It’s been quite a week in the pro wrestling business as two major changes occurred….

The first story of the week saw Brian Hildebrand lose his courageous battle with cancer. The outpouring of emotion and sentiment over his passing showed the incredible impact that this great man had on everyone’s life. It’s just a shame that certain people took the time to question people’s way of grieving. Everyone grieves in their own manner, deals with death in their own manner. I had that fact reminded to me all so recently when my mother passed away.

I only had the great pleasure of meeting Brian once that was back in 1996. At Cyber Slam 1996, he was brought in to be the special guest referee for that evening’s match between Cactus Jack and Shane Douglas. Brian showed up at the hotel ballroom and he and I compared some quick notes on organizational skills as Brian used to handle the Smoky Mountain Fan Week event, which I have always done my best to pattern Cyber Slam after. I also invited him to join the panel and give some of his great insights on the business, especially sharing those on SMW. Only problem with it was he didn’t get asked many questions by the fans and also seemed to be more interested in what the ECW stars that were up there had to say. I think it was in Chris Jericho’s comments on Brian’s passing that it was said, “not only was Brian a student of the game, but its biggest fan.” In just the short time I got to spend with Brian, that was certainly very evident.

1999 has been a year of great loss for wrestling fans and I think it should perhaps put more of a sense of mortality to all us. I don’t know, perhaps its because I’m getting older and had death hit me from so many angles this year I’m realizing this more and more.

The other major story of the week is of course WCW “demoting” Eric Bischoff. I have spent some time scanning around the Internet, chatting with people online to gauge the feelings about this. The emotions have gone from being totally pissed off to that of sheer joy and people wanting to help Uncle Eric pack.
As much as might not have liked Bischoff as a public persona and was certainly one of the ones who would have at the time want to help him pack, my feelings are mixed.

It can be said his ego got the best of him. He was in the wrestling ring in matches that he didn’t seem to have any business being in. He ran the New World Order into the ground and got it to a point that no one had any idea who was on who’s side. However, as much as a change needed to be made at the helm of WCW- there is one thing that needs to be mentioned.

Bischoff changed the business. When word got out that WCW was going head to head with Raw, the nay Sayers made their feelings known and buried the Atlanta based competition. However, Eric did what he had to do by hiring Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan and doing the unthinkable- making Hogan a heel. That set the wrestling world on its ear and got people away from Monday Night Football or Murphy Brown or Melrose Place or whatever and got them watching wrestling on Monday nights. Seeing that challenge, Vince McMahon upped the ante and turned a guy that WCW couldn’t use into the business’s biggest name ever.

But this is where Bischoff had his problems. Week after week, the WWF kept raising the bar and by using ECW as an influence, revolutionized the business. The WCW seemed to have done their thing with the New World Order and then in talent raids on ECW taking such names as Malenko, Benoit, Guerrero and also many of the luchadores- they build up one of the most impressive rosters in the history of professional wrestling. One big problem though- they didn’t use them properly. Didn’t seem to move story lines along or have the way to change things up and keep up with the competition.

As is the case, especially in professional sports when the team goes bad, a head must be lopped off.
It’s normally the coach or the general manager and that is supposed to send a wake up call to the players. Perhaps Bischoff’s demotion will send along that wake up call. If Ric Flair’s comments at the show in Baltimore are any indication, the next few months should be very interesting. One thing that can be assured though is that with the new games of one-upmanship between the two Monday factions and then now with ECW breathing down their necks with the Friday night TNN show- the big winner should be, us, the wrestling fans as we should be seeing a better, more enjoyable product.

Again, thanks for reading and I look forward to any feedback. Email me at [email protected].
Don’t forget ECW’s next big PPV, Anarchy Rulz on Sunday night September 19th.