Page I() - The Behrend College Collegian Thursday, December /1. /997 WCW comes to Erie by Ray Morelli Collegian staff Tuesday night Erie Civic Center was a showcase for some of the world's greatest athletes. The event featured men who seemed strong enough to hold the world on their shoulders. There were competitors so quick their every move was a blur. Some were as agile and spry as a world class gymnast. It sounds like a tryout for the Olympics, but it wasn't. It was World Championship Wrestling live in Erie. World Championship Wrestling (WCW) is now arguably the number one processional wrestling organization in the United States. Many believe it has surpassed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which has been long considered the wrestling leader. After its purchase by movie and media mogul Ted Turner, WCW found itself with a suddenly huge payroll. It put its newfound fortune to good use, buying the contracts of several top WWF stars including Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Bret Hart, and others Add to this an already talented group of established wrestlers, exciting young stars, and high flying\libre Mexican wrestlers and you have a talent pool of great depth. This is made clear by the fact that, although several of WCW's top stars did not appear, they 'still put on a quality show with many talented wrestlers thrilling the crowd. In the main event, "The Total Package" Lex Luger squared off against Buff Bagwell of the New World Order, which is a clique of wrestlers led by Hogan who despise WCW and want to "take it over." The group enjoys immense popularity. Bagwell wrestled a great match, as did Lex Luger, who demonstrated all his characteristic power moves that prove him to be one of the strongest men in wrestling. Bagwell is one of the sport's brightest young stars; he combines power with speed and wrestling know-how. Luger lost the match by countout after being pummeled by other members of the New World Order. Several wrestlers in the undercard had stellar performances. "The Canadian Crippler", Chris Benoit , got a great response from the Erie crowd when he applied his "Crippler Crossface" finisher. Benoit has the respect of the fans for being one of the toughest men in WCW. Dean Malenko schooled Juventud Guerrera, showing why he's renowned as the world's best technical wrestler. He finished the match with his patented Texas Cloverleaf leglock, which also earned the praises of the spectators. One Bchrend student was impressed with Harlem Heat, a powerful tag team. Mike Wisniewski, 03 MIS, says, "The whole night was great, but Harlem Heat really impressed me." His friend Dave Buona, a student at Edinboro, says, "WCW is great. Curt Hennig was great, perfect." Diamond Dallas Page, the Steiner Overall, WCW put on an outstanding show. ft was one of the best I personally had ever seen ...every fan could see a match they'd enjoy. brothers, the Disco Inferno, and Saturn all wrestled great matches also. There were several noticeable absences. "Hollywood" Hogan, who local radio stations hyped as appearing, didn't show. While Hogan has a large fan base, he also has little, if any, visible talent left. Fans should have been happy the dinosaur didn't wrestle. An unfortunate no show was by the Wolfpack: Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Syxx. They are one of WCW's biggest draws and many fans were heard complaining about their absence. Others who didn't wrestle include the popular veteran Ric Bair, the towering Giant, and the incredible Rey Mysterio Jr. Mysterio impressed many fans in Erie last year. These absences were countered by the appearances of some unannounced stars like Rick Rude, Public Enemy, the legendary "Gentleman" Chris Adams, and others. The biggest disappointment of the night was definitely the crowd. Unfortunately, several fans felt the need to pelt wrestlers with coins and garbage. The admission cost, while definitely steep, did not give those fans the right to wreak havoc. One fan threw a full cup of beer at Lex Luger. It hit not only Lex but several irate fans in the first row. A handful of fans were obviously drunk and there were almost as many altercations outside of the ring as there were inside the ring. The City of Erie police quickly handled most disturbances. World Championship Wrestling has made an effort to be very fan friendly. About a dozen or so fans waited in the lower parking lot for the wrestlers to arrive. Several honored their loyal fans' requests for autographs or pictures. Diamond Dallas Page gave an autograph to every fan who asked and even took a picture of him with a fan in his patented "Diamond Cutter" neckbreaker which has made him so popular. Harlem Heat were very personable, talking to fans and signing autographs. Their manager, the lovel and talented Miss Jacqueline, signed autographs and even took a picture with myself and a friend. Former pro wrestling great Kevin Sullivan also signed for fans. Before his current office job, Sullivan's career spanned three decades. Overall, WCW put on an outstanding show. It was one of the best I personally had ever seen. The card featured a variety of wrestlers; from sound technicians to brawlers to high flyers, every fan could see a match they'd enjoy. World Championship Wrestling showed why it has been so successful in the past years. While the WWF has recently resorted to controversial topics like homosexuality and racism, among others, for viewership and patronage, WCW provides wrestling that is more along on the lines of family entertainment. Many parents took their youngsters to see the action. Also, a good percentage of the crowd seemed to be in the college-age group. In a town where there's often little to do, for one night World Championship Wrestling offered a great form of entertainment. Features "Winter Wonderland" celebrated In the midst of extremely inclement weather, the Erie Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra performed "Winter Wonderland," their annual concert at the Warner Theatre last Saturday night. The choir, masterfully led by former Behrend director David Stuntz, performed five selections including "Angels We Have Heard on High," "Carol of the Bells," "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring," "A Merry AWN , HoME Folk CHRISTMAS. 6 • i vek4s\. by John Groller news layout editor It's the most wonderful time of the year... by Erie Philharmonic Christmas," and the climatic "Hallelujah Chorus." The choral pieces were performed in that order during the second half of the concert. Amid the Philharmonic Chorus are twelve Behrend students: SOPRANOS; Kira Griesback. Lindsey Myrick, Christy Taylor, ALTOS; Lacy Heitmann, Tricia Michel, TENORS; Thomas Burger, Josh Wisinski, BASSES; Adam Gaines, Johi Grolier, David Grygier, Dan Hack. Aaiun Horneman. eetings the Behrend Collegian a•~ ~*. t'; " Special guest Jeff Tyzic, who arranged nearly all of the pieces performed, conducted the performance. The orchestral pieces included: "Joy to the World," "What Child Is This," "Chanukkah Suite," "The Christmas Song," "Sleigh Ride," "The Night Before Christmas," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "The Skaters' Overture." Folio Wing their performance, both the chorus and orchestra were honored with a standing ovation V :°' good luck on finals!
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