Hello everyone. Instead of answering email, working on my site, surfing the web, or doing anything else, I thought I would just write here for now. As I write I'm listening to Sarah McLachlan's "Surfacing". This is one of the CDs in my top 25 or so. I like quite a bit of music, but rarely does an entire album capture your attention. I went to buy the WWF's Sable video tonight, but they are no longer on the shelves. I had heard that they were being taken off the shelves, but I didn't really believe it. Either it was true, or people just ran out and bought them with all that is going on with her. I might as well start off talking about Sable. I can understand that if she wants to get out of her WWF contract then she needs to take some action. It would seem just getting out of her contract and keeping the Sable name should be enough seeing she could more than likely work in WCW (as we've already seen) and continue to have a career in mainstream entertainment. The part about the lawsuit as relates to her treatment in the WWF and what she was asked to do is what is confusing. If she felt this way, then why would she have did what she did at Fully Loaded in 1998 and continue with the WWF for almost another entire year? Certainly Sable has been doing things and wearing things that have been considered inappropriate for children for a long time now. I do appreciate what she contributed to the WWF. She really is the reason we have the women's division now, and probably why women are as successful on camera today. If the WWF did mistreat Sable, they should learn a lesson considering how popular she was. I don't think any of us will ever forget her first matches, or the first Sable bomb we saw. I know fans around the World were surprised by what Sable could do in the ring. I do wish her luck in WCW.

I think it's pretty obvious why Nicole helped Ivory win the women's title. This would upset Debra and Jeff and who is trying to upset them? well, Val, who has some type of "relationship" with Nicole. Ivory being champion could set up some good matches between her and Jacqueline or Tori, or hopefully Luna - if she returns.

Was anyone as disappointed as I was when the Greater Power was revealed. I certainly thought Vince was way TOO OBVIOUS. I guess I was wrong. And is now the time for Jake Roberts to make a comeback or what? Did you hear the reaction when his name was mentioned? It was fun guessing people like Jake, Mike Tyson, the Warrior, etc. I was so disappointed when it turned out to be the obvious. The only thing that saved that whole situation was Linda and Stephanie. That brought in a good twist to the situation and led to a very funny RAW this past Monday night. I couldn't stop laughing when Stone Cold changed how the phone was answered at the office. How many people wish they could do that? ha ha Now there is rumor of Shane turning on Vince at KOTR. I honestly wouldn't be surprised and don't care. How long before the fans get very bored with this switching back and forth? What is it now?: Shane tricked the fans by using Stephanie and secretly being aligned with Vince to get to Stone Cold, and now Shane will say he was secretly aligned with Stone Cold to use Stephanie to make Vince think he was aligned with him? Was that confusing to read? It should be, it's about as confusing as the plot goes.

I see the WWF has a new Divas website. Sorry, but I think the Diva term got worn out over the past year, just ask Mariah, Shania, Gloria, Aretha, Celine, Whitney, and Cher. I was supposed to have lunch with Mariah this month, but don't have anything confirmed. If anything does happen, I'll post the news to my Mariah page. Oh, let me get back to wrestling.

So I have the August 1999 issue of the "The Wrestler" here. Some of you may have heard me talk about this before. It really has come to be my favorite magazine. Maybe it's tied with RAW magazine though (speaking of which I don't think I've gotten a RAW magazine in awhile, better check my subscription). Of, I just found the June one under some papers. I'll have to read it and get back to you with my reaction. I can't believe I haven't read it yet. Anyway, on to the reason I like "The Wrestler". In a World where the Internet posts everything as it happens and more happens in one episode of RAW than happened in a month of Superstars of Wrestling, it's hard to buy a wrestling magazine that is current and able to maintain my interest. "The Wrestler" is one that does. Even though it is still a little bit behind, it is not about trying to report news and rumors, instead it takes a look at what is going on and more or less analyses what is happening. For example, Hulk is on the cover wearing black and holding a yellow t-shirt. An article discusses why we shouldn't trust Hogan. The magazine incorporates history in to what is going on today. I won't go in to detail, but here are some of the great articles in this issue: 1) the letters section is always fun to read, and we don't even have to read Kevin Kellys disgusting answers to young kids, 2) an article about how WrestleMania may be the only "special" pay per view left (absolutely the truth), 3) Thumbs Up and Thumps Down section, 4) arena reports, 5) article on Barry Houston (always nice to read about young stars), 6) interview with Buff Bagwell, 7) panel review (nice to hear that legends like Lou Albano, Fabulous Moolah, Killer Kowalski, and Mr. Wrestling II keep up with what's going on today, 8) scrapbook dating back to 1974, 9) article telling the WWF to do something about Sable (funny how they saw this one coming it seems), 10) a very interesting report on how successful Vader currently is in Japan and how America should prepare for his return, 11) ratings and a ton more. Pick up a copy, and it's only $2.50 in the U.S. No, I don't work for "The Wrestler", I just thought I'd point out a good magazine for those of you who still enjoy reading them. I get a lot more out of reading "The Wrestler" and "RAW" than reading rumors on the Internet. Lately I've just realized what a waste of time it can be reading all the rumors. Half never turn out to be true, and do we really want the surprise taken away anyway? Half the time that I do read ahead for the RAW results, I forget them by the time RAW comes around anyway.

