Every Tuesday and Friday we give you the scoop on what's happening in and out of the wrestling ring. Somedays it's even funny!

I could go down any minute.

Chairshots
01-15-02

Personal News
Fanboyplanet.com has been having some troubles with its web hosting provider over the last week and I'm not even sure if anyone will be able to read this column today, but I'm going for it anyway. As it turns out, the site being down actually had a positive side since I didn't watch last week's Smackdown or Raw last night. For some of you, this might be a normal or understandable occurrence, but I don't think I have missed consecutive wrestling shows in decades. It's really a sad thing when a hardcore fan like me says "I'd rather see who wins Survivor than watch Smackdown." It's a clear sign that HHH wasn't the answer to all that is wrong in the WWF right now.

There are thousands of wrestling fans that could come up with better ideas than the current writing staff and I don't know why Vince doesn't realize that. Maybe he's blind to it since his daughter leads the team. I really don't know. I'll keep watching the WWF, probably for the rest of my life, but it's time like these that I wonder why.

Ratings
Since I didn't get to report it last week, Triple H's return scored a big rating for Raw. The show scored a 4.9 cable rating for the entire show. The overrun, which was when Triple H actually appeared, scored a 5.7. Not too shabby. The 1/10 edition of Smackdown scored a 4.0 broadcast rating. That's also pretty good when you consider that it was up against the Survivor finale (which I watched) and NBC's Thursday night line-up. Last night's Raw scored a 4.4.

Been There, Seen That
1Wrestling.com reported last week that Kevin Nash and Scott Hall have both completed negotiations with the WWF and have agreed to terms. At some point after their initial arrival in the WWF, the duo are expected to be joined by Hulk Hogan and then the infamous NWO will be reformed. They report that Nash and Hall are not currently expected to appear on WWF programming until after the Royal Rumble and Hogan may not appear until after Wrestlemania (possibly sooner, though).

Now before we as fans start holding our collective breaths, let's examine this a little closer. First of all, the WWF and Kevin Nash have all denied that any agreement has been reached. That's common since all parties want to keep the return a surprise. However, only 1Wrestling has reported this story and I don't really consider them a reliable source. This is the same website that reported that Bret Hart had agreed to come back to the WWF not so long ago. They do on occasion break a big story before anyone else; I'm just saying don't believe it until you see it.

Next, I made this point a few months ago when these rumors all started but it's worth repeating. The NWO sucks. It was the hottest thing in wrestling in WCW back in 1997, but it dragged on and became so ridiculous that it was painful to watch. Have we all forgotten NWO white and NWO red? What about the second resurrection of the NWO that involved Bret Hart? The NWO killed WCW television because every show ended with them dominating the faces at the end. The point is that the NWO has been done to death and the WWF just ended an unsuccessful "invasion" angle. Why start another one and give credibility to the fans that claim that the WWF has become WCW in all the wrong ways?

Rumble News
In case you're like me and missed Smackdown, there was some interesting news. Former WWF regulars Val Venis, "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, The Godfather (not Goodfather) and Goldust will all be returning to the WWF for the Royal Rumble. With this news, I can safely name five people that will NOT be winning the Royal Rumble.

I'll stick with my prediction of Triple H. Maybe Kevin Nash and Scott Hall will return at the Royal Rumble as Diesel and Razor Ramon and we will have WWF 1996 vs. WWF 2002. Other matches set for this Sunday are:
Chris Jericho vs. the Rock (Unified Title)
Ric Flair vs. Vince McMahon
Edge vs. William Regal (IC Title)
Tazz/Spike Dudley vs. Dudley Boyz (Tag Titles)
Trish Stratus vs. Jazz (Women's Title)

Owen Hart Movie
Artisan Entertainment has bought the rights to make a film on the life of Owen Hart, acquiring the rights from Owen's wife, Martha. The film is expected to be completed in 2003, with proceeds from the movie going to the Owen Hart Foundation.

Hart "Tell All" Book Halted
Diana Hart's (daughter of Helen and Stu Hart and ex-wife of "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith) controversial book "Under The Mat" is being pulled from store shelves as part of a settlement reached between Martha Hart and Fenn Publishing. The settlement also includes an undisclosed cash payment that will be made to the Owen Hart Foundation. In the book, Diana made several controversial remarks about her mother's drinking problem, her father's financial matters, her husband's drug problems, her sisters and brothers in law's various problems, her very public disagreements with her brother Bret and the allegation that her husband drugged and raped her. A Calgary Sun story says Diana Hart was "shocked and angered to learn of the settlement". Martha Hart was in the process of launching a libel suit when the settlement was completed. Too bad. That sounded like a best seller to me.

Steiner Update
Scott Steiner is featured heavily in advertising for February's WWA PPV. However, even though Steiner was a headliner of the WWA's recent UK tour, he has not yet officially signed on to work with the group permanently. Since WCW went under Steiner has said that it was his intention to join the WWF.

WWF Book Deal
The WWF and Simon and Schuster announced a partnership last week. "World Wrestling Federation Books" will be a new imprint under the S&S banner (and more specifically, under Pocket Books, the same S&S division that handles the publication of Star Trek books.) Simon and Schuster is part of the Viacom family that the WWF has been in bed with for over a year now. This new deal goes into effect in the Fall of 2002.

