ECW Guilty As Charged 1999 1/10/1999

Written By: David

ECW Guilty as Charged 99
January 10, 1999
Millennium Theatre
Kissimmee, FL

The current ECW champs were as follows:
World Champion: Shane Douglas (11/30/97)
Television Champion: Rob Van Dam (4/4/98)
Tag Team Champions: Sabu and Rob Van Dam (12/13/98)
Unrecognized FTW Champion: Sabu (12/19/98)

Your host is Joey Styles.

Paul Heyman is in a locker room yelling, notifying us that Masato Tanaka didn’t make it in from Japan and Jerry Lynn is still recovering from an injury, so you can scratch them off the card. Somehow he reasons that this means ECW doesn’t “jerk you around” like the “other guys” do.

Tag Team 3-Way Dance: Axl Rotten and Balls Mahoney vs Danny Doring and Roadkill vs The FBI (Tracey Smothers and Little Guido) (w/ Big Sal E. Graziano, Big Guido, and Tommy Rich)

This starts off as a normal tag match between FBI and Doring/Roadkill. The FBI stalls forever hugging and kissing each other. Guido and Doring start it off … or not. They interrupt long wastes of time with a couple shoves into the corner. Doring puts him in a headlock, hits the ropes, struts away from a back drop, and goes back to wasting time. Then the AC/DC music hits and here comes Axl and Balls. Axl calls the match a homosexual dance party and makes it a three-way dance. Everyone gets in the ring for a big brawl. To the floor, Axl hits Roadkill with a chair. Inside, Guido goes for a crucifix into a sunset flip on Doring for two. They exchange chops and Guido dumps Doring to the floor. Guido comes off the apron, but Doring ducks and Guido gets bent over the guardrail. Now it’s Balls and Smothers inside. Smothers scores some chops, but Balls responds with a short-arm clothesline. Axl hits Roadkill with a chair to the back on the elevated rampway. Smothers ducks another clothesline and hits Balls with a back heel kick. Balls ducks a chop and scores with a superkick for two. Smothers hits the ropes and Balls catches him with a sit-out powerbomb for two, then clotheslines him to the floor. The FBI has a meeting on the floor, and Balls comes off the top rope (!) onto Sal E. and Big Guido. Roadkill and Axl get in the ring and Roadkill hits a low blow. He punches and stomps Axl in the corner, whips him, then hits a corner splash. Axl reverses a whip and brings Roadkill down with a clothesline for a one count before Smothers jumps on Axl and stomps him to the floor. Smothers hits the ropes, shoulder block, hits the ropes again, and gets caught by Roadkill for a side slam. More rope running results in Roadkill catching Smothers for a slow powerslam. Roadkill heads upstairs for a splash from the far side turnbuckle! The count is stopped at two when Guido comes off the top rope onto Roadkill. Doring goes after Guido and hits a front Russian leg sweep and a sternum breaker. Then he heads up top and comes down with a leg drop on Smothers. Doring and Roadkill team up on Guido for a falling clothesline-into-powerbomb move. Doring covers, but the ref is distracted, and Tommy Rich sneaks in and hits Doring with an Italian flag. Roadkill is dragged outside, allowing Guido and Smothers to hit Doring with a double fisherman’s suplex for the 1-2-3. (8:15) Doring and Roadkill are eliminated. The FBI sends Axl to the floor and teams up on Balls for a double judo trip, some stomps, a double arm ringer, double chops, then double dropkicks, then double elbow drops. Guido covers for two. Suddenly it becomes a traditional tag match again, and Guido lays down on Balls with a chin lock. Balls gets the crowd chanting and hits a twisting back drop. Smothers tags in, then Axl gets the hot tag and unloads on the FBI with clotheslines and fists. Guido and Smothers get corner whipped into each other, then Axl hits Guido with a reverse DDT as Balls hits a NUTCRACKER SUITE on Smothers. They both cover for a double 1-2-3. (10:43) After the match, Big Guido and Big Sal E. miss clotheslines and receive stereo chair shots from Balls and Axl. Well, it was fun little match is about all I can say. **1/2

Terry Funk gives a promo about how he was like a father to Tommy Dreamer and Dreamer betrayed him and so now he’s going to kick his ass. Ehh, Funk as a heel in ECW just doesn’t make sense. This practically gives away the ending to the Dreamer/Credible match later on. Let’s see, Justin Credible is a cowardly, piece of shit heel who only wins on outside interference, and someone’s in the building who is out to get Dreamer, and Dreamer always loses on outside interference, hmmm.

Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Super Crazy

They tie up and Crazy gives Tajiri a clean break. Wrist lock by Tajiri, counter by Crazy, arm drag by Tajiri, then Tajiri goes chain wrestling until pulling Crazy down for a one count. Right back up, Crazy gives Tajiri a boot to the stomach, a snap mare, and a modified la majistral for a one count. They break and receive golf claps from the crowd. Crazy puts him in headlock, hits the ropes, Tajiri leap frogs him, Crazy hits the ropes again and delivers a swinging DDT. Crazy gloats, but it’s the OCCASIONAL NO-SELL by Tajiri, who goes for some low kicks. A wrist lock and more kicks bring Crazy down, then he takes a vicious kick to the back of the head, then a running dropkick to the head! Tajiri ducks a clothesline, Crazy ducks a kick, they exchange overhand chops, then Tajiri hits the ropes and delivers a dropkick to the knee. Crazy reverses a whip, but Tajiri hits a second dropkick to the knee. Tajiri rolls him up into a leg breaker. The hold gets a two count, then Crazy kicks his way out. Crazy reverses a whip, but Tajiri does a handspring back elbow! He knocks Crazy to the floor with a baseball slide, then delivers a perfect asai moonsault. Crazy eventually gets up to the apron and Tajiri gives him a roundhouse kick and puts him in the TARANTULA. Tajiri tries kicking Crazy on the apron again, but Crazy blocks it and chops Tajiri, then springboards into a flying dropkick. Tajiri’s on the floor, and Super Crazy delivers a suicide somersault tope. He follows up with an inverted Samoan drop and a sweet moonsault splash off the guardrail. Tajiri gets rolled back in, and Crazy puts him into a Mexican surfboard. Crazy rolls the move around, then pulls back on Tajiri’s head, which bends Tajiri back into a gnarly position. Crazy lets him out and drops a spinning elbow. Tajiri hits the ropes, counters a tilt-a-whirl into an arm drag, then hits a third dropkick to the knee. Crazy rolls outside and Tajiri climbs up top for a huge flying cross body! Tajiri kicks Crazy in the back, then sends him in, then hits him with a back heel kick for two. They do a pair of standing switches, Tajiri hits the ropes, Crazy drops him with a toe hold, then gets a two count with la majistral. Crazy drops Tajiri again, but Tajiri counters la majistral into one of his own for a two count. Crazy chops and kicks Tajiri into a corner. He tries a German suplex, Tajiri flips through it, Crazy scores a kick to the gut, then walks up the turnbuckle for a moonsault that gets two. He dropkicks Tajiri to the floor and delivers a slingshot tope con hilo! Back in, Crazy hits a missile dropkick and a tornado DDT. He pummels Tajiri some more and hits him with an inverted tornado DDT. 1-2-NO! Crazy goes for a powerbomb, but it’s countered into a DDT by Tajiri. They’re both down. Crazy gets up first and misses a wild corkscrew from the top turnbuckle. Tajiri hits him with a low dropkick to the face and goes up top. Crazy stops him, they exchange punches, and Tajiri comes out of the corner with a sunset flip for 1-2-NO! Tajiri sets Crazy up for a top-rope hurracanrana, but Super Crazy rolls through it for 1-2-NO! Right back up, Crazy hits a sit-out powerbomb for 1-2-NO! He tries another one, but Tajiri flips through and hits one of his own, but the count is stopped at two when Crazy turns it into a rolling leg switch. Tajiri gets the better of it and gets a two count. They trade a few blows before Tajiri catches Crazy’s arm and puts him on his back for an airplane spin-like maneuver. Tajiri turns that into a dragon suplex with a bridge for the 1-2-3. (11:37) You gotta love these guys. ***1/2

John Kronus comes out, then Jeff Jones debuts his judge gimmick and reveals that Kronus’ mystery opponent is … making his first ECW appearance … SID!

Sid Vicious vs John Kronus

Kronus gives Sid a pair of right hands, but Sid’s no-selling. Sid catches him coming off the ropes with a choke, then chokeslams Kronus out of the ring through a table! On the floor he adds three chair shots. He tosses poor John Kronus back in and hits a powerbomb for the 1-2-3. (1:31) DUD

We see a history package for the Douglas/Taz title match. It’s good title match build-up type stuff, but it also makes Sabu look like a bitch, so I don’t want to talk about it.

