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Post by Beejus on Jul 30, 2020 1:25:10 GMT 1
 
There can be no greater sin than that of Vengeance, and there will be a bunch of “Sinners” tonight at the San Diego Sports Arena at WWF Vengeance!
Our opening match dealt with WWF Tough Enough, as the trainer Al Snow teamed with his star pupil, Maven, as he took on his estranged runner up, Christopher Nowinski, and the man who seems to have taken Nowinski under his wing, William Regal. Christopher has certainly learned how to wrestle dirty from the so-called “gentleman” Regal, but the team of Snow and Maven have a lot of heart. However, Maven is still a rookie, and he falls for a rookie mistake of charging Regal into the corner, and the WWF European champion is able to get out of the way and let Maven knock himself silly on the turnbuckles, and the handful of tights he grabs during the pinfall ensures that he cannot get out. This battle is likely to not be over yet!
The following bout seems very familiar except usually it’s a tag team match; however this time, the WWF Intercontinental championship was on the line as champ Edge defended against longtime rivals Jeff Hardy and Bubba Ray Dudley. The match is intense, and features appearances from Matt Hardy, Lita, and D-Von Dudley, but in the end, Edge spears Jeff off a ladder and through a table that Bubba was laying on! Edge is then able to muster enough strength to pull himself up the ladder and retrieve the title, holding onto it after another grueling bout!
Josh Mathews is in the interview area along with The Band, and he asks Shawn about the state of his back, reminding fans that this is Michaels’s first match in four years. But Shawn brushes him off, saying that his back is ready to carry Triple H just like he did four years ago, giving his own reminder that he has walked through this Hell before, and “The Show Stopper” is ready to do it all over again for the title he never should have lost.
The Band is in action next, as Sycho Sid marches down the ramp to have a hardcore match against Tommy Dreamer. This was not originally set up to be for the WWF Hardcore championship, but with Dreamer winning the title back from Justin Credible on Heat, this is now a title bout. Tommy does a lot of damage to big Sid, as Paul Heyman reminds everyone that he used to be dubbed “The Innovator of Violence” for a reason. However, while Sid may not innovate many things, he is devastating when he gets in control, and this match ends mercifully after Sid delivers a powerbomb onto a pile of steel chairs!
We go from a horrific show of violence to two of the greatest technical wrestlers in history, as “Latino Heat” Eddie Guerrero takes on “The Crippler” Chris Benoit. This is one of the more hard-hitting, down on the mat matches you will ever find, and Guerrero tries to outsmart Benoit at every turn but Benoit is able to outwrestle him each time. Finally, Benoit shoves Eddie off the top rope during a hurricanrana attempt and dives in with a ring shaking headbutt before locking in the Crossface! Benoit finally makes Guerrero tap out, closing this chapter and ready to move on with his career.
In the office of Shane McMahon, he has called in Shawn Michaels. Shane tells Michaels that when he steps into the ring, he will have to decide if he is joining RAW or SmackDown!, but Michaels tells him he will never force him onto one of the brands, because he will be the Undisputed WWF champion tonight. As Shawn leaves, Paul Heyman becomes very critical of Shane McMahon on commentary, saying that if it were him, he’d force The Band to be on one show or the other, but he isn’t spineless like “Shane O’Mac” is.
The reason Shawn didn’t have his backup in the office is because next is the WWF World Tag Team championship match, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash heading down to the ring now. After Hall takes a quick survey of the crowd, Kane and The Big Show march to the ring. This match, as “J.R.” says, is “bowling shoe ugly” but no one expected any less. This is a big man brawl, a lot of heavy punches, kicks, and slams, but it’s Scott Hall who pushes this to the end as he nails Kane in the back of the head with his Tag Team title, leaving him vulnerable for Nash to make the cover and retain the titles in a short but brutal bout.
Backstage, we see Sycho Sid and Justin Credible were watching the match. After The Band have secured their titles, Justin starts to convince Sid that he doesn’t care about the WWF Hardcore title the way that Credible does. Justin finally is able to get through to Sid, and he hands the title over to him! The belt is back around the waist of Justin Credible!
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is in his dressing room, he is very focused, not even paying attention to Debra. Elsewhere, in the dressing room of “The Game,” Michael Cole gets a few words with the champion. Triple H has a warning for his former friend: “Once you step into Hell this time, Shawn, you won’t be walking back out again!”
