February 19, 2001
- Dave takes one last look at business numbers from the year 2000. Overall WWF attendance dropped 4.6% but due to ticket price increases, they still made 15% more money-per-show than the year before. They also had 10% less sellouts. PPV buyrates were up 7%. Raw ratings were down 3%. This is actually worse than it sounds because the second hour of Raw was unopposed all year because Nitro dropped their third hour back in January, so in theory, the average number should have gone up, not down. But even facing less competition from WCW, the numbers were lower.
- Speaking of WCW, their business numbers are just about as horrible as you can imagine. Attendance was down 51% from 1999 (and 1999's attendance was down 46% from 1998, just to show how bad the last two years have been). Live gate numbers were also down 51%. Nitro ratings were down 27% and much like Raw, this is actually worse than it sounds. Because Nitro dropped the third hour, that should have helped the average. But nope. Down 27%. If Nitro still had the third hour, that percentage would have been an even bigger drop. PPV buyrates, which is the company's biggest revenue stream, dropped 69% (nice). All in all, it's easy to see how WCW lost so much money. Cutting the third hour of Nitro led to a big loss of advertising revenue. Lost ratings, lost house show business, low attendance numbers, and a damn near 70% drop in their main source of income.....it's not hard to see how they lost $65 million last year. But hey, Vince Russo's a genius.
- Bad, baaaad news for the XFL. The second week ratings suffered such a massive drop from week 1 that people are already writing the new football league off as a failure. The NBC game was also an embarrassing show that ran 45 minutes long due to a problem with the generator taking them off the air and the game going into double-overtime, causing all sorts of schedule issues. The late game forced the heavily-hyped episode of Saturday Night Live, featuring Jennifer Lopez, to be pushed back until after midnight and causing it to have its lowest rating of the year, reportedly infuriating SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels. Last week's NBC game was the #1 network broadcast in all of prime time. Week 2's game was in dead last place. Same thing for the games on UPN and TNN, and in fact, the game on TNN barely did better than RollerJam's debut. Basically, the ratings this week could not have been worse. The ratings have already forced NBC execs to come out and assure sponsors that they still support the XFL and are committed to sticking with it for the full season. But Dave says that's scary because they have a 3-season commitment and now NBC isn't talking beyond the next 11 weeks. There's also been a ton of criticism over the announcing, the quality of play, etc. and in the media, the XFL is already being treated as a laughingstock.
- The embarrassing presentation started early. During the game, they talked about one of the Los Angeles players having a wife who was pregnant and 5 days overdue but was at the game. Then they cut to a scene with Stephanie McMahon standing near a helicopter, ready to whisk away the wife to the hospital if she goes into labor, and teased that it might happen during the game as a way to keep viewers tuned in. Turns out the real wife wasn't actually there, the woman they showed was an actress, and it was just the type of dumb gimmicky bullshit that everyone was afraid McMahon would resort to. Then there was the generator blow out which forced them to cut over to another game for over 30 minutes while they got back on the air on NBC. There was also an 11-minute delay when one of the players ended up breaking his leg. During the Memphis game, the Kat stripped down to a bikini on the sidelines. On all the games, the commentary was constantly trashing the NFL, while every single second of the XFL came across like low-budget NFL amateur hour.
- So can it be saved? Dave doesn't know. The huge first week ratings were drawn by hype, mostly wrestling fans waiting to see what Vince McMahon was offering. But the first week didn't give wrestling fans the "extreme" wrestling-type product they wanted, and the football wasn't good enough to keep football fans. So by week 2, they lost both audiences in droves. Dave expects Vince to do as Vince does and start trying to turn it into a gimmicky wrestling show, but who knows if that will succeed. Dave doesn't have high hopes. If ratings continue to plummet from here, they're in serious trouble and Vince McMahon doesn't like to fail. But Dave is having a hard time seeing how the XFL can recover from this (yeah, this was pretty much it. XFL finishes out the season, but by week 2, they were already dead in the water).
