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Welcome back to the Online Wrestling Galaxy B-Show Block recap, your place to "Be" on Saturday Nights! Here we'll run down the results of WCW Saturday Night and WWF Shotgun Saturday Night! We start with WCW Saturday Night, taped earlier in the week in front of a decent sized crowd. Show started off with the debut of new signing Blitzkrieg taking on Alex Wright. Blitzkrieg looked decent enough in the ring, lots of flashy moves, but seemed pretty generic, character wise. Wright looked good, picking up the win with his German Suplex. These two seemed to click very well, and may put on an even better match after Blitzkrieg gets a little more seasoning. RATING: 50 We come back from break with a hype video for The Giant, showing highlights of him choke slamming people to death. RATING: 65 Next up we get a darn good match between Dean Malenko and Lord Steven Regal. They gave these guys plenty of time to go out and put on a clinic, and they delivered. Great technical wrestling. Malenko picked up the win with the cloverleaf. RATING: 69 We then get a backstage promo with Bill Goldberg. He's come along quite nicely, but isn't anything to write home about on the mic. RATING: 75 We get back from break and get a real dud of a match between Pyscosis and another new signing, luchador Fantasma. The crowd crapped all over this, and while Fantasma looked decent enough in the ring, he had zero connection with the fans. Psycosis gets the win with his guillotine leg drop. RATING: 16 (Yikes) After another break we come back and get another Raven pre-taped skit. This one is even darker than the previous one, with Raven reciting what sounds like some morbid poem over some loud, dissonant music. This was just weird, but the good weird. RATING: 84 Next up we get Curt Henning against Glacier in non-title action. Pretty much a showcase for Henning, which is unfortunate in retrospect, considering his failed drug test after the show. Henning wins with the Don't-Call-It-The-Perfect-Plex. RATING: 74 Next we get a promo from Diamond Dallas Page who talks some smack on Randy Savage. Nothing ground-breaking here, but the crowd is all in on this Savage DDP storyline. RATING: 87 We then get a pre-taped promo from Booker T, who does some self-promotion. Interesting that it's Booker by himself, not Harlem Heat. This was fine. RATING: 72 MAIN EVENT: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Charly Manson- solid little lucha match and a good debut for Manson, who seems to be playing al goth-shock-rock type of character, and the fans reacted well to it. Commentators spend the match talking about Konnan's offer to Mysterio to join the NWO. Fun back and forth match here and Manson managed to not look entirely over-shadowed by the bigger star, which is nice on a debut. Rey wins with his springboard 'rana. RATING: 58 Show ends with a pre-taped segment with the Outsiders talking smack about the Giant. This was your typical black-and-white, loud music, and sophomoric humor video, simple but effective. RATING: 90 OVERALL GRADE: 64. Decent enough show, but nothing "must-see". Over on your local syndicated network you could catch SHOTGUN Saturday NIGHT. Show began with a short and to the point match as Jeff Jarrett took out Mark Henry in short order. Crowd didn't care at all about Henry, but Jarrett got a little bit of heat. RATING: 54 We come back from break and get a pre-taped skit, cutting back and forth between Goldust and Marlena. Goldust talking about "spurned lovers" and Marlena doing her best femme fatale film noir dialogue. Not really sure what this was supposed to be about, but it was well produced. RATING: 51 Next we get a real nothing-burger of a match as The Sultan took on Bob Holly. Both of these guys need new gimmicks, ASAP. Sultan picked up the win in a very dull affair in which he had about 90% if the offense. RATING: 39 After a commercial break we get a pre-tape promo with Triple H and Chyna. Hunter mocked Owen Hart, Mankind, Steve Austin, Bill Clinton, and the Dali Lama. Alrighty then. RATING: 82 Next match up was The New Blackjacks (Windham and Bradshaw) taking on the Truth Commision of Recon and Kurrigan. This was better than it had any right to be, primarily thanks to Barry Windham. Recon shows some promise but is VERY green. Blackjacks get the win after a double lariat. RATING: 45 In the back Sunny interviews Flash Funk before his main event match with Savio Vega. This seemed to be an attempt to let Funk develop a little more of a character, but the crowd didn't care. Sunny is hot, though. RATING: 63 MAIN EVENT: Savio Vega vs Flash Funk This match could have been so much better than it was, but the crowd just doesn't care about Scorpio/Flash Funk in this character. He's badly in need of some reinvention. He picks up the win after his tumbleweed legdrop. RATING: 53 OVERALL RATING: 59 Neither show was anywhere near "must see" territory, but neither was terrible. WCW seemed to be aiming to introduce some of their new signings, while the WWF opted to give some of their established guys some time to elaborate on their characters. Thumbs in the middle for both. Stay tuned for more news, notes, and show recaps!

