September 09, 1991
- For some reason, this issue is only 3 days after the last one. If every other issue is a Monday Night Raw, this issue is a Thursday house show.
- Top story is still about the suspension of Ultimate Warrior, but details are still scarce and it's unknown if he will be fired or even if he already has been. The official word is suspended, but the wrestlers have reportedly been told he was fired. The "unprofessional conduct" details are unknown but apparently his demanding a contract on par with Hogan's or else he wouldn't perform at Summerslam is the prevailing theory.
- If he is released, the obvious question is will he go to WCW and would it be worth it for them, since they would undoubtedly have to pay top dollar for him (after they've spent the last year cutting costs, including losing their top star by lowballing him). Dave thinks Warrior probably won't be a huge draw outside of WWF. He uses the example of Sgt. Slaughter, who was fired from WWF in 1985 for trying to start a wrestler's union and how AWA tried to make him their top star but it flopped.
- Dave has a line here talking about what would happen if Hulk Hogan stays in wrestling until he's 50 (which would be 2003) and says that he'll still have some drawing power based on nostalgia, as long as he limits his appearances. Sure enough, 2002-2003 was the height of Hogan's WWE nostalgia run. Rock matches, world title reign, Mr. America. How prescient, Dave...
- Then again, in the very next line, Dave (correctly) states that the way for WCW to be taken seriously would be for them to bring in a bunch of big WWF stars at once, not just Warrior. Then he flat out says that is never going to happen and that's why WCW won't be making any kind of turn around. Of course, WCW pretty much did exactly that a few years later and nearly put Vince out of business. Not so prescient, Dave...
- With Warrior out of the picture, Dave says it's almost a certainty that Hogan/Flair will main event Wrestlemania, with Jake Roberts vs. Macho Man as another top match. Wrong on both buddy.
- The Hogan/Tenryu match may end up being changed to Flair vs. Tenryu. Hogan is the bigger star in Japan, but the NWA title means more than the WWF title does there. So if Flair is still parading that belt around in a few months, that may be the match they go with.
- WWF had a meeting with about 15 or so wrestlers who aren't being booked often because the company is working less shows and told them they could work anywhere else they want, other than WCW or UWF and that they can't appear on any video releases. This led to Koko B. Ware, still under WWF contract, showing up in USWA to save Jeff Jarrett from an attack.
- Verne Gagne has been negotiating with ESPN to get back onto the channel. Instead of producing new content however, he was going to air old AWA shows from the early 80s. Give it up Verne, your company is dead.
- Meanwhile, ESPN is very happy with how GWF is performing and wants 46 new episodes for next quarter, which will be almost impossible for GWF to do financially or creatively.
- The LPWA hasn't officially folded yet but they aren't running new shows either. They're still waiting for new financing at the moment.
- Since back in 1989 when he took over WCW, Jim Herd has been pitching an idea for a team called the Hunchbacks, who would have backs so rounded that their shoulders could never touch the mat, and thus they couldn't be pinned. He has been talked out of it time and time again, but recently pitched the idea again, this time contacting Kevin Sullivan and asking him to be one of the Hunchbacks. Oh, Jim...
- Dave says Macho Man has given WWF his notice but it's not as big a deal as it sounds and he'll be back on commentary in 2 or 3 weeks, and leaves it at that. Ooookay?
- Mr. Perfect is expected to be out about 3 more months with a back injury. Word is he took out a Lloyds of London insurance policy which pays him $25,000 per month that he's off work, which is more than he makes when he does work. Considering he didn't wrestle for another year after this tells me he was probably milking that insurance money for as much as he could.