Newsletter, Magazine, Wrestling, WWF, WCW, All Japan, New Japan. 30th August 2017 by Scott Keith. 96. (Clearly Wrestlemania had not become the thing it is today, because $429 barely gets you a nosebleed seat at this point. Join Dave Meltzer and Brian Alvarez for coverage of the latest in wrestling and mixed-martial arts. – On the bright side, Warrior v. To the news!This is up for them, and Dave notes what a great night for wrestling that Thanksgiving really is, because even Central States almost drew money! Later, he corrects a previous title change, noting that Art Crews actually won the TV title from Gary Royal on 11/27 in Ft. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. Warlord won a battle royale by tossing out Ricky Steamboat. Big John Tenta pinned Koji Kitao with an elbowdrop in 6:10. The grand plan for five days a week has been dropped and ESPN will air reruns of Pro Wrestling This Week instead. Badd quit WCW on 3/11 after a discussion with Eric Bischoff in the airport, and will be signing with the WWF for three years. “Which is great for wrestling, I guess. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Oh, Dave. 5-11-1987. 8 this week. This group will likely merge in and out with SWS and make appearances on their shows, and will have the pro wrestling ga-ga that Fujiwara wanted to work into the UWF promotion originally. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. – The Ole Anderson & Gordon Solie version of World Championship Wrestling returned to TBS on 8/13, so in fact we missed the entire Black Saturday era! – The Road Warriors won the AWA tag team titles from the Crusher & the Baron as Dave breathes a sigh of relief, and apparently this was booked very last minute because Vince. The first wrestling move of the match came at 10:00, which was Hogan no-selling the powerbomb and making his comeback. – Over in Japan, the first ever 24 hour wrestling and martial arts network, called “Fighting TV Samurai”, launched. as they did a matinee taping of the new Sunday edition of World Championship Wrestling in Atlanta, then did a show in Columbus GA, then finally. It’s the Observer issue so huge that Dave has to post it to the archives TWICE to make sure! So yeah, Flair got fired, let’s get back into it! – The Flair firing actually made the national news, with papers throughout the country picking up the story, with all coverage being sympathetic to Flair. 95. But I think it’s a pretty famous case of hotline sleaze related to Blackwell’s death. – Jim Crockett’s promotion was down to 575 people on 12/3, with a main event of Kevin Von Erich & Chris Adams over Dick Murdoch & Black Bart. 16. Main event is. 88. It drew a legit sellout of 5708 to West Palm Beach. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 18. Maybe if I skim over the Eddie Gilbert stuff it’ll get done easier. Publication date. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 19 as I try to get as much done as possible in advance. Jack Petrik would have to wage war against the WWF and spent lots of money to win, and it. Continue reading. 95. 96 Stop me if you’ve heard this one before… – After 15 years of being the world’s biggest babyface, Hulk Hogan turned heel in the main event of WCW’s Bash at the Beach PPV in an angle that Dave thinks will be “remembered for years”. – In the Deep South, the main guys are Wrestling II and Tommy Rich, and they run out of Georgia. 13. 87. Until then, there’s the Clash! – Dave was in Japan for DreamSlam (very short version: It was an amazing show) and missed the Clash of Champions from Jacksonville, but to say it wasn’t well received would be an. ”. com & WrestlingObserver. The Best of the Wrestling Observer-Greatest matches of the Observer years-15 most influential wrestlers of the past five. 0 (Extended OCR) Ppi. 96 Can I make it more than two weeks in a row? TUNE INTO NITRO TO FIND OUT! – In our top story this week, UFC presented the Ultimate Ultimate 2! Dave is really into this shit all of a sudden. 27th May 2016 by Scott Keith. By Scott Keith on 19th April 2016. We’ve gotta skip all of November due to more gaps, but at least I can now promise that everything from now on is 100% complete! And we didn’t miss Starrcade. – All Japan on 9/17 saw the debut of former Olympic wrestler Jun Akiyama, who was pinned by Kenta Kobashi in the semi-main of the show. 03. 03. Back to the trenches after taking Friday off! And the big story this week is an abject lesson in John Lennon’s famous saying, “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans”. 4. Everything is confusing and it’s all centering on the AWA. Wrestling Observer Flashback–07. – In Japan, SWS continues to alienate Japanese wrestling fans by booking WARLORD v. 300. 95. Despite running in the red for the past three years, both WCW and the WWF are confident that they’re going to be profitable in 1995 thanks to this new-fangled PPV market. 94 (Part 2) – In the only non-tournament match on the show, Cactus Jack & Mikey Whipwreck won the tag titles from the Public Enemy after Terry Funk missed his flight and couldn’t make the show. 2. – Another quiet week in the world of wrestling, as we’re waiting for Starrcade and Superdome results. 