by David Bixenspan | [email protected] | Follow @davidbix
TV lineup for tonight:
NXT at 8:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network has Finn Balor vs. Rhyno, Hideo Itami giving an update on his injury, and more.
Lucha Underground at 8:00 p.m. ET on El Rey has Drago vs. Mil Muertes in a number one contenders match and much more.
ROH at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Destination America has a loaded show with A.J, Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppongi Vice as well as Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong and Gedo. vs. Michael Elgin.
UFC Tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 could very well have an announcement on the status of Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor, as the timing works out just right with Aldo seeing his doctor today.
Impact Wrestling at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Destination America is the “live” show that kicks of the parade of confusion that will be the next few days of out of order taping.
The Ultimate Fighter at 10:00 p.m. on Fox Sports 1 sees American Top Team fighting to stay in the competition as they’ll be mathematically declared losers if they lose again.
WWE is taping SmackDown and Main Event tonight in Toledo, Ohio. If you’re attending it, please send a spoiler report to [email protected].
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The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with a detailed look at what made Dusty Rhodes such a uniquely gifted performer. Topics covered include:
* How his appeal differed from other superstar babyfaces.
* His underrated athleticism and in-ring working ability.
* His versatility on promos.
And much more. Plus, as always, we have all of the usual reviews and international news.
Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the American, Canadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle.
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Part one of the life and career of Dusty Rhodes is the feature in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer. We also look at WWE coming out of the Money in the Bank PPV and where things are going next, UFC in Mexico City and the Fabricio Werdum win over Cain Velasquez, more on how Mayweather & Pacquiao set PPV records and who was buying, the debut of Global Force Wrestling, Tough Enough and Verano de Escandalo are also covered.
The Latest Wrestling Observer: June 22, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Part 1 of giant Dusty Rhodes obituary, GFW’s 1st shows
Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show in the history of the site are at Sign up here for as low as $9.99 per month!
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected]”>[email protected]
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Rates are:
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to [email protected] For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.
The lead story covers the life and early career of Dusty Rhodes. We have a lot of his career records. We look at fact vs. fiction about his life before wrestling, and his road to the top in wrestling. We have an overview of the key points of his career, as well as rundown his early territories and the build to his babyface persona. We’ve got comments by many people most associated with him during his career. We look at health issues, the outpouring of emotion, an eerie thing written by Rhodes just ten day before his death where exactly what he didn’t want to be most remembered for was brought up. We look at the WWF character and the real reasons behind it.
We also look at the rise and fall of Jim Crockett Promotions, the fall of the UWF, the last year of JCP, the TBS purchase, why Rhodes was fired from the company and how Rhodes ended up back in WCW. We also look at why he retired from the ring, and the irony of what he said about who could and couldn’t book wrestling in the late 90s.
We look at Rhodes mentions on spots shows this past week, and his role in helping talent currently on the main roster.
We look at the original Dusty Rhodes, his doing backyard wrestling, his college days going to matches, West Texas State football and how he got into pro wrestling. We look at his early territorial work, his first pushes and his rise to prominence.
We look back at the Texas Outlaws tag team with Dick Murdoch, how they got publicity as the top tag team of 1970 with two world tag team titles at the same time, his first run in Florida and how big he was put over on the first TV show there, his brief time in Australia as world tag team champion and who his manager was. We look at why the run was so short, his working for Bill Watts as a single star, the Crusher vs. Dusty Rhodes dynamic, the first taste of Rhodes as a babyface, who Dusty pitched to Eddie Graham about bringing in as his younger brother, why Dusty was able to be a much better promo in Florida than he could in the AWA, Rhodes vs. Lou Thesz, Rhodes vs. Jack Brisco, the American Dream turns babyface and the quest for the NWA title achieved.
We also look at the direction for Battleground and full coverage of Money in the Bank.
We also look at the stories behind UFC 188 and have full coverage of the show.
We also look at the upcoming Hogan lawsuit, more dates booked for Brock Lesnar, wrestler who was on Raw last year trying out for Tough Enough, Kevin Owens talks John Cena, Dwayne Johnson movie notes, more notes from the WWE camp, More NXT road dates, WWE stock notes and network predictions, Chyna at WWE headquarters, plus more notes on the last NXT tour and a rundown of the business and weekend house shows and an interesting note about that business.
