On Monday the following ECW shows are going to be available on the WWE Network:

The Night The Line Was Crossed 1994

When Worlds Collide 1994

Hostile City Showdown 1994

Hardcore Heaven 1994

November To Remember 1994

3 Way Dance 1995

Gangstas Paraide 1995

Holiday Hell 1995

House Party 1996

Big Apple Blizzard Blast 1996

Massacre on Queens Boulevard 1996

Hostile City Showdown 1996

I'm keen to check these shows out, what's a good show to start off with?

the 1st one and go in order

The Night The Line Was Crossed has that 60 minute 3 way dance draw which gave ECW a lot of it's initial buzz as more than just blood and guts, start there I guess.

I'm glad they decided to do this since so many of these supercards were way better than the PPV shows that ECW did in later years, and unlike Hardcore TV these shows aren't hurt as much without the original music(where as Hardcore TV is completely fucking worthless without the music).

Missing some of the best shows from the early 95 run in Return Of The Funker and Double Tables, two really fun ECW shows. These are best enjoyed watching them in order for the continuity there was some good stuff going on in ECW at the time.

Id agree with others just start there and go through the development of the company, I can't think of another promotion that ever improved so quickly like ECW did starting with The Night The Line Was Crossed on through the 1995 shows, though they are missing some of the best shows in Hostile City Showdown 95 and Big Ass Extreme Bash 96(unless they were already on there?). Hopefully they will upload the good shit sometime like The Dr. Is In, House Party 98, As Good As It Gets 97, A Matter Of Respect 96 and 98, Born To Be Wired 97, Cyberslam 99 those are the best ECW shows.

Finally! all my ECW/RF related DVD's are in storage so this will do. I'll supplement this with Impact Wrestling and any New Day happenings. I can't wait.

November to Remember 94 was never released commercially right? I know I found a fan shot recording a while back but it was really bad quality. That's pretty awesome that they are uploading a show that was never released in full.

Jul 15, 2019 0:37:45 GMT shinobimusashi said:

November to Remember 94 was never released commercially right? I know I found a fan shot recording a while back but it was really bad quality. That's pretty awesome that they are uploading a show that was never released in full.

Are you talking about the Network version? I'm sure it does.

I came here to write Hostile City Showdown '95 and The Doctor Is In and neither is available yet!

Yeah, might as well start at the beginning. Don't be afraid to skip past things you're not enjoying.

I have to say if you just want to watch one of those shows I'd go with Gangstas Paradise, what a fun ECW show this was, I can't remember if it was this one or something else but I think this set a record for most tables ever broken on a wrestling show. :lol: You got the double dog collar match with Raven/Stevie vs Pit Bulls, an excellent Rey vs Psicosis match, a fucking phenomenal 911 chokeslam that had been building up for months, and a really fun six man steel cage main event that had some pretty great moments/spots. Classic ECW show for sure. Just got to fast forward through those terrible opening matches.



This show was better than probably 90% of the ECW pay per views.

Well dammit Shin, you could have been quicker on the draw and saved me from the Bruise Brothers and ECW Snuka.

ECW The Night The Line Was Crossed



911/Chad Austin wasn't on the Network version. According to Meltzer, we didn't miss out on much.

Mr. Hughes vs. Sal Bellomo - ECW built it's reputation on guys like Sabu and Sandman, two of the wildest competitors of the 90s who would stop at nothing to entertain the crowd, but not enough is made of Paul E's love for hosses. Case in point, Mr. Hughes, a journeyman wrestler who worked for all three majors but never made the splash his 6'5 250 lb frame suggested he would. Hughes modelled himself after Big Bubba Rogers, working a similar style and even borrowing the idea of wearing shades in the ring. Unfortunately for Hughes, he couldn't move as well as Rogers so he comes off as a cheap imitation. The opening match of this set was a gruelling one-sided demolition of Sal and Hughes spent as much time beating on Sal as he did getting in the face of the referee. To give the match some flavour, they had Jason distract Bellomo mid-comeback to establish him as a difference maker.

Tommy Cairo & The Sandman vs. Rockin Rebel & The Pitbull - Before they became fierce rivals, Sandman/Cairo were a rugged and wild tag team. In this encounter they took on Rebel and Pitbull, two of Eastern Championship Wrestling's biggest names in the mid-card in a dog collar chain match. It was a violent match and different from the regular tag team bout in that the action splintered off and you had Rebel-Sandman fighting around the entrance, while Pitbull was taking it to Cairo in the ring. They quickly met back in the ring where the nuggety Cairo hit Pitbull with a snappy over-the-head suplex and got the pin in an action packed five minutes. Despite what the ad says, the interaction between Sandman and Peaches wasn't shown on the WWE Network version.

