Japan Casino Regulations Might Resemble Nevada's

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 59%. (I'm a bot)

Japan's ruling parties reached a consensus Tuesday on a bill that will pave the way for casino gambling in the country, with people living in Japan to be charged 6,000 yen in entrance fees while foreign visitors can enter for free.
The bill is likely to draw resistance from opposition parties as well as some of the public who are against casino gambling in the country.
The government hopes casinos will help attract more overseas visitors and boost regional economies outside the capital.
The two parties have already endorsed the plan to build the entertainment facilities in up to three locations and impose casino entrance restrictions - up to three times a week and 10 per month - on people living in Japan.
"The 6,000-yen entrance fee is too high considering income levels in rural areas. It could hamper the casino business by discouraging people from visiting casinos," Sasaki said.
"(Allowing casino gambling) comes with a risk of increasing the number of patients," said Sachio Matsushita, deputy director of the National Hospital Organization Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center, known for treatment programs for various forms of addiction.

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A new day, a new guide.
This is the hardest one of the guides I wanted to make, because the information is never easy to get, which is weird. So please forgive me if I missed some changes, and by all means tell me if I missed any of them or if any of them are incorrect.
Since this list is really long, this guide is going to come in parts, this part covers:

• Valkyrie Profile (PSX) vs Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (PSP vs iOS & Andriod).
  
• Chrono Trigger (SNES) vs Chrono Trigger (PSX vs NDS vs iOS & Andriod vs PC).
  
• Star Ocean 2 (PSX) vs Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP) vs PS4 (JP.ver).
  
• The Last Remnant (Xbox360) vs The Last Remnant Remastered (PC vs PS4 & Switch).
  
• Tales of Vesperia (Xbox360) vs Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition (PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One).
  
• Tales of Symphonia (GC) vs Tales of Symphonia (PS2 (JP.ver only) vs PS3/PC).
  
• Skies of Arcadia (DC) vs Skies of Arcadia: Legends (GC).
  
• Person 3 (PS2) vs Persona 3 FES (PS2 (English.ver)) vs Persona 3P (PSP).
  
• Persona 4 (PS2) vs Persona 4 Golden (Vita vs PC).
  
• .hack//G.U (PS2) vs .hack//G.U. Last Recode (PS4/PC).
  
• Final Fantasy 12 (PS2) vs FF 12: International Zodiac Job System PS2 (JP.ver only) vs FF12 Zodiac Age (PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One).
  
• Rune Factory 4 (3DS) vs Rune Factory 4 Special (Switch).
  

Important Notes:

• This is made for Ports and Enhanced versions, so No Remakes. So this is about differences between the different versions of Chrono Trigger, and not about the differences between FF7 ps1 and FF7 Remake.
  
• The differences are taken from all over the internet, either from official sources, wikis, youtube, and even forums.
  
• I cover all the changes for a game, unless there is too many, in which case I will highlight the ones worth mentioning.
  

~ Valkyrie profile (PSX US.ver): vs Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth PSP vs iOS & Andriod. ~

Valkyrie profile PSX:

Nearly identical to the Japan version but with minor fixes in the menu screen. In the Japanese version, Characters not in the party were unable to change or learn skills nor were they able change or remove equipment. The US version allowed out of party members to change and learn skills as well as change or remove equipment without being added to the party. Also in the Japanese version, Lenneth would unequip all her skills and equipment when switching between sword and bow. The US version 'remembers' the previous setting when switching weaponry and is automatically equipped with the skills and equip. Another improvement over the Japanese version is an improved item sorting option.
There are a few instances of censoring such as Badrach's smoking.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth PSP:

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth lacks the improvement made in US version. Rather than re-rendering the textures of the dungeon maps, TOSE cropped and upscaled the pre-rendered images to fit the portable console's screen, resulting in severe blurring in some areas. This version also removes the anime opening movie in favor of 3D CGI, animated movie. Certain key story-sequences were animated in the same style as the opening movie and can be viewed at anytime in the Gallery option in the title screen once unlocked in the story. The animated scenes include:

• Opening Movie
• Lenneth's Awakening
• Jelanda's Transformation
• Alicia witnesses Barbarossa's execution
• Lenneth's encounter with the Lord of the Undead
• Lenneth and the Homunculi
• A chance encounter between "Meril" and Lucian
• Lenneth in Weeping Lily Meadow
• Lucian's departure to Valhalla
• Hrist's Awakening
• The Sovereign's Rite
• A Ending

Other big changes are:

• An enhanced version of the original game's localization
• Square Enix cleaned up the original game's English script and additional voice over dialogue for the CG movies was recorded by New Generation Pictures, rather than the original company, TAJ Productions.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth iOS & Andriod:

This is the PSP version being ported to iOS & Andriod, with the following changes:

• Enhanced graphics such as character portraits. >* Enhanced Text.
• Enhanced UI.
• The option to skip cut-scenes.
• In-app purchases to unlock collectibles
• Ability to turn on auto-battle.

~ Chrono Trigger (SNES): PSX vs NDS vs iOS & Andriod vs PC. ~

Chrono Trigger PSX:

Anime cut scenes created by original character designer Akira Toriyama's Bird Studio and animated by Toei Animation.
A new Extra Mode Option was added that is divided into different categories of viewable extras, that are unlocked as you finish the game, and just as shown in the picture, they are:

• Theater.
• Art Gallery.
• Music Box.
• Tech Showcase.
• Monster Data.
• Boss Data.
• Endings.
• Treasure Map.

Chrono Trigger NDS:

This version includes everything new in the PSX version, and also has big and a long list of changes and additions, which I will try to condense them as much as possible:

• Ability to play using the two screens and the touch screen, or in classic mode through a single screen.
• Added the Arena of Ages: A monster arena where You pick basic monsters and raise them to fight computer and wireless opponents.
• Added the Lost Sanctum: A sidequest during the main game. It consists of two dungeons in two different eras.
• Added the Dimensional Vortex: A extra Dungeon, available after beating the game once and appears in three different eras. Each dungeon is different.
• A lot of New Items.
• New Enemies in the new dungeons, in the form of palette swaps of old enemies.
• One New Ending after finishing the Dimensional Vortex completely.
• New Translation that changes a lot of names form the original version to something more faithful to the Japanese version.

Chrono Trigger iOS & Android:

Both versions initially were based on the NDS version, but later on got an update to make them similar to the PC version.

Chrono Trigger PC:

Everything on the NDS version is present here except there is No Arena of Ages. What they did add however is:

• Auto-Save feature.
• Higher Resolution Graphics and update UI.
• Support for mouse and keyboard controls.
• Remastered sound and music.

~ Star Ocean: The Second Story (PSX): vs Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP) vs PS4 (JP.ver). ~

Star Ocean: Second Evolution:

• A New Translation that changes almost everything in the game.
• New voice actors. >* New voiced acted scenes; All major story events now have voice acting.
• New recruitable character: Welch Vineyard.
• New Private Actions and 13 new Endings.
• Unlocking the Galaxy and Universe modes now require defeating a specific number of enemies in a single playthrough rather than unlocking voices in the Voice Collection. >>>* Practically all Combat Skills have been refined, some being removed (such as Cancel, which is now automatically implemented).
• The combat system has been slightly refined, now allowing all melee fighters to perform a 3-hit combo as their normal attack.
• The Super Specialty "Bunny Call" no longer allows the player to "climb" on towns and some terrains. The player now will enter a town upon approaching while in Bunny Form, and can even activate private actions.
• All items in the inventory screen are now depicted as 2D icons instead of the original 3D models.
• Many bugs and glitches have been fixed (most notably the infamous random Cave of Trials screen freeze).
• Ring of Lightspeed (called Slayer Ring in Second Story) now works on Dias Flac.
• New character designs and portraits.
• No magic combo mechanic.
• Crafting animations are now replaced by a still 2D image.

Star Ocean: Second Evolution PS4 JP.ver:

This enhanced version was released only in Japan on the PS4, with enhanced graphics and BGM, and a DLC that helps you with the gameplay.

~ The Last Remnant (Xbox360): vs PC vs PS4 & Switch Remastered. ~

The Last Remnant PC:

This version is only available to purchase in the EU SquareEnix online store as of right now:
Battles:

• Turbo Mode is now available, and can be toggled on or off while giving orders to unions in battle. When on, battles play out at double the speed.
• Crimson Flare, a new Arcana, is now available.
• New formations, such as Eremurus Rain, are now available.
• Enemies hit considerably harder.
• Rare Monsters can have significantly higher HP than their XBOX 360 counterparts.
• Arcana require substantially more AP.
• Unique Arts now require AP.
• Remnant Arts can only be performed by union leader, Weapon Arts now require high union morale.
• Offensive Weapon Arts now increase morale when used.
• Additionally, Arcana and offensive Special Arts now raise morale by a fixed amount.
• Likewise, certain Enemy Arts now lower morale by a fixed amount.
• Wards now affect the entire union.
• Attributes required for formation upgrades are vastly different.
• Healing no longer raises morale, and morale increased by Critical Hits has been dramatically reduced.
• Union morale now fluctuates based on more conditions (IE: taking an action, successfully landing a hit, receiving damage, etc.). In the X360 version, union morale stayed somewhat static, usually changing when being healed, being KO'd/terminated, executing a successful Critical Trigger. It also did not drop to 0 whenever an offensive Special Art was executed, whereas it will do so on the PC.
• Linking additional enemies together does not increase your Battle Rank further than having fought them separately.
• Special commands, such as the use of David's Gae Bolg, are no longer interrupted by being raidlocked by a different union or having targeted enemy union defeated by an ally.
• Allies now have the option to cure a friendly union's Curse status ailment via "Cure them even if it kills them!" command. This command is in the XBOX 360 version as well, but is only available when the union is Enthralled; it will not be available when the union is cursed.

