don't work or some angle flops, they call me. I'm WCW's safety value. You know what I mean? A safety value type guy that they always call up and ask me to put over the next one that they're pushing."
"You mean, Eric Bischoff?" Michaels asks.
Sid chuckles a little and says, "Yeah, I said 'they', I mean the little guy, sorry. Bischoff just about controls everything. Sure, he's got people running around for him, but hey, he makes the calls and junk. If Bischoff wanted me to look a little better, I have no doubt, no single doubt he could do it. He could do it easy. He could."
Back at the studio, Michaels looks a little more serious as he says, "Saying Sid was unhappy would be an understatement. That day, we went right to the source, and asked Eric Bischoff about this situation.
"Eric, how do you respond to Sid's comments?" Michaels asks after cutting to the interview. They both are in WCW's plush offices.
"I'm not sure what to say really, just that the wrestlers don't get to decide the outcomes of matches. They don't get to make a final decision on anything. They are employees of WCW. Listen, I understand Sid is unhappy. I understand that. But he needs to suck it up a little and start being a professional," Bischoff says.
Back at the studio, Peter Michaels concludes, "After hearing these comments from each side, it was clear that the two parties were not communicating. They agreed to sit down with us and discuss the issue."
Eric Bischoff and Sid Vicious now sit together in WCW's offices. Sid has his arms crossed, looking annoyed and seems to stare at the wall as Eric Bischoff merely sits quietly. The camera pans over to Peter Michaels, who says, "Thank you gentlemen for joining me today. We're here to discuss the issue Sid brought up---"
"I just wish Sid would be more professional," Bischoff interjects suddenly, "Before you get started, I want to point out that I have tried resolving it. I can't even get through one discussion with him though."
"Oh shaddup Eric. God, man. Listen, I want to be treated better, that's it. You can't even discuss that?"
"I can discuss just about anything, but you want to yell and curse," Bischoff says bitterly.
"Whatever Eric. Try discussing the topic isntead of accusing me of junk. Like you usually do."
"Try discussing your release," Bischoff replies pointedly. He gets up from his seat, removes his microphone, and walks off without another word. Sid Vicious certainly has nothing more to say to that so sits quietly as the picture fades out.
The picture fades back to Peter Michaels in the studio again as he concludes, "It is obvious Sid vicious is wrestling with more than just Eric Bischoff. But he would not reveal to us what that is. Perhaps someday he will confide in someone, but it was obvious to me that his present environment brings out the worst in him. Sid Vicious has been released from WCW."
---
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July 1995 - Life imitates wrestling
Several friendships broke up in July while Bischoff was trying to mend fences. First, Hulk Hogan considered his friendship with Brian Knobbs over. Hogan spoke to a radio show and made comments about Knobbs “deserting” WCW after Hogan stuck up for him. Bret Hart and Sid Vicious began to have problems backstage, as Vicious began starting rumors that Hart was getting special treatment. For example, Sid Vicious started a rumor that Bret Hart was supposed to job to him a few months back but refused. Vicious also began telling people he was going to leave WCW if he wasn't "treated better," but never did. None of these rumors could be proven either, although curiously, Sid and Hart were never put into a storyline together. Fans then began thinking these “backstage” troubles were a work.
Chris Benoit had trained to be a wrestler at the Dungeon under Stu Hart and was close friends of the Hart family, or so everyone thought. Dean Malenko surprisingly became Benoit’s close backstage ally when he helped resolve some backstage conflicts with Owen Hart and Benoit. Chris Benoit and Malenko then became good friends. They went on a radio show together and Malenko said some rather harsh comments about some other wrestlers in the company without telling Benoit. This radio show appearance was a small problem, as Malenko and Benoit were supposed to be in a feud. Dusty had to go out of his way to talk to both men about this, although Benoit had become distant thanks to Malenko's surprising comments. It began to become apparent even to the wrestling media that the problems in the locker room had increased, not decreased, since the World title change.
While Bischoff contemplated a solution to this, he began booking longer storylines in July. Barry Windham began a program with Sting when Barry Windham began taunting him repeatedly. Basically, Windham called him a flash in the pan and somebody who could never beat a ring-expert like himself. Windham was getting over a bit slower now since his heel turn and needed these strong angles. He began calling Sting a ‘company man’, what Windham had been months ago prior to his turn. He also lost to Sting in tag-action, but Windham pointed returned a favor with a series of backstage attacks.
Dusty decided that the Malenko/Benoit feud needed some more attention on air, so slowed it down and concentrated on giving Malenko a legitimate reason to dislike Benoit. Malenko said in a promo that he was colder than The Ice Man Chris Benoit and he proved this by getting more vicious in the ring. His first victim was Benoit’s partner, Saturn. Malenko made Saturn submit, holding the submission after the bell in typical heel fashion. He then even made Owen Hart submit the next week. The following Nitro, Malenko said that he was the new submission expert and to prove it, he was going to make Chris Benoit submit next. Malenko challenged him to a submission match.
Lastly, the War Games were hyped from the first of July. This time, it would be Hogan and Vader, head to head, as captains of their teams. Bischoff feared that Hogan may have lost some of his heat thanks to his title loss to Vader. He had lost some, as fans were now simply not interested at all, instead of either loving him or hating him, as in the past. Hogan was at least able to carry tag-matches. Traditional War Games members, the Road Warriors, were recruited by Vader this time, as they had always been faces in the past. Rounding out Vader’s team was Sid and the seven foot Beast. Incredibly, The Beast was still getting attention, after losing consecutive PPV matches. It was just impossible for the Booking Team to deny his unique appearance, but the look alone did not make the wrestler.
Hogan earned the respect of Bret and Owen Hart with a rescue from the Road Warriors on one Nitro, earning also their participation on his War Games team. Hogan then cut a promo on one Nitro inviting Ric Flair into the ring and the resulting response from the fans seemed to tell him who would be in the team next. And so it was, as Flair was added. Flair then took the mic and called out Ricky Steamboat to join him in the ring, jumping ahead to pre-maturely recruit him too. Steve Austin then interrupted and Bischoff began his anti-hero storyline, as the traditionalism was going overboard by this point. Austin then snatched the mic and told Flair and Steamboat that if they wanted to win, they were going to need the dirtiest “son of a bitch” in WCW. That was a no no, as Flair snatched the mic back and reminded him that he was the dirtiest player in the game. Austin then gave Flair and Steamboat both a “stunner,” a finishing move that Steve personally came up with that reminded him of his days as “Stunning Steve Austin,” only this time he literally was stunning. It was ironic and funny, at least to Austin.
After that surprisingly good promo, Dusty had to prompt Bischoff to give Austin more promos, as Bischoff didn’t see him as marketable, stunning or not. Bischoff thought about Austin’s push as TV champ and wondered what Dusty saw in this guy, a former tag-wrestler who could strut around and look bad ass. Again, Bischoff clung to the belief that fans wanted veterans such as those already on the roster, like Greg Valentine or Bret Hart. Austin was then given some rope to hang himself with, but never did he once falter. On the final two Nitros before War Games, Austin hosted a talk show he called ‘A Flare for the Old’, of course a play on Flair’s classic promos ‘A Flair for the Gold.’ Luckily, Dusty was there to promote the whole thing within the booking team, scripting most of Austin’s promos personally. Austin was never given his War Games place, that going to Ricky Steamboat as predicted.
The fans of a literal “stunning” Steve Austin were confused, yet interested. The TV champ would kick the butt of Michael Wallstreet and insult Ric Flair all on the same Nitro, so it was confusing to decide if he was face or heel. At least Bischoff was finally giving Flair something to do. No other wrestler on the roster was an anti-hero or walked the line between goodguy and badguy so closely as Steve Austin. Bischoff then feuded Austin with Harley Race, the authority of WCW and abandoned efforts to clearly define Austin as a heel. He figured that an anti-hero is most effective rebelling against someone, so who better to rebel against than a heel authority. Race had been the authority the fans loved to hate anyway.
After stunning Race on the final ‘A Flare for the Old,’ Race booked Austin against Lord Steven Regal out of revenge. Race also abused his power later that night and restarted the Austin match after a clear DQ, giving Regal more opportunity to win. And win he did, capturing the TV title too. Now Austin was really pissed off and turned his bad ass character into overdrive. Austin showed up at War Games, despite not being booked or expected there. Race showed up with Larry Zybysko, who had volunteered to be enforcer for the main event, as Ole had the previous year. But when the main event rolled around, Austin walked out, not Zybysko. Race claimed that Austin had ‘stunned’ him backstage, but produced no evidence. The two argued and played off each other while the main event went its course, Austin being subtly inserted as enforcer as Race didn’t have the backbone to remove him.
Finally, WCW pulled up a wagon full of Ted Turner’s money to get Dynamite back in the ring for one match and one match only. And one match it was, as Dynamite had already said that he hated the backstage atmosphere in WCW and people were missing him back in Japan. WCW seemed to be risking Dynamite’s health in booking him, although it was Dynamite that had agreed to the risk. Bischoff washed his hands of it and waited for the buys.
War Games - 1995 July
Dark Match: Saturn defeated Brian Pillman
Eddie Guerrero defeated Rey Mysterio Jr.
Harlem Heat defeated the Misfits (New Jersey Jim + Samu the Savage)
The Rock n’ Roll Express defeated Money Talks (Michael Wallstreet + Beautiful Bobby)
Submission Match: Chris Benoit defeated Dean Malenko by submission
Sting defeated Barry Windham
No DQ: Dynamite Kid defeated Davey Boy Smith
5 x 5 War Games Match:
Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat defeated
Big Van Vader, The Road Warriors, Sid Vicious, and The Beast
Bischoff felt a sense of relief with Vader as champion, because he was able to freshen up the main event scene. However, although War Games was perhaps better than previous PPVs because of a solid undercard, it did not exceed profits from those led by a Hulk Hogan singles match. Although buys were one worry, Bischoff decided that his new main event scene had to turn a healthy profit sooner rather than later.
The Giant was not included in the War Games match because he was selling his “cancer.” As silly as a wrestling cancer patient sounds, Bischoff did just that. However, it made The Giant seem more like an underdog against regular wrestlers, if anything. On Nitro, he got revenge for Steven Regal’s subtle victory at Uncensored, getting the win in a short match. However, Squire Chris Adams ran out and both Englishmen attacked The Giant. But The Giant made a surprising comeback and chokeslammed both wrestlers, finally giving the crowd something to go crazy for on Nitro. On War Games, The Giant was shown arriving backstage with the intent on joining the main event, but the Road Warriors intercepted him and attacked him. Hulk Hogan tried to make the save, but the Warriors produced weapons and attacked Hogan too. The heels stacked the deck in their favor.
The heels were favored to win the War Games main event, thanks to this attack on Hogan. The fans were a little relieved to see Hogan actually selling the match a bit more, as well as his injured condition. He was the one who was targeted to try to get him to “give up” or submit, the Road Warriors double-teaming him most of the match. Some fans might have believed Steamboat or even Flair giving up, but not the human glass ceiling. Hogan was pounded pretty good however, as both the Road Warriors raked his face against the cage and stomped him into the mat. WCW returned to the traditional format of the War Games, instead of last year’s elimination cage rules.
Once all ten men had entered the cage in timed fashion, WCW had what was referred to as "the match beyond.”. Both teams brawled in the cage for as long as it took until a member of either team submitted, surrendered, or was knocked unconscious. There was no pinfall and no disqualification, leaving almost every member of the main event bloodied. This was especially true of Hogan, whose blonde locks were completely stained red by the end.
Sid Vicious was booked to lose the match and give up just as the Road Warriors caused Hogan to pass out and thus win. Austin and Race both did not notice this fact and called the match in favor of Hogan’s team. After the faces celebrated, Sid Vicious later threw a tantrum backstage and was upset about his booking to lose without gaining any heat back. Sid said that he had simply been told to “walk to the back” and not to act angry at either the Road Warriors or Hogan. Bischoff attempted to calm the big man down, but he went off on how Bret Hart was controlling the booking team through his father, Stu. Sid vowed to leave WCW. Again.