<p><strong>Wrestling Observer Update</strong></p><p> </p><p> With so many signings happening this week the news and notes had to be pushed to later in the week. </p><p> </p><p> The biggest news is that WCW's "new and improved" drug testing policy has claimed its first causalities. Both members of The Public Enemy tested positive for soft drugs and were fined, which neither was happy about, as under the old policy it would have been a slap on the wrist, at worst. The bigger news was that US Champion Curt Henning has been sent to rehab after testing positive for hard drugs after this weeks WCW Saturday Night tapings (results to follow on our sister site). Henning was vocal about his displeasure with the decision, claiming that new management was just looking to make an example out of him. Representatives from management met with him in an attempt to calm him down, stating that if they were looking to make a statement, he'd be fired, but instead they were paying for him to go to rehab. Henning eventually accepted the decision, but remained very unhappy. Rick Rude, Henning's best friend, also voiced displeasure. </p><p> </p><p> This has created an added complication due to Henning being the current US Champion. The belt is expected to be vacated on this week's Nitro, with a tournament to crown a new champ set up, likely to culminate at Starrcade. Current frontrunners to get the strap appear to be Raven, Goldberg, Chris Benoit, Booker T, or Rey Mysterio Jr, who management appears to be quite high on. </p><p> </p><p> On the back of the drug tests Rocco Rock was apparently in a foul mood, as he took a swing at Lex Luger for being a jerk backstage. Most of the boys thought Luger was in the wrong and sided with Rock, and Luger was issued a warning and told that the new management wanted the stop the crazy backstage antics, and further incidents would not be tolerated.</p><p> </p><p> At a house show the next night Larry Zybisko was overheard burying The Public Enemy, and Johnny Grunge took great offense, so now he and Larry Z have are at each other's throats. Word from sources indicate TPE may be on VERY thin ice going in to 1998.</p><p> </p><p> Over on the WWF side of the war the biggest notes are the two major absences from this past week's RAW telecast, Mick Foley and Owen Hart. Both stayed home from the show due to Vince McMahon's treatment of Bret Hart, and there was much sympathy backstage for both of their positions. </p><p> </p><p> Owen Hart has asked for his release from the company, citing the obvious reasons, but has been denied. McMahon has stated that he sees Owen Hart as "a valuable player" going forward, and attempted to offer his assurances that "the Bret situation" would not have any impact on Owen's standing within the company. Owen was, understandably, not convinced. It is unclear when Owen will be back with the company, or what legal maneuvers may be in play. </p><p> </p><p> Foley, on the other hand, is expected to be back with the WWF for this week's RAW broadcast. He was irate with the decision to screw Bret over, and expressed it to several higher-ups, including Gerry Briscoe and Bruce Prichard. He stated that he "didn't think he could work for a man who would do that to his top guy". </p><p> </p><p> Vince McMahon was apparently very concerned Foley would elect to quit, and reached out personally to try to smooth things over. We don't know what was said, exactly, but Mick was told to take the week off and return for this coming week's RAW. Several others backstage, including Sunny, Flash Funk, and the Undertaker, all considered boycotts as well, but ultimately did not follow through. McMahon seems to have lost a good deal of face with the locker-room, and it remains to be seen how he will bounce back from this.</p><p> </p><p> The only other major note from the WWF side of things is that Augilla has been sent to OVW for further seasoning as the WWF mulls over how to proceed with a Jr. Heavyweight division. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Stay tuned to our sister site for recaps of WWF Shotgun Saturday Night and WCW Saturday Night on our B-Show Block! </em></p>

