The Wrestling Observer Yearbook '97: The Last Time WWF Was Number Two

by Dave Meltzer

The main stipulation would be that Heyman would apologize to Cornette’s friend and long-time rival promoter Dennis Coraluzzo about the incident where Coraluzzo was double-crossed regarding the NWA title tournament a few years back when ECW hosted the tournament in late 1994, then had Shane Douglas throw down the belt and actually used the tournament to create Douglas as the first ECW world champion instead.

  Both sides agreed to bury the hatchet in their longstanding war in that Coraluzzo wouldn’t try to cost ECW dates, and ECW would allow Coraluzzo to use ECW talent when there isn’t a conflicting date without putting heat on the boys for working Coraluzzo’s show. Cornette would also be in control of the angle that would be done. Heyman sent a limo to pick up both Coraluzzo and Cornette and bring them to the Arena and apologized to Coraluzzo, and Coraluzzo started to apologize back when Heyman said that both would start with a clean slate.

  Exactly where this angle is going is hardly clear, although Cornette is expected to manage Lawler on 7/11 in Asbury Park, NJ and perhaps on the other dates Lawler will work in ECW. Lawler only has a few dates booked with ECW, the Asbury Park show, the 7/19 show at the ECW Arena, and the 8/17 PPV show. Cornette is expected to be cutting at least one interview to build up his future appearances although nothing is 100% Supposedly Cornette also wanted Heyman to apologize to Coraluzzo in front of the boys and let the boys know they could work for Coraluzzo and it was sort of agreed that would take place some time in the future. Cornette was only in the dressing room for a short period of time before doing the angle while Coraluzzo never left the limo.

  JULY 7

  Paul Heyman was listed on the format sheet as the new co-host of Shotgun Saturday Night which is why they did the angle “firing” Pillman from the show. However, Heyman claimed he didn’t even know about it and that WWF had sent him a ticket to Des Moines for a surprise but he has no interest in hosting the show. Don’t know who the new co-host will turn out to be.

  Heyman and Vince McMahon had a meeting on 6/27. Word has it McMahon was furious at Heyman for bringing up Eric Bischoff’s name on Raw and mentioning Nitro, but Heyman said McMahon never brought either subject up at the meeting but said the relationship between the two groups could be hitting the rocks and said there was a lot of heat between McMahon and Van Dam over the finish the previous week.

  Some WWF wrestlers are also hot about the double standard on their own show when it comes to ECW. The feeling is that almost anyone if they’re allowed to break tables could get over but the WWF guys aren’t allowed to do it and Sabu was allowed to brawl and Van Dam allowed to do topes into the guard rail which WWF guys aren’t allowed to do and it got both of them over at a time when so many WWF wrestlers are having a hard time getting over.

  JULY 7

  There is a lot of talk that USWA is going to shortly wind up being a WWF satellite company, particularly since Tom Prichard is moving to Memphis to head the WWF training program which will include working this promotion. Currently the group is being funded by a guy from Cleveland who runs a chain of massage parlors.

  JULY 14

  The much talked about ECW/WWF relationship appears to be very close to falling apart as the so-called ECW match was pulled from the SummerSlam PPV.

  Technically, a match involving Jerry Lawler (or Sabu) & Rob Van Dam vs. Sandman & Tommy Dreamer was at no point ever officially on the card, but there was at least a working understanding that they were building to that match likely for SummerSlam, or if not, for the subsequent PPV show in September in Louisville. Given that USWA is pushing a similar feud currently on its television, it shouldn’t be a surprise if a deal is put back together for that match in Louisville.

  To say the situation between the two companies over the past week is hard to figure would be an understatement. Paul Heyman claims the WWF had discussed with him doing an ECW match at SummerSlam but the two sides hadn’t finalized an agreement, both financially and otherwise, regarding such a match. WWF claims that match wasn’t in the plans for SummerSlam of late.

