Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. Wrestling Observer Historical Pieces. 25. 16. There are moments when you can pinpoint exactly when a major promotion started to go completely off the rails. 23. 94. 07. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. Dave thinks that the WWF is turning into more of a circus of litigation than a wrestling company. 90. 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. The debut of Giant Gonzalez (who was “wearing Ultimate Warrior’s old underwear”) perked things up again. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 06. The main event saw Tito Santana beating Bob Orton for the newly created AWF title in a *3/4 match. 88. *. Crockett! Dusty v. Wrestlemania III was the best wrestling. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 06. 03. THANKSGIVING FLASHBACK - November 23, 1972. Continue reading Rants. 87. Wrestling Observer Flashback –04. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Well this should do better than NWA Powerrr at least. 28. 28. Wrestling Observer Flashback–09. 96. 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. The grand plan for five days a week has been dropped and ESPN will air reruns of Pro Wrestling This Week instead. ”This is horrible, Gorilla. 11th January 2017 by Scott Keith. – Reportedly, World champion Mike Tyson has signed with the WWF to referee a match. Pillman was playing subtle heel to start and got less subtle as the match went on. 29. Also, Prime Time Wrestling is just getting destroyed on Monday nights and is down to a 1. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. 16. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. 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. At the latest WWF tapings, a guy named Mantaur debuted. wrestlingmagazinesmisc;. The show would air live every Saturday night, from New York, and would cater heavily to an. Main event is. Winner of the 2016 Doomie Award for Favorite Blog Post!. In fact, Dave thinks that people’s hatred of the dancing gimmick is overshadowing how much he’s improved as a worker. Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1. “Hey look, it’s Joe Weider” – Not sure what that refers to, but I’m sure we’ll find out. 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. The main event. He literally stole Verne’s TV slot out from under him (the AWA wasn’t even told by the station until the day the show was supposed to air!) and Verne’s big show at the Cow Palace in March as a complete debacle due to scheduling. 25. By Scott Keith on 19th September 2016. com~!Wrestling Observer Rewind • Dec. Gene Anderson, founding member of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew tag team died. Hosted by Sean Oliver, he welcomes guest the Honky Tonk Man as he talks about SummerSlam ’88. – 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. 2022-03-05 07:34:36. 96 IT’S TIME. 6. Well, that probably won’t happen again for a while. Dave runs down the TV shows over the past month and it’s all classic stuff, like the Magnum TA-Mr. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. 95. The ratings were just too low and the costs were just. 16. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. The Twin Towers beat the Rockers at 8:02 when Akeem splashed and pinned Michaels. ) – 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. 15. com archives, and any other sources I’ve checked, so we’re skipping ahead a week. Rude/Vader tag match, the highest rating for any wrestling match on TV in more than a year. 21. And now it’s time for the MONDAY NIGHT WARS. – The Sheik did an extremely rare job, submitting to Onita’s boston crab in just 3:18 at the latest FMW show. Chip screwed up early, but it was decent by the end. So let’s take a look at what’s going on in the international scene!6. ark:/13960/t2z39wg7w. 96 IT’S TIME. 14. 27. 21,499 likes · 18,642 talking about this. Mr. – In the top story, the UFC has decided to drop the superfight concept after the debacle that was Shamrock v. There’s a big main event at the Tokyo Dome! And it sure didn’t go down how anyone expected. 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. 20. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. – Inoki’s business-killing freakshow ended up drawing 11,000 people for somewhere between $800,000 – $1. 13. Sorry. 1984 Dave would chime in with “but luckily WWF isn’t wrestling” or something equally snarky, but mellower 1986. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 96. – 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. – Actually, first it’s a bit of political talk, as Hiroshi Hase won election to the senate in Japan. 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. – Over in Japan, the first ever 24 hour wrestling and martial arts network, called “Fighting TV Samurai”, launched. By Scott Keith on 24th July 2019. 4. – 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. 95 (Carrying on! Another one written on or about 09. 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 – 01. By Scott Keith on 9th November 2017. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. 19. 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. 18. 96. 28. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. – Antonio Inoki is trying to get into the boxer v. 96 Can I make it more than. 21. 