I guess I should talk about my website a little bit. I know, I know, it is not updated nearly enough. I just don't have the time, and realize that whenever I can I work on it. It's purely a hobby. I am always thinking of how it needs to be updated, and I do hope I'll be able to update it more in the future. I've got some great writers now and I hope you get to read their columns "Turn back the clock" and "Small package". Of course some people say they'll write columns, write one, then I never hear from them again. Luckily I've got at least a few good writers. I get plenty of requests from people wanting things, information mostly, but what I really enjoy is people telling me what they like and dislike about my site. When all I get are emails wanting things, it's not very fun to think about my site. I'm not saying that I don't enjoy helping people find what they're looking for, but I mostly do my website to hear what other fans think, and I've always wanted my webpage to be a collection of ideas. I have thought many times about ending my website, but I figure I'll just continue, and when I have time to work on it - I'll work on it, when I don't - I won't. I don't think I'll have another RAW report til June 21, as Brandon is on vacation. If anyone wants to cover it, let me know. The June trivia contest and a new survey are in the works. Rather than go through everything, I'll just say that I'm planning to work on all sections over time and make them as good as I can.

I haven't been to a show since February, and really want to go to one. I missed (don't ask me how ) when tickets went on sale for a WWF House Show recently, so that show came and went. Hopefully one will come up soon. I have much more to say, but it's getting late. Take care everyone!

Hi everyone. It was certainly sad to hear about Rick Rude. He was one of my favorites. Those pictures I have posted of him were from a match against Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff, remember that feud? If I hear of an address to send cards or anything like that, I will post it.

Is it just me, or does there seem to be more wrestling on RAW when you watch it again the next day (if you watch it again the next day that is)?

The Ministry of Darkness angle is still very boring to me. What is the point of the Undertaker going after women, especially Stephanie. Austin is the champ and Vince doesn't like Austin, right? So what does the Undertaker stand to gain? Unless of course Vince eventually sides with Austin. I suppose Shane could get the Undertaker his match with Austin seeing Shane has taken over Vince's spot in this feud, but that still doesn't explain why the Undertaker went after Stephanie in the first place. I hope we see a good match this Sunday against Ken Shamrock, or else this thing is just too much. If the WWF claims that 1980s type storylines are no longer interesting, then why are they doing this?

I know I always say I'm tired of interference, but I still am. Instead of waiting to see who wins a match, we wait to see who will come down the aisle to interfere. Are we supposed to believe anyone could trust anyone else in the WWF? It doesn't make it interesting when a person goes from this group to that group, etc. I have to say I like the WCWs idea of what pro wrestling should be like, but I can't get in to their shows. I believe the WWF could achieve that if they tried, but they don't want to. It is possible to have good matches while still making the show interesting. The Undertaker stuff is too much for me, and boring.

Wasn't Kurrgan once one of the most feared men in wrestling?

It's nice to have JR back, but Michael Cole wasn't that bad. They should have JR, Lawler, and Cole do RAW. Forget about Kevin Kelly though. After reading his responses to kids in the WWF Magazine I pretty much lost all respect for him (that is if he really wrote those responses of course).

I'm glad to see wrestlers like Bob Holly getting some attention, but what about Too Much, Bart Gunn (I say just let him come back and Wrestlemania will be forgotten anyway), Kurrgan, the Giant Silva, DOA, etc.

