The beginnings of the
Wrestling Observer Newsletter date back to 1980, when Meltzer began an
annual poll amongst those with whom he corresponded regarding professional wrestling. According to Meltzer, he was just a fan at first. A short time later, he began maintaining a tape-trading list, and would occasionally send match results and news updates along with tape updates. Meltzer stated that he wanted to keep his friends in college "in the loop" for his tape trading as well as the happenings in the business, as the mainstream wrestling magazines catered to a somewhat younger demographic. This led directly to the formation of the
WON, which Meltzer first began publishing in 1982 as a way to keep fans informed of various wrestling regions that readers may not have been aware of or had no access to. The
WON has been published from the start from various communities in
Northern California, except for a six-month period in late 1983 and early 1984 when Meltzer resided in
Wichita Falls, Texas. For most of its existence, it has been published from
Campbell, California, a suburb of
San Jose. The publication was originally a 16- to 24-page publication on 8½-by-14-inch paper, and published roughly every two or three weeks. Meltzer contemplated a career change during the mid-1980s. He was to be hired to cover
soccer instead and just contribute to other wrestling newsletters. At that point, he continued offering the
WON on a "temporary" basis as an 8-page weekly on 8½-by-11-inch paper only to fill out the remainder of his subscriptions. Meltzer's approach benefitted from professional contacts, a historic perspective, and his own analysis of trends, data, and events. The
WWE's 1997 "
Montreal Screwjob" was exhaustively covered by the
WON, including backstage events, including from
Bret Hart himself. Meltzer published data-based evidence suggesting inflated record attendance figures for
WrestleManias
III and
23. He gave extensive space to various wrestling scandals, including
Vince McMahon's 1990s steroid trial, the
Chris Benoit murder investigation, and the high drug-fueled death rate within the wrestling ranks. His newsletter was also known for its lengthy obituaries of deceased wrestling figures, as well as a desire to chronicle the deaths of every wrestling figure possible, no matter how minor. Meltzer stated that this new, more journalistic approach to covering wrestling earned him scorn from many within the wrestling business. However,
Terry Funk and
Bill Watts were early supporters of the
WON from within the business. When readers first began hotly debating whether wrestling promoters actually read the publication or not, Meltzer published a
letter to the editor from Watts, at the time still promoting. He also credited
Houston promoter
Paul Boesch for taking him under his wing in the 1980s and teaching him how the business works. As the business evolved along with the newsletter, Meltzer gained a little more acceptance. Since major wrestling promotions would never acknowledge the existence of any "
dirt sheets", It is believed many, if not most, of the biggest stars in WWE and other major promotions are subscribers, although few would admit it publicly. Several subscribed under their birth names, instead of
ring names, thinking Meltzer would not find out their true identities.
Howard Finkel's wife was publicly acknowledged by Meltzer as an early
WON subscriber, and at the time, the closest reach the publication likely had to McMahon, which was in response to a reader questioning the likelihood of McMahon himself reading the publication.
Influence and legacy Though he is not a wrestler or part of a promotion, Meltzer has occasionally been referenced within the professional wrestling ring. In the short-lived
Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) promotion, a
jobber wrestled under the ring name Dave "The Observer" Meltzer. In 2014,
The Young Bucks introduced a finishing move, combining a springboard 450 splash with a spike piledriver, dubbing it the "Meltzer Driver". In 2016,
The Addiction introduced a finishing move, combining a double jump moonsault with a spike piledriver, dubbing it the "Best Meltzer Ever". Also, Ricochet and Matt Sydal introduced a finishing move combining a shooting star press with a spike piledriver dubbing it the "Shooting Star Meltzer Driver". Meltzer's newsletter has led to a loyal fan following and radio shows. After getting a job with
The National Sports Daily in 1990, Meltzer was finally able to open dialogue with Vince McMahon, leading to elevation in both Meltzer's reputation and readership. In his
first autobiography,
Mick Foley declared that it was the
WON coverage of his independent circuit matches that caused
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to consider signing him, since he was against "type". Foley also wrote that promoters such as Watts would sometimes change their entire booking direction based on the opinions expressed in Meltzer's newsletter. In May 2015, Meltzer reported that
Destination America had decided to cancel
Impact Wrestling by late September 2015.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) vehemently denied the reports, claiming that they "constitute[d] defamation" and that they were "seek[ing] all legal remedies available", but TNA was off Destination America by January 2016 and no legal matters ever arose. ==
WON Hall of Fame ==