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Wrestling Recap: Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn (Hardcore Heaven ’99)

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The Date: 16 May 1999
The Venue: Mid-Hudson Civic Centre; Poughkeepsie, New York
The Commentary: Joey Styles
The Referee: John Finegan
The Stakes: Singles match for the ECW World Television Championship

The Build-Up:
In the nineties, while the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) dominated the professional wrestling scene in an all-out war for television ratings, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) offered an alterative product to its mainstream counterparts. Originally known as Eastern Championship Wrestling, ECW was re-branded in 1993 by pro wrestling genius Paul Heyman and quickly grew a cult following with the rabid Philadelphia crowd at the ECW Arena. While making waves with its violent and controversial matches and content, ECW also offered no-nonsense wrestling, greatly inspired the WWF’s “Attitude Era”, and gave future wrestling stars a chance to hone their craft. Up until 1997, ECW primarily presented non-televised supercard events from the ECW Arena, but Heyman got his big break with his first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, on this day in 1997. Unquestionably, one of ECW’s biggest stars was “Mr. Monday Night” Rob Van Dam, a trainee of the legendary Sheik who started out as enhancement talent for various independent promotions and WCW before honing his craft in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and being signed by Heyman in 1996. Depicted as a stoner, RVD made a name for himself with his rivalry with Sabu, which saw him transform into an arrogant heel, and his career-defining run with the ECW World Television Championship, which lasted 700 days! Widely considered one of RVD’s greatest rivals, Jerry Lynn had numerous clashes with RVD before and after his TV Championship reign, most notably earning this shot at the belt after declaring himself “The New Fuckin’ Show” and vowing to relieve RVD of the championship.

The Match:
This classic bout for the ECW Television Championship, a belt made famous my ECW’s most charismatic star, RVD, started with a lot of postering by “The Whole Fuckin’ Show” and his ever-annoying manager, Bill Alfonso, as they milked the crowd’s anticipation, laid down the law with the referee, and played into RVD’s arrogant character. Once the bell rang, however, Jerry Lynn wasted no time in going for the attack, fitting considering how badly he “coveted” the belt. Lynn’s opening wristlock kicked off an extended showcase of both men’s athleticism and wrestling fundamentals as RVD flipped his way into an advantageous position, took Lynn to the mat with a headlock, and the two effortlessly exchanged wristlocks, hammerlocks, and takedowns, proving themselves evenly matched and earning the respect and appreciation of the raucous ECW crowd. The next exchange emphasised their speed as both men shot off the ropes, ducked and dodged running attacks, and ended up in that classic wrestling standoff, with even the cocksure RVD giving his opponent his props for his quickness. Despite Alfonso’s irritating whistling, the crowd chanting the cocky champion’s name, and RVD’s showboating, Lynn remained laser focused and went right back working over the champion in the corner. Again, though, RVD proved too quick and constantly slipped out of every attack and Lynn answered right back, awkwardly flipping out of RVD’s patented corner monkey flip and leading to another stalemate. An errant elbow from the challenger caught RVD above the eyebrow, causing a minor wound that Alfonso tried to use as an excuse to call the match off, but RVD simply shrugged it off and went back to work with some martial arts kicks. The two then fought on the ring apron, with RVD missing a top rope backflip and being dumped out of the ring from Lynn’s springboard dropkick. However, RVD clumsily caught and countered Lynn’s top-rope dive and both men crashed to the concrete.

When the duo proved evenly matched, RVD upped his attack on the outside to gain the advantage.

RVD returned to the ring the hard way when Lynn stunned him with a dropkick and then hit a guillotine leg drop from the top rope that saw RVD folded up like an accordion on the ring apron! This scored Lynn the first near fall of the match and saw him work RVD over in the corner with some chops and a ludicrous avalanche bulldog…for a two count! When Lynn went back up to continue his assault, Alfonso tripped him and sent him crotch-first into the ropes, though Lynn fought the little weasel off and acquired a steel chair in the process, leading to a sickening shot to RVD’s head. The champion basically no-sold this, however, as he immediately crotched Lynn and sent him tumbling to the outside with a springboard kick. RVD took his time stalking Lynn and hauling the dead weight of his challenger back to his feet, then spitefully launched Lynn into and over the security guardrail. RVD followed up with an impressive flying clothesline, leading the dazed and bleeding Lynn to answer with a dropkick that sent RVD scurrying back into the ring. Lynn (who was either legitimately hurt or really good at selling), stumbled after him and even tangled RVD up with a rollup after dodging a corner attack. Although Lynn couldn’t hit a piledriver or avoid a rolling leg drop, he did roll out of the way of RVD’s Rolling Thunder. However, when Lynn went for a Tornado DDT out of the corner, RVD impressively countered into a Northern Lights Suplex pin for a near fall. With both men back in the corner again and battling on the top rope, Lynn took RVD to the mat with an avalanche sunset flip for another near fall then just decked him with a short-arm clothesline. With RVD down, Lynn set up a table at ringside but was again tossed into the front row when RVD intercepted him and ate a steel chair to the face thanks to an assist from Alfonso and a Van Daminator from the guardrail. However, Lynn quickly answered back by ramming RVD’s head off the ring post and teasing a top-rope hurricanrana through the table, only to be clunkily back body dropped through the wood!

The back and forth action culminated in RVD’s victory and a show of mutual respect.

RVD soon doubled down with a corkscrew guillotine leg drop off the top rope and across the prone Lynn’s back as he dangled over the railing. When Lynn still kicked out from the follow-up pin, RVD targeted his left knee and flip-dropkicked the steel chair into his face. RVD then countered a Tornado DDT onto the apron with a clothesline and a flying leg drop for another two count. Frustrated and impressed by his opponent’s resolve, RVD was sent through the ringside table when Lynn hit a sunset flip over the top rope and through the wood! RVD still kicked out of a pin fall and dodged a chair shot, but Lynn threw the chair in Alfonso’s face and nailed a nice bridging German Suplex for a near fall, though both men tumbled to the mat while fighting on the top rope in what could’ve easily been a very dangerous botch. A hush fell over the crowd as Lynn kicked out of the pin fall, but they soon got back into the action when Lynn dropkicked the steel chair into RVD’s face for a near fall. A clumsy pinning and reversal sequence saw Lynn switch his Cradle Piledriver attempt into a roll up and RVD hit the Split-Legged Moonsault for a two count. After slipping out of Lynn’s Inverted DDT attempt, RVD nailed a beautiful Five-Star Frog Splash, only for Lynn to roll into a pinning attempt. In the end, it was Alfonso who was the difference maker as he tossed the steel chair back into the ring, leading to a second Van Daminator and another Five-Star Frog Splash for RVD to retain his championship, though both RVD and Alfonso gave Lynn his props during their celebration. This was a very athletic and impressive showing from both men, though I would’ve preferred to see the stalling replaced with the guys selling the punishment they were dishing out as it seemed they were back on their feet far too quickly off the bigger moves. I liked how they made good use of all the space and were constantly portrayed as evenly matched, with both men easily dodging, countering, and exchanging strikes, holds, and crazy moves with tables and chairs. It felt as though the match could end at any moment and either man could be the victor, and they definitely built up a lot of anticipation and paced things out well, and the sloppier aspects actually fed into this narrative really well.