95. Just for fun, here’s Dave’s Summer 1984 Rankings. I know, I know, I’ll give you a minute to let it sink in. Dave also lists the match with the Rock N Roll Express v. ) An industry shaking death in this issue, but. According to Dave’s minions, there was confusion about. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 20. Kayfabe Commentaries Releases Newest Installment of Their “Supercard” Series. Dodge Iowa. 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. Rants. 09. Also, be sure to check out the SquaredCircle subreddit, where some dude is RIPPING OFF MY. WWE News. 04. Survivor Series!World Wrestling Federation presented a live pay-per-view event special live from Hartford, Conn. 19. He apparently gave WAR $1. 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,. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. 16. 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. Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. 03. The WWF drew 16000 and Crockett drew 3000, so point to Vince on that one. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. – The really big news coming out of the first head-to-head meeting of RAW and Nitro is that WCW immediately took the lead in the ratings war, with a 2. ”. 7th. 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. Observer Flashbacks; Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. 29. 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. – 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. Production quality was high, the wrestling quality not so much. 23. 87. The 85 issues are quite a trip, since it’s a very different writing style than even these ones. Buyrate looks to be between 0. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. – 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 Flashback – 04. In fact, even today I’m not sure that those title switches are counted as part of the “real” count of Flair’s title reigns because the NWA did such a bang-up job of denial that. 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. 96 (Part Two) – In the top story, “Sycle” Sid won the WWF title in the main event of the Survivor Series. Dave thinks that the competition will be mostly for the better, with faster-moving storylines and better wrestling on TV. Back in the saddle with these again. 05. – The show drew 7000 with 4700 paid and a $94,000 house. Scanner. 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. Thankfully, the Observer archives are fixed, so let’s get back into the swing of things again. 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. Instead, in the wake of a disappointing buyrate, the decision was made to concentrate on doing better tournaments. 0 number predicted by. – 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. 27th May 2016 by Scott Keith. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. Lesson the Fourth: Antonio Pena is the new innovator in wrestling and everyone should listen to him. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. – 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. 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. – 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. 02. 96. 0-1. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. – 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. 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”. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Wrestling Observer Flashback–10. Tenryu as the main event of a show on 2/7. 60 and 0. By Scott Keith on 22nd September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 25. 96. It’s like Wrestlemania, but for NEWS. 26. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 95. Well it’s been two months. Michaels worked his ass off, although it came out later that he was hungover and stoned at the time. 18. So don’t be disappointed at the lack of a review here. 95. Tenta was pretty over during his one appearance, so EMLL is trying to get him back. 95. – Latest figures are in, and WCW is looking like a 0. I believe that’s known as the Kerry Von Erich Special in wrestling. By Scott Keith on 14th March 2019. Publication date. – 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. 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. (This is why Dave needs an editor. This should be good. By Scott Keith on 27th October 2016. ”. When it comes to catching and wrestling a giant. 30. It’s the year end awards issue! Lots to argue about here, I’m sure. Wrestling Observer Flashback–10. 18. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. Unfortunately, he was the furthest thing from an. 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. Scanner. Also, ROYAL RUMBLE. 2 victory. 08. The Road Warriors beat the Midnight Express in a scaffold match in 3:00, which kind of ruins their videotape business, Dave thinks. Smackdown Date: May 12, 2016 Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler. Trying these in the afternoon again because the blog is always SUPER dead after lunchtime. The taped episode of RAW wasn’t particularly different than any other one they’ve. 94. 05. – 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. The PPV showdown of 1987 is upon us! It’s Vince v. Wrestling Observer Flashback–11. And NOW the main event! Hog Wild 96 and the introduction of the Observer Hall. Wrestling Observer Flashback: 07. 