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Welcome to WCW Spotlight. Today we're in focus on the Youth of WCW. This under-30 crowd is led primarily by Steve Austin, who began his career teaming with Brian Pillman and has broke out with a TV Title win. He also recently turned 30 in December of 1994, although is not slowing down. Neither are the other youngsters, who have begun putting effort into giving WCW the best matches possible, as it is obvious they will not be pushed in other ways. Perhaps Bischoff will change his tune someday.
Chris Benoit 28
Eddie Guerrero is 28
New Jersey Jim is 28
Saturn is 29
Steve Austin is 30
Tammy Synch is 23
Rey Mysterio is 21
Psicosis is 24
Chris Benoit - Benoit is the new Dynamite Kid, a technical, yet tough, wrestler. Dynamite and Benoit actually got to meet when Dynamite was with the company in June. They got along well, but Benoit was seemingly starstruck. Benoit currently has Saturn as a partner. The feud with Dean Malenko shifted recently over who could be the better submission wrestler.
Eddie Guerrero - Guerrero began as DDP's partner, but got over in a series of matches highlighting his lightweight style. This style was not given the opportunity under Jim Herd and even Bischoff has relegated that style mostly to openers. This type of style has been defined as the Mexican Style, although Guerrero used it in Japan, not Mexico.
New Jersey Jim - Jim is Balls Mahoney, one-time ECW wrestler that was scooped up when Bischoff tried to hurt Paul Heyman. However, he was not given much chance as he was immediately put at a disadvantage when he had to tag-team with The Beast, a man with little wrestling skill. He is still in the tag-team months after the debut, losing to high profile teams like Harlem Heat. With The Beast making little impact at War Games, the position of the tag-team may fall.
Saturn - Saturn was another man signed by WCW because of his specific look, a tatooed strong-man. However, WCW clothed him and made him into a gimmicky, evil mailman. Complete with cap. Thankfully, he found Chris Benoit and they began to partner more often, as Bischoff saw their similiar styles. Saturn's gimmick was changed, although retained its gimmicky undertones. He was a silent, genetic freak, although unlike Scott Steiner, claimed to be a literal one. He shaved his head and rarely wore a shirt, as his tatoos were important to his driven, violent character.
Steve Austin - Austin is probably the top man of all the youngsters, however lacks a push like the rest of them. Bischoff always wondered what fans saw in him, a former tag-team wrestler. He has become a little more charasmatic in angles recently. Bischoff loves his angles and has realized that the anti-hero has become popular, so has made Austin WCW's only anti-hero. He is the TV champion and has gotten a hint of a push lately.
Tammy Synch - Tammy Synch is married to Chris Candido, who wrestles on the independent circut and sometimes for ECW. She got noticed by appearing in ECW and Bischoff hired her to fill out the roster with more women. She became a gimmicky cocktail waitress for the equally gimmicky Vegas Gamblers, but after they were released, Tammy began to follow around other singles wrestlers.
Rey Mysterio Jr. - Mysterio is one of the youngster members of the WCW roster and often takes risks in the ring wrestling that Mexican Style. Mysterio is the one who excelled wrestling Eddie Guerrero, although it was Guerrero who had a character and a direction. Mysterio's small popularity is due to his wrestling ability, like Chris Benoit when he began. Mysterio lacks a character, but is a masked Mexican, so some assume that as his gimmick.
Psicosis - Psicosis began around the same time as his friend Rey Mysterio, becoming one of the more over Mexicans, only surpassed later by Guerrero. He does some amazing spots, although sometimes lacks that ability to storytell throughout a match. He began leading a small band of Mexicans when they feuded with Paul Orndorff in February 1995. Psicosis lacked the English to carry the stable, so Paul Roma had to be added. Later, the stable was dropped.
On the next WCW Spotlight...the Gimmicks of WCW! Get behind the scenes with WCW Spotlight!
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June 1995 - Who is the leak in WCW?
In early June, Bischoff tried to find that leak in WCW, the one who had leaked the NWA title change, several business deals and their locker room problems. The press ate up all these leaked issues each time they were blabbed to the press agents, of course. Bischoff had originally thought the leak was Dusty, but during June something else was leaked that Dusty could not have known about while absent from work with his son. The dispute with the Honky Tonk Man was leaked to the press, causing Bischoff to suspect Ric Flair. Flair was on the booking team, had knowledge of information like contract disputes and had inside knowledge about the NWA. Narrowing Bischoff’s list of suspects was not hard and he felt somewhat cocky that he had solved it.
Bischoff decided to out the leak in a rather contrived trap. First, while Davey Boy Smith was away for a weekend, Bischoff spread rumors that Smith was in a contract dispute with WCW. He was, in fact, up for renewal, but had already re-signed with the office. This was not altogether unbelievable. Smith's feud with the Dynamite Kid had gained a lot of popularity and therefore, Bischoff reasoned that Smith might have a reason to negotiate for other companies. Bischoff concocted a situation to tell the booking team “secretly” about Smith negotiating with the WWF, making up details on the fly. It unsurprisingly appeared in the trades the next day and Bischoff let Flair have it. Flair said that he had no clue what Bischoff was talking about, only knowing as much as the other booking team members. However, Bischoff was sure he was lying.
Davey Boy Smith returned from Britain early and confronted Bischoff, telling him that he heard some rumors about himself even over in London. Apparently, Bischoff must have gone overboard with his rumors and they leaked out even to Davey Boy Smith. Dusty explained that rumors in the wrestling business went together like peanut butter and jelly. Dusty told Bischoff not to take it so hard, as it was only natural that people would hear of this kind of news, especially with Davey Boy Smith's high profile. Somehow, this advice didn’t help and Bischoff had to work extra hard to undo what he had done. After his plan backfired, it only strengthened Bischoff's resolve against Flair. Bischoff stood up to the booking team and told them that he didn’t want any more leaks and doing so would be cause for immediate dismissal. Flair went off on Bischoff and even threatened to leave WCW at one point, but knew the company already made that mistake once, so smoothed things over. He apologized.
If it wasn't Flair, Bischoff was sure it was someone in the Booking Team. They had the most intimate information, after all. However, most of the bookers played against Bischoff by deflecting suspicion with an assortment of reasons. Bischoff began to subtly punish Ric Flair by conveniently "forgetting" to book him on a Nitro in June, then making him wrestle a majority of the time on WCW's second-show WorldWide. He gave the time that was meant for Flair to Davey Boy Smith and his feud.
Davey Boy Smith was pleased by the attention, as it seemed everyone was talking about the feud with the Dynamite Kid. One particular confrontation sold it to most fans. Playing the heel, Smith came out to the ring all by himself and cut a promo with interviewer Jesse Ventura. Ventura always had this understated presence which fans liked and his questions to Smith only built the feud further. As if in the middle, the Dynamite Kid came out to the ring to his old music when he used to team with Davey Boy Smith. The announcers then began to assume that a reconciliation might occur, but the opposite happened. Smith confronted him like at the last PPV and Dynamite decked him.
Smith sold it like a champ and Dynamite played it the same, selling his rugged, tough face character the whole time. Dynamite had been away from wrestling for some time so relied on non-wrestling angles, as his body was falling apart. Bischoff never recruited him to wrestle however, but to stand toe to toe with his former partner and back him down. Dynamite played off the real life emotion and since Bischoff had been reminded that fans loved rumors, also played off Dynamite legitimately hating Davey Boy Smith. And this was for real, not a made up part of the story. Their confrontations however, were planned and that was what Bischoff hoped would make them money. Brian Pillman was added to scoop some of that heat, but Dynmite decked him too.
Bischoff definitely did not spare any expense for June. He had overspent for the Dynamite Kid, bringing him from his training school in Japan via private jet, then paying for his room, expenses and food. AAA rose in popularity in June and could have used Dynamite’s advice on how to push his trainees, especially after they made a few detrimental mistakes using them. But Bischoff kept him exclusive to WCW, as if hoarding his special surprise, all to himself. Other expenses piled up, including limos, better hotels, and major licensed music to play. WCW needed their PPV Uncensored in June to payoff or they would be in trouble.
The World Title again became an issue, just when Bischoff thought he had fixed that situation. Mean Mark went on a wrestling TV review show and said that it was “about time” that Hogan lost the World Title. Needless to say, Hogan wasn’t happy with those comments. This led to a messy June, as Hogan walked around disgruntled and Mark did the same, knowing that he would never get to lead the company, much less get a push. Some rather extreme attitudes abounded while Bischoff put Mark in a feud with Vader. Unfortunately, the match was a “stretcher” match that made Mean Mark look a little silly, although he never did get pinned. Mark simply passed out and the ref called the match. This would never have happened in the WWF, as Mark's character there was a little better than such a weak finish.
Uncensored - June 1995
Dark Match: Saturn defeated Eddie Guerrero
Dark Match: Brian Pillman defeated Terry Funk and Dr. Death
Steve Austin defeated Barry Windham
Harlem Heat defeated The Misfts (New Jersey Jim + The Beast)
Davey Boy Smith went to a no contest with the Dynamite Kid
The Hart Brothers defeated the Road Warriors
Lord Steven Regal defeated The Giant by count out
Chris Benoit defeated Dean Malenko by submission
Hulk Hogan + Sting defeated Sid Vicious + DDP
Stretcher Match: Big Van Vader defeated Mean Mark
While WCW had one emotional storyline, the WWF had three. Sgt. Slaughter betrayed his country and several of his partners, then recruited Bam Bam Bigalow to be his literal bodyguard against them. Jerry Lawler then wanted to take on Michaels and asked the Sarge for help. All three men were then able to intimidate Jack Tunney into giving them a four way match against Shawn Michaels. They each had a grudge against Michaels and this anti-hero was not one to be intimidated. The WWF used every trick they had to make Michaels look like the underdog, but when it came time, he won the match thanks to the help or rather interference, of the Smoking Gunns. WCW countered by quickly adding a series of matches concluding at Uncensored featuring Benoit and Dean Malenko, matches about who seemed to be the better technical wrestler. They also added the sniveling Steven Regal plotting against the Giant, as he at first revealed on a late June Nitro that he had the "goods" on The Giant.
This "secret," Lord Steven Regal was not revealed at first, but The Giant seemed upset about Regal knowing it. Regal first tried to blackmail The Giant with this secret, but then the big man turned on him when he refused to pin Sting live on Nitro. At Uncensored, Regal revealed the secret, that The Giant had cancer. This was the first ever "cancer" angle in wrestling, topping even the contraversial Paul Heyman. Harley Race was hestitant to book The Giant with this condition, but once The Giant overcame Race's obstacles, the match was set. While in the match, The Giant began to wear himself out and sold his condition, clutching his stomach and acting winded. Regal was able to attack The Giant on the outside and get the count out. Of course, the match wasn't as big a part of the feud as the angles. Bischoff wanted more angles.
Lastly, Uncensored was successful despite Bischoff dumping several meaningless tag matches on the card. The real draws were the Bulldogs feud and the main event. The Bulldogs match was a bit of an overbooked mess, as Brian Pillman and most of the former Canadians stable interfering. Dynamite was booked strong however, as he clobbered Pillman again and tossed him out of the ring. He sold a back injury after the ref called for the disqualification and the feud continued. WCW breathed a sigh of relief that their spending did not end them up in debt.
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Why is a PC Football Manager 2006 not available in the USA? I had an old championship manager pc game and thought it was a good game.
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Wrestling With Shadows - Ole Anderson
"Welcome back to Wrestling with Shadows, the investigative show that looks deep into the latest issues of wrestling," says Peter Michaels, "And on today's show, we're pleased to bring you a little story about Ole Anderson. Ole welcomed us into the WCW locker room and we followed him for a few days as he prepared for his retirement match."
The screen cuts to Ole Anderson as he sits on a bench in a shadowy locker room in what must be an early morning. Ole strokes his bread as he gives the cameraman a perturbed look, but then the man behind the camera lets out a question.
"Ole, today's your retirement match with Ric Flair, how do you feel about it?" he asks.
Ole looks at his old, metal locker that he has open, "Good," he says calmly and then pauses, "We tried to make it interesting, at least. You know, give the fans something to follow. Ric played the good guy and I tried to run him down, tryin to make this a match he won't get past either."
"How do you think the fans will react once you get out there?"
Ole began to chuckle a little, "Fans are sure gonna boo the hell outta me. Listen, I got things to do. Go bother Vader, will ya?"
