Chicago Sun-Times: `Mayhem' not causing uproar

Today will be "Mayhem" for WCW, but not so much in the ring.

The pay-per-view in Milwaukee has had poor ticket sales leading up to Thanksgiving weekend. Not only are floor seats still available, but there are ringside seats for the taking.

With ratings, ticket sales, PPV numbers and overall interest down, this could be another major blow to the No. 2 company in the business.

The card doesn't help much either as the main event will be yet another match between Booker T and Scott Steiner. I look for Big Poppa Pump to take the gold away and put some stability into the company, possibly leading up to a Steiner; Goldberg title match at "Starrcade."

Speaking of Goldberg, he will get his hands on Lex Luger, and that certainly looks like an L for LL.

Also on the show, General Rection faces Lance Storm in a rematch for the U.S. title. Jeff Jarrett will battle Buff Bagwell, Kevin Nash and DDP meet the Perfect Event, That '70s Guy Mike Awesome faces Bam Bam Bigelow and Jimmy Hart will face Chicago-based DJ Mancow Muller in a special attraction. The rumor mill has "Survivor" finalist Susan Hawk in Mancow's corner.

`NITRO' FALLS OFF THE PACE: After two weeks in which "Raw" and "Nitro" ratings were flat, the WWF continued along at a 5.0, but WCW dropped to a 2.3 last week. As the ratings continue to hang in the low 2's-a disturbing trend for WCW-any quarter-hour could dip into the embarrassing land of 1's.

HEARD AROUND THE RING: Matt Vasgersian, the television voice of the Milwaukee Brewers since 1997 and the host of the Fox Sports Net game show "Sports Geniuses," will be the play-by-play announcer for NBC's broadcasts of Saturday night XFL games. He will be sharing the booth with Jesse Ventura. . . . There's a strong possibility the winner of the 2001 Royal Rumble will become WWF champion. . . . Poor fan response has led the WWF to strip Eddie Guerrero of the Intercontinental title. . . . Billy Gunn was promised gold when he returned. . . . Jim Neidhart and the British Bulldog will be released shortly by the WWF. . . . Extreme Championship Wrestling owner Paul Heyman said he has no interest in bringing back Sabu. . . . I hear Rob Van Dam will finally be looking to add the ECW world title to his resume when he returns to the company full time.

HOTLINE: Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon met in Florida this week. Get the details on what Vince and the Hulkster are cooking up plus all the WCW "Mayhem" results on the hotline: (900) 454-SLAM, $2 per minute.