The Aftermath:
Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn’s iconic clash for the ECW World Television Championship was so well received that Paul Heyman opted to air the match in its entirety when ECW debuted on TNN. Given that a mutual respect had been earned between the two competitors, RVD and Lynn teamed up at ECW’s next pay-per-view, Heat Wave, to take on the Impact Players. While the duo won the match, RVD did accidentally hit Lynn with the Five-Star Frog Plash while aiming for Lance Storm. Despite this, Lynn branched off to feud with Storm and, later, Yoshihiro Tajiri and Super Crazy while RVD continued to defend his championship in a career-defining reign. Unfortunately, a broken ankle meant RVD was forced to vacate the belt and, when he returned at the 2000 Hardcore Heaven event, it was to face Lynn once again. This time, Lynn was victorious thanks to interference by Scott Anton, though RVD got another win over his rival at the start of 2001 in what turned out to be RVD’s final ECW match. Despite both men competing for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) during and after the ill-fated “Invasion” angle, their paths wouldn’t cross until they were in Total Nonstop Action (TNA), where RVD defeated Lynn on five separate occasions.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to this classic match between Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn? Who were you rooting for at the time? Were you a fan of Rob Van Dam’s time in ECW? What did you think to the two being portrayed as evenly matched? Do you agree that there could’ve been a bit more selling of the bigger moves? Did you watch ECW back in the day and, if so, who were some of your favourite wrestlers and what were some of your favourite matches and moments? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave them below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other ECW content across the site!

Wrestling Recap: Raven vs. Terry Funk (Barely Legal ’97)

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The Date: 13 April 1997
The Venue: ECW Arena; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Commentary: Joey Styles
The Referee: John Finegan
The Stakes: No disqualification singles match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship

The Build-Up:
Back in the nineties, the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) were the undisputed “Big Boys” of the professional wrestling scene, vying for television ratings and poaching talent on a weekly basis, but Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) stood out as an alterative product to its mainstream rivals. Initially founded as Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992, the company was re-branded by wrestling guru Paul Heyman in 1993 and soon established a cult following with the rabid Philadelphia crowd at the ECW Arena. While best known for its violent and controversial matches and content, ECW also delivered pure wrestling and was instrumental in inspiring the WWF’s “Attitude Era” and giving future wrestling stars a stage to hone their craft. Prior to 1997, ECW primarily hosted non-televised supercard events from the ECW Arena but that all changed when Heyman negotiated a deal to air their first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, on this day in 1997. Easily one of ECW’s biggest stars was Raven, a morose manipulator who was seemingly the embodiment of grunge, whose later rivalry with Tommy Dreamer delivered some of the company’s most intense storylines. At the time, Raven was reigning as the ECW Champion and had been embroiled in a deeply personal feud with the Sandman over the belt, while also dealing with issues with his stablemate, Stevie Richards. Richards had faced Raven’s wrath after costing him the ECW Championship at Ultimate Jeopardy the previous year; though Raven had regained the belt from the Sandman, tensions continued to brew between he and Richards until the latter finally snapped, turned on his leader, and broke away from Raven’s “Nest” of followers. Although Richards had previously come up short against Raven in a championship bout, he and the Sandman got another chance to face Raven for the belt at Barely Legal when they tangled in a triple threat match with the legendary hardcore icon Terry Funk, with the winner of that contest getting to face Raven in the main event of ECW’s first-ever pay-per-view event.

The Match:
As difficult as it was for to watch even WWF and WCW programming as a kid, it was pretty much impossible for me to watch ECW as I have no idea if it was even shown on Sky TV back in the day. So my exposure to the product has always been through their competitors showing up in the WWF and from videogames and documentaries produced around this time, but I distinctly remember watching the bout between Tazz and Jerry “The King” Lawler from Unforgiven 2000 and being shocked when a raggedy guy interjected himself into the match, hit Lawler with a DDT, and helped Tazz secure the victory. Of course, years later I would find out that Raven’s time in the WWF paled in comparison to his runs in ECW and even WCW, but Raven was always one of my favourite wrestlers simply because of his look. Before getting into the match that’s the subject of this review, I think it’s only fair to talk a little bit about the three-way dance that preceded it. This was a triple threat elimination-style match between the Sandman, Terry Funk (who found himself in that match thanks to his protégé, Tommy Dreamer, graciously stepping aside to allow his mentor the chance to challenge for the championship), and “Big Stevie Cool” Stevie Richards (who was accompanied by his newfound friends, the “Blue World Order” (bWo), one of wrestling’s most successful parody groups). After the Sandman’s ridiculously long entrance and shenanigans with alcohol, the match started with the three exchanging chops and a short-lived alliance between Funk and the Sandman that ended in emphatic fashion when the Sandman randomly brought a ladder into the match. Not only did Funk get blasted in the face by the ladder, he also clambered up it for a Moonsault, the damn thing was sent catapulting into the audience courtesy of the Sandman(!), and Funk used the ladder to repeatedly knock down both his opponents with an airplane spin.

Following a grueling three-way dance, a bloody and battered Funk was easy prey for Raven.

The three brawled viciously, though it was the elderly Funk and the upstart Stevie who took the brunt of the damage, with the latter eating a nasty-looking piledriver, getting buried under the ladder, and finally eliminated from the match following a double powerbomb from Funk and the Sandman. This was the Sandman’s cue to whip out a length of barbed wire that had reams of streamers from a previous match stuck to it, but Funk quickly used the weapon against the Sandman, lashing his bare back repeatedly. Undeterred, the Sandman wrapped the barbed wire around his body and repeatedly splashed into Funk, tearing both of them up in the process, but ultimately it was Stevie who was the deciding factor in the match’s end as he returned to the ring, hit a Superkick on the Sandman (who was blinded by a garbage can) and allowing Funk to get the victory off a Moonsault. Battered and exhausted, Funk was given exactly zero time to prepare for his championship match as Raven immediately entered the ring and clobbered Funk with the ECW Championship. Raven then set up a chair in the ring and smacked Funk head-first into it with a drop toehold before delivering a massive chair shot to the downed Funker’s head, turning his face into the literal crimson mask. Raven continued to dominate his helpless challenger, ramming his face into the canvas and pummelling the punch-drunk hardcore legend before awkwardly suplexing a table onto him on the outside of the ring. After a brief struggle, Raven then set another table up between the ring and the metal barricade; he laid Funk over it and then crashed himself through his opponent, and the table, with a running dive from the inside of the ring to the outside!

Thanks to the timely intervention of Tommy Dreamer, the elderly Terry Funk dethroned Raven.