The Bruise Brothers vs. The Public Enemy - It's always astounded me the transformation the Bruise Brothers underwent in the 90s. Starting off, they had wild untamed Bruiser Brody style hair that gave them the distinction of fighting two Brodies at one time. As soon as they lost the hair, while they still looked and acted intimidating, they lost that aura. Regardless, this was the Bruise Brothers mopping the floor with The Public Enemy all around the ECW arena. The camera has a difficult time keeping up with the action and it feels The Public Enemy are basically fighting for their lives against these two monsters. Then right at the death, the Public Enemy blind one half of the Bruise Brothers while the other takes one shot of the 2x4 to the back and goes down. It seemed like a pretty weak ending to the Bruise Brothers, but the Public Enemy displayed their tenacity and resourcefulness. They also continue to strut around the ring like they're Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs, dancing along while they cause a sea of mayhem.

Jimmy Snuka vs. Tommy Dreamer - This match may hold the record for the most amount of jaw-jacking and hot-dogging before the match got underway. It took about seven minutes before the match really got going as Snuka spent more time jaw-jacking with a fan in the crowd than going after Dreamer. When the match eventually got underway, Dreamer went for an all or nothing cross-body and paid the price going through the ropes and falling hard on the outside. From there, it was like watching a torture scene as Snuka had his way with Dreamer. The big talking point is that Dreamer kicked out of a Superfly Splash, showing that despite his inexperience, Dreamer has a ton of heart. I'd like to tell you that Dreamer fought the good fight and that Snuka got what was coming to him. I'd like to, but in this instant, Snuka just slowly worked over Dreamer to the point where Tommy was coughing out blood. Snuka became a man possessed and was out for blood, continuing the assault of Dreamer before turning his attention to ECW Comissioner Tod Gordon. It was a real return to Snuka's wrestling roots, where he played a blood-thirsty maniac who wasn't afraid to put his body on the line to inflict more punishment on his opponent. In that sense he was like the prototypical Sabu. However that seven minute opening is why they invented the fast forward feature, dear lord.

Pat Tanaka and The Original Sheik vs. Tazmaniac & Kevin Sullivan - Another good example of proto-ECW where they brought in these past legends like Sheik and Sullivan who were the alternatives on the wrestling scene. Except in this case, Sheik is pushing 68 years of age and can't even make his way through the entrance without taking the curtain with him. Sheik had one trick in his arsenal, the fireball, and they cut to it early with the Sheik catching Taz off-guard from ring-side and allowing Tanaka to pick up the pin. The Sheik gets to go over, but Sullivan and Taz lose nothing as they continue to brawl with their opponents well after the match is over.

Mike Awesome vs. JT Smith - Fans remember Mikey Whipwreck as the loveable underdog of ECW, but there was another. JT Smith was a bump machine that could get his teeth kicked in with the best of them. The one thing JT had going was the most effective small package that would have even made Calgary's finest a little jealous. He finds himself in the ring against Mike Awesome, one of the most visually impressive wrestler of the 90s who only had one mode and performed so of the most death defying stunts in all of Pro Wrestling. This was on full display with one of the scariest but amazing suicide dives in ECW history. Unfortunately for Mike, he fell victim to the small package and while he was taking his frustrations out on the referee, the top turnbuckle decided to turn against him, sending Mike crashing to the ground in a sickening crash. Amazingly, Awesome received the loudest reception of the night and it's almost baffling that it would take him over 5 years to become champion. Of all the performers on the show, Awesome appeared to be one of the brightest sparks in ECW.

Sabu vs. Terry Funk vs. Shane Douglas - The WWE Network version has a lot of production issues, with the visual quality changing through out and Styles' commentary fading in and out. However, this was one of those long ECW main events the company prided itself on in it's early days. You rarely saw matches go this length of time on television and those that did typically lived on in infamy like the career-defining Clash of the Champions match between Sting and Ric Flair. In true ECW match, this triple threat had a twist to it. It started off as Sabu taking on Shane Douglas with a 15 minute time limit. The winner would go onto face Funk, but if the time expired, Funk would join in the match. This match is best laid out in phases. In phase one you get Sabu-Douglas working a very grounded match. Sabu made his name as a daredevil, but he could also go hold for hold with the best wrestlers which made his character more multi-faceted than his reputation would have you believe. Sabu then disappeared and became Funk vs. Douglas in a wild brawl, where Terry realised he couldn't keep up with the new up-start in Douglas so he took him into the deep end and kicked his ass around the ECW arena. Then the final 30 was pure chaos with all three men in the ring, Paul E Dangerously, Sherri Martel and Bad Breed all getting involved preventing the match from finding a result in 60 minutes. With the benefit of hindsight, it's not the most compelling result, but it was this chaos that put ECW on the map.

