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Post by ph71 on Aug 10, 2024 10:45:57 GMT 1
Kwee Wee (Allan Funk) gone from WCW, with two other short-term contracts also expiring
WCW announced today that Kwee Wee (Allan Funk) had left the company today with his contract expiring. Despite having issues backstage with Buff Bagwell which led to large portions of the locker-room turning against him, it is thought that the release was nothing personal and Shane McMahon just had no short or long-term plans for Kwee Wee. It wasn't a contract that Shane had signed so he felt obligated to let talent sit out any contracts signed before he got there, but given Kwee Wee has appeared on WCW TV in 9 matches since Shane came in and he lost every match, this release probably won't come as a surprise to many.
It is not thought at this time that there are any plans from WWF to bring Allan Funk in. 2 wrestlers brought in on short-term contracts for the WCW Cruiserweight Classic also saw their deals end today. The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Iaukea, a former 2 time WCW World Cruiserweight Champion and 1 time WCW World Television Champion, picked up a win against Chavo Guerrero Jr before bowing out of the tournament to eventual runner-up, Tajiri. Iaukea also featured on WCW TV in a losing effort in a Steve Corino Open Challenge match for the WCW FXtreme Television Championship.
Shane McMahon does rate Prince Iaukea as a worker, but WCW already has a fairly stacked Cruiserweight division and he didn't see the point in keeping Iaukea around when he didn't have concrete short or long-term plans for him. Iaukea is unlikely to be short of work on the Indies or abroad so it is thought he was quite happy with the short return to the company which has put him back in the spotlight a bit.
The young Japanese performer, Gedo, who also came in for the WCW Cruiserweight Classic and lost to Tajiri, also had his contract expire. Gedo worked a few dark matches for WCW after losing to Tajiri. Gedo had no real plans to join WCW on a permanent basis as he sees his short and long-term future in Japan, but Shane was keen to bring him in for the tournament to help give it more of an international feel.
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Post by Dimos on Aug 10, 2024 11:16:32 GMT 1
I finally catched up here. I'm not a fan of detailed descriptions, but yours are great and storylines are definitely making up for me xD Great diary, great story. I'm a little (much!) jealous now
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Post by ph71 on Aug 11, 2024 10:41:42 GMT 1
I finally catched up here. I'm not a fan of detailed descriptions, but yours are great and storylines are definitely making up for me xD Great diary, great story. I'm a little (much!) jealous now Glad you're enjoying it Dimos, thanks for the nice words, means a lot coming from you!
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Post by ph71 on Aug 11, 2024 11:04:10 GMT 1
The Godfather and Jerry Lynn gone from WWF
WWF announced today the release of two members of their roster. Charles Wright, who in his current WWF run has gone under several gimmicks such as Kama Mustafa, The Godfather and most recently The Goodfather in Right to Censor, is a former WWF Intercontinental Champion, as well as a former WWF World Tag Team Champion in Right to Censor with Bull Buchanon. Wright previously came to fame with the infamous Papa Shango gimmick. It is thought WWF let him go as at 40 years old they thought his best days were behind him, as well as having little creative plans for him given it is thought that the Right to Censor gimmick will be faded out in the next few months. It is not thought that WCW have any immediate plans to sign Charles Wright. Shane McMahon has a lot of respect for him, but there are a lot of question marks about is age and whether he can still perform at the top level in the ring. There is also the issue that his most popular gimmick, The Godfather, is trademarked by WWF so WCW couldn't use that and would have to come up with a new gimmick for him. One source close to Shane McMahon and WCW said they would not be surprised if Charles Wright was brought in at some point in the next 6 months due to his good relationship with Shane, but it is thought if he did come in it would be more as a manager type role to help get over younger talent. Jerry Lynn, who recently turned 38, is a former WWF Light Heavyweight Champion, but it is thought Vince McMahon who doesn't like small guys anyway sees the future of the Light Heavyweight division being centred around younger and more athletic guys. One source close to WWF said that they will have a new signing debut soon which will show where they think the future lies in that division. It is not thought that Shane McMahon has any immediate plans to bring Jerry Lynn into WCW. There are many in WCW's locker-room who rate Jerry Lynn highly, with the likes of Lance Storm, Steve Corino and of course, Rob Van Dam, key figures in the locker-room who have worked with him before and would be more than interested in working with him again. One source close to Shane McMahon said "Jerry Lynn is the right guy, at the wrong time". When asked to expand on this the source stated that if Lynn had been released 4-6 weeks ago by the WWF he would've been a perfect guy to bring in and debut during the recent inaugural WCW Cruiserweight Classic Tournament, which was won by Billy Kidman. But as things stand Shane now has the run up to Starrcade in December, which includes November's first ever House of Cards PPV and match in Las Vegas, Nevada entirely pencilled in. "It wouldn't make any sense to sign Lynn now," said the source. "With Jerry Lynn, I think it will happen at some point in 2002, there's too many potential feuds/matches in WCW for Shane not to hire him at some point, but he will only bring him in when the timing is right." Jerry Lynn is not thought to be short of work and a source close to him believes he will be happy to have a break from the gruelling in-ring and travel schedule that comes with working for the WWF. Rob Feinstein, owner of RF Video, the pro-wrestling video-distribution company, who used to sell ECW tapes, is also said to be very interested in signing Jerry Lynn as a figurehead for a potential new independent wrestling company he is looking to set up. Feinstein is said to be keeping his cards close to his chest though, so we have no further information on what the company could be called or where it might be based.
