The Saturday Matinee News Report 11.30.02

Hello and welcome, I’m Flea and I am happier than I could ever tell you. Maybe I will tell you later, but not right now. But it’s going to be a lovely Holiday Season, I guarantee. How are you? Hopefully you ain’t one of them schmucks that gets browbeaten into having to shop the day after Thanksgiving, but if you are at the mall just a word of advice: it is SO f*cking easy to shoplift this time of year, especially with everyone running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Not that I condone theft, but damn, they just make it to easy sometime

Quick request before I get started. By any chance do any of you have old tapes of Nitro and / or RAW. I’m talking about 1997-1998ish, most notably, from WWF, I want the period from when Bret Hart started his anti- American tirades all the way through WMIV. For WCW, I would like the Ric Flair return and also some tapes featuring the ascension of Goldberg. If you can help me out, drop me a line (RyderFakin@aol.com) or catch me AIM (Ryder Fakin). Thanks!

By the way, I owe Daniels some overdue compliments and also want to mention that Bobby Bowden is 100% correct in what he is doing. Neither of those two statements are related – I didn’t feel like starting fresh sentence. OH AND BEFORE I FORGET!!!!

“Although the political landscape has changed, the bold ideas of the 1980’s are alive and well. Republican candidates swept every major election across the country last year… and as a result, it seems that our opponents have finally realized how unpopular liberalism really is. So now they’re trying to dress their liberal agenda in a conservative overcoat.”

– Ronald Regan, 1994

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC S. !!!!!!

Let’s get to it .

TOP STORY

Now is as good a time as any to get off the topic of how “rotten and boring” WWE is at the moment (yeah, we need more oh, fuggetaboutit) and talk about the “Number Two” promotion in America at the moment, NWA-TNA. Outside of local indy promotions, NWA-TNA is the only other viable national promotion, catering to an audience that by no means was “built in” but obviously a market exists for wrestling fans looking for an alternative to the show presented by WWE, which was the foundation and the original thought process that developed in a promotion using the NWA name and one that wanted a more “traditional” wrestling product. Where did they go wrong. And did they go wrong? It is possible, at a time when only the “hardcore” audience has any interest in wrestling to keep from going dead broke? I am by no means an expert on any of this, I’m just a guy who likes wrestling and attempts to find “positives” instead of “negatives” when viewing the programs presented to me. So first will be an overview, then a look at some of the main players and well, as usual, I don’t really know where I’m going with this, or even if I have a point, I just figure it’s time to present some thoughts and feelings about NWA-TNA and hope for the best. Kinda of like how RAW is booked, for all of you cynics out there. So here we go

When I first heard about NWA-TNA and their plans for a “revolutionary” style of product presentation, I was psyched. I am a fan of the style of product (Southern) that Jerry Jarrett is known for and an even bigger fan of “wrestling” being presented as the focal point of the show as opposed to backstage skits and various forms of antics and angles, which while entertaining at the time, really do nothing for me in the long run. 3 minutes television matches are (were) the norm and I felt, damn, if someone could just televise a product that centered around “I want your belt and I hate you – let’s tear down the house” I’d be all over it like butter on bread. Two things that Jerry Jarrett stated were: “we are going back to basics and will keep the tradition of the NWA alive!” Again, this is right up my alley and with great anticipation I watched the first show. Nothing really “blow away” and as a matter of fact, they nearly shot themselves in the foot right off the bat. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat made an awesome speech about “tradition” announced a battle royal “Gauntlet for the Gold” and then was promptly shit on by Jeff Jarrett, Ken Shamrock and Scott Hall. I have no problem with the whole “tell authority to go f*ck themselves” theory, but not on in this situation – I was hoping for the wrestlers to at least being booked to treating the belt as a status symbol (which eventually happened, albeit in a round about way), instead of acting like it’s a hassle to have to wrestle in a battle royal. In the end, Shamrock got the win. Also of note on the first mention of the “X” Division, which promised to feature “talent” over normal restrictions like weight class, etc. I.e. let the “World Belt” have it’s own meaning, but give the “workrate freaks” a reason to tune in. Not of note on this show was the Miss TNA contest, a hardcore midget match and gimmicks sucks as “Dick and Rod Johnson”, the Dupps and a crackpot of an announce team, anchored by “Iron” Mike Tenay, an wrestling newcomer Don West and a Dickhead in Dreadlocks, Ed Fererra. All in all, not a bad debut, but it became quickly obvious this show would be nothing more than a bad rip-off of what the then WWF was doing 4 years ago. In the coming weeks, the product moved even further into absurdity, the only saving grace would be a series of X-Division matches and the development of Ron Killings, which at times went overboard with no payoff, but has worked out fairly well – he is now one of the top performers on the show. Around this time is when I stopped watching, due to the fact if I want to watch lame segments, I have the WWE, which at least has interesting characters – Disco Inferno and double entendres with homosexuality and the likes do nothing for me, especially when I have to BUY the program. How hard is it to actually have wrestling? Luckily for me, a majority of the stupidity was dropped like a hot potato and the last several weeks have been balanced shows and whether or not you agree with the direction, very interesting to say the least. That’s enough of an intro, let’s see who is who and how their influence helps or hurts the product.

