Tag: classic

January 26, 2004 Observer Newsletter: Decline of WWE popularity, what can be done

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

There is a major misconception in wrestling today about what the problems facing the industry are.

For the most part, now more than ever because of the workload involved, the major decision makers live in an insular world. The reaction to wrestling consists of crowd reactions at the live venues, and feedback, either from those in the company who are also in the insular world, or to a lesser extent from the internet or newsletters, which generally represent the views of people who have been fans forever and many of whom will be fans until it’s literally driven out of them, which in many cases, has also already happened.

They all represent a tiny percentage of actual fans. If you go to a WWE live event and sit in the stands, while the things you hear from the audience are not nearly as funny as 15 years ago, you find very few people (to be honest, I’ve never heard it and I go to almost all WWE house shows when they are in this area) who bring up what is happening or going to happen because the same show was run the night before and you can to go a web site and see what happened.

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January 19, 2004 Observer Newsletter: 2003 year-end awards

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD

(WRESTLER OF THE YEAR)

1. KENTA KOBASHI (531) 3,388

2. Kurt Angle (196) 1,770

3. Randy Couture (92) 949

4. Brock Lesnar (69) 908

5. Wanderlei Silva (33) 501

6. Yuji Nagata (3) 360

7. Yoshihiro Takayama (14) 301

8. Eddy Guerrero (10) 205

9. Bob Sapp (13) 190

10. Mirko Cro Cop (21) 188

Honorable Mention: Chris Benoit 148, Chris Jericho 143, Jun Akiyama 133, Shawn Michaels 107, Hiroyoshi Tenzan 75, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 71

PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 – Harley Race; 1981 – Harley Race ; 1982 – Ric Flair; 1983 – Ric Flair; 1984 – Ric Flair; 1985 – Ric Flair; 1986 – Ric Flair; 1987 – Riki Choshu; 1988 – Akira Maeda; 1989 – Ric Flair; 1990 – Ric Flair; 1991 – Jumbo Tsuruta; 1992 – Ric Flair; 1993 – Vader; 1994 – Toshiaki Kawada; 1995 – Mitsuharu Misawa; 1996 – Kenta Kobashi; 1997 – Mitsuharu Misawa; 1998 – Steve Austin; 1999 – Mitsuharu Misawa; 2000 – HHH; 2001 – Keiji Muto; 2002 – Kurt Angle

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January 12, 2004 Observer Newsletter: Massive rating for K1 New Year’s show

Posted on by F4W Staff

“Unbelievable” was the word used by K-1 promoter Sadaharu Tanigawa when word got out that the peak rating for the Bob Sapp vs. Akebono match on 12/31 was a 43.0, and that the short match beat out the Red & White music festival.

It was only a four minute period when the K-1 show main event (which did a 42.5 overall for the match from 11 p.m. to 11:03 p.m.) beat what has been a Japanese tradition on New Year’s Eve, in its 54th year as one of the highest rated shows every year (which did a 35.2 rating head-to-head). It was a major headline throughout the Japanese media on 1/5 when Video Research reported the breakdown of the numbers in the most competitive television night in the history of this industry.

The Sapp vs. Akebono match, which drew nearly 54 million viewers, broke the record set in the 2002 K-1 Grand Prix of a 33.4 peak rating for the Ernesto Hoost vs. Jerome LeBanner championship match.

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January 7, 2004 Observer Newsletter: Trio of New Years shows in Japan, more

Posted on by F4W Staff

The scrambling in the days leading up to the shows was incredible, but ultimately, when the dust cleared, the feeling was it was overkill, and all three promotions and networks spent a ton to divide up an audience already small because of the traditional NHK musical show. It was a ton of publicity, but because of the expenses, did at least some companies, if not all, more harm than good in the long run.

The biggest victim, although it was likely of his own doing, was Antonio Inoki. Unfortunately, Inoki has had 35 years as a national celebrity and almost that long as a cultural icon. Even when he does wrong, which is frequently, or looks to be down and out for good, he’s the proverbial cat, who not only lives, but becomes bigger with every resurrection. In his case, and some would argue it’s partially of his own doing, he’s managed to jump off being associated with a struggling pro wrestling business into a thriving new business.

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December 29, 2003 Observer Newsletter: SmackDown from Iraq, New Year’s events in Japan

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

In a show that really only came together about three weeks ago, WWE took 15 performers and 19 technicians to Baghdad, Iraq, over the weekend for a three-day, two-night trip which culminated in the company’s first television taping in a war zone.

The heavily pushed Christmas edition of Smackdown was originally the brainchild of John “Bradshaw” Layfield, who has gone on numerous USO- sponsored tours of military bases in both Afghanistan and the Middle East since the U.S. was involved in military actions. Layfield presented the idea to the Armed Forces Entertainment, which approved the event. The rules were that WWE could bring only 33 people on the tour (there were actually 34 as Layfield was already in Iraq on a USO tour). McMahon himself picked the talent that would be going, not all of whom were thrilled about the idea going in because of safety concerns.

