Wrestling Observer Flashback–03.11.91

Previously on the Flashback: http://blogofdoom.com/index.php/2016/12/01/wrestling-observer-flashback-03-04-91/

Well, I took a day off yesterday to catch up on the CW Superhero Invasion crossover. Flash has been going off the rails a bit this season (Mopey Cisco is like, all the no) but it was a super-fun three-parter and Supergirl is just the best. Anyone else get the impression, though, that HR Wells constantly waving that drumstick around might mean he’s used to waving around a different type of wand? Especially since we know that he can change his face now…kind of like magic. Flash nerds know where I’m going here.

Anyway, speaking of time travel, back to 1991!

– WrestleWar ‘91 did somewhere between 140,000 and 170,000 buys, which is again not bad. Both sides in the WWF v. WCW war of Phoenix are claiming victory on the night, of course. The WWF is crowing about out-selling their PPV with a house show, while WCW is crowing because Wrestlemania won’t be able to touch the PPV for quality. (Well they were both kind of right.)

– Speaking of WCW, Dave offers a preview of the New Japan Supershow from the Tokyo Dome. Interest in the idea is way down in Japan, so a sellout seems unlikely at this point. Dave thinks it’s a mistake to put it on PPV, even at $10, and it might have been a better idea to offer it for free on TV just to get more eyeballs on WCW stuffing 50,000 people into a stadium. Also, since they’re going to headline the May PPV with Fujinami v. Flair, it probably would have been a good idea to actually introduce the US audience to Fujinami before making people pay $25 to watch him. Dave notes that Fujinami is still a top worker, but if you’re expecting to see Flair carry him to Steamboat levels, you’re going to be disappointed. (Yeah, neither match was what I’d classify as particularly great or memorable.)

– Dave doesn’t think it’s gonna move anything on PPV, because that part of the business is about impulse buys based on hot angles, not investing based on low prices and quality content. (Which is another important reason why the WWE Network model continues to disappoint financially, despite being the greatest thing ever for wrestling nerds.)

– Meanwhile, interest in Wrestlemania is just way, way down from last year’s show. Dave does concede that they’ve been in this situation before and still managed to pull out a big buyrate at the last minute, but with the “war” ending so fast and patriotic fervor dying even faster afterwards, there’s just nothing here to capture the imagination of the public. On the bright side, the LA Sports Arena is sold out with a gate of $975,000 based on 15,000 tickets, so that’s impressive. It becomes the smallest WM crowd in history, however, despite the sizeable money at the gate. Everyone knows Hogan is getting the title back, so we’ll find out how much people want to see him win it again. (Answer: About 50% less than the previous WM.)

– Bob Costas pulled out of doing the show for a variety of reasons, due to the war-related buildup of the show, which didn’t sit right with him. Alex Trebek will be taking his place. (The answer is: “One of the lowest buyrates in Wrestlemania history and the smallest crowd.”)

– Dave goes off for a few paragraphs about the Sherri bra-and-panties controversy, as Warrior has been beating her up and stripping her every night as the finish of the cage matches with Slaughter. Guys at the shows tend to love it, women hate it, and parents were offended. Dave thinks it’s just the nature of the beast with the business: When they do something in bad taste, promoters just claim “Hey, it’s all just fake and campy and isn’t meant to be taken seriously!” but then when they want to be taken seriously by the media, it’s suddenly “Don’t break kayfabe because it destroys the sacred wrestling business and our children will starve due to fans being smartened up!” It’s one thing if a strip club does sleazy things, because you know what you’re getting into if you go there, but if a strip club suddenly started doing shows at a grade school, you’d hope they would present a drastically different product. WWF wants to have it both ways – they want to make the money from advertising a family friendly product, but also hand-wave away criticisms when they do sleazy or stupid bullshit. (To their credit, ever since 2006 they have 100% committed to being family friendly and don’t tend to sleaze it up any more, and it worked.)

– Check out this main event from the 2/26 All Japan show: Steve Williams & Terry Gordy beating Misawa & Kawada. Misawa took a powerbomb on the floor and Kawada had to work the match by himself and finally got pinned.

– Also, the Black Hearts are getting a big push from Baba, and are somewhat getting over with a Japanese style and big high spots. (That’s the last time anyone said the words “high spots” and “getting over” with regards to David Heath. The constant burial of the poor guy was one of my favorite running gags on the Edge & Christian Show.)

– The election for mayor of Tokyo is a few weeks away and Inoki is a really distant longshot now. His speeches are coming off more as promos against his opponent, as though it’s a match and not a debate. (And again, stranger things have happened in politics…)

– Fujinami regained the IWGP title from Vader on the latest New Japan show, so the match with Flair will now be title v. title. Also, there’s already tension because the Japanese side is demanding 100% clean finishes with no funny business in all the US v. Japan matches, and we know who’s booking the WCW side.

– The SWS Tokyo Dome show headlined by Hogan/Tenryu v. Legion of Doom is looking like a huge bomb.

– SWS is feuding with a newspaper called Weekly Pro Wrestling, who dared to criticize the January 4 show and report about fans booing the “action”, calling it the worst show at the Tokyo Dome in years. So as a result, SWS banned them from covering thei shows, so now the other papers are suddenly throwing out enthusiastic positive reviews in order to maintain their press credentials. (It’s like GamerGate for wrestling nerds.)

– The SWS show on 4/1 in Kobe will feature Koji Kitao v. Earthquake in a battle of former sumo stars, with ringside seats priced at $150. (Well, they’d certainly get a newsworthy show for their money!)

– Fujiwara’s New UWF debuted on 3/4 to a sellout in Korakuen Hall, with Funaki beating Bart Vail in the main event. The show was all shoot-style and Karl Gotch is publicly attached as a trainer.

– To Dallas, where the promotional war between the USWA and Gary Hart has actually HELPED. The Sportatorium drew 650 people, compared to Hart’s 350, but both numbers are double their usual attendance.

– Herb Abrams is claiming to have 125 television stations carrying his show by April. Dave is unable to find any of the alleged TV stations.

– Cactus Jack and Eddie Gilbert worked a brawl for Joel Goodheart’s promotion in Philly that was said to be incredible, with Jack taking crazy bumps all over the arena. (Getting closer now…)

– The WWF’s bodybuilding magazine is a complete flop in the bodybuilding world and a giant turd in the sales charts, as well. They’re openly recruiting a whole new roster of writers and editors for the magazine, but with the Weiders blackballing anyone with any involvement, it’s nearly impossible to find people who will work for Vince.

– Although it’s too soon to judge, the “new” Prime Time Wrestling is already back to the numbers of the old version. That’s not a good thing, by the way.

– Dave notes that there’s a big difference between writing out a character and personal humiliation, and if you want to learn how to tell the difference, watch the Brother Love exit at the hands of Ultimate Warrior.

– In all fairness, the character had it coming.

– To WCW, where Dusty wants to revive the Bash tour this summer with outdoor shows like in the good old days. Now, you’re probably asking why a company that can’t sell 5000 tickets INDOORS would want to run stadiums, but that’s WCW for ya.

– Robert Gibson was given his notice, because they’ve decided that the Rock N Roll Express, Horsemen and Midnight Express are all bygone concepts and it’s time to create fresh and new ideas. (….like copying the Great American Bash from 5 years ago?)

– They’re already getting ready to split Barry Windham from the Horsemen and turn him babyface, with his recent promos hinting strongly in that direction.

– Black Bart is headed in for April. (Assuming he can find Stan Hansen.)

– And finally, Master Blaster Steele (you know, the tall guy, Kevin Nash) is going to be repackaged into the new character “Black Blood” that they’re promoting, managed by Kevin Sullivan. (Whew, he really dodged a bullet there!)

– (Um…on second thought, never mind. )