<p><strong>WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER UPDATE- THE ARMS RACE BEGINS</strong></p><p> </p><p> As we reported earlier this week the "talent arms race" between the WWF and WCW has begun in earnest. The WWF may have struck first with their signings of the Hardy Brothers and Vampiro, but WCW has answered in dramatic fashion. </p><p> </p><p> The biggest signings are undoubtedly the Dudley Boys. Bubba Ray and D-Von have been stalwarts of ECW's tag division and are expected to make an immediate impact on the main roster. ECW owner Paul Heyman is said to be furious at this deal, as he was under the impression he had them locked down to an exclusive contract. </p><p> </p><p> WCW has also answered the WWF's signing of Vamprio, a bone fide mega-star in Mexico, by signing the legendary El Hijo Del Santo, son of Mexico's most famous luchadore and super-star in his own right. It remains to be seen how the transition to the American style, as he is in his mid-thirties and is as established stylistically as one can be. He is not cut from the same cloth as a Rey Mysterio Jr or Juventud Guerrera, so he may not fit the US fans expectations for a luchadore.</p><p> </p><p> Young Canadian Adam Copeland, who worked the indies as Sexton Hardcastle, turned down a developmental deal from the WWF to sign one with WCW. He had attended several camps and was widely expected to join his friend and occasional tag partner Jay Reso (Christian Cage) in signing with OVW, but it is rumored that Bret Hart personally reached out and convinced him to join WCW instead. Jerry Jarrett also turned down a WWF offer to join WCW as a road agent. </p><p> </p><p> The full list of WCW Signings (* indicates a signing expected to head to the developmental system initially) :</p><p> </p><p> Charly Manson</p><p> Phantasma</p><p> Adam Copeland*</p><p> Beulah McGillicutty</p><p> Blitzkrieg</p><p> Bob Armstrong (Expected to train and produce for SECW)</p><p> Charlie and Russ Haas* </p><p> Chris Harris*</p><p> Christopher Daniels</p><p> CIMA*</p><p> Dragon Kid*</p><p> Jamie Noble*</p><p> Jerry Jarrett (Road Agent)</p><p> Johnny Rodz (road agent)</p><p> Jushin Lyger</p><p> Magnum TOKYO*</p><p> Olympico*</p><p> Perro Aguyo Jr *</p><p> Shane Helms*</p><p> Volador Jr*</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Mike Awesome, who wrestles in FMW as Gladiator, was close to signing with WCW, but his contract offer was pulled after a pre-signing drugs test came back positive for hard drugs as well as painkillers. WCW's improved drug policy has been one of the many talking points since the new owners took over, and this was the first big test for it. More on the drug policy in our next update, as well as the WWF's response to it.</p><p> </p><p> Speaking of the WWF's responses, they did not stop with Vampiro. Vince McMahon's company landed several more developmental prospects as well as a couple of main-roster ready talents. </p><p> </p><p> Michael Hayes chose the WWF over WCW, both of which offered him backstage roles. Early reports indicate he will be working as a road agent, though an on-screen role, possibly as a commentator, has not been ruled out. Stan Lane will also be joining in a road agent role. </p><p> </p><p> Full WWF Signings (* indicates singing for developmental) </p><p> </p><p> Andrew Martin*</p><p> Christian Cage (Jay Reso)*</p><p> Dawn Marie*</p><p> Doug Basham*</p><p> Ekmo*</p><p> Hotstuff Hernandez*</p><p> Jackie Moore</p><p> Jason Jett (EZ Money)*</p><p> James Storm*</p><p> Joe Legend*</p><p> Kimo*</p><p> Nick Dinsmore*</p><p> Nora Greenwald*</p><p> Rob Conway*</p><p> Rhino*</p><p> Sean Morley*</p><p> Tom "Zuma" Howard*</p><p> </p><p> Dutch Mantell and Dr. Tom Prichard have signed on as trainers for OVW as well, leaving the WWF and WCW in fairly even positions after this first round of signings. Both have signed a few main-card ready talents, and inked several up and coming prospects to deals. Both developmental deals are expected to work a weekly touring schedule, playing small shows within their regions. </p><p> </p><p> We will be back tomorrow with some news and notes, including fallout from WCW's new drug test policy, and results from a meeting the new ownership group held with the talent. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>OOC: So, Edge and Christian break up!? What!? Well, basically what I did was make identical offers to anyone I thought both companies would want and let the fates decide, then figure out an in-universe reason for it. In the future this may not be the case, as it may make sense that one company would want the talent more than the other, and make a better offer, but for this first round of signings I thought this was the only "fair" way to do it.</em></p>

Thank you!

