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John C.

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THE JOHN REPORT
Raw, The Best of the Radicals, My Play to Help WCW, The Mailbag and More

I have quite a few things to cover in this week's column but I want to save a lot of the major stuff for the PPV preview later in the week. I will deliver the usual WWF thoughts, share some email that I have received lately and share five things I would do in order to fix the mess that is WCW. Speaking of WCW, I came away with an 8-3 record in the Superbrawl preview while by partner drqshadow had a record of 6-5. There is no bet but a two-match margin of victory is very nice and I hope to capitalize on that after the No Way Out PPV this Sunday. Anyway, I'm going to take it easy on WWF opinions and save them for the preview later this week just cause I don't feel the need to repeat things over and over. Let's get this column going with an email, one of about 215 I received in the last week, regarding my latest column. Here she blows...

Ken liked my article on Hell in a Cell #1 so much that he canceled a date with his girlfriend (Have you ever done that CRZ?). Read this for yourself:

hey,
just wanted to say that was one hell of a piece on the HIAC at badd blood. i'm pretty new to the oratory, but its the damn most entertaining site out there. your column persuaded me to call up my girlfriend, say "sorry honey, i'm not feeling too good tonight. can we go out tomorrow instead" and get out a phonebook, map every video store in the county, and not come home till I get that damn video. anyway, can't wait till the next one. i'm really curious as to what match you picked. can you give me any hints, ten days is a long time to wait. anyways, take care G, thanks for the entertaining read.
peace outty,
ken

Personally I don't think a wrestling tape is worth putting off a date with your girlfriend but I guess every guy is different. Ken wrote me back and said he really enjoyed the tape of the match which made me happy because that is the purpose of me writing it in the first place. I am not going to tell you what the next one is but I will say it is a match from WrestleMania and that's all the info I will share at this time. I am not trying to be a dickhead about it; I just want it to be somewhat of a surprise even though the people that know me are aware of the match I am talking about. I'll probably post it next Wednesday so make sure to tell your girlfriend that you are feeling ill on that day too. I was overwhelmed with all of the email I received from readers in regards to my column about HIAC #1. I think I took care of 80% of the emails and I am still trying to reply to the other ones. Thanks to everybody who sent something in because I always welcome email whether it's good or bad. Thanks again Ken, I really appreciate it.

Eddy Gets the Chance to Shine
I want to talk about my second favourite wrestler in the WWF, Eddy Guerrero because he has turned into the best of the four radicals. I have seen Eddy (I spell it this way rather than "Eddie") in NJPW, ECW and WCW over the past decade but the heat he got this past Monday on Raw was tremendous. The WWF has done a remarkable job getting Eddy over despite the fact that he suffered a serious arm injury. One of the best WWF segments in a long time happened on Smackdown last week after Eddy & friends took out Rikishi's ankle. After taking out Too Cool on Smackdown, Eddy, Saturn and Malenko mocked the Too Cool pose which was pretty funny. After the commercial Eddy was standing in the ring challenging Rikishi to a no DQ match but Rikishi was in the ambulance meaning Eddy had won the match. Being the terrific heel that he is, Eddy forced the ref to raise his hand as the crowd booed him mercifully. Eddy could have ended it right there but he pissed the crowd off more by sitting on the shoulders of Malenko & Saturn while taunting all the fans in attendance. I mention this because it's the perfect example of heel heat. Eddy is jeered more than any member of the Radicals and it's because he LIKES getting booed by the fans. Benoit and the others are getting good heat too but Eddy is surely impressing McMahon thanks to the way he enjoys "hearing it from the crowd" (credit Marv Albert).

By no means am I saying that Eddy should or will get a higher spot on the roster than Chris Benoit but I do think he has done the best job in terms of actually getting heel heat. I could tell Eddy was unhappy in WCW because they were trying to make him a face and it sucked cause he's so much better as a heel. Anybody who has followed this business can tell you that Eddy is one of the best heels when he is actually motivated. He has the look, the swagger and the abilities in the ring to get over big time. Finally he has done it even though he has had one real match in the WWF and that was the match where he suffered that arm injury. I really think he will be a big factor in the WWF because of his sheer talent and Lord knows he deserves it after the horrendous car accident he suffered a year ago. He will be wrestling in a few short weeks and I am hoping he has a chance to shine at WrestleMania in several weeks. Eddy Guerrero has been a star all of his life and I am glad somebody finally realized that.