The post-match promos maybe the highlight of the entire show. You've got the Funker cutting an emotional call to arms for ECW and how it's giving guys like him a place in this sport that's turned into child's entertainment. Dangerously makes a bunch of excuses as an irate Sabu has to be held down by 911 and another one of Paul E's co-horts. Finally you've got Douglas telling Funk to step aside that he was the better man on the night, he's the only guy capable of taking the company forward. Funk tells him to prove it and it erupts into a violent pull apart to set the stage for what's to come.

Are the supershows located in the PPV section?

Jul 19, 2019 17:46:36 GMT Ed said:

Are the supershows located in the PPV section?

Yeah it on the ppv section 

It does irk me that they decided to skip around certain shows instead of just working their way through. These shows are best enjoyed in chronological order because there was good continuity from show to show. I fucking loved the Sandman vs Cactus matches from early 95. Also keep an eye out for how Heyman booked the 3 way tag feud between PE/Benoit & Malenko/Sabu & Tasmaniac from late 94 up through the first few months of 95.

The Night The Line Was Crossed 1994

This was like the Genesis of ECW taking off the way it did. Maybe it hasn't aged all that well now 25 years later but in 1994 this was the show that put ECW on the map really. The VHS tape of this show was a hot commodity among wrestling fans back then, ECW shipped a lot of VHS tapes for this show around the country so this show was kinda what took them national and set their business model, they were a VHS tape selling company! Sabu and Shane Douglas were the indy internet wrestling darlings back then. Maybe people thought Shane Douglas was the next big thing(maybe he should have been?). You also had the infamous Mike Awesome dive and at the time the Public Enemy vs Bruise Brothers was a decent brawl(I remember seeing somebody somewhere gave this 5 stars, can't remember where though, was it WON?). Also Tommy Dreamer kicking out of the Jimmy Snuka splash was a big deal for Tommy at the time. I always thought the "press conference" aftermath angle with Funk and Shane Douglas was pretty good stuff.

When Worlds Collide 1994

This is the show with Sabu/Bobby Eaton vs Arn/Funk, which drew a record setting crowd for ECW at that time with 1,558. So with this taking place 3 months later you can see how The Night The Line Was Crossed was the starting point that got ECW really off to the races taking steps to no longer be a podunk eastern seaboard indy wrestling fed to being a national VHS tape distributor among neckbearded basement dwelling magazine reading wrestling fans of 1994. Not much to this show other than the main event which was kind of the start of Public Enemy vs Funk feud that got PE over. Keep an eye out for how Heyman got his homegrown Public Enemy over if you ever watch through these shows, PE was the top draw in ECW in 94-95 so check out how Heyman got them that way, it's interesting.

Hostile City Showdown 1994

I actually have not seen this one. This has the reuniting of Dory and Terry Funk for the first time in like 10 years to do battle with Public Enemy and the main event of Sabu vs Cactus Jack.

Hardcore Heaven 1994

1994 ECW I actually have not watched through as thoroughly as I did 95-96 for AHT. It was just mostly so fucking bad, so much Mr. Hughes and Chad Austin and all these worthless wrestlers, Tommy Cairo, etc. It's a chore to watch through these full shows. This show is known for the chair throwing incident where the crowd threw all the chairs into the ring for the Funk vs Cactus match. They actually where throwing them at Public Enemy who had crashed the dream Funk vs Cactus main event. It was actually done at the previous show Heatwave 94 one month earlier when PE went against Funk Bros in a barbed wire match(but not as many chairs were thrown). Heatwave 94 was not uploaded to the Network, it was one of the only 94 ECW shows I reviewed for AHT back in the day. It was pretty much par for the course for that era where there were 1 or 2 matches worth revisiting, in this case it was Sabu vs Shane Douglas "Fight For The Future Of Pro Wrestling" and the aforementioned barbed wire match(which was a mess, but was a catalyst in PE becoming the main draws of ECW).