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Midweek Update- December- Week One- 1997 After a paradigm changing weekend in the wrestling world, Monday night's editions of both WCW Nitro and WWF Raw were both as close to business as usual as you could possibly get under the circumstances. Both shows were solid but unspectacular, and neither featured any earth-shattering incidents. RAW opened with a recap of the Montreal incident, setting the tone for how the Federation is going to approach this potential landmine. They're steering full in to it, which has understandably upset many both within and outside of the industry. Perhaps the most interesting by-product of this is that Vince McMahon has now been "outed" as the real-life head of the WWF, and appears to be embracing that fully as an on-screen character. Shawn Michaels, who claimed in his promo this week to have had no prior knowledge of the screwjob, is widely believed to be in on it. This is, of course, impossible to know for sure, but his reputation within the business has been said to have taken a hit. Coming off this incident he seems to be remaining a heel, claiming that he refuses to play by McMahon's rules, even if he is the "hand picked" WWF champion. Stone Cold Steve Austin, widely believed to be on his way to mega-stardom, is expected to be Michaels' WrestleMania opponent this year. The other main option, as far as top-tier babyface, The Undertaker, is currently wrapped up in a feud with Kane, which is expected to continue on for quite a while. A couple of previously reported tidbits to elaborate on: Vince McMahon was talked in to formalizing the relationship with OVW, making it an official development territory. He was initially against the idea, but a combination of Bruce Prichard and Jim Cornette talked him in to it, seeing it as imperative to get as much quality talent signed as possible, with so many whispers about an impending WCW signing spree. The WWF extended offers to several talent who had previously worked as enhancement workers or attended their "Funkin' Dojo" camps, and have already finalized several deals. Matt and Jeff Hardy, young high fliers from North Carolina, Matt Bloom, a bulky bruiser, and Chris Parks, a relative unknown who was highly touted by Cornette were the first deals to be signed and all will be heading to OVW within the week. The WWF also made one other signing, this one with much more of a global impact. As the Observer first reported, Canadian-born lucha libre mega-star Vampiro (Ian Richard Hodgkinson) has signed an exclusive deal with the WWF. No word on his creative plans at this time. Vince McMahon was apparently very underwhelmed by the Jr. Heavyweight match on Raw, and plans for the division have been put on hold. On the WCW side of things we have gotten a little more information on the new ownership group. Infinite Hallway Entertainment is a group of investors headed by Kristopher Jackson, a maven in the world of technology and banking. Also involved are actor Adam Sandler, who is rumored to possibly be the "public face" of the new ownership, should the need for them to feature on TV arise, as well as musician Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. Jackson, 31, is apparently a life-long wrestling fan and will be taking the "McMahon role", overseeing all business and creative decisions. Word has it several veteran wrestlers and agents have been told they will be used as "advisers", including Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Bobby Eaton, and Ted Dibiase. Eric Bischoff will also be retained in an on-air role in addition to acting as an adviser. It will not be a true "booking committee", rather more of a "writers room" according to one source. Rhodes, Eaton, and Bischoff booked this week's Nitro on the directive of "keep things running til Starrcade". Plans are for the major storylines to blow off at their annual year-end event, as usual, and changes to the product and direction to begin after that. WCW's talent search has begun as well, with contracts offered to several workers. Without the luxury of a pre-established pipeline like the WWE has, WCW has gone the route of using workers endorsed or trained by current WCW talent. Several trainees of Ultimo Dragon have been contacted, as well as several more luchadores through Konnan's Mexico connections. Only one has signed as of press time, that being luchador Abismo Negro, highly touted high flier previously working with AAA. WCW will also continue to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling, with Jushin Thunder Lyger and the Great Muta both rumored to be on their way back state-side. In news from other corners of the wrestling world, one source has told me that ECW owner Paul Heyman is "massively worried" that the impeding "talent arms race" could have dire consequences for his company, and is scrambling to tie down his stars to written deals. More to follow on all these stories and more.

