| *Hey yo. I'll try to make this rather sweet and too the point... As we all know, the future of WCW as we know it is rather grim. For certain, we know that next Monday's Nitro will be the last ever on the Turner Networks, and that WCW will likely be sold, sooner rather than later. So...the pressing question at hand is: "How does this affect The Patcave?" Here goes... Obviously, this is a WCW Fan Site, so any threat to WCW is a threat to The Patcave. My original plan, when it appeared that WCW would eventually be sold to Fusient after it's "hiatus" was to go on hiatus with it, and then return with the re-debut of WCW, perhaps updating sporadically during the hiatus period. However, over the course of the last few days, Fusient has pulled out of the negotiations and it appears all but certain that Vince McMahon will purchase the company and add it to his World Wrestling Federation Empire. So while I was interested in sticking with WCW under new ownership, a Vince McMahon WCW is a WCW I want very little part of. Sure, I may watch from time to time, and I'll probably keep my eyes on the Internet "dirt sheets" to keep track of the business, but I do not have the desire or the motivation to update a web site for Vince's WCW. It's kind of disheartening, really, knowing that Vince will never let WCW become the #1 company, so it is now set in stone that they are doomed to mediocrity. WCW skeptics, say what you will, but at least under a different owner they had a CHANCE, even if it was a small one. Under McMahon's ownership, WCW will now officially become what many accused it of being all along: "WWF 2: The Legend Continues." That brings us to the matter at hand: The future of The Patcave. The way I see it, I'm at a crossroads. With McMahon's likely new ownership, a WCW site is no longer an option. I have reservations about creating a generic, wide-scale Pro Wrestling site, as A) There seem to be too many of those already, and B) For the time being, with McMahon owning 100% of the national market, I'm just not motivated. I could wait until another national company opens up, which is possible, but A) That would, at the earliest, be several months away, and B) The likelihood of another national company forming is slightly less with McMahon running two seperate companies. The market may not be able to handle three. So you can see the situation I'm in. This is where you come in. Yes...you. I've said all along that a web site is only as good as the people who visit it (insert your own joke here). I want to here what direction YOU think The Patcave should head in. After all, what better way to find out what people want in The Patcave than to ask the people that visit. I'm going to be on vacation all of next week, so I'll have a lot of time to think about the direction of this site, so I would appreciate it if you, my loyal visitors, would e-mail me with suggestions for The Patcave's future. Serious, legitimate suggestions are prefered, but that's not to say you can't send me a joke one or two. Who knows? If I get some good ones, I might make a list on the front page, or something. But seriously, any input you as a fan of The Patcave could offer would be beneficial. Please e-mail me here... scottsteiner@yahoo.com Also, I plan on starting a Patcave Mailing List, for anyone who would like to be informed of any updates to the site, or any possible re-launch dates. If you would like to join the list, please e-mail me here... the_patcave@yahoo.com Even if you've e-mailed me in the past, if you want to join the list, please send another e-mail to the address above. It makes organization easier. I can tell you that the next update to this site will probably be the posting of this particular column on the front page of the site, as notification of its future. This will probably happen some time after I return from vacation on April 1st. Now, on a final note, since this is likely the last "On Top Of Space Mountain" column, concerning WCW anyway, I'd like to take the opportunity to say a few things. When I started this site in January of 2000, I was mad. I was mad at the way WCW was governing itself, but I was also mad at the treatment WCW received among the Internet Wrestling Community. So I started a web site, as a means of letting my voice be heard. When I started writing "On Top Of Space Mountain," my goal was not to tell you what to think, but rather to make you aware of all sides to a particular issue, sides that were often neglected on the Internet. I hope that I accomplished my goal, and did what I could to educate the small, but loyal fan base I had here. Let it serve as a lesson: Wrestling writers on the Internet, including myself, all have their own objectives. Don't let yourself be sucked in by one particular view point, just because it appears on a "popular" web site. Instead, gather as many view points about an issue as you can, find what you agree and disagree with, and let them guide you in making your own independent decisions. It's OK to agree whole-heartedly with someone, but make sure you know why you agree and that you're doing it on your own terms. And finally, I would like to thank each and every person who has visited The Patcave in its current incarnation over the past 14 months. Whether you sent me a question for "The Mike Tenay Chronicles," you corrected a fact that appeared in "On Top Of Space Mountain," took the time to tell me how much you appreciated WCW Saturday Night or the Unofficial TV Title, or even e-mailed me to tell me that one of my links was screwed up, I say Thank You. I could sit here at my computer and post features until I was blue in the face, but if nobody's visiting, then this site doesn't exist. Thank you for your support, and I hope you will continue to support The Patcave in any of its future endeavors. *Well, that does it for this week. Until next time, whenever that may be, keep stylin' and profilin'. THIS RIDE IS OVER Back to The Patcave |