Flashback Friday: The Wrestler, April 1989

This week, we look back at an issue of The Wrestler that went to press January 1, 1989 that sold for $1.95 in the U.S., $2.50 in Canada, and £1.35 in the United Kingdom—and I toss in bonus Wrestling Observer Newsletter coverage! With rumblings of a Megapower breakup, we also learn about a power struggle in the NWA, and we get a glimpse of A.J. Styles’s seldom talked about uncle, Karl Styles, in the ratings. (You better give respect cause ain’t nobody breaking this Pacific red neck.) Let’s get busy.

We begin with Your Letters, where John from Savannah says he’s glad the Road Warriors have found their edge again, and now they’re never going to lose the NWA World tag team titles. On the other hand, Leslie from Worcester says she’s known the Road Warriors since their AWA days and they’re nothing but cheaters who attack before the bell. Leslie predicts they’ll lose the belts sooner or later when they find themselves in a fair fight. On another note, Pattie from Augusta, Arkansas writes in to say she’s glad wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper have been discovered by Hollywood, but she hopes the neon lights of showbiz don’t steal all her favorites away. Then there’s Craig from Nova Scotia who says The Wrestler was wrong to ask, “Where was Hogan?” when Savage was attacked by Andre. Craig says Macho is a big boy who can take care of himself. “Besides, where was Savage when Hogan lost the title in Indianapolis?” And Bill Masters writes in to say that while Eddie Gilbert is now presenting himself as a good guy in the NWA and has befriended Ron Simmons and Dusty Rhodes, Gilbert has a shady past and can’t be trusted.

Next, What’s Happening with Bill Apter…

Lex Luger’s showdown with NWA champ Ric Flair was probably the most anticipated match of the Luger’s career, but the Total Package was unable to win the title. Luger says he wants a rematch, but unless they lock him and Flair in a cage, there’s probably no point. In other news, North American champ Don Muraco has signed for a series of matches against AWA champion Jerry Lawler. In Puerto Rico, Carlos Colon regained the WWC Universal title from Ronnie Garvin. In the states, the Terminator defeated U.S. Steel for the Florida title but lost it to Mike Graham on Christmas night. On the same night in Portland Oregon, Top Gun captured the Pacific Northwest title from The Grappler. More big PNW news: Col. DeBeers is feuding with Scott Peterson. In the WWF, rumor is that Savage wants to fight Hulk Hogan not only out of jealousy over Elizabeth but because he wants to prove to himself that he’s number one. Meanwhile, the WWF exodus continues: Butch Reed has signed a contract with J.J. Dillon to wrestle in the NWA. Word is, however, he won’t be a member of the Four Horsemen. Elsewhere, a joint WWA/All-Japan card is scheduled for February 2 in Kansas City and will feature the British Bulldogs vs. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and the Funk Brothers versus Johnny Ace & Dan Spivey. (The Bulldogs/Rock ‘n’ Roll match did indeed happen, going to a 30 minute draw. The Funks, however, ended up wrestling and defeating Doug Somers & Gary Young as Dan Spivey had jumped to the NWA.) Finally, Mexico’s Blue Demon has retired at age 56. And that’s what happening. See you at the matches!

This man needs a mustache.

Next, it’s Win Lose or Draw with Andy Rodriguez. Andy says everyone is excited now that Ted Turner has bought a controlling interest in the NWA and the NWA might finally be able to compete with the WWF. “The WWF has been number one for the past five years,” Andy tells us. “True, during most of that time, the quality of the NWA and elsewhere has been superior, but the WWF has more fans, makes more money, and garners more attention outside the sport than any other organization.” He says, however, to take the news of the sale of the NWA with a grain of salt. Turner’s NWA has a mighty task ahead of it, and McMahon will do all he can to maintain his position, including raiding other rosters and trying to sabotage the NWA. (But that would be “trying to hurt the other guy,” wouldn’t it?) The bigger question, however, is how committed Turner is toward making the NWA better. Andy points out Turner has many other interests that include the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Hawks, and CNN. Meanwhile, Vince McMahon is totally committed to the WWF and has successfully changed all the rules for better or for worse. “Now it’s McMahon’s game, and as the saying goes, you can’t get rich playing another man’s game.”

