November 24, 2002
THIS WEEK, WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER SMW SPOTLIGHT AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE LATEST TRANSACTIONS YOU MAY BE SEEING ON RAW OR PRIMETIME AS WELL AS THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THE DRAGON's LAIR, ENJOY.
SMW SPOTLIGHT: CRAZY SHANE While he may be one of the newest developmental contracted guys in SMW, Crasy Shane does not lack the drive to get to the top and insiders even say he could be called up within the next few months to the active TWF roster. But for now, Crazy Shane wants to make an impact in SMW so he can use it as a launching pad for success in the TWF. He broke onto the scene on an episode of Agression by attacking an unsuspecting RC Haas and ever since, has made his mark in SMW as a man who truly wants to be the best. But times weren't always great for the young man who grew up in East Los Angeles and had a serious rap sheet by the time he was 14. After being placed in a home for troubled youth, Shane came across a man who ran an underground promotion where you could come compete against others wanting to get a start in the business. Shane had to wait until he was 16, but when he did, he went to one of the shows and took a serious beating. The winners of each match got $5. But each Friday night, Shane would come back and each night, he fought a man with a different style but as he grew older, he created his own style of risk taking and daredevil flying and soon, became one of the top stars who would come out. But when he turned 18, Ron Bassman, who runs Ultimate Pro Wrestling, noticed him and saw potential. Bassman gave TWF scout Bruce Pritchard a call and Pritchard agreed to come out for a look. Pritchard was thoroughly impressed and signed Shane to a TWF developmental deal right then and there. Right now, Shane indicates his goals in SMW of defeating one of the big name people down there, such as Loki or Shannon Moore but he really looks forward to a bout with Al Snow. From there, he would like to win the shot at being in the TWF Royal Rumble before fulfilling his ultimate goal of making it to the TWF. He may not know it, but he's well on his way.
ROSTER RUMBLINGS PERRY SATURN WAS RELEASED ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 22ND AFTER A BUYOUT FOR THE REMAINDER OF HIS CONTRACT WAS AGREED UPON. SATURN HAS BEEN A GOOD COMMODITY TO OUR ROSTER SINCE THE TWF WAS MADE BACK IN 1999 AND WE WISH HIM THE BEST. HIS CONTRACT WAS SET TO EXPIRE IN FEBRUARY. ON THE FLIP SIDE, IT IS BEING RUMORED THAT WE HAVE SIGNED CHRIS KANYON, SOMEONE WE HAVE COVETED FOR A VERY LONG TIME. HE HAS AGREED IS PART TO A 3 YEAR DEAL WORTH $242,000 PER YEAR WITH INCENTIVES FOR SHOWS WORKED. SOURCES CLOSE TO THE SITUATION ALSO SAY BULL BUCHANAN AND LITTLE GUIDO MARITATO, WHO WILL PROBABLY USE A NEW NAME, MAY BE CALLED UP BY THE END OF THE YEAR. TALKS ARE STILL ONGOING WITH RICO CONSTANTINO BUT SOME HAVE A PROBLEM WITH HIS AGE AND A RELEATIVELY HIGH ASKING PRICE. HOWEVER, OTHERS FEEL IT WAS A MISTAKE TO LET HIM GO FROM OUR DEVELOPMENTAL TERRITORY IN THE FIRST PLACE.
THIS IS THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THE DRAGON's LAIR BY CHRIS DALBY GUYS. HOPE YOU LIKE HIS WORK, HE IS VERY GOOD AT WHAT HE DOES. u>The Dragon’s Lair 2
Hello to all, TWF fanatics. I’m back now with my second column and today, I will be reviewing Doomsday and its backlash on Raw and PrimeTime.
Over the last week, we have certainly witnessed some sad and some happy moments in the TWF. It is always sad when a superstar leaves our midst but to lose 3 in one short period of time is always tragic. We wish best of luck to Ahmed Walker, Sean O’Doul and Morpheus X in all their future ventures. Hopefully, they will find employment elsewhere very quickly. My thoughts also go out to Scott Hall to whom I wish a speedy recovery.
