Tag: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

February 2, 2026 Observer Newsletter: WWE Royal Rumble preview, UFC debuts on Paramount+

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: WWE

Dave Meltzer has returned with a brand-new Wrestling Observer Newsletter just in time for Royal Rumble weekend.

Dave previews Saturday’s show which is debuting in Saudi Arabia including both the men’s and women’s Rumble matches and the AJ Styles vs. Gunther match with big implications for Styles if he loses.

He also recaps last week’s Saturday Night’s Main Event with his usual ratings.

Dave looks at the UFC debut on Paramount+ last weekend, writes the obituary for the influential Kim Wood who passed away this week, and news & results from WWE, AEW, CMLL, AAA, NJPW and the rest of the pro wrestling world.

Click here to read (sub needed)

April 21, 2008 Observer Newsletter: Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle tear it up at TNA Lockdown

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: TNA Wrestling

For this week’s new Wrestling Observer Newsletter that has been added to the archives, Dave Meltzer leads off with TNA “figuring it out” and the legend of the match at April 2008’s TNA Lockdown between Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle.

Releases were brewing at UFC and business for EliteXC were looking bad which Dave delved into.

Dave also had a ton of results, a look at the attempted comeback of the All Japan Champion Carnival after a bad 2007 edition, news and more.

Oh, there was also the debut of the Yamma Pit Fighting Championships.

Click here to read.

January 26, 2026 Observer Newsletter: The road to WWE WrestleMania 42 is about to begin

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Image: WWE

Dave Meltzer has returned with this week’s brand-new Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

He kicks off the issue with a look at the road to WWE WrestleMania 42 which begins this weekend with Saturday Night’s Main Event and continues at next weekend’s Royal Rumble.

He also writes the obituary of the late Bobby Duncum Sr. who passed away this week.

Dave also looks at CMLL’s big weekend last week, plus the usual news and insights from around the pro wrestling and UFC world with this weekend’s debut on Paramount+.

Click here to read (sub needed)

April 14, 2008 Observer Newsletter: Affliction MMA makes a big move, Hackenschmidt vs. Gotch turns 100

Posted on by F4W Staff

In this week’s newly posted retro Wrestling Observer Newsletter, we go back to April 2008 where Affliction MMA (yes, that Affliction MMA) was making a big move by bringing in Fedor Emelianenko.

Dave Meltzer looked at the 100th anniversary of the famous Frank Gotch vs. George Hackenschmidt match in addition to a deep dive on the biggest wrestling matches in major cities.

All that and more await in the latest WON added to our growing archive.

Click here to read (sub needed)

January 19, 2026 Observer Newsletter: WrestleMania 42 card changes, WWE & AEW roster movement, CMLL vs. AAA weekend

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: WWE

The new Wrestling Observer Newsletter has arrived with news on impending changes to this year’s WWE WrestleMania 42 card and how the Drew McIntyre World title win kicked that into motion.

Dave Meltzer also writes about all the various roster moves with both AEW and WWE this week which saw The Rascalz and Powerhouse Hobbs change employers in addition to some new CMLL talents signing dual deals with AEW.

CMLL and AAA have a big weekend with both WWE and AEW helping with their own talent.

He also recaps Thursday’s TNA on AMC debut and the mixed reaction it got.

Dave also writes about big changes to the UFC debut on Paramount, statistics from 2025’s in-ring action, plus plenty of interesting news from WWE, AEW, CMLL, AAA, and more.

Click here to read (sub needed)

DragonKingKarl: WWE, NWA, AWA & the first Wrestling Observer Newsletter of 1986

Posted on by Karl Stern

1986 is one of Karl Stern’s favorite years in pro wrestling and that is why he is really excited about his latest book coming out this March covering 1986 and 1987 in pro wrestling history.

On today’s DragonKingKarl Show, Karl talks about that and the very first issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for 1986.

