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Rumors:
UPDATE BOX
Until you've walked a mile in my hat...you only know half the story!" -- Jim Ross
By: Jim Ross
WWF New York was really fun Thursday night as my wife and I enjoyed a great meal and meeting lots of great WWF fans. You really owe it to yourself to try and stop by the next time you're in New York City's Times Square.
The World Wrestling Federation's new TV partnership is going to afford many more opportunities for the company than ever before. Viacom/CBS brings with it MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and UPN among other assets the WWF will be able to utilize. Should be an awesome long-term partnership. With CBS working closely with the WWF and NBC owning half the XFL, WWFE has improved its position in the marketplace tremendously. This was a slobberknocker of a decision!
An XFL press conference is scheduled in Orlando for Monday, July 3, the same day the WWF is in Orlando for RAW IS WAR.
J.R. and Jerry "The King" Lawler's XFL audition held up very well to other auditions, according to WWF TV executives. My take on it is that we are a long shot simply because we are perceived to be the "rasslin" guys by network blue suits.
Bob Holly suffered a broken arm wrestling with Kurt Angle on SmackDown! when King Kurt's moonsault went awry. Bob had surgery in Florida Thursday to place pins and a steel plate in his arm and will be unable to compete for about eight weeks. Hardcore will be back on TV, however, long before that. Bob is a very tough, hard-working hand who could be a top-level performer in the WWF.
Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Debra joined yours truly Wednesday morning for a photo shoot at my home for the upcoming WWF Superstars Cookbook, due out in the fall. Stone Cold has really been training hard and has lost significant weight since his last TV appearance in April. The Texas Rattlesnake really looked great and was in a very upbeat mood. Steve will be evaluated in late August regarding his spinal surgery and then a decision will be made as to when or if he returns to in-ring competition. Based on what I saw, no one should count out this superstar.
Stone Cold spent several hours this week at WWF New York, all unscheduled and on his own. Austin "worked the room" and signed autographs for many of the surprised WWF fans. Not a week seems to go by where several WWF superstars don't drop by WWF NY and enjoy the food and party atmosphere.
Mick Foley's return as WWF Commissioner is going to provide some of the most entertaining pieces of business we will ever see on RAW and SmackDown! Mick is one of the top two or three "mic-men" in the entire business from where I sit and he will be given plenty of opportunities to display his significant verbal skills.
Brian Christopher (Grand Master Sexay), Sho Funaki and Taka Michinoku have all signed new contracts with the WWF.
Vic Grimes and The Blue Meanie have both been released. I hope both these young men don't give up because I do feel that in time they both can contribute a great deal to the product/business in the right environment. They are both good people.
The WWF is not negotiating with Barry Horowitz.
Several WWF folks will be in Las Vegas next weekend, including Chyna, Jerry Lawler, The Kat, the Hardy Boyz and J.R. for the annual VSDA video convention.
Tazz's return has been well received and it looks like the slimmed-down New Yorker is headed away from being a fan favorite. I truly believe this guy can become a big-time player here.
Lots of Divas in and out of WWF NY this week including Ivory, Lita and Jackie. All were doing photo shoots for WWF.com.
Tori separated her shoulder at Madison Square Garden last Saturday but still took the table ride from the Dudleys the next night at King of the Ring. Lots of guts and pride from this beauty, who will be out of action for at least a couple of weeks.
Kane and Trish Stratus will be making personal appearances Saturday in Toronto for WWF Racing.
Looks like Chris Benoit is headed towards a shot at The Rock in the next few weeks.
I like the chemistry between Triple H and Chris Jericho. Should be some big-time matches.
It would be good to see more light heavyweight action, especially involving the title, on WWF broadcasts. We sure have a great deal of talent in the light heavyweight category. I'm not one who prescribes to the concept that being labeled as a light heavyweight is the kiss of death. De La Hoya and Mosley aren't doing too bad in boxing and neither are heavyweights.
Good to see Stevie Richards get some airtime. This is a superb opportunity for this Philadelphia youngster who has been snakebitten with a variety of injuries in his career.
The responses the Undertaker has been getting since his return have been excellent. Fans seem to really like his persona.
Big Show is due back in about two weeks from knee surgery. I hope he's ready and we see his very best on a consistent basis.
Look for D'Lo Brown and Mosh/Chaz to team up on a regular basis. The team may be called "Lowdown." These are two bright, young competitors who have been presented a golden opportunity to become a significant duo in the WWF could really be a sleeper team.