"After our brief conversation, Ole spent the day as he always has for the past twenty years in wrestling. On his own," said a Peter Michaels voice-over. The picture switched to later that day as Ole was pacing up and down a hallway now, "Just an hour from the start of the show, Ole has already worked out his match with Ric Flair and now seems to be trying to rid himself of any nervous energy. He paces by himself before every show."
The picture switches to Ric Flair laughing and joking backstage, while he and some of the other wrestlers talk about the show. "Ric Flair, on the other hand, neither seems nervous or alone, as he spends most of his time with the other wrestlers. His friends all seem to be younger than him now, but that doesn't seem to bother him at all. However, age is one issue that weighs heavily on the mind of Ole Anderson..."
The picture switches again, to Ole Anderson sitting on his bench. He has his head in his hands and wears his wrestling trunks, looking tired and absent, after his match. A towel is around his damp shoulders. The cameraman pans up to his open locker that is filled with all sorts of memories and personal items. Pictures of his wife and his two sons are clearly visible as the camera zooms in, but then pans to the left, catching athletic tape and other supplies in its frame. It stops finally on a picture taken of a young Ole Anderson with the NWA Tag-Team championship. Standing next to him is his smiling "brother" Gene Anderson with another championship around his waist too, and he hugs Ole around the shoulders in an amusing manner for the camera. On the bottom of the picture is written in red "THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES! WE'LL MISS YOU!"
The camera stays on this retirement sendoff picture for a few more moments before panning back to the lonely Ole Anderson, still sitting in the same position. He turns from the camera as it fades out.
We see Peter London again, interviewing Eric Bischoff, "Eric, why did you make Ole Anderson a bad guy in his last match with WCW?"
"Well, really it was the decision of the guys. Personally, I don't think fans would boo Ric Flair, whether it was Ole's last match or not. Ric's a face right now, you see," Bischoff replies in an uncomfortable way, "We talked about it and Ole was comfortable with the arrangement."
Back in the studio, Peter London addresses the camera again, "The WCW event only lasted three short hours and Ole Anderson's match was only a small part of that extravagant show. I found out that Ole has always been a proud man and he certainly shows it. But now he wrestles with a personal struggle that still haunts him today. Will he ever return to wrestling? Time will tell."
The picture flashes back to Ole again, sitting on that same locker-room bench. However, this time his actual locker is cleaned out, he wears casual clothes and the picture that was once propped up in his locker is carefully in his hands. He stares at it.
"This guy here in the picture died a few years back. We used to give try-outs back in the territory days, you know, if we had a spot. Those youngsters would know if they wanted ta wrestle for sure once Gene got done with em," Ole chuckled, "I think he bloodied quite a few."
"Do you think you'll come back to WCW?"
"Really, I dont know," Ole said sadly, "Yeah, I don't think so. I'm gettin too old, ya know?"
The camera fades out on the lined face of Ole Anderson. The voice-over of Peter London concludes, "Eric Bischoff had no comment about the future of Ole Anderson, wrestling or otherwise. But time seems to have passed Ole by. He has now left the company he loved, but he did tell us one thing. He will certainly miss it."
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WCW Spotlight On...
The Over 40 Crowd
Welcome again to WCW Spotlight. Today we're in focus on the Over 40 Crowd. The current WCW roster was called "elderly" by Jim Herd, who believed anyone 37 years or older should not be wrestling. There is little credence to this statement, however the WWF does mix their older and younger wrestlers a bit better. For example, the older Macho Man can easily headline a big show along with Shawn Michaels and the Smoking Gunns. WCW has had Steve Austin headline only WCW WorldWide once or twice, a secondary TV program. On the other hand, WCW seems on the road to be changing its ways, pushing young talent such as The Giant, Paul Roma and Chris Benoit for titles and in hot feuds.
Vader is 38
Greg Valentine is 44
Harley Race is 52
Hulk Hogan is 42
JJ Dillon is 53
Michael Wallstreet is 38
Paul Orndorff is 44
Ric Flair is 46
Diamond Dallas Page is 39
Ricky Steamboat is 42
Ricky Morton is 39
Robert Gibson is 37
Terry Funk is 51
Ole Anderson is 53
Bret Hart is 38
Big Van Vader - Big Van Vader is a main eventer and the current WCW champion. He is nearing forty, has bad knees and a legitimate history of injuries. He had trouble with his knees in 1992 and eliminated his participation in the Japanese promotion NJPW as a result. Vader doesn't seem to show his age though, except for his massive gut and slow style. However, Vader has always had a massive gut and slow style.
Greg Valentine - Valentine is 44 and a wrestler that's not gotten around much. He was with the WWF for years until injuries forced him to take time off and then quit the WWF in 1993. Later, he returned to wrestling in 1995 and renewed a partnership with the Honky Tonk Man, who legitimately had personal issues with Valentine. Valentine later told friends that he could care less about the Honky Tonk Man or what he thinks.
Harley Race - Race is over fifty and the oldest person on the roster who still goes at a regular schedule. He does not appear on Nitro as much as he used to in 1993, but still has his commissioner role locked up. He has a slow style on the mic though that seems to not lend itself to the kind of fast-paced action Bischoff is currently presenting. However, he does complement other wrestlers very well as a heel, especially those who can entertain or improvise.
JJ Dillon - Another over fifty contributor, Dillon was the manager of the Four Horsemen, the now defunct stable who disbanded recently. He was at ringside for the final showdown between Arn Anderson and Ric Flair, but has not done anything since.
Ole Anderson - Ole is over fifty as well, but no longer works a regular schedule. He recently had his last match against Ric Flair, which in the storyline he tried to make Flair's retirement match too. When he failed, the storyline was ended and Ole worked part-time as a road agent. He has a gruff demenor that sometimes rubs people the wrong way backstage, but the current style of wrestling seems to be passing him by.
Hulk Hogan - Hogan is part of the over forty crowd and has been around the business longer than many youngsters that come up. He tried to transition from his successful WWF career to a TV and film star, but that didnt seem to be working out very well. He signed with WCW when they began taping TV shows in Florida. However, just as in the WWF, fans are tiring of Hulkamania.
Michael Wallstreet - Wallstreet is Mike Rotundo, the former wrestler IRS of the WWF. He has gone through a series of forgettable gimmicks in previous years, but struck gold with the greedy, money-loving IRS. Rotunda is doing the exact same character under a different name in WCW, but mostly in tag-action with partner Beautiful Bobby as Money Talks. Bobby Eaton and he are good friends and he is also nearing forty.
Paul Orndorff - Orndorff is in his mid-forties and changed gimmicks several times, like Mike Rotundo. However, his look has always remained the same. He has been a heel and face, gaining Mr. Wonderful as a nickname. Musclemen like Rick Rude and Paul Orndorff are slowly growing out of fashion, as the anti-hero style of wrestling is growing into popularity.
Ric Flair - Flair is also mid-forties and shows his age a bit more than other wrestlers, being neither a bodybuilder or big man. His expertise in the ring has not slowed however, as his feuds and matches are still some of the best in wrestling.
Ricky Steamboat - Steamboat is forty-two and unlike Flair, slowing down a bit as he ages. Regardless of age, Steamboat still is one of the most well-regarded technical wrestlers in the business.
The Rock n' Roll Express - Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton are the oldest members of the tag-division. They are both not over forty, but certainly showing it. Teens and women used to go crazy at the Express, but that kind of focus certainly wouldnt work today in WCW. Currently, they are simply traditional heroes.
Terry Funk - Funk is the oldest competing wrestler on WCW's roster. He is perhaps regarded as one of the toughest men, wrestling violent hardcore matches for years. He helped put over Cactus Jack when he was in WCW and has always worked to do the same for other young wrestlers. Funk was sad to see Cactus leave WCW and almost walked out with him, but was convinced otherwise.
Bret Hart - Hart is not quite forty yet, but was regarded as plainly traditional in the past. His brother Owen Hart was a motivating factor to him leaving the WWF for WCW, however backstage politics had a big part as well. Like Terry Funk, he has also helped put over the younger wrestlers, namely Steve Austin. Their matches together were technically near-perfect, with Bret Hart's crisp moves contrasted by Austin's stiff brawling. Hart was especially proud of one in March 1995 at Spring Stampede, as it held its own against any match that month.
On the next WCW Spotlight...the Youth of WCW! Get behind the scenes with WCW Spotlight!
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WCW May 1995
Bischoff came up with some feuds to try to spark interest in May. First, he continued to feud partners Paul Orndorff and a face Paul Roma, squaring them off in a battle of words, then in the ring. Barry Windham turned heel on Terry Funk after they were tag-teaming and lost, then the next week on Nitro, Windham gave a decent promo on the mic saying that he would be ashamed if he had Funk as a father. Just the way Windham said this was what made the feud and after saying this, Funk played it off casually. Funk turned to leave the ring after the scathing remarks, but then turned back and decked Windham. They started to brawl, which they would do several more times through the month.
ECW, Eastern Championship Wrestling, held a rather hardcore event in May named Enter the Sandman. ECW re-signed Shane Douglas, who debuted in the main event as a surprise opponent against that very Sandman, in the most hardcore match to date. Afterward, Shane took the mic and explained his thoughts, putting down WCW and his days there with the company. He said ECW was going to take things to the “extreme” and so they did, changing their name to Extreme Championship Wrestling. Kevin Nash also debuted on the show and in a surprise, took Two Cold Scorpio to the limit. He did not win the title however, but later would do so. He would later cut a promo establishing him as a heel, being so effective in insulting the fans, that they began throwing things into the ring.
At the WWF, Shawn Michaels lost the intercontinental title to Pierre, the annoying Frenchman. The Smoking Gunns ripped off ECW, coming out impersonating a French duo, complete with slick hair and drawn-on moles. These two men were at last getting a push, but just a year prior they were horribly over with the fans and nobody cared.
Nobody seemed to care much about another team either, Greg Valentine and the Honky Tonk Man. Greg Valentine was always acting “pissed off” at his partner all the time, people began to wonder if it was legitimate. It wasn’t, however The Honky Tonk Man was the one angry and wanted a release from WCW. Bischoff thought new tag-team competition might have made him happy, but he complained about Valentine, saving that he never liked him to begin with, hated him upstaging everyone and other complaints. Bischoff was surprised that he hadn’t brought these lengthy complaints to him before. After Slamboree, Valentine and Honky didn’t talk to each other.
WCW teased a problem between Owen and Bret Hart and Austin was finally turned fully face. It seemed a bit late however, as fans were already cheering him, whether he called Owen Hart an asshole or Bret Hart a jackass. Compared to Austin, these two were perhaps a bit “too” baby face, if that’s possible. Fans liked Austin’s anti-hero character, especially when the feud was subtly turned to Steven Regal. No one seemed in doubt that Austin was the hero here, however Steven Regal went over the top to try to get a reaction. Regal once insulted Austin’s behavior and “vile demenor,” even slapping him in a confrontation. Austin turned his head to the crowd and merely looked at them as if to say to them, “I’m gonna kick his ass.” And so the fans were made a part of the act when Austin delivered “The Stunner.”
While in a bad mood, Bischoff changed his mind and decided to get the title situation over with at Slamboree in May, dumping the ‘buildup‘ past War Games. He actually had to have a ‘discussion’ with Hogan about the title change, though in the end he agreed. Vader had escaped the previous month’s tag-loss without much harm to his character, so it was easy to move Vader from squishing Sting to squishing Hogan. Fans were beginning to tire of Hulkamania and attendence was dropping, so moving it up was not an entirely bad thing.