Justin Credible is heading for drinks for Hall and Nash, when Tommy Dreamer attacks him! He is trying to win the Hardcore title back again, but Sid cuts him off, giving Justin a chance to whack Dreamer with a kendo stick. Tommy is left lying in a heap.
The next match is a main event on any episode of SmackDown!, as Vince McMahon’s right hand enforcer The Undertaker takes on a real man of the people, Diamond Dallas Page. Page goes after Undertaker with everything he’s got, doing a lot of damage but not being able to put him away. Page is finally all set to finish this with the Diamond Cutter, but Undertaker blocks it, shoving him away and hitting an earth shattering chokeslam! He isn’t done yet though, as he lifts DDP up for The Last Ride, driving him to the mat and making the cover, getting the win in a result that has to have made Mr. McMahon very pleased.
We go back to Mr. McMahon’s office next, and he certainly is happy about how this transpired. He, Test, and Erica Harley laugh at Page, saying he should have just stayed home, because the beating he took was definitely a bad thing. Mr. McMahon reveals that SmackDown! is getting the next Undisputed WWF championship match at the Royal Rumble, and says that this week’s SmackDown! will host the beginning of a short tournament that will determine the number one contender.
But also at the WWF Royal Rumble will be the Royal Rumble match, and this four way elimination match will see who will enter the match at number thirty. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Kurt Angle, and Chris Jericho attack one another with all of their signature maneuvers, with Angle the first to be eliminated following the People’s Elbow. Austin and Rock re-ignite their war that we saw back at WWF WrestleMania X-7, with each hitting one another with the Stunner and Rock Bottom, respectively, but each man kicking out. When referee Tim White gets accidentally hit by a charging Austin, into the arena comes Sycho Sid, and he gets in the face of Steve Austin, driving him to the mat with a one handed chokeslam! Taking advantage of the situation, Chris Jericho hits Austin with a lionsault, and is able to pin “The Rattlesnake” for a three count! Austin runs off afterwards to chase after Sid, but we are down to “Y2J” and The Rock. The smack down is laid down on Jericho, as The Rock really wants that #30 spot, and he prepares for yet another People’s Elbow following a spinebuster. However, Rock is tripped from the outside – it was Kevin Nash! Rock turns to face Nash, when Jericho catches him from behind with the Flashback! “Not this way,” screams J.R., but as the mat is struck three times, this match is all over! Chris Jericho is heading to number thirty in the Royal Rumble! He celebrates huge, telling everyone who will listen that he just pinned Austin AND The Rock – but conveniently leaving out that both of those falls had The Band instrumental in achieving them!
Yet again, Paul Heyman takes a brief center stage while talking to Jim Ross about what we just saw, criticizing Shane McMahon again for letting The Band walk all over him. He calls him a spoiled kid, a coward who can’t run a decent show when he has all the tools he needs laid out in front of him.
Before our main event can commence, the crowd get a bit of a breather as the six woman tag team match is next. While it may be a reprieve for the audience, the match is as hard hitting as you would expect, as Jazz ends it by locking the Bitch Clamp on Jacqueline and making her submit.
Hell in a Cell begins to lower, with “J.R.” and Paul talking about how vile and horrendous this structure is. Heyman pontificates that perhaps Hell in a Cell was one of the things that led to Shawn Michaels’s four year absence from the ring, and is sure to point out that Triple H has only been in this type of match once as well. Triple H looks intense as he heads for the ring, but the mood is all different, high fives and smiles from The Band for Shawn Michaels as he walks toward the curtain.
The final pay-per-view main event of 2001 is an epic battle that is four years in the making. The former pillars of D-Generation X, best friends in and out of the ring, and now bitter enemies on each side of a war. Shawn Michaels may have been out of the ring for four years, but he shows that he still remembers all the tricks of the trade, taking Triple H to the limit inside the most hellacious, vile structure in wrestling’s history. “The Game” never lets him get too far ahead though, showing quite a few times that the student has become the master in many ways. However, it is when the match spills out of the cage (thanks to Triple H breaking the door open when Shawn moved out of the way of his sledgehammer) that business truly picks up. Both men bleeding profusely, they head to the top of the Cell to do battle! But as Triple H looks to have this finished, the entire Band hits the ring, with Justin throwing Shawn his kendo stick. Michaels brings it down violently upon the champion repeatedly, and has him hanging off the side of the structure. That is when Kevin Nash and Sycho Sid grab him, and deliver an elevated double team powerbomb off the side of the Cell and through the announcer’s table! Shawn is helped down from the top, and he crotch chops at his former companion, as Scott Hall shoves Earl Hebner down to the floor, watching him count the one… the two… and the three, giving us a brand new Undisputed WWF Champion! As the Cell raises away from the ring, The Band enter it, all holding up the championships that they hold, in an image that will haunt the WWF, but one must wonder how long it will be until Triple H comes back for his own Vengeance!
