This was the first anniversary edition of the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter, cover dated October 6, 1988. The cover photo was of Abdullah the Butcher. During the Torch Newsletter's first few years, each issue of the newsletter came with a color photograph taped to the cover, most of which were photos taken by Torch editor Wade Keller at ringside when he covered some of the bigger wrestling events across the country.

The top stories of the week were: Bam Bam Bigelow joins the NWA playing a similar role that he did in the WWF previously... Paul E. Dangerously (a/k/a Paul Heyman) and Eddie Gilbert depart the Continental Wrestling Federation, leaving the regional promotion without a booker and top wrestler... The AWA announces SuperClash III will air on PPV from Chicago, featuring Kerry Von Erich and Jerry Lawler in a unification match for their respective World Class and AWA World Hvt. Titles... Curt Hennig has been given a new gimmick, "Mr. Perfect"... A WWF Los Angeles house show report by Torch reader Andy Dragos noted that Randy Savage beat Andre the Giant via DQ and Honkytonk Man beat Ultimate Warrior by countout.

Then-Torch columnist Mr. Mike combined his witty writing with original caracatures of Arn Anderson and Ric Flair. He spoofed the upcoming SuperClash III PPV plans. Brad Breitzman, the original Torch assistant editor, and Ray Whebbe, also penned columns in that issue.

The back page of the newsletter featured "The Reader Ratings." The top ten workers were: Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Ted DiBiase, Randy Savage, Sting, Curt Hennig, The Blue Blazer (Owen Hart), Jerry Lawler, Terry Taylor, and Eddie Gilbert. The top tag teams were The Midnight Express, The Fantastics, Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson, The Road Warriors, and Badd Company (Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond). The readers' favorite five performers were Owen Hart, Sting, Jim Cornette, Ric Flair, and Curt Hennig. The readers' top ten draft picks were Sting, Owen Hart, The Road Warriors, The Midnight Express, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Barry Windham, The Fantastics, Randy Savage, and Eddie Gilbert & Paul Heyman.

TORCH NEWSLETTER #27 - 10/6/88

This was a major edition of the Torch Newsletter since it featured part one of one of our biggest early "Torch Talk" interviews - that being with Jim Ross. "Torch Talks" had already broken new ground by being the first insider publication to interview Verne Gagne (who made famous comments in that interview about Bruiser Brody getting "what he asked for" when he was murdered) and later Eddie Gilbert, the first active wrestler to talk openly about match outcomes being predetermined, booking politics, and other insider information.

In the "Torch Talk" with Ross, he talked about the negativity toward Ole Anderson's early decisions as booker of WCW. "Everybody raised holy hell when Ole brought back these olders guys," Ross said. "They're not here for the long-term... Ole is not on a vendetta to bring back every old crony he has ever known." He also talked about the strengths and weaknesses of up-and-coming young star Sting.

The newsletter featured columns from Mick Karch, Steve Gerber (the Torch videotape reviewer), Marc Aronin, and editor Wade Keller (who reviewed the upstart IWA's first few weeks on SportsChannel America).

The "Ringside Beat" section featured a report on a Jerry Lynn vs. Lightning Kid ("X-Pac" Sean Waltman) singles match in Fridley, Minn. on a PWA indy event. "About a four star match," wrote Torch correspondent Brian Trammel. "This was the best match I have seen live in a very long time. Lightnind Kid is unbelievable. Give this kid about three years, he is going to be tops in Japan. Some of the moves Kid did I've only seen the Original Tiger Mask, Misawa, and Jushin Liger from Japan do."

In WWF news, The Road Warriors debuted on television.

There were two major stories on the cover of this week's Torch Newsletter that would change the face of wrestling in the early '90s. First, Ric Flair leaving WCW to head to the WWF - a move many thought would never happen. The second big story was the conviction of Dr. George Zahorian, a doctor who sold steroids to wrestlers backstage at WWF events for years.

The Zahorian conviction set the stage for the indictment and trial of Vince McMahon.

Flair, meanwhile, moved on to become a headliner in the WWF, including immediate main event house show matches against Hulk Hogan. Strangely, Hogan would never face Flair in a WrestleMania main event even though at the time of his jump, the conventional widsom was that Hogan vs. Flair would be the biggest match in wrestling history. Flair and Hogan's careers as headliners had paralelled each other during the '80s. Flair was known as the better worker while Hogan was known as the bigger mainstream star.