WWF RAW recap for JANUARY WEEK ONE 1997 We are back with the WWF MONDAY NIGHT RAW recap! The show opens with the typical pyro and video before the announcers run down what's already being called "The Montreal Screwjob", promising we'd hear from both Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels tonight. And the Heart Break Kid wastes no time in fulfilling his side of that arrangement, as he comes out and cuts a promo. He claims he had no idea what was going to happen, and calls out McMahon to explain himself. McMahon doesn't come out. Michaels says he is the champion and the best wrestler on the planet, but he is no one's fall guy, and does nobody's dirty work but his own.He also says that if Steve Austin wan'ts some, he isn't hard to find. He makes it clear he's not beholden to Vince, and storms out to a chorus of boos. RATING: 87 First match is a four way dance featuring Augilla, TAKA, Brian Christopher, and Scott Taylor. This was a mess, and is obviously a sad attempt to steal some thunder from the cruiserweight division, and is failing miserably. Taka wins after the Michinoku driver. RATING: 48 After a break Marc Mero is out for a promo, but the fans only want Sable. She obliges. Nothing much is said here, but the crowd sure liked Sable. RATING: 63 Up next is a match between Farrooq and Vader. Hard hitting match as you'd expect, and quite decent. Not a surprise considering their history, which of course goes unmentioned because it didn't happen in the WWF. Farrooq gets the win after an assist from D'Lo Brown. RATING: 73 In the back we see The Rock who "congratulates" Farrooq then spends a few minutes talking about how great he is. The kid's got tremendous mic skills, and the crowd loved it. RATING: 92 We then get sent back to the backstage area where the New Age Outlaws are attacking the Legion of Doom! They brawl a little and the Outlaws get the upper hand with some stiff chairshots. The Outlaws end up leaving the LOD laying. RATING: 71 Next we get The World's Most Dangerous Man Ken Shamrock taking on Triple H in a very good little contest. Very evenly matched showdown, with some decent work by both parties. Chyna seemed to be off her game, screwing up a couple of spots. She and HHH don't seem to have much chemistry. Finish came after Chyna (eventually) distracted the ref, allowing HHH to hit a low blow followed by the Pedigree for the three count. RATING: 74 In the back Vince McMahon tells a camera crew to "Get the hell out of here!" He apparently isn't quite ready to talk yet. Rating: 88 Sunny is next out in her typical skimpy attire, hawking the brand new "Ladies of the WWF 1998 Calendar". Yes. That's a real thing. Between Sable earlier and this, it appears the WWF is steering towards a little more T&A action. Next up we get a filler match as the Headbangers beat the Godwins. Nothing much to report here, though it does appear the Headbangers have started to develop a real solid tag chemistry. RATING: 58 Stone Cold Steve Austin is the next out, and the place comes unglued. He runs down Shawn Michaels, calling him a fraud and phony, which brings HBK back out. They go back and forth on the mic for a little, trading insults. HBK takes a lot of umbridge with Austin's assertion that HBK is Vince's "hand picked champion". Michaels demands Vince come out, and threatens to go to the back and drag him out if he won't. Vince finally comes out, but only to the ramp, and tells his side of the story. He didn't trust Bret to do what's best for business, and even says that "Bret screwed Bret", which gets a huge chorus of boos. Vince says he doesn't owe anyone any other explanation and storms to the back. Austin doesn't like the answer, and tells Michaels "we aren't done" before heading to the back himself. Very good segment. RATING: 98 MAIN EVENT: The Undertaker vs The Rock This match proved one thing, the Rock isn't quite all the way "there" yet. He was overshadowed by Taker, and didn't totally hold up his end of the bargain. They were going for a big brawl, but it just didn't come of. It wasn't a disaster, mainly because of the hot finish, pun intended, as Kane came out and attacked Undertaker after a ref bump, allowing a practically destroyed Rock to get the pin. Finish kept Taker looking strong, despite the loss. RATING: 76 After Rock exits the ring Kane goes back for more, laying Taker out with a tombstone, before his pyro hits and we end the show. RATING: 95 OVERALL: 83 Stay tuned for post-Monday news updates on signings, reactions, and more!

