(This is why. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 96. Bruiser Brody (“Nobody gives an aura of violent realism. Gene Anderson, founding member of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew tag team died. Andre started in the sport at the age of 12, already 6’3”, and fell in with a. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. By Scott Keith on 22nd September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. – 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. 11. Tickets are 45,000 yen, which translates to $429, aka the most expensive wrestling tickets in history. Addeddate. 09. – The Rougeaus are telling Montreal newspapers that they’re taking a one year sabbatical from wrestling before returning late in 1990. 48 buyrate (120,000 buys) for the Great American Bash in June, with WWF doing 0. The one in 1995, although you might also assume I was talking about the NXT one recently because that one wasn’t great either. – In the top story, the Justice Department dropped one of the charges against Titan Sports. 05. He wears a buffalo head to the ring and everyone backstage was making fun of his gimmick. Ocr. Whoa oh, whoa oh, it’s Wrestlemania. By Scott Keith on 29th August 2016. By Scott Keith on 7th March 2017. And now, Dave would like to talk about PPV. – 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. They’re exclusively running small towns on the far Northern island of Japan, and mostly using lucha libre guys, which the mainstream papers didn’t really get. 30th August 2017 by Scott Keith. (Clearly Wrestlemania had not become the thing it is today, because $429 barely gets you a nosebleed seat at this point. *. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. 88. 15. 13. (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. I know, I know, I’ll give you a minute to let it sink in. Specifically, advertisers look at stuff like this and use it to justify their already terrible ad rates for pro wrestling shows. 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. Mike stuff and get into the main event: STARRCADE ‘84. 4. Dave thinks that the competition will be mostly for the better, with faster-moving storylines and better wrestling on TV. 01. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 29. But first! An update on the Shawn Michaels incident in Syracuse. . 14. 27th May 2016 by Scott Keith. In fact, Dave thinks that people’s hatred of the dancing gimmick is overshadowing how much he’s improved as a worker. 88. THE WAR IS ON. Topics. 05. I like how even the editors of the Observer site are scoring off Dave with the headline on this one. 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. 96. – On the bright side, Warrior v. 20. Collection. 2. 14. -. 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. 22. 27. 5-11-1987. By Scott Keith on 18th April 2022. – The big story this week is Dave’s preview of the Ultimate Ultimate 96!. 08. *. – 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. Pillman was a little rusty but still got an excellent match out of Wright. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 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. 20 to an average of 2. 96. 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. 16. 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. 05. 91. -The Mondo 19 most intriguing personalities of ‘86-30 key pro wrestling personalities of ‘86 with quick bios-Observer Awards, leading news stories of. This isn’t unique in itself, but if Idol. 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. 0 (Extended OCR) Ppi. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. com archives, and any other sources I’ve checked, so we’re skipping ahead a week. )3. *1/4. (This is why Dave needs an editor. By Scott Keith on 14th March 2019. The feeling is that running a show in the traditional Sunday timeslot where live shows draw will kill off the house shows. A wrestling fan creating original content for YouTube based on my love for pro-wrestling. Was shit real before? Well, it’s about to become real. 87. 27. – Reportedly, World champion Mike Tyson has signed with the WWF to referee a match. 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”. So I guess it’s a Wrestling Observer Flashback Flashback. Well, one week left until the WWF really goes off a cliff. – In the top story, the UFC has decided to drop the superfight concept after the debacle that was Shamrock v. Manuel Cruz (Jose Gonzalez) b Beauregarde;. 20. 60 and 0. – In Mid-South, we get the first Observer mention of young rookie Sean Michaels in Mid-South, as he pins Jack Victory. 30, 1996 (Final Post for 1996) Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. Newsletter, Magazine, Wrestling, WWF, WCW, All Japan, New Japan. Pillman tried a crucifix and Wright reversed it for the pin. 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. – 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. Rude/Vader tag match, the highest rating for any wrestling match on TV in more than a year. 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. Kayfabe Commentaries Releases Newest Installment of Their “Supercard” Series. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 95. Shinjiro Otani retained the UWA junior heavyweight title pinning El Samurai. – So UFC III was supposed to be another easy ride for Royce Gracie, but in fact the KING IS DEAD. The 1997 Observer Rewind shall resume this on Aug. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. Spoiler: Dave gives WarGames 3/4. By Scott Keith on 1st June 2019. – 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. – Jim Cornette continues bringing the funny. By Scott Keith on 10th July 2016. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. 567. 28. – Dave sums up the last PPV of 1996 as “solid but. 22. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. Chip screwed up early, but it was decent by the end. 3. – It’s sounding like Scott Steiner will work Halloween Havoc, but won’t be doing much. And now it’s time for the MONDAY NIGHT WARS. I just don’t think things are gonna work out for that promotion. 96. He says he was promised $2,500 and they only paid him $1,500. 94. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 16. Davey Boy Smith (“Athletically the best in the business. Dave, however, cites the court case of Boy v. Also, be sure to check out the SquaredCircle subreddit, where some dude is RIPPING OFF MY. – 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. It's great historical reading of the rise and fall of wrestling's biggest boom period. 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 – 04. 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. com~!Wrestling Observer Rewind • Dec. – 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. (Just wait until Slamboree. 23. Ocr. 96. 96. Rants. 04. Dusty missed a blind charge and got pinned by Ted for the finish, ending his WWF career. Instead, in the wake of a disappointing buyrate, the decision was made to concentrate on doing better tournaments. 09. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. 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 – 08. – San Fran is the big head-to-head battle between the AWA and WWF, and Vince won that one handily thus far. 96 (Part Two) – In the top story, “Sycle” Sid won the WWF title in the main event of the Survivor Series. 25. Oh, Dave. 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. 0 (Extended OCR) Ppi. 28. – Anyway, moving on. 2. 23. – 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. But I think it’s a pretty famous case of hotline sleaze related to Blackwell’s death. I’m actually recovering from a shoulder injury at work today but I’ll power through an Observer Flashback for you. Anyway, back to 1985 again… – The big news is that the war in St. 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 realize it at the time. ” notes Dave. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 06. – Brad Armstrong will be coming back again, this time as the Candy Man, who throws candy to the kids as his gimmick. – 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. DUD – Ric Flair still hasn’t officially signed with the WWF, but it’s a formality at this point. There are moments when you can pinpoint exactly when a major promotion started to go completely off the rails. 26. 2 million, making it the largest gate in pro wrestling history. This week is one of them. 09. Dave runs down the TV shows over the past month and it’s all classic stuff, like the Magnum TA-Mr. They even flew in Steve DiSalvo as part of the ring crew to. 96 IT’S TIME. Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. And NOW the main event! Hog Wild 96 and the introduction of the Observer Hall. Oh, and WCW tried to make a mini-movie and it didn’t go very well. 96. It’s a patented Slow News Week as we head into Summerslam, but the issue is still 10 pages. Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. The previous record was 69,000 for the Big Event. 90. – In Japan, SWS continues to alienate Japanese wrestling fans by booking WARLORD v. 19. 10. Hogan! Starrcade ‘87 v. By Scott Keith on 14th August 2016. Wrestling Observer Flashback–06. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 1. The taped episode of RAW wasn’t particularly different than any other one they’ve. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. 10. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 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. This is ridiculous on a lot of levels, most of which is actually against Zulu because he’s even worse than Mike Von Erich and in. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. 06. At 4:00, Warrior splashed Demolition Axe. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. -Pro Wrestling 1983-1987. 16. 15. Wrestlemania III was the best wrestling. By Scott Keith on 18th April 2022. 96 By Scott Keith on 15th September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Unfortunately, he was the furthest thing from an. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. – 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. 11. 15th September 2023 by Scott Keith Rants Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. 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. Wrestling Observer / Figure Four. 01. 3-28-1988. But this week, we’ve got Summerslam to attend to. 