World Wrestling Entertainment – ECW: One Night Stand 2005 – 12th June 2005
For every fan of pro-wrestling there are always matches, shows or even just moments that stand out in your memory as warm, fuzzy reminders of exactly why you love this. This show is one of those for me – so much so in fact that I’ve almost been dreading writing this review. I’ve seen bits and pieces (mostly Heyman’s promo and the brawl at the end), but I haven’t watched the full show since I watched in my Dad’s living room live in the early hours of the morning whilst visiting home after finishing a bunch of exams during my student days. In fact, I’m not reviewing this show from the WWE Network – I’ll be reviewing from the actual VHS tape that I recorded the live Sky Sports broadcast on twelve years ago. Nobody knew what to expect from this event. Would WWE present a sanitised, lame version of the edgy and outrageous ECW product we loved and missed? How would WWE cope airing a live PPV from a venue they’d outgrown almost a decade earlier? Would the fans be ECW fans or WWE fans? Would Paul E. appear? How ‘hardcore’ were WWE really going to allow this to get? How much would the ‘invading forces’ from Raw and Smackdown takeover the show? Would WWE license ‘Enter Sandman’? The truth is, as a fan (not a critic) I adored what they produced on that fateful June night…so I’m somewhat nervous now going back and dissecting it. To set the scene, in WWE terms we are in the midst of a month-long roster draft so talents were being traded between the two brands and this event takes place just days after Chris Benoit became Smackdown’s first trade draft from Raw. Eric Bischoff (who else) leads Raw’s anti-ECW charge and will be braving the hostile ECW audience in the Hammerstein Ballroom this evening, whilst Kurt Angle and JBL will also be in the building at the forefront of Smackdown’s ‘invaders’. Reading down the card I realised I actually remember very little of the in-ring action – but it is full of nostalgic goodness as countless old rivalries are revisited. We have Benoit/Guerrero, Jericho/Storm, Mysterio/Psicosis, Guido/Tajiri/Crazy and the outstanding, showstealing Mike Awesome vs Masato Tanaka bout. It culminates in what will be a wild main event pitting the Dudley Boyz (in their last televised WWE match for more than a decade) against the beloved Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman. We are in Manhattan, NY at the Hammerstein Ballroom (since the ECW Arena was entirely unsuitable for a WWE-scale broadcast). Mick Foley and Joey Styles (at his controversial, passionate and manic best) will call the action.
SIDENOTE – It’s worth pointing out right off the bat that this LOOKS like ECW. Sure it has some WWE polish – like nice lighting, seamless graphics and a pristine ring – but the arena has been set up like it’s an ECW show, not a teeny tiny WWE event. That presentation is critical to the success of this event. People needed to believe they were watching something authentic, not a nostalgic cash-grab.
SIDENOTE – Unfortunately I will be reviewing the WWE Network, edited version of this show instead. The image on my 12-year old VHS was actually ok, but the audio was so warped and distorted that the whole reason I was watching it (i.e. original music) was rendered redundant anyway. Never mind!
The show opens with an emotional Joey Styles heading to the ring, introduced by Stephen DeAngelis. He can barely talk because the crowd is so nuts, but he’s in the ring to bring out former ECW Tag Champion Mick Foley (with his WWE Cactus Jack entrance theme not his WWE Mankind music which is a nice little nod) as his broadcast partner for the evening.
