ECW Unreleased Volume 1 DVD Review

ECW Unreleased Volume 1 DVD Review

1) Shane Douglas vs. 2 Cold Scorpio - NWA World Championship Match - Hardcore TV
This was the match that changed everything. Well, what happend after the match changed everything. The match itself was a solid encounter between Douglas and Scorpio although it came off as just an average encounter. I feel it could have been much better given the two guys involved, but that's not to take away from it as it was still a good match. Afterwards, Shane Douglas cuts the promo in which he throws the NWA Championship to the ground and says that all the legends who held it could kiss his ass. Douglas then brings out the ECW Championship. That promo was the beginning of the era of Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Match rating - ***

2) Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven - Hostile City Showdown
With this being a best of ECW set, there's no way a match from the Raven/Dreamer feud couldn't be included. It was one of the most famous feuds in the history of the company.
Going into this particular match, it had been revealed that Beulah was a girl that Dreamer used to make fun of in high school because she was fat. Stevie Richards said in a pre-match interview that the only man who treated her right was Raven. Richards and Beulah stayed at ringside during this match that started off with Raven diving over the top rope onto Dreamer. They brawled around the arena before heading back into the ring. During this match, Dreamer was accepted by the ECW audience. Paul Heyman said it himself in the Rise & Fall of ECW DVD - when Dreamer hit a piledriver on Beulah and did Raven's pose afterwards, the audience took him in. Finally, I was able to see this for myself and that is indeed what happened. A bloody Dreamer ran into the audience as they chanted "ECW! ECW! ECW!" Awesome moment.

Match rating - ***

3) Dean Malenko & 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Tazz & Eddie Guerrero - Heatwave 1995
For fans of pure wrestling like myself this is a dream match of sorts. Tazz was a suplex machine in his prime, Eddie and Malenko are technical wrestling artists, and Scorpio could more than hold his own. On top of that, Paul Heyman was at ringside to add even more to this match. These guys went out and put on a show on this particular night. Each man got a chance to showcase their abilities and it was so fun to watch. This was a phenomenal tag team match. The ending sucked though as Bill Alfonso ran down and we witnessed a screwjob.

Match rating - ****

4) Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero - ECW World TV Championship Match - Hardcore TV
Malenko and Guerrero are two masters of the mat and they proved so here. This was my first time seeing the two compete against each other and I was impressed immediately. They are both so smooth and fluent in the ring. Their performance was flawless. Some of the best chain wrestling I've seen. Although this match was awesome, I feel that this was just a taste of what these two men could do.

Match rating - ****

5) Cactus Jack vs. Shane Douglas - CyberSlam 1996
Mick Foley is a phenomenal story teller and he told a great story along with Shane Douglas here. From what I could tell, Cactus had just turned heel by beating down Mikey Whipwreck and apparently Douglas as well. These two went at it in a physical brawl. Douglas ends up handcuffing Cactus and beating him with a chair. Douglas says he will quit if Cactus says he quits. Douglas put the mic up to Jack's face, but every time he did, he would call for Mikey Whipwreck. Since Cactus wouldn't quit after the repeated chairshots, Douglas resorted to a figure four leg lock. While in the hold, Mikey Whipwreck ran down to the ring with a chair and teased hitting Douglas, but instead nailed Cactus Jack in the head knocking him out! Great story and match.

Match rating - ***1/4

6) Chris Jericho vs. 2 Cold Scorpio
Some may accuse me of overrating this match, but damn I really enjoyed it. Jericho and Scorpio went back and forth for 20 minutes in a very entertaining match. They countered each other's moves in some unique ways including Jericho going to kick Scorpio off the apron, but Scorpio moved and Jericho went flying to the concrete floor. A very competitive match that was paced exceptionally well. Awesome match.

Match rating - ****1/4

7) Rob Van Dam & Sabu vs. The Eliminators - CyberSlam 1997 - Tables & Ladder Match for the ECW World Tag Team Championship
This match saw Van Dam, Sabu, & The Eliminators do many innovative things with ladders, tables, and chairs that wasn't been doing by any other company at the time. WWE didn't pick up on this until years later when they trademarked the TLC match. It's safe to say ECW was where the match originated as can be seen here. Great match from both teams with alot of cool spots.

Match rating - ****1/4

8) Sabu vs. Taz - Barely Legal 1997
"The Grudge Match of the Century" pitted Taz against Sabu. The build up to this bout was amazing. It just shows how smart Paul Heyman is when it comes to the wrestling business. The big fight feel during this match was insane. It felt like something huge. The two men went after each other and while it doesn't quite live up to all the hype it was given when it comes to the in-ring action, it was still a great bout.