Items:

• Items are color-coded in the PC version, and a new preview feature lets you see what the item looks like in battle.
• You can now toggle between viewing the stats of a weapon or shield and viewing a preview of what it looks like in battle.
• Components and consumables are now categorized.
• Items are now color-coded based on their rarity.
• Creation or customization of some items require fewer components.
• New items available via Blueprint 4.
• Various weapon stats have changed.
• Some very rare monster-specific drops can now be split from monsters (e.g., Godwood Timber, Spiritwood Timber).

Units:

• The leader limit is no longer imposed. Unions can be composed entirely of leader units if the player desires.
• Likewise, soldiers can now be set as union leaders.
• The stat cap has been lifted for all characters to allow a maximum of 255 for each stat.
• The Seven are now recruitable after completing Union of the Golden Chalice Task #70: For Our Lord.
• Rush can now be removed from the active party.
• Khrynia can learn the new Unique Art Dual Snowpetal.
• Arts can be disabled, filtering which skills a unit may use in combat.
• Leaders' requested components are displayed when viewing their stats.
• Leaders' wield style can be changed depending on their equipped weapon.
• Shields now prevent style changes mid-battle.
• The following classes now prevent style changes: Guardian, Scout, Hunter, Wanderer, Thief, Alchemist, all Mystic classes, Vagrant, Mercenary, Aristocrat, Djin, Fortuneteller, Sage and General.
• The experience required to advance Wield Style skills has been reduced, and the experience required to advance Weapon Type skills has been increased.
• Three new classes are now available: Ataraxian, Cleric, and Ninja.
• The Guardian, Fencer, and Warrior classes now require non-sovani wield styles, and are thus not available to Sovani.
• The Gladiator class now requires Power Grip and Wards.
• Hybrid classes (Item+Combat and Mystic+Combat) can now be achieved by units who do not start in one.
• Some leaders now have a different weapon upgrade path, which caused some units to learn new Weapon Arts while others lost theirs.
• Leaders can request weapons that do not coincide with their weapon upgrade path as long as they match their equipped weapon type and size.
• Soldiers can now request weapon drops.
• Some units have had their starting Unit BR level, stats, class, equipment, arts, and hiring wage changed.

Sidequests:

• The completion of At Hatred's End is no longer required in order to activate Things Unchangeable.
• Duke of Ghor now has a … icon when you speak with him between the first, third, and fifth base battles.
• The component requirements in The Assistant have lowered.
• The DLC content is now unlocked differently; the majority of the extra content now requires the completion of certain guild tasks.
• The Leader Extraordinaire guild tasks which required three units of a single class now only require one.
• The Monsterslayer guild tasks require different enemies to be defeated.

New Game Plus and Hard Mode: After the epilogue and credits, you can now save your game. When you're taken back to the main menu, you can load this save to begin a new playthrough that carries over certain elements from your previous playthrough. You will also be given the option to start the new game in Hard Mode.
Miscellaneous:

• The PC version will warn you if you cannot leave an area without a fight.
• Auto Save is now available, which automatically saves after having changed zones or having won a battle.
• Battle Rank is now viewable outside of combat, in the party menu.
• Battle Rank progression has been slowed considerably; it takes more encounters/enemy unions terminated to increase in rank.
• Characters with … icons are now identified with markers on the map.
• Enemies can no longer be respawned by saving and reloading an adjacent area.
• New saving opportunities are now available, such as before the base's boss.
• A warning message is now displayed if you attempt to save your game in an area which you cannot leave until you defeat a boss.
• Mr Diggs's digging animations are now much quicker.
• The loading screens that explained some of the game's mechanics have been disabled.
• Many areas of the game have had their spawn tables altered or repopulated.
• Starting battle music now coincides with starting morale in most battles.
• "Turn the Tide" and "Beat the Odds" now play during the second half instead of after entering Elysion.
• Union highlighting during the selection phase has been toned down (ie: ally unions don't look quite as blue).
• Leaders in reserve no longer gain skills via the Rush only skill grind trick.
• Soldiers now slowly improve their stats in reserves.
• Camera in battle doesn't swing around as wildly anymore.
• Mitra soldiers' idle stances now come in 2 varieties: the one shared by both male and female units and the one exclusive to larger male units, rather than just the "large male mitra" stance.

The Last Remnant Remastered PS4 & Switch:

Based on the PC version, also added:

• Graphics now are in Unreal Engine 4
• A new function to run faster on the overworld.
• Extra save slots.

Yes I am salty about this if you can't tell, since they removed the PC version from steam.

~ Tales of Vesperia (Xbox360): vs PS3 vs Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition vs PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One. ~

Tales of Vesperia PS3:

• Features full voice acting, nearly twice as much voice work as the original.
• New Characters, including 2 new playable characters: Flynn (permanantly playable now), and Patty Fleur.
• New subplots, skits, and main game quests, and sidequests.
• New mini-games
• New songs
• Remodeled towns and new towns and dungeons.
• New bosses.
• The ability to replay boss fights.
• New 8 Mystic Arts.
• New artes, skills, and equipment.
• New item: the "Artes Ball", which allows an additional eight artes shortcuts to be assigned to the previous eight slots combined with the L1 button, which allows for a maximum of 16 artes
• New character costumes

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive editionvs PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One:

Based on the PS3 version, it has everything from it and all the DLC included for free, with higher resolution graphics depending on the system.

~ Tales of Symphonia (GC): vs PS2 (JP.ver only) vs PS3/PC. ~

Tales of Symphonia PS2 JP.ver only:

• New animated sequences.
• New Mystic Arts.
• New Unison Arts.
• New Arts for playable characters and enemies.
• New Techniques.
• The frame rate was lowered from 60 frames per second to 30 frames per second.
• New customs.
• The "Synopsis" option in the menu displays newer entries at the top
• The Casino in the game is now actually fully playable with it's own mini-games, and chips to collecet and exchange for items.
• The skits are graphically more dynamic. Portraits get larger or smaller quickly, swing from side to side, shake, and so on.
• New Titles
• More post-battle animations.
• Niflheim dungeon extended and 6 new boss characters, fought in 2 new boss battles.
• Bug Fixes
• New events to help raise affection.
• Includes new side quests, new camera angles on some cutscenes, new animated cutscenes not featured in the GameCube version

Tales of Symphonia PS3/PC:

• More customs.
• Improved character textures and improved some environments.
• Dual-audio support: Japanese and English voiceovers, which neither the PS2 or GameCube versions had
• Cutscenes support voice acting in both languages, but skits only have voice acting in Japanese. If you select English, you will just see the subtitles during skits. This is not a porting issue, as this is just how the GameCube version was.
• While the original GameCube version ran at 60fps, the Japanese PS2 port which the PS3 Chronicles HD version is based off of ran at 30fps. The Steam version can run at 40FPS.
• HD graphics

~ Skies of Arcadia (DC): vs Skies of Arcadia: Legends GC. ~

Skies of Arcadia: Legends GC:

• New Ranks for the Swashbuckler Rating system.
• Random encounters occur less frequently and load considerably faster than the Dreamcast version, and EXP offered per battle is adjusted to compensate.
• Graphically, the game sports mild improvements to character models, most noticeably adding individual fingers to the designs. The modifier volume shadows and (weirdly enough) point-mipmapping from the original release are still present.
• One of the new sidequests available is Bounty Hunting. Sailor's Guilds offer information about each person on the bounty list as they are unlocked through story progression. After reading about them, they can be found in a constant location.
• There are a number of new discoveries to be found.
• Two linked sidequests
• "Pinta Quest" minigame was removed
• DLC comes with the game.

~ Persona 3 (PS2): vs Persona 3 FES PS2 (English.ver) vs P3P PSP. ~

FES PS2 (English.ver):

• A whole additional epilogue has been added, The Answer. This chapter is only available in one difficulty setting, which is supposed to be on par with Persona 3's Hard mode.
• New Personas have been added
• Secret videos of the protagonist's dorm mates have been added to flesh them out.
• Koromaru can now be taken on walks.
• Several of the Social Links have been modified slightly, such as Tanaka being available at a different time
• Several new Quests have been added.
• New costumes can be worn in battle.
• A new event involving Chidori Yoshino was added.
• Naganaki Shrine was completely overhauled.
• A hard mode was added.
• Save data from Persona 3 can be transferred into the game,

P3P PSP:

