Tenta was pretty over during his one appearance, so EMLL is trying to get him back. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. 17. 11. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. 09. The show would air live every Saturday night, from New York, and would cater heavily to an. – So UFC III was supposed to be another easy ride for Royce Gracie, but in fact the KING IS DEAD. Topics. Identifier-ark. – Paul Heyman was indefinitely suspended on 10/7 for reasons that are still unknown at press time (still unknown to this day, in fact!) and this is gonna mess up their plans big because the (don’t call it a ) booking committee wanted to switch him back from announcer to manager if they could strike a deal with Rick Rude. Survivor Series!World Wrestling Federation presented a live pay-per-view event special live from Hartford, Conn. 26. FLASH REPORT FROM THE TOKYO DOME SHOW ON 1/4! 1. By Scott Keith on 24th February 2019. Well this should do better than NWA Powerrr at least. 3. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. GROUP #2: Nobuhiko Takada is forming the UWFi (Union of Pro Wrestling Force International) and they’ll also be running Korakuen Hall, in May, and. – 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. Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1. 07. The grand plan for five days a week has been dropped and ESPN will air reruns of Pro Wrestling This Week instead. 11. By Scott Keith on 10th July 2016. 95, which is good but well below the 2. 96 IT’S TIME. The Twin Towers beat the Rockers at 8:02 when Akeem splashed and pinned Michaels. 09. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. ” (Now there’s an understatement!) – Based on current trends and advertising, SuperBrawl is looking to do. – 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. 5 to 2. Wrestling Observer Flashback–06. 24. Which is still 10 pages long. Slaughter for “stealing the character”. So don’t be disappointed at the lack of a review here. ark:/13960/s2tmw3h1hz8. – 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. – Vince then called the show, FURIOUS about the misleading edit (POT, KETTLE, BLACK) and questioning the credibility of Bruno, who clearly had an axe to grind, and Alex Marvez, who dared to question the WWF’s commitment to testing after announcing it five times and not delivering. By Scott Keith on 19th September 2016. 04. 11. By Scott Keith on 1st October 2017. For It’s Time. – Jim Cornette continues bringing the funny. 18. – 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. Specifically, advertisers look at stuff like this and use it to justify their already terrible ad rates for pro wrestling shows. 02. Jack Petrik would have to wage war against the WWF and spent lots of money to win, and it. . 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. I was actually going to redo the Halloween Havoc 90 rant based on the full PPV version that I’ve never seen…but the Network only has the Turner Home Video version. Ocr. 90. – 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. – 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. Well, one week left until the WWF really goes off a cliff. Ric Flair pinned Butch Reed in 14:13 to earn a tag title shot at Starrcade. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. The 85 issues are quite a trip, since it’s a very different writing style than even these ones. So you picked a great time to start reading! – In the top story, Jerry Lawler was accused of being a very, very bad boy. Wrestling Observer Historical Pieces. *. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 06. 19 as I try to get as much done as possible in advance. The one in 1995, although you might also assume I was talking about the NXT one recently because that one wasn’t great either. – Kevin Sullivan is a road agent now and appears done with wrestling. A January 1966 issue of Vue magazine featuring Bill Hook and his octopus-wrestling adventures in Victoria, B. It drew a legit sellout of 5708 to West Palm Beach. – Actually, first it’s a bit of political talk, as Hiroshi Hase won election to the senate in Japan. 05. See if you can guess when we get to it. 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. Also, be sure to check out the SquaredCircle subreddit, where some dude is RIPPING OFF MY. 26, 1994 (Final Post for 1994) Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. 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. -. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. – 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. I think once I wrap up 88 I’ll continue into 1989, and then when we reach the end of THAT year, we’ll go back to 1985 again. 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. 03. – Zulu was fired from World Class for refusing to do a job to Mike Von Erich. Spoiler: Dave gives WarGames 3/4. 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. 26. But this week, we’ve got Summerslam to attend to. – Flair defended the World title on a pair of Mid-South shows in Oklahoma, but there’s no plans or indications of Watts joining the NWA. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. -. -. 3-28-1988. Um, never mind. It was basically just a backdrop for the Virgil babyface turn. Terry Funk has retired. By Scott Keith on 22nd August 2022. 26. com~!Wrestling Observer Rewind • Dec. Dusty missed a blind charge and got pinned by Ted for the finish, ending his WWF career. 10. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. Back on track after our detour back to March yesterday. 94. THANKSGIVING FLASHBACK - November 23, 1972. 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”. Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1. The feeling is that running a show in the traditional Sunday timeslot where live shows draw will kill off the house shows. Rants. 95. Bobby Eaton pinned Chip the Firebreaker in 4:52 with a back suplex. 1. 5. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. Couldn’t do this one last night, because Daredevil is a thing that exists. 20 to an average of 2. He was at the other guys’ PPVs this year taking notes, as well as New Japan and All Japan’s major shows. So apparently the WrestleWar 92 issue (05/25/92) is missing from the F4WOnline. 