Random WWF Thoughts

  • Raw was a good show this week but nothing spectacular came out of it. Often times the wrestlers take it easy the week before the PPV because they do not want any sort of injury before they head into their match. It was not a spectacular show but the big crowd made up for it due to their enthusiasm in the six man main event. The Rock's mocking of Triple H on the mic was pretty funny but he does not impress me in the ring. However, you can not argue with the fact that he is the most popular guy in the business right now even though I am getting a little tired of the act.
  • The main event at No Way Out has the chance to be a very special match in what may possibly be Cactus Jack's last PPV win. For a big spot I think it will be what Foley said he is going to do and that's jumping off the top of the cage onto HHH who will be on a table or something that will break his fall. I am not as worried as I was when this match was first announced but like I said a while back, when Mick Foley is in the ring his adrenaline gets pumping and often times he does regretful things. Lets hope he comes out of it safe and healthy this time around not just for you or me but for his family.
  • The WWF tag team scene is really hot right now but like I have been saying for weeks, putting the world title on the New Age Outlaws for this long has been a bad move. I would like to see these guys turn face because they are horrible as heels I'd prefer it if the Radicals were with X-Pac and Triple H to make a stable of six guys so the Outlaws can be the babyfaces they want to be. They better put the belts on the Dudleys now while they are hot because they could have a big money match at WrestleMania with the Hardy Boyz as the probable opponents. The WWF tag scene is so hot right now I think if the Headbangers were in WCW they'd be the best team there even though they are WWF jobbers now which is where they should be. To the people who think the Dudleys should have never left ECW I have just one question: Do you think THEY regret that move now?
  • I hope the Jericho/Angle feud continues towards WrestleMania because these two are probably the best mid card talent the WWF has right now (Benoit too). Jericho, of course, is my favourite of all the wrestlers and I will admit that he has not been real sharp in the ring lately. However, his match with Jeff Hardy on Heat was very good and I have a feeling that his match with Angle on Sunday can be pretty special too. They need a kickass feud in order to bring prestige back to the Intercontinental title and this is the one that can do it.
  • I'm a big fan of Al Snow and although some people think I hate Steve Blackman I always thought he was talented in a ring. Snow is definitely one of the funniest guys in the business whether he is in the ring or cutting a promo the guy knows how to make us laugh. You need laughter in wrestling and Snow is definitely up there with the likes of Foley and Jericho. Headcheese is really getting these two over and it's great to see because they have a lot of untapped potential.
  • I am guessing that Tazz may face Prince Albert at the PPV this Sunday. I had the privilege of seeing PA in the indy circuit before he made it in the WWF and he truly is a talented big man. He is also one of the guys that I am sure will be willing to sell all of Tazz' suplexes so it could be a good match if the WWF decides to add it. I am not the world's biggest Tazz fan by any means but the guy has potential and the WWF should definitely use it. The WWF took a while to build the Dudleys but now that they have become the most over tag team in the company and I truly believe they can build Tazz up in that way too.
  • RAW Magazine has "attractive" pictures of Chyna. I never thought such a thing existed but I guess that is what happens after you spend thousands of dollars on your "amazon" body. What is next, are they going to unveil what Viscera is hiding underneath his big black jacket? Ugh, you can all throw up now. Looking at Chyna makes you really appreciate the beauty of B.B. and Terri.
  • Finally, I want you to keep your eyes open for the first appearance of my friend Caryn Mower. I have known Caryn for over a year now and she's definitely one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. She has been at the last few TV tapings and she will be debuting in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania. She was noticed by the WWF at a tryout camp last March and now, nearly a year later, she will finally get her big break. After she debuts I will do an interview with her that I can post and let you know of ways to contact her via email as well as visiting her web page (that should be up in a few weeks). Did I forget to mention that she is very beautiful too? I shouldn't need to tell you that because that seems to be a pre-requisite for WWF women these days. Take my word for it, you will enjoy watching Caryn on screen and I know for a fact that she is ecstatic about performing.
  • Some Stories on the Net Bother Me
    I know net reporting is inaccurate a lot of times but there is no reason why the people reporting this stuff can do this without using their brain. Two "reports" stand out in my mind and I thought I would mention them here cause they really have bothered me.