November To Remember 1994

This was the show that caught my eye for the Network. I'm tempted to renew my subscription to see this because it was a previously unreleased show. There was nothing special about the show other than Benoit breaking Sabu's neck. Also had a 5 minute Dean Malenko vs Tasmaniac match and Shane Douglas vs Ron Simmons. I'm curious about Benoit vs Scorpio also I don't recall ever seeing it. I'm curious to see what format this show is in if it's a fan cam or what because it was never commercially released by ECW back in the day. It is very cool that WWE would dig into the ECW vault and put something on the Network that was never released back in the day, hopefully we see more of this.


So they uploaded all of the 1994 ECW supercards except for Heatwave 94 and the NWA World Title Tournament. I reviewed Heatwave 94 back in the day 7 years ago you can check that out here: americanhardcoretheatre.weebly.com/heatwave-94

I have a download of the 94 NWA Title Tournament show and there's not much to it other than Shane throwing the belt down and cutting that promo, the whole show clocks in around under an hour. I'll get into the 95-96 shows later. We should start an ECW party up in this motherfucker.

Shit starts to get real once you get into 1995. It was just steady improvement from 94 going through 1995, it's crazy how much better the show got by Summer 1995, and then from there the build up to November To Remember 95 to me is about as good a run of pro wrestling there has ever been(at least for my tastes).

3 Way Dance 1995

This was a big show for ECW at the time, one that everything had been building up to for several months. The show itself didn't really deliver but the journey up to it was pretty good, some of Paul E.'s best booking maybe. The highlight is the Eddie Guerrero vs 2 Cold Scorpio TV title match, excellent match with Eddie making his ECW debut winning the title after the death of his tag partner Art Barr. This was a great title win and a great moment. The rest of this show is hit or miss, I mean it was a good show in context just for the storylines that were continuing on through this period, those early 95 shows don't stand out on their own but together they are good because Heyman was starting to find his groove as a booker.

Gangstas Paradise 1995

This is the best of the bunch that was uploaded to WWE Network. With that said keep in mind the first 30 minutes to an hour is fucking terrible and totally skippable. But then 911 chokeslamming Fonzie was built up for like 6-7 months and when it finally happened it was such a great moment/crowd pop. I just remember there were a lot of fucking tables destroyed on this show. This was the show where Rey and Psicosis make their ECW debuts tearing the house down stealing the show, the Double Dog Collar match with Raven/Stevie vs Pit Bulls, Steiner Brothers and Eliminators mixing it up, and the cage match main event with that one spot that ruled.

Holiday Hell 1995

This was ECW's debut in New York in a rinky dink venue that just had a really nice dank underground atmosphere, grungy, the window in the background with NYC traffic rushing by. Altogether this show on it's own isn't very good but when watched in order with the rest of the shows from this time period it's a good time just for all the characters and storylines that were going. The main event was a pretty solid Sabu vs Cactus match.

So that's pretty disappointing that they skipped over most of 1995. That was a pretty good run of shows from Double Tables to Return Of The Funker to Three Way Dance to Enter Sandman to Hostile City Showdown 95 to Barbed Wire Hoodies and Chokeslams, these shows all had a nice flow together and it's a good time watching through them in chronological order to see ECW grow into the monster they became by Fall of 1995.

House Party 1996

This show may be even better than Gangstas Paradise. This was the show where Beaulah revealed she was pregnant, producing maybe my favorite line in ECW history: "What are you stupid?!? The pills says one day at a time moron!" :rofl:

Copied and pasted from my review from AHT: I really feel like the good outweighs the bad with this show. The whole pregnancy angle with Raven and Dreamer was pretty cutting edge twist to their storyline. Taz's MMA character is one of my favorite things about ECW(or pro wrestling for that matter). This show was just a really pivitol show for ECW's entire history. You had the return of Shane Douglas, the debut of Rob Van Dam, the farewell of Public Enemy, the classic pregnancy segment with Raven/Dreamer/Beulah, a beautifully booked Rey Mysterio/911 vs Eliminators segment, a solid Sabu vs Stevie Richards match, and a really awesome crowd that made for a great atmosphere even through the not too good matches like Sandman vs Konnan. You could tell all of these fans in the ECW Arena had grown to know each other well, and they would have a blast at these shows.

Whipreck and Scorpio stunk the joint up with their match, as did Buh Buh and Jimmy Del, but this is just an excellent, classic ECW show. Some good laughs, and some of the best moments in ECW history make this one worth checking out for sure.

