The Rock
Oh, I should be mad because this is the first time a WWF wrestler has held a WCW title? Damn. Some people are so into what they're talking about that they don't hear what's being said. If you want to talk REAL pro wrestling, I'll say this. Ric Flair won the WWF title, and not too long after, Hulk Hogan won the WCW title. How important were those events? Pretty important at the time, but who are we kidding?
We have people talking about this victory spoiling title lineages, but David Arquette was deemed a more important wrestler than Chris Benoit?
Sometimes people should stop overthinking, and start thinking. Kurt Angle was in Pittsburgh, his hometown. With Chris Benoit injured, WWF is making Kurt Angle into a top face. Giving him the WCW title does two important things at once:
(1) It makes the WCW WORLD Championship look important.
(2) It makes Kurt Angle look like a champion of the calibre of Austin, because he beat the man who Austin ducked, Booker T.
People always talk about the holes in WWF storylines, but they never mention the plateaus.
Shadrick got booted from Tough Enough this week, watching Jacqueline crying was pretty disturbing to me though...The contestants seem to really be into each other, when someone gets booted (like Darryl) they show alot of emotion...
WWF fooled alot of internet writers with their latest episode of Byte This. They announced a major announcement would be taking place, and of course websites jumped on the potential story. Here's what will happen: Kurt Angle will grant Booker T a rematch on Raw Is War...Rob Van Dam was on the mentioned episode of Byte This. Here are some stand-out things from his interview:
-RVD thought that his match at Invasion was so good because he was able to have his kind of match.
-He thinks that Jeff Hardy is a great match for him, as Hardy works a similar style.
-RVD is looking forward to returning to Philadelphia this week. He also thinks that fans demand more due to more knowledge of the business.
-RVD says that he believes that the bar has been raised in wrestling since the '80's.
-He had slot of fun doing Spy TV, he also said that his agent booked it for him.
-He has done some acting in the past. They wanted him to wear pads during his martial arts movies, which are 3 in number.
-He loves kickboxing, he learned martial arts as a kid in Michigan.
-He believes that the Van Terminator's shock value would be decreased because of Shane McMahon using the move at Wrestlemania (X-Seven).
My personal opinion on RVD is this: He will be a World Champion one day. He's that good.
...Smackdown got a 4.3 broadcast rating this week, up .3 points...
WWF Sends Out Rocky Press Release
STAMFORD, Conn.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--July 27, 2001--After a nearly four month hiatus, The Rock will make his long-awaited return to the World Wrestling Federation this Monday on Raw Is War.
The show will be broadcast live on Monday night from the First Union Center in Philadelphia on TNN at 9:00pm ET. During his hiatus, The Rock filmed a new Hollywood action epic, "The Scorpion King," based on the role he portrayed in the movie blockbuster, "The Mummy Returns."
"We've had a tremendous couple of months with the WCW/ECW storyline and our Invasion pay-per-view last Sunday. Fan interest continues to increase on a weekly basis and we believe that The Rock's return will further increase the visibility of our programs and our brand," said Stuart Snyder, President and COO of World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. "This Monday will be a very special night for the World Wrestling Federation and our millions of fans."
Last Monday, Raw is War achieved a 5.4 rating / 9 share in 4,344,000 households, according to Nielsen Media Research. Household ratings grew consistently quarter-hour to quarter-hour, ranging from a 4.5 to a 6.1.
The Rock's return couldn't come at a better time as the battle for supremacy in sports entertainment continues between the World Wrestling Federation and the WCW/ECW Alliance. The recent defection of World Wrestling Federation Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin to "The Alliance" has further complicated matters. In order to control what is becoming a chaotic situation, World Wrestling Federation fans are counting on The Rock to reconcile with World Wrestling Federation Chairman Mr. McMahon - the man who helped steal the World Wrestling Federation title from him and handed it to Austin at WrestleMania X-Seven. Now, Mr. McMahon needs The Rock to help fend off "The Alliance." Can The Rock put aside their differences for the good of The Federation or will he join Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley and Stone Cold Steve Austin to help them destroy the World Wrestling Federation and take over the sports entertainment industry?
World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWF) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and Toronto. Additional information on the company can be found at wwf.com and wwfecorpbiz.com
From The Charlotte Observer
Title: Former WCW executive testifies about encounter with Gold Club dancer
ATLANTA (AP) -- Former professional wrestling executive Eric Bischoff testified Tuesday that he and his wife once left the Gold Club with a stripper and he later watched while the two women had sex in a hotel room.
Bischoff lived in Atlanta when he was president of World Championship Wrestling, which has been taken over by the rival World Wrestling Federation. He said he and his wife left the strip club March 21, 1999, with dancer Jana Pelnis and paid her $75 to $100 when they dropped her off at the club later.
Bischoff said he gave Pelnis the money not for sex but for drinks and the time she spent with them in a private room at the club. He said he thought the sex between the two women was consensual.
Pelnis testified Monday about the encounter with the Bischoffs, saying that they paid her $200 afterward and club owner Steve Kaplan later paid her another $800.
Pelnis, 29, also said she witnessed or performed sex acts on pro basketball stars Patrick Ewing and Dikembe Mutombo, former NBA player Dennis Rodman, Denver Broncos and former University of Georgia running back Terrell Davis and others. She said Kaplan paid her varying amounts of money after those encounters.
Prosecutors say Kaplan used the lure of sex to attract professional athletes and celebrities while cheating customers to funnel cash to New York's Gambino crime family. He and six others are standing trial in federal court, charged with obstruction, credit card fraud, loan sharking and other charges.
Bischoff said he consumed as many as 20 drinks at the club that night.
"I don't even remember driving to the hotel," he said.
Earlier Tuesday, Pelnis, who is cooperating with government prosecutors as part of plea agreement, admitted under cross-examination that she had lied in her grand jury testimony because she was embarrassed about things she had done.
"If you lied under oath because you were embarrassed, would you lie under oath to stay out of jail?" Kaplan's attorney, Steve Sadow, asked.
Pelnis replied, "I can't answer that."
Sid Vicious isn't so "Psycho" now is he?
(c) Marlo Jones, 2001.