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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 18, 2002 14:11:03 GMT -5
College Professor Comments On ProWrestling & America
The Philadelphia Inquirer features a lengthy story on a pro wrestling course that is being offered by Penn State-Altoona. The course is taught by professor David Parry, a wrestling fan since the 1960s, who also teaches philosophy.
"This gets them thinking," Parry said. "If you understand professional wrestling, you understand America. There's a current that runs through American cultural life where we have this will to see the exact opposite of what we're actually seeing. Watch CNN's 'Crossfire.' It's a bad version of professional wrestling.
"If students can understand that, they can understand other things, too. If they know they are being lied to by Vince McMahon, nothing Al Gore or George Bush says is going to get past them."
The story also notes that Parry requires his students to watch televised wrestling shows and subscribe to either the Pro Wrestling Torch or Wrestling Observer newsletters.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 18, 2002 14:17:46 GMT -5
Backstage News From SmackDown! Tapings
The SmackDown! roster was less than happy when the RAW rating got around backstage at the tapings in Colorado Springs last night. Apparently a few were in good spirits hoping that the SmackDown! rating would continue to rise, like it did last week, heading into Unforgiven.
Many are claiming the downturn in business for WWE recently is starting to take effect on the backstage morale at shows. With attendance, ratings, and merchandise all down in numbers, payoffs are down from what the wrestlers are used to getting, which obviously isn't making anymore happy.
Vince McMahon is said to have accepted the fact that business is down and realizes this is a rebuilding process where it will take time and dedication to get the figures back up. While doing "shock TV" angles like HLA and gay weddings isn't the best way to rebuild the company, he is being credited for trying a variety of different things to get the business back on top.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 18, 2002 14:20:22 GMT -5
SmackDown! Records Lose Top Act, NWA-TNA Re-Launch
WWE's Smackdown Records has lost its top act, Neurotica. The band has already left the label about being with them for only 3 months. Kelly Shaefer, the band's frontman, said that WWE let them out of their contract because they could no longer hold up their end of the bargain in providing the services the band needed. As reported earlier, Smackdown Records future is in question. It is expected that the label will now only be used for WWE CD releases and not for other acts.
Credit: Blabbermouth.net
NWA:TNA has been building up for several weeks for a huge show on September 18, 2002. Already signed for the event are Sean Waltman, Scott Hall, and Nascar's Hermie Sadler with other stars like Road Dogg expected on the show.
It is reported that this "relaunch" was to promote the product to new fans, and to try to win back fans that had abandoned TNA in its first few months of existence.
However, new information has surfaced with another motive behind the relaunch. Previously the Jarretts had funded TNA mostly themselves, but apparently a possible financial backer will be at the Nashville Fairgrounds on September 18th to observe the show. The Jarretts want the best possible show for that date to impress the financial backers.
Credit: Pro Wrestling Torch Newslette
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 18, 2002 14:23:01 GMT -5
Recap Of Hermie Sadler On Radio To Promote NWA-TNA
Thanks to reader Mike Mitchem for the following.
Hermie Sadler was on the radio this morning promoting NWA:TNA's PPV tonight. He appeared on The Big Show with John Boy and Billy at 8:00. He said that he'll be making an announcement tonight about NWA:TNA sponsoring him in a race and also said he would be doing color commentary and "you know how that goes. Anything can happen." He also mentioned Scott Hall's and Sean Waltman's would be on the show, and also another big name wrestler who was a good friend of his would be making his debut in NWA:TNA tonight.
He mentioned that Waltman used to wrestle in the WWE as X-Pac and that his name in NWA:TNA would be Syxx-Pac (pronounced Six Pack). John Boy said that his name sounded scary. Sadler also talked racing and mentioned that, for his appearances, TNA makes donations to a Richmond Autism Hospital. All in all, Sadler sounded very excited about TNA and did a really good job promoting it. He also appeared on The Big Show the day of TNA's first PPV.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 18, 2002 14:25:38 GMT -5
Chat With Bill Goldberg This Coming Monday The following is from BillGoldberg.com: Exclusive BillGoldberg.com Chat Announcement: Live Moderated Chat With Goldberg at 9 p.m. CT on Thursday, Sept. 19th Make plans to participate in a live, moderated, no-holds-barred chat with Goldberg right here at BillGoldberg.com on Thursday, Sept. 19th at 9 p.m. CT. To enter the BillGoldberg.com chat room, go to www.billgoldberg.com/ at 9 p.m. CT and click on the link to the chat room in the popup box on the home page of the site. Or, go to the "Who's Next" section of the site and click on "Interactive." Visitors must have Java on their computers in order to enter the chatroom. Access to the chat is very limited. Vulgarity and mispresentation is subject to immediate expulsion from the chatroom. |
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 19, 2002 12:47:26 GMT -5
WWE Steals Wrestler For NWA-TNA, more
Jim Ross addressed three new talent signings in his latest edition of the Ross Report on WWE.com this past Friday.