Jerry Jarrett – Owner. I have to give credit to The Real Real Double J (TRRDJ). With the viewing market for wrestling in the shitter, he has managed to not only create a new style of marketing (“PPV only” it will never succeed!”) but has managed to do something no one else could – be able to find a company, Panda Energy that is willing to assist his promotion in the finance area, while giving TRRDJ the time to concentrate on the creative direction of the company. In a nutshell, he has what Paul Heyman dreamed of, but never could obtain. Imagine if ECW had not been financially strapped to the point of the only option for a dying promotion was to put the belt around the waist of a jobber? Anyway, TRRDJ’s problems from the outset centered on the money situation. The first major controversy was the “Marketing Double Cross”, which, in essence was TRRDJ being “misled” to the amount of PPV buyrates, supposedly by someone (Jay Hassman) who also represented WWE, leading to rumors of conspiracy and all other mean and nasty things, but appears to be nothing more than gross incompetence. Judging by Hassman’s “Legal” response, I’m not shocked. Unfortunately for TRRDJ, this cause financial turmoil, almost to the point of shutting down the promotion if a new source of money was not found. Enter Panda Energy and a move to a smaller venue and TRRDJ appears to be back on track, financially speaking. The estimated budget per show is around $75k as opposed to the $250k that was originally planned, based on the aforementioned marketing debacle. TRRDJ also made arrangements to have hefty penalties paid if the PPV outlets pulled the plug on programming, thereby at least having a forum to present his product without the fear of being cancelled. Also, the wrestler contracts appear to be on a performance basis, as in “you ain’t getting paid for sitting at home on your ass”. Discipline like is very sound financially, keeping the deadwood from milking “guaranteed” contracts, ala WCW. I would bet every dime I had that Vince McMahon would be doing the exact same thing if he could get away without “downside guarantees”. Actually he was doing the same thing until WCW started stealing all his talent, forcing him to lock his workers into contracts. Both TRRDJ and Jeff Jarrett have gone on record stating that they have no problems if a wrestler wants to explore the greener pastures WWE – and on a smaller scale have been very accommodating in allowing the wrestlers to perform at various Indy shows (ROH, NJAPW, other NWA promotions, etc) which I find to be a great way to not only keep the workers happy (no one wants to be broke) and useful in a “marketing” sort of way. For example, Jerry Lynn and Low Ki tear down the house in Jersey, letting everyone know if you would like to see MORE just tune into NWA-TNA NonStop Action! Great move and obviously, on the financial side, TRRDJ has managed to work within his means and secure proper financing for future plans. That being said, I would like to know what the FUCK he is thinking on the creative end. Namely, this whole situation with Vince Russo and who is actually writing / producing the shows and who has the final say on how the product is presented. This leads us to everyone’s favorite punching bag