  WWF sources said that Heyman agreed to co-host Shotgun Saturday Night beginning with the show taped 6/30 in Des Moines, IA, which is why they shot the angle on 6/23 to eliminate Brian Pillman from the broadcast booth. Heyman claimed he was never asked to do the show, only that they sent him a ticket to Des Moines and indicated they had a surprise for him. Heyman’s name was on the format sheet as the co-host with Jim Ross for the Shotgun show in Des Moines, but since he wasn’t there, he was replaced by his “good friend” Jim Cornette.

  All week long WWF officials attempted to get hold of Heyman from the afternoon when he wasn’t in Des Moines, with no success. WWF officials were doubly frustrated claiming that Heyman never called the building in Des Moines to say he wasn’t going to be there, but only left a message on Bruce Prichard’s answering machine at home, knowing full well Prichard was in Iowa at the time. In addition, Chris Candido was in Des Moines as he is at most Raw tapings to accompany his fiance, and WWF officials claimed Candido also couldn’t get a hold of Heyman, although other sources indicated that Candido and Heyman were actually in regular contact that day via the cell phone.

  As late as Thursday, when voice-overs were being done for the weekend Shotgun show, WWF officials were still trying to contact Heyman figuring they could chromo key him in the studio since almost all the actual voice-over work for the show is done in studio later in the week and the live show is mainly just for stand-ups and live interviews. As of press time, there has been no contact between Heyman and WWF, although there probably will be before any of you read this and once that happens, the entire situation could change again. Since there has been no contact, the situation seems to be that nobody really knows where this thing is headed.

  Heyman’s feeling is that while he was intrigued with the idea of doing the Ch. 31 show in New York which WWF is paying $7,000 per week to get weekly broadcast syndication back in the market and doing New York specific commentary, particularly since ECW has a 2 a.m. time slot coming on the same station, that there were too many problems and wasn’t as interested in doing commentary on the national version of Shotgun. He felt he couldn’t, for example, put over Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith as a great tag team on WWF without bringing up the Dudleys or Eliminators, that he couldn’t talk about Ken Shamrock as a shooter without putting over Taz, put over Sasuke’s high risk moves without bringing up Sabu, etc. with the fear he’d turn his territory into what Jerry Lawler turned USWA into where it became obvious to the home folks that they were a minor league group.

  All of this came on the heels on the problems on 6/30 in Detroit at the Raw taping where WWF officials were upset with the behavior of Sabu and Rob Van Dam in complaining about or not doing, respectively, the asked for finishes. Talks with WWF and Heyman give a totally different viewpoint on where Heyman stood in that situation. The WWF claimed Heyman was totally apologetic and embarrassed about the behavior of Sabu and Van Dam in Detroit, while Heyman himself says he backed Sabu and Van Dam all the way and it was largely he that was upset about his main eventers not going over on WWF preliminary wrestlers on television.

  Heyman and McMahon had a meeting on 6/27 where McMahon complained to Heyman about the behavior of Sabu and Van Dam at the tapings both in not doing the finishes asked and also of Sabu running through the crowd but the meeting didn’t end on a note where anyone figured the relationship was over.

  As in any situation of this type, both sides become subconscious over who is getting the better of the deal. ECW was getting its company publicity and adding visibility in new markets to its cult following. The appearances of ECW talent haven’t appeared to have made any positive difference in the Raw ratings, which was the WWF’s hope, but nor have they been a detriment in the ratings, as was many people’s fear.

  In yet another aspect of this situation, Joey Styles (real name Joe Bonsignore) has been making noises about suing the WWF because he appears in the Steve Austin video and the WWF never asked for his permission. Styles, citing the Jesse Ventu
ra verdicts as a precedent, was in specific referring to the Austin interview while in ECW where he mocks Hulk Hogan and Styles is part of that interview.

  The footage to promote the video aired on Raw on 6/30 with the tag line courtesy of ECW. Heyman claims that WWF only asked his permission to use an Austin interview where he calls Nancy Sullivan a $5 piece of ass and says that he can’t help it if she married a midget, and Heyman said that he was asked for it to be on broadcast television as opposed to being in a home video, which go under totally different guidelines legally. Yet in this day and age, particularly in the wake of the Ventura verdict, it is hard to believe the WWF would make such an elementary mistake in packaging a video without getting specific written permission in regard to any outside footage.

