Observers of ’86 Special
**Only valid until May 31, 2014**
$224.95* USD for Canada destinations
$245.95** USD for USA destinations
$289.95*** USD for International destinations
(paypal orders Canada/USA please add $10 for paypal fees)
(paypal orders Intl please add $13 for paypal fees)
The special is for the 43 issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter published in 1986 that hi-light the continuation of Vince’s national expansion of the business. 382 pages of history.
A must have for your collection.
*Regular selling price for Canada $236.50, a $11.50 savings.
**Regular selling price for USA $258, a $12 savings.
***Regular selling price for International $387, a $97 savings.
Includes airmail shipping.
**Check out my Wrestling, UFC/MMA ebay auctions and more. Seller name is grantsindex
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All payments can be made by money order in US Funds (US Postal money
orders MUST BE PEACH international ones) and mailed to
Grant Zwarych
151 Hart Ave
Peterborough, Ont
K9J 5C5
Canada
Or paid via paypal to [email protected]
Enjoy!!
Issue Date (pages) Lead Story
1986
Jan. 13 (8) Stan Hansen wins AWA title 12/29 from Rick Martel
Coverage of the 12/29 Meadowlands Crockett/Gagne card
WTBS to air its first prime time wrestling special
Baby Doll leaves Tully Blanchard for Dusty Rhodes
Lawler loses loser laves town match to Bill Dundee in Memphis
Dynamite & Davey Boy Smith cancel AJPW tour-expected to get WWF belts
Feb. 3 (8) AWA renews ESPN deal
Scott Hall & Curt Henning win AWA tag belts
Jesse Barr wins Southern title from Lex Luger
Feb.17 (8) Death of Gino Hernandez
Second women’s promotion being formed in Japan
Lifetime ban on Bruiser Brody lifted in AWA-Brody to return
Sheepherders leave town after losing match vs The Fantastics
Feb. 24 (8) Update on Gino Hernandez death
Update on upcoming Wrestlemania II
Jake Roberts signs with WWF as do Dory Funk & Alexis Smirnoff
WWF headed to Baton Rouge
March 3 (8) Rick Rood new World Champ in World Class
World Class leaves NWA
Battle of the Belts card coverage
Titan sends message to Japan asking for Crush Girls at Wrestlemania
World Class runs Chris Adams blinding angle
March 17 (8) Jerry Lawler returns to Memphis
Wrestlemania update
Von Erichs on Dallas talk show
Dick Slater new North American champ
March 24 (8) Updates on 4/19 Crockett Superdome & WWF Wrestlemania cards
Satoru Sayama to compete in a sambo tournament
Ken Mantell leaves World Class for Mid South
WWF going after Ted DiBiase in a big way
April 4 (8) Update on upcoming Wrestlemania II
International Wrestling in Montreal and WWF have blow up and seperation
All three Mid South titles change hands
April 15 (8) Update on this summer Great American Bash
Jerry Blackwell in hospital suffering kidney failure
Crockett & McMahon settle lawsuit our of court
April 22 (8) Complete coverage of Wrestlemania II
All eyes on Jim Crockett tag tournament at the Superdome
Roddy Piper & Jesse Ventura both off six weeks to film movies
Lawler wins Southern title from Dundee in a cage
Top 15 Single, Top 10 Tag Team ratings
April 28 (8) Road warriors win NWA tag titles
Complete coverage of the Crockett Cup
Freebirds, John Tatum, Rick Rude & Steve Regal give Fritz their notice
AWA Wrestle-Rock Rumble coverage
May 8 (8) Card rundown of combined NWA/AWA 4/28 Meadowlands show
1986 Observer awards leading candidates
Sgt Slaughter missing all advertised dates in AWA
Jesse Barr, Kevin Sullivan, Blackjack Mulligan, Mark Lewin leave Florida
May 12 (8) Coverage of World Class 5/4 Texas Stadium show
Harley Race joins WWF
Andre/Akira Maeda 4/29 turns into a shoot
May 29 (8) Bill Watts out of retirement tour
Buddy Rose & Doug Somers win AWA belts from Hall & Henning
Bob Orton Jr arrested for assault
Backlund wanting to return to WWF
AWA cancelling a lot of shows
June 10 (8) Billy Jack joins WWF/Leaves Portland amidst controversy
Terry Gordy crowned first UWF champion
Fritz thinking of invading New Orleans
Rumors of Piper quitting WWF
Lawler replaces Dundee as Memphis booker
June 16 (8) Kerry Von Erich in motorcycle accident 6/4
Talk of Antonio Inoki vs Miichael Spinks match
Billy Jack update
Seiji Sakaguchi beats Inoki for first time
June 28 (8) Update on Kerry Von Erich/Rumors of Gagne AWA sale to WWF
Rumors of Gagne AWA sale to WWF
Major topic of conversation within the business is the state of the business itself
World Class office in total disarray
Road Warriors score pinfall win over Tsuruta & Tenryu in Japan
Superstar Graham to return to WWF in the fall
July 7 (8) Antonio Inoki wins IWGP tournament
WWF booker George Scott demoted/Hogan & Tito Santana get job
Blackjack Mulligan fired in World Class
Yoshiaki Yatsu starts training for 1988 Olympics
Nick Bockwinkle new AWA champ
Bill Watts in feud with the Freebirds
