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Guest Columns | Bill Gillon |
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FROM THE BRIT SIDE Hi again, and a special greeting to all my
fans!!!! I've
had some more mails during the past week (none so far about my poser of
last
week though, so I'll let that drop for now), so once again a bit thank
you to
everybody who got in touch. I'd like to start by mentioning a mail
I
received about a lovely young lady who would like to meet up sometime
and have a
really good night. I'd like to start with that, but unfortunately
I didn't
get any mails like that so I can't. For the mails I did get, a big
mention
must go to a fellow countryman of mine, Richard, who's got on tape every
Raw
from the last four years. Top man, and worthy of respect I
say.
Also, a big thanks to the anonymous mail I received which contained a
comment
"Good column. I enjoy your humour and ideas I
can't find
fault anyway in your format". This person is
obviously
somebody with really good taste and knows exactly what they're talking
about. Of course, they might change their mind after this week's
offerings. Again, thanks a lot for your mails, keep them
coming.
It's a nice feeling knowing that people are reading my ramblings,
and even
taking the trouble to give me a mail.
I myself enjoy reading the other columns on here,
and it was
pretty amusing to see some inter-column feuding creeping in (poor
Mike
Franck, the perils of being a WCW fan....does anybody else think that CR
Wilson
leans towards WWF? And is Ronnie Cox of the 'On WCW' column the
Ronnie Cox
who starred in Robocop and other films? These questions and more
must be
answered). It's good to see some names creeping on again
and
again. I enjoy reading Chris Jones's stuff, and liked his review
of the
'Come And Get Some' vid, but Chris, Chyna beats Tori hands down.
In fact
if Chyna wants to mail me and wants to meet up sometime and have a
really good
night, she's more than welcome.
I suppose I'd better get on to the happenings of the
past week
of wrestling. So, firstly WCW.
Watching Nitro last week was an incredible
experience, in as
much that I really enjoyed it, and I think the main reason is a pretty
simple
one....Scott Hudson. I don't know, the whole show just seemed
more
professional. I was watching the wrestling content of the show,
and while
it was a big improvement on what Nitro normally serves up, left by
itself it
didn't make that big a difference to me. Hudson just made it more
interesting and enjoyable to watch, maybe making me realise that there
actually
was some wrestling happening, and that WCW doesn't just consist of a
select
handful of wrestlers. In case you're not aware, apparently Tony
Schiavone
was told just before Nitro went on air that he wouldn't be doing
commentary as
Bischoff felt he needed a break (notice Schiavone was there, as he
appeared in
the ring during the Savage-Rodman set-to), and that the break would be
for at
least two weeks. If the powers that be take any notice of the
wrestling
fans, Hudson will be kept on for a hell of a lot longer as he seems to
have made
a huge difference to the feel of the show.
Hollywood Hogan. Those two words seem to
strike fear
into the great majority of fans. Fear, not through actually being
really
scared of him, but fear as in the fear of seeing him on the TV at any
time, a
similar effect that crappy singer Celine Dion has on me. Now, this
time
last week I was prepared to give Hogan the benefit of the doubt.
After
all, I just had the feeling that he knew his time was up and he was just
having
one last fling. Then I read Rick Scaia on Online Onslaught and I
saw the
light. What was Hogan on about? So, it was the future
Horsemen's fault that the ratings on his segment were low was it, and
because of
that they'll never be given a top slot on Nitro again?
Hmmmm. You
tell them Hollywood, put them in their rightful place. I mean it's
not as
if the fans longing for WCW to be successful again are begging for the
likes of
Benoit and Saturn to be pushed more are they? No, they're really
happy to
see you and Sid in Nitro's main event and wish they could see you
more.
Geez, how could anybody think otherwise?
It was great to hear that Shane Douglas and Ric
Flair have
apparently shaken hands and agreed to work together for the good of WCW
(take
notice of this Hogan). It's obvious that WCW need to build up
Douglas's
character, as most people don't seem to know who Douglas actually is
(good to
hear the ECW chant attempted though). Even though last week's
Nitro was a
good one, you could criticize the fact that things were just thrown at
you
without any sort of build-up, but I would say that's a result of WCW
sucking so
badly for months, they had to do something to grab attention. Of
course,
this now means they have to do the build-up after the character has
appeared,
but Douglas and the Horsemen angle definitely has potential if played
right, and
Hogan's comments don't hold up. As for Flair, see later on in the
column
for a little scenario that I'd like to see happening even though it
won't.
I'll let you know now that I wrote the above before
reading
CRZ's recap for Nitro this week. The following is written
afterwards.
While it's good to see that Hudson still seems to be doing a good job,
it sounds
very much that the wrestling content sucked once again. Knowing
that last
week WCW put on one of their best shows for ages, you would think they
would try
to follow it up with a good, solid show to keep the attention that
they'd
received last week, wouldn't you? Rick Steiner involved in an
outcome of
the main event? David "listen to me roar" Flair going over Chris
Benoit
(geez, THAT was the time if any for Benoit)? Savage and Rodman
again (has
it been properly explained yet why Rodman is feuding with Savage)?