Next, we’re Blindsided by Bob Smith where Bob reports that Nikita Koloff has left the NWA. “It’s unclear why Koloff left but what is known is that the NWA talent roster has been severely depleted recently. Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, the Sheepherders, Ron Garvin, Jimmy Garvin, and Brad Armstrong have all left. The loss of Koloff might be the severest blow of them all.” (Not to worry, Bob: the NWA would replenish its roster soon enough.) In other news, Harley Race has returned to the WWF, which makes Bob look foolish for eulogizing the wrestler in the November issue. “But who expected to see Race back in a wrestling ring again? He reportedly underwent seven hours of abdominal surgery last spring, making this return close to a miracle.” Bob says Race wants to wrestle Haku to see who the real King is but Bob wonders why grown men want to wrestle for a silly crown instead of gunning for a title. Meanwhile, Bob is happy to report that Atlantic Coast Wrestling, a new federation that’s promoting cards in the Carolinas, Georgia, and surrounding areas, is hot and exciting! They’ve imported the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, Jimmy Garvin, Mitch Snow, Buddy Landell, Nelson Royal, and Rick Gibson, among others. They’ve got a terrific TV program hosted by Rick Stuart. Is this pro wrestling’s next major wrestling federation? (Spoiler alert: no.) Finally, Bob says the best bets to have a breakout year in 1989 include Dan Spivey, Heidi Lee Morgan, Samoan Kokina, T.C. Reynolds, Lance Idol. “And I almost don’t want to mention Sid Vicious, the new CWA champion. He’s a perfectly proportioned 300-pounder who’s as strong as Hulk Hogan and as agile as Rick Morton. The man is not just impressive, he’s downright frightening.”

Next, Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down:

Next up, we get reports from fans, with Paul McGee reporting from Buffalo, New York that Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, debuting in the WWF, defeated the Young Stallions. Elsewhere, Raymond Ney reports that in Washington D.C. Lex Luger & Bam Bam Bigelow teamed up to defeat Barry Windham & Abdullah the Butcher. Luger also won a $25,000 bunkhouse battle royal. And finally, Chris Vetter reports that in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the Ultimate Warrior pinned the Honky Tonk Man to retain the Intercontinental title.

Next, You Asked Us, The Wrestler’s communication channel for fans and talent. (Maybe Scott should start this on the blog and write fake answers from wrestlers.) Kevin from Staten Island asks Bob Backlund, “When are you going to return to wrestling?” Backlund says he’s going to wrestle in Japan soon. After that, it’ll be a wait and see thing. Carlie from Anchorage, Alaska asks Terry Gordy, “Do you plan to annihilate that lummox Bam Bam Bigelow and prove you’re the real Bamm Bamm?” Gordy says the two of them have already met in the ring. “But it don’t matter if you spell it with one m or two, it’s about what you do with your fists, and I think I proved I deserve the name.” Dimitre from Blackfoot, Idaho asks Sting if he’ll wrestle Lex Luger for the NWA title if Lex wins it first. Sting says that’s a tough question, but he’d probably ask Lex for a strictly scientific match. (I would later see the two wrestle for the title in person, and it was not that sort of match.) Greg from Campbellton, New Brunswick asks Dave Rosenbaum how to become a wrestling journalist. Dave says, “Start off by writing often. Maybe take a creative writing course and get involved with your school paper. It’s important to know a lot about wrestling and be enthusiastic about it, but you won’t be able to share that enthusiasm with your readers if you can’t write well.” Sandy from Philly asks Paul Ellering why it took so long for the Road Warriors to dump losers like Sting and Dusty. Paul says, “Sometimes, my friend, it’s difficult to see the forest for the trees. We had to step back and see the big picture.” Finally, Carolan from Stoughton, Massachusetts asks AWA President Stanley Blackburn why in the event of a controversial title match he doesn’t hold the title up and hold a tournament. Blackburn says “For that action to be taken, I have to convene a meeting with the AWA Board of Directors, a difficult task as they are always travelling all over the globe. Also, tournaments are time consuming. It’s much easier to simply sign a rematch and let the combatants settle matters between them in the ring. Only in the most extreme and controversial cases will I request the title be held up.”