  • I have read several posts from people claiming that WCW is planning on booking Tank Abbott vs. Goldberg for Starrcade 2000. This is absolute crap on par with the reports of WCW wanting to book Bret Hart vs. Hogan at Mayhem '99. Let me get this straight, they are booking a match that is 10 months from now and people actually think it is going to happen? First of all, WCW needs to worry about things for the present and something that they hope to happen ten months from now. Secondly, Tank Abbott has no right NEAR a main event but I will talk about that later. Thirdly, how can anybody that reports this sort of thing be considered credible? This is like saying the WWF is going to have The Rock vs. Steve Austin at Survivor Series. I remember reading stuff saying that it would Austin vs. Big Show at WrestleMania and obviously that isn't happening. Just because you say the match is going to happen does not mean it will happen because you must take injuries into effect. Finally, if Starrcade is WCW's "granddaddy of them all" somebody should have told me that two months ago cause Starrcade '99 was just plain horrible. Bottom line: Unless somebody is reporting a main event for a PPV one or two months down the line do NOT believe it cause it is bound to be wrong.
  • The other thing that has bugged me are posts saying who will hold the WWF title in the year 2000. In one post that I read, the "reporter" will remain anonymous, it stated that The Rock, Triple H, Cactus Jack, Kane, Big Show, Rikishi, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Steve Austin, Chris Benoit and The Undertaker will all hold the WWF title in this year alone! There are eleven names right there meaning that the genius that posted this actually believes that title changes will happen every month. The Big Show and HHH have had the belt this year and it seems obvious that The Rock and Cactus will too but not all of these guys. Maybe six of these guys will hold the belt and even that is stretching it because I have a feeling the WWF will keep the belt on Rocky for four or five months this year.
  • My point is this: If you are one of these people that "reports" the news please read what you are writing carefully and make sure it makes sense. Also, to the people reading these posts I hope you can think about some of these posts too rather than emailing me asking "when is Jericho going to have the world title?" Be careful of some of the stuff out there and when in doubt you should ask yourself: "does this make sense?"

    Next up I want to take a look at an email I received after he read the Superbrawl preview last Saturday. It comes from Michael Barker and this is what he has to say:

    From: Michael Barker
    Subject: What the hell happened to WCW? =(

    Guys,
    I'll have to agree with you on this one, hand Superbrawl a straw because it sucks. I have been a long time WCW fan, and I can't believe how crappy it has become. I have yet to get a PPV because I am waiting for a decent one. There was a real good point brought up in your preview. "Push the guys the people like." Shit, Hogan's act is OLD and from what I hear, he's a major Tracy (Dick Tracy). God, why couldn't they have pulled their heads out of their ass and kept Jericho, Benoit, and the rest? I would rather watch "The Giant" than Sid. Anyway, this Bud's for hoping there's a light at the end of the tunnel. (And that the light isn't China from digging themselves such a big hole.)

    Later,
    The Mike

    This email inspired me to write a column about some of the minor things I would do if I were in a higher position with WCW. If a guy like Mike, someone I have known for a while, has a bad taste in his mouth about WCW then it must be really bad. I still watch WCW even though they lost several good wrestlers and they have few people I actually enjoy watching. I never thought things would get this bad but it has gotten bad so here's a look at five simple things, in no particular order, that I would do to help out WCW.

    MY PLAN TO HELP WCW

    5. Push wrestlers that fans like
    I cannot stress this enough but WCW seems to be deaf when it comes to delivering what their fans enjoy. The fans have always and will always dictate the course of a wrestling promotion and if you go against the wishes of the fans you will not be in a profitable situation. To add to the point I made about "pushing guys that people ACTUALLY LIKE" just take a look at what happened at the PPV. Norman Smiley lost and so did Booker even though Norman lost to three people and Booker lost to 3 fat guys they still could have used a win. If I could name the five most over guys in WCW these two would be on that short list yet they do the job consistently. I find it amazing how The Wall and Tank Abbott get pushed to the damn moon yet they have done NOTHING in this business while Smiley and Booker have done everything for WCW over the past several years. In terms of charisma and ability Smiley and Booker are so much better than the aforementioned slugs yet they toil in the midcard for some strange reason. If it is an issue of race then WCW has more problems then I care to discuss. You should not push a guy because he is your friend; you should push a guy who the fans actually enjoy watching because in the end they are the only ones that matter.