WCW Slamboree 1995
Dark Match: Psicosis defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. and Eddie Guerrero
Dark Match: Saturn defeated Dr. Death
Paul Orndorff + Rick Rude defeated The Stallions
The Rock n’ Roll Express defeated the Misfits (New Jersey Jim + The Beast) by DQ
Street Fight: Terry Funk defeated Barry Windham
Harlem Heat defeated the Road Warriors for the WCW tag-team titles
Steve Austin defeated Lord Steven Regal
The Hart Brothers defeated Honky Tonk Man + Greg Valentine
Ricky Steamboat defeated Davey Boy Smith
Ric Flair defeated Arn Anderson
Big Van Vader defeated Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Title
WCW Slamboree was an extra long PPV, with several short tag-team matches and an extra-long main event. Honky Tonk Man concluded his time with WCW in one such tag-match. The Misfits were slowly descending the card just as the Kliq had a few months ago. Fans just couldn't get past how awful The Beast was wrestling in the ring. He was especially bad at Slamboree when New Jersey Jim was supposed to sell a leg injury and give The Beast an opportunity to showcase himself as he dominated his opponents. He didnt exactly accomplish this, even botching a move similar to one Hogan did where he would deliver a boot to the face after throwing a man off the ropes. However, he tripped upon throwing the man to the ropes, so Owen had to slow down to almost a stop and allow The Beast to deliver the move. Needless to say, it was a chore, even for Bret Hart.
The best match of Slamboree was not the main event, but Austin defending the TV title against Regal. The match was not even the highlight, but the aftermath of the match when Beautiful Bobby attacked Austin with a chair. He cracked it so hard on Austin’s head he later legitimately told reporters that he went black there for a minute. While on the ground, Austin regained consciousness and made a comeback, giving a stunner to Regal and Bobby both. After walking from the ring up the ramp, he gave the crowd “a look” like he had earlier in the month and the fans knew what was coming. Austin walked back to the ring, picked each man up and delivered another stunner. He then walked to the back casually.
Ric Flair took on Arn Anderson in their rematch and blowoff of the Horsemen Split feud, but it was not nearly as good as their original match. But no one expected it to be. Unfortunately, it was lackluster compared to some of the other emotionally charged matches on the card, such as Barry Windham wrestling Terry Funk and the main event. Funk finally was allowed to wrestle hardcore in the match, using whatever weapons he could find during the “Street Fight.” WCW seemingly went overboard in the match, to the point where each of the wrestlers had done almost every hardcore spot possible. Funk was put through several tables, cracked over the head with a broom handle, then a metal trashcan was bent on him. Funk made a late comeback with a series of chair shots and a spot where he was choking a microphone cord around Windham while he hung dangling from the ropes. His feet couldn’t reach the floor however and Windham had to give up due to the pain.
A few days after Slamboree, Dusty Rhodes returned to work after a few calls from WCW, but without Dustin. Needless to say, he arrived with a new, moody attitude and did not contribute much to the booking team. He did not even return to the announce team. Rumors ran rampant that he was brooding over a dispute with his son. A story later ran that Dusty tried to mediate Dustin’s conflicts within WCW, but failed. The two had a falling out, which was unfortunate, as they were a close father and son.
At ECW, they boosted their new TV show with a surprise. Paul Heyman and Todd Gordon had finally gotten through to a TV station and began broadcasting ECW Wrestling Night, a syndicated program produced on the cheap. Many of the shows featured short matches or highlights of others from larger ECW shows, but ran with Kevin Nash taking on Two Cold Scorpio their first airing. Nash won the title in that bout and the crowd was just irate, seeing the WCW and WWF veteran holding their title. Then out stepped Taz and the place went absolutely bananas. Taz was not fulltime with ECW until that showing, having returned to ECW thanks to Heyman. He now was "Taz," a nearly legitimate bad ass, not the Tazmaniac, not Sabu's partner, just Taz. The confrontation between Nash and Taz was incredible and then the show ended. It actually made fans want to buy a ticket.
Bischoff’s final surprise for the month would hopefully trump ECW's surprises. He had built up Ricky Steamboat in a feud with Davey Boy Smith in an effort to rekindle some of that lost emotion from the Canadians stable. Smith wrestled with intensity and power, Ricky Steamboat overselling some portions to try to sell Smith on Nitro. He could not pin Ricky Steamboat however. At Slamboree in May, Davey Boy Smith looked to finish him off for good, but a sudden surprise would spark a new interest in the average feud, changing it from a traditional WCW presentation to a more cutting age angle. Right before their match, Ricky Steamboat walked out with Dynamite Kid, the slightly older former partner of Davey Boy Smith. Fans stood up to see Dynamite make his surprise appearance during the PPV. He helped Steamboat win the match against Davey Boy Smith, then when Smith stood toe to toe with Dynamite, fans stood up again. The tension was obvious, as the two men legitimately hated each other. They literally hated each other for years. The show then quickly went off the air.
The message was obvious: Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid were going to feud in a WCW ring.
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WCW Spotlight On...
Tag-Teams
Welcome again to WCW Spotlight. Today we're in focus on WCW tag-teams. The current champions are the vicious Road Warriors, a hard-hitting team that can take punishment as well as dish it out.
The Hart Brothers - After the Canadians disbanded, Owen eventually joined his brother as a tag-team while at the same time pursuing a singles career. They have been certainly successful as babyfaces, however their popularity seemed to peak earlier in the year feuding against Davey Boy and Brian Pillman.
Rock n' Roll Express - The Rock n' Roll Express are Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton, traditional babyface wrestlers. Their style is a bit slow, but their storytelling ability is excellent. For this reason, they were able to help build the Road Warriors to get over as heels. They were also part of the popular three-team feud earlier in the year. Unfortunately, they are both near forty and cannot go like they used to. Seems this is true of many WCW wrestlers. They used to be managed by Jim Cornette.
The Road Warriors - Hawk and Animal have beat up just about everyone in WCW at one time and took it to another level when they turned heel recently. They recently have been in a feud with Harlem Heat over the tag-titles. Harlem Heat captured the titles at Starrcade 1994 and then lost them after a solid reign to these Road Warriors at Clash of the Champions in March. After finally pinning the Rock n' Roll Express at Spring Stampede, they immediately went back after Harlem Heat. They are managed by Jim Cornette.
Harlem Heat - Booker T and Stevie Ray exploded in popularity after dropping their manager, the Colonel and most of their silly gimmick. However, Jim Herd then interfered and gave them another silly gimmick, one of New Jersey criminals with annoying orange bodysuits. After Herd was fired, Harlem Heat returned to their high energy selves and then finally captured the titles for the first time. They hope to regain them from the Road Warriors. Teddy Long has only recently began managing them, adding an expertise that he had given Doom before their depature.
DDP and Eddie - Diamond Dallas Page and Eddie Guerrero are both cocky heels. Both take risks in the ring, which usually works best for Guerrero, who seems more comfortable on the top rope. They are accompanied by Kimberly, DDP's on-screen wife. Many of the storylines involving the team have centered around Kimberly and more may be, considering how Kimberly has gotten over so quickly.
Honky and Greg - Greg Valentine has recently signed with WCW in order to partner with the Honky Tonk Man. Honky was the longest reigning intercontinental champion in the WWF but decided to seek his fortunes elsewhere. They both played Elvis characters in the WWF but in WCW, Honky Tonk Man played his usual gimmick but Greg Valentine was the straight man, always annoyed at Honky's over-the-top antics. However, the backstage rumor is that Greg Valentine legitimately hates the Honky Tonk Man.
Saturn and Benoit - Saturn's gimmick was altered when he began to team with The Ice Man Chris Benoit. He originally was an evil mailman, but then became a more driven, genetic freak with a short termer. Oh and he has a shaved head, which seems to be the style nowadays.
The Queen's Team - Lord Steven Regal teams with Squire Chris Adams as annoying lords of England. With their puffy shirts, they can certainly get a crowd against them. This is especially true of Steven Regal, whose stiff moves can get the crowd against him.
Money Talks - Perhaps one of the more unique teams in WCW, Beautiful Bobby and Michael Wallstreet are Money Talks. They live that motto, as primadonna Bobby Eaton seems to love himself and his money more than Lex Luger. Michael Wallstreet just adds that classic touch with a gimmick he perfected in the WWF as IRS. Here he is under another name, but still has the same annoying glasses, stuffed shirt and tie.
The Stallions - Recent newcomers, Paul Roma and Jim Powers are legitimate youngsters. The two men tagged with each other before in WCW as the Young Stallions, but recently have proved their age and experience enough to disimiss the young portion of their name. Roma has more recent experience partnering with Paul Orndorff in another successful babyface tag-team, Pretty Wonderful. Time will tell if the Stallions can make a move to win the tag-title.
The Misfits - The Misfits are a stable, but when seen as a tag-team, the usual combination is New Jersey Jim and The Beast. The Beast is legitimately the largest man in the wrestling, but needs a lot of direction. New Jersey Jim is Balls Mahoney, the ECW wrestler, but here is a tough street thug who likes to fight on the outside. Their matches are usually short and sweet, which is best for them.
The Executioners - Although lowly openers or lower card wrestlers at best, these two wrestlers definately have a unique look. Dr. Death Steve Williams is just that, a doctor of death. He wears a pair of morbid skull shoulder pads and a stethoscope. The Executioner Terry Gordy wears a black cloak with a hooked sickle.
On the next WCW Spotlight...the Over 40 Crowd! Get behind the scenes with WCW Spotlight!
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The problems in WCW's locker room escalated in April. At least a half-dozen people were all late to TV tapings, house shows or a combination. This included typical late-comers like Jesse Ventura and Ricky Steamboat, but also Terry Funk, new acquisition Terry Synch, Dusty Rhodes and others. Bischoff could not control these people with his usual casual demenor. When memos and warnings didn’t work, he created a flat fine for each time, but even that seemed ineffective. Jim Herd would have approached the situation with more force, but Bischoff wanted to get to the heart of why these people were late. In some cases, people explained it was the human glass ceiling Hulk Hogan that they hated, the backstage atmosphere, or even minor things like the parking. But reasons changed daily. His fines continued.
Speaking of locker room troubles, in early April a situation happened in the WWF which troubled Vince McMahon. Jim Neidhart got into a confrontation with former booking team member Kevin Sullivan, but no punches were thrown. This doesn’t seem to even compare to WCW troubles however.
To deal with the glass ceiling, Dusty suggested they give the title to Vader and transition it onto other faces. So Bischoff contemplated that for a few weeks, then delayed a decision when he said Hogan needed to lead the War Games team this year. Vader somehow was leaked this and was understandably upset. Bischoff thought the leak in the Booking Team was Dusty, then changed his mind and thought it was Bruce Hart. Or maybe loose-lips Stu Hart. Bischoff went ahead with another push of Vader, but felt he was repeating himself, having pushed Vader a year ago. He also never found out who the leak was in WCW.
Different wrestlers got a push in April, such as DDP and Paul Orndorff. Diamond Dallas Page began actually getting some sort of push after that brief feud with Barry Windham a year ago over Kimberly. In April, he began teaming up with Eddie Guerrero and plaguing face teams, that is until Booker T argued that DDP’s money and job were all due to Kimberly. They feuded over that in what seemed to be a storyline centered around Kimberly again. Guerrero played his flamboyant cocky partner, while DDP played up a money angle. His series of matches with cruiserweights like Rey Mysterio helped Guerrero however, as he was a proficient wrestler, indirectly backing up his cocky claims.
Paul Orndorff split with his partner when Paul Roma caused the loss of Pretty Wonderful to the Road Warriors accidentally. Orndorff hated Paul Roma with a passion, cutting several scathing pomos on Roma, saying that he was the real wonderful one in the group. Paul Roma re-acquired Jim Powers as a tag-team partner during the feud. The Stallions immediately made an impact on WCW, winning two consecutive bouts, then drawing with The Road Warriors when the Rock n’ Roll Express interfered. Then powers helped even the odds with cheating and backstabbing Orndorff. Orndorff convinced Harley Race to stack the odds against the Stallions. His plans were not succeeding, which frustrated Orndorff.
Ole Anderson announced his retirement from the business publicly on the first Nitro in April. He said he was taking an office job. His friends came out to shake his hand, including Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Sid, Harley Race and several others. Everyone seemed to be present except Ric Flair. After the ceremony was nearly over, Flair came out to a large response and even offered to shake Ole’s hand, but the proud man refused. The face Flair then took a mic and cut an amazing promo on him, cutting into him for that betrayal. Ole retorted that it was Flair that betrayed everyone, then he attacked him. In the coming weeks, Ole said there wasn’t much more he could do, except beat Ric Flair. So Ole’s retirement match at Spring Stampede was made against Flair, which Flair at first refused to accept.