Joel Gertner does his shtick (“the man for whom she begs and the face between her legs”). He intros the Dudleys forever, then Buh Buh Ray taunts the crowd. He challenges anyone in the locker room to a match, so we get …

Dudley Boyz (w/ Big Dick Dudley, Sign Guy, and Joel Gertner) vs New Jack and Spike Dudley

Spike’s dressed up like a Gangsta. He and New Jack spill a pair of trash cans full of weapons on the canvas and go after the Dudleys. They start with a few pieces of tin and a crutch. Jack takes D-Von to the floor while Spike controls Buh Buh inside. Spike stands on his chest in the corner and drops down for a hurracanrana, followed by a baking pan to the head. That gets a two count. Buh Buh reverses a whip and scores with the pan. Another pan shot and a head butt slow Spike down, and Buh Buh whips him into a press slam into the crowd! Spike goes body surfing a bit, then Buh Buh pulls him back over the rail onto the rampway. Buh Buh throws him back into the crowd with another press slam, and the crowd hardly even tries to catch him. This entire time D-Von and New Jack have been pummeling each other on the floor. New Jack counters a whip with a right hand, then sends D-Von crashing into the rail. Spike drops Buh Buh with a pan shot on the rampway while New Jack chokes D-Von. They all regroup in the ring. Spike and New Jack have guitars and the Dudleys have chairs. The Dudleys duck the guitars and escape to the floor while Big Dick jumps in the ring and Spike nails him with the powder-filled guitar. Dick no-sells it and stares down Spike, but he turns around, New Jack hits him with a guitar and he goes down. The Dudleys sneak back into the ring and drop their opponents with a pair of chairs to the back. Buh Buh hits Spike with what’s left of a guitar, then a trash can. D-Von sends Jack to the ramp, then stomps Spike. Buh Buh sits on the turnbuckle and D-Von sets Spike up for a Buh Buh Bomb. D-Von goes out to the ramp after New Jack, who comes back with a right hand and an elbow drop. New Jack tells the camera, “I’m gonna kill this boy. I’m gonna kill his ass.” Buh Buh goes after him, he blocks a pan shot, steals it, and cracks a few pan shots over the Dudleys’ heads. D-Von eventually blocks one, but New Jack ducks and D-Von hits Buh Buh Ray, which leads to one of the most unconvincing sells ever. D-Von reverses a whip and it’s a DUDLEY DEATH DROP on the rampway. In the ring, Big Dick puts Spike in a choke hold, but Spike pokes him in the eye and hits a low blow, followed by an ACID DROP. He gives another one to D-Von. Spike covers and gets two before Buh Buh tries a splash to break it up, only for Spike to move out of the way. Spike scores a third acid drop on Buh Buh. Big Dick tries to break it up with a splash, but Spike moves again. He goes for another acid drop, but Big Dick tosses him off. D-Von whips Spike and he receives the DUDLEY DEATH DROP. Buh Buh covers, 1-2-3. (10:01) After the match, the Dudleys team up on New Jack. At one point, a fat loogie from New Jack connects with Buh Buh’s forehead! D-Von adds some mic banter before delivering a chair shot from the top turnbuckle. Buh Buh wastes as much time as possible on the mic while D-Von continues to stomp New Jack. Pretty terrible, just no intensity, sloppy, and too slow, but I must admit it is hard not to hate the Dudleyz, so the match got over in that respect. 1/4*

We watch an RVD highlight reel to Pantera’s “Walk.”

ECW Television Champion Rob Van Dam (w/ Bill Alfonso) vs Lance Storm (w/ Tammy Lynn Bytch aka Dawn Marie)