 Show Notes- Word has it that the already negative feelings between Shawn Michaels and The Rock escalated during Vengeance, and now the two have a full blown hatred between one another.
- Vengeance was night of the stunt bumps; Edge, Bubba Ray Dudley, Jeff Hardy, Tommy Dreamer, and Triple H all took a big bump.
- Al Snow's gimmick is changed to a Coach (Comedy), which was initially Very Good.
- Edge sustained a damaged heel during the ladder match, and Bubba Ray Dudley damaged his shoulder.
- <li>Sycho Sid said after his match with Tommy Dreamer that he had damaged his neck.
</li><li>The Tag title match didn’t have much selling (huge shock I’m sure).</li><li>Steve Austin complained about putting over Chris Jericho (no surprise) but was told he would be kept strong in the match so he was fine. To his credit, The Rock said nothing about taking his loss.</li><li>Getting better at gimmick: Maven, Josh Mathews, Scott Hall, Nidia</li><li>Shawn Michaels and Triple H were praised afterwards for their performances, also William Regal was given a compliment on his work in the opening tag match. Shawn and Regal seemed pleased, and Triple H was very happy with the speech.</li><li>Ratings: PPV (1.41), TV (1.16)</li></ul></div></div>
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Post by dhk1989 on Jul 30, 2020 13:40:15 GMT 1
The Band is collecting all the gold. As if the Raw locker room morale wasn't bad enough.
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Post by The Final Countdown on Jul 31, 2020 3:20:53 GMT 1
As soon as I started reading the show and remembered that Kurt Angle is a face here, I facepalmed. That #30 spot was definitely going to a heel, but I'd forgotten that Jericho was the only heel in the match.
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Post by Beejus on Sept 26, 2020 2:00:01 GMT 1
[Writer’s Note: I know it has been a hot minute since I updated here, but there were some blocks I had to get through. First of which was that I was having trouble keeping myself playing TEW. As much as I love playing this file, the game itself gets to me after some time… and, well, I’ve been playing TEW for a long time. Burn out is only inevitable once in awhile. But also, I had the save file get corrupted while I was booking this episode of SmackDown. So I had to back up to my previous save, which was Vengeance being booked but not run yet. I have updated the Vengeance post above with the new results that I had to follow through with. No different results, but match grades and show notes have changed. That didn’t help my troubles of course, because that meant I had to not only run Vengeance again but also book Jakked, Raw, Heat, and most of SD over again. Ugh. Well I finally made it through all of that, and I’m now making a new copied file game following every show, just in case. Anyways, on with the show!]
 December 2001: Week 2
December 10-16
  Show Notes- Jazz lifted the locker room with a silly game that caught on backstage.
- Steve Austin was backstage giving protoge Rhyno some tips on the microphone.
- Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy gained a strong friendship.
- Jerry "The King" Lawler has returned to the WWF, under the gimmick of a Legend. It went over Great with fans.
- Trish vs. Molly suffered due to having very little flow or selling.
- Does it even need to be said that there was lackluster selling in the main event? Sid was also slowed somewhat due to his sore neck.
- Getting better at gimmick: Kevin Nash, Steve Austin, Tommy Dreamer
  Show Notes- Billy Gunn turns heel on Too Cool. He and Jason Jett now have the gimmicks of Ambiguously Gay (Cocky). Jason seems Above Average at playing it, while it came off Great on Billy. Not really sure what that says about Billy.
- DDP's gimmick has been changed to Motivator (Comedy). However, it didn't fare as well, looking Below Average compared to his previous blue collar character.
- Shawn Michaels: “How long has Ron Simmons been doing this, and he still can’t sell a damn thing? Get rid of his ass already.”
- Getting better at gimmick: Erica Harley, Kurt Angle
Show Notes- The main event fell apart a little at times due to a lack of psychology.
- Mike Awesome sustained an Ankle Tendonitis, with many feeling that it was a botch by Goldberg that caused it.
- Getting better at gimmick: Sting, Samoa Joe
- Ric Flair: “Lash LeRoux can’t style and profile with the crowd, you should probably write the poor kid off.”
