Cheapest attempt to get heat and ratings that I've ever seen involved the match with the Outsiders and those revealing women. Sure, it's cool for eye candy, but it was so cheesey. Then, you have Goldberg smashing the duo after they lose to the women. Rather ignorant. It's obvious that WCW right now would do anything for ratings, and Russo and Ferarra is booking this crap. I'm sure the boys at Time Warner won't be happy about some of the phone calls they will get about this.
Sting had a weak role, as he first came out without facepaint, and got ROBBED of the world title. Oh well, he had an easy match against stupid Brian Knobbs, even though he used the bat on him, and the bat should be banned from WCW. Knobbs isn't worth the effort.
Norman Smiley vs. Bam Bam Bigelo in that hardcore match was the biggest joke that I've ever seen! Norman barely hit Bam Bam with the trash can on his head. Poor Bam Bam...doing the J.O.B. to Smiley..his career is going down!
Filthy Animals and the Revolution both had stupid roles throughout the night, as they were fighting over a missing Torrie. Each have their own little enemy in the forms of Chris Benoit and David Flair. The creative team is trying to do too much with this group...and what I mean by this is the fact that they aren't spotlighting their talent but making them attack each other.
World Title Tournament presented lots of matches last night, but I think it got in the way from establishing some good angles. Some matches were ok, and some could have been avoided. I did however, like that Goldberg actually lost a match!! WOW!!
Backstage interviews? I was about to scream for Mean Gene to come back because WCW did a ton of backstage interviews with Mike Tenay in the back. Damn, those were so boring! They usually cut into matches during the night as well.
Other Stuff like the guys formerly known as Skull and 8-Ball getting GOOD gimmicks as bodyguards for Russo. That was good. Jarrett is getting lots of good feuds early on as he is now involved with Luger. I thought it was disgraceful to how hard Ric Flair has worked for WCW to have him treated like that for the angle. Kinda cool to see David Flair finally grow some balls tonight. The tag titles are losing credibility each week. Nice to see Macho back...as I'm wondering how long he'll stay. Lots of repetition tonight, however, in matches of Saturn vs. Guererro and Benoit vs. Malenko. I've seen those matches too many times.
Last Word: WCW was trying anything to get you to watch, and if you don't believe me, that Outsider match was a good example. It seems that Russo and Ferarra are turning this federation inside out from what it used to be. Oh well, it's better than the old product...but tonight, I felt that they went a little overboard on a few things. Therefore, I'm giving Nitro a
Speaking of ratings attempts, the HO section with Henry, Viscera, and Godfather was a bit corny. But I guess it furthers Mark Henry's sex angle..which really doesn't have much to do with wrestling or sports entertainment. Of course, Viscera kept up the domestic violence garbage as well.
Oh boy, Too Much returned and in a few weeks they will be headlining Jakked..and maybe Heat!
Nice to see the Dinosaurs get beat up as Ivory won back her women's title. I hope Young and Moolah are finished with wrestling..forever! If the WWF rips WCW for old champs...they should look at themselves at times.
Go on WWF, just give someone a reason to hit another person in the head with a hammer. Very nice. I can see the headlines now: "Kid kills another kid with hammer after seeing WWF do it".
Good ol' Stevie Richards got some RAW time, as he had to dress as a common fan..or in drag to help Jericho lose the match to D'Lo and Chyna. I liked this match just because four of my favorite WWF personalities were in it. Too bad Stevie was destroyed in that match.
Mankind vs. Triple H....can you say Repetition? Those two need to wait at least 5 years to wrestle again to make it new after fighting too many times before. Nice to see midcarder image for life Val Venis ruin Mankind's shot. Even better, we have Al Snow coming down for the save. We are so blessed.
Kane's angle is rather interesting, as Tori is somehow involved now. Could we say 'love interest'. X-Pac made the save for Kane..which makes me wonder...you'll see in a sec.
Bulldog vs. Test in the cage was kinda lame, but it was awesome to see Shane McMahon jump off the top of the cage onto the Mean Street Posse. The WWF needs more of Shane wrestling than anything.
Acolytes are in stupid backstage or out of the arena angles, which have occurred for the past few weeks. I don't care for that, as I just want them to beat someone's ass in the ring!
WWF must be scared of something as they had DX reform last night at the end of the tag match. I think they want their core fans to remain, so they reformed DX to keep that. Just remember WWF what happened when the NWO reformed. History doesn't do well when it repeats itself. I wonder what Kane will think of this.