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December 22, 2003 Observer Newsletter: Build to Cactus Jack vs. Randy Orton, Armageddon

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

One of the strangest endings to a Raw show on 12/15 from Tampa saw, after spending nearly two hours building up Mick Foley’s in ring return against Randy Orton, saw Foley walk out of the building.

The idea, said to be Foley’s idea he suggested, was done with the idea of getting people talking since wrestling hasn’t done a lot of real cliffhangers endings. Early in the show, Eric Bischoff presented Foley with the idea of a match against Orton, where if Foley won, Bischoff would leave Raw, but if Orton won, Foley would leave. Foley insisted on the stips of Earl Hebner as referee and Evolution banned from ringside. The IC title was also talked about being at stake. The key point was Foley talking with Shawn Michaels, about Michaels, who had retired for a few years and came back for what was planned to be one match last year, and now he’s working semi-regularly. Michaels said it was like the mob and you get sucked in, but when Foley asked if the feeling you get coming back was worth it, Michaels said it was.

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December 15, 2003 Observer Newsletter: The Rock returns, future of TNA

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

After an unpromoted appearance on Raw on 12/8 in Anaheim, Dwayne “Rock” Johnson, who had previously decided against returning to wrestling at any time in the foreseeable future, told WWE officials that he had worked his schedule around returning in both January and March, to build for Wrestlemania XX.

Rock tore the house down when his music played, as La Resistance were planning a two-on-one attack on Mick Foley. Rock came and out cut a lengthy promo, including banter back and forth with Foley, who called their previous tag team the “Sock and Rock Connection,” which Rock corrected. Rock did all his catch phrases, as mainly made French jokes. This also appeared to be planned out enough to where Rock was wearing a new t-shirt and created a new catch phrase from the shirt about knocking people’s lips off their mouths.  It ended in a brawl, where Rock & Foley sold first, and then made their own comeback, with Rock getting his trademark rock bottom, spinebuster and people’s elbow in, ending with Foley using a socko claw and a people’s elbow on Conway.

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December 8, 2003 Wrestling Observer: Death of Moondog Spot, Mick Foley WWE return

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

It was supposed to be Jerry Lawler’s public birthday party and a night of 80s glory days nostalgia for Memphis wrestling fans on 11/29 at the Mid South Coliseum. It turned into anything but fun when Larry Booker, who had worked main events in the building on-and-off for about two decades, passed away from a massive heart attack suffered during a match that he, in another lifetime, helped put on the wrestling map.

Booker, who gained his first wrestling fame as Larry Latham of a tag team called The Blond Bombers, was far better known as Moondog Spot, a role he lucked into in 1981 when he walked into WWF as tag team champion on the recommendation of Andre the Giant.

Booker was 51. He had been wrestling for about 28 years, in recent years still consistently working on small independent shows in Tennessee.  Unbeknownst to all but his closest friends and family members, most of whom were at the show, he had been a diabetic for the past three or four years.

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December 1, 2003 Observer Newsletter: Japan’s New Years Eve schedule, death of Dick Hutton

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

The TV schedule for New Year’s Eve in Japan at this point looks to be the K-1 show on TBS from 9-11:30 p.m., the Inoki show on NTV from 8-11:15 p.m. and the Pride show on Fuji Network from 6:30-11:30 p.m. as a five hour special. As things stand right now, none of the shows are scheduled to air in the U.S. as the next Pride PPV dates are 12/21 (tape of the 10/5 show headlined by Mirko Cro Cop vs. Dos Caras Jr.) and 2/8 (tape of the 2/1 show at Osaka Castle Hall tentatively featuring a return world heavyweight title match with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fedor Emelianenko, which won’t air same day because of the Super Bowl).

The Inoki Bom Ba Ye show from Kobe Wings Stadium announced a Mirko Cro Cop vs. Yoshihiro Takayama main event, as was expected. The feeling in Japan is this will be an entertaining homicide since Takayama can take a punch, and his face swells up impressively with each shot.

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November 24, 2003 Observer Newsletter: Survivor Series review, WWE financials, more

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Largely due to a spectacular old-school Survivor Series match involving the Raw brand, the supposed end of the career of Steve Austin, and the performance of Shawn Michaels, the Survivor Series hit a chord that few shows hit.

The bloodiest WWE PPV show in recent memory was highlighted by the apparent leaving of the company by Austin. The negative is they are going to the same well too often. It marked the third straight PPV that a main figure in the company’s career was apparently over. Two months ago, it was Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, only to have it overturned barely a week later. In addition, Bill Goldberg’s career was also put up. Last month, it was both Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon. For the third time in recent memory (after the Invasion angle and also in a three-way TV match involving HHH and Chris Jericho; and Austin and Vince have had their careers up more than once as well) her television career is supposed to be over, and once again, she’ll be back very soon.

