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June 27th
On this day in history in ....
1935 - Danno O'Mahony defeats Jim Londos for the NWA (National Wrestling Associatoion) Heavyweight Wrestling Title in Boston, Massachusetts. He would later defeat Ed Don George to combine this belt with the Boston-based AWA World Title.
1972 - Professor Tanaka & Mr. Fuji defeat Chief Jay Strongbow & Sonny King for the WWWF Tag Team Title in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1998 - Rob Van Dam & Sabu defeat Chris Candido & Lance Storm for the ECW World Tag Team Title in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the ECW Arena. Results from the rest of the card saw:
- Tommy Rich defeated Chris Chetti.
- Bobby Duncum Jr. defeated John Kronus.
- Masato Tanaka defeated Balls Mahoney.
- Jerry Lynn & Mikey Whipwreck defeated Justin Credible & Jason.
- Axl Rotten defeated Jack Victory.
- Spike Dudley defeated Ulf Herman.
- The Dudleys (Buh-Buh Ray, D-Von & Big Dick) defeated The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer & surprise partner (and death match legend) Atsushi Onita when Onita turned on Sandman and Dreamer. This angle was supposed to lead to an Onita vs. Sandman exploding ring death match, and in fact, a press conference was held after this show to lead to the match. However, the bout never took place due to logistical reasons, and this was Onita's only appearance in ECW.
1999 - WWE held their King of the Ring Pay-per-view in Greensboro, North Carolina at the Greensboro Coliseum. Here are the results:
In matches shown on Heat:
- Meat (Shawn Stasiak) defeated Kurt Angle.
- Matt & Jeff Hardy vs. Edge & Christian ended in a no-contest.
- Mideon & Viscera defeated The Big Bossman in a Handicap match.
- Albert defeated Val Venis.
- Ken Shamrock defeated Shane McMahon via disqualification.
In matches shown on the PPV:
- In a King Of The Ring quarterfinal match, X-Pac defeated Bob Holly via DQ.
- In a King Of The Ring quarterfinal match, Kane defeated The Big Show.
- In a King Of The Ring quarterfinal match, Billy Gunn defeated Ken Shamrock when the ref stopped the match.
- In a King Of The Ring quarterfinal match, Road Dogg defeated Chyna.
- Matt & Jeff Hardy defeated Edge & Christian.
- In a King Of The Ring semifinal match, Billy Gunn defeated Kane..
- In a King Of The Ring semifinal match, X-Pac defeated Road Dogg.
- WWF World Champion The Undertaker defeated The Rock.
- Billy Gunn defeated X-Pac to win the King of the Ring Tournament.
- Shane & Vince McMahon defeated Steve Austin in a Handicap Ladder match for control of the company.
2000 - Steve Blackman defeats Crash Holly for the WWF Hardcore Title in Hartford, Connecticut, ending Crash's 10th reign.
2000 - The WWF-USA-Viacom Trial crawled to a close with things looking very good for the WWF as they were going into the closing arguments. The suit, brought forth by USA, was all about what "right of first refusal" actually means. Viacom's defense position was that USA had refused to match specific provisions that Viacom had offered the WWF in the contract that they had offered. Among the items USA wouldn't match were: a 3.5 million dollar yearly payment for 7 annual WWF specials; a $660,000 production fee for a new drama series that would run on UPN [The New York Post said it was $650,000]; A marketing fee of 8 million dollars, which would promote the movement of the five WWF series' from USA to TNN (4 shows) and MTV (the other); a $500,000 script-development fund for a possibly WWF-produced series. USA's claim was that their current deal's first-refusal clause allows them to renew the deal for five years without having to match the Viacom proposal in whole, only the part concerning wrestling.
USA senior vice president Stephen Brenner opened the trial's testimony and did not do well for himself. Brenner said that he was in hot water with USA currently because he was the one who negotiated the deal with the WWF that they are now trying to walk away from. It came out that last year, USA offered an extension to the WWFE that would almost double their weekly payments from $42,000 to $80,000 in 2001, to $85,000 in 2002 and to $90,000 in 2003. They also offered to up the payments for the weekend USA shows as well. Vince McMahon turned down the offer on 12/23/99. USA offered a better deal on 2/16/00, but the WWF instead chose to search for other deals in March. Brenner got flustered on the stand when WWF attorneys read a compensation agreement that Brenner had with USA from his promotion in the company. The real blow came the next day, when USA chief counsel Richard Lynn testified under cross examination that USA did a detailed financial analysis of the deal that was offered by Viacom to the WWF and they said that if they matched it, they would have lost 18 million dollars on it over three years. Industry insiders feel that by doing the analysis, it weakens USA's claim that they feel they should only have to match the wrestling part of the deal offered by Viacom. Vince McMahon testified at the trial, saying that he was insulted by USA's offer. The judge was expected to hear final arguments, and promised to make a decision by the end of the month, although he has urged both sides to settle before then.
On June 27th, in Wilmington, Delaware, USA Networks, Inc. lost in its case against the World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc. and Viacom Inc. That meant the WWF television product (Raw is War / War Zone, Livewire, Superstars) would be moving to the Viacom owned channels MTV and TNN in September. The WWF's contract with USA for Sunday Night Heat, a separate deal, expired soon, and it was expected that the WWF would also bring the show to Viacom.
Chancellor William Chandler, made the ruling after hearing both sides present their cases, and after giving them the opportunity to settle, promised to make his decision before the end of the month. USA apparently turned down a multi-million dollar settlement offer to instead hope for a decision in their favor, and now got nothing. The network went into a tailspin from the case, with executives leaving, being reassigned, and the whole network reorganizing.
This court case would allow the WWF to break away from their longtime cable home, the USA Network.
2008 - Ring of Honor ran Dayton, Ohio with the following results, filed by Mike Vicars:
1st match: Shane Hagadorn & Tank Toland (w/ Sweet & Sour Inc.) defeated Silas Young & Mitch Franklin
2nd match: ROH tag-team champion Tyler Black (w/ Allison Wonderland) defeated Delirious
3rd match: Claudio Castagnoli defeated Brent Albright and Jay Briscoe
4th match: Eric Stevens defeated "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson
5th match: Necro Butcher defeated Austin Aries in a relaxed rules match About ten minutes into the match Aries got on the mike and said his beef wasn't with Necro, but with Jimmy Jacobs. Aries said that he was going to save all his hate for Saturday's match against Jacobs, and Aries pleaded with Necro to break away from Age of the Fall. When Aries realized Necro wasn't going to do that Aries said that he would not fight back against Necro. While Aries was able to somewhat get into Necro's head, Necro ultimately had no problem knocking Aries down with a few punches, then finally laying Aries out with a stiff chair shot to the head before pinning him. Jimmy Jacobs then came out and told Necro that he had done the right thing, and Jacobs and Necro proceeded to stomp the unconscious Austin Aries.