A bit of what’s on today’s show:

  • WWF launches two great TV shows: Superstars and Challenge
  • Jim Crockett Promotions and the NWA are red hot with Dusty Rhodes chasing NWA World Champion Ric Flair and the rise (and tragic fall) of Magnum TA
  • The AWA is still hanging in there with new World Champion Stan Hansen (pictured above)
  • He then looks at the first WON of the year from January 13, 1986

    Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

April 10, 2008 Observer Newsletter: Ric Flair retires at WWE WrestleMania 24

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

“If you leave this business with one person having a tear in their eye, you are a lucky man.”

Ric Flair – September 1997 in a promo after the NWO angle where they did a parody of the Arn Anderson retirement speech

The most spectacular finish of what can be argued is the career of the greatest wrestler in history ended up as, the greatest television moment in wrestling history.

The day after Wrestlemania, in Orlando, FL, on Raw, Ric Flair was honored in a way no wrestler ever has been.

“I will never wrestle in this ring again,” said Flair, who was crying all day, but completely composed for his farewell promo. But after HHH came out, he broke down in the most emotional moment that didn’t involve a death in many years.

Flair thanked the fans, saying he’s in a good place now, he’s not sad, and that he can rejoice because he had the greatest career of any wrestler in history. He noted he lost to a great wrestler and an even better man. There were “Thank you Ric” chants even as this just got going.

Subscribers can read this issue here.

January 12, 2026 Observer Newsletter: Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final match & Wrestle Kingdom 20 recap, 2025 wrestling business year in review

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: NJPW

The new Wrestling Observer Newsletter has arrived.

And what else could Dave Meltzer lead off with than a recap of last weekend’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 and the retirement of all-time great Hiroshi Tanahashi. He gives various star ratings for the show as a whole and the following day’s New Year’s Dash.

Dave also does a large scale business deep dive into the 2025 wrestling business year.

Of course, there’s the usual litany of news from WWE, AEW, CMLL, AAA and the rest of the wrestling world plus some UFC news, too.

Click here to read.

April 2, 2008 Observer Newsletter: TNA countersues Konnan, ESPN study on pro wrestling popularity

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

In attempting to beat Charles Ashenoff and lawyer Cary Ichter to the punch after they filed an EEOC complaint against TNA, TNA filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Texas (where TNA’s parent company, Panda Energy is located as opposed to suing in Nashville, where TNA is based) on 3/26 seeking the court to throw out any complaint Konnan had filed or would subsequently file.

The gist of the complaint is that in his wrestling contract, Ashenoff agreed t accept any responsibilities for injuries suffered in the ring, and also agreed to not file a lawsuit for any damages based on his participating in TNA wrestling, and any legal disagreement would have to be decided in a Texas court. TNA and Sean Waltman were at odds a few years back because of that clause because Waltman felt he couldn’t sign a contract that stated that even if, through a faulty ring, Waltman was seriously injured, the contract stated the company could not be held responsible for it.

Subscribers can read this issue here.

January 5, 2026 Observer Newsletter: AEW Worlds End review, key text exchanges revealed in WWE shareholder lawsuit

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: AEW

It’s the first Friday of 2026 and a new Wrestling Observer Newsletter has arrived.

Dave Meltzer looks at last weekend’s AEW Worlds End which saw a new World Champion crowned, a new Continental Classic winner, and the usual discussion after the show.

Dave also looks at some of the very interesting text exchanges between now-TKO executives and Vince McMahon prior to the merger of WWE & UFC which were released this past week as part of the WWE shareholder lawsuit.

There’s all that, plus a preview of this weekend’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 lineup, the final match of Hiroshi Tanahashi, and a lot more.

Click here to read (sub needed)

March 31, 2008 Observer Newsletter: Reflecting on Ric Flair’s retirement tour, Konnan sues TNA

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

“And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain” – Lyrics from the song “My Way,” written by Paul Anka, but the most famous version of which was sung by Frank Sinatra

Since many of you will be reading this after Wrestlemania, there is no point in previewing the show or the weekend.