Next, The Wrestler introduces us to Lou Perez, whom we’re told is the brother of Al Perez. (They’re actually cousins.) Lou, a body builder who was named 1983’s Mr. Tampa, is wrestling in Florida as a fan favorite where he’s managed by Ron & Ron, a pair of popular radio personalities.

Next, it’s Q&A time with Mike Rotundo(a), who just lost his TV title at Starrcade to Rick Steiner. Rotundo is surly and says Steiner is an ungrateful idiot, but now Dr. Death Steve Williams is in the Varsity Club, and the Club has a plan for revenge.

Craig Peters says, “I never thought I’d see the great Mike Rotundo become so unbalanced. It appears we may never again see the scientific star who thrilled fans all over the world. You’re not only a rulebreaker, you’re downright vicious!” Rotundo says, “Aw, sticks and stones, Peters. Who cares what you think anyway? All I care about is getting my title back. Then the Varsity Club will completely dominate the NWA!” (Rotundo, by the way, would like to remind everyone that tomorrow is April 15, the best day of the year.)

Next, the magazine spotlights the Jim Cornette’s Midnight Express, telling us their history and place in the sport.

Let’s break in here to see what Uncle Dave has to say in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

First up, Dave raves about Starrcade 88, calling it everything a pay per view should be from a wrestling standpoint. The show drew 10,000 in Norfolk but wasn’t a sellout. In the event, the Varsity Club won the US tag titles from the Fantastics, then the Midnight Express beat the Original Midnight Express, giving the show two great openers. From there, the Russian Assassins beat JYD & Ivan Koloff in a short but watchable match before Rick Steiner won the TV title from Mike Rotunda, with Dave noting that Steiner is either incredibly tough or insane to take such hard bumps. Next, Barry Windham beat Bam Bam Bigelow in what Dave calls Windham’s audition as Flair’s heir apparent, delivering bigtime by carrying Bigelow to an excellent match. The Road Warriors retained the tag titles over Dusty Rhodes & Sting by a DQ finish that was bad but expected, and finally, Ric Flair retained the World title in a 30 minute match against Luger that Dave calls Luger’s best performance ever by far. In fact, Dave says it’s clear that either Luger is legit a main eventer, or Flair is so good that he managed to snow everyone into believing Luger was great here and gives the last match ****1/2 and calls it the best pay per view match of 1988.

Dave’s other news:

– The NWA is poised for a good start to 1989, as whatever the opposite of an exodus is, it begins in January with Steven Casey, Michael Hayes, Butch Reed, Jimmy Garvin, Brian Pillman, and Terry Gordy all coming in. There’s also someone else on the way in who can’t be talked about yet. (Does his name rhyme with Dreamboat?) At this point, it’s clear the NWA and WWF are strong and everyone else is in trouble and fading fast.

– Onto the WWF, as the main event of the February 3 Main Event in Milwaukee looks to be a rematch of the Megapowers v. Megabucks, with Hogan-Savage having a break-up.

– The horrible SNME headlined by Savage v. Andre drew a phenomenal 9.2 rating. (Match was awful, but Savage and Andre were two household names, so it made for a good main event for network television where you’re trying to get the general public to watch.)

– The Royal Rumble match, which will be on pay per view this year, will feature 30 men and 2:00 intervals, which means an hour-long match. Dave doesn’t know if this will fly as a long-term concept. (Maybe they need to add a stipulation where the winner gets to referee at WrestleMania V.) The show also features a Rick Rude-Ultimate Warrior posedown, which Dave notes will be the best match of their feud thus far.