6th match: "Mr. Wrestling" Kevin Steen & El Generico defeated Joey Matthews & ROH tag-team champion Jimmy Jacobs (w/ Allison Wonderland)
7th match: Chris Hero (w/ Sweet & Sour Inc.) defeated FIP champion Roderick Strong in a special challenge non-title match This was the best match of the night in my opinion. Both men put on an extremely physical, hard-hitting, exciting match with several near falls. Hero was able to eek out a victory with help from Larry Sweeny.
Main Event: NWA World Heavyweight Champion "scrap-iron" Adam Pearce (w/ Sweet & Sour Inc.) defeated ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness via an "over the top rope DQ" in a title vs. title match. McGuinness originally scored the pinfall over Pearce after a decapitating rebound lariat, winning the NWA World Heavyweight title in the process. However, in a classic case of a "Dusty Finish" which was probably done tongue-in-cheek, Larry Sweeny, who had been ordered to leave ringside after several match interferences, came back out to plead his case to senior referee Todd Sinclair, ROH president Carey Silkin, and NWA president Dave Marquez. Marquez and Silkin had been sitting ringside throughout the match. The decision was reversed reportedly with both sides being in agreement and Pearce was declared the victor as a result of the antiquated "over the top rope = a DQ" rule that I think I last saw used sometime back in 1989 during a Flair/Steamboat match. I assume Pearce was thrown over the top at some point during the match, but I can't remember when because at the time it probably didn't seem important.
The crowd was none to pleased to say the least, but before they could get too riled Brent Albright came running out to attack Sweeny, Pearce, Sara Del Ray, Toland, and Bobby Dempsey. McGuinness stood poised in the corner with a steel chair in hand, but appeared unsure over whether he should use it; then all hell broke loose. Jay Briscoe, Steen & Generico, Age of the Fall, and Mark Briscoe all appeared in the ring, but in what order I have no idea. Amid the carnage McGuinness snuck to the back. After a multitude of high spots by everyone, Steen & Generico were left alone in the ring with the Briscoes. Before long the two teams were beating the hell out of each other, but Mark abruptly left the ring favoring his wrist and hand which were in a brace. This caused the two teams to quit fighting, and the Briscoes left the ring area vowing that they would have their day with Steen & Generico in the not too distant future. Steen then got on the mike and cut a promo, saying that he had promised to have ROH gold by the end of the year, but he was going to make a change to that promise. Steen said that he would definitely be the holder of an ROH recognized title by the next time ROH comes back to Dayton on Nov. 21st. Steen's proclamation seemed to work the crowd up into another frenzy and the show ended on a positive note with the blaring of Ole' Ole' ringing out thru the sound system.
All in all the show, titled "Battle for Supremacy", was another top-notch ROH performance in Dayton, once again proving that while Dayton is probably ROH's smallest market, it usually has one of ROH's liveliest and hottest crowds. As I stated earlier ROH will be returning to Dayton on Friday Nov. 21st.
2008 - WWE ran Lubbock, Texas featuring talents from all three brands - Raw, ECW and Smackdown. Tim Brewer filed the following report:
- Kofi Kingston defeated Shelton Benjamin with Trouble in Paradise in a good back and forth match.
- Ted DiBiase defeated Super Crazy (with a local kid as his special manager)…it doesn’t look like DiBiase has a definite finishing move yet.
- Lance Cade defeated Trevor Murdoch in a quick match after the ring ropes busted.
- Big Show and Matt Hardy defeated MVP and Mark Henry when Show got the pin on MVP…lots of cowardly heel stuff done by MVP and Mark Henry during the match.
- Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero (w/ Bam Neely) to retain the ECW Title after Bam interfered and Kane laid both of them out, then hit his second attempt at a chokeslam.
- Maria brought a special guest bell ringer to ringside.
- Mickie James defeated Katie Lea Burchill to retain the Women’s Championship (Katie Lea has the best looking Camel Clutch since the Iron Sheik in my opinion).
- Chris Jericho defeated Jeff Hardy to retain the Intercontinental Championship. Hardy almost won several times. Lance Cade provided a distraction as Jeff was going to hit the Swanton and Jericho rolled up Hardy from behind.
- JBL cut a promo about how Bob Knight couldn’t win a championship with a Texas Tech team and other stuff about how he was embarrassed to be from the area to get the crowd revved up. Then proceeded to chase the ring announcer during the rest of the intros.
- HHH & Batista defeated Edge and JBL…Edge really played up the fear factor here against the former Evolution members.
Biggest Pops:
Jeff Hardy
HHH
Batista
Kofi Kingston
Maria (and her skimpy clothes)
Super Crazy
Biggest Heat:
JBL
Chavo
Edge
Shelton
Mark Henry
Note from the show:
The house show was a retread of old storylines. I guess they didn’t want to rebook the shows?
Lance Cade vs. Trevor Murdoch went short because the top rope busted when Cade was shot off the ropes early on. The refs (who I guess are also ring crew for the house shows) set to beginning to fix the ring before the match was over. Looked over and saw Sign Guy with a look on his face saying “who the hell” when Trevor Murdoch came out. So, when you see Trevor on Smackdown, you’ll be hearing something that sounds like a horrendously bad version of Garth Brooks.
Ted DiBiase is good on the stick, but still seems a bit green in the ring to me. Super Crazy carried him to a decently good match
When Big Show was out for his match, at one point he went to rebound off the ropes and someone from behind me yelled “watch the ropes!” Got everyone laughing.
Crowd was inconsiderate. The more the show went on, the more everyone on the floor just wanted to be at the rails. I even nearly got run over a few times towards the end of the show by people making a mad dash from 4-10 rows back.
Towards the end of the Jericho/Hardy match, all the crowd was VERY pro-Hardy, and many of them tried to run to the rails three different times for false finishes which would have seen Jeff win. Most of the crowd obviously didn’t think that since they announced it as a title match, Hardy was only going to win if a mistake was made. Also, Hardy was channeling Sabu with a little one-man Poetry in Motion.
2008 - The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum and World League Wrestling presented Night of Legends II at Young Arena in Waterloo, Iowa. Matt Murphy filed the following report:
I don't have the attendance, but we had a great turnout. Special guests included Bret "Hitman" Hart, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Larry "the Ax" Hennig, Nikita Koloff, Danny Hodge, and
Baron Von Raschke.
Match Results:
1. Dinn T. Moore pinned Steve Anthony after a countering a top-rope cross-body attempt into a Brew City Slam.
2. Tyler Cook won a three-way elimination over A.J. Smooth and Supa Cito Kid. Smooth eliminated Kid with a powerbomb/Diamond Cutter move; Cook reversed the same move
into a roll-up to pin Smooth.