It’s a weird feeling a few days out. Even though it’s hardly been promoted as the key thing on the show, the biggest, most tangible thing on the show for a long-time fan is Ric Flair’s wrestling career is about to end. We’ve known about it for more than a year. It was his call and it was Vince McMahon’s call, going into the Hall of Fame and having a retirement match the next day. Of course, in WWE, plans constantly change. It was a year ago when Steve Austin came up with the blueprint of his retirement run, but even before that, the Hall of Fame Saturday and retirement Sunday had been the plan.

Subscribers can read this issue here.

December 29, 2025 Observer Newsletter: AEW’s status heading into the new year, Worlds End preview

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

AEW fans have, from day one, had to deal with people claiming the company was one step from going out of business and constant fear-mongering with the idea the television would be canceled due to “poor ratings” (which generally at the time ranged from good to excellent), to overspending on talent (which in fact has resulted in a profitable company).

That talk should have been stifled one year ago when AEW and WBD signed a three-year deal for $555 million over the course of the three years with a fourth option year at a substantial increase in pay, covering television rights, streaming rights and a PPV deal which eventually would make HBO MAX the home of AEW PPV shows at a lower price in the U.S. than available elsewhere, a deal that also would bring in millions of dollars per year to HBO MAX on the other side.

Subscribers can read this issue here.

March 24, 2008 Observer Newsletter: Gary Hart passes away, more on Jeff Hardy

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

There are a lot of historical wrestling angles that in some form involve Gary Hart.

Hart was the heel manager who, along with giant Korean Pak Song, turned on Dusty Rhodes after they were partners in a tag team match in Florida in 1974. Rhodes became a babyface, “The American Dream,” and the rest of history.

Hart was the heel manager, with his longest running protege, Don “The Spoiler” Jardine, who came into Leroy McGuirk’s territory as the adversary of Cowboy Bill Watts in 1970 when that territory took off, giving a heavyweight flavor for what had been a junior heavyweight territory dominated by Danny Hodge.

Hart was also the mastermind behind the marketing of the Von Erich brothers, Kevin, David and Kerry, and in particular Kerry’s rise to stardom in 1982 and his chase of world champion Ric Flair, culminating in the famous Christmas night cage match. He also talked Michael Hayes into coming to Texas and set up the storyline that built the Freebirds vs. Von Erichs feud, one of the most notable feuds in wrestling history.

Subscribers can read this issue here.

December 22, 2025 Observer Newsletter: The fallout, controversy & discussion after John Cena’s retirement match

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: WWE

The new Wrestling Observer Newsletter is ready for you to read.

To no big surprise, the lead story is all about John Cena’s final match and the fallout from how it ended which resulted in lots of discussion, arguing and opinions. Dave Meltzer also writes about other retirement matches throughout history.

Dave also gives his thoughts on next month’s WrestleKingdom — a show that “now looks on paper to be the weakest show in recent memory.”

He also covers the final match of El Hijo del Santo and the rest of the news of the wrestling week.

Click here to read (sub needed)

March 19, 2008 Observer Newsletter: Floyd Mayweather/Big Show feud continues, Jeff Hardy suspended

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Recognizing the Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather angle was miscast, WWE changed direction on the 3/10 three-hour Raw from Milwaukee with a double turn.

They also played upon how the UFC audience was and how their audience wanted it, making it an us vs. them angle, and trying to make it like it was a semi-shoot, and to a degree, part of what was on television was.

Mayweather played complete heel, acting like an arrogant punk instead of a fake smiley-faced character of the week before. He dressed in a T-shirt, with shades and gaudy jewelry, playing the arrogant rich guy. Show played the role as the WWE representative, which he should have been all along, including bringing out basically everyone on the roster who isn’t booked on Wrestlemania to be his seconds against Mayweather, who has his entourage as his second. The two sides had a big brawl, the level of realism depends on which version you choose to believe.

Subscribers can read this issue here.