Lance Storm vs Chris Jericho
Former friends and Thrillseeker partners collide in our opening contest here. This is especially interesting since Lance had actually only just quit the WWE to open a wrestling school and go into semi-retirement at this point. He is accompanied by a noticeably pregnant Dawn Marie, adding to the ECW-feel to this presentation. Jericho enters to his WWE music, but is wearing one of his old ‘Lionheart’ vests…
They begin with a frantic exchange of basic holds and armdrags, which the audience absolutely eat up. They then affectionately (genuinely) start calling Dawn Marie a crack whore. Storm obviously isn’t holding anything back on his old friend – reddening his chest with ferocious chops then giving him a brutal trip into the bare metal guardrails. He starts to dominate the Lionheart…but makes a mistake by jumping up the top rope then diving backwards straight into a dropkick to the back. That’s followed with a tiger suplex to drop Storm on his back again. The weakened back means Y2J can block an attempted cradle piledriver…but doesn’t stop Lance NAILING him with a superkick for 2. Maple Leaf applied…COUNTERED to the Walls Of Jericho…then to a catapult when Lance blocks that. Lionsault gets knees…WALLS OF JERICHO INSTEAD! STORM TAPS! But Dawn Marie is distracting the referee, and Storm’s Impact Players tag partner Justin Credible (along with Jason) runs in! SINGAPORE CANE TO JERICHO! Storm wins at 07:22
Rating - *** - They did exactly what they needed to do here. They could have worked a ‘better’ match I’m sure, but this event is about celebrating ECW not these two specific talents. They produced some fantastic little sequences (really exposing why WWE should have done more with Storm when they had him) gave the crowd plenty to enjoy, didn’t outstay their welcome and ended with an Impact Players cameo which ECW fans will have loved. Classy move on Jericho’s part to put Lance over too.
After Jericho leaves to a standing ovation, the camera pans to the vacant balconies at the back of the Hammerstein Ballroom – which are reserved for the superstars of Raw and Smackdown. Pitbull Gary Wolfe then introduces a video package paying tribute to fallen former comrades (Rocco Rock, Terry Gordy, Crash Holly, The Original Sheik (Sabu’s uncle), Mike Lozansky (Anthony), Pitbull Anthony Durante, Big Dick Dudley and, of course, Chris Candido…)
Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Little Guido vs Super Crazy
This is an ECW Three Way Dance, meaning it’s elimination rules rather than a straight triple threat. And as it’s ECW we can also acknowledge that Tajiri has a first name. He is accompanied by Mikey Whipwreck and the ‘Sinister Minister’ James Mitchell. Guido has a mass of FBI guys with him too – Big Guido, Tony Mamaluke, JT Smith and Tracy Smothers – so ringside will be crowded. One can’t help but feel sorry for Super Crazy who has nobody to bring out with him. These three contested countless matches in multiple formats against each other in ECW’s latter years. Even with age catching up to them this should still be spectacular.
Joey Styles predicts outside interference. Tajiri and Crazy trade some athletic stuff…so Guido tries to take it to the mat with armbars. Super C is so unimpressed with that he basically ignores him to hit a moonsault! Mamaluke trips Crazy up, leaving him in position for the Sicilian Slice! Into the crowd we go…with Crazy hopping up into the first floor balcony! MOONSAULT OFF THE F*CKING BALCONY INTO THE CROWD! And he’s still doing flips as he makes his way back into the ring! Tajiri puts a stop to his antics temporarily with the Tarantula. Smothers and JT then drag him out to mug him! GREEN MIST ON GUIDO! AVALANCHE WHIPPER SNAPPER BY WHIPWRECK! Tajiri eliminates Guido at 04:09. Crazy and Tajiri renew their old rivalry from ECW – with a Super Crazy springboard moonsault (what else?) getting a nearfall. TRIPLE MOONSAULT…but Mikey cuts off the third moonsault. Buzzsaw Kick blocked to a powerbomb! MOONSAULT! Crazy wins at 06:13
Rating - *** - This was complete chaos, meant in the nicest possible way. Super Crazy’s performance here (which consisted almost entirely of moonsaults), and the ensuing adulation he received from the crowd, earned him a full-time job. This really packed in everything you could wish to see in just over six minutes – balcony dives, FBI silliness, Mikey Whipwreck hitting his popular finisher and an ECW favourite going over. What a rush…
Up next we get a video package featuring numerous infamous ECW moments and memories. Terry Funk and Shane Douglas, who sat this show out and ran their own parallel ECW tribute show instead, are heavily featured. Raven is not however, which one suspects may be as much down to Heyman as it was to the WWE.