Apparently, one of the three is Malice from NWA-TNA (aka The Wall from the now defunct WCW). Suite, a former WWE developmental talent, reached star status in the Jarrett family promotion NWA: Total Nonstop Action, and has now apparently returned to the McMahon family monopoly.
Another one of the talents signed by WWE is a female talent named Nikita, who used to work for the former WWE developmental system, Heartland Wrestling Association led by Les Thatcher in Cincinatti, Ohio.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 19, 2002 12:53:17 GMT -5
More on the WWE/Nicole Bass Court Case
- Nicole Bass's sexual harassment lawsuit against WWE began yesterday in New York federal court as lawyers from both sides delivered their opening statements. Bass claims she was "relentlessly harassed" during her five months in WWE. She also claims that agent Steve Lombardi sexually harassed her during a flight to England by grabbing her breasts and "grinding his groin" against her.
WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt told the court that Bass was not a good wrestler and was only able to perform one move - the chokeslam. "You have to be good," McDevitt told the jury. "You're competing against the best of the best. Ms. Bass wasn't good enough and that's what this lawsuit is about."
Link:
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 19, 2002 12:56:09 GMT -5
Stephanie McMahon/Unforgiven, WWE Working For Women
It seems as if RAW's reputation for having segments revolve around women and sexual content is not a turn-off for female fans, at least not in Canada. Believe it or not, as RAW's rating has fallen to nightmare levels, the amount of female viewers has gone up. In the past year, the number of women aged 18-34 who view RAW on TSN has gone up by 25%. Of course, the sexual content does not attract the amount of female viewers as in-ring wrestling does, as Smackdown this season has 60% more female viewers than last. Obviously, this means that both RAW and Smackdown are working for the female viewers, despite turning away male fans, at least as far as Canada is concerned.
Stephanie McMahon is scheduled to appear on the final Byte This! before Unforgiven when it airs on WWE.com this Friday.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 19, 2002 14:44:08 GMT -5
Jesse Ventura's Return, No More Smackdown in Hawaii, More
Thanks to WDC for the following article:
Jesse Ventura stated on MSNBC's Hardball College Tour w/ Chris Matthews that he plans to return to wrestling. Ventura added that it will take him 3 years to get back in shape. Ventura also made mention of Brock Lesnar being WWE Champion.
Tomorrow (Friday, September 20th) over at WWE.com, the special guest on Byte This will be the Smackdown General Manager and "The Billon Dollar Princess" Stephanie McMahon. The show starts at 4 p.m.
Stacy and Nidia are set to face off in the second round of the 2002 Babe of the Year Tournament. Only one can advance. Voting for that is currently taking place on 2002BabeoftheYear.com.
Thanks to WDC Reader mwiltse for the following:
Just thought you would like to know -- there is no more Smackdown in Hawaii. KHVE, the local UPN affiliate, has preempted Smackdown two weeks in a row (including this week) to broadcast University of Hawaii sports. This morning's newspaper, The Honolulu Advertiser, has an article that KHVE has now ended its affiliation with UPN to focus on WB and University of Hawaii sports. Even though KGMB, the local CBS affiliate, will be airing some of the UPN shows in non-primetime slots; according to the newspaper article, they have no plans to air Smackdown. That means that Smackdown will no longer be aired anywhere in the state of Hawaii.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 20, 2002 13:59:08 GMT -5
Chris Jericho Speaks: Negative Comments on WWE Angle, Being 'Buried', Fozzy, More By Patrick MacKenzie “Y2J” Chris Jericho stepped “Between The Ropes” to discuss WWE awarding Triple H the World title, his place in the pecking order in WWE, internet analysts and his band, Fozzy. The former undisputed World Champion signed a contract with WWE in August and couldn’t be happier. Feeling like he has accomplished all his goals, Jericho simply wants to entertain and help boost the younger wrestlers – a gesture never granted to him in WCW. “My motivation is to help keep the business strong by doing the exact opposite of what so many guys have done when they start getting to be big-name guys,” he said. “I won’t try to keep down younger guys or keep down the natural progression of talent.” Jericho suggests that internet analysts are misinformed if they believe he is being buried. He feels comfortable moving around on the card and pointed out that he is in the main event on Raw and at most house shows. To further illustrate his point, he has even has suggested that he lose some of his matches. “I’m kind of bullet-proof,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if I win or lose. I’m one victory away from being the champion again and everyone would believe it.” He said his days in WCW were a great learning experience because he learned how to make the most out of a bad situation. In other words, he won’t be leaving the company due to a riff with the creative team. “Part of being in this business is being able to adapt, not always being in the spotlight, and also taking things that suck and making them good,” he said. Awarding Triple H Raw’s world title was a bad angle that has led to its devaluation, according to Jericho. He said it was disappointing, although he admits that he doesn’t know the long-term plan. “I thought it was terrible and I would tell Vince to his face that I thought it was a very WCW-type move,” he said. “I hate stuff like that. It’s a lack of logic that really bothers me.” The character who proclaims himself king of the world said he is happy with WWE’s promotion of his band, and he said it shows the business acumen of the company. “Bigger name recognition for me equals more name recognition for them as well,” he said. The heavy metal maniac (and fellow Helloween fanatic) said he came up with the angle where Ric Flair attacked him during Fozzy’s performance on Raw and trashed the set. “We were the most hated band in America for that night and I thought it was just awesome,” he said. “It was funny trying to explain to the record company and to some of the guys in the band that when they were chanting “Fozzy sucks” before we even started playing that it wasn’t because the band sucked. It was because they hated me.” “Between The Ropes” is a two-hour radio program hosted by Brian Fritz and thingyerman that airs each Wednesday night at 10:00 p.m. on 740 The Team in Orlando, Florida and worldwide at www.betweentheropes.com. |
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 20, 2002 14:05:30 GMT -5
Lesnar/Heyman, Nash Lawsuit, Corino To WWE, more
The following news is derived from the Pro Wrestling Torch newsletter.