1984 Dave would chime in with “but luckily WWF isn’t wrestling” or something equally snarky, but mellower 1986. The 1997 Observer Rewind shall resume this on Aug. 95. Lots of people have claimed to have discovered him, for example. 88. 96 (Part Two) BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE! – ECW also held their biggest show ever, the 1996 November to Remember, which was an immediate sellout of 1500 people at the ECW Arena, and Dave even attended the show! – Steve Richards pinned David Morton Tyler Jericho in 9:25, as Stevie had his. *1/4. I’m giddy. 92 By Scott Keith on 16th February 2017 Hey, I picked up a Nintendo DSi XL for $60 (Canadian) from EBGames and it’s pretty rad. But goddamn is “Eyes of a Stranger. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. Also, Prime Time Wrestling is just getting destroyed on Monday nights and is down to a 1. And now, Dave would like to talk about PPV. 07. – So things are getting mighty crowded on TBS, in what would turn out to be a giant turning point for the wrestling industry. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. – The Wrestling Classic, scheduled to be the first ever nationally available PPV show, will feature a 16 man tournament, plus Hogan v. There’s a big main event at the Tokyo Dome! And it sure didn’t go down how anyone expected. – Dave relates a brief history of World Championship Wrestling, and how TBS purchased the company in 1988 despite their crippling debt. Slaughter for “stealing the character”. When it comes to catching and wrestling a giant. 2. – Latest figures are in, and WCW is looking like a 0. 95 (Carrying on! Another one written on or about 09. Wrestling breakup and Cornette getting his face shoved in a birthday cake. 92. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. Baba apparently has plans to give Akiyama a major push down the line. 94. Well, sort of. – Dave calls it a very good show overall, and somehow by adding up all the people in Greensboro (16K give or take) plus all the closed circuit locations, comes up with a figure of 42,000 and thus declares it the #2 crowd in North American wrestling history. Wrestling Observer Historical Pieces. Dave is flabbergasted by how bad a show it was, wondering if this was a dream or a nightmare that he hasn’t woken up from. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. A total brawl with great heat, although the DQ was called for no apparent reason. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. 5. 16. – Next up, Dave offers a preview of the next WCW PPV, Uncensored, which he sums up thusly: “On paper it looks like a weak show as none of the matches look to be sure bets to be good. Shawn Special Edition! Okey doke, so in the 1997 RAW rants thus far, we’ve alluded to the all the crazy stuff happening behind the scenes with Bret and Shawn, but what EXACTLY was that? Well, Dave was covering it extensively in the Observer at the time, so here’s a mini-Flashback covering the top. The. And now it’s time for the issue that kicks off one of the biggest stories in the history of wrestling, although we didn’t. – Mexico’s wrestling companies are gearing up for a full-scale strike of wrestlers and referees, with syndicate head Manny Guzman calling for job action over EMLL’s network TV deal. on November 22, 1990 – “Survivor Series ’90. 87. The taped episode of RAW wasn’t particularly different than any other one they’ve. So I guess it’s a Wrestling Observer Flashback Flashback. 94. – Anyway, moving on. 25. There are moments when you can pinpoint exactly when a major promotion started to go completely off the rails. 94. 28. 13. – Vince McMahon is apparently planning to sue Sgt. 12. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 06. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. 96. 95. 89. No one tell Donald Trump. 11. Ocr. Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. )This argument includes Wrestlemania V, which is widely believed to be the highest grossing wrestling show in HISTORY. 96 Apparently it’s time for WCW to get rowdy. 24. And since “long term thinking” these days is “three. For. 94. 18. OK, let’s get back into these again. 20. Continue reading Rants. 28. 28. 95. At 4:00, Warrior splashed Demolition Axe. This isn’t unique in itself, but if Idol. But if you’re reading it in the archives in December, then MERRY CHRISTMAS! – Continuing on with the saga of Dynamite Kid’s messed up back, he was flown into Calgary for surgery after being paralyzed from the waist down. Instead, in the wake of a disappointing buyrate, the decision was made to concentrate on doing better tournaments. ark:/13960/t2z39wg7w. Eaton did a scary kneedrop from the top rope to the ramp outside the ring for the highlight of the match. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Dave, however, cites the court case of Boy v. – Over to Japan, where Nobuhiko Takada had announced plans to retire, at which point UWFI whiplashed and put out their own press release, noting that what Takada had MEANT TO SAY was that he was THINKING of retiring at age 35, which was two years away. You can view a sneak preview below. 3-28-1988. 95. 16. (Perhaps it’s time to revamp the show a bit?) – Famous San Francisco promoter Roy Shire passed away this week, after suffering a heart attack on 9/16 and dying 10 days later in the hospital. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. 1. At one point, UWFI was one of the biggest success stories in wrestling, and in 1993, they drew 46,000 fans to a. 96. – Both the WWF and Crockett are running Philly on 10/18, but there’s a law on the books that says no two wrestling promotions can run shows within 25 miles of each other, and the respective arenas are less than 25 miles away. I’m actually recovering from a shoulder injury at work today but I’ll power through an Observer Flashback for you. Welcome to 1996 WCW, notes our teaser for this week. By Scott Keith on 1st October 2017. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. – But first, the lead story is the rapid descent of UWFI, as they have reached out in desperation to New Japan for a combined show at the Tokyo Dome on 10/9 and maybe more after that. I feel like that can’t be a coincidence. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. See if you can guess when we get to it. 96 You know, for someone so washed up and done as a top guy, Ric Flair sure keeps winning World titles, doesn’t he? – Let us take you back to 1989, as Ric Flair came off a big year with memorable matches against Rick Steamboat and Terry Funk, but the year was a failure for Turner. 94. 19. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Raw drew its best 18-49 number since the start of football season. He apparently gave WAR $1. 11. 96. And now it’s time for the MONDAY NIGHT WARS. I’ve noticed a sudden uptick in 1985-related questions on the Wrestling Observer radio show lately. The idea is to combine a bunch of small promotions into the Global Wrestling Federation, with offices in five different regions, including Jarrett now officially going back into Dallas to run the USWA there again. Dave thinks that the competition will be mostly for the better, with faster-moving storylines and better wrestling on TV. The NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles title in Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1978 until 1984,. 23. They’re owned by Jody Hamilton (Nick Patrick’s dad) and they do about 200 people per show. Crockett! Dusty v. The team (Gene and Ole Anderson) dominated tag team. Production quality was high, the wrestling quality not so much. Also, be sure to check out the SquaredCircle subreddit, where some dude is RIPPING OFF MY. 96 (Part Two) – In the top story, “Sycle” Sid won the WWF title in the main event of the Survivor Series. Wrestling Observer Flashback–12. 10. – Michinoku Pro debuted on 3/16 to huge amounts of local publicity, since they’re the first attempt at a regional promotion in the country. – And now, a turning point for the Observer, although we didn’t know it at the time, as Dave announces that he’s taken a job with the National, writing a wrestling column for the paper. 22. Wrestlemania III was the best wrestling. 1. – Also, NBC is really sniffing around wrestling now like a dog in heat and they seem to desperately want to be in business with the WWF. 0 number predicted by. By Scott Keith on 19th March 2016. It was basically just a backdrop for the Virgil babyface turn. Mike stuff and get into the main event: STARRCADE ‘84. 94. Let’s take a break from being nostalgic for 1998 and be nostalgic for 1994 again for a bit! – It’s been quiet in the wrestling world leading up to Halloween Havoc, Dave notes. – In our top story, Curt Hennig has apparently reached an agreement to jump from the WWF to WCW, as an active wrestler. Jim Herd has already killed the wrestling business, and now he’s working on killing the magic business. ) – The rumor mill continues to churn around the idea that Dusty Rhodes and his $300,000 / year salary will be cut at the end of the year. – Interestingly, the WWF was shown to be popular with 18-25 year olds, with men twice as well represented as women. Thanks for reading! UWFI president and top star Nobuhiko Takada announced that the company is officially going out of business and that the final show will be held this week. 16. Understated Wrestling Observer Debuts! So new to the Memphis area is a prelim guy named Scotty the Body, who is getting booked like a total nothing and apparently his. It's great historical reading of the rise and fall of wrestling's biggest boom period. 87. 23. At the latest WWF tapings, a guy named Mantaur debuted. I know, I know, I’ll give you a minute to let it sink in. 20. Anyway, back to 1985 again… – The big news is that the war in St. 07. – In an understatement, Dave notes that the babyface side in the WWF is in a state of disarray, what with Scott Hall about to jump to WCW in late May once all his contractual stuff ends. This hold up comes on the heels of two other major stories: Hennig is supposed to be heading to WWF, meanwhile. ). Davey Boy Smith (“Athletically the best in the business. I guess I’ll just be typing one-handed. Wrestling Observer Flashback–01. – Chris was of course around wrestling dressing rooms his whole life, and idolized Kerry in junior high to the point where he’d dress and act like him. – The WWF announced that the Wrestling Classic did about 60,000 buys on PPV, which was 200,000 less than their announced projections. 