Welcome back to the Phat Daily Column. Mixed emotions are in the air in the internet wrestling world about the New World Order's return. I'll have more on that in a moment. The ratings are in, and the question is did a pay per view help out WCW's ratings? Did the hype about the biggest angle of the year for WCW give some extra ratings? We'll find out, on to the PDC.

BUT FIRST, I really stirred up some heat yesterday with my Monday Night Impressions. I haven't got any real heat off of them in a long time, but I sure got my memories back quickly. After I flunked Nitro, many hardcore WCW fans, Jarrett fans, Hitman fans, Outsider fans, NWO fans, or fans that were excited about the NWO's return e-mailed me and spoke their mind. Of course, I was applauded by as many other fans for ripping WCW hard for recycling the NWO again. But what was my whole point for doing this. Please let me explain.

After the Monday Night shows went off, I was furious. I tried to sleep, but I couldn't. After rolling around for an hour angered, I decided to get up and start my column to let off some frustrations. Where is my frustration coming from? Let's look back at one of my columns....the one where the NWO reformed for the SECOND time. The column was made on January 5th, 1999 and it was also hyped the show that would change WCW forever. What had happened was that Goldberg was fighting Kevin Nash for the world title, but Goldberg somehow got arrested. Hogan, who "supposively" retired, took Goldberg's place, and Nash layed down for him, thus reforming the NWO. It angered me because I used to be a HUGE Nash mark. I also loved the NWO in its original state, but the original NWO were feuding before they reformed. They erased all history, and rejoined, thus annoying me to death. Every Nitro after that angered me everyweek, as I thought that the NWO had run it's course. I guess maybe this rubbed off on me from the recent Nitro.

This past Nitro I didn't like from the start. The previous Nitros, although I didn't like the surrounding angles, I did enjoy the wrestling matches very much. This past Nitro, I felt that the matches were weak and the surrounding angles were still bothersome. I felt that garbage like Buzzkill vs. Madusa, Maestro vs. Karagias, Meng vs. Tank Abbot, and Piper going off were way less than decent, and the other matches I felt were very short in length. To tell you the truth, a C+ was in the making for this Nitro, as the only thing I enjoyed was Jeff Jarrett cheating in the ladder match. Then came the final match. When Bret Hart turned, I was like "damn it" because my personal preference is for Hitman to be face, because they make him whine too much as a heel. Then Jarrett comes out and joins them. At first, I was like why are the Outsiders and Jarrett helping out Bret, when they were feuding with him for the last few months. Then Jarrett whips out a can of spraypaint, and I just knew what was going to happen. When he put the "N" on Goldberg, I guess old frustrations of the second reformation came out, and I went off. Plus, seeing something that it seemed that nobody in this world noticed, how Bret Hart had a bad look on his face..like he wasn't enjoying it. Didn't you all see that?

Now why did I fail them? It's not that promise of one of my columns where I said that "I will fail Nitro if they ever reform the NWO again". It was nothing of that sorts. Well, maybe. In my crazy mind at the time, I felt that Russo was making a last ditch effort to get his booking style over by rehashing something that completely failed the second time around. I also felt that the NWO ran it's course the second it split into two groups. When they brought it back, it was so obsolete, and that's the way I guess that I felt when I was enraged when writing the column yesterday. I just felt that it was strange of Russo to rehash an angle that was started by someone who was demoted before him, Eric Bischoff. I guess this and the past experiences fueled the fire inside of me and made me give the show an F.

Maybe I am just too impatient. I'll tell you what. We'll see how this new "Russo NWO" does in a few months. If it produces ratings, then I'll be glad to say that I was completely wrong. Maybe Russo can breathe life into the legend known as the NWO. The original NWO, in my opinion, was by far the best angle in wrestling history. If Russo can make this group produce ratings, then that's fine. I'm still bitter about it, and I'll still stick to my opinions, but if he can prove me wrong, then I'll say that I'm wrong. That simple. Oh yeah, a few of you have e-mailed me and asked me why I didn't go off when DX reformed. Many of you called me an F'N WWF mark for not going off on them, but let me explain something. Look at X-Pac before DX was reformed. He was stuck in a dead-end angle with Kane! New Age Outlaws were a team, but they had no purpose. Triple H was acting crazy, calling himself the game, and he needed a better direction. When they reformed, it was for the better, and their ratings DID NOT drop, unlike the second reforming of the NWO. It was needed for all 4 wrestlers to join back up together for their career's sake. That's just my opinion, as is all of the stuff I've said about the new NWO. It was all my opinion, and I'm sorry if I went off the wrong way yesterday. I hope this explains it all a little better...