July 14 (8) Coverage of Great American Bash 7/1 Philadelphia card
Chris Adams wins World Class World title 7/4 from Rick Rood
Terry Gordy arrested in Dallas
Nick Bockwinkle wins AWA title 6/29 in Denver by forfeit
July 21 (10) Coverage of Great American Bash 7/5 Charlotte card
Stan Hansen takes AWA title with him to Japan
Midnight Rockers win AWA tag belts 7/13 in St. Paul
Vince replaces George Scott as booker in WWF
July 28 (8) Chris Adams arrested in Dallas
Stan Hansen in Japan with AWA belt
Butch Reed & Slick sign with WWF
Buddy Landel & Dutch Mantell sign with Crockett
Dick Slater arrives to WWF
Roddy Piper telling people he has retired
Aug.3 (8) Dusty Rhodes wins NWA title 7/26 from Flair in Greensboro
Complete 7/26 Great American Bash show coverage
New Japan announces Korauken Stadium Show
Giant Baba recognizing Hansen as AWA champ
Aug. 10 (10) World Class & Mid South Sports file lawsuits vs each other
Koko Ware/Kimala & Wayne Ferris join WWF
Aug. 18 (8) Flair regains NWA title 8/9 in St. Louis vs Rhodes
Harley Race crowned King of the Ring
AWA title situation remains a mess
Scott Irwin returns to Montreal
Lex Luger regains Florida’s Southern title
Aug. 25 (10) Rock’n’Roll Express win NWA titles 8/16 in Philadelphia
John Tenta leaves sumo & signs with All Japan
Lioness Asuka to retire shortly
Tonga Kid returning to WWF
Kabuki walks out on World Class to join Memphis
Sept.2 (10) WWF 8/28 Toronto show to set attendance record
George Scott hired as booker in World Class
Baby Doll turns heel in Flair vs Rhodes match
Sept. 9 (10) Complete coverage of first NWA Crockett show in L.A. 8/28
Jim Crockett takes over Central States
Jesse Ventura returns to WWF
New Japan announces Brody to return in late September
Sept. 15 (10) Complete coverage of the 8/28 Toronto show record setter
Brody & Inoki patch up differences
More details of Crockett taking over Central States
Bill Irwin joins UWF
Who’s the Toughest?
Sept. 22 (10) Coverage of 9/13 WWF Saturday Night Main Event taping
Dusty Rhodes wins TV title from Arn Anderson
Rick Rude & Brad Armstrong headed into Crockett
Some unhappiness in WWF due to paychecks after big business week
Eddie Gilbert/John Tatum split up
TNT in danger of being cancelled by USA network
Sept. 29 (10) Chris Adams Dallas trial continues/Black Bart “wins” title match
UWF to run bi-weekly cards in Dallas market
Nord the Barbarian walks out on AWA
Oct. 6 (10) WWF sending Rick Steamboat to work World Class 10/12 Cotton Bowl show WWF fire Lou Albano & Adrian Adonis
Barry Windham regains Florida belt from Ron Bass
Top 20 Singles, Top 15 Tag Team rankings
Oct. 13 (10) Update on last week’s news headlines
Saturday Night Main Event coverage
Ivan Koloff & Krusher Kruschev win US belts
Fantastics win UWF belts from Eddie Gilbert & Sting
Oct. 20 (10) Jim Duggan leaving Bill Watts for WWF
USA All Star Wrestling folds
Buddy Landell either quit or was fired
Sheepherders win belts in Florida
Oct. 27 (10) Magnum TA seriously injured in car accident 10/14
WWF signs Dino Bravo/Rick Martel/Tom Zenk & Steve DiSalvo
Inoki pins Leon Spinks
Buddy Landell debuts in UWF
Ron Simmons to debut in Florida
Nov. 3 (10) Chris Adams sentenced to prison
Magnum TA update
Yosiaki Yatsu denied Olympic eligibility due to pro status
Superstar Graham disappears
Missy Hyatt/Eddie Gilbert/John Tatum split up complete
Nov. 10 (10) Magnum TA update
Announcement of Starcade ‘86 card
Tatsumi Fujinami suffers broken jaw
Brian Adias turns heel in World Class
Nov. 17 (10) Road Warrior Hawk breaks leg in Japan
Hiroji Wajima to debut 11/1 in Nanao
Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission to come down hard on blading
WWF locks up exclusive lease in AWA’s St Paul Civic Center
Nov. 24 (10) All three UWF belts change hands – One Man Gang, Savannah Jack, Bill Irwin & Leroy Brown new champs
Dump Matsumoto loses hair in 11/7 Osaka show
Slick breaks arm
Adrian Adonis to return soon
Hawk going to work Starcade with broken leg
Dec. 1 (10) New Japan tag tournament opens
Ron Bass, Barry & Kendall Windham leave Florida
Rick Steamboat/Randy Savage angle comes off better than expected
Dec. 8 (10) John Tatum injured in 11/26 car accident
Complete Starcade card coverage
Bruiser Brody walks out on New Japan
UWF Superdome Thanksgiving card coverage
Dec. 15 (10) Jim Cornette injured at Starcade
Manny Fernandez & Ric Rude win NWA tag belts 12/6 in Atlanta
Brody making news in Japan by staying home
Bob Roop fired as Florida booker, replaced by Mike Graham
Dec. 22 (10) Outlook for the big three promotions for 1987
Barry Windham & Ron Garvin win US belts
Dynamite Kid suffers fractured spine
Dec. 29 (10) Dynamite Kid collapses on 12/13 in Hamilton
Looking ahead to Wrestlemania
Lex Luger to head to Crockett in February
Bam Bam Bigelow headed to UWF
Jumbo Tsuruta & Tenryu win All Japan tag tournament
Tommy Rich turns heel in Memphis