Vince Russo – talk about a case study for psychotic behavior combined with a creepy need for attention. Much has been written about Russo, to the point of the Myth being greater than the Man. Bottom line is, Russo will always have a job in wrestling, just like no matter what shit is thrown at Ric Flair, he will always be “over”. It’s called being “established” and whether you think Russo was just in the right place at he right time or the brains behind the surge in popularity of the wrestling boom of the late 90’s is up to you. What will never be changed is Russo will always be identified as someone who can produce ratings and at the same time justify why he was “doomed for failure” in WCW. Regardless of what you think of his booking ideas, he does make very good points. He was chopped off at the knees in WCW and then tried every lame trick in the book to attempt to plug holes in a sinking ship. I personally do not like his focus of entertainment over wrestling, but if balanced right, his writing can produce entertaining and memorable shows. I also do not care for his need for “reality” i.e. “shoots” and constant references to backstage dealings. Russo’s strongest area is “character development”, which reads like a who’s who of wrestling. Austin and Rock – E are perfect examples; Russo cannot claim total credit for “making” them of course, but he was able to finely tune their character presentations, much like he is doing with Ron Killings. I also like Russo’s passion, which has landed him in hot water and is the primary reason he is despised by most of the “smart crowd”. He, more than anyone else, came out and said that wrestling, as we perceive it, is “shit”. Again, that’s a matter of interpretation, but no one who dedicates 80-90 hours a week to something can be considered a “hack”. However, he has an overwhelming desire to feature himself on programming, which makes me wonder why TRRDJ hired him in the first place. He knows Russo’s track record of wanting total autonomous control and should have seen the writing on the wall for Russo to return as a “villain”. The most recent program was a perfect example – Russo comes out and “shoots” which, although interesting, has a whole “been here done that” type of feel. I think it would have been better served NOT to have Russo on screen but instead continue to develop Killings character as a viable threat to Jeff Jarrett. They could have done the same angle without having Russo involved – just have Killings come out and call Jarrett a “daddy’s boy” who hides behind the fact that TRRDJ owns the place and is therefore keeping a brother down. The let them fight. That works for me, has some degree of “truth” to it and keeps Russo of camera, thereby eliminating all of these double-triple-quadruple-with-a-half-gainer- swerves. Not sure if you noticed, but it’s a pain in the ass trying to remember who’s against who when they change from face to heel every show. Bottom line here, regardless of what you read on the net, Russo is in charge of the creative end of the product. He is always hit or miss, but when he hits, you have gold. I’m thinking that TRRDJ knows this and is willing to place his faith in Russo – although that to creative faith may come back and bite him in the ass. But seeing as how the competition is currently writing their product (with ten times the talent and budget), maybe Russo is not all that bad. One question for all you Russo haters out their. Given a choice, would you rather have him or Stephanie / Gerwitz? Insert your own damn analogy.

Okay, with all that financing and creative stuff out of the way, let’s talk about who is actually important, the WRESTLERS! Starting off with the most underrated (and apparently cursed) performer in wrestling

Jeff Jarrett – man, for a guy with so much talent, people just don’t seem to buy into his act. Ring work wise, JJ is on of the most solid in the business – his timing is great, he never blows spots and can always be counted on to deliver a solid match. For years, I have considered him on par with Terry Taylor – one bad gimmick ruined his perception in the eyes of anyone who attempts to take this shit seriously. Case in point – if you come out riding a horse with stupid f*cking lights on your head and lip synch horrible country music, the fans are not going BOOOOO you, they are going to think you are a goddamn clown – kinda like clicking like a rooster. This is especially true in the Northeast, where the WWE fans will make or break you. Since that time, JJ has never been taken seriously would have been is serious trouble if he had not had the “puppies” to get him some attention. His pairing with Owen Hart made for a great solid tag team and might have developed into something great, if Owen had not died. After that, it seems the wind was taken out of JJ sails as he moved into a “girl beating / white trash” character (which did get him some much needed heel heat) and eventually into a feud with Chyna, where like a professional, he did his farewell j.o.b. and make Chyna look legitimate as an in ring competitor. There was that messy issue about money, but I cannot blame JJ for wanting to get paid what was rightfully his in a timely fashion. Next up was a move to WCW, where, with Russo’s help, he was turned into a top star in a promotion nearly devoid of talent that would actually bust their asses. His matches with Booker were great and if was not for the fact that Vince holds a grudge, JJ would most likely be in WWE today. I’m glad he is not, as I would rather see him in this promotion, be able to put together 10-12 minute matches and give promos that are not entirely dictated to barking seal trained responses. Issues were raised about him being Champion (nepotism, etc.) but JJ has gone on record saying that is not what he and his father’s vision for the promotion is – the fact that he ended up Champion is more storyline based (they held off just “giving” him the belt and made and angle out of his chase) and if they are going full blown “face” with Killings, it helps to have him chase after JJ, getting screwed along the way, but eventually triumphing. It’s not helping matters that Russo is being made the “top heel” in this whole thing, but if things get settled down, I cannot think of a better person in the promotion to be NWA Champion at this point than Jeff Jarrett.