– Up to Stampede, where the Bulldogs are doing big business as the top team, although Dynamite will leave for Japan soon and Bruce Hart is going to take over as booker. (What could go wrong?)

– Sid Eudy as The Vicious Warrior is apparently a thing that is going to happen in Japan in February. (Or he’ll jump to the NWA.)

– Verne Gagne is not even putting up the pretext of playing along with the “Unified” World title and is advertising Lawler’s title defenses as the AWA World title, period. (Of course, Lawler would soon be out the door after getting stiffed.)

– Dusty has sold his house in Texas and is moving to Florida while TBS decides what to do with his $585K a year contract. Most don’t expect him to be around long-term, but Dave notes that even if they cut that contract in half, that’s still better than most people do in the business.

– Clash IV did poorly in the ratings, and Dave notes that it wasn’t exactly a secret that TBS was embarrassed by the poor quality of that show. (That means no more camera shots from the ceiling, I guess.)

– Best estimate for Superclash III was around 40,000 buys, or 0.7%. Actual number was 0.5%, which would be closer to 25,000 buys. Break-even point was 1%, so they lost money on the show. Biggest market was Memphis, of course.

Finally, we close with a letter from a reader who points out that Dave just flippantly mentioned that Kerry Von Erich has an amputated foot with no further elaboration. (That’s our Dave!). The fan says people are paying for this newsletter and that’s exactly the kind of thing that people might want some explanation about. Why was it amputated? Who knew and when did they know it?

Back to The Wrestler…

This month’s X-Ray feature sees a panel of experts look at the Junk Yard Dog. Capt. Lou Albano says, “This man is a credit to wrestling!” and says men like Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan owe a lot to JYD since top contenders would have to go through the Dog before getting title shots. “Now he’s in the NWA, and Windham and Flair better watch out cause the Dog is hungry for some new bones to chew.” Killer Kowalski says, “Everybody calls Junkyard Dog a great wrestler, but he hasn’t been close to being a top contender for years.” Kowalski says JYD is now just a novelty act for kids, and the NWA isn’t a good fit for him. “This is one legend whose time has passed.” Professor Toru Tanaka says the Junk Yard Dog is respected in Japan for his matches there in the past, but today in the U.S. he tries too hard to please the fans. Larry Hennig says, “This is one of the few dogs I’ve ever seen that carries his own leash, but he’s not much of a wrestler.” Larry adds that the Dog probably left the WWF because Mr. Perfect beat him so thoroughly. Lou Thesz says the Dog is a great man and a great talent but he’s recently put on weight and should focus more on training and less on music. Jack Brisco says JYD has underrated scientific skills and invented the powerslam. “He’s also one of the nicest guys to step into a wrestling ring, and I’m proud to call him my friend.”

Next, an article about the British Bulldogs, who returned to Stampede Wrestling to a hero’s welcome and won the International tag team championship from the Cuban Commandos on December 12. (Unfortunately for the magazine, the Bulldogs lost the championship to Karachi Vice just as this issue was going to press.)

Next, an article about the Road Warriors vs. Sting & Luger in a power struggle for the NWA’s future. The magazine speculate that Paul Ellering could be the deciding factor. Sting & Luger have to think for themselves, but the Road Warriors have a manager to guide them. The results so far? Road Warriors: tag team champions. Sting & Lex Luger: can’t win the big one. Ellering says that by 1990, Sting and Luger will be probably have given up and gone home, and no one will remember them.

We move on to our feature article about the Megapowers. Specifically, the magazine says that Hogan, after being attacked by the Big Boss Man, is getting fired up, and that’s not good for Savage. Hogan had been getting complacent, but now it’s like 1984 all over again, and it won’t be long before Hogan comes after Savage for the WWF heavyweight championship. Savage, meanwhile, seems to be growing more perturbed at having to share Elizabeth and is becoming more like the Savage of the past, perhaps setting up a showdown between the two men reminiscent of 1985. This time, however, Savage is champ and will have the champion’s advantage. Ric Flair, when asked about all this says the latter might give Savage the edge.