- Eric Bischoff's proposed plan to shut down WCW for 3 weeks following the SuperBrawl PPV was nixed by Time Warner due to commitments already made to advertisers. WCW already has problems with advertisers due to the horrible ratings and the Time Warner execs didn't want to compound it by cancelling weeks of Nitro and Thunder episodes to which advertising had already been sold. There was supposed to be a big angle to take place at SuperBrawl to explain the company shutting down, but as of press time, that's been nixed also. For now, the shut down plan has been pushed back to either late-March or early-April. Right now, a lot of stuff is in flux until Time Warner and Bischoff's Fusient Media team finalize the sale, which isn't done yet. The sale is in the final stages and Fusient is meeting with Time Warner execs this week. They hope to have the sale finalized by the end of February though there's been talk that it may take longer. When the company shuts down and returns, Goldberg was expected to play a major role. But he just had shoulder surgery this week which was expected to be minor, but when they got in there, they found out it was worse than expected and now he's not expected to be return to the ring until at least May. Bischoff was in Los Angeles this week looking for new writers and producers to help run the new WCW.
- Bischoff appeared on the Observer Live show this week (but wait, I thought Bischoff always hated Dave Meltzer and never talked to him back then?) and spoke about going to Japan soon to negotiate with bringing in more NJPW stars to his new rebooted WCW. When asked about the decision last week to have Scott Steiner squash 4 of the hottest young stars in the company (Jung Dragons, Knoble, and Karagis), Bischoff admitted it was done poorly and didn't help anybody. Bischoff also talked about creating a cruiserweight tag team title soon.
- Riki Choshu worked a few NJPW house shows this week, on almost no-notice. So he's clearly coming out of retirement and the idea is for him to work a limited schedule, mostly just to help pop ticket sales when they're going to a city with low turnout. Antonio Inoki is heavily involved in booking NJPW now and he sees big money in NJPW wrestlers going against his own roster of "shoot" fighters, in sort of an outsiders-invading-the-company angle. The long-term idea is to help get Manabu Nakanishi over as the new top guy in NJPW because they see him as the guy with the most potential (never quite works out that way).
- Shinya Hashimoto announced the debut show for his Zero-One promotion next month, which will be headlined by himself and a mystery partner from NJPW taking on NOAH's Misawa and Akiyama. It'll be interesting to see who Hashimoto's partner is, since he hyped it up as a huge name from NJPW that would surprise people (it ends up being Yuji Nagata).
- Over in Arsion, the women's promotion in Japan, top star and manager of the company Aja Kong abruptly quit during a show due to business issues with the company's president. Dave isn't sure if this is an angle or not (not an angle. This was the downturn of Arsion and they'd be out of business less than 2 years later).
- In strange news, it's being reported that Hikaru Shinohara will make her pro wrestling debut in April. Who is that, you ask? Hikaru Shinohara is the daughter of Katsuji Murata, who is better known as the Yakuza gang member that fatally stabbed Rikidozan in 1963. She's been wanting to become a wrestler since high school, but her father always forbid it (I don't see much of her in pro wrestling, but she did get into MMA and has a 6-8 record).
- A Tunisian soccer player named Chokri El Ouaer was suspended for a year from playing after faking an injury. During a stoppage during a game due to some unruly fans, Ouaer rushed out to the field with blood streaming down his face, claiming he was injured by a bottle thrown by a fan. But turns out it wasn't true, because Ouaer actually bladed! Turns out his team was on the verge of losing the game and with chaos broke out in the crowd, he decided to pull a blade job in order to hopefully get the game cancelled. Didn't work. They saw him doing it and the game continued, they lost, and he's now been suspended. First rule of blading: don't let them see you do it.
- This is the first issue of the Observer since the early 90s that doesn't have an ECW section :(
- AJ Styles and Air Paris made their in-ring TV debuts at the latest Thunder tapings, losing to Knoble and Karagis in what was said to be a really good match. AJ Styles having a good match? I can't possibly imagine (they only have 3 more matches in WCW before it folds).
- WCW is attempting to get the racial discrimination lawsuit from Sonny Onoo thrown out and the judge will rule on it sometime this week. The key piece of evidence in the case is Vince Russo's 1999 interview where he talked about being an American and saying he doesn't want to see Japanese or Mexican wrestlers on TV and they'll never get over in the U.S. (I don't believe the case gets thrown out yet and in fact, I think it drags on for a long time after WCW is dead before it's finally settled).
- For the first time, in the WCW demographic breakdown, less than 10% of Nitro's viewers last week were under the age of 17. Needless to say, that's not a strong sign for the future and shows that among teen and kid viewers, WCW is basically non-existent. Normally, the average Nitro viewer age is 34-35 but with teen and kid demographic disappearing, the average WCW viewer is now 39 years old, which is traditionally very old for pro wrestling on TV.
