12:10 PM

12:17 PM

12:19 PM

01:15 PM

[This message has been edited by BrodyMark (edited 03-20-2001).]



01:40 PM

01:49 PM

What good would it do to hide the fact that a deal officially went through? Seems like that would be something to be proud of and trumpet.

:::::::Or, the deal isn't going through, and in that case why would they have him on TV at all?

Who better than Bischoff to make the announcement? Flair? Terry Taylor? Siegel? Johnny Ace? Naaaah. Bischoff is still involved with it trying to line up a buyer, he's the one who has to be percieved as the decision maker.



01:53 PM

My opinion (not that I really care either way) is that the WCW is gone or soon to be gone and that there is no current replacement in progress. While I didn't watch Nitro last night, the "next week" business was probably just a safety net in case a way was found to keep WCW afloat.

That's my opinion, and yours may vary.

Butch



[This message has been edited by Butch (edited 03-20-2001).]



02:04 PM

02:15 PM

I'm also guessing that Hogan stays clear away from this depressing mess. The former champs who are bringing their boots are no more than Nash and Goldie.



02:32 PM

quote: Originally posted by Ryan:

It just seems kind of odd that someone who is failing in his quest to buy the company is on the company's television show in a decision making role. Either he really is in a position to make decisions, which would mean that the deal went through... Or, the deal isn't going through, and in that case why would they have him on TV at all?

[This message has been edited by real mark (edited 03-20-2001).]



02:41 PM

02:46 PM

quote: Originally posted by Triple Haitch:

I'm also guessing that Hogan stays clear away from this depressing mess.

Man, I hope you're right...but something tells me he won't. Hogan wouldn't be able to resist the idea of walking away as the last WCW champ any more than a rat can resist the smell of cheese.

[This message has been edited by BrodyMark (edited 03-20-2001).]



03:08 PM

quote: Originally posted by Ryan:

Well, Bischoff never actually said the company was shutting down, did he? Everyone else is saying that.

There are still people holding out hope that the company might be sold and moved to another network, but who's going to buy a company that's 80 million dollars in the hole and stands to lose even more due to discrimination suits? Perhaps the equipment and a few contracts might be bought (most likely by McMahon), but that's about it. Plus, what some people still don't realize is that these "worked shoot" angles have pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur, because the internet has made it impossible to kayfabe anything any more. Really, how many of them have we seen in the last three years or so? All of the recent shoot incidents I can recall (Survivor Series '97; Goldberg-Regal on Nitro; Doug Gilbert shooting on Hales and Lawler; the Hogan doublecross at BATB 2000) have been just that--actual shoots.



03:12 PM

The AOL/TW bigwigs like Jamie Kellner have no incentive to compromise their reputations by participating in a worked angle. THIS IS NOT A WORK!





03:17 PM

That could be, but I don't think Chump will want his name any more associated with a group that went belly-up than it already is.

Personally, I like talking about all the intriguing situations that could happen with one more run for Hogan in the WWF. It could be some super-interesting stuff, IMO.



[This message has been edited by Triple Haitch (edited 03-20-2001).]



03:23 PM

03:29 PM

A year ago, the American economy was quite different. Today, with the stock market stagnating and the hi-tech industry experiencing a downturn, investment capitalists are going to be much more conservative with their money. Last year, venture business folks were more likely to invest in an corporation that was losing money, as long as said company had some "upside". I certainly don't believe that's the instance with WCW today.



03:29 PM

[This message has been edited by Ryan (edited 03-20-2001).]



03:52 PM

[This message has been edited by Captain Fantastic (edited 03-20-2001).]



04:25 PM

How many people "knew" Hulk Hogan's uncerimonious leave from WCW was a "work"? Well, pretty much the whole internet. They weren't sure how or why, but they knew. Even Melzer, who claimed he was pretty sure, from the usual sources of course.

