[WWW] Dave Meltzer 10.17.03 column
Evad Seltzer
10/17/2003 3:03:00 PM
Friday news update: Stu Hart comments; Smackdown ratings; Best selling
books; Foley; big hair match tonight; oldest match on tape available
and movie on world's largest athlete coming to NY
by Dave Meltzer
I want to open with a few words about Stu Hart. Stu Hart was one of
the all-time classic personalities ever associated with the wrestling
industry. His life was filled with many triumphs, growing up with the
odds greatly against him and having his real dream (an Olympic medal
in wrestling) taken from him due to World War II. To American
wrestling fans, Calgary would just be an any city in the middle of
Canada, like Winnipeg or Edmonton. Instead, Calgary constitutes in
people's eyes, great wrestling, and the phrase "the dungeon" has a
myth all its own, and the Hart family on a world wide basis is easily
the most famous family of wrestlers in history. Stu was a tough man,
enamored with strength and toughness in others, known for making
powerful men scream while his family listened in from upstairs. He
raised a family around wrestling, and the entire family became
synonymous with it, with many triumphs and quite frankly, far more
tragedies. In Canada, Stu was something of a legend of the wild west
to the older generation, reborn to modern fans as an old man made
famous on WWF broadcasts in the 90s when his family members were
constantly feuding. Ironically, this play acting on television became
reality by the late 90s and Stu was a pawn in the middle of family
squabbles, trying not to take sides on issues that, quite frankly,
were so heated perhaps he should have, just to take himself out of the
middle. He was quite the contrast, as he would take big weightlifters
and football players and twist them into pretzels, while at the same
time play almost a motherly role to 12 children, making them their
meals and taking them to school. Wrestling was great to him at times,
and wrestling was a curse on him at other times. The last four years
of his life could not have been pleasant, and losing his wife had to
hit him hard, as through more than 50 years of marriage, the two were
inseparable and always took care of each other. Earlier this year at
the Cauliflower Alley Club it was pretty clear that this was the last
time Stu was going to see so many of the people he worked with for a
half-century. I just remember seeing he and Mad Dog Vachon, sitting
there in their wheelchairs, and while Stu wasn't alert to a lot of
things by this time, he lit up at the sight of many of the wrestling
legends from his era.
The Smackdown crew has the PPV on Sunday from Baltimore. They have a
house show on Monday night in White Plains with Brock Lesnar & John
Cena vs. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit, Eddy Guerrero vs. Big Show and
Tajiri vs. Rey Mysterio. Smackdown tapings are Tuesday night in
Albany, NY.
Because Sunday is a PPV, Wrestling Observer Live will be a taped show
on Sunday night from 8-10 p.m. Eastern time and 5-7 p.m. Pacific time
on the Sports Byline radio network. Guests on the show will be Billy
Graham, talking a lot about his experiences in another lifetime with
Governor Schwarzenegger, and Randy Couture, who gave a great interview
about every subject under the sun regarding his future, his past and
MMA. You can find a station in your area carrying the show by checking
www.sportsbyline.com, or you can listen live through their web site,
through this web site, through www.dragonkingpress.com or on Sirius
Satellite radio Ch. 122. We will have Bret Hart on as a guest a week
from Sunday.
--On the overnight ratings in the top 55 metered markets, Smackdown
last night did a 3.7, which would be the lowest non-holiday rating in
the overnights I can ever recall. That's no surprise given the
Yankees-Red Sox game seven head-to-head. Over the period that went
against Smackdown, the game did a 19.5 rating. When you realize what a
big deal that was, it really should put those Bob Sapp numbers in
Japan into perspective. Friends was the only show on NBC (11.4) that
even cracked a 10, although I believe they were not new episodes. CBS
did a 12.0 on the overnights for Survivor and 15.6 for CSI, both also
well down. If you recall last week, Smackdown did terrible on the
overnights, and the final number came up as one of the best of the
year, so this may sing a different tune in a few hours.