====$As you can see from the Phat Stats, the WWF didn't have too many winners in their matches..or at least pins. The WWF seems to be scared or they don't know what to do with X-Pac, NAO, and HHH. Something, as forming DX came out of no where. Oh well, maybe it will bring some of the stuff back to Triple H that made him cool back in the day. Overall, this show was under what the WWF can produce, but of course, they save their best for Smackdown. Their grade is a
Overall, I think Nitro is now the fast paced show, and RAW is now the slow paced show. The WWF is finding a style of their own now, and Nitro is now using the WWF's old style now. Both federations tried to get "cheap heat" as they put on segments that would only try to get quick ratings. Some were enjoyable, and some were ridiculous.
-ECW on TNN, according to Calvin Martin, pulled a 1.2 for their TNN show, which is very good considering many were confused if or when the show was going to be on. Last week, they had a commercial for a Monster Truck show for 8 pm, and they had the same in the TV listings. Maybe if there wasn't some confusion, the ratings would be higher. Plus, it will probably begin to rise now that shitty weather is coming in, and high school football seasons are ending. A little more people will be spending their time at home, or they could be somewhere partying indoors...maybe watching ECW. Whatever the case may be, I expect the ratings to gradually increase.
-Word now is that Vampiro is now staying with WCW. I guess he knows his only option is ECW, due to that dirty one year clause or half year clause WCW makes their wrestlers sign. Vampiro, I guess, doesn't want to become a part of the Extreme revolution, so his only real choice is to stay with WCW. Poor guy will have to work his way up the ladder in WCW again, and I hope this time around that the new creative team sees the potential that he actually has. (Credit: Huffman for the news part)
Since this is my one year celebration, I'm going to briefly tell you my story. Before I was Mr. Tito, I was just a common reader..reading columns and news from around the net like the next guy does. One day, I stumbled upon Lords of Pain. I don't know how I did it though, but from that moment I saw it, I was impressed with the accurate news, multimedia, and other great wrestling features that many pages didn't have. One day, while looking at the newsboard, I saw a post that just went up. It was a post by the webmaster, Calvin Martin then known as Painlord, and it was asking for a Daily Columnist. I immediately e-mailed Calvin, and to my surprise, I was hired! So from there on, I would send in a column to Calvin, and he would post it. My columns then were more of a rant column, as I used to just piss and moan about everything in wrestling. I then reverted to using more of a news column, but keeping the rants, and that's still my formula today. Anyway, Lords of Pain went down for about two weeks, and I was unsure of the future of Mr. Tito and my daily column. Then, LoP went back up, and I e-mailed Calvin to see if I was back on. To my surprise, I was presented a posting url, and now I could post the column by myself instead of sending the column in by mail. This was an honor to have as a columnist, so I then decided to work a little harder on my column.
I started off 1999 pretty good, and I started to write better since I was in a few English Composition classes in College. They really helped sharpen my writing skills, and made me write longer columns because it helped me express my thoughts better. I would then start getting noticed by many other webmasters, and I was on around 7 webpages posting my column. After dropping 5 of them, I was then exclusive to LoP and Top-rope.com. I would then try a whole bunch of specials, like angles updates, profiles, tape reviews, and even chats with various internet personalities. At the end of March, I started my infamous streak, which is still running today. I haven't taken a single day off since March 29th, and I've helped establish myself a little better as a daily columnist by doing so. I worked hard on the column all summer, but I about wigged out and retired at the end with school coming. I calmed down a little, and managed my time better, and thus the PDC continues. I just want to say thanks to everyone who has supported me, and I want to say thanks for reading. Also, I want to thank Calvin Martin very much for giving me the chance originally to speak my mind daily in my columns. He's the best webmaster around, and he gets my total respect for what he's done at LoP.
So by saying that, on to the surprise....
Due to the many requests for these segments, I decided to shake things up with some angles predictions for my one year anniversary of doing the Phat Daily Column. The following angle segments are based on my opinions and they are NOT factual. They are just my opinions based on news, current pushes, and thoughts on how the angles will happen. Enjoy.
Note: This is VERY hard with the new creative team in WCW. It's not as predictable anymore, but oh well.
Sting- I predict that Sting's final title reign will definately be his last. I think he'll eventually revert to being a face wrestler, or he'll remain a so-called heel. Whatever the case may be, I think he'll be used mostly now as a wrestler to put other up and coming wrestlers over.