The ICP
breaking up what seemed like a perfectly good win for Vampiro against
Mysterio
(if I was Vampiro I'd be severely pissed at this)? Maybe last week
was
just a fluke after all. Maybe there were so many changes and new
stuff
that it just gave the impression that it was new and
different.
By the way, a lot of people were thinking and hoping
that
Scott Hall would be the mystery partner for Kevin Nash (did they put him
back in
booking charge this week?). While that would have been nice, I can
see why
they didn't have Hall there. Basically, they're trying to portray
Nash as
a heel (let him have booking control, that will work). Having Hall
turn up
to partner Nash would probably have made them the fan favourites for
many,
considering Hogan was in the opposite corner, so having Sid to team up
with was
probably the only choice they had....better than Rick Steiner
anyway.
A busy week for the WWF of course. First of
all I have
to point out that in my forecasts for Fully Loaded last week I was
trying to
think if the Boss Man had won a belt since his return to the WWF.
Of
course he has, I'd forgotten about his Hardcore reign, which now makes
him
a two-time champ of course. And thank you, thank you, thank
you WWF,
for doing a definite finish to the title match. With Austin
triumphant,
Vince McMahon must never appear at Raw again. Hang on, didn't he
appear
the following night? Fair enough, it was just to say farewell, but
the
contract has been broken already!!!! Do you think we've seen the
last of
Vince on Raw?
Actually, I think it would have been a nice idea for
Austin
and McMahon to have forgotten their differences last night with a firm
shake of
the hand, and maybe have shared a beer. It would then have been
easier for
the future, maybe to bring back Vince as a face or maybe even a heel to
work
with a heel Austin? Think about it, Austin's lawyers drew up the
contract. Could it be that written into the contract is a
stipulation that
McMahon can only return on Austin's say so? What better partner
for a heel
Austin to have than the owner of the company? Just a
thought.
Talking about Austin as a heel, it has to come
sooner or later
surely? Up to Summerslam things will be pretty well the same, with
the
match against the heel HHH now marked down, but what about
afterwards? How
on earth do you turn Austin heel? He's pretty well a heel anyway
in his
actions, so how do you make the fans turn against him? I can see a
possible way. Let's say HHH wins the title at Summerslam, which I
wouldn't
mind at all, I like HHH. Austin obviously would want the title
back.
Let's say he has a rival for the challenger's spot, one who is just as
popular
with the fans. Let's say that rival is a returning MICK
FOLEY. What
about, during the Raw after Summerslam, Mick returns after a lengthy
lay-off to
issue a title challenge to HHH. Austin could take this badly,
thinking
that the challenger spot should be his, and proceeds to mount a savage
attack on
Foley's newly repaired knee. Instant heel, as everybody loves
Mick!!!! Again, just a thought.
A few comments on last Monday's Raw, and the fallout
from
Fully Loaded. The Big Show heel turn has arrived, and about time
too. Paul Wight doesn't really come over as a face all that well
in my
opinion, but he makes a great heel, and his partnership with The
Undertaker
could go places (especially if they change Big Show's entrance
music).
But, is the Corporate Ministry still together? What about
Viscera?
What about The Acolytes? What about Raven (oops, wrong fed, but
hopefully
in time)? Does the Ministry still exist? Come on Shane, take
control
again now your dad's having a layoff, you're a better heel than him
anyway. This actually brings me to the first of my two angles
which I'd
like to see. This one will not happen at all, but I like the sound
of
it. Remember I mentioned earlier on that I had something in mind
for Ric
Flair? Well, WWF need a new 'supremo' whilst Flair is getting
screwed
every which way in the WCW....can you see where I'm going here? As
long as
Flair's not acting the crazy guy, he makes a great heel, and I think he
could do
a job as a replacement for McMahon. It's my saying of the week,
but just a
thought.
What about that Kane as well? Seems like my
hunch about
Kane and Undertaker still being in cohoots has just been blown out of
the window
at great speed, but I'm glad. It was great to see Kane showing
some
emotion, and I think the X-Pac/Kane relationship is great. Now for
my
second scenario. I can see my ending to next year's
Wrestlemania.
Just imagine it, X-Pac has given Kane the confidence and
friendship he's
always lacked, and has guided him to the title shot at Wrestlemania (who
against, take your pick...Big Show, Undertaker, Austin, HHH,
whoever).
Just as Kane is going to finish the match, Pete Rose appears again ready
to
clock Kane with a chair, only to be stopped by X-Pac. Kane wins
the title
and the two of them celebrate in the middle of the ring.
Sentimental? Of course, but what an ending. Kane is one of
the most
over wrestlers in the WWF just now, and Wrestlemania normally ends with
the
chief fan favourite winning, and wouldn't a lot of you like to see
something
like that? As a postscript to that, a lot of people have commented
on how
Glen Jacobs has really got himself into shape recently, and I have to
agree. Looking back at Wrestlemania 1998, the first match between
Kane and
Undertaker, it's amazing at how much bigger Kane seemed to be...he was
huge. Bigger than Judy Bagwell huge. Now, will he take off
the
mask?