• The Answer is not included in this verion.
• Added a Female Main Character, so now you can choose between the Male and Female MCs.
• The game lacks 3D environments and character models (outside of Tartarus), all anime cutscenes are gone, the graphics and audio quality were compressed,
• The storyline of the female protagonist features many differences from that of the male protagonist, such as new social interactions as well as Social Links.
• New voiced dialogue.
• Players have the choice of selecting Elizabeth or a male-equivalent named Theodore to be Igor's assistant in the Velvet Room.
• The ability to pick who the protagonist spends the last moments of the game with. This feature is only accessible on a New Cycle
• The Desert of Doors from the Abyss of Time seen in The Answer will still appear, however, in an extra feature known as the Vision Quest. In this mode, the party can fight stronger incarnations of the Full Moon shadow bosses — save for Arcana Magician — and partake in special battles that test the party's abilities. When all of the battles have been successfully met, a second optional boss can be fought: Margaret, Igor's assistant in Persona 4 and guardian of the Desert of Doors in P3P.
• There are now two overworld save points; Aside from the log book in the Iwatodai Dormitory, there is also one on the main character's desk at school.
• In Paulownia Mall, the police station is now the only place where the protagonist can buy equipment and sell items. Aohige Pharmacy is now a buy-only store, and Be Blue V is just a part-time work site and hangout to improve the main character's condition
• From previous versions, two difficulty modes have been added: Beginner and Maniac alongside Easy and Normal in Persona 3 and Hard in Persona 3 FES:
• A new tactic, "Direct," has been added to the game, allowing control of the party members, unlike Persona 3 and Persona 3 FES.
• The "Wait" command is replaced with the "Defense" command, and will decrease the damage and any knockdown effects of the next attack the user suffers.
• The game grants "1 More" to a combatant who attacks multiple enemies not knocking all of them down; the original Persona 3 required all hit enemies to be knocked down for a 1 more.
• Party members who have been knocked down no longer spend the turn by getting up and can act as soon as they stand.
• Upon landing a critical hit or striking an enemy's weakness, party members can follow up with a co-op attack.
• Fusion Spells from the original Persona 3 are now activated from items instead of equipping a persona and selecting it like other spells.
• Allies can now take a fatal blow to the protagonist for them if they are able.
• "Dizzy" has been added as a status effect.
• Returning to the main lobby in Tartarus no longer automatically restores the party, and must now be done for a fee via the save point (this cost varies based on the date in-game and status effects currently inflicted on the party)
• Floors can be directly returned to from the entrance of Tartarus instead of being restricted to the restore point like previous versions.
• "Tired" status no longer is inflicted during Tartarus exploration, and is inflicted to all used party members after leaving (this will only drop to "Good" if the character used was at "Great" during exploration).
• Unlike previous versions, money found by party members when split up will now be given to the protagonist.
• Party members' equipment and status can now be accessed at any time from the pause menu, unlike in previous versions, which required the protagonist to speak to them while exploring Tartarus in order to change their equipment or view their status.
• You can now control Party members directly.
• The protagonists only have access to one weapon type (instead of having access to all weapon types like in P3 and FES); the male protagonist wields one-handed swords, and the female protagonist wields naginatas. As a result, the Skills "Fist Master," "Bow Master," "1hdSwdMaster" and similar skills have all been combined into a single skill called "Weapons Master." Its skill card is called "Phys Boost," and all Personas which had learned a "master" ability (like Cybele with Bow Master) now learn "Weapons Master."
• Personas now have the ability to produce a Skill Card when raised to a specific level. Each card can be used on any Persona to teach them a skill.
• The Inari Sushi in Naganaki Shrine no longer grants random bonuses for item gaining and Tartarus explorations. Instead, it offers to duplicate Skill Cards, which will take 5 days to complete

~ Persona 4 (PS2): vs Persona 4 Golden Vita vs Persona 4 Golden PC. ~

Persona 4 Golden Vita:

• Two new Social Links.
• A New Dungeon.
• A New bad ending.
• New Difficulty levels have been added: Safety/Easy/Normal/Hard/Risky.
• Several new music tracks.
• Additional voice-over dialogue.
• Chie and Teddie have new voice actors in the English version.
• New animated cutscenes.
• More Personas, including new Ultimate Personas for the Investigation Team.
• New areas can be visited.
• New events.
• The protagonist can now explore Inaba in the evening when Dojima is not home.
• The protagonist and his friends now have motorized scooters to explore various areas.
• Costumes are now available to buy at Croco Fur, in Okina City.
• New Garden and Bug Catching features.
• The ability to choose which skills can be inherited by the Persona the protagonist is fusing.
• New scene skipping function
• If the necessary criteria for at least the good ending are fulfilled, daily activities are expanded to February 14, 2012, giving more time for events and social links.
• New epilogue has been added for the True Ending.
• The list of Requests and the Fox' emas have been modified.
• Rise can now assist the Investigation Team in All-Out-Attacks.
• Added Tag Team attacks: two members can team up to perform a united attack.
• Added Cavalry Attacks: Attacks from members of the Investigation Team that are not currently in the party.
• Spell buffs and debuffs can now be used on the same character to prolong the effect
• A new gallery menu has been added: "TV Listings." It displays bonus content unlocked through the main game at any time.
• Floors and chests in dungeons can now reset by changing floors instead of leaving the dungeon and TV world, or visiting another dungeon.

Persona 4 Golden PC:

• Bug fixes
• The game will run at up to 4K resolution with 60FPS+ as opposed to the Vita's 476p resolution and 30FPS target
• Includes dual audio language and multiple text language. The anime cutscenes now also include subtitles
• In the Steam version, the player may customize their difficulty setting at any time, in contrast to the Vita version only letting you do so on New Game Plus.The player may select a preset difficulty setting, or individually alter the following parameters
• The player may select a preset difficulty setting, or individually alter the following parameters.

~ .hack//G.U (PS2): vs .hack//G.U. Last Recode PS4/PC. ~

.hack//G.U. Last Recode PS4/PC:

• A brand new episode titled Vol.4//Reconnection, which takes place a year and three months after the events of Redemption
• HD graphical update for the whole game.
• Ability to restart the battle from the beginning if Haseo dies.
• Movement speed on foot has somewhat increased.
• The item stack size has increased from 50 to 99. The maximum number of item stacks in the inventory has increased from 30 to 90
• Item menu shortcuts and sort features
• When using an item in the field, pressing the X button repeatedly will cause the item to be used again without navigating the menu a second time.
• The maximum number of Chim Spheres and Virus Cores the player can possess has increased from 99 to 999
• Platforms now include the Platform Recovery feature, recovering a large portion of the party's HP and SP. It can only be used once per visit to a field.
• Saku and Bo no longer switch the active player based on their level being even or odd. They can instead be selected as separate options in the Party screen.
• Decreased the probability of allies selling the items the player give them.
• Voice clips for returning characters and NPCs between games have been updated to use the Volume 3 clips from the beginning, except where said clips are unavailable.
• Attack power has been increased and hit stops during attacks have been reduced to speed up the battle tempo.
• Learning weapons proficiency increased and acquired experience points increased.
• Awakening scenes can be skipped using the Option/Start button.
• Some of the really tough enemies have been made a bit easier
• Skeith’s general shot bullet speed has increased during Avatar Battles.
• Enhanced battle balance and game pacing to provide an optimal experience.
• Avatar battles now show a stun gauge over the enemy's head. Red diamonds have been added around attacks meant to be deflected using scythe slashes that are in range.
• Added suspend feature during Avatar battle gameplay.
• In Volume 3, the player is given 22 "Promise" greeting cards, meaning it is possible to do the "Forever in Love" / "Best Wishes" events with all party members in a single playthrough.
• A new Cheat Mode allowing players who want to just enjoy the story to start the game with a large amount of items, best equipment, maximum money and chim spheres, and maximum level and affection for the respective volume.
• Save files from Cheat Mode plays can be converted to the next volumes.
• The videos from “The End of the World” Terminal Disc included with the limited edition PS2 release of Volume 1 are included in the collection
• A New Job Form for Haseo with a new weapon.
• A New Form for Skeith.
• Ovan joins the party.

~ Final Fantasy 12 (PS2): vs FF 12: International Zodiac Job System PS2 (JP.ver only) vs FF12 Zodiac Age PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One. ~

Final Fantasy 12: International Zodiac Job System PS2 (JP.ver only):

• Addition of a "Zodiac Job System" featuring twelve jobs with individual License Boards corresponding to twelve zodiac signs
• Addition of a 16:9 widescreen mode with menus and HUD at 4:3.
• Addition of three new game modes: Trial Mode/New Game+ Strong Mode/New Game+ Weak Mode.
• Pressing L1 will speed up gameplay. Conversations and events continue to play at normal speed.
• Quickening doesn't consume MP. Now they use their own Mist gauge similarly to Limit Breaks from previous Final Fantasy titles.
• UI Changes.
• Playable characters' starting LP, consumables, gil, gambits, equipment, licenses, and base stats have been modified.
• You have more control over Guests now, they also gain EXP/Item/Gold.
• Many magick spells and technicks have been tweaked, renamed and recategorized.
• Obtaining Quickenings no longer affects max MP and Mist charges do not diminish when MP is consumed (unless the player is affected by a reversed Elixir or Megalixir). The player's MP is also unaffected by the depletion of Mist charges. However, effects that recover the player's MP will also restore Mist charges. One Mist charge is granted each time the amount recovered totals the player's maximum MP. Effects that fully restore a player's MP recover all Mist charges.
• You can now fully control Espers, they also require MP to cast magicks
• Almost all attacks now break the 9999 damage limit from the original by default.
• New items have been added, such as Cura Mote, Bubble Mote, Domaine Calvados, Baltoro Seed, Dark Energy and various Meteorites.
• Bacchus's Wine now has 100% chance of inflicting Berserk (previously it was 50%).
• Several equipment pieces were added, while some available in the original release were removed or tweaked.
• New Weapons added.
• Most shops had their assortments changed. Many weapons are now available from shops earlier because of the job system, and were thus made weaker.
• Treasures respawn by moving just one area away as opposed to two. Treasures were moved around, changed the items they can give, or were removed altogether. The "forbidden chest" concept was removed, that in the original prevented the player from obtaining the Zodiac Spear in Necrohol of Nabudis if they opened a wrong treasure.
• Dark Matter can no longer be acquired from the bazaar, and selling the ingredients needed to make it in the original will result in making the Dark Energy instead. The Dark Energy is an item that does not charge up with Knot of Rust or Devour Soul and always deals 50,000 damage to each enemy in range.
• Treasure chests are now in different locations and contain different items.
• There are more traps throughout the map.