Ron “The Truth” Killings – Man, I thought this guy was really, really onto something until they decided to pull the plug. Check this out

Also be on the lookout for K-Krush, who, if he keeps up the “Bad Ass Nigga” character, will be the biggest heel in the business. All you have to do is cater to your audience and, like it or not, there are many folks in the South that still do not realize that the South lost the war. But they have MONEY TO SPEND, i.e. disposable income that is well suited to Fat Boys BBQ, Busch beer and Wednesday Night Wrasslin, just keep it simple – Good old Boy don’t like the loudmouth black buy and so they is gonna FIGHT! Although I am not surprised that people in Canada and California cannot grasp this concept, it is rather offensive if you stop and think about them there details.

FLEA!!! The Monday Edition, 6.24.02

Unfortunately, there were to many people who were nervous ninnies about the “race” card being played. Although he is still rather “green” work wise, Killings can’t cut a hell of a promo and can really convince you that he’s being held down by the man. Reverse the roles of him and JJ – Jarrett is the aforementioned “Good Ole Boy” defending not only the tradition of the NWA title but the South itself, from a “bad ass nigga” straight out the ghetto you beat the shit out of you for slavery, oppression and all the things that go with being a black man that’s held down. Hell, they wasted all that on the Nascar stuff, when the ideal situation would be to have JJ and Killings do this program. If you have ever watched old SMW, New Jack and Mustafa did the same act and has the crowds ready to RIOT!!!, in addition to wanting to continue to pay money to see them get their due. And New Jack doesn’t have half the longevity or talent that awaits Killings once he matures. The bummer is nowadays, people are so uptight about hearing or reading the words “nigger” or “cracker” to be able to suspend disbelief and realize it’s only a f*cking wrestling show and not a blueprint for Civil Rights or World Peace. Outside of that, I like that Russo has apparently taken Killings under his wing and will most likely continue to develop the character – I just think, given the audience, a Killings / Jarrett feud based on the above would make for some great television. Beats the f*ck out of the gay stuff they keep trying to shove down our throats.

B.G. Jammes – yes, it’s the wrestler formerly known as Road Dogg, 30 pounds heavier and no longer able to use those catchphrases that made him famous. So keeping with the times, he just comes out and calls everyone “faggots” and queers”. I guess that’s much better than “nigger” and “cracker” in the eyes of the critics, but I don’t see how. At least they can make some money off of JJ / Killings. Jammes has never done anything all that productive except spout catchphrases and take an ass kicking in tag matches, keeping Billy Gunn from looking like a stooge. But hey, the gimmick worked and he has now found himself at the focal point of another promotion, even though it looks as though he is going to fall over dead at anytime. He is currently back to working the Tag Team matches with Curt Hennig, another “veteran” and someone who is not likely to resume gainful employment with WWE anytime soon. I wish both guys the best, but do not see either of them making a real long term impact on NWA-TNA’s long term plans.