  ECW and USWA are continuing their angle, with the 7/13 show in Memphis including matches with Lawler & Brian Christopher vs. Sandman & Dreamer and Taz & Candido vs. Sabu & Van Dam. Lawler and Jim Cornette are both scheduled to work for ECW on 7/11 in Asbury Park, NJ and Lawler is booked on at least two other ECW dates—the 7/19 ECW Arena show and the 8/17 PPV show. USWA officials are trying to book ECW talent into Louisville, since the first Lawler vs. Dreamer match, which only drew about 560 in Memphis, drew 900 into Louisville a few nights later.

  JULY 21

  Latest on the Paul Heyman claims and counterclaims. According to sources in the WWF, not only did they have Heyman’s permission to put the short Austin ECW clip on the Stone Cold video, but that it was Heyman who brought them the clip personally. They also claim that Heyman and Vince McMahon specifically discussed the Shotgun co-host position and Heyman accepted it, but they held off announcing it because Heyman said he wanted to break it to his wrestlers before it became public knowledge.

  This version is somewhat corroborated by the fact it was something of common knowledge within the WWF the week before Des Moines that Heyman was going to replace Pillman as the co-host on Shotgun starting with the 6/30 taping. WWF version is they shot the Pillman angle on 6/23 to get him off the show since Heyman had agreed. They also claim that as it regards the 6/30 flight to Des Moines, that Heyman specifically talked to WWF in regard to getting the ticket as to what time leaving and coming back and what airport to fly out of would be most convenient for his tight schedule, and that they had rearranged the voiceover day from Friday to Thursday for Shotgun because Heyman had told them Thursday would be easier on his personal weekly schedule.

  Heyman’s version is that the WWF has to lie about everything so they come off publicly looking good since they tried to double cross him on the finishes in Detroit. Dennis Coraluzzo said that both Heyman and Chris Candido had promised that Heyman would apologize to him in front of the boys as a concession to get Jim Cornette to work the last ECW Arena show and that Heyman’s version of the story in the Observer last week was a total lie.

  He said that Candido told him during the week to come to either Wildwood, NJ or Asbury Park, NJ to the ECW show and Heyman would apologize to him in front of all the wrestlers. Coraluzzo said that he decided even for Heyman that would be too humiliating and only wanted him to tell the wrestlers it was okay to work his shows. Candido told him Heyman told the wrestlers over the weekend that it was okay to work for Coraluzzo, but Coraluzzo claims when he talked to wrestlers he was interested in using, they told him they had never been told it was okay by Heyman and that the only thing said over the weekend in that regard was that Dreamer and Tod Gordon told wrestlers it was okay to work for Robin Hunt.

  Supposedly Cornette’s take on the entire situation is that he never trusted Heyman but that he got a limo ride, a free meal, a good payoff and some good press for doing the angle so he figures it turned out okay, but that he’s not doing the 7/19 show and has no plans of going back.

  As far as the WWF/ECW situation goes, neither side would categorize it as dead although with the exception of Heyman being talked with on Candido’s cell phone when Candido was in Edmonton for Raw on 7/7, there has been no conversation between Heyman and WWF officials.

  Heyman said that he’s interested in getting an ECW match on SummerSlam, both because it would expose his main events on a PPV with a solid sized audience, and also politically it would be a smart move because numerous cable systems, most notably on the Viewers Choice side and Time Warner in New York, still aren’t carrying the 8/17 show. It would be hard to justify that decision when his main eventers were just on a WWF PPV show two weeks earlier and didn’t cause any furor. Obviously at this point there are no plans in the WWF to put an ECW match on SummerSlam and odds against that changing appear to be quite slim. But who knows, tomorrow it could all change.

  JULY 28

  Paul Heyman said it’s absolutely untrue that he gave the WWF the tape of Steve Austin doing Hulk Hogan impression for use on the Stone Cold video that has turned into such a controversial situation. Joey Styles is still said to be planning on suing WWF over the video. Heyman said if you see the tape it’s obviously dubbed from VHS because of the quality and not dubbed from 3/4 or Super VHS as a professional dub would be.

