A    r    t    i    c    l    e    s

Billy Kidman has made a name for himself, after 
breaking away from the Flock.

As he walked through the curtain into the backstage 
area at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., following 
his phenomenal Starrcade performance late last year, 
Billy Kidman was greeted by everyone he passed with a 
hand-shake. "Great job" was the normal comment Kidman 
received. Then, when he entered his locker room, 
Kidman was given a standing-ovation -- from the other 
wrestlers. Some friends, some foes. 

Kidman established himself as a superstar at Starrcade 
1998. 

"For me, that was a career night, the performance of a 
lifetime ... but it certainly took its toll on me," 
said Kidman, who won the Triangle Match against Rey 
Misterio, Jr., and Juventud Guerrera, then -- without 
a break -- defeated Eddy Guerrero. 

Kidman retained the WCW Cruiserweight Championship 
belt, and still holds that gold. 

"Ever since leaving Raven's Flock last fall, I have 
been able to show who I really am; my personality has 
really shined through. Things are going well for me," 
he said. "My social life has picked up since winning 
the title and, well, I'm just having a good time now. 
Plus, I'm recognized more in public; that means more 
autograph-requests." 

Kidman spent his Christmas break with family in 
Connecticut, where he was born. He was in Atlanta, 
where he now resides, for New Year's. 

There's no doubt '99 will be Kidman's best year. 

That means more of his amazing Shooting-Star Press 
from the top rope. 

First there was the "normal" version, from top rope 
onto opponent flat on his back in the near corner. 
Then there was the "running" version, in which Kidman 
took a few steps on the ring apron then flipped 
backwards onto an opponent. At Starrcade, we witnessed 
the "Floor" edition of the Shooting-Star Press. Or 
should we say, "From the top-rope to the floor" 
version. 

What next? Maybe a springboard Shooting-Star Press. 

"I've tried to add a high-flying attack to my arsenal, 
which I didn't include while in The Flock; in The 
Flock I was more toned-down," Kidman said. "I needed 
to be away from The Flock to be my own person, not 
just a take-off of someone else. 

"The Shooting-Star Press at Starrcade was simply a 
spur of the moment move. That's one of those moves you 
can't think away; you just have to do it. Thankfully I
 hit my targets." 

What prompted the Starrcade splash? 

"I guess just the fact that Starrcade is the biggest 
show of the year. Plus, unlike a singles match, in the 
Starrcade match, I had two guys to land on which would 
help me if I was off-(target)," he said. "Rey 
Mysterio, Jr., is my friend; I make no bones about 
that. We're friends backstage, when the cameras aren't 
rolling. But, at the same time, when I go into the 
ring against him, it's all business; he knows that; I 
know that. We keep our personal relationship separate 
from our business dealings. As for Juvi, he just sold 
out to The LWO. He's just a fly that won't go away. 
Don't get me wrong, he's one of the best 
Cruiserweights in the world, but he gets on my nerves. 
And Eddy, well, he's just the leader of The LWO, which 
I prefer to call, The Lazy Wrestling Organization. Not 
because of their (collective) wrestling style, but 
because of the way they're banding together to try and 
get things down instead of taking it upon themselves." 

The ever-competitive Cruiserweight Division also 
includes constant threats from Prince Iaukea, Chavo 
Guerrero, Jr., Disco Inferno, Super Calo and others. 
Arguably, this is the most competitive division in the 
sport, in any federation. 

"You never know what to expect in the Cruiserweight 
Division, other than constant movement, high-flying 
action," Kidman said.

WCW used to be known as "Where the Big Boys Play."

That motto has been taken too literally all too often.

Size matters in pro wrestling, sure, but in WCW it matters way
too much. Smaller wrestlers are frequently passed over for title shots and
main events for no other reason than lack of stature. Bigger is often better,
sure. But not always, not by a long shot.

Good thing this philosophy didn't apply when Ric Flair and Randy
Savage were beginning to make their marks. Neither is of overwhelming size.
But each has been world champion many times over. World heavyweight champion,
that is. Not cruiserweight.

These days, WCW belongs almost exclusively to the big boys. Nash.
Goldberg. Hogan. The Steiners. Luger. Page. Bigelow. Sting.

It's time for that to change.

It's time for WCW to stop practicing size discrimination.

WCW has three smaller wrestlers who could be big-time main eventers
given a chance. WCW should allow them to show that smaller guys can be larger
than life.

I'm talking about Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and Billy Kidman.

Each is under six foot. But each wrestles well enough to beat anybody.
And I mean anybody.

