For It’s Time. – Bam Bam Bigelow is trying to get into the WWF, but word from on high is that he’s “too inexperienced”. 96. Wish me luck! – The top story is Dave being confused by a unique gimmick match in Memphis, with Austin Idol v. – To Mexico, where it looks like EMLL is about to split. By Scott Keith on 18th October 2016. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. history-of-wcw. 18. – Brad Armstrong will be coming back again, this time as the Candy Man, who throws candy to the kids as his gimmick. – The first Saturday Night show is going to be taped on 10/3, and Dave expects to heavily feature the freakshow wedding of Uncle Elmer, which will likely be even worse than the Paul Vachon wedding. 07. Regardless of everything else, the #1 rule of wrestling in situations like this is that you ALWAYS have the babyface’s hand raised at the end of the show if you pull a major bait-and-switch like this. 5 to 2. 28. Um, never mind. Dusty is certainly the top candidate, and that theory is bolstered by the house show results from the past week, which saw Dusty doing 90 second jobs to VIRGIL at every show. 15. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. Pillman was a little rusty but still got an excellent match out of Wright. – San Fran is the big head-to-head battle between the AWA and WWF, and Vince won that one handily thus far. Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 16:23. 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. And here we had gone for almost two months without a death. 96. 89. Ware on 12/14, as expected. By Scott Keith on 14th January 2019. It drew a legit sellout of 5708 to West Palm Beach. Rants. 06. 3. (This is why. 90. Day off from work today, so I’ve got some time to craft another Flashback! Your Spotify soundtrack for this one is Queensryche’s “Operation Mindcrime”, an album that it took me many years to get into, which is weird because I was a big fan of “Empire”. 02. The Best of the Wrestling Observer-Greatest matches of the Observer years-15 most influential wrestlers of the past five. The main event. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. – 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. – In Mid-South, we get the first Observer mention of young rookie Sean Michaels in Mid-South, as he pins Jack Victory. Wrestling Observer Historical Pieces. Heyman is making. 04. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. And since “long term thinking” these days is “three. Collection. 16. – In the top story, the WWF held a press conference, which got more attention in Mexico, to announce that Royal Rumble 97 would be held in the Alamo Dome in San. Wrestling Observer Flashback–11. 11. Inoki pinned Leon Spinks in the eighth round of whatever their match was supposed to be, cradling him after a double-leg and getting a five count. 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. 11. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. ark:/13960/s2tmw3h1hz8. – 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. 94. Back on track after our detour back to March yesterday. Well this should do better than NWA Powerrr at least. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. 21. – 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. 90. Ric Flair (“He’s slowed down a bit”) 2. It’s like Wrestlemania, but for NEWS. Man, so people REALLY did not like that In Your House show. – Dave relates a brief history of World Championship Wrestling, and how TBS purchased the company in 1988 despite their crippling debt. – 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. 05. 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. – The big story this week is Dave’s preview of the Ultimate Ultimate 96!. 87. 4. – Actually, first it’s a bit of political talk, as Hiroshi Hase won election to the senate in Japan. By Scott Keith on 3rd October 2019. By Scott Keith on 15th March 2021. 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. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. 01. Wolf, where. Hosted by Sean Oliver, he welcomes guest the Honky Tonk Man as he talks about SummerSlam ’88. The debut of Giant Gonzalez (who was “wearing Ultimate Warrior’s old underwear”) perked things up again. They of course had an immediate roster of excuses, mainly that it was scheduled on a night with really tough competition on TV. 10. Dave is pretty sure Gonzalez will draw as long as he’s never allowed to touch anyone ever. 21. 93. 88. 48 buyrate (120,000 buys) for the Great American Bash in June, with WWF doing 0. – The WWF is on hiatus for a bit after WM, so Dave apologizes in advance for the light news week. Just like in the old days, it’s a NEWSFLASH to start the issue! Well, a results flash, actually, as the Tokyo Dome show came in too late for a proper review. 25. 6. 04. Addeddate. Welcome to 1996 WCW, notes our teaser for this week. Warlord won a battle royale by tossing out Ricky Steamboat. 06. 96. Back in the saddle with these again. 31. – Next up TV ratings, which went from an average of 2. 