3. Go Shiozaki and Darin Waid wrestled to a 15-minute time-limit draw. After the time limit expired, Shiozaki pinned Waid with the Go Flasher in a five-minute
overtime granted by referee Brandon Schmitt.
4. WLW Ladies Campion Stacey O'Brien beat MsChif by reverse-decision DQ. After MsChif pinned O'Brien by spraying green mist into the champion's eyes, Harley Race
Wrestling Academy student Amy Hennig showed referee Martin T the mist in O'Brien's face to cause the reversed decision. Hennig and MsChif were involved in an altercation after the match.
5. WLW Tag Team Champions Steve Anthony & Marc Godeker defeated Dinn T. Moore & Michael Strider wen Anthony pinned Strider with a 450 splash.
6. World Heavyweight Champion "Dangerous" Derek McQuinn pinned "Wild" Wade Chism by countering a Samoan drop attempt with a three-quarter-nelson cradle.
The event raised funds for the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, which recently suffered extensive flood damage. To make a donation to assist with recovery costs, please visit http://www.wrestlingmuseum.org/donateforrecovery.htm
2009 - TNA announced via Twitter that former WWE star Shawn Daivari had signed with the company.
2009 - Ring of Honor ran Chicago Ridge, IL. Mike S. filed the following live report:
Ring of Honor – Frontier Fieldhouse - Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Attendance was around 900. Prior to the show, there was a meet and greet with “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
Pre-show:
(A) Tony Kozina and Dirty Ernie Osiris (with Prince Nana) defeated Aaron Scott and Grizzly Redwood.
It might have been 90 degrees outside today, but the jacked-up crowd, right of the bat, made it feel like about 150 in the building. As soon as the bell rang ring announcer Joey Eastman alerted us five minutes have elapsed in the match. For a homeless man, Ernie has some nice shoes (as well as plaid Abercrombie pants and a homemade t-shirt) compared to the non-homeless, barefoot’d man – who’s beard is that of a mighty Redwood. Some nice back and forth with Scott and Kozina (with his barrel chest, he’d make a great roaring 20’s strongman gimmick). Aaron Scott went for a slam on the bald Kozina, which caused Osiris to note “he's pulling his hair.” Advantage went to Team Nana after he pulled the top rope down so Scott would fall out of the ring. Finally, a hot tag was made to the Griz – who hit some axe-handles on Kozina, and followed with a flapjack on Scott. A short time later, while Scott was arguing with the ref (who had taped fists), Ernie drilled Redwood with his shoe, allowing Kozina to roll him up for the win.
(B) “Big, Bad” Bobby Dempsey and Sawada defeated Andy “Right Leg” Ridge and Sampson.
Ridge is a heel now, as he looked surly, and kicked the guard rail twice on the way to the ring, just to let everyone know hoe surly he was. Sawada was wearing a gi. Sampson, a large, muscular, African-American fella was worried about the non-Milton Bradley Karate Fighter and a chop battle ensued, until Sampson used a poke to the eyes. Heat on Sawada, as Dempsey tried to get the crowd into the match. Sampson choked him on the ground, and then squatted in an attempt to blow gas, which allowed Dempsey to get the hot tag. The match would end with Dempsey using a Death Valley Driver on Ridge, as Sawada used a judo throw, and a keylock on Sampson for the victory.
(C) Josh Raymond defeated Mickey Nichols.
The pre-show main event, with the pre-show time remaining, saw a good paced wrestling match with plenty of Raymond (who's improved over the last two years since toning down the sleaze – and the mustache) and Mikey trading arm-bars and wrestling holds. Josh was over with his “Yeah!!!” catchphrase. Nichols attempted a rollup, but only got a two. Nichols hit a neck-breaker for two, and a second rope dropkick for another near fall. After a high cross-body by the Aussie for another near fall, Raymond came back with a super kick followed by a 360 corkscrew head kick off the ropes for the win.
There was a ten-bell salute with all the wrestlers around the ring. KENTA stood inside the ring and held a picture of Mitsuharu Misawa along with Cary Silkin wearing a NOAH Hawaiian shirt. It was a very classy thing to do, as they played his theme, and Misawa chants rung out over the building. The main card started at approximately 7:45pm.
1. Six-Man Mayhem: Delirious defeated Silas Young with Shadows over Hell, in a match that also included “Sugarfoot” Alex Payne, Sami Callahan, Egotistical Fantastico, and “Addicted to Love” Rhett Titus.
To begin, Payne went straight for Silas, which was good continuity after Silas turned on him the last time ROH was here. Rhett went for a kiss from a girl in the front row, but a dude kissed him instead which got a great pop and lots of chants from the crowd. The foam Sugar-foot held by some dudes in the front row was taken by Rhett, violated by Silas, and actually put on Callahan’s foot. Payne and Delirious started, with Delirious talking gibberish and, at one point, saying “white meat babyface.” Good comedy with Rhett giving Delirious a show, Deli running after him, both going under the ring, and Titus coming out with his pants semi-down and his thong exposed. Then Rhett came from behind ref Todd Sinclair, who thought Titus was feeling him up and shoved him down. Great moves all over the place during the match, including a Tower of Doom spot with Ego getting double super-plexed by Sami and Silas, as Deli and Payne hit power-bombs on both guys. As five men were down, Rhett made pinfall attempts on all of them one at a time. Titus hit a second rope face-buster on Sugarfoot. As Delirious (who seems to be mentoring Payne) tried a Panic Attack on Sami, he instead ate a five-star lariat. Ego hit the Taco Pizza for a near-fall on Sami. Payne then hit the diamond dust on Silas, was hit by Callahan, which allowed Delirious to hit the Shadows over Hell to steal the win. Just a fucking fantastic opener, that was reminiscent of ROH openers of lore. Everyone – even Silas – looked great here.
2. Erick Stevens defeated “HD Ready” Skullkrusher Rasche Brown after a Doctor Bomb.
HD is looking leaner, not so bulky, and continued to capitalize on the great charisma he showed the last time he was in Chicago (against Ego). They wrestled back and forth early, including using the Flair-Steamboat bridge-to-a-backslide pin attempt. Erick then ran the ropes to bring the big man down. No luck. HD hit a shoulder-tackle and then an awesome football clothesline, followed by a palm chop. Erick rallied with a flying shoulder-tackle to the outside, but Brown came back with a slam and a chop which caused Stevens to say “Ouch!” HD hit a vertical spinning suplex. Stevens attempted a side slam but just fell over. Brown used a camel clutch, and then a Rick Rude-like pelvic thrust swivel (which was the sixth pelvic thrust of the night – Razor Ramon HG would be proud). Stevens tried a Samoan drop, but struggled to lift him up. Stevens then used a shoulder tackle off the second rope, but HD came back spear for a two. Elbow war. Stevens hit a cho-cho (running elbow into the corner), and went for a lariat, but Brown used a choke-slam for a near fall. HD went for his own cho-cho, but ate a lariat and a doctor bomb for the win. Decent big man war and better than expected. Stevens could make a great heel in ROH if given a good storyline. Rasche got a huge chant leaving the ring.