But now, on to the meat of the subject, DOOMSDAY. Overall, this was a brilliant PPV with some extremely solid matches backed up by all concerned.
Doomsday Review
Well, how often does it happen for all the titles on the line at a PPV to change hands? All these were fought for in well-worked matches and everyone involved can be proud of the effort.
Nemesis’ Handicap match against TFT and Nidia was entertaining, if predictable, and it provided a good opener to the show and an important lesson for High Octane. Don’t mess with the big boys too soon, son.
The next match probably made me pop loudest all night. Terri Gold showed so much pure grit, determination as well as a ruthless streak to bring down the Angel of Darkness and being the first women to ever do so. She is a deserving champion but I have to wonder what Akasha’s response will be. Though Akasha did fight well, Terri did have luck on her side and Akasha should feel proud of her reign.
Talk about tension in Camp Cornette down. Jim Cornette almost cost his prize fighter, Kid Gundam, the match. This was a match I was very unsure of but it did fulfil its role on the card without causing any fireworks. Stone Cold was a deserving winner and Kid Gundam needs to do some more studying before he faces opponents like that. He seems to be taking them for granted.
In the IC Title match, RVD once again showed why he is one of the most exciting superstars on the roster and one has to wonder how long it will be before he has a shot at the World Title. The announcement on RAW of his trade to PrimeTime can be nothing but a good thing for Van Dam, providing with a wide array of new opposition. What wouldn’t I give for a Drew Blood/RVD match-up?
Perfect and Nowinski failed to impress me at Doomsday. Mr. Perfect seems to be past it and Nowinski came across as a bumbling fool.
The tag match between NJPW and the Outsiders was a very fitting end to their feud. I was very happy with the performances of all concerned. This feud has been memorable and, although it needed to be brought to an end, showcased the talent of all men nicely. How unexpected was Nagata’s arrival? I hope the four men become a prominent feature on PrimeTime. WE vs. NJPW for the Tag Titles anyone? But I have to wonder how their reunion with Gundam and Hayabusa will go. With Camp Cornette progressively dissolving, will they reunite or not?
The LH Title match provided everything a cruiserweight match should. The crowd popped like crazy and deservedly so as Matt and Dylan gave it their all. Although Dylan won his first gold here in the TWF, Matt should be remembered as one of the very best Lightheavyweights in this company and I hope these two can get it on again very soon. For now, best of luck to Dylan in his title reign.
Now, as good as a Tag Match as the Civil Rights/Dreamer and Sabu match was, I remain emotionless as purporting to Civil Rights. They have good fighters but what they lack is one major star, I think. However, I am glad RAW has its own set of Tag Titles and I am sure Tommy and Sabu will wear them with pride. I really hope for Civil Rights’ sake they can kickstart on coming RAWs. Long seems to have an agenda, it’s just no-one else seems to see it.
Undertaker v Strife, the match everyone was waiting for. And I have to say I expected Taker to win it. Many would say he should have done, seeing how he manhandled Strife from the start, but wrestling is wrestling and Strife picked up a good win. The ending left me perplexed as to where the controversy with Bahamut and Strife to lead as I expected Bahamut to turn at Doomsday.
For Drew Blood, I must say the victory came as no surprise for me. I believe this man to be the single best superstar in the TWF and I think he could go on to be one of the best EVER. He has the whole package and what other superstars can claim to have pinned Stone Cold, Bahamut, Rhyno, Jordan Rockwell, HHH and Shawn Michaels? As for HBK, he showed some weakness tonight and I really think it is time for the man to retire from active wrestling. A managerial role would be perfect for him, after all, who is better on the mic than the Heartbreak Kid?
Finally, to the main event. Though very short for a 2 out of 3 falls match, this clash certainly provided plenty of action and surprises, Hulk Hogan and Steiner intervening on either side and Victoria providing the deciding factor. So, HHH is the new champion but due to this, he will have no credibility and Rockwell shows himself to be the new People’s Champion. With PT soon getting its own title, we can be sure he will be challenging for the top honours.
