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Richard Craig

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RICHARD'S RASSLIN' RAMBLINGS

For those of you that read my last column, you may recall that I estimated that probably over a million people viewed the Royal Rumble in the UK. Well, since that column was written, BARB (the UK equivalent of Nielsen) have confirmed that 1.1 million people watched "WWF Special" (i.e., the Rumble) on C4 from 1am to 4am on Monday January 24, 2000. What's REALLY impressive is that the Royal Rumble was THE MOST WATCHED PROGRAMME on tv in its timeslot!!!!

This is obviously the kind of result that both C4 and the WWF were looking for, and augurs well for the deal being renewed at the end of the year. For those of you who have not looked through the international pages at wwf.com, it has been announced that the upcoming UK-only PPV to be carried by Rupert Murdoch's Sky Box Office is to be entitled WWF INSURRECTION. (As opposed to Star Trek: Insurrection, obviously.)

I am going home on vacation in a few weeks' time, and will be making my obligatory signs. This year, I will, as always, bring four sides of cardboard to the arena. Currently, I plan to split these between The Dudleys, the Hardys and Chris Jericho and a [slash] related sign or two. I am quite keen to delve into the CRZ library and have some thing like Edge (you think you know him) or Lethal Weapon Steve Blackman (w/Riggs and Murtaugh). I suppose I could *really* kiss ass and have SeeOurZed rulzs, or something, but I will have to make the lettering bigger. At the beginning of the cage match at Rebellion, I can be seen holding up my [slash] url sign, but the writing cannot be read clearly. On a side not, if anyone in the States/Canada has purchased/rented Rebellion, I'd be interested to know how you rated the main event and Road Dogg/Jericho in particular.

I would like to join both Rebecca Cerese and John C in expressing their concern for Mick Foley's safety at the upcoming Hell in the Cell match, as well as thank them for replying to my letters.(Newsflash: documented case of slash columnists writing to one another!!!) I can only wonder what the 'precautions' which Vince claimed were going to be taken to safeguard Mick throughout that match could be. Any thoughts? Whilst we're on this subject, I was disappointed that Vince could so thoughtlessly put his foot in his mouth the other night. You DON'T badmouth the wife of one of your most marketable stars on live radio, particularly when most of the points she made are shared by the majority of sane WWF fans. Comparisons to Robin Givens, telling her to never give another interview again: it's this propensity to tell Wall Street analysts to 'kiss my ass', accusing Ted Turner of 'doing lithium' and now this, that show the arrogance that clearly lurks beneath that huge ego. I don't, I am sure others agree, like Vince when he's like this.

Anyway, to update a few things from my last update.

As far as I have been able to ascertain, WWF Raw (the R&B/Rap remix of WWF themes CD) will not be immediately available in the shops in the UK, unlike WWF The Music Vol 4. It does not appear to be available from amazon.co.uk, so those fans who feel unable to wait (i.e., me) will have to order it from a US site, such as amazon.com

Here the CD is available for $13.99 plus $5.95 World Mail shipping (which takes about 10 days to reach the UK) This gives a total of $19.94, which is only £12.50. I got my copy of "The Rock Says" using amazon.com, since it is being published in the UK under the Harper Collins imprint, and *not* Regan Books. If you want to wait for this book to come out in the UK, you'll have to wait until April.

I have learned that although you lucky folks in the States and Canada will be playing WWF Smackdown on the PlayStation in only a couple of weeks' time, we in the UK will have to be patient for a little bit longer. Owing to the need to make the disc compatible with European television standards, not to mention the satisfaction of geographical copyrights, THQ's (surefire) hit wrestling game is not scheduled to hit British high streets until Friday April 14, 2000.

Currently, no firm details surrounding Tori's imminent publicity junket to the UK have been announced, but as soon as I know more, you'll be sure to see it here. I hope that Mick can find the time to come over and visit (I'd love to get the chance to have my copy of "Have a Nice Day" autographed by the man himself) as I know that I have seen him wrestle in person for the last time.

The weekly UK entertainment magazine, heat, continues its efforts to make amends for its recent criticism of wrestling, by featuring in its current issue, a full page preview of the WCW UK Nitro tour in its listings section. Whilst the piece was, in the main, in the usual condescending attitude of all the majority of mainstream press coverage, it didn't take too many cheap shots. For those keeping score, the tour kicks off in four weeks' time (March 10) at the London Arena. I am certainly not going to any of the shows, and I hope that neither Marvellous Martin nor Kirk Wagstaff make the grievous error of showing up. To bastardise the immortal line in the movie "Field of Dreams", "If we shun them, they *won't* come...back."

I would like to close on a couple of non-wrestling notes, if I may

1. CRZ, , I thouroughly recommend you track down the CD, "Y3K: Deep Progressive Beats", available on amazon. It features the latest in progressive breakbeat, including the UK's own Way Out West, Slacker, Hybrid and of course, America's BT. If any other readers are into dance music, this is a must-hear release.

2. I had the opportunity to see "Toy Story 2" and "American Beauty" this afternoon at the local cinema. All I have to say is that if there is a better movie released this year, then I cannot wait to see it, based on the amazing standards of these pictures.

3. Kudos to Season Three of South Park (currently airing in the UK): last week's Halloween episode featuring the Scooby Doo spoof with Korn was perhaps the second greatest episode after MechaStreisand

Thanks for reading, everyone, and please feel free to e-mail me (or why not post in the emzee/slash delphi forum: there's a link on the main page) if you have any comments or questions arising from what I have to say.

Richard Craig
(A Scotsman living in)
Bedfordshire, England, UK
[slash] wrestling


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