Final Fantasy 12: Zodiac Age PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One:

• Remastered HD graphical upgrade.
• English and Japanese voices (switch between them in the game configuration).
• Original and newly re-recorded background music (switch between them in the game configuration).
• Auto-save functionality added (game saves automatically when moving to each new screen, excepting boss arenas)
• Improved high-speed mode and improved play time operability during high-speed mode
• Ability to invert both the X and Y camera axes
• The game balance has been overhauled to make it easier.
• Each playable character can have two jobs at once.
• Job Reset function added; talk to Montblanc in the Clan Hall to use.
• The Effect Capacity system that limited spell-casting in the PlayStation 2 versions has been removed.
• Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, and Cure only affect a single target again.
• Espers' HP values have been doubled, but other stats kept the same as in Zodiac Job System.
• The animation for summoning Espers is removed.
• A glitch concerning Dyce's character model has been fixed.
• New Game Plus and New Game Minus are now accessible from the beginning of the game.

~ Rune Factory 4 (3DS): vs Rune Factory 4 Special Switch. ~

Rune Factory 4 Special Switch:

• HD Graphics.
• Newlywed Mode.
• Hell Difficulty.
• Additional Movies.
• Another Episode DLC.
• Swimsuit Day DLC.
• Many Town Events are now prioritized if requirements have been met. This includes Memories, which unlocks the last story arc and the events required for marriage.
• The map has been moved to the main screen and can be removed and resized with the press of a button (the Switch has only one screen) or by using the touch screen icon.
• The teleport spell has been mapped to a dedicated button. It can still be used from the touch screen.
• You can now change the voice acting language between English and Japanese.
• Many bug fixes.

This is just part 1, if you have any suggestions for titles to be in part 2, please post them here.

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:

• Observer Rewind - 1987 by SaintRidley
  
• The Complete Wrestling Observer Rewind 1991-2001
  

1-7-2002	1-14-2002	1-21-2002	1-28-2002
2-4-2002	2-11-2002	2-18-2002	2-25-2002

NOTE: I mentioned it in the first post of 2002 but a lot of y'all are aware that a few months ago, SaintRidley picked up the Observer Rewind reins after I stopped and started doing his own recaps from the 1980s. Well, he's been doing great work with it and he just finished posting the year of 1987. I went ahead and added it the Previously" section up there. ↑↑↑ Just wanted to make sure to bring it to everyone's attention.

• It's been awhile since we've had major PPVs going head-to-head with each other, but it happened this week when WWA aired it's 2nd ever PPV live from Las Vegas, going head-to-head with PRIDE. Dave recaps the history of head-to-head PPV battles, specifically the WWF vs. Crockett war in the late-80s. How Vince McMahon created Survivor Series specifically to run it in direct competition with Crockett's first ever PPV, Starrcade 87. The resulting loss of needed revenue was a huge reason why Crockett eventually had to sell the company to Ted Turner and, in retrospect, set into motion everything that led to WCW's eventual death last year. He goes on to recap how Royal Rumble was created and aired on free TV to go head-to-head with Crockett's next PPV attempt, Bunkhouse Stampede. Then Crockett responded by creating the first Clash of the Champions and airing it against Wrestlemania IV. Not sure PRIDE vs. WWA is up there in the same league as that PPV battle. Which, to be fair, Dave admits it's not the same thing.
  
• Anyway, the PRIDE show was among the greatest events of all time, one of the very few times in the history of the Observer that a show got a unanimous 100% thumbs up vote on the reader poll. It aired in Japan live and in the U.S. on a bit of a delay, with the matches edited in a different order. In Japan, the card was headlined by Vanderlei Silva vs. former UWFI wrestler Kiyoshi Tamura, which was an excellent fight that Silva won. In the U.S., the show was built around Ken Shamrock vs. Don Frye in the main event (in Japan, it aired 3rd from last) and the 2 men had an absolute war that should shut up critics who say both are too old. Shamrock lost a split-decision in a fight that Dave thinks should have legitimately been a draw. (This fight is considered to this day one of the all-time wars in MMA history. An utter slobberknocker. Neither fighter was the same again afterward and Frye has said that the damage Shamrock did to his legs in this fight led to him later getting addicted to painkillers). After the fight, Shamrock went over to ringside and hugged his girlfriend Alicia Webb, who you may remember as Ryan Shamrock. The girl that played his sister in WWF.
  

WATCH: Don Frye vs. Ken Shamrock - PRIDE 19: Bad Blood (2002)

• And then there was WWA. A low-budget, amateur-ish event, marred by bad production and no-shows. Not that the crowd would even know, because most of the lineup was never even announced ahead of time anyway. The scheduled main event of Jeff Jarrett vs. Randy Savage didn't happen because Savage held promoter Andrew McManus up for more money at the last minute. Savage originally had agreed to work the show in exchange for a 30% ownership stake in the company, which was agreed upon. But three days before the show, Savage upped the ante, saying he wanted the 30%, plus an extra $50,000 in cash. At that point, they started haggling back and forth to try to strike some kind of deal. Ownership got pulled off the table and then Savage asked for a flat $250,000 fee to work the show. WWA turned that down and came back with a flat $150,000 offer instead. Savage turned that down and at that point, everything broke down. For what it's worth, a lot of the lower card wrestlers on the show worked for $300. Last second attempts to bring in Sting to save the show didn't work either. Road Dogg was also supposed to appear on the show but couldn't because of legal issues. Word is he got arrested 2 days before the show in Florida on a probation violation. As a result, the PPV was headlined by Jeff Jarrett defending the WWA championship against Brian Christopher.
  
• The whole show was simply an embarrassment. The production was completely minor league and the crowd was totally dead for all these long matches with guys nobody cares about. The in-ring work was fine, but the booking often made no sense, with overbooked three-ways and 6-way undercard matches that ended up being more clusterfuck than match. It was also one of those Russo-type things where the commentary team made endless inside-references that only the hardcore internet fans would get. But then again, this show only drew hardcore internet fans anyway, so why not? They also constantly made reference to WWF, which came across as desperate and sad. In particular, Larry Zbyszko was given the chance to cut a meandering promo, challenging Vince McMahon to a fight over some unspecified grievance from 20 years ago and criticized them for having Chris Jericho as their world champion. Dave thinks Zbyszko was actually angling for a job from WWF by trying to start his own angle and says this promo was basically his job application. And he thinks it was pretty pathetic. Backstage, the disorganization was apparent and most even within the company saw what a mess it was and have already given up on the promotion as a lost cause. Dave said this PPV made it clear that nobody will be challenging WWF anytime soon.
  
• Other notes from the WWA Revolution PPV: yes, in case you're wondering, that Japanese man sitting behind the commentary table all night who very briefly (literally blink and miss it) got involved in the Scott SteineDisco Inferno tussle was indeed NJPW star Hiroyoshi Tenzan and yes, they flew him all the way from Japan (and had him bring his ring gear just in case), only to have him do almost nothing and never be acknowledged on camera. Eric Bischoff was backstage, as a guest of Ernest Miller. Bischoff laughed off any questions about going to WWF but said the ol' "never say never" shtick. The crowd was about 2,800, most of them freebies and they were desperately giving away tickets in the casino before the show. During the first match, the building looked practically empty so they quietly began moving everyone closer to ringside to pack the area around the ring to make it look presentable for TV. Opening 6-way match featuring all the hottest indie stars was a sloppy mess, with too people flying everywhere trying to get their shit in and the cameras missing most of it. Bret Hart came out and cut a long, rambling promo before announcing Brian Christopher was replacing Randy Savage in the main event, to zero crowd response. By the 5th match, people in the crowd could be seen leaving, never to return. Jerry Lynn showed up, interrupting an Eddie Guerrero interview, at which point Dave mentions, oh yeah by the way, the WWF released Jerry Lynn 2 days before the PPV. Considering WWF has been talking about reviving the cruiserweight division after Wrestlemania, Dave doesn't know why they'd get rid of a guy who could be one of the best in the division. Anyway, yeah, this show sucked. Here ya go, enjoy.
  

WATCH: WWA: The Revolution PPV - 2002

• WWF's latest investor conference call took place and wasn't particularly newsworthy, but there's some stuff to note. The new agreement with DirecTV is until August of 2003 and is under the exact same terms they were operating under last year, which means WWF gained nothing while losing an estimated $4.4 million in revenue over the last few PPVs. Following the brand split, WWF plans to run 16 PPVs per year, and increasing the price by an extra $5. Linda McMahon said Wrestlemania 18 has sold 58,000 tickets as of the time of the call, for a record gate of $3.96 million, breaking the record set by last year's WM. Dave goes through all the numbers and for the most part, in comparison to previous quarters, almost everything is down. Which is no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention because WWF is clearly on the downswing. Linda also said they're currently interviewing new writers and are hoping to double their writing staff, which Dave thinks is a terrible idea (and time has damn sure proven him correct). Finally, Linda was also asked how the purchase of the WCW library has benefited the company, which Dave thinks is an interesting question since revenues have declined since then and the Invasion angle flopped so hard that it killed any brand value the name "WCW" may have had. Linda talked about the value of the tape library but Dave points out that it's been a year and WWF has done practically nothing with that library (of course, in the end, they found ways to monetize that WCW library and it more than paid for itself).
  
