by Greg Dillard

One two….is this on?

Ah, Rantsylvania. What can I say? Well let's get right into it and get on with the pleasantries shall we? For those that know me and those that don't I am the host of The Edge wrestling radio show which now makes its official home right here on this very site. While I'm not filling the internet airwaves with my two cents I can also be seen over at Emzee.com where I serve as webmaster/writer/object of internet hatred. In addition to hosting The Edge over here I'm also putting pen to paper for a weekly column as well. So this is it - the inaugural "Chapter and Verse".

I promise that it won't be as long as Eric Szulczewski's columns. For that you can thank me later.

WCW Mayhem:

What can I say about this pay per view? What can I say that hasn't already been said. I mean calling a WCW pay per view "Mayhem" is a bit redundant don't you think? Still in a business where the show must go on WCW barely is putting forth that effort here. I won't get into the details of the show here. For that you can check out Scott Keith's rant, or The Edge's audio version of that. What I will get into is the Mayhem that makes up WCW right now.

To say that this company is in the crapper is a gross understatement. Actually to say that this company is in the crapper is comparable to saying that The Postman was kinda bad. Both are gross understatements. Let's run it down:

Booker T is being pushed but drawing poorly.
Scott Steiner is over as a heel but is a nightmare for morale.
Sting is out for three to six months with an injury.
Goldberg continues to destroy guys in under one minute, and no one cares.
Lance Storm is ailing and any momentum he had going has been devastated due to a horrible string of angles.
Kevin Nash is sleepwalking through the remainder of his contract.
Vampiro is swearing off the company to anyone that'll listen. He'd rather play bass for ICP.
ICP is still fired.
Shane Douglas continues to have zero impact in WCW.
Billy Kidman continues to reel from having his career nearly killed by Hulk Hogan.
Vince Russo is still nursing concussion injuries and is not involved in writing the product.

Noticing a trend here?

Let's face it. This is a business where the phrase "never say never" is thrown out like scripture. Every time that someone is ready to drive the wooden stake through the heart of this company is always warned that this is a cyclical industry and with the correct angle this company could come back. Then again who the hell are we kidding here. This company is dead. Dead. Dead! A company that has two resurrection attempts in the past 12 months and continues to flail away as it sinks isn't exactly a candidate to turn it around if they could just find that one little angle that works. This company is hurting and bad. The top name talent in this company is either hurt or apathetic. They are pushing guys that shouldn't be out of the minor leagues yet. They have no one in charge of the book due to the blue flue of Vince Russo.

Let's face it right now. Until someone new buys this company this company is going to continue to slowly sink in the quicksand they are stuck in. If and when that purchase takes place it's going to take a long time to ever right it, if that's possible at all. The only company that could've made an immediate dent is the WWF and that's only because they could transplant WWF talent down south to mix things up. Should Mandalay, Eric Bischoff, K-1 or anyone else buy this company there will be a long slow learning curve toward improving anything.

Mayhem is exactly right. Unless of course you can call a pay per view "Clusterf**k". That's the only name more appropriate for a show under WCW's banner right now.

ECW Or What's Left Of It:

It never is boring in ECW. I'll give them that much. Whenever things get going smoothly there someone's bound to jump ship or raise a stink. Before it was Taz, The Dudley's, Raven, and Mike Awesome. This time around it's Rob Van Dam. The winds are still swirling with the rumors of Van Dam finally jumping ship from the company. Van Dam has maintained a status of non-committal on these rumors but then again he hasn't discounted them either.

The facts as we know them are these: Paul Heyman has failed to make several payments to his talent. Whether those are pay per view bonuses, salary payments, or whatever remains to be seen. However it is apparent that someone's not getting paid, and the last time I checked wrestlers aren't in the business for free.

So what gives? Is ECW finally dead? That likely depends on the ability of Paul Heyman to get corporate sponsorship and a television deal. That's a deal that Paul needs to get ASAP if he wants to maintain any semblance of credibility. Already he's got a World Champ that many say unworthy when compared to the Kurt Angle's and Booker T's of the world. He's got a upper card made up of "potential" rather than "legitimacy". His newest big name - Scott Hall - is basically auditioning for a job with the WWF. Basically Paul's got problems. He's about to have a huge problem if Van Dam leaves too.

Rob Van Dam, whether you love or hate him, has been loyal to ECW through all the talent defections. He has, aside from Tommy Dreamer, been Mr. ECW over the past couple years. He's also been the marquee in a company desperate for star power. To lose this guy to the WWF or any other company would be a horrible blow to ECW. It might just be a mortal wound.

Once again ECW is on the clock. The rumors of their death have been greatly exaggerated before. This time they might be dead on.

Final Takes:

Rumors have Wrestling Mop Up writer Chris Hyatte returning for another Edge appearance near Christmas. Talk about The Grinch! Stay tuned to Rantsylvania for details. Speaking of The Edge - we'll have Pillman Memorial promoter Les Thatcher on the show this Tuesday. Les is one of the most knowledgeable guys in the business and he's always a great show. We're also in talks to get the previously mentioned Rob Van Dam on in the near future.

Oh, and if I'm not bitter enough for you this time - as Scott Keith promised - it's just because I'm fresh off some Florida sunshine. I promise I'll get more bitter each week. I wouldn't want to disappoint.