Match rating - ***1/2

9) Shane Douglas vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - November to Remember 1997
This was actually one of the most disappointing matches on the set to me. It was dominated by Bigelow for 90% of the match. Not very competitive at all. Didn't really understand why it was booked that way considering it was in Douglas' hometown. The only time this was enjoyable was when Douglas got some offense in which was mainly near the end where he hit an awesome move putting Bigelow through a table.

Match rating - **3/4

10) Rob Van Dam & Sabu vs. Hayabusa & Jinsei Shinzaki - HeatWave 1998
It's always entertaining to see the best talent from Japan compete against some of the best talent from America so this bout was amazing as expected. Some great technical and high flying action in this match. It's definitely one of the best matches on the DVD. The team work both teams displayed was quite impressive. Van Dam & Sabu hit an awesome double leg drop putting both Hayabusa & Shinzaki through a table which allowed them to get the victory.

Match rating - ****

11) Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn
With this being my first time seeing one of the highly esteemed Lynn/RVD matches, I was blown away. These guys tore the house down in every sense of the phrase. Van Dam and Lynn truly do bring the best out of each other. Bill Alfonso running his mouth at ringside added even more to this match as well. Fonsie is one of a kind just like the men in this match. Outstanding match!

Match rating - ****1/4

12) Shane Douglas vs. Taz - Guilty As Charged 1999 - ECW Heavyweight Championship Match
I didn't know what to expect going into this one because the past two Douglas matches on this set were nothing more than average, but this one was brilliant. The two didn't stay in the ring long as they took the fight to the crowd. Normally I don't like much fighting in the crowd because it gets boring, but I actually enjoyed it in this match. The crowd looked as if they were in on the fight and the security had a hard time keeping them away from the wrestlers. It was crazy. Douglas ends up getting busted open as Taz drops him headfirst on the balcony ledge, but Taz begins bleeding as well after repeated shots to the head. Douglas and Taz fight around the arena to an area near the entrance where Taz back body drops Douglas over the railing onto a wooden platform. The men make their way back to the ring where the action picks up as tables get involved. After Taz suplexes Douglas through a table and he kicks out, a bunch of pyro starts going off above the ring. I thought the power was going out because it was above the ring and the lights went out, but they come back on and IT'S SABU! Wow, I felt like I was watching this live - I marked out so hard. Sabu comes in and plants both men through tables before Chris Candido comes in with Tammy and they have a confrontation with Douglas and Francine. Francine and Tammy start fighting, but are seperated then Douglas' former partner Candido nails him in the head allowing Taz to hit his finisher and get the victory. The match itself was great, but everything that happened near the end with Sabu returning and Chris Candido turning on Douglas pushed it over the top for me. Entertaining all around from the match to the story telling.

Match rating - ****

13) Lance Storm & Justin Credible (Impact Players) vs. Rob Van Dam & Jerry Lynn
One thing I've come to love about ECW while watching this set is how they tell stories with their matches and they aren't just randomly put together. That's showcased once again here as Storm and Credible are the united team while RVD and Lynn are the unlikely partners. Jealousy between Sabu and RVD also began during the match. This match was awesome. All four of these guys are amazing wrestlers and they meshed so perfectly together. The first half of the match was held in the ring where we saw alot of chain wrestling and some highflying which was all very impressive. After this, the action spilled to the outside and some tables and chairs were brought into play. Everything in this match was executed perfectly and they entertained the hell out of me. Tons of action and phenomenal wrestling.

Match rating - ****1/2

14) Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka - November to Remember 1999
My first taste of ECW came when I watched One Night Stand 2005 and the highlight of that show was Awesome vs. Tanaka. I heard they had many great matches back in the day as well so I was excited to see this match. Needless to say, they tore the house down and produced an awesome match. These guys beat the hell out of each other. I'm continually impressed with how Mike Awesome can do dives out of the ring and other highflying moves. He weighs 290lbs, but moves like he weighs 200lbs. He's also very tall and towers over Tanaka who is 6'2. The chair shots, suplexes, and table spots in this match were so physical and hard hitting. Outstanding match between Awesome and Tanaka, I'm definitely going to look into more matches between them.

Match rating - ****1/2

Before we go on, there's a huge backstory on the next match that must be told. Mike Awesome was the ECW Champion, but he planned to leave ECW with the title so he could go to WCW and throw it in the trash on live TV. The thing is Awesome couldn't leave because it would be a breach in his contract so WCW and ECW reached an agreement in which WCW paid ECW $75,000 to release Awesome from his contract. Before he could leave though, he had to lose the ECW Championship. This happened at an ECW House Show when then WWE superstar Tazz returned to ECW to take back what belonged to ECW. Tazz defeated Awesome with help from Tommy Dreamer and became the ECW Champion once again. That leads to the next match in which Tazz defends the ECW Championship against Tommy Dreamer.