Look at Benoit. He might be the meanest guy in WCW. He comes to
kill every night. He has the moves that can cut anybody down to size, like
his diving headbutt from the top rope and the Crippler Crossface. What he
lacks in size, Benoit makes up in wrestling skill, strength, agility, tenacity,
competitiveness, and out-and-out cruelty. Some say Benoit doesn't look believable
wrestling a big guy. How about after he caves in the big goof's skull with
that diving headbutt? Does that close the believability gap for anyone?

Look at Jericho. He's missed considerable time with an ankle injury
recently, but he may be the smartest wrestler in WCW. Heck, he may be the
smartest man in the world. He uses psychology to slice a few feet off his
foes. Look at how he drove Goldberg insane. Given a chance, I think Jericho
could have beaten Goldberg. He had Goldberg way off his game. Plus, Jericho
is the man of 1,004 holds, including the Lion Tamer.

Last, but certainly not least, look at Kidman. His skills rival
those of anyone. Anyone now, and maybe anyone ever. No one else combines
mat technique with aerial pyrotechnics quite as well as Kidman. He has the
most stupefying finisher on the planet in the Shooting Star Press. And despite
his pretty-boy look, he's no stranger to violence. He comes from the mean
streets of Allentown, Pa., where men are men and sheep are scared.

These guys could beat anybody. They could beat everybody.

Yet, except for the time Benoit had a couple U.S. title shots,
none of this terrific trio ever gets a match for a major championship. Oh,
WCW tries to placate them by making them challengers for the TV or cruiserweight
titles. But why should three of the best wrestlers in WCW have to eat hamburger
when they deserve filet mignon? 

They shouldn't.

But they do. And they probably will continue to be served table
scraps.

I understand where WCW's coming from. WCW is a very successful
wrestling company, and they want to dance with the formula that brought them.

But it just isn't fair.

Benoit, Jericho and Kidman are three great wrestlers. And they're
three guys the fans want to see. Listen to the roar from the crowd when each
strides towards the ring.

Somebody should call the ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union.
Society doesn't allow race discrimination, age discrimination or sex
discrimination. Maybe the ACLU would sue over size discrimination.

Benoit, Jericho and Kidman aren't being prevented from being the
best.

But they are being prevented from proving it.

And that's not just their loss. It's our loss as fans, too.

Nothing could be finer.

For February sweeps, executives at the Jenny
Jones Show knew a pro wrestling-related show would draw big ratings. They
headed straight for the stars of World Championship Wrestling and the New
World Order; Bagwell, Disco Inferno, Riggs, Saturn, and Kidman. Along for
the ride were Nitro Girls Chae, Spice, and Storm as well as manager Jimmy
Hart.

It was a rockin' hour at the NBC Tower in downtown
Chicago, home of the Jenny Jones Show. WCW/nWo invaded the daily gabfest,
which aired February 19th, two days before Superbrawl IX.

"I thought it was great; it was a thrill to
be on The Jenny Jones Show," said Hart., who also recently appeared on
wrestling-related specials on MTV and VH1. "Something like 10 million households
watch The Jenny Jones Show every day, five days a week. That's a lot of people.
Many people have literally grown up with Jenny Jones, including the "Mouth
of The South," Jimmy Hart.

"What was so good about the show was that whole
show was about wrestling, not just a 10-minute segment. Thus it gave the
fans a chance to see wrestlers in a unique setting, where they're not bashing
each other upside the head with a chair or something like that."

"When (TV executives) want ratings, they get
wrestlers because they know we draw the viewers."

Bagwell and Disco were the show's first two
guests, answerering questions from the host and fans, including an overweight,
red-painted "wrestler" calling himself The Stinger. (Not even close to our
Stinger.) Plus, Jones surprised a female visitor who thought she was at a
"Crazy Wrestling Fans" show, when, in reality, Jones introduced the fan to
her all-time favorite: Bagwell.

Disco was blitzed by a male fan who questioned
his qualifications for membership of the Wolfpac. Disco quickly countered,
then, when Saturn arrived on the show, he too supported Disco's athletic
merits, and degraded the fan's physique by asking him to remove his shirt,
exposing a soft stomach-much to Disco' and Buff's delight, who feigned illness
and gagged at the sight of the insulter.

Mancow Muller, a popular, nationally-syndicated
disc jockey based in Chicago served as the official ring announcer, introducing
all of the WCW/nWo stars. Mancow even had the best seat in the house: between
the Nitro Girls.