Then after Arn Anderson came out and cut another good promo calling him names, saying that if he didn’t wrestle, he would be branded a coward. Flair and Steamboat then ran out and of course, attacked Arn for that. Dean made the save and pulled an irate Arn backstage. Afterwards, Flair and Steamboat successfully won as a tag team. After some more dogging and taunting, Flair relented and accepted in a promo on Nitro. Like a good babyface, he didn’t want to face his friend in the ring.
Flair agreed to face Ole in Ole’s last match competing in the ring, but on the final Nitro of the month, Ole wanted to make it Flair’s last match too. When confronted, Ole shoved him and tried to intimidate Flair as his usual tough guy character. Flair snapped and said that he was going to take Ole out permanently. Steamboat had to make the save again as the remaining Horsemen attacked Flair.
Bischoff signed Greg Valentine, but seemed uninterested in teaming him up with the Honky Tonk Man as an Elvis duo. Honky had been doing his usual Elvis gimmick for a long time, but Bischoff wanted a little deviation from the older men. When they debuted, Bischoff told Valentine to go out there and always be pissed off, “…even at your own partner.” Bischoff thought fans would relate to that, as Honky was in fact quite annoying. With Valentine playing the tough guy and Honky playing a more reckless, cocky figure, but they at first had a mild reaction. Unfortunately, Valentine was older and his popularity had diminished on the indy circuit, so Honky needed to really go over the top to get a reaction.
Thanks to the locker room issues, both Dusty and Dustin Rhodes wanted nothing to with WCW anymore. Dustin refused to negotiate an extension and Bischoff was upset with that revelation, as he would be losing a wrestler he had been pushing. Dustin argued that they had botched Dustin‘s premiere feud with his father a while back and Dusty had never been respected. Bischoff was not sure who to use in Dusty’s old color position, as Dusty and Dustin stopped reporting to work. Dusty was in fact a bit more divided on the issue, but wanted to support his son too. The locker room issues were leaked to the press. Bischoff was really not liking that leak now.
Meanwhile, at the competition, the WWF’s TV show was going along nicely but Wrestlemania 1995 met expectations with two solid matches. However, there were two excellent matches in Mr. Perfect against the Macho Man for the title, but also Shawn Michaels versus Razor Ramon. Also, the bodybuilder Ludvig Borga took on an equally slow Bam Bam Bigalow in a painful match. Later, Lex Luger refused to sell much in his match with Jerry Lawler and plodded around, making even the Ultimate Warrior look decent in the ring. Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) also surprised the wrestling world with a series of good matches on the same day as Wrestlemania. Two Cold Scorpio defeated Jerry Lynn for the World Title in a ‘wrestling’ classic, quite unusual for the alternative promotion.
Spring Stampede 1995
Dark Match: Psicosis defeated Rey Mysterio Jr.
Dark Match: Lord Steven Regal defeated Saturn
Harlem Heat defeated DDP and Eddie Guerrero
Chris Benoit defeated Greg Valentine
The Road Warriors defeated the Rock n’ Roll Express by count out
Paul Orndorff defeated Paul Roma by DQ
Steve Austin defeated Bret Hart
Ric Flair defeated Ole Anderson
Sting and Barry Windham defeated the Misfits by DQ
Hulk Hogan and the Giant defeated Vader and Sid
Steve Austin and Bret Hart warmed up the crowd well, making it easy for Flair and Ole to put on an outstanding match, perhaps better than the one at the Clash. Afterward, Arn Anderson ran down and stared down Flair to continue the feud, but Ole ushered him out of the ring like a humble loser. Another more subtle rivalry began with Sting and Barry Windham in the match with the Misfits. Samu kept kicking out and both wrestlers were unable to pin him, becoming more and more frustrated. The good thing about this was that Samu had to do very little to build the drama. Eventually New Jersey Jim interfered and caused a DQ, right when Owen finally had Samu pinned for good.
Vader really need something a bit more to look strong and began tormenting Sting singles, showing up a match early during the PPV. Vader squished Sting against the turnbuckle and caused a disqualification. Later, the booking team nearly spoiled all their plans by having Sid get pinned by Hogan. Vader was a loser at Spring Stampede, but at least avoided the pin.
Spring Stampede was pretty straight-forward, but Bischoff was disappointed in its presentation. Except for the retirement match, there was nothing memorable about the PPV and that concerned him. He thought with several feuds ending or near an end, such as with Bret and Steve Austin, new stories could spark a renewed interest next month. The lack of clean finishes concerned him. Meanwhile, at the WWF, they ran a series of vinettes starring "Mr. B" bumbling and stumbling around, trying to get everyone to work. It was clear the WWF was poking fun at Bischoff, but with backstage information, such as his struggles backstage.
The leak continued.
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WCW Spotlight On...
The Booking Team and staff
Welcome again to WCW spotlight. Today's spotlight is on the booking team and staff. The booking team is led by Eric Bischoff, executive productor of WCW. His booking team is Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Stu Hart and Bruce Hart.
Eric Bischoff - Bischoff is a blackbelt in karate and graduate of the University of Minnesota. He began his wrestling career in AWA and was an announcer in WCW for many years before being promoted to the booking team by Scott Sassa. Bischoff's style of booking is fast-paced, which he showed in booking lucha or Mexican wrestlers as openers. He is also a fan of the big veteran wrestlers, which is why he stole The Undertaker and Yokozuna from the WWF, although both seem to have failed. Bischoff also likes extra hype, videos or vinettes.
Dusty Rhodes - Traditional hero Dusty Rhodes likes a lot of entertainment in his wrestling, putting out some good and bad ideas over the years. He tries to balance this with an emphasis in wrestling, such as with Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko or the Great Muta. He booked WCW Saturday Night by himself until 1993 when Bischoff made changes to WCW's presentation of its TV shows. They now include a more variety of matches, such as classic big man brawls, technical matches or the rare hardcore.
Ric Flair - Flair acts as the liason with the locker room and is clearly the senior veteran of the company. He supported WCW when they broke from the NWA and merged the then NWA World Title with the WCW World title. Flair's booking style is more storyline based, which he believes is done through promos and the microphone. He tends to be confrontational when he sees something he greatly opposes, such as when Jim Herd tried to bully around wrestlers in the company. However, he is traditional, unlike Bischoff, opposing use of Mexican wrestlers or hardcore matches.
Stu Hart and Bruce Hart - Stu Hart began his own wrestling promotion in 1948 in Calgary, Canada. Stampede Wrestling became known as a good place to get some experience in wrestling and Stu Hart trained many wrestlers for the company and on his own time after he retired. "The Dungeon" graduated Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Edge, Bret Hart, Owen Hart and others. Stu's wrestling style is straightfoward, but thinks it is important that each wrestler present something unique. For example, Chris Benoit could be the best wrestler, but it is in the way he presents himself and his matches that will make people remember him. Bruce Hart worked backstage for Stampede Wrestling after his father retired from the company, discovering such talents as the Dynamite Kid, Brian Pillman and Davey Boy Smith.
Other Staff
Announcers for WCW Nitro
Tony Schiavone - lead announcer
Mike Tenay - assistant announcer, the professor of wrestling knowledge
Jesse Ventura - color commentator
Announcers for WCW WorldWide
Mike Tenay - lead announcer
Michael Hayes - color commentator
Dusty Rhodes - 2nd color commentator
Managers
Jim Cornette - Booker of Smokey Mountain Wrestling until its bankruptcy. Now manages the heel Road Warriors.
Kimberly - WCW diva, manager and on-screen wife of Diamond Dallas Page
Tammy Synch - Known as Tammy Lynn on-screen, diva and part-time manager
Teddy Long - Manager of Doom before they left WCW
Harley Race - commissioner of WCW
Jimmy Hart - Manager of the Misfits
JJ Dillon - Manager of the Four Horsemen
Road Agents
Larry Zybysko
Nick Brockwinkel
Harley Race
Eric Bischoff
Ric Flair
On the next WCW Spotlight...tag-teams! Get behind the scenes with WCW Spotlight!
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In March, the problem of cheering for Ric Flair continued. They cheered a bit less for The Four Horsemen though, especially Arn Anderson, who had gained a good amount of skill on the mic from his years with the company. The logical thing to do would be to turn Flair face due to these crowd reactions and perhaps have him face one of the more popular heels, perhaps even one of the Horsemen. This was not something that any of them wanted to do. But after a brief meeting with Bischoff, Flair agreed to a rivalry with Arn Anderson, a friend who he could trust to work hard to build the feud. The Nitro after SuperBrawl, the Horsemen were beating down the tag-champs, Harlem Heat. Ricky Steamboat ran down to make the save, but instead of the Horsemen getting the better of the three men, the Horsemen were all tossed from the ring instead. Flair played up this embarrassment and later told Arn, Ole and Dean that they were not “doing their part,” especially Arn. Arn seemed to take it personally and walked out on Flair and the team.
At the monthly meeting of The Booking Team, Flair spent all his time talking about the feud with Arn. He added little details that very few fans might pick out. For example, Flair pushed the fact that Arn Anderson could reverse more of Flair’s moves, being that he was his best friend. These little things added to the feud, but Bischoff began to become bored by the absorption of time. After Flair was done, Bischoff announced that he was going to end the Canadians stable with a match at the PPV that month where both Hart brothers were going to go against Pillman and Davey Boy. He decided the Canadians had run their course and that Owen Hart could turn face, partner with his brother Bret and compete with the other two Canadians, Brian and Davey Boy. Stu Hart didn’t seem to agree with this, as fans had been seeing Owen as a heel for a long time, even when he was a face at the start of his WCW appearances. He was boo’d even in the beginning when he was not with the annoying Canadians and Stu doubted he could now get cheers. While Stu’s argument seemed logical, Bischoff banked on the partnership with Bret Hart could give Owen the rub to be a good babyface.
After this brief discussion, the conversation changed to one about Hogan’s next challenger. He had beaten just about everyone in WCW, including everyone Bischoff brought in from the WWF. However, it was Sid Vicious who had not been seen in the main event for a while and seemed a logical choice. Bischoff really didn’t like putting him in the main event as he began to become known for his instability again. Bischoff became a little more convinced when Stu Hart suggested a tag-match with Hogan and Sting against the Misfits. Reportedly, the Misfits were supposed to be a high profile team and Paul Silva aka The Beast, was supposed to be the most high profile of them all. His size fed right into the “big man“ look that was currently popular in wrestling.
Paul Silva aka The Beast did not debut well. He was put with New Jersey Jim against Pretty Wonderful on Nitro and the match was atrocious. The Booking Team thought they could hide his weaknesses in tag-matches, but Balls Mahoney certainly wasn’t the best wrestler either. The Beast’s matches continued to be horrendous and Balls did just about everything he could to carry the matches, but ended up taking most matches to the outside, where the match would be less about wrestling and more about banging opponents with chairs. He was an ECW veteran, after all. Needless to say, WCW kept trying, despite these bumps.
The new heel Road Warriors began to build their popularity again, now that they were able to conflict with teams like Harlem Heat or the Rock n’ Roll Express. They began building this momentum with their short feud with the Rock n’ Roll Express, who they could always beat down on the sidelines, but not pin in the ring. Finally, after they pinned them and beat them down on a Nitro, Harlem Heat ran out to save the Rock n’ Roll Express. This easily transitioned the Road Warriors into their next feud, which seemed to have more energy. As heels, the Road Warriors could add a bit more to their hard hitting moves, such as kicks to the groin when the referee was distracted. They also could stomp or pound on Booker T in ways faces could not. This added element helped the feud
When Arn Anderson returned to Nitro after walking out on the Horsemen, he built a feud with Flair. He did this by speaking on the mic, in contrast to the Road Warriors, who built their feud in the ring. However, they did get involved in a physical confrontation one time when Flair was in the main event with Bret Hart. Arn and Ole Anderson walked to ringside and seemed content to watch the match with the TV announcers, but in classic heel style, interrupted when Flair fell from the ring. Ole acted as if he might help Flair up or back into the ring, but ended up sending him colliding over the steel steps instead. After they beat up Flair, they left and Arn seemed stronger or more threatening because of the confrontation. Arn seemed to have Dean Malenko or Ole on his side at all times.
