(Clearly Wrestlemania had not become the thing it is today, because $429 barely gets you a nosebleed seat at this point. 94. According to Dave’s minions, there was confusion about. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 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. It’s a patented Slow News Week as we head into Summerslam, but the issue is still 10 pages. 48 buyrate (120,000 buys) for the Great American Bash in June, with WWF doing 0. – Art Barr’s petition for a wrestling license was denied by the commission once again. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. 19. 95. The 1997 Observer Rewind shall resume this on Aug. Jack Petrik would have to wage war against the WWF and spent lots of money to win, and it. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. 96 By Scott Keith on 15th September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. The taped episode of RAW wasn’t particularly different than any other one they’ve. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Rants. -. – Lead story is the WWF planning a giant stadium show in Milwaukee, which ended up being called WrestleFest 88, to basically screw with Crockett’s plans to run a Bash show the night after. – 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. – In the top story of the week, and in fact one of the top stories in wrestling history, Ric Flair was fired from WCW effective immediately when negotiations fell through. Wrestling Observer Flashback –04. 01. He’ll return for real on 11/20, but will be false advertised as appearing in tag team matches on the road against the Enforcers and subbed out when the show starts. 1. – 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. 16. 04. 1. 94. Raw drew its best 18-49 number since the start of football season. 06. – Two major World title changes since the last issue as well, with Vader winning the WCW World title back from Ron Simmons on 12/30 in Baltimore, and Great Muta beating Masa Chono to win the. 96. 89. )3. Dave thinks that the competition will be mostly for the better, with faster-moving storylines and better wrestling on TV. – Interestingly, the WWF was shown to be popular with 18-25 year olds, with men twice as well represented as women. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. 91. 16. 95 Guys, I don’t think this UFC thing is gonna be around much longer if lawmakers have their way! – The debate over whether UFC and the other events like it should be banned has been raging in the press and the city of Denver has become a hotspot for the controversy. 0-1. I must now face the eternal dilemma of sports fan who has lost their team in the playoffs: Do you cheer for the bastards that eliminated them because they earned it. I like how even the editors of the Observer site are scoring off Dave with the headline on this one. – Dave sums up the last PPV of 1996 as “solid but. 5-4-1987. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. Wrestling Observer / Figure Four. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. – Once again, it’s time for the most awesome feature in Observer Flashback history: – Our favorite whipping boy promotion, the UWF, debuted in New York with a TV taping, and surprisingly both Honky Tonk. Baba apparently has plans to give Akiyama a major push down the line. 07. Also, ROYAL RUMBLE. – 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. OK, let’s get back into these again. window replacement in Elkhart, IN. 87. 05. Buyrate looks to be between 0. 95. I just don’t think things are gonna work out for that promotion. 96 Can I make it more than. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. Also, be sure to check out the SquaredCircle subreddit, where some dude is RIPPING OFF MY. This hold up comes on the heels of two other major stories: Hennig is supposed to be heading to WWF, meanwhile. 88. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. – In a story that seems small but kind of ended up heralding the end of an era in wrestling, the way. Survivor Series!World Wrestling Federation presented a live pay-per-view event special live from Hartford, Conn. 21. 92 By Scott Keith on 20th March 2017 Hey, it’s another month with missing issues, as Dave has this one and the August 10 one on the site, and then it skips to September. 09. Identifier-ark. By Scott Keith on 18th April 2022. I know, I know, I’ll give you a minute to let it sink in. Anyway, back to 1985 again… – The big news is that the war in St. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. – Whereas most people had to stand around on the beach and had a lousy view of the ring, rest easy knowing that there was a set of bleachers reserved for employees of Slim Jim. 15. 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. 95 I love that the teaser for this one on the site is “Hotline sleaze award winner” because really it could be ANYTHING coming out of Mean Gene’s mouth. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. (Just wait until Slamboree. By Scott Keith on 19th April 2016. This should be good. Hosted by Sean Oliver, he welcomes guest the Honky Tonk Man as he talks about SummerSlam ’88. 95. NEXT WEEK: The Monday Night War begins. They’re owned by Jody Hamilton (Nick Patrick’s dad) and they do about 200 people per show. 5 million as a startup amount and NOW got $480,000, and once they’ve blown through that, he’s done. Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. 96. 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. By Scott Keith on 27th October 2016. Wrestling Observer Flashback: 07. – To the WWF, where Wrestlemania III passed 70,000 tickets sold, officially making it the largest crowd ever to witness a wrestling show in North America. 96 IT’S TIME. -The Mondo 19 most intriguing personalities of ‘86-30 key pro wrestling personalities of ‘86 with quick bios-Observer Awards, leading news stories of. *1/4. 02. – In the top story, the UFC has decided to drop the superfight concept after the debacle that was Shamrock v. 07. – So UFC III was supposed to be another easy ride for Royce Gracie, but in fact the KING IS DEAD. 92. – Bam Bam Bigelow is trying to get into the WWF, but word from on high is that he’s “too inexperienced”. On with the week that was and one of the most famous stories in wrestling history!