"It was neat being on the show, especially
after having watched it for so many years.l It's kind of weird experience
being on a show that you watch, it was a great experience. I had a real good
time," Chae said. "One of my personal highlights of the show was when Mancow
announced our engagement on national TV. That was very special to me."

Said Storm, who grew up in Gary, IN, about
an hour south of Chicago, "it was fun to be home and great to tell family
and friends: 'Hey, I'm on TV, here in my hometown.' I want to be on the show
again."

Kidman arrived midway through the show, with
the Cruiserweight Championship belt draped over his shoulder, and a knockout
blonde at his side. Shortly after Kidman's arrival on the show, Jones asked
him to leave temporarily, so she could introduce a die-hard Kidman fan {this fan was Misty, webmistress of Kidman's Korner}. She
came out and seconds later was hugging a rose-carrying Kidman. Then, after
she had displayed her knowledge about Kidman, Saturn went behind Kidman and
his female fan and asked that they pose for pictures, then pressures Kidman
to kiss her.

"It was polite and non-emotional (between Kidman
and the fan), so, to goof around, I snuck up behind Kidman and tried to get
the two to kiss," Saturn said, "I just wanted to see a kiss."

One of the funniest moments of the show was
a pre-taped segment featuring "Bone Crusher Jones," a fearless fighter portrayed
by the host and coached by Kidman. She battled an up-and-coming wrestler
managed by Disco.

"I thought Jenny did a great job. She's always
been such a professional," Hart said. "She treated us very, very well. And
she really wasn't that bad in the ring. In fact, I told her, 'The only thing
keeping her from the big time is a good manager.' She could be the First
Lady of the First Family."

Said Saturn, "The crowd was full of wrestling
fans; that was pretty cool. As for Jenny Jones herself, well, my favorite
story about the whole show goes back to when she met us in the greenroom
before the show. She was posing for pictures with all of us and, when she
saw oil on Bagwell's arms and chest, she said, 'Please don't touch me because
of the oil; these clothes aren't mine; they are rentals.' Well, I've been
doing a lot of dress shopping of late and I don't think her dress could have
cost that much...so the very first thing I did was walk up behind her and
wrap my arms around her and pose for a picture. Hey, with all the 'shopping'
I do, and I go to the good stores, I had never seen the clothes that she
was wearing. I never even knew that you could rent dresses. What, it's like
a tuxedo -- you rent it, then return it?"

Everyone had a great time and wrestling fans got
to see another side of their favorite wrestlers.

Blame it on Mike Tenay.

Not that Tenay meant to do it, but, well, he did it.

Week after week, Tenay told of Billy Kidman's incredible run with
the Cruiserweight Championship, how his reign was the second-longest ever.

Then came Monday Nitro on March 15, from the Firstar Center in Cincinnati,
Kidman vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr., with gold on the line.

Mysterio won.

Tenay's "hex" ended Kidman's run.

"I'm blaming it on Mike Tenay," joked Kidman. "He definitively jinxed
me."

Reality is, Kidman and Mysterio delivered one of the best Nitro matches
in months, arguably the best ever. Definitively a Top Five of all-time.

"The match went well, other than the outcome," Kidman said. "I thought
it was one of my best matches of my career. Rey Mysterio, Jr., is a terrific
wrestler. The loss isn't going to slow me down. The way I look at it is,
anyone can beat anyone on any given day. I guess Rey was the better man that
day."

Kidman regularly delivers five-star matches. Think Triangle Match
at Starrcade, or the series last year against Juventud Guerrera. No one is
more exciting, pound for pound, than the Pennsylvania native who was once
refused entrance into a wrestling school because he was too small.

"That (match against Mysterio) most definitely was one of the best
matches I've ever had. As for the best Cruiserweight match ever? Well, that's
tough for me to say, but if that's what the people think, I'm glad, pleased,
honored," Kidman said.

So what now?

"I'd like to go home and take some time off, but that's not gonna
happen. So I guess I'll just keep plugging away and hopefully get another
shot at the belt very, very soon," he answered.

Kidman defeated Mikey Whipwreck March 14 at Uncensored in Louisville,
Ky.

"That was a good match, (although) the kid caught me off-guard," Kidman
said. "He's an excellent wrestler; he's definitely gonna make a name for
himself here in WCW. I didn't know much about him going into the match, but
he certainly showed me a lot."

Kidman's ring success is parlayed between his boyish good-looks and
his incredible athleticism. Anyone who isn't standing, cheering when Kidman
stands on the top rope for his Shooting-Star Press is, uh, sleeping.