Psicosis vs Rey Mysterio Jr.
The story of these two bringing Lucha Libre to the consciousness of American fans with their ECW battles has been told countless times in the years since. They were actually only in ECW for around a year, so the fact that people still talk about their tenure with this promotion should speak volumes for the quality of their work back in the mid-90’s. Now they are ten years older and definitely not in the same shape they were back then. Although he wears it during his entrance, Psicosis doesn’t even compete in his mask anymore. Rey pops up on this reunion show in the midst of his intensely personal rivalry with Eddie Guerrero – and badly needs the distraction of a big win over his old foe.
‘Put your mask on’ – New York to Psicosis. They are on his case again as he stumbles slightly as he and Rey trade some early lucha basics. He hits sit-out gourdbuster to redeem himself somewhat, only for Mysterio to hit back with a quebrada for 2. Psicosis wants to work a slow pace – which the fans hate, but does make sense since Mysterio is clearly faster than him at this stage in his career. PSYCHO GUILLOTINE OVER THE GUARDRAIL! Oh, now the fans like him! Mysterio quickens the pace; causing Psi to collide with the ringpost. SPRINGBOARD SEATED SENTON INTO THE FRONT ROW! He then hits the 619, which the ECW fans boo the sh*t out of! WEST COAST POP NAILED! Rey is the first WWE ‘regular’ to get a win tonight, taking the match at 06:22
Rating - *** - I think history deemed this to be one of the lower points of the show, which I get. Fans expecting anything akin to their frenzied, speedy encounters in the 90’s were always going to be disappointed. As his performance showed, Psicosis is nowhere near that level anymore – and Mysterio too has been slowed down by multiple injuries and adding muscle mass to succeed in the WWE/WCW. But aside from a couple of early mis-steps I personally thought this was solid. I loved that Psicosis quickly acknowledged he couldn’t keep up with Rey, so went rogue on the lucha script and slowed it down trying to work sleeper holds. He couldn’t keep Mysterio down, meaning we got to see a couple of big dives to the floor (and a rare sighting of the West Coast Pop too!) before Rey ultimately came out with the win. I can see how it didn’t live up to expectations, but for where both men were in June 2005 this was decent.
As Rey celebrates his win Kurt Angle and JBL lead the Smackdown invaders into the Hammerstein. They brandish their tickets and strut through the crowd to their balcony seats. In their number are Carlito, Orlando Jordan, the Bashams and Matt Morgan. ‘I got a ticket you little Mexican’ – Bradshaw to Rey Mysterio.
Joel Gertner is warmly welcomed onto the same balcony, but is violently shoved on his ass by JBL before he can rhyme. It’s an excuse to get a live microphone into the hands of Kurt and Layfield himself – getting obscene heat. Bradshaw can barely be heard over chants of ‘shut the f*ck up’. He claims he is saving the buyrate just by showing up…before being interrupted by the returning Rob Van Dam (with Bill Alfonso!). He’s still recovering from knee surgery so isn’t competing but still gets a hero’s welcome. RVD’s promo, unscripted and free of WWE BS, is amazing. He complains about scriptwriters who only let him say ‘whatever’ and ‘cool’, reminds everyone that he is the ‘whole…F*CKING…show’ and almost cries at the thought of not getting to wrestle tonight. Rhyno runs in…AND GORE’S VAN DAM! OUT GO THE LIGHTS! SABU IS HERE!
Rhyno vs Sabu
The Man Beast was the reigning ECW World and Television Champion when ECW folded in 2001, and had issues with RVD back then too. Van Dam is far more synonymous with the ECW TV Title than Rhyno will ever be though – having held it for almost two years and never having actually been defeated for it. His on/off partnership with Sabu is infamous, and the ‘Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal’ is here in his place. Sabu is one of the men working both this event and Shane Douglas’ Hardcore Homecoming show – and is covered in bandages and tape as a result of the three-way Barbed Wire Match he competed in as part of that.