– Oh, also, the weekend shows set new lows for cable wrestling ratings, and that includes the WWF shows. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. Specifically, advertisers look at stuff like this and use it to justify their already terrible ad rates for pro wrestling shows. 27. – Dave watched the 12/19 All Japan show, and dished out another full monty, this one for Misawa & Kobashi winning the tag team tournament over Kawada & Taue in. Wish me luck! – The top story is Dave being confused by a unique gimmick match in Memphis, with Austin Idol v. No one tell Donald Trump. I’ve noticed a sudden uptick in 1985-related questions on the Wrestling Observer radio show lately. – San Fran is the big head-to-head battle between the AWA and WWF, and Vince won that one handily thus far. – Jim Cornette continues bringing the funny. D if wrestling was fake and got slapped around pretty good as a result. 96. 96 Apparently it’s time for WCW to get rowdy. The. But first! An update on the Shawn Michaels incident in Syracuse. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Wrestling breakup and Cornette getting his face shoved in a birthday cake. – In the Deep South, the main guys are Wrestling II and Tommy Rich, and they run out of Georgia. It's a recap of the old issues of Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. – Moving on, Joe Pedicino has purchased Jerry Jarrett’s syndicated TV network with the millions of dollars he’s got coming from Nigeria. Well, 1988, as much as I love and care about you, it’s time our relationship came to an end again, just like James and Natalie on Big Brother last night. NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship. 26. 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. He apparently gave WAR $1. Dave runs down the TV shows over the past month and it’s all classic stuff, like the Magnum TA-Mr. 96 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. 16. – So, Dave says goodbye and announces that this is the final issue of the Observer. A total brawl with great heat, although the DQ was called for no apparent reason. – The Wrestling Classic, scheduled to be the first ever nationally available PPV show, will feature a 16 man tournament, plus Hogan v. By Scott Keith on 5th February 2016. The PPV showdown of 1987 is upon us! It’s Vince v. Eaton did a scary kneedrop from the top rope to the ramp outside the ring for the highlight of the match. 94. And NOW the main event! Hog Wild 96 and the introduction of the Observer Hall. OK, after yesterday’s super-abbreviated edition (well the one I wrote at least, Dave was still 100,000 words into it) we’re back with a full double issue this time to recap all the stateside news! Continue reading Rants. 96. The one in 1995, although you might also assume I was talking about the NXT one recently because that one wasn’t great either. They of course had an immediate roster of excuses, mainly that it was scheduled on a night with really tough competition on TV. Ocr. 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. 95. 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. By Scott Keith on 24th July 2019. 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. Dave, however, cites the court case of Boy v. 4. 3/4. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. Wrestling Observer Flashback–06. (This is why Dave needs an editor. There’s a big main event at the Tokyo Dome! And it sure didn’t go down how anyone expected. 3. 86. 86. – 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 21,499 likes · 18,642 talking about this. – 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. 30, 1996 (Final Post for 1996) Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. At the latest WWF tapings, a guy named Mantaur debuted. – There’s very little going on due to Christmas, but Jerry Lawler did regain the USWA title from Koko B. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. – 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. – We’ll skip past the Mr. Wrestling Observer Flashback–12. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Publication date. 25. 89. Terry Funk has retired. Welcome to 1996 WCW, notes our teaser for this week. This was the one and only match in the whole tournament that actually showed why the division could. Wrestling Observer Flashback–10. You can view a sneak preview below. com archives, and any other sources I’ve checked, so we’re skipping ahead a week. (1) Ultimate Warrior & Legion of Doom & Texas Tornado (Kerry Von Erich) beat Team Demolition & Mr. 22. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. See if you can guess when we get to it. Perfect won a battle royale in 12:55. – Another quiet week in the world of wrestling, as we’re waiting for Starrcade and Superdome results. – Dave proclaims that no promotion is any hotter here in 1996, with more mainstream popularity, than NJPW is. By Scott Keith on 10th July 2016. 23. – 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. It's great historical reading of the rise and fall of wrestling's biggest boom period. 29. 87. com~!Wrestling Observer Rewind • Dec. Baba had actually been. 95. By Scott Keith on 3rd October 2019. Wrestling Observer Historical Pieces. “Which is great for wrestling, I guess. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. – 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. – So things are getting mighty crowded on TBS, in what would turn out to be a giant turning point for the wrestling industry. By Scott Keith on 4th June 2016. Dodge Iowa. 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. 90 / 07. – Speaking of wanting to be in business with them, Jimmy Hart debuts in March as Greg Valentine’s manager, and King Kong Bundy debuts to have terrible matches with Hogan. 95. – 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. 25. The Road Warriors beat the Midnight Express in a scaffold match in 3:00, which kind of ruins their videotape business, Dave thinks. ) An industry shaking death in this issue, but. 96. 93. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. Ric Flair (“He’s slowed down a bit”) 2. In fact, Dave thinks that people’s hatred of the dancing gimmick is overshadowing how much he’s improved as a worker. They even flew in Steve DiSalvo as part of the ring crew to. – 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. Lesson the Fourth: Antonio Pena is the new innovator in wrestling and everyone should listen to him. 29. 