Tenay, of all people, has tabbed Kidman's finisher the second most
exciting move in the sport, only behind Goldberg's Spear and Jackhammer.

Talk about good company.

"The response I receive any time I go to the top rope, or even near
it, is incredible," Kidman said. "The fans really want to see the Shooting
Star."

When asked about forming a tag team, Kidman, who competed in the
recently-completed Tag Team Tournament with Chavo Guerrero, Jr., said he
would not be opposed .. if it was with the right partner. Like Mysterio or
Kanyon, believe it or not. "His in-ring style and his ability ... no one
can match Kanyon," Kidman said.

As an emerging superstar
in World Championship Wrestling, does Billy Kidman fully understand what
is expected of him?

"The pressures that are put on Billy by management
and by himself can become all-consuming--if he allows them to," Bret Hart
explains. "Hey, I'm a huge fan of Kidman, and if there's anything I can do
to make his move to the next level of competition at all smoother--he's got
it."

Cruiserweight titlist today, and who knows,
maybe shots at the U.S. or the WCW Tag Team titles are right around the corner
for the likable Easterner. Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and
Chris Jericho, all considered to be members of the promotion's "A" list is
talent, have sucessfully cut ties from being labeled as "just a
cruiserwight."

Kidman, 23, is younger than all four were when
they broke away from competing in a specific weight classification. And his
superstar status continued to be solidified with recent wins over Rey Misterio
Jr. and Juventud Guerrera.

Amazingly, a rotator cuff injury and a debilitating
groin injury weren't enough to cause Kidman to cancel a songle booking as
1999 was welcomed in. With his body badly needing a rest, coupled with new
cruiserweights infiltrating WCW, like Mikey Whipwreck (formarly of ECW),
there appears to be an air of invincibility surrounding Billy.

With phenomal showings despite his injuries,
concerned veterans like Saturn have conveyd to himthe importance of longevity
to a wrestler's overall well-being.

Saturn says: "I told him, 'Brother, enjoy the
ride but pace yourself. It's no disgrace to take a night or two off when
your body is asking for it.' I thought and acted just like he is when I started
out in New England. But I still had to learn everything by trial and error.
The sooner Billy realizes he isn't Superman, the better off his career will
be."

With the increased booking commitments
and public appearances on behalf of WCW has transformed his life--personal
and otherwise--into one word: hectic! This is where Kidman's personal character
must avoid the pitfalls which others before him, hailed as a "sure thing,"
were sucked into.

With little margin of error, failure to remain
dedicated inside and out of the ring ropes would land Billy back in New Jeresy
and Pennsylvania competing for what amounts to now as cab fare with independent
promotions.

"Billy is a home-grown superstar in WCW," Dean
Malenko saya. "Being a champion at any level, at best, is a fluid situation.
(Billy) has the tools at what it takes to be someone special in this sport
for many years to come, but does he have the discipline?"

Breaking away from Raven's Flock, and the power
of persuasion of its robotic-like behaving members, is what definitely started
the ball rolling in Kidman's favor.

Kanyon, the lone holdover from the Flock, continues
to display hostilities towards Kidman. And although Kanyon is well above
the sanctioned 220 lbs. weight limit for the cruiser contests, Billy hasn't
side-stepped battles instigated by him.

"The weight of my opponents, from a championship
standpoint, is vital when we sign contracts," Kidman says. "But if the strap
isn't and issue, hell, I have enough confidence in my Shooting Star Press
and a few submission moves that anyone is fair game for me."

Tabbed by his peers as someone who has "made
it," but has not forgotten his roots and those who made it possible to reach
the major leagues, Kidman has emerged as a player almost everyone has a positive
word to say about. However, being around the larger-than-life behemoths
like Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Goldberg, all earning contracts in
the millions, can have an intoxicating effect on any wrestler.

This is where Billy must remain rational when
reviewing his options in WCW.

"Eric took a chance on giving me an opprotunity,"
Kidman says. "I am thankful for that and have told him. But am I a fan of
Eric and his nWo? No way."

Growth is essential in any craft to remain
competitive. Those, like Hogan, have said that the hardest struggles that
they've faced was not getting to the top but staying at that level. This
should send the signal to Kidman that his status in WCW is always fragile,
at best.

"Look toward the future, but live for today
is what I've told my buddy Billy Kidman," Chris Benoit says. "Trust few,
confide in fewer, and always bust your butt in the ring for the fans. If
the fans think your slacking off, the'll turn on you before you tknow what
happened."

So far so good for Kidman. With most of WCW
behind, things should only get brighter.