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. (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. 6. While it seemingly wasn’t a major milestone in his life at that. – 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. – 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. 12. – Also on the show, Scott Norton & Tony Halme won the IWGP tag titles from the Steiner Brothers in kind of a stinker. Wrestling Flashback publishes wrestling list videos, top 10’s, the history of classic. – Bam Bam Bigelow is trying to get into the WWF, but word from on high is that he’s “too inexperienced”. – 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. By Scott Keith on 4th June 2016. 95. He apparently gave WAR $1. 0 (Extended OCR) Ppi. Wrestling Observer Flashback–09. ark:/13960/t2z39wg7w. Wrestling Observer Flashback–12. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Nasties sold well at least. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. 1985 Wrestling Observer Yearbook. 94. 96 (Part Two) – In the top story, “Sycle” Sid won the WWF title in the main event of the Survivor Series. It's great historical reading of the rise and fall of wrestling's biggest boom period. (Just wait until Slamboree. 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. Welcome to 1996 WCW, notes our teaser for this week. These words open the issue this week, because Wrestlemania IV is in the books and, well, it was not pretty. 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. – Anyway, moving on. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. The 1997 Observer Rewind shall resume this on Aug. Chip screwed up early, but it was decent by the end. 300. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. 23. 09. Rants. 6. There are moments when you can pinpoint exactly when a major promotion started to go completely off the rails. The PPV showdown of 1987 is upon us! It’s Vince v. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. But goddamn is “Eyes of a Stranger. – Interestingly, the WWF was shown to be popular with 18-25 year olds, with men twice as well represented as women. 22. 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. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. Sorry. It’s the year end awards issue! Lots to argue about here, I’m sure. Back in the saddle with these again. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. The biggest story of the week is actually buried way down. – Antonio Inoki is trying to get into the boxer v. Did you think that Best of ECW Volumes 1 and 2 was as EXTREME as the blog was getting this week? Then prepare yourself, because it’s time for WCW UNCENSORED!– The weirdest story of the week comes from Japan (shocking, I know) where Lou Thesz is making waves in the business again. C. The main event. Perfect. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Instead, in the wake of a disappointing buyrate, the decision was made to concentrate on doing better tournaments. Ken Wayne found the body after. Ware on 12/14, as expected. 28. – In the Deep South, the main guys are Wrestling II and Tommy Rich, and they run out of Georgia. wrestling business himself, negotiating with Buster Douglas for a Tokyo Dome show in March. 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. – 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. 29. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. 01. 27. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. – 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. 96. 03. By Scott Keith on 14th March 2019. A total brawl with great heat, although the DQ was called for no apparent reason. 03. 16. – It’s COLD WAR in Toronto. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. 95. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Big John Tenta pinned Koji Kitao with an elbowdrop in 6:10. OK, let’s try this one more time. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. Louis is finally over, and the WWF has won. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. Thankfully, the Observer archives are fixed, so let’s get back into the swing of things again. 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. 96. 96. By Scott Keith on 19th April 2016. 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. Wrestling Observer / Figure Four. Hosted by Sean Oliver, he welcomes guest the Honky Tonk Man as he talks about SummerSlam ’88. – 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. For It’s Time. Maybe if I skim over the Eddie Gilbert stuff it’ll get done easier. – 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. D if wrestling was fake and got slapped around pretty good as a result. You can view a sneak preview below. history-of-wcw. Continue reading Rants. They of course had an immediate roster of excuses, mainly that it was scheduled on a night with really tough competition on TV. 22. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. Dave, however, cites the court case of Boy v. 29. *1/2. By Scott Keith on 15th March 2021. 87. But it probably bombed because it was clearly a throwaway show. By Scott Keith on 18th April 2022. It’s just getting to be too much work to do the bookkeeping and maintenance for 800 people instead of 200, especially when he’s already got a full-time job now as editor for a soccer magazine. 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. 96. 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. 5 million as a startup amount and NOW got $480,000, and once they’ve blown through that, he’s done. 23, because for every viewer gained on Nitro, there was a viewer lost on Saturdays and it kind of averaged out. 2. 90. Wrestling Observer Flashback–10. 04. 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. Dodge Iowa. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. *. Dave thinks that the WWF is turning into more of a circus of litigation than a wrestling company. – 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. 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. 04. 5. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. 