Although a doctor continuously tried to see to Funk’s injuries, Raven simply knocked him down with a punch, rolled Funk back into the ring, and called for his followers. Reggie Bennett attacked Funk with a terrible sit-out powerbomb and Raven took to the microphone to taunt his long-time rival Tommy Dreamer, who had been doing guest commentary; although Dreamer had refused to get involved since he wanted his mentor to win through his own efforts, the interference and Raven’s words were enough to trigger Dreamer. Despite a sneak attack from Big Dick Dudley, Dreamer reversed a chokeslam into one of his own and sent the tie-dyed terror crashing through a stack of tables piled up near the commentary area. Dreamer then took out the rest of Raven’s Nest and nailed Raven with a jumping DDT off an Irish whip attempt, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Although Raven kicked out of the subsequent pin attempt, Funk immediately caught the champion with an inside cradle, which was enough to keep the champion down for the three count, awarding Funk the victory and the ECW Championship. Exhausted and covered in blood, the fifty-three-year-old hardcore icon celebrated in the braying crowd alongside an emotional Tommy Dreamer, and the strained elation of Joey Styles. Even for ECW, this match was cluttered and chaotic; Funk was clearly gassed after the previous match and got basically zero offense in on Raven, only winning because Dreamer made the save. This did play into the story being told, that being that Raven’s arrogance and mind games saw him dismiss Funk’s threat and be more focused on riling up Dreamer, which ultimately cost him despite him dominating the entire match. The ending seemed to be a bit of a botch as the bell rang when Funk covered Raven off the Dreamer DDT but the crowd didn’t seem to care; they were too busy losing their minds over Funk’s big victory, so I’d say it was a mess, but a reasonably enjoyable mess.

The Aftermath:
Despite all the rigmarole of even getting a network to air the event, Barely Legal 1997 proved to be successful enough that pay-per-views became a regular occurrence for the upstart ECW. A few months later, in August, they aired Hardcore Heaven but, by that point, much of the landscape had changed. Although Terry Funk successfully defended the ECW Championship against the likes of Raven, the Sandman, and “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, he was ultimately defeated by the “The Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, Death–Defying Maniac” Sabu in a brutal barbed wire match at the Born to be Wired supercard event. He challenged for the belt again at Hardcore Heaven in another three-way dance but ultimately came up short and later left the company, celebrated for his achievements, in one of his many infamous “retirement” matches. Raven’s issues with Funk, Dreamer, and Richards would continue up until June, where Dreamer defeated his rival and banished him to WCW for about three years. Although Raven never quite reached the same level of main event status in WCW, he made a considerable impact as a mid-card player with his newest stable, the Flock. He briefly returned to ECW in 1999 to team up with Dreamer before jumping ship to the WWF; after the WWF rebranded to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), all three men would eventually be involved in the WWE’s various revivals of the ECW brand in some form or another and Raven would continue to cross paths with both Dreamer and Funk during his stints in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) and various independent promotions.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the ECW Championship match between Raven and Terry Funk? Who did you want to see win the match at the time? Were you a fan of Raven’s time in ECW? What did you think to Terry Funk being the ECW Champion? Were you invested in the ongoing issues between Raven and Tommy Dreamer? Did you watch ECW back in the day and, if so, who were some of your favourite wrestlers and what were some of your favourite matches and moments? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave them below or drop a comment on my social media and be sure to check out my other ECW content across the site!

Wrestling Recap: Extreme Elimination Chamber (December to Dismember ’06)

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The Date: 3 December 2006
The Venue: James Brown Arena; Augusta, Georgia
The Commentary: Joey Styles and Tazz
The Referee: Mickie Henson
The Stakes: Extreme Elimination Chamber match for the ECW World Championship

The Build-Up:
Back in the days when the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) competed in a vicious ratings war, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) offered a different brand of sports entertainment. First founded in 1992 as Eastern Championship Wrestling, the company was re-branded by one of wrestling’s greatest minds, managers, and promoters, Paul Heyman, in 1993 and came to be known for its violent and controversial matches and content, which was instrumental in inspiring the WWF’s “Attitude Era”. Unfortunately, despite ECW’s rabid cult following, the company was unable to sustain itself after losing its television deal; many of ECW’s stars jumped to the WWF and the company officially closed its doors in early-2001. ECW lived on, however, not just in the rise of independent promotions but also in the confines of the rebranded World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE); the success of their Rise and Fall of ECW documentary (Dunn, 2005) saw the WWE host a special throwback event, ECW One Night Stand, in 2005 to celebrate the brand. It was so successful that a second event followed in 2006, one that would see ECW and many of its stars return as a third WWE brand. Unfortunately, despite initially being presented as an alternative product and a showcase for new talent, the WWE ECW was doomed to fail: it lacked the “Extreme” edge fans expected, Heyman’s influence was limited, and its top star and champion, Rob Van Dam, was stripped of his championship belts after being arrested on drug charges! The WWE seemed to lose interest soon after; although they promoted this pay-per-view event, very few matches were announced beforehand and the card was supplemented by Raw and SmackDown! talent. The entire show was built around this Extreme Elimination Chamber match, with former champion RVD being the first announced for the contest. There was also some drama surrounding Hardcore Holly’s involvement; he was initially scheduled to be a part of it before Bobby Lashley attacked him and took his place, failed to gain a spot in a match against RVD, and was finally included after Sabu was mysteriously attacked earlier on the show, a decision that irked the ECW original but would be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this universally lambasted event.

The Match:
Considering ECW December to Dismember 2006 was already criticised for its lacklustre card and padding its runtime, it’s perhaps not surprising that this match was preceded by not just a hype video emphasising its violent and brutal nature, but also a lengthy pre-match promo from ECW general manager Paul Heyman. While the crowd, and even the commentary team, have no love for Heyman, who turned heel by ditching the ECW originals for up-and-coming stars like Bobby Lashley and CM Punk (and, naturally, the Big Show) as the future of the company. This promo went on for about three minutes and, afterwards, the show wasted even more time by dwelling on the chamber’s lowering around the ring. What made this match unique, and “Extreme”, compared to previous elimination chamber matches was that each competitor also carried a weapon: CM Punk had a steel chair, Test a crowbar, Lashley a table, and the Big Show had a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. Otherwise, the rules were the same; two men (RVD and Hardcore Holly) started the match and, around every five minutes, another competitor was released to join in. As was often the case whenever the Big Show actually got a serious push, much of Heyman, Styles, and Tazz’s commentary emphasised the champion’s size and strength; despite the fact that the Big Show had been beaten like a drum over the years by this point, he was hyped as “unbeatable” simply because he was a huge man with a newfound motivation since capturing the championship. Of all the competitors, rising star CM Punk,the epitome of an indie darling, and the ever-popular RVD made the most waves during their entrances. Even now, as big a fan of Test and even Hardcore Holly I am as a dependable midcarder, it’s hard to deny that these two stick out like a sore thumb; nobody in the audience wanted Holly in this match and their inclusion really speaks to how limited and lacklustre the WWE ECW roster was.

RVD proved the MVP of this thrown-together match, closely followed by crowd favourite CM Punk.

