Pro-Wrestling Tom Zenk Page

Last updated 19 October 2003

Austin beats Vince at his own game – and the Game makes his move

Austin beats Vince at his own game – and the Game makes his move

Cripple H has made his move for the top spot but can he put up numbers like Stone Cold?

He's got the daughter. He's got the writers. Rock is gone (remember his parting shot at Cripple H on ESPN). Taker is done. HHH has helped engineer Austin's exit. The way to the belt and the top has been cleared for Vince's son-in-law. But once he's there can he hold the spot?

Let's see if he can put up any numbers. I say no – not even with a strong undercard and good writers. This downturn isn't cyclical, says Vince. So everything good or bad rests on HHH and the McMahons. It's make or break time. And if WWE fails, you can be sure as hell the McMahons won't be taking the rap. It'll be all down to Trips. After that, Steph and Vince won't be wanting another loser in the family. And, sure as hell, they won't be wanting loser grandkids with Jimmy Durante snozzles.

[ photo of HHH exposing Steph's posterior ]

Billion dollar butt, 2 grand per tit, and nothing upstairs? or just very creative and shy?

Poor genetics and bad looks (HHH is a VERY ugly guy), with lifts in his black Frankenstein boots (black boots – that's 'old school'- get it?) and the smallest calves I've seen in a man short of Tony Pearson – so why would Steph hook up with HHH on his rebound from the man-face Chyna? And since he's so anxious to deal himself into the McMahon empire, exactly what's taking Trips so long to make a baby? VKM was quoted as saying his only dream was to become a grandpa, by child birth than is. Maybe Steph doesn't want to get pregnant. Or maybe Trips isn't a man's man like Austin (see below). Or just maybe Vince forgot to draw him a diagram, like he did for Shane. The truth is, Vince will never let HHH marry Stephanie. Remember Bad News: “Shane was fooling around with the Ultimate Warrior, Vince saw him and screamed at him to get away, saying "You're going to be the owner of this company one day, you have to remember that all wrestlers are assholes" I guess that makes HHH an asshole too! So why exactly would Vince want a roided up lame asshole for a son-in-law? The McMahon's want to be blue blood... not blue collar. HHH is on his last leg. It's “piss or get off the pot” time for the Game. If you can't get the job done with Steph, I've got my hand up. Imagine what the kids would look like. The McMahon gene pool needs new blood and better calves. And I'd even let her back on TV. Vince and I are agreed, Stephanie needs a new man .... We're giving Crips six months.

[ photo of HHH match ]

Tape, elbow pads and knee pads, and maybe higher boots to hide the calves? The future, yeah? or just the new King of Re-hab?

Austin beats Vince at this own game....

With the Rock gone, Crips' last big obstacle to the top was Austin. My guess is, Crips was in Stephanie's ear to job Austin to Lesnar. I'm guessing the idea was for Lesnar to beat Austin followed by Crips over Lesnar, the way Nash beat Goldberg. Remember in wrestling we MANIPULATE (clue ...WCW?)

Meanwhile, whoever's in control of "The Next Big Thing" isn't doing much of a job protecting him. (Hennig would have been perfect!!) Instead Lesnar sold to Dudley... bad mistake. Followed by Nash standing over Lesnar and Lesnar looking up like a wuss on Raw this week ...another bad decision. In short, they've already screwed Lesnar! Austin being beaten by Lesnar makes Austin look weak. Now - while Hogan is happy putting over Crips because Crips has stroke – exactly what value is there in Austin doing a job to the already weakened Lesnar? It's all politics, as JR admits in his latest Ross Report, and Austin was smart to get out, before they did to him what they did to Bret.

Vince's attempt to put over the nWo on RAW gave the game away. Lance with a series of great superkicks, couldn't knock over the Cripple, all taped and glued together. Yet Booker T gets destroyed by a superkick from HBK and Booker T sells it like he was dying. (Even though, we all know HBK ain't tough - just ask Davey Boy about Shawn and the sailors – oops, sorry... another dead witness.) Yes, Vince was throwing the nWo in Austin's face ... the Kliq is back and getting each other jobs and Vince, the working mark, is gonna back them all the way. How creative and fresh to relive the glory days. Yawn.

