= = = = = = = = = = [ WCW ] = = = = = = = = = = THE GIANT won the WCW World Heavyweight title from RIC FLAIR on 22 April 1996 after the live Nitro. This will air on the taped 29 April 1996 Nitro. There will be 15 matches on the 19 May 1996 Slamboree PPV. BRAD ARMSTRONG will defend the WCW Cruiserweight title on the 19 May 1996 Slamboree PPV. CHRIS BENOIT and DEAN MALENKO had their contracts restructured to remove the 90-day review clause (the same one that JOHNNY B BADD wanted removed from his contract). They each have guaranteed money for three years. See my WWW page for this and other contract/salary info. THE PUBLIC ENEMY signed a one-year contract with WCW on 10 April 1996. WCW finally caved in and will allow TPE to keep their name when they leave WCW (WCW wanted to keep it since they had to get permission from the musical group to use it). Rocco and Johnny will also be able to wrestler indies and abroad between their WCW bookings as long as they don't work for WWF or ECW. STING will job to THE GIANT on the 19 May 1996 Slamboree PPV, since Wight is defending the belt on the 16 June 1996 Great American Bash PPV. As reported last week in Hack Notes, HULK HOGAN was supposed to do a stretcher job for THE GIANT, but (again) changed the booking at the last minute to stroke his ego. He still plans to take time off to make a B movie (where he plays Santa Claus (not Zanta) but he wanted to go out bulletproof instead of having chinks in his armor. Since this isn't the first time Hogan has changed the booking at the last minute, it now appears that *everyone* employed with WCW (except the very top execs) are pissed at Hogan. Even ERIC BISCHOFF. The Torch reports that there may only be two more PPVs in Hogan's contract, despite the "one year extension" that was reported on RSPW a month or three ago. People who count in WCW seem to have come to the same conclusion as us (at least those of us who have discussed it in RSPW over the last year or so): the only way to keep Hogan over is to turn hi heel. He's already getting heavy "Boo"s in the north half of the US. THE GIANT has been pitched to the Minnesota Vikings (who were not interested in him) and then the Detroit Lions (who want him to show up for their mini-camp this summer). KID FLASH may use the name BILLY CANNON (is this a swipe at Billy Gunn?) if he signs with WCW. BUNKHOUSE BUCK is gone, though WCW WorldWide keeps airing matches with him. SHARK is gone from WCW. He had been making $250,000/year. WCW is still unsure if they'll use TERRY TAYLOR as the 4th Horseman. Nitro will air two hours earlier for the next four or five weeks, with the repeat showing randomly (whenever the Monday basketball playoffs end that particular night). More rumors of Nitro going to a two-hour live format. The earliest this would be is June. A WCW-themed ride will be added to the theme park in Orlando. "People want to ... paint Eric Bischoff as Satan because that's kind of in vogue right now" --Eric Bischoff (14 April 1996 Charleston Post and Courier) = = = = = = = = = = [ WWF ] = = = = = = = = = = YOKOZUNA will be trying to lose weight (again) from 2 April 1996 through 26 May 1996 at the Duke University weight loss clinic. INJURIES: THE MAN THEY CALL VADER broke an eardrum in the 1 April 1996 YOKOZUNA match on Raw. GOLDUST tore a calf muscle, a hamstring, and knee ligaments on 13 April 1996. Both will be at the 28 April 1996 In Your House PPV, but Goldust may not wrestle. The WWF may drop the remaining syndicated programs, which would mean the only exposure they would have in the US would be on the USA cable network. MARC MERO is moving from Atlanta GA to Jacksonville FL. RENA "SABLE" MERO has done Guess Jeans commercials according to Wade Keller. There are rumors (again) about BRIAN CHRISTOPHER coming in. = = = = = = = = = = [ ECW ] = = = = = = = = = = ECW is postponing their jump into the PPV market for fear that it'll bomb. D-VON DUDLEY is a take-off on the bible-quoting guy in Pulp Fiction. He switched from one training school to the ECW school before his debut in ECW. Fans cheered RAVEN at the 20 April 1996 ECW card for being bloodied up (no word if the blade ban was lifted by PAUL or if it wasn't a blade job). = = = = = = = = = = [ MISC ] = = = = = = = = = = I know some people have been asking for something more "official" from one of the "regulars" about the BRIAN PILLMAN injury. Here are a few facts that should be cleared up: The accident happened on 15 April 1996 (some people have been saying that it happened that day his contract with WCW expired, which was 17 April 1996). There were three eye witnesses. Most of Melanie Pillman posted has been confirmed (he was speeding n a windy road, lost control of his open-air Hummer (seat belt wasn't on because it was non-functional) which hit a tree trunk. Brian flew 40 feet as the Hummer flipped. Pillman was taken to St Luke Hospital West and then transferred to University Hospital. When he arrived he was listed in "critical" condition. Within hours his condition changed to fair, then stable. His face took most of the damage. He broke his nose (again), cheekbone, and eye socket (as well as a broken ankle and various lacerations). He was released from University Hospital on 19 April 1996. Both WCW and WWF are interested in him. Bischoff wished him well on the 22 April 1996 Nitro. Pillman is still waiting for the highest bidder. As far as when he is expected to return to the action: it will be at *least* late June and could be as late as miid-August before he has sufficiently healed. Previous plans had been for Pillman and RIC FLAIR to take on STEVE MCMICHAEL and KEVIN GREENE at the 16 June 1996 Great American Bash PPV. UFC will have to convince a federal judge on 26 April 1996 to let them go ahead with the 17 May 1996 show from nearly-sold-out Cobo Hall since UFC-style fights are illegal in Michigan. = = = = = = = = = = [ RATINGS ] = = = = = = = = = = 13-15 April 1996: Raw = 3.1 Action Zone = ??? WWF Mania = ??? Nitro = 2.8 Nitro Repeat = 1.0 WCWSN = 2.5 WCW Pro = 1.4 WCWME = ??? So Raw beat out the live Nitro, but more people watched Nitro than Raw. For Torch subscription info, write to Wade Keller As always, the info in this post comes from various sources, wrestlers, promoters, hotlines, online forums, and newsletters. All names are trademarks of someone else. :-) This article is copyright 1996 Otto E Heuer. All rights reserved.