Show Notes- Josh Mathews had the locker room laughing with some funny cartoon drawings of the other competitors from Tough Enough.
- Jason Jett and Christian York showed pretty good chemistry against one another.
- Getting better at gimmick: Nunzio
Upcoming Shows The 2002 Royal Rumble will take place on January 20, 2002, from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia!
The Royal Rumble Match Undisputed WWF Championship: “The Show Stopper” Shawn Michaels vs. “The People’s Champion” The Rock WCW Starrcade: Glory will take place live from the MCI Center in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., on December 30, 2001!
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: 15 Man Gauntlet for the Gold Big Bill vs. Billy Kidman vs. Booker T vs. Buff Bagwell vs. Curt Hennig vs. “The Prodigal Son” Dustin Rhodes vs. Ernest “The Cat” Miller vs. “Da Man” Goldberg vs. “The Chosen One” Jeff Jarrett vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger vs. “K-Dawg” Konnan vs. Lance Storm vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Sting vs. One Mystery Participant WCW World Tag Team Championships: The Natural Born Thrillers vs. The Tri-State Threat Dog Collar Match: “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner vs. “The DFG” Rick Steiner Stairway to Glory Match Mask vs. Career?: “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair vs. Mr. Wrestling 3 Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri Raven & Saturn vs. Two members of Dark Eden
The Week That Was- The Christmas season is upon us, and wrestling fan gamers have a big choice to make as both THQ/Yukes’s WWF SmackDown!: Just Bring It and EA/AKI’s WCW Mayhem 2 have released for the PlayStation 2 over the past few weeks. WWF Road to WrestleMania also released recently for Game Boy Advance. Early adopters of the new Microsoft X-Box will have to wait for their wrestling fix, as the WWF has a game coming in February to the system but WCW were not able to get anything together so soon.
- This week's episode of RAW didn't suffer from low morale, as things were better backstage with Triple H not being there (he is on a brief vacation to sell Hell in a Cell) but Vince and Stephanie McMahon both being on hand. Along with a few people being brought in from the developmental regions such as Brian Hebner (called Brian Webber on screen) and the plants for the WWF New York segment being Joey Matthews and The Haas Brothers, Charlie and Russ. It appears that in lieu of actually fixing any problems, the WWF have decided the best way to fix RAW's morale problem is by simply adjusting the numbers instead of actually doing anything about the clique running the show.
- The return of Jerry Lawler to the WWF was a complete surprise, especially given how his departure went earlier this year. He still seems to be upset at how that played out, but he was happy to be brought back alongside Jim Ross.
- Fans noticed Bubba Ray Dudley eating healthier foods as of late, perhaps having been asked to get in better shape.
- While referee Rudy Charles has signed a new deal that will keep him in WCW for the next few years, Leia Meow has left the company. This was said to be just a cost cutting measure, and she will be welcome to rejoin WCW in the future.
- Don Harris was on a local radio interview this past week. He said at one point that he doesn’t like working with wrestlers smaller than him, because he doesn’t think it fits him. He prefers big brawls over the “big-man-little-man” matches.
- Former ECW star Super Crazy has been diagnosed with a Swollen Calf Muscle following a spill at Saturday’s IWA Christmas In Puerto Rico show. He is said to not be taking any time off, planning to work through it.
- WWF Ratings: RAW (14.44); SmackDown! (16.56); Jakked (0.12); Heat (0.99)
- WCW Ratings: PPV (0.03); TV (3.23)
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Post by Asaemon on Sept 26, 2020 18:20:08 GMT 1
The return of Beejus!  |
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Post by CJ on Sept 27, 2020 2:27:55 GMT 1
Very nice to have you back Beejus.
Two interesting choices for me stand out from this update. I'm surprised we're getting Rock/HBK so early - seems like a Mania match made in heaven. Then again, Hunter will probably come back to win the rumble (it is 2002), so I guess we've got to get it out of the way early.
The Stairway to Glory match on the WCW front caught my eye - obviously Bischoff runs the show, so a MITB-like match makes sense. At the same time, a lot of the major players are already in the gauntlet, so I'm curious who gets the nod to be in this match.
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Post by Beejus on Oct 24, 2020 16:15:46 GMT 1
December 2001: Week 3
December 17-23
 Show Notes- Albert had a rib pulled on him, which had the rest of the locker room laughing. He laughed along with them, saying it was all in good fun.