• In his first match as an official member of the AJPW roster, Keiji Muto lost the Triple Crown championship to Toshiaki Kawada in a match nearly a year in the making, before a sold out crowd at Budokan Hall. He hasn't seen it yet, but the match was reported to Dave as a near-classic (he ends up giving it 4.5 stars). The other 2 NJPW stars who jumped ship, Kendo Kashin and Satoshi Kojima, also worked their first official AJPW matches. Kaz Hayashi, formerly a member of Jung Dragons in WCW and who worked in WWF's developmental until asking for his release a few weeks ago, also debuted on the show and will be part of Muto's faction.
  

WATCH: Keiji Muto vs. Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW 2-24-2002

• Obituary time for Swede Hanson, who worked primarily in the Carolinas and had a brief run in the WWF as a cult favorite babyface in the early 80s. Sadly, he passed away in a mental hospital because he had advanced Alzheimer's disease which made it impossible for his family to handle him and they had him put away. Jeez, that's rough. He also had a litany of other health problems. Dave gives an in-depth history of his career in the 60s and 70s as a heel in the Carolinas before talking about the WWF run. Vince Sr. brought him in as a monster heel to challenge Bob Backlund, and Dave thinks someone else must have backed out at the last moment or something. By this time (in 1979), Hanson was well past his prime and hadn't been a major star anywhere in years but he was a big dude and so they brought him in to face Backlund and they actually sold out Madison Square Garden with Backlund vs. Hanson in the main event (though Dave says Bruno Sammartino working the undercard sure didn't hurt). The match sucked and almost immediately after, he became a jobber in the WWF, but Vince Jr, on commentary, just loved to call him "Rawboned Swede Hanson" and the "Rawboned" nickname caught on. Vince said it with such gusto that Hanson briefly became a cult favorite jobber from it and the crowd turned him babyface at damn near 50 years old. It led to a brief career resurgence and him having a small role in the Backlund/Billy Graham feud for the title before he finally faded into oblivion.
  
• Mark Henry won the "world's strongest man" competition at the Arnold Classic bodybuilding and fitness event. Henry has been out of WWF for the past 2 months training for this competition and the training paid off, with Henry capturing first place and making a legitimate viable claim to his "strongest man in the world" moniker. During the event, Henry became the first man in 50 years to cleanly press the 366 pound Apollon wheel weight above his head. In another event, he carried an 800 pound block of bolted together railroad ties up a 40-foot ramp faster than the other competitors. For his victory, Henry won a $75,000 Humvee and some other cash prizes. Over the same weekend, he also won another $1,000 in a contest where he was able to lift an inch dumbbell (which weighs 172 pounds) to his shoulder with one arm. There's a bunch of other weightlifting stuff here, but you might be surprised to find out....I dunno shit about any of this. I got winded lifting pizza to my mouth earlier. Mark Henry strong.
  

WATCH: Mark Henry at the Arnold Classic 2002

• Another obit for former wrestler, promoter, and father of 80s valet Baby Doll, Nick Roberts who died of pancreatic cancer. Once again, a bunch of details and stories about someone I've never heard of in wrestling history that Dave somehow knows everything about. I know I've said it before, but these obituary pieces are some of the greatest reasons for subscribing to the Observer.
  
• Masahiro Chono says he wants to take NJPW in a more serious, realistic direction. No sports entertainment gaga nonsense, they want it to be like a real sports product. So much so that, in his own match with Manabu Nakanishi at the last big NJPW show, Chono wouldn't even bounce off the ropes, saying that it's not credible and no one would do that in a real fight. Ah yes, Inoki's gonna love this.
  
• FMW wrestler Kodo Fuyuki has said he plans to try to keep the promotion running after it was announced it was folding last week. FMW still has 8 shows scheduled for this month and Fuyuki said he plans to try to run them himself and keep the company going (no such luck buddy).
  
• Japan Today, an American newspaper that covers Japanese news daily, had a story on Antonio Inoki battling diabetes. It says he was first diagnosed in 1982, which Dave says is right around the time Inoki's in-ring work dropped off considerably when he lost his stamina. The story said for the last 20 years, Inoki has eaten a ridiculously healthy diet and is in better health now at 59 than he was then at 39.
  
• Dave said he got tons of positive feedback on the debut of RF Video's Ring of Honor promotion in Philadelphia. The show was sold out in advance, was well organized, and had several really good matches. They limited a lot of the mistakes that most indie companies fall victim to, such as too many matches, too many run-ins, too much mic work, too many guys trying to do too much stuff, etc. Steve Corino and CZW announcer Eric Gargiulo did commentary. Eddie Guerrero faced Super Crazy in an excellent match and the main event was a three-way featuring Low-Ki, Christopher Daniels, and American Dragon that Dave has heard rave reviews for. And thus, ROH was born.
  

WATCH: Highlights from ROH's debut show in 2002

• Vic Grimes took the most insane bump of all time at an XPW event before 1,500 fans in Los Angeles. Grimes was facing New Jack in a scaffold match said to be at least twice as high up as the fall Mick Foley took off the Hell in a Cell. The ring below had tables stacked 4-high to break his fall, but Grimes ended up missing most of the tables when New Jack overshot him. Perhaps on purpose. Grimes missed all but the corner tables at the edge of the ring before coming down on the corner turnbuckles. After the bump, they tried to rush fans out of the arena since it was almost 1am and gave many the impression Grimes life was in danger. But he was surprisingly okay and was walking around backstage after, although he was definitely banged up. Grimes was really nervous about the bump earlier in the day, as you might expect and Dave says he's pretty damn lucky he didn't miss the ring because he almost certainly would have died if he took that bump straight to the floor. Elsewhere on the show, there was a match where porn star Lizzy Borden (wife of XPW promoter Rob Black) faced another porn star, Veronica Caine, in a match that was supposed to end only when someone was stripped totally naked. But right before it happened, the lights went out and the women were rushed out of the ring and when fans realized they'd been ripped off, they were so pissed the arena feared a riot. (Anyway, here's the bump and yeah....Grimes very easily could have died from this. No mention from Dave on the fact that New Jack also tazed him before this)

WATCH: Air Grimes goes long

• Shane Douglas is expected to take over as XPW booker when his WCW contract with Time Warner expires next month.
  
• Former WCW journeyman wrestler Chip Minton's primary career was bobsledding. He only wrestled in WCW occasionally while doing that, primarily as a jobber on the C-shows. Minton was part of the US bobsledding team in both the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics and was planning to compete this year, but failed to make the team. Soon after that, he failed a steroid test and has been suspended from the sport for 2 years.
  
• Remember a couple weeks ago, it was mentioned that Roddy Piper was in a car accident but he was playing down how serious it was? Turns out....very serious. Piper suffered 4 broken ribs, one of which punctured his liver and nearly killed him. He also suffered severe back injuries and shattered his ankle. Piper was taken to the hospital and was near death but obviously, he managed to pull through and has still been making all his appearances for XWF in recent days. (Yeah I think in Piper's autobiography, he dedicates the book to the guy who saved his life by rushing him to the hospital and even says he was clinically dead for a few moments. Then again, Piper was like a lot of those old time guys and was prone to exaggeration, so who knows).
  
• Eric Bischoff is teaming up with Mark Burnett, the producer of the hit show Survivor, to produce a MMA reality show called Skien. From Dave's understanding, it will basically be a reality show with K-1 kickboxers leading up to a PPV event. (Here's an article about it from Variety at the time, but this ends up going nowhere).
  

WATCH: Variety article on Eric Bischoff's new reality show

• Notes from Raw: only one thing really notable, they filmed a segment at referee Tim White's bar The Friendly Tap. The bar really is owned by White and WWF pretty much always films angles there when they're in town (Providence, RI). This time, the skit featured the APA going into the bar to drink and the bar was filled by a bunch of gay men and drag queens (played by a bunch of wrestlers from indie promotion Chaotic Wrestling) while the APA guys acted all grossed out by it all. Then Billy and Chuck attacked them. Dave thinks this played on all the typical homophobic stereotypes and he seems pretty irritated by it. Anyway, among the wrestlers from Chaotic were Todd Sinclair (better known now as ROH's senior official), Rich Palladino (ring announcer for Beyond now) and John Walters (indie wrestler and former ROH Pure champion).
  
• Next week's Smackdown hasn't aired yet but it was taped and Dave has details. Notably, this is the episode where Austin chases down the NWO and tries to shoot them with a net gun. Dave says this was a mess, with the gun going off but no net being fired from it and they'll have to fix the whole thing in post-production. It went horribly when they filmed it and it aired for the live crowd and it killed the crowd and basically forced them to improvise on the spot (on one of the Something To Wrestle podcasts, Bruce Prichard tells this story and how frustrated they were with this net gun being a piece of shit). This episode also featured Stephanie yelling at Chris Jericho for getting her the wrong hand lotion and Booker T and Edge feuding over a Japanese shampoo commercial. (Rock/Hogan was great, but man, the build for everything else at Wrestlemania 18 suuuuuucked.)
  
