by Rick Scaia
Exclusive to OnlineOnslaught.com

As a farewell to my Flyers, let me just reiterate that I honestly believe if we played Tulsa 10 times, we would beat them 7 or 8 times.  They were unrealistically good in the first 15 minutes or so (80 percent from the field, it seemed like), and needed every bit of that outlandish performance to hold us off once we just started playing our normal ball in the second half.  The indefensibly poor offensive goaltending call down the stretch probably changed the tenor of the game's final two minutes, but if we hadn't played so timidly in the first half, the game would never have been placed in the official's hands to begin with.  All I'm saying is that this is a team that deserves a lot better than being remembered as the chumps who lost to a #13 seed after they finally got some national props...

And if your circle of friends, for some demented reason, actually draws up a tournament pool for next season's Maui Invitational, well, let's just say I'll expect you to forget this past weekend's unpleasantness and pick the Flyers to strike deep.  Central Michigan is the only other NCAA tourney team going next year, and Ohio St. and Villanova are the (very beatable) BCS conference representatives; looks like just the kind of mediocre draw in which the Flyers would be right at home!  Just 200-something days till next season!

Alright, I just realized what it REALLY is that you want to hear from me... and that's the end of this nonsense, and some talk about Bill Goldberg:

• Rumors about Bill Goldberg, dormant for many weeks, swooped back onto the smark radar over the weekend amidst word that a May edition of WWE Magazine -- slated to hit newsstands in April -- will feature Goldberg on the cover.
   
  The current thinking is that Goldberg actually agreed to his WWE deal 10-14 days ago, and has successfully kept it quiet till now.  If that's the case, it fits in perfectly with intelligence I had received in the wake of Kurt Angle's neck injury speculation about a replacement...  an unknown/unproven source claimed to me that Goldberg was "signed and would appear at WrestleMania," and when I checked it with two other guys, they said they hadn't heard anything concrete, but that given Angle's injury, a deal with Goldberg would "make sense."  On the strength of that, I certainly did sneak Goldberg talk into a few early March columns... though when Angle rallied to make the WM19 date and when Goldberg talk cooled along with replacing-Angle talk, I chalked it all up to being burned by an overzealous fountain of misinformation.
   
  Now, there's talk again of Goldberg, and this time, there's supposedly a magazine cover to back up the rumors.  There's also a presumed timetable: Goldberg will either appear at WrestleMania 19, or hype for his debut will begin on TV shows the week after the PPV.
   
  As to his role: if it was Angle's injury that finally convinced WWE to seal a deal with Goldberg, then one would think that they've got filling Angle's heel slot on SD! in mind.  You could do something like have Goldberg run in during the Hogan/McMahon match, establishing himself as a heel against his old nemesis Hogan.  He kills a few months on that feud, and way down the road, you get a Lesnar/Goldberg feud that would probably be big box office.
   
  Of course, the Fed will have to grapple with the fact that a debuting star of Goldberg's magnitude will probably get a knee jerk babyface pop out of the gate.  And also, Goldberg's one real heel run in WCW was so tepid and uninspired that I wonder if Goldberg alone can pull off being adequately hated.  When talking about this scenario earlier in the month, I pegged Eric Bischoff as the one guy who fits in perfectly with Goldberg and who could be the mouthpiece who gets Goldberg booed.  I still feel that way, although this little scheme of mine does absolutely nothing to fill the Angle hole on SD!...
   
  And actually, I'm not so concerned with Goldberg the Character.  I'm more concerned that when we see Goldberg the Performer, we'll have a replay of the DUD-zilla Debacle.  The similarities are enough to give pause: the lengthy hiatus, the unremarkable outings in sporadic non-WWE matches (Steiner for WWA, Goldberg in Japan), the reliance on a limited power arsenal even when at 100%.  What I'm saying is that the Fed could come up with an ingenious, bulletproof story for Goldberg's debut, and it could all be for nothing if audiences get pissed the first time they watch Goldberg try to go longer than 10 minutes inside the ring.
   
  Look, I didn't WANT to be right about Scott Steiner when I questioned his in-ring value before he ever actually signed a WWE contract... and I don't WANT to be right now with regards to Goldberg.  But I think these concerns are valid and worth bringing up in the face of unrealistic expectations that Goldberg may be the elixir that fixes all.
   
  But you know what?  Before we even really delve deep into the debate, let's just sit back and wait for Goldberg to actually show up on TV.  Or on a magazine cover.
   
  
• In addition to the mysterious magazine cover, Goldberg also showed up in an "ad for Backlash" that was posted over on the OO Message Boards.  The graphic, of course, was a badly doctored re-do of last year's Backlash PPV promotional artwork, and should be dismissed.
   
  But what's kind of interesting is that cable companies HAVE received the real artwork for this year's Backlash, and it features Kurt Angle and Team Angle.  Heh.
   