As mentioned, RVD and Hardcore Holly started the match after what felt like an ice age of stalling and entrances and they kicked off what was sold as the most devastating match in the entire WWE by…trading lock ups and punches. A clothesline exchange was enough for Holly to go for the cover, which earned him barely a one count, then Holly gently tossed RVD to the raised steel floor outside the ring. RVD leapt to the cage wall when Holly dodged his dive, which was admittedly pretty impressive; unfortunately, he ended up hitting the ropes when he tried a follow up dive, which was apparently enough to draw an “ECW!” chant from the crowd. Holly pressed his advantage by running RVD into the chain-link wall and slamming him on the steel but crashed and burned when he uncharacteristically went for a dive off the top rope and ate a boot for his troubles. RVD capitalised with his patented Rolling Thunder manoeuvre from the ring, over the ropes, and to Holly’s prone body on the outside, only to find himself deposited back into the ring from a suplex for a two count. Holly and RVD traded blows, with Holly landing his trademark dropkick, before CM Punk joined the action. The crowd exploded when Punk launched his steel chair right at Holly’s face and took out RVD with a springboard clothesline, only to be blasted with that same chair when RVD tossed it at his head! RVD followed up with his rolling monkey flip in the corner, which saw Punk slightly graze the chair with his tail bone, only for Punk to duck RVD’s spin kick and sweep him onto the chair with his speed and martial arts skill. Punk kept Holly out of the game with a springboard dropkick and continued to work over the busted open RVD, thrusting him head-first through the chair as it was wedged in the corner, only to have his momentum cut off when Holly swung him into the chain link wall for a near fall.

The crowd were unimpressed when RVD and Punk were eliminated, and by the botched pin on Holly.

Holly continued his attack with a sidewalk slam to Punk before dumping him on the ropes and booting him right in the head and driving him to the mat with a superplex. Regardless, CM Punk kicked out of two follow-up pin attempts and all three men were fatigued when Test brutally attacked with his crowbar, slamming, clawing, and choking Punk and RVD to give Holly time to recuperate. RVD somehow found a second wind, attacking with the chair then eliminating CM Punk with the Five-Star Frog Splash, which initially caused the audience to pop but their cheers quickly turned to boos when they realised what’d happened. Test then shockingly hit Holly with his Big Boot; however, despite the referee not counting to three and Tazz insisting that Holly kicked out, Hardcore Holly was summarily eliminated in confusing, frustrating, and anti-climactic fashion. RVD then flew in with a side kick off the top rope that downed Test and left him in prime position for a Five-Star Frog Splash off the top of the Big Show’s pod; however, the Big Show grabbed at RVD and interrupted the move, allowing Test to attack with a chair, dump him off the pod, and land a massive elbow drop from the pod to the steel chair, which took RVD out of the match and left the audience incensed as they realised their two favourites were gone.

After some stalling, shenanigans, and mediocre action, Lashley captured the championship.

There was a huge lull in the match where Test was left to awkwardly stumble about the ring as the counter wound down; then, when Heyman’s riot squad refused to let him out, Lashley broke out of his pod by smashing the roof with his table. Although he almost slipped off the top rope, Lashley, hit a diving clothesline, kicking the chair in Test’s face, and smashing him in the gut with the crowbar. The Spear that followed then took Test out of the match, leaving Lashley to stalk around the ring for over a minute as he waited for the Big Show to be released. The Big Show lumbered out with his barbed wire baseball bat and hammered at Lashley, who desperately defended himself with the chair; quickly, Lashley tricked the Big Show into getting the bat caught in the cage wall, allowing the challenger to drive the champion into the steel mesh and right through a pod, busting him open and leaving him prone for a beating. The Big Show rallied, effortlessly tossing Lashley into the ring and flooring him with a clothesline; however, when he went for his trademark Chokeslam, Lashley countered into a huge DDT! The Big Show got pissed when Lashley deftly ducked his haymakers and tried to plant him with a running powerslam, but Lashley easily slipped off, hit the ropes, and collided with a Spear to finish the clearly winded champion and capture the ECW Championship to reluctant applause. I can understand why this match is so poorly regarded; there’s just not enough star power, heat, or intrigue behind it. The weapons added some spice but they were barely used and there was too much waiting around, not to mention the two clear fan favourites being unceremoniously dispatched and that botched pin on Hardcore Holly!

The Aftermath:
This wouldn’t be the last time that the Big Show and Bobby Lashley clashed over the ECW World Heavyweight Championship; on the very next episode of ECW, Lashley defeated the Big Show in a one-on-one match, retaining the belt and temporarily removing the Big Show from WWE programming. Lashley continued to mix it up with his fellow chamber opponents, clashing with RVD on ECW and defending the championship against Test at Royal Rumble, but he ended up embroiled in a “Battle of the Billionaires” at WrestleMania 23 as he represented Donald Trump in a match against WWE chairman Vince McMahon’s proxy, Umaga. This ultimately led to perhaps the most outrageous storyline of the revived ECW as McMahon and Lashley feuded over the championship, with the chairman actually capturing the belt in the process! Although December to Dismember wouldn’t be the end of ECW, it was the end of Paul Heyman’s tenure with the company, and the WWE, for some time; the show’s poor buy rate and attendance figures escalated tensions between Heyman and McMahon, with the former walking away from the company after his booking decisions regarding CM Punk, Rob Van Dam, and Bobby Lashley were ignored. Contrary to popular belief, ECW limped on for about two more years after December to Dismember, but the brand was never again afforded its own pay-per-view and December to Dismember went down in history as one of the worst produced, worst attended, and worst regarded wrestling events of all time.

My Rating:

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Terrible

What did you think to the Extreme Elimination Chamber match? Who did you want to see win the match at the time? Were you annoyed that Sabu was swapped out for Hardcore Holly? What did you think to CM Punk being the first person eliminated? Do you think the match should have made better use of its weapons? Were you excited that Bobby Lashley won? What did you think to the WWE’s revival of ECW? Would you like to see the December to Dismember event make a comeback? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave them below or drop a comment on my social media.

Wrestling Recap: Team WWF vs. Team Alliance (Survivor Series ’01)

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The Date: 26 November 1987
The Venue: Richfield Coliseum; Richfield Township, Ohio
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Paul Heyman
The Referee: Earl Hebner
The Stipulation: Ten-man elimination tag team match to decide the fate of both organisations
The Competitors: Team WWF (WCW Champion The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and The Big Show) and Team Alliance (WWF Champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, WWF Hardcore Champion Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and WCW Owner Shane McMahon)

The Build-Up:
During its many decades as the dominating force in sports entertainment, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has created some of the industry’s most successful competitors, changed the face of pay-per-view entertainment, and delivered genre-defining match types and wrestling cards. In 1987, the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) successfully gambled on WrestleMania then, as the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was due to broadcast Starrcade over the 1987 Thanksgiving weekend, WWF chairman Vince McMahon strong-armed many cable companies into airing his showcase of ten-man elimination tag team matches, the Survivor Series, or risk losing out on WrestleMania IV. By 2001, some of the WWE’s biggest events had taken place at the event and, this year, it was chosen as the final battle between the WWF and the alliance of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). The WWF and WCW had gone head-to-head in a ratings war since 1996 but, by 2001, WCW faced bankruptcy and, in a shocking moment, the McMahon purchased WCW and the “Monday Night Wars” came to a surprising end. After attempts to keep WCW alive on WWF television fell through, the WWF began a storyline where WCW joined forces with ECW (also now owned by McMahon) and attempted to “invade” the WWF as the “Alliance”. Unfortunately, as many of WCW’s top names sat out their high-paying contracts, the WWF was forced to rely on lesser names and, all too soon, the angle was more about McMahon feuding with his kids, Shane and Stephanie, and the increasingly paranoid Steve Austin holding onto his WWF Championship. More and more WWF guys joined the Alliance, including one-time saviour Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho slowly turned heel in his quest for gold, and even Austin seemed to consider jumping ship as the angle wore on. Eventually, with viewers and audiences turning away from the product, the decision was made to ditch the entire thing with this “Winner Take All” elimination match that would decide which organisation would prevail. Initially, Vince himself was scheduled to compete on Team WWF but he named the Big Show as his replacement and went about sowing the seeds of dissension throughout the Alliance in the lead up to this premature end to what should have been one of the biggest and longest angles in wrestling history.