It was supposed to be RVD vs. Tanaka for the TV Title and a 3-Way Dance between Storm, Jerry Lynn and Spike Dudley, so instead we get this. Storm gets on the mic to explain to the live audience what’s going on. You know they’re wasting time when Storm gets to speak. They start with standing switches, a takedown by Van Dam, head scissors by Storm, and Van Dam rolls him up for a one count. Van Dam stalls. They tie up again and Van Dam scores an arm drag, and there’s more stalling. They go to a corner and Storm fakes a clean break and hits him with elbows and chops. Van Dam reverses a cross-corner whip, then tumbles into a monkey flip. Storm pokes RVD in the eye, goes for a whip, but RVD tumbles out of the way and scores a front dropkick for two. Snap mare gets another two. Storm reverses a whip and catches RVD with a sweet roll-up into a single-leg Boston crab. It’s an awesome little spot if you’ve never seen it. Fonzie distracts Storm by running across the ring and grabbing Dawn Marie. Storm’s got Fonzie by the shirt, and Van Dam takes advantage with a slingshot leg drop on the apron. On the floor, Storm reverses a whip to the guardrail. He tries to scoop him up, but RVD floats over, picks up Storm, and drops him on the guardrail, then goes quickly into a corkscrew leg drop off the apron. RVD connects with some forearms and sends Storm into the ring post. He rolls him back in and delivers a double underhook drop for two. Van Dam hits some forearms and goes for a whip, but Storm leap frogs him and gives him a superkick for two. He adds a jawbreaker, a cross-corner whip, a running clothesline, a running back elbow, and a low dropkick to the face. They trade blows, RVD reverses a whip and goes for a leap frog, but Storm sees it coming, then runs into a forearm anyway, RVD goes for a springboard moonsault, but Storm dropkicks him off the top rope to the guardrail! A baseball slide by Storm sends Van Dam into the first row. In the crowd, Van Dam reverses a whip to the rail. He charges and Storm dumps him over, and RVD hits another forearm and a diving senton from the guardrail. Storm counters a scoop slam into an inverted DDT on the floor. Storm is back at ringside and RVD is in the crowd. RVD connects with a forearm and a roundhouse, then jumps on the rail, but Storm dropkicks him back into the crowd! Storm then goes for a huge plancha into the first row! RVD looks dead but somehow gets an advantage on the apron, leaps up top, but gets pushed into an ugly landing. Storm crotches him again from a back suplex position. Storm goes for a back superplex, but Van Dam lands on his feet and hits a quick corkscrew leg drop. Very well executed spot. Van Dam catches Storm charging with a drop toe hold and puts him in a Mexican surfboard. He kicks him off and goes for ROLLING THUNDER for a two count. A cross-corner whip by Van Dam is turned into a springboard back elbow by Storm for a two count. Storm punches Van Dam in a corner, whips him, then delivers his tumbling clothesline. He goes for a Northern Lights, but Van Dam gets out with a crafty heel kick. Fonzie tosses a chair to Van Dam, who tosses it to Storm, Storm ducks the Van Daminator, hops over a couple leg sweeps, then hits Van Dam with a weak-by-ECW-standards chair shot. A moment passes, then Storm picks up the chair and RVD surprises him with the VAN DAMINATOR that sends him to the floor. Storm is dead weight as RVD lifts him back in. Van Dam gets ready for a leg submission, but Storm kicks him in the groin and rolls him up with a small package for two. Van Dam ducks a spinning kick and delivers one of his own. He tosses Storm the chair for another Van Daminator, but Storm ducks and referee John Finnegan eats it. Storm tosses the chair to Van Dam and it’s a LANCE STORMINATOR! Dawn Marie tries to wake up the ref as Storm puts RVD on the top turnbuckle. Fonzie jumps in and tries to hit Storm with the chair, Storm blocks it, turns around, and here’s Van Dam coming off the top rope for a FLYING VAN DAMINATOR. That gets a 1-2-NO! Storm gets the worst of a slugfest and gets dropped with a clothesline. Van Dam tries the FIVE-STAR FROG SPLASH, but Storm moves. Storm goes for a powerbomb, but it’s countered into a hurracanrana. Storm rolls through it, but RVD rolls through that for a pair of one counts. They bridge to their feet, Storm goes for a piledriver, RVD counters into a back drop, Storm lands on his feet, he goes for a German suplex, but RVD delivers a standing switch and a German suplex of his own for the 1-2-3. (22:50) Actually not as good as the play-by-play might make it sound, but still good. It really lacked flow. ***1/4

The package for this next match is just footage of Credible and Lance Storm beating down Dreamer set to Mad Season’s “River of Deceit.” I love ECW production quality.