Look. As hard as this is for some people to accept, wrestling is just not that important to most people. It's true. You may not like it, but it's still true. Major companies like AOL/Time Warner couldn't and don't give a **** about it. A 2 or 3 in cable ratings is nothing for them to care about, as they could run some movie or Chuck Norris show and get the same number. To them, its just a show, and shows can be canceled. Happens all the time. "What happens to all the people........" Not our problem anymore, so who cares. "Wrestling made your network and without it......." So? That was then, this is now. F-you. Leave now, we're done. Welcome to corporatepolitik. No one in an executive position is going to play a little wrestling game. Turner execs hated it so much they were willing to pawn it off on anyone else, just so they could purge it from their bodies like a tapeworm. "But surely Vince M. has shown that if done the right way, wrestling can be a huge money maker and......" Nope. Not a big moneymaker anyway. sure they take in a lot, but they spend a lot. The last WWF report showed actual profit to be less than 20 Mil for the quarter. Billion dollar companies see that as a small time earner. Some wireless network you never heard of that only operates in few states earns more. Hell, we could by lots of them and make real cash. The idea is to make a lot, spend a little. Wrestling costs too much, is too fadish, is not really looked upon with much esteem...... Sure we've all heard it before. But the money people say it, hear it, and believe it. So why the hell would they take part in Eric's play?

Just relax, go outside, smell a flower, take a walk, pet a cat, etc. In the grand scheme of things, wrestling, while important to us, is not that important to the rest of the world. Writers aren't that good. They couldn't put together stories that imaginative. If they could, they would work in Hollywood and get Paid. Wrestlers and corporate execs aren't good actors, and don't spend most of their time worrying about how to fool internet wrestling smarks. They have other things to do. Sometimes wrestlers don't get along. Chalk it up to the human condition. Sometimes they get injured, or have contract disputes or problems with management. Don't believe me? Go to ESPN and watch what happens to the lives of Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey players, etc. Just use some common sense and relax. Fooling you is not that important.



04:40 PM

04:44 PM

The thing that strikes me is in how carefully worded all "official" comments coming out of Turner are.

Yes, they are on record as saying that the shows don't fit in with the "upscale" image Kellner wants for TBS and TNT. However, he nor anyone else has commented if WCW would be sitable for - say - The WB Network. Seems like a good fit to me...

Their comments have also been peppered with talk about "pro wrestlings current style" being unsuitable for them. When the deal first came to light Bischoff said something to the effect that it would take "the next big thing, an evolution" to again compete with McMahon".

Also, the Turner suits have not once said the deal with Fusient is dead.

Again though, who really knows.

I'm not a betting man, but if I were I might just take a long shot wager that the deal has been set "off the record" for some time with all this mass confusion and the talk it generates being specifically targeted to draw as much attention as possible to the relaunch.

What if Turner even went as far as selling McMahon the "tarnished" WCW trademarks after bidding it way up and then turned right around and "suddenly" reached agreement with Fusient to open up shop on the WB under shiny new calls with "the next big thing, an evolution"...

You never know, they may have walked away from McMahon's table with more of an understanding of just how he does business than he realizes.

[This message has been edited by John Drake (edited 03-20-2001).]



04:46 PM

Fox wont put WCW on without the big stars, which Fusient wont be able to afford those million dollar salaries based on revenue from FX or Foxsportsnet. Remember that WCW being owned by Turner always had a sweetheart deal with the Turner channels-- they never had to guarantee ratings or worry about production costs. Turner always picked up the tab.

I really dont see WCW continuing-- most likely the WWF buys the name for its own purposes. But Fox isnt going to buy a stripped down WCW with few name stars run

by an unproven company. They may as well start their own promotion from scratch as do tha.



04:46 PM

04:55 PM

05:05 PM

05:36 PM

quote: Originally posted by BrodyMark:

If Fusient had bought the company, even if they and Bischoff were to keep it hush-hush, there would be no compelling reason for AOL-Time Warner to keep a lid on it as well. [This message has been edited by BrodyMark (edited 03-20-2001).]

Unless it was part of the deal. "Sure we'll pay your overflated price for WCW...if lie to the media, lure the WWF, cause controversy, etc." Give me one reason why not?







05:44 PM

06:02 PM

06:12 PM

06:38 PM

09:12 PM

Personally, the most concrete piece of evidence one way or the other that I've seen was Luke Jr.'s post that the maintenance guys at the WCW building say the building is sold and is in the process of being vacated by the end of the month.