The Match:
Considering I wasn’t really able to watch much wrestling as a kid, let alone truly be a part of the Monday Night Wars, I was deeply invested in the Invasion storyline at the time. I was pissed when Austin turned heel at Invasion and became a paranoid, self-deluded, cowardly asshole who was obsessed with the WWF Championship. Although the Alliance was missing key figures like the New World Order (nWo), Goldberg, and Sting and had dramatically repackaged top WCW stars like Diamond Dallas Page and Booker T into heels, I was well into their attempts to tear down the WWF. Unfortunately, far too many WWF guys jumped ship for no reason, but I’m not here to re-book this angle, I just wanted to say I was into it, delighted to see these fabled WCW and ECW stars on television, and extremely invested for this match. The build-up was quite good; things weren’t all hunky-dory on Team WWF as Jericho had been feuding with the Rock over the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and, to make matters worse, the Alliance won all but two matches on this Survivor Series card, meaning the stakes were further escalated heading in, something Vince was sure to emphasise backstage when he riled up his competitors with a stirring speech. The match kicked off with its two biggest stars, Austin and the Rock, trading blows; the two went at it in the corner but Austin gained the upper hand with a Lou Thesz Press and an elbow drop for the first near fall. Austin pressed his advantage using his knee braces, but the Rock ducked under a clothesline and hit a Lou Thesz Press and a taunting elbow of his own to rapturous applause and a pin attempt that was broken up by Shane. Thanks to Shane’s interference, the Rock was helpless as Austin tagged in Booker T, who had ridiculously been painted as a poor copy of the Rock during the Invasion storyline when, realistically, the two had barely anything in common!

Things got off to a heated start and only escalated as Shane constantly interrupted pin falls!

Booker laid in some chops but got quickly taken down with a big clothesline for a near fall that was again interrupted by Shane, but the Rock was still easily able to tag in Jericho, who lit up Booker with some chops and planted him with a flapjack. Jericho didn’t press his advantage, however, meaning RVD was able to tag in; of all the new faces from this time, RVD was clearly the most dynamic and popular, so much so that even J.R. had to mention it. RVD showcased his athleticism by nipping up, leapfrogging the charging Jericho, and rolling across his back in a beautiful sequence but, not to be outdone, Y2J answered with a lovely spinning heel kick. RVD showed his cunning by holding the ropes and avoiding a dropkick; he followed up with a slick cartwheel moonsault for a two count. However, when RVD backflipped out the corner and went for a hurricanrana, Jericho countered and locked on the Walls of Jericho; once again, Shane put a stop to this, which also allowed Booker T to tag in. However, Booker got cold feet when Kane (sporting a weird alternative version of his bad-ass vest attire) also tagged in and gladly allowed Kurt Angle to take his place. Angle (who had recently made Kane tap out) tried using his speed to avoid Kane’s power but ended up launched into the corner and assaulted by a flurry of strikes; Kane then whipped him to the opposite corner and crashed in with a clothesline and simply sat up after eating a big German Suplex. Stunned, Angle went for the strikes and ended up taking a sidewalk slam and Kane’s huge flying clothesline off the top. Shane again broke up the pin, so Kane tagged in his big brother, the Undertaker, who also manhandled Angle and then switched his attack to Booker when Kurt made a desperate tag.

The Big Show’s brief rampage was shut down by a finish-fest and, naturally, Shane scoring the pin!

The Undertaker easily knocked Booker down with a big boot and scored a big leg drop for another pin attempt that was again interrupted by Shane; J.R. was getting as annoyed as the WWF competitors, the crowd, and me by Shane’s constant meddling. The Undertaker worked over Booker T’s arm and hit his trademark “Old School” rope walk strike and an arm take down that ended in an armlock on the mat. Shane’s interference allowed Booker to not only kick out of a pin but also tag Austin back in; Austin went right at his old foe, stomping a mudhole in the corner as the crowd sang “What? What? What?” over and over in what is still one of the most annoying chants in wrestling. The Undertaker avoided Austin’s running rope attack and then hit another Old School, only for Shane to break up the pin once more; Team WWF was so riled up that the referee had to hold them back, allowing Team Alliance to work the Undertaker over in their corner and bringing Kurt Angle back into the ring. Angle weathered the Undertaker’s assault and hit a neckbreaker for a near fall but fell to a DDT after missing out on a German Suplex. The Undertaker then made the hot tag to the Big Show, who went on a rampage somewhat neutered by J.R.’s observation that the Big Show often makes big dumb mistakes! RVD illegally charged the ring and ate a clothesline and a standing military press for his efforts; the Big Show then smacked up Team Alliance and went for the Chokeslam but Angle was able to fight out and hit the Angle Slam! Booker T followed up with the Scissors Kick and the Spin-A-Roonie before tagging in RVD, who came crashing down with a Five-Star Frog Splash. Shane then tagged in to hit his big top-rope elbow drop and, naturally, got the pin fall to eliminate the biggest man from the match.

Some eliminations were quite lacklustre as it came down to a four-on-two disadvantage for the WWF.