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. 3. 5. 96. 26, 1994 (Final Post for 1994) Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. 22. Warrior pinned Haku with the shoulderblock and splash in 4:48. – Dave relates a brief history of World Championship Wrestling, and how TBS purchased the company in 1988 despite their crippling debt. Back in the saddle with these again. 94. Wrestling Observer Flashback – Bret v. I’ve noticed a sudden uptick in 1985-related questions on the Wrestling Observer radio show lately. – 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. 10-21-1991. – Van Hammer won the arm wrestling tournament, beating Ron Simmons in the finals, which Dave interprets as continuing his newfound push. 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. According to Dave’s minions, there was confusion about. 21. 21. 95 (Carrying on! Another one written on or about 09. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. – Latest figures are in, and WCW is looking like a 0. NEXT WEEK: The Monday Night War begins. 95. 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. 60 (150,000 buys) for King of the Ring. 29. 18. Trying these in the afternoon again because the blog is always SUPER dead after lunchtime. 96. ark:/13960/s2tmw3h1hz8. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. You can view a sneak preview below. 06. – 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. By Scott Keith on 24th July 2019. 94. 90. 09. The team (Gene and Ole Anderson) dominated tag team. – To Mexico, where it looks like EMLL is about to split. 21,499 likes · 18,642 talking about this. Guys, it sounds like the Diamond Studd will soon be appearing in WCW again! We’ll see how that goes for them. 22. 23. By Scott Keith on 14th January 2019. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. 95. 86. Get all the news from F4WOnline. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. – Dave sums up the last PPV of 1996 as “solid but unspectacular”. – 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. – The Wrestling Classic, scheduled to be the first ever nationally available PPV show, will feature a 16 man tournament, plus Hogan v. Wrestling Observer Flashback–06. 16. -. Hosted by Sean Oliver, he welcomes guest the Honky Tonk Man as he talks about SummerSlam ’88. Although this one is dated after the Bash ‘90 PPV, the issue is written before. 94. He was the person credited with popularizing the superplex, although he didn’t invent it. 0 number predicted by. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. 26. 95. – Zulu was fired from World Class for refusing to do a job to Mike Von Erich. I’m not. 95. 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. 89. Wrestling breakup and Cornette getting his face shoved in a birthday cake. And since “long term thinking” these days is “three. – 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. 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. 96. 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. 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. Dave sarcastically notes that “it sure turned Brett Sawyer. 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. (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. – We’ll skip past the Mr. (1) Ultimate Warrior & Legion of Doom & Texas Tornado (Kerry Von Erich) beat Team Demolition & Mr. They of course had an immediate roster of excuses, mainly that it was scheduled on a night with really tough competition on TV. – 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. By Scott Keith on 4th June 2016. 4. Wrestling Observer Flashback –04. 96. – So, Dave says goodbye and announces that this is the final issue of the Observer. Pillman was playing subtle heel to start and got less subtle as the match went on. Dodge Iowa. ). 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. 11. 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. 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. – 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. – 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. – Over in Japan, the first ever 24 hour wrestling and martial arts network, called “Fighting TV Samurai”, launched. A January 1966 issue of Vue magazine featuring Bill Hook and his octopus-wrestling adventures in Victoria, B. – The Ole Anderson & Gordon Solie version of World Championship Wrestling returned to TBS on 8/13, so in fact we missed the entire Black Saturday era! – The Road Warriors won the AWA tag team titles from the Crusher & the Baron as Dave breathes a sigh of relief, and apparently this was booked very last minute because Vince. – The WWF is reportedly considering adding a weekly Saturday PPV show, according to trade journal reports. Wrestling Observer Flashback–12. 10-28-1991. Back on track after our detour back to March yesterday. 95. No one tell Donald Trump. 94. WWE News. – Also on the show, Scott Norton & Tony Halme won the IWGP tag titles from the Steiner Brothers in kind of a stinker. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. – In a story that seems small but kind of ended up heralding the end of an era in wrestling, the way. 30. Dave notes we. 96.