Several other interesting stories besides Ric Flair climaxed at the Clash of the Champions, beginning with an Austin feud with Owen Hart. It began in classic Austin ways, as he again walked the thin line between heel or face. The fans didn’t seem to care either way, as they would cheer Austin both if he kicked Owen in the groin or told him to kiss his ass. He began a series of promos against Owen Hart, insulting him and calling him vulgar names. Austin said he was going to “kick Owen’s ass for the TV title, then sit in my damn lawn chair and have a beer.” With redneck tendancies, Austin did just that, carrying out a lawn chair and a beer as he called out the Harts on the next Nitro. When Bret answered his call and started telling him to leave his brother alone, Austin said from his lawnchair, "Hey listen, you know what, I was thinking. Even shit can be the best there is, the best there was and the best the ever will be. Now go get Owen so I can kick his ass."
Chris Benoit surprisingly began a feud with Money Talks, Beautiful Bobby and Michael Wallstreet. As the US champion, Benoit had a match in defense versus Bobby, which he won despite some obvious cheating attempts. But undaunted, Michael Wallstreet next challenged Benoit for the title but instead of just facing him with his partner, softened him up with backstage attacks. He also hired the Japanese warrior, Shogun, to attack Benoit. Wallstreet then appeared in a series of vinettes which were good examples of building the feud that helped hype the duo as real cheapskates, cheating to win in almost every instance. Beautiful Bobby helped Wallstreet the US Title. It was quite obvious that Bobby slipped Wallstreet some brass knucks to knock out Benoit during the match, but the referee never saw it. After Benoit complained to Harley Race, a rematch was made for the end of the month in order to settle it. Benoit would regain his title, thanks to Beautiful Bobby being banned from ringside.
Clash of the Champions - March 1995
Dark Match: Eddie Guerrero defeated Rey Mysterio Jr.
Dark Match: Terry Funk defeated Shogun
Ricky Steamboat defeated Dustin Rhodes
The Hart Brothers defeated The Canadians (Brian Pillman + Davey Boy)
Chris Benoit defeated Michael Wallstreet for the US Title
Barry Windham defeated the Mountie
Steve Austin defeated Owen Hart for the TV Title
The Road Warriors defeated Harlem Heat for the tag-titles
The Giant beat Big Van Vader by DQ
Arn Anderson went to a no contest with Ric Flair
Hulk Hogan + Sting defeated The Beast + Sid Vicious
A record two stables dissolved in March, the Canadians and the Four Horsemen. The Misfits, led by a now heel Jimmy Hart, were the only remaining stable. Possibly the match of 1995 so far was Arn Anderson versus Ric Flair, which was an emotionally charged combination that could only end one way: a draw. The Four Horsemen all were at ringside taunting Flair when the match overflowed into a big brawl. Certainly, one match was not enough to settle the rivalry between the Andersons and Flair, but the rivalry shifted to include Ole. Ole Anderson stood up for his friends and clocked Ric Flair himself on Nitro, beginning a physical confrontation that had never been seen between the two Horsemen.
Amazingly enough, Ricky Steamboat ran down to make the save as he had in early March. He and Flair cleared the ring and then shook hands to a huge reaction. It seemed like a flashback to when Sting helped out Flair a while back. Fans kept wondering if the same thing would happen to Ricky Steamboat as had happened to Sting, or if Flair would refrain from being the dirtiest player in the game.
The main event of the Clash in March was horribly sub-pair and certainly not up to what WCW could produce. Sid obviously carried the match on his side and a confrontation with Hogan drew little heat, which was mysterious. After Vicious softened Hogan up, The Beast finally entered the ring after a tag and gave Hogan a few swift kicks as he stayed away from ‘wrestling’ moves. He then locked on a headlock to delay time even further. Hogan then ‘hulked’ up out of the headlock, elbowed the Beast and confronted him with a wagging finger. When The Beast stood toe to toe with Hogan it really came off well, but the Beast was clotheslined from the ring before any actual wrestling ruined the match. The conclusion was done with Sid Vicious and The Misfits ran down and attacked Hogan, causing an immediate DQ. Sting cleared the ring afterwards, and everyone seemed happy with that.
The Misfits:
Jimmy Hart - The inspirational leader
New Jersey Jim - The rough street thug who always wore ripped clothes
The Great Muta - A green mist spitting savage.
Samu the Savage - A snarling savage
The Beast - Paulo Silva, 7’3 giant
Lastly, WCW hyped the confrontation of the two giants in wrestling, Vader and the Giant. Their hype machine was working overtime for this one, but it lacked the emotion of a Horsemen split. Mainly, the hype was just enough to get fans to tune in to see what this confrontation was about between these two large men. However, WCW played a few videos and Vader promos and did not have the two meet until the final Nitro in March. On it, Vader actually walked out of the ring when the Giant came down, instead of confronting him, selling the Giant's size that could actually threaten Vader. At the Clash, the two men finally met in the ring and the result was an average match, again feuled by hype. Vader squished the Giant in the corner several times as he tried to drop the Giant off his feet, but when he did, Vader missed a big splash. The Giant stood up and then lifted Vader off his feet, in a high bodyslam that was a good show of power. However, Vader then began biting the Giant, and clamped down on his finger, as Vader was showing frustration. After one warning, the referee disqualified him and the match ended in a traditional brawl with Vader being dumped from the ring. The fans celebrated this face victory.
At the competition, the WWF was pushing the Steiners, but now in singles. Scott Steiner couldn’t capture the title from the Macho Man however. The match of the night was Mankind versus Shawn Michaels, a brutal street fight that had Michaels beat Mankind senseless with an assortment of weapons. The WWF seemed to succeed a bit more than WCW in showcasing their younger talent. For example, the WWF let Mankind wrestle hardcore, allowed Michaels to show his cocky side in promos, and pushed the Steiners in more confrontations. WCW had a big seven foot giant wrestling tag-team. And wrestling badly.
However, WCW did have exciting young wrestlers that the WWF could not say had been made in their competition, namely Steve Austin. Steve Austin was WCW‘s first anti-hero. Bischoff identified this type of character after seeing Shawn Michaels cut a few cocky promos on television, confused on whether he was a a heel or face. He would do some of the same things as Austin, calling people names and assaulting authority figures. Michaels differed as he motioned to his crotch for emphasis, and could do a bit more wrestling in the ring. This anti-hero movement was new and different in wrestling. The WWF grew a few more anti-heroes thanks to the positive reaction, such as the Smoking Gunns, Billy and Bart Gunn, who needed some sort of direction anyway. Bart Gunn would play it up similar to Brian Pillman, laughing and acting cocky. But instead of contrasting him with a tough guy like Davey Boy, Billy Gunn relied on jokes or silly comments. Bischoff did not find it surprising when these two were partnered with Shawn Michaels himself. Wrestling was growing with anti-heroes.
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WCW Spotlight On....
MAIN EVENTERS
Hulk Hogan - Hogan plays the all-american gimmick that he was known for in the WWF. WCW cashed in on Hulkamania in 1993, highlighting him in each and every large show they did at the end of the month. He even beat Vader for the World Title his first month in the company, stabilizing WCW from dropping as the wrestling business declined. In comparison, the WWF experienced that drop while building new stars, something WCW did not do. Hogan is definately the franchise of WCW, but crowds are not responding the same as they were in 1993, leading some to believe Hulkamania is getting tired and old.
Sid Vicious - Sid was spotlighted on many 1993 PPVs, especially against Hulk Hogan, but has recently become undependable. He has had a few conflicts backstage, especially with Jim Herd, who suspended Vicious after he was late to TV tapings. Vicious did not have a history of being late, however Herd suspended him anyway. Vicious plays a mean heel with a vicious streak, hence his name. Vicious has partenered with The Beast Paul Silva recently, who himself has acquired the help of The Misfits, a new stable. These new Misfits were never main events, but were boosted some thanks to Sid Vicious appearing with them.
The Misfits
Jimmy Hart - The inspirational leader
New Jersey Jim - Balls Mahoney, a rough street thug who always wore ripped clothes
The Great Muta - A green mist spitting savage from Japan.
Samu the Savage - A snarling samoan savage, who had been a headshrinker in the WWF
The Beast w/ Sid Vicious - Paul Silva, 7’3 tall. Recruited by Vicious, but very green
Mean Mark - His new character, The Mammoth Marauder, according to Jim Herd, failed. He then returned to street thug, Mean Mark. It was evident that the Marauder gimmick was another Jim Herd classic, meaning it was horrible. The Marauder was a stone age Barbarian who wore a ripped loincloth type of jumpsuit. Mark's crazy hair was even more crazy, looking unkept as his new character. It was quite the opposite of The Undertaker, who he played in the WWF. The company was fiercely protective of The Undertaker character, threatening to sue WCW if Mark appeared with even a glimmer of a similarity to the Undertaker. Without this gimmick, 1995 seems to be one of Mark's declining years and it remains to be seen if he will compete in the main event again.
Ric Flair - Flair is the man. A traditional wrestler, he has clashed with both Bischoff and Jim Herd, although had never walked out on WCW until recently. When he returned a little over a month later, it seemed to be a cause for celebration. Flair is the spokesman of the Four Horsemen, a heel stable which beats down wrestlers who get in their way and is aggressive in other ways. In 1992, the Four Horsemen disbanded, Flair was absent and things seemed bleak for the stable. However, a great storyline returned them in 1993, when Flair turned on Sting, when they were a tag-team together. Ole however, has recently been talking of retiring completely, but the Horsemen remain a strong draw regardless. When they reformed, they were Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Ric Flair and Ole Anderson, with manager JJ Dillon. After his return, the fans began to cheer all the Horsemen, not just Flair. Flair however, was the fan favorite.
The Four Horsemen
Ric Flair w/ JJ Dillon
Arn Anderson
Dean Malenko
Ole Anderson
Sting - The colorful Sting was a character in the same vein as the high energy Road Warriors, who were also face painters. However, in Sting's case, he was less about throwing around power moves and more about working the crowd. He always wore colorful clothes and matching face-paint, although was excluded from a few 1994 PPVs on account of the booking team, who found it was more important to put him as an anchor for WCW. For example, he was named the babyface War Games team captain and was involved in many tag-matches with different face partners who needed a boost from Sting's popularity. As it has waned a little in 1995, they cannot go to Flair this time, as Flair was being cheered.
Bret Hart - When Bret Hart joined WCW, it seemed everyone wanted to see join brother Owen Hart in The Canadians stable. However, WCW delayed their intentions and in a old-school style, built a confrontation between the brothers a bit more slowly. Hart also argued with Herd when Hart stepped up and asked for a match, something he had never done before, in any company. Herd was so uncompromising that Hart walked out of WCW, but later returned. In February 1995, Bret Hart was responsible for building Steve Austin in their series of inconclusive matches. This small feud expanded into a larger one that helped Austin. They would certainly meet for some more action in March.
Big Van Vader - vader was the most feared wrestler in WCW, almost literally. Some people retired or walked out seeing that they had to face Vader when he was headlining WCW Saturday Night in 1993. After that show was cancelled, Vader remained WCW Champion until Hogan signed with the company in August. He doesnt seem able to back down from anyone or anything, causing some good reactions for underdog faces who seem small in comparsion to Vader.
Road Warriors - The heavyweight wrestlers Animal and Hawk were easily the top tag-team for many years. In 1993, they were champions and selected as the Kliq's initial feud, being dominant faces that Nash and Waltman would look good beating up. Since losing the titles, they have been floudering a little. Harlem Head and The Queen's Team gained a bit more popularity, one because of Booker T's energy and another because of Steven Regal's gimmick. They perhaps will always be solid contributors to WCW, making the most of any tag-match. When a tag-team has a match against the Road Warriors, they know they've made it.
Honorable mentions as sometime main eventers: Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham and Davey Boy Smith
On the next WCW Spotlight...the Booking Team and staff. Get behind the scenes with WCW Spotlight!
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Ted Turner called Eric Bischoff at the end of January to ask how the PPV went, but when Eric Bischoff answered that he didn’t know because he wasn’t there, Turner got confused. Bischoff then explained what had happened with Jim Herd and everything that was said. Turner was understanding. Bischoff then told him about Bret Hart, Ric Flair and the suspensions of the other wrestlers, Turner started to actually take an interest now. If anything, Turner just didn’t want any conflicts. He wanted his little wrestling show to go on without pause and was a little disturbed by all the conflict, so he simply fired Jim Herd completely and offered Eric Bischoff the lead job as executive producer of WCW.
