The Twin Towers beat the Rockers at 8:02 when Akeem splashed and pinned Michaels. 11. Sorry. – 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. The one in 1995, although you might also assume I was talking about the NXT one recently because that one wasn’t great either. But it probably bombed because it was clearly a throwaway show. 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. 89. Daprice did every issue for the 90's through 2001. A total brawl with great heat, although the DQ was called for no apparent reason. 21. So with the year in PPV finally caught up, let us venture back to the world of 1994 again, with rumors of Hulk Hogan. So you picked a great time to start reading! – In the top story, Jerry Lawler was accused of being a very, very bad boy. 1. 09. 88. 95. 94. – 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. – 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. – Kevin Sullivan is a road agent now and appears done with wrestling. Crockett! Dusty v. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. It's a recap of the old issues of Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 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. 03. Papa Shango ran in for the DQ, and Ultimate Warrior made the save, complete with entrance music. The main event saw Tito Santana beating Bob Orton for the newly created AWF title in a *3/4 match. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. – Dave proclaims that no promotion is any hotter here in 1996, with more mainstream popularity, than NJPW is. 04. 06. 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 – 07. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. 28. This was the one and only match in the whole tournament that actually showed why the division could. By Scott Keith on 14th August 2016. – 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. 96. Main event is. 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. 15. 3. 18. Scanner. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. By Scott Keith on 9th November 2017. Oh, and WCW tried to make a mini-movie and it didn’t go very well. NEXT WEEK: The Monday Night War begins. Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1. 94. The theory at the beginning was that the “universe” would increase exponentially as more homes got PPV, but now it’s apparent that there’s a set number of wrestling fans out there who will buy these things and adding more homes doesn’t mean automatically adding the same percentage of buys. Ken Wayne found the body after. 06. The Best of the Wrestling Observer-Greatest matches of the Observer years-15 most influential wrestlers of the past five. 95. 05. ” (Now there’s an understatement!) – Based on current trends and advertising, SuperBrawl is looking to do. 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. 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. OK, 2005 posts are FINALLY complete, and I got to see Star Wars, so let’s get back to Observing. 6. 5 to a 2. Just for fun, here’s Dave’s Summer 1984 Rankings. – Inoki’s business-killing freakshow ended up drawing 11,000 people for somewhere between $800,000 – $1. – 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. 29. Topics. (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. 26. )3. By Scott Keith on 22nd August 2022. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. I believe that’s known as the Kerry Von Erich Special in wrestling. 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. 96 Can I make it more than. For It’s Time. 0. 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. Topics. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. 60 (150,000 buys) for King of the Ring. 0 (Extended OCR) Ppi. Pillman was playing subtle heel to start and got less subtle as the match went on. ”) 3. They’re owned by Jody Hamilton (Nick Patrick’s dad) and they do about 200 people per show. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. – Actually, first it’s a bit of political talk, as Hiroshi Hase won election to the senate in Japan. – So, Dave says goodbye and announces that this is the final issue of the Observer. 95. 16. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. You can view a sneak preview below. Lots of people have claimed to have discovered him, for example. 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. I just don’t think things are gonna work out for that promotion. 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. com & WrestlingObserver. 95. It’s a patented Slow News Week as we head into Summerslam, but the issue is still 10 pages. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 06. Wrestling Observer Flashback–08. Wrestling Flashback publishes wrestling list videos, top 10’s, the history of classic. Newsletter, Magazine, Wrestling, WWF, WCW, All Japan, New Japan. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. By Scott Keith on 9th September 2016. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 02. The taped episode of RAW wasn’t particularly different than any other one they’ve. 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. -. history-of-wcw. 96. 96. 95. WWE News. 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. 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”. At 4:00, Warrior splashed Demolition Axe. Wrestling Observer Flashback–06. *1/4. 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. 25. 22. The 85 issues are quite a trip, since it’s a very different writing style than even these ones. 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Ric Flair pinned Butch Reed in 14:13 to earn a tag title shot at Starrcade. It was basically just a backdrop for the Virgil babyface turn. 95. 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 – 11. 18. – In the top story, the Justice Department dropped one of the charges against Titan Sports. Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. No one tell Donald Trump. So apparently the WrestleWar 92 issue (05/25/92) is missing from the F4WOnline. 20. 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. The NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles title in Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1978 until 1984,. 3-21-1988. 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. – Anyway, moving on…. By Scott Keith on 16th December 2017. By Scott Keith on 22nd September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. Dodge Iowa. Rude/Vader tag match, the highest rating for any wrestling match on TV in more than a year. – 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. 2022-03-05 07:34:36. – So things are getting mighty crowded on TBS, in what would turn out to be a giant turning point for the wrestling industry. The Road Warriors beat the Midnight Express in a scaffold match in 3:00, which kind of ruins their videotape business, Dave thinks. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. 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. It’s a patented Slow News Week as we head into Summerslam, but the issue is still 10 pages. 96. 20. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 03. 94. 07. By Scott Keith on 19th March 2016. 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. 96. Dave sarcastically notes that “it sure turned Brett Sawyer. Wrestling Observer Flashback–11. So I guess it’s a Wrestling Observer Flashback Flashback. 90. THE WAR IS ON. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. By Scott Keith on 19th April 2016. 0 (Extended OCR) Ppi. The New Foundation beat the Orient Express in 17:18. By Scott Keith on 19th September 2016. 95. Owen Hart was the second-best star of the show after Flair. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. – Eddie Gilbert was found dead in his apartment in Puerto Rico on 2/18, at age 33. – It’s sounding like Scott Steiner will work Halloween Havoc, but won’t be doing much. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. Louis Wrestling Club from running. 22. 19. Whoa oh, whoa oh, it’s Wrestlemania. 22. I’m not. Tickets are 45,000 yen, which translates to $429, aka the most expensive wrestling tickets in history. 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. Andre started in the sport at the age of 12, already 6’3”, and fell in with a. They even flew in Steve DiSalvo as part of the ring crew to. 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. It’s time for SUMMERSLAM! But first, the WWF is messing with their PPV schedule again. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. Despite the strained relationship, Florida still bills itself as NWA wrestling. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the. 05. Back in the saddle with these again. Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. 87. – Van Hammer won the arm wrestling tournament, beating Ron Simmons in the finals, which Dave interprets as continuing his newfound push. 14. By Scott Keith on 22nd September 2023 Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12. 24. “Which is great for wrestling, I guess. The team (Gene and Ole Anderson) dominated tag team. 14. Wish me luck! – The top story is Dave being confused by a unique gimmick match in Memphis, with Austin Idol v. Also, ROYAL RUMBLE. 96. The low buyrate is being. – Art Barr’s petition for a wrestling license was denied by the commission once again. – 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. 5-4-1987. 93. 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. Thankfully, the Observer archives are fixed, so let’s get back into the swing of things again. 3. But first! An update on the Shawn Michaels incident in Syracuse. (This is why. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. 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. Well, one week left until the WWF really goes off a cliff. ) An industry shaking death in this issue, but. 10. Max Moon was eliminated quickly because his spaceship was double-parked. Jerry Lawler in a cage match where the loser gets his head shaved. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 29. 02. Jack Petrik would have to wage war against the WWF and spent lots of money to win, and it. 03. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. ABBYY FineReader 11. They of course had an immediate roster of excuses, mainly that it was scheduled on a night with really tough competition on TV. Wrestling Observer Flashback–10. See if you can guess when we get to it. 96. 96. 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. But this week, we’ve got Summerslam to attend to. Here’s a shocking story to start this week’s issue: Dave is a really big fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling. 27. 95. 23. It's a recap of the old issues of Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Bruiser Brody (“Nobody gives an aura of violent realism. Daprice did every issue for the 90's through 2001. 2. Was shit real before? Well, it’s about to become real. 13. 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. 28. Dave runs down the TV shows over the past month and it’s all classic stuff, like the Magnum TA-Mr. 96 Apparently it’s time for WCW to get rowdy. Lesson the Fourth: Antonio Pena is the new innovator in wrestling and everyone should listen to him. Bobby Eaton pinned Terrence Taylor in 15:41 with the Alabama Jam. – 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. – 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. By Scott Keith on 1st June 2019. Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive talk about the biggest news in wrestling! Wrestling Observer Live podcast on demand - Wrestling Observer Live is among the most popular wrestling shows in the world. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 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. 30, 1996 (Final Post for 1996) Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. Wrestling Observer Flashback–03. 88. Wrestling Observer Flashback–04. Smackdown Date: May 12, 2016 Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler. 5. By Scott Keith on 3rd October 2019. – Anyway, moving on. 07. – Brad Armstrong will be coming back again, this time as the Candy Man, who throws candy to the kids as his gimmick. – We’ll skip past the Mr. (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. Owen won with a Rocket Launcher on Tanaka. – Vince McMahon is apparently planning to sue Sgt. – Latest word on Maeda is that he’s got a new promotion in March, but Takada won’t come with. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. By Scott Keith on 4th June 2016. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 01. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 07. By Scott Keith on 5th February 2016. – 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 main event. Dave thinks it was counterproductive to kill off the Rockers like that. -Pro Wrestling 1983-1987. The government side says it’s for “tactical reasons”, while the WWF. – The Wrestling Classic, scheduled to be the first ever nationally available PPV show, will feature a 16 man tournament, plus Hogan v. 95 (Carrying on! Another one written on or about 09. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. 95. Wrestling breakup and Cornette getting his face shoved in a birthday cake. NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship. 14. 0-1. 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. 27. 96. 96. -The Mondo 19 most intriguing personalities of ‘86-30 key pro wrestling personalities of ‘86 with quick bios-Observer Awards, leading news stories of. By Scott Keith on 14th January 2019. – Dave sums up the last PPV of 1996 as “solid but. Wrestling Observer Flashback–05. 86. Ah, wrestling, where one guy can beat up another guy for real and flush his head. The debut of Giant Gonzalez (who was “wearing Ultimate Warrior’s old underwear”) perked things up again. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. It’s the year end awards issue! Lots to argue about here, I’m sure. – The Rougeaus are telling Montreal newspapers that they’re taking a one year sabbatical from wrestling before returning late in 1990. – 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. . Scanner. 94. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 01. 22. – 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 show would air live every Saturday night, from New York, and would cater heavily to an. Eaton did a scary kneedrop from the top rope to the ramp outside the ring for the highlight of the match. 26. 94. Identifier-ark. 2 million, making it the largest gate in pro wrestling history. 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. 09. 26. 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. 94. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 09. 21. 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. 86. 95. 07. OK, let’s try this one more time. 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. – 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. Tenta was pretty over during his one appearance, so EMLL is trying to get him back. 95. ”. 29. By Scott Keith on 7th March 2017. 93. Warlord won a battle royale by tossing out Ricky Steamboat. 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. Oh, Dave. 26, 1994 (Final Post for 1994) Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. Dave thinks that the competition will be mostly for the better, with faster-moving storylines and better wrestling on TV. Baba apparently has plans to give Akiyama a major push down the line. 96 IT’S TIME. 19. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 06. Apparently Bret Hart’s negotiations with WCW were so potentially fruitful that someone else is wanting to give it a try. – 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. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 08. 25. Obviously, doctors gave him some mumbo-jumbo diagnosis about “severe spinal disc and sciatic nerve damage”, and. 10. – Next up TV ratings, which went from an average of 2. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 10. – In Mid-South, we get the first Observer mention of young rookie Sean Michaels in Mid-South, as he pins Jack Victory. Mid Atlantic Gateway and Wrestling Observer historical files. 96. Wrestling Observer Flashback–02. There are moments when you can pinpoint exactly when a major promotion started to go completely off the rails. – In a story that seems small but kind of ended up heralding the end of an era in wrestling, the way. In fact, Dave thinks that people’s hatred of the dancing gimmick is overshadowing how much he’s improved as a worker. Wrestling Observer Flashback – 11. 20 to an average of 2. Guys, it sounds like the Diamond Studd will soon be appearing in WCW again! We’ll see how that goes for them. – The big story this week is Dave’s preview of the Ultimate Ultimate 96!. Production quality was high, the wrestling quality not so much. 3. Wrestling Observer Flashback–01. 28. Specifically, advertisers look at stuff like this and use it to justify their already terrible ad rates for pro wrestling shows. 96. 19. Um, never mind. “Hey look, it’s Joe Weider” – Not sure what that refers to, but I’m sure we’ll find out. Jim Herd has already killed the wrestling business, and now he’s working on killing the magic business. 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. 22. – 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. 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,. – The WWF is reportedly considering adding a weekly Saturday PPV show, according to trade journal reports. 16. 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.