June 17, 1991
- The first major steroid trial with wrestling connections is starting next week. Dr. Zahorian, an Allentown PA physician, is charged with 17 counts related to illegal drug trafficking, from steroids to prescription drugs given to wrestlers and bodybuilders. Roddy Piper, B Brian Blair, Danny Spivey, Rick Martel and Superstar Billy Graham are expected to be called to testify. Hogan was also rumored to be called to testify but WWF allegedly pulled strings to keep him out of it. As of now, the prosecutor says the purpose of the trial is to convict Zahorian, not to expose steroid use among wrestlers (boy, would that eventually change...), though he does say that this may be the tip of the iceberg. (This story starts to become SO much bigger as the year progresses)
- Joe Pedicino's Global Wrestling Federation (GWF) is quietly telling people within the industry that they are taking over the ESPN timeslot from USWA next month, although this hasn't been confirmed by anyone yet.
- WCW has decided to greatly reduce Dusty Rhodes' television time. He's been taken off commentary and his interview segment is likely being axed as well. Although no one will come right out and say it, the clear reason is that company was tired of Dusty pushing himself too much on television, attempting to make himself the biggest star of the company despite not even being an active wrestler. What this means for his future as booker remains to be seen.
- The UWF Beach Brawl show is in the books. Reviews are saying the event actually wasn't as bad as expected from a wrestling standpoint, although the buyrate is sure to be abysmal. Live attendance was about 550 people, although a few days before the show, only 70 tickets had actually been sold, which means the remainder of the crowd was heavily papered (given free tickets to make the show look full).
- Dave recounts a long story about a group of fans he knows who have been banned for life from all WWF events for repeatedly wearing WCW shirts in the front row of WWF tapings and getting into arguments with wrestlers and referees at ringside. Dave kinda makes it sound like these poor kids were just being typical fans and the big bad WWF censored them, but from the sound of the story, it sounds like they were flipping people off, cursing at wrestlers and deliberately trying to sabotage TV tapings on several occasions before being kicked out, so I side with WWF on this one. This leads into a long discussion about what rights a fan has when he or she purchases a ticket and where the line should be drawn with fans being rowdy and into the show vs. taking it too far and causing issues for the company.
- There is a new working agreement between WWF and IWCCW (International World Class Championship Wrestling). At the latest TV tapings, Tito Santana appeared and the Bushwhackers are scheduled to appear for them as well.
- Bruno Sammartino was reportedly willing to come out of retirement for a match with Larry Zbyszko for WCW as long as he had total control over the entire storyline, but that obviously never happened.
- Dusty Rhodes appeared on Jim Ross's radio show and spent the entire time putting himself over. The more I've been reading these old Observer issues, the more I'm beginning to realize that Dusty wasn't really the saint he's been painted as later in life. In fact, throughout the 80s, it sounds like he was probably the most selfish and hated person within the business. Basically the precursor to mid-00s Triple H. The kind of guy who always put himself over everyone else because he was running things.
- Steve Keirn won't be coming in as the Gator Man after all, because the gimmick is considered too similar to 2 other lizard characters already in the company (Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Jake The Snake, I guess? Can never have too wrestling tetrapod reptilias, I always say...)
- The winner of the upcoming debut WBF event will receive a $100,000 prize, which must thrill all the WWF wrestlers who never make anything close to that, despite drawing bigger crowds than any of the bodybuilders ever have.