Sabu doesn’t wait long before absolutely SMOKING the Man Beast with a chair shot. CHAIR JUMP SUICIDE DIVE UP THE AISLE! He wants to set up a table spot but is thwarted by an irate Rhyno. Rhyno makes an ill-advised trip to the top rope for some reason…and is countered with a SPRINGBOARD SUPER RANA by Sabu! Sabu has been ON so far tonight! Triple Jump Moonsault blocked with a trip into a chair. TKO ON A CHAIR nailed for 2. Sabu dodges the Gore, so the referee is destroyed with it instead. RHYNO DRIVER NAILED! Van Dam is in the ring on one f*cking leg! ONE LEGGED CHAIR SURF DROPKICK! RVD are you insane? ‘Whole F*cking Show’ – ECW fans. Fonzie and Van Dam drape Rhyno over the table. ARABIAN SKULLCRUSHER THROUGH THE TABLE! Sabu wins at 06:30
Rating - *** - This show is working so far because no match is outstaying it’s welcome; every performer is coming out, giving us the spots we want to see then getting out before their limitations are exposed. Even in his prime Sabu could be sloppy, and by this point in his career he sometimes really struggled…but he was completely flawless with this little cameo. Everything was crisp, everything was on point…and he proved once again why is truly is such a special, once-in-a-generation athlete. Credit to Rhyno for coming in and working this event as well. This wasn’t long after he’d been released from the WWE, so didn’t have to agree to come in and basically get squashed by RVD and Sabu.
Al Snow is in the back arguing with Head over who invited the Smackdown guys to the building.
Eric Bischoff leads the Raw troops into the building – with security visibly having to restrain certain fans. Edge, Christian, Tyson Tomko, William Regal, Gene Snitsky, La Resistance, Maven Huffman and Jonathan Coachman are the other Raw guys who are joining us for the evening.
Chris Benoit vs Eddie Guerrero
I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that this was a feud Paul Heyman wanted to run in ECW but didn’t get the chance to before they were signed up by WCW. Dean Malenko should so be refereeing this one by the way. Of course, we know these two are old friends – and with Benoit’s very recent transfer to the Smackdown brand will now be back on the same show once more. Guerrero is an angry, unpredictable individual these days though – and may well be preoccupied with his ongoing feud with Rey Mysterio.
Guerrero was, reportedly, extremely unhappy with how this one was booked – and he looks incredibly pissed off as he walks to the ring (although that could just be him retaining his character). He looks even angrier when the crowd start ignoring their work to hurl abuse at the Raw and Smackdown guys. He actually walks out and stands in the aisle after a few holds, but to no avail. Edge is in a very intimate venue and, of course, getting ripped to shreds over the Lita scandal. It gets even worse as an errant strike cuts him over the bridge of his nose! Guerrero pokes the eyes and tries to control the Wolverine in a headlock. In fact, all he does for the next couple of minutes is headlocks. To the floor they go where Eddie hammers Benoit with a chair, then brings him back inside with a superplex. Frog Splash misses though, and at last the Crippler gets to tee off with some utterly vicious chops. He very visibly isn’t pulling those one bit. The rolling Germans come out next, followed by the Flying Wolverine headbutt for 2. Crippler Crossface applied…and Eddie taps at 10:36
Rating - *** - So the story goes that Eddie really didn’t like being booked to tap out cleanly to Benoit when he had only just established his heel character in the feud with Rey. Supposedly he then got even more annoyed that the crowd spent most of the match ignoring them and heckling the WWE guys, and additionally was pissed off at getting his nose cut open so half-assed his performance. Then after storming off almost got into a fight with Chris Benoit (of all people) backstage. How much of that is true I don’t know, but those are the rumours that are out there – and it’s fair to say that he definitely looked a little ‘off’ here. Thankfully even at half pace these two are good enough to produce a decent wrestling match. Whether it was the result of him being angry at the fans or not, Guerrero’s strategy of working a slow pace and concentrating on headlocks to negate Benoit’s strengths was a sound one. It was only when he lost control of Benoit that he actually wound up losing, so all in all this was a solid little story. It was also a welcome change of pace after some of the insane antics we’ve seen in the last few matches.