01. ”) 3. 93. Bobby Eaton pinned Terrence Taylor in 15:41 with the Alabama Jam. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 15th September 2023 by Scott Keith Rants Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. They of course had an immediate roster of excuses, mainly that it was scheduled on a night with really tough competition on TV. – Eddie Gilbert was found dead in his apartment in Puerto Rico on 2/18, at age 33. 96. Most of the match was Hunter working the arm and going for a cross-armbreaker, which neither Vince nor Jerry had any idea how to call. The 2023 class of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame adds seven new members in a year where there were no blow away vote getters but a number. Wrestling Observer Live: RAW report, War Games, Randy Orton, ratings and more By Bryan Alvarez Nov 21, 2023 DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The history of. 21. By Dave Meltzer Nov 21, 2023. Winner of the 2016 Doomie Award for Favorite Blog Post!. 1985 Wrestling Observer Yearbook. Sid actually drew pretty big on the East coast, doing 11,000 at the Nassau Coliseum and 8000 in Philly. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. -Pro Wrestling 1983-1987. as the big blue cage that quickly became synonymous with Titan was actually purchased and flown in from Stampede Wrestling, because the normal chain link cage was too hard for Hogan to climb. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. 23, because for every viewer gained on Nitro, there was a viewer lost on Saturdays and it kind of averaged out. 2. – Zulu was fired from World Class for refusing to do a job to Mike Von Erich. 96 (I’m putting this one in the can a few days earlier than publication so if there’s any pop culture references that age badly, blame me. Spoiler: Dave gives WarGames 3/4. – The WWF continues to insist that Summerslam sold 80,000 tickets in the first day, and also announced several new matches for the show: Tatanka v. Chip screwed up early, but it was decent by the end. A January 1966 issue of Vue magazine featuring Bill Hook and his octopus-wrestling adventures in Victoria, B. It’s the year end awards issue! Lots to argue about here, I’m sure. – It’s sounding like Scott Steiner will work Halloween Havoc, but won’t be doing much. 22. 96. He does 100 but we’ll just do the top 10 because otherwise I’d have to break this up into 5 parts instead of 2. 96. – San Fran is the big head-to-head battle between the AWA and WWF, and Vince won that one handily thus far. – Inoki’s business-killing freakshow ended up drawing 11,000 people for somewhere between $800,000 – $1. Heyman is making. 06. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. – As the date of his trail approached and the firestorm of publicity continued unabated, Barr managed to plea bargain down to first degree sexual abuse with 180 hours of community service and 2. While it seemingly wasn’t a major milestone in his life at that. – Jim Cornette Update: He turned down the WCW managing job because he’s opening up a new promotion with Sandy Scott and Tim Horner called “Smokey Mountain Wrestling”, starting on 10/30 in Greenville. The suit alleges unfair competition, trademark. 96. 88. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. By Scott Keith on 15th March 2021. They’re exclusively running small towns on the far Northern island of Japan, and mostly using lucha libre guys, which the mainstream papers didn’t really get. The TNT show is dropping rapidly, which shows that the new audience of freakshow fans is far less than the loyal wrestling fans who choose not to watch that one. – The top story of the week, and for a long time in general, was Ron Garvin winning the NWA World title from Ric Flair on 9/25 in their debut in Joe Louis Arena. Guys, it sounds like the Diamond Studd will soon be appearing in WCW again! We’ll see how that goes for them. 3. – Speaking of New Japan, they sold out 5 consecutive nights at Sumo Hall for the G1 Climax, ending with IWGP champion Keiji Muto becoming the first reigning champion to win the tournament, taking out Shinya Hashimoto in the finals. “Hey look, it’s Joe Weider” – Not sure what that refers to, but I’m sure we’ll find out. 0 (Extended OCR) Ppi. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. – Kevin Sullivan is a road agent now and appears done with wrestling. This issue only has the first 4 pages, so it’ll be a truncated recap, but all the good stuff is in those pages anyway. Rants. Owen Hart was the second-best star of the show after Flair. 10-21-1991. – Dave sums up the last PPV of 1996 as “solid but. So apparently the WrestleWar 92 issue (05/25/92) is missing from the F4WOnline. 19. Dave also lists the match with the Rock N Roll Express v. 24. 15. -. 22. 21. 95. By Scott Keith on 18th October 2016. Dave notes we. 19. By Scott Keith on 27th October 2016. I know, I know, what a bombshell. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. George Scott has been fired as booker and replaced by the duo of Gary Hart and David Manning, so things are at least booked better now. Scanner. Topics. Mid Atlantic Gateway and Wrestling Observer historical files. 