Big Apple Blizzard Blast 1996

I actually don't think I've seen this one. Reading the results and some reviews for it it was pretty much just a filler show. There was a Chris Jericho vs RVD match here but it was never put on the tape because I think it was bad. Seems like kind of a waste to bother with this show on the WWE Network honestly.

Massacre on Queens Boulevard 1996

I gave this show a pretty good review in AHT but honestly I can't remember much about it now other than the Taz vs Jericho "Shoot Fight" which kinda sucked as a match but was cool for what was going on with Taz's character. In my review for the show I noted how much more modern ECW was as a whole at this time compared to what was going on in WWF and WCW at the time of this show(April 1996). Some good stuff going on with characters and stories in ECW at this point, especially compared to what the big dogs were doing on cable and PPV. Watch this show and then compare it to what was on Nitro or Raw in April 96 and it becomes quite clear that ECW had a pretty major impact on where pro wrestling would go over the next 2 years.

Hostile City Showdown 1996

This show took place like a week after Massacre On Queens Boulevard so that would make for an interesting double feature to watch. Keep an eye out for the wicked bump that poor El Puerto Ricano takes in one of the opening matches. This wasn't one of the best ECW shows but again it was noteworthy to compare to WWF and WCW from this same time just for how much more with the times ECW was for April 1996. You had the first RVD vs Sabu match here along with the Beaulah/Kimona lesbian angle, which had the epic line from Shane Douglas "If you can't handle the truth then you're not hardcore!" which puts me to tears with laughter every time I think about it. :lol: 1996 ECW ruled.

Sucks they didn't upload the best ECW shows from 1996 which were The Dr. Is In, A Matter Of Respect, and Big Ass Extreme Bash, maybe they will later though. Those shows are about as good as it gets for ECW.

I realize I have no interest in watching Eastern Champion Wrestling. Outside of story purposes as part of the Shane Douglas DVD, I have I find that shit boring.

The Night The Line Was Crossed 1994

This was like the Genesis of ECW taking off the way it did. Maybe it hasn't aged all that well now 25 years later but in 1994 this was the show that put ECW on the map really. The VHS tape of this show was a hot commodity among wrestling fans back then, ECW shipped a lot of VHS tapes for this show around the country so this show was kinda what took them national and set their business model, they were a VHS tape selling company! Sabu and Shane Douglas were the indy internet wrestling darlings back then. Maybe people thought Shane Douglas was the next big thing(maybe he should have been?). You also had the infamous Mike Awesome dive and at the time the Public Enemy vs Bruise Brothers was a decent brawl(I remember seeing somebody somewhere gave this 5 stars, can't remember where though, was it WON?). Also Tommy Dreamer kicking out of the Jimmy Snuka splash was a big deal for Tommy at the time. I always thought the "press conference" aftermath angle with Funk and Shane Douglas was pretty good stuff.

The fans in attendance loved Public Enemy-Bruise Brothers, said it was a ****+ match based on reports. I don't think anyone here would enjoy it as much, but the reaction suggests that fans were into the novelty of watching guys brawl outside of the ring. They appreciated the violence and the intensity and it was just a way for ECW to brand itself, as was the 60 minute match between Taz-Funk-Sabu.

Douglas would have been one of the brightest prospects at that time. If his father didn't get sick, it makes you wonder where his career would have been had he stayed with the WWF. Would he be able to stay out of his own way? Or does he form enough equity with the fans to establish himself in that Double J role? Does he end up drawing more Bake dimes than Double J?

Jul 21, 2019 18:00:44 GMT Big Pete said:

it makes you wonder where his career would have been had he stayed with the WWF. Would he be able to stay out of his own way? Or does he form enough equity with the fans to establish himself in that Double J role? Does he end up drawing more Bake dimes than Double J?

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Jul 21, 2019 12:36:40 GMT shinobimusashi said:

the Public Enemy vs Bruise Brothers was a decent brawl(I remember seeing somebody somewhere gave this 5 stars, can't remember where though, was it WON?). 

A guy named John McAdam, who was one of the big sources for US wrestling tapes in the early days of the internet (fun fact: AEW's Tony Khan worked on his website), and a member of Meltzer's inner circle, gave Public Enemy vs. Bruise Brothers 5 stars. 

I don't remember being impressed by that match even the first time I watched it way back in 1998. But I can theoretically see why it would have been such a big hit. Was it the first walk & brawl through the ECW Arena? Did they fight in the crowd? If so, it would surely have been rated high just for the novelty factor. Chances are nobody outside the Memphis territory would have seen something like that in 1994.

