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History of ECW 6/5/1998

Taped from New Orleans, LA
Airdate: June 5, 1998
Hosted by Joey Styles
For those of you who are waiting for my review of Slamboree ’93 I am awaiting delivery of the tape in the mail. I should have it out prior to my review of the next episode of Worldwide. On to the show…
From the WWE Studios Joey welcomes us to another installment of the History of ECW. This week’s episode emanates from the Joe Brown Center in N’awlins, Loooooooosiana! We will see a six-man tag match between the Dudley Boyz and Little Spike Dudley, Tommy Dreamer, and Sandman. Also RVD defends the ECW World Television title against Lance Storm. But first let’s have yet another dance-off between the FBI and the bWo. Joey “dances” us to…


Tommy Rich gets on the microphone and asks the sound engineer to hit the music. Tracy Smothers tumbles to the center of the ring and “dances.” It’s Blue Meanie’s turn, but as he struts and shakes the music goes in and out. Suddenly Taz’s music hits and Joey groans. While carrying the FTW belt Taz enters the ring. Smothers advances but gets nailed. Guido’s attempt is also unsuccessful as he gets belly-to-belly Taz-plexed! Taz then delivers a high cradle Taz-plex to Smothers. Nova interferes, but receives a German Taz-plex. Naively Blue Meanie encourages Taz to dance with him but receives a T-bone Taz-plex for his troubles. Rich tries his best to attack, but Taz comes off the ropes and kicks him in the knee. He then cinches in the Tazmission to the crowd’s delight. Taz grabs the microphone and hits his catchphrase.
Bigelow enters the ring, but Guido gets between him and Taz. Unceremoniously Guido gets pressed and tossed into the steel railing. Taz and BBB brawl. As the crowd chants “ECW” they fight at ringside then into the stands. Security breaks things up.
The opening credits roll.
As a trumpet plays some classic Bourbon Street jazz Joey welcomes us to another edition of ECW. He hypes the previously mentioned six-man tag match and then the TV title match.
Match 1 for the ECW World Television title: RVD (champion w/ Fonzie) versus Lance Storm
Before the match starts highlights of last week’s “dysfunctional” tag match are shown. We are joined in progress as RVD and Storm are in the midst of a rope sequence culminated by Storm’s counter of a leapfrog with an inverted atomic drop. RVD retaliates with a spinkick. RVD tries a somersault leg drop, but Storm dodges. A leg sweep segues into a dropkick by Storm.
Storm cross-corner whips RVD and tries to monkey-flip him; however, RVD counters by putting Storm on the top rope. Storm then gets a sidekick to the temple. He tries to cross-corner whip RVD again, but it gets reversed. Somersault monkey-flip gets executed by RVD, but Storm lands on his feet. Another rope sequence gets interrupted when Fonzie grabs Storm’s boot. When Storm takes the bait RVD knees him in the back to send him out of the ring. RVD then gives Storm a somersault tope!
Next RVD suplexes Storm onto the steel railing. As Fonzie holds Storm in place RVD gives Storm the corkscrew guillotine legdrop from the apron! Back in the ring Rolling Thunder gets a 2 count. Within a split second RVD gives Storm a spinning dropkick, kips up, and then delivers a corkscrew legdrop. After taunting his challenger with kicks he comes off the ropes and gets hit with an elbow in the mush.
RVD tries a spinkick but misses. Storm comes back with an awesome leg lariat. They trade some punches until Storm cross-corner whips RVD and splashes him. After an elbow he dropkicks RVD in the corner. RVD reverses a cross-corner whip, but Storm leaps to the top rope and delivers the back elbow for a 2 count. Afterwards he gives RVD a tiger bomb for another 2 count.
Storm then gives RVD another cross-corner whip and charges with a handspring clothesline. Impressive! Next he follows with a springboard clothesline for a 2 count. Storm sets up for another springboard maneuver, but Sabu yanks him down from the apron to the concrete floor. RVD then baseball slides him. Sabu sets up a table and gives Storm the triple jump splash through it!
After Sabu tosses Storm back in RVD slams him to set up the split-legged moonsault. He hits it and gets the pin! Afterwards Sabu puts Storm in the camel clutch. Fonzie holds the chair in his face so that RVD can give him the Van Daminator! But before RVD can execute it, Chris Candido crotches him on the top rope. He then delivers a missile dropkick to Sabu.