96. -Pro Wrestling 1983-1987. Slaughter for “stealing the character”. 11th January 2017 by Scott Keith. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 22. 86. 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. Well, one week left until the WWF really goes off a cliff. He was the person credited with popularizing the superplex, although he didn’t invent it. Dave thinks that the WWF is turning into more of a circus of litigation than a wrestling company. 92. ” (Now there’s an understatement!) – Based on current trends and advertising, SuperBrawl is looking to do. Obviously, doctors gave him some mumbo-jumbo diagnosis about “severe spinal disc and sciatic nerve damage”, and. *3/4. – Reportedly, World champion Mike Tyson has signed with the WWF to referee a match. 15. 96. 26, 1994 (Final Post for 1994) Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. Topics. Rants. For It’s Time. 95. Instead, in the wake of a disappointing buyrate, the decision was made to concentrate on doing better tournaments. – Next up TV ratings, which went from an average of 2. 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. 29. At one point, UWFI was one of the biggest success stories in wrestling, and in 1993, they drew 46,000 fans to a. 96. (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. The WWF drew 16000 and Crockett drew 3000, so point to Vince on that one. (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. 30. 09. 95. By Scott Keith on 1st January 2021. Public Enemy went to a double DQ with the Nasty Boys in 4:02. – And now, let’s talk about pay-per-view. 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. 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. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. 28. 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. Mike stuff and get into the main event: STARRCADE ‘84. And since “long term thinking” these days is “three. Wrestling Flashback publishes wrestling list videos, top 10’s, the history of classic. ”) 3. -. So in fact apparently there was a shitload of wrestling fans in Chicago that weekend ready to spend money, but advantage Verne on that night. 94. Mr. 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. *1/2. history-of-wcw. Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1. It’s time for SUMMERSLAM! But first, the WWF is messing with their PPV schedule again. 19 as I try to get as much done as possible in advance. Owen Hart was the second-best star of the show after Flair. And here we had gone for almost two months without a death. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 06. . Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. Here’s a shocking story to start this week’s issue: Dave is a really big fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling. 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. – The Sheik did an extremely rare job, submitting to Onita’s boston crab in just 3:18 at the latest FMW show. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. 10-28-1991. 77, or about the same as Starrcade. Dave also lists the match with the Rock N Roll Express v. – Buzz Sawyer agreed to work an indy date for Rob Russan in San Jose, and was supposed to provide the ring and some students from his wrestling school as underneath jobbers. 5-11-1987. 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. 88. 95. By Scott Keith on 14th March 2019. 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. Ah, wrestling, where one guy can beat up another guy for real and flush his head. Just for fun, here’s Dave’s Summer 1984 Rankings. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 1985. ) – 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. 96. Severn. 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. 06. Chelsea Anne Cardona (née: Green; born April 4, 1991) is a Canadian professional wrestler, stuntwoman, and model. The main event saw Tito Santana beating Bob Orton for the newly created AWF title in a *3/4 match. Wolf, where. It’s like Wrestlemania, but for NEWS. – The big story this week is Dave’s preview of the Ultimate Ultimate 96!. ABBYY FineReader 11. – In the top story, the Justice Department dropped one of the charges against Titan Sports. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. – Brad Armstrong will be coming back again, this time as the Candy Man, who throws candy to the kids as his gimmick. Main event is. 94. – Actually, first it’s a bit of political talk, as Hiroshi Hase won election to the senate in Japan. – Also on the show, Scott Norton & Tony Halme won the IWGP tag titles from the Steiner Brothers in kind of a stinker. (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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. – Over in Japan, the first ever 24 hour wrestling and martial arts network, called “Fighting TV Samurai”, launched. Trying these in the afternoon again because the blog is always SUPER dead after lunchtime. So don’t be disappointed at the lack of a review here. – In Mid-South, we get the first Observer mention of young rookie Sean Michaels in Mid-South, as he pins Jack Victory. *. 16. 88. 22. 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. 01. – Fall Brawl was great undercard wrestling, bad main event, and booking filled with more holes than Swiss Cheese. 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. Well it’s been two months. 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. 95. Bobby Eaton pinned Terrence Taylor in 15:41 with the Alabama Jam. 19. Wrestling Observer Flashback–10. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. This isn’t unique in itself, but if Idol. 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. ***1/4Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. 15. By Scott Keith on 16th December 2017. It was basically just a backdrop for the Virgil babyface turn. 08. 5 to a 2. Dave thinks it was counterproductive to kill off the Rockers like that. I’m giddy. – Kevin Sullivan is a road agent now and appears done with wrestling. 96. 11-4-1991. Wrestling Observer Flashback–11. – 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. 09. 16. While it seemingly wasn’t a major milestone in his life at that. 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. 95. Addeddate.