CIRCUMSTANCES

Due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, I will be re-taking over the daily update area of the lair. It was not my original intention to update the page daily as long as the newsboard and The Rave were in full steam, but I have learned some news that will require me to resume my daily news and rumors. Welcome back!

In the first bit of the day, in case you hadn’t known, the WWF romped the WCW in the ratings war and average of a 6.5 to a 3.3. The WWF scored a 6.1 in hour one and a 6.8 in hour two. Head to head, the WWF beat NITRO 6.8 to 2.8 and in hour one, NITRO got a 3.8 rating. Look to the Ratings War area to see the results.

I have received word that Dustin Runnels is looking around the WCW and is seriously considering retirement from the ring or at least leaving the wrestling arena until there is a suitable place in it for him. Now, this news was from someone who heard it from someone who heard it from someone...so it may not be that reliable, but that is what I am hearing!

All of these rumors about Hogan and company going to FOX to start a wrestling promotion are not too stable. Granted, FOX billionaire Rupert Murdoch is dying for a wrestling promotion that he can buy and call his own, I don’t think that Hogan is going to leave Turner just yet. As a matter of fact, I think that the best feud in WCW history is around the corner if the PTB can just get themselves out of the lime light and get the older guys to be content while waiting for the impending Old -v- Young feud. With the reformation of the nWo, do you think that it might be a tradition -v- nWo feud?

Apparently, the WWF is not forcing Debra to return to the TV screen as long as Austin is out with his injury. As you all might already know, both Austin and Debra are living together and they are seriously considering tying the knot. The WWF seems to be able to let them be happy and not demand that either make an on-screen appearance.

Lenny and Lodi have been commended for their great job as Standards and Practices. They, along with Ms. Hancock, have been highly commended in the locker room and they are even looking at getting themselves into some more on-screen wrestling in the near future.

Speaking of the WCW, I have heard that many of the folks in the back are in agreement with the PTB in the idea that wrestlers should be accompanied to the ring by valets. In case you haven’t noticed, the number of WCW women has risen greatly over the past few weeks...Asya, Torrie, Mona, Daphnee, Midnight, Medusa, Spice, Ms. Hancock, Lei-meow, Kimberly, etc.

I have heard that the ECW is looking into grabbing all of the former WWF talent and the current WWF trainees so they can pump up their roster. In this group, we are looking at folks like Tiger Ali Singh, Ahmed Johnson, and about five trainees including guys like Vic Grimes and Sickboy.

The WWF has been very supportive of Taz’s ideas as far as his own tough guy persona goes. As a matter of fact, the WWF has been very open to letting wrestlers develop their own characters without scripted interviews and without pre-planned catchphrases. Another one of these “unplanned phrases” you heard last night on Smackdown from the Rock as he asked if you could see it, if you could taste it, and if you could smell it. That will undoubtedly be on a t-shirt one day.

Vince and Shane McMahon are expected to return to the WWF in grand fashion and we may even see a return of the Corporation with someone like Kurt Angle as their centerpiece. Also, I have heard that the WWF may re-enter that gang warfare mentality by recreating The Ministry of Darkness around the Undertaker and Paul Bearer and they might even add a Shooters Club around the likes of Blackman and Shamrock. The very latest that I heard about this rumor is the idea that there might be a Canadian group surrounding Edge and Test. However, I think that we hear that rumor at least once a month!

That’s all that I got for today. Check back tomorrow for more news and rumors and don’t forget that the newsboard is the place to be when it comes to the very latest in wrestling news

Bye!!!