______________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ _ ____ | | | | | \ | | | |/ _ \ | | | | | \ | | | / \ | | |/\| | | \| | | | | | | | | |\ | | | | | | /\ | | | \ | |__| |_| |__/ \__| |__| \__| [ n a i d O ' s - W r e s t l i n g - N e w s ] Edition 264 February 5, 2001 "I get the news, so you don't have to." ______________________________________________________________________ [Official newsletter & complement to:] http://www.naidOsWorld.com To subscribe: naidoswrestlingnews-subscribe@egroups.com To unsubscribe: naidoswrestlingnews-unsubscribe@egroups.com ______________________________________________________________________ [Table of contents] **Note from naidO **TOP NEWS STORY **Latest news from the WWF, WCW & ECW **[Article] XFL's TV debut X-cessive **[Column] Rounding the Squared Circle **Parting chair shot ______________________________________________________________________ [Note from naidO] Hello to those just joining. Tell your friends about the BEST newsletter around to subscribe today! - I apologize for there not being a newsletter yesterday as my girlfriend was in the hospital. Priorities people. Enjoy this latest edition. - naidO nWN Founder - http://www.geocities.com/naidosnews ______________________________________________________________________ [TOP NEWS STORY] Dave Meltzer talks about ECW: Lots of talk about WWF going after the ECW talent roster. I'm not surprised. A signing of half a dozen ECW guys and bringing in Paul Heyman as booker is the one thing WCW could do that would make a huge difference. Not that there are so many ECW fans but that it would be the company's desperately needed facelift and Heyman as booker would give the company a new approach. The odds of this happening are slim. Heyman either needs an angel to come to bat, and in a hurry, or ECW as a true separate entity will probably crumble, perhaps within days under the weight of all the money owed and be forced into either a bankruptcy or Heyman may work out a deal with Vince McMahon in some form. Everyone knows a deal for Heyman is on the table and I was amazed at how public the WWF made it on its web site that they want Heyman. It's not their style. But no matter how the WWF phrases this, they are removing much of the value of the company by making it clear they are going after much of the talent as it pertains to any last-ditch effort for Heyman to get financing to keep it afloat. Obviously the company wasn't going to wait for WCW to make the moves and Heyman, as he predicted, was caught in the crossfire, without any money at a time he needed it most. Whether he can do a PPV on 3-11, and that'll probably be determined in the next few days, is immaterial and even though WWF will let him use talent for the show, that means nothing long-term. Long haul is he needs a deal. There are deals on the table, but these negotiations just don't happen fast enough with TV stations, and time is not an ally. It would be better for the balance of power in wrestling for Heyman to revitalize WCW, but I'd say of all the scenarios possible, based on spending much of last night with Heyman, that is the one that he hasn't been approached to do and the odds are terribly slim to none of happening. Heyman considered himself "boxed in" by what's happened over the past week and if nothing else, he isn't going to throw in the towel until he's exhausted very option. ______________________________________________________________________ [News from The WWF] **RAW IS WAR kicks off LIVE from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta at 9/8 CT on TNN! Last Thursday on SmackDown! Xtreme, Stone Cold Steve Austin continued playing mind games with Triple H when he assisted referee Earl Hebner by counting the 1-2-3, thus allowing WWF Champion Kurt Angle to retain his title. Federation Chairman Vince McMahon has already stated that if either the Game or the Rattlesnake touch one another, Triple H will be suspended for six months and Austin will lose his shot for the WWF Championship at this year's WrestleMania! How will either man keep their raging tempers to a simmer until No Way Out on Feb. 25? Find out this Monday on RAW IS WAR! **Pete "Justin Credible" Polaco has done an interview with WWF.com where he talks about his jump to the WWF. In it, he talks about honing his craft in ECW, which the WWF always says is "Philadelphia based", even though it has not been since Tod Gordon sold it (it's actually New York based now). Anyway, Polaco talks about how people learned in ECW, including saying that ECW is when Steve Austin developed his personality. The putting