In a small tidbit, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar are developing a good co-working relationship behind-the-scenes in WWE lately. Some go as far as to describe the relationship between Lesnar and Heyman as identical to that of Jim Ross and Steve Austin, Pat Patterson and The Rock, and Vince McMahon and Triple H.
Sources continue to insist that WWE has no interest in signing Steve Corino despite rave reviews for his work on the independant level. Many claim he was considered for a role on the roster, or announcing, but won't happen due to scar tissue on his forehead from blading too often in matches.
Quite a few former WCW wrestlers are joining forces to sue Time Warner due to unpaid licensing issues. Kevin Nash has been the most vocal of the group and will likely be the lead figure in the group of guys from the former WCW suing Time Warner for such issues.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 20, 2002 14:09:35 GMT -5
WWE Staff Writer Speaks Against WWE, HHH/TV Time, more
With Smackdown now becoming the "favorite" show among many WWE fans, one has to wonder what is going through the minds of WWE staff, as RAW has never really been considered inferior to Smackdown.
A member of WWE's booking team, Brian Solomon, posted commentary on the WWE website discussing the issue. He feels that the statement "Shut Up and Wrestle" speaks relatively well for him, and is even more prominent now that he feels Smackdown is "kicking RAW's ass".
Solomon feels that promos are what make the show entertaining, but they should not take priority over the actual matches. That is obviously a good description of Smackdown, and it is currently paying off.
Additionally, in agreement with the many fans that e-mail us daily, he feels that Triple H is on WWE TV way too frequently, which hurts the show. Solomon feels that most of the other primetime shows feature better acting and speaking, so WWE can only defeat them by showcasing wrestling.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 20, 2002 14:12:45 GMT -5
Austin/Debra Update, Test Asked To Get A Haircut, & More
The following news is from the Pro Wrestling Torch newsletter.
Steve Austin withdrew his divorce petition recently, possibly indicating a reconciliation with his wife Debra Williams. A Bexar Country court dismissed the case officially stating Austin no longer intended to legally seperate with his wife Debra. The story made the AP wire, newspapers, and several local news stations in San Antonio, Texas.
Test and Christian have been asked by management to cut their hair to the length of Lance Storm's current hair style. The WWE official who informed them of the request said, "long hair is out." Some wrestlers jokingly wonder when the same official will approach the likes of Triple H and Kevin Nash with such a proposal. Test and Christian are said to be against the idea and are trying to get out of cutting their hair.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 20, 2002 14:15:19 GMT -5
Vince Speaks Against Former WWE Diva In Court, more
The following are highlights from an article released by Associated Press:
Vince McMahon testified today in the WWE/Nicole Bass lawsuit. If you haven't read prior posts, Bass is suing WWE for alleged acts of "sexual harrassment". Those acts include the "Brooklyn Brawler" apparently sexually assaulting her, Shawn Michaels "graphically simulating a sexual act" (with Nicole being the butt of the joke) and male WWE wrestlers accosting female wrestlers in the locker room.
Vince totally denied knowledge of the acts of sexual harassment. He also said that WWE wanted to turn her into a star, but she "had two left feet", lacking the coordination to be a huge success in wrestling. He went on to say, "You're just trying to throw dirt against the wall, trying to make something stick." Vince called the whole lawsuit a "smear" on the company.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Sept 20, 2002 14:18:21 GMT -5
News On Austin/HHH, RVD's Push, Lesnar/Chris Jericho
Michael Tearson of Philly Daily News updated his column for the week. The following are notes:
WWE has traditionally used the live crowd to build new stars. Stone Cold Steve Austin, for instance, was very involved with the crowd and was known to do "off-air" stunts at each RAW taping to keep the crowd interested. The same goes for The Rock, who used the crowd to break out of the midcarder Rocky Maivia character. HHH gained his respect for his stiff in-ring work. Those actions are not found as frequently anymore, with WWE not giving as many main-event pushes as they once did.
There is a lot of concern whether the "next big thing" Rob Van Dam can be a success at the main event level. His character has earned him fan respect, but it is still questionable whether he can come through and dominate as a WWE leader.
In agreement with many, Tearson feels the future lies with Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar, four wrestlers who have proven on numerous occasions that they have the necessary talent.
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