Hogan- This is if he does come back.. I see the same thing with Hogan as I do with Sting. I think the new creative team will try to use him to put others over, but of course, the creative team just might rejuvenate his career. Whatever happens, he's not going to be in the spotlight anymore....but it might not be a work, and he'll retire.
Bret Hart- He'll probably get his most desired win over Hogan, if Hogan comes back, but it seems uncertain to me that he'll win the World Title. Russo and Ferarra like a champ with a newer attitude, so Bret just might get screwed again. He might win the World at the current tournament, but if he does get it, I doubt the reign will last. If he doesn't get the world, he'll keep the US title, and drop it to someone else to put them over.
Sid- WCW seems to be confident with Sid, as they will probably try to keep pushing him. The loss to Goldberg makes him "Goldberg's toughest opponent yet", and WCW will always milk that. That's an honor I suppose. I predict he'll go AWOL again sometime soon, or one of those nagging injuries will come back. I give Sid a year in WCW at most.
Goldberg- The growth to become WCW's top man will continue. Goldberg is going to be world champ off and on for a long time, and he'll prove why he's now "da man" in WCW. I don't really think anyone will ever pin this man fairly.
Chris Benoit- Russo likes this man, so he'll get pushed to the roof..like he should be! I expect even more good things for Benoit, and I see him becoming a main eventer! That's a dream come true.
Filth Animals- How are these guys getting the push as a group anyway? They will probably continue to wreak havoc, and I'm hoping they put out David Flair for good..oops! I'm only kidding there, but I don't really see the Animals being a force against main eventers. They will probably switch around that Cruiserweight title when it finally comes their way, and a duo from that group will always be relevant in the tag wars. I don't know where this Torrie thing is going.
Harlem Heat- Expect them to be going after the world titles a lot when they don't have them and defend them when the do, and I predict the WCW tag division will grow for better competition. Unfortunately, I don't see Booker T getting back into singles.
Dean Malenko- I'm not too sure what the creative team will do with this man, as he really has no emotion for their likings. He'll probably be used mostly to put others over, and that's a shame. I hope he jumps back into the cruiserweight division where he really belongs. He'll put Benoit over, but nothing else will come out of it. He'll help a group feud, but he'll never get successful from it.
Ric Flair- He's not retiring..I don't care what anyone says, he can't get enough of wrestling. WCW probably won't use him as much, nor will they try to push him. You can injure him however you want, and he'll always come back. I don't see any more titles for Flair, unfortunately.
David Flair- I expect Russo and Ferarra to put him in some kind of controversial angle...something that will draw attention. What that will be is out of my question, but we'll wait and see. He'll probably start by defending his dad...and then go on his own.
Diamond Dallas Page- I expect DDP to shake things up now that Kimberly is involved more. He'll probably have a few problems with Kimberly in the spotlight, and he'll attack anyone that looks at her. Hey, that sounds like Marc Mero and Sable!!!
The Cat- Poor Earnest Miller..the new creative team is undecided on what to do with him. I figure they will use his quality mic skills to their ability, and I expect the Cat to come back soon. That TV title should be his sometime..hopefully.
The Outsiders- If they unfortunately form the NWO again, look for them to strive in the tag scene. If they are just the Outsiders by themselves, look for them to strive in the tag scene. Wait a sec, that sounds the same. Basically, what I'm saying is that Nash and Hall will own those tag titles soon to help beef up that tag division. They will always be after Goldberg though. Look for them to add another member or so in the near future to get the band back together.
Buff Bagwell- Despite what Buff Daddy has been whining about on camera, I think the creative team will use Buff's charisma and mic skills to their ability. You never know, that television title just might end up around his waste.
Jeff Jarrett- I expect WCW to continue his WWF gimmick, by making him a complete redneck hardass. It's undeniable the potential of his character, and I see him possibly getting a title soon. Jarrett looks better as a champ.
The Total Package- This new gimmick has revitalized the career of Lugar, and I really do see him as a good US champ now. He could also just be used to put others over also, but if not that, maybe he'll tag with Sting again...make the tag division stronger!!!
Disco Inferno- This man just might be cruiserweight champ forever, and it's starting to look that way. The new creative team loves this man's attitude, so expect good things for this man. Television title for him as well. (The TV title seems like a bitch in this angles predictions segment, eh?)
Perry Saturn- Hopefully, this man gets a push because he F'N deserves it. He's a hard worker, and does what he's told. Give him a title! Unfortunately, I don't see this happening, and he'll probably be used to put others over. That's a shame.
