Talk about it here.

Bill Watts! I think he took over before this, but this is his first appearance on the yearbook. Watts appointed Ole as the senior referee in WCW since Ole has broken more rules than anyone and can see through anything. Watts also says no padding around the ring because WCW is the real deal. Interesting.

Watts still is awesome. I love how Ole is still hated.

Conspicuous in its absence from Watts' announcement : the off-the-top-rope ban. IMSMR it was included at the very tail end of a later Watts announcement. I remember it at the time as he wrapped up by saying, "Oh, and one last thing, moves off the top rope are now an automatic DQ, 'kay, bye!" And I was watching thinking, "Wait, what?" There has been some discussion, both pro and con, regarding the Watts Top Rope ban, but I thought it was very poorly introduced. First, it seemed a kind of cowardly way to roll out something that Watts has since claimed was trying to be something important that would restore the audience-impact of top rope moves, just to off-handedly throw it out there right at the end of an interview with no time for anyone to react. Secondly, it smacked of hypocrisy that the two new rules were introduced around the same time. "We're taking away the ringside mats because our wrestlers are so tough! And were banning moves off the top rope because we don't want our wrestlers getting hurt!"

I took taking away the mats as kayfabed encouragement to wrestlers to keep it in the ring. On the surface, mats are illogical because wrestling isn't supposed to happen out there. But either way, I agree that it was poorly explained.

 

I do know that mats are one of those big "Look at how fake this is" things that non-fans like to harp on.

Never put a whole lot of thought into the mat outside the ring. Don't really like seeing guys get slammed on the concrete though. Watts and Ole both try to put over that WCW will be about wrestling. This wrestling debate seems to back pretty far as on AWA set Verne was saying the same thing.

Cowboy! There's definitely a role for Bill Watts on TV but they didn't quite hit it here. Was there a plan to do something bigger with Ole coming out of this?

Watts comes across really well. WCW is not going to be a "macabre cartoon" like some other promotions--when Jake the Snake and Sting are in a horror movie dive bar shooting laser beams out of their eyes at each other, it'll be done with REALISM, dammit. Ole Anderson is the new senior referee, something that I don't think ever went anywhere.

I always get a kick out of them introducing the new executive VP as "Cowboy" Bill Watts. Ole still cuts a mean promo.

Watts and Ole cut promos like the performers they once were and always will be.

 

I think the "WCW is real wrestling" stuff is whistling past the graveyard now more than ever. They know they're number two and fading fast, that except for a few diehards most people prefer the "macabre cartoon" that is the WWF. Besides, what kind of real wrestling promotion lets its World champion wear facepaint, anyway?

 

Ole as a referee sounds nice in theory, but he's just too tough and old to be pushed around the way refs need to be sometimes. Making him Commissioner would have been a smarter move.

 

I'm kind of lukewarm about mats on the floor or not. Again, the idea is good, but it really doesn't make a difference; heels will still slam their opponents on the floor to get an advantage, and they'll be able to hurt them even more now that the slams will be coming on hard concrete.

Was not a big fan of the content.  I love both of these guys and how they presented it.  Just can't get behind either idea, the ref is supposed to count the count and enforce the rules.  Ole will take attention away from the wrestlers.  And the mat thing seems like it is more likely to get wrestlers hurt than any other outcome.