- Getting better at gimmick: Bradshaw, Scott Hall, Tommy Dreamer, Kevin Nash, Trish Stratus
- The Big Show: “Bob Holly has been around for a long time and the fans just don’t connect with him, maybe it’s time to let him go?”
- Shawn Michaels: “That big fat Albert isn’t worth screen time because fans don’t give a crap; let the kid loose before we drown in his back fur.”
 Show Notes- The Godfather’s “Ladies of the Night” were played by OVW’s Lisa Marie Varon and the independent worker Simply Luscious. Rikishi and Godfather have great chemistry against one another.
- Faarooq’s gimmick is getting stale.
- Marco Chetti and Funaki also showed some great chemistry against one another, it really showed in their performance.
- Scott Hall was very clearly “battling his demons” during the main event.
- Getting better at gimmick: The Hurricane, Marco Chetti, Erica Harley, Kevin Nash
  Show Notes- A lot of teaching going on backstage, as Madusa was showing Stacy Kiebler some tips on ring psychology, as well as Paul Orndorff gathering Mark Jindrak, Sean O’Haire, and Mike Sanders. He was showing Jindrak some pointers on being an effective heel, O’Haire was looking to improve his psychology, and Sanders was taking in tips on being a better babyface.
- Unintentional find, it turns out C.W. Anderson and Samoa Joe have great chemistry as partners.
- Jimmy Snuka Jr. turns heel! He has changed his gimmick to a City Slicker, which he did an Above Average job at playing. The turn went pretty well.
- Getting better at gimmick: Samoa Joe, Cassidy Riley, Lance Storm, Randy Savage
- Ric Flair: “The only Broadway that DeVito could work is if he bought a ticket to a show, you should just job him back to the street.”
  Show Notes- Bob Orton Jr. was seen giving son Randy some tips on being a heel.
- Rikishi brought in pizza for the entire locker room, making everyone happy.
- Alicia Webb broke the rules by bringing friends backstage. Word is that she was only given a slap on the wrist this time, but it seemed to have improved her behavior.
Upcoming Shows The 2002 Royal Rumble will take place on January 20, 2002, from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia!
The Royal Rumble Match Undisputed WWF Championship: “The Show Stopper” Shawn Michaels vs. “The People’s Champion” The Rock WCW Starrcade: Glory will take place live from the MCI Center in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., on December 30, 2001!
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: 15 Man Gauntlet for the Gold Big Bill vs. Billy Kidman vs. Booker T vs. Buff Bagwell vs. Curt Hennig vs. “The Prodigal Son” Dustin Rhodes vs. Ernest “The Cat” Miller vs. “Da Man” Goldberg vs. “The Chosen One” Jeff Jarrett vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger vs. “K-Dawg” Konnan vs. Lance Storm vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Sting vs. One Mystery Participant WCW World Tag Team Championships: The Natural Born Thrillers vs. The Tri-State Threat Dog Collar Match: “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner vs. “The DFG” Rick Steiner Stairway to Glory Match Mask vs. Career: “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair vs. Mr. Wrestling 3 Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri Raven & Saturn vs. Vampiro and Rellik
Loser Leaves Town: Air Paris vs. AJ Styles
The Week That Was - Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling was in the news this week as it was discovered that owner Shiochi Arai owes big money to some Yakuza! One must wonder how much longer the company will be in business now that this news has broken.
- Word backstage at the WWF is that Vince McMahon is getting better at explaining himself when things happen. [Writer’s Note: I got a new user talent point, I put it into Diplomacy.]
- Michael Cole received a nice boost to his pay this week, reports saying he now makes $3,800 a month.
- Some veterans have been singing the praises of Chris Kanyon, saying he is loaded with potential and just needs WCW to give him the right break at the right time.
- The always rocky relationship between Chris Candido and Tammy Sytch has come to an end, some have reported. Apparently her schedule in Europe and New Jersey just wasn’t working out with his schedule in NJPW, but this could just lead to them getting back together in the future like other times she’s dropped him.
- NOAH star Jun Akiyama suffered a broken ankle during his losing effort in gaining the GHC Heavyweight championship against Mitsuharu Misawa. It appears he will be out briefly.
- Commercials have begun airing on the British channel Challenge TV that Nitro will begin airing on the channel at the beginning of the year. This shows that they are obviously moving off of MTV Europe, who held the show since April.