Stairway to Hell Match: Justin Credible (w/ Jason, Jazz, and Nicole Bass) vs. Tommy Dreamer

So there’s a Singapore cane hanging above the ring that can be reached by climbing a ladder, and the match ends on a pinfall or submission. Joey Styles explains to us that this version is better than WWF’s ladder match, but hopefully nobody buys that. Credible pushes Tommy into a corner for some knees, and Tommy responds with some chops. Credible gets whipped, kips up out of the corner, and Dreamer nails him with a foot to the groin. Credible hits the ropes and Tommy drops him with a sidewalk slam, then hits a Mick Foley-style clothesline to the floor. Credible reverses a whip into the rail, hits him with an uppercut, then sends him to the rail again. Big boot by Dreamer catches Credible charging, then Dreamer drops him onto the guardrail. Dreamer brings a chair in the ring. Credible ducks the chair, then an exchange of reversals ends with him dropping Dreamer’s head onto the chair. Credible delivers a sit-out powerbomb out of the corner and sends Dreamer to the ramp. He sets up the chair and bounces Tommy off the ropes for a DROP TOE HOLD ONTO THE CHAIR. No one sells that move better than Tommy. Credible beats him down some more, then Nicole Bass takes a shot. Credible goes for it again in the ring, but Tommy counters into a Russian leg sweep, then smashes Credible’s head into the chair. Corner whip by Tommy, who then catches Credible going for a kip-up and drops him with the Dreamer driver. He takes the ladder around the ring, Credible and Jason go for a baseball slide into it, but Tommy moves it, then drills them with it, which sends Credible into the first row. Tommy sets the ladder up on the apron and the guardrail, then hits Credible with a cup o’ beer and a piece of tin. Tommy rolls Credible in but takes a baseball slide to the floor. As Credible gloats on the apron, Tommy puts him in an electric chair and drops him face first on the ladder. Back in, Dreamer sets the ladder up in the corner and catapults Credible onto it. He slams him on the ladder, then walks the second rope, drops an elbow, but Credible moves and Tommy falls on the ladder. Credible sticks Tommy’s arm in the ladder and hits him with a chair shot. Dreamer would sell the arm for the rest of the match. Credible chokes him a bit and sets up the ladder in the corner. Tommy reverses a whip and sends Credible barreling into the ladder to the floor. Credible fights back from the floor, then suplexes Tommy out of the ring onto the cement! Back in, Credible puts Dreamer up top and tries a superplex, but Dreamer front suplexes him off. Nicole Bass distracts the ref while Jason meets Tommy up top, but he gets pushed off. Dreamer goes for a double DDT on Credible and Jason, but Jazz hits him with a low blow. Jazz snap suplexes him, but he no-sells it, grabs a handful of hair, but gets leveled by a clothesline from Jason. Credible stomps Tommy down in the corner. Then he TUNES UP THE BAND for a baseball slide, but Tommy moves and Credible crotches himself on the post! Dreamer tries to pull him in, Nicole Bass and Jason try to hold him back, Tommy lets go and Credible gets crotched again! Death Valley Driver by Tommy puts Credible down for the count. (RANT: You see, this is why this version of a ladder match is dumb. This match can end on a pinfall, so why doesn’t he go for a cover right here? That was a finishing move. It would get at least a close near fall. What’s his incentive to go up the ladder?) They stagger up and Tommy uses the ladder like a teeter-totter on the ropes to smash Credible in the head. Dreamer goes climbing up the ladder, but Credible drags him off. Credible sets the ladder on the ropes again, places Tommy on the ladder, and dumps him through a table on the floor! Credible climbs, gets to the fourth rung, but Dreamer pulls him onto a chair that was on the top turnbuckle. Tommy folds the ladder and puts it in the corner on the second rope. He sends Credible into it, then goes for a DDT, but Credible drives Tommy into the ladder, then sends him for a cross-corner whip. Dreamer takes another ride into the ladder, then receives a swinging DDT. In a brutal spot, Credible puts Dreamer’s head in between two rungs and sends the ladder into the ring post hard. Dreamer and the ladder go falling to the floor, and Dreamer blades. Credible pulls another ladder out from under the ring, and they both set up ladders and go up a few rungs. In a spot that looks completely planned, Dreamer hits Credible with a diamond cutter off the ladders. Dreamer climbs up and makes it to the cane, but Credible goes after him, no, wait, the cane’s stuck … it’s awkward .. and finally he’s got it and Credible climbs up. He’s sent back down with a boot by Tommy, then Tommy comes off the ladder with a leaping DDT. He tries to stick Credible in the ropes, but this isn’t ‘80s WWF and the ropes are too tight. Terry Funk all of a sudden comes walking up the ramp and nails Dreamer with a trash can. Credible hits him with the cane, then protects Tommy pretty well for THAT’S INCREDIBLE onto the ladder for the 1-2-3. (18:45) Funk hits Tommy with some more trash can shots, but Tommy won’t fight back because Funk is his father figure. That’s that. This was a pretty solid hardcore match with just a few sloppy moments until they started climbing the ladders, but at least it was over pretty quickly after that. ***