- WCW looks to be offering Steve Corino a contract and are also going to give Simon Diamond a tryout. There doesn't appear to be any interest in Dawn Marie, since WCW has already cut almost all the women in the company.
- Don't expect to see Dusty Rhodes back anytime soon, despite the huge pop and TV rating he drew last week. Bischoff said he feels Dusty can still be used effectively on TV 2-3 times a year for a nostalgia pop but has no plans to do anything more than that with him. His appearance last week was only meant to help get Dustin over (he'll be wrestling on PPV within a month).
- Remember a month or so ago when Vampiro went on the Observer Live show and talked about how he was no longer with WCW and talked a bunch of shit about the company? Funny story. He is still with WCW and is still on the payroll. Whoops. And as a result of that interview, he was fined $5,000. Also, his pay was recently cut in half due to the time he's been out injured.
- Shane Douglas is out with a broken wrist and finger. When he returns, they're going to attempt to revamp his character (he never returns before WCW closes).
- Billy Gunn was on a radio show this week and said Road Dogg had signed a deal with WCW. Bischoff says this isn't true and said they wouldn't make a deal with him any time in the near future until his drug issues are cleaned up. He said if his problems were bad enough that WWF got rid of him, they don't want him either.
- Bischoff talked to Dave (he's sure doing a lot of that this week) about the loss of Meng, who jumped ship to WWF while still holding the WCW Hardcore title. Bischoff said it was an example of WCW being asleep at the wheel. He said he's upset that it happened but is happy that Meng got a job that can help him support his family, because he was working on a per-night deal with WCW that wasn't near as good. Bischoff said he doesn't blame Meng for the decision and doesn't blame WWF for poaching him, saying that if the roles were reversed, he'd have done the same to them. He said he was simply upset that the whole situation happened in the first place, calling it "typical of everything that went wrong" with WCW in the past.
- When the sale is complete, the salary structure in WCW is expected to be drastically changed. They still have to honor existing contracts, but when they're able to re-do them, everyone will be changed. Basically, everybody's getting a pay cut. There will also probably be other incentives built in, such as money-per-appearances, per-PPV, etc. WCW's current pay structure is out of control, with top stars making millions of dollars for doing very little work, and Bischoff realizes that's not a sustainable way of doing business under Fusient.
- Hugh Morrus was interviewed recently and was surprisingly candid and open. It's surprising because, with the impending sale, everyone, even the top stars, have been walking on eggshells and being careful about what they say publicly. Morrus talked about how hard it is to get over in WCW, saying that if you start getting over or selling more merch than the top guys, it's like signing your own death warrant because they'll cut you off at the knees and make you start over again. He said he hated the name Hugh G. Rection and refused to sign autographs with it and hated that he couldn't even explain the name to his own kids, but he was forced to go along with it. Classic Russo.
- This week in WWF raiding ECW talent news: Justin Credible debuted on Raw, still using that name. They referred to him as a former ECW champion, leading Lawler to jokingly ask if ECW even still existed. Jerry Lynn and Tajiri both signed WWF deals this week, believed to be 3-year deals with $125,000 downside guarantees. Rhino has also signed, believed to be for slightly less. There's minor interest in Super Crazy but not much. McMahon has never been a fan of Mexican wrestling and doesn't see money in him. There was talk about offering him an $85,000-per-year deal but Super Crazy has said any offer less than Tajiri would be a slap in the face and he wouldn't be interested. WCW is said to be interested in him though, but until the sale goes through, they aren't signing anyone to long-term contracts. If that doesn't pan out, he may just continue working in Puerto Rico and for AAA. And of course, nothing new on Paul Heyman. The WWF offer still stands, but he's holding out hope that he may still be able to pull together a deal to save ECW.
- Shawn Michaels has signed a new long-term WWF contract. His previous contract was almost up and WWF didn't want to put him back on TV and build him up, only for his contract to expire and have him jump ship to WCW. So they decided not to put him back on TV until he signed a new deal, so expect him back on TV soon.
- Kurt Angle filmed an AT&T commercial this week.
