Underappreciated and hidden under a mask as Mr. J.L. had solidly won over the ECW faithful thanks to their freewheeling fights with The Gangstas, Dory & Terry Funk and Cactus Jack & Mikey Whipwreck. Most of the show felt like Paul Heyman just randomly picked names out of a hat to nail down the card. It was a perfect fit. They attempted to replicate that with the sequel, Hardcore Heaven 1997. Yoshihiro Tajiri earned his reputation as “The Japanese Buzzsaw” long before he became a WWE Tag Team Champion. Although Snow was unsuccessful against ECW Champion Shane Douglas at WrestlePalooza 1998, he now had a passionate group of fans that followed him when he rejoined WWE that summer. The Den of Geek wrestling crew tells you which PPV events available on the WWE Network they're gonna reach for first! Lynn spent four years mesmerizing live crowds and TV audiences with his ability to adapt to any wrestling style. The ECW faithful were firmly behind the unstable competitor as he pursued the ECW World Championship. But Tommy loved being the martyr. As great as ECW was, they weren't always putting on great shows. Sandman was bust open before the bell had even rung, and that pretty much set the pace for the entire match as the four friends beat the hell out of each other. Even the power going out didn’t happen until 15 seconds after we went off the air.”. ECW fans got their first glimpse of Awesome on Feb. 5, 1994, when he nearly snapped the hapless JT Smith in half with a reckless dive. This was another all-out brawl, with each man showing how desperate they were to get the victory. We are only including events from the original ECW and not ones while they were under the WWE banner from 2005 to 2010. Den of Geek Sabu was awe-inspiring. Gavin: I enjoy a good slice of schadenfreude as much as the next guy and the recent Royal Rumble makes me want to finally take a look at the show known for its angriest crowd. in WCW, Jerry Lynn was given his first opportunity to shine in ECW. ( WATCH BAM BAM AND TAZZ CRASH THROUGH THE RING). Are you excited for the upcoming shows from ECW? Together, the duo’s venom was unmatched as they incited riots by erupting a volcano of hostility toward their foes and fans alike. One week later, The Human Suplex Machine lost the title to Dreamer. In addition, Chris Jericho met Ric Flair, it was like watching Flair wrestle himself twenty years ago, and seeing the Rock go up against Brock Lesnar for the WWE title is something I can never forget. — Z.L. A relatively small promotion with a fiercely loyal following, ECW launched the careers of future legends like Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero and Rob Van Dam while changing the trends in professional wrestling through innovations like Tables Matches. And in a rarity in the wrestling business, he remained a bad guy. But I think what was most special about the match was the fact that Paul Heyman had to make Sabu and Tazz work together. Bam Bam Bigelow shockingly launches Spike Dudley into the crowd, but the ECW faithful are right there to brace the little guy's fall on September 20, 1997. If you wanted a hot start, just watch the Eliminators and Dudley Boyz go to war to start the show. ( WATCH THE ELIMINATORS WIN THE ECW TAG TEAM TITLES). The premise is that it’s a steel cage match (cool!) Throw in Goldust and then rising star Ken Shamrock, and it seems like even more of a sure thing, right? While, like everybody else, I’m very disappointed at the tiny classic content drops we’re receiving, I am very much looking forward to a time where just about every ECW Supershow is available on demand. Also, heel Andre was a new and fresh concept, so fans were just riveted by this one, and the results never disappoint. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. God, the blood curdling scream that came out of Tommy’s mouth was nothing like anything I’ve heard come out of a grown man only because I’ve never seen anyone tortured. There was another clash between Taz and Sabu in the main event. Raven was a perfect fit for the era of grunge in the ’90s. Not only was the card strong from top to bottom, but it also featured more than a few important moments. Ultimate Warrior match. For one, Taz saw his run with the company end shockingly as he was the first man eliminated in an ECW Title defense. It made for a great team.”