over of ECW continues! To read the story, click http://www.wwf.com/news/headlines/1032386 (Cred: wwf.com) _______________ [News from WCW] **Jeff Jarrett suffered a mild neck strain after his Thunder match with Rick Steiner, after receiving the Steiner Driver. His neck felt very stiff during the week, but hopefully it will be ok for Monday's TV tapings. **El Nino, a well known Lucha cruiserweight from Mexico, will get a tryout match on Nitro this week, similar to what Christopher Daniels and Mike Modest received two weeks ago, with basically a chance at getting a contract with WCW. Although his opponent hasn't been announced, it is unlikely that it will be another wrestler outside of WCW. **Another match has been added to Nitro, and that it a non-title match between Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo vs. Lance Storm and Mike Awesome. **"Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels has his second commentary up on his website. It is entitled "The Worst Bump of My Life, or 'Ouch!'" To read it, visit his homepage at www.christopherdaniels.com. (Cred: the law, ultimowrestling) _______________ [News from ECW] **Several sources have reported that although Yoshihiro Tajiri has not officially signed with the WWF, he is telling close friends that that is where he is headed, and not WCW. **Super Crazy was in attendance at the Jersey All Pro show at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA last night. While chatting with fans, Crazy was often asked about his future plans. He told several fans that he plans to be in WCW in a few weeks. **Francine is back with a new diary entry. In this latest installment Francine talks about the current state of ECW, comments on ECW talent signing with the WWF, info on two shows Francine will be part of, Valentine's Day and Birthday gift ideas, and much more. To read Francine's diary visit FrancineECW.com now! **Mikey Whipwreck is back with a new commentary which shows a side we have never seen of the madman. Mikey touches upon the topics of Justin Credible, Rhino, and Jerry Lynn, being WWF bound, his thoughts on the current state of ECW and Paul E., plus more. To read this latest installment of Diary of a Madman visit MikeyWhipwreck.com now! (Cred: ultimowrestling, 1wrestling) __________________ [In other news...] **All Japan announced complete cards for its next tour which starts on 2/18 with Rob Van Dam and Sabu. Both are working in the middle of the show, mainly in matches with each other, including some matches against Toryumon. They'll have a singles match on the final show of the tour on 3/3 in Yokohama Bunka Gym. (Cred: the law) ______________________________________________________________________ [Article] XFL's TV debut X-cessive NEW YORK (AP) - It didn't take long to see what the ``X'' in XFL stands for: ``X-hibitionism'' and ``X-aggeration.'' The inaugural broadcast of the fledgling football league NBC-TV owns jointly with the World Wrestling Federation was filled with just the sort of double entendres, close-ups of cheerleaders and over-the-top announcing that the founders had promised. Saturday night's airing of the Las Vegas Outlaws' game against the New York/New Jersey Hitmen did break ground with its omnipresent microphones and cameras, providing sights and sounds not normally associated with pro sports telecasts. And that wasn't always a good thing. The idea is to appeal to male viewers aged 12-24, the same audience the WWF thrives with, and the debut indicated there will be nothing highbrow or low-key about the XFL. Only eight minutes into the show came the first lascivious shots of cheerleaders. Not much later came a taped piece with a Las Vegas cheerleader gushing, ``Quarterback Ryan Clement knows how to score.'' Wink, wink. Also before halftime came this bit of commentary from play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian: ``A lot of heavy breathing out there. It sounds like a crank call.'' That earned an approving chuckle from the ``color analyst,'' Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. Vasgersian often referred to his broadcast partner as ``Body,'' Ventura's nickname during his previous life as a WWF wrestler. Both announcers were loud throughout, with Vasgersian yelling ``what a pop!'' or ``slapped down to the ground!'' after some hits that would be considered run-of-the-mill by NFL or college standards. It sounded as if the announcers were trying to convince themselves as much as the TV audience that the XFL really is ``smashmouth football,'' as the promos insist. NBC started looking into starting a football league after