Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1. 10. – 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. Instead, in the wake of a disappointing buyrate, the decision was made to concentrate on doing better tournaments. It’s a patented Slow News Week as we head into Summerslam, but the issue is still 10 pages. 22. By Dave Meltzer Nov 21, 2023. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 88. WWE News. 19. 94. – Zulu was fired from World Class for refusing to do a job to Mike Von Erich. Well, sort of. – Anyway, moving on. )3. Well, one week left until the WWF really goes off a cliff. Pillman was playing subtle heel to start and got less subtle as the match went on. 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 COLD WAR in Toronto. Wolf, where. The ratings were just too low and the costs were just. 25. 1. 87. Addeddate. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Trying to power through this one before UFC 200. 96 Apparently it’s time for WCW to get rowdy. – 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. 2 million, making it the largest gate in pro wrestling history. Sorry. Rants. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback–06. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. 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. And now, for the first time I can remember, the UFC gets the lead story. Publication date. – So, Dave says goodbye and announces that this is the final issue of the Observer. And now it’s time for the MONDAY NIGHT WARS. 92. “Which is great for wrestling, I guess. – We’ll skip past the Mr. Jerry Lawler in a cage match where the loser gets his head shaved. 03. It was basically just a backdrop for the Virgil babyface turn. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. (1) Ultimate Warrior & Legion of Doom & Texas Tornado (Kerry Von Erich) beat Team Demolition & Mr. Wrestling Observer Flashback–12. 11th January 2017 by Scott Keith. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. – Although the WWF had “by far” the superior show, WCW won the ratings battle with a 2. 02. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 94. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. 94. 09. 27th May 2016 by Scott Keith. Basically Vince sent his PR people to the magazine to produce what Phil Mushnick of the New York Post (no relation to Sam or Irv, Dave notes, although we’ll get to know Phil very well in later years) called a “six page. And since “long term thinking” these days is “three. – In a story that seems small but kind of ended up heralding the end of an era in wrestling, the way. 08. 90. By Scott Keith on 18th October 2016. – Dave sums up the last PPV of 1996 as “solid but. -. *. Collection. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. ”This is horrible, Gorilla. (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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. Daprice did every issue for the 90's through 2001. D if wrestling was fake and got slapped around pretty good as a result. By Scott Keith on 1st June 2019. – 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. It’s kind of hard to say what to expect around here as the show has been bouncing back and forth between focusing on the Intercontinental Title feud and then the World Title situation. Oh, Dave. 10-28-1991. I know, I know, I’ll give you a minute to let it sink in. 22. 86. – 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. 95. Curiosity over Kevin’s return is. – 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. 95. 2022-03-05 07:34:36. ”) 3. 06. 77, or about the same as Starrcade. For It’s Time. Rude/Vader tag match, the highest rating for any wrestling match on TV in more than a year. 96. – 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–08. There are moments when you can pinpoint exactly when a major promotion started to go completely off the rails. Ah, wrestling, where one guy can beat up another guy for real and flush his head. *3/4. 24. 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. 95. 96. 96. It’s like Wrestlemania, but for NEWS. 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. (Clearly Wrestlemania had not become the thing it is today, because $429 barely gets you a nosebleed seat at this point. Louis is finally over, and the WWF has won. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. 3. 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. So I guess it’s a Wrestling Observer Flashback Flashback. No one tell Donald Trump. 29. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 16. 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. 01. By Scott Keith on 1st January 2021. 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. 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. Oh, and WCW tried to make a mini-movie and it didn’t go very well. – 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. 20. 96. 0 number predicted by. Dave thinks it was counterproductive to kill off the Rockers like that. 88. 95. Ware on 12/14, as expected. He says he was promised $2,500 and they only paid him $1,500. Topics. 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. 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. (This is why. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. 96. 14. 96. 5 to a 2. 27. 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. Production quality was high, the wrestling quality not so much. Wrestling Observer Flashback–10. 89. By Scott Keith on 19th March 2016. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. 