I think I saw Hugh's grandpa hanging out with DDP's benefactor last week. They were talking about forming a stable with Piper's family, Kevin Sullivan's son, the Nasty Boys, and Brutus "The Barber/The Butcher/The Baker/The Candlestick Maker" Beefcake, called the Curt Angles.
Although the term "Mamalukes" as used by WCW is seemingly being used in reference to Italian street slang for "Knucklehead", it is worth mentioning that historically, the Mamalukes were a warrior people that in 1250 the seized control of Egypt and held power for two hundred and sixty-seven years. In A.D. 1517 the Turks conquered the Mamalukes.The Mamalukes were a tough bunch and, if I remember correctly, they successfully fought off the Mongols once. I may be incorrect on some of this since it's been a while since I read about them and, at the moment, the only sources I had to look to were Internet sources and they were only good enough to get the above dates.
At any rate, when I read that "The Mamalukes" were the new champs, I was surprised, because it seemed as if WCW had named some tag team after an ancient Middle Eastern warrior people. I was even more confused to see that the "Mamalukes" were composed of the two guys from the Disco vs. The Mafia angle. But now that's cleared up by your midweek report as it seems that in today's world, "Mamaluke" means some "Knucklehead". Now I suppose, due to pro wrestling, it means "Two Big Bald Idiots who wrestle badly."
Also, one must not confuse the term for "Marmaduke".
Whilst perusing the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com) for a work-related task the other day, I was amused to find out that WCW Nitro now has a complete 'cast' listing for its roster, including any movies perpetuated by said 'cast'.The comments section is downright laughable. I recommend you give it a looksie. Go to the site and enter "Monday Nitro" on all applicable queries to access the page.
Back to the bench with me.
Just a couple of random thoughts.With all the commercials on TV recently highlighting E-trading, investing, etc., wouldn't it be great if Terry Funk did a spot for a company like Merrill Lynch showing the need to think about your retirement planning?
You could have a actor like John Spencer (the West Wing, NBC) narrating through the scene of Funk, at 56 years old, taking chairshot after chairshot from the nWo. All because he still needs to work after a long and eventful career, because he did a poor job saving and planning for retirement. It could end by Spencer saying, "This could be you....".
You also could insert the Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young for spots on the UPN network. (Of course, after the absolute disgrace of Sunday's Royal Rumble, Young should be sent to a home immediately.)
Last thought, I really, really hope that Kidman is working on Torrie Wilson outside the ring. When WCW throws you a softball like that, you need to hit it out of the park.
You wrote:"Anybody else wondering whatever happened to Hugh Morrus' senile grandfather?"Not to mention the person in the "Scream" mask who beat down "Shane" just a couple lines above that? Ah, Vince Russo, we hardly knew ye and yet you had time to throw out about 1,000,000 stupid angles all at once...
Geez, I don't know who was using that page, but something like a third of the links were dead. I knew pro wrestling web pages came and went quickly, but I was surprised at the extent.
Now, I generally don't go out of my way to promote the writing of guys already on the WCW payroll. I figure that they've got a multi-billion-dollar corporation promoting their work, so they don't need me. However, this article is worth reading just for his quote about the Steiners.
What's really killing WCW is the lack of attention to details. Let's face it, even when WCW was at its worst, there was at least some continuity. As bad as Arn and Erik Watts at the gas station might have been, it was made plausible by having the set up be some guy at the gas station happening to have his videorecorder on.
One thing I've noticed about many pro wrestling fans is that they are like Star Trek fans...they are nitpickers. They memorize every detail, but also look for mistakes. In fact, there's a guy who makes a living making "Nitpicker" books, which record all the mistakes in Star Trek (e.g. Spock saying something was "one to the eighteenth power"). Likewise, pro wrestling fans remember the phantom title changes and the like...we pick it all apart.
But, even with the mistakes, Star Trek made an effort to keep continuity and pay attention to detail. Likewise with the WWF. Remember when Steve Austin attacked Vince McMahon in the hospital and, among other things, gave Vince an enema? Another web writer noted that the WWF really paid attention to detail by having one of those hemorrhoid "doughnuts" in the wheelchair for Vince the next night. It's a little thing, but it shows attention to detail.
Now, I thought it was bad that before his match at Souled Out, they referred to Sid Vicious as a former WCW World Heavyweight Champion. They don't even pay attention to their own history.
But what really drove me crazy was seeing Jeff Jarrett hitting on a hard 18 while playing blackjack on Thunder. You got millions of dollars worth of talent, a huge production crew, it's a taped show, and there's such inattention to detail. Pitiful, just pitiful. If they care so little about the product, why should the fans care?
I should note, however, that you will probably be disappointed to find professional wrestling all the way down at 1692. Of course, there is one other professional wrestling-related item up at 1413.