= = = = = = = = = = [ WCW ] = = = = = = = = = =

Jim Ross claims that Piper signed on with WCW for wrestling and
movies.  Bischoff on Nitro seemed to be implying that the PPV
appearance was a one-shot deal with Piper unless he decides to make it
more (but that could be a work, natch).

Other sources say both Piper and Savage are in negotiations with WCW.

The WCW hotline reports that both Savage and Liz are headed to a rival
federation in mid-November.

Juventud Guerrera & Psicosis beat Halloween & Damian in the more
interesting of the two dark matches at the Halloween Havoc PPV.

There is talk of Ultimo Dragon signing on with WCW once his WAR
contract expires (end of December).

WCW finally dropped the Leprechaun gimmick for Buddy Lee Parker.  He
is now Jack Boot.

WCW is considering their online PPV coverage a success.  They were
swamped with people trying to hear the RealAudio play by play with
Madden and Katz, but the software could only handle 200 people
listening at a time.  They plan to find ways to increase the number of
people who can listen by the time the next PPV comes around.  The rest
of the online fans had to settle for the combination of play-by-play
and interviews with wrestlers on the WCW IRC site.  I checked a couple
hours before the PPV and chatted with a few folks.  When I returned
(about an hour into the PPV) there were about 150 people in the room.
I have already made the suggestion to the online WCW folks that in the
future they set up multiple rooms, so the play-by-play doesn't suffer
when they start interviewing wrestlers.

Ric Flair went in for surgery this morning at 11:00.

The Road Warriors will be touring with New Japan from 20 November to
10 December.  This seems strange, since New Japan decided they
wouldn't book any US wrestlers unless they were working with WCW.
Other WCW wrestlers will be on the same New Japan tour.  My *guess* is
that Hawk and Animal are still under contract with WCW, but are not
wrestling for them and are still on good terms.  Most WCW contracts
have a clause that says that the wrestler may work any indie dates
(excluding ECW and WWF) for nights that WCW doesn't have the wrestler
booked.  This is why Public Enemy have been wrestling in Wisconsin and
Michigan lately on indie cards.

 = = = = = = = = = = [ WWF ] = = = = = = = = = =

WrestleMania tickets go on sale Thursday 26 December 1996 at the box
office and Friday 27 December 1996 for phone orders.  
The card will be held at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Illinois.
Ticket prices for the cheap seats (bleachers):         $20, $25, $45
Ticket prices for the floor (non-ringside):           $100
Ticket prices for the first ten or so ringside seats: $300

It's apparently official:  Raw will be moved an hour earlier on USA.
That's 7:57pm Eastern, 6:57 Central for the live broadcast.  The
Western states will have the non-live rebroadcast an hour earlier as
well.  This takes effect on 4 November 1996.  I didn't watch Raw this
week, so I don't know if they made the announcement on-air.

Brian Pillman's doctors had to re-break and reset his leg/ankle, as it
wasn't healing properly.  Don't look to see him in the ring until *at
least* late January.

Don't be surprised to see Jimmy Snuka back in the WWF.

 = = = = = = = = = = [ ECW ] = = = = = = = = = =

As everyone has probably heard by now, New Jack of the Gangstas went
after a fan at Jim Thorpe Arena on Friday.  Some eyewitnesses say the
fan hit him with a beer bottle, other eyewitnesses say he was just
trying to high-five New Jack.

 = = = = = = = = = = [ USWA ] = = = = = = = = = =

Randy Hales has copied the "Jim Ross" angle for USWA (which the WWF
stole from the proposed "Mean Gene turns bad" angle WCW had planned).

 = = = = = = = = = = [ RATINGS ] = = = = = = = = = =

21 October 1996 ratings: (fixed typo from last week)

Raw          = 2.6 (Bret Hart, Perfect, title change)
Nitro        = 3.2 (first hour = 3.3, second hour = 3.0)
Nitro replay = unknown

For the fifteen minute segment containing the Bret Hart interview,
Raw's rating went up to 3.0 and Nitro's went down to 2.4


28 October 1996 ratings:

Raw          = 2.0
Nitro        = 3.2
Nitro replay = unknown


Abdullah the Butcher turns 60 (I believe) this Saturday.  I'll be
drinking a beer and raking a fork across my forehead in his honor.

Hack Notes is available on RSPW, RSPWI, and my web page.
Back issues are also available on my web page.

All names are trademarks of someone else. :-) 
This article is copyright © 1996 Otto E Heuer. All rights reserved.