Subsequently Candido knocks RVD off the top rope to the apron, and Storm baseball-slides him to the floor. As Joey announces a World Tag Team title match next week at the ECW Arena between these two teams Storm and Candido execute double pescadoes onto their upcoming challengers. ***1/2
We return from commercial to see Candido and Storm shake hands at least for now. What happens after the big title match next week? Who knows?
Joey hypes the Hardcore Hotline.
We then see highlights from “A Matter of Respect ‘98” of Kronus delivering the 450 splash to “Dastardly” Danny Doring and then pinning him. Suddenly Ulf Herman nails a springboard clothesline on Kronus. Herman and The Equalizer beat down Kronus until Jack Victory makes the save and attacks both men. Lance Wright snivels in the corner while watching his men get beat up. As if someone said free shit in the ring New Jack brings his trash can of goodies to the ring. He then nails Lance Wright with the trash can lid. Next he grabs his guitar and attempts to waffle Lance with it until Victory nails him! He proceeds to wallop New Jack with the guitar and its remnants until it practically disintegrates.
Joey hypes the return of Jack Victory after a 7-8 year hiatus. He then drops New Jack’s real name (Jerome Young) as a “bona fide criminal.”
Get your copy of “A Matter of Respect ‘98” by calling 1-800-854-5831!
Highlights of the 3-D that severely injured Sandman’s neck are shown. Then we see the end of the match between Tommy Dreamer and the Sandman versus the Dudley Boyz from Wrestlepalooza.
Match 2: The Dudley Boyz (w/ Joel Gertner) versus Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, and Little Spike Dudley (w/ Beulah)
Joel Gertner refers to New Orleans as the “transvestite capital of the world” and “The Big Sleazy.” Sign Guy holds up his “Big Sleazy” sign. Gertner then introduces Sign Guy Dudley who holds up a “You Are Trash” sign. Next he introduces Big Dick Dudley as “Tom Byron’s favorite professional wrestler.” Whoa! Wait a minute! I just spat cola all over my TV screen. Let me clean it off so I can see what I’m watching again…ok, back to our main event. Joey mentions Byron as Traci Lord’s favorite male companion in her movies and then disses Val Venis. Gertner then concludes his introductions with the former three-time ECW World Tag Team champion Dudley Boyz.
Our Hardcore History moment details Bubba Ray Dudley’s debut as Mongo the bodyguard of Bill Alfonso.
We return from commercial in the midst of Sandman’s entrance. He is perched up above the entrance in the crowd with his Singapore cane and customary cold one. Tommy Dreamer also brings a cold one to the ring while Little Spike Dudley brings a ladder. In a precursor to HHH’s spit take at the end of his entrance Dreamer spews a huge quantity of beer in Bubba’s face. I’ll refrain from the somewhat obligatory Beulah joke since she and Tommy are married in real life. Heaven knows that I do not want Tommy Dreamer beating down my door for insulting Beulah online.
While Sandman hoists his cane, drinks his beer, and smokes his cigarette Dreamer and Spike do a body shot of beer off Beulah’s chest.
We take a quick break back to the WWE Studios where Joey hypes the match and lets us know it’s joined in progress.
Back in the arena Dreamer delivers a hangman’s neckbreaker from the top rope to D-Von Dudley.  Bubba tags in. The crowd chants for Spike, so he enters the match. Immediately he ducks a clothesline and delivers a series of forearms to Bubba. He then gives him the 10-punch count, stops at 9, and tries to give him a huracanrana. Instead Bubba catches and powerbombs him easily.
After Spike gets back in the ring Bubba methodically beats him up. He then whips Spike off the ropes and gives him a back body drop. He continues the punishment then gives him a body slam. He comes off the ropes but misses a splash. Spike retaliates with a dropkick and an armdrag. As Bubba staggers around the ring he gets nailed by both Sandman and Dreamer then bulldogged by Spike.
Big Dick tags in and enters over the top rope. Sandman tags in. They tie-up and Big Dick takes Sandman to the corner. He then poses with his 25” pythons. Loudly he kicks Sandman in the midsection then tries to chokeslam him.  Sandman escapes and clotheslines Big Dick out of the ring. However, Big Dick lands on his feet, grabs Sandman, and pulls him to the outside. As he goes to work on Sandman Bubba nails Spike with a chair.
Back In the ring Sandman gives Big Dick the “FrankenSander” according to Joey. Sandman tries to whip Big Dick off the ropes but gets reversed into a powerslam for a 2 count. After Bubba ensures that Spike is busted open Dreamer grabs Bubba and tosses him into the front row. With both Dudley Boyz in the front row Spike dives from the top rope onto them!
