Since it's become apparent that the original plan for Starrcade of being a set of seven matches of WCW wrestlers against New Japan wrestlers would have flopped as a PPV event (in terms of buys, not necessarily in terms of show quality), the company officially this past week added a triangular match and a WCW title match to the seven originally scheduled matches.
The revamped line-up is strange for a number of reasons. First, two of the participants in the triangular match, Lex Luger and Sting (Ric Flair being the third), are also booked for single matches against New Japan wrestlers. In addition, current WCW champion Randy Savage was also booked for what was originally to be the semi main event for the 12/27 show in Nashville.
If either Sting or Luger were to win the triangle and face Savage, it would mean that they would have to wrestle four times in one show.
Rules for the triangle match haven't been made clear other than there will never be a case with all three in the ring at the same time as has happened in triangle matches in Mexico and ECW. Two wrestlers will start and the man outside must accept a tag from anyone who attempts to tag him in or he'll be disqualified. It was never explained if both other wrestlers have to get pinned for the match to end or what. WCW's previous triangle match, a tag team title match in July at the Bash at the Beach, was a disaster both in presentation, execution and logic.
Even though several of the original participants in the WCW vs. New Japan match which was originally planned as being a collection of seven WCW babyfaces against seven New Japan wrestlers who would act as heels, have since turned heel or are now involved in more important activities on the show, the undercard hasn't changed.
The seven matches billed as the World Cup will have Alex Wright vs. Koji Kanemoto, Jushin Liger vs. Chris Benoit, Johnny B. Badd vs. Masa Saito, Eddy Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Otani, Luger vs. Masa Chono, Savage vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Kensuke Sasaki defending the U.S. title against Sting. WCW had actually suggested to New Japan a home-and-home series for the World Cup where the Tokyo Sumo Hall show on 11/13 would have been under similar rules. The idea suggested is it would be tied going into the final match which would involve a WCW heel, who would then "throw the match" by selling out to Sonny Onno, giving New Japan the win, and setting the stage for the rematch at Starrcade where WCW would only use babyface wrestlers on its team. Wisely, New Japan disregarded the suggestion.
Flair underwent an MRI on his injured shoulder this past week revealing, as had been suspected all along, a torn rotator cuff. It appears he won't be taking any time off, as far as at least missing major shows. It's pretty amazing the match with Sting on the PPV because you had a 46-year-old man basically carrying a near four-star match while being unable to even lift one arm. If there was ever a question of him being able to have a good match with one arm tied behind his back, it was answered.
Here's the latest buy rate information as it regards recent shows. Halloween Havoc, which preliminary WCW estimates were of an 0.8 buy rate, while early indie estimates were 0.68, have been lowered. Those in WCW are now claiming an 0.63 for the show and independent estimates are lowered to the 0.55 range.
WWF is claiming an approximate 0.85 buy rate for Survivor Series. Independent estimates pegged it at 0.57 as reported last week and Multi Channel News was in line estimating between 0.55 and 0.6. In any case it's a substantial drop from last year as WWF last year claimed between a 1.3 and 1.4 for the Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund match, while others were estimating it at 0.9.
WCW is estimating an 0.55 buy rate for the World War III PPV, while others have independently estimated it at between 0.4 and 0.45 (an estimated 99,000 buys and $1.11 million company gross). Even at the higher figure, because of Hogan's huge cut from the show, in no way can these figures be considered successful as at best they are doing what they were doing pre-Hogan and in those days didn't have the gigantic payoff for the main event. At the lower figure, it's a lot less pretty.
Since it's become apparent that the original plan for Starrcade of being a set of seven matches of WCW wrestlers against New Japan wrestlers would have flopped as a PPV event (in terms of buys, not necessarily in terms of show quality), the company officially this past week added a triangular match and a WCW title match to the seven originally scheduled matches.
The revamped line-up is strange for a number of reasons. First, two of the participants in the triangular match, Lex Luger and Sting (Ric Flair being the third), are also booked for single matches against New Japan wrestlers. In addition, current WCW champion Randy Savage was also booked for what was originally to be the semi main event for the 12/27 show in Nashville.
If either Sting or Luger were to win the triangle and face Savage, it would mean that they would have to wrestle four times in one show.
Rules for the triangle match haven't been made clear other than there will never be a case with all three in the ring at the same time as has happened in triangle matches in Mexico and ECW. Two wrestlers will start and the man outside must accept a tag from anyone who attempts to tag him in or he'll be disqualified. It was never explained if both other wrestlers have to get pinned for the match to end or what. WCW's previous triangle match, a tag team title match in July at the Bash at the Beach, was a disaster both in presentation, execution and logic.
Even though several of the original participants in the WCW vs. New Japan match which was originally planned as being a collection of seven WCW babyfaces against seven New Japan wrestlers who would act as heels, have since turned heel or are now involved in more important activities on the show, the undercard hasn't changed.
The seven matches billed as the World Cup will have Alex Wright vs. Koji Kanemoto, Jushin Liger vs. Chris Benoit, Johnny B. Badd vs. Masa Saito, Eddy Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Otani, Luger vs. Masa Chono, Savage vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Kensuke Sasaki defending the U.S. title against Sting. WCW had actually suggested to New Japan a home-and-home series for the World Cup where the Tokyo Sumo Hall show on 11/13 would have been under similar rules. The idea suggested is it would be tied going into the final match which would involve a WCW heel, who would then "throw the match" by selling out to Sonny Onno, giving New Japan the win, and setting the stage for the rematch at Starrcade where WCW would only use babyface wrestlers on its team. Wisely, New Japan disregarded the suggestion.
Flair underwent an MRI on his injured shoulder this past week revealing, as had been suspected all along, a torn rotator cuff. It appears he won't be taking any time off, as far as at least missing major shows. It's pretty amazing the match with Sting on the PPV because you had a 46-year-old man basically carrying a near four-star match while being unable to even lift one arm. If there was ever a question of him being able to have a good match with one arm tied behind his back, it was answered.
Here's the latest buy rate information as it regards recent shows. Halloween Havoc, which preliminary WCW estimates were of an 0.8 buy rate, while early indie estimates were 0.68, have been lowered. Those in WCW are now claiming an 0.63 for the show and independent estimates are lowered to the 0.55 range.
WWF is claiming an approximate 0.85 buy rate for Survivor Series. Independent estimates pegged it at 0.57 as reported last week and Multi Channel News was in line estimating between 0.55 and 0.6. In any case it's a substantial drop from last year as WWF last year claimed between a 1.3 and 1.4 for the Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund match, while others were estimating it at 0.9.
WCW is estimating an 0.55 buy rate for the World War III PPV, while others have independently estimated it at between 0.4 and 0.45 (an estimated 99,000 buys and $1.11 million company gross). Even at the higher figure, because of Hogan's huge cut from the show, in no way can these figures be considered successful as at best they are doing what they were doing pre-Hogan and in those days didn't have the gigantic payoff for the main event. At the lower figure, it's a lot less pretty