the network lost its NFL TV rights in bidding three years ago. NBC is airing games on traditionally low-rated Saturday nights; UPN and TNN are the league's other broadcasters. The eight XFL teams will play 10 games each, leading up to the ``Big Game at the End,'' as the April 21 championship contest is being called. WWF impresario Vince McMahon, who came on the field to fire up the crowd before the opening dash-for-the-ball in lieu of a coin-flip, and NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol did deliver the inside-the-game coverage they sought. Viewers could eavesdrop on everything - quarterbacks getting play calls from offensive coordinators, huddles, referees discussing rulings, players from opposing teams talking trash. There was also an ``All-Access'' halftime, giving fans a chance to see and - when the censor wasn't putting the five-second delay to good use - hear coaches talk strategy. But the sideline or on-field interviews with players made it clear why the major U.S. pro sports leagues don't do it - the answers were almost uniformly unintelligible, sometimes because players were trying to catch their breath after a play. The 27 cameras, more than are used for ``Monday Night Football,'' showed new angles, thanks in part to a camera suspended over the field and to two on-field cameramen wearing flak jackets and hockey helmets. There was plenty of evidence that it was opening night, especially when it came to switching from one point of view to another. The way the action was shown was often disorienting, and pieces of plays were missed. ______________________________________________________________________ [Column] Rounding the Squared Circle - by Sam Jerry "THOSE UNDER 36C NEEDN'T APPLY" OR "NEW (?) GIRLS ON THE BLOCK" If you feel asleep 10 years ago and just woke up, or if you have been hanging around with Scott Hall, you wont be able to tell the difference. No, it's not the Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling (GLOW), or the GLOW Girls as owner David McLane called them, it's The Women Of Wrestling (WOW), still owned by McLane. Figuring his idea may have been slightly ahead of its time, and possibly in the wrong place, McLane is trying again, forsaking Las Vegas for El Lay this time. He is still using the same technique to audition his lovelies: They stand and face a wall, extend their arms and if they can touch the wall, they can go back to doing what they did before. Of course he still has a couple of small female mountains on the roster to menace his plastic enhanced beauty queens. They have been in action for about six months or so, and available in many places on a syndicated basis. They are now ready for the big time: a PPV called WOW - Unleashed. The Title seems to fit a couple of the bow-wows on the roster. As I wrote a few days ago, it will be held Sunday, February 4, 2001. WOW's first Champion was Terri Gold, an outstanding athlete who could compete in the WWF and hold her own. She lost the Title to Danger, who I can best describe as a female version of Flexy Lexy, lots of muscle, especially between the ears, with a bit of Dudley blood thrown in (she like to put her opponents thru tables). In true PPV fashion, they will meet in the Main Event in a rematch for the Title. Next up we have WOW's resident prima donna Lana Starr (she had no trouble meeting the arm/wall requirement) and her personal assistant Patti Pizzazz (you guessed it, she also passed with plenty to spare), facing Ice Cold and Poison in a tag team "She who gets pinned, gets her head shaved Match." Seems Lana clipped a few of Icy's cold locks, and in true "Build the PPV" fashion, had her golden tresses shortened a bit. You have got to love the names Mclane gives his ladies. Their apparel matches their names to a tee. Another thing, you have no trouble picking who is the "face" and who is the "heel" Then we have Selina v. Thug in a Cage Match. Thug is the resident mountain with stumps. Thug also happens to be the Sal E. Graziano of Harley's Angels, WOW's Tag Team Champions, who will be defending their Titles against Caged Heat; your classic Bikers v. Jailbirds Match. One suspects that Thug may get involved in the match for a change. Next up is Riot v. Wendy Wheels in a Hardcore Match. Riot brings a baseball bat to the ring with her; Wendy is you typical neighborhood car repair person, although I can't recall any that looked quite like her. One has to wonder what type of weapons they will use (other than the bat and maybe a wrench or two). We might see the dreaded evening purse in action. Could we be treated to make- up