It's me, Ry, here at TPWW.net on the eve of WCW's inaugural New Blood Rising (A hell of a lot better name than Road Wild), and there is a lot of news out there, including speculation on a few matches for Summerslam, themes from WWF: The Music, Volume 5 being leaked on the 'net, and a whole lot more.
I guess I'll start off with some news on the WWF and People's Champion, The Rock, which concerns the WWF issuing a special collectors magazine for the People's Champ, as it features only the Rock in the magazine. The WWF did this a year ago with Austin and for the most part, it was successful, and I believe Rocky's will be the same. The magazine goes on sale September 28th.
Moving on, IGNWrestling broke a story that several themes from the upcoming WWF: The Music, Volume 5 have leaked onto the ever infamous music swapping program known as Napster. I checked it out earlier today and found such themes as The Hardys, the Dudleys, the Acolytes, Chyna, a remix of Chris Jericho's theme, Tazz, Dean Malenko (the Radicals), Kurt Angle, and an Owen Hart Tribute song are all available on Napster. I downloaded Tazz's theme, it actually seemed off, so take this rumor for what it's worth.
In a staggering sign of the WWF's popularity, ticket sales for the September PPV, Unforgiven which will emanate from First Union Center in Philadelphia were unbelievable, according to Georgiann Makropoulos, as the show sold out in only an hour and forty minutes.
A couple note worthy tidbits from Jim Ross's Ross Report for all of you today... Ross reported that the American Bad Ass himself, the Undertaker has signed a multi year contract extension with the WWF, as the 'Taker plans on finishing out his career with the company that has made him a legend in the wrestling industry.
Also on the contract front, JR reports that the WWF is close to signing its top heel in the promotion, the former WWF Champion, Triple H to a contract extension. Definitely a smart move on behalf of the WWF here, as locking up all of its top talent will help the WWF continue to be the top promotion in the world for years to come.
Bob "Hardcore" Holly is still recovering from a broken arm courtesy of a Kurt Angle moonsault, but is on the road to recovery, as Ross reports that he should be starting physical therapy on his arm this week.
Two notes on WWF literature this week, as JR stated that Chyna's autobiography has been pushed back to January due to promotional reasons, while the WWF cookbook is set for a November release, just in time for the holidays.
Aside from the two announced matches for SummerSlam (HHH/Angle/Rock and Jericho/Benoit), the tentative card is as follows, according to Dave Meltzer...
- The Undertaker and Kane vs. Shane McMahon and the Big Show
- Edge and Christian vs. The Hardys vs. The Dudleys in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
- The Road Dogg vs. X-Pac
- Tazz vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler
Speaking of SummerSlam, if you order the PPV, send in your cable or satellite bill to "WWF SummerSlam Offer, P.O. Box 5488, Rockville Center, NY, 11571-5488" to receive a free pair of Rock sunglasses.
Moving on, the WWF has two great DVD offers prepared for August 22nd, as it offers the 2 DVD Set of Wrestlemania 2000 with special features such as alternate voice overs, a DVD dedicated to Wrestlemania's rich history, a summation of events leading to Wrestlemania, an inside look at the triangle ladder match between the Dudleys, the Hardys, and Edge and Christian. Also set for release is WWF Royal Rumble, which shows a sneak peak at Triple H being stitched up after his brutal match up with Cactus Jack, a look at Royal Rumbles past, a summation of events leading up to this year's Rumble, and a lot more. The WM DVD costs $34.95 while the Rumble DVD goes for $24.95.
On the subject of DVDs being released on August 22nd, the wrestling documentry, Beyond the Mat that showcases Mick Foley, Terry Funk, and Jake Roberts will be hitting your video stores that date, in both DVD and VHS.
Moving on to some WCW news for the day, Lance Storm has updated both his text and real audio commentary at his website, StormWrestling.com. There is no doubt in my mind that Storm runs a great site, and out of all of the wrestler's official sites, StormWrestling is the best, bar none.
Speculation has been running rampant on who the special guest referee will be in Mike Awesome's match with Lance Storm at tomorrow's New Blood Rising PPV. It seems that it could be anyone from Pierre Oullete, Jaques Rogeau, or even Nitro Girl Beef AKA Bertha Faye. Expect it to be major let down, and with Awesome's Fat Girl Thriller Gimmick, I'd put my money on Nitro Girl Beef as the special guest ref, since she actually is a former WWF Women's Champion.
Here's the Final NB Rising Card plus my predictions for the show...
- WCW Title Match - Booker T. vs. Jeff Jarrett: Booker T
- No. 1 Contender's Match - No DQ, anything goes - Scott Steiner vs. Bill Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash: Scotty Steiner
- Sting vs. The Demon: Sting
- WCW Tag Title Match - Kronic vs. MIA vs. Mark Jindrak & Sean O'Haire vs. Chuck Palumbo & Sean Stasiak: Kronic
- Canadian Title Match - Lance Storm vs. Mike Awesome: Lance Storm
- Strap Match - Shane Douglas vs. Billy Kidman: Kidman
- ROTC Match in a Mudpit - Ms. Hancock vs. Major Gunns: Major Gunns
- Double Ladder Match - The Jung Dragons vs. 3-Count: 3 Count w/ the Recording Contract, Dragons get the record.
- Judy Bagwell on a Pole Match - Positively Kanyon vs. Buff Bagwell: Kanyon
- Ernest "The Cat" Miller vs. The Great Muta: The Cat
Here's a final, yet interesting note on wrestling's semi-influence in politics courtesy of Bill Packard:
"Did you catch the reform party national convention on Friday? When Pat Buchanon was introduced as their candidate, he came out to Hulk Hogan's WWF music. 'I am a real American.' Then after his speech, he left to Hulk Hogan's WCW music 'American Made.' It was one of the more funnier things I have seen recently. Could Hogan be running for vice president along with Buchanon? That sure would make some headlines."
Well, that's it for today... I hope I helped cure your wrestling fix for today, so until next time, I'm Ry, enjoy NB Rising, and as always, Ciao...
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