96 IT’S TIME. – The WWF announced that the Wrestling Classic did about 60,000 buys on PPV, which was 200,000 less than their announced projections. Bruiser Brody (“Nobody gives an aura of violent realism. Wrestling Observer Flashback–12. – 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. 5 million as a startup amount and NOW got $480,000, and once they’ve blown through that, he’s done. 96 (Part Two) – In the top story, “Sycle” Sid won the WWF title in the main event of the Survivor Series. Dave thinks it was counterproductive to kill off the Rockers like that. *. While it seemingly wasn’t a major milestone in his life at that. 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. 04. Baba had actually been. The main event saw Tito Santana beating Bob Orton for the newly created AWF title in a *3/4 match. Unfortunately, he was the furthest thing from an. Join Dave Meltzer and Brian Alvarez for coverage of the latest in wrestling and mixed-martial arts. 07. 94. I’m still not 100% clear on how we got from “Jim Crockett attempts to run Florida into the ground” to “Jim Crockett buys Florida and uses it as a feeder system for his own promotion”, but I’m sure we’ll get there. – 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. ark:/13960/t2z39wg7w. 1. 300. Smackdown Date: May 12, 2016 Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler. At 4:00, Warrior splashed Demolition Axe. 1985 Wrestling Observer Yearbook. 19. 95. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. Sorry. The Road Warriors beat the Midnight Express in a scaffold match in 3:00, which kind of ruins their videotape business, Dave thinks. Also, the Rock & Wrestling Connection was all his idea and he had to convince Vince to play “Eye of the Tiger” as his entrance theme in 1984. *1/2. Maybe if I skim over the Eddie Gilbert stuff it’ll get done easier. By Scott Keith on 26th May 2016. – In the top story, the Justice Department dropped one of the charges against Titan Sports. Instead, in the wake of a disappointing buyrate, the decision was made to concentrate on doing better tournaments. We’re almost there! One week left! – It’s almost time for the new fall season of wrestling, and it’s a big one. Gene Anderson, founding member of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew tag team died. – 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. 11th January 2017 by Scott Keith. 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. 28. 09. on November 22, 1990 – “Survivor Series ’90. Dave thinks that the competition will be mostly for the better, with faster-moving storylines and better wrestling on TV. 30th August 2017 by Scott Keith. window replacement in Elkhart, IN. The Vancouver version of the NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship was the major singles title in two National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated Vancouver territories. – We’ll skip past the Mr. 1985. 8 this week. Scanner. The theory at the beginning was that the “universe” would increase exponentially as more homes got PPV, but now it’s apparent that there’s a set number of wrestling fans out there who will buy these things and adding more homes doesn’t mean automatically adding the same percentage of buys. 15. Just like the Untouchables, if you sign two of ours to a guaranteed contract, we sign one of yours to a guaranteed contract! And his hot wife! – Johnny B. The 85 issues are quite a trip, since it’s a very different writing style than even these ones. – Dave feels that the team of Sting & Rick Steiner are improving so rapidly that they’ll be one of the best in the world by the summer. Earthquake John Tenta was scheduled to work a tour for EMLL in Mexico, but left after one show, claiming he was stiffed on his payoff. Rants. Max Moon was eliminated quickly because his spaceship was double-parked. – The show drew 7000 with 4700 paid and a $94,000 house. But I think it’s a pretty famous case of hotline sleaze related to Blackwell’s death. 7th. But it probably bombed because it was clearly a throwaway show. – There’s very little going on due to Christmas, but Jerry Lawler did regain the USWA title from Koko B. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. – 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. -Pro Wrestling 1983-1987. Whoa oh, whoa oh, it’s Wrestlemania. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. 87. Was shit real before? Well, it’s about to become real. Brian Pillman pinned Badstreet with a flying bodypress in the light heavyweight tournament semi-final at 6:52. 23. 95. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 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. -. Jim Herd has already killed the wrestling business, and now he’s working on killing the magic business. 17. 95. – Vince McMahon is apparently planning to sue Sgt. – Andre’s beginnings in the sport are something of a mystery. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. Thankfully, the Observer archives are fixed, so let’s get back into the swing of things again. 