Sonny Siaki – formerly saddled with the “Flying Elvises” gimmick, he appears to be NWA’s “next big thing”. Automatically, he was compared to the Rock (due to his look and his third person references to himself) but hell, Goldberg was called a “Stone Cold” rip-off before his ascension, so I would take all comparisons with a grain of salt. Siaki is a little green, but he has solid fundamentals as well as an “attitude” and charisma that cannot be taught. The downside is he is not able to keep up with the X-Division and at this point no one is going to buy into him being a threat to the NWA belt, so he will need to wait his turn. If it wasn’t for the resemblance to the Rock, I think Vince and Company would have this guy on the payroll – he is big, good looking and can talk – sure signs of a star and I’m hoping he gets his chance to star, which I’m sure he will. His gimmick has evolved into squashing people and then bitching about not getting a chance for a title shot, which is good enough to keep the fans attention, it’s just a matter of keeping their attention and making yourself out to be a credible threat. Another year and Siaki should be a star.

Just to touch on a few people before get into the whole X-Division thing –

Brian Lawler, Bruce, a bunch of women and Goldylocks! Appear to be involved with something having to do with love, lust and homosexual behavior or lack thereof) which means that Russo has some cockamamie idea that will most likely end with Lawler and Angry Alan dating or something. Lawler is better suited as a cheating, whiny smarmy heel (a part he plays perfectly) and Funk is a hell of a talent, continuing to get over playing an over the top gay guy. I love his character but wonder why so much emphasis has to be placed on the “I’m not a fag, you are” instead of just going straight out campy, which is funny stuff. Not to mention Funk is a damn good wrestler – the type that makes everyone he wrestles against look good. Both are role players at the moment, which is good for the under card – if it’s played for humor and fun (Goldy and April hinting at a little lezbo action and Lawler crying like a baby) is a good break in the show. Entertaining, as long as they don’t try to take this stuff so damn seriously.

Jim Mitchell – I’m not crazy about at least one of his “New Church / Disciples” members (I will still never get over Wall being a bigger star than Alex “Berlyn” Wright – although the blame there is Jim Fucking Duggan, who made Berlyn look like a dick and therefore killed the gimmick right out of the gate. On second thought, tat was Bagwell’s fault for no-showing and having Duggan go out there in the first place. You know after even further review, it IS Duggan’s fault; he could have at least sold SOMETHING but yeah, I don’t like Wall a little) and I’m not familiar with the others (who apparently burnt up the Indy circuit before appearing in NWA-TNA, but Mitchell is one of the most talented people in the business. My favorite part of ECW before they went belly up was the dynamic between him, Tajiri and Mikey Whipwreck, with Mitchell going totally over the top as the Sinister Minister. I’m sure there is a reason WWE didn’t hire him (and I’m sure it’s as valid as them continuing to put Al Wilson on TV – come to think of it, wouldn’t Mitchell be great in the lecherous “Torrie’s Dad part? Nevermind, ain’t gonna happen) but I’m glad he does get a chance to showcase his talents in the Jarretts’s promotion. Again, it’s the good mid – to – upper card segments that make a show worth watching at times – there is only so much room at the top. In addition, that Bella Donna chick is a piece of ass in a Satanic slutty type of way. My type of chick (well 10 years ago anyway).

There are also some very good wrestlers in the Tag Division (SATs, America’s Most Wanted, Briscoes, etc) that shine on the Indy scene, but are apparently to “spotty” to make it to the big time. No problem, their matches are good low-mid card entertainment and having a solid tag division never hurts.

OK! Now for the fun stuff! The X-Division, which was originally intended to be the staple of NWA-TNA and always makes the show worth viewing to the audience of people that think not selling = a ***** match. No question that these matches are given high profile spots and the division is being taken WAAAY more serious than say, WWE CRUISERS but is it all that great? Check out who is involved

