Chicago Sun-Times: McMahon plan seems to be destruction

As seen last week on WWF television, Vince McMahon looks like he at least partially lost his mind following his loss to Ric Flair at last Sunday's "Royal Rumble" PPV.

Fearful now that control of the company has shifted over to Flair and he will lose all he has spent his life and fortune to build, Vince has resigned himself to the idea of destroying the company before the Nature Boy does. The final decision McMahon has to agonize over was to bring in the NWO consisting of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan, and these three obviously will be brought in to run amok in the WWF.

There is no secret in the wrestling world that these three will be met with mixed feelings in a locker room that immediately will realize the presence of Hall, Nash and Hogan will mean reduced availability of television face time for many of the up-and-coming stars in the federation.

On the flip side, this could as well be the beginning of a split within the WWF as there is still a strong possibility the company will divide into two separate organizations. And that would be good for many of the younger stars as the amount of TV time would double and many wrestlers who we don't even see anymore would get back on the map.

All we know is, after seeing Vince turn his chair Thursday night and reveal the NWO logo, things will change dramatically over the next few weeks. Word is Razor, Diesel and the Hulkster will look to take over the WWF on TV. Many just hope they don't look to take over when the cameras turn off as well.

AROUND THE RING: Looks to me like it could be Stone Cold Steve Austin defending the WWF title against HHH at "WrestleMania 18." . . . D-Lo Brown is expected back in the WWF in March. . . . Expect a Rock vs. Goldust feud to take shape in time for "WrestleMania." . . . The XWF handled Curt Henning's return to the WWF with class, wishing him luck in the future. . . . "Monday Night Raw" drew a 4.6 rating last week, one of the highest in some time. . . . X-Pac is healthy and ready for a return--good timing considering the NWO is back. . . . The XWF is close to closing a TV deal. . . . Look for the APA to go its separate ways sometime in the next six months. . . . I expect Rob Van Dam and Rikishi to both hold the Intercontinental title at some point in 2002.

HOTLINE: I will tell when the Outsiders make their WWF TV debut, what the WWF is planning for Chris Benoit when he returns, and all the dirt on the Hardy Boys on the hotline: (900) 454-SLAM ($2 per minute).