Johnny Ace to replace Jim Ross?
Ross and McMahon are mad as hell because Austin fu**ed them good. Austin's departure has weakened Ross's position further in the company. A VP of Talent Relations who loses the company's best talent and costs them millions isn't gonna last very long, even in Whackyworld. No coincidence then that Ross has begun to openly address suggestions that his job is in jeopardy and to ruminate on his future in local radio. At the same time, the sheets report, Johnny Ace is being groomed for elevation. I wonder how that story got about?

The real insult to McMahon, of course, is that Austin really cares about the business. Wasn't VKM just quoted as saying he's never met a talent that was so intense about story lines and character? Maybe another workaholic like VKM but one who stands up to him. Still, Steve is a company man and he'll be missed, not only on Raw. It was Austin, after all, who rescued Vince's company from the morass following the steroid trial. And it was Austin's success that helped Vince float as a billion dollar public company during the dot.com boom. Austin did everything right while Vince squandered a fortune. In return, Vince rewarded Austin with Hogan and the poisonous nWo - the very guys who walked out in the mid 90's for bigger money from Ted Turner.

So what exactly is the poison that's so good it's worth wrecking careers for? Nash who can't move without knee braces. The Big Blowup, the 123 girl, Michaels who's still playing eeny/meeny between jesus and somas and Cripple H. Yes, Steve got the message. If he was worth less to Vince than this worthless crew, it was time to move on.

[ photo of the Budweiser can from Monday night ]

one beer 50 cents, no Stone Cold, MILLIONS

Big on loyalty.....

Now Vince is very big on loyalty and you've got to pay dues daily. So no one walks out on Vince without the WWE machine going after them like the mob.

In the months after my walk out, the WWF machine used their TV and magazines to call me 'a quitter'. They said I 'couldn't handle the pressure'. They said I'd 'begun to believe my own hype'. They said I was 'gay'. They spun every lie they could, just in case I spilled my guts about the dubious 'goings on' in Vince's company. A few weeks later Vince sent me a letter saying he was a 'fair and just man and until we meet face to face I consider this matter unresolved' - followed by a 100 page lawsuit from VKM's attorneys Dorsey and Whitney [speaking of whom, a special welcome to the Dorsey and Whitney staffer currently monitoring this column!!]

And so to Austin ...and the big WWE machine working overtime to spin Austin's departure into his personal failing alone. Austin's problem, WWE wants us to believe, is not with Vince and his brats flushing a billion dollar company down the toilet. Austin's problems, WWE wants us to believe, are ALL of his own making.

So here's how spin makers Ross and McMahon went about spinning the story against Austin on last week's WWE Confidential ....

(1) Ross/McMahon – “Austin has walked off the job on two occasions and disappointed the fans and that's unpardonable .....” Bullshit! Cards are always “subject to change.” The first time Austin refused to work was at Wrestlemania against Hall who was drunk. Austin, with a busted neck, is entitled to a safe work environment (RIP Owen Hart). Walking out was the right decision!

(2) Ross/McMahon –“ A man's a man. And Austin's always been a man's man...” but this time Austin didn't act like a man's man. Same shit they gave me. “Until we sit down, face to face, I consider this matter unresolved.” As if Austin was too scared to front up to Vince, man to man!! Austin would have smacked him, and after his beating from Bret Hart, I bet it's Vince who'd be scared to show up. Plus, if anyone's a bitch it's JR. If JR wants to behave like a man's man, let him and Austin sort it out outside, instead of sticking shivs into Austin's back on Confidential.

(3) Ross/McMahon –“We're fair and just men – so it's gotta be Austin's fault Ross – “I got kicked in the guts. I was sick all day Monday. I was physically ill....It's sad.” Vince McMahon: “From a personal standpoint, a business standpoint, I look in the mirror firstly when things like this happen and say what could I have done to have changed it, what could I have done not to have had this not happen, and I'm not sure I know the answer....”

...Repeat, after me Vince “I could have paid him more.....” Bruiser Brody told me - “Screw them before they screw you.” Score one, Steve. Austin knew he was finished when they asked him to job to Lesnar.

(4) Ross/McMahon – “It's all a mystery ..." nothing to do with WWE Ross – “Maybe someday the real story is going to come out as to why he made his decision. Only he knows. I don't know.”

McMahon – “I have no idea what could possibly motivate him just to walk off the job like a child, to take his ball and go home.”