Ric Flair promo telling the crowd that Chicago was THE GREATEST sports town in the world, the greatest town to wrestle in, and put over the (U.I.C.) Pavilion. He said that “I respect these guys,” and then said the word “workrate” which was surprising, saying the guys in ROH “bust their ass.” He put over Rush Street, and Gibson’s steakhouse – where he says he’s spent over $500,000. That’s only half of the money he claims he’s spent on Rush Street, and that there’s a 22-year old girl that he’d like to “kiss on the mouth” later tonight. Great promo.
3. Kenny King defeated “Maple Leaf Muscle” Petey Williams with a torture rack DDT.
To start, some fans chanted “Tough Enough” to Kenny, who responded by saying “come on that was eight years ago.” King looked good as he went toe-to-toe with the former X-Division champion. As they exchanged holds, I noticed Petey’s tights said “wwad.” (Semp’s note: I hope it stands for What Would Al Davis do, because the answer would be make some poor personnel decisions, and follow it up by pooping in your Depends, and settling in for a nap.) Kenny did a Michael Jackson impression, but as he was doing the splits, Petey hit him with a dropkick, and a Jackson-esqe “Heee-heee.” A top rope headscissors over the top put King on the outside, which was followed by Williams jumping over the top and hitting a beautiful rana. King came back with a beautiful Hot Shot and lariat for a two count. King said “make believe mustard, my ass” which may make a great catchphrase and look snazzy on a shirt. He then hit a spinebuster for a two. Petey attempted the Canadian Destroyer, which got a huge pop, only to have King throw him into the corner. King tried a springboard clothesline but got hit with a dropkick. Petey hit a backbreaker and a dropkick to the back of King’s head. Russian leg-sweep by Williams, and he called for the Destroyer but King evaded. Spinning backbreaker for two on Williams, and then King hit a DVD into a side-slam for two. Lots of great nearfalls in this match. King was tapping in the sharpshooter as the ref was being distracted by King’s partner Rhett Titus. After many Canadian Destroyer attempts, King hit a torture rack DDT for the win. Afterwards, Titus and King beat on Williams – who fought back and hit the destroyer for a HYOOOGE pop. Lots of “please come back” chants. Petey, with a bloody mouth, cut a promo and called the guys in ROH “bad ass mofos.” He talked about ROH being where stars are born, and reborn, which caused a “fuck TNA” and “fire Russo” chant. Petey showed more charisma here than he did in however many years he was in TNA, and called himself “the wizard of the washboard” abdominals. Very good match.
4. NOAH World Junior Heavyweight champion KENTA defeated Tyler Black after the Go to Sleep.
With the fans using dueling chants to get behind both guys, KENTA killed Black early. 2009 has been a tremendous year so far for the NOAH junior heavyweight champion. (Semp’s note: Literally, he kicked the shit out of Tyler after they exchanged some harsh chops. Some slaps exchanged and KENTA hit a Euro uppercut. Tyler came back with a suplex for two. KENTA responded by putting Tyler on the top rope and hit Black’s back with his knees. He continued with knee splashes, and the backwards kick to the head after jumping over the top rope, which got a small Misawa chant. KENTA then put Tyler’s head between his legs and squeezed it like a sleeperhold. After eating some kicks to the chest, Tyler came back with a running clothesline, an enziguri, and a springboard clothesline. A nice Lionsault attempt got a two count. More KENTA kicks soon followed. They are so incredibly painful, yet beautiful, to watch. STF by KENTA. WTF~? Tyler got to the ropes. An attempted a fisherman buster was turned into a neck-breaker by Black. Black went up top, but received a boot and a superkick for his efforts. The dueling chants from the crowd continued.
A springboard drop kick, followed by two huge boots into the corner, and a dropkick were used by KENTA (who was super-over, as usual). An awesome double-foot stomp spot. KENTA then hits a kick, runs off the ropes, and gets caught with a Tyler superkick. Uh-oh, a FIGHTING SPIRIT POSE. Another Black superkick is followed by a huge KENTA boot. Another STF attempt. Tiger suplex attempt by KENTA was blocked, but he hit an awesome Ace Crusher for a two. He went up top, but Tyler caught him and hit a rana. He then tossed KENTA out of the ring, and hit a corkscrew dive to the outside. Black then, well, TYLER’D UP and hit two elbows into the corner, and a DDT from a DVD position for a near fall. Crowd was not happy, as they began to gravitate more towards the Japanese star. Black tried the Phoenix splash, but landed on his feet. He used his Execution kick to the head, and a Slop Drop. He then went for a powerbomb into the corner, but he ate a hurancanrana, instead.
A KENTA Tiger suplex got a 2.5 count. A Go To Sleep attempt was blocked, Black tried a God’s Last Gift, but took a GTS for 2.9999999 (I could keep going). Tyler recovered and hit a powerbomb into the corner, and went for another Execution kick. KENTA caught his leg, and hit another GTS to take the win at 18:13, in what was an outstanding match. Fans chanted “That was awesome,” and there were hearty handshakes, and an exchange of pro wres love.
Age of the Fall then came down to the ring, all 13 or so of them, in masks and bandanas. Zach Gowen was one of them, turning down a lucrative apartment wrestling gig tonight to be at the show. Misty Blue Simms would be very unhappy. Jimmy Jacobs had his white, blood stained jacket from the group’s beginning, and a chain came down on the hook they use to hold up the title belts during ladder matches. They attempted to hang former member Black upside down, Jay Briscoe-style, but El Generico and Kevin Steen came down to help wreck shop. Black got back up and hit the GLG on Jacobs, and hung him upside down by the hook. Delirious was working the controls and raised Jacobs up. Black got on the mic and said “The Age of the Fall is dead.” The faces left, and Jacobs was lowered down. He began to berate his members, who all walked out on him. He then exited through the crowd, quite dejected, and left out the front door, throwing down garbage cans in the process.
Intermission: September 19 will be the next Chicago show, with Bret Hart coming in – which, not surprisingly, got a super huge pop. I went outside as Jimmy Jacobs was on his knees crying in the rain. Outstanding. Crowd has been good, and very mixed as Flair brought in the casual/mainstream crowd (which might have been the reason Petey Williams was so over), as well as more kids attending. Joey Eastman announced the after-party, and how people can buy Adam Pearce beer, because Pearce loves beer. Larry Sweeney was in the house, backstage at the show.