I'm sick of the whole John Rocker saga. Living in Connecticut, the media are killing us with this never-ending story as Rocker's Braves play the Mets at Shea Stadium this weekend. Rocker seems to be as dumb as a box of rocks from where I sit.
Received a nice note from Oklahoma Sooners head football coach Bob Stoops a few days ago. This guy is a brilliant coach and a class act!
Our cookbook project is progressing on schedule and after reading it (several times, actually), I really feel it's going to be excellent. Unique and delicious recipes, plus what we hope you will find to be interesting stories about many of the WWF Superstars through my eyes and a few family stories of mine from Oklahoma. It is still a work in progress and I'll keep you posted.
Take care and stay healthy.
J.R.
COMMENTARY!!!!!
Let Phoenix be the first of many
By: Phil Speer
Sometimes the bleeding-heart liberal that sleeps deep inside of me springs to life. Not coincidentally, it seems to happen every three or four months, when tickets to a World Wrestling Federation event at the "World's Most Famous Arena," New York City's Madison Square Garden, are put on sale.
For as long as I've been with the company -- a span of more than two years and 10 live events -- each show at the Garden has sold out. More recently, tickets have been snapped up in a matter of hours and sometimes even minutes.
When this happens, that aforementioned bleeding-heart liberal takes over my body. I start to feel sorry for all the unfortunate people who couldn't get down to the Garden Box Office in time. The folks who couldn't get through to Ticketmaster charge-by-phone. The fans who just can't connect to Ticketmaster online. I am overcome with a profound sadness for the hundreds and thousands of devoted Federation fans -- they watch RAW and SmackDown! each week -- who just cannot get tickets.
Last week, Federation officials took what will hopefully be just the first step toward solving this dilemma. When RAW IS WAR on Sept. 11 at the America West Arena in Phoenix sold out in less than two hours, representatives immediately decided to hold the SmackDown! taping in the same arena the following day. Fans who didn't get to the ticket window in time were reportedly ecstatic upon learning that they may get to see Federation action after all.
The last time the Federation visited Arizona was in January 1999. By the time September rolls around, more than a year and a half will have passed. So the news that fans will have two opportunities in two days to see the WWF is particularly good in the Valley of the Sun.
This is something the Federation should do a lot more frequently, particularly in cities where WWF events sell out rapidly - the New Yorks, San Joses, Dallases, Milwaukees and Chicagos of the country.
Considering that RAW in Vancouver, B.C., and SmackDown! in Tacoma, Wash., sold out in 25 minutes -- and let's not forget King of the Ring in Boston selling out in less than five minutes -- the back-to-back WWF idea would obviously be a big plus for fans.
And if we want to be really bold, how about three events in three nights? Pay-Per-Views in the United Kingdom consistently sell out within the same day they go on sale. Officials should consider holding RAW and SmackDown! in the U.K. in the two days after the European Pay-Per-View. That'd be three times the action for the fans in England, who normally see the WWF twice annually. All three events would be sure sell outs, bringing entertainment to the lives of thousands of Brits. And from the superstars' perspective, they'd get to take a mini-vacation in Europe. Plus, it would make for particularly special episodes of RAW and SmackDown!, with fans knowing the show is coming from England.
I've spent very little time traveling on the road, but it doesn't take long at all to realize that the life of a traveling Federation employee is exhausting. I grew sick after just a few days in Orange County, Calif., for this year's WrestleMania -- and I didn't even have to worry about going to RAW and SmackDown! the following two days!
I simply don't know how these people do it. Lets look at a more recent example. This week, RAW IS WAR was live from St. Louis. The show ended at about 10:30 local time. The next day's SmackDown! taping was in Chicago, a five-hour drive from St. Louis.
For superstars, that means getting to Chicago at about 5 a.m., even if they leave immediately after the conclusion of the show. Do you check into a hotel at 5 in the morning, when check out time is usually seven hours later? Do you sleep in your car? Even if you find a place to sleep, you've got to be at the arena by the afternoon, assuming you don't have an autograph session or another special appearance in the morning.
For the Federation's production crew, rest is even more scarce. Setting up an arena for a Federation event takes all day. That means they show up at 8 a.m. Then they have to take everything down after the show and load up the trucks, meaning they may not be able to leave the arena until 1 or 2 in the morning. If they left St. Louis this week at 2 a.m., it would get them into Chicago at about 7 a.m. They'd have to start setting up the arena one hour later!
Clearly, holding RAW and SmackDown! in the same arena is a big plus for fans, superstars and employees.
So, let's let Phoenix be merely the first back-to-back RAW and SmackDown! It just makes sense on so many fronts. And the bleeding-heart liberal inside me can finally sleep.
