1) Cactus Jack & Mikey Whipwreck vs. Public Enemy - ECW World Tag Team Championship Match - Hardcore TV - August 27th, 1994
I always enjoyed the Cactus Jack/Mikey Whipwreck story in ECW so I was automatically interested in this match. The story going in, as stated by Paul Heyman before the match, was that Foley chose Whipwreck over all the hardcore icons he could have picked to be his partner. Everyone wondered why he'd choose a young man who had only had a handful of matches. Because of that, most expected Cactus and Whipwreck to lose quickly, but that was the exact opposite of what happened. The action here was decent. There was a table spot and some brawling through the card. Chairs were also used here as well. The match itself wasn't anything special, but it told a great story. Fun start to the DVD.
Match rating - **1/2
2) Sandman & Terry Funk vs. Cactus Jack & Shane Douglas - Extreme Warfare Vol 1 - March, 18 1995
The odd team of Cactus & Douglas teamed up here for the first time to take on Funk & The Sandman. This one got off to a hot start and never slowed down. Just a wild crazy brawl, the type of stuff ECW is known for. Tables, chairs,
railings, and multiple other weapons were used. This match is best known for being the bout in which Terry Funk brought out the flaming branding iron and burned Foley with it. That was the highlight of the match, seeing Funk piledrive Cactus on it was insane. Solid match featuring a classic moment.
Match rating - **3/4
3) Ian Rotten vs. Axl Rotten - Tapei Death Match - Hardcore Heaven - July 1st, 1995
Prior to the match, Paul Heyman explained how a Tapei Death Match worked. Both men tape their fists, stick them in superglue, then put pieces of glass on their taped fists so they stick to the glue. Then they get in the ring and beat the crap out of each other. Heyman explained it perfectly. I don't watch much deathmatch wrestling so this bout was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Mega brutal, definitely not for the faint of heart. These two brothers were covered in blood five minutes into the match. The glass turned out not to be enough to settle this rivalry however as Axl brought in thumbtacks and slammed Ian on them to finish him off. Extremely brutal and bloody match. Warning to those who have weak stomachs when it comes to this kind of stuff. I really wasn't sure what to rate this because it was mainly punches and them rubbing the glassing on each other, but because of the sheer brutality and how much these guys sacrificed, I'm giving it a solid three stars. They deserve atleast that much for putting their bodies on the line like they did.
Match rating - ***1/4
4) Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Psicosis - Mexican Death Match - November 2 Remember - November 18, 1995
This match just like the previous one had different rules. You had to pin your opponent and then they'd be given 10 seconds to get back to their feet, if they couldn't get up before the count of 10, they lose. So, basically a last man standing match in WWE except you have to pin them before the ref can count to 10. I really enjoyed this match. Mysterio had some classics in ECW and always put on great matches. This was no exception although the rules took some time to get used to. Both men put on a show here with some outstanding highflying moves including a springboard moonsault off the second rope over the railing into the crowd and a hurricanrana off the top level of the stage to the bottom level. It's not one of their classics, but it's a fun match and a rare gem. The only thing to complain about here is how WWE dubbed Rey's new music over his old ECW theme here. So dumb haha.
Match rating - ***1/2
5) Chris Jericho vs. 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #2 - ECW World TV Championship Match
The rules in this one are different from a normal four way. All four men aren't legal at the same time, tags have to be made. And its under elimination rules. I didn't realize it was under elimination rules at first because of how long it took for the first elimination to happen. After 27 minutes, Chris Jericho got eliminated first which means a new champion would be crowned. But before I go on, the first 27 minutes featured some awesome exchanges between Jericho and Scorpio. Although Douglas and the Pitbull had some cool moments during that time, Scorpio and Jericho's exchanges are what really stood out. They had some great matches together in ECW and the chemistry they have together was shown here. After Jericho was eliminated by Scorpio, Douglas convinced Pitbull to help him. Pitbull hit the super bomb off the top turnbuckle to eliminate Scorpio. Up to this point, the match hadn't been violent, but as soon as Douglas and Pitbull were left some weapons came into play. We also saw a shocking turn as Francine turned on Pitbull and sided with Douglas! But she paid for it as Pitbull powerbombed Francine off the top rope through a table! ECW! ECW! ECW! In the end, Douglas hit Pitbull with brass knuckles, a chain, and finally a belly to belly suplex to put him away. This is a truly a forgotten classic.