Bullshit. Didn't he show his hand about frustration at W-Mania? And later, on WWE's own Byte This net show? And they never saw it coming? We've been writing about it here for months. Another reasons for an urgent change at the top of Talent Relations?

(5) Ross/McMahon – “Austin wasn't a member of the team” i.e. Austin's a quitter Ross – “It's a team effort. You win here as a team and you lose here as a team. But you don't just turn your back and say, 'I'm not going to do this; I'm going to go home.”

Bull shit again!! There are three sides to every story – your side, my side and the truth. Everyone knows Vince is a liar. Everyone knows JR is a liar .... So I'm going with Steve on this. They built the team around Austin. Austin was always loyal ....If you want disloyal – look at Hogan, Nash, X-Pac, Hall. Austin is a total gentleman in and out of the ring, always considerate and a wonderful guy to work with. A team player, a company man, a hard worker and honest. If you want to see a quitter, look at VKM and the XFL - what about their families? And now VKM's preparing to QUIT on the Brand X-tension and half his roster ...

(6) Ross/McMahon - “The door is no longer open to Austin.....II don't know how I could do business with him.”

So why is Vince crying on TV and saying 'I hope he comes back....' A one beer salute! He's willing to tease an alcoholic in a room full of beer, but only one beer for the Rattlesnake. That's how cheap Vince is. If he'd taken a sledge hammer to a beer truck, it still wouldn't repay Vince's debt to Austin.

The shills take the bait ....
Having spun the official company line, it was time for the loyal shills to take over. Here's Dave Schyster on 1wrestling.con -

"Stone Cold Steve Austin... has no one to blame but himself .... only the most cynical among us would see the situation as anything but what it appears to be, the meltdown of a superstar and quite possibly, of a man as well. ...Austin does have some serious issues that he had better deal with immediately...... Austin's recent behavior has been erratic and shows the signs of someone who is in trouble.....possibly very deep trouble.... That man has problems.....” (6/17/2002)

And no, he doesn't mean Vince. No, not a single word from Schyster about the circumstances inside the company that led to Austin's frustration and walk out. The shills had taken the bait.

Austin's side of the story?
My opinion, for what it's worth is that Austin should back off like Goldberg. Say nothing about his wife. That's personal stuff .... Keep away from WWE as long as possible and let them do their worst. Vince isn't thinking right ... nothing is clicking.... He's fudging the decision to abandon the split. It's over but Vince can't afford another failure chalked up against his name.....Let the guys who think they can draw have a go. Plug in the GAME, and let's see what he can do. And when they fail, dictate your own terms. Meanwhile, you're an independent contractor, right? Let them sue you, if they dare. Innocent till proven guilty, right. And if you're going to come back, come out of the crowd, work a reality angle and bury Vince. Go out on top as the Rattlesnake – the Rebel – not like Flair, a sad case of a guy who's hard on money and willing to do anything for a few dollars more.

Russo ...
Flair might still have one more good match left – a replay of Flair vs Russo from the days when Flair and Russo were allies in the WCW office against Bischoff.

Strange that Flair had a better match against a video store-owner than against the second generation family business, wrestling-in-his-blood, Vincent K. McMahon. Compare the Flair/Russo match with Flair/McMahon where Vince looked like a clod. His timing was off, his punches were off, he missed spots and generally exposed his own business.

Flashback to Bash at the Beach, WCW 2000- Russo addresses the crowd - "Let me tell you who doesn't give a shit about this company. That god damn politician Hulk Hogan.... All day I've been playing politics with Hulk Hogan, cause Hulk Hogan wants to play his creative control card. And to Hulk Hogan that meant tonight in the middle of this ring, even though he knew it was bullshit, he beats Jeff Jarrett. Well guess what, Hogan got his wish. Hogan got his belt, and he went the hell home and I promise everybody or I will go in the god damn grave, you will never see that piece of shit again! ..... Now Hulk, let's refer to that belt as 'The Hulk Hogan Memorial Belt' cause from here on in that belt don't mean shit! Because there will be a new WCW belt and as far as I'm concerned that belt still belongs to the one guy that busts his ass week in and week out and you people can love him or hate him, but he doesn't screw anyone back there, and that's Jeff Jarrett. Now wait a minute. Jeff Jarrett is still the official WCW Champion, but he will defend that title in this ring tonight. And he will defend that title against that son of a bitch back there that for fourteen years has busted his ass in WCW but can't get a god damn break because of the Hulk Hogan, and I am talking about Booker T. Booker T. and Jeff Jarrett are the two reasons I am in this damn business to begin with. So tonight in this ring, two deserving guys, Jarrett and Booker, will compete for the WCW Title. And Hogan you big bald son of a bitch, KISS MY ASS!"