The famous Sabu/Douglas/Funk 3 Way was a match I was really looking forward to. It had achieved near-legendary status. Yet I thought it was terrible the first (and only?) time I watched it in 2000 or 2001. Fun Fact #2: I actually got that on a John McAdam comp tape- his Top 10 matches of the 90s. Fwiw the Bodies/Rock&Roll Express Loser Leaves Town Match from SMW was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better. 

Jul 21, 2019 18:00:44 GMT Big Pete said:

Douglas would have been one of the brightest prospects at that time. Does he end up drawing more Bake dimes than Double J?

Good question. An extended Dean Douglas run absolutely would have drawn Double J level Baker dimes. No doubt in my mind. You might as well have called him "Dropping Dimes" Dean Douglas. I can even credit his lousy non-Dean self with a 100+ Baker dimes drawn due to his pay per view matches for the ECW Championship against Snow & Taz.

Back on topic, my most watched/favorite ECW Supershow was Wrestlepalooza '97 and it's not even close. I didn't even have a #2 until I found the old PW, read a bunch of Nobi & Kilgore posts, and realized November To Remember '95 is the clear runner up in that category. 

Jul 17, 2019 9:10:50 GMT Big Pete said:

Mike Awesome vs. JT Smith - Fans remember Mikey Whipwreck as the loveable underdog of ECW, but there was another. JT Smith was a bump machine that could get his teeth kicked in with the best of them. The one thing JT had going was the most effective small package that would have even made Calgary's finest a little jealous. He finds himself in the ring against Mike Awesome, one of the most visually impressive wrestler of the 90s who only had one mode and performed so of the most death defying stunts in all of Pro Wrestling. This was on full display with one of the scariest but amazing suicide dives in ECW history. Unfortunately for Mike, he fell victim to the small package and while he was taking his frustrations out on the referee, the top turnbuckle decided to turn against him, sending Mike crashing to the ground in a sickening crash. Amazingly, Awesome received the loudest reception of the night and it's almost baffling that it would take him over 5 years to become champion. Of all the performers on the show, Awesome appeared to be one of the brightest sparks in ECW.

wanna talk a little bit about JT Smith. years back I was watching through almost all the hardcore tv from 93-94 on dailymotion, and it struck me that this wrestler i remembered as a goofy undercarder/enhancement (albeit a skilled one) looked to be at one time the next big babyface. paul and todd definitely seemed to have big plans for him. before sandman was really elevated with his feuds with dreamer and especially cactus, jt could probably be seen as the best of the old tri state/eastern guys still around at this point in 94. he had one of the few decent feuds in summer 93 against dark patriot. he was featured pretty well and built up around fall/winter of that year in the ring with guys like terry funk and sullivan. then in 94, he scored pinfalls over top heels mike awesome and both members of public enemy. he also beat taz clean for the tv title (who was also getting a nice push) in a good match for that time. I gotta think he was on his way to mixing it up with Shane, Sabu, and scorpio around that time had he stuck around. for whatever reason he left and when he returned for small one off matches usually putting guys on the rise the like stevie over. when he finally came back for good in summer 95 til late 96, ecw had changed too much and he was in the undercard. I was pretty pumped when he came back in 98 but nothing much happened with him and he wasn't around too long. 

any of you guys think jt could've been big in 1994

I did accidentally catch When Worlds Collide before, but just didn't have enough time to discuss it.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Rockin' Rebel - Just another step in Dreamer's rise to babyface stardom in ECW. Dreamer was in total babyface mode which meant they kept it clean through out and was the antithesis of what Dreamer would become known for in his later years.

Mikey Whipwreck vs. 911 - When Paul Heyman speaks about accentuating the positives, I can't help but think he's thinking of Al The Sledgehammer aka 911. 6'8 300+ pounds, 911 wasn't really known for his amateur background, it was all about delivering killer chokeslams which fans ate up over and over again. So here you have this really interesting match on paper turn into a non-event as 911 just chokeslams Whipwreck and the referee over and over again until the match is thrown out. Yet, the fans didn't care because of how novel the whole thing was. They didn't want to see 911 have a competitive match with Whipwreck, they wanted mayhem and that's exactly what they got.