21. It’s a patented Slow News Week as we head into Summerslam, but the issue is still 10 pages. The Vancouver version of the NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship was the major singles title in two National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated Vancouver territories. 04. 95. Identifier. THE WAR IS ON. 4. 27. 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. Ric Flair pinned Butch Reed in 14:13 to earn a tag title shot at Starrcade. – Another quiet week in the world of wrestling, as we’re waiting for Starrcade and Superdome results. 86. Mid Atlantic Gateway and Wrestling Observer historical files. 28. 23. The WWF drew 16000 and Crockett drew 3000, so point to Vince on that one. Rants. ”. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. Wrestling Observer Flashback–01. 24. 07. 26. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. 96. 22. Mr. Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. Perfect. Nasties sold well at least. The debut of Giant Gonzalez (who was “wearing Ultimate Warrior’s old underwear”) perked things up again. They’re owned by Jody Hamilton (Nick Patrick’s dad) and they do about 200 people per show. 96 IT’S TIME. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. ” (Now there’s an understatement!) – Based on current trends and advertising, SuperBrawl is looking to do. 96 IT’S TIME. By Scott Keith on 1st October 2017. -Pro Wrestling 1983-1987. 21,499 likes · 18,642 talking about this. – 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. Slaughter for “stealing the character”. Apparently Bret Hart’s negotiations with WCW were so potentially fruitful that someone else is wanting to give it a try. Mike stuff and get into the main event: STARRCADE ‘84. 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. – 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. So let’s take a look at what’s going on in the international scene!6. . By Scott Keith on 29th August 2016. The feeling is that running a show in the traditional Sunday timeslot where live shows draw will kill off the house shows. Back in the saddle with these again. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. “Hey look, it’s Joe Weider” – Not sure what that refers to, but I’m sure we’ll find out. By Scott Keith on 20th September 2016. NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship. Chelsea Anne Cardona (née: Green; born April 4, 1991) is a Canadian professional wrestler, stuntwoman, and model. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Shinjiro Otani retained the UWA junior heavyweight title pinning El Samurai. 86. By Scott Keith on 18th April 2022. 23. 96. – Chris was of course around wrestling dressing rooms his whole life, and idolized Kerry in junior high to the point where he’d dress and act like him. 60 (150,000 buys) for King of the Ring. So apparently the WrestleWar 92 issue (05/25/92) is missing from the F4WOnline. The NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles title in Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1978 until 1984,. 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 – 08. 5-4-1987. 95. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. OK, 2005 posts are FINALLY complete, and I got to see Star Wars, so let’s get back to Observing. Wrestling Flashback publishes wrestling list videos, top 10’s, the history of classic. 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. 94. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. . – 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. When it comes to catching and wrestling a giant. Also, Prime Time Wrestling is just getting destroyed on Monday nights and is down to a 1. – 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. 06. Dave sarcastically notes that “it sure turned Brett Sawyer. FLASH REPORT FROM THE TOKYO DOME SHOW ON 1/4! 1. 1985. 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. So with the year in PPV finally caught up, let us venture back to the world of 1994 again, with rumors of Hulk Hogan. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 96. Topics. com archives, and any other sources I’ve checked, so we’re skipping ahead a week. But it probably bombed because it was clearly a throwaway show. – The show drew 7000 with 4700 paid and a $94,000 house. – Eddie Gilbert was found dead in his apartment in Puerto Rico on 2/18, at age 33. 19. 19. 88. Join Dave Meltzer and Brian Alvarez for coverage of the latest in wrestling and mixed-martial arts. 96 (Part Two) – In the top story, “Sycle” Sid won the WWF title in the main event of the Survivor Series. 2. Perfect won a battle royale in 12:55. 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”. By Scott Keith on 9th September 2016. – 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. 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. Dave has no idea how successful it’ll be. 5. 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. 2. – The Sheik did an extremely rare job, submitting to Onita’s boston crab in just 3:18 at the latest FMW show. – 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. 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. – Hachiro Tanaka, the money guy behind SWS and WAR and a bunch of other groups, is reportedly tired of losing money in the wrestling business and wants out, according to the Takano brothers. – The big story this week is Dave’s preview of the Ultimate Ultimate 96!. – In Mid-South, we get the first Observer mention of young rookie Sean Michaels in Mid-South, as he pins Jack Victory. 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. 