Oh yeah, don't I have a column to write?

Ratings Analysis

NITRO

First Hour: 3.9
Second Hour: 2.9
Third Hour: 2.9
Composite: 3.233

RAW is WAR

First Hour: 5.5
Second Hour: 6.1
Composite: 5.8

Head To Head

RAW: 5.8
NITRO: 2.9

-Ok, can you say Pay Per View shock? This is what exactly happened, as Nitro always goes slightly up after a PPV. You can also say that Monday Night football put the hurtings on both shows as they got a 15.1 in network ratings. Packers vs. Vikings had lots of playoff implications in it, and I know of a few local fans who skipped wrestling this week to watch that game instead. Was this the cause of the NWO reforming? Nope. I don't think anybody on the net or the world rather that called that NWO reforming the other night. We'll see next week if the "Russo NWO" can grab the much needed ratings. Hey, New Years Evil next week!

WCW

-I see that many WCW employees are making some excuses about Nash's profanity on this past Nitro. They are blaming miscued editing by TNT crew members who didn't know when the cursing was going to happen. Oh please, give me a break! It was hardly a mess up, as those crew members weren't hired off the street that very day. I'd imagine that they've done their job for years, and they can bleep out any curse words that happen. Nitro is on a slight delay, from what I hear, and they could have easily edited it out. It was very planned, and you know it, so please stop making excuses!

-Joy joy joy, Lenny Lane and Lodi are coming back next week according to the "great" Vince Russo off of WCW Live. Hey, they will even be mimmicking reasons for their being held off on television when they will call themselves Standards and Practices. I'd imagine that Time Warner and TNT officials will be on hand to make sure they don't make any references to what got them in trouble in the first place. To many, the return of Lenny and Lodi is a breath of fresh air, as it gives them the opportunity to perform again. I bet Russo is counting on these guys for attention next week, along with the newly reformed NWO.

-As for the faction which I've been bashing, the NWO will stay the four man cohesive unit that you saw on Nitro. There will be nobody selling out(for a while at least), as it will be a four man team of destruction so to speak. So far, they already have dominated the WCW. They own ever title that means anything in WCW, as the Outsiders own the tag titles, Jarrett is the US champ, and Bret, the sad one, has the world. I guess that means that they've already won, so what can they do now? I hope they put over Goldberg for one. He gets good pops most of the time, but there are a few areas that he's totally hated. WCW needs to make Goldberg the hero for this mess, and hope that it generates interest that they need very much.

WWF

-Well, I've heard that Cactus Jack is on the Royal Rumble webpage. It's unsure if the WWF is just doing this as a teaser to what will happen real soon like they did with the Undertaker for the Armageddon site, or my feeling is that Stephanie and Triple H will fire Mankind real soon and that will enact for Cactus Jack to come back. I don't know about you, but I think Mankind should retire as his best character...and that's Mankind. Do you remember a RAW a while back when HBK came back? He had Cactus Jack vs. Viscera and Mideon in a hardcore match. Sure, then the crowd loved the return, but I've heard much louder pops for Mankind alone. The Mankind character is definately the most entertaining of Mick's personalities, and is probably what the new age WWF fans will remember Mick by. But of course, Mick was Cactus Jack for years...

Quick Bits

-Rikishi Fatu is NOT Yokozuna for the millionth time. Who on earth can think this? That's all I get in the mail is people trying to prove that it's Yokozuna. What are the smoking?!? Look here. FOR THE LAST TIME, just look at the name of "Fatu" at the end of his name. Does that help any? Fatu? Somoan Swat Team Member Fatu? Headshrinker Fatu? "Let's make a difference FATU"? He was also the Sultan as well. Go rent yourself any Wrestlemania...let's say Wrestlemania 10. Put two televisions side by side. Tape RAW or whatever. Play both televisions with Yokozuna and Rikishi Fatu on them. LOOK REAL CLOSE, and then see how they ARE NOT the same person. They are cousins, so maybe if you see that slight resemblance, that is why. Come on people!