Kevin Sullivan vs. Jimmy Snuka - Another legends bout, and it's curious to see the mixed signals ECW is sending around Snuka. Snuka once again wins, but spent the vast majority getting his ass kicked and at the end of the match Sullivan goes to town on Hunter Q. There must have been a contractual obligation or something because they really made a point to undermine Snuka's victory.

Sandman & Woman vs. Tommy Cairo & Peaches - Some of the greatest angles in ECW history felt like something straight out of 91210. Say what they want, the ECW fans weren't adverse to some soap opera, especially if it gave them something to look at between all the violence and anarchy. Peaches pins her husband and administers some singapore cane shots, which was arguably the biggest legacy ECW left on the industry (seriously how often are canes used now vs. prior?). Anyways, Sandman and Woman turn the tables, they lay both Cairo and Peaches out with cane shots to further this rivalry and make Sandman into one of the biggest success stories this company produced.

Pitbull vs. Tazmaniac - The Pitbull gets his revenge after Taz screwed him out of the TV Championship at the prior show. This was a completely one sided bout with Pitbull taking it Taz for the large majority. When Taz attempted a comeback, Jason once again proved a difference maker, allowing the Pitbull to get one over Taz by nailing him with a chain. Looking at the Pitbull and Rhino, Paul E definitely had a look. Taz was obviously a pet project, but he hasn't quite put the pieces together yet and the company isn't afraid to show him grow over time.

JT Smith & The Bruise Brothers vs. Shane Douglas, Mr. Hughes & The Public Enemy - Smith's finest hour as he's able to pin both members of The Public Enemy after taking a major ass-kicking. Smith sold like he was on a trampoline and timed his inside cradles and roll-ups to perfection, getting the most out of a relatively lifeless match. Earlier the heels worked over the Bruise Brothers before they decided they had enough and brawled with Douglas and Hughes around ring-side getting themselves eliminated. Supposedly they tussled with members of the crowd and were on thin ice from this point on. Road Warrior Hawk was slated to be in this match, but in ECW fashion, no showed the event.

Terry Funk & Arn Anderson vs. Sabu & Bobby Eaton - Paul E calls on his former Dangerous Alliance charges for a favour as he looks to write another chapter in the Funk/Sabu rivalry. This was easily the best match of the night with Arn and Eaton bringing their working boots and lending their credibility to the main event. In typical Arn fashioned, he double crosses the babyface and the Public Enemy show up just to make Funks life even harder. Paul E gets the win for his men, but fails to drive Terry Funk out of ECW as Funk promises he'll be back to take care of The Public Enemy and he'll bring in his brother a former NWA Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk Jr. If nothing else, these post-main event promos are worth going out of your way to see.

Jul 22, 2019 16:29:20 GMT @fisto said:

Jul 17, 2019 9:10:50 GMT Big Pete said:

Mike Awesome vs. JT Smith - Fans remember Mikey Whipwreck as the loveable underdog of ECW, but there was another. JT Smith was a bump machine that could get his teeth kicked in with the best of them. The one thing JT had going was the most effective small package that would have even made Calgary's finest a little jealous. He finds himself in the ring against Mike Awesome, one of the most visually impressive wrestler of the 90s who only had one mode and performed so of the most death defying stunts in all of Pro Wrestling. This was on full display with one of the scariest but amazing suicide dives in ECW history. Unfortunately for Mike, he fell victim to the small package and while he was taking his frustrations out on the referee, the top turnbuckle decided to turn against him, sending Mike crashing to the ground in a sickening crash. Amazingly, Awesome received the loudest reception of the night and it's almost baffling that it would take him over 5 years to become champion. Of all the performers on the show, Awesome appeared to be one of the brightest sparks in ECW.

wanna talk a little bit about JT Smith. years back I was watching through almost all the hardcore tv from 93-94 on dailymotion, and it struck me that this wrestler i remembered as a goofy undercarder/enhancement (albeit a skilled one) looked to be at one time the next big babyface. paul and todd definitely seemed to have big plans for him. before sandman was really elevated with his feuds with dreamer and especially cactus, jt could probably be seen as the best of the old tri state/eastern guys still around at this point in 94. he had one of the few decent feuds in summer 93 against dark patriot. he was featured pretty well and built up around fall/winter of that year in the ring with guys like terry funk and sullivan. then in 94, he scored pinfalls over top heels mike awesome and both members of public enemy. he also beat taz clean for the tv title (who was also getting a nice push) in a good match for that time. I gotta think he was on his way to mixing it up with Shane, Sabu, and scorpio around that time had he stuck around. for whatever reason he left and when he returned for small one off matches usually putting guys on the rise the like stevie over. when he finally came back for good in summer 95 til late 96, ecw had changed too much and he was in the undercard. I was pretty pumped when he came back in 98 but nothing much happened with him and he wasn't around too long. 