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. Inoki pinned Leon Spinks in the eighth round of whatever their match was supposed to be, cradling him after a double-leg and getting a five count. wrestling business himself, negotiating with Buster Douglas for a Tokyo Dome show in March. 95. I feel like that can’t be a coincidence. 96. – So things are getting mighty crowded on TBS, in what would turn out to be a giant turning point for the wrestling industry. 07. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. 95. 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. WWE Raw draws strong ratings despite historic NFL competition. 05. You can view a sneak preview below. 15. 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. 29. Thankfully, the Observer archives are fixed, so let’s get back into the swing of things again. – The WWF continues to insist that Summerslam sold 80,000 tickets in the first day, and also announced several new matches for the show: Tatanka v. window replacement in Elkhart, IN. 95. 95. – 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. 96 (Part Two) – In the top story, “Sycle” Sid won the WWF title in the main event of the Survivor Series. 95. 02. He wears a buffalo head to the ring and everyone backstage was making fun of his gimmick. The. – Interestingly, the WWF was shown to be popular with 18-25 year olds, with men twice as well represented as women. Kayfabe Commentaries Releases Newest Installment of Their “Supercard” Series. Although this one is dated after the Bash ‘90 PPV, the issue is written before. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. – Van Hammer won the arm wrestling tournament, beating Ron Simmons in the finals, which Dave interprets as continuing his newfound push. Baba apparently has plans to give Akiyama a major push down the line. By Scott Keith on 24th July 2019. 0-1. For It’s Time. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 5-11-1987. Lesson the Fourth: Antonio Pena is the new innovator in wrestling and everyone should listen to him. Sid actually drew pretty big on the East coast, doing 11,000 at the Nassau Coliseum and 8000 in Philly. OK, let’s try this one more time. And here we had gone for almost two months without a death. – In the top story, the UFC has decided to drop the superfight concept after the debacle that was Shamrock v. This isn’t unique in itself, but if Idol. 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. 25. 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. on November 22, 1990 – “Survivor Series ’90. 3-28-1988. 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. 04. 15th September 2023 by Scott Keith Rants Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. He apparently gave WAR $1. 91. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. 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. 94. 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. 95. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. – In the Deep South, the main guys are Wrestling II and Tommy Rich, and they run out of Georgia. 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. 10-21-1991. The one in 1995, although you might also assume I was talking about the NXT one recently because that one wasn’t great either. 96. The taped episode of RAW wasn’t particularly different than any other one they’ve. Eaton did a scary kneedrop from the top rope to the ramp outside the ring for the highlight of the match. NEXT WEEK: The Monday Night War begins. Wrestling Observer Flashback–11. By Scott Keith on 23rd November 2017. – 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. – As the date of his trail approached and the firestorm of publicity continued unabated, Barr managed to plea bargain down to first degree sexual abuse with 180 hours of community service and 2. 1. Public Enemy went to a double DQ with the Nasty Boys in 4:02. Jim Herd has already killed the wrestling business, and now he’s working on killing the magic business. 5 million as a startup amount and NOW got $480,000, and once they’ve blown through that, he’s done. 13. 90. 16. 19. 96. Baba had actually been. According to Dave’s minions, there was confusion about. – Dave proclaims that no promotion is any hotter here in 1996, with more mainstream popularity, than NJPW is. By Scott Keith on 22nd September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. ABBYY FineReader 11. 1. – On the bright side, Warrior v. Wrestling Observer Flashback–07. Wrestling Observer Flashback–11. – 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. Terry Funk has retired. – The Wrestling Classic, scheduled to be the first ever nationally available PPV show, will feature a 16 man tournament, plus Hogan v. But goddamn is “Eyes of a Stranger. 90. At the latest WWF tapings, a guy named Mantaur debuted. By Scott Keith on 22nd September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. We’re almost there! One week left! – It’s almost time for the new fall season of wrestling, and it’s a big one. 23. wrestlingmagazinesmisc;. 93. *1/4. The team (Gene and Ole Anderson) dominated tag team. 96. By Scott Keith on 16th December 2017. 96. 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,. – 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. *. – 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. 05. Dave runs down the TV shows over the past month and it’s all classic stuff, like the Magnum TA-Mr. 90. 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. Dave also lists the match with the Rock N Roll Express v. Bobby Eaton pinned Terrence Taylor in 15:41 with the Alabama Jam. 86.