By the way, all Michael Jackson music during intermission causing Dr. Keith to reflect back to his own past experiences with a “Dirty Diana.”
5. Chicago Street Fight: “Classic” Colt Cabana and Brent Albright defeated Joey Ryan and the “Very European” Claudio Castagnoli, when Cabana put Ryan through a table.
Sadly, Claudio and Ryan were not in their street gear. Dueling boom-elbows from the babyfaces. Albright shaved, and as a result looks much younger. Cabana and Albright brought a table into the ring and sandwiched it on top of Ryan and Claudio. The fight went to the outside with Albright and Ryan tangled on one end, as Cabana and Claudio were on the other. For the third straight show, whenever Claudio did anything people said “Heeeeeeeey!” which is always entertaining. Cabana got on the guardrail and did a back dive onto the heels. Somewhere during the melee, an old man got accidentally hit but ROH was quick to aid him (and his tucked in Colt 45 shirt) with some ice. Both babyfaces did their submissions (Albright’s Crowbar on Claudio, and the Billy Goat’s Curse on Ryan). Prince Nana and Dirty Ernie came in, as Cabana and Albright gave chase. Back in the ring, Ryan hit his Super 70’s superkick on Colt, and Claudio used a bicycle kick on Albright. Later, Cabana hit a big backdrop on Ryan to the outside and Albright hit a dive on Claudio.
Albright and Cabana then did the old Dudley’s “Get the tables” line. They laid Ryan on the table, Ernie made the save. Albright was going to hit a suplex on Ryan through the table, but Claudio flipped the table over. Claudio set up a table into the corner and attempted to Ricola bomb Cabana into it, but Albright made the save. Chairs then entered the equation. Ryan used the Mustache Ride on Cabana. A good-guy’s double pin attempt was broken up by Nana. Bicycle kick by Claudio, as Albright had the chair up. Claudio accidentally hit Ryan with the bicycle kick and slipped on a chair. Albright then did a dive to the outside onto Claudio, who was in the third row. Nana came into the ring, busting up a Colt 45 on Ryan. Cabana then used the Flying Asshole on Nana, followed by one on Ryan who went through a table for the win. A really good brawl.
6. D’Lo Brown defeated Roderick Strong with a roll-up.
Brown, who was looking huge (NOD days, but with more muscle), got huge “Welcome home” chants. Strong went to work with trademark chops, with D’Lo rallying with chops of his own. Brown missed on one, looked at his hand and said, “I fucked up.” Brown ended up chopping Strong’s chest open. Strong went to pick D’Lo up, as he yelled “are you kidding me?” Totally great old school heel. He used the Sliding D for a near fall, and a vertical suplex for another. Strong kicked him in the gut, and D’Lo spit into the third row, possibly near his family. Brown hit a powerful clothesline, and a side slam attempt, but Roddy blocked it with a crucifix for a near fall. Strong went to work with some vicious chops. D’Lo went up top, and some fan yelled “Come on Roddy, win it for Droz.” Ugh. Brown shot him a look, and then was met up top by Strong who superplexed him down to the mat. Gibson driver, but Brown held on for another near fall. Story of the match was D’Lo being too big, but Strong hit a backbreaker and a yakuza kick for a two count, but Brown got his foot to the ropes. D’Lo then tied up Strong, and with his hand on the bottom rope, pinned him for the victory. Very good performance by Brown playing the old-time, cheat to win, better than you, heel.
7. Kevin Steen and El Generico defeated the ROH World tag team champions, the American Wolves (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards) in a non-title match.
The stipulation here is that if the Wolves win, Steenerico doesn’t get anymore title matches. If the good guys prevail, they get to pick what the stipulations for the next match between the teams will be. Shane Haggadorn, wearing a sparkling jacket and an arm sling, was announced as the Wolves “manager.”
Great back and forth match, with the heat being put on Steen, who ended up getting a hot tag to Generico, with the knee brace. Edwards hit a jumping codebreaker on Generico for a two count, as Davey used a Texas cloverleaf on Generico’s injured knee. Eddie whipped Generico’s knee into the guardrail. Davey then hit two or three vicious kicks on the masked generic man. Quick, frequent, Wolves tags. Generico finally was able to get a tag to Steen, who dive off the top to the floor on both Wolves, and hit a powerbomb on Edwards to the apron. He threw Davey into the ring and hit the senton for two. In a nice spot, Steen powerbombed Davey onto Eddie, who was on the ground. Tag to Generico who hit a high cross body on Eddie for two. He attempted a brainbuster but Eddie hit him with a knee kick. Generico tried an Ole kick on the bad leg, and was met with a Wolves doubleteam, and a powerbomb with bridge for another nearfall. Wolves hit their powerbomb/double knees combo. Another knee submission attempt on Generico. Davey hit three harsh kicks, and a Generico face slip, and a kick to the back. Miscommunication by the Wolves. Generico hit the suplex on Davey in the corner. Generico hit the coast-to-coast dropkick (Van Terminator) for a two count. Referee Sinclair went down after some ruckus between Generico and Edwards. Belt shot on Steen by Davey for a near-fall. Generico attempted another brainbuster on Richards – and finally hit it – as Steen had Edwards submitting to a sharpshooter for the win. Edwards looked like he messed up his wrist, as it was bloody. The referees, and even ADAM PEARCE, came out quickly with a towel to help.
8. Austin Aries defeated Nigel McGuinness to retain the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight championship.
“Welcome back” chants for the shaved head, and streamlined, Nigel. Aries’ tights have musical notes on them, for some reason. Aries got on the mic and called Chicago the home of the loveable losers, and talked about they used to despise Nigel. He said that Chicago Ridge “identifies” with losers. Nigel said it “takes one to know one,” and called A-Double a “prick.” Aries mocked back with “It takes one to know one,” and “I know you are, but what am I?” Aries then talked about leaving. Nigel cracked “Just because you have hair around your mouth doesn't mean you’re a vagina.” Aries countered with “I am what I eat.” To which Nigel said, “Then you are an ass****.” Having watched Frost/Nixon last week, I was familiar to such a debate. The bell rang, and Austin called for the bell again. He got back on the mic, and said Nigel was broken down and couldn’t do his McLariats. Nigel went for some, but Aries poked fun at him for being unable to.
Nigel took off after Aries, who hit a baseball slide, and did a plancha over the top rope that missed. Nigel whipped him into the guardrails, and went to work on Aries’ shoulder. McGuinness used his headstand kick, and a nice arm submission on, to further inflict damage. Nigel hit a double thrust like Haku. When Nigel was coming back into the ring, Aries hit him with a beautiful running dropkick to McGuinness’ bad arm. From there, Aries went to work and used a Macho Man-like axe-handle to the outside, and threw Nigel into the guardrail. Aries signaled for his power-elbows, but just did an eye rake. What a heel! More work on Nigel’s arm. They exchanged elbows and Aries got caught into the corner. Nigel kicked the back, and hit a small clothesline out of the corner. Aries dangled out of the ring, and Nigel attempted a Tower of London. Aries blocked, and got a high back bodydrop for his troubles. Back in the ring, Nigel tried the Tower of London again, but there was a sunset flip by Aries, followed by an arm submission by Nigel.
