02. 96 September 9, 2023; Morning Daily News Update September 9, 2023; Mike Reviews WWE Capitol Punishment 2011 September 9, 2023; Question September 9, 2023; Jey Uso trade to Raw September 9, 2023; Weekend Wrestling! September 9, 2023Wrestling Observer Flashback–12. – So UFC III was supposed to be another easy ride for Royce Gracie, but in fact the KING IS DEAD. Steve Jennum was put into the finals as a last-minute. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. Piper on top. 95. 17. – The WWF is reportedly considering adding a weekly Saturday PPV show, according to trade journal reports. (This is why. 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. Trying to power through this one before UFC 200. 95. (Just wait until Slamboree. 14. Brian Pillman pinned Badstreet with a flying bodypress in the light heavyweight tournament semi-final at 6:52. – 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. 19. – In the Deep South, the main guys are Wrestling II and Tommy Rich, and they run out of Georgia. 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. 0 (Extended OCR) Ppi. He was the person credited with popularizing the superplex, although he didn’t invent it. – Van Hammer won the arm wrestling tournament, beating Ron Simmons in the finals, which Dave interprets as continuing his newfound push. 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. – In our top story, Roddy Piper made a surprise debut at the end of the Halloween Havoc show, doing what Dave describes as an “undisciplined dialogue” with Hollywood Hogan that actually ran past the expiration of their PPV time. 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. Indie wrestler Rockin' Rebel got a tryout at the tapings, and apparently upset Razor Ramon backstage because he was using some of Razor's mannerisms in the ring. He says he was promised $2,500 and they only paid him $1,500. 2. 96. Join Dave Meltzer and Brian Alvarez for coverage of the latest in wrestling and mixed-martial arts. Ocr. – But first, speculation is still running rampant in the wake of Ole Anderson getting fired as booker. The low buyrate is being. 95. 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. – 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. Thankfully, the Observer archives are fixed, so let’s get back into the swing of things again. 19. Wolf, where. 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. 1986 Wrestling Observer Yearbook. 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. 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. ”) 3. 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. Public Enemy went to a double DQ with the Nasty Boys in 4:02. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. -. 06. 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. 3-28-1988. He was at the other guys’ PPVs this year taking notes, as well as New Japan and All Japan’s major shows. Trying these in the afternoon again because the blog is always SUPER dead after lunchtime. – 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. OK, let’s try this one more time. 96. The Best of the Wrestling Observer-Greatest matches of the Observer years-15 most influential wrestlers of the past five. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 05. 20 to an average of 2. 05. – Bam Bam Bigelow is trying to get into the WWF, but word from on high is that he’s “too inexperienced”. 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. It's great historical reading of the rise and fall of wrestling's biggest boom period. 04. – Fall Brawl was great undercard wrestling, bad main event, and booking filled with more holes than Swiss Cheese. 5-11-1987. 96. 2. 4. The biggest story of the week is actually buried way down. – The Sheik did an extremely rare job, submitting to Onita’s boston crab in just 3:18 at the latest FMW show. By Scott Keith on 12th June 2016. Just for fun, here’s Dave’s Summer 1984 Rankings. – Dave relates a brief history of World Championship Wrestling, and how TBS purchased the company in 1988 despite their crippling debt. – 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. Newsletter, Magazine, Wrestling, WWF, WCW, All Japan, New Japan. 23. 567. – There’s very little going on due to Christmas, but Jerry Lawler did regain the USWA title from Koko B. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 06. 01. 96 Can I make it more than two weeks in a row? TUNE INTO NITRO TO FIND OUT! – In our top story this week, UFC presented the Ultimate Ultimate 2! Dave is really into this shit all of a sudden. – Over in Japan, the first ever 24 hour wrestling and martial arts network, called “Fighting TV Samurai”, launched. By Scott Keith on 22nd September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. At one point, UWFI was one of the biggest success stories in wrestling, and in 1993, they drew 46,000 fans to a. 16. The team (Gene and Ole Anderson) dominated tag team. 08. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. OK, 2005 posts are FINALLY complete, and I got to see Star Wars, so let’s get back to Observing. Scanner. – Also on the show, Scott Norton & Tony Halme won the IWGP tag titles from the Steiner Brothers in kind of a stinker. Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 16:23. 94. – 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. By Scott Keith on 23rd November 2017. 27. 21. Gene Anderson, founding member of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew tag team died. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. By Scott Keith on 20th September 2016. Perfect. 94. 95. See if you can guess when we get to it. *3/4. Owen won with a Rocket Launcher on Tanaka. Rants. 