any of you guys think jt could've been big in 1994

I think JT could have had pretty much Mikey Whipwreck's career, so a surprise world title run would have probably been in the cards before setting back in the midcard. The wrestlers of that era always describe the locker room as Paul E. guys and Tod Gordon guys (basically New York and Philly guys) and JT Smith was a Tod Gordon guy even more than most (Gordon trusted JT enough to work at whatever pawn or jewelry store he was running in those days after JT refused to get paid on a 92/93 ECW show that lost money as JT wanted there to me more ECW shows), so unless JT got to be Raven/Sandman big, I'm not sure Paul E. would have continued to take a lot of interest in him.

What JT was in '94 kind of got divided into Tommy and Mikey by '95.

I'm pretty curious to see n2r 94. taz/melanko, shane/ron, and scorpio/benoit all seem like good matches I'd like to see but never made it to hardcore tv. the public enemy/mikey and cactus match was really good and the sandman and dreamer angle is vintage ecw. this has me wondering how much unreleased ecw the wwe has there hands on and how much they might release on the network or in dvd form. I'd love to see the full nwa title tournament for shane/taz, scorpio/benoit, and especially the shane/malanko match.

My favorite parts of the ecw unreleased dvds have been the fan cam matches like the shane vs jericho match and the stevie/raven/sandman leading to stevie vs funk. also liked the taz vs tajiri match that was on dvd more than the ppv match they had. I'm hoping they do a volume 4 made up almost entirely of matches that never made it to tv or video. really want to check out the wargames match where shane wins the title from funk. I know rf video sells full house shows but I don't know how much of that wwe has in their archives.

10 new ECW shows debut on The Network tomorrow. Here they are....

Super Summer Sizzler '93
Ultra Clash '93
Heatwave '94
Tag Wars '94
Double Tables '95
Return of the Funker
Hostile City Showdown '95
Enter the Sandman
Barbed Wire, Hoodies, and Chokeslams
Heatwave '95

Feb 17, 2020 1:33:53 GMT Baker said:

Double Tables '95
Return of the Funker
Hostile City Showdown '95
Enter the Sandman
Barbed Wire, Hoodies, and Chokeslams
Heatwave '95

Double Tables was so sought after because of, well, the double tables! It had that cool Benoit powerbomb spot that probably stopped looking like much by like 1998, but pre-Mike Awesome was the coolest powerbomb ever off the top rope. 

Hostile City Showdown is an all time ECW event.

The next three are ECW hitting that stride where while to what extent varies, every show is at least good. Heatwave '95 was a bit overrated because it had two of the greatest moments ever (The Chairshot Heard 'Round The World and Rocco Rock's backflip off the cage), but like if Heatwave '95 was somehow magically playing on a cable channel somewhere here is 0% chance I don't watch it. 

This makes me miss the Hardcore Theater!

Feb 21, 2020 7:24:18 GMT Kilgore said:

Feb 17, 2020 1:33:53 GMT Baker said:

Double Tables '95
Return of the Funker
Hostile City Showdown '95
Enter the Sandman
Barbed Wire, Hoodies, and Chokeslams
Heatwave '95

Double Tables was so sought after because of, well, the double tables! It had that cool Benoit powerbomb spot that probably stopped looking like much by like 1998, but pre-Mike Awesome was the coolest powerbomb ever off the top rope. 

Hostile City Showdown is an all time ECW event.

The next three are ECW hitting that stride where while to what extent varies, every show is at least good. Heatwave '95 was a bit overrated because it had two of the greatest moments ever (The Chairshot Heard 'Round The World and Rocco Rock's backflip off the cage), but like if Heatwave '95 was somehow magically playing on a cable channel somewhere here is 0% chance I don't watch it. 

This makes me miss the Hardcore Theater!

Same here.

Didn't comment because the only one of these shows I remembered was Double Tables: aka: The Chris Benoit Show. Benoit had one of my favorite ECW matches with Snow, hit THAT powerbomb (which was still cool as shit when I saw it for the first time in 1998), and featured Benoit cutting the longest (and maybe least bad?) promo of his career.

Guessing I didn't see the rest outside of highlights/critically acclaimed matches on comp tapes? Will look them up later to see if anything rings a bell.