• Prototype won the OVW title from Leviathan at the latest OVW tapings. After the match, they did an angle to set up David Flair as the #1 contender for the title. Prototype's only singles loss in OVW came last week, when Flair beat him, so there ya go (this video covers ALL of that. The FlaiCena match, the Leviathan match, the post-match angle, etc).
  

WATCH: Prototype vs. Leviathan for OVW title - 2002

• Wall Street Journal did an article talking about the decline in Smackdown's ratings, saying they were down 28% from last year and down 42% from the year before that. The article blamed it on Smackdown changing networks. Here's the thing though....it hasn't. Raw changed networks in 2000. Smackdown has been on UPN since its debut. Also, UPN has grown overall in ratings while Smackdown has declined. So....no. It's just because the show sucks now.
  
• Charlie Haas, fresh off returning to the ring and winning the HWA title after the death of his brother, tore his ACL this week. He just had surgery and will be out 4-6 months. Rough few months for that dude.
  
• A Washington newspaper did a story on James Dudley, who you may know as....WWF Hall of Famer James Dudley and little else. On-screen, he's never really done much. But Dave says Dudley started working for Vince Sr. back in the 1940s, when Sr. was a boxing promoter, and was essentially his Vince Sr.'s driver and assistant. Dudley did a lot of odd jobs for the company during those early years, working ticket booths and stuff like that, but to most people, he was just kinda known as Vince Sr.'s limo driver. So when he was indicted into the WWF Hall of Fame a few years ago, it was a pretty controversial decision among a lot of people, given that someone like Bruno Sammartino isn't in, by the company's limo driver is. Anyway, before his death, Vince Sr. made Vince Jr. promise to take care of Dudley and keep him on the payroll. So for the last 18 years or so, even though he doesn't work for the company, Vince McMahon has continued to pay him a salary. He also bought him a new car as a gift some years back.
  
• Billy and Chuck's recent tag team title win makes Billy Gunn the most decorated tag team wrestler in WWF history, as he's now held the tag titles 9 times (3 as part of the Smoking Gunns, 5 as part of New Age Outlaws, and now once with he and Chuck). The previous record was Mick Foley, with 8. (to the best of my research, if we're only talking WWF/WWE tag title reigns, that record is now held by Edge).
  
• USA Network CEO Barry Diller took part in a lecture at Syracuse University and talked about losing the WWF to TNN. When asked why it happened, he responded, "Because I'm a dope." He said he didn't fight hard enough to keep the WWF and admitted the loss hurt, but also said it may have been the best thing for them in the long-run because pro wrestling doesn't really fit the direction they're planning to take the network. He said wrestling fans came for wrestling and left immediately after it was over and there was never any cross-over fans who stuck around to watch the next show or anything like that. He said they could never figure out what to connect wrestling to within the rest of their properties.
  
• WWF held a try out camp in Cincinnati and reportedly, nobody was particularly impressive, including AJ Styles. The knock on Styles was that he's average looking and too small. Wrestler Sonny Siaki was said to be the most impressive, but he also rubbed people the wrong way with his attitude so probably not gonna make the cut this time. Matt Morgan, who was on the Tough Enough casting special last season got a tryout and since he has no formal training, he was pretty awful but he's big so Dave seems to think he'll get a chance anyway. The other one they were impressed by was a woman named Erin Bray, who was one of the final 25 picked for the original Tough Enough. But then some other contestants spotted her out on a date with one of the show's judges and they threw a fit, which resulted in Bray not making the final 13. Another wrestler, Travis Tomko, is a guy who has worked some indies and is a former bodyguard for Limp Bizkit ("Tomko, gimme a beat." "No.")
  
• Rock was a presenter at the NAACP Awards and Dave thinks he looked pretty great for a guy who was almost murdered in an ambulance by the NWO a few days earlier. Cheeky Dave is just the best.
  
• Speaking of, Dave throws in a random paragraph to backhandedly shit on Kevin Nash. For years, people in the business joked that Lex Luger made the most money with the least ability or drawing power of anyone ever in wrestling. Dave says it's gotta be Nash. For example, Nash is not wrestling and is only going to be in Hall's corner for the match at Wrestlemania (his knees really are giving him problems), but he has been promised that he's going to get the same type of payoff as if he was the guy in the match working with Austin in the semi-main event. Not to mention all the huge contracts he signed in WCW, or how he got a huge-by-WWF-standards deal here, plus got Vince to cave to almost all his other demands regarding schedule and bringing back Scott Hall, among other things. (I mean, while Dave is being kind of a dick here, I don't think he's really wrong either. When it comes to top draws in the history of the business, Nash isn't anywhere near even the top 10 or 20. And he's never exactly been a great wrestler. But since the 90s, Nash always managed to make sure he gets PAID like he's in that upper echelon. Nash is one of those very few wrestlers who isn't entranced by the fame or the fake accolades. He treats wrestling for what it is: a business. It's the way they pay their mortgages and buy groceries, just like you and me at our jobs. I love it. I laugh my ass off every time I hear "Brock Lesnar signed a huge new contract to only work 6 matches a year." Good for him. I hope he gets even more money for less dates next year. You should always know your worth and never let your employer take you for anything less. Nash has always been one of the guys to do that and he's probably going to die comfortably in a nice house while these other guys from his era are still clinging to fame at 60 years old doing $300 indie shows on crippled knees. Anyway, that's my soapbox). Dave seems to feel the same way and admits, love him or hate him, you gotta give Nash credit for being one of the smartest guys in the biz.
  
• Fear Factor featuring the Hardyz, Lita, Test, Molly Holly, and Jacquelyn aired this week. First they had to climb up a rope ladder hanging from a helicopter over the river and they all made it up except Jeff Hardy who slipped near the top and fell (knowing Jeff, he probably purposely let go so he could take the big fall for fun). Lita also got eliminated for being the slowest one up the ladder. Next they had to chug a gross drink that included bile, rooster testicals, spleen, and some animal brains all blended together. Molly Holly almost vomited after one sip and was out. Jackie and Matt succeeded. Test refused to even try. So then it came down to Matt vs. Jackie and they had to walk across the tops of high poles and move flags around. Matt Hardy ended up winning the whole thing and won $50,000 for charity.
  

WATCH: WWF stars on Fear Factor, Pt. 1
WATCH: WWF stars on Fear Factor, Pt. 2
WATCH: WWF stars on Fear Factor, Pt. 3

• Sunday Night Heat is being converted into one of the B-shows like Metal and Jakked. Awhile back, they started airing Heat from the WWF New York restaurant but the production costs of that were high. So in a cost-cutting move, they're just gonna tape dark matches and throw them on Heat the same way they do those other shows, featuring all the nobodies that can't ever get TV time on the main shows.
  
• As mentioned last week, Scott Hall has been taking a drug called Antabuse, which makes him violently sick when he drinks or even smells alcohol. It caused him to get sick after Raw last week when Austin poured beer all over him in a bit after the cameras were off. Hall has said he is clean and has been clean for awhile, except for the incident a couple weeks ago where he fell off the wagon. Others are skeptical and question if Hall only takes his medication on TV days and needless to say, there's some doubt here.
  
• Everywhere he goes, Brian Christopher has been telling people he's coming back to WWF after Wrestlemania, but contrary to what he's saying, Dave says there are zero plans for that (indeed, it does not happen).
  

FRIDAY: More on WWA's PPV disaster, the landscape for any new promotion attempting to start up, WWF huge show in Japan, WWF loses appeal over "WWF" initials, Bret Hart given offer for Wrestlemania 18, and tons more...