Thankfully, Shane immediately got his comeuppance as the Rock beat the hell out of him and then tagged Kane back in so he could drill Shane with his trademark One-Arm Chokeslam. The Undertaker followed up with a Tombstone Piledriver, and then Jericho finished Shane off with a Lionsault to finally get him out of the match. Jericho and Angle then went at it; although Y2J won the early advantage with a sick butterfly backbreaker, Austin broke up his pin attempt, allowing Angle to take him down and bring Booker T back into the fold. However, after three consecutive scoop slams and an elaborate knee drop, Booker switched with RVD; RVD landed a kicking combination but his corner shoulder thrusts were countered into a near fall off a roll up. Jericho tagged Kane back in; Kane brought the power and even caught RVD’s fist mid-swing and planted him with a powerslam, fought off Booker T’s interference, and shrugged off the Five-Star Frog Splash. However, as Kane readied a One-Arm Chokeslam, Booker T nailed a Harlem Sidekick; as a brawl broke out, RVD caught Kane with a sidekick off the top rope that was somehow enough to score him the three count. This pissed the Undertaker off so much that he beat up the opposition single-handedly; Snake Eyes and the big boot left Angle primed for the Last Ride but a distraction from Booker T allowed Austin to plant the Undertaker with a Stone Cold Stunner and drape Angle’s lifeless form over him for another elimination! Bolstered by their four-on-two advantage, Booker T attacked the Rock once more, scoring with another Harlem Sidekick but almost being pinned off a desperation DDT and a Samoan Drop, with both pin attempts broken up by Austin. Out of nowhere, the Rock then whipped Booker into Angle and anti-climactically eliminated Booker T with a simple roll-up (your five-time WCW Champion, everybody!) RVD took his place and worked the Rock over with some kicks, before a top rope slam bought the Rock the time to tag in Jericho. A flying forearm, shoulder tackle, and a running neckbreaker scored Y2J a near fall; however, although he managed to land on his feet when RVD countered the Lionsault, Jericho couldn’t avoid a spinning kick. RVD then glanced Jericho with the split-legged moonsault (J.R. postulates that Jericho “got a knee up”) and then ate a pin from the God-awful full-nelson faceplant Jericho was trying to get over as a finisher at this time (I believe it was called the Breakdown…) to even the odds. Things broke down into a brawl again but Angle and Jericho soon paired off in the ring while Austin assaulted the Rock on the outside; after wearing Jericho down with a chin lock and some stomps, Angle tagged in Austin, who planted Y2J with a superplex for a two count.

Despite Jericho’s actions, the WWF (and Vince) came out on top thanks to Angle’s last-second assistance.

An awkward miscommunication off an Irish whip eventually saw Austin switch with Angle. However, when Angle went for a German Suplex, Jericho rolled through and briefly applied the Ankle Lock to a massive ovation; although Angle escaped, he was visibly limping when he tagged out. Austin and Angle continuously tagged in and out but Jericho eventually made the hot tag and the match picked up again as the Rock tied Angle in the Sharpshooter; this surprisingly caused an immediate tap out and an aghast Paul Heyman to almost have a coronary! Austin, the last man standing for his team, Austin countered a diving crossbody and traded Walls of Jericho attempts with Y2J. Although he got his knees up to counter a Lionsault, Austin’s top-rope double axehandle didn’t hit and he barely kicked out after Jericho landed a missile dropkick. However, another awkward exchange saw Austin take Jericho out; although Austin and the Rock immediately rekindled their rivalry, Jericho spitefully planted the Rock with the Breakdown, completing his heel turn and earning him the admonishment of the Undertaker. Thankfully, the Rock was still able to kick out; when the Rock tried a comeback, he was launched outside and smashed off the ring post and the steel steps. Back in the ring, Austin’s spinebuster led to the Rock being trapped in a Sharpshooter that had Paul Heyman screaming for a repeat of the Montreal Screwjob; when the Rock reached the ropes, Austin tried to nail him with the WWF Championship and ended up in the Sharpshooter as well! The Rock countered a Stunner with one of his own, but couldn’t capitalise thanks to a low blow and interference from Alliance referee Nick Patrick. Austin took advantage to nail a Rock Bottom and was so incensed when the Rock kicked out that he took it out on Nick Patrick and forced Earl Hebner back into the ring. After the Rock ate a Stone Cold Stunner, the match seemed to be over; however, Kurt Angle suddenly nailed Austin with the WWF Championship! The Rock then hit the Rock Bottom and finally pinned Austin to eliminate him, win the match, and put the Alliance out of business. As the Alliance reacted in anguish and shock, Vince sauntered out to bask in his victory to really hammer home his superiority.

The Aftermath:
Considering how overbooked and chaotic this match was, it’s weird that Angle’s last-minute turn always comes across a little flat to me. Vince had hinted that he had tipped the odds in his favour prior to the match but I always felt like the execution was lacking. The next night on Raw, Vince rechristened the WCW Championship the “World Championship” and prepared to reward Angle by stripping Austin of the WWF Championship and giving it to his mole; however, the status quo of the WWF finally returned to normal by the decree of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, who returned to the WWF as a part owner after buying Shane and Stephanie’s shares in the company, turning Austin face again and Angle heel. The World Championship situation culminated in a tournament at the next month’s event, Vengeance, which saw Chris Jericho defeat both the Rock and Austin to become the first-ever Undisputed Championship and go on a disastrous main event run that ended with him dethroned by a returning Triple H. Every member of the Alliance eventually became part of regular WWF programming; some won their jobs at Survivor Series, others were quietly repackaged, and some were forced to kiss Vince’s ass on national television. Other WCW names, such as Eric Bischoff, the nWo, and Rey Mysterio, soon joined the company and the bloated roster eventually led to a brand split that also saw the WCW Cruiserweight Championship and United States Championship adopted by the company. Despite his emphatic victory, Vince never passed up an opportunity to reshape history in his favour or bury WCW; while ECW had an anniversary show and even a short-lived and catastrophic revival, WCW was rarely given its due unless it suited Vince’s purposes and has mainly been evoked to maintain the trademark on their pay-per-views and unique match types.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to this “Winner Take All” elimination match? Did you ever doubt that the WWF would come out on top? Who would you have preferred to see on Team Alliance? Were you annoyed at Jericho’s actions and how easily some guys were eliminated? Did you see Angle’s turn coming or were you expecting a different end to the match? What did you think to the Invasion storyline and how would you have improved it? Would you like to see WCW get more credibility or do you think it’s better off dead? Who were some of your favourite WCW competitors and what would your dream WWF vs. WCW team be? What are some of your favourite Survivor Series matches and moments? Whatever you think about the Survivor Series 2001 main event, feel free to share your thoughts below or leave a comment on my social media.

Wrestling Recap: Benoit vs. Sabu / Scorpio (November to Remember ’94)

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The Date: 5 November 1994
The Venue: ECW Arena; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Commentary: Joey Styles
The Referee: Freddie Gilbert
The Stakes: ECW Death Match between rivals / impromptu singles match

The Build-Up:
Back when the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) were going head-to-head in a heated ratings war, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) found a way to stand out from the “Big Boys” with their extreme brand of sports entertainment. Originally known as Eastern Championship Wrestling, ECW was re-branded by one of wrestling’s greatest minds, managers, and promoters, Paul Heyman, and came to be known for its violent and controversial matches and content, which was instrumental in inspiring the WWF’s “Attitude Era”. ECW also offered a stage for some of wrestling’s most talented technicians and luchadores and allowed future wrestling stars and Hall of Famers to hone their characters and craft. By 1994, ECW had developed a cult following with the rabid Philadelphia crowd at the ECW Arena, though they were still a few years away from airing their first pay-per-view, Barely Legal; instead, ECW hosted supercard events such as this one from the ECW Arena. Although November to Remember 1994 featured “The Franchise” Shane Douglas defending his ECW World Heavyweight Championship against Ron Simmons, the main event went to their “Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, Death–Defying Maniac”, Sabu, and former Pegasus Kid, Chris Benoit, after they previously battling to a count out on an episode of ECW Hardcore TV earlier in October. Aside from the greater controversy surrounding any Benoit match, which I’ll touch upon later, this match also gained infamy after a botched suplex saw Sabu suffer a broken neck, earning Benoit the nickname “The Crippler” and Sabu a reputation was one of wrestling’s toughest competitors.