Joel Gertner is on the Raw balcony now, fishing for a job it seems. Bischoff tosses beer over him and sends him packing.
Mike Awesome vs Masato Tanaka
Whomever made the call to throw these two in the ring together to rehash their classics from ECW and FMW is an extremely smart business man. Awesome is no stranger to WWE fans, having come in as part of the Invasion angle and hung around for a year or so before being released. He had amazing size and agility, but is on record as saying he hated the ‘politics’ of the WWE locker room. Although he was one of the ‘ECW’ guys as part of the aforementioned Invasion angle, he is pretty universally despised by ECW fans (and employees – Joey Styles totally destroys the guy on commentary) for signing with WCW whilst still holding the ECW World Title. That act produced a remarkable chain of events which saw WCW’s Mike Awesome lose the belt on his final ECW show…to the WWF’s Taz (they’d loaned him back for a night)…who was then jobbed out to the WWF Champion HHH on Smackdown (which Vince later admitted was a really sh*tty thing to do)…before going back to ECW to drop the belt to Tommy Dreamer, who himself lost it minutes later to Justin Credible! Awesome and Tanaka have been caving in each other’s skulls with chairs for countless years, and despite spending less than a year as an ECW regular, Tanaka will very much be the favourite here.
Joey angrily rants about Awesome being a Judas…as Mike takes flight to hit an amazing suicide dive to the floor. Tanaka recovers by running straight at him to brain him with a chair shot. Awesome props up a table against the guardrail…HEAD DROP POWERBOMB OFF THE APRON THROUGH THE TABLE! I wish they’d stop cutting to shots of the WWE guys, because these two are beating the absolute sh*t out of each other. UNPROTECTED HEAD SHOTS WITH THE CHAIR! TANAKA NO SELLS! DIAMOND DUST! TORNADO DDT INTO A CHAIR STACK for 2! Masato to the top, to hit a DIVING ELBOW DROP CHAIR SHOT! DANGAN ELBOW MISSES! HEAD DROP GERMAN BY AWESOME! NO SOLD AGAIN! SPEAR NAILED! TOP ROPE DIVING CHAIR SHOT BY AWESOME! This is completely insane. Awesome looks shot and struggles to get a table into the ring…and winds up taking so long that Tanaka is able to grab him for a TORNADO DDT THROUGH THE TABLE! Awesome survives that and hauls the Japanese athlete back up the ropes for an AVALANCHE AWESOMEBOMB INTO THE TABLE WRECKAGE! A rogue piece of metal was crazily close to going through Tanaka’s throat on landing there! ‘This match rules’ – ECW fans! AWESEOMEBOMB THROUGH A TABLE ON THE FLOOR! AWESOME SPLASH OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE FLOOR! Apparently it’s falls count anywhere, and Awesome wins at 09:51
Rating - **** - Redemption of sorts for Mike Awesome, who after leaving ECW under a cloud and becoming something of a joke during his WCW run rolled back the years to deliver the sort of performance that led him to a World Title in the first place. He let it all hang out and was totally exhausted by the end, but with the help of his old foe, he just stole the show. Tanaka is insanely tough and took some unspeakably violent bumps here (the first table bump on the floor, then the Awesomebomb from the top into the smashed up table in particular) but didn’t stop coming; he provided all the energy in this ten minute destruction derby. There are some fair criticisms to be made – like the dumb finish on the floor – but it remains an amazingly violent spectacle. At this point Awesome was 40-years old and I’m surprised this performance didn’t spark more of a renaissance for him as he possibly still had some gas in the tank. He’d go on be quite outspoken about believing he wasn’t paid sufficiently for his work on this show though, which is possibly why. He retired in 2006, and then took his own life in early 2007. But nobody can take this moment, and this match away from he and Masato Tanaka. They leave to a well-earned standing ovation.