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="EBEZA" data-cite="EBEZA" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46598" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Can't believe you didn't get everyone in the ring and vacate all the titles! <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> The nice thing about this timeline is that the Russo/Bischoff regime will NEVER HAPPEN. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Or... will it?</p>

<p><strong>WCW NITRO RECAP FOR DECEMBER 1997, WEEK ONE</strong></p><p> </p><p> Welcome to Online Wrestling Galaxy, your one stop shop for all your professional wrestling review, recap, and gossip needs! I am InfiniteHallway, and THIS IS NITRO. </p><p> </p><p> The Show opened with the usual video and pyro, followed by a Hollywood Hogan promo. No mention of new owners, no "new beginnings", just business as usual. Hogan takes a potshot at the WWF over the Montreal Affair, which starts a "BRET! BRET! BRET" chant from the Columbia, Missouri crowd. He hypes his match with Sting and says that the NWO will continue to rule the wrestling world in 1998. RATING: 100</p><p> </p><p> Opening match is Ultimo Dragon vs Juventud Guerrera. Match starts with Ultimo trying to ground Juvi but quickly kicks in to overdrive with a tope con giro by Juvi, and doesn't let up from there. Dragon brings the martial arts, but Juvi is too fast, and ends up winning the relatively quick match with the Juvi Driver followed by his 450. RATING: 69. Nice.</p><p> </p><p> After a commercial break we get a pre-taped segment featuring Raven in what looks like a basement or some abandoned warehouse. Nothing much to this, no real storyline advanced, but a cool little presentation. Raven's got the gift of gab, for sure. RATING: 83</p><p> </p><p> Next up we have Goldberg vs Perry Saturn in exactly the sort of match you'd expect. Saturn bumped like a pinball for Goldberg and ended up eating a spear and jackhammer in short order. RATING: 55. The Streak lives on.</p><p> </p><p> We then go backstage to Roddy Piper, who rants and raves about the NWO. This was every Piper promo from the last year. RATING: 87</p><p> </p><p> Back from break we see Eric Bischoff's office, where Liz is giving him a shoulder massage. Bischoff has "big plans" for Starrcade. </p><p> </p><p> Up next we have Chris Jericho vs Eddie Guererro. Great match. Eddie is really blossoming in to a top-class heel. Jericho continues to play the spunky babyface, but teased getting frustrated and heelish a few times, even shouting "what more do you want!?" at the crowd. This was a mat-based match with a good dose of flying, very technical, and was given the time to build properly. Eddie took the win clean after a brainbuster led to the Frog Splash. RATING: 78</p><p> </p><p> Back from break we see Konnan approach Rey Mysterio Jr. in the back. Rey thinks he's there to fight, but Konnan talks about their friendship, their history, and his role in bringing Rey to WCW in the first place. He then offers Rey an NWO shirt, telling him he needs to "get with the winning side". Rey starts to refuse but Konnan stops him, telling him "just think about it", before walking off. RATING: 58</p><p> </p><p> Lex Luger is out for a promo at the top of the ramp, and gets about a minute in before Scott Norton and Buff Bagwell jump him. They do a fairly standard beat-down and mocking, advancing the Lex vs Buff issue. This was fine. RATING: 74</p><p> </p><p> Next we had a four way tag match for the WCW Tag Team Championships! It was The Steiner Brothers © defending against Harlem Heat, The Public Enemy, and The Faces of Fear. This match really showed the shallowness of the WCW tag division, as the Steiners and Harlem heat were miles ahead of TPE and Faces of Fear. Match was kept pretty simple, the main story being the teasing of dissention between Rick and Scott, who still manage to get the win after their Doomsday