Titan Towers Monday - Russo to Hogan– “Last time I saw you I fired your ass ..... so whatever happened to the lawsuit?”

Badda bye!!!

[ photo of DDP selling for SaraTaker ]

DDP finally finds his real worth - for 4 seconds he gave up thousands< -3 or 4 times WCW WORLD champ gets beat in 4 seconds by a 100 pound girl!! Great match.

It's not fun to rail on DDP no more but ......
Gee, you know it's all over when no-one notices you're gone and you have to use your friendship (with Ryder through Bischoff) to get your obituary written about how you never used your friendship (with Bischoff) to get on in the business. If DDP was so good, how come he never made it except under Bischoff. Where else did he make it – AWA (no) Japan (no) WWF?E (no) DDP's been totally exposed.....Now he's talking about commentating – but not just yet. Try 'not ever'. Remember Dusty bullshitting DDP for free drinks, "You're gonna be the next Jessie Ventura!” Has anyone heard DDP cut a good promo? Remember DDP's entrance to WWF where he goofed up his lines. Instead, he's off to lecture kids and detention center inmates in the inappropriately named “Get Real” program. Maybe he can find a spot for Jake the Snake.... hey, the past is the past and never say never...Wonder what the Parole Board will make of that. So DDP's career ends as it began – not with a DDPbang but with a DDPwhimper. Badda bing, badda bang, badda BYE!!! [ photo of Jake with added caption ]

Your feedback ....

With the Jim Ross call for younger talent to step up, only the hardest working man in the WWE has come forward.

HHH will take the title from the Undertaker next week and then utilize his amazing talents on both shows, wrestling each week.

The matches will be gauntlet style, with HHH facing three men in succession, these will usually be the best three on the program, heel or face.

Because of his eagerness to help the company, HHH has graciously volunteered to compete in street fights, meaning no rules apply. It is rumoured that HHH will be no-selling every finisher, hitting the men with a sledgehammer, then using his new finisher, the DeadaWWee-uh, to eliminate his competition.

After HHH has defeated all the wrestlers on each roster at least 4 times, he will graciously, and for the good of the company (being as he is a student of the game) lose the belt to Kevin Nash, after the interference of the entire WWE talent roster, but only after he has DeadaWWee'd Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, RVD, Test (twice), The Rock, Edge, Lance Storm (3 times), Chris Harvard, Randy Orton and anyone else who the crowd has actually cheered for in the weeks preceeding [sic] the match (real cheers,not the ones they keep piping in for him).

See, Tom Zenk is sooo wrong about HHH....

Tom Zenk can't be right about HHH, can he?

Dear Tom "Suck man" Zenk,You know, it really suprises [sic] me that such a bitter man can write such an entertaining column. Your lame game column had me laughing my ass off from beginning to end. I can't agree with you more about that gassed up, one arm, one legged gimp, HHH. The guy has no business being in main event matches. He has one dimensional mic skills. And he is an average worker at best. Keep up the excellent work.

Tom Zenk replies - Bet you wouldn't call me suck man to my face. Kidding, Glad I made you laugh. That's the whole point. Entertainment. Thanks for the response

Dear Tom "Suckman" Zenk,
You are right, I wouldn't call you suckman to your face. Just like you wouldn't trash HHH to his face. But seriously, after going to your site and reading about your experiences in the WWF, I can't blame you one bit for being pissed off and bitter. Who in there right mind wouldn't. You tell it like it is. And with each column you write, I gain more and more respect for you. As a wrestler and a writer. Part of my negative comments towards you was do in part to one Dave Scherer. He had some bad things to say about you . My attitude towards you has defiantly changed. And you have gained me as a fan, and a loyal reader. Thank you for entertaining us fans week in and week out.

I got a good laugh out of this week's "Ask Tom Zenk" (for those who haven't figured out where that came from check out the Ask 1Wrestling question on the Z-Man from June 7th).

