Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 1/28/1998
From: Pennsylvania
Matches:
1.)ECW Television Champion Taz defeated Big Dick Dudley to retain the title
2.)Al Snow defeated Paul Diamond
Angle Developments/Notes:
1. A video promoting the end of the Triple Threat back in 1997 when Bam-Bam Bigelow pinned Shane Douglas to win the ECW World Championship when Rick Rude turned on Douglas. Douglas broke his right elbow at November to Remember but still won the ECW World Championship over Bigelow.
2. ECW World Champion Shane Douglas is standing in the ring to make an announcement regarding his reign as champion. I’m fairly certain Douglas is a heel but he is getting a face reaction from the Pittsburgh crowd. Douglas is teasing a retirement from the injury. He reveals that the doctor who performed the surgery said he was done competing. Douglas changes his tune and says that he is done listening to a doctor and he will not retire with the championship around his waist!
3. Bam-Bam Bigelow cuts Joey Styles off as he was talking “at the studio” and Bigelow is pissed off over the fact that Douglas will not retire. Bigelow says he needs a partner to combat the Triple Threat. Bigelow threatens the Triple Threat saying he is going to break their bones.
4. Backstage, Bigelow is looking for a partner. Bigelow is scaring most of the guys in the ECW lockerroom. He runs into Al Snow, with Head, who says they will be his partner. Bigelow is weirded out by him and he leaves. Al Snow continues to talk to himself and debate with himself if he wants to team with Bigelow. Bam-Bam continues to be freaked out. Bigelow wants Taz to be his partner and wants the ECW TV champ to help him. Taz tells Bigelow that he does what he wants when he wants to do it. Bigelow wants Taz to do the right thing and help him.
5. Taz gets out of a chokeslam by Big Dick and hits a nice German suplex before locking in the Taz Mission to retain the championship in under thirty seconds. After the match, D-Von Dudley is suplexed as is Bubba Dudley. Taz gets a microphone and has a message for Bam-Bam Bigelow. Taz says that nobody singles him out and instead singles Bigelow out! Taz does his catchphrase to end the segment.
6. The ever popular Al Snow competed in singles action. Snow has a full fledged conversation with Head telling his mannequin head that he does the thinking while Snow wrestles. To his credit, Snow plays the crazy character very well. Snow hits a swinging neckbreaker and a superkick. Diamond is clotheslined to the floor where Al continues to work over Diamond. Paul is sent face first into the guard railing as well. Anyway, Snow is able to Snow Plow Diamond and wins the match.
7. Rob Van Dam is going to explain what a real athlete looks like compared to Sandman and Sabu among others. RVD shows his RVD lift where he is lifting weights while doing a split. It’s actually quite impressive.
8. Backstage, the Triple Threat cuts a promo. Douglas says that Bigelow only left the Triple Threat because Rick Rude told him that they were kicking him out anyway. Douglas notes that Candido and Francine are loyal. Lance Storm can’t wait to hold up the three fingers, but Candido tells him not yet. Douglas wants to make ECW the most watched company and most copied promotion going today. Douglas puts over Lance Storm as the hottest prospect going today. Chris Candido talks about Sunny putting over Candido and Storm as the