1990s Numbers

[Loss]

I'll keep updating this as I go, but this is stuff I've encountered as I've been researching for my e-book. A thread seemed like a good place to do a data dump. I'll do a post for each month. When I write about this, I'll provide a lot of context around these numbers, but I still think they are interesting without all of that.

 

JANUARY 1990

 

WWF

 

House Shows

01/05 (Des Moines, IA - Roberts vs DiBiase - 4,900)

01/06 (Utica, NY - Dusty vs Boss Man - 2,700) - Matinee & lots of no-shows due to travel problems

01/07 (Winnipeg - Roberts vs DiBiase - 2,500)

01/12 (Moline, IL - Warrior vs Bravo - 6,876) - Sellout

01/13 (Chicago - Hogan vs Perfect - 16,000) - Sellout

01/13 (Boston - Warrior vs Bravo - 9,200)

01/14 (Rochester, NY - Hogan vs Perfect - 8,000) - City record

01/14 (San Diego, CA - Warrior vs Bravo - 8,000)

01/15 (MSG - Hogan vs Perfect - 11,500)

01/15 (Albuquerque, NM - Warrior vs Bravo - 4,807)

01/15 (Canton, OH - Savage vs Duggan - 4,000)

01/19 (West Palm Beach, FL - Roberts vs DiBiase - Attendance Unknown)

01/20 (Philadelphia - Warrior vs Bravo - 8,216) - Matinee

01/20 (Atlanta, GA - Hogan vs Perfect) - WON claimed 4,900 while Matwatch claimed 6,000

01/21 (Orlando, FL - Royal Rumble - 16,000) - Sellout

01/22 (Miami, FL - Hogan vs Perfect - 15,063) - TV Taping*

01/23 (Ft. Myers, FL - Hogan vs Perfect - 5,000) - Sellout

01/25 (Oakland, CA - Warrior vs Bravo/Rude vs Piper Cage - 7,000)

01/26 (Los Angeles - Warrior vs Bravo/Rude vs Piper Cage - 12,000)

01/27 (Las Vegas - Warrior vs Bravo - 4,000)

01/27 (Hershey, PA - Hogan vs Perfect - 10,000) - Sellout

01/28 (Fresno, CA - Warrior vs Bravo/Rude vs Piper Cage - 3,800)

01/28 (Dallas, TX - Card unknown - Under 4,000)

01/29 (Bakersfield, CA - Warrior vs Bravo - 3,568)

 

*The TV taping was originally schedule for January 15 and ticket sales were going so poorly that they had to add Hogan-Perfect and Savage-Piper to boost it. They also did a radio tie-in with Gene Okerlund hosting a contest where the winning woman would get a Rude Awakening.

 

Prime Time Wrestling

01/01 - 2.7 rating - 4.0 share - 1.31 million homes*

01/08 - 3.2 rating - 4.6 share - 1.56 million homes

01/15 - 3.0 rating - 4.4 share

01/22 - 2.4 rating - 3.6 share

01/29 - 3.9 rating - 5.9 share - 2.03 million homes**

 

*Competing with New Year's Day bowl games

** First time a weekly television show ever broke 2 million viewers

 

All American Wrestling

01/07 - 2.3 rating - 5.2 share - 1.17 million homes

01/14 - 2.5 rating - 5.8 share

01/21 - 2.4 rating - 5.9 share

01/28 - 2.6 rating - 6.6 share - 1.34 million homes

 

Saturday Night's Main Event

01/27 - 11.1 rating - 34 share*

 

* Second highest rated SNME ever

 

Royal Rumble

260,000 buys*

 

* Disappointing number partially affected by battle with Viewers Choice and Request. Story will be covered in e-book

 

Syndication

Week ending 01/07 -- 8.2 rating (236 stations)

Week ending 01/14 -- 9.4 rating (242 stations)

Week ending 01/21 -- 9.9 rating (237 stations)

Week ending 01/28 -- 9.3 rating (231 stations)

 

WCW

 

House Shows

01/01 (Atlanta, GA - Flair vs Luger - 6,000)