    4. If a wrestler does not follow the rules you must fine or suspend him
    This is a simple thing that has been practiced for years in many places ranging from the home to the workplace and even in the business of pro wrestling. Lately they have suspended Scott Steiner and Konnan for negative WCW comments but in my opinion it happened way too late. If you are going to suspend Konnan for saying negative remarks about Hulk Hogan or WCW than why not suspend Hogan for saying negative remarks about Kidman or Kanyon? It's true that Hogan helped make professional wrestling but he is also a key contributor in WCW's downfall right now. If he was one of the main reasons for WCW losing "The Radicals" and possibly Kanyon then why do you keep him on the roster? Is one man going to bring in more viewers than five younger, better wrestlers? The answer to that is a very emphatic NO and I hope WCW comes to their senses before they bury themselves further.

    3. Get rid of Tank Abbott
    This is very simple and I am sure even the geniuses that run WCW can figure this one out. What is the point of keeping a guy that refuses to learn a wrestling hold? The guy won't even pin a wrestler; he just walks out of the damn ring! There is nothing wrong with having a guy that is tough but this is wrestling and he needs to adapt to the business or get the hell out. Oh yeah, did I mention the fact that he took a knife to a guy's throat on live TV. Yeah, that's REAL good for the business. It has come to the point where I would rather watch Hogan or Sid before Tank because he has a huge ego yet he has done absolutely nothing to impress me.

    2. Follow up on storylines
    Sting and Piper came back at Superbrawl on Sunday yet absolutely nothing happened with these two on Nitro and neither will be on Thunder. Why the hell were they used if they are not a part of immediate storylines in the first place? This kind of stuff is what pisses the fans off because people actually like Sting yet they refuse to use the man. Why did Sting not come out at the end of Nitro as the yellow llama was taking a beat down from Luger and Flair? You need to follow up on storylines or else you are going to lose even more fans, even the diehard ones.

    1. Use Injured Wrestlers at all times
    This is the one that puzzles me the most because I see no reason why WCW continually fails to use its top stars. The three best wrestlers in all of WCW are arguably Goldberg, Sting and Bret Hart yet none of these guys have been used in the last month. If Bret and Sting are healthy enough to fly overseas to Germany then why can they not fly into Nitro, Thunder or a PPV? Goldberg has a bad arm and he's probably wearing a sling but as long as he can talk and walk why not use him? Like I said in the paragraph about Eddy Guerrero, a wrestler can definitely get over by use of mic skills and physical action. If WCW wants Goldberg vs. Jarrett to happen when Goldberg gets healthy then lay the groundwork for that feud now by having Goldberg punk Jarrett and vice versa. Do you think Hogan would be getting the biggest pop if WCW were actually smart enough to use Goldberg, Sting and Hart while they are hurt? Oh hell no! A lot of fans could care less whether or not the person actually wrestlers but the mere presence of Goldberg cutting a promo or sitting at ringside is enough to bring in a few more viewers. Is this really difficult to comprehend? Sometimes I wonder how the bookers actually get their jobs because a lot of times, especially in this case, they are absolutely clueless.

    Keep in mind that the things I mentioned above are SIMPLE things that WCW can do. I did not even getting into the issues of Kevin Sullivan booking, Sid as world champ or Hogan doing everything in his power to hold guys back. You need to keep things simple rather than trying to overhaul the entire company with one big move because it takes a while to build a company up to elite status. Just ask Vince McMahon, it took him about several years to make a significant profit on the WWF after the boom in the late '80s. Just be patient, keep things simple and chances are success will come back to you in one form or another.

    In Closing...
    I have nothing clever to say right now other than I hope you check out the No Way Out preview this Friday cause drqshadow and myself are excited about this event therefore it should be our best preview to date. Be sure to check out the Oratory because we will deliver another major, two part article in a few days.

    Feel free to mail me at wwfjohnc@hotmail.com with any comments or questions. I am getting enough email that I am thinking about posting a weekly column featuring your emails so keep writing and I will strongly consider that. Have a great week and I hope to hear from you soon.

    Smell ya later, John C.
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