-Taz is set to debut "wrestling" anytime in 2000. His ECW deal expires on January 31, 1999....so Y2K might affect his wrestling deal...I'm kidding. Some say that he might instantly win the Royal Rumble this year, with the Royal Rumble no longer being for the title. I doubt that one, cause you should have to earn it in the WWF.

-It seems as though the Undertaker is set to return soon, probably around Royal Rumble time. He was recently wrestling on a Puerto Rico card. Many predict that he'll end up as Big Show's father still. Talk about a horrible angle there.

-Nothing new about HBK, as he might not return to the ring for a while now that his wife is expected to give birth real soon. There was some talk about HBK finally returning to the WWF around Royal Rumble time also, and it seems that the WWF has stalled on letting him go to ECW for a while.

-Ken Shamrock, for some reason, was held off of RAW and is supposed to be off the tapings this week as well. Either the WWF isn't sure how to use him, or they want to be sure that he's ready. I say make him go after Kurt Angle!

Since it is the holidays....

Mr. Tito's Gift Ideas

In spirit of the Holiday season, I figured I would suggest what I thought are the best holiday gifts. Sure, X-Mas is like 3 days away, but what says you can't use this list for possible stuff with your X-mas money? Anyway, here goes:

Wrestlemania Box Set
By far, this is the present that could surprise any wrestling fan and make them appreciate you forever. The Box Set has Wrestlemanias 1-14, and it's definately worth the steep price that stores like Sam Goody ask for. I'm just about done watching the whole set all the way through again, and that's the best! Highly recommended for any wrestling fan!

WWF: Best of 98
This video collection by the WWF is their top 5 pay per views of 1998. All 5 were classic, as they set up the WWF's greatness. You have the Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, King of the Ring, Summerslam, and Survivor Series. Hell, the Mankind vs. Undertaker Hell in the Cell match on King of the Ring is well worth the price of this package.

WCW Thumbwrestler
If you haven't played with one of these, you're missing out. It's actually pretty fun, and it would be great for two hardcore fans growing up. The thumbwrestler makes all kinds of noises when you thumbwrestle, and it counts when you make a pin. Good stuff.

The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling
By far, the best wrestling documentary of all time. Yes, I talk nothing but great about this documentary, but I truly believe that it's the best. It goes through the entire life of wrestling, and it shows how it grew to what it is today. If you are a wrestling fan, you have to watch this one! If you can't buy it, just tape it off of A & E next time that it's on.

Bret Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
This thing is so inside, it's ridiculous! If you were a wrestling fan that didn't jump back into it until 1998, then this is the video for you. I keep getting asked what happened at Survivor Series 97 with Bret Hart. Well, this video explains it all! It's available in stores, but if it's not in your area, again, wait until A & E has it again.

Jakks Championship Belts
Has anyone seen the new Jakks title belts? The new ones look real than ever, as you have the choice of buying good $10 replicas of the World Title or the Stone Cold title. The plastic part of the titles are very shiney, as they look like the real thing. It's very nice, and it's something to get a younger kid so that he can walk around with a title around his waste.

Degeneration X video
I still pop this one in for a good laugh. I don't think I've ever laughed any harder for any wrestling video. This is the real DX with the raw attitudes and bad language. Just remember, this video is very much for mature audiences as it has vulgar language and even some nudity.

Just some ideas, as I'm hoping that everyone is enjoying the holiday season.

@Wow, I haven't done a long column like this in a while. Of course, the NWO explanation really helped that one out. Oh well. Thanks for reading, and just chill till the next episode! Oh yeah, if you haven't heard, Extremely Extreme Wrestling won the Backyard Wrestling contest.

Why not get ready for the holidays by reading some FUN columns at the Phat Farm?

Take Care, and Happy Holidays.

Mr. Tito © 1999 Exclusive to Lordsofpain.net