Written By: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 1/25/1997
From: Philadelphia, PA
Joey Styles is standing in the ring and welcomes everyone to the show. Styles notices the Triple Threat standing behind Tommy Dreamer on the balcony. Dreamer turns around is met with a trash can shot form Lee. Shane Douglas and Lee beat Dreamer down with a steel chair and trash can. Douglas delivers a arm breaker and Lee goes back to delivering trash can shots. Candido tosses Dreamer off the balcony and into the guard railing. The Triple Threat taunt the fans as Dreamer is laying on the floor beneath them. Dreamer has been busted open. Terry Funk comes over and begins throwing chairs at the Triple Threat before checking on Dreamer. EMTS place Dreamer onto a stretcher to carry Dreamer out of the arena. Before Dreamer can reach the outside of the building, Tommy Rich attacks Dreamer. Rich also attacks Terry Funk!
Hardcore TV opening video
Joey Styles is back in the ring and restarts the opening despite clearing being rattled after what just happened. Styles introduces his special guest, Taz! Bill Alfonso screams at Styles saying stuff I couldn’t understand. Taz tells Styles to stand in the corner and shut up as the fans chant for Sabu. Taz rips on the fans for doing that because Sabu is in Japan. Taz mentions that RVD is also in Japan with Sabu. Taz believes that RVD should be in Philadelphia getting his ass stretched out by him. Taz says when Alfonso gets a contract all set up and they sign it, Taz promises he will beat Sabu. Taz cuts a promo on a fan who was chanting against Taz’s peers. Taz tells the fans that they don’t have the right to chant “Fuck Sabu”, only he has the right to say it. That’s how the segment ends.
Opening Contest: ECW World Tag Team Champions the Eliminators defeated Axl Rotten/D-Von Dudley to retain the titles. All four men brawl in the ring to start off the contest. Saturn spin kicks Rotten and follows up with a axe kick. Kronus nails D-Von with a leaping sidekick. Eliminators with stereo moonsault onto their opponents. The champs continue their attack on the floor but Rotten and D-Von fight back. Saturn sends Rotten into the guard railing but Saturn manages to send Rotten into the railing as well. D-Von is super kicked back in the ring by Kronus. Rotten clotheslines both Saturn and Kronus in the ring. D-Von big splashes Kronus off the apron on the floor. Saturn kicks Rotten several times in the corner. Scoop slam by Saturn on Rotten and leaps off the top connecting with a knee drop. Saturn leaps off the apron and clotheslines D-Von on he floor. D-Von tosses Saturn onto a table and into the guard railing. Kronus and Rotten brawl in the ring. Kronus with a handspring back elbow in the corner to stop Rotten. Dudley nails Saturn with a middle rope leg drop for a two count. Rotten plants Saturn with a DDT. Saturn runs into a big boot and back elbow. D-Von smashes Kronus with a chair on the floor. Rotten with a dominator on Saturn for a near fall! Saturn dropkicks a chair into D-Von’s face. Saturn super kicks Rotten and the Eliminators finish Rotten off with Total Elimination! Kronus covers and wins the match! *½
Shane Douglas makes his way down to the ring and says he is offering a lot of money to take out Pitbull #2. Pitbull #2 is in the ring with Bubba Dudley. The Bad Crew come down to the ring but they are taken out by Pitbull and Bubba. D-Von Dudley and Axl Rotten run down to the ring but they are taken out as well. Douglas says he will do it himself, but Chris Candido and Brian Lee run down and attack Pitbull and Bubba. Lee choke slams Bubba and Pitbull is double teamed while Douglas sends Bubba into the guard railing. Lee choke slams Pitbull over the top rope and through a table! Pitbull gets up but Douglas plants Pitbull with a single arm DDT! Douglas calls himself, Candido and Lee the Triple Threat, officially. Pitbull is taken out on a stretcher.