Ed Ferrera Speaks!
Ed Ferrara, the behind-the-scenes partner of Vince Russo in WWF and WCW, was a guest on "Between the Ropes" last Wednesday. Here is what he had to say:

He had a lot more fun in WCW than he did in the WWF. After nine months in the WWF, he was burned out and wasn't happy. He said he didn't enjoy the 24/7, 365-day a year, on-call schedule. In addition to that, he didn't like being attached to Vince McMahon's hip. "You can only be creative with a gun to your head so frequently."

Ferrara didn't have a contract with WWF, which he always wanted, so he jumped at the chance for the security and a easier schedule with WCW. He informed McMahon about his decision to leave the day after Russo did. "It was a very quiet phone call," he said. "I could tell he felt a little hurt, a little abandoned, and probably a little side-swiped."

His working relationship with Russo was good in the WWF, but things changed in WCW. He called Russo a "cowboy" who wanted to do things his way. WCW's structure and philosophy was more corporate. It wasn't as easy to be persuasive, as they could be with McMahon. Ferrara said he stressed patience and a deliberate approach to change, but that Russo was more aggressive. He said Russo refused to bend, and that was the source of conflict between him and the WCW suits.

HHH on Byte This
Triple H was a guest on WWF's "Byte This" last Friday. It was pretty interesting as he talked about his return, Ric Flair and a "Clique" reunion. Here are the highlights from his appearance:

"How'd you feel when you stepped through the curtain Monday night?" asks Kelly. "When you are a performer, it's what you live for," says HHH, "the lead-in, the hype, the videos, and then walking out in front of that MSG crowd, well, it was indescribable!"

The subject of respect is brought up, as Kelly asks how it feels to have the respect of the fans. "I've spent 90% of my career being the most hated man in pro wrestling," says HHH, "and despite that, the fans recognize the work and the accomplishments I've made, and are still willing to give me the respect."

"What about your return in MSG," asks Fink, "did you ever expect it to be that big?" "I knew the hype was pushing the stratosphere," says HHH, "but I never expected the reaction I got. It just blew my mind! I was a heel when I left, but I'm a face now, due to all this fan support. I haven't changed anything; I'm still The Game."

In answer to a question about Triple H setting his sights on winning the Unified Title, Triple H says that it's the one big prize. Chris Jericho's the Undisputed Champ right now, and he deserves it. For a long time, everybody doubted Y2J's ability to win the Big One. That's all over and done with, because Jericho's kicked his career into high gear. He's stood his ground against the toughest in the business, and held onto the Unified Title, and he deserves to hold that Title.

Triple H's immediate goal is to win the Royal Rumble, He doesn't expect to get anything just handed to him, nor does he want anything to be handed to him. He'll win the Royal Rumble, and then face the Undisputed Champ at Wrestlemania, Jericho, The Rock, Stone Cold, whoever.

Caller wants to know what it's like working with Ric Flair, after HHH had tried to pattern his own career on that of Flair's? "I'm getting an opportunity to work with one of my heroes," says HHH, "Flair's one of the all-time greats, so anything that happens with Ric is going to be just outstanding."

Caller asks If HHH regrets not participating in the whole "Invasion" angle? "It was difficult just sitting on the sidelines, not being able to do anything," says HHH, "I was trying to decide which side I was going to join when I returned. Well, by the time I did return, the whole deal was over and done with. Still, I got to watch it as a fan. "Speaking of which," HHH continues, "by watching the WWF shows as a fan, I began to realize that maybe it wasn't such a good idea for people inside the company to leak information to the fans as had been done in the past. You have to maintain the mystery."

HHH says that he's looking forward to Benoit's return. "Benoit's been gone a long time," says HHH, "and when you are Chris Benoit, you are champing at the bit to get back into the ring the whole time. Rhyno's got the same kind of injury, and when he gets back, expect the intensity level to get jacked up yet another notch."

Caller asks if HHH considers the past eight months to be the toughest part of his career? "If you look at it as eight months to a year," says HHH, "you wouldn't want to attempt it. What happens is that you learn to take it a day at a time. Some days are better than others, and some aren't. You can't let yourself get down. You take it a step at a time, and keep your head above water. The therapists and trainers all helped me to keep a positive attitude, because that's the way to face what I was up against."

A guy in the chat room wants to know how HHH does the "water thing" that he does during his entrance? "I just spit," says HHH with a laugh. (duh)

Caller wants to know which Unified Champ he would like to face, should he win the Royal Rumble? "Whoever's got the belt," says HHH, "anybody wearing the Unified Title is the guy I want to be facing across that ring. Whoever it is, they better get ready, because I will win the Royal Rumble, and then, Wrestlemania."

Caller wants to know who HHH would like to work with? "Rob Van Dam, for one, " says HHH, "and Test, who's going to be just huge in this business. Edge, no question about it. But I'd really like to work with Spike Dudley." (He wasn't kidding either.)

Caller wants to know if HHH could enlighten us on a possible reforming of "The Clique?" "Yes, I've heard about that. I didn't get to see Shawn (Michaels) on Excess, but I hope to see him soon. I've heard rumors of Hall and Nash returning, and if they do, that'll be great. Plenty of room for them here in the WWF. X-Pac's figured in there somewhere, too. Will the "Clique" be reformed? I don't know. The business is more competitive today than the old days, and everybody wants to be the best. Too bad there's only room for one!"

That's it for me today. Hopefully I'll have a working site to report on for Friday. Tune in then and see.

Michael Goodson