Match rating - ****1/2
6) Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Lee - Weapons Match - Hardcore Heaven 1996
This was the definition of a wild ECW match. The brawl went into the crowd and out into the parking lot early on. Dreamer and Lee beat the crap out of each other which resulted Dreamer being busted open. This was an enjoyable brawl with tons of random weapons used. The most notable moment happens after the match as Brian Lee chokeslams Tommy Dreamer off the balcony through four tables! OH MY GOD!
Match rating - ***
7) Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu - Stretcher Match - The Doctor Is In 1996
Van Dam and Sabu rarely ever put on a bad match so you know what to expect here. Really good match between these long time partner/rivals. They worked the stretcher stipulation very well by coming up with some innovative spots such as both of them being on stretchers then Sabu jumping off his halfway up the entrance way and delivering a leg drop off the railing onto Van Dam. The ending was cool as well. Van Dam cut a flip off the top turnbuckle, but Sabu moved and RVD landed on the stretcher thus costing him the match. Lots of action throughout, really good match overall.
Match rating - ***1/2
8) Terry Funk vs. Stevie Richards vs. The Sandman - 3 Way Dance - Barely Legal 1997
This is the famous main event of ECW's first PPV, Barely Legal. As an added bonus, we get the Funk/Raven match that came directly after this one. The story here was whether or not Funk had one left in him. I must say, it was awesome and invoked alot of emotion even to this day. The match itself isn't anything that will blow you away although it's a solid bout with several weapons used along with some nice spots. The action is good, but the story and emotion behind it makes this one what it is. Funk bled profusely, but he managed to win the ECW Title. What an awesome classic moment.
Match rating - ***1/4
Disc 2:
9) Terry Funk vs. Sabu - Barbed Wire Match for the ECW World Title - Born To Be Wired 1997
Before the match, Heyman said that this is the only match that he ever booked that bothered him because of how violent it was. And I can see why. This was one of the most brutal matches I've ever seen. For those who don't know what a barbed wire match is - there aren't ropes, instead there is barbwire rapped around the ring in place of ropes. Funk and Sabu put each other in the wire multiple times cutting up their arms and heads. The end of the match was the most violent of all as Terry Funk was wrapped into barbwire and rolled around then Sabu put him through a table. When that wouldn't put Funk away, Sabu wrapped HIMSELF in barbed wire and dove onto Funk who was also still wrapped in barbwire. The two men crawled back into the ring tangled together in barbwire and Sabu got the pin. That was a war! It took several minutes for the two to be untangled after the match. So brutal to watch. Major respect to these guys for putting their bodies through this. Also just as I said with the tapei death match, if you're squeamish, this isn't the match for you.
Match rating - ***1/2
10) Beulah McGillicutty vs. Bill Alfonso - Intergender Match - As Good As It Gets 1997
I never thought two non-wrestlers would put on such a brutal match, but these two did it. Beulah is Tommy Dreamer's wife and Alfonso is the manager of Van Dam & Sabu. This was supposed to be a mixed tag team match, but Dreamer & RVD were injured so it became one on one. Beulah nailed Alfonso with a metal cookie sheet from the start which busted him open. This only lasted five minutes or so, but it was fun while it lasted and the crowd went nuts when Beulah won. Classic moment in ECW history.
Match rating - ***1/4
11) Tazz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - ECW Death Match - Heatwave 1998
These two had some of the most hard hitting matches in ECW history and this is one of them. The battle raged through the crowd and around the ringside area. It was a solid back and forth contest throughout. However the significance of this match is the moment where Tazz hits a flying DDT on Bam Bam and they plunge through the entrance stage. That was insane! Good match featuring a classic moment.
Match rating - ***1/4
12) Tazz vs. Shane Douglas - Hardcore TV - ECW World Title Match - January 17, 1999
Before the match, Heyman stated that this was a classic. While I wouldn't go that far, I will say that this was a damn good match. Tazz and Douglas started off the bout with some nice exchanges on the mat, but this match soon took to the outside where Taz suplexed Douglas through a table. The battle raged through the crowd and around the arena where Douglas dove off the stage onto Tazz. The end came when Taz hit a half nelson suplex on Douglas into a table set up in the corner. Great match.
