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Essential guide: getting the first 10,000 paying customers to your business
The 3 main pillars of business growth are:
Attract high quality leads - easily done through social media platforms
Convert these leads into paying customers
Grow and scale your business with automation and strategy
My current startup was positioned, promoted and distributed to customers in cities all over the world using these same keys. To get your first 10,000 paying customers, follow this guide. N.B The reason we focus on strategies over tactics or hacks is that even though technology changes, human behavior is predictable.
The most important step
Over the last 11 years I have learned that it all starts with identifying what you want to be known for in your prospect’s mind and identifying the goals you are willing to work toward. (If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?) For the sake of illustration, let’s take Sam’s startup; DocMoni LLC as a case study. Sam says his 9 to 5 started to feel like a prison so he quit to work on something he is passionate about and uniquely equipped to solve. He wants wealth, freedom, contribution and the respect of those he cares about. Sam is the founder of an early stage startup that sells payroll software online. He’s raised his first round of funding and had been able to get his first 500 customers over the last 13 months. He has a product launch coming up and wants 10,000 new paying customers in the next 12 months. The payroll feature in DocMoni was the highest value one so he decides to lead with that. Sam’s product positioning is “payroll software for private health practices.” His promise was “Get paid faster. Easily invoice clients from your desk or on the go. On average, DocMoni customers are paid 5 days faster than their competitors.” Notice Sam didn’t try to be everything to everyone. I did the same with my current startup. I defined it as “a growth marketing tool that helps early stage companies get their first 10,0000 customers even without a growth team.” The better differentiated you are, the easier it is to stand out in your market. **2. What Does Your Ideal Customer Want? ** Beware of the temptation of trying to build a product for every customer. Most people don’t know who their ideal customer is. They try to target a forest instead of a single tree. In every market there are ideal customer characteristics that will save you from guesswork. Your ideal customer has the following characteristics a. She wants your product and has the ability to pay you (The best ones even have a recent purchase history of a competitor’s offering or inferior alternative to your product) b. She is actively looking for the solution/product you are providing For example, Sam is targeting chiropractors and dentists with the following characteristics. “Patrick is a 39 year old chiropractor with 2 kids. He lives in the suburbs and drives a BMW 765Li to work. He makes between $300-350k a year and spends his weekends engaged in family activities such as brunches, soccer practice and church. He wants to spend more time doing what he loves and less time dealing with paperwork, payroll, benefits and other administrative chores. Patrick follows WSJ, Forbes, Economist and Inc Magazine on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. “ You see how different this is from the common mistake of just lump in different customer segments together? The better defined your ideal customer is, the easier it will be to reach her. Talk to people to find out what their hopes, dreams, expectations and fears are. Find out what kinds of media you can use to reach them. Do they spend more time on Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram? Do they watch HBO or Netflix? Do they get their news from social media or physical newspapers? Is it easier to reach them in forums or at meetups and local events? It took me too long to see the importance of having an avatar or a good description of my ideal customer. For example, my current customers who pay the most are early stage founders who have raised their first round of funding but can't afford to growth team. That's perfect for me because I've been in their shoes and know exactly what to do so I can just give them my playbook. Hope this answers some questions. Extra help Once again guys, pls don't mind me piggybacking on this post to promote my new eBook! This eBook is a COMPREHENSIVE guide to help you guys build successful businesses! The download of this eBook also includes a FREE copy of software designed to optimize the traffic to your site!
Essential guide: getting the first 10,000 paying customers to your business
The 3 main pillars of business growth are:
Attract high quality leads - easily done through social media platforms
Convert these leads into paying customers
Grow and scale your business with automation and strategy
My current startup was positioned, promoted and distributed to customers in cities all over the world using these same keys. To get your first 10,000 paying customers, follow this guide. N.B The reason we focus on strategies over tactics or hacks is that even though technology changes, human behavior is predictable.
The most important step
Over the last 11 years I have learned that it all starts with identifying what you want to be known for in your prospect’s mind and identifying the goals you are willing to work toward. (If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?) For the sake of illustration, let’s take Sam’s startup; DocMoni LLC as a case study. Sam says his 9 to 5 started to feel like a prison so he quit to work on something he is passionate about and uniquely equipped to solve. He wants wealth, freedom, contribution and the respect of those he cares about. Sam is the founder of an early stage startup that sells payroll software online. He’s raised his first round of funding and had been able to get his first 500 customers over the last 13 months. He has a product launch coming up and wants 10,000 new paying customers in the next 12 months. The payroll feature in DocMoni was the highest value one so he decides to lead with that. Sam’s product positioning is “payroll software for private health practices.” His promise was “Get paid faster. Easily invoice clients from your desk or on the go. On average, DocMoni customers are paid 5 days faster than their competitors.” Notice Sam didn’t try to be everything to everyone. I did the same with my current startup. I defined it as “a growth marketing tool that helps early stage companies get their first 10,0000 customers even without a growth team.” The better differentiated you are, the easier it is to stand out in your market. **2. What Does Your Ideal Customer Want? ** Beware of the temptation of trying to build a product for every customer. Most people don’t know who their ideal customer is. They try to target a forest instead of a single tree. In every market there are ideal customer characteristics that will save you from guesswork. Your ideal customer has the following characteristics a. She wants your product and has the ability to pay you (The best ones even have a recent purchase history of a competitor’s offering or inferior alternative to your product) b. She is actively looking for the solution/product you are providing For example, Sam is targeting chiropractors and dentists with the following characteristics. “Patrick is a 39 year old chiropractor with 2 kids. He lives in the suburbs and drives a BMW 765Li to work. He makes between $300-350k a year and spends his weekends engaged in family activities such as brunches, soccer practice and church. He wants to spend more time doing what he loves and less time dealing with paperwork, payroll, benefits and other administrative chores. Patrick follows WSJ, Forbes, Economist and Inc Magazine on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. “ You see how different this is from the common mistake of just lump in different customer segments together? The better defined your ideal customer is, the easier it will be to reach her. Talk to people to find out what their hopes, dreams, expectations and fears are. Find out what kinds of media you can use to reach them. Do they spend more time on Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram? Do they watch HBO or Netflix? Do they get their news from social media or physical newspapers? Is it easier to reach them in forums or at meetups and local events? It took me too long to see the importance of having an avatar or a good description of my ideal customer. For example, my current customers who pay the most are early stage founders who have raised their first round of funding but can't afford to growth team. That's perfect for me because I've been in their shoes and know exactly what to do so I can just give them my playbook. Hope this answers some questions. Extra help I have published an eBook to help you guys build successful businesses! The download of this eBook also includes a FREE copy of software designed to optimize the traffic to your site!
Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. For anyone interested, I highly recommend signing up for the actual site at f4wonline and checking out the full archives. PREVIOUSLY:
Shad Gaspard went out as the absolute definition of what a father and hero should be. I know it doesn't ease the pain right now, but I hope in the future, that knowledge helps to bring some peace and comfort to his loved ones. What an awful, tragic, heartbreaking story this is. Rest in peace to Shad and best wishes to his family and friends.
We start with a near 5,000-word obituary on Lou Thesz, which ends with Dave promising to "go into more depth" next week. Splendid. Anyway, Lou Thesz passed away at 86 following complications after open heart surgery a few weeks prior. Needless to say, Thesz was the biggest worldwide star in wrestling from the late-30s through the mid-60s. So here we go: he hated modern American wrestling, which he called "choreographed tumbling" and his only connection to the business was in Japan, where he still occasionally made appearances. Became youngest major world champion in wrestling history at age 21 in 1937, in the latter years of the Great Depression. His match with Rikidozan in 1957 remains to this day the highest rated wrestling match of all time and will never even come close to being surpassed. It did a massive 87.0 rating, meaning damn near every house in Japan was tuned in for it. Wrestled his last match in 1990, at age 74, against Masahiro Chono for NJPW. Legit tough guy. His match with Buddy Rogers for the NWA title directly led to the creation of the WWWF in 1963. Dave tells a ton of amazing stories about Thesz's career here. I know I joke about how long these obits are, but this really is a fantastic read about one of the most important figures in the history of wrestling. Speaking of...
The WWF failed to acknowledge Thesz's death on TV the following night, which Dave thinks was utterly classless given how important Lou Thesz was to the industry. In fact, during Steve Austin's match, when he did the Thesz Press move, Jim Ross hesitated before calling the move and Dave seems pretty certain that they were specifically told not to acknowledge him. For what it's worth, Thesz has never exactly spoken highly of modern day wrestling or WWF (aside from telling anyone who would listen how much he loved Kurt Angle). But it wasn't all bad blood. Thesz worked a battle royal at a WWF show in the 80s and even made appearances in front of the crowd at WWF shows as recently as 1997. But WWF seemingly went out of their way to not mention the death of one of the most legendary and historically important wrestlers the business ever saw.
Oh yeah, remember Wahoo McDaniel died last week and Dave promised to have more this week? Here we go. Look folks, I'm not recapping this. It's literally almost 10,000 words about the life and career of Wahoo McDaniel. I'm talking detailed life story, his entire football career, his wrestling career, a million different interesting stories and quotes from other people in the business (Dory Funk Jr., Jim Barnett, Nick Bockwinkel, Terry Funk, and more). It's an incredible piece of writing because Dave always shines in these historical obituary pieces. If you ever wanted to learn everything about Wahoo McDaniel, faaaar more than you'll find on his Wikipedia page or whatever, then this is the issue for you.
And now we go in depth about the allegation that Josh Barnett failed a steroid test just after beating Randy Couture back in March for the UFC heavyweight title. Dave talks about the legalities and possible outcomes of this for Barnett and how the Nevada commission, in all their years of testing for boxing and kickboxing, have surprisingly never actually had a steroid test failure like this that they've had to punish, so there's no precedent for what to do here. Anyway, Dave covers all this stuff, talks about what UFC and the commission might do to Barnett, how he pretty much has to be stripped of the title if UFC wants to maintain any credibility, how this might affect Barnett and other UFC fighters who might jump to PRIDE if the UFC cracks down hard on steroid failures, etc. Even though the Nevada commission technically governs pro wrestling also, Nevada doesn't test WWF (because WWF would simply stop running shows there if they did). WWF hasn't tested people seriously in years. They did do a random steroid test for everybody in developmental recently, but nobody was suspended if they failed, they were just pulled aside and talked to about it.
The 28-year relationship between NJPW and head booker Riki Choshu ended this week when Choshu resigned from the company. Choshu actually submitted his resignation almost a month ago, but both sides had agreed to keep it quiet until after the upcoming Tokyo Dome show. But word leaked out this week before the show, forcing NJPW to put out a statement announcing that Choshu will be leaving the company at the end of May and would be honored in a ceremony at the Tokyo Dome show, which is expected to be his final NJPW appearance. Dave can't put into words how big this is. Aside from Antonio Inoki himself, Riki Choshu was undoubtedly the most important person in the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Dave recaps his entire career, starting with his NJPW debut in 1974, the famous angle in the early 80s where he turned on Fujinami and Inoki, leading NJPW to the biggest financial success any wrestling promotion in history had ever had up to that time. Choshu's brief jump to AJPW in the 80s, his return in 87 and becoming booker in 1989. In fact, aside from Vince McMahon, Choshu is the 2nd most successful booker in wrestling history, with NJPW having drawn more than half of the top 40 largest crowds in the history of wrestling. NJPW was the biggest and strongest promotion in the world for most of the 1990s, under Choshu's booking. Then his retirement, return, and now this. Dave doesn't have all the details of why this happened yet or what Choshu's next move will be. Could start his own promotion or, even at age 50, jump to AJPW and probably have a hell of a run with fresh dream matches that would do big business. Time will tell.
PRIDE became the first promotion in the history of the Observer to have back-to-back shows get 100% thumbs up vote from the readers. Mirko Cro Cop vs. Vanderlei Silva was a huge draw, record gate and attendance for the arena, all that fun stuff. That match ended up being a great fight that ended in a draw. Dave thinks Silva should have won. Future IWGP champion Bob Sapp made his MMA debut, defeating an opponent he outweighed by 130 pounds. Dave thinks Sapp looks like Brock Lesnar with 60 more pounds of muscle. Sapp was with WCW in developmental until they went out of business and he came out for this fight in a Ric Flair robe, with Flair's entrance music, and got over huge with the crowd immediately.
More MMA news, as the UFC lightweight title was vacated when champ Jens Pulver left over a contract dispute. Dave goes into the financial details of it and what Pulver wanted and why UFC is trying not to spend money until they get a TV deal so they can't afford to pay guys what other MMA companies can, etc. (the lightweight title stays vacant for the next 4 years. UFC tries to have a tournament to crown a new champion but the finals ends in a draw, so they just said "fuck it" and scrapped the whole division until 2006).
Raw ratings for this week are in and they aren't good news for Hogan. The show itself drew the lowest rating since the NFL season ended months ago. And the Hogan/Undertaker angle with the overrun at the end of the show drew the lowest overrun rating in 4 years. Hogan's been back in WWF for a little less than 3 months and it's looking like this nostalgia run may already be running out of steam. Smackdown also did its lowest non-holiday rating in history this week, which is even worse news (the more things change...)
Genichiro Tenryu beat Keiji Muto to win the vacant AJPW Triple Crown title that was held up after Toshiaki Kawada was injured last month. The match was nowhere near as good as the classic Muto/Tenryu match from last year, but was still good when you consider both men are practically elderly by wrestling standards and are physically thrashed.
Kenta Kobashi is expected to return to full-time in-ring action in July after missing most of the last 2 years with knee injuries (yeah he finally comes back for real this time and goes on to have one hell of a late-career run over the next few years).
After months of hype, the Giant Silva vs. Giant Singh match planned for the NJPW Tokyo Dome show this week won't be happening, after Singh suffered a fractured cheekbone that required surgery and will keep him out for 3 months (poor Great Khali). Chyna was originally scheduled to be the referee for that match, but she won't be doing that now. So this week, they had a press conference where Tiger Jeet Singh attacked Antonio Inoki and challenged him to a match, but Chyna made the save for Inoki ('oh this is getting sad," Dave writes) and she challenged Tiger to the match herself (this doesn't happen, she ends up refereeing a tag match instead).
The Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Masahiro Chono match at the NJPW Tokyo Dome show will end up airing on TV after all, but it won't be part of the live broadcast. Misawa is contracted to Nippon TV but the show is airing on TV-Asahi going head-to-head with a major soccer game on Nippon. So they won't allow the Misawa match to air against their soccer game, but they have agreed to allow it to air during NJPW's usual weekly TV show a couple of days later.
NJPW is discussing copying the way American wrestling promotions do television. Currently, NJPW is a primarily live-show focused promotion and then highlights and matches of their various shows are collected, edited, and broadcast on its weekly TV show. But both Inoki and Chono have talked about wanting to run live, weekly TV the way WWF does, with angles and whatnot taking place the same way. The Tokyo Dome show airing live on TV is being seen as something of a test for that idea.
The latest Ring of Honor show again drew a sellout crowd in Philadelphia. The matches were again said to be spectacular, with Low-Ki vs. AJ Styles stealing the show. WWF Intercontinental champion Eddie Guerrero also worked the show, which was the final booking he had made prior to his return to WWF, and they allowed him to honor it. Eddie busted his ass and sold like crazy in the match, continuing to earn his reputation back and prove himself. Fans chanted "Thank you Eddie" at him after the match. After the bout, Eddie cut an emotional promo about his pending divorce and losing out in a custody hearing for his children. He talked about his personal issues and how his first brush with fame in the U.S. was in Philadelphia for ECW. None of this was scripted, it was Eddie going off the cuff and being honest and it brought many in the crowd to tears (I can't find video of the promo, but here's the post ROH made on their website after Eddie's death where they talk about it).
Bret Hart wrote in his Calgary Sun column about his recent appearance on that Talking With The Dead show with the psychic that claims he can talk to dead people. Hart said he went in to the show open minded, feeling 50/50 on whether this guy was legit. Afterwards, Bret felt slightly more confident (55/45) that he was legit. Hart admitted that most of the stuff the guy said, he could have found out by researching, but regardless, Hart said his gut tells him the guy is legit and if he's not, he still did a good job of convincing him. Hart said he doesn't regret doing it. (Oh Bret, honey...)
Mark and Jay Briscoe have quit CZW. It's kind of a technicality since they couldn't really wrestle for them anyway. CZW's shows mostly take place in Pennsylvania and you have to be 18 for the commission to legally allow you to wrestle. For awhile, both Briscoes were underage. So then they started wrestling under masks, but the commission wasn't stupid and figured that out too. So they've left the company. Jay is now working with Ring of Honor (since he recently turned 18) but Mark can't join him yet. But it's expected he will when he turns 18 as well (and the Briscoes have pretty much been there ever since).
Quote, presented without context: "Ted Petty (Rocco Rock) was spotted on a Manhattan street selling mops."
In regards to the new Jarrett family promotion, Jerry is said to be against bringing in Vince Russo, but Jeff is adamant that he wants Russo to be the new promotion's head writer.
The Jarretts are also hoping to use Road Dogg, but he's on house arrest for the next 6 months, so it won't be until after that. They're also trying to avoid using a lot of old WCW names, mostly because those stars are expensive and the NWA Wildside indie workers will wrestle for cheap. But they're also complete unknowns to all but the most hardcore of fans, which is gonna make it hard to draw PPV buys even though many of them are very good workers.
XWF's entire planned Texas tour this week got canceled at the last minute when the financial backer pulled out. The money they were supposed to pay them never materialized and they cut off contact with the promotion at literally the last moment. All of the talent showed up in Texas, only to find out that the entire tour (4 shows throughout the state) had been scrapped. Advertising for the shows had been minimal and even with Roddy Piper, Rena Mero, and Dusty Rhodes advertised, ticket sales were embarrassing (one show in Tyler, TX had only 50 tickets sold when it was canceled). The wrestlers hung around the first arena they were supposed to be at and signed autographs and whatnot for the fans who did show up, but that was it. The wrestlers were told they would all still be getting paid for the entire tour and their travel expenses, so no one was too terribly mad. But they haven't been paid as of yet, although XWF said checks will be sent out this week. But in the wrestling biz, you never know for sure until the money is in your hand. No word on whether XWF plans to take legal action against the backers who pulled out. The promotion has no other dates on the schedule (and that was it for XWF. No other shows ever happen and they quietly fold up shop soon after).
Regarding Hogan winning the WWF title, Vince originally planned to keep the belt on Triple H up until the day of the show. It was debated strongly during the writers meeting, with Stephanie McMahon (not surprisingly) and Paul Heyman pushing to keep the belt on Triple H, while most everyone else argued to put it on Hogan and strike while the iron is hot. Ultimately, Vince decided to go with Hogan.
WWF has taken out several new trademarks for "WW," "WWE," and "World Wrestling Entertainment" among others. They also recently registered the domain names for WWE.com and WorldWrestlingEntertainment.com (as well as .org and .net). Privately, within the company, everyone seems to recognize that they aren't going to win their final appeal with the World Wildlife Fund lawsuit and are going to be forced to change the company name, so they're preparing for it. They've also gotten the trademark on a new logo, which looks exactly like the current scratch logo, but with the F removed. Given all the "WWF" logos that have been plastered on turnbuckles, ring aprons, signs, etc. over the last 20 years, there's some question over how this will affect future video releases of old footage (answer: by annoyingly blurring everything out).
In its second week in theaters, Scorpion King continues to reign at #1 in the box office. As of this writing, it has grossed $60.8 million. Big Money Miavia is gonna be a star, folks!
Notes from Smackdown: Hogan got another huge reaction when he came out, which is weird because he didn't get near the reaction on Raw the same week (remember, Hogan is champ and champ gets to go on both shows). For what it's worth, the local newspaper reported that cheers for Hogan were being piped in through the speakers, which is the type of embarrassing shit WCW used to do with the Goldberg chants. Dave says he couldn't tell if that was true on TV or not. Also during the show, Chris Jericho himself and Vince McMahon both referred to Jericho as "Living Legend" so it looks like they're not taking Larry Zbyszko's lawsuit too seriously. Randy Orton made his debut and Dave thinks he looks way too much like a fresh-faced boy next door to get over as a babyface with this WWF audience. Dave predicts he'll get treated like Rock did during his first year or two, when crowds were literally chanting at him to die (indeed, Orton didn't really click until he turned heel). And finally, Jericho and Triple H had a really good match.
Internally, it's recognized that Edge is the guy they want to get behind and push right now. For months now, Edge and RVD have been the glass ceiling guys that everyone is pushing the company to strap a rocket to. But RVD had a pretty lackluster PPV match with Eddie Guerrero and that soured a lot of people on pushing him as a top guy. On the other hand, Edge tore the house down with Kurt Angle and it opened a lot of eyes for people who see potential in Edge as a top singles guy some day.
In regards to recent rumors that Juventud Guerrera is headed to WWF, that's not true, at least not right now. He's been calling WWF periodically, looking for work, and John Laurinaitis keeps giving him the ol' "Call us back in a month or two and we'll see what we have." But with plans to restart the cruiserweight division, Juvie would be one of the top guys they should want. That being said, WWF has been trying to make it a point not to sign people who have been openly battling their personal demons (Scott Hall double-standard notwithstanding) and Juvie hasn't exactly been on his best behavior in the last few years, so that works against him.
Former WCW Nitro girl Sharmell Sulivan suffered a torn ACL training in OVW and will undergo surgery that will keep her out for 4-6 months (the injury pretty much convinces her to give up on the whole wrestling thing. She eventually returned as an interviewer and later as Booker T's valet. And she wrestled a handful of matches in later years, but for all intents and purposes, the ACL injury put an end to the idea of her being a wrestler).
MTV's "The Osbournes" continues to be a monster hit and continues to be the only show on cable that is beating WWF's Raw in the ratings. It's happened for the 3rd week in a row and will probably continue to happen until the season is over. Prior to this show, Raw was almost always the highest rated cable show of the night.
Kurt Angle recently filmed a PSA for the Get Tough on Angina campaign to raise awareness about the rare heart condition. It was supposed to air on Smackdown, but Vince nixed it at the last minute because he didn't want Angle, as a heel, being portrayed in a manner where he's doing something charitable and good. The commercial will still air during Raw since he's not on that show. Sure, why not? Vince actually didn't like the idea of Angle doing the commercial at all since Angle is one of the top heels in the company. Angle was chosen for the spot because more than a dozen members of his family have suffered from it and even Angle was thought to have it and flunked his first WWF medical test in 1998 because of it. But later tests showed he was okay.
Speaking of Angle, the WWF has given him their blessing to take time off to train for the 2004 Olympics. They have even agreed to sponsor him and will continue to pay his minimum downside guarantee while he's off. Angle has said that his impromptu backstage match with Lesnar a few months ago made him feel competitive again, but it also made him realize he's not nearly the amateur wrestler he was back in 1996. Even though Lesnar outweighed Angle by about 80 pounds and even though Angle hasn't wrestled competitively like that in nearly 6 years, he still was able to beat him. But it wasn't easy. That same day, prior to the Angle vs. Lesnar matchup, both guys were having fun grappling with Big Show. Angle later said that if Big Show actually knew what he was doing, he'd be unstoppable because he's so big and strong. But he didn't know what he was doing and as a result, both Angle and Lesnar physically manhandled him on the ground. Anyway, Angle plans to make his 2004 Olympics decision before the end of this year, which would give him all of 2003 to train and get back to where he think he needs to be. But it will depend on how he's feeling physically. Angle said if he's still beat up with injuries by the end of the year, he won't do it because if he isn't 100%, he can't properly train and wouldn't have a chance of winning another gold medal (indeed, Angle's body continues to break down and the 2004 Olympics never happens).
Jim Ross admitted that WWF has had talks with Ken Shamrock recently but who knows if it will amount to anything. UFC has made Shamrock a great offer to fight Tito Ortiz in September. Shamrock is fine with that money offer, but he wants a no-rematch clause in the contract. UFC is insisting on a rematch. Because if Shamrock beats Ortiz, it'll be seen as an upset and would turn Shamrock into the UFC's biggest star overnight. And if that happens, they don't want him jumping ship to PRIDE immediately after. UFC wants to make sure that if Shamrock wins, Ortiz will get a rematch. Shamrock is 38 years old and, in terms of long-term financial stability, WWF is probably the best option for him. Despite rumors to the contrary, Shamrock reportedly has no interest in joining the new Jarrett promotion (he literally wins the NWA title on TNA's very first show lol....but we'll get there).
Jim Ross also noted that WWF has had discussions with NJPW about allowing WWF developmental talent to go work tours for them (don't think this ever amounts to anything).
After being told to retire by his own doctors, DDP went to Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham for a second opinion....and they told him to retire also. DDP's spinal cord is said to be in such bad shape that one more bad bump could paralyze him. DDP is planning to see Dr. Youngblood in a few weeks (the same doctor that put Steve Austin's neck back together) and still hopes to return to the ring (nah, not really. Takes off the next few years and, aside from a scattering of matches over the years since, he pretty much retired as a full-time wrestler at this point).
WWF held another training camp this week with a whole list of developmental and unsigned indie wrestlers. Among them: April Hunter from WCW, Bobby Rude, Josh Matthews from Tough Enough season 1, former WCW wrestler Horshu who Dave says has a good body and nothing else (later becomes Luther Reigns), Daffney from WCW, and Sylvain Grenier, among many others who's names nobody will recognize. During the session, the WWF agents strongly trashed the "indie shoot style" matches that have become popular on the indies, specifically noting the Low-Ki vs. American Dragon matches in Ring of Honor. The agents said that style is just as bad as backyard wrestling and that the idea is to make things look like they hurt, but not actually hurt. And I guess the ROH "strong style" is too tough and can lead to too many injuries. Dave says this stems from Spanky showing up to a recent WWF training camp covered in bruises from a recent ROH match with American Dragon. So they don't like that style of rasslin' in WWF.
NEXT WEDNESDAY:The WWF is dead, long live the WWE! NJPW Tokyo Dome show fallout, Goldberg becomes a free agent, Scott Hall fired, the Plane Ride From Hell, and more...
Why am I writing this? Well, when I stumbled throughout Zcode System for the first time, there weren’t many real reviews around so I thought I’d write one quickly to assist any of you who are in the same position I was. But be warned, I’ll be going into each the good and the bad points, so if that’s something you might not desire to hear, then you may as well go away now. I like to update this post each and every so often to go into any cool updates that Zcode has had over the years and, oh boy, brace yourselves, have there been some updates. Anyway, let’s get on with the ZCode System Reddit review. Product type: Sports Gambling Investment Website:zcodesystem.com
So just what is Zcode System anyway?
https://preview.redd.it/xpedjund5jp51.jpg?width=617&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e66981a7cd799948b596edbc4b37b4e1d58d5368 “Zcode System” is a comprehensive sports investing program that is designed to provide you advice on what sports occasions to bet on and which ones to avoid. It does this by examining a massive database comprised of 13 years’ well worth of sports data and spits out its prediction based totally on this evidence. Zcode gives predictions on all major U.S. sports activities including the NBA, MLB, NHL, and (starting in a couple of weeks) NFL. For example, today (March 4nd, 2020 when this is being written) the Houston Rockets are enjoying the New York Knicks. Zcode gave the Rockets a 97% chance of winning the game, however this is only a 3 half star bet in accordance to Zcode. Not the worst, but definitely some thing you’ll want to think twice about. Zcode is all about the VALUE of a bet, now not just purely the odds. It did, however, provide the Under 230.5 points bet a 63% of hitting. Now this guess is a 5-STAR RATING! This is the highest rating that Zcode offers and means that there is immense cost in this bet. Analysis like this is given on every game. Click here for the Official Zcode System Website. I’ve tried pretty a few “sports investing systems” over the last year or so and don’t get me wrong, I’ve observed some winners and some stinkers. Zcode is the first system I’ve seen that now not only gives you the picks, however also tells you WHY it’s giving you these picks the use of straight-up statistics, not “gut feelings”.
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The current ‘successful’ era of Honduras football can be pinpointed to the 2007 Gold Cup. Reinaldo Rueda’s first tournament in charge saw him beat Mexico in the group stage, with THAT famous kiss. While Honduras did not win, there was hope again after a disastrous 2006 World cup qualifying campaign, where Honduras didn’t even make the final Hexagonal. Honduras then qualified, with Rueda in charge, to South Africa 2010 (Thank you Bornstein) for the first time since 1982, and then with another Colombian in Luis Suarez, they made it back again in 2014 to Brazil. Both performances at the actual World Cup left a lot to be desired. While losing to France is expected, the final group stage match in 2014 vs Switzerland left a sour taste. For 2018, after a disastrous Hernan Medford UNCAF tournament stint, Honduras turned to Costa Rica’s 2014 miracle worker, Jose Luis Pinto. Pinto then had disappointing showings in the 2015 Gold Cup and qualified to the Hexagonal under a lot of criticism of the team’s play, particularly the defending of crosses. Once in the Hex, despite USA’s destruction of Honduras in San Jose, and despite one defensive mistake after another in late game situations dealing with crosses, Honduras still found themselves in the playoff vs Australia for the 2018 World Cup final spot, by making a spirited comeback vs Mexico in the final hexagonal game, who up to then had not lost in qualifying. The playoff just set the pain back a month though, as Honduras played two very sad games vs Australia, both at home and away, meaning that Honduras would not be the first Central American team to qualify to three World Cups in a row. Now Honduras looks to another foreigner, Fabian Coito, the Uruguayan who has been a long standing disciple of Oscar Tabarez and manager of the Uruguayan U-20s. With only one friendly under his belt, there is a lot to learn on how his teams will approach this Gold Cup.
R. Castillo M. Chirinos A. López A. Elis L. Garrido B. Acosta E. Izaguirre M. Figueroa (C) H. Figueroa B. Beckeles L. López
Players to Watch
Alberth Elis (RW) The Houston Dynamo winger and forward,has been rumoured with moves to Europe the past couple of years. He is pacy but strong, and is a physical mismatch for many fullbacks. His decision making can be an issue. Very unselfish in the box, often to a fault, he will have to become a more decisive finisher for Honduras to make a leap in this Gold Cup. He will be looking for that move to Europe, and there is no better place than at an international tournament. Michaell Chirinos (LW) The small and skillful winger currently playing in Liga MX for Lobos BUAP (Now Bravos de Ciudad Juarez), on Loan from Olimpia. He has 6 goals and 4 assists for a team that is more likely fighting against relegation than for a trophy. The good production and his incisiveness will provide a different kind of weapon than Elis on the opposite wing. As Chirinos is better at keeping the ball close to his feet, and at combining with teammates, Honduras will look to trust often in counters but also when the smaller sides of this tournament attempt to stifle Honduras’ attack with numbers behind the ball. Henry Figueroa (CB) The center back, who was heavily criticized during the 2018 WC qualifying campaign, will need to step into leadership for Honduras during this Gold Cup. Maynor Figueroa his likely partner at the back is showing his age, and the Motagua youth product will have to take it upon himself to ensure that defense is quick when balls are played behind them, and strong when defending crosses. Currently a starter at Alajuelense of the Costa Rican league, Henry isn’t great on the ball like Maynor is and has been, but he is a good reader of the game, and is absolutely fearless going into tackles. He can exposed against the most skillful players on 1v1 situations, but he has great recovery speed. He will want to maybe make a jump to MLS or Europe, and this could be the platform that propels him that way.
Points of Discussion
Can Coito improve defensive performances?
In the 2018 qualifiers, Honduras let in late goals at Panama (90th minute by Roman Torres), vs USA (85th Minute Bobby Wood), at Costa Rica (90th + 5 minute by Kendall Waston). All those goals came from crosses that were not dealt with or lack of concentration. It turned out to be the achilles heel of the national team. Can Coito ensure better solidity? He might have to make some changes, which leads to…
How long can Maynor Figueroa and Emilio Izaguirre start in defense?
Figueroa, the former Wigan Athletic and Hull City defender now at MLS, is both the captain of the team and was one of the most scrutinized players for not qualifying. His decline in athleticism has exposed his bad positioning issues, and rivals have taken advantage of this. But as the captain and leader of the national team, it will be a tough decision to bench him. Similar with Izaguirre who is one of the emotional leaders of the team, and has so much European experience with Celtic. But at the Glasgow side, Izaguirre has not been chosen often since he returned from his short time in the Saudi league. Leading to the question on whether he is being chosen on what he can do or what he has done for the national team.
Can Honduras finally win a major trophy?
Honduras has only once won the CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup, and it was at home in a tournament that doubled as World Cup qualifying. Since 1981, Honduras has not lifted any actual hardware. There have been feel good stories, like in 1991 losing out in the final of the first Gold Cup to the USA in penalties, or the 2001 Copa America third place in what was Honduras’ first and only participation in that tournament. Honduras is thirsty for a trophy, and with key absences in the Mexican side, plus a renewed spirit from the new manager, Honduras might have a reason to hope this summer.
Jamaican Football has not been this exciting since the late 90s when current head coach, then top striker, Theodore "Tappa" Whitmore and Co. lead the nation to a first World Cup appearance at France 98'. After various false revivals this crop of Jamaican footballers is arguably the best in two decades. After being outplayed in two Gold Cup finals in a row the Reggae Boyz will be looking to make it third time the charm with another deep run expected by a team full or experience, talent and youth. Beating the USA in a recent friendly on the eve of the tournament (albeit a weaker USA starting 11) will surely give a mental boost to the players and management in their hopes to repeat the exploits of 2015 and 2017. Many key players have been retained in all positions from the previous Gold Cup campaign with a few fresh faces, some long overdue.
D. Mattocks B. Brown P. Vassell L. Bailey M. Hector K. Lambert K. Lawrence S. Francis D. Lowe A. Powell A. Blake (C)
Players to Watch
Andre Blake (GK) Goalkeeper for the current MLS Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union has been a key players for club and country for the past seasons. After suffering a heartbreaking injury in last tournament's final (NSFW?), he will be hoping to lead the team to another final as captain and custodian. Peter-Lee Vassell (AM) Recently drafted by Los Angeles FC in the MLS Draft, Vassel is a creative midfielder not often seen among Jamaican youths. Although struggling for game time at high fliers LA FC, when he puts on the national jersey he shows the potential, vision and creativity that convinced LA FC to acquire the service of the young midfielder. He can use this tournament to convince Bob Bradley he deserves a starting spot at Los Angeles. Leon Bailey (RW) The Bayer Leverkusen winger has finally committed to the Reggae Boyz after stand-offs with the Jamaican Football Federation and his management (His Step-father) and himself (situation is too long to explain in this post). His pace and skills on the wing and his eye for goal may be what gives Jamaica an edge in this year's Gold Cup. If he's on his game, he could be a top 5 player in CONCACAF.
Points of Discussion
Third time's the charm?
With the USA seemingly still suffering from demons of that warm night in Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico with a solid but not spectacular team, and Canada and Costa Rice with slightly aging squads, all things are aligning for a first nation to win the Gold Cup since Canada in 2000. Jamaica have their fates in their own hands and should not fear any of the teams in CONCACAF.
Leon Bailey
Leon Patrick Bailey. Where to start. Born in Jamaica, he was taken to Europe by his step-father along with his step-brother with the intent to find European clubs for his then minor children. After arriving in Europe and shocking scouts of various teams (KRC Genk of Belgium a front runner) he and his family had to return to Jamaica but that did not stop the Baileys and after a couple 'not so legal' encounters, a verbal agreement with Ajax FC and a police raid, Leon Bailey eventually signed for AS Trencin as a youth player, eventually moving to KRC Genk as his first professional contract. Bailey won the Belgian Young Player of the Year in his first season at Genk and attracted many clubs, halfway into his second season in Belgium, Bayer Leverkusen came and he signed in Janaury 2017. His time in Germany has had many ups and downs but he has shown his skills and aggressive dribbling in a very up and down Leverkusen team. After failing to be eligible for England and seemingly burying the hatchet after 2 or so years of conflict with the JFF, Bailey is donning the Black, Green and Gold. However, all this turmoil the worst thing that could happen is him not showing up in this tournament, after all this is his performance at the senior international level.
Nickname(s):La Selecta, Los Cuscatlecos, La Azul y Blanco
CONCACAF Gold Cup Appearances: 11 Times
Best Finish: Quarter-finals (2002, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2017)
FIFA Ranking: 71 (9th in CONCACAF)
Introduction
El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America, it was the first country from that region to qualify to a World Cup (Mexico 1970). Twelve years later ‘La Selecta’ would qualify for their second (and last to date) World Cup in Spain 1982 where they scored their first goal in a World Cup ik the first game where they lost to Hungary in a historical game that ended 10-1. The Salvadorian National Team has won the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean games in two occasions (1954 and 2002). El Salvador had some troubles qualifying to the 2019 edition of the World Cup after a shocking lost against Bermuda but they earned their ticket in their last game of the Concacaf Nations League after beating Jamaica 2-0 at the Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador. Soccer is the most popular sport in the country even though the country have not qualified to the World Cup in 37 years. The Cuscatlecos enter this Gold Cup in great form and in a winning streak of 5 games in a row after beating Haiti twice (1-0), Guatemala (3-1), Jamaica (2-0) and Peru (2-0).
N. Bonilla J. Alas M. Monterrosa D. Cerén Ó. Cerén N. Orellana J. Jiménez R. Domínguez I. Mancía B. Tamacas H. Hernández (C)
Players to Watch
Óscar Cerén (RM) The younger of the Ceren brothers, probably the player with most protection in the country at the moment. He was an important part for Alianza in order to reach 6 finals in a row. Rumors had linked him to MLS before so we’ll see if the Gold Cup is the tournament that makes him migrate to another league. Narciso Orellana (DM) The best midfielder in the country at the moment, key player in Alianza too, has the quality to migrate to another league and Alianza had received offer from Europe for him but the money wasn’t right for them. The 24 year old will be essential for the midfield in El Salvador for years to come. Because his dimunitive 5'7" (170 cm) stature, he retains the ball easily and his aggressive style of play is something to look out for. Nelson Bonilla (ST) Currently the most successful Salvadorian playing in a foreign league after scoring 25 goals in 32 games in 2018 for the Sukhothai in Thailand, Bangkok United paid more than 1 million dollars to sign him. Wirh 14 goals in 40 games, a lot of the hope for goals in El Salvador is on Bonilla’s back.
Points of Discussion
Momentum!
For the first time in a long time Salvadorians are expecting and with hope that the team will perform good in the tournament after showing a good style and game the friendlies played, who knows maybe this year will be the first time that ‘La Selecta’ reaches more than Quarter Finals in the Gold Cup.
Lack of goals in the past
El Salvador has struggled finding a reliable goal scorer for the team after the match fixing ban in 2012 that took out of professional soccer 11 players from the national team and gave temporal bans to a couple more including Rodolfo Zelaya who at that moment was the starting forward and the player with most talent in the team. Can Bonilla, Rugamas or Portillo finally fill the shoes of the great Raul Diaz Arce, Ronald Cerritos and Rudis Corrales who were the last great goal scorers in La Selecta.
Can de los Cobos make the match fixing ghost go away?
Even though is being 7 years after the ban most of the fans have not forgotten about it, Carlos de los Cobos was the coach when the Match Fixing happened and no one really know how much he knew about everything or even if he knew anything a all, that was one of the most painful memories in recent time for Salvadorian fans as the team were in a good route to qualify to the 2010 World Cup but made some questionable mistakes in key games that later on were found as fixed. We’ll see if this generation is the one that finally is going to throw away that bad memory for Salvadorian fans.
Curaçao used to play as the Netherlands Antilles up until 2010. The only notable achievements being two 3rd place finishes in 1963 and ’69 in the old CONCACAF championship(1963-1989), which was the predecessor to the Gold Cup. In 2010 that all changed as they gained their constituent country status. The “Curaçao Football Federation” was established in 2011, making it the youngest football federation in the world. In June 2015, Patrick Kluivert, who’s mother is from Curaçao, was brought in to coach the team and he started to raise the bar for the then mostly amateur team. With Kluivert’s pedigree, it was now possible to recruit professional players, playing in the Eredivisie, lower levels of the Dutch footballing pyramid and across other European leagues. The most notable players recruited at that time were Eloy Room(GK) and Leandro Bacuna(MF). In just one year, Kluivert managed to equal the amount of wins(6) the team managed from 2011-2014. With much of the groundwork laid out by Kluivert, his successor, assistant coach Remco Becentini led the team to their first ever title in 2017, beating Jamaica to take the Caribbean Cup. The key player though in the final wasn’t any of the players born in the Netherlands, but it was Willemstad born and raised Elson Hooi, who netted a brace to secure Curaçao’s first triumph in its history as an autonomous nation. To give everyone an idea of the scale of the achievement, Curaçao went from being 183rd (lower than Aruba) in the FIFA rankings to 68th in a period of just 3 years. The Gold Cup in 2017 wasn’t a success, having lost all 3 of their group stage matches to Jamaica, Mexico and El Salvador. However, the experience playing at such a tournament for the first time would prove to be invaluable for a team aspiring to become the smallest nation to reach the FIFA world cup. Recently, the team participated in the CONCACAF nations league qualifiers which also doubled as qualifiers for the Gold Cup. Curaçao showed that they now belong in the upper tiers of CONCACAF, having seemingly outgrown most of the other Caribbean island nations.
J. Arias E. Hooi R. Bonevacia G. Nepomuceno L. Bacuna M. Maria J. Carolina D. Lachman C. Martina (C) J. Gaari E. Room
Players to Watch
Cuco Martina (RB/CB) One of the most experienced players in the squad, having played in the Premier League and Eredivisie, he will be critical for organizing the team in defense and for overall motivation and moral. Together with Room, they have the Captain duties within the squad. While normally a right back, Becentini has used him in central defense as well. Leandro Bacuna (CM) Another experienced player in the Championship and Premier League, his presence and quality on the ball, but also his physicality will be needed in midfield. His skill and ability on the ball is miles ahead of most teams in the Caribbean region. His verstatility will also be of use, capable of playing quite literally anywhere in midfield and fullback if absolutely needed Elson Hooi (LW) Small, quick and versatile at 5'6" (67 cm). Was a key player for them in the Caribbean cup. If Hooi starts firing again, he is an incredible joy to watch and dangerous in attack. And when I say quick, I mean QUICKKKK, can be a bit selfish with the ball at times but can skin defenders. Think of him as a shorter, less bulky Adama Traore
Points of Discussion
"Total Football" principles introduced by Patrick Kluivert
Curaçao plays a possession game, building out from the back with ever present “triangles”. They need to take care of their defense, because it is not the most sound with only Martina having top level experience. Which is why Cuco Martina is selected to play center back at times. What they need to avoid at all cost, is an injury to goalkeeper and captain Eloy Room. The keeper position is the one with the least depth and if Room is out, they are left with one EFL League Two keeper and an amateur keeper from Curaçao’s own Vesta.
To close....
Curaçao went from a mostly amateur side, to almost a full professional side in under a decade. They did this by hiring Kluivert and supporting him in trying to get Dutch born players with roots in Curaçao to choose to play for the national team. Players like Kuwas (who elected to not play this Gold Cup), Bacuna and Room all played for the Dutch youth sides. Looking at the future, there are also plenty of Curaçao born and Dutch born players of Curaçaoan descent currently playing for various youth sides in Europe. With proper coaching and infrastructure and the willingness to improve, I can’t bet against this side advancing passed the group stage of the Gold Cup and I can’t help but imagine if they can make the World Cup given that CONCACAF have two extra spots this time around from 2026 onward.
Tune in tomorrow when sardar_star will be posting Group D!
Don't forget to participate in the Predictions Game in the comments below!
Trip Report: Costa Rica, Nov 18-26, 2019: Arenal/La Fortuna, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio
Trip Report for two USA adult 40-somethings and their 9 year old daughter over Thanksgiving week, 2019. Monday: LAX -> SJO, easy flight. We took it as a red-eye and it is not long enough to get much sleep. Tuesday: Landing in SJO, cleared customs without incident. Short wait for bags. All the ATMs in the terminal are in public with everyone staring at you. I needed to get a week's worth of money and didn't need a target on my back so we figured we'd hit one once we got the car. This was a bad move, they are hard to find. Should have used the ATM at the airport. Easily found shuttle to Budget car rental. Got car without incident, mandatory insurance was expensive (as predicted). I got a mid-sized (small) SUV, four wheel drive (never used it), stick-shift (just to show off). The automatic was another $50 for the week and in retrospect I'd have done it - there is a LOT of stop-and-go driving and my clutching skills needed work after a 15 year break. I was surprised that all the cars in the rental car lot looked mostly the same - the small SUVs didn't look different from the large SUVs, and in fact none of the compact cars looked much different from the SUVs. I didn't know what kind of driving to expect but in retrospect if you were trying to save $100 I think one of the tiny compact cars would have been fine. Headed for Arenal / La Fortuna. Stopped at an exit to get some snacks. Finally found a small supermarket but they had no ATM. Asked for directions to the nearest ATM, after significant discussion I was given turn by turn directions to go approximately 100 miles, so we decided we'd wait. Eventually found (via gps) an ATM that was 10 or so minutes off our route. Stopped for lunch at La Casona del Maiz nearby. Delicious - we were starved. The GPS says we took 5 hours to go 45 miles to Arenal, but I don't remember it taking that long. We certainly did meander and get out and look several times. It's beautiful country and the drives are pleasant. Montana De Fuego Resort & Spa. We had a Superior Bungalow which are easily the nicest rooms there. (There are more expensive rooms that are just not as nice.) This resort caters to Americans and Europeans. They have a small hot springs pool (warm), restaurant on site, very nice and clean. There is a trail in the hotel grounds called "Sloth Trail" (or something) we saw our first sloth about 50 steps down the trail. Drove back into Fortuna for dinner (we don't do hotel food), ate at Pollo Fortueno. Delish, and great service. Really great service. Wednesday: we'd booked a horseback ride through the hotel. Hotel contracts it to the place across the street (directly across the street), I'm sure you could save a few bucks to book direct with that place. Just the three of us and a guide - we'd booked a horseback ride up Arenal, but on arrival the guy said the ride up Arenal was mostly on a road, and you get there and... that's that. If you take a ride down by the river, you see wildlife and lots of scenery. The three of us really wanted to ride Fortuna, but we gave in to this guy's recommendation, and he was 100% right. The ride was amazing. He pointed out all kinds of animals and flora and local history. This horseback ride was the highlight of the trip. After we ate lunch at El Novillos Del Arenal, it was ok, I wouldn't return. Drove to Arenal Park, paid the small admission fee and hiked up the hill. Good hike, great view. (Tired 9 year old.) Arenal park closes promptly at 4. I know this for a fact because when we went to leave at 4:45, we were locked in and everyone was gone. We managed to flag down a passerby who called someone, and 5 minutes later we were rescued. Wife wanted pizza for dinner, we returned to town and ate at Restaurante Cafe Mediterraneo. Great pizza and great ambiance. Got a scoop of ice cream after at Chocolate Fusion. Also had really good service here. Walked around town. Nice little tourist center here. Thursday: put on our swimsuits and swam at the locals hot springs: https://goo.gl/maps/Q3CPV6D3DcWkJJHQA. Spent an hour here and seriously could have spent all day. Wished we'd have blocked out more time for this. Another highlight of the trip. This was a travel day to Monteverde. Great drive, beautiful views. Stopped at "Cafe & Macadamia" on the way for lunch. Seriously the best lunch stop possible. Delicious food, reasonable cost, right at the halfway point. Stayed at Pension Santa Elena, a hostel in the center of town. Stayed two nights, got to know basically everyone staying at the hostel in a period of two days. Took a night hike with Wildlife Refuge Monteverde. This was my wife's one wish and she loved it. My daughter and I were miserable and cold in the rain for two hours. But my wife loved every minute. We did see some cool stuff. Bring a flashlight, the ones they hand out are cheap and not bright. Friday: Hostel offers breakfast and it's delish. The hostel folks had helped us book a semi-private guide at Monteverde Nat'l Park and the tour was good. We didn't see quite as much wildlife as we'd hoped, but the guide was very knowledgable and the price was reasonable. About a mile before Monteverde Nat'l Park there is a parking lot with the world's largest sign, "OFFICIAL PARKING, MONTEVERDE NAT'L PARK". You will be stunned to learn this is not the official parking for Monteverde National Park. Drive another mile or so, park on the side of the road for free, walk to the entrance. Friday afternoon we booked a zipline at Salvatura adventure park. Before we booked it there was a lot of debate about which company to use, they all boast different features. After having done it I'll suggest that they are all mostly the same and it doesn't matter that much. Salvatura was great and we really enjoyed it. After the zipline, Salvatura offers a 7-bridge walk and we took a very long walk across 7 hanging bridges. The town of Monteverde is very small and very touristy, the food is overpriced and mediocre. I wish I'd have cooked at the hostel, but we had some forgettable tourist food this night. Saturday: Drove our newfound hostel friends to the ferry terminal in Puntarenas. Continued towards Manuel Antonio. Stopped at Crocodile Bridge. Stopped a bit later for our absolute best soda experience, Soda La Katolika. Stayed two nights at Jungle Creek Villas, a vacation rental run by an overbearing Canadian ex-pat. Monkeys come right up to the house in the trees and plenty of Macaws. Watched the sunset from the beach outside the national park. The locals will help you park at the beach. When you get out of the car they will ask for for a thousand (or a few thousand) colones, and if you pay them, they will watch your car so nobody breaks in it. If you don't, they will break into your car while you're gone. It's a really clever system, so I paid the guy, and he didn't break into my car. Sunday, did the Manuel Antonio National Park. Didn't hire a guide, did it DIY. Before arriving in Costa Rica I read that if you hire a guide in one national park, you will get the idea as to whether you like it or not. We'd done it a few times and decided to go without this time. It was a good move. Once you know how to find monkeys and sloths, you will find them. The guide book mentioned how specific areas of the national park had less populous beaches, but I found most of the beaches pretty deserted, none moreso than others. We set up camp and played in the beach most of the day. Pro-tip, park on the main road, not the skinny road on the way to the national park. Had a forgettable expensive dinner at El Lagarto. If you go, make a reservation. Monday: drove back to San Jose. Hotel for the night was Trapp Family Country Inn. The most delightful thing about this place is their address: "400m west of soccer field, Costa Rica, Alajuela". Through some oversight, I booked a room at this place for two people instead of three. Upon learning we had a 9 year old, they wanted $35 for her to stay - half again the cost of the room. I protested, but when they have you by the balls, they have you by the balls. I paid the add'l. Wanted to check out San Jose and heard horror stories about driving and parking. Took an uber (or lyft?) to downtown San Jose for $20. Great move, highly recommended. Went to the Central Market and ate a ton of food and bought souvenirs. Walked all around town and saw the city. Ubered back and went to bed. Tuesday: Returned the rental car and took an early flight out of SJO. Priority Pass lounge at SJO was totally serviceable - not a heavy breakfast but enough to not leave us hungry. Things I'm glad I packed: raincoats, umbrellas. Water hiking shoes were absolutely crucial - if you can bring only one pair of shoes, bring water hiking shoes. Things I packed and didn't need: bug spray, other bug-related things. We didn't really encounter any buggy flying biting things. Things I wish I'd have brought: a poncho for when the real rain comes. A flashlight. Some years ago after a trip through various third-world countries, we ended up in Barcelona. When describing our arrival in Barcelona, she later said "it's the kind of place where, when you flush the toilet... you know what's going to happen". Costa Rica had this same sort of appeal. It's rugged and green and underdeveloped, it's bio-touristy and the people are "pura vida" and low-key. But if you want a drink of water, you just turn on the faucet. When you poop, you flush it away. The roads are paved and food is readily available. Highly recommended for anyone. Easily doable and totally worth it.
Summary For: Weekly Question Thread (7/22 to 7/28)
Hello. Im 18 with a GED. Can I still do active duty in the Army???? Link to Comment Chain I'm soon leaving for basic but for the past few weeks I've been struggling financially. I'm no longer working and I've used every bit of savings I had (Got fired and still waiting for UE to get approved). Today it's hit me really hard and i'm not sure what to do. I'm making this post because I want to know if this is something my recruiter should know, and if it is will it possibly stop me from shipping? Link to Comment Chain Prior serive 11B, finishing up my last tiny chunk of IRR drilling with CA (yes, you can do that). I'm coming back in as a Cav Scout (active), throw any information you'd like at me (besides the "huh, GAYYYY") Link to Comment Chain Is there a website that shows the breakdown for each base concerning if it is an ABCT, SBCT, or IBCT? Trying to figure out the breakdown before I get to BOLC. Link to Comment Chain I ship in a couple weeks and I will likely be about 2 lbs overweight (156 when I need to be at 154). Will I still be able to ship or will MEPS hold me back? Link to Comment Chain Future 11B and hopefully Ranger. I was prescribed glasses when I was in middle school, but never wore them ever since I got them since I always thought I can see just fine. Haven't had any issues with vision when going about my day, or with reading. Could this disqualify me from joining infantry? If it doesn't, then what about Regiment? (I'm 19 btw) Link to Comment Chain Alright, hang with me here... Currently a E-5 25U TPU with an HHC Company within an Engineer Battalion. I'm a Police Officer on the civilian side and I have my BS in Criminal Justice and Criminology. I was approached by our AGR staff during ECT this year, conversation about AGR ensued. One of our S1 AGR Admins advised that there is a database/listing of all vacancies that AGR currently has by city/state, and MOS. I'd love to get my hands on this so I can plan further, I'm thinking about making the jump. Also, I entered the Reserve with a SLRP, and I was going through my iPerms last night and I noticed on my SLPR contract that transferring to AGR will terminate my benefits. Any other bits of advice on AGR, or life in general, would be greatly appreciated. Link to Comment Chain PCSing to 4-25 soon. Is the unit any good? Link to Comment Chain Hello everyone, quick question. I was looking into applying for CID, but I noticed one of the requirements is attendance of BLC. Does anyone know if this is waiverable? I don’t know if it helps, but I have a bachelors in Accounting which is one of the required degrees if you were doing the direct accessions program. Link to Comment Chain I have used a lot of drugs in the past. I can pass a drug test but fear my past will prohibit me from joining the army. I have begun to fill out the screening criteria on the Army's website and the questions regarding drug use are making me feel as if I did too much and they will not overlook my past. I have used marijuana, lsd, cocaine, MDMA and mushrooms. Am I wasting my time filling out these forms? Link to Comment Chain I have an 11x contract. Is OSUT 10 weeks of basic plus 4 weeks of infantry OSUT or is it 10 weeks of basic plus 14 weeks of infantry OSUT? Link to Comment Chain Come the end of the year I plan on joining the army, I need a few months to get everything in check and not to mention loosing a few pounds to reach weight and to be in good shape. My preferred mos would be 11B but I’ve done my research and know you go in as 11X before being “assigned” either 11B or 11C. My main question has to with the training for those, how different are they? How many weeks are they? What jobs can those lead you to in civilian life. Thanks and thanks for your service Link to Comment Chain Anybody have any experience going through Phase 2 of 17C AIT as a MOS-T? Currently a 35Q heading to Gordon soon from Meade and just want to know what to expect. Do they generally leave you alone or is it truly back to fuck fuck games for 6 months on top of course work? I appreciate it, thanks. Link to Comment Chain How hard is it to go to RASP without an option 40 contract? I ship too bct in in two weeks and have a 290 apft score. Link to Comment Chain Decided to go AD since school ain't working out and don't know if an option 40 is available but i'll ask My recruiter. I just wantsed to know before i ask my recruiter and make him try and get me one if i have a chance of passing or should just see if i get a shot later on. I got the pull-ups, situps and push-ups and i can ruck but the 5-mile Run seems Insane since im not a good runner. I can do the 2-mile in about 14 minutes atm(never Done a 5 Miler) if i go in with an option 40 and this Run time, would it be possible to get it to the required level in training before rasp? Also just out of couriosity, how Does 75th Ranger regiments op tempo/deployments look currently compared to big Army Infantry? Also if someone gets an option 40 and fails rasp, do you get reclassed or sent to an Infantry unit? Link to Comment Chain Hi everyone so I’m picking my MOS soon and have a question about 19D (Cav scout) and was wondering if anyone has some good information on what they actually do because I’ve been getting a lot of mixed reviews from just googling. Like some say they’re basically infantry but others say it’s a lot more than that. Another site said you’ll be lucky to live 30 seconds? That’s probly an exaggeration but is it really that bad in the field? Link to Comment Chain do you get to go home for christmas during ait? Link to Comment Chain I'm deployed and my cac doesn't work saying the pin is blocked, s6 told me it's a rapids only thing and can't be reset remotely. Anybody run into this before? Link to Comment Chain Hey y’all, I’m joining soon. I’m thinking 56M— Chaplains Assistant. Wondering what the day to day is like, I hear it’s mostly clerical with occasional excitement and ability to do all the schools. Can someone help de-exaggerate for me? What is your typical day like? Do you get to go to combat much? How often do you deploy? My wife is terrified I’ll see any combat, but I wouldn’t mind something exciting once in a while. We both feel that to serve God is the best way to serve in the military, so Chaplain’s Assistant seems like the best choice. I eventually would love to do PsyOps if the good lord sees fit. What’s AIT like? I know CA’s can get stationed anywhere, but what are some likely stations if that can even be predicted? Does the “wish list” really matter? Or is it just like if the army needs someone at one of the places on your list equally to somewhere not on your list then they’ll throw you a bone? Any advice for a married 24yo with a nervous wife joining the military? Thanks! Link to Comment Chain What are the chances of an Army Ranger KIA on todays world? Link to Comment Chain MEPS Physical question: Specifically for the interview, my recruiters are telling me that it’s a pretty butt-puckering grill session, they tell me that they’re trying to catch you in a lie and will judge you heavily based on the way you act/dress/sound. I was surprised from this information and did a little research but haven’t found anyone else describing it this way. I know it’s a physician directed interview making me think that it will be relatively casual, but they’re making it sound like it’s a human polygraph lol. I’m not necessarily worried about the process as I am in great shape and have a clean background but it would be nice to be mentally prepared if it is as serious as they say. Planning on dressing business casual, sitting up straight, saying my ma’am’s and sir’s and not varying whatsoever from my medical paperwork. Regardless of that is it really even necessary? Link to Comment Chain Stupid hypothetical question: Let's say someone has waived tattoos coerving their whole arm but the elbow before they joined. Then they got elbow tattoos to complete a sleeve without permission, what would happen? They wouldn't go as far as to chapter someone out for that right? (I have no tattoos.) Link to Comment Chain posting here to avoid /new trolls anon b/c some people know me irl on my main. I learned one of my new NCOs who just PCSd here miscarried on Saturday. I'm her OIC and she's a new NCOIC. I asked how she was doing, and if she had the medical attention she needed. Other than that I am unsure how I can help. I want to respect her privacy and ensure she has the unit's support. I don't want to be overbearing or infringe on her privacy. Any advice on how to handle these situations? Link to Comment Chain 11x Option 40. Chances of seeing combat if I make it through RASP? Link to Comment Chain Shipping out next month with a college degree, I already gave my recruiter my transcript too verify so I will be coming in as an E4. But the future soldier website states I am a E1 my recruiter stated it will be fixed soon, but it has been the same for a week and a half who should I contact in order to get it fixed before I head out too prevent any pay issues? Thanks! Link to Comment Chain Hey there everyone! So I just took my ASVAB yesterday and scored a 93, so pretty much everything is available for me to do. I want to do a 68 series MOS (68f, 68d, 68q, top three), but I was looking to do reserves. Anyone have any real life tips/advice about what day to day is like, tech school training, etc? Link to Comment Chain Got promoted on the 1st of July to E5. My ERB still doesn't properly reflect and I am doing my early school chapter. If they cut my orders right now I'll still be a SPC. My S1 sent it to brigade, because we didn't have access to change that. Is there anything I can do or do I just wait? Link to Comment Chain Is it possible to get airborne in my 12B NG contract? Link to Comment Chain Are all Infantry OSUTs being extended to 6 months in October? Meaning is the Army is 100% ditching the 16 week course or is it going to be a mix until it’s fully integrated? 6 months of infantry training in Georgia sounds horrendous compared to the 16 weeks, but oh well gotta do what you gotta do. Also, my grandpa and father both struggle with mental health issues, (borderline schizophrenia, both hear voices and have been depressed since their 20s) I’d like to see a psychologist before going into the Army and getting checked on but I’m scared that might affect my enlistment terms. Link to Comment Chain Prospective 25B here. I'm 24 (25 this year in Dec). I saw a posting online for it, but was wondering if anyone here could maybe give some more insight on what I would do, and what I can expect out of the role. I haven't looked at the military since Highschool. I'm just looking for a new IT job, and Military seems like it might be a decent option. Thanks in Advance! Link to Comment Chain Turning 21 in a couple months, been thinking about joining since I was 16 - on and off. As time goes on, I've been considering it more and more strongly. Preferred MOS would be 15U (Chinook mechanic). Most recent ASVAB is [very] expired, but did exceptionally well in most areas. Planning on studying up on MC AS and EI just to make sure I'm still up to snuff on the important areas. Currently hold an associates degree (accounting), working on a bachelors (5 yr program, 2 yrs left) but I'm not motivated by what I'm doing. I don't want to be in an office all day, but I also need to be using my brain and figuring stuff out all the time. Regardless of the army, I won't be returning to college this fall. One of my coworkers recommended 15T (blackhawk mechanic), and then I found out that another coworker was actually a 15U for 5 years (what I am thinking now). Sometime this week we'll be hanging out after work because I want to pick his brain, seeing that he was precisely what I'm considering. What is motivating me to look away from college is A) college seems like a great way to an office job that I'll hate, B) the things I learn about in college are really rather boring, C) I've only recently realized that going to college doesn't mean someone is smart, and smart people don't always go to college. What is motivating me to look into the army, specifically mechanic for some sort of helicopter is A) I've figured out that I feel the best when I'm moving, sweating, working, but also thinking and solving problems, B) I have had a difficult time keeping myself disciplined in life, but have also discovered that having short-term negative and positive motivation helps tremendously (negative and positive consequences for my actions that are realized immediately) What is motivating me against the army is A) I was in college dorms for two years, and I hated sharing a room with 5 other dudes the size of a smaller 2 bedroom apartment. B) I enjoy a healthy degree of personal privacy and space. C) I hated how the college dorms would have people partying and loudly having sex until 2AM every night, keeping me up. D) I'm on the more quiet and reserved side, most of the time, and sharing a room didn't allow me to take a break from people unless I went to my car. Now I've read that in the barracks it's two bedrooms per suite, and it's only one soldier per bedroom (private rooms). If that is the case, I would be 100% cool with that. I don't mind sharing living areas, as long as I can close my door when I want to chill by myself. So, one of my main questions I'm posing here is an open-ended "What are the barracks like?"
Is it two single bedrooms, with doors, with a shared common area for the other guy?
Are quiet hours actually enforced? Do people on CQ actually keep things in check?
If you're 21 but the guy sharing the suite isn't, are you allowed to have alcohol in your room?
If the army pays for your housing (barracks), food (chow hall thing that's always pretty close by), what else is there to spend money on other than alcohol, a car, and a cellphone? Seems like most of that paycheck could easily just be saved.
In general, what's barracks life like? Social life? What about for the more reserved people?
How are barracks organized? As in, do companys get their own barracks buildings? Or is it a big mix of whoever. I'm pretty sure they are generally located rather close to where formation happens, so I'm guessing it's company barracks. Link to Comment Chain
Back from Basic/AIT, I was only paid BAH Type II during my whole training with an active lease, everyone else I knew that had a lease were getting paid Type I. My unit's admin says I'm not entitled, but evidence suggests otherwise. Is there a way I can escalate this? Link to Comment Chain I have a couple questions about Green To Gold. Is it possible to improve your GPA while you’re enlisted? And is it selective like becoming a Warrant Officer? Thanks Link to Comment Chain I'm a Pakistani citizen about to pursue a bachelor's degree in Germany. If I graduate from college (in Germany) and get my Green Card, will I be able to enlist in the Army and get my citizenship (after a while, I know) and then ultimately become a commisioned officer? My big concern is the degree, will a degree from Germany fulfill the bachelor's degree requirement for becoming a commisioned officer? Thanks in advance. Link to Comment Chain Realistically, how would joining at 24 affect my career? I'm wanting to do 35L but would probably join in about a year or so, REDACT , as well as I want to better prepare myself. I'm not totally out of shape but I would like to bounce back before enlisting because quite honestly I want a shot at RASP or SF support if the cards deal correctly. My only concern is how age may have an impact, will being 24/25 by the time you get to your first unit have a major affect? Will it have any positive or negative affect on my career? Obviously I don't currently know if I will stay in the Army for 20 years since I've never been in to see just how it is, but I do want to work in CI or a related field once out. Any information is appreciated. Link to Comment Chain reposting this cuz it got removed my bad im new to reddit... fresh engineer officer here. just wanted an opinion do you need a tab to get to a platoon. I know ENG is not like infantry where you need a tab to get to a platoon most of the time. However, I'm not trying to sit on staff for eternity to then get to a platoon. so any advice will help so i can hit the ground running when i get to my unit which will be soon. edit: i may have cold feet b/c i just want to be a good officer for da troops Link to Comment Chain Hey guys. I'm PCSing from Ft. Stewart to Korea and I'm currently on leave. When I cleared the only thing I couldn't turn in was my pro mask. I got my final out July 12. Today I got a call from my buddy that was turning in my pro mask. Apparently our cbrn rep switched up pro masks, so my mask wasn't mine. It was someone else's. Now she's counting mine as lost and the other one as the original owner but I signed for it. How should I handle the situation? Link to Comment Chain hello, new to this but I am currently in the process of getting into the army. I am being advised not to be truthful about my scar on my elbow at MEPS. I have Tommy John surgery from baseball in 2013 and was medically cleared to play again in 2014. I need advice on how to handle this situation. Is this something that could disqualify me? Should I be honest and wait in MEPS to do their thing? HELP Link to Comment Chain Anyone been to BCT lately as prior service? I know they did away with any PS BCT in 2018 but most threads aren’t very recent. Wondering if anyone can shed some light on the process with more recent experiences. Link to Comment Chain Where’s the best place to get a skin fade in Bragg? Link to Comment Chain I enlisted in the Reserve as a 09S into a civil affairs unit. Had to branch AG as a placeholder since civil affairs MOS 38A is reserved for captains and above. Is it possible/feasible to rebranch to say MI as a placeholder (I have the Asvab scores). Don’t really want AG BOLC. Edit: haven’t shipped to BCT yet. Link to Comment Chain What can I expect at Fort Gordon AIT for 25S? Living conditions, the schedule, and amount of fuck fuck games? Link to Comment Chain Hey everyone, moving out to Fort Benning tomorrow for OCS. What should I expect of my school or Benning itself? Thank you in advance. Link to Comment Chain I went to meps and picked 25q. Recruiter was telling me that they work 9-5 and that they get all federal holidays off. That they work 3 hours in the month of december and that when deployed they only have to maintain what is assigned to them, and other than that it's easy. Is this all true? I wanted an mos with good work hour luke 9-5 and holidays off so I could travel and try and be with family. Link to Comment Chain Do Soldiers in the 75th Ranger Regiment need TS clearances? I know a secret is required but would you Also need a TS for deployments? Link to Comment Chain So I am a Civilian looking at the potential of joining the Army National Guard and I just had a few questions, as my current work schedule doesn't give me much if any time to talk to a recruiter. (Also I have heard they will say stuff just to get you to sign up.) 1: at first I was looking at just being the standard sign up and go with what every the army says I am best and and stick to that since the advertisements around town said "make $1,600+ a month and only work one weekend" or similar thing. But after some digging it seems that pay is only if you are called into active duty and when you just do drill weekend you only get paid about $200. Am I correct in my understanding? 2: I also have see that full time positions are available (I believe they are called title 32). Are there any for a college drop out like myself or are they all specialized and need degrees? If not and they just need advanced training, then what do my chances look like for getting into and through that training? (I am a fast learner and fairly smart, but I dropped out because college felt meaningless to me) 3: What are the commitments like? I will likely be moving in two to three years and don't want be stuck in one place as the main reason I am interested in this is helping pay for my wife's college and grad school (She wants to work at the VA primarily with PTSD patients). 4: I am a big guy, not specifically tall (Between 6 foot and 6'1) but I haven't weighed the max 195 since sophomore year in high school. I am simply very broad and while currently I am a bit fatty, I've been exercising a bit recently and have lost 15 pounds but I am still at 280 and I likely wont be able to get less than 220 without losing a lot of muscle too. Will I be able to get accepted? (Also if I do decide to sign up, I want to aim for top marks on the Physical test any work out routine tips?) Thank you for your time and service. Link to Comment Chain What's the day in the life of a 68c I'm in the process of joinging and am already an LVN so I just want to know what I'm getting myself into Link to Comment Chain I’m supposed to be leaving for basic training next month and the 26th, but I need to get my weight down and I’ve been having a problem with it. Ive cut all soda and have been drinking mostly water and I’m for the most part I’ve been eating right also. Ive been walking a lot too and working out a bit, but it seems like I can’t drop my weight. It seems like my weight doesn’t move and when it does go down it shoots back up by like 3 pounds by morning. This morning I weighed in at 213 which is the most I’ve weighed since January, and I’m eating a lot healthier and exercising a lot more then back then. What are some tips to help me get my weight down? What am I missing? I’m 5’10 and my mos is 88M. Link to Comment Chain So I want to join but I have a wife and son that I provide for. My brother in law is in the army and he said that while I’m in basic and AIT the army will pay for housing for them, but when I talked to a recruiter she told me that they won’t pay for housing until after basic and AIT. I just want to know who is correct? My brother in law is single but he says he has a lot of buddies who were in similar situations that had their family’s taken care of. Link to Comment Chain So I want to join but I have a small blind spot in my right eye. It’s not big, it doesn’t affect my peripheral vision and it’s not getting any worse. I can see clearly and read and drive just fine, but it makes it hard focus on and read the letters during the vision test when I cover my left eye. Is this something that will disqualify me from joining? Link to Comment Chain Waiting on a medical and re-enlistment waiver because i got an entry level separation and been waiting for 7 months now and seems like My recruiter don't really care. I had to call him and he Said he needed more documents for the waiver but he didn't tell me i had to ask whats up. He was supposed to pick me up for pt Today and just didn't and for some reason i can't call him Today lol. Should i find a new recruiter? Would i have to start the process for My waiver at the beginning if i did? Link to Comment Chain I’m getting icl surgery on the 20th of August and Army recruiters have been telling me multiple things. From I don’t need a waiver to I do need one. They said I can get into the DEP until my 6 month wait for me to be eligible for to ship out. I understand I need to give them my pre op and post operation prescriptions. Does anyone know the actual process. Link to Comment Chain How does JAG work? When do you put your preferences for locations in? When do you go in for more schooling? Link to Comment Chain Should I join the army or become a police officer I'm a junior in high school and I need to start thinking about these things, I scored a 32 on my act and I haven't taken my asvab yet if that helps at all with qualifications and junk. Link to Comment Chain Is it a good idea to train considerably before you even enlist if you want to make it through ranger pipeline, or should you let them train you in basic and just mentally prepare? I'm 26, 160#, pretty lean, 4 months into fitness as a result of deciding to do this with my life. I have not met the basic 75th physical requirements yet, and I'm processing in September. Literally any advice for someone looking into this, aside from what you've all read on Google, would be helpful. Link to Comment Chain If I go to West Point and ship out, will I still need to take vaccines (ex: peanut butter shot/pill, etc)? Link to Comment Chain can i as a european (germany) join the army? im doing medical courses and training here atm and id really like to join the us army edit: if it helps i was in avarious sports teams at my school (soccer,hockey and basketball) Link to Comment Chain Hey, will seeking counseling or therapy with no diagnosed mental illness DQ me from joining or hinder getting a security clearance? I just want to deal with some childhood family issues with a third party, and my girlfriend thinks counseling would be a good idea for that. I’m pretty close to joining, once I get my APFT score slightly higher in a few weeks. Link to Comment Chain How does it work for Airforce and Army marriages. For example my husband in the army has a deros in November and projections to fort sill, how would it work for me being Airforce? would they send me to a base close to him or would they send us both to different bases? Link to Comment Chain who do i talk to to get my GI Bill!? this is so confusing Link to Comment Chain Augmentee opportunity. Some others from my unit and myself were offered an opportunity to deploy with another unit. Out of respect for their OPSEC ill just say its likely too late for me to take advantage of the chance this time around because im still a young new soldier with only an interim clearance. I have the CPT who came and talked to us few guys' name and number. It seemed I was the only one from my unit who was serious about taking advantage of the chance to gain such an experience working with the best of the best but was told I was pretty much out of luck without a clearance to do my job. What could I do to not close this door for once I do have my clearance and the next deployment comes around. I don't think its necessarily appropriate that lil Pri is texting pals with CPT X. What could I say or who could I go through to maybe be aboard the ship next time? My COC would maybe allow it but I don't foresee them getting the ball rolling for me if I pestered them so how do I reach out to this other unit? Link to Comment Chain When do you find out your first duty station? Link to Comment Chain How the fuck do I add graphics to the JCR😡 arghhh Link to Comment Chain How do you get into an SF Group Support Battalion as a current sm at a post that has an SF Group. Link to Comment Chain How do I get my hat to stop looking like a chef’s hat without doing a ragnar roll? Starch? Cold water? Sweat and blood? Link to Comment Chain Asking for a friend: is getting a commission at 29 old man status? Could he still make general before he's in a wheelchair? Link to Comment Chain My 18 year old knucklehead cousin wants to join the reserves. He's been working construction with his smart father since he was 15. He would like to join as a 12N Horizontal Construction Engineer. He lives in San Diego, CA. What is the closest duty station he would be able to get? He said he wouldn't mind traveling to Arizona or Nevada for drill. Link to Comment Chain
Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. For anyone interested, I highly recommend signing up for the actual site at f4wonline and checking out the full archives. PREVIOUS YEARS ARCHIVE: 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999
The Delaware Supreme Court ruled against the USA Network in their appeal to prevent WWF from accepting the Viacom deal. The decision makes it official that WWF is moving to TNN next week and ends the 17-year WWF/USA relationship. The appeal process has been lingering for over a month and because of it, USA, Viacom, WWF and ECW were all pretty much paralyzed and waiting to see how things turn out. But now that it's all finalized, ECW's final TNN show will air on 9/22 and the first Raw on TNN will air on 9/25. It doesn't give Viacom much of an opportunity to promote the move. They had set aside $7 million to promote Raw's TNN debut but because of the lingering court proceedings, they kept having to delay it and now there's almost no time. On Raw's final show on USA, Jim Ross mentioned repeatedly that this was the last episode on the network and plugged the move to TNN (and hyping that Austin will be there live). But that's pretty much it so far. During the next few days, you can expect Viacom to bombard all media outlets with as much promotion as they can cram into the short amount of time, but it's going to be impossible to promote it as much as they'd hoped to. And considering they're moving from the #1 rated network to the #15 rated network, they need all the promotion they can get.
Needless to say, this all gives WCW a golden opportunity to put their best foot forward for Nitro on 9/25 and hopefully gain some much-needed ground (in case you're want spoilers for next week, Russo uses this opportunity to make himself the WCW champion). In the short run, Raw's ratings will almost certainly fall, but in the long-run, being with Viacom is going to be hugely beneficial to WWF. As for ECW, this opens the door for them to continue negotiations with USA. They desperately need a TV deal, on a strong network, and most importantly, they need outside financial support if they are going to survive. Having a TV deal is useless if you can't afford the production costs. As mentioned last week, ECW missed payroll and has had to cancel several house shows due to the financial crunch they're under.
Also this week, TNN announced that it's renaming itself The National Network (instead of The Nashville Network) and will be moving its base of operations from Nashville to New York. They're planning to debut a new logo and target their programming to a more diverse audience. Dave recaps the history of WWF on the USA Network, dating back to 1982 when they aired monthly WWF MSG shows. Then WWF got a weekly show called All-American Wrestling on the network in 1983, which then became Prime Time Wrestling and Tuesday Night Titans, the creation of Raw in 1993, the Monday night wars, and now to this.
There was a frightening moment at WCW's Fall Brawl PPV with Paul Orndorff suffering a stinger that left him motionless in the ring. The good news is that it was only temporary paralysis. He was treated and released from the hospital that same night. It was reminiscent of the injuries suffered by Droz and Buff Bagwell in recent years, but fortunately for Orndorff, it didn't end up being as bad. There was immediate suspicion that the whole thing was a work, which Dave thinks is a pretty sad reflection of WCW these days. When Orndorff went down, everyone else in the match basically panicked and continued working the match on the other side of the ring, taking bumps that kept jarring the ring, all while the EMTs and trainer were trying to tend to Orndorff. Finally, almost 2 minutes after he collapsed, referee Charles Robinson finally took charge and ordered the match stopped. The match was scheduled to go several more minutes and run-ins were scheduled, but it all got scrapped when Robinson ended it. The injury happened when Orndorff tried to piledrive Mark Jindrak but Jindrak didn't go up correctly for the move. Orndorff had to deadweight lift him and when he did so, his hamstring went out. He completed the piledriver but landed awkwardly, causing something with his neck and spine to jam up and that was it. Dave talks about Orndorff's health problems over the year, specifically his arm injury that caused his right arm to atrophy severely and never recover. He retired twice before due to health issues (87 and 94) only to return both times when he probably shouldn't have. (This was his final match for 17 years. But it looks like he came out of retirement last year and worked a 6-man tag match at an indie show in Canada. But otherwise, this Fall Brawl match was the end of the road for Orndorff).
This whole thing brings up questions about Nitro this week, which has a match scheduled between Booker T and Vince Russo. Just a few weeks ago, Russo suffered a concussion during an angle and has been dealing with headaches and such ever since, and it's probably not a good idea for him to be in the ring. They could probably work around it, but Dave thinks it's bad enough to have untrained people in there doing moves anyway, much less ones who are already injured. Dave notes the recent example of Kurt Angle wrestling on Smackdown 2 days after getting severely concussed at Summerslam, which he never should have done and led to him getting another concussion because you're always more susceptible to further concussions during the period after suffering one. Russo has openly claimed to have had 3 concussions in the last year and has only worked about 6 matches. If that's true, he probably shouldn't be in there taking bumps again. But maybe they'll book something safe that doesn't require it. Either way, Dave is just concerned about the overall safety of all these guys.
Oh yeah, other notes from Fall Brawl: crowd was 8,600 although only about half of that (4,311) was paid, the rest were freebies. Dave notes all the excitement people in WCW had last week when the Nitro rating was higher than usual, and points out how it obviously didn't mean dick when it comes to ticket sales. TV ratings are nice but it's a vanity metric. The real numbers that matter are the ones that make money. Ticket sales and PPV buys. And, well, those are still horrible. There was a guy in the crowd facing the hard cam who was seen constantly throughout the show wearing a Destroyer mask. Destroyer was a famous wrestler back in 60s and 70s who wore a red and white mask. Anyway....turns out that was the real Destroyer (real name Dick Beyer), just sitting in the crowd at a WCW PPV at 70 years old, still doing his old gimmick. Kevin Nash cut a promo earlier on the pre-show claiming he was hungover from hanging out at the bar last night and essentially telegraphing that he was going to lose his match (he did). Right after the Orndorff match, Shane Douglas cut a pre-match promo saying Kidman would be joining Paul Orndorff at the hospital. Even his partner Torrie Wilson seemed to drop her TV smile and give him a "what an asshole" look for that one. The scaffold for the scaffold match was way wider than any other ones before and the area underneath was padded and safe, but Torrie still seemed legitimately terrified up there. After Madusa took a bump off the scaffold (which the crowd booed because it was clearly gimmicked for safety), the announcers also tried to compare her injuries to Orndorff's injury earlier in the night. Dave is just disgusted. Torrie never took a bump off the scaffold, which was the original plan but she refused, and good for her Dave says. It would have meant nothing for the match anyway. Negative 1 star. They did a segment with David Flair beating up a mailman in his yard and Dave says the whole segment was actually hilarious and more interestingly, it was all David Flair's idea. ICP did commentary on Vampiro's match again, which once again was funny. Mike Awesome came out with former child actor Gary Coleman. There's been a lot of news stories lately about Coleman working as a security guard for $6 an hour these days, so at least WCW probably didn't have to spend a lot to get him. Naturally, he got involved in the match and it was hilarious because he knew he was going to take a guitar shot from Jarrett. So he had a hat on with a towel folded up in it to cushion the blow. But during the chaos, his hat got knocked off. So just before the guitar shot, he picked up his hat, calmly put the towel back in, put it back on, and took the hit. Goldberg vs. Scott Steiner was a shockingly good match and Dave gives it 4.25 stars. And of course, Booker T won the title from Nash in the main event.
We get the usual long obituary for Professor Toru Tanaka, one of the biggest heels of the 60s and 70s, who died at age 70 in California. Dave recaps his career and of course, he was a Hawaiian who got booked as a typical salt throwing Japanese heel. Worked for WWWF feuding with Sammartino, won titles in all the territories, etc. He also tells an interesting story from 1977 when Pat Patterson returned to the San Francisco territory after being gone for 8 months and was supposed to face Mr. Fuji in a show that ended up drawing 12,000 people. But Fuji had a falling out with promoter Roy Shire and left the territory 2 weeks before the match. So Shire brought in Tanaka and put him under a mask and tried to pass him off as the real Fuji. The crowd didn't buy it and the media got ahold of the story and started claiming fraud and the athletic commission got involved. Shire nearly lost his promoter's license but he claimed he didn't know and thought it was the real Fuji under the mask. Tanaka and Shire were both fined but the commission seemed to buy the story (others backed it up to protect Shire) and let them off with just the fine. The real Fuji caught all the heat and was legitimately banned by the commission for life from wrestling in California, but that was overturned in 1984.
The current plan for AJPW's Triple Crown title is to hold a tournament soon, which is expected to be won by Toshiaki Kawada, who will then defend the title against NJPW champion Sasaki in a title vs. title match at the Jan. 4th Tokyo Dome show. And the plan from there is for Kawada to get the surprising win, since most people don't expect NJPW to book their champion to lose to AJPW's champion. But the way Riki Choshu (NJPW booker) sees it, AJPW is pretty much doomed and he's not too concerned about them as competition anymore, and he's well aware that this inter-promotional feud is the only thing keeping AJPW alive right now. But there's still money in an AJPW/NJPW feud and they want to prolong it, so Kawada will have to win. The idea is to keep Kawada strong because NJPW loves the gimmick of a strongly booked outsider coming in and shaking things up. In the past, that person has been Naoya Ogawa but Choshu is tired of the headache that comes with dealing with Antonio Inoki and Ogawa because Inoki is intent on making Ogawa an unbeatable superman and NJPW can never get him to put anyone over. Choshu is pretty much trying to do anything he can to get Inoki's influence as far away from the company as possible. So the idea is to keep Kawada strong and milk this angle for all it's worth.
New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman officially signed into law the bill to regulate so-called "extreme wrestling." The bill bans children under 18 from attending extreme wrestling shows. It also adds an athletic commission tax to promotions running extreme shows, mandates an ambulance and 2 doctors must be on hand at every event, and even though it's a state law, the city officials where the show is to be held must specifically give permission for the event. This bill doesn't affect ECW, which was categorized as one of the 3 major companies which are exempt from the law. The bill is a not-so-subtle effort to drive Jersey All Pro Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling specifically out of the state, JAPW in particular. They're planning to still run shows but will be forced to get rid of bladejobs, no more light tubes or thumb tacks or barbed wire, etc. JAPW owner Frank Iadeavia has said they are considering legal action. But at this point, if they want to continue to run shows as they have, they're going to be forced to leave the state of New Jersey to do so.
Raw did well in the ratings again, facing stiff competition from the Olympics and Monday Night Football. But they had one segment that was a major bomb. Mick Foley came out, cutting a promo once again trying to get George W. Bush and Al Gore to appear on Smackdown for a debate. The segment was right before the main event and caused a full 700,000 homes to change the channel, which is an unheard of drop for a Raw episode. That led to the Rock/Undertaker main event that followed to be the lowest rated Raw main event of the year.
The Wrestling Observer Hotline has been officially killed off. 1-900 hotline numbers have been dying anyway and the numbers were down and Dave says more importantly, he needed to stop because he's so busy with the newsletter and the Eyada online radio show and wants to concentrate fully on those and the daily hotline stuff took up too much time.
Motoko Baba threatened a lawsuit against Nippon TV over their decision to drop AJPW and start airing NOAH instead, and due to the lawsuit, NOAH currently isn't airing on NTV, which is a major blow for the fledgling new company. In the meantime, Misawa has started negotiations with TV Tokyo, which is another one of the major networks in Japan.
Former WWF and ECW wrestler Nicole Bass made headlines after being arrested in New York after getting into an argument with someone on a street corner. It turned into a fight and when the police tried to break it up, she allegedly bit one of the cops. Bass was one of several people arrested.
Notes from OVW: Jim Ross did announcing on some of the shows there this week, because he was down there scouting talent. Shelton Benjamin is showing a lot of promise and Jim Cornette says Benjamin is progressing even faster than Kurt Angle and believes he's guaranteed to be a big star. Brock Lesnar still hasn't debuted on TV there yet but Bob Orton's son Randy Orton recently did. They're also strongly pushing Leviathan (real name Dave Bautista) and Jim Cornette predicts he will headline Wrestlemania within the next 5 years. (yup, exactly 5 years later in fact)
Ed Farhat, better known as The Sheik, is said to be in very grave condition. He's down to 150 pounds and can only communicate through blinking his eyes or lightly squeezing if you hold his hand (he ended up living another 2+ years after this. His Wikipedia page says he was working with a biographer and did extensive interviews before he died, with plans to have a book on his life released. But it says the interviews "provided a highly explosive look" into the business and as a result, the interviews and draft of the book were sealed at the time of his death and to this day it's never been released. Interesting. When I originally wrote this up a few months ago, I tweeted Dave about this and he responded saying he didn't know anything about it either. I'd love to find out more.)
The latest revival of Stampede Wrestling is in bad shape. They have no more shows scheduled and have only done 10 shows in the last few months. Their TV show has been airing old tapes rather than new episodes lately.
Ken Shamrock broke his silence on his recent PRIDE loss to Kazuyuki Fujita. Shamrock pretty much blamed himself and admitted he wasn't in proper shape to fight and said things happened which contributed to him not having time to train properly (he doesn't go into detail but I think Dave mentioned something in an earlier Observer but I can't find it right now. But I think Shamrock was going through some personal shit around this time. Something like a divorce or a custody battle or something. That doesn't get mentioned here, it's just something I vaguely remember reading awhile back, I might be wrong).
Nobuhiko Takada has announced he's going to face Igor Vovchanchyn at next month's PRIDE show and that if he doesn't win, he'll retire. Takada had a reputation as a shoot fighter from his years as the founder and star of UWFi, which was a worked shoot promotion. But then he started doing real shoots and it's been bad news ever since, including 2 high profile losses to Rickson Gracie. He's had a couple of wins, but they were worked matches. His real MMA fights have all been losses and Dave says the real fighters in PRIDE have pretty much no respect for Takada as an actual fighter. He doesn't like Takada's chances next month (indeed, Takada gets punched into submission in the 2nd round. But he still didn't retire).
Notes from Nitro: the building was mostly full, with not that many freebies. But only because it was a small arena that only holds about 5,000 people. It was also in Canada and the crowd was pretty much only there to see Lance Storm (who ended up jobbing to Jim Duggan in an undercard match) and Bret Hart (who wasn't there at all). They hated Goldberg with a passion, probably due to the Hart stuff, and booed him mercilessly.
On his personal website, Mark Madden apologized to Lou Thesz for his comment on Nitro last week where he joked that Lou Thesz beats up women. Madden said he was only joking and that he has a ton of respect for Thesz.
Pamela Paulshock apparently injured her ankle doing an angle on Thunder last week. Dave thinks it's bad enough when they have untrained wrestlers in there getting hurt, but now untrained ring announcers are getting hurt too.
WCW is pitching an angle for Vampiro to team with singer Billy Idol in a feud against Mike Awesome and David Cassidy, of Partridge Family fame (Never happened but.....yeah. That was a thing evidently).
Dave only has a couple of thoughts on this week's Thunder: he begs someone in WCW to PLEASE send Major Gunns to get acting lessons. He also wants someone to save Mike Awesome from a gimmick worse than the Red Rooster. And finally, I guess there's been a lot of commercials for the new Meet The Parents movie and Dave thinks it looks funny.
Various WCW notes: DDP is likely being brought back soon, though Kimberly won't be. Nitro Girl Spice was released. She was being groomed to co-host WCW's Saturday morning show, but then the show got canned and they didn't have anything else for her. And after being world champion for a couple of months, WCW has finally decided to start making some Booker T merch. Seems like a good idea to finally get around to. The Harris Twins taped segments for both the Maury Povich and Jenny Jones shows, no word on what they are or when they'll air. Goldberg will be on an episode of The Daily Show this week. Gene Okerlund is expected to be given a grumpy old man gimmick where he swears a lot.
Next month might be a surprisingly good month for WCW ticket wise. They have shows in Australia that are expected to do big numbers because Australia is so starved for wrestling that even WCW can do big business there. And they have a PPV in Las Vegas which will do good because the casinos are buying up a lot of tickets to give away.
Kevin Nash and Scott Steiner are reportedly being total team players right now, because there's concern that a regime change could come at any time (a lot of people are pushing for Johnny Ace to replace Vince Russo) and they're basically being on their best behavior until they see who their next new boss might be. The only person right now who's really stirring up shit is Goldberg, who is said to be openly pissed about pretty much everything and isn't shy about expressing it (yeah, even Goldberg has since admitted that he was frustrated and probably wasn't very pleasant to be around back then).
Scott Hall is expected to return to Nitro next week. Brad Siegel reportedly gave up on fighting with Nash about it and is willing to bring Hall back. Siegel and Hall spoke last week and Hall was basically told this is his last chance and if he fucks up one time, he's gone for good. Of course, Scott Steiner has been told that a dozen times in the past, so you know how that goes (Hall doesn't end up coming back. Not sure if it fell through or Dave got bad info or what, but it never happens).
They held a Miss WCW Pageant in Las Vegas last week with Carrot Top as one of the judges and of course there was a bikini contest. Nitro Girl Chae ended up winning over Torrie Wilson, Major Gunns, Baby, Chiquita, Midajah and Stacy Keibler. Pamela Paulshock was supposed to be in it but no-showed due to her ankle injury (there's some good catty drama coming out of this in the next week or two).
So the deal with Konnan is....pretty messed up, actually. He had tricep surgery a few months ago and has no business back in the ring yet. But WCW cut his paycheck in half so....he came back and he's wrestling. But here's the problem. The doctors still haven't given him a medical release yet because, well, they're doctors and he's still fucked up. They're like, "Dude...no." Anyway, because he doesn't have his medical release, WCW is still only giving him half his pay. But they're still allowing him to wrestle. He's hoping to get a medical release this week so he can start getting full checks again. Dave just thinks this whole policy is so screwed up on so many ways.
Disqo Inferno has been bringing out some plastic duck to the ring called the Disqo Duck. (I should stop for a second and explain something for the younger readers. R&B singer Sisqo had a HUGE hit called "Thong Song" around this time and WCW, in their infinite wisdom, capitalized by changing the spelling of Disco to Disqo.) Anyway, the duck is fucking stupid and apparently at Nitro this week, Konnan literally handcuffed himself to the duck backstage to try and keep Disqo Inferno from taking it out to the ring. Someone had to try to save him from himself.
Jeremy Borash will be doing announcing at this week's Thunder tapings. Dave says there's a lot of heat here because Borash is close to Vince Russo, so he's getting a lot of chances to do things like commentary even though he hasn't really earned it yet and hasn't shown any real aptitude for it. Dave says if Borash ends up replacing one of the main announcers on Nitro, there'll probably be a meltdown.
Steve Austin and Debra got married last week in Las Vegas (fun fact: same wedding chapel Triple H and a drugged out Stephanie McMahon got married in. Funner fact: also the same wedding chapel I got married in).
The plan for Sunday Night Heat, now that it's moving to MTV, is for it to be more of a humor and skit type show, with a lot of Tom Green-style humor (oh man, 2000 was such a weird time). They want to bring in musical guests and celebrities for it and will do a lot of the stuff from the WWF New York restaurant as well as at MTV's Times Square headquarters.
Notes from Raw: a lot of the show was built around trying to seemingly bury Kurt Angle, by turning him into a goofy heel character and implying that he's gay. They showed a lot of footage of him crying at the Olympics and had Triple H make fun of him and all that stuff. Dave thinks it's a pretty weird thing to do one week before the biggest match of Angle's career (he's got a No DQ match with Triple H at next week's PPV) and sure didn't do him any favors for people taking him seriously. Hugh Hefner was on to plug Chyna's upcoming Playboy appearance and Dave thinks it's nice that Playboy and WWF could come together again in the interest of making money after all the nasty legal issues they had with the Sable fallout. And finally, Steve Regal debuted.
Since we were talking about WCW's injury policy, Dave decides to let us know what WWF's policy is. A WWF wrestler that is out with an injury receives their downside guarantee. WWF contracts give you a guarantee (say, $300,000 per year for example) but you can make a lot more money on the road because everyone gets a cut of house show gates and PPV revenue and whatnot. So if you're injured and not on the road, you won't get all that extra money, but you still make the $300,000 guarantee. Of course, that leads to the same incentive for guys to sometimes come back before they're ready, because they're losing money by being at home, but from everyone who talks to Dave, there's not nearly as much pressure from the WWF to hurry up and come back as there is in WCW.
Various WWF notes: Big Boss Man will be out for a few weeks after having his knee scoped. Grand Master Sexay needed 14 stitches in his ear after getting legit cut from the belt shot on Raw. Tori should be back in Oct. or early November after shoulder surgery. Billy Gunn should be back in a few weeks. Road Dogg's wife had surgery for a collapsed lung so he's out tending to her. Davey Boy Smith was in a motorcycle accident last week and Dave says if you know how many times Smith has been in and out of the hospital this year, it would scare you to death.
Four different wrestling promotions have videos in the Billboard Top 20 charts....and none of them are WCW. Of course, WWF is all over the charts with their various releases taking up 12 of the 20 spots. ECW has videos at #5 and #7. XPW, which currently isn't running new shows and doesn't even have a building to run shows in right now, has videos at #12 and #19. And Insane Clown Posse's JCW promotion has a video at #13. All that, but no WCW.
Kurt Angle and Taka Michinoku worked a UPW show in California along with a few other WWF developmental signees who started out at the UPW school (I decided to look it up and see who else of note worked that show: Franie Kazarian, Simon Dean, Rocky Romero, Mike Knox, Vic Grimes, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, and John Cena were all on the card. 2000/2001-era UPW had a ton of future stars come through the doors).
One of the XFL teams is already moving before it even starts. The San Jose Demons have now been renamed the San Francisco Demons and will be playing in San Fran after negotiations with Spartan Stadium in San Jose fell apart. Dave thinks it might be a bad move. San Jose is a wealthier community with a large population and their hockey and soccer franchises do huge business. San Francisco already has a major team in every sport and he doesn't know if a B-level football team is going to draw as well there as it would have in San Jose. He also notes that in the spring, the weather is a lot warmer in San Jose at night than it is in San Francisco, and California isn't exactly the type of place where people want to sit out in the cold weather at night and watch football games. This isn't Green Bay or Chicago where freezing to death for football is almost a tradition (the cities are, like, an hour apart so I can't imagine the weather is that much different? Although I guess San Francisco is right there on the bay so maybe wind? I dunno. Anyone from the area care to chime in?)
A New York newspaper reported that Vince McMahon tried to stop VH1 from airing an episode of "The List" because the show featured appearances by Kevin Nash, Booker T, Scott Steiner, Sting, and other WCW stars. VH1 is owned by Viacom, which now owns 3% of WWF's stock and McMahon decided to try to throw his weight around and get the episode canned. Didn't work and it actually was one of the highest rated episodes of the show ever. But he did succeed in getting VH1 to agree to not air reruns of that episode. A WWF spokesman responded to the story, saying, "It is highly unlikely that took place. It's not something we would do." But of course, you'll note that they didn't outright deny it and the idea that Vince McMahon wouldn't do something like that is laughable since he has a long history of doing exactly that sort of thing.
The Slam! Wrestling website wrote an article criticizing the WWF policy of not allowing wrestlers to do interviews with other websites without company approval because they see all other websites as competition to their own WWF.com site. The article noted they had an interview with Gerald Brisco awhile back and Brisco told them he could talk freely about his pre-WWF years but if it has to do with WWF, he'd have to clear it with the office. Jim Ross responded on his WWF website column, saying not a single interview request has come across their desk from any other wrestling websites. Dave talks about when the policy was put in place and says WWF told him he could still get anyone he wanted to interview on the Observer website, but he would need to go through the office first. Since that time, Dave says he's talked to wrestlers who agreed to appear, but when he tried to get it cleared by the office, it stalled and has been pending approval ever since with no answer sooooooo......
WWF is wanting Big Show to drop down to 400 pounds. At his heaviest in WCW he was 505 and currently weighs a legit 480.
Someone writes in with a conspiracy theory. He thinks Shane McMahon's death-defying fall from the TitanTron at Summerslam was done to prove a point given the upcoming Owen Hart wrongful death lawsuit, with the idea being that the WWF side can point to it as an example that, "See! Even Vince McMahon's son is sometimes asked to perform stunts like this and they're usually done safely." Dave responds, saying that normally he'd think that's reading too much into things. But the day after Summerslam, several people in WWF as well as a couple of legal experts he talked to all had basically the same theory and said they wouldn't be surprised if it gets brought up in the trial. But time will tell, Dave says.
Dave Lagana writes in, talking his experience working on "Friends" and talking about how most TV shows are written by writing teams and how stories are crafted in TV writing rooms and so on and so forth. Basically, it leads to the one big question every writer, booker, and performer should ask themselves: how will the audience react to the long-term story? Not how loud the momentary pop is or how much you were able to swerve the audience with a surprise that doesn't make any sense, etc. The point he's trying to make is that Vince Russo is doing literally everything wrong and he has no idea how to write television. He's also pretty fed up with Russo's constant everything-is-a-shoot booking, where they openly acknowledge scripts and bookers and shit in every segment. He's not the only one.
Lots of letters talking about what a total trainwreck WCW is. Russo isn't the only problem. From management to marketing, the ball is being dropped everywhere. None of the stories are coherent. Characters change gimmicks or go from face to heel from week-to-week with no explanation, fans have no idea what's happening. Wrestlers themselves are out of control backstage. Merchandising is dead. Basically, the ship is sinking and the worst part is that nobody seems to care. Everyone is just drilling more holes in the ship. Even when they luck into something that works, they always manage to fuck it up immediately. So there's all that. But also, a lot of piling on Russo from a lot of people who think he's killing the company.
MONDAY:Raw debuts on TNN, Steve Austin returns, ECW not yet cancelled on TNN after all, WWF Unforgiven fallout, and more...
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