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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!
Chairshots
2-22-02
Smackdown
It's sad to say but shows like last nights Smackdown don't come along too often anymore. A few years ago, almost every WWF television show was a hit. They would hit the occasional clunker, but pound for pound, the shows were great. Then ho-hum shows started showing up more and more frequently. Then almost every show was dull or had major flaws, but the WWF could still put on a really great show every now and then to remind us why we watch. It's been a long time since we've seen a blockbuster show like that, but I think Smackdown last night was one of them.Outstanding segments between Stone Cold and the NWO. Austin showed intensity that we haven't seen in a long time. He's always been good, but there's just something extra he gives when he's on fire. Driving his truck to the ring, attacking the NWO, kidnapping Scott Hall, setting a trap for the NWO is all classic Austin and it was fun to watch. Austin vs. Hall for Wrestlemania should be a good feud if Hall can stay out of trouble and Austin can stay healthy.
I also thought the NWO came off looking good last night. I like the idea that they can commit felonies like attempted murder and get away with it because Vince McMahon pays off government officials. Silly, but it's as good of excuse as any.
Am I the only one that thinks the WWF keeps a beer theme floating around Scott Hall as some sort of test? Austin poured beer in him last week and offered him more this week. I've heard that the writing staff isn't booking Nash in to a Wrestlemania match because they want to keep Nash available in case Hall gets in trouble (drugs, alcohol, jail, etc...) I'm sure staying sober is hard. Is there really a need to keep tempting him?
Kane vs. Kurt Angle is a feud out of nowhere, but the two did such a good job selling it last night that I'm already interested. Kane isn't a 5 star match kind of guy, but Angle should be able to carry the two of them to 4 stars. It's also one of the few pairings I can't recall seeing between the WWF main eventers.
Edge and Christian had a match which is something we've seen before, but they added the twist of Christian quitting, so I forgave it. The six man tag team match was enjoyable, but also the only real slow point on the show. Hardys, Dudleys, Lance Storm and Rob Van Dam are all wrestlers that are running on fumes as far as heat goes. They are all potential Book It topics at this point.
The union of Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon finally came true as I (and almost everyone else) predicted it would. It adds some nice flavor to the Jericho vs. Triple H match set for Wrestlemania. Last, Chuck and Buck, err....Billy won the tag belts. Personally I hate Chuck and Billy as a tag team and as a gimmick. I'm all for making fun of gay people (kidding) but doesn't wrestling have enough homosexual overtones that we don't need two guys flaunting it. Anyway, if the WWF insists on pushing the duo, then having them win the tag belts was a good move. It's not going to make the fans like them anymore, but it means that when the APA squashes them at Wrestlemania, the team can fade away into the dusty pages of wrestling lore. God save the poor WWF writer that has to try and get Chuck and Billy over with the fans.
If you missed this show, for the first time ever, I'm suggesting you watch Exxcess on Saturday to catch the highlights. That's about as high of praise I can give.
Raven to Write Spider-man
Marvel Comics announced that the May issue (#14) of "Tangled Web of Spider-Man" will be co-written by WWF wrestler Raven and Brian Azzarello (author of 100 Bullets.) The issue is titled "The Last Shot" and is a story about Crusher Hogan, the wrestler Peter Parker wrestled against shortly after he gained his spider-powers. Raven is a long time comics fan but I don't know that he has any writing credentials to speak of. My guess, and I could be totally wrong, is that he will serve as more of a wrestling consultant.Ratings
Raw scored a 4.7 cable rating this week, which is right on the average from what they have been doing recently. I'd take that as good news since they haven't lost viewers and they are going up against the Olympics. Of particular note was the Rock-Hogan segment which scored a 5.3 quarter hour, as did the overrun. That is a positive sign that the return of the NWO is catching on.
Hasta La Vista, Chyna
As reported in Planet Buzz yesterday (and a few other smaller media outlets) Chyna will not be playing the female villain in the new in "Terminator 3" movie. The role went to Kristanna Loken. I report this here because it no only involves Chyna, but because it gives the webmaster another excuse to show those hot photos of Kristanna.Mysterio to WWF?