. In Raven’s first run in ECW, he was in his prime. Their third and final pay-per-view of the year also struggled. His most well-known pairing was with Axl Rotten, however. This one is a rare opportunity to see two of the greatest of that era go one-on-one as Eddie Guerrero and Edge fought in a note perfect match. Spike valiantly challenged ECW Champion Mike Awesome for his crown at Guilty as Charged 2000, though he came up short. There is one thing that this event is remembered fondly for, as this was the night Taz and Bam Bam Bigelow fell through the ring. Longtime fans were clamoring for a change. Still, the Extreme faithful looked up to Spike for his unabashed bravery. Best Of; Columns; ECW; Fantasy; HWA/NXT/OVW; Indie; Interviews; Japan; Magazines; NWA/WCW; PWG; ROH; SMW. “Sabu and RVD trained together with Sabu’s uncle, The Original Sheik,” Joey Styles revealed about two ECW icons who were both rivals and allies. When the mad grappler entered the ring, the fans tossed their heads at the squared circle, creating a “Snow” storm of Styrofoam before the bell rang. He didn’t take too long to figure that out. But there had been a lot of problems between us and NWA New Jersey where they called the fire marshal over us packing the ECW Arena and ran shows against us. The rest of the card kicks ass too, and who doesn’t want to see King Kong Bundy elbow drop a midget? This PPV was only shown in Japan; in the United States, clips from the PPV were shown on ECW Hardcore TV. Although he wowed against opponents like Jerry Lynn and Little Guido, Tajiri’s most memorable rivalry was against Super Crazy. This episode highlights Ilja Dragunov in the company,... We've noted that a new special, WWE's Scariest Moments, will be coming to WWE Network at some point in October. Barely Legal wasn't ever supposed to be a thing. In the wake of then-ECW Champion Mike Awesome’s exodus to WCW with the ECW Title, a legal injunction from Paul Heyman’s father and a working relationship with WWE led to a match where WWE competitor Tazz beat WCW competitor Mike Awesome for the ECW Championship. Order ECW Unreleased Vol 1. to see this match! You go back and watch it and one of them smacks Terry Funk in the back of the head. Their epic clashes over the ECW TV Title raised the standard for technical wrestling in America and became the stuff of sports-entertainment legend. It went on to become arguably the greatest rivalry in ECW history. Let us know all of your thoughts in the comment section down below, and of course vote in the poll. — B.M. Bubba and D-Von were crowned ECW Tag Team Champions on a record eight occasions, and opponents unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of a Dudley Death Drop — through a flaming table or not — were never the same. “The story with Sandman versus Raven was that Raven had stolen The Sandman’s wife, Lori, and was living in The Sandman’s house. The PPV was hastily changed with a main event of Lex Luger vs. Barry Windham for the vacated title. If you could describe Terry Funk in one word, it’s “giving.” He’s given so much to the wrestling business. The main event’s Elimination Chamber match is like looking at a page in Highlights magazine that asks you, “How many things can you see wrong with this picture?” Here’s a hint to start you off: Sabu was replaced with Hardcore Holly! Now I know the NWA still exists, but whatever was left of the NWA was finished when Shane Douglas threw down the title and said the organization died seven years ago and proclaimed himself the ECW Champion of the world.”. Philly crowds turned their back on the future WWE Champion in response, inspiring the sadistic Cactus to deliver some of the most emotional interviews in the history of wrestling. It’s all a misunderstanding, because I can’t see the tables! That's how good Heatwave 1998 is. ( WATCH RVD IN A SPECTACULAR MATCH AGAINST JERRY LYNN), Raw results, Oct. 26, 2020: The Fiend helps WWE Championship picture descend into chaos, SmackDown results, Oct. 23, 2020: Jey makes Reigns see double; Reigns sets consequences for Hell, NXT Halloween Havoc results, Oct. 28, 2020: Gargano’s trick, Io’s treat rule the night at NXT Halloween Havoc, WrestleMania 36 results: Drew McIntyre conquers The Beast to claim the WWE Title, WATCH STEVIE BRAG ABOUT WINNING THE ECW TAG TEAM TITLES, 10 unforgettable moments from Undertaker & Randy Orton's rivalry, Photos: When Superstars drastically changed their looks, Underrated WWE Hell in a Cell Match moments: WWE Playlist, Watch Undertaker: The Last Ride in its entirety on the Free Version of WWE Network. The live crowd clearly appreciated what they saw that day, though, respecting the sacrifice of the talent as huge "ECW! What a night. He had so many dimensions and his interviews were always right on the money. Monday Night” — a moniker RVD fulfilled years later when he became WWE Champion. A two-time Television Champion and one-time ECW Tag Team Champion, Malenko battled the likes of 2 Cold Scorpio, Sabu and Tazz and displayed steely tactical prowess and technical abilities that earned him the nickname “The Shooter.”. But in ECW, The Hardcore Legend earned his nickname through blood, sweat and tears, all while wearing a pair of leopard-skin boots. Would you guys be down for a ECW Supershow watch party? Time will tell for me how much of the original ECW was rose colored glasses and how much of it was pure amazing, but I know for certain that Bam Bam escaping the Tazmission by slamming through the mat and presumably several layers of the Earth’s crust is something that will never not be awesome.