95. – On the bright side, Warrior v. I know, I know, what a bombshell. 87. 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. Daprice did every issue for the 90's through 2001. )3. The NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles title in Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1978 until 1984,. 16. 87. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 12. Baba apparently has plans to give Akiyama a major push down the line. 24. 21. By Scott Keith on 9th September 2016. Pillman was playing subtle heel to start and got less subtle as the match went on. 15. Wrestling Observer Historical Pieces. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. Rants. Wrestling Observer Flashback–10. 23, because for every viewer gained on Nitro, there was a viewer lost on Saturdays and it kind of averaged out. – 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. 25. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. It drew a legit sellout of 5708 to West Palm Beach. Whoa oh, whoa oh, it’s Wrestlemania. By Scott Keith on 18th April 2022. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 26. By Scott Keith on 10th July 2016. 15th September 2023 by Scott Keith Rants Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 27th May 2016 by Scott Keith. Jack Petrik would have to wage war against the WWF and spent lots of money to win, and it. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. – Kevin Sullivan is a road agent now and appears done with wrestling. 96 IT’S TIME. 90. 8 this week. – 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 19th September 2016. – Brad Armstrong will be coming back again, this time as the Candy Man, who throws candy to the kids as his gimmick. 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. FLASH REPORT FROM THE TOKYO DOME SHOW ON 1/4! 1. – 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. 27. Dave notes we. 11. (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. Oh, Dave. Wrestling Observer Flashback–07. 95, which is good but well below the 2. – 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. com & WrestlingObserver. 88. 20. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. 92. – To Mexico, where it looks like EMLL is about to split. 95. Newsletter, Magazine, Wrestling, WWF, WCW, All Japan, New Japan. Wrestling Observer Flashback: 07. 96. 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. 96. 14. 86. – 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. 90. Mid Atlantic Gateway and Wrestling Observer historical files. Publication date. 11-4-1991. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. Everything is confusing and it’s all centering on the AWA. Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. The previous record was 69,000 for the Big Event. Current talk is a rematch with Shawn Michaels at Summerslam in a ladder. – 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. 96. Apparently Bret Hart’s negotiations with WCW were so potentially fruitful that someone else is wanting to give it a try. NEXT WEEK: The Monday Night War begins. Also, be sure to check out the SquaredCircle subreddit, where some dude is RIPPING OFF MY. By Scott Keith on 27th October 2016. 93. – 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 – 06. 300. 3. 04. – Vince McMahon is apparently planning to sue Sgt. 26. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. 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. 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. – 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. 25. 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. And now, for the first time I can remember, the UFC gets the lead story. 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. 01. C. By Scott Keith on 24th July 2019. 94. 14. Wrestling Observer Flashback –04. 19. 19. 95. 30th August 2017 by Scott Keith. 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. Lots of people have claimed to have discovered him, for example. – Jim Cornette continues bringing the funny. 05. 90. 95. 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. (This is why Dave needs an editor. The PPV showdown of 1987 is upon us! It’s Vince v. 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. Identifier. 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. 95. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. 21. 04. This hold up comes on the heels of two other major stories: Hennig is supposed to be heading to WWF, meanwhile. 27. 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. – Dave is kind of shocked at the response to Wrestlemania, in that it was not only one of the biggest responses to a show that he’s ever had, but also there was pretty much no consensus on the quality of the show, with a fairly even split between thumbs up /. – The first Saturday Night show is going to be taped on 10/3, and Dave expects to heavily feature the freakshow wedding of Uncle Elmer, which will likely be even worse than the Paul Vachon wedding. 10. Wrestling Observer Flashback–11. So I guess it’s a Wrestling Observer Flashback Flashback. 19. 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. *1/4. The first wrestling move of the match came at 10:00, which was Hogan no-selling the powerbomb and making his comeback. Collection. – In Japan, SWS continues to alienate Japanese wrestling fans by booking WARLORD v. Smackdown Date: May 12, 2016 Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler. He wears a buffalo head to the ring and everyone backstage was making fun of his gimmick. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Dave thinks that the WWF is turning into more of a circus of litigation than a wrestling company. THE WAR IS ON. 90. “Hey look, it’s Joe Weider” – Not sure what that refers to, but I’m sure we’ll find out. 19 as I try to get as much done as possible in advance. 24. OK, let’s get back into these again. 11. 89. WWE News. But goddamn is “Eyes of a Stranger. 16. Wrestling Observer Flashback–12. Pillman was a little rusty but still got an excellent match out of Wright. Warrior pinned Haku with the shoulderblock and splash in 4:48. Papa Shango ran in for the DQ, and Ultimate Warrior made the save, complete with entrance music. 4. 15. Get all the news from F4WOnline. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. Rude/Vader tag match, the highest rating for any wrestling match on TV in more than a year. Wrestling Observer Rewind ★ Dec. – Reportedly, World champion Mike Tyson has signed with the WWF to referee a match. 26. 2. – San Fran is the big head-to-head battle between the AWA and WWF, and Vince won that one handily thus far. – And now, let’s talk about pay-per-view. – Anyway, moving on…. A total brawl with great heat, although the DQ was called for no apparent reason. By Scott Keith on 14th August 2016. 92. A wrestling fan creating original content for YouTube based on my love for pro-wrestling. 95. By Scott Keith on 26th May 2016. Chelsea Anne Cardona (née: Green; born April 4, 1991) is a Canadian professional wrestler, stuntwoman, and model. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. – 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. 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. 07. – Speaking of wanting to be in business with them, Jimmy Hart debuts in March as Greg Valentine’s manager, and King Kong Bundy debuts to have terrible matches with Hogan. 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. – It’s sounding like Scott Steiner will work Halloween Havoc, but won’t be doing much. THANKSGIVING FLASHBACK - November 23, 1972. 06. 5 to 2. For It’s Time. Continue reading. – The Rougeaus are telling Montreal newspapers that they’re taking a one year sabbatical from wrestling before returning late in 1990. 07. Dusty missed a blind charge and got pinned by Ted for the finish, ending his WWF career. It's a recap of the old issues of Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter. ) – 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. 27. Bruiser Brody (“Nobody gives an aura of violent realism. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. 96. 22. Dodge Iowa. ark:/13960/t2z39wg7w. 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. But this week, we’ve got Summerslam to attend to. Eaton did a scary kneedrop from the top rope to the ramp outside the ring for the highlight of the match. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. 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. 31. . – 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. 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. 4. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. ”. I believe that’s known as the Kerry Von Erich Special in wrestling. 96. 95. 06. 1. The. Wish me luck! – The top story is Dave being confused by a unique gimmick match in Memphis, with Austin Idol v. Owen Hart was the second-best star of the show after Flair. 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. By Scott Keith on 24th February 2019. 13. Perfect won a battle royale in 12:55. NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship. 02. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. 3-21-1988. – 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. – The WWF is on hiatus for a bit after WM, so Dave apologizes in advance for the light news week. Was shit real before? Well, it’s about to become real. – Next up TV ratings, which went from an average of 2. The main event. 96. Collection. – So things are getting mighty crowded on TBS, in what would turn out to be a giant turning point for the wrestling industry. – In the top story, the UFC has decided to drop the superfight concept after the debacle that was Shamrock v. Survivor Series!World Wrestling Federation presented a live pay-per-view event special live from Hartford, Conn. Warlord won a battle royale by tossing out Ricky Steamboat. I guess I’ll just be typing one-handed. Although this one is dated after the Bash ‘90 PPV, the issue is written before. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 04. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. 22. 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. Ken Wayne found the body after. This was the one and only match in the whole tournament that actually showed why the division could. – 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. *. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 18. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. 30, 1996 (Final Post for 1996) Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. By Scott Keith on 14th March 2019. Terry Funk has retired. – Dave’s opening salvo this week: “After its television show reached a new low in. So with the year in PPV finally caught up, let us venture back to the world of 1994 again, with rumors of Hulk Hogan. The Road Warriors beat the Midnight Express in a scaffold match in 3:00, which kind of ruins their videotape business, Dave thinks. Identifier-ark. They’re owned by Jody Hamilton (Nick Patrick’s dad) and they do about 200 people per show. 08. Dave has no idea how successful it’ll be. 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. Bobby Eaton pinned Chip the Firebreaker in 4:52 with a back suplex. – 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. 94. – 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–03.