Next, were they right to stop the Jerry Lawler-Kerry Von Erich bout at SuperClash III on account of blood? Wahoo McDaniel says, “The safety of the wrestlers is important, but when you’re talking about such an important match, a different set of rules apply. Under the circumstances, I say no way.” Fritz Von Erich says, “My son was robbed, plain and simple. We Von Erichs have the guts to bleed a little and come back. What made me laugh was how, afterward, Blackburn and Verne Gagne were talking about how good a decision referee Marty Miller made. Of course they thought it was a good decision! They made it for him!” Tommy Young says, “If you remember, I was the referee when the guy from the Maryland Athletic Commission ordered me to stop the Ric Flair-Lex Luger match in Baltimore in July. Personally, I wouldn’t have stopped that match, but I had no choice. But as a referee, I have a responsibility to assure the health of the participants. There’s no way you can say a wrestler is a good judge of whether he should be allowed to continue. I don’t care what’s on the line, health and safety are top priorities.” Stanley Blackburn says, “Mr. Von Erich was bleeding terribly, and the match had to be stopped. Mr. Von Erich no longer has his belt, but at least he has his health.” Gordon Solie says, “I’ve been watching this sport a long time, and I could count on one hand the number of matches I’ve seen stopped because of blood. Look, this is a tough sport, and it’s for tough men. If Von Erich was that weak, Lawler would have been able to pin him. As it was, Von Erich had the iron claw on Lawler. I’m not sure the ref made the right move.” Frank Dusek, World Class official says, “I don’t see how they could stop the match when Kerry was in total control. And if they had to stop it, just declare it a draw!” Kerry Von Erich says, “Blackburn saw that his AWA man was about to lose the title and did something about it. I bled an awful lot for nothing.” Jerry Lawler says, “I honestly believe if the match wasn’t stopped, Kerry would’ve bled his way into the intensive care unit. I would hope that an official would do the same for me if I was in that position. By the way, there was no way I was going to submit. You just don’t give up the World title that easily.” Referee Marty Miller says, “Very simply, I was told to stop the match if one of the participants was bleeding too heavily. There was no conspiracy, just common sense.”

Next, an article about Andre the Giant, who has wrestled 18 years and managed to win just one world title—which he held for less than two minutes. Today he’s a shell of himself. Retire his trunks. Get out the gold watch. Hire the caterer. A career that once held so much promise is now ending with a giant thud. Terry Funk says it’s sad. “He was one big, tough sucker back when I wrestled him, but he just couldn’t win the big one. He had the ability, but some people choke under pressure. Maybe Andre just couldn’t handle it.” Ernie Ladd, however, thinks Andre can still bounce back. “Look, he’s bigger now than before, and a lot of people think he had Hogan pinned at WrestleMania III.” Bruno Sammartino, meanwhile, says, “Let me tell you something, it’s sad to see a wrestler at the end of his line, but it’s tough to leave this game. I know what Andre’s going through. He loves the sport, he wants a world title, and he doesn’t know any other way of life.” (Y’know, I don’t think I’d have the guts to publish this article in 1989. What if Andre stomped into my office and asked to speak to the writer?)

Next up, in Beyond the Squared Circle, we have some photos:

Above: Jimmy Hart and Honky visit a Cleveland radio station, Kerry Von Erich carries his daughter at SuperClash III, Don Muraco looks at a photo of himself in a magazine, and Arn Anderson looks at The Wrestler’s photo archive. Below: Abdullah the Butcher gets photographed by Gary Hart, Andre signs an autograph at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago to promote the Wrestlemania Nintendo video game, Tama bandages Samu’s ankle before a match, Tatsumi Fujinami gets a photo with his wife and baby at SuperClash III, and photographer Floyd gets his picture taken while standing in front of a Dusty Rhodes Mello Yello stand.

And onto Ratings…

That’s all for this week! If you’re new here, be sure to leave a comment and check out the archive. Also, check out my website to see what books I’ve written!

Next week…