===================================================================== ===================================================================== ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ / /\/ /\/ /\ / \ / /\ __ ___ / / / / / / / / \ / / / / \/ \ / / / / / / / / \/ / / / \ / \/ / / / / / / / / /\ /\ / / / / / / /\ / / / / / / / / /\ \/ / / / / /\ / / / / / / / / / /\ / / / / / \ / / /____/ /___/ / /___/ / \_____/ / /___/ / /__/ / \____\/\___\/ \___\/ \____\/ \___\/ \__\/ n a i d O ' s W r e s t l i n g N e w s Edition// 527 Date// November 4, 2001 Motto// "Continuing to get the news so you don't have to." Website// http://www.geocities.com/naidosnews Subscribe// naidoswrestlingnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe// naidoswrestlingnews-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com ===================================================================== Table of Contents//================================================== naidO's daily note TOP HEADLINE Latest news & notes from the WWF, WCW & the rest of pro-wrestling Article// Ratings Slide Puts WWF in a Sleeper Hold Article// Matt Hardy Talks Remember... Affiliates ===================================================================== naidO's daily note//================================================= Hello to you and to those just joining. Tell your friends about the BEST newsletter around to subscribe today. Enjoy this latest edition of nWN! -Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone. I'm going to see the Raptors hopefully open a can of whoop-ass on the Indiana Pacers. Cheers! LOVE THE NEWSLETTER? PLEASE TELL A FRIEND TO JOIN! Thanks for reading. naidO// ===================================================================== -American Red Cross relief Information To make a blood donation, call (800) GIVE-LIFE or contact your local blood service organization. To help the victims of this and other disasters with a financial contribution, call (800) HELP-NOW. You can also mail donations -- designating "Disaster Relief Fund" on the memo line of the check -- to the American Red Cross, PO Box 37243, Washington DC 20013. ===================================================================== TOP HEADLINE//======================================================= -Mancow just announced that the first taping for XWF would be next Friday at Universal Studios. He said the federation is run and owned by Hulk Hogan, with the Road Warriors and others a part of the event. He also announced that he has had talks with them about being brought in for calling the matches. The XWF is a new up-start promotion including the aforementioned Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Hart, Brian Knobs running the show. Source// Torch ===================================================================== News from the WWF//================================================== -Official Heat Preview Edge joins Michael Cole and Al Snow at WWF New York as the special guest-host for Sunday Night HEAT, this Sunday at 7/6 CT, live on MTV! The Intercontinental Champion's got a lot on his mind -- including his brother Christian, and his matches this week against Rob Van Dam! HEAT will be highlighted by a battle of two of the most sultry divas in sports entertainment. Trish Stratus will battle Ivory in a Federation-Alliance confrontation! Also on HEAT, Tazz faces Spike Dudley, Raven (with Terri) meets Chuck Palumbo, and Albert fights Scotty 2 Hotty! -Official Raw preview For weeks, World Wrestling Federation fans have witnessed the tension between The Rock and Chris Jericho. Although both are proud members of Team WWF, the individual desire of each to be WCW Champion has created some tense and emotional moments. This Monday on RAW -- at 9/8 CT, live on TNN from the Nassau Coliseum -- The Rock and Chris Jericho will go one-on-one for the WCW Title! If you saw their match at No Mercy, you know what these two are capable of. Tune in Monday for the rematch, which promises to be even more explosive than their first bout! Just 13 days will separate Monday's RAW from the Survivor Series, and the Winner Take All showdown. One can only imagine what the Federation and the Alliance have in store this Monday! Don't miss Rock-Jericho, the rematch, this Monday at 9/8 CT, live on TNN! -Cable preview for Raw is as follows (nothing we don't already know): HOUR 1: The Rock vs. Y2J ... HOUR 2: For the WCW Championship. -The next UK PPV, Insurrextion will be held at the Wembley Arena on May 4, 2002. Tickets go on sale on December 1. -Though Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon have been added to the Survivor Series 10-Men Ellimination Main Event Match, expect them to play a negligible wrestling role in the match. Apparently, this change was forced to be made due to the twist in story lines by the heel turn of Kurt Angle. A few matches rumored for Survivor Series are: *Test vs. Edge (for the WWF Intercontinental Title) *Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy -Matt Hardy and Lita are currently featured in a UK newspaper article. To read it, click http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,3- 2001380650,00.html -Both Triple H and Chris Benoit are set to return soon. Expect some more roster cuts on their return. Even more major cuts are possible next year. -Rikishi has lost 60 pounds during his leave. As reported by Jim Ross, Rikishi is probably only a month away from return. Rumors are that Rikishi would join the WWF side, as a face on his return. Source// Ultimo, Torch, Observer, 1wrestling ===================================================================== News from WCW-ECW//================================================== -The 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair was a guest on a radio show in Raleigh, NC., yesterday and talked about his possible return to the WWF. Flair said that he intends to collect all the money from his