- WATCH: Kurt Angle 2001 AT&T commercial
- Killer Kowalski wasn't the only person Chyna talked shit about in her book. Former WCW wrestler Asya caught some of it too. If you don't remember Asya, she was WCW's version of Chyna. Big muscular woman. Anyway, Asya responded to Chyna's comments about her, saying, "I feel let down somewhat. Here's an individual whom I thought could be a great role model for heavily muscled women wrestlers. Unfortunately, to my surprise, Chyna seems to be lacking a major part of her well being. Maybe someday when her feet come back down to Earth, she'll realize how lucky she got being at the right place at the right time. Chyna didn't get hired because of her wrestling skills. No, Chyna, you got hired for your amazon status. Same as me. The fact is, Chyna, you need to stop believing your own hype. Vince McMahon made you a star. Joanie didn't make Chyna. The McMahons made Chyna. Vince gave you the world. You say you paid your dues? In what, three plus years to the top? Try telling that face-to-face to Madusa, another one you ripped in your book. Here is a woman who paved the way for women like you and me in this business. A woman who has wrestled for 15 years. She can wrestle circles around you. She would beat you in a shootfight any day of the week. The nerve of you to bury Bill Goldberg. He's a great athlete with a huge heart. He's done so much for kids. Isn't that what life is really about, supporting our real heroes. Yes, I'm talking about sick and dying children who wrestle for their lives every day. Bill knows the most important aspect of being a superstar is for the kids, it's not about ourselves. Chyna, you need to stop living in a fantasy world and live in reality. You are at minute 13 and a half of your 15 minutes of fame. You better enjoy it. I wish I still had my job at WCW, but I don't. I didn't get the lucky breaks and the push you got. I'm even beginning to wonder if the rumors are true that you blocked me getting into the WWF after all. What are you worried about anyway. Afraid of a little competition?" Dave says there's validity in the comments, as Chyna trashing Madusa and Goldberg in her book was uncalled for, and that Madusa in particular paid a lot more dues and worked a lot harder to get where she is than Chyna ever did.
- Chan. 4 in the UK was fined by the Independent Television Commission due to complaints from viewers over a Smackdown segment last year where Rikishi used a sledgehammer to destroy a car and threatened to hit Jim Ross with it. Even though he never used the sledgehammer as a weapon on a person, the ITC ruled it violated regulations on TV violence or something during a time when kids are watching. The ruling stated, "The ITC recognizes that American professional wrestling is essentially a mixture of soap opera and pantomime which, in general, viewers do not take seriously. But certain conventions and limits must be recognized, especially when children could be watching in numbers. Fighting staged away from the ring and the presence of weaponry are two elements that can give rise to problems. In this instance, very real aggression had been displayed in the destruction of a vehicle which had been followed by a violent threat to a prostrate and defenseless man in a location that was far removed from the conventions of the ring. The program breached the Program Code's requirements in respect to the portrayal of violence in programs." Lol.
- During last week's XFL game, lead announcer Matt Vasgersian reportedly had Vince producing him in his ear the entire game, which Vasgersian wasn't a fan of (yeah, turns out not many people are). Whenever Vasgersian began talking about a player's previous NFL background, Vince yelled at him to stop. Vince's feeling was that most of the XFL players have some background in the NFL but they all pretty much failed in the NFL and he doesn't want to bring attention to it. Before the end of the game, Vince was so frustrated with Vasgersian that he had already made the decision to make Jim Ross the lead announcer for week 3's NBC game. (Yeah, Vasgersian talks about this in the XFL documentary I think. He was none too pleased to have Vince screaming in his ear while he was trying to do his job).
- Dave says the demographics of Smackdown's ratings are interesting, because the show is far more popular in non-white households. Overall, Smackdown is usually somewhere in the 80s in the weekly ratings. But among black households, last year, it finished in 13th place. Among Hispanics, it's even more popular, ranking in at #3 (behind The Simpsons and Monday Night Football). It's interesting because despite these numbers, modern day WWF has never attempted to market to ethnic appeal. Usually they just go for vaguely racist ethnic stereotypes. WCW had great success marketing to the Hispanic audience a few years ago. Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in America and have a deep history and cultural affection for pro wrestling so Dave thinks it's kinda crazy that WWF has never even attempted to tap into that market by creating a popular Latino star (they'd finally get there with Mysterio and Eddie, and have spent years since then trying to recapture it with no success).
- Lisa Marie Varon, who was one of Godfather's hos using the name Victoria, will make her WWF in-ring debut soon. She's been training in Memphis for weeks and they seem to be high on her potential.