15th September 2023 by Scott Keith Rants Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. com archives, and any other sources I’ve checked, so we’re skipping ahead a week. 92. It’s time for the CLASH OF CHAMPIONS, a flying elbow to the wrestling business that should have revived it! But first, a pretty major death to kick off the issue. Wrestling Observer Flashback–01. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 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. Slaughter for “stealing the character”. 23. 09. 01. – Although the WWF had “by far” the superior show, WCW won the ratings battle with a 2. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. – And now, let’s talk about pay-per-view. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. It’s a patented Slow News Week as we head into Summerslam, but the issue is still 10 pages. And now it’s time for the MONDAY NIGHT WARS. This got the most heat of the night from all the sumo fans, because they’re not hardcore wrestling fans and just knew Kitao as the “bad boy”, and thus booed the shit out of him and cheered everything Earthquake did. Current talk is a rematch with Shawn Michaels at Summerslam in a ladder. 90. – The new Stampede Wrestling has already taken all but one of the WWF’s TV clearances in Western Canada, so this doesn’t seem to be a winning venture for Vince. (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. “Which is great for wrestling, I guess. Topics. (Just wait until Slamboree. 2. – In the top story, the UFC has decided to drop the superfight concept after the debacle that was Shamrock v. 95. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. 96. 96. Well, that probably won’t happen again for a while. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. – Also on the show, Scott Norton & Tony Halme won the IWGP tag titles from the Steiner Brothers in kind of a stinker. This should be good. 2. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. By Scott Keith on 14th March 2019. Tenta was pretty over during his one appearance, so EMLL is trying to get him back. 3. 96 Apparently it’s time for WCW to get rowdy. – The WWF is reportedly considering adding a weekly Saturday PPV show, according to trade journal reports. Louis Wrestling Club from running. Wrestling Observer Flashback: 07. You can view a sneak preview below. WWE News. Everything is confusing and it’s all centering on the AWA. He was the person credited with popularizing the superplex, although he didn’t invent it. – But first, speculation is still running rampant in the wake of Ole Anderson getting fired as booker. At one point, UWFI was one of the biggest success stories in wrestling, and in 1993, they drew 46,000 fans to a. 13. 14. 19. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. 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. 86. I’m not. Ah, wrestling, where one guy can beat up another guy for real and flush his head. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. com & WrestlingObserver. Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1. – Van Hammer won the arm wrestling tournament, beating Ron Simmons in the finals, which Dave interprets as continuing his newfound push. 96. 94 So it turns out that WCW’s record buyrate for Halloween Havoc wasn’t quite what they anticipated… – The buyrate for Havoc 94 currently sits at 0. – 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. 13. 60 (150,000 buys) for King of the Ring. Spoiler: Dave gives WarGames 3/4. 30, 1996 (Final Post for 1996) Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. 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. THANKSGIVING FLASHBACK - November 23, 1972. They even flew in Steve DiSalvo as part of the ring crew to. 28. 1. – Anyway, moving on…. 88. Indie wrestler Rockin' Rebel got a tryout at the tapings, and apparently upset Razor Ramon backstage because he was using some of Razor's mannerisms in the ring. I’m actually recovering from a shoulder injury at work today but I’ll power through an Observer Flashback for you. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. 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. Tickets are 45,000 yen, which translates to $429, aka the most expensive wrestling tickets in history. Steve Jennum was put into the finals as a last-minute. – The Sheik did an extremely rare job, submitting to Onita’s boston crab in just 3:18 at the latest FMW show. Guess it’s time for another one of these. 95. Severn. 18. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. 11. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 06. 95. NEXT WEEK: The Monday Night War begins. Rants. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. Trying these in the afternoon again because the blog is always SUPER dead after lunchtime. Curiosity over Kevin’s return is. By Scott Keith on 22nd September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. – 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. 96. 