90 / 07. Observer Flashbacks; Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. Curiosity over Kevin’s return is. Trying to power through this one before UFC 200. By Scott Keith on 1st June 2019. 96. 95 (Part 1) So after Dave takes a week off, it’s a DOUBLE ISSUE featuring Wrestlemania XI, the show that drew so much money that Dave needed a second issue to contain it all!Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. For It’s Time. Lex Luger jumped out of the final mystery box to attack Sting, injuring the wrong leg (Instinct on Luger’s part due to all his lucha libre experience, Dave notes) but it was a pretty great angle. 5-4-1987. Papa Shango ran in for the DQ, and Ultimate Warrior made the save, complete with entrance music. OK, 2005 posts are FINALLY complete, and I got to see Star Wars, so let’s get back to Observing. 95. By Scott Keith on 24th February 2019. (Hey, much like Bill Gates famously said…) – Back to Murray Hodgson and his case against Pat Patterson, with Vince and Pat’s depositions delayed so they could do some more legal wrangling. 96 (Part Two) – In the top story, “Sycle” Sid won the WWF title in the main event of the Survivor Series. 95. This week, a big name goes to the rival promotion in the thick of the Monday Night Wars! Call my hotline now to find out the answer! – Hiroshi Hase made a surprising jump from New Japan to All Japan this week, announcing on 9/29 that he’s starting with AJPW in January. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. *3/4. window replacement in Elkhart, IN. ABBYY FineReader 11. Ric Flair (“He’s slowed down a bit”) 2. 96. – Dave notes that speaking of network TV, ABC was filming an episode of 20/20 at the MSG show, and one of the reporters asked Dr. I like how even the editors of the Observer site are scoring off Dave with the headline on this one. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. By Scott Keith on 22nd September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Despite the strained relationship, Florida still bills itself as NWA wrestling. 18. 26. 23. By Scott Keith on 16th December 2017. The feeling is that running a show in the traditional Sunday timeslot where live shows draw will kill off the house shows. After Stan Lane lost to the Patriot on the Global show, Cornette launched into a tirade about how it was a conspiracy against Stan, just like the cops conspired against his good friend. Ah, wrestling, where one guy can beat up another guy for real and flush his head. I know this year has been a slog, but we’re getting closer to September, when the magic happens! But first, WWF returns to your house! Whether you wanted them there or not. By Scott Keith on 14th January 2019. – Dave also got to see some tapes from Puerto Rico, which gives us the Observer debut of Invader #1, aka Stabby McMurderer. 96 By Scott Keith on 15th September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. The main event. The New Foundation beat the Orient Express in 17:18. Tenta was pretty over during his one appearance, so EMLL is trying to get him back. – We’ll skip past the Mr. Daprice did every issue for the 90's through 2001. The biggest story of the week is actually buried way down. It's great historical reading of the rise and fall of wrestling's biggest boom period. 31. -. – Next up TV ratings, which went from an average of 2. 29. 29. But first! An update on the Shawn Michaels incident in Syracuse. 90. Also, the fears about Sting winning the IWGP title from Muta proved unfounded, as Muta retained in a disappointing match where he was trying to be The Great Muta instead of Keiji Muto. 86. On May 2 they did an angle where the AWA World title was held up following a Bockwinkel/Hennig match where Hennig used a foreign object. Um, never mind. 27. The show would air live every Saturday night, from New York, and would cater heavily to an. Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. – Dan Severn won the Ultimate Ultimate on 12/16 in Denver after all the controversy over the show, beating Oleg Taktarov in the finals via unanimous decision. It's a recap of the old issues of Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter. And now, for the first time I can remember, the UFC gets the lead story. Manuel Cruz (Jose Gonzalez) b Beauregarde;. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. – The biggest question coming out of Wrestlemania XII is the future of Bret Hart, as he’s expected to finish the tour of Germany and then go on a hiatus until the end of the summer. 16. Not by putting on a better product or drawing more money, but by signing one of their soon-to-be-ubiquitous exclusivity contracts with the Kiel Auditorium and thus preventing the NWA-affiliated St. But it probably bombed because it was clearly a throwaway show. Ken Wayne found the body after. Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive talk about the biggest news in wrestling! Wrestling Observer Live podcast on demand - Wrestling Observer Live is among the most popular wrestling shows in the world. And NOW the main event! Hog Wild 96 and the introduction of the Observer Hall of Fame awaits! This one took me a little bit longer to write than last night’s quickie, obviously. By Scott Keith on 14th August 2016.