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For those looking for something to do locally this weekend, here's 20 events you can enjoy...
1. 2020 Virginia Tech Entrepreneur Challenge The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, Blacksburg Friday, February 21, 2020, 4:00 - 7:00 PM Admission: Free The Virginia Tech Entrepreneur Challenge is a campus-wide, student startup competition that brings together successful alumni-entrepreneurs, industry partners, and students to showcase the best new ventures at Virginia Tech. Watch as interdisciplinary teams from across campus compete for the best business model and a chance to win up to $40,000 in cash awards and prizes! The Entrepreneur Challenge event features a showcase of the finalist teams from Virginia Tech along with a high-powered lineup of judges sharing their expertise and experience in the world of entrepreneurship. There will be free swag and giveaways for attendees. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539537
2. Alex & Andrew in Concert India Garden Restaurant, Blacksburg Friday, February 21, 2020, 6:00 - 8:30 PM Admission: Free Alex & Andrew are a Jazz duet that “Jam” spoon out sweet guitar licks and spread on the charm based in the New River Valley region of Virginia. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=538480
3. Play: The Wolves Squires Studio Theatre, Virginia Tech Friday, February 21, 2020 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM General Public: $12.00, Students & Seniors: $10.00 The Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts presents the play "The Wolves" which is an engaging, funny, and sometimes painful meditation on society, sex and soccer. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539448
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4. 31st Anniversary Party at London Underground London Underground Pub, Blacksburg Friday, February 21, 2020, 8:00 PM - 02:00 AM $3.00 cover London Underground Pub is celebrating their 31st Anniversary with a Birthday Party in Vegas. Featuring the live jazz stylings of the The Chinquapin Hunters, door prizes, food & drink specials, casino card games and a birthday champagne toast. There will be a Charity Black Jack table with guest dealer Michael Haberman with all proceeds benefiting the New River Land Trust and a Vegas-inspired menu and martini list. Must be 21 or older. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539284
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5. Howlin' Mudbellies in Concert McClain's at First & Main, Blacksburg Friday, February 21, 2020, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: $3.00 The Howlin' Mudbellies are a blues group performing rhythmic, percussive, shaking and grooving blues, from the deep south country to the rockin' city. Picking, slide, and finger style acoustic guitar, Dobro, thumping bass, and sometimes added kick of drums and harmonica. The Blacksburg band has shared the stage with blues and bluegrass legends like Bo Diddley, Willie Watson, Bob Margolin, John Hammond and the Nighthawks. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539643
6. 2020 Special Olympics New River Polar Plunge Festival Bisset Park, Radford Saturday, February 22, 2020, 10:30 AM - 2:00 PM Minimum donation or total fundraising amount of $100.00 to plunge per person. Special Olympics Virginia along with the Radford City Police Department and Radford University presents the 2020 Special Olympics New River Polar Plunge Fest. Break out your swim trunks and get chilly with several hundred Special Olympics supporters in the New River. There will be a costume contest with prizes, DJ music to get you moving, plus free hot chocolate keeping you warm. It’s $100.00 to participate which benefit the Special Olympics and includes a Polar Plunge t-shirt. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539545
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7. 2020 Soul Food Sampling St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, Blacksburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Admission: $25.00 The Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation presents the 6th Annual Soul Food Sampling. The St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall in Historic New Town will offer a Soul Food Sampling and presentation on the history and traditions of Soul Food. There are 3 time slots for the Tastings: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Today is the last day to sign-up. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=536686
8. Gate 10 CD Release Party Floyd Country Store, Floyd Saturday, February 22, 2020, 12:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free Floyd Country Store presents the Gate 10 CD Release Party for their new album. Gate 10 is a high energy band hailing from the New River Valley region of Southwest Virginia. The band brings a classic and modern sound to bluegrass, gospel and country music. Gate 10 is excited to travel this musical journey with a hard driving, solid style, but one that is firmly rooted in traditions with their own innovative sound. Their stage presence is beyond their young years with their musicianship, vocals, and harmonies. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539372
9. Free Wheelchair Tennis Recreation Clinic Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center, Virginia Tech Saturday, February 22, 2020, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free Virginia Tech Men's Tennis and Virginia Tech Rec Sports offer a Free Wheelchair Tennis Recreation Clinic. If you are a tennis fan and whether you are a wheelchair user or not, see what wheelchair tennis is all about. USTA National Manager and Head Coach for Team USA Wheelchair, Jason Harnett, will be here to help you learn about the history, the rules and get on the courts to try wheelchair tennis for yourself. The event is free and no pre-registration is required. All ages, skill levels and abilities are welcome. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539458
10. Studio Ghibli Celebration Christiansburg Library, Christiansburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 1:30 - 2:30 PM Admission: Free Enjoy an afternoon of all things Studio Ghibli. Create Ghibli inspired crafts, enjoy Ghibli inspired snacks, as well as other tasty snacks from Japan, and even compete in a Ghibli themed Jeopardy tournament to get a chance to win a Ghibli themed door prize. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539540
11. 50s Night with Karaoke, Elvis & Marilyn Hwy 55, Blacksburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 6:00 - 10:00 PM Food is 50% Off if Customers wear 1950s Attire, Admission is Free Elvis and Marilyn will be on hand and you can get in the spirit with your own 1950's attire to get 50% off your meal. In addition, get your photo on our red carpet and sing karaoke. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539538
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12. Virginia Hollow in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Virginia Hollow is an Indie, Newgrass, Americana, Bluegrass and Folk Rock band from Floyd, Virginia. Their performances and music take you on a journey fraught with raw emotions and stories of love, trust, betrayal and longing. Rising Silo Brewery is a family-friendly, dog friendly vibe and all are welcome. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=535687
13. Soul Party Dance Graduate Life Center Auditorium, Virginia Tech Saturday, February 22, 2020, 6:30 - 10:00 PM Admission: Free Solely Swing, Blacksburg Swing Dance and West Coast Swing Blacksburg present their Soul Party Dance. This 70s themed night will feature lessons in Blues and West Coast and plenty of soul music. Disco attire is not required, but is very much encouraged. Come out and boogie the night away. No partner or experience required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539749
14. Pakistani Student Alliance at Virginia Tech 2020 Culture Show Haymarket Theater, Virginia Tech Saturday, February 22, 2020, 7:00 - 10:30 PM Admission: Free Enjoy as Virginia Tech's Pakistani Student Alliance puts on a spectacular cultural event showcasing Pakistani dance, fashion and more. Admission is free and seating is limited to the first 450 attendees. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539459
15. 2020 Floyd Mardi Gras Costume Ball Dogtown Roadhouse, Floyd Saturday, February 22, 2020, 7:30 PM - 02:00 AM Pre-Festival Tickets: $20.00, At the Door: $25.00 The 11th Annual Mardi Gras Costume Ball, a fundraiser for Blue Mountain School, is an entire evening packed with enthralling musicians, tantalizing food, and magnificent fun. This years line-up includes music from Music Road Co. and The Ambassador, Her Majesty, DJ Step, a Krewe du Bleu pre-show dinner with Chef Richard Perry, and a Kiddy Gras Pajama Party for ages 3-12 down the road at the June Bug Center for kids (and parents) who want a fun night out. The Krewe du Bleu Dinner tickets are $65.00 and include entrance to the Costume Ball. The Kiddy Gras Pajama Party is $20.00 for the first child in a family and $15.00 for each additional child in advance. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=536601
16. Mardi Gras Party with Music from Sonic Camel McClain's at First & Main, Blacksburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: $3.00 Enjoy live music and Mardi Gras themed food and drink specials. Sonic Camel covers most eras and genres with tributes, requests, dancing, and laughs. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539536
17. Wave Nite XI featuring JKuch with 13 Performers The Milk Parlor, Blacksburg Saturday, February 22, 2020, 9:00 PM - 02:00 AM Admission: $5.00 Sine Wave Surfers presents Wave Nite XI featuring Buffalo, New York headliner JKuch. A total of 13 performers will take the stage including mister (Greensboro, NC), Electrobro (Blacksburg, VA), Johanna Vaughan (Blacksburg, VA), Glazed (Philadelphia, PA), Skelechrome (Christiansburg, VA) and Sleazy Lettuce (Charlottesville, VA) among others. Attendees must be 18 or older. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539454
18. Women's Basketball: UVA vs. Virginia Tech Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Tech Sunday, February 23, 2020, 2:00 - 4:00 PM General Public: $10.00, Youth: $5.00 The Virginia Tech Women's Basketball team hosts ACC Conference opponent and in-state rival the University of Virginia. The first 500 fans will receive a maroon shaker. It's also a Youth Team Day. Local youth basketball teams are invited to attend free of charge, but must sign-up in advance. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=535897
19. Tackle The Tower Christiansburg Aquatic Center, Christiansburg Sunday, February 23, 2020, 2:00 - 4:00 PM Daily Admission Fee: Ages 3 & Up: $5.00 Have you ever jumped from five meters in the air into 17 feet of water? Here is your chance to jump off the Aquatic Center's 3-meter board or 5-meter tower. Participants are required to pass a 25 yard swim test before diving. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539444
​
20. Roaring 20s Speakeasy Membership Drive: The 51 Club at The Shade Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum, Pulaski Sunday, February 23, 2020, 4:00 - 7:00 PM Individual Memberships start at $12.50, Special for the Event: Two Memberships for $20.00 Join the Ratcliffe Museum for a fun filled and educational evening at the museum for a membership drive event themed around the Roaring 20s Speakeasies. Learn about 1920s local Pulaski history, enjoy music, dancing, and finger foods inspired by the 1920s plus other surprises. Dress up in your best flappers or fall guys costumes or come as you are. A cash bar will be available for wine, but everything else is included with admission. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539642
Have a great weekend everyone and add any other events I missed.

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

1-2-1996	1-6-1996	1-15-1996	1-22-1996
1-29-1996	2-5-1996	2-12-1996	2-19-1996
2-26-1996	3-4-1996	3-11-1996	3-18-1996
3-25-1996	4-2-1996	4-8-1996	4-15-1996
4-22-1996	4-29-1996	5-6-1996	5-13-1996
5-20-1996	5-27-1996	6-3-1996	6-10-1996
6-17-1996	6-24-1996	7-1-1996	7-8-1996
7-15-1996	7-22-1996	7-29-1996	8-5-1996
8-14-1996	8-19-1996	8-26-1996	9-2-1996
9-9-1996	9-16-1996	9-23-1996	9-30-1996
10-7-1996	10-14-1996	10-21-1996	10-28-1996
11-4-1996	11-11-1996	11-18-1996	11-25-1996

• WWF held a press conference in San Antonio to announce that the Royal Rumble next month will be held at the 72,000-seat Alamodome. The news actually got bigger coverage in Mexico than in the U.S. It will be the WWF's most ambitious live show since Wrestlemania 8 in 1992. The company hopes they can fill up the arena with hometown hero Shawn Michaels trying to regain the title and the final appearance of Jose Lothario, who was a big draw in San Antonio in the 70s. They also have gotten local sponsorships with San Antonio-area businesses and with Taco Bells throughout Texas and are selling low-priced tickets. The plan is for Sid to retain the title against Bret Hart at the next PPV (due to Shawn Michaels interference) which will leave Hart frustrated at Shawn. Then Shawn wins the belt at Rumble to build to Bret/Shawn at Wrestlemania 13. As for Sid, after just winning the title 4 days ago, he no-showed the big Rumble announcement press conference, claiming he'd overslept. Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and AAA's Pierroth Jr. all spoke at the event.