To round off Raw, I'd pretty fed up with Debra's
puppies, and
they should be put away so to speak. Well done to Jarrett for
putting the
figure four onto Ben Stiller. Not for his puppies comment, but
because I
wasted £2.95 on renting "There's Something About Mary", one of the
most
over-rated movies I've ever seen. Mystery Men I like the sound of
though,
especially as it's got Hank Azaria in it, regular Simpsons voicer, and
The
Simpsons are the best thing on the TV ever. Although Hank didn't
rescue
Godzilla.
A little run down of Fully Loaded to
finish:
Edge v Jarrett
What a shocker the night before, Edge winning the
title
(possibly because it was in his local area?). Even more of a
shocker for
me then that his reign lasted only one day, a new record for the
Intercontinental title. Where does Christian fit into the
Gangrel-Edge
situation? Edge should have retained the title.
Acolytes v Hardys
That's the stuff, Hayes getting pinned. The
Hardy's
don't need him, he was doing them more harm than good. Now they'll
hopefully beat up on him. Well done to Faarooq and Bradshaw, my
favourite
tag team.
D'Lo v Mideon
Had to be done, D'Lo needs an angle with Mark Henry
out of
action. Mideon shouldn't be holding a title (see
below).
Big Boss Man v Al Snow
I'm interested to see were they take Snow now, as he
seems to
be stagnating a bit, although his new 'totally loopy' persona is
interesting.
Big Show v Kane
In retrospect the win for Big Show was probably the
best
result for both of them. Kane can now team with X-Pac again, and
Big
Show's heel turn is now in effect, and it gave him an excuse to team
with The
Undertaker.
Shamrock v Blackman
Surprising result for me as I thought Blackman would
get
this. Nothing sort of match to be honest.
X-Pac and Road Dogg v Chyna and Billy
Gunn
With X-Pac with Kane together, where does this leave
Road
Dogg? Wouldn't X-Pac, Kane, Chris Jericho, Edge and Christian make
a great
DX?
HHH v The Rock
This was the most predictable outcome of the night,
but as I
mentioned, I like HHH. Good to see The Rock going over Billy Gunn
on Raw
though (well, it looked like he was doing that).
Austin v Undertaker
Good, a clean result. Now, make it
stick.
Now, I normally finish with a little paragraph or so
about a
star who I feel is due some recognition. It was my intention this
week to
take up one of the most difficult challenges I could think of....defend
Mideon. I thought and thought, sweated and tapped my keyboard, but
to no
avail. I just cannot think of one redeeming feature that the
Mideon
character has. What purpose does he serve? He just seems so
out of
place in the Ministry. Acolytes are the powerhouses of the team,
Viscera
is the big guy, Undertaker the leader, but what about Mideon? He
just
seems to be there to give Dennis Knight something to do, which is good
in a way
as, as I've mentioned before, I like the way the WWF gives an angle to
everybody
on the roster, but Mideon is a nothing sort of character. With the
possible break-up of the Ministry, hopefully Knight will find something
better
to do.
This week though I give some credit to a fellow
Brit, none
other than:
STEVE REGAL.....HE WOULD HAVE BEATEN
AUSTIN?
Apart from being a fellow Brit, Regal does have
special
memories for me. Years ago, before wrestling became popular over
here, the
ITV station over here, on a Saturday afternoon, used to show WCW.
It was
in the days of the Cactus Jack amnesia angle, and Regal used to do
co-commentary
in the sort of role Bobby Heenan does nowadays. Now, Regal made
the
programme watchable, not because of his nationality, but because he
was
damn funny, especially when he did his own recorded matches, always
insisting he
was in total control and urging us to appreciate the sheer quality of
his moves,
and he got me tuning in every week to hear him, as a result making me
realise
there was more to wrestling than the WWF. He's been one of my
favourites
ever since.
There have been two occasions recently when Regal
has gone up
even further in my estimation. 1) When he apparently worked
stiff
against Goldberg, which I enjoyed and 2) When he left the WWF, after
which he
didn't blame anybody but himself for things going wrong, a real class
act.
It's great to see that WCW have given him another opportunity, and he
seems to
have got himself right and things are going well for him. Love the
sound
of his match against Mikey Whipwreck on Nitro this week....you show them
Steve.
So, for introducing me to WCW, and for having the
determination to prove yourself without blaming others, Lord Steven
Regal I
salute you.
Well, that'll do for this week. Thanks for
reading if
you managed to get this far. If CRZ's brave enough to continue to
put my
stuff on, I'll see you next week with some other thoughts and general
chit-chat. Once again, please feel free to mail me at the link
below if
you have any comments, suggestions or criticisms, I'm only too happy to
read
them.
So, till later, best wishes and hopefully see you
soon.
Did you know that on my spellchecker, CRZ can be
changed to
Craze, and Ric to Eric? Mail the Author |
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