Rick Steiner- He'll always be by Sid's side, ane he'll always be his henchman. I don't expect anything new from Steiner, except if he jumps into the tag scene again. I expect Steiner to drop the TV strap very soon!
Macho Man Randy Savage- He's back for the moment in WCW, and his performance will determine his future in WCW. That's all I can say about him.
Shane Douglas- I don't expect much from Shane, as fans seem to percieve him as more of a crybaby than a heel. Shane needs to get healthy, and he needs a valet by his side. He does have the potential to be a great heel, but he just doesn't have the tools.
Scott Steiner- If he comes back, the new creative team will elevate him. That's if he recovers from his nagging back injury.
Bam Bam Bigelo and Kanyon- Bam Bam is back, but Kanyon is still gone. If Kanyon comes back, I expect Bam Bam and Kanyon to keep the spirit of the Triad alive, and going after the tag titles.
Berlyn- He's another one who will probably whore out the television title, but I don't see it happening until he gets more over as a heel. Expect his bodyguard to start wrestling soon as well.
Dustin Rhodes- Or whatever he'll be called. I expect him to be somewhat like Goldust when he comes in, as in bizarre, but I expect a really evil twist to him. Since he's Dusty's boy, and since Dusty is a part of the creative team still, Dustin will get a push.
Vampiro- If he does decide to stay, he'll have to climb that ladder to the top starting from the bottom again due to the ignorance of WCW politics.
Luchadors- Still, no respect for their talent will happen.
First Family- Jobbers. Nuff said.
Meng- Same thing is happening...Meng will get pushed like a badass, until someone larger squashes him. I'm tired of seeing this every time.
Other wrestlers and talent- I don't expect much from anyone else, even Lash Laroux. He'll probably make a run, and maybe win the title..if that. Others, like some midcarders that I didn't mention aren't really significant. If I missed anyone, blame WCW.com's Superstar section. I also expect the new creative team to continue to try to wrestle women in "specialized" matches.
Note: Again, like the WCW, their creative team has changed..so this will also be hard.
The Rock- If you smellll....what the WWF's now biggest star is cooking. World Title is his soon, unless he gets screwed out of it at Survivor Series. He's too damn over now not to have as champ. This man is going to be the top star of all wrestling coming into 2000.
Stone Cold Steve Austin- He'll continue to be around the top, but he'll have to accept the Rock as the top man in the WWF. I'm really hoping for a heel turn, because that right there is a ratings grabber! Stone Cold, at this point, would be better off as a heel since it's hard to have two top faces. He'll get the World Title sometime soon.
Mankind- Poor Mankind probably won't see any title reigns for a while, and I expect him to mainly feud with strong midcarders to help get them over...to make a better Mankind. I don't see him in any super-hardcore matches anymore.
Triple H- He's losing the title, period, at Survivor Series. The WWF reformed DX probably because they don't know what to do with Triple H while he's not champion!! He'll probably bring back what the heel DX used to be, and hopefully he brings back the same attitude as well.
Chris Jericho- This feud with Chyna will ultimately decide his future status in the WWF. I think the WWF is giving him the ball here for one last chance at quick superstardom. It's up to Jericho here to bring real heat to this feud. If he gets it, the IC title is his..but if not, it's back to climbing the ladder again.
Dudley Boys- I don't see this duo getting the titles soon, but they will be used mostly to put face teams over. This duo has the potential to piss any wrestlers or the crowd off, so if you beat them, it will get a reaction. Maybe they'll get the tag titles down the road.
Hardy Boys- That double ladder match will get them the respect that they deserve, and I see the world titles coming their way again....but get Terri Runnels out of their lives. She just doesn't fit with the duo in my opinion.
Edge and Christian- They will probably be in the tag scene, but I don't think they will achieve much there. Both could go on their own and do well.
New Age Outlaws- Like before, they will be in the tag hunt, and occasionally do the singles circuit again. They will remain together this time, as there is no sense breaking up what works. They might be more powerful, however, together as a tag team now that they are heels with DX again.
Hollys- They are going to lose those tag titles real soon, but they will continue to piss other wrestlers off. That easy.
Al Snow- He'll continue to put others over until the WWF finds something that works for this lunatic. Al Snow really hasn't had a good opportunity besides the Hardcore title in the WWF.