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Post by Dimos on Aug 11, 2024 13:59:55 GMT 1
Papa Shango to WCW!
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Post by ph71 on Aug 13, 2024 10:17:30 GMT 1
'The World's Strongest Man' Mark Henry signs for WCWWCW announced that WWF star Mark Henry had signed for the company this past weekend at Halloween Havoc that was hosted in his home state of Texas. Mark Henry signs for WCW on a 3 year contract after taking up the option to cancel his WWF contract after 5 years. Mark Henry said in his promo at Halloween Havoc that he is grateful for the opportunities that Vince McMahon and the WWF gave him and that he doesn't leave with any ill-will towards them. Mark Henry has been lost in the shuffle in WWF in the last few years and relegated to a comedic figure often paired up with Mae Young. Mark has a lot of respect for Mae Young but he has been disappointed at the lack of impact he has made in the company and felt that a fresh start was what he needed to re-launch his career in pro wrestling. Henry will be training at the WCW PowerPlant for several months alongside training for the February 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic, where he aims to officially become "The World's Strongest Man", after which it is believed he will then debut on the WCW roster full-time.
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Post by ph71 on Aug 13, 2024 14:48:14 GMT 1
Rey Mysterio Jr debuts for WWF on Smackdown!
WWF fans in attendance of Tuesday's tapings for Smackdown were given a real treat as Rey Mysterio Jr made his return to wrestling. Mysterio, who seems to have dropped the "Jr" part of the name also returned to wrestling wearing a mask, with WWF reportedly seeing the potential in merchandise sales if Mysterio proves to be a popular hit in the company.
Shane McMahon and WCW are reportedly said to be disappointing with Rey's decision given he could have been a big asset to the company, but it is thought that once WWF were interested Mysterio only had eyes for them. Rey was not happy with his booking in WCW towards the end of his reign and the chance to travel the world and perform on the bigger stage in WWF were too good an opportunity to pass up.
Shane reportedly even had a potential Starrcade match lined up for Mysterio if he did sign for WCW, but that obviously won't be happening now as Rey Mysterio looks set to get involved in an initial feud with Essa Rios in WWF.
* - I should add I am now booking the WWF. I won't be providing results or going in-depth with the booking of it week to week, my main motivation for booking it is to keep the save kind of realistic and as true to life as possible. WWF didn't even bid for Mysterio initially and I just felt like if I was going to get a free hit at every half decent talent it would get pretty unrealistic pretty quickly. I'll be booking the TV shows kind of formulaically making sure I meet storyline requirements and keep the company performing as well as it was under the AI.
I'll keep posting the PPV results and will be trying to rebook as close to real life as possible and then for every new free agent or contract renewal I'll look at it on a case by case basis and try and make an unbiased decision in what's the most likely outcome given what spot/money they might make in the other company.
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Post by Dimos on Aug 14, 2024 9:53:35 GMT 1
Good decision to keep it real.
> WWF didn't even bid for Mysterio initially and I just felt like if I was going to get a free hit at every half decent talent it would get pretty unrealistic pretty quickly
Yeah, it's totally unrealistic. In my save I needed to throw shit_ton of money to keep Rey from jumping the ship.
I also throwed a lot of money into poaching another man from WWE. You would never guess who it is, nobody would, but I really-really wanted to "work" with him xD
Bidding is fun.
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Post by ph71 on Aug 14, 2024 11:20:30 GMT 1
Nitro Episode 26 of the Shane McMahon Era (Episode 314 including pre-Shane)
Wednesday 24 October 2001
Recorded show late-night on FX
This is the Fall 1 week Break so we get recorded highlights specifically focusing on the talking points from WCW Halloween Havoc.
The show advertises that next week on Nitro we will see the Qualifiers for the first ever WCW House of Cards match at the November PPV WCW House of Cards in Las Vegas, Nevada.
We will also hear from Scott Hall after the controversial ending to his 'I Quit Match' with Dustin Rhodes.
Plus, Shane McMahon will have a big announcement for WCW fans in Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Europe.
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Post by ph71 on Aug 16, 2024 10:12:11 GMT 1
Friday Night Panic! Episode 13:
Friday 26 October 2001
Recorded show late-night on FX
This is the Fall 1 week Break so we get recorded highlights specifically focusing on the talking points from WCW Halloween Havoc.
The show advertises that next week on Panic! we will see the in-ring debut of WCW's newest tag-team featuring Chavo Guerrero Jr & Disco Inferno, plus we will see the Steve Corino Open Challenge & a House of Cards Qualifying match.
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