The moment I read Dave Scherer's answer/opinion on Tom Zenk's wrestling career it was immediately obvious that Mr Scherer was taking the opportunity to fire a cheap shot. Remember that Tom is no longer best known as a WCW mid-carder of old but rather as another internet wrestling writer who has frequently proven he has no qualms about critically evaluating the Gospel According to 1Wrestling.com.

Scherer basically trivializes Tom Zenk's contribution to wrestling and scoffs at claims Tom has made that WCW held him back and that he could have achieved more. This is pretty ridiculous on Scherer's part as there is overwhelming evidence that a whole hockey sock of guys were held back by WCW during the Ole Anderson regime (including Tom Zenk but also people such as Mick Foley who wrote some chapters in his first book about it).

Because Tom Zenk has been more than willing to challenge the opinions of the 1Wrestling senior writers and has called them on some of the bullshit they have cranked out from time to time, he became a target. That was a cheap shot, Dave. You know it and some of your readers noticed. That's typical 1Wrestling.com, however, where I've noticed a recent increase in the number of cryptic editorials that slag on other internet wrestling organizations and certainly have nothing to do with reporting the wrestling news.

So I had a good laugh as I read about Dave's supposed lack of contacts and journalistic skills. Unbiased reporting! I love it! I'm sure we'll see a civilized rebuttal in the Daily Lariat sometime in the next couple of days.

I'm going to make this short as possible. I'm sick of the neg. energy I'm getting in the last few years from sports entertainment. It's hard for me just to throw it away, because I was raised on the shit. But if you ask me, you can take all the drama and cram it all into a ball for a new reality show. Hell Vinny, I read your comments, why piss around, full backstage shoot style (anchor Z-Man?) You can put it next to your tough enough show. I watch rasslin for the in ring story, moves blah blah U.S. TV almost dead, but I'll still give what I got to you Mr. Promoter. Find other options people. H times 3 is not your answer. Neither is WWF(refusing to use the E),wait WCW, ECW,NWA, fuck most U.S. alone now days can't cut a decent show. But a global plate and a master comp. collection from the olden days, your bound to feed your smart little mind. Speaking of which, just seen your Furnas throw that tiger 91 on a Budokan Hall tape. Nice, very nice Z-Man. I out.

Tom Zenk replies - Furnas had a strong man move he just had to get in the big show. Being friends, I told him - sure that would look great!! He throws you like a fisherman - waist locks you and then hurls across the ring and you have to land flat like a cat, with you feet and your hands and chest all hitting the canvas at the same time. Very dangerous and hard not to get injured because you're at his will and he has to throw with the right force. Furnas was very strong and limited, but he was happier than a hog in shit to do that move at the big sumo hall. Mark!

time to escape the escape? I have been reading your column now for some time. I don't really agree with half the stuff you say but we are all welcome to our opinions. What you say may actually hold some truth to it as you were in the business for a hell of a lot more years then I've been watching. I love the (former) sport of wrestling but what gets to me is the constant bashing of the WWE. What more do people want? Sure if you bitch and complain sometimes things change but sometimes things don't change. They get worse and worse til they sink as WCW for example. I'd hate to see WWE go under because then what else do we have left. NWA-TNA? I won't even buy WWE's pay-per view's much less NWA-TNA. Everyone knows the WWE's weaknesses and if the WWE hasn't figured them out by now, no matter how much the cyber junkies cry and complain not much is going to change. Things are not as bad as what they once were. (Remember Doink, Repo-man, Gobbledygooker?) Let's quit crying so much and remember that this is entertainment after all, meant to take us away from reality for two hours or so and in our day god knows we need some escape. Anyways thanx for offering an article that I may not agree with but makes me think.

Tom Zenk replies - pretend you're a real wrestler, just like on tv - take some pills and hit the bottle for escape - then put your blinders on and cry while watching the show. This isn't good TV - its awful. If you don't let Vince know - it'll only get worse. Assuming your not a cryer, buy the WWE PPV"S so they can increase their cash flow and billionaire Vince can stay in business a few more weeks. You can help ease their pain, right?