96. For It’s Time. Flair’s contract was scheduled to be terminated as of 08/01, and Flair was scheduled to drop the WCW World title to Barry Windham on 7/1 in Macon, GA. – Anyway, moving on. Well, amazingly he no-showed and they had to quickly contact another local promoter for some jobbers (there were only four name guys even booked for the. 24. 94. He wears a buffalo head to the ring and everyone backstage was making fun of his gimmick. Collection. – Hachiro Tanaka, the money guy behind SWS and WAR and a bunch of other groups, is reportedly tired of losing money in the wrestling business and wants out, according to the Takano brothers. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. – In the top story, Titan Sports filed a lawsuit against World Championship Wrestling on 6/20, stemming from the invasion angle with Hall and Nash. 89. (My joke, not Dave’s) In freezing temperatures, Crockett had his showdown with Vince, featuring the debut of the NWA in Hamilton taking on Roddy Piper’s Canadian farewell in Toronto. 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. Nasties sold well at least. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. 567. I’m giddy. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. Michaels worked his ass off, although it came out later that he was hungover and stoned at the time. – In a story that seems small but kind of ended up heralding the end of an era in wrestling, the way. Wrestling Observer Flashback–12. In fact, Dave thinks that people’s hatred of the dancing gimmick is overshadowing how much he’s improved as a worker. – So things are getting mighty crowded on TBS, in what would turn out to be a giant turning point for the wrestling industry. 22. 19. 94. Ah, wrestling, where one guy can beat up another guy for real and flush his head in the toilet for riding with his ex-girlfriend and people are just like “Eh,. The. 96. 96. Bobby Eaton pinned Terrence Taylor in 15:41 with the Alabama Jam. . – 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. Raw drew its best 18-49 number since the start of football season. 2 million, making it the largest gate in pro wrestling history. – The sudden fall of the company seems to stem from the ridiculous circus that was the Yoji Anjyo grandstand challenge to Rickson Gracie, with fans believing that Takada should have called out Gracie for the honor of the company. 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. )3. 14. – While the World title may not change hands, the US title certainly will, since post-Clash TV direction has Steamboat winning the title and suffering a shoulder injury in the process. 94. The government side says it’s for “tactical reasons”, while the WWF. 26. 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. Newsletter, Magazine, Wrestling, WWF, WCW, All Japan, New Japan. Scanner. Well this was all well and good, but wrestling magazines found out about it and started publishing stories and photos, and the NWA had to go into coverup mode. So with the year in PPV finally caught up, let us venture back to the world of 1994 again, with rumors of Hulk Hogan. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. I know, I know, what a bombshell. The NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles title in Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1978 until 1984,. – 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. – In our top story, Roddy Piper made a surprise debut at the end of the Halloween Havoc show, doing what Dave describes as an “undisciplined dialogue” with Hollywood Hogan that actually ran past the expiration of their PPV time. A January 1966 issue of Vue magazine featuring Bill Hook and his octopus-wrestling adventures in Victoria, B. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. 19. Ric Flair pinned Butch Reed in 14:13 to earn a tag title shot at Starrcade. Dave, however, cites the court case of Boy v. *1/4. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 87. 16. THE WAR IS ON. Public Enemy went to a double DQ with the Nasty Boys in 4:02. It's great historical reading of the rise and fall of wrestling's biggest boom period. 90. Owen Hart was the second-best star of the show after Flair. Bobby Eaton pinned Chip the Firebreaker in 4:52 with a back suplex. Observer Flashbacks; Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. 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. By Scott Keith on 27th October 2016. 14. – Unfortunately, we start with the inevitable death of Scott “Hog” Irwin, who succumbed to cancer after a year long battle at the age of 37. 26. 88. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. -. 94. There are moments when you can pinpoint exactly when a major promotion started to go completely off the rails. Dave also lists the match with the Rock N Roll Express v. Perfect. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. Although this one is dated after the Bash ‘90 PPV, the issue is written before. 77, or about the same as Starrcade. This is the incredible story about the people who brought Lucha Libre into America in the 1990s and the many challenges they faced! Hijo del Santo and Blue. Well, one week left until the WWF really goes off a cliff. 20. 20 to an average of 2.