- Also, the announcement appears to have been true: beginning next week, WCW Worldwide will return to television as a live pre-show for Starrcade. Commercials began airing for it following Nitro. It is going to air alongside Nitro on 5INCUENTAYDO2 [52MX], TV Asahi, and Ten Network Australia, and on ITV and E! Entertainment Television. Rumor and innuendo suggests it will mostly be led by Tony Schiavone’s Worldwide Panel, and featuring one or two exclusive matches which are recorded after Nitro or before a night’s PPV, whichever the case may be.
- Veterans have begun touting rookie Ken Anderson, who currently works for World Wrestling All-Stars and Heartland Wrestling Association (not as a WWF development talent), as someone to keep an eye on in the future, as he is felt to have a lot of potential.
- Sonny Siaki is reported to have signed a contract to stay with WCW longer.
- Sean O’Haire, Ernest “The Cat” Miller, and Jeremy Borash have seen their stocks rise within WCW, and they were all given raises for Christmas.
- Don Muraco has joined XPW to help out with crafting matches.
- Brutus Beefcake was released from British company Premier Promotions, which is allegedly a purely business move on their part. But one must wonder if they thought he would be bringing some other names and then never did.
- Reno has moved his residence to Montana, getting closer to WCW’s base of operations.
- WWF Ratings: RAW (14.45); SmackDown! (16.46); Jakked (0.12); Heat (0.96)
- WCW Ratings: PPV (0.03); world wide TV (3.12)
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Post by Beejus on Oct 25, 2020 20:20:10 GMT 1
What a Week
8:39 AM Tuesday, December 18, 2001
Eric Bischoff has a stack of paperwork that feels a mile long as he stands in front of a corporate building in Los Angeles. He checks his watch, his appointment is at 9:00, but he doesn’t go in yet. Another figure walks up, greeting Eric warmly.
Eric: “Jason! I’m glad you’re on time as well. This meeting may help save WCW, but it can only work if we work together.”
Jason Hervey may not have been on television since the early 90’s, but he and Eric have worked on trying to create and sell shows for some time now. His name may not bring a lot of clout by selling him as a star, but he is good at talking to the type of “suits” that this meeting will require.
Jason: “I’m just surprised it took you this long to call for help. You know we could have worked on this last April when you put Nitro on pay-per-view? You probably could have gotten back on network television a long time ago.”
Eric: “Well… yeah, you know me.”
Jason: “Stubborn.”
Eric: “Absolutely.”
Eric checks his watch again, which Jason picks up on. “You’re looking pretty nervous for a meeting that we should nail easily, Eric.”
Eric: “I have to time this all right. We should definitely have this in the bag, it just requires us getting inside without anyone seeing the three of us.”
Jason: “Three?”
“Three!”
From behind Jason, the cheerful voice of Shane McMahon rings out. Eric smiles; this is all looking just right. As they enter the building, Eric lays out his full plans to Jason.
“I have WCW in my future, I plan on keeping the company alive no matter what. You can talk to the vice president with a cooler head than I can. And Shane is here to sell the whole production. This guy doesn’t know I have business partners like you two. So bringing you both along can only help.”
Shane: “Especially when they see that I am involved. After all… it was my family’s wrestling that put this channel on the map for all those years.”
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10:00 PM Thursday, December 20, 2001
Eric has been on cloud nine, ready to announce the return of WCW Worldwide this week on Friday Nitro. This has been a good week, and he only has Jason and Shane to thank for being able to help put together the deals that have been arranged. But as he enters his office, he has a bad surprise awaiting him in the dark.
“Don’t turn on the light yet, Eric.”
Bischoff doesn’t know what’s happening, is he being robbed? Extorted? Murdered? We can’t be getting robbed. WCW doesn’t have any money for someone to take.
“You thought you had the wool over everyone’s eyes for all this time, but I found you out. I found the truth. And there are a lot of people who are going to want my information.”
Eric: “What are you talking about?”
“You were smart to keep this close to your chest, but I hear every scoop that anyone has eventually. I just had to wait. And when I looked, I found out what I needed. I found one of the checks, Eric.”
Eric: “What checks? What are you talking about?”
“One of the checks that you sent to Shane McMahon.”
Bischoff’s stomach flips. And then his brain kicks in, and he knows who this voice belongs to.
“Gene?”