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November 17, 2003 Observer Newsletter: Bob Sapp vs. Akebono, death of Crash Holly

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

What will likely turn out to be the most heavily publicized non-boxing combat sports match of all-time will headline the biggest one-night promotional war in history.

The 11/6 announcement by K-1 of a New Year’s Eve match pitting Bob Sapp against legendary sumo Akebono (Chad Rowan) was the biggest press conference in company history. More than 17 television stations and 300 reporters attended the press conference where promoter Sadaharu Tanigawa announced the ultimate checkmate in a brewing New Year’s Eve war. The news was so big in Japan that three of Japan’s six networks (TBS, NTV and TV-Asahi) broke into regular programming to telecast the press conference live. It was carried in major newspapers throughout the U.S. and was the topic of conversation on numerous sports talk shows (many of which reported, including the London Times, Los Angeles Times and New York Post that Akebono’s opponent would be Mike Tyson; and the Los Angeles Times reported that K-1 was “so brutal that it is illegal just about everywhere”). 

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November 10, 2003 Observer Newsletter: Austin/Lita books reviewed, Teddy Hart ROH disaster

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

The WWE’s latest two autobiographical releases have been the book by Amy Dumas (Lita) and the heavily pushed “The Stone Cold Truth,” by Steve Austin.

WWE books have run the gamut, from the classic Mick Foley books and the entertaining Freddie Blassie release to the weak Rock, Fabulous Moolah and Chyna books. Like with much of wrestling, and that is the lesson in both of these books, timing is everything. When WWE first got its book deal, Austin was the biggest star and was asked to do a book, which was announced years ago. He didn’t want to at the time, and by delaying, he lost his shot at what would have been a sure national bestseller.

Now, with his career as an active wrestler basically over, he committed not only to the book, but to a national touring schedule to promote it.

I’d say both books are probably in the Kurt Angle category, in that they are good reads, but fall short of being must-reads.

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November 3, 2003 Observer Newsletter: Career of Road Warrior Hawk, Hogan/TNA, more

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

When Mike Hegstrand was really living it up as Road Warrior Hawk in 1985, and a friend made a comment on how fast he was living, his response was, “I’ll never live to see 40 anyway.” Sometimes when you’re 28, you think like that. Unfortunately for him, when he did make 40, and had already had his share of health problems, his thoughts were much different. After a heart attack three years ago, he found religion. While he was hardly perfect, friends believe he was sincere, even if his reputation among independent promoters was hardly the best. He always had a Bible in his bag when he went on road trips. Unfortunately, he may have made the decision too late.

It will be several weeks, or perhaps months, before toxicology reports come back and there is an official cause of death for Hegstrand, who passed away on 10/18 at the age of 46.

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October 27, 2003 Observer Newsletter: Deaths of Stu Hart and Road Warrior Hawk

Posted on by F4W Staff

The death of Stu Hart at the age of 88 brings a lot of reflections. Hart’s life was wrestling, and it made him a real-life mythical legend of Canada’s Wild West. While he was neither an international drawing card on his own, nor one of the top-level promoters when it came to drawing gigantic houses, he probably influenced the history of the business, both in and out of the ring, more than all but a few men in history. With the death of Lou Thesz and Freddie Blassie over the past 18 months, Hart was the last of those larger than life historical figures in wrestling whose knowledge of the real insides of the business dated back to the turn of the last century.

Hart passed away on 10/16 at Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary, where he had been for 13 days. This came about a week after son Bret was privately told that Stu would never be able to return home, because he would always need around-the-clock care due to diabetes and other ailments.

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October 20, 2003 Observer Newsletter: Hulk Hogan returns to Japan, TNA debut

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

The return of Hulk Hogan to Japan, and his impending debut with TNA, may cause major potential waves throughout the industry.

Hogan had his first match in Japan in nearly ten years on New Japan’s 10/13 show at the Tokyo Dome. After the match, he shot an angle with Jeff Jarrett for TNA’s biggest event in history, scheduled for 11/30. A third player involved is boxing promoter Murad Muhammad, and his attempt to pitch a combined two-hour wrestling/boxing television series based on Hogan being the big star. There is also a lot of intermixing with these three groups, two of which are struggling and the third of which doesn’t even exist.

Hogan came to Japan several days early to promote his appearance, and was claiming that he’s done with WWE and Vince McMahon for good. He said he wants to start a new career in New Japan, which was the company that made Hogan into a huge television celebrity, a year before he clicked as a big draw in the AWA and many years before he became a national celebrity in the U.S. 

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