This edition of the Torch also featured a "Torch Talk" with a young Cactus Jack (Mick Foley). Foley's candid comments about his character development broke new ground for giving fans' access to the thought process of wrestlers. "When I talked to you last summer, I said I left (WCW) because I wasn't sure where my character was heading," Foley said. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to be looked at as a monster or a circus side-show. I was dropping elbows off the ring apron and having my head rammed into cement. At the same time, people were saying, 'Yeah, I get a kick out of him.' Now I don't think people say they get a kick out of me, they're scared of me. And I think interview-wise, I've become comfortable with being Cactus Jack. It used to be guys would sit around doing interviews and say, 'Awe, I feel kinda of stupid doing this and trying to act like I'm mean when I don't really feel like being mean right now.' Most of the time I really felt the character; I didn't feel I was putting on an act. It felt I was expressing a feeling already in me."

The newsletter also featured columns by Mick Karch and future WCW Nitro co-host Mark Madden.

This may be the most famous, well-remembered Torch Newsletter cover to date. In mid-March 1992, a week after WWF V,P.s Pat Patterson and Terry Garvin resigned from the WWF admist allegations of sexual improprieties, the WWF faced a barrage of negative media stories unprecedented for the industry. The Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union Tribune, New York Post, Villiage Voice, People magazine, and London Daily News were among the publications examining drug and sex allegations being levied against the WWF, Vince McMahon, and several top key employees.

The Torch dubbed the media's coverage of the scandals "TitanGate." The newsletter summarized the major newspaper articles that had been published in the previous week. It also printed a transcript of Larry King Live on CNN featuring Vince McMahon, Bruno Sammartino, and Barry Orton. The newsletter featured analysis of a "Donahue" program dedicated to the scandalous allegations.

A BBL editorial by Wade Keller documented contradictions and confusing statements made by McMahon during the media frenzy. "McMahon wants everyone to believe he is sincere in his desire to 'get to the bottom of the situation," Keller wrote. "On 'Larry King Live,' despite saying he wanted to 'get to the bottom of it,' McMahon kept snapping at any mention of the possibility that improprieties took place. McMahon wanted it both ways. He wanted to be the person who knew nothing about these allegations while still being judge and jury about the credibility of these claims."

A sidebar timeline ran throughout several pages of the newsletter putting the unfolding of allegations and revelations into perspective.

The issue was dedicated entirely to the coverage of "TitanGate," one of few issues over the years that focused on just one topic.

January 11, 1993 was the beginning of the modern cable era for professional wrestling. The first edition of Monday Night Raw shifted the focus of the WWF's television officially away from syndication and to cable. For a decade WCW had put its focus on its cable programs, most prominently their Saturday TBS programs, but the WWF had usually put their major angles on WWF Superstars in syndication.

The launch of Raw also brought back live wrestling, although it wasn't live every week. A few years later, Raw would spawn WCW Nitro, which would lead to the Monday Night War, which would lead to the biggest short-term boom period for wrestling in history.

The first edition of Raw featured Yokozuna beating Koko B. Ware, The Steiners beating The Executioners, Shawn Michaels beating Max Moon, and Undertaker beating Damien Demento.

The next two editions of Raw (one live on Jan. 18, the other taped Jan. 18 and airing Jan. 25) upped the ante including Curt Hennig defeating Ric Flair on the Jan. 25 show to force Flair out of the WWF and back to WCW. In reality, Vince McMahon let Ric Flair out of his WWF contract early out of respect for Flair's wishes to "return home."

In other news, WCW fired Paul Heyman for what they said was filing of fraudulent expense reports. Heyman told Wade Keller on his KFAN radio show that the allegations were not true. "I hate to say I saw this coming, but I saw this coming," he said... Doink the Clown debuted on WWF television... A WWF house show on Jan. 9 in East Rutherford, N.J. saw Shawn Michaels pin Marty Jannetty, Yokozuna beat Big Bossman, and Curt Hennig beat Razor Ramon.

The newsletter also featured column by Bruce Mitchell, Mark Madden, and Wade Keller, plus in-depth coverage of the WCW Clash of the Champions special on TBS, headlined with Sting & Dustin Rhodes & Cactus Jack defeating Paul Orndorff & Van Vader & Barry Windham.