Nigel put Aries on top rope, but his lariat attempt was ducked. Aries responded with a lariat of his own, and a neck-breaker for a two count. Nigel used some high-knees for a near fall. Nigel lifted up Aries up for another Tower of London, resulting in a two. Aries rolled through an arm submission, and they teased a jawbreaker, but Aries hit a suplex for a two. Last Chancery submission by Aries was thwarted when Nigel got to the ropes. Aries put Nigel on top rope, and mocked Nigel by looking like he was going to hit the lariat, but hit an axe-handle on the ropes. Aries did his heat -seeking missile tope, but McGuinness used an elbow, and hit the T.O.L. on the outside for another near fall. Crowd was quiet but began getting into it. Nigel raked Aries all over the top rope, and hit a lariat for a two. Aries foot on the ropes. Nigel was selling his lariat arm. He attempted a jawbreaker. Aries ducked a lariat, and got a backslide attempt. Aries hit a kick of death and brainbuster for the win at 21:08. Decent match. Nigel is banged up, but this was fine. The crowd eventually cheered Nigel, but it took a while.
2009 - ECW Original Francince and her husband Joe promoted "Legends of the Arena", an ECW reunion show at the former ECW Arena raising money for the American Cancer Society. Francine had lost both her father and her sister to the disease. Mike Johnson filed the following live reort:
Sometimes, you can go home again.
That was the feeling I was left with walking out of the last night's Legends of the Arena event promoted by longtime ECW "Queen of Extreme" Francine and her husband Joe to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The show was a surprising success on a number of levels, drawing 650-750 to the former ECW Arena with prices ranging from $250 down to $50.
Going into the show, there were a lot of questions. The ECW reunion concept had been done before and there wasn't a huge amount of buzz going into this show. The prices had to be seen as off-putting in this economy. There was no "fresh hook" such as a revival of an old ECW rivalry, such as Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu or RVD vs. Lynn. Going in, one had to be worried about how the show was going to draw and how the show was going to be received.
Without exaggeration, it was the most fun three and a half hours I've had at a wrestling event this year...and that includes attending Wrestlemania XXV, TNA and ROH PPVs, and a lot of other shows across the country. Did some of those shows have better wrestling? Yes. Did some of them have far superior production? Yes. However, what none of them could match was just last night's pure, intimate energy of an old school ECW style house show and the "feel good" factor with most of the crew just wanting to have fun with their old friends, in and out of the ring, for what could very likely prove to be the last time.
During the afternoon VIP proceedings, there was cause for concern as there were only about 50-100 fans taking part in meet and greet session with the talents and a Q&A session. When the doors opened for the evening show, it was like it was 1994 again as the audience rushed in, many wearing old ECW t-shirts from the era but with a twist. There were very, very few of the old faces from that era. Instead, it was a younger 20-something crowd who either were too young to see the company at its prime or discovered it after the fact....because a good portion of them were wearing shirts from the original ECW's run.
I was blown away by how young a good portion of the crowd looked and how many pretty girls were in the crowd. It wasn't the old 1994 smart fan audience, although there were some of that demographic in the crowd. It was more of an audience of all shapes and sizes that wanted that ECW atmosphere and took part in creating it. There were ECW chants galore before the show even began and once the audience began filling every available seat, it was impossible not to look out over the crowd and smile. They weren't there for an event, but to be part of it. It was the type of electricity we rarely see anymore in wrestling - one of my best friends commented, "They haven't even hit the ring yet and it's already my favorite show of the year." How right he was.
Beyond that electricity, the one thing that really stood out to me was the word family. From wrestlers bringing their children to see what their dads used to do to everyone palling around in the parking lot with the fans before and after the show to ribs being pulled in the locker room and even some slight disagreements over the placement of matches before the show, it was like that one of a kind Manson family was back together again.
There was Terry Funk holding court in the back, counseling different wrestlers about the business. There was Al Snow being ribbed by Sal E. Graziano with old photos that were pasted on the locker room wall. There was Balls Mahoney stalking the halls in his one of a kind manner. There was Don E. Allen running around helping out where he could because he wanted to be there to help. Looking around that scene and knowing it was 2009, with everyone from the patriarch of ECW, Tod Gordon to Sabu, who ECW first really hung their hat on as their star attraction to The Blue Meanie, in one locker room as one group - it was a sight to see.
Egos? Sure. Eclectic? Sure. But in the end, they were all together again and for the most part, the wrestlers were as thankful for that chance, if not more so, than the fans. Onto the show:
A great video piece about the history of the venue and the original ECW played. Bob Artese and Rocco Musciano made their way to the ring. Bob Artese asked, "Who wants some hats?" and tossed out signed hats, old school style. Stephen DeAngelis and Artese shared the ring announcing duties and at one point, DeAngelis said on the mic that Artese was the voice of the building and he was thankful for all the times Artese "allowed me to visit."
After the traditional hat toss, out came Joel Gertner to do one of his patented limericks. It was his only appearance of the evening.
*2 Cold Scorpio pinned CW Anderson in a great opener in about ten minutes. This was the first time these two had faced off in any fashion in their respective careers yet watching them, it felt like they were old rivals. There was some great chemistry here. Anderson, who is down 40 lbs. and probably in the best shape of his career, drilled Scorpio out of nowhere at one point with the most beautiful superkick in the history of wrestling. Scorpio pulled out a dive over the ropes at one point. In the end, Scorpio nailed a somersault legdrop from the top rope. There was a brief miscommunication over Anderson kicking out as I believe there was another spot that was supposed to be the finish but referee John Moore nailed three as Anderson got out of it and called for the bell. Not to be foiled, Scorpio still nailed the Tumbleweed after the match. After the match, Anderson shook Scorpio's hand and bowed before him, playing off the fact that fans chanted for him to shake Scorp's hand after a fun exchange early.
*Bilvis Wesley pinned The Musketeer. This was pure shenanigans. Wesley, wrestling his first match in several years and for the first time in front of his sons, took the mic and said that Paul Heyman gave him this gimmick, but the Musketeer had no one to blame but himself since he came up with it. They went back and forth for a few minutes, then out of nowhere, New Jack's theme played. The place went insane. Musketeer even grabbed his sword in preparation of his defense. Wesley rolled up Musketeer and pinned him. He then grabbed the mic and called the fans marks because he got one over on them. The crowd chanted, "We want New Jack" afterwards but it wasn't to be. It was a ballsy move as it could have deflated the crowd but it worked for what it was designed to be. Wesley came up with the gimmick.