Bulldog on Rocco Rock. RATING: 63</p><p> </p><p> Back from break and DDP is out for a promo. He runs down the "NWO Scum" and says 1998 will be "The Year of the Diamond Cutter". Macho Man Randy Savage runs out and clocks him from behind with a chair and they brawl all around the arena. Crowd was HOT for this. RATING: 93</p><p> </p><p> MAIN EVENT: The Outsiders vs The Horsemen (Flair/Benoit)</p><p> </p><p> So this match was massively disappointing. Flair and Benoit have ZERO chemistry together. If they could have less than zero, they'd have that. The work itself was fine, but it felt like two separate matches, one when Benoit was in, and one when Flair was in. Outsiders get the win after Hall clocks Flair with a chair and Nash jack-knifes Benoit in the ring for the three count. Such a shame, as the crowd was geeked for this. RATING: 74</p><p> </p><p> Show ends as it began with Hogan in the ring, saying there's nobody who can stop the NWO, not in WCW, not anywhere. He rambles for a few and then the lights go out. When they come back on STING is in the ring, staring him down. Hogan nearly craps himself. Sting doesn't attack, just points the baseball bat at him. Hogan begs off. Lights go back out, and when they come back on Sting is gone. Hogan looks around, terrified, and we go off air. RATING: 100</p><p> </p><p> OVERALL RATING: 83. Solid if unspectacular show. Continued to build to Starrcade with no real surprises. For all the hype about a "New regime" taking over this seemed to be a pretty typical WCW show. </p><p> </p><p> Stay tuned for our WWF RAW recap!</p>

<p>Wrestling Observer Update:</p><p> </p><p> With the rumors still flying hot and heavy we have a little more information on WCW's new regime as well as the WWF's response to it. While we still haven't had official confirmation of who is actually in charge at WCW, we have confirmed that they have begun to assign trainers to their new development territory which will run shows in the South East region and is named, creatively enough, South Eastern Championship Wrestling. Brad Armstrong, Rick Martell, Kevin Sullivan, and Lanny Poffo are among the veterans sent down as trainers, with Evan Karagias, Price Iukea, Lenny, and Lodi among the first workers sent down for "seasoning". WCW also released several wrestlers, stating they were not in future plans. Hugh Morris, Icetrain, Van Hammer, Brian Adams, Scotty Riggs, and Jackie Moore were all given releases, with more rumored to be on the way as new talent is brought in.</p><p> </p><p> The WWF has responded to this by formalizing their relationship with Danny Davis' Ohio Valley Wrestling, which will now act as their own development territory. This had been an unofficial arrangement already, but is now signed in to a contract. No word on who is being moved down there, but several former Funkin' Dojo tryout attendees have been offered contracts. </p><p> </p><p> We have also heard Michael "PS" Hayes has been offered a non-wrestling role by both WCW and the WWF. No word on who he will sign with at this time. </p><p> </p><p> Both companies are also looking to sign talent to fill out their rosters and development territories. This could lead to a "talent arms race", with one source stating that the WWF is looking to get out in front by making an offer to one of Mexico's biggest stars, Vampiro. Vampiro makes good money in Mexico, where he is a top guy, so it remains to be seen if he will make the jump across to the US. </p><p> </p><p> More soon.</p>

END OF NOVEMBER, 1997- From the Wrestling Observer Newsletter In the last 24 hours the world of professional wrestling has had two seismic shocks, and it is not hyperbole to say that the face of the industry has changed dramatically, forever. The first was happened at Survivor Series, the WWF's marquee fall PPV, where Bret Hart, WWF Champion, was legitimately double crossed by WWF owner Vince McMahon in what is already being called the Montreal Screwjob. McMahon called for the bell while Shawn Michaels, who is well known to have legitimate heat with Hart, held "the Hitman" in his own signature hold, the Sharpshooter. Hart had already signed with WCW, and McMahon apparently feared there would be a repeat of Madusa/Alundra