The Match:
Although I’ve never had much history with ECW beyond what I’ve seen from their competitors in other promotions, I’m always interested to take a look back at what they were up to while the big guns duked it out over ratings and haemorrhaged money trying to put their competition out of business. Some of my favourite wrestlers got their start in ECW and, arguably, peaked while in the Land of the Extreme, and one of my favourite wrestlers when I started getting into the sport was Chris Benoit. He wasn’t the biggest guy or the most charismatic, but he was scarily intense in the ring and had a sadistic edge that made him seem so dangerous at the time. I, like many, fully bought him as an under-rated and under-appreciated talent and was pleased as anything by his ascension to the main event, but of course it’s extremely difficult to separate the man’s work from his horrendous final hours so it can be a bit tough to rewatch his matches. Still, this is one of his most notorious bouts so I wanted to get into it to get an understanding of how Benoit built an aura around his character following this match, and it’s very surreal to see him so young, and sporting a mullet!

A botched suplex broke Sabu’s neck and caused a brawl to break out to distract the audience.

Benoit was very anxious to get things underway at the beginning of the match; luckily for him, Sabu didn’t waste any time and went right at him, a decision that proved disastrous as Sabu ended up feeling the brunt of Benoit’s attack. A knee to the gut and a suplex over the ropes dropped Sabu, who was still recovering from three broken ribs, and then the match took a sudden and unexpected turn. Benoit hooked Sabu up into a kind of T-Bone Suplex and launched him into the air, but Sabu rotated awkwardly and came crashing down right on his neck! Sabu was able to roll out of the ring but it was pretty clear that he was badly hurt from the move as the referee and Paul Heyman frantically checked on him. Benoit played to the crowd and tried to keep the show going as best he could, something helped by Sabu’s cohort, 911, challenging him so Sabu could get medical attention. Benoit refused 911’s challenge since he didn’t sign a contract to fight him but eventually jumped him from behind to get some cheap shots in. 911 planted him with a chokeslam, however, and got the three count…though the bell didn’t ring so I’m not sure how official it was…The ECW Tag Team Champions, Public Enemy, then rushed the big man with baseball bats to keep him away from Benoit, then the rest of the ECW locker room rushed the ring for a massive brawl to take the attention away from the clearly injured Sabu.

Benoit and Scorpio battled to a no contest to try and salvage to show.

Eventually, Joey Styles declared that Benoit was the winner of the match by default since Sabu was unable to continue. Benoit then mocked Sabu on the mic, earning the ire of 2 Cold Scorpio and resulting in an impromptu match between the two. Benoit took Scorpio down with a clothesline and hit a huge powerbomb for a two count; a snap suplex followed but Benoit was floored after Scorpio ducked under a chop and hit a crescent kick. This was enough for Benoit, who took a powder to allow his Public Enemy buddies to jump Scorpio, only for them to be taken down by Scorpio’s martial arts skills. As the ECW locker room surrounded the ring, Benoit took control once again with a back elbow and a beautiful superplex for a near fall. Frustrated, Benoit sat Scorpio back on the top rope and tried for an avalanche back suplex only for Scorpio to counter it into a pinning predicament for a two count. The double-underhook suplex also earned Scorpio a two count, as did a really clumsy looking and potentially dangerous victory roll from the top rope (that was almost like a reverse Frankensteiner, of sorts). Shrugging off a side kick, Benoit took the action to the outside and smashed Scorpio’s face off the steel steps; Benoit then launched Scorpio into the metal guard rail and hopped into the ring but the match ended on a double count out regardless. Pissed off, Scorpio rushed Benoit with a steel chair and chased him from the ring before talking shit about him on the mic to end the show. Obviously, if you wanted to see Benoit fight Sabu then you’re going to be disappointed, but I think they did a decent job making the most of a bad situation. The crowd didn’t seem annoyed at what happened; if anything, they were cheering Benoit on as he took on Scorpio and they seemed to enjoy the brawl, but this was a bit of a mess thanks to that horrendous botch and just goes to show that anything can happen in a wrestling ring.

The Aftermath:
Sabu’s refusal to break character and speak English almost exacerbated his injury when he was taken to hospital following the botch. He managed to recover, however, and was back in ECW by 1995 for a very public firing when he chose to accept a booking for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) over defending the ECW Tag Team Championships in a match that would’ve seen him share the ring with Chris Benoit again. Since Sabu no-showed the match, he never wrestled Benoit again as the Crippler jumped back to WCW. This wouldn’t be the last time Sabu broke his neck, however; he broke it again in December 1998 during a match against Taz and came to be known for similar disastrous injuries and speaking out against World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Benoit would, of course, eventually make his way to the WWF and achieve his World Championship dreams only to forever tarnish his legacy by murdering his wife, son, and taking his own life in one of wrestling’s worst tragedies.

My Rating:

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Terrible

Were you shocked by what happened at November to Remember 1994? Who were you hoping would win the match before the injury happened? Were you satisfied by the impromptu contest between Chris Benoit and 2 Cold Scorpio? What is the worst botch you’ve ever seen in a wrestling match? Were you a fan of Sabu? What are your thoughts on Benoit and his tarnished legacy? Did you watch ECW back in the day and, if so, who were some of your favourite wrestlers and what were some of your favourite matches and moments? Would you like to see the November to Remember event brought back? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave them below or drop a comment on my social media.

Wrestling Recap: Whipwreck vs. Sandman vs. Austin (December to Dismember ’95)

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The Date: 9 December 1995
The Venue: ECW Arena; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Commentary: Joey Styles
The Referee: Jim Molineaux
The Stakes: Three-way dance for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship

The Build-Up:
Back in the days when the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) would trade shots at each other on television, go head-to-head in a vicious ratings war, and poach talent on a weekly basis, it was hard for other wrestling promotions to stand out against the “Big Boys” but Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) certainly did its best to offer a different brand of sports entertainment. First founded as Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992, the company was re-branded by one of wrestling’s greatest minds, managers, and promoters, Paul Heyman, in 1993. While ECW soon came to be known for its violent and controversial matches and content, the promotion placed just as much focus on delivering pure wrestling and was instrumental in inspiring the WWF’s “Attitude Era” and giving future wrestling stars and Hall of Famers a stage to hone their characters and craft. By 1995, ECW had established a cult following with the rabid Philadelphia crowd at the ECW Arena but they were some years away from negotiating a deal to air their first pay-per-view, Barely Legal; instead, ECW hosted non-televised supercard events such as this one from the ECW Arena. The primary storyline heading into December to Dismember revolved around ECW’s ultimate underdog and unlikely champion, Mikey Whipwreck, defending the belt against the man he beat for it, ECW’s rough-and-ready Sandman, and a man who would go on the achieve phenomenal wrestling success, “Superstar” Steve Austin. Prior to this event, Austin had interjecting himself into the rivalry between the Sandman and Mikey, directly aiding Mikey’s championship victory by distracting the Sandman and then attacking the beer-swilling former champion and taking his place in the previous month’s event, November to Remember, thus necessitating this three-way dance for the championship.