And I think Vince would be very very smart to buy the company and keep it working and maintain the ILLUSION of competition.

So long from the Sunshine State!



09:15 PM

10:44 PM

quote: Originally posted by Big Daddy Meatybone:

Unless it was part of the deal. "Sure we'll pay your overflated price for WCW...if lie to the media, lure the WWF, cause controversy, etc." Give me one reason why not?

A bunch of us have already given numerous reasons why not, and why such a cover-up wouldn't work even if they did have the grapefruits to try it. C'mon, I know conspiracy theories can be fun, but this is getting a little ridiculous, don'tcha think?



11:02 PM

11:48 PM

09:25 AM

10:39 AM

quote: Originally posted by MrBruiser:

My vote is the same it was a few weeks ago. This WCW thing is a work for publicity and getting renewed interest. Professional wrestling is built on works and angles. Thats just my opinion.

10:48 AM

01:36 PM

Fusient's offices are in California and New York, so everybody in the Smyrna office with half a brain knew they'd be closing up by the end of March back in January.

To make matters worse, they may not have a main event for the final show, as Scott Steiner is having an MRI on his bad leg today and may be out for that show.



01:40 PM

01:41 PM

quote: Originally posted by Captain Fantastic:



To make matters worse, they may not have a main event for the final show, as Scott Steiner is having an MRI on his bad leg today and may be out for that show.

Read my predicted my main event post http://www.wrestlingclassics.com/.ubb/Forum1/HTML/009507.html





05:16 PM

(Who's the WCW champ? Just curious.)





05:37 PM

Fusient Bows Out of WCW Bidding

ATLANTA (AP) - Fusient Media Ventures has ended its pursuit of Turner Broadcasting System's World Championship Wrestling because of the network's decision to stop airing professional wrestling.

Fusient, a New York-based media investment company, announced its withdrawal in a one-sentence statement Tuesday.

In January, Turner said it was selling WCW, which lost an estimated $80 million last year, to Fusient. That deal fell through when Turner officials decided to pull pro wrestling from TNT and TBS, the two channels that aired it. But the two companies were considering a new deal for WCW's assets, and Turner said it also was in talks with other potential buyers.

Fusient's statement said it decided to withdraw completely because of the lack of a broadcast deal.

Turner's final WCW event will be taped March 26.

Turner's new chief executive, Jamie Kellner, hopes to expand the network's appeal to a more upscale, broader audience and concluded that wrestling did not fit with that image. Kellner got his job when AOL Time Warner merged the WB network, which he helped found, with Turner's cable channels.

Without a broadcast deal, WCW's value consists primarily of its extensive film library of numerous wrestling stars dating back to the 1970s, production equipment, merchandise and some exercise equipment.

Besides Fusient, the companies expressing interest in buying WCW included its main rival, the World Wrestling Federation, based in Stamford, Conn.

``We have opened that door and started holding discussions with AOL Time Warner about the possible purchase of the WCW brand,'' said WWF spokesman Jayson Bernstein, declining further comment.

Spokesmen for USA Network, which stopped airing WWF wrestling last year, and Fox Sports Networks said they were not interested in buying WCW.









05:51 PM

Finally, let's not forget that there was no word that AOL/TW would not have wrestling on HBO or WB.





06:10 PM

quote: Originally posted by Big Daddy Meatybone:



Finally, let's not forget that there was no word that AOL/TW would not have wrestling on HBO or WB.

Yes there was, Kellner said the company, NOT just TNT and TBS, but the company, AOL/Time-Warner (which includes HBO and WB) is getting out of the wrestling business.

And Fusient has dropped out completely and says it has no interest, none, in buying WCW without the guaranteed tv timeslots on TNT and TBS. Its true the WWF has to make its own final decision to buy WCW, but they are apparently the only bidder left. AOL/TW doesnt need to sell WCW, they can put WCW Inc. into bankruptch and sell up its assets piece by piece. If that happened, the WCW name would disappear forever.