Jerry Lynn – number one with a bullet. He is another great performer, much like Jeff Jarrett, who has never seemed to get a fair shake. Although I can rationalize JJ, I still have never figured out the story with Jerry Lynn. I became a fan of his during the summer long feud of 98 betwixt Lynn and RVD, where the work of Jerry Lynn appealed to me much more than ANYTHING RVD was doing, as Lynn actually seemed able to work a solid match without flying all over the place like a maniac. Lynn, until the final demise of ECW, was one of the top attractions on the show, someone who could work with anyone and became an underground favorite of those with respect for talent. Shrieks of joy resounded when he was signed by WWE – but an ill-timed injury put him on the shelf before he could really get started. This led WWE to decide he just was not worth it and they gave him the old heave –ho, leaving everyone scratching their collective heads “Why?” something I still can’t figure out either. I have always thought that Lynn has some kind of personality fault that turns him off to the wrong people, but that has never been substantiated. Besides, I can think of at least 10 people of the top of my head that are worse workers and bigger pricks that still have high profile jobs. So Jerry Lynn, on that level, remains a mystery to me. The good part about all this is it looks as though he has been given free reign to do his thing in NWA and has both Russo and TRRDJ in his corner and I can’t think of anyone else to have as a staple for an up and coming “X-Division that prides itself on “work” rather gimmicks than Jerry Lynn.

A.J. Styles – if anyone would ever take this guy seriously he could be a major player. He has the look and is developing the whole “I’m better than you” attitude. Perfect. However, he would get lost in the shuffle in WWE, so he is probably better off where he is at. It’s sort of funny that everyone always screams “oh would I love to see a best of seven series between (insert wrestlers here) but when it actually HAPPENS, people bitch and moan about the redundancy. It’s called a FEUD – not everything has to be settled in two weeks. I like the Lynn / Styles thing just fine, it’s normally the best matches on the show.

Deciding to cut this short, I’m bypassing all the other Indy X-Division types. They are all pretty much the same, with the exception of Low-Ki, who is more like Tajiri. The two above are the best around – my main beef (and I’ve said this before – along with a lot of other people) a majority of these matches are lame-o on account of no storytelling or selling. BAM! Some cat gets hit with a move that looks KILLER and then pops back up and / or kicks out at two. It’s sad to watch, but for some reason people go apeshit over it. I can’t call it boring, all I can really say is if they can’t be bothered to take a match or themselves seriously, then neither can I.

I think that about covers it. Notice how I stayed away from the whole X-Pac (that’s later) and Scott Hall (that’s also later, I think) debacle? It’s because both of them are pretty much wastes of time and effort at this point, especially Waltman, who somehow blames Vince Russo for everything. Fuck him, he is another one who hasn’t put any effort into his craft (exceptions being few and far between) in almost 4 years. So besides all that, I hope the above typing captivated your interest or, at best, didn’t bore you to tears and maybe you will check out the NWA-TNA programming. They also have their own TV show in select areas and last I read, TRRDJ is working on getting a national deal. Best of luck to them and I hope they keep kicking out the jams instead of backpedaling into a convoluted mess of turns and swerves that Russo is famous for. I think they will do just fine – check out the PPV every Wednesday Night, it’s definitely worth your time!

Besides, anything that BOB is involved with HAS to be good!!!!

HEADLINES

Just to get something off my chest – anyone who posted a link to the Smoking Gun / Steve Austin information should .well I was going to call anyone that did that a piece of shit, but then I would be directly talking about BOSS, Hashish and Eric S. among others on this site. I know they are just trying to do what’s good for the site but use a little f*cking discretion guys. I know it a matter of public record and the useless cocksuckers at Smoking Gun have no qualms about posting items but sometimes a little common courtesy and decency is better than a few thousand hits. Some things, although public record are none of ANYONE’S f*cking business. I live here in Orlando and know for a fact and personal experience what a menace Scott Hall is, but have I EVER given you the inside scoop on all that? No, and I never will because whatever these guys do outside of the ring is their own business, not mine not yours and certainly none of SmokingGun.com’s. But I can understand the curiosity of wanting to see a Steve Austin mugshot – but didn’t you ever read what happened to the cat that got curious? I know this will not be taken seriously by anyone on this site, but the next time any of you want to post the gory details of someone’s personal life, stop and think that maybe taking the high road is a little better in those situations. There is enough to write and ramble about without having to post court records and police reports. Thanks

Did you see that Justin Credible is upset? Can’t figure out why. He had his 15 minutes of fame due to Paul Heyman going ABSOLUTELY FUCKING CRAZY and now he is back to what he was born to do – j.o.b’s for WWE. Will the circle / be unbroken / by and by Lord by and by / cause there’s a better home

a- waitin / in the sky, Lord / in the sky. Sing it GRUT!

Speaking of whiny little freaks, the above mentioned X-Pac has been fired / released from NWA-TNA. I really have no further comments about him, other than good riddance. The guy is a hell of a wrestler and talent, but I have no respect for someone who is lazy and will not apply themselves. I’m sure if he wants to work, he will find some, but I think his best bet is to go marry Chyna and produce offspring that looks like a cross between a sewer rat and a gorilla. She has enough money to live off and I’m sure they will live blissfully ever after, providing she doesn’t beat his ass for not mowing the lawn.

OH HYATTE! You know that story we were talking about the other day? Yeah, the one where you said they are trying to do Steph / Brock like Austin / McMahon? Like I said (haw!r) its actually Heyman / Brock! At least that’s what Hashish says in his crib notes from the JESUS CHRIST HE GOT IT FROM THE FUCKING TORCH! Don’t mean to yell, but don’t you still get that rag? Then what in the hell were you talking about? Speaking of Hyatte –

Northeastern independent wrestler “All American” Jeff Peterson passed away yesterday, losing a long battle with cancer. Peterson, a regular with Jim Kettner’s East Coast Wrestling Association, had been battling lymphoma since April 2000.

1wrestling.com – 11.30.02

I think it was Voltaire that said “One owes respect to the living. To the dead, one owes only truth.” I will defer to Hyatte for this obituary. Condolences to the family – way to young to die.

In lighter news the WWA put on a show over in Ireland featuring the return of Sting and Lex Luger to the ring as fell as featured performances from Saturn, Sabu, Mike Sanders and Puppet the Midget killer. Sounded like a decent enough show, which it always helps to be in front of a drunk Irish crowd. Details are available over on the newsline. I think it would kinda silly for me to recap something I didn’t see, don’t you?

At this time, allow me to welcome back The Rat Diva ..!

HHH IS GOD AND HERE IS WHY

Oh where, oh where has my Triple-H gone?

Okay, so he’s taking some time off.

Okay, that’s the end of my small diatribe. Hopefully I’ll be seeing more Trip before I once again begin to suffer withdrawal (AKA, the eight months that Trip spent in recovery). I don’t have the shakes yet, but it’s only a matter of time .

TheRatDiva

Thanks! The Rat Diva! And as a reminder, send all feedback re: the above comments to her! Not me!

PAGE SIX

No IWC Flashback this week – instead, well I was just thinking the other day that Vince is on the verge of a mutiny of his staff and wrestlers. Rumor has it that Vince held a little impromptu this week regarding changes to WWE’s product and wanted to know what his staff thought of the recent direction of WWE. Word has it that one person voiced dissention and Vince just thought that one person was sick. Then TWO people stepped up to voice their dissention, but this time in two-part harmony. Vince called them both a “couple of fags”. Then THREE people, THREE PEOPLE stepped up and Vince realized he might have the starts of some kind of organization against him. But the final nail was when STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN made his return, grabbed his gee-tar and rounded together FIFTY various members of the fed and started a movement! According to “inside sources”, this is what was said/sung:

You can get anything you want

At Alice’s Restaurant

You can get anything you want

At Alice’s Restaurant

Walk right in, it’s around the back

Just a half a mile from the railroad track

You can get anything you want

At Alice’s Restaurant!

La da di da da

At Alice’s .Restaurant!!!!!

Vince listened, but was not all that impressed with the Anti–WWE Massacre Movement. HE knows what he is doing and will make the changes HE wants to make. And more people will be laid off / fired. (Cepting Stone Cold, they are glad to have him back).

Happy Thanksgiving!

This has been The Saturday Matinee and I’m Flea.