The desk light turns on, and “Mean” Gene Okerlund is sitting behind Eric’s desk. He holds up a checkbook, Eric’s book, which he had been writing out the payments to Shane McMahon every month. “You caused this, Eric. I wasn’t worried about anything until you wouldn’t give me a raise a few months ago. That made me start to worry about where our money was going. Turns out it was going to the enemy.”
“Gene, you don’t know-”
“I do know, Eric! Did you know that I could have been at WrestleMania this past year? But no, I was stuck in your dead-end company! You started phasing me out when you brought in those kids, you didn’t give me my due when I asked for more money, and now, I’m going to get whatever I want, because I have a direct phone line for Vince McMahon, and he’s gonna want to hear all about this.”
Eric’s blood begins to boil. He is being extorted! By someone he respected! What more can Vince McMahon try to take from him? But knowing what he had managed to pull off with Shane’s assistance earlier this week, he wasn’t having this.
“You know what, Gene? I don’t know what you want, but I don’t care. I had a ton of respect for you, but you’re holding me up now? Because I didn’t give you the raise you asked for? Because I wanted to start providing for WCW’s future? Isn’t that what everyone has said I didn’t do three years ago? Well screw you! You want out of WCW? Get out! Go and be at WrestleMania! Because Jeremy and Chris have started doing just as good a job, if not a better job than you ever did for this company!”
“Well, unless you want this to come out to the wrong people, you better send me with something good.”
Eric rips the checkbook out of Gene’s hand and scribbles him a check, tossing it at him angrily. He tells him again to get out, but Okerlund looks it over. “This isn’t enough.”
“I don’t have anything more! You wanted money? This is money. It’s about what the rest of your contract would have cost me. So take that and run back to Vince. He didn’t want you anymore in 1994, but I’m sure he wants what you can bring now. If this isn’t enough for you to stay quiet, then talk. I don’t care anymore. But you wanted out of WCW? Now you’ve got it.”
With that, Okerlund leaves, walking right out of World Championship Wrestling. Eric sits in his chair, putting his head in his hands. What will happen with Shane now that someone could leak that he is working for both companies?
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5:37 PM Saturday, December 22, 2001
After a few months of not being able to get through to him, Eric has finalized a deal to bring Tully Blanchard back as a road agent. Losing Gene was a blow, but the past few days have softened Eric on it happening. He had already been establishing Jeremy and Gabe as the interviewers for WCW going forward, so this is not going to be as great a loss as he thought initially. The comedy act of Gene and Jeremy was fun, but it’s time to move Borash to the front and center. Eric is lost in his thoughts when his phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Eric?”
Eric’s blood runs cold, immediately recognizing the voice on the other end.
“Yeah… why are you calling?”
“We need to talk. I got your messages finally. And I understand if you don’t want anything to do with me; but I need to come back to WCW.”
Eric listens to everything his caller has to say, before asking one question.
“Can you make it to DC on the 30th for Starrcade?” |
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Post by dhk1989 on Oct 25, 2020 22:05:33 GMT 1
Shane’s in some major trouble...
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Post by Beejus on Nov 8, 2020 23:00:11 GMT 1
December 2001: Week 4
December 24-30
(“LR” denotes that the segment took place in the locker room.)  Show Notes- Tim White created a very relaxing atmosphere by bringing a portable smoker and cooking a turkey for everyone.
- Steve Austin was backstage dropping some tips on psychology to Rhyno.
- Getting better at gimmick: Trish Stratus, Kevin Nash
- Steve Austin: “I don’t think D-Von can connect with fans on his own.”
Show Notes- Godfather’s “ladies of the night” were played by local indy wrestler and former porn actress Kristi Myst and a woman who was going to be on Tough Enough but didn’t make the final cut, Jessica Kresa.
- Danny Doring came in still using his gimmick from HWA of Clean Cut, which he is Above Average at playing.
- The “Eggnog Match” between Torrie and Erica was a disjointed mess, with no psychology and a lack of selling.
- The main event was an exceptional match, but it had no real storyline associations.
- Getting better at gimmick: D’Lo Brown, Billy Gunn (x2), Christopher Nowinski
 Show Notes- Happy accidents: Jeff Jarrett and Big Bill showed excellent chemistry when teaming together. This is something I must keep in mind.
- Jeff Jarrett: “I’m just not sure what you think you’re going to get out of Kid Kash, fans won’t connect with him.”
- Scott Steiner: “What’s with them bald punks? All they do is street fight, that ain’t what WCW is about, get rid of them.”
- Tully Blanchard: “AJ Styles is looking to be someone to get behind, he’s becoming a good worker.”
