Wrestling Observer Flashback–10.08.90

What, ANOTHER child molestation charge? What a downer this year is.

– In the top story, Fray Tormenta (the wrestling priest) was charged with mistreating minors in Mexico. He’s suspected of sexual abuse of the boys that he houses, and is accused of selling children to similar homes around the world. Apparently he was turned in by a rival wrestler. (You have to admit, that’s a storyline idea that even Memphis never touched. Also, Tormenta was the inspiration for the movie “Nacho Libre”, so obviously these charges never went anywhere.)

– Both the WWF and NWA are doing strong ticket sales for their head-to-head battle in Chicago, with Halloween Havoc taking on a WWF house show headlined by Warrior v. Savage and a bunch of prelim scrubs. So really Vince isn’t trying THAT hard to destroy the opposition on the night.

– Inoki and Baba held their respective 30 year celebration shows, and both were a big success despite a typhoon causing destruction and forcing a large chunk of the train-riding customers to miss the early part of the shows.

– Yeah, we know, Fred.

– The SWS promotion held their debut show, and it was mostly papered with freebies and populated by a non-wrestling crowd as a result. It was still very professional, with elaborate ring introductions and laser lights and such, but came off like a third rate All Japan show once the smoke and mirrors stopped. Tenryu of course went over in the main event. The tournament underneath was won by George Takano, and it was said to be annoying to fans as well because the matches were populated by DQ finishes for American-style stuff, when All Japan had trained fans to expect clean pinfalls in every match. In particular the Great Kabuki threw a fit about putting over Naoki Sano, so they changed his first round match to blowing mist at Samson Fuyuki for the DQ and Fuyuki put him over instead.

– In a unique situation, local promoter Dennis Coraluzzo got permission from Jim Herd to use the Midnight Express for an indy show on 11/9 in Philly, with a charity benefit show for a sick friend. The main event will apparently be Midnight Express v. Terry Funk & Cactus Jack, and all money raised goes to medical bills. (Well that sounds like a hell of a deal.)

– Atsushi Onita’s angle with Jose Gonzales has been completely dropped, since there was so much negative pub from the Japanese press and fans that they wisely just decided to move on.

– Speaking of crazy, let us return to California once again for…

– The debut tapings for the UWF finally did take place in Reseda on 9/24 drawing 425 people (I hear it’s a long day, livin’ in Reseda…also might be a freeway running through your yard!) They taped a bunch of squashes for a Sports Channel America show, plus some “competitive matches” that didn’t actually have finishes, like Orndorff doing a double countout with Steve Williams, Dan Spivey going to a double DQ with booker Brian Blair, and Billy Jack Hayes doing a double countout with Col. DeBeers. Once again, everyone was paid so the guys are gonna stick around as long as the money keeps flowing. The big story of the show was Abrams using a jobber who was dubbed Davey “The Observer” Meltzer, who got beat up by Williams and then had a piece of paper and a bottle of dirt dumped on him. (“Dirt sheet”, GET IT?) The jobber also did squash losses to Cactus Jack and then to another jobber. Background of this HILARIOUS prank is that Abrams went to get the smallest, dumpiest jobber he could find (one who was having his first match, no less!) and give him the gimmick. Bruno thought it was hilarious, apparently. The program lists a multitude of people that the promotion is “negotiating” with, although Dave talked to some of them and none of them are actually in contact with Herb. One of them did quip that they’d be interested if they could work with Bruiser Brody. (Man, with an attitude like that, no wonder Herb is naming jobbers after him. Background on that Brody joke, by the way: Herb had done an interview at the infamous Arezzi wrestling convention where he declared that Bruiser Brody was in fact not dead and was merely on vacation, and he was currently in negotiations to wrestle for the UWF. Yes, this was a real thing that happened.)

– In Japan, Inoki is very interested in a newcomer named Tony Halme, a former boxer from Finland. He’s currently the bodyguard for Cheap Trick on their tour.

– Soul Taker has enlisted in the army and is leaving wrestling. Coincidentally, he was fired by New Japan because of an “attitude problem.” (Obviously one has nothing to do with the other.)

– Koji Kitao is officially done with New Japan over the squabble with Inoki where he wouldn’t put Riki Choshu over. So he has officially returned his 30 million yen signing bonus to the company, and gone to SWS instead. Turns out that contract law is different in Japan, in that you’re allowed to breach whatever contracts you want with impunity as long as you pay double the amount owed on the contract.

– This is how SWS was able to get a roster so fast, and as a bonus New Japan was able to get Kitao the hell away from their dressing room for good. However, paying out all those contracts runs up a lot of money in a short period of time for SWS.

– Eddie Gilbert is booking the USWA now, so expect changes soon.

– Dick Slater is the new Southern champion. He won some kind of match for it, based on a wacky series of title changes where Bill Dundee and John Tatum swapped it night after night as a rib, to the point where everyone literally stopped keeping track of who the champion actually was and just kind of stopped using the title. So now it’s back again. (The official title histories site only lists six changes between them, but apparently they’d do one title charge as the “official” one and then another 5 of them throughout the week for different audiences.)

– Another Lawler kid, Brian, is working spot shows as Bodacious Brian.

– World Class continues to drop, down to 200 people for the weekly show, and Kevin is nowhere near getting a TV deal. The Sportatorium show was supposed to be a TV taping, but there were no cameras and no announcers there. Jerry Jarrett is expected to make his move within a couple of weeks.

– In a very understated Observer debut, Chris “Tatanka” Chavis makes his first appearance here on a South Atlantic Wrestling card, beating Curtis Thompson.

– Dave continues to put over this Steve Austin kid in Texas, saying that he deserves consideration for “Most Improved” of 1990 because of how far he’s come in such a short amount of time.

– The WWF is suing bars in Dayton, OH, who showed WM6 without permission. The bars are claiming that they purchased rights from a company in New York that was authorized to sell the rights. The WWF admits that, yes, this company had the rights to the show, but they’re suing anyway.

– Closed circuit will be completely discontinued for Wrestlemania VII.

– Brutus Beefcake, with blond hair, has been travelling with Hogan and looks spectacular for a guy who had his face destroyed. Still, absolutely no plans for a comeback any time soon.

– Dave acknowledges that everyone will be talking about THE EGG. Here’s what he knows: It’s not a new wrestler. It’s not King Kong Bundy. It’s “something new”, whatever that means. Which he doesn’t know.

– Akeem has been subbing for Bad News Brown in Harlem Street Fights against Jake Roberts on the circuit. (Well, I mean, he IS the African Dream!)

– Black Scorpion update: Tony Zane was playing the character last week at the TV taping, but got arrested in the parking lot on a marijuana charge DURING THE SHOW and was taken to jail.

– Apparently when Dave said that the SST quit last week, it would be more accurate to say they were fired.

– Buddy Landel was also fired.

– Buddy Landel was then re-hired the next day.

– Lex Luger had a daughter this week, Lauren Pfohl. (Wait, there’s a LAUREN LUGER out there who’s 26 years old now and has never tried to get into wrestling? What gives?)

– Whatever heat between Jim Herd and John Arezzi has been cleared up and everyone can do the show again. Whew.

– At a WCW show in Philly, Ted Petty did a job in the opening match billed as “Mario Savoldi” as a rib on the promoter of ICW.

– Tom Zenk has now been doing jobs for the tall Master Blaster every night as they try to make him quit. Hasn’t worked so far. (And he’d end up with the TV title! Also, I’m going to pop huge when Dave finally starts calling the guy something other than “the taller one” or other similar terms and actually reveals his real name.)

– Barry Windham is gone…somewhere…nobody knows as usual and they’re not making long-term plans around him.

– Correction: the SST has been rehired after a week.

– And finally, the crowd in Baltimore caught onto Randy Culley as the Black Scorpion and started chanting “Moondog Rex” at him, so they’re switching it to Bill Irwin. (Because, you know, people chanting an old gimmick name would make this thing a DISASTER!)