From: pmbarlow@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu (Pete Barlow... 'The Candy Guru')
Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling
Subject: Holiday card picks (re: Wrestling TidBits   -   12/17)
Date: 20 Dec 92 23:53:46 GMT
Organization: Miami University Academic Computer Service"

In article <BzF737.n4y@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca>, hekunze@jeeves.uwaterloo.ca (Herb Kunze) writes:
>  - WCW has Starrcade '92 on 12/28/92 from Atlanta's Omni.  Matches are:
>      - Masa Chono vs. Keiji Muto for the NWA Title

A funny thing.  Last night on WCW Saturday Night, they showed highlights,
supposedly, from a recent Chono-Muto match in Japan, with Chono winning.  Now,
if Watts allows them to work the type of match they're used to working, which
is much faster-paced than most (not all) North American matches, then the
highlights shown would be just points of reference.  On the other hand, if
Watts tells them to keep it down a bit, then those would indeed be highlights.
In any case, I like Muto to take the win and the belt.

>      - Ron Simmons vs. Rick Rude for the WCW Title

Another funny thing.  Most people on the net have Rude winning the title here,
but I don't think he will.  Mainly because WCW isn't exactly nuts about one guy
winning two titles, unless it's an NWA title and a WCW title... ie the Unified
tag titles.  But I don't think they'll have Rick drop the U. S. title, because
with the Lite Heavy tournament coming up in the first of the year, a second
tournament could be distracting... even confusing, to the marks.

>      - Sting vs. Big Van Vader in the finals of the King of Cable tourney

Sting to win big.  I think Steve has been doin' a little ass-kissin', and it'd
be good if he went into the UK in March with a title of some kind, so look for
him to score again sometime else down the road.

>      - Rick Steamboat & Shane Douglas
>         vs. Barry Windham & Brian Pillman for the WCW & NWA Tag Titles

Steamboat and Douglas to retain.  Windham and Pillman are just TOO different,
and Winham would be better cast right now as a single, and not as half a tag
guy.  His feud with Duh-stin Rhodes aka Nepotist Kid I would be much simpler if
he didn't hold half of the gold.

>      - The second annual Battlebowl match with 8 teams to be drawn live at
>         the PPV.  The only announced match is:
>           - Cactus Jack & Johnny B. Badd vs. Dan Spivey & Van Hammer
>           - Remaining BattleBowl participants: Sting, Dustin Rhodes,
>             Paul Orndorff, Too Cold Scorpio, Kensuke Sasaki, Jushin Riger,
>             Erik Watts, Steve Austin, Marcus Bagwell, Barbarian, 
>             Steve Williams, Barry Windham.

I like Watts to win the Battlebowl, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out
why.

>  - Dusty Rhodes' booking deal runs out in the near future.  There's talk
>    that he'll take a walk at that time since there's no way that he'll
>    keep the same salary.  Greg Gagne has been brought in to work on the
>    the creative team.

Two very interesting choices here.  With mainstay Rhodes doing an exeunt and
Gagne coming in to a questionable job at best, WCW could be preparing for its
third change of gears in two years.  Gagne was never a flashy wrestler...
indeed, he never really excelled either, even with papa Verne controlling the
action.  The only three things on his record are a tag title with Jim Brunzell,
and they lost to Crusher and Baron... a questionable move at best, as well as
the Int'l TV title, a title created SPECIFICALLY for him by Verne.  The third
was a day which was probably a milestone in modern wrestling... he was the one
that Curt Hennig turned on when Hennig made his heel turn so many years ago.
Most everybody knows Rhodes' history.  The question is, why would someone with
so much history with the league go without a fight, and why would someone with
NO history with the league be so easily snatched up?

>  - WWF has it's annual Royal Rumble PPV on 01/24/93 (or is that 01/23/93?)
>    from Sacramento.  The line-up will include:
>      - Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon for the WWF Title

I like Hart to win.  Hall just isn't a champion type of guy, not even with all
his machismo.  And it's on 24 Jan 1992.