TOP 15 BEST SELLING PRO WRESTLING BOOKS (based on today's amazon.com
rankings, with overall ranking in parenthesis)
1. The Stone Cold Truth by Steve Austin (1,960)*
2. Chokehold by Jim Wilson (2,585)
3. Lita by Amy Dumas (4,009)
4. Bobby the Brain by Bobby Heenan (4,950)
5. Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling by R.D. Reynolds
(7,996)*
6. The Hardy Boyz by Matt & Jeff Hardy (12,553)
7. Have More Money Now by John "Bradshaw" Layfield (14,452)
8. Hollywood Hulk Hogan by Hulk Hogan (18,099)
9. Classy Freddie Blassie by Fred Blassie (18,669)
10. The Rock Says by Rock (32,009)
11. I'm Next by Bill Goldbeg (35,451)
12. In the Pit with Pipe by Roddy Piper (38,293)
13. Positively Page by Diamond Dallas Page (46,222)
14. Bodyslams by Gary Cappetta (52,323)
15. Pure Dynamite by Dynamite Kid (54,777)
*Books not yet released, based on advanced sales
Notes: The Wilson book, which is the best book ever written on pro
wrestling history, is doing strongly for a self-published book with no
promotion that I've seen whatsoever. Another strong book, not on the
lists, but a top-10 best seller in Canada during last year's holiday
season, Broken Harts by Martha Hart, will be released in the U.S. in
January. Both of those books are highly recommended, in fact, I'd call
both of them must reads, although in each case there is probably a lot
that many people don't want to know.
--Mick Foley will be speaking on 10/28 at Southwest Missouri State
University at 7 p.m. The engagement is free to anyone with a student
ID card
--Tuesday night results from Arena Coliseo in Mexico City: Fire &
Pequeno Violencia b Bracito de Oro & Shockercito, Jeque & Super
Comando b Mano Negra Jr. & Sombra de Plata, Neutron & El Sicodelico
Jr. & Starman b Halcon Negro & Hooligan & Valentin Mayo, Los Havana
Pitbulls b Mazada & Nitro & Nosawa, Averno & Mascara Ano 2000 &
Mephisto b Black Warrior & Ultimo Guerrero & Violencia, Mr. Niebla b
Blue Panther. Panther challenged him to a mask vs. mask match
afterwards
--Sunday results from Naucalpan: Full Contac b Dark Cayo, Black Sunday
(aka No Mercy) & Gran Cuchillo & Star Boy b Carta Brava Jr. & Fantasma
de la Opera & Sureno de la Muerte, Guardia & Oficial & Puma & Xibalba
b Coco Blanco & Coco Rojo & Coco Verde & Tibiritabra, Pentagon Black &
Rambo & Toro Irisson b Mascara Sagrada & Pantera & Vertigo, Tinieblas
Jr. b Enterrador to win IWRG IC heavyweight title
--There is a big show tonight at the Auditorio in Tijuana with
Misterioso getting what little hair he has left shaved since he's
headlining against Latin Lover in a hair match, plus La Parka Jr. vs.
Cibernetico have a singles preview of their mask vs. mask match next
month in Mexico City (thanks to Kris Zellner)
--FMLL tonight in Compton, CA at Salon el Rey is headlined by Rey
Misterio Sr. vs. Blue Panther plus Huracan Ramirez Sr. & La Parka vs.
Blue Demon Jr. & Nicho (original Psicosis)
--Karl Stern has a DVD featuring the Joe Stecher vs. Earl Caddock
match from 1920 in Madison Square Garden (the biggest match of that
time period and believed to be the oldest pro wrestling footage in the
U.S.) plus another famous 30s New York match with Strangler Lewis vs.
Dick Shikat and a 50s Lou Thesz vs. Don Leo Jonathan match at
www.dragonkingpress.com
--Bryan Alvarez headlines a shot tonight at the Temple Theater in
Tacoma teaming with Tim Flowers against Vinnie V & Randy Taylor in a
hardcore rules match
--Blade Boudreaux vs. Bobby Eaton headlines a Tuesday night show in
Camden, TN. Bull Hansen is now running shows every Tuesday in that
city
--X-Play, a show on Tech TV about video games, gave a preview of the
new Smackdown game yesterday. The hosts made fun of wrestling fans,
saying they're mostly illiterates. The only names the host knew were
Rock and HHH and said the game also contained "some guys I've never
heard of." Anyway, the show airs at 4 p.m. today if you want to see it
(thanks to Bob Jardien)
--The 10/27 issue of US Magazine features Steve Austin picking who
would win in various celebrity feuds. (thanks to Keith Lipinski)
--A documentary on American sumo wrestlers featuring Manny Yarbrough,
the 6-7, and now 740 pounder who has dabbled in both pro wrestling and
MMA, debuts at the Reel Jews Film Festival on the Upper West Side of
Manhattan on 11/2 and 11/18 at the Pioneer Theater in East Village
--Major League Wrestling has added three new matches to its 10/24 show
in Jacksonville, with Jack Miller (Stampede Wrestling) vs. Tony
Mamaluke, Homicide vs. Jerry Lynn in a loser leaves town for 90 days
match, and Ishimori & Naoki Tanisaki vs. Henry Sugawara III & Takeshi
Minamino in a Toryumon match.