Bossman- He'll probably keep that Hardcore title for a while, until maybe Al Snow beats him? I expect Big Show to really kill Bossman though. He's in for the squash of a lifetime.
Big Show- This cancer angle is just ridiculous, and it won't generate heat..just responses like 'that is lame!'. I don't really see much for the Big Show, as it seems like he'll never get over in the WWF's mind. I say, NEW gimmick, NEW tights, and NEW attitude...because I still see the failing Giant from his final years in WCW.
British Bulldog- No World Titles for you! He'll probably always be in the running for it, maybe to build up cheap heat, but the Bulldog won't go anywhere with the current superstars that are on top. I expect him to get some kind of title soon, but not the world. He'll help put Test more over.
Macho Man Randy Savage(if he does go to the WWF)- He'll be acting just like the Bulldog with the badass attitude, and how everyone doesn't want them as champ. He'll probably feud with Stone Cold, if that. His attitude from WCW might be good in the WWF now...and Gorgeous George would be great in the WWF as well.
Acolytes- This tough team will be mainly used to put other teams over. When you beat the Acolytes, you've defeated a tough team.
Kane- I still see X-Pac turning on him somewhere down the road, especially that DX has reformed. He'll continue to show signs of having a heart, which will make the X-Pac turn better...if that happens. I don't see him winning any titles, with the exception of the tag titles. Kane will continue to put others over. I think Tori will be his love interest now that he has heart, and that should be rather interesting to see unfold.
X-Pac- DX reforming might have saved this boy's career, as he was going nowhere as a babyface. He'll probably hint staying with Kane, and then stab him in the back.
Women's divison- Ivory won the title, and I expect the women's division to quiet down a little until the WWF finds a good contender for Ivory. No more dinosaurs!
Godfather- He'll probably continue his stuff with Mark Henry, and he'll continue to get his cheap heat from being a pimp. Nothing new here.
D'Lo Brown- European Champ for life. Nuff said.
Mark Henry- I see this sexoholic stuff continuing, and getting more and more messed up as it goes. Other than that, I don't see anything else.
Gangrel- Jobber for life without members in his Brood.
Headbangers- Tag Team jobbers...they can switch between heels and faces, something that is to their advantage to get them more matches on television. I don't see them being successful though.
Mideon and Viscera- They will be just a duo of tough jobbers, but it really wouldn't surprise me to see them win the Tag Titles. Not at all.
Val Venis- The WWF is trying their hardest to get him into a main eventer mode, but it's hard with that current gimmick. Not that I don't like the gimmick, but it's suited for midcard chaos.
Undertaker- Out with that annoying groin injury that might put him out until the end of this year. If he comes back, maybe expect him to re-team with the Big Show? I don't know, this one is too hard to call.
Test- I expect the wedding to eventually happen, with A) Test turning on Stephanie B) Shane McMahon causing the wedding to end, or C) Both Shane and Test causing a screwjob of a wedding. Test should see some gold down the road.
Ken Shamrock- No comment as he's probably finished with the WWF for now. He's still recovering from the neck injury.
Kurt Angle- Probably never get on television. Nuff said.
Steve Blackman- Nothing much the WWF can do with this man anymore. Lots of Jakked action for him!
Stevie Richards- He'll continue to be Dude Love until the WWF sees it fit to put him in another angle. The WWF is impressed with Richards along the side of Mankind. Great news for me!
Other Midcarders and less significant wrestlers- Nothing much out of wrestlers like Shawn Stasiak, Prince Albert, Mean Street Posse, or many other characters. I shouldn't say nothing much, I should say nothing new. If I forgot anyone important, blame WWF.com's superstar section or me cause I can't read.
HBK Shawn Michaels- It seems very unlikely at this point that he'll ever return to WWF television. He just might show up one time as commissioner, but you never know.
and finally....
the McMahons- Ok, here goes. Stephanie will get her memory back, and she'll try to marry Test again..but of course, something is going to happen at the wedding..which is where Shane fits in. Vince will probably just continue his role as kinda layed back, not favoring anybody, until he ultimately decides to side and push a wrestler. Who that wrestler or wrestlers will be is another story.
I hope I didn't forget anybody that was significant!!
@Oh my God, that's a lot of column! Well, I hope you enjoyed this one year anniversary edition of the Phat Daily Column, as I have enjoyed writing about wrestling for a year now. Thanks a million to everyone who have appreciated the PDC. I'll be back tomorrow with some ratings analysis, so just chill...till the next episode.
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