Wrestling Observer Flashback–11.18.91

Previously on the Flashback… http://blogofdoom.com/index.php/2017/01/21/wrestling-observer-flashback-11-11-91/

One death last week, another one this week. Back when wrestler deaths were typically old guys dying of natural causes and not drugs.

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– In the top story, Dick the Bruiser died from a ruptured blood vessel in his esophagus, at the age of 62. After his autopsy, it was discovered that he was suffering from hardening of the arteries, which led to the rupture and internal bleeding that killed him. His final appearance in a wrestling ring was a WCW show in St. Louis earlier this year.

– All Japan is trying a new closed circuit scheme in Japan, because they don’t have PPV there yet, starting with the 12/6 show at Budokan Hall, which is the tag team tournament show. (When did they finally get PPV there?)

– The WWF has changed the Tuesday in Texas show, although we didn’t even know the original card so Dave is unsure what this amounts to other than a previously assumed Hogan v. Undertaker rematch now looking like Hogan v. Flair instead.

– Dave stops to talk about Magic Johnson and AIDS since it’s a pretty big story at the moment, specifically the idea that bloodbath matches could lead to spread of HIV virus. Dave doesn’t know about the disease or how it spreads, but he does know that there’s been zero cases ever reported due to bloody wrestling rings. However, at the very least promotions need to do research into the matter and find out more, just in case. (So of course, we now know that HIV can’t live outside of the body, and there’s basically a zero percent chance of contracting the disease in that manner unless you’re literally giving your opponent a blood transfusion in the middle of the ring. That being said, while AIDS was never a major concern, Hepatitis is a VERY real concern and frankly it’s shocking that more people didn’t end up contracting that disease.)

– Down in Mexico, there’s a new wrestler named THE LOVE MACHINE, but Dave has no idea who he is. (Hopefully we can dig deep and solve this unsolved mystery sometime soon.)

– The Steiner Brothers finally dropped the IWGP tag titles after months of Scott Steiner being injured, as Hase & Muto beat Rick Steiner & Scott Norton on 11/5 at Budokan Hall. Later in the week they dropped a non-title match to Norton & Hashimoto to move on to that program.

– Dave is astonished at this move done in a Jushin Liger v. Chris Benoit match, where Benoit was sitting on the top rope and Liger gave him a Frankensteiner from there!

– The Powers of Pain have reunited in SWS as they’ll just take ANY WWF castoffs, I guess. That being said, despite most of their tickets still being freebies, the crowds are actually into most of the shows and not spending the whole time catcalling the wrestlers. So that’s a positive.

– Atsushi Onita’s freakshow boxing vs wrestling show, with Leon Spinks in a featured role, is in jeopardy now because Dick the Bruiser (who was Spinks’ intermediary) died before they could finalize the contracts.

– Dave also wants to clarify that FMW’s Big Titan is from Calgary, but otherwise he doesn’t know who the guy is.

– Bob Backlund is actually DRAWING for UWFI, picking up interest in the promotion, although he’s still getting his ass kicked by Takada in the main events.

– Rumors are that WING is already in financial trouble and might split into one FMW style bloodbath group and one lucha libre style group.

– Down in Memphis, manager Nate the Rat is back and now he’s promising to bring in a new wrestler named The Grave Digger. Dave is all “Gee, I wonder who THAT is ripping off?” It’ll likely be Roadblock playing the role. (According to cagematch.net, it was someone named Jimmie Lee who also wrestled as The Nightmare and other names.)

– Jerry Lawler did an interview where he called the Mid South Coliseum “The House that King Built” and claimed that he sold it out more times than Elvis or the Beatles. Dave admits this is technically true, but then it’s not the Beatles ever played it more than once.

– In the “so it’s come to this” file, Steve Doll & The Grappler won the PNW tag team titles from the Harrissessessess on 11/10…in a pizza parlor. (Tick tock, tick tock.) Don Owen is getting so desperate to put people in the building that he’s letting kids in for free on a weekly basis now.