  AUGUST 11

  Heyman had a meeting on 7/31 at Titan Towers with Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard and Jim Ross basically opening up the closed lines of communication. While nothing definite, as far as a date and an angle was confirmed, McMahon apparently told Heyman that if he had any ideas on angles that would benefit both companies to present them to him, and both sides talked a lot about the 9/22 live Raw show from Madison Square Garden, but saying that ECW will definitely be part of that show appears at this point to be premature, but certainly a possibility. Most likely nothing of that nature would happen before the MSG show, so Heyman won’t be able to get last-minute WWF exposure to attempt to bolster the buy rate of his 8/17 PPV show.

  The war of words, with each side calling the other liars in regard to every aspect of the break-up, of Heyman’s not doing the Shotgun show as WWF said he had agreed to do, and of the Steve Austin video with the brief ECW clip, will apparently slow down for a few weeks as both are allies against the common WCW enemy. Sources in the WWF claim Heyman had been on the WWF payroll for quite a while before the relationship cooling off when, from the WWF side, Heyman no-showed the 6/30 show in Des Moines, IA where he was scheduled to start as the color commentator on Shotgun Saturday Night.

  The WWF had claimed Heyman had told them to keep that news quiet because he didn’t want his wrestlers finding out before he told them himself. He then never told them and never showed up either in Des Moines or for the voice-overs. Heyman still insists he never agreed to do it and even still claims it was never even brought up to him before hand. According to other WWF sources, while most of the key people in the organization were soured at the conduct of Sabu and Rob Van Dam at the Detroit taping, the door has not been shut to potentially doing business with them again should WWF find it beneficial.

  SEPTEMBER 15

  There has been a lot of talk of late of WWF taking over the Memphis territory if the current ownership group pulls out. WWF wants to use the territory and control the booking of the territory as a way for its younger wrestlers under contract to gain experience.

  The ECW relationship is different. The belief is that ECW fans are both too impatient and unforgiving for inexperienced wrestlers to work there and not be psychologically driven right out of the business, plus the style that they’d learn to get over in ECW wouldn’t be applicable to the style they’d have to work in WWF. However, WWF does want to send contracted talent that they haven’t used correctly and have talent and experience such as Al Snow and P.J. Walker to ECW to get repackaged. Paul Heyman inquired about using Furnas & LaFon when they’re ready under similar circumstances.

  DECEMBER 1

  There had been some kind of an unofficial agreement between WWF and ECW that WWF would help publicize the PPV show. Originally Paul Heyman was supposed to shoot a taped segment for Raw, but he never sent the tape for either the 11/10 or 11/17 shows because they were going to be so dominated by the Bret H
art situation and he felt anything about his company would be so secondary that from a positioning standpoint it would be buried.

  Heyman offered WWF a Sandman & Dreamer vs. Sabu & Van Dam tables and ladders match for the 11/24 Raw in Fayetteville which the WWF turned down. He did send two quick bumpers to the 11/24 show, however they didn’t air, and the show was only mentioned once in passing by Jim Ross and then Jim Cornette basically ran it down. They did mention ECW had bought ads which would be seen on the weekend programming.

  6 – WCW Attempts to Purchase NJPW

  MARCH 3

  Yet another story with some almost mind-boggling political implications involves Eric Bischoff and WCW’s attempt to have Turner Broadcasting purchase at least some of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

  The story actually started in January when Bischoff, Sonny Onoo and Kevin Sullivan of WCW met with Masa Saito and Nagashima of New Japan Pro Wrestling in Hawaii. During the meeting, there were discussions involving many potential facets involving WCW buying the company, starting a rival company in Japan or other forms of working together.

  New Japan over the past few years has not only been the most successful pro wrestling promotion when it comes to house show business during the period, but also most likely in the history of the industry with numerous $5 million plus houses at the Tokyo Dome, figures no other company in history has ever achieved. In 1997, the company at present has five Dome shows scheduled, and if successful in most or all of them, would reach up to yet a new level this year.

  However, the future of pro wrestling on a worldwide basis is clearly not house show driven, but driven by not only PPV, but as a provider of cheap television programming that can draw better than competitive ratings on stations that only need fringe ratings to survive.