The Ministry angle was supposed to make the fans side with Vince, but has that really happened?

Yes, I got all the Attitude Bears.

I hope to post more pictures. It's amazing how pictures that are sort of far away can come out so good.

I don't have any plans right now to go to any shows.

When are Terri and Dustin ever getting divorced? or is this another Shattered Dreams Production?

Independent promotions seem to be doing quite well, which is great news. It's a nice alternative sometimes.

I guess that's it for now. Let me know your thoughts on Backlash!

It's the day after WrestleMania, and here are my thoughts. Overall, WrestleMania was a good quality show. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I did enjoy it a lot, but I think it was somewhat of a surprise from what we are used to. I think they really made it more traditional, with stars like Boyz II Men, and not all that much interference. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad about all that, it just caught me off guard. Some of the matches just weren't as good as I thought they would be, or could have been, like Mankind vs. Paul Wight, and the IC match. There were a few things that were very predictable, and some that weren't. I think they did a great job of putting Chyna and HHH back together. For so long, I've thought Chyna was really on HHH's side, and just waiting for the right moment to strike. I was right about that, but totally caught off guard when HHH attacked X-Pac. I know HHH is on the cover of the latest WWF Mag. and talks about going for the WWF Title. So figuring Austin would win, I was trying to figure out how they would set that up. Now we know. I really never expected anything when they showed all of DX back together. I wonder who will lead DX now? I was thinking Test, but I don't know how he would work out. Then again, who would ever have thought the Rock would have the interview skills he has today. RAW should be great tonight. We'll find out where everyone stands hopefully, especially the Rock. With HHH going after Austin, I imagine the Rock will be going after Paul Wight. The Undertaker could always fight Shamrock, Test, Boss Man, and others. In the back of my mind, I was thinking maybe Austin would be the one to turn heel. I still think that may happen, but probably not til next year. Will there be room enough in the WWF for 2 Superstars as popular as Austin and the Rock? I do like the Rock, but it seems he mostly kicks and punches. The Main Event was good, but not excellent. Oh, it was really obvious HBK would come out when Vince thought he had his way. Can't help but wonder what a great match HBK could have had at WrestleMania had he been able to wrestle. Is it just me, or do the WWF cameras always seem to show the same signs now? I must have seen certain signs a million times last night. The Sable vs. Tori match lasted longer than I thought it would. I don't know about this Nicole. No comment til I learn more. What is the mission of PMS? just drive D-Lo and whoever associates with him crazy? It doesn't seem the WWF knows what to do with them. Debra on the other hand helped her team retain the tag belts as I predicted. It was nice to see the return of the LOD (remember they returned at last year's WrestleMania with Sunny). I hope Jarrett and Owen keep the belts for a long time, at least until the tag team division gets better. What kind of tag team championship match takes place where one of the teams have never even teamed before? I was surprised Hardcore Holly won, though not disappointed. Bart Gunn? I can't believe it. This doesn't make the WWF wrestlers look very good. If Bart Gunn is the toughest one around, and he gets beat like that in round 1, what does that say about the WWF wrestlers? I'm not so sure that was the best match to have on PPV. The Undertaker...what can I say. The match with the Boss Man was fine, but what happened after the match was boring. I just find the whole angle very boring. I like the Undertaker though. Shane was impressive, but you knew he might find a way to win. I would never have imagined it would be with help from HHH though. That's about it for now. RAW should be good tonight!