But that wont happen, because Vince McMahon is going to buy WCW to satisfy his own ego. Years ago, when the WWF was on TBS for a brief time, Ted Turner wanted to buy the WWF. Vince refused to sell it to him, and that was why he ended up selling his TBS timeslots to Crockett. Vince has had a grudge against Turner ever since. So it would be Vince's final victory, to see Turner's wrestling company not only go out of business, but forced to sell it to him for the lack of other bidders. Vince would spend a few million to buy WCW's name and video library and contracts, simply to gloat about it.



10:59 PM

11:28 PM

AOL is a publicly traded corporation. If they tried to help Eric Bischoff work a wrestling angle by screwing over potential buyers and jacking over the stockholders with this bullsh*t ... every sumbitch in charge at that half-wit company would have their heads rammed on a stick.

IT'S OVER!!!!!!

We all knew WCW should've been put out of its misery years ago. It bled and bled and bled and bled. It sucks that people are out of jobs. It sucks that the wrestling industry now belongs (at least for the time being) to Vince McMahon. But c'mon ... get real. It can't be that much of a shock.

Company lose a gazillion damn dollars. Company go bye-bye. End of story. Adios. Aloha. I don't blame that elitist a-hole at the WB. If I looked at WCW and saw the crap they've been putting out the past couple of years, I'd cancel their sorry asses too.



10:33 AM

03:42 PM

Captain,

Your last sentence conclusion is correct in that Vince has had it in for Turner ever since Ted kicked him off TBS, but the rest of your post is not how it went down at all.

Maybe that's how Vince "rewrote" history over time for his purposes, but it's not the case when judged by the facts.

There is a huge thread on it here, just do a search if you care to know what really happened from black Saturday onward.

Vince has always been so obsessed with trying to be compared to Ted that it borders on sickness. Two totally different balls of wax and just plain absurd.

[This message has been edited by John Drake (edited 03-22-2001).]



04:31 PM

05:54 PM

06:56 PM

Truth be told, my guess is Bischoff wont even be at Nitro Monday. If the WWF finalizes the sale with AOL/TW this week, you can almost guarantee that Vince McMahon will be introduced on Nitro as the new owner.

They can have Vince in the ring on RAW announcing himself as new owner, and simulcast that anouncement on Nitro on the jumbotron. All the while, Bisch will be at his home in Phoenix watching on tv and crying in his beer. Its over. Vince won. Bischoff lost.





07:12 PM

quote: Originally posted by Ryan:

The only person I ever said was working people was Bischoff, and I stand by my opinion. I just think he has known something all along that not too may others have known. I did say the company is not going to close, and it's not going to close. Captain Fantastic had them dead and buried. I also might be the only one who thinks this, but if Vince does take over WCW, you will see Bischoff involved. It wouldn't be the first time Vince did business with someone nobody ever expected him to work with. He might even be shopping for black suits with yellow polka dots for Bischoff even as we speak. And like I've said all along, if it turns out that I'm wrong I will be the first to say so.

08:43 PM

quote: Originally posted by Captain Fantastic:

If it is a work, why is Vince McMahon in on it then? He came out and said he's buying WCW in all likelihood. Vince hates Bischoff. There's no way he's working an angle with him.

Maybe Vince, like his wife back in January, is fooled to belive he is buying the WCW.





02:01 PM

02:10 PM

quote: Originally posted by bigcg98:

All the WCW champs in the ring, Bischoff in the ring, and Vince shows up (in person or on video, whichever) to pull the Snydly Whiplash (or whatever the name is) and tell everyone to bow down to the NEW boss of WCW. It could be so great if done right...

I like it!





09:31 PM

geez, what am I, putting ideas into vince's head-- he reads this he might actually do that! **yiikes!*



10:12 PM

quote: Originally posted by Ryan:

This is just the latest (and biggest) in a long line of works by Eric Bischoff. I think it's pretty obvious that Fusient has bought the company, TV deal or no TV deal.

Okay, so now we know...it really was a work! Bischoff really got us this time!!!





10:26 PM

Did you see Bischoff and Hogan come out at the end of Nitro and announce that they owned the company now?

