- The following is not to be reproduced in any way without consent of Nick Benkovich and Mike Flynn. Any likeness is purely coincidental as these are my opinions. If you have a problem in the title of my column please send me a letter at AWQD55A@prodigy.com, and I will rename my column if you should own the rights to this name.

Now that the bull is out of the way! Lets get down to wrestling! This column will feature a look at the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. This week my feature is where I think each federation is headed. Here now are my opinions on the WWF vs. WCW war!

"In And Around The Ring"

BY: Mike Flynn 6/29/96-

To most wrestling fans the "invasion" angle, that Eric Bischoff is using in World Championship Wrestling, seems real. To the average wrestling fan they see "Diesel" (Kevin Nash) and "Razor Ramon" (Scott Hall) "invading" WCW. Eric Bischoff knows this and this is why he started the angle. Many young fans will turn from their favorite WWF program ("RAW") to see their favorite WWF stars ("Razor" and "Diesel") on a rival show. This is exactly what Eric wants, because he gets the ratings while Vince just gets upset.

The fans don't think that WCW could possibly have anything to do with Razor and Diesel because they wrestle in the WWF. This is incorrect as many of us 'smarts' know. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash are employees of WCW know. Even though their 'likeness' as "Razor Ramon" and "Diesel" are copyrighted by Titan Inc. WCW continues to use Vince McMahon's 'creative genius' to their advantage.

This matter is currently being argued in a court of law. Titan vs. Turner. At the moment the hearing is at a standstill while the two federations have to go on with their business. But lets look at this hearing as if we weren't so smart......(thanks MJD ) We read in the paper that Vince McMahon is suing WCW, and we ask ourselves why...so we read on.

"It is regrettable and with great reluctance that we filed this complaint, but I felt we have finally been pushed against a wall with no other options to protect my company." said McMahon, "My wife and I have committed our adult lives to building the WWF. This company competes very well, and I dare say, stays ahead in the marketplace where quality of programming, creativity, star development, and consumer interest reflects success. However, when a giant competitor uses your very own creations to dupe and confuse the public, then the playing field isn't level, and you are forced to fight in a different arena."

In this instance you can't bring in the argument that Vince did the same to other companies, simply because they're not suing him, he's suing WCW.

So, WCW signed away two of the biggest stars in the WWF, no biggie right? Did WCW try to make it look as if the WWF was taking over? Yes, they did, but covered it up in an interview as explained later. Just remember all you 'smarts' we only make up about 5% of wrestling fans. So what would you think if you read this in YOUR local newspaper?

Now to me, who knows about Vince's past.....I think Vince getting mad at Bischoff seems a little cocky because one of the major reasons Vince is so mad at Eric is that Bischoff continually raids the WWF of its' top talent. But if Vince were to think back to when he raided all the 'indies' he might feel embarrassed. Instead he continues to get mad at exactly what he himself did about 15 years ago. What's the matter Vince you can't take some of your own medicine? I don't necessarily agree with what Bischoff does either, but Vince has really got me angry this time.

I thought Vince would be the bigger man, and take the high road. But by taking Turner to court he has done the opposite of his goal. His goal was to stop the angle involving his creative genius. In fact he has done nothing more that publicize the angle to a greater point!

So, in my opinion if this professional wrestling business was just legal action, I would say World Championship Wrestling would end the World Wrestling Federation's operations.

But, wait! There's more! Vince didn't NEED or necessarily WANT to win this trial. he just wanted to see what Turner and Bishoff would do if threatened. They did back off a little, when Eric Bischoff staged an interview (The same one he was jackknifed at ) where he asked Hall and Nash if they were currently working for the WWF, in which they answered "No."

Vince kind of won that battle, but enough about court trials, lets talk wrestling!

WCW pulled off the show stealer PPV of the year on June 16! The Great American Bash was amazing! I thought it was on the top ten wrestling PPV list ever! But the WWF didn't want to be over-shone right? Wrong, they put out a mediocre King Of The Ring. I liked the Austin matches and parts of the Cactus Jack/Undertaker match, but other than that the PPV really was poor.

My point through all of this WWF vs. WCW war is that World Championship Wrestling is the WWF of the 80's with some great young talent. The WWF is the 80's WCW/NWA plus some old generation WWF'ers. The Pay Per View events will flip flop with each federation getting its' dues. But I wouldn't be suprised if we never see a PPV like GAB ever again.

There are only a few bright points for the WWF they are Shawn Michaels, Brain Pillman, Ahmed Johnson, and The Ultimate Warrior. These wrestlers draw crowds and are way over with the fans! Pillman has to be the most talked about free agent in years. I hope and think Pillman has been more talked about that when Hogan left the WWF for the greener side of the pasture.

I can't help but say I love Vince, and the WWF but how do you compete with a billionaire? I really don't know that answer and I don't think anyone does. Good luck Vince, but for now I will tune into "Nitro" and "RAW", but "RAW" will be my second choice for now. I think each federation will get my attention in the future, trading blows all the way to the finish, which is good for all of the wrestling fans across the nation.

Just in case your keeping track of my column.....WCW-1 vs. WWF-0

See ya next week with more thoughts on the war, including on what I think on the late breaking Ultimate Warrior situation, and whatever else I think of this week.