Match rating - ***1/4
13) Dudley Boyz vs. Balls Mahoney & Spike Dudley - Chicago Street Fight Falls Count Anywhere Match for the ECW Tag Team Championship - Hardcore TV - July 5, 1999
The match started off with a bang with each team trading shots in the ring and Mahoney throwing Spike outside onto the Dudleys. Alot of weapons got involved very quickly including a cheese grater and soon all four men were wearing the proverbial crimson mask. Tons of awesome moments such as Spike diving off the balcony into the crowd on The Dudleys. But the most memorable of them all was the debut of the flaming table! This was a hardcore classic. Just awesome stuff.
Match rating - ****1/4
14) Mike Awesome vs. Spike Dudley - ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match - Guilty As Charged 2000
I'm a big fan of Awesome's work in ECW so I expected this to be insane and that's just what it was. These guys must have used 8 or 9 tables AT LEAST. Both men were very impressive here as Spike managed to give the big man a fight. Awesome even took to the air with a breathtaking springboard crossbody over the railing into the crowd. That's a man who is over six and a half feet tall and 300 pounds doing that.. WOW! This was a jawdropping match, I have no idea how Spike survived this.
Match rating - ****
15) Rhino vs. Sandman - ECW on TNN - February 25, 2000
A nice little TV match here. Several weapons came into play including tables, ladders, and chairs. There was alot of interference because this was part of the ECW vs. The Network feud, but it didn't hurt the match. Rhino wins with a gore through a table set up in the corner of the ring. Fun TV match.
Match rating - ***
16) Super Crazy vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Little Guido - ECW on TNN - March 3rd, 2000
This was tons of fun. It reminded me alot of the match these three would have five years later at One Night Stand. Alot of action packed into around 10 minutes. It's not a classic, but its very enjoyable. Good stuff as usual from these three.
Match rating - ***1/4
17) Tommy Dreamer vs. C.W. Anderson - I Quit Match - Guilty As Charged 2001
This is the match that made CW Anderson into a star. He even said it himself in the extras on this disc. Some brutal action and great storytelling from both men here. Dreamer was bleeding a ton, but managed to fight back and win the match by putting Anderson through a table and locking him in a crossface with the band from around the broken table. This was a war and even though Anderson lost, he came out looking better than ever. Great match.
Match rating - ***1/2
18) Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka - ECW One Night Stand 2005
Considering the fact that I was a child when ECW was at it's peak, One Night Stand 2005 was my first experience seeing ECW and this match was my favorite on the card. I've watched this bout multiple times and I didn't mind reliving it again here when reviewing this set. These two beat the hell out of each other like always and stole the show on this particular event. Awesome nearly killed Tanaka with multiple insane bumps through tables. These guys put it all out there in this match. Awesome way to end this DVD.
Match rating - ****
DVD Extras:
19) The Gangstas vs. Public Enemy - House Party 1996
This was Public Enemy's final night in ECW before leaving to go to WCW so they wanted to go out with a bang and that's what they did. A wild brawl that raged all over the arena. Multiple table spots and crazy stuff. It did get a little sloppy at times, but it was an entertaining match. Just don't go into it expecting an excellently coordinating hardcore bout and you won't be disappointed. This one was all over the place so just kick back and enjoy a fun brawl between two of ECW's greatest tag teams.
Match rating - **3/4
Some other extras included interviews with Axl Rotten about the Tapei Death Match, CW Anderson on his "I Quit" Match with Tommy Dreamer, Danny Doring & Roadkill on how they got into the business, Justin Credible on becoming ECW Champion, and a video package highlighting the Public Enemy-Cactus Jack/Mikey Whipwreck feud.
Overall thoughts: Another great set on ECW here. I'm inclined right off the bat to say this is a must have for any ECW fan or someone looking to get into ECW for the first time. There are some lost classics here such as the 4 Way between Jericho, Scorpio, Douglas, and Pitbull. On top of that, you get alot of classic moments here as well. Every match on here is enjoyable and serves a purpose. Some of the matches aren't quality, but they each have a reason to be on here. Case and point: Sandman & Funk vs. Cactus & Douglas - not the greatest match, but it features the ever famous flaming branding iron spot by Foley and Funk. Now, does this DVD live up to it's title of being "The Most Violent Matches in ECW History". Not really. While there are some hardcore classics like Sabu/Funk, the Tapei Death Match, and Dudleys/Spike & Balls. Some of the matches are on here aren't violent at all. That's not a bad thing though, just pointing it out because some people may be looking for 2 discs of bloodbaths and that's not the case. In conclusion, this one may not FULLY live up to it's name, it has something for everyone and features a lot of classic moments & matches. So I highly recommend checking this out.
No comments:
Post a Comment