Hi everyone! Again, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write here. I don't have my magazines with me right now, but I wanted to talk about some articles in recent WWF magazines. A month or two ago there was an interview with Val Venis in either WWF or RAW Magazine. I was reading at one person's website how the article was so boring because all he talked about was politics. Well, I found the article anything but boring. I could not believe what I was reading. If you read the article, then you know most of his views, and I have to say I disagree with him enormously on just about everything he said. I might go through all the points at some point, but for those of you who read the article - you know what I'm talking about. After reading that article, it's really hard to like Val Venis the character anymore. I just got my RAW magazine yesterday and I loved it! RAW has become one of my favorite wrestling magazines. These days with the internet making information immediately accessible, it is harder and harder to find print articles about wrestling that are not "old news". However, RAW is always interesting and fun to read. One article I was impressed by was an interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin about hunting. Though I do not hunt myself and have mixed feelings about it, Stone Cold answered all the questions I would have asked him if I was doing the interview. I think it's great how he respects and can understand how others feel, and simply asks that others respect how he feels. That's the way it should be, instead of everyone getting all uptight all the time about differences of opinion. Anyway, it was good that he talked about how hunting safety is a priority for he and his family. Elsewhere in the RAW mag, there's an interesting look at what it's like for the wife and children of a pro wrestler, and all the worrying that goes along with that and being alone a lot. Mankind and Al Snow's families were featured, but no doubt the points in the article apply to a lot of wrestling families. In fact, when I met Howard Finkel, he said that is the hardest part about the business. There is an article with Sable in the magazine. It's nice to hear her talk about why she does the things she does, such as the Playboy magazine, but I still don't "get it" I guess. Her answers all sound great, but I think she is living somewhat in a fantasy world if she thinks men are thinking about anything other than one thing when they think of Sable. I don't think many fans in wrestling crowds are thinking about the "art" of what she does, or that she is a strong, successful woman. If she's looking for more respect like that (which she seems to think she already has), then she should concentrate more on defending the Women's Title. Oh, and Vince Russo's (I think that's his name) article about all the activist groups going after the WWF to further their own agendas, I totally agree. I'm not at all saying I agree with all the things the WWF does, but I don't think people should be using the WWF in trying to push their own questionable agendas. There's also an article about Shawn Michaels opening his wrestling school. I think it shows how much he truely loves pro wrestling and wants to give back to the sport. It will be interesting to see how his graduates do. I have more to say about recent magazines later, but now I'll talk about what's happening now in the World of Pro Wrestling.

Kevin Nash stated that the first hour of Nitro on 3/8/99 featuring no wrestling matches was just an experiment, and that it didn't affect the ratings. Well, first of all, it probably didn't affect the ratings because people were waiting around for a match. If they did that every week, I'm sure many people that watch WCW would start tuning in at 9pm. I think they are making a huge mistake with their first hour of Nitro. That hour is so important because they need to get the WWF fans hooked before RAW comes on at 9pm, and they just don't do that. They need to realize that is their only hour to get WWF fans to start watching Nitro, because after that first hour, WWF fans are watching RAW. Oops, maybe I shouldn't have given those tips, but I don't think it will matter anyway. This whole thing about how WCW is for the "old wrestlers" is something I wanted to talk about. First of all, guys like Flair, Savage, Hogan, Hennig, and several others are all legends in this sport, and I in no way want to be one to say they are irrelevant to what should be going on today. I think any wrestler who has given so much to this sport, that wants to stay in it, should be able to as long as there is some sort of purpose. What I disagree with though, is not letting the younger up and coming stars take over the main spotlight. The WWF has done a great job of letting young talent rise to the top, while enabling "older" superstars to be a part of the show, like Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco, George Steele, Jerry Lawler, and others. Speaking of Patterson and Brisco, I couldn't believe what I saw on RAW. I guess I just hate seeing perhaps the greatest tag team of all time, the Legion of Doom, receive this kind of hardship. When the ring announcer announced Shane McMahon's opponents and the LOD music came on they were showing the crowd and no one even moved. No one even cared that LOD was on their way to the ring. Only when everyone realized it was Patterson and Brisco did it seem that fans got interested. What if that had been LOD, would they have gotten no reaction at all? It's sad because here is a legendary team who has stuck around, but let the younger tag teams advance, yet they don't seem to be appreciated at all. That's disappointing to me, but I guess I'm only one fan.

I have to say I don't write here much cause I often don't think I have anything to say, that is until I start writing. I still have so much more to talk about, but no time. I guess I'll just force myself to do it, and then I'll find plenty to talk about I'm sure. Any reactions? send me email.