*Chris Hamrick defeated Devon "Crowbar" Storm with a Tazmission. Before the match, Storm came out and cut a promo, saying that he quit ECW in 1997 (true) and went on to a "real" wrestling company in WCW to become WCW Tag, Cruiserweight and Hardcore champion. Believe it or not, the mention of WCW got tons of heat. He also ragged on Taz (Storm had ripped Taz online in response to Taz, in the WWE 24/7 History of ECW series taking shots at him) saying he contacted "The Human Buffet Machine" to come and face him tonight for a good cause and Taz didn't respond. He claimed that meant Taz didn't care about the fans that made him or the cause. It didn't get over for heel heat as much as the WCW stuff did. So, Hamrick played the babyface. They pulled out a lot of hardcore stunt bumps, including Hamrick's insane back bump through the ropes to the floor and at one point bridged a piece of guard rail between the ring steps and the apron. Hamrick locked on a Tazmission and Storm tried to fight it before tapping out and then selling he was angry he "tapped to Taz" so to speak. The promo, which Storm wanted to use for heat to set up the finish, actually went longer than the match was scheduled to go, which a few people were down on.
This morning, Taz posted the following response on his Facebook page: "Apparently, at the ECW Legends Show promoted by Francine yours truly was "called out" and knocked that I wouldn't work the event....an event which I was invited to. Well 1st and foremost I would like to say that I commend Francine on putting on an event for such a great charity and I know the charity effects her greatly personally. I apologize that I couldn't make the event but I had several reasons why I couldn't be there which include spending my 90 days in a quality time fashion with my family!! If that offends anyone I greatly apologize. Just for the ECW fans who did not attend the event I believe that there were several other original ECW acts that were not at the event either. I saw the talent list whom performed on the show and it seemed to be an excellent line up and I hope a lot of $$ was raised for a great cause.....a cause that my wife and I have donated $$ to in the past as it has effected our family also. Honestly speaking, its was charity show and if you wanted to put a guilt trip on me you did."
I know that Francine did reach out to Taz but I am under the impression that due to his WWE contract, he couldn't have appeared in person at the show without being in violation, so it couldn't have happened, period.
*In a short match, Rhino defeated Jaimie Dundee and Scotty Anton/Riggs. Riggs is a lot smaller from his WCW/ECW heyday. Dundee actually missed his ring entrance cue and someone had to go run to tell him he was on. Dundee brought down the house with some mic work, complaining about ECW fans being "wrasslin' wannabes" and ripping on Riggs as "Bagwell's b***." He referred to Rhino as Jeff Jarrett's butler, which I thought was funny. Rhino didn't look happy about the promo, but he could have been selling. Once they rang the bell it was over pretty quick. A lot of people backstage at the show were impressed with how much Dundee has gotten his life together in the last several months.
Tod Gordon and Sabu were inducted in the The Arena's Hardcore Hall of Fame. Also unveiled were banners for the late Chris Candido and Eddie Gilbert. At one point, Tammy Sytch was scheduled to be here but canceled to take a booking in California. The Gilbert banner said he passed away in 2007. It was actually February 1995, so that will have to be corrected. Pitbull Gary Wolfe, The Sandman and The Arena's owner Roger Artigiani came out. Sandman was well into...well, being Sandman and was truly long-winded, but the crowd loved him for it. They put over Gilbert and Candido. The crowd chanted Candido's name but didn't seem to react to Gilbert, which is a shame but on the other hand, ECW was a really small part of Gilbert's body of work. They brought out Sabu and Tod Gordon. Gordon had his three children with him. Both got huge responses. Gordon thanked everyone and all the wrestlers and seemed legitimately moved by the induction, which he only found out about after they had the banner made. Sandman then demanded Bill Alfonso come out to induct Sabu.
At some point, Sandman began burying Raven for "being in the back whining about percentages" which was a shoot. This brought Raven from a corner of the building where he was selling gimmicks. Raven ripped on Sandman on the mic and then announced he would be selling gimmicks in the corner. Apparently, he had already asked for that announcement to be made and it was blown off to not kill the flow of the show, so this was his way to get one back over. It all led to Sandman noting he and Sabu had never, ever teamed up (except you, know, that show called Wrestlemania 23 I guess) and they would tonight. So, it would be Raven & Justin Credible vs. Sabu & Sandman in the new main. This was done to shorten the show, partially because it was boiling hot in the Arena. Tod and Sandman led a "Raven is a b****" chant. Beyond the angle, it was a nice, classy moment. Gordon and Sabu obviously deserved to be honored in that building.
*Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten defeated Da Baldies. This was the first time any of the Baldies had been on any ECW reunion-type events. Angel Medina had put on a lot of weight from his ECW run. He's worked as a police officer in Kansas City since the company shut down and still does indies at times. HC Loc reprised his ECW role as the Extreme Official, but then turned heel about a minute in, so it was a handicap match. Loc and Tony Devito were the Carnage Crew in ROH. This was your blood, guts and weapons portion of the show and everyone was bleeding. They broke crutches over each others' backs, brawled all over ringside and at one point, knocked a piece of the railing over. Good times, good times. Devito knocked one of Mahoney's teeth out during the brawl. In the end, Loc took a chairshot to the back and to the face and was legitimately knocked into next week. Axl Rotten, who is now going on a year clean and sober, looked good in the ring and probably better than I've seen him in a long time, cut a promo saying that no matter what, when you are "ECW, you are ECW for life" and all four, minus Loc (who was out on his feet) celebrated. Loc had a nasty cut on the bridge of his nose and likely may have had a concussion, but I haven't confirmed that. He didn't seem happy about getting El Kabonged with the chair afterwards.
After intermission, Nova and the Blue Meanie reprised the BWO to defeat The FBI of Little Guido and Sal E. Graziano. Graziano is now in school for media production and has lost a ton of weight. He sort of reminded me of King Kong Bundy with his shorter hair. This was Nova's first match back in the Arena since ECW closed. It was comedy all the way here with dance offs and homage to Jimmy Snuka and Hulk Hogan among others. All four did the Blue Meanie dance in the ring after. I call shenanigans, but it was all great fun. Nova took the mic after and noted that he doesn't wrestle for a living anymore but didn't want to pass up the chance to come back and see his friends and family backstage and in the ring. A nice moment. I have to note that I saw Little Guido tear the house down for ROH two weeks ago in NYC with a kickass straight wrestling match and last night, had a fun, silly match. He may be the most versatile performer not under a national deal. I was told that Guido was telling fans he'll be working ROH again soon, but haven't confirmed that.