ECW Champion Shane Douglas (w/ Francine) vs Taz

Shane’s wearing a cast on his right forearm. He talks trash during the introductions, and Taz paces more than usual, and they start with a staredown, so you know this is supposed the BIG TITLE MATCH. They trade takedowns and head scissors, and Taz shoves Shane to the mat. They play mind games for a bit. Arm ringer by Shane, single-leg takedown by Taz, he goes to the leg, and Shane rolls him over for a one count. Waistlock by Taz, drop toe hold by Shane, he floats over into a headlock, then Taz grabs an armbar and rolls him up for a two count. Shane’s frustrated. He shoves Taz into the corner for some right hands, Taz reverses a corner whip, then catches Shane for an overhead belly-to-belly Tazplex. Shane takes some time outside. Back in, he shoves Taz into the corner and kicks and chokes him to the mat. Taz reverses a corner whip and catches Shane kipping up for a hard slam. Taz adds a clothesline and Shane rolls to the floor. Shane reverses a whip to the guardrail, sending Taz into the crowd. Shane hits a rare flying cross body off the guardrail into the crowd. Taz drags Shane up some stairs, then Shane pummels him for a while. Taz back drops Shane over another guardrail and they head up more stairs until they’re in the very last row. Taz takes over with some right hands, then drops Shane’s head onto a short wall. They traverse the crowd and we see that Shane is busted open. They head down some stairs, then up some stairs, then down an aisle, and this just starts to get ridiculous. Shane finally rams Taz into a railing, then Taz back drops him onto a slanted platform. It takes the cameraman a minute to find them in the crowd, and Shane’s in control. They make it back to ringside, and Shane puts a table in the ring. He sets it up in the corner and slugs away at Taz. Taz wants more, he fights back from his knees, then puts Shane in a corner. He goes for a corner whip, but Shane reverses it, sending Taz through the table. Taz is bleeding, and Shane gets a two count. Shane delivers his best move, the INVERTED ROLLING NECK SNAP. Shane brings in another table and puts it in a corner. Taz counters the corner whip into an overhead belly-to-belly suplex through the table! That gets a 1-2-NO! Then the lights go out, and it’s SABU and he’s got fireworks (?). He hits them both with a springboard double clothesline, a few punches, and gives Taz a stiff chair shot. He baseball slides Shane to the rail and throws Taz to floor. He does a triple jump, stops on the top rope, almost falls as he turns around, and hits a moonsault directly onto Taz! For a second Shane doesn’t know if he should pretend he got hit too, then elects to do so. Sabu puts Shane on a table that’s propped on the rail and the apron, and delivers a triple jump leg drop! Sabu’s music is still playing as he hits Taz with a chair, sets up a table near the corner, and comes off the top rope with a 180 turn into a splash through the table! He’s hurt, his music finally stops, and he and Fonzie hit the road. Shane lays an arm on Taz for 1-2-NO! Francine gets in the ring, and Shane holds up the sign for the Triple Threat. Tammy Lynn Sytch hops the rail and gets in the ring. Francine pushes her away and we’ve got a quick cat fight. Chris Candido shows up and pulls Tammy away, but Francine hits her with a spear. Shane puts Francine on the rampway and a security guard holds her back. It looks like things are cool between Candido and Douglas for a second. But as Shane stands over a fallen Taz, he gets clobbered by Candido, allowing Taz to hit a T-BONE TAZPLEX, and both men stay down. Candido and Tammy take off down the ramp. As Shane watches in disbelief, Taz gets behind him and puts him in the TAZMISSION. Shane fights it off for a second, but Taz puts it back on and brings Douglas to the mat. What follows is what you call shit luck. As Shane is getting ready to pass out and drop the title, the one he created, the one he’s held for over a year, something happens in the crowd off screen, and the fans all turn their heads away from the match. The ref eventually checks the arm and Shane’s out. It’s over. Taz is the new champion. (22:15) That long brawl through the crowd really took the air out of this match, and everything after the Sabu run-in was just kind of messy. Not awful, but pretty disappointing. **1/4

Final Thoughts: It’s amazing what a main event can do to the worth of the whole card. Douglas and Taz could have saved the show, but they had a ramshackle match that didn’t leave anyone feeling satisfied. The Tajiri/Super Crazy match is the reason to check this out, with Van Dam/Storm being a bonus. Thumbs down.