Finally, this was what Eric Bischoff wanted all along. He felt a bit guilty that Jim Herd’s comeback only lasted a month, but not too much. WCW celebrated backstage, giving Bischoff a cake and Kevin Nash buying drinks. Bischoff went to WCW’s offices and the first thing he did was call Ric Flair. Flair was more than happy to hear that Herd had gone, then after Bischoff’s insurances, promised to return. Bret Hart also did the same. Bischoff lifted the suspensions of the others, recruited the Mexicans again and tried to return WCW to what it had been before Herd.
This was what The Booking Team did on a Monday in February as they all met to discuss the future. Bischoff didn’t act like dictator Herd, listening to each side of any discussion, but seemed to resolve each problem successfully in time. First, Bischoff tossed the criminal gimmick and returned Booker T and Stevie Ray to Harlem Heat, hoping that Herd hadn’t ruined them for the titles. However, there was a bigger problem with the Vegas Gamblers aka the Kliq and the Marauder aka Mean Mark. They had been devalued so much in the eyes of the fans that it seemed impossible to get either of them over again. Mean Mark was the most over, so he held onto him for a little longer and released the Kliq. Herd was really the enemy now, as Bischoff hated giving up valuable talent that the other wrestlers were comfortable with. A few other wrestling companies were interested, especially in Kevin Nash. Also, Bischoff had very little for those that were absent, but tried to give everyone a little something.
In February 1995, the WWF got a new TV show as they started from scratch. The show was called WWF Wrestling Challenge. This had been a name of an 80s show, which returned in a new form that the company hoped would be appealing in more general markets. Meanwhile, they released Dan Spivey and signed the Macho Man to a long term deal. Also, the WWF signed James Townsend, a professional weight lifter who had an uncanny build like the British Bulldog, deputing him in a high profile match on Nitro. He was green, but his look and charisma were incredible. Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman both signed with Memphis Wrestling in only a few weeks after their release from WCW. And lastly, Gorilla Monsoon returned to the WWF! Everyone in the wrestling community was happy about that, as Monsoon and Vince finally ironed out their differences.
Over at WCW, they were busy as well. After releasing some of Bischoff’s WWF recruits or rather flops, they signed “Gentlemen” Chris Adams and teamed him up with Steven Regal, putting them both back into an English snob gimmick. They called the duo The Queen’s Team, referring to the “Queen” of England. Bischoff also had them wear puffy shirts, which was a humorous touch. WCW also turned the Road Warriors heel in an interesting storyline that Bischoff was excited about. It was quite simple, they were jealous of the young team Harlem Heat getting a title shot at SuperBrawl. Nothing complicated. WCW ran a series of vinettes in which Jim Cornette was working up the Road Warriors by telling them about all the success these “hard hitters” were having or had. He was quite good at playing the weasel, calling for “road warriors respect” in his new manager duties with the team. So Harlem Heat had a ready-made challenger to feud with while they worked with Money Talks in the ring.
One time, the Road Warriors were beating down the Rock n’ Roll express in the ring, then The Giant surprisingly ran down to make the save. WCW turned the huge Giant face! WCW was in the TriState area for Nitro when it happened and it was definitely the loudest reaction of the night, especially when he chucked the two large Warriors out of the ring. Fortunately, WCW mingled all three of their high profile teams in a feud in February, even building their tag-matches, which wasn’t a priority in the past,
Unfortunately, there had to be some bad news to ruin Bischoff’s month. Ron Simmons and Butch Reed had both decided to leave the company. Reed refused to negotiate and Simmons thought of retiring, being burned out on the business. Brian Knobbs also left WCW at the end of February, when USWA promised a Nasty Boys reunion if Knobbs signed. The WWF then promised the same thing and Knobbs decided to sign there instead. .Dr. Death Steve Williams stepped up and FINALLY was granted a hardcore match, which gained him a rare victory. Dr. Death was completely comfortable wrestling hardcore, even smacking The Giant with a chair when he ran out to save Terry Funk from an attack. Dr. Death intelligently vacated the ring as the Giant turned to grab him, but Dr. Death earned his paycheck that month with a staredown that was really intense. His effort earned him a match with the Giant at SuperBrawl, which was hardcore, but he brought a kendo stick with him anyway. On the outside, The Hangman clubbed the big man with it while Dr. Death distracted the referee a few times but right prevailed and The Giant choke slammed the heel for the victory. He then worked a leg injury and could barely walk to the back thanks to The Executioners, putting forth the effort even after it was over.
A series of NJPW workers got into trouble in February. Eddy Guerrero, who was playing the Black Tiger, failed a drug test, so was released. Rumors are that he was at a party with several others from the company, including Americans Scott Norton and Art Barr. No one else was released however and these “drug” reasons were given as explanation. No one knows if this was true, as Guerrero did not speak about it and he was never charged with anything. He returned to the USA, but after wrestling one show with ECW, he signed immediately with WCW. Bischoff was impressed by this young cruiserweight from tales he heard from Chris Benoit and his other Japanese contacts. Needless to say, some staffers who were fans of the big men were disappointed.
That month, one other thing happened of note. Bischoff created yet another successful storyline when he pitted the floundering Steve Austin against Bret Hart. The crowd was divided in who to cheer for, as they built a series of no decision matches toward SuperBrawl. This no-decision matches were the best Nitro had for months, even eclipsing the main event several times. Then Bischoff wanted to put Austin over again for the win at the PPV, but he refused, saying that no one would believe “…a redneck like me winning over a class-act like Hart.” Bischoff got the idea for a redneck character after this conversation, a bad ass redneck, not a stereotypical slob. Everyone seemed to agree the blonde-haired prima-donna character was not working. Together, Hart and Austin began to show he was a bad ass out of the ring, which helped the character most. For example, Austin came up with a draw decision for the match and an aftermath that favored Austin in an attack.
Some others in WCW were not featured on SuperBrawl because of Herd’s interference, so Bischoff was unable to build them. This included Ric Flair. Flair hadn’t worked a match since the confrontation with Herd, although had returned to work in the Booking Team, helping others plan theirs. However, the crowd knew their favorite wrestler was missing, perhaps having heard rumors from the media about WCW’s troubles. At one point, they began chanting ’We Want Flair’ during Nitro when Harley Race was trying to do his latest Authority promo in hype of SuperBrawl. Herd had also ruined Mark Callous’s character(s), so WCW had nothing for him as well. Brian Pillman was put into an uncomfortable position as he moved up the card to replace these missing men, but took advantage and put on a good match with Steamboat. It was a rather lackluster PPV without some of the main eventers, but a completely better show than in Jim Herd January.
SuperBrawl - February 1995
Dark Match: Samu the Savage defeated Shogun
Dark Match: Owen Hart defeated Dustin Rhodes by DQ
Paul Roma defeated Psicosis and Rey Mysterio Jr.
Bret Hart drew with Steve Austin
Rock n’ Roll Expess defeated the Road Warriors
The Giant defeated Dr. Death
The Horsemen defeated Chris Benoit & Saturn
Harlem Heat defeated Money Talks for the WCW Tag-titles
Ricky Steamboat defeated Brian Pillman
Sting defeated Davey Boy Smith
Big Van Vader went to a no contest with Hulk Hogan
WWF Wrestling Challenge debuted as a new two hour show syndicated on ABC. It was quite a good move by the WWF, unfortunately the show was placed on Monday. Eric Bischoff couldn’t believe it. Fortunately, he calmed down some when he learned it would be on at a different time than Nitro, so they weren’t going to go head to head again, but since the show was taped, ABC affiliates could take the syndicated show and put it on anytime Monday that they wanted. For example, on the west coast, Nitro was in the late night but in the Detroit market it was early evening. Nitro was live and was less flexible in comparison, although had a more consistent timeslot.
Sid Vicious did a few Nitro matches, but was upset with nothing more, but again was a victim of Herd's intereference. Since the departure of Dangerous Dan Spivey, Vicious was left without much to do. Well, a few weeks later, Vicious was even more upset. He began to talk to Bischoff about this wrestler Paul Silva, who was a Brazilian man and a giant, saying the two could put on a good match together. Silva was even into wrestling. He had been working in Brazil and touring around the World after being such a high profile amateur wrestler in the 1992 Olympics for Brazil. WCW signed him on Sid’s recommendation and Bischoff had one look at him, then feared he had made a “Jim Herd” move. Silva couldn’t wrestle, not professionally anyways. He also needed muscle mass, but did have an imposing stare if nothing else. They turned Jimmy Hart heel as soon as possible to give Silva a voice, because he couldn’t speak much English either. Vicious was put as Silva’s partner so the uncomfortable looking big man wouldn’t have to wrestle much, but many people thought it was punishment. Anyway, Bischoff felt a bit misled by Sid, although Stu Hart nicknamed him “The Beast,” and booked Silva as a simple, imposing figure with a group of misfits. In fact, that’s what they called them, The Misfits. At least they got a stable going, if nothing else.
Bischoff tried to find a few guys to match Stu Hart’s creative idea. He signed Balls Mahoney, keeping him a brawler, but changed him into a street mobster or thug called New Jersey Jim. Bischoff’s obsession with New Jersey continued, but this time, he didn’t let Dusty to ruin it. He also added Samu the Savage since he was already part of the roster and had no direction. Then the Great Muta returned to WCW! Unbelievably, WCW was able to sign Muta to a short term contract, as NJPW had a conflict with him regarding the earlier contract ruling that came down in WCW’s favor. NJPW asked him to sign a new contract and take a pay cut too, but he refused and worked without a contract until WCW contacted him.
The series of matches with Bret Hart really got Steve Austin over, and he was smart not to pin Hart clean, instead emphasizing his “bad ass” redneck character outside the ring. This character was different from the prima-donna who everyone thought was a whiner. The new “bad ass” threw drinks in Hart’s face, scooping them from fans and announcers alike, kicked around Owen Hart with a weapon, then brawled with Bret when the Canadian hero ran out to stop him. It was a classic feud like another one WCW was having, but on a smaller scale. One of the Mexican wrestlers, Psicosis, injured Paul Orndorff legitimately that month and WCW incorporated it into the storyline. They had Paul Roma, one half of Pretty Wonderful, confront the “evil” Psicosis, but they grouped some of the other Mexicans behind Psicosis in support. Clearly, Psicosis was the most over of any of them. The Mexcians attacked Paul Roma and Orndorff ran out, even with his injured back. He made the save, but at great risk. He would later be seen holding his back and laboring around, working his acting skill for the camera. Roma was given more and more obstacles until put into a triangle match at SuperBrawl, which he won. No thanks to the Mexicans, which Orndorff had to scare off.
The colorful hero Sting was given a singles match after being involved in more tag-matches the previous month. He was a little more over than most of the main eveners, except Flair and Hogan. But the SuperBrawl match with Davey Boy Smith really had a chance to put over Smith and get The Canadians some TV time. Sting built it by coming out to the ring with Ricky Steamboat, especially when there was a Canadians confrontation chance. Bischoff wanted to avoid more tag-matches with Sting though, so did that by turning it around and having the Canadians act a little more cowardly than they had been. Pillman fit this bill easily, but it was a little harder with Davey Boy Smith, a big man who seemed unafraid of most everything in the past. They had Sting fight on the outside, which seemed to do the trick, as Sting with a chair would inspire fear in anyone.
Lastly, they had Ric Flair return at SuperBrawl, but with no match, instead in a more classic fashion. Flair came out for a promo, introduced by the other Horsemen. Surprisingly, the place lit up. Bischoff later thought about it and should have expected such a reaction, as their most consistent wrestler was absent during a trying period. Flair shook hands with his heel buddies and laughed a bit, said a few cocky things, but nothing would damper the crowd from cheering him. Flair even helped the Horsemen cheat to win over Chris Benoit and Saturn, which again caused a favorable reaction. Ric Flair was back and everyone loved it.