WATCH: Royal Rumble press conference highlights

• It was confirmed that AAA stars will take part in the Rumble show. The relationship is just a trial basis for now and there are no plans for them to work together beyond Rumble. It's also believed that WWF stars will work a big AAA show in Mexico City later in 1997. The news wasn't lost on Eric Bischoff, who immediately began trying to sign all the Mexican wrestlers to WCW contracts (they've been working in WCW without them). AAA president Antonio Pena has openly said that all of the stars who left from AAA to jump to Promo Azteca are still under contract to him and that he would go to court to enforce it if necessary. So Bischoff is worried about all these new WCW names like Rey Mysterio Jr., Psicosis, Juventud, etc. showing up at the Royal Rumble. Konnan claims that all those guys had at one point been under contract to AAA but he claims AAA doesn't exist anymore as a business, only as a name, which is technically true. During all the business turmoil in recent months, Antonio Pena closed AAA as a company and opened a new corporation called PAP, which is the parent company of AAA (sorta like how Titan Sports is the parent company of WWF). Konnan's argument is that the contracts were voided when AAA closed as a corporation.
  
• In one of the most shocking angles in history, EMLL star El Hijo del Santo turned heel this week. Santo is the son of the famous El Santo, arguably the most popular wrestler who's ever lived and had been a babyface his entire career. The angle had incredible heat (from what I'm reading elsewhere, the crowd nearly rioted).
  
• WCW's World War 3 PPV is in the books and the 3-ring battle royal was once again basically unwatchable horse shit (Dave says it a little more elegantly, but that's the sentiment). But it was a legit sellout. Ultimo Dragon vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. stole the show in one of the best matches of the year in the U.S. The NWO/Roddy Piper contract signing angle where they attacked his surgically repaired hip was well-done. "Too bad they have to wrestle a match," Dave adds.
  
• Antonio Inoki held a press conference announcing that he had received challenges from Dory Funk, Tiger Jeet Singh, and Willie Williams. It is believed Inoki will face Williams at the Jan. 4th Tokyo Dome show. Williams and Inoki had a famous martial arts match back in 1979 and Williams has made a career off the fame of that match. Inoki is then expected to face Dory Funk Jr. at some point later in 1997.
  
• UWFI in Japan held what may be one of its final shows. They have 2 more shows scheduled before the end of the year and beyond that, the future is questionable (yup. Dec. 27th was their final show before closing up shop forever. We'll get there.)
  
• Jerry Lawler made news in Mississippi this week, after testifying under oath that wrestling is entertainment. He was testifying before the gaming commission there, in order to get a promoters license to run shows in some of the casinos. Lawler said wrestling was "as real as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny." On USWA TV later in the week, Lawler explained it to the fans by saying he had to lie and say that under oath in order to get the license and not pay an $8,000 fee. Then he said he still believes Santa and the Easter Bunny are real and brought out 2 Hooters girls dressed in Santa and Bunny costumes. He then started shooting on the Memphis newspaper that reported it (The Commercial Appeal), saying that they weren't a real newspaper ("Fake news!") and held up a copy of the USA Today and said this is a real newspaper.
  
• A strange incident took place at an ECW show this week involving a 17-year-old named Eric Kulas, who was put in the ring with The Gangstas and New Jack apparently used an Xacto knife to blade him. Kulas, who never had much formal training, moved as he was being cut and it sliced an artery and he began bleeding like a faucet. Kulas was using the name Mass Transit and was subbing for Axl Rotton who no-showed. Kulas needed 50 stitches to close the wound. The show was delayed for a long time after the incident because several people, including Kulas' father, were freaking out. His father was screaming about suing the promotion and wanted to press charges. After the incident, New Jack got on the mic and said something about hoping the guy would bleed to death. It took them 25 minutes to clean all the blood out of the ring (this is all Dave has for now, but bet your ass this becomes a bigger story).
  
• They did an angle in ECW where Shane Douglas attacked and "injured" J.T. Smith. It's actually Smith's last weekend with the company and he has moved from Philadelphia to Virginia so this was how they wrote him out (yup, he pretty much retired after this).
  
• At an IWF show put on by Killer Kowalski, a woman named Joanie Lee had a match facing a masked wrestler named Rain Drop, who was actually a male wrestler under a mask and was convincing enough that people thought he was a woman. (Joanie Lee is, of course, Chyna. First time I've ever seen her mentioned in here and it appears this was only her 4th match ever. Far as I can tell, she didn't wrestle again until 1998, when she was in WWF).
  
• On Nitro, Chris Benoit and Nancy Sullivan cut a promo on Kevin Sullivan, with Nancy telling Kevin that it's over between them. Benoit has never been great on the mic, but this was the best he's ever come across as far as personality. Dave then adds, "Benoit and Nancy had really good charisma together."
  
• Dave says Eric Bischoff's new heel gimmick is based on the character Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street. Umm...sure, let's go with that, why not.
  
• Gene Okerlund is back doing the WCW 900 hotline. Dave says that since the "sleazemaster" was gone, hotline business had dropped significantly, so they brought him back.
  
• The Giant has a cameo in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie "Jingle All The Way."
  

WATCH: The Giant in Jingle All The Way

• Dave notes that WWF is trying to get Steve Austin over as a babyface while still keeping him heel. Basically doing the lone wolf gimmick with him where he just doesn't like anybody. (it worked out okay).
  
• The latest on the Curt Hennig situation is this: Hennig was contemplating taking a huge lump sum from his Lloyd's of London insurance policy (anywhere between $150,000 to $300,000 depending on who you believe). But in order to get the money, Hennig would have to sign a letter saying that he was permanently disabled and would never wrestle again. During this time, Hennig was doing the angle where he would manage Hunter Hearst Helmsley and there had been talks of him returning to the ring. WWF apparently believed Hennig was going to resume wrestling, so their legal department sent a letter to Lloyd's of London to try to reach a settlement regarding the deal. This led to Lloyd's deciding not to pay Hennig the lump sum payment because they were under the impression that he intended to wrestle again. When Hennig found out he was, as you'd expect, absolutely furious. So he contacted Eric Bischoff with plans to go there and no-showed his WWF TV tapings. Later on in the week, Hennig and McMahon talked things out and McMahon offered Hennig a 5-year guaranteed deal worth $300,000 per year and Hennig verbally agreed to it. At this point, McMahon believed everything was all good, since the deal would pay Hennig far more than he would have made from the insurance payout. But Eric Bischoff apparently counter-offered with a 3-year deal for even more money, so Hennig decided to take WCW's offer, without informing McMahon, and no-showed the Hall of Fame, Survivor Series, and Superstars tapings. WWF now claims that Hennig has breached his contract by no-showing. Hennig's WWF contract expires in May and they are threatening to take the whole thing to court if Hennig shows up in WCW before then.
  
• The latest on WWF's planned Shotgun Saturday Night show is for it to debut on Jan. 4th. The details are being kept secret for now, including the venue and and TV deal details, because there's fear that WCW will somehow try to sabotage it if word gets out before they're ready. They want to host the event in various New York City nightclubs and last week, Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard, and ECW's Paul Heyman went out together to scout various clubs and to try to make deals to run shows for them. Heyman is not an official consultant for the show, but Dave wouldn't be surprised if he ends up having some sort of involvement in it. It's interesting because this will be WWF's first weekly live show (remember, Raw is still taped in advance most weeks) and McMahon has criticized WCW in the past for spending so much money to run live shows weekly. And now he's doing the same thing. On top of the weekly costs of going live, WWF will also be paying for syndication for the show to run in other markets throughout the country. And considering it's scheduled to air at midnight, there's no way it will draw big ratings and they won't be able to make as much money selling advertising. And furthermore, Saturday nights have always been the best night for house show business and now they'll have to pull big stars from the house show tours to work the Saturday night TV shows, so that will cost them money also. Overall, Dave just doesn't seem to get why Vince is doing this, since it looks like it might end up costing them more money than it's worth.
  
• Early Survivor Series buyrate estimates look hugely disappointing, especially considering it was Bret Hart's first match back and was heavily promoted because of that.
  
• WWF road agent Arnold Skaaland collapsed backstage at Survivor Series, apparently due to low blood sugar but was back at work a few days later.
  
• Former SMW tag team The Headbangers debuted at the latest Superstar tapings and looked pretty good. Flash Funk (Too Cold Scorpio) also debuted on the show and looked awesome, both in the ring and with his entrance and gimmick.
  
• They're doing an angle with Rocky Maivia where all the heel managers are trying to get him but he turns them all down. Dave says there's no doubt Maivia has potential, but he's still very green and fans tend to rebel when companies shove a green babyface down their throats rather than let them get over naturally and it's starting to look like WWF is planning to shove this Maivia kid rather than let him get over slowly.
  
• Leif Cassidy (Al Snow) has changed his look and dropped his geeky persona, on his own (wasn't told to by the company) because his contract is due up soon and he realized he's going nowhere in the company. So with nothing to lose, he's changing things to try and get noticed.
  

TOMORROW: 24-hour wrestling channel launches in Japan, more on Mass Transit incident, Eric Bischoff trashes Vince McMahon in interview, and more...