  Actually, despite the fact that Kurt's public stance -- to reduce fan certainty in the outcome of his WM19 match -- is to say that doctor's have told him that with only minor limitations, he could conceivably wrestle for another year without surgery and that therefore he's not showing up at WM to just drop the title in a half-assed manner, the reality is that neck surgery sooner rather than later results in a healthier Kurt sooner rather than later.  So I wouldn't go reading too much into promotional posters designed over a month ago, is all I'm saying...
   
  
• WrestleMania hype has begun in earnest...  last week's nonstop WWE superstar appearances on various mainstream talk shows will continue this week.
   
  Probably the pick of the litter will be Chris Jericho and Fozzy appearing on the Howard Stern radio show on Wednesday morning.  Though I'm sure WM19 will not go unmentioned, the real reason to check that one out is a Battle of the Bands between Fozzy and Stern's band, the Losers.
   
  Also on Wednesday:  the Hardy Boyz will be on FOX Sports' "Best Damn Sports Show Period," in a rare public reunion for them... and Vince McMahon will be on Craig Kilborn's "Late Late Show."
   
  Two other appearances of note:  the Big Show will be on "Hollywood Squares" all week long... and Steve Austin will be on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Tuesday night.
   
  [A complete side note, and not really anything of interest to us from the perspective of what we see on screen: Goldust made his appearance on Howard Stern late last week, and was in-character in so far as he did the twitching and the stuttering. But the only really substantive things he had to say were completely out-of-character, nasty things about his ex-wife, Terri Runnels.  Since it's always been portrayed that Terri was very supportive of Dustin getting his job back with WWE last year, this would represent a major shift in terms of their reportedly-cordial business relationship...  then again, he said all these things while playing the twitchy Goldust role to the hilt, so who the fuck really knows what we're supposed to think?]
   
  
• More traditional "in-house" hype for the WM19 PPV also kicked off last night on TNN, as WWE aired a "WrestleMania 3rd-Degree" special...  it was, in short, an hour of my life that I'll never get back.
   
  I kind of naively assumed that the live atmosphere (hey, was that a last hurrah for WWF New York?) meant that something interesting might happen.  Or that at least the implication of a "shoot style" interview process would yield some interesting observations.  But instead, the live part of the show was essentially a backdrop for 5 minute video packages (all of which were very well done, but all of which I also suspect will be in heavy rotation for the next week, so I didn't exactly need the leg up last night).  And the implications of serious, behind-the-scenes interviews?  Hell, I don't think I even remember a single mention of Kurt Angle having a serious neck injury, needless to say of the impact that has on him wrestling Lesnar.  The most entertaining part of the show was actually Triple H straining to stay as far IN character as possible with over-the-top heelishness as a playful crowd chanted things like "nosejob" and "fix your tie" at him.
   
  I guess the coolest thing may have been seeing little snippets of interviews with unexpected contributors like Bobby Heenan, Roddy Piper, and Bob Costas... the thing is, they weren't really saying anything that hadn't been said before.  It was just cool to see THEM saying them on WWE TV.  And when I said "little snippets," I mean it: the most any of them got for a soundbite was maybe 15-20 seconds.  The vast majority of the show was pedestrian and exactly what you'd expect.
   
  If you still feel you absolutely must see the show, or add it to your video collection, or whatever, you'll get another chance.  This Saturday, in the 9pm slot immediately prior to Velocity, TNN will repeat the special.
   
  Also, I am not sure, but the Cubs Fan mentioned that he might be filing a recap, so keep an eye out for that.  He could really save you some time!
   
  
• OO's own annual hype for WM will kick off tomorrow... the four part Road to WrestleMania feature will follow the same basic format that it has for a half-decade, now.  Tuesday, you'll get the year-by-year fly-by of all the WrestleManias (pretty self-explanatory).  Wednesday, you'll get statistical breakdowns of WM's most prolific winners and losers (hey, everybody knows about Taker's perfect 10-0 record... but how about Goldust making it a perfectly horrible 0-5 with his unsuccessful participation in last year's Hardcore Title schmozz?!?).  Thursday, it's utterly useless trivial observations (a new one this year: by headlining WM18, Chris Jericho became the first man to go from WM opener one year to the main event the next year).  Friday, we close out with an in-depth preview of this year's WrestleMania 19 (again, quite self explanatory).
   
  Come on back throughout the week as I dole out the Road to WrestleMania in convenient, bite-size chunks.
   
  
• I mentioned the possibility a week ago, but it's now official:  the last edition of Heat on MTV will air this weekend prior to WM19.
   
  Starting on April 6, Heat will move to TNN.  Between wrestling's obvious decline in terms of being a mainstream fad and even word from Ivory that a fourth go-round for Tough Enough on MTV was looking less and less likely, it's not surprising that MTV would look to divest itself of Heat.  At it's peak on USA Network, Heat was good for ratings in the 3's and 4's...  MTV would have been happy if Heat retained ratings around 2.0, but even that has been pretty much out of reach for a while, now.
   