After Dreamer stunguns Bubba he gives him a slingshot splash for a 2 count. Dreamer misses a clothesline , but Bubba doesn’t miss the belly-to-back suplex. Spike and D-Von take their turn in the ring, and Spike gives D-Von the Acid Drop for a 2 count.  Sandman and Big Dick are in the ring. Sandman gives Big Dick a vicious shot with his Singapore cane. When Sandman tries to nail him again Big Dick gives him the chokeslam.
Surprisingly Big Dick heads to the top rope but gets caught and placed in the tree of woe. Bubba and Sandman exchange blows until Dreamer gives Bubba a chair shot. Sandman and Dreamer then set Bubba up for the tree of woe as we take a break.
When we return all four Dudleys including Sign Guy are tied to the tree of woe and get dropkicks in the face from Dreamer, Sandman, Spike, and Beulah. The crowd celebrates with an “ECW” chant. Referee Jeff Jones who isn’t assigned to this match enters the ring. He then challenges Jim Molineaux to a fight. As Molineaux holds Jones in a front facelock Gertner tries to interfere. Instantly Beulah grabs Gertner in a front facelock and both deliver stereo DDTs.
All three Dudley Boyz receive chair shots.  After Dreamer sets up a ladder in the ring he bulldogs D-Von on it. OUCH! Dreamer then walks the second rope but misses the elbow. Sandman then picks up the ladder and throws it squarely at Bubba. He slams Bubba, places the ladder on top of him, and mounts the top rope. He then gives Bubba a senton on the ladder!
Meanwhile Sign Guy and Big Dick have handcuffed Dreamer to the top rope. Sandman dives onto Big Dick outside the ring. But inside the ring Spike sets up the ladder, climbs, and falls directly into a Bubba Cutter although it only gets a 2 count. Sign Guy and Big Dick then handcuff Sandman to the steel railing. Bubba tries to finish Spike with a powerbomb, but Spike escapes and goes low on Bubba. Spike then delivers the Acid Drop to Bubba on the ladder. D-Von and Sign Guy save the pinfall.
Sign Guy waffles the referee with his sign. Bubba picks up the ladder and drops it on Spike. As D-Von winds up to give Dreamer a chair shot Beulah steps between them. It appears that chivalry isn’t dead when Bubba stops D-Von from punching Beulah until they give her the Dudley Death Drop instead!
In an effort to save the day New Jack with another bucket’o’plundah hits the ring. He proceeds to use said plundah on the Dudley Boyz. As soon as New Jack preps his guitar Jack Victory hammers him with a right hand. As the Dudley Boyz hold New Jack, Victory lambastes him with the guitar! Chaos reigns supreme as Dreamer, Sandman, Spike, New Jack, and Beulah are all laid out. All the heels raise their arms while Sign Guy holds up a Victory sign to close out the show! **
Back in the WWE Studios Joey mentions that Jack Victory was a flag bearer for the Sheepherders back in the ‘80s. He then references Johnny Ace in the same role with supporting video, asks whatever happened to him, and video of John Laurinaitis is shown. He then details Beulah’s retirement after receiving that maneuver as well as her life story. In fact, according to Joey, Tommy Dreamer and Beulah’s twins starred in the Sopranos as Janice and Bobby’s daughter.  Next week the fallout from the maneuver that retired Beulah will take place!
Overall this show had several highlights. The continuation of the monster push that Taz received at this time could not have been hotter. The TV title match between RVD and Storm was fantastic, yet it also built to a tag title match next week. In addition the six-man match was a violent mess, but since that was its intention I cannot discredit it. Do you find it peculiar that ECW would end a show taking place in the South with the heels prevailing similar to the nWo days of WCW? Stay tuned for the next episode of the History of ECW!
 Be sure to visit http://www.rockstargary.com to check out more info on me!

Comments

  1. 'In fact, according to Joey, Tommy Dreamer and Beulah’s twins starred in the Sopranos as Janice and Bobby’s daughter.'

    Holy crap! I was only watching the last episode of The Sopranos today where Janice shows Uncle Junior a photo of her daughter and now that I know that she's actually Dreamer's in real life I have to admit she has a definite resemblance to Dreamer. Although I now have a weird mental image of Dreamer's daughter getting the Sopranos gig at the auditions over a Raven-esque emo girl who now vows to get bloody revenge on her in the future!

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