As ring crew clear up after that, the ECW theme hits – and with it comes a visibly moved Paul Heyman. With tears in his eyes (he’s not crying, he was ‘in the back smoking a joint with Van Dam’ honest!) he thanks a few people…then rounds on the WWE invaders. ‘It’s not Paul Heyman, with his tail between his legs, going to a WCW pay-per-view. You are in OUR house…BITCH’ – Heyman to Bischoff. Edge gets some bile too, before he mocks JBL for only getting to be WWE Champion because ‘Triple H didn’t want to work Tuesdays’. The crowd go NUTS for that one! This whole promo was completely electric.
Dudley Boyz vs Tommy Dreamer/The Sandman
This is your main event, throwing together four absolute icons of Extreme Championship Wrestling. The Dudley Boyz hadn’t been on TV in months, had been helping out in developmental (as creative didn’t have anything fresh for them to do) and were within a month of being released from employment altogether. They are back in the tie dye tonight though; ready for a no rules war with two more crazy bastards. Dreamer gets a knock-off version of ‘Man In The Box’ to enter to which is a shame, but Sandman does come to Metallica. Of course it’s overdubbed for the WWE Network but no amount of editing can completely erase just how remarkable his entrance is. The unedited, broadcast version is still out there in the world on various video platforms if you can find it, and it’s a spine-chilling watch.
Sandman is completely mobbed as he makes his entrance. He bleeds from the beer can, he has guys voluntarily caning THEMSELVES. Even with the sh*tty generic rock instead of ‘Enter Sandman’ it’s just incredible. Sandman is blown up before he even makes it to the ring! Thankfully he gets a chance to catch his breath…because the bWo are here to take over! STEVIE KICK on Sandman! Kid Kash (called ‘Mr TNA’ by Joey Styles) runs in…but is overshadowed by the arrival of Axl Rotten and Balls Mahoney! Nova is destroyed by the Chair Swinging Freaks – as Joey makes Simon Dean jokes in the background. The bell still hasn’t rung by the way. SPRINGBOARD SOMERSAULT PLANCHA UP THE AISLE BY KID KASH! As the match formally begins Tommy tries to wield a cheesegrater, but is floored by a Bubba Ray back drop driver. CHEESEGRATER USED ON DREAMER! He’s pouring blood! 3D-II nailed…before Sandman comes to his partner’s aid with a ladder. CHEESEGRATER ON BUBBA! ROLLING ROCK THROUGH THE LADDER from Sandman to D-Von! Bubba Ray saves with a massive chair shot, before showcasing his weight loss by giving Sandy a frog splash on a ladder for 2. WHITE RUSSIAN LEGSWEEP on D-Von! The Impact Players run in next, with Justin grabbing Sandman for THAT’S INCREDIBLE INTO BARBED WIRE! FRANCINE IS HERE! SHE KICKS TOMMY IN THE BALLS! BEULAH IS IN THE RING! Beulah McGillicutty (aka Tommy’s wife) grabs Francine! CATFIGHT! CAT FIIIIIIIGHT! With blood covering his face, Tommy and his wife embrace in the middle of the ring. HUSBAND AND WIFE DREAMER DDT’S ON THE DUDLEYZ! Tommy slumps over the ropes, in a position akin to his infamous ECW Arena caning, and is appropriately hammered with a Singapore Cane by Bubba. D-Von powerbombs Sandman through a table for 2! 3-D ON DREAMER! Spike Dudley, back in tie dye himself, marches down the aisle bringing lighter fluid with him! He assists his brothers in setting up a BURNING TABLE! POWERBOMB THROUGH A FLAMING TABLE FOR TOMMY! HE’S HARDCORE! DUDLEYZ WIN! It’s over at 10:51
Rating - **** - It’s almost impossible to rate this as a wrestling match, but as a piece of nostalgia at an ECW tribute show this was a bloody, joyous and immensely entertaining way to main event. The four actual competitors beat the sh*t out of each other, Dreamer (who was almost in tears before the bell rang) bled buckets for this company once again and got a beautiful (if barbaric) moment to cherish with his wife in the midst of it all…and all of the cameos were wonderfully judged. As a live action greatest hits package of everything we loved about ECW it was glorious – and a brilliant way to say farewell to the company.