01/05 (Raleigh, NC - Sting vs Luger - 4,300) *

01/06 (Charlottesville, VA - Sting vs Luger - 5,500) **

01/09 (Saginaw, MI - Flair vs Luger - "Turnaway crowd but heavily padded") - TV taping

01/11 (Hammond, IN - Flair vs Luger - 5,400) - Sellout

01/12 (Cincinnati, OH - Flair vs Luger - 4,500)

01/13 (Charleston, WV - Flair vs Luger - 6,000)

01/20 (Baltimore, MD - Flair vs Luger - 5,100)

01/21 (Richmond, VA - Flair vs Luger - 4,000)

01/22 (Raleigh, NC - Flair vs Luger - 1,000) ***

01/26 (Atlanta, GA - Flair vs Luger - 4,400)****

 

* Largest Raleigh crowd in 18 months

** Flair advertised but no-showed for daughter's birthday. Refunds offered.

*** Lost syndication in nasty WWF sabotage story that will be covered in e-book.

**** Unbeknownst to WCW, Center Stage was undergoing reconstruction on scheduled 01/16 TV taping and fans couldn't get in and TV taping was cancelled. Those who showed up were given free tickets to this Omni card and the next Center Stage taping as well.

 

Planned house shows were cancelled on 01/07 in Steubenville, OH and 01/08 in Rochester, NY because of poor advances

 

Power Hour

01/05 - 1.7 rating - 2.8 share - 863,000 homes*

01/06 - 0.8 rating - 7.4 share (Saturday AM repeat)

01/12 - 2.3 rating - 3.8 share

01/13 - 1.2 rating - 9.8 share (Saturday AM repeat)

01/19 - 2.7 rating - 4.4 share

01/20 - 1.1 rating - 9.3 share (Saturday AM repeat)

01/26 - 3.1 rating - 5.1 share - 1.63 million homes

01/27 - 0.9 rating - 7.8 share (Saturday AM repeat)

 

World Championship Wrestling

01/06 - 2.8 rating - 4.7 share - 1.42 million homes

01/13 - 2.9 rating - 5.5 share

01/20 - 3.2 rating - 6.1 share

01/27 - 3.6 rating - 6.9 share - 1.89 million homes

 

Main Event

01/07 - 3.2 rating - 5.0 share

01/08 - 0.3 rating - 3.2 share (Monday AM repeat)

01/14 - 2.9 rating - 4.6 share

01/21 - PRE-EMPTED

01/28 - PRE-EMPTED

 

* Lost 39% of TBS movie lead-in

 

Syndication

Week ending 01/07 -- 6.4 rating (168 stations)

Week ending 01/14 -- 7.1 rating (169 stations)

Week ending 01/21 -- 9.7 rating (171 stations)

Week ending 01/28 -- 7.5 rating (177 stations)

 

USWA

Still averaging a 10 rating and 31 share, making it the highest rated wrestling show in a specific market in the country, although it is far down from its peak a few years earlier.

 

INDIES

Joel Goodheart promoted show on 01/27 in Philadelphia headlined by Larry Zbyszko vs David Sammartino with Bruno in David's corner. The show did a $22,000 house.

[Tim Cooke]

This is tremendous

[KrisZ]

This should be a tremendous thread

[Steenalized]

That's so damn ridiculous that USWA was doing that well and yet was considerably down from where it was at one point.

[Loss]

At their peak, they were doing a 20 rating and 70 share, believe it or not.

[Dylan Waco]

I wonder what Portland and WWC tv were doing a that point.

[Steenalized]

I've heard those numbers before and in a way they're hard to believe, though I trust they're legit. I have a coworker who's from east/central Arkansas and can rattle off Memphis wrestlers from the mid-late 70s with no issue even though she is in no way a wrestling fan since then. That show was a big, big deal from all the sources I've heard.

[Exposer]

Yep, I've had friends parents' and professors from Memphis, Arkansas, and Mississippi who've mentioned several wrestlers.

[Matt Farmer]

January 27, 1990 Hogan and Perfect sold out Cap Centre in Landover MD for an evening card. (They were in Hershey PA earlier that day). They drew 19,000 plus and a $237,000 gate.

 

Also the January 3rd SNME Taping drew about 8,500 paid to the UTC Arena in Chattanooga.