Random Thoughts: Wrestling and Football Don’t Mix, W.O.W. Not Ready for PPV

For weeks, WWF television promoted the debut of Vince McMahon’s newest creation; an outlaw football league called the XFL. Judging from the plugs, it was being sold as a league with dangerous rules, wrestling like nicknames for franchises, but mainly on the idea of featuring scantily dressed cheerleaders.

My worse fears were quickly realized watching last week’s edition of “Raw,” the days following the premiere of the XFL. I literally felt like the wrestling itself was secondary to pushing the XFL down my throat.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge football fan, having been a season ticket holder for a NFL franchise for the past seven seasons. However for me, the football season comes to an end following the annual super bowl game. I don’t need to watch a pro wrestling show only to be bombarded with numerous plugs for an inferior football product.

Like many, I tuned in to the XFL to accommodate my curiosity about the new league. My attention span for football had quickly passed, and I found myself bored, and quickly channel surfing for something more entertaining. Please Vince, allow me to watch wrestling when it is scheduled, and don’t turn your programs into infomercials for the XFL.

The W.O.W. PPV: On the same weekend the XFL premiered, Dave McLane’s all women W.O.W. promotion debuted on pay-per-view. The show was dubbed “Unleashed,” but probably should have been called “Unorganized.” While I have taken a liking to their weekly syndicated show, W.O.W. clearly demonstrated that they were not ready for PPV.

The difference was simple; the television show is pre-taped, while this pay-per-view aired live. The show was laden with blunders, including missed moves, out of place camera angles, and poor announcing. Many of the women competed in a swimsuit contest, yet a winner wasn’t announced because on-line balloting “continues indefinitely.”

The bright spot on the roster continues to be the vivacious Lana Star. She has great charisma, and naturally generates excellent heel heat. Mark my words, she is bound for greatness.

Chyna’s Trainer Strikes Back: Chyna is presently on a tour to promote her recently released book entitled “If They Only Knew.” In her book, Chyna rips the man that trained her for the ring, Walter “Killer” Kowalski. In an interview carried by the Slam! Pro Wrestling web site, “The Killer” explains that he is insulted by the way he is portrayed in the text.

“She's the biggest liar I have ever come across,” lashed Kowalski. “She had nothing interesting to put in there (the book) so she made up a whole bunch of garbage.” The wrestling legend refutes Chyna’s claim that she met a WWF agent on her own accord. “I introduced her to Shane McMahon,” explained Kowalski. WCW expressed an interest in her, but Kowalski convinced McMahon into hiring her.

WCW Squashes Cruiserweight Division: On “Nitro” last week, WCW bookers had Scott Steiner compete in three different matches. In the opening bout, Steiner faced four cruiserweight - The Jung Dragons, Jaime Knoble and Evan Karagis. The cruiserweights showed little offense, and were quickly disposed of by the massive Steiner. The match ended with a ridiculous looking Steiner recliner applied on three of the helpless cruiserweights.

Why would WCW destroy the performers responsible for starting to rekindle the at one time hot division? Even though a new company will eventually own WCW, it appears the idiotic booking will continue.

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