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. – In Mid-South, we get the first Observer mention of young rookie Sean Michaels in Mid-South, as he pins Jack Victory. Baba apparently has plans to give Akiyama a major push down the line. 23. – Dave brings up the example of New Japan’s light heavyweight division taking off and Stampede Wrestling’s mid-heavyweight division, although of course Stampede tended to produce talent that left for greener pastures instead of. Despite the strained relationship, Florida still bills itself as NWA wrestling. Dave thinks it was counterproductive to kill off the Rockers like that. Louis Wrestling Club from running. Perfect won a battle royale in 12:55. It’s week 3 of the WWF title being held hostage by Diesel! But don’t worry, this can’t possibly last very long. By Scott Keith on 18th April 2022. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 14. 95. Ted Dibiase & Virgil beat Dusty & Dustin Rhodes at 9:57. I know, I know, I’ll give you a minute to let it sink in. 0 number predicted by. 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. 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. Ocr. 95. 95. 25. WWE Raw draws strong ratings despite historic NFL competition. He wears a buffalo head to the ring and everyone backstage was making fun of his gimmick. – Dave sums up the last PPV of 1996 as “solid but. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 96. – Dave gets a funny bit when he notes that ever since taking over as booker, Dundee has suddenly gained amazing recuperative powers in his matches. Also, ROYAL RUMBLE. 95. – 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. ABBYY FineReader 11. 26. 95. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. – 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. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback–06. Nasty Boys retained the tag titles over the Bushwackers in 6:46. Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. 21. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. A wrestling fan creating original content for YouTube based on my love for pro-wrestling. 88. – 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. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 95. 96. 5-4-1987. 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”. 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. 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. By Scott Keith on 9th November 2017. 94. By Scott Keith on 16th December 2017. Collection. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. I like how even the editors of the Observer site are scoring off Dave with the headline on this one. 2 victory. I’ve noticed a sudden uptick in 1985-related questions on the Wrestling Observer radio show lately. Topics. Daprice did every issue for the 90's through 2001. 16. By Scott Keith on 1st January 2021. At one point, UWFI was one of the biggest success stories in wrestling, and in 1993, they drew 46,000 fans to a. 15. Continue reading. 0 (Extended OCR) Ppi. 10. Scanner. At the latest WWF tapings, a guy named Mantaur debuted. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. The Best of the Wrestling Observer-Greatest matches of the Observer years-15 most influential wrestlers of the past five. 86. 95. – There’s very little going on due to Christmas, but Jerry Lawler did regain the USWA title from Koko B. 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. Man, so people REALLY did not like that In Your House show. Wrestling Observer Flashback–09. – But first, speculation is still running rampant in the wake of Ole Anderson getting fired as booker. 5 to a 2. 16. Wrestling Observer Flashback–01. 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. 1. Bruiser Brody (“Nobody gives an aura of violent realism. – In the top story, Sports Illustrated had a story on the WWF in March, and no one in mainstream media really gave a shit. – Next up TV ratings, which went from an average of 2. 96 Can I make it more than. Owen Hart was the second-best star of the show after Flair. 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. – The Wrestling Classic, scheduled to be the first ever nationally available PPV show, will feature a 16 man tournament, plus Hogan v. 08. 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. 92. Wrestling Observer Flashback: 07. Time to welcome in 2021 with everyone’s favorite blog column! And to celebrate, I’m currently three drinks in with “Best Rock of 1988” on Spotify in the background, so hopefully I’ve got lots to snark on tonight. – In the top story, the UFC has decided to drop the superfight concept after the debacle that was Shamrock v. But don’t be fooled by the Slow News, as two major promotions actually reach their finales this week, although we didn’t realize it at the time. Dave notes we. *. – Brad Armstrong will be coming back again, this time as the Candy Man, who throws candy to the kids as his gimmick. – Dave reviews the 1/21 MSG show (which did NOT sell out, he notes, although he assumes that the War to Settle the Score sold out both the arena and the Felt Forum):Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. 01. Oh, Dave. Dave sarcastically notes that “it sure turned Brett Sawyer. Scanner. 29. Here’s a shocking story to start this week’s issue: Dave is a really big fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling. But first! An update on the Shawn Michaels incident in Syracuse. 18. The suit alleges unfair competition, trademark. 19. Gene Anderson, founding member of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew tag team died. 96. I know, I know, what a bombshell. By Scott Keith on 3rd October 2019. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 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. Pillman was a little rusty but still got an excellent match out of Wright. There’s a big main event at the Tokyo Dome! And it sure didn’t go down how anyone expected. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. 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”. 77, or about the same as Starrcade. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. (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. 15. 94. 95. 19. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. 16. ).