November 27, 2006 Observer Newsletter: Kurt Angle, UFC 65

The latest version of the most important week in TNA history is over. When the dust settled, it’s a weird evaluation, but overall it can best be described as a mixed bag.

While no official confirmation is in, based on our response, the Genesis PPV on 11/19 from Orlando, featuring the Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe match as the biggest in company history, appears to be either the single most successful, or at worst, at the level of the most successful PPV events in company history. The numbers appear strong even with the Dish Network not airing the show. The Dish Network has a also pulled out of airing future TNA shows over what Network officials have called a contract dispute.

On 11/16, a two hour airing from 9-11 p.m., the prime time debut, built around Angle’s first televised match against Abyss, drew a 1.02 rating and 1.2 million viewers. The viewership was up 20% from the 1.0 million viewers the show has been averaging in recent weeks. But even with more hype and a better time slot, it was nowhere close to the 1.4 million record levels set earlier this year when it got the Shamrock-Ortiz Ultimate Fighter season as a lead-in. 

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March 21, 2022 Observer Newsletter: Death of Scott Hall

Scott Hall, one of the key characters in the late 90s pro wrestling boom, someone known for his intelligence when it came to his profession but was also very self-destructive outside the ring, passed away on 3/14 at the age of 63.

Hall had suffered a broken hip last week and underwent surgery at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, GA. During the surgery, he had a blood clot. This led to suffering three heart attacks and he had to be put on life support. By the morning of 3/13, family members confided to those close to him that he was not going to live through the ordeal. Family members and friends were alerted to come see him, or to say goodbye by phone when he was put on life support. At about noon Eastern time the next day, he was taken off life support, where it would have taken a major miracle for him to survive. He passed away in the early evening.

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December 21, 2020 Observer Newsletter: Wrestle Kingdom 15 cards, TripleMania

New Japan Pro Wrestling has at least the top matches announced for its biggest shows of the year, WrestleKingdom 15, taking place on 1/4 and 1/5 at the Tokyo Dome.

No exact number of tickets released has been announced, but the latest word has the figure well under 20,000. The shows are not sold out which, like the 12/11 Budokan Hall show, highlights the difficulty in getting people to attend live events under these circumstances.

Both shows are scheduled for 2 a.m. Eastern time starts and the shows will likely be with fewer total matches and shorter time than in previous years when the usual five hour shows usually seemed too short.

Announced for the first night is a battle of junior heavyweight tournament winners as Hiromu Takahashi, who won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament on 12/11, faces El Phantasmo, who won the taped Super J Cup that aired on 12/12. The winner of that match gets a title shot at IWGP jr. champion Taiji Ishimori on the second night.

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