mirrors, lipstick, mascara cases, and shawls? One can only guess. Another match pits WOW's answer to Sheena, Jungle Grrl v. Wendy, The Farmer's Daughter, in a "Splash Match." This has to be a winner: Jungle Grrl is another candidate for the big time and Wendy is, well ... THE Farmer's Daughter. She was going to take the test on her daddy's barn wall, but when McLane saw her, he told her she didn't have to. Another thing that will take place is WOW's First Swimsuit Competition, with viewers voting for their favorite on WOW's Web Site. As well as those above, contestants include: The Beach Patrol, Sunny and Sandy (any resemblance to Bay Watch has to be intentional); Jane Blond (of course she's English, or at least fakes the accent); Slam Dunk, an ex-basketball player; and Lotus (who will probably get Kaientai's votes). If nothing else does, the promos for the competition will sell the show. I understand The King was the first person to place an order for it. McLane has hired Bobby "The Brain" Heenan for the PPV and that has to be a plus. The syndicated show is called by (Useless)Lee Marshall. If you recall, Marshall was on WCW's "D" team, one step behind an almost trained orangutan, and just ahead of Larry Loser. Hopefully McLane will tell him he got a call for Good Old Eric and he'll go looking for him and not show up. Heenan recently said he was never allowed to be himself in WCW (big surprise) and maybe we'll see the old Brain, not the hack we saw in WCW. The show promises to be entertaining, so may be worth the price. Several of the ladies are quite talented, some of them can even wrestle. It certainly can't be any worse than the crap WCW has been selling us. Visit My Home Page At: http://members.aol.com/samjerry ______________________________________________________________________ [Parting Chair Shot] Remember, tell your friends about nWN - naidO's Wrestling News today! **Missed any TV Shows? Go to the following link to read the results: http://www.naidosworld.com/tvshows.html Also, be sure to check out the NEW internet home of nWN, http://www.geocities.com/naidosnews for all your archived stats, tv shows, wrestling links, terms and PPV's, and most of all PICTURES! - naidO nWN Founder ______________________________________________________________________ [Affiliates] **http://www.paywindah.com **http://green_mist.homestead.com **http://www.geocities.com/dsherelo/ - BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF nWN and make it your official newsletter!! Email naido@hotmail.com with your website's address for consideration. ______________________________________________________________________ [News gathering links] **Dave Scherer, Buck Woodward, Bob Ryder @ http://www.1wrestling.com **Dave Meltzer, Zach Arnold @ http://www.wrestlingobserver.com **Chris Clarke, Jeff Pollock @ http://www.liveaudiowrestling.com **Blake Wolfson @ http://www.ultimowrestling.com ______________________________________________________________________ [Ads] ESW - The number one E-Fed on the face of the Earth! The ESW: Extremely Suicidal Wrestling! http://www.geeksoft.net/gin/gfed2/gfed.cgi?lid=1204 ______________________________________________________________________ [nWN Staff] Founder & Editor: naidO - naido@hotmail.com Columnist: Sam Jerry - SAMJERRY@aol.com Columnist: The Vile - stoncold@bignet.net Columnist: Ted Cabata - tcabata@roanoke.edu ______________________________________________________________________ [Disclaimer] naidO's Wrestling News was founded on April 30, 2000 and is owned and operated by naidO. He, nor this newsletter is in no way, shape, or form affiliated with World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Turner Broadcasting's World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, or any other wrestling organization. Nor the people (staff members), wrestlers, or any other talent in the wrestling. News is gathered from various sources around the net, including newsgroups and are believed to be of public domain and truthful (uh huh). As long as proper credit is given it exempts nWN and it's staff. I (naidO) am just promoting their organization/website. nWN is not responsible for content on affiliate websites or where they may link to including mp3's, warez, kiddie porn and/or other unlawful content. This exempts myself & this newsletter (nWN) from all legal disputes. Anything taken from this newsletter requires written consent from naidO Copyright © 2000, 2001 naidO. All Rights Reserved To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: naidoswrestlingnews-unsubscribe@egroups.com Sorry to see you go if you do =(