Show Notes- This was a live lead-in to WCW Starrcade: Glory.
- Jimmy Snuka Jr. was taken before Wrestler’s Court by the honorable judge Harley Race for not paying his share of a rental car. “Handsome Harley” found him guilty and sentenced him to paying the entire bill and reimbursing his travel partners. Snuka improved his behavior, as “The Fear of Harley” strikes again.
- Mike Awesome was hampered by injury… expect to hear that every time he has a match for the next year.
- Getting better at gimmick: Dawn Marie
Upcoming Shows The 2002 Royal Rumble will take place on January 20, 2002, from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia!
The Royal Rumble Match Undisputed WWF Championship: “The Show Stopper” Shawn Michaels vs. “The People’s Champion” The Rock WCW Starrcade: Glory will take place live from the MCI Center in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., on December 30, 2001!
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: 15 Man Gauntlet for the Gold Big Bill vs. Billy Kidman vs. Booker T vs. Buff Bagwell vs. Curt Hennig vs. “The Prodigal Son” Dustin Rhodes vs. Ernest “The Cat” Miller vs. “Da Man” Goldberg vs. “The Chosen One” Jeff Jarrett vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger vs. “K-Dawg” Konnan vs. Lance Storm vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Sting vs. One Mystery Participant WCW World Tag Team Championships: Sean O'Haire & Chuck Palumbo vs. The Tri-State Threat Dog Collar Match: “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner vs. “The DFG” Rick Steiner Stairway to Glory Match: Bryan Clark vs. Sonny Siaki vs. Mark Jindrak vs. Kanyon vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Low Ki Mask vs. Career: “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair vs. Mr. Wrestling 3 Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri Raven & Saturn vs. Vampiro and RellikHardcore Match: Fratelli vs. Da BaldiesLoser Leaves Town: Air Paris vs. AJ StylesThree people will debut on this show. If you name them, you get one point apiece. Who will America's Most Wanted take on as a manager? Who will be the iron man in G4TG? Who will get the most eliminations in G4TG?
Tiebreaker: How long will the G4TG last?
There are 15 points, plus one tiebreaker, up for grabs!
The Week That Was- WCW Friday Nitro has come to a close on Comcast, with many wondering what is going to happen to the company’s United States broadcasting. Eric Bischoff was quoted on a recent WCW.com article as saying he will “have news announced soon” but he has yet to make a statement. Allegedly this was why the “Raven’s Clockwork Orange House of Fun” match took place on the final Nitro on pay-per-view, as those in charge were unsure if the risky match would be allowed on regular television.
- The WWF, meanwhile, have had no issues in getting all of their deals for events to be extended for another year, as well as putting Raw and SmackDown on the European channel Eurosport. WWF Jakked and Heat were both “Best of the WWF 2001” recap episodes this week.
- “Mean” Gene Okerlund now appears on the WWF.com staff page, apparently having left WCW.
- Bob Sapp has been singled out as “one to watch” by some insiders. He is currently training for an MMA fight, but when he comes back he should be appearing in WCW.
- The legendary Tiger Mask has decided that he hopes to “settle down” with a company, having a statement released that he no longer intends on being such a freelance worker.
- Shawn Michaels must have thought he needed a little more this Christmas, as sources say he went to Vince McMahon about a pay raise. He got what he was asking for (as Shawn Michaels tends to do) and is now one of the top paid wrestlers on the WWF roster.
- Word is coming out that Mark Henry is being prepped for a huge push in 2002, with some of the trainers at OVW feeling like he could become a “next big thing” in wrestling.
- Shannon Moore released the news that he has bought out the remainder of his WCW contract, with friends saying he wants to join The Hardyz in the WWF.
- James Storm was given a pay raise by WCW right before Starrcade. Also David Penzer has signed a year’s contract extension to stay with WCW.
- Yuji Nagata and Koichiro Kimura (Super Uchu Power in AJPW) both had their MMA fights this week, and both men were successful.
- Mikey Whipwreck was pointed out this week in an interview with a veteran as being “loaded with potential” but just needs a big break.
- A strange booking at an independent show in Scotland this week saw a 16 year old by the name of Drew Galloway booked in the main event, winning the match.
- WWF Ratings: RAW (14.53), SmackDown! (16.57)
- WCW Ratings: Nitro on PPV (0.03), Nitro on TV (3.26), Worldwide! (0.79)
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