We look at why bought Mayweather-Pacquiao and what can be learned from it.
We look at the debut of Global Force Wrestling and the problems facing the promotion, its first weekend of shows, second weekend and first television tapings.
We also look at AAA’s Verano de Escandalo show.
We look at the finalists for this season of Tough Enough, who they were and where they came from.
We also have an interesting look at DVR usage during pro wrestling shows and what it says about the various products.
The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.
We also have our regular features such as the most complete look at ratings, plus results of the major house show events each week in pro wrestling and MMA, and complete inside rundowns of all the TV shows.
Also in this week’s issue:
–First notes on the annual Universal champion of champions tournament
–An interesting result where a major promotion’s top star put over an indie wrestler clean
–The Busca en un Idolo tournament
–What CMLL show drew the biggest crowd of the week and it was outside of Mexico City
–Update on Negro Casas concussion
–Latest from Arena Mexico
–Former world champion boxer marries pro wrestling star
–International stars coming to PWG
–Wrestle-One comes to the U.S. and Philadelphia show notes
–Dragon Gate changes several championships and a look at the next two big shows
–What U.S. stars are headed to Dragon Gate shortly
–Mitsuharu Misawa Tribute week in NOAH and what legends attended the big show
–GHC title match with neither wrestler being associated with the NOAH brand
–Update on Takeshi Morishima retirement match
Click Here: Geelong Cats Guernsey
–Notes on G-1 Climax ticket sales
–Update on Yoshitatsu
–Shinya Hashimoto Memorial show lineup
–A note on the Hashimoto legacy
–Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong rematch and how it came to be
–New Japan stars headed back to England and a look at their most recent England appearance
–New Japan stars headed back to ROH soon
–Current MMA world champion headlines IGF pro wrestling event
–King of DDT tournament notes
–Notes from the Championship Wrestling from Florida tribute event this past week
–Update on Blackjack Mulligan
–Details on Josh Alexander and his upcoming neck surgery
–Former WWE developmental talent on a CBS reality show
–Former wrestlers drop lawsuit against WWE
–How rules in New York affect indie groups and what rule in the books isn’t enforced at all
–What are the biggest expenses
–Major movie with Kevin Nash coming out soon
–New promotion debuts on national TV in July
–80s star writing an autobiography
–Notes on some stadium shows coming this summer
–Case reopened on the murder of an 80s pro wrestler
–Notes on Ultima Lucha
–Two wrestlers under consideration for season two of Lucha Underground
–Notes on the New York ROH shows and complete lineup
–Notes on ROH on Destination America
–TNA makes big play for former WWE major star
–Changes in the TNA PPV show
–Return of King of the Mountain
–Update on Jeff Hardy
–More on Slammiversary
–Problems with weight cutting
–Details behind drug test controversy with Jose Aldo in Brazil
–This week’s UFC show
–More on UFC deal with Titan Fighting Championships
–UFC debuts in Saskatchewan with action main event
–Future of Johny Hendricks
–Update on C.M. Punk and his UFC debut
–Lots of new UFC fights
–Kimbo/Shamrock notes
–Kimbo and Shamrock favor allowing PEDs in MMA
–Looking at the Bellator show
–Retirement of Peter Aerts and his legacy
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
Our most requested issues in our history are:
*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)
*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)
*August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)
*March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a
*October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)
*July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)
*February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)
*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)
*January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)
*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)
*March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)
*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)
*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)
*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)
*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)
*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)
*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)
*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)
*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)
*January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)
*February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)
*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)
*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)
*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)
*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)
*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)
*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)
*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)
*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)
*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)
*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)
*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)
*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)
*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)
*July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)
*September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)
*October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)
*November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)
*January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)
*January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)
*April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)
*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)
*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)
*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)
*October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)
*November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)
*November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)
*November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)
*December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)
*January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)
*March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)
*March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)
*March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)
*April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)
*July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)
*October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)
*November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .
*December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)
*January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)
*March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)
*April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)
* September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)
* September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)
* September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)
You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.
We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..
To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.
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Tuesday Daily Update
— The Tough Enough season premiere had 1.2 million viewers last night. The previous season a few years ago with Steve Austin did 3.3 million from the premiere before dropping to the high 2+ million range thereafter. Like Total Divas, though, it could gain a decent number of viewers on replays.
— Dave Allen, UFC’s head of operations foe Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, has left the company out of nowhere after just six months.
— Darren Young was tweeting yesterday about feeling disrespected by his boyfriend’s face being blurred on the first episode of “Swerved” on WWE Network. Logic says that this was just an issue of not getting a signed release from him, as Titus O’Neil’s kids were all blurred out, as well,
— Pat Laprade’s Mad Dog Vachon book will be released in English this fall, which is tremendous news. His first book, a history of Montreal wrestling co-written with Bertrand Hebert, is a must-read, so this is something to look forward to.
– Vox.com did a list of the most edited Wikipedia pages. “List of WWE personnel” was amazingly second on the list while The Undertaker was 18th. Neither should necessarily be shocking if you’ve ever looked at the talk page of a wrestling-related Wikipedia article.
— ECW Press sent out an email stating that the book “The Iron Sheik: Listen Jabroni!” has been cancelled, though “WWE and ECW will continue to partner on more titles in the future, including an autobiography of Pat Patterson, set to release in June 2016.”
— WWE Network added 15 episodes of Prime Time Wrestling to the on demand section, covering the build to WrestleMania III including all of the Piper’s Pit segments, etc.
— Scott Fishman of The Miami Herald has a new article on Mickie James, though it’s likely paywalled for most.
— IWA Mid-South presents the 2015 King of the Deathmatches at the American Legion Post 335 in Charlestown, IN on 6/26 & 6/27. Doors open at 6:30, bell time is 7:30. Bell time on 6/27 is 6:30. Bryant Woods VS JD Horror- Fans Bring the Weapons, Devon Moore VS Reed Bentley- TLC X2 (Tables, Tacks, Ladders, Lighttubes, Chairs, Candles), Dale Patricks VS Adam Bueller- Barefoot Fishhooks, Syringes, Carpet Strips & Tubes, Corporal Robinson VS John Wayne Murdoch- Feel The Burn match (Coals, Rubbing alcohol, Lit cigarettes, Tabasco sauce), Nick Gage VS Markus Crane- Death From Above, Tank VS Matt Tremont- Texas Bullrope Barbed Wire Boards & Cactus pits, MASADA VS The Green Phantom- Caribbean Spider Web, Sexxy Eddy VS Insane Lane- Homerun Derby Deathmatch
— IWA Mid-South also presents the 2015 Queen of the Deathmatches at the American Legion Post 335 in Charlestown, IN on 6/27. Doors open at 1:30, Bell time is 2:00. Sage Supreme VS Thunderkitty- Tai Pei Death Barbed Wire Boards, Randi West VS Rebecca Payne- World Series of Glass, Kathy “The Butcher” Owens VS Sabrina Sixx- Four Corners of Pain, Ludark Shaitan VS Mistress Burgandi- Tacks, Carpet Strips, Barb Wire Bundles Light Tube Ropes.
— The stars of Vancouver Island Pro Wrestling return to The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 91 in Langford, B.C. with Tag Team Champions The Wisemen vs. NexGen and much more. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. for an 8:00 pm. start.
— Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling “Who’s the Man” on July 4 has:
– HOLLYWOOD VS BOLLYWOOD GRUDGE TAG TEAM MATCH –
The Entourage [Brady Malibu & MR2] vs. The Bollywood Boyz [Gurv Sihra & Harv Sihra]
– “RAVENOUS” MYSTERY STIPULATION –
Hellion w/ Rigor Von Slasher vs. “Ravenous” Randy Myers
The Ladies Choice vs. Tony Baroni
Lak Siddartha w/ Rigor Von Slasher vs. “The Loose Cannon” Kenny Lush
And much more!