AOL Time Warner contract and then head to the WWF. Flair said that in around six months he would be free to go anywhere. In the past Jim Ross said in his Ross Report that if Flair decided to join the WWF, they would welcome him 'with open arms.' Source// Torch ===================================================================== News from the rest of pro-wrestling//================================ -Joanie Laurer (formerly known as Chyna) will appear on TSN's Off The Record this Thursday. Booker T will appear on the show this Monday. -Diana Hart has writen a column over at Slam! wrestling where she reminises about Owen and her family. To read it, click http://www.canoe.ca/Slam011104/wre_cal-sun.html -Bret Hart's commentary at SLAM! has been updated where he talks about a fellow named Ed Whalen. To read that, click http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBretHart/011104-sun.html -Don Callis has updated his Slam! commentary as well which can be read by clicking http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingJackyl/home.html Source// SLAM! ===================================================================== Article//============================================================ Ratings Slide Puts WWF in a Sleeper Hold By Eric Gillin - Staff Reporter - http://www.thestreet.com Last Monday the averaged television rating for Raw and Raw Zone, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment's (WWFE:Nasdaq - news - commentary - research - analysis) flagship wrestling programs, dipped below 4.0 for the first time since March 1998. Even though the 3.9 that Raw and Raw Zone notched ranked the shows as the most- watched cable programs, the decline highlights the diminishing popularity of wrestling. The ratings slide began over a year ago, when the entertainment group moved from its longtime home, USA Networks (USAI:Nasdaq - news - commentary - research - analysis) to Viacom (VIA:NYSE - news - commentary - research - analysis). As a result, Raw and Raw Zone switched to The National Network (TNN), a mainstream reincarnation of The Nashville Network. Because TNN is not available on as many cable systems, ratings dipped to around 5, off more than a point from levels reached the year before on USA. To make matters worse, in a recent filing with Securities and Exchange Commission, WWFE said it would lose $1 million to $1.3 million a month because DirectTV refuses to air its pay-per-views as a result of a contract dispute. In addition, business at WWF New York, its Manhattan entertainment complex, has decreased because of the events of Sept. 11. A year ago, live events such as the TV tapings for Raw and SmackDown! would sell out in a few hours. In its latest quarter, the company said live attendance was down 32% from the previous quarter, with nearly $3.7 million less coming in as a result. Such drops in ratings and attendance are even more troubling because television and live-event performance drive the WWFE operation, from the New York site to merchandise sold over the Internet. As ratings fell, so did revenue from the company's television and live-event segments, which accounted for 80% of WWFE's first-quarter revenue. "Their fundamentals are under a great deal of pressure," said Breck Wheeler, a research analyst with Legg Mason, one of three who cover the stock. The Invasion of the Body Grapplers: Wheeler says the TV product has grown stale in the six months since the WWF bought AOL Time Warner's (AOL:NYSE - news - commentary - research - analysis) World Championship Wrestling (WCW), its only rival and home to Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Goldberg -- three of the biggest names in wrestling. When WWF bought the WCW's intellectual property and trademarks, those stars didn't come as part of the deal. They had guaranteed contracts with AOL Time Warner and chose to collect a paycheck for sitting out rather than take a pay cut to work for the WWF. Initially, the merger revitalized the product. Ratings for Raw and Raw Zone jumped a full point -- from 4.7 to 5.7 -- in the week after the company debuted the WCW invasion and fused the two programs' story lines. A pay-per-view show highlighting the feud between the WCW and WWF, aptly titled InVasion, did 681,000 buys -- 70% higher than the same event in the previous year. But viewer excitement soon died. Without the WCW stars, the show became less entertaining in the long run. Television ratings slumped 28%, from the 5.7 logged at the beginning of the summer to last week's 3.9. "The softness in the TV ratings is the most concerning because it's the least impacted by a softening economy," Wheeler said. "Unlike advertising, watching TV isn't a function of economic outlook." Meanwhile, a court in the United Kingdom issued another blow to the company by recently ruling that the WWFE could not use the trademark WWF on its popular WWF.com Web site because of a 1994 agreement with the World Wildlife Fund, which uses WWF.org. Judd Everhart, WWFE's director of corporate communications, said that the company had appealed the ruling, and that a hearing would be held at the end of 2001 or the beginning of 2002. Everhart refused to comment on how the ruling might affect the company -- a reticence that's in keeping with WWFE's lack of clear guidance. After purchasing WCW, WWFE said the rival league would run as a separate entity, with its own live events, television programming and merchandise. But the pending spin-off was shelved indefinitely as the ratings slid. The Pinning Predicament: WWFE investors face an uncertain outlook, due to a weak advertising market and slumping ratings. Even if ratings do increase, advertisers are cutting their budgets, and the two factors could offset each other. Some analysts don't recommend buying WWFE's stock until the company shows confidence in its own fundamentals by repurchasing shares. According to Pacific Growth Equities analyst Peter