Main Event: Brian Lee defeated Terry Funk: Lee and Funk start off brawling in the front row trading right hands. Lee sends Funk face first into a steel chair. Lee tosses a bloody Funk over the railing back to ringside. Lee smashes a chair over Funk’s left knee several times! Lee stomps away on Funk’s knee and delivers more right hands. Funk falls onto the apron as Lee punches Funk out of the ring. Lee rams Funk face first into the top turnbuckle. Lee with right hands and a head butt. Lee spikes Funk with a pile driver. Funk starts to a second wind as the fans chant his name. Funk with several left hands and trades several wild punches with Lee. Funk knocks Lee to the floor with a head butt and grabs a chair. Lee connects with a pile driver on a unfolded chair! Funk smashes the chair down onto Lee’s leg and across Lee’s back and head several more times. Funk tosses Lee into the first few rows and tosses several chairs onto Lee. Lee low blows Funk but Funk comes back with left hands. They continue to trade punches in the front row. Lee crotches Funk on the guard railing and head butts Funk to the floor. Lee rams Funk head first onto the time keepers table ten times. Funk battles back by ramming Lee head first onto the table. Funk gets on the table and jumps off a chair splashing onto Lee but the table doesn’t break. Lee tosses a table into the ring and onto Funk. Lee drives the table down onto Funk’s lower back. Lee sets the table up in the corner and sends Funk through the table! Lee proceeds to stomp the table onto Funk. Funk swinging wild left hands and is knocked to the floor. On the floor, Funk sends Lee into the guard railing and head butts Lee several times. Shane Douglas runs down to ringside and attacks Funk on the floor. Candido is also at ringside and sets a table up on the floor. Lee grabs Funk on the apron and choke slams Funk through the table! Funk is rolled back into the ring and Lee picks up the win after fifteen minutes of brawling. *
After the match, Brian Lee says he thinks Terry’s father is turning over in his grave seeing his pussy son got his ass kicked. Funk is flipping Lee off as Lee declares himself the legend killer. Funk sits up and begins to slap Lee and deliver a few left hands. Funk manages to mount Lee and slap Lee several times. Funk chokes Lee with the microphone in his face. Shane Douglas and Chris Candido finally enter the ring and stomp away on Funk to close out the segment.
Joel Gertner combs his chest hair in front of a mirror.
Joey Styles goes over the recent happenings between Shane Douglas and the Pitbulls. Styles mentions how both Tommy Dreamer and Pitbull #2 were taken out by the Triple Threat.
Shane Douglas and Francine are in the ring. Douglas attacks the referee and says that there is a problem tonight. Douglas brags about sending Dreamer to the hospital. Douglas wants to know who in the back will come out and give him a fight. A masked man comes out in a mask. Fans in attendance know who it is, and when he speaks it is clearly RICK RUDE! Rude says it is a new year and his new year resolution is to change the direction of ECW! Rude says his new year resolution is to “fuck with the Franchise!” The fans go nuts as they want to see someone fuck with Shane Douglas! Douglas asks why Rude is hiding behind a mask. Rude is hiding behind a mask for two reasons. One reason being that Douglas would shit himself and the fans would have to deal with the smell. Rude says Ric Flair’s to be the man line. Rude tells Douglas to show that he is the Franchise or that he is “hung like a hamster.” Douglas wants to know who Rude has in mind. Rude says it isn’t Dreamer or Pitbull #2. Rude asks for the music and Pitbull #1 storms the ring! Pitbull clotheslines and backdrops Douglas as the fans are going ape shit! Pitbull #1 press slams Douglas and Douglas tries to leave but is pulled back in as Hardcore TV comes to an end!
End of show
My Take: A good way to open the show and to get the Triple Threat over as good group. I enjoyed the beating and it came across well. Obviously, the fans will be behind Dreamer as he will make a baby face comeback over the next several months. That should be some good television.
The tag title match was a decent little brawl but nothing great. The Total Elimination finisher is a really cool finisher.
I really thought their was going to be a heel turn by Bubba on Pitbull #2 during that bounty segment, but that didn’t happen. Triple Threat really showing their dominance in the show with causing both Dreamer and Pitbull #2 to be carried out of the arena.
A pretty boring main event between Lee and Funk. However, the finish was pretty sick. I hated the aftermath as Funk shouldn’t have been able to recover so quickly. That just made it look dumb and made Lee look dumb as well.
Awesome way to end the show. First of all, Rick Rude in ECW is fucking great. I love Rick Rude and everything he brings to a company. He sure as hell will not be wresting but having him as a promo guy and just being on the show will be really entertaining. Also, the fans went nuts for the return of Pitbull #1. So, despite getting rid of Dreamer and Pitbull #2, Douglas still has to deal with the returning Pitbull #2. Good booking, in my opinion.
Overall, this show was fairly good. I mean, the first 45 minutes were kind of lackluster but with a finish like that, I am really pumped to see what ECW has to offer in the weeks to come.
Thanks for reading.