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. 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. 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. (Just wait until Slamboree. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. Nasties sold well at least. ” (Now there’s an understatement!) – Based on current trends and advertising, SuperBrawl is looking to do. Couldn’t do this one last night, because Daredevil is a thing that exists. 96 By Scott Keith on 15th September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Steve Jennum was put into the finals as a last-minute. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. By Scott Keith on 18th April 2022. – Brad Armstrong will be coming back again, this time as the Candy Man, who throws candy to the kids as his gimmick. – 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. 26, 1994 (Final Post for 1994) Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. 91. 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. And now, Dave would like to talk about PPV. – So UFC III was supposed to be another easy ride for Royce Gracie, but in fact the KING IS DEAD. Bruiser Brody (“Nobody gives an aura of violent realism. 06. Ted Dibiase & Virgil beat Dusty & Dustin Rhodes at 9:57. 01. The suit alleges unfair competition, trademark. Terry Funk has retired. 88. 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. 11. 86. 96. 09. 05. – And now, let’s talk about pay-per-view. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. 96. 27. Eaton did a scary kneedrop from the top rope to the ramp outside the ring for the highlight of the match. 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. 567. Nasty Boys retained the tag titles over the Bushwackers in 6:46. . Sid actually drew pretty big on the East coast, doing 11,000 at the Nassau Coliseum and 8000 in Philly. 22. 26. 96. A total brawl with great heat, although the DQ was called for no apparent reason. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 26. -. 15. Apparently Bret Hart’s negotiations with WCW were so potentially fruitful that someone else is wanting to give it a try. 96. Anyway, back to 1985 again… – The big news is that the war in St. 01. He wears a buffalo head to the ring and everyone backstage was making fun of his gimmick. Papa Shango ran in for the DQ, and Ultimate Warrior made the save, complete with entrance music. Wrestling Observer Flashback–12. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. 04. – The top story is the apparent end of Pacific Northwest Wrestling, as the TV show was abruptly cancelled by the TV station after 38 years on the air. – San Fran is the big head-to-head battle between the AWA and WWF, and Vince won that one handily thus far. So apparently the WrestleWar 92 issue (05/25/92) is missing from the F4WOnline. 15. 90. – It’s sounding like Scott Steiner will work Halloween Havoc, but won’t be doing much. 1. 25. 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. By on 9th March 2017. 28. – On the bright side, Warrior v. – The WWF announced that the Wrestling Classic did about 60,000 buys on PPV, which was 200,000 less than their announced projections. – 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. Oh, Dave. 5 million as a startup amount and NOW got $480,000, and once they’ve blown through that, he’s done. 96 Remember how in last week’s issue, Kevin Nash had until the weekend to make up his mind about leaving…? – In the top story, Kevin Nash officially gave notice to the WWF that he’d be accepting an offer from WCW, via phone call to Vince McMahon on 3/5. Rants. By Scott Keith on 18th October 2016. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. – In Japan, SWS continues to alienate Japanese wrestling fans by booking WARLORD v. Whoa oh, whoa oh, it’s Wrestlemania. Here’s a shocking story to start this week’s issue: Dave is a really big fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling. – 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. 04. OK, 2005 posts are FINALLY complete, and I got to see Star Wars, so let’s get back to Observing. This was the one and only match in the whole tournament that actually showed why the division could. 94. – 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. – The big story this week is Dave’s preview of the Ultimate Ultimate 96!. window replacement in Elkhart, IN. 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. 3-21-1988. Although this one is dated after the Bash ‘90 PPV, the issue is written before. – 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. While it seemingly wasn’t a major milestone in his life at that. 10. -. 95. (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–02. – Art Barr’s petition for a wrestling license was denied by the commission once again. 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. Piper on top. 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. 95. – Andre’s beginnings in the sport are something of a mystery. 3/4. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. A wrestling fan creating original content for YouTube based on my love for pro-wrestling. 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. 19. 5-4-1987. 11. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 3.