Wow, a response! Don't mind my shock but it's rare I get a response from anyone I ever send feedback too. I do see your point but that's just it. I'm not a real wrestler and it would be hard for me to have that kind of perspective. I don't know what the life on the road is like and I don't know all the backstage politics either. Believe me it kills me to have to hear about great wrestlers like Davy Boy, whom I thought was awesome, die and only get a blip on WWE TV. But that's just it, many of us are trying to escape our own demons, fears and stresses of life. I can barely deal with my own life and then rally myself to try and help change an entertainment company as well. As a consumer, sure it's up to me to voice my opinion if a product isn't up to par but where does it end. There has to be a separation at some point. It's sad to say but if the escape only leads to more troubles then it's time to escape the escape and that would be a sad day indeed. If there is gonna be a change it has to come from the inside, whether Vince likes it or not. (A Union perhaps?) I don't know, I only got a limited perspective on things as a fan and who knows maybe it should have been that way all along.

Bra and panty matches are not pro wrestling and Vince's great mind for this business is withering away with soap opera type bs. It's refreshing to read someones input on the business that I feel is the voice of all of the people like myself that can't always be heard.The current direction of the sport is the reason I'm refusing to no longer deal with the backstabbing, homosexual, threating the booker for pay, if you have no talent you're over business that I used to love so much. I guess in one sense there's no need to be mad because what modern young athlete is now really in to his particular sport for the love of it. It's all about the almighty dollar now. My la lakers are a perfect example. I love em but they lack something they aren't like the lakers of the 80's and that's how I feel wrestling is now. But before I part I want to say I have no haterade in my heart for no one but these kids from Tough Enough are another reason that unless New York folds this sport will never be the same. HHH was that shows best guest, he hit the nail on the head with his talk to them. They all are only marks for the business and have been given a gift that I'm sure you Z-Man, as well as I do somewhat envy because they don't know the real side of the sport. It all was given to them on a silver platter. They should've paid their dues not be given spots on TV and Wrestlemania. That's all for now folks, but I'll be back!

Wassup, I enjoy reading your articles.

Who do you think will take the WWE back to the top besides their major players they have now? What's this I hear Bischoff to WWE, if the WWE does it right he can make Vince's life a living hell on T.V.

Just love the way how you tell it how it is.

Cripple H? Lame Game? Listen "Z-Man", I was once a fan of yours. From your days as a main eventer in Portland to your days as a mid carder in Atlanta. You were one of the original high flyers. But I have to wonder why you chose to bash Triple H. Perhaps the best professional wrestling has ever seen. If you want my opinion, which I doubt you do but your getting it anyway, your just jealous of him. Triple H is just what you always wanted to be isn't he? But you just couldn't get the job done. I could be wrong, but it seems to me you want to push him down and push yourself up by pointing out his short comings. Well the fact is, he puts on great matches night in night out. He's great on the mic and oh, in case you have forgotten, those things are called "angles". He destroyed the camera not to get what he wanted, but to give the fans what they wanted to see. Maybe you forgot about them.

Listen, maybe everything I have said is wrong but it's my opinion and I'm entitled to it just as you are to yours. And I respect your opinion. I just can't figure it out. I don't want this to sound as if I am bashing you, just as you bashed Hunter, but I just don't get it. And hey, if nothing else, your column was an interesting read. But maybe this will sum up my feelings about this whole thing.

Those Who Can Wrestle
Those Who Can't Write Columns

Tom Zenk replies - Thanks for taking the time to respond and your candor. You are entitled to your opinion, but jealous of HHH? His looks? His award winning physique? His injuries? His smile? I did a lot of jobs in my long career and I always got the job done with a smile on my face no matter how stupid the finish was (WCW). As far as "angles" go I'm aware of what they are, but I just haven't seen much from the WWE creative dept, just like Austin said on Byte This a few weeks ago. To answer your question, I always wanted to fly jets, not wrestle .