>      - 30-man Royal Rumble, the winner of which will get a WWF Title shot
>        at WrestleMania.
>    The participants of the Rumble were reported in the Observer as being
>    Bob Backlund, Berzerker, Carlitos Colon, Crush, Damien Demento,
>    Ted DiBiase, Jim Duggan, Earthquake, Head Shrinker Fatu, Ric Flair, 
>    Owen Hart, Curt Hennig, Jerry Lawler, Rick Martel, Nailz, 
>    Nasty Boy Brian Nobbs, Repo-Man, Nasty Boy Jerry Saggs,
>    Head Shrinker Samu, Tito Santana, Randy Savage, Papa Shango,
>    Irwin R. Shyster, Tatanka, Genichiro Tenryu, Typhoon, Undertaker, 
>    Virgil, Koko B. Ware, Yokozuna.

Thanks for alphabetising.  I like either Flair or Hennig, depending on how
Vince wants to script February.

>    Potential other matches have been reported here as:
>     *- Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Janetty for the IC Title

Michaels in a snoozer.

>     *- Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Boss Man

If Vince lets Bigelow do his best, it's nothing doing here... Bigelow to win
easy.  Otherwise, it's a toss.

>     *- Max Moon vs. Terry Taylor

Moon continues his semi-push here with a loss.

>     *- Steiner Brothers vs. Beverly Brothers

Steiners with their first step to winning the WWF titles.

>     *- Undertaker vs. Nailz in an electric chair match
>    The last match looks to be scrubbed if UT & Nailz are in the Rumble.

Actually, if what I read here is to be believed, it'll be scratched anyway,
because apparently Kevin Kelly's character is no more.

>  - Apparently, the Steiners debuted this past Tuesday night at a WWF 
>    TV taping.  WCW let them out of their contracts early. 

Who said Christmas doesn't come early?  :-)

>  - WCW & New Japan co-promote the third annual SuperShow from Tokyo Dome
>    on 01/04/93.  Tentative line-up includes:
>      - Masa Chono vs. Great Muta for the NWA & IWGP Titles

Muta to win the daily double.  See above.

>      - Rom Simmons vs. Tony Halme for the WCW Title

Tony Halme?  Is THIS the guy that all the Japanese watchers have been bad
mouthing?  Is THIS the guy that was Scott Norton's tag partner in beating the
Steiners two months ago?  Is THIS the terrible heel?  Sorry... Simmons to
retain.

>      - Riki Choshu vs. Genichiro Tenryu

Haven't seen Choshu yet... but isn't Tenryu getting up there in years?  I like
Choshu.

>      - The Steiners vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Road Warrior Hawk

Will this have the IWGP belts up, as the Hell Lasers (Hawk and Sasake) now hold
those titles?  Actually, it doesn't matter... Lasers to retain, as the Steiners
have already hit WWF-land.

>      - Jushin Riger vs. El Ultimo Dragon (Yoshihiro Asai) for the 
>         IWGP Jr. Title

I've always liked Riger, and I've never seen Ultimo... Riger to win.

>      - Norio Honaga & Super Strong Machine & Tatsutoshi Goto & Hiro Saito  
>         vs. Kengo Kimura & Shiro Koshinaka & Akitoshi Saito & Kabuki

Not very surprisingly, Hiro Saito and Kabuki will grab the spotlights in this
match, but I like Kabuki's team to win... because I know nothing about most of
these guys.

>     *- Sting vs. Hiro Hase

Can you say Sting does a job, boys and girls?  Sting's bad luck in Japan
continues.  he lost to Muto here last year, and this year, he drops to Hase.

>    There will also be matches involving Rick Rude, Dustin Rhodes
>    and one other WCW wrestler.  No word yet on whether parts of this
>    card will be aired as a mini-PPV.

Damn, I hope so...

Anyway, there are my picks, for their worth...

TCG, pb.
Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling