Once again, it's time for everyone to come aboard the Rick-Hooo Train!!!! (My friends call me Richo-pronounced Rick-O)

Anyway, three whole weeks and a LOT of wrestling news has passed in the time since my last contribution to slash wrestling.

I am too busy at universtity to conduct an exhaustive search of all the topics that have been covered in this time: if I make a point that has perhaps been raised elsewhere, it is purely coincidental, and I apologise if I tread on any toes...

Firstly, I have just finished watching the tape of Raw is War from Nov 15th (I get Raw, Livewire and Metal taped and mailed to me at uni...) and thought it worthy to comment that it was quite heavily censored by the WWF and Sky this week. As I feared, the Jericho/Chyna bit was curtailed prior to the hammer blow(s), with JR doing an overdub informing us of what had transpired: we DID see Chyna on the gurney, however. Also, in the main event between The Rock and Bossman, we were treated to a crowd shot instead of the cane shot to Bossman's balls (but we *did* get the pitcher shot!!?) and there were some weird angles during the noose spots and after the conclusion of the match: nothing too wide, mind you, but *not* the proper camera angles. Sky, when questioned about such edits, always hide behind the argument of keeping in line with the ITC (which regulates the content of all commercial television shows in the UK). What perturbs me is that a network show, like ITV's "The Bill" (a soap opera/drama about the Metropolitan Police) frequently gets to air language such as "wanker", "bastard", etc. in addition to portayals of "violent" scenes before the 9pm hour without trouble, whilst Sky claims that the ITC aren't happy to let the simulation of someone getting their thumb smashed in, or being hit in the nuts on a CABLE channel between 11 and midnight? Bet they won't censor "Payback"...

BBC2 aired "Wrestling with Shadows" on November 6th, and whilst I shall not attempt to cover ground that has unbdoubtedly been covered many times over, I do have too say that Pat Patterson has one hell of a propensity for sweary-words that I was totally unprepared for!!!

I recently received a mailing from the Manchester Evening News Arena as a 'previous attendee' informing me that, from Thursday November 18th, the tickets for the "UK Nitro" show at the arena went on sale. In fact, "Big Sexy" Kevin Nash and Scott Hall were scheduled to attend the arena that evening for an autograph session. If any readers went, feel free to let the [slash] readers know how this went, and if Nash showed...

Scott Hall also appeared on BBC's "Live and Kicking" pre-teen magazine show to promote the tour last Saturday, November 20th. In an embarassing segment, he had to 'wrestle' Mr Blobby (who, for all my North American readers, is a completely unfunny guy in a pink and yellow polka dot costume, who falls over a lot: THAT'S THE ACT. Kind of like Barney meets Mr Bean) Anyway, this was so lame it was actually funny, and it was enough to make me switch off. (As Nash wasn't there, that's why I don't know if he made the signing session in Manchester)

Just like in the United States, both WCW and the WWF are increasingly purchasing ads in the middle of their COMPETITORS's show. Cases in point include "WWF Attitude" and "The Music: Vol.4" ads airing between WCW Worldwide on Channel 5 and "WCW Mayhem" commercials airing in the course of Raw on Sky Sports.

In the current issue of UK listings/entertainment mag "heat", which I have mentioned in my column previously, the "Screen Grabs: because you can't see everything." section is of interest to wrestling fans, and more specifically, WWF fans. The main story centres around screen captures from the episode of "Smackdown" which aired on Thursday 11th November, and Arnold Swarzenegger's "End of Days"-hyping appearance. The two pictures show Arnie throwing the chair into Austin, and receiving his honorary WWF title belt. Whilst I am on the subject, I thought, as most did I am sure, that Arnold's appearance was horribly exposing of the business: his "fan-boy" commentary stank, and was clearly artificial and his "striking" of Triple H was terrible, made even worse by Triple H's complete over-selling. The "Slam of the Week" on the UK version of Raw was the aforementioned blow, and in slow-motion, the non-connection looked even worse!!!!

Although I am loathe to WCW, I did buy "Mayhem" to make up for the fact that I cannot afford to buy a N64 especially for WM2000, which is released in the UK on December 3rd, according to my sources. I think that the backstage mode is OK, although by what I have seen on other sites, the Smackdown version is far more complete....

Having isolated myself from the net for several days to protect myself from having Survivor Series spoilt, I was very surprised (and disappointed) that the heavily-hyped triple threat match was not delivered. Whilst I accept this was necessary to Austin's potentially career-ending neck problems, to continue to infer that the match would still be taking place on Heat and even throughout the PPV was pretty callous, in my view: don't you guys have false advertising laws?

Nevertheless, despite my initial disappointment at The Big Show, and not Test, being the replacement, the match was pretty decent, with the double suplex on the Spanish announce table a nice spot.

Whilst a lot of fans, and maybe some of you reading this, still feel that the belt should be important, and the people revolving around it should be even more so, my *own* personal opinion is that fresh and original STORYLINES should revolve around the WWF belt in the era of Sports Entertainment. You won't, therefore, hear me bitching about a Big Show/Bossman title match at Armageddon, as it better than a rewarmed version of Triple H/Rock, Rock/Austin, Austin/Taker, and so on. (Although, if I was paying �19 for the privilege of watching, I *might* see the other arguments more easily!)

Since my last column, I have read Mick Foley's autobiography (only available over the 'net in the UK, to the best of my knowledge) about 1 and a half times. I thouroughly enjoyed this read, and actually read the last half of the book in the space of 3 hours late one evening. Whilst I am on the subject of merchandise, I can pass on that the official mail-order retailers of WWF Home Video in the UK are now selling Summerslam, Unforgiven and the "Hell Yeah" and "Wrestlemania 15" DVDs. Any readers wishing to get the address/credit card order number can e-mail me at R.D.Craig.1999@Cranfield.ac.uk

They also confirm in their latest mailing to me that in January, a full TWO months ahead of their release in the stores, the "Andre the Giant", "Austin v McMahon" and "Triple H and Chyna: It's Our Time" will be available to order. No word whether the Rock 'n' Wrestling cartoons will be released on home video in Britain, however...

The hatred towards CRZ's deeply SATIRICAL thoughts on Ferrera, Russo and "Nitro is Raw...from one year ago" is sooo NOT cool, and as far as "Oaklahoma" is concerned, from what I have heard, that deserved every savaging it got. How can Russo be taken seriously after spending the best part of two years defending the WWF to the hilt, in what now looks less and less like a "smart" magazine, in WWF Raw, whilst slagging WCW (and every enemy of the WWF) only to immediately target the same people he claimed to cherish so much as soon as he lands in Turner-land. He surely embellished the degree to which these people were his 'friends' because I see no way in which you would treat your true friends in such a way, even if it was "strictly business". So, I echo CRZ's sentiments: Fuck WCW.

I will leave the arguments as to whether Big Show should be the champ to other columnists on [slash], and in closing would urge my UK and European readers to remember that the tickets for the next UK Pay-per-View go on sale at 9am this Wednesday (that's December 1st): check out the WWF international page at www.wwf.com/intl for all the details on how to buy by credit card, over the 'net and in person...