Sandman canes the sh*t out of all three Dudleyz before they can put their hands on Beulah, then calls for beers to revive Tommy. STONE COLD IS IN THE HOUSE! He definitely has beers to spare, and invites the whole ECW locker room out for a beer bash. Before they can drink though, Austin turns to face the WWE invaders and invites them all to the ring for a fight. After some provocation they line up across the ring from the ECW troops, with Eric Bischoff invading the commentary table to argue with Styles and Foley. ‘We want Taz’ – fans. WAR MACHINE HITS! THE HUMAN SUPLEX MACHINE ARRIVES! HE GOES RIGHT AFTER KURT ANGLE! THE FIGHT IS ON! TAZ-MISSION! ANGLE IS CHOKED OUT! Notoriously, you can clearly see JBL attacking Blue Meanie from behind like a coward even in the WWE edit. Poor Meanie is a mess! The WWE invaders are sent packing, with one exception. Austin instructs Mick Foley to drag Bischoff to the ring to face the music too. He orchestrates a massacre, instructing one wrestler after another to give Eric a finishing move before doling out a Stunner himself. Beers flow freely as the night ends…
Tape Rating - **** - I said at the start of my review that I was nervous about watching this show as a critic. It has such a special place in my heart as a fan that I’ve never felt the need to watch it in full again. I can remember few nights I’ve enjoyed more than watching this broadcast live at the time and was concerned that reviewing it for this series would ruin it. I needn’t have worried – I still thought this show was superb. I actually wanted to go higher on my rating, but ultimately thought 4* fairly reflected the fact that I’m a ‘wrestling’ reviewer and there isn’t necessarily that much ‘wrestling’ at the heart of this show. If you don’t have the same reverence and emotional connection to the ECW promotion – and lets face it, in 2017 there are countless WWE fans who weren’t alive when it was in business – then you probably won’t love this show as much as me. However, in my own personal opinion WWE absolutely nailed this, albeit perhaps by stepping back and letting as much of the ECW team as possible do their thing with minimal interference. It looked like an ECW show, and they cleverly packed in as much nostalgia and greatest hits moments as they possibly could. The ‘WWE invader’ storyline was perfectly pitched as well (only really serving as a distraction during the Benoit/Eddie match). They brought in guys they knew the WWE fans would love to hate (Bischoff, JBL, Edge etc) and gave the ECW fans (and Paul Heyman) carte blanche to say whatever the hell they wanted to them. The big fight at the end provided a thrilling climax to the evening, and historically has become incredibly notorious thanks to Bradshaw and Blue Meanie. This could have been a real mess, or become a cheap attempt to make a few dollars on the back of the ECW name (as the relaunched ECW brand would become in a year or so)…particularly after the ‘Rise & Fall’ DVD sold so well, but in the end WWE deserve so much credit for getting the tone of this show just right. It is a perfectly measured ECW tribute show…and perhaps the biggest compliment you can offer is that many ECW performers and staff consider this night to be the true ‘end’ and ‘farewell’ to Extreme Championship Wrestling. Although I’d have liked to have seen Shane Douglas, Terry Funk, Raven, New Jack, Tammy Sytch and a couple of others, it really is hard to disagree with this assessment. Unlike so much of what WWE was doing at the time (and still does to this day) this show didn’t feel forced, scripted or sanitised. This felt organic, emotive, alive…and most crucially, entirely authentic. It is an adult show, but it delivered the sort of intensity and passion that WWE shows so rarely deliver. Thumbs up if you’re a wrestling fan. Thumbs WAY up if you’re an ECW fan…
Top 3 Matches
3) Super Crazy vs Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Little Guido (***)
2) Dudley Boyz vs Tommy Dreamer/The Sandman (****)
1) Mike Awesome vs Masato Tanaka (****)