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When he was originally with WCW, Jim Herd personally came up with some of the most horrible gimmicks in history. However, he thankfully promised to leave the new gimmicks he wanted to The Booking Team. That’s what he said, anyway. As the team tried to follow Herd‘s order for new gimmicks, Dusty competed with Herd for the worst ideas ever. Bischoff changed Harlem Heat to wrestlers from New Jersey, saying that anyone from there was “tough as nails.” Dusty took it as step further, making them more than attitude. Dusty had them wear prison bodysuits and in a nice racist touch, said that they were criminals and proud of it. Needless to say, Bischoff anticipated Booker T’s growing popularity dropping off the map.
Booker T was one of the young wrestlers WCW had working hard. He was solid in the ring and had energy, whether he was good on the mic or not, as the effort was clearly there. Booker T and his partner Stevie Ray began in WCW with a silly gimmick with a white manager, but the Colonel departed WCW later and Harlem Heat transitioned out of their gimmicks to more modern wrestlers. Fans loved the name "Harlem Heat," as it seemed catchy and a good match for Booker T's energy. Booker T then invented a "spinning" move to his feet that would spark the crowd. It was a good move by Booker T and an example of the kind of improvisation that Harlem Heat was capable of, while other wrestlers like Kevin Nash, were not. Because of this energetic style, they seemed poised for real popularity, even getting a good reaction in their match against the annoying Money Talks at Starrcade. Then however, their growing popularity hit a pothole with the arrival of Jim Herd.
Reportedly, Harlem Heat hated their new gimmicks, but as young wrestlers, didn’t have the authority of someone like Ric Flair to refuse. Herd then moved onto other young wrestlers, suggesting gimmicks for The Kliq of Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman. The Kliq appeared in a high profile PPV a few months ago, then the following month in a dark match on PPV and then the next month, disappeared entirely.
Bischoff thought that it was a good idea for the floundering workers to get a gimmick, until he heard what Herd came up with. Kevin and Sean were going to dress up as flamboyant Vegas gamblers, who “strong-armed” opponents in the ring and “played the odds,” whatever that meant. In any case, Nash actually complained when he saw his bright green and red checkered outfit and his new name, Vinnie Vegas. Herd complicated matters when he brought in Tammy Synch and dressed her up as the team’s cocktail waitress. At the very least, the Vegas Gamblers had a nice looking valet. That was the only positive.
Meanwhile, Bischoff signed the solid WWF wrestler Jinesi Shinzaki to do a few matches with WCW, but the gimmick squad interfered. Herd ‘ordered’ the team come up with a new name for Shinzaki, something that would be catchy. Dusty liked the name Fuji, but reconsidered when he remembered there was already a Mister Fuji in wrestling. He then suggested Fungi, or Frungi, amongst other horrid names that meant nothing. Since he had to, Bischoff suggested The Shogun, who would dress as a Japanese traditional warrior. They went with that.
Lastly, Herd wanted one of the big men to be a “larger than life” monster, like Jason from the Friday the 13th movies. Bruce Hart reminded him that they already had a big man in The Giant, but Herd retorted that they didn’t have a “larger than life” big man. Herd’s notorious lack of wrestling history and knowledge was showing, as the Giant‘s spot and momentum was simply given away to Mean Mark, who had been doing very little. Herd changed Mean Mark’s gimmick, since that one was kind of shaky already. Flair thankfully had walked out so as not to witness the birth of the Mammoth Marauder.
Herd’s promise that he would “stay out of it” and allow the booking team to choose the gimmicks seemed to be a colossal joke. Bischoff was the next to walk out of the company. Herd then invented a feud with Hulk Hogan for the Marauder, which was confused and horrid. The Marauder began it by saying the “spirit of Earth” told him to cleanse the world of Hulk Hogan, which seemed to be his motivation for everything. This spirit of Earth became a backstage joke, as Kevin Nash told the wrestlers that the “spirit of Earth” was Jim Herd and that Earth was doomed, as the spirit of Earth was coming to destroy their careers.
New signee Rey Mysterio Jr. was used to promote WCW’s goal of more energetic wrestling and fast pasted openers, which Bischoff was known for. Unfortunately, he failed a drug test upon his initial screening and was suspended by Herd, without pay, until the PPV at the end of January. Herd had the other Mexicans sit around doing nothing too, until most of the cruiserweights went home. Herd didn’t understand the Mexcian wrestling style, as he told Psicosis to “slow down” and stop “jumping around,” referring to top rope moves.
Clash of the Champions in January was hyped to be a classic, but everyone in WCW knew it would never be. Then something happened that was surprising. Bret Hart stepped forward and asked for a lengthy match against either Ricky Steamboat or Sting, never having asked for anything before. With Flair absent, Herd agreed but reminded him that both of those men were faces and a face versus face match was unheard of. When Hart asked him to take a chance, Herd angrily declined. Hart was booked against new gimmick attraction, “The Mammoth” Marauder. Hart was then asked to job or rather lay down to give this gimmicky attraction the win. Feeling a flashback to the WWF, Hart then also walked out.
Even though Herd was getting frustrated with these wrestlers not “doing their jobs,” he met one last time to discuss the PPV with the remnants of the booking team. Not surprisingly, Stu and Bruce Hart reported that the new gimmick wrestlers were not getting much reaction, except for the Shogun (Jinsei Shinzaki), but they attributed that to his good wrestling ability. Regardless, Herd ‘challenged’ them to come up with a gimmick match for the main event. Even Dusty was tiring of Herd’s obsession with gimmicks by this point, so added nothing. A cage match was declined, as Herd wanted something more dramatic. He booked a Capital Punishment Cage match.. Weapons of all sorts were placed inside a steel cage and you could only win by ‘giving up’. Needless to say, Hogan wasn’t too happy about that.
When Herd caught wind that many people were being late to TV tapings because of some bad feelings and apprehension, he put his well-known Jim Herd fist down. He suspended Ricky Steamboat and Jesse Ventura, then did the same to Sid Vicious and Terry Funk, not even listening to their reasons. Most of what WCW had been disrupted by Herd’s suspensions and workplace practices. For example, the Hart brothers storyline was not followed up on because Bret Hart had not come back for work, so Owen was shoved into a match against Davey Boy at the PPV. That happened to be the only good match on the card, as the grumpy Owen was given the win. This however, did not earn Herd a friend.
Clash of the Champions, January 1995
Dark Match: Saturn defeated Dr. Death
Paul Orndoff defeated Rick Rude
Owen Hart defeated Davey Boy Smith for the WCW Television Title
Road Warriors defeated the Vegas Gamblers (Vinnie Vegas and Strongarm Sean)
Chris Benoit defeated the Mountie by submission
The Dirty Criminals (The Bookman + Stevie Ray Flash) defeated the Rock n’ Roll Express
The Giant, Steve Austin and the Honky Tonk Man drew with Doom and Sting when a count out occurred.
Dustin Rhodes defeated Dusty Rhodes
Big Van Vader defeated Barry Windham
Capital Punishment Cage: Hulk Hogan defeated the Marauder
Dusty Rhodes returned to the ring, first to try to boost buy-rates and second, to feud with his son. Dustin had turned heel earlier that month and got little reaction until Dusty involved himself in the feud. At Starrcade, Dustin had walked out and started the feud, but again Herd was not happy with this hot feud. And for some of the same reasons as he had been harping on all along: age. He hated Dusty wrestling again. So the match was less than five minutes and the win was given to Dustin, but fans were shocked. There was no way Dustin, the heel, could defeat southern traditional hero Dusty Rhodes in five minutes. Of course, Herd had no clue Dusty was a hero, southern or otherwise.
It really was a horrible month and buyrates dropped, because usual WCW stars like Ric Flair were missing. The Booking Team had to meet with the Jim Herd about the future, but dealing with him was not pleasant. Jim Herd tried to control most of the meeting and argued with most of the suggestions that contradicted his own, especially those from Stu Hart. Stu had a suggestion to use Paul Orndorff and the Honky Tonk Man in a high profile match or two and even had a feud suggestion. Jim Herd then called those wrestlers "tired and old." When the meeting ended, the next month was as unclear as the first.
The Booking Team
Jim Herd - hates people who dont "do their jobs"
(absent) Eric Bischoff - hates Jim Herd
(absent) Ric Flair - hates Jim Herd
Stu Hart -
doesnt mind Jim Herd, hates Jim HerdBruce Hart - dislikes Jim Herd's ideas
Dusty Rhodes - hates Jim Herd's ideas
The Story of the Wrestling Business
in The Dome Retro Room
Posted
Wrestling with Shadows - Ric Flair a Leak?
"Woo! I'm the greatest athlete alive today! And all you people know it, you /know/ it," Ric Flair says, "I'm about to walk down that aisle and win the World Title and there's nothing Bret Hart can do about it. Nothing! And I think that just makes you mad Bret Hart, because you know...you just /know/...that the Nat-ure Boy Ric Flair will do whatever it takes to become the next...World...Champion! Woo!"
After cutting away from that brief Nitro promo, Peter Michaels comes on screen, "Welcome back to Wrestling with Shadows, the investigative show that looks deep into the latest issues of wrestling," he says slowly, "And on today's show, we're looking at Ric Flair or rather, what's ahead for Ric Flair now that he is back with World Championship Wrestling. Greg Gagne was kind enough to give us a few comments about Ric Flair when we visited him."
The picture fades in on Greg Gagne, dressed casually. Peter Michaels sits across from him in the plush WCW offices, "Thanks for joining us today, Greg. I have several questions for you, but I'm sure many fans want to know just why you re-hired Ric Flair. Didn't he say that he was the leak?"
Greg Gagne shifts a little in his seat and says, "Well, that's why Eric Bischoff fired him, but fans just want to see Ric Flair. People want to watch him wrestle. People want to listen to his promos. So why not give the fans what they want? That's what I'm all about, Peter."
"I understand. Will fans really be receptive to a man shrouded in so much contraversy?" he asks.
Gagne nods, "Well, when I called him we talked about that very thing. You know, I told Ric that I was surprised that such an upstanding guy could leak anything, much less some silly rumors about wrestling. It seemed petty. And I've never considered Ric Flair petty."
"What did he tell you?"
"He said he wasn't the leak in WCW and that he told Eric Bischoff he was to cover for someone else," Gagne said.
"Who really is the leak?"
"He wouldn't say, only that the leak wasn't really a concern anymore."
"Well, hopefully fans will believe that explanation. What else do fans want? Do fans want Hulk Hogan? Or Mean Mark? Or maybe someone new?"
"That's pretty much what I talked about with Ted Turner. And I think he was impressed with my answers."
"Really I've never seen you so confident," Peter Michaels says, "Will you let us in on these answers?"
Gagne chuckles amusedly and shakes his head, "No no, you'll just have to wait and watch Nitro. Sorry."
The screen cuts away from this interview to a picture of Ric Flair. He stands at his old locker, stocking it with things from a blue bag that sits at his feet. He stocks it slowly, looking sullen and sluggish. When the camera pans around to get a better shot, Flair smirks and then smiles politely at the camera.
"Ric, I think everyone wants to know who the leak is in WCW. Who are you covering for?" Peter Michaels asks him.
"Oh, Gagne spilled the beans, eh?" Flair chuckles a little, "Listen, that's all over with. We got a new start going here. Look, I feel like I'm ready for it. Gagne is making changes, the booking team is making changes, it's gonna be a great year. There's not going to be any rumors."
"Are you going to be part of the booking team again?"
"I really have no right to ask for my old job. So no, I don't think so. I'm going to focus on other things. If they need me, they can talk to me," Flair answers directly.
Suddenly, a tall man comes into the picture. It's Hulk Hogan. Hogan puts his hand on Flair's shoulder and then smiles, saying a brief hello. Hogan wears a yellow t-shirt that reads 'Hulkamania' in red letters. He also has on a matching yellow cap that reads the same.
Ric Flair frowns a little and looks surprised as he turns around to meet Hogan. Flair immediately hides his shock and mellows, smiling politely to Hogan and gives him a handshake, darting a glance at the invading camera. The handshake pauses as the two men obviously share a serious stare, with hidden meaning.
The camera zooms in on his unexpected meeting and lengthy handshake, then fades out.
Peter Michaels resumes speaking from the studio as the camera fades in on him, "We were obviously curious about this brief meeting and what it meant. Unfortunately, we were unable to learn anything more, however it was obvious to me that there is conflict between Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. And not just because both men are stars or have egos, there is something else there. We will keep our eye on this situation as it develops"
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