It's possible that pic of him could have been in perfect lighting while he had a pump, but I'd be inclined to think that he's started a steroids cycle or at least TRT and that's why he's been making such a fuss lately over wrestlers using steroids.

It's funny that people are now just seeming to realize Dave is jacked when he's been like that since the 80s at least. He's always talked about hanging and banging back in the day in the same gym as a lot of guys who went on to the Olympics and how that's he learned about steroid use and its effects from talking to those guys.

 

He mentioned he's finally able to work out like he used to again after a lingering shoulder injury so perhaps people aren't used to him back in his pre injury shape.

Last I heard Dave didn't even take OTC supplements anymore. jdw has been pretty emphatic about him not using steroids or anything else.

 

Edit: "Lately"? Dave's been pounding the steroid drum for 30 years.

For the uninitiated, what exactly has Meltzer said about steroids?

***** episode of WOR today, for what it's worth. It's usually good after a disastrously bad RAW, but this was one of my favorite examples since that "John Cena Appreciation Night" RAW a few years ago which caused a long digression on M*A*S*H and Marcus Welby, M.D.

Dave going on a riff about Stephanie being responsible for every case of female empowerment in history had me in tears.

It's possible that pic of him could have been in perfect lighting while he had a pump, but I'd be inclined to think that he's started a steroids cycle or at least TRT and that's why he's been making such a fuss lately over wrestlers using steroids.

 

Seriously?

 

Are we really going to start accusing Dave of using steroids?

Yeah, please no.

Dave going on a riff about Stephanie being responsible for every case of female empowerment in history had me in tears.

 

This was funny as shit, especially since he was delivering it in a totally straight way.

The Dave/PWG stuff is getting a little weird, isn't it? Guys doing spotty matches with moves named after him and then looking to him to get 5-star approval with the whole crowd looking on? 2016 indy wrestling has passed me by.

The Dave/PWG stuff is getting a little weird, isn't it? Guys doing spotty matches with moves named after him and then looking to him to get 5-star approval with the whole crowd looking on? 2016 indy wrestling has passed me by.

 

Indy wrestling passed me by a long time ago when fans started celebrating workers like the Young Bucks. There was some flak towards workers like Davey Richards for awhile that I remember but I hate the current Indy style & now a lot of it is working into WWE. Kevin Owens if the current champion!

Was reading an old episode of the Observer from 12.2.99 yesterday and came across the following in the WCW section

 

 

 

Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn & Asya beat Harlem Heat & Midnight in 4:41. Midnight has super potential and a great look. Actually she's got a great look for a male wrestler. For a female wrestler she looks like someone who should have a dick.

 

Oh Dave...

Dave kinda tore into the Last Battle of Atlanta today on Wrestling Observer Radio.

 

No heat, finish out of nowhere, not as good as other things happening at the time in wrestling. Not sure why people were super excited to get to see it.

Dave can't see why people were super excited for the chance to see a match that has been talked about unseen for 30 years?

I have a theory when it comes to Dave. I think when it comes to wrestling matches, he can only look forward and not backward. In 1983, he might have been excited to see the Last Battle of Atlanta, but in 2016, he's moved past that. He thinks wrestling should be enjoyed in the moment, which he has said is his reason for not going back and watching old matches, so he doesn't understand why anybody else would want to go back and look at old matches when wrestling has moved past 1983. I think Dave has a tendency to not really look outside of his own world view for a lot of things, so he doesn't understand why anybody would get excited for LBOA because he isn't excited for it and certainly wasn't wowed by the match.

I think there's all of that, but I do think Dave was being honest when he made the point that in 1983, he was already 'inside', so TLBOA wasn't a big deal to him, it was the last gasps of a dying promotion. Throw in the fact it's a style he's not into and there ya' go.

Also, he did watch it and wasn't impressed.

 

I get the idea that he wouldn't have been blown away by it in 1983 either compared to other stuff around, but who knows?

I have a theory when it comes to Dave. I think when it comes to wrestling matches, he can only look forward and not backward. In 1983, he might have been excited to see the Last Battle of Atlanta, but in 2016, he's moved past that. He thinks wrestling should be enjoyed in the moment, which he has said is his reason for not going back and watching old matches, so he doesn't understand why anybody else would want to go back and look at old matches when wrestling has moved past 1983. I think Dave has a tendency to not really look outside of his own world view for a lot of things, so he doesn't understand why anybody would get excited for LBOA because he isn't excited for it and certainly wasn't wowed by the match.

 

I think it's more than that. There's a tendency to say Dave only cares about action and highspots, and that's just not the case. He cares about what's hot and what's new. He cares about what's cool.

 

1983 Georgia was just not cool. 1979 Georgia was cool when Ole Anderson's booking ideas were fresh. 1981 Georgia was cool when they were regularly doing 6+ ratings on TBS. 1983 was a territory on the decline. You won't find many examples of Dave going out of his way to praise declining territories that are still technically good.

 

In his 1983 year-end issue, he doesn't even mention that match as one that he wished he could have seen live. He listed Final Conflict, which was cool at the time. It was a huge success. Steamboat and Youngblood were super popular babyfaces. Crockett was hot, and Starrcade was coming.

 

This influences what he chooses to watch and what he cares about when he does watch. Always has.

Also, keep in mind that footage being available or not available has never been Dave's strong suit. He once said excitedly on WOR that he had a copy of the World Wrestling Peace Festival, something that has been in circulation forever. He was super excited to see complete 1994 Super J Cup matches on New Japan World because he only watched the JIP TV versions at the time. LBOA was more of a PWI legend than a WON legend.

When asked about Meltzer as a tape trader, McAdam (on 6:05) said that he didn't care about nostalgia or historical significance, just in seeing the four and five star matches.

Also, keep in mind that footage being available or not available has never been Dave's strong suit. He once said excitedly on WOR that he had a copy of the World Wrestling Peace Festival, something that has been in circulation forever. He was super excited to see complete 1994 Super J Cup matches on New Japan World because he only watched the JIP TV versions at the time. LBOA was more of a PWI legend than a WON legend.

In fairness, I think he was talking about the professionally shot version of the peace festival, which wasn't circulating until Roy Lucier put it on YouTube. At least as far as I know.

Am I mistaken or did I hear Bryan on last night's audio say Dave is going to miss the main events of Takeover to watch the UFC undercard?

 

My subscription only began two years ago but it really seems more and more to me that Dave would really rather talk about MMA and to a lesser extent NJPW.

Dave cut a promo on people like me and I think, with time having passed, I feel I made a big deal out of nothing. Maybe I would have watched the prelims later but whatever.

Going through old observers in the early 90s, I saw that Dave gave ratings for the highly pimped AJW stuff through watching handhelds. I think with the nature of him doing the newsletter and having to be in touch with the latest news, you have to ask: When does he have time to watch the old stuff when a mixed and mastered version of a match or an event is made available?

He really doesn't. That's why his star ratings are most valuable as an idea of what the consensus opinion was at the time. But when we have very different takeaways, I think it's worth remembering that many of the matches were rated based on a JIP TV version and we saw something in most cases unedited.

Don't know if anyone had mentioned this. I just found out when Yohe mentioned it to me.

 

Pro wrestling writer Scott Williams passes away at 49:

http://www.f4wonline.com/news/wrestling-writer-scott-williams-passes-away-49-218946

 

A lot of us knew him on various boards as "Loaded Glove". One of those guys that you could have strong differences with depending on some topic, but you could still come away viewing him as one of the good guys online.

 

49 is too damn young.