Swan, WWFE has nearly $250 million in cash, which it could use to buy back shares, which were trading at $11.27 on Wednesday, just 96 cents above their 52-week-low. The stock is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 20 times 2002 estimated earnings. "We'll be more confident when we see them eating their own cooking," Swan said. ===================================================================== Article//============================================================ Matt Hardy Talks Highlights from his showing on Chairshots.com: -Travelling and flying is some thing that within wrestling is something that all wrestlers have had to get use to and with the recent terrors activities has become more complicated. -Talks about how he and Jeff have toned down their spots for the one or two big ones that really have a bigger payoffs. -He reels off injuries he has suffered within the wrestling ring Hyperextensions of the knees, broken hand, separated shoulder, countless stitches, staples in his head, weekly sprained ankles, but never anything career-threatening. -Starting out, he expected the pain, while the success came as somewhat of a surprise but something he always hoped for. -Advice for youngsters: Stay in school, get a full education before learning the wrestling basics. -Staying fit on the road and getting good food is a real problem. He stays away from the fatty fast foods, tries to stay his high protein low carbohydrate. He use to take designated days off to work out in the gym but now just works out when he can, mainly on endurance since he doesn't want to "blow out" in the ring. -His friends backstage area Jeff and Lita, plus Hurricane Helms, Edge, and Christian. But has no real problems with any of the wrestlers backstage. -He said nobody expected Hurricane's success. -He talks about his PPV match, scheduled to be against Justin Credible & Lance Storm. Initially I was supposed to be Kanyon & Lance Storm, but Kanyon has a torn ACL (?) and will be out for three to six months. -Regarding the Impact Players, they were a great force in the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and haven't had any matches as a team since being in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and is hoping to have a great mach here at Rebellion. -His wrestling hero was initially Randy Savage, and later Shawn Michaels - more Michaels due to his size. -People he wouldn't like to fight with in or out the ring, - Vince McMahon, since if Vince beat him he could be vicious and if he kicked Vince's arse Vince would fire him. ===================================================================== Remember...========================================================== -Remember that if you've missed any TV Shows, PPV's or more? Go to the following links to read the results. Raw// http://www.naidosworld.com/tvraw.html Smackdown// http://www.naidosworld.com/tvsmackdown.html PPV's// http://www.naidosworld.com/ppv.html Ratings// http://www.naidosworld.com/tvratings.html ByteThis// http://www.naidosworld.com/bytethis.html ===================================================================== Affiliates//========================================================= -http://www.green-mist.com -http://www.geocities.com/dsherelo -http://www.TommyDreamer.net -http://www.StephanieBellars.com -http://www.PaulHeyman.Net -http://Wrestling-Freak.8k.com -http://www.JeffTheRef.com -http://www.ecwanderson.com -http://www.ecwdangerously.com -http://www.eswfed.com -http://welcome.to/wfwa -http://www.mrwicked.com -http://www.foreverfrancine.com -http://thegame.rawfeedonline.com -http://omantortuga.cjb.net -http://www.geocities.com/pwpwrestle -http://www.manbeasttemple.com -http://www.nwouk.com BECOME AN AFFILIATE// Make nWN your official newsletter!! Email naido@hotmail.com with your website's address for consideration ===================================================================== News gathering links//=============================================== -1Wrestling/Dave Scherer @ http://www.1wrestling.com -Wrestling Observer/Dave Meltzer @ http://www.wrestlingobserver.com -The Law @ http://www.liveaudiowrestling.com -UltimoWrestling @ http://www.ultimowrestling.com -SLAM! Wrestling @ http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestling ===================================================================== Ads//================================================================ -Looking to trade or by Wrestling Tapes?? Check out BBBoris' Tape Trading Inc. at http://www.geocities.com/pwpwrestle for all your wrestling tape needs! There's tons tapes from all over the world including old ECW, WCW and of course WWF tapes available for sale or trade. With reasonable rates, you can't go wrong. Check us out today! -Come join the ESW today. Its the best Fed on the net today! With 8 belts, 3 weekly shows, and a monthly PPV, what more could you ask for? JOIN NOW! http://www.eswfed.com -Join the EHW. It's a Brand new RP E-Mail. We have a site and allow real or fake wrestlers. visit the site @ http://www.angelfire.com/apes/ehw/index.html or e-mail me @ TheRock420RVD@cs.com. YOU WON'T REGRET JOINING ===================================================================== nWN Staff//========================================================== Founder & Editor: naidO - naido@hotmail.com Columnist: Sam Jerry - SAMJERRY@aol.com Columnist: The Vile - vile316@yahoo.com Columnist: Leno - jm51509@AOL.com Columnist: Tomac - tomac67@yahoo.com Columnist: The Sad Rebel - sadrebel@hotmail.com Columnist: Linda - lvaccarp@hotmail.com Columnist: Rishi - above__average@hotmail.com ===================================================================== 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. Copyright © 2000, 2001 - naidO - All Rights Reserved ===================================================================== =====================================================================