TURNING BACK THE TWF CLOCK: WRESTLEMANIA 1 WRESTLEMANIA 1 WAS HELD ON MARCH 29, 2000 FROM THE ARROWHEAD POND IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, A MERE 3 MONTHS BEFORE THE TWF WENT ONLINE. BUT IT IS STILL REMEMBERED AS ONE OF THE BEST EVENTS THE TWF HAS HAD. Gerald Briscoe: "WrestleMania 1 was one of my favorite events with this company. The Arrowhead Pond was rockin' and we had a super card that night. But nothing sticks out more in my mind than Kane's match". KANE HAD LAID OUT AN OPEN CHALLENGE THROUGH PAUL BEARER TO ANYONE IN THE WORLD WHO WAS MAN ENOUGH TO FACE HIM. AT THE START OF THE SHOW, IT WAS REPORTED THAT NO ONE HAD ACCEPTED THE OFFER. Briscoe: "Then that tune hit, when it comes crashin' down and it hurts inside. No one knew he was there, but I about leaped through the ceiling". IT WAS INDEED THE IMMORTAL HULK HOGAN WHO FELT HE HAD SOMETHING TO PROVE AND ALTHOUGH HE HAD BEEN DOMINATED BY THE BIG RED MACHINE THROUGHOUT, HOGAN WON IT WITH A SCHOOLBOY THAT ABOUT BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN. Briscoe: "It was so appropriate that Hogan was part of our first WrestleMania, the fans loved it". ON AN INTERESTING NOTE, EVEN THOUGH HE's ONLY BEEN UNDER TWF CONTRACT SINCE LATE 2001, HULK HOGAN HAS WRESTLED AT ALL 3 WRESTLEMANIA's, COMPILING AN 1-2 RECORD. ALSO AT THAT WRESTLEMANIA WAS THE HISTORIC FATHER-SON BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF THE COMPANY. Shane McMahon: "I remember that night like it was yesterday. I had butterflies in my stomach that whole day because I was worried about the size of the crowd and the fact that I wasn't that experienced a wrestler". BUT SHANE AND HIS FATHER VINCE TORE THE HOUSE DOWN, IN A MATCH THAT WENT 19+ MINUTES AND WAS ARGUABLY THE BEST OF THE NIGHT. AFTER A LONG, HARD FOUGHT BATTLE, SHANE FINALLY GOT HIS DAD TO SAY THE MAGIC WORDS IN THAT MATCH, "I QUIT". Shane: "With it being an I Quit match, I didn't know what to use or how I was gonna beat my father. But it added to the great fued in tha sense that you literally had to say you didn't want to run the TWF. It was a great feeling for me, one of the best of my career so far. I was thrilled to finally beat my dad and it made it better to do so in front of all those people". SHANE HAD SOME HARD KNOCKS AFTER TAKING OVER THE COMPANY AND FOUND OUT IT WAS A LOT HARDER THAN HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. AND IN AN INTERESTING FACT, IT WAS ACTUALLY SHANE WHO ORCHESTRATED THE DEAL TO GET VINCE BACK IN THE TWF. BUT THE MAIN EVENT THAT NIGHT WOULD GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE BEST MATCHES THAT YEAR. THE UNDERTAKER DEFENDED THE TWF TITLE AGAINST THE BRAHMA BULL NOT ONLY INSIDE A STEEL CAGE, BUT WITH FIRST BLOOD RULES. Michael Hayes: "I remember it as the match of the year. Those two guys fought their hearts out and gave the fans everything they came to see". Vince McMahon: "The match had it all. A great rivalry with 2 of the best superstars in the TWF inside a steel cage and it was brutal. I remember saying to myself, these two are gonna fight all night". FINALLY, AFTER 38 MINUTES OF FIGHTING, THE UNDERTAKER TOMBSTONED THE ROCK FOR THE THIRD TIME, BUT THIS ONE WAS ON THE RING STEPS AND HE GOT THE WIN AS THE ROCK ROLLED OVER WITH BLOOD STREAMING FROM HIS FACE AND RETAINED THE GOLD. TRULY ONE OF THE BEST MATCHES THAT YEAR.