Unlike most wrestling fans, I would rather watch an exciting WRESTLING match over a talk segment that involves a cripple and an old dinosaur that still wears the yellow and red. Take for example, the last Thunder program. The show itself was weak but the cruiserweight tag team match was outstanding. The Jung Dragons against Styles and Paris. That match remains one of my favorites, unlike the boring Taker and Hogan match.Wrestling just isn't the same no more. Now, people want to watch these trash talking retards who cant even put on a show. Face it, HHH, HH, Deadman, Flair, Hardcore, Crash, Austin, Superstar "Rock the Crotch", and so many others can't put on a decent match. They do the same thing, punch kick chop and talk trash. Whatever happened to the old style...oh yeah, this is sports entertainment not wrestling. I cant even bear a Raw or Smackdown because I see Storm, Booker, Hurricane (what is the deal with that retarded gimmick, come on a superhero!) getting jerked while cripples and fossils run the program. The formula just ain't working. NWO was a poison, now their careers are poisoned because good ol' Vince didn't know what to do with the poison. All he did was poison his company. He bought WCW and for what, to lose ratings. He should have let Bischoff purchase it because the Vinman has no comp. I miss WCW because they entertained me with matches, not talk segments. Way to go Vince, burn in hell, GOD!

Yea, you have pretty good insight and express opinions that others might not, but c'mon, give Triple H a break. The guy in in phenomenal shape, he finished a match after a tear in his leg, and he is a hard worker. So what if he is Mr. McMahon's future son-in-law? He wasn't always. He did wrestle before he met Stephanie. He was a great athlete before Stephanie. And your constant bashing of the WWE........enough is enough. The WWE is not perfect, they make mistakes, not everyone can be happy all the time, you can't please everyone, just get over it already. If you are not a fan of the WWE then stop talking about it

Tom Zenk replies - He's gonna get a break of a lifetime, your man HHH that is ... but can he run with the ball? I say no. Posing with an old icon from the 80's is certainly not core generated to the viewing public, especially the Y-gen youth. Would RVD be another choice to enhance? you know the one with the cool moves, good looks, etc etc. Now Trips really should be caring, mentoring, travelling with, getting in RVD's ear..... watching out for him, in a positive way, without jealousy, for the sake of the business. You don't think if RVD got a chance to super kick HHH, Nash or VKM it would put him over? You know like HBK did to Booker T? One kick left him laying? Is there money there? I say, yes. Thanks for the response J. But dating the bosses QUEEN of a daughter in the biz ain't cool...are you catching my drift? He should give others a chance at her.

Well, I have something to say concerning Triple H. I was watching last week's Smackdown, the handicap match between HHH, Angle and Taker. I suddenly thought, hmmmm, he is constantly beating the sh*t out of these two. Now some ppl may think that that is good and makes the top face seem unbeatable, BUT, it also is damaging because it makes the other quality wrestlers look bad. What if HHH got injured again, and Angle was made into a face, we would all be sayin 'well he aint no HHH'. Its damaging to the bizz and makes HHH come across as god, which is bad. It's all good saying that HHH came back from an injury, but that don't make him superior. He should work as hard as the others to stay on top, and help others to help the bizz that helped to make him (get my point). You wouldn't see the Rock constantly beating two guys like he was unstoppable. He would put them over. Even if you don't like him you got to admit that! Remember Angle verses Rock at No Way Out 2001? That was a great match coz you didn't know how it was gonna end up. Back and forth action, puttin each other over. HHH is turning into Austin the man that can't be beat, indestructable, and that is damaging because its unrealistic, predictable and boring. Thanks for opening my eyes on HHH Zenk master. Hopefully he can get back to how he was and stop his selfishness before it consumes him and the bizz....

I'm sorry to say that your column seems very biased. It is pretty obvious that you think that Stone Cold is so great and that he can't do wrong, but guess what, he has. He walked out on the company that has done everything to make him a star. Also, you go on to say that J. R. is a backstabber for saying those negative comments about some of the older superstars. I agree with him. In my opinion they all should start packing since all they do is complain about everything, (i.e. Austin and Triple H) and slow everything down. In conclusion, all I am saying is be as harsh to Austin's actions as you are to someone like Triple H. Just remember, it was less than a year ago that Austin was the same as Triple H.

Can you please explain to me why you are on HHH's case so much? He is one of the best heel characters since Ric Flair. (Yes, I know he's not one right now) You say he should job to Jericho......Why!!? Jericho is a runt who has been given push after push just to have fans ignore him. First they tried giving him cheap pops by making fun of Steph, then cheap heat for aligning with her and no one cares.

Tom Zenk replies - Name one other WWF champ off TV for 3 weeks before Mania (biggest show of the year) looking for the motion lotion for the Billion dollar princess? Your right they pushed him off TV to make room for who....?

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