  I'm not sure, but I think this might screw with TNN's feed in Canada, as WWE has granted broadcast rights for Heat to somebody else up there (MTV, and USA Network before it, are not available in Canada, but TNN is) so cable operators may have to black out TNN during Heat's slot.
   
  
• Some more WWE TV news, Overseas Division:  Germany will now be getting the full 2 hours of SmackDown! every week, courtesy of a new free broadcast network, Tele5.  WWE also renewed a deal with Premiere for a one-hour cut version of RAW, as well as its other four one-hour shows, and added its PPV shows to the Premiere package.
   
  In Japan, free broadcast network Fuji TV has acquired the rights to a one-hour cut version of SmackDown! to air every week.  If I understand correctly, a full 2-hour version of SD! (as well as RAW and every other WWE show) will continue to run on JSkySports, as well.  PPV will also be coming to Japan on SkyPerfect.
   
  And finally, while negotiations to being WWE PPVs back to Australia on a full-time basis haven't succeeded, Aussies will again be able to go to a local theater to screen WrestleMania, just as they were able to for the Royal Rumble.  OO Reader Jax writes in that Birch Carrol & Coyle/Greater Union Cinemas will screen WrestleMania 19 at theaters in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia.
   
  
• Back to a final piece of domestic TV news: the final rating for last week's SmackDown! came in at a 2.7, which is a bit lower than the show's recent average.
   
  However, SD! was pre-empted in markets too numerous to mention by news coverage of the War in Iraq.  Those markets saw SD! get aired on Saturday or Sunday, and viewers who saw those replays are not counted in the final rating.  Even in markets that did get SD! in its usual, prescribed slot, there existed compelling alternatives for those seeking on-going news coverage or those who sought to distract themselves with CBS' coverage of NCAA basketball.
   
  As far as I'm concerned, it's enough to render last week's number essentially meaningless in terms of drawing any conclusions about ratings trends.
   
  
• With all this other good stuff to talk about, it's only here at the very end that we get on with the usual Monday business of talking about RAW...
   
  Though honestly, it's as good a week as any to only briefly touch on RAW Preview thoughts.  I mean, seriously: do you know the RAW matches for WM19?  Do you think maybe they'll tell some stories and have some matches tonight that'll build momentum for those matches?  You can connect the dots for yourself, frankly...
   
  Among the less-obvious aspects of tonight's show:  it seems like William Regal's concussion will wind up keeping him out of WM.  Or at least, that's my take following last week's forced heel turn by the Dudleys.  There is one last RAW match slot for WM19... I'd presumed it would be the Duds vs. Regal/Storm for the WWE Tag Titles.  After last week, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a quasi-heel Duds vs. Kane/RVD match set up tonight.  I actually really like that idea.
   
  On the Rock/Austin front: Austin got the last laugh two weeks ago, Rock got it last week.  And laughs should be in stock tonight, too, since they are hyping a "Rock Concert" as a key component of the show.  While I'm sure it'll eventually build up to some kind of genuine hostility, I'm as equally sure that The Rock + Guitar = High Comedy.
   
  On the Michaels/Jericho front: a down week for this feud last week. Tonight, with one week to go, they need to get Test off Jericho's radar and put the focus where it belongs...  right now, Michaels/Jericho is probably a huge sleeper match for the WM19 card.  But it shouldn't be, given how well both guys can talk.
   
  On the Booker/Triple H front: It feels like these two have done just about all the talking they can, and so let's get 'em some partners and let 'em go at it.  Should be Booker/Goldust vs. HHH/Flair tonight.  Booker's gotten enough during this build up, so I say put the heel over (via cheating, or perhaps via Goldust's negligence/random twitching) and intensify Booker's underdog-ishness on the last show before the PPV.  This assumes, of course, that they're planning to do the right thing at Mania and put Booker over; otherwise, I guess maybe you do need to keep giving him the meaningless wins so he's insulated against the loss and can still be viable for a rematch.
   
  The three-way women's feud with Victoria, Trish, and Jazz is the only other match probably headed to PPV, and has already been adequately established...  and we probably won't escape tonight without some pointless filler, either.  Will Rico dust off the boots again this week?  Tune in and find out!
   
  Check out RAW tonight... or come on back to OO tomorrow for the detailed RAW Recap, and also for Matt's RAW Satire.
   
  Oh, and for the OO Road to WrestleMania, too.  See you then.
   
    

E-MAIL RICK SCAIA
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Rick Scaia is a wrestling fan from Dayton, OH.  He's been doing this since 1995, but enjoyed it best when the suckers from SportsLine were actually PAYING him to be a fan.

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