More Rey Mysterio rumors: The WWF seems to be ready to sign Rey Misterio, Jr. to a contract in April. The XWF is also interested in Misterio and are trying to push the idea that the WWF won't know how to use him. Misterio only wants to go to the WWF if they go forward with their plans to push to cruiserweight division and Kevin Nash promises not to throw him like a dart ever again.Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting
Eric Bischoff and Mark Burnett, the producer of Survivor, are teaming up to debut a reality based television show that will involve competition to determine the "toughest man in the world". It will be a martial arts reality show that will incorporate several fighting disciplines into a competition that will see competitors eliminated on a weekly basis, ala Survivor. Battle Arts represents some of the top martial arts experts in the world, and the show is expected to feature a mixture of kung fu, judo, karate, boxing, etc. The show will feature legitimate martial arts combatants in unscripted situations. No network is set, and the show will be shopped to various broadcast and cable networks in the next few weeks. The news of the launch of the program will be featured in Friday's Variety and in other entertainment publications.WWF News
The WWF held a conference call yesterday for wall street investors featuring Linda McMahon (CEO), August Liguori (CFO), and Tom Gibbons (Investor Relations). Here are highlights and snotty comments by yours truly:Wrestlemania X-8 is scheduled to be the highest grossing WWF event in history. Fans from 15 different countries will attend. In May, the WWF will do 4 shows in Europe: 3 in the UK and one in Germany. (France ignored again.) The NWO is already a success judging from the No Way Out returns. Deals are in the works to increase distribution of the WWF JAKKS action figures. (Three words: Anatomically Correct Stephanie.) The WWF wants to expand their video game line to include wireless games, news updates, ring tones, and more. (Now when you Mom calls you on your cell phone you can chant "you suck" in time with Kurt Angle's theme song.) Closing the XFL saved them $4.6 million (that's a nice way of spinning "the XFL bombed.") The WWF had talks with Playboy about starting a 24 hour network since the two target the same audience, but the WWF decided they did not want to be mixed in with Playboy content. (Man that really would have spiced up those lingerie matches...) Following the roster split, the WWF will probably add an additional PPV per quarter at first and then possibly add more depending on how things go. Neurotica, the first band on the WWF's Smackdown Records, will have their debut CD released in May. They are hoping to double the size of their creative staff. (Oh! Pick me! Pick me!) Chris Benoit will return in the spring. (But only if he sees his shadow after Wrestlemania.) The WWF-DirecTV deal is for 18 months. The money division between the two sides will remain the same. Over 100,000 of the No Way Out buys came from DirecTV. The WWF got $2 million in "executive producer" fees from the "Scorpion King" movie. They will be involved with the merchandise and promotion of the movie. The ratings decline has ended and the audience is starting to come back. (Debatable.) WWF Quarterly Report News
The WWF also released their quarterly report yesterday. It's mostly just financial stuff that's as interesting as an accounting class. Here are the highlights anyway:Live Event revenues - Live Event revenues were $15.3 million for the quarter. There were 61 events during the quarter versus 48 last year. Attendance was 446,600 compared to 512,800 in the third quarter last year. The average ticket price increased approximately 3% to $34.21. Pay-Per-View revenues - Pay-Per-View revenues for the quarter were $23.8 million. In period domestic pay-per-view buys for the quarter were 1.4 million as compared to 1.7 million last year. DirecTV resumed the airing of WWFE pay-per-views, beginning with the No Way Out pay-per-view that aired on February 17, 2002. Television Rights Fees revenues increased 14% to $13.0 million and were driven by improved international and domestic agreements. Television Advertising revenues held up well in a depressed advertising market. Advertising revenues were $21.3 million for the quarter versus $22.4 million during the same period last year. Branded Merchandise
Total revenues were $26.8 million for the quarter versus $31.7 million last year. Licensing revenues decreased 22% to $8.1 million primarily due to the timing of the introduction of new video game titles in the current quarter as compared to the same period last year. As the installed base for new game consoles (i.e., Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Gamecube) takes hold, they expect to benefit given the demonstrated popularity of our video games. Merchandise revenues for the quarter were $7.0 million, a decrease of 3% versus last year, principally due to the decline in attendance. However, per capita spending increased from $7.80 to approximately $8.15 for the current quarter. Publishing revenues decreased 10% to $4.2 million principally due to a decline in newsstand units sold. Home video revenues decreased 18% to $2.6 million due to lower sell through rates and the attendant increase in return reserves. New Media advertising revenues increased 20% during the quarter to $1.3 million. WWF New York revenues declined 15% to $3.9 million as the impact of the drop off in tourism in the Times Square area since September 11th, 2001 continues to have a negative effect on revenues. No Book It today because it's just not ready. An idea like Disco Tajiri takes time. I'll post it tomorrow so come back for the very rare Saturday update. See ya.