Hi everyone:

I never did finish the PWI ratings reactions, but decided to just try and write more in this section. First of all I'd just like to say I really don't see Chyna staying with the Corporate Team. My guess is that she will turn on them perhaps during the tag match at In Your House, or at Wrestlemania. Again, here was another incident where I watched and thought, "even though Chyna just turned on HHH, it means nothing, cause next week she could just be back with him anyway." Superstars turning against each other is just too frequent now. It no longer surprises us (though I will admit the Rock was a surprise at the Survivor Series), but in general it doesn't surprise us and we just are left wondering "is that for real?". Would Steve Austin joining the Corporate Team surprise us? I suppose in the end I shouldn't complain too much seeing wrestling is really good these days. One thing I was pleased about on RAW was seeing Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart win the Tag Team Belts. I'm really hoping this is a sign that the tag team division is going to go the way I was writing about earlier, back to actual tag teams and not singles wrestlers. I know Owen and Jeff were primarily singles wrestlers, but they have proven themselves as a tag team, with help from Debra of course. Plus, it looks like the latest Debra/Mark Henry angle will lead up to a feud between Jeff and Owen and D-Lo and Mark. I know a lot of people, including Bret Hart, believe Jeff Jarrett is highly overrated, but I do not agree. I'm still waiting for Kurrgan and the Giant Silva to get the push they deserve. The problem to me is how are fans ever going to accept the Giant Silva as a major competitor after watching him now. Kurrgan was once one of the most feared wrestlers, but not now. I do enjoy seeing George "the animal" Steele back. I'm going to a WCW house show next week and will have that arena report the weekend of 2/6-2/7. Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Dean Malenko, and others are supposed to be there. I'm not even sure the card. I'll try to go over and meet the wrestlers and get pictures that day. I do not have ringside, so will not have any good pictures from the arena I doubt. I didn't want to wait in line 4-5 hours for front row to a WCW House Show, so got 4th row of the floor in the center, which is fine with me. I'm looking forward to Halftime Heat, I'm sure most of you know who won that. I haven't heard much about Jesse Ventura the last few weeks. I'll have to check out his website. If you ever have any news on Jesse, let me know. NBC is in the process of making a movie about Jesse. I'm actually helping someone research the part. Oh, it was sad to hear that Shawn Michaels has retired from active wrestling. I remember hearing him say on Regis and Kathie Lee a few years ago that he wanted to leave when he was still a top star, and due to this injury that is what happened. However, I'm sure he still had many good years left otherwise. At least it looks like he won't be leaving completely and will continue to be involved with the WWF. Interesting that the person Michaels is now helping out is the person he had his last match with. I've found Billy Gunn and Road Dog to be just as good in singles competition now as in tag team competition. The hardcore division is great and I hope it lasts, unlike the lightweight division. Oh, and what is with the Oddities making room for the Rock, give me a break. Sorry, I'm jumping around here. When will Jim Ross return? I hope soon. I don't really mind Michael Cole, but I do Kevin Kelly. If you have ever read some of his responses to letters in the WWF Magazine I'm sure you would agree. I don't have them with me now, but his responses to kids letters in the past have been totally inappropriate. When I first saw the latest Undertaker angle on RAW I found it totally boring, but figured I'd wait and see how it went. I think it's a little better than I expected, but the real test will be when they step in to the ring for a match. There are so many wrestlers already involved that my question is who are they going to feud with? If they're going to feud with the Corporate Team, then they better do something to get the fans on their side otherwise it won't be too exciting. If they feud with Steve Austin or Mankind, well, that would be the Corporate Team and the Ministry of Darkness against them and maybe DX. Those odds don't look good to me. What is the point of a Royal Rumble if you can just step in to the ring, leave through the bottom rope and then come back later. That makes no sense. And how come no one really went after Austin with all the money at stake. I could not figure that one out. Sable and Luna had an interesting match. It's good to see the women's division has lastest at least this long, though it didn't seem like the crowd was that in to the match. I heard the Giant will join the Corporate Team. My hope would be he might be one to fight with Kurrgan and the Giant Silva, but somehow I bet he'll be after Austin. I realize Austin has his injury and all, but how much does he really do? Granted, the odds are stacked against him, but the biggest thing he does is talk. Al Snow and Goldust trying to outsmart each other is interesting seeing both are masters at mind games. Well, I really need to try and not be so negative in this column, but isn't that what wrestling is supposed to do, make us mad sometime. If everything was AOK, it wouldn't be any fun.