The Match:
ECW was basically a non-factor for me as a fledgling wrestling fan back in the day. I could barely watch WWF or WCW programming at the time and have absolutely no idea what channel, if any, ECW was broadcast on over here in the United Kingdom so my awareness of the company only really came as more of their guys showed up in the WWF. Tazz, the Dudley Boyz, Raven and the like brought with them some ECW history but I only really became exposed to it after it was absorbed by the WWF in 2001. Even now, my ECW experience is sporadic and limited so it’s quite exciting to be dipping my toe into wrestling’s first real hardcore alternative. Another thing to not here is the difference between a three-way dance (or “triangle” match) and a traditional triple threat match; for one thing, it’s contested under elimination rules and, for another, this particular match started out with Austin and Mikey going at it for a good ten minutes before the Sandman came to the ring. Austin started out by goading Mikey and patronising him with little pats to his chest and head. Mikey responded with an aggressive tie-up and then a disrespectful slap to Austin’s jaw, which Austin answered with a handshake. A headlock takedown saw Mikey being ground down by Austin’s superior strength; when Mikey finally got in some offense, sadly it was nothing more exciting than a series of headlocks and takedowns of his own. Just as the crowd grew noticeably restless, Austin turned things up a notch with a shoulder block and a series of chops to Mikey’s chest in the corner; a gut kick left Mikey helpless as Austin choked him against the ropes but Austin absolutely lost it when Mikey tried to grab a handful of his tights off a sunset flip! As he beat on the champion mercilessly, the Sandman (apparently dressed in his pyjamas?) sauntered out with smoke, a beer, his ECW World Tag Team Championship around his waist, and with his valet, Woman, carrying his trademark Singapore cane.

After being decimated, Mikey was eliminated following a Stun Gun, guaranteeing a new champion.

Austin was so distracted with goading in the Sandman that he got caught with a big spinning heel kick from Mikey off the top rope before being dumped to the outside with a clothesline. Austin responded by whipping Mikey into the steel barricade and driving him head-first into the concrete with a piledriver on the outside and the match effectively stopped for a few minutes as the Sandman took his sweet time getting into the ring. Once he did, the two immediately exchanged clubbing blows; they got so into it that, again, they forgot all about Mikey, who took the Sandman down with a top-rope hurricanrana. Austin was able to counter another into a two count but ended up spilling to the outside off an Irish whip thanks to the Sandman pulling on the top rope. Mikey then took both off his challengers out with a big senton to the outside then tossed them both into the ring and started slugging it out with both of them, dropping them with dual low blows but missing a springboard attack. With Austin and the Sandman staggering off a couple of eye pokes, Mikey scored a near fall off a crossbody pin on the Sandman but Austin was right on him, beating him down in the corner and landing another piledriver on the champion. Reeling, Mikey was easy prey for the Stun Gun and, thanks to knocking the Sandman off the ring apron, the champion was subsequently eliminated from the match, ending his title reign to the delight of the crowd (though they may have been applauding/respecting his effort?) The match continued with the Sandman pulling Austin to the outside to bash him off (and into) the guard rail; however, the Superstar shoved him off and then brained him with a steel chair handed to him from a crowd member, only to be dumped unceremoniously over the guard rail and into the crowd and hit with the timekeeper’s table!

Austin paid for his hubris and Sandman captured the belt thanks to some brass knuckles.

Whatever the Sandman planned to do with that table didn’t come to pass as Austin kinda,,,bumped into him…sending him, and the table, tumbling over the guard rail. Austin then slammed a half-unfolded steel chair over the Sandman’s head and tried to hit the Stun Gun on the guard rail; the Sandman blocked it with his arm, however, legitimately breaking his hand in the process, and floored Austin with a chair shot to the head. Though favouring his hand, the Sandman managed to slam Austin to the concrete and even went smashing head-first through the table before being choked by some wiring. Back in the ring, Austin hit that running knee strike against the ropes he always liked to do and got a close two count; he followed up with a clumsy face-first suplex before stealing the Sandman’s beer from Woman and disparagingly spitting beer in his opponent’s face while stomping at him. As Austin posed on the ropes with his beer, Woman revived the Sandman with some beer, allowing him to briefly “Hulk Up” before being struck with brass knuckles from Austin’s trunks. Somehow, the Sandman got his foot on the ropes; as Austin argued with the referee, the Sandman was able to crack him across the back of the head with the brass knuckles and score the three count, capturing his second ECW World Heavyweight Championship, despite Austin’s foot also being on the ropes. There’s not a lot to say about this match, really; it was weird seeing Austin actually wrestling and not just brawling! Joey Styles even advised against Austin slugging it out with the Sandman since he’s clearly outmatched and suggests out-wrestling him instead, something I don’t think I’ve ever seen Austin do before thanks to his neck injury changing him from a technician into a brawler. It’s also interesting seeing the similarities between Austin’s later “Stone Cold” character and the Sandman but this wasn’t the most exciting match ever; the early going was very slow, with Mikey looking like a bit of a chump, and there was a distinct lack of energy throughout the match even before the Sandman broke his hand, resulting in a pretty anti-climactic end for me.

The Aftermath:
This would basically be the end of Steve Austin’s brief stint in ECW; he made his WWF debut as the Ringmaster about ten days after December to Dismember and wouldn’t have any dealings with ECW until 2001, when he chose to side with the ECW/WCW alliance against the WWF. Despite his injury, the Sandman would continue to wrestle; however, his second championship reign came to an end when he was defeated by Raven at the end of January. Mikey Whipwreck’s championship success continued, however, with him capturing both the ECW Television Championship and the ECW Tag Team Championship (with assistance from Cactus Jack) at ECW’s next supercard event, Holiday Hell: The New York Invasion. This would be the only December to Dismember event held by the original ECW; the evet wouldn’t be included in their annual pay-per-view calendars going forward and was largely dropped in favour of the aforementioned Holiday Hell. The December to Dismember brand would be revived in 2006, however; following a resurgence in ECW popularity, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) revived ECW as a third brand, one that promised to be a showcase of new and old talent but which quickly became an embarrassing sideshow. To make matters worse, the 2006 December to Dismember pay-per-view is widely regarded as one of the worst events in wrestling history; it was so poorly booked and received that it soured relations between WWE chairman Vince McMahon and Paul Heyman for some time and the WWE’s ECW brand never received another solo pay-per-view before being cancelled on February 16, 2010.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the three-way dance between Mikey Whipwreck, Steve Austin, and the Sandman? Who did you want to see win the match at the time? What did you think to Mikey as a World Champion? Were you impressed by Steve Austin back in the day? Did you use to watch ECW and, if so, who were some of your favourite wrestlers and what were some of your favourite matches and moments? Were you disappointed by the WWE’s revival of the company in 2006? Would you like to see the December to Dismember event make a comeback? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave them below or drop a comment on my social media.