15) Tazz vs. Tommy Dreamer - CyberSlam 2000 - ECW World Title Match
Going into this, I imagine everyone knew what the outcome would be as WWE obviously wasn't going to let Taz stay in ECW for an extended period of time. None the less, they probably knew it would be an awesome moment for Tommy Dreamer, which it was. The match didn't last long, probably around ten minutes and in the end Dreamer won the ECW World Title for the first time. Afterwards, Taz got the mic and basically passed the torch to Dreamer before leaving. Dreamer then got on the mic and gave a heartfelt speech in which he thanked everyone for supporting him. ECW wrestlers came to the ring to celebrate with him. One of those wrestlers was Tommy's long time rival, Raven. Everyone thought the feud would be re-ignited, but instead Raven hugged Dreamer and celebrated with him. But as they were celebrating, Justin Credible hit the ring and nailed Dreamer with a kendo stick before delivering a vicious piledriver to Raven. Credible said he was sick of hearing about the controversy with Mike Awesome, Taz, WWE, and WCW and that he wants a match for the title right now. He approaches Dreamer who is in the corner bleeding profusely above the eye from the kendo stick shot. Dreamer accepts which leads to the next match on the set.

16) Tommy Dreamer vs. Justin Credible - CyberSlam 2000 - ECW World Title Match
Dreamer and Credible went right at each other from the get-go. This was a very physical, high octane match. Dreamer bled badly from his eye throughout the match which raged from the ring to the crowd. There was a sick table spot where Dreamer F5'd Credible off the apron through a table. In the end however, it wasn't either man that would determine the outcome of the match - it was Francine, the woman who stood by Raven's side during his feud with Dreamer. She lowblowed Tommy allowing Credible to hit the piledriver for the victory. Great match with amazing storyline development. This match and the previous one is just an example of how well ECW did things. They ended one story and then began another one. Just a wonderful set of events. Reminds me of why I've come to love ECW so much. Credible celebrates as Francine takes her shorts and shirt off and joins him in saying his catchphrase.

Match rating - ***1/2

17) Rhino vs. Sandman - HeatWave 2000 - ECW TV Title Match
This match took place during the "ECW vs. The Network" storyline. Rhino was representing the network while Sandman represented ECW. This was a great ECW style match. Sandman brought a piece of the steel railing into the ring early on and it was used throughout the match in various ways. Sandman layed it on Rhino and hit a swanton bomb off the top rope onto him. Both men got slammed on it various times as well. By the end it was all bent up. Steve Corino ran down and started beating up Sandman, but Spike Dudley made the save. Dudley paid for it though as Rhino delivered a brutal piledriver onto Spike off the apron through a table! Rhino made his way back into the ring where delivered a piledriver on Sandman onto the steel railing for the win. Very entertaining match.

Match rating - ***1/2

18) Rhino vs. Spike Dudley
Spike Dudley was always known for taking out monsters and this was another opportunity for him to do so. Rhino had taken him out with a broken leg many months prior, so Spike was looking for revenge. This was a good little man vs big man match with several cool spots such as Spike getting thrown over the top rope through a table. Although he didn't win, Spike put in some solid offense by using a steel chair in various ways to inflict punishment on Rhino. Fun match.

Match rating - ***1/4

19) Jerry Lynn vs. Christian York
Christian York was accompanied to the ring by Joey Matthews (Joey Mercury in WWE) while Lynn was accompanied to the ring by Cyrus, the network representative. The rookie at the time was York as he looked to make a name for himself by defeating the veteran Lynn. York put in a strong performance and took Lynn to his limit. Had it not been for Cyrus, this match might have went his way. Solid match with some good action.

Match rating - ***

20) Tajiri & Mikey Whipwreck vs. FBI vs. Super Crazy & Kid Kash
With these guys all in the same ring this match was bound to be crazy. It had it's share of great moments, but it slowed down a bit after Crazy & Kash got eliminated. The clashing of international styles in this match was fun to watch. You had a luchador in Crazy, the japanese buzzsaw in Tajiri, the sicilian shooter in Little Guido, the american cruserweight Kid Kash, and the unorthodox Mikey Whipwreck. That's a recipe for a good tag team match and that's exactly what this was.

Match rating - ***1/4

Overall thoughts: After seeing ECW One Night Stand 2005, I became interested in checking out some of ECW's matches as I was impressed with how much great talent came from there. When I got the opportunity to get this set (along with Vol 2), I jumped on it. I must say, I really enjoyed this DVD. It really showed the many different sides of ECW and how it brought something new and innovative to the world of wrestling. The matches are quality for the most part aside from a few that are just average. Beyond the awesome matches, you also get several big moments in ECW history such as the night Douglas spit on the NWA belt and the match that WWE stopped ECW from televising that pitted Tazz against Tommy Dreamer. Some memorable moments and many great matches - you can't go wrong with this DVD. Whether you were a fan of ECW when it was around originally or you're a new fan curious as to what ECW had to offer, I definitely recommend checking this out.

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