The new WWF.com
by: Kevin Sullivan
Needless to say, WWF.com is one of the more popular Web sites on the Internet. Millions of fans worldwide turn to the Federation's official Web site on a daily basis for all their information regarding the business of sports-entertainment. This past Monday, those fans were treated to a pleasant surprise when they logged onto WWF.com and found an entirely new look. This latest re-design of WWF.com has come as a complete surprise to the fans, because, unlike last time, the new look was kept private from the outside world. However, now that the new site is up and running, both fans and WWF insiders alike can see what the Federation's New Media Department has been working so diligently on for the past several months.
Not only does the launch of the new WWF.com include a total re-design, but it also offers several new features for the fans & enjoyment. One of the most popular new features is the daily poll, which is located on the News Headlines page. Over the past few days, the poll has helped World Wrestling Federation employees understand what the fans are looking for. For instance, we now know that an overwhelming percentage of fans enjoyed the Six Man Tag Team Match featuring Triple H, Vince and Shane McMahon vs. The Rock, Undertaker and Kane at King of the Ring. As a result, fans may see more types of these matches in the future. The daily poll also brought to our attention that fans would like to see Triple H shave his head more than any other superstar on the roster.
Sticking with the topic of new editions, WWF.com now offers a comprehensive searching device. Wanna see photos of The Rock? Just type his name into the provided space in the upper left hand corner of your screen. It's also fun to type in obscure terms that relate to the World Wrestling Federation. Try these: tables, fans, Pedigree, Jermaine Jackson, Wade Boggs. There are tons of fun photos and videos to search for. Go nuts.
Undoubtedly, the most time consuming area of the new WWF.com is the Superstars section. I've personally spent many hours flipping through the pages of this area just to see the awesome designs on each Superstar's home page. To get to this section, scroll over the word "Superstars" on the top navbar and scroll down to Superstars. There are currently 30 WWF Superstars featured in this section. However, by the end of the week, more than 20 additional Superstars will be added, including Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, Lita, Shane McMahon, Tazz, Terri, Vince McMahon and many others. While you're over there, check out the Trish Stratus section. How hot does she look on her home page? Another one of my personal favorites is the Jeff Hardy page. I'm a mark for his Swanton Bomb. Undertaker, Scotty 2 Hotty and Kane are pretty cool sections, as well.
In addition to all these new features, the WWF.com staff is currently working very diligently on other new features which will be implemented sometime in the near future. Basically, we're not finished yet. The new look and features are cool, but we will be constantly changing to make your experience here at WWF.com an enjoyable one. Other than the addition of 20 new Superstars, other immediate additions to look for include a quick loading, pop-up photo gallery for the news section, in addition to a comprehensive video area for individual news stories.
Be sure to check back here in the weeks and months to come for these new additions. Also, as these new additions are implemented, I will offer a "how to" guide on their uses. We here at WWF.com are very excited about our new look, we hope you are, as well. But remember, we're not done yet.
Changes in the air
By: Paul Bearer
There have been so many changes this week around the World Wrestling Federation; believe it or not, I just don't know where to begin. I guess the proper starting point should be with the site where you are right now. Isn't WWF.com's new look fantastic? Anything you want to know can be found right here. Without a doubt, this is the best site in sports entertainment. All the hard work that our friends up at the Federation's headquarters have been doing has really paid off.
How about our new commissioner, Mick Foley? If there is anybody in our organization that can get the job done, Mick is the man. I have known Mick for many years. Notwithstanding my time as his manager, and the horrible battles we had when I was in his opposing corner. Mick has put his fair share of blood, sweat, and tears into our business. He will give us all of the excitement that we can handle in his new position.
That brings me to our new King Of The Ring. For more than 25 years in this sport, I have seen them come, and I have seen them go. I can count on one hand the Olympic athletes that tried and failed to make it to the top. Kurt Angle tried, and he made it. I believe that he will be around for many years to come.
I cannot forget the new WWF Champion, The Rock. I told you in my column last week that McMahon and his two brats have gone off the deep end. Was I right or wrong? I would hate to speculate on what Vince might do next. There is certainly something brewing in the McMahon Mansion in Greenwich, Conn.
Speaking of brewing, what's up with Kane and the Undertaker now? One night they are beating the hell out of each other, then the next night they are walking hand in hand as tag partners. I just don't understand UT's problem. I don't want any part of it at the present time, and that is all I have to say about that.
You don't know the time or the place when I will make my return. Let us keep it that way. When I am good and ready I will be back because, "I am Paul Bearer and you are not"! RIP
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