Blaze's famous "Trashcan moment", despite Hart's repeated assurances it would not happen. McMahon apparently made the decision himself, and it is unknown how many other people were aware of the plan going in. What we DO know is that several wrestlers were irate with the whole scenario, and McMahon will have a lot of explaining to do to his roster. The other monumental story is that Ted Turner has sold the controlling interest of World Championship Wrestling to an unnamed sports and entertainment consortium. Exact terms of the sale are unknown, but it appears that the new owners have deep pockets, as there are already reports of upgrades being made to WCW equipment, as well as paperwork being filed for trademarks related to a "developmental territory". The deal also included the timeslots on TBS and TNT for WCW Saturday Night and WCW Monday Nitro, respectively, which will continue on as before, despite no longer being owned by the network. Eric Bischoff has been retained, but no longer has full control over wrestling operations. It is unclear who, exactly, is in charge of creative, but there are rumors swirling that several members of WCW's "Old Guard" have been told their jobs are safe, but "focus will be changing", presumably to a younger, more athletic style. We will have much more on both of these massive stories as they develop. So, this is my attempt at doing a Post-Montreal mod diary. I'll be playing as both Vince and the WWF, who I will try to keep on their real life trend of the attitude era, and as WCW, which I will do my best to save by taking it the more athletic/innovative direction I feel would have worked for it. I've never done something like this, so any tips, tricks, feedback or suggestions are most welcome.

<p>Just stumbled across this today, looks amazing and definitely something I want to dig in to. My only question is how often do you plan to update the data? No rush intended, I just don't want to start up then have new data come out within a week or two. Obviously this level of detail takes time, so I was just wondering what you expect your process to look like. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Can't wait to get in there!</p>

<p>Attempting to just that, but I've never set up a company from scratch and I'm unsure how to proceed with their size (and more importantly, product definitions). Obviously it's too soon to know what they'll look like in "real life", but any tips on how best to set them up in game? </p><p> </p><p> Noob problems, I know. Appreciate the mods and any advice.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Adam Ryland" data-cite="Adam Ryland" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="41194" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>It is neither. It moves of its own accord during gameplay and has no connection to shows that are held there.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Awesome, thanks. (Also thanks for the years of fun your games have given me.)</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Adam Ryland" data-cite="Adam Ryland" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="41194" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>It has no impact.<p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> That is explained on the popularity screen itself. It is regional importance combined with company popularity.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> I suppose my phrasing was bad. I meant what impacts the importance of a region? Is it static or does running shows affect it?</p>

What impacts your importance in a region? Does running more shows (or better shows) in a region increase it or is it purely random?

I'm new to the C-Verse. Is there any website with the "in universe" (cannon) history for the promotions? Like major storylines, traditional matches, etc? Besides the in-game bios for the wrestlers I mean.

So I am just beginning my very first TEW dynasty and was wondering how you veteran players get the pictures and graphics and stuff for the posts. I love the format of being able to see all the workers/banners. Is there a place where they are all hosted for us to use, or are people having to upload theirs individually?