A very pregnant (8 months plus) Francine came to the ring to thank everyone for supporting the cause and talked about losing her father and sister to cancer last year. She noted that a lot of people have fought the disease and are fighting it now and her heart goes out to all of them and she will keep them in her prayers. It was a nice moment. Fans in Philly showed their appreciation for Francine in their own unique way, chanting "You're still sexy" when she pointed out the baby was coming.
Al Snow was scheduled to wrestle Shane Douglas, who no showed. Snow blamed the Head, saying he was responsible for all their losses to Shane in the past and now that Al had a chance to beat him, Head pulled this. The lights went out and when they returned, Jerry Lynn was in the ring. The Arena popped like Donald Trump had refunded their ticket price. It was insane and one of the biggest pops all night, which was wild since Lynn works here all the time for ROH - so to me, it meant it was a different audience completely at the Legends show. This led to a great 20 minute match between the two with tons of mat and counter wrestling, no comedy. They ended up bumping the ref a few times during the false finishes. A few minutes after it started kicking into high gear, the crowd began chanting, "F*** Shane Douglas." In the end, Snow slowly turned heel, first with a low blow and then clobbering Lynn with the Head to get the pin. This was probably the best Snow match in I can remember. Great stuff.
In regard to Douglas, he was scheduled to fly in Friday (as did all the talent) and claimed he missed his flight. The word at the show was that when he attempted to re-book for Saturday, Douglas called claiming an issue at the airport, saying he was there and couldn't rebook the flight. Somehow that led to him not coming to the show, although the word going around the locker room was he was also claiming he was in a cast from his ankle injury at the TNA PPV and "didn't want fans to see him in the cast", which sounds ridiculous but I've heard it from multiple sources. Douglas had a plane ticket and a hotel paid for him and just didn't come. In the back was a banner made by the Arena to put Douglas into the Hardcore Hall of Fame, which was originally announced. The decision was made to just announce Douglas couldn't make it as they didn't want to be burying anyone on what was supposed to be a feel good show for a good cause. There were a lot of people rolling their eyes at the Douglas issue but it worked out since Lynn had been added at the last minute as ROH didn't need him in the Mid-West.
On a related note, I asked The Arena's owner Roger Artigiani about the announced but postponed Douglas promoted "November to Remember" ECW Reunion show. Artigiani stated that Douglas contacted him to book the venue but they never discussed any terms nor negotiated a contract. He said that he gave Douglas two potential dates available but said that he didn't want anything announced until after the Francine show had passed. Then, Artigiani claimed, he learned Douglas announced a date for the show at a convention appearance and it was a date that had a conflict and that there was no contract in place for the show. The Arena policy is not to allow anything to be announced before a contract is signed, so the heat for any problems can't be put on the venue. A rep for Douglas had a conversation with Artigiani after they were told no deal on the show and there have been no further conversations on the matter. Even with the issues, Artigiani was ready to honor Douglas on the show last night.
Sabu & The Sandman defeated Justin Credible & Raven. Terry Funk was the guest referee but basically said, "It's ECW Rules, do whatever the hell you want" which I popped for. Raven had Chastity. Credible had Jason. Sandman and Sabu had Bill Alfonso. No Tod Gordon, so I'm thinking the heat finally did him in and he went home with his family early. I have to say, I didn't realize how much I missed Sandman's entrance until I saw it last night. Wow. Sandman brought a ladder to the ring. Credible went to toss it into the ring and nailed Jason Knight at ringside as Knight zigged when he should have zagged. Scary moment. This was all carnage and spots but the crowd loved seeing everyone. In the end, Tyler Fullington (yes, little Tyler from the 1996 feud, who now wrestles as Twisted Sand in the Philly area) hit the ring but was laid out by Raven. No one knew who he was. Raven grabbed the mic and said, "Little Tyler Fullington" and started laughing manically. Sandman's youngest son Oliver hit the ring. Raven identified him on the mic and cracked up. Oliver kicked him in the groin and DDT'd him. The place loved that. Credible ended up nailed and pinned by Sabu after an Arabian Facebuster through a table. To sell Credible being hurt at the end, HIS young son Nicolas hit the ring with Chastity's help to check on him. In the end, everyone recovered and Tony Devito brought out a case of beer and the main eventers all drank beer and celebrated. An emotional Credible took the mic and said, "One last time, thank you all for the best f***ing four years of my life."
Overall, a fun show, something that is sorely lacking in professional wrestling today. If you loved your ECW, you probably would have enjoyed the hell out of yourself last night. The talents are older and some can't work the way they used to, but when the stars and constellations come together just right, the formula still works and it did last night as a "feel good show".
Notes: In the case of many of the wrestlers on the show, they were working for free as a favor for Francine since a donation was being made to the American Cancer Society. Francine still surprised the workers with a small pay envelope after the show. The gate receipts were being tallied and the final amount being donated should be finalized tomorrow...Beyond Shane Douglas, Tracy Smothers and Jack Victory missed the show. Smothers had a conflict with his full-time occupation and couldn't make the booking, canceling after a flight was already purchased for him. Victory had a personal issue come up at the last minute, which destroyed his chances to drive himself in from Florida, as he had offered to do. In the case of Victory, it was something of a downer for the other boys since Victory had recently learned he had a daughter from a prior relationship and was bringing her to see what her father used to do for a living, something his friends were greatly looking forward to...Matt "Spike Dudley" Hyson was at the VIP convention but was sick and sent back to the hotel. Our own Dave Scherer took ill yesterday as well, which killed our chances of actually seeing each other for the first time in three years. My personal best to them both.....The show was taped by Smart Mark Video but there was no official word on a DVD release. As you can guess from my review, I hope it happens and I'd love to see it go towards raining more money for the charity...Among those visiting at the show were Marc Shapiro, who headed ECW security before Atlas Security, former ECW backstage official and timekeeper Andy Vineberg, former WWE developmental talent Danny Giomundo, Nick Berk, and former ECW star John Kronus' young son, who was brought to the show to visit with his father's former friends....The State Athletic Commission's only requirements to the wrestlers were that they not spit at the crowd or in the ring and that anything outside of the ordinary be relayed to the Commission in advance. Beyond that, the old ECW crew was told to go do whatever they wanted and enjoy themselves...No major injuries coming out of the show at all....There were a lot of wrangling over what order the matches would go on in before the show....The attention to detail was to the level that when wrestlers were signing hats for Bob Artese to give away, they realized Lynn couldn't sign them or else the surprise would be given away....As you probably guess, I loved the hell out of the show and from fans I spoke to afterwards, I sure as hell was not alone in that regard. If that is the last "ECW" reunion show, they went out on a positive note and I just hope the show made enough money to have been a worthwhile investment for a 8 month pregnant Francine to have worked on and also made the ACS some money. We'll know more on Monday.
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