Part II (01/12/99)

RAW was pretty good last night (1/11/99), though once again they had a tag team title match with all mainly singles wrestlers. The whole Undertaker thing was very boring, but the Royal Rumble and Kane vs. Mankind were pretty good. Anyway, to continue here:

The Most Popular Wrestler of 1998 went to Stone Cold Steve Austin. What can you say about that? Probably no wrestler ever is as popular as Austin was in 1998, including Hulk Hogan. Runners up were Goldberg, the Rock and Dallas Page. The runners up deserved their rankings as well. Though the WWF may not have thought they could have 2 wrestlers as popular as Austin and the Rock at one time, I disagree. I suppose it's better for the Main Event at Wrestlemania the way they have things now, building up for a fight between Austin and Maivia. The Rock still has tons of fans though.

The most hated wrestler of the Year award went to Hollywood Hogan, followed by Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, and Bret Hart. Wait a minute, 2 of those people aren't wrestlers! Just goes to show you how much pro wrestling has changed. Hogan is probably my least favorite wrestler since leaving the WWF. First of all, there are far too many wrestlers in WCW who deserve to have the spotlight, yet Hogan is always in it. He decides to run for President AFTER Jesse Ventura becomes governor. He obviously wants to try and benefit from Jesse's success. I hope no one would vote for him if he does run for President. Unlike Jesse, I have never known him to be interested in politics until he watched another wrestler do something he hadn't. I have never heard of any kind of political background on his part, and how can anyone believe someone who goes on national television to announce their retirement, only to return less than 2 months later. I don't know how WCW fans can support him. Vince is obviously the most hated person in the WWF. Each week he gets on the fans' nerves more and more, and does a great job of it. I don't know about Bret. His joining WCW should have done wonders for his career, but it hasn't. I also don't understand why WCW turned their year-end special in to a 3 hour show about Hogan. I couldn't believe it and found it very boring.

The match of the Year was voted Undertaker vs. Mankind in Hell in a Cell, followed by Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin, Goldberg vs. Hogan, Taz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow. I saw all of these matches except for Goldberg vs. Hogan (which I did see the end of). I have never seen anything like the Undertaker and Mankind match. It was an amazing match. Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin also gave a pretty good match at Wrestlemania, though the ending was somewhat predictable. I can't really say how good a match Goldberg vs. Hogan was, except that I was glad to see Goldberg defeat Hogan. Taz vs. Bigelow was an excellent match. I haven't seen too much of ECW, but that PPV was a good one. Hopefully 1999 will feature more great matches, and a little less nonsense outside the ring.

The New Age Outlaws were voted Tag Team of the Year, followed by Sabu and Rob Van Dam, Kane and Mankind, and Kane and the Undertaker. The Outlaws have become a good tag team and are probably one of the only teams to have survived an entire year together with a great deal of success. Kane and the Undertaker made for a great team, but we all knew it couldn't last. The same goes with Kane and Mankind. The 3 of them are singles wrestlers and it goes back to what I was saying about tag teams earlier. The singles wrestlers joining forces rarely last long, while the teams like DOA who are trying to work together and get the belts just don't get the chance to do it.

I'm out of time for now, so I guess I'll have to finish tomorrow. Feel free to respond to what I've written so far.

Today I've decided to respond to the 1998 Year in Wrestling issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. This has been one of my favorite magazines over the years, probably because it does not favor any promotion. While I enjoy the WWF magazines, I like to buy PWI or the Wrestler every now and then as well. This issue (March 1999) gives the results of the voting by the fans for end of the year questions.

Rookie of the year went to Goldberg. I do not know much about Goldberg, or his wrestling past, but based on what he has accomplished this year I think he is deserving of this title. I know a lot of other wrestlers have burst on to the scene, like the Ultimate Warrior, but he had been wrestling prior to his big success. Sable, Droz, and Mark Henry were runners up. Sable proved to the world that she could do a whole lot more than stand by the side of Marc Mero. Not since Wendi Richter have we had such a popular female women's champion. I do think she has too easily fallen victim to the schemes of Jacqueline and Luna Vachon, but hopefully she will gain some experience this year and not be so easily deceived. I don't really think Droz was all that impressive this year. I thought he had more potential before he entered LOD 2000. Instead of the LOD name making him a star, it has caused his career to go the way of Hawk and Animal. Hopefully LOD 2000 can regroup in 1999 and re-establish themselves as one of the greatest tag teams ever.

Goldberg also received the award for inspirational wrestler of the year. Seeing I don't watch WCW as much as I watch the WWF, it's hard for me to say one way or the other on this one. I suppose the idea is that he achieved so much in so little time and that is an inspiration to people. Steve Austin being a runner up is no surprise seeing how well so many fans relate to Austin. Whether everything he does should considered to be inspirational is questionable to me, but who hasn't found themselves cheering for him at some point. Mankind is someone I thought deserved top honors. Even though everyone may not want to fall off the top of a cage, they see Mankind give everything he has to his career and what he enjoys. Mankind can give people inspiration to work harder for their dreams, just look at the crowd reaction and signs and you will realize how many people have his respect. How many wrestlers have that much respect from the fans. Shane Douglas was the other runner up.

Most Improved wrestler went to Booker T. Runners up were D-Lo Brown, the New Age Outlaws and Juventud Guerrera. The Outlaws have come a long way from being Billy Gunn and the Roadie. I really wish more teams could have their success. I'm not all that favorable to singles wrestlers combining to get the tag team belts. I think the WWF has plenty of good teams and they just need to use them better, like LOD 2000, Headbangers, DOA, the Oddities (Kurrgan and the Giant Silva should be at the top by now), Too Much, Hardy Boyz, Southern Justice, and more. I'm not sure how deserving D-Lo is of the award seeing he got help from the NOD and his role lately has been that of Mark Henry's sidekick. I think the Rock improved a great deal and I was very impressed until he decided he needed help from the Corporate Team. I do think the Rock will once again be a fan favorite this year though.

X-Pac got the Comeback of the Year award, followed by Sting, Dean Malenko, and Warrior. I would agree X-Pac is deserving of this title. He came back and proved to everyone that he is a great wrestler (of course I always mean pro wrestler, not a great technical wrestler or anything, who is anymore right? maybe Severn and the Harts, well there's some). It was rather nice that the fans at least didn't stand for the Warrior coming back and trying to pick up where he and Hogan left off. How could the Warrior ever return now? He was defeated and the fans don't care. I don't even think the WWF would want him back. Taking something totally 80s and putting in the 90s is just not going to work all that well in pro wrestling today, though George Steele is doing well I suppose.

Paul Bearer was named manager of the year, followed by Bill Alfonso, Tammy Lynn Sytch, and Paul Ellering. Do we really have any managers anymore? I know this may sound 80s, but to me a manager works with a wrestler and stands by them (at least most of the time) and does not go back and forth among wrestlers every other week. Who is Paul managing now? Oh yes, the Undertaker. Kane tomorrow? Paul wasn't even all that good at protecting himself, as he got caught in a cage and thrown down a sewer hole. I'm not sure how great Paul Ellering was. It remains to be seen how well he will help the DOA. With champions like Big Boss Man and Shamrock, and other top singles wrestlers, it seems unlikely that the tag team belts will make their way down to tag teams like DOA. I think managers still have a place in wrestling, but they just aren't being used that well. Debra is one manager that at least appears to be staying by her man and helping him win matches.

The Feud of the Year went to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. Vince McMahon, followed by NWO Wolfpac and NWO Hollywood, Eric Bischoff and Ric Flair, and Rocky Maivia and Ken Shamrock. What can I say about this one? Just when I thought the Austin/McMahon feud was getting boring, they have that funny hospital scene. At least they have brought more people in to it. The feud is mostly funny to watch and I think it could go on a little bit longer. More than anything I think Vince needs to realize that we're not going to believe that he dislikes all the fan-favorites. Isn't that sort of distinguishing between good guys and bad guys? I'm enjoying it now, but just hope they have sense enough to move on to something else once it starts to get old. This whole concept by the way I read was mostly Shane's idea. Again, I don't watch WCW all that much, but it seems all I ever hear about is this wrestler switching sides, or that wrestler switching sides. Like the WWF sometimes, we lose interest and wrestling losses it's excitement when people are going back and forth every week, turning on this one this week and next week helping him out in a match. Watching Severn turn on Blackman on HEAT was just kind of like "oh well, he'll probably turn on Owen tomorrow night." I don't know, as much as they try to surprise us all the time, the more surprises we get - the less surprised we are. Flair and Bischoff might have been viewed as copying the WWF had it not been for a real dispute outside the ring. This one could get interesting. I was surprised to see the Rock and Ken Shamrock as runners-up, but they did have some good matches early this year.

I'll have to finish tomorrow, RAW is almost on.