– In Global, Bill Eadie was let go stemming from all the financial woes, along with most of the front office, with Joe Pedicino basically running things by himself now. Eddie Gilbert is expected to take over booking soon.

– Since Max Andrews is going to be having to fund the show based on ad revenue, they’re going to turn him babyface again and claim he was just a spy all along. (Aka the Ed Leslie Defense. This actually got funnier with sponsors freaking out because he was on TV trying to sabotage his own show and the poor guy is trying to explain kayfabed storylines to them.)

– Barry Horowitz will be given a new gimmick based on being a loser. (aka his entire career)

– Gordon Scozzari is claiming that he’ll do a three hour TV taping on 12/16 at Long Island University to crown an AWF champion, with a host of talent who I’m pretty sure didn’t make it.

– Dave goes on a quick rant about an interview Bill Watts did with the Torch, where he said that Lester Maddox had the right ideas in race relations, and how Jim Herd would be crucified for saying something that racist but everyone LOVES Watts and he can do no wrong, so it flies under the radar. (Well, that sort of thing certainly fly under the radar by 1992. Also, I had to Wiki who Lester Maddox is, and he’s a famous segregationist who was the Governor of Georgia in the 70s. Good thing we’ve moved past that sort of thing…

–

– Oh great, now that guy is going to send me another e-mail about how my wife is fat and ugly. Thanks, Donald.)

– Mark Bagwell got another tryout at Center Stage for the WCW TV tapings, and he did much better this time.

– Rumors are flying that Dustin’s mystery partner at the Clash will actually be Ricky Steamboat, although Dave hasn’t heard any confirmation.

– Madusa did an interview warning Sting that it’ll be a cold day in hell before he gets his “Little Stinger” near her, which has Dave confused as to the meaning.

(Thanks for clarifying, Captain Hammer.)

– Dave is also confused as to why Johnny B. Badd was terrible when he debuted, got 1000 times better, and then gets buried, but Van Hammer debuts, gets 1000 times WORSE, and is still pushed like crazy.

– WCW is also on a run of cutting managers, with Teddy Long on the way out and Lady Blossom soon to follow. (No big loss in either case, honestly.)

– Jerry Jarrett is being talked about as replacing or co-booking with Dusty Rhodes in 1992, although it’s far from a done deal.

– There is talk of adding a SIXTH PPV show in 1992. (They’re going to oversaturate the market and destroy the business!)

– The Battlebowl nonsense at Starrcade is supposed to be an annual tradition, as WCW wants to shift to exclusively theme shows on PPV, whereas the WWF wants to do title matches on their theme shows.

– Dave thinks that Mr. Hughes working in his sunglasses and never breaking them is exposing the business. (Of all the things that WCW did in 1991, THAT’S the one he’s offended by?)

– Poor Terry Taylor. Dave notes that whenever you feel like life isn’t fair to you, just be glad you’re not him having to “wet nurse” Van Hammer to a decent match and failing miserably.

– To the WWF, where Chris Chavis did ANOTHER tryout match but he’s apparently already got a job. Chris Walker also did a tryout and looked good. (Still shocked that guy never got a serious look.)

– Mr. Perfect was introduced as the new “Technical Advisor” for Ric Flair, replacing the overwhelmed Bobby Heenan. Jim Cornette was offered the spot but turned it down. (That might have been cool.)

– Powerlifter OD Wilson, who was one of the world’s strongest men, had a meeting scheduled with the WWF about a wrestling job, but died on 10/29, possibly of steroid causes. (His corpse still would have been better than Kazmaier in the ring.)

– Big Bully Busick quit because the gimmick just wasn’t working. (No truth to the rumor about guys getting upset when he would get an erection while doing the stump-puller, I guess. Where’s Dave’s hard-hitting journalism for these kinds of questions?)

– Kerry Von Erich got SUPER-SQUASHED by Undertaker on Wrestling Challenge, which Dave thinks is some kind of a message.

– And finally, Slick has retired from the business to become a preacher again, and the WWF is actually talking about his new career path, which probably means they expect him back again. (Well, not for a couple of years, at least.)