Tag: 2007

May 14, 2007 Observer Newsletter: The curse of the WWE SmackDown World title, TNA vs. ROH conflict

Posted on by F4W Staff

Nearly 19 years later, the entire 2007 run of the Wrestling Observer Newsletters is complete with the May 14, 2007 issue.

And given the past month, it’s an interesting one for sure.

Dave Meltzer did a deep dive into what he called the “cursed” WWE SmackDown title due to injuries to Undertaker and Mr. Kennedy that threw everything into a bit of chaos which didn’t just start with them.

He also discussed the start of a bit of a war/conflict between TNA and ROH after the latter announced a bi-monthly taped PPV deal that TNA didn’t like one bit. Given TNA’s last month+ of news, this seemed oddly timely.

Dave also has more information on 2006 WWE financials, the financial success of WrestleMania 2007 (spoiler: it wasn’t as big as this year’s but it makes for a good read of how things used to be), plus news and reviews from around the wrestling and MMA world.

One more missing 2008 issue will be uploaded over the next two weeks, but 2007 is now complete as is every year from 1991 to current.

Click here to read (sub needed)

December 31, 2007 Observer Newsletter: Year in review, history of Ric Flair in Greensboro

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

In compiling these numbers, there are a few things to note. Because WWE has elaborate stages when it tapes television, it cutes the capacity of arenas down significantly. In a 19,000-seat arena, a sold out Raw is only going to be around 13,500 fans, and Smackdown would be closer to 12,000. WWE can top 15,000 for regular house shows without staging, but virtually never does in North America. By that standard, if you compare these numbers with other periods in wrestling history, from a live attendance perspective, things are pretty bad. WWE used to top 15,000 in Madison Square Garden alone a dozen times per year during the territorial days. But it’s a different game today.

Even though the perception is that UFC is declining and boxing had a banner year, when you compare the top 15 PPV shows, you note a different story. Boxing had one record setting fight that skewed things. If anything, from a monthly get your friends together and watch the PPV aspect, UFC looks to have become No. 1 far more decidedly this past year.

Subscribers can read this issue here.

June 18, 2007 Observer Newsletter: Vince McMahon limo explosion angle

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

In a moment that likely will go down as one of the most talked about in the history of WWE, at the end of Raw on 6/11, Vince McMahon opened the door of his limo, there was a giant explosion, and it went up in flames.

The WWE web site, which is now completely storyline oriented, ran a story saying “Mr. McMahon presumed dead,” and talking about how firefighters and federal agents were investigating, after the show went off the air. The move, in discussion for about a month, was the next stage in the angle Vince McMahon started a few weeks back when he made the cancer reference. While many afterwards compared it to the ending of “The Sopranos” the night before on HBO, what happened was purely coincidental as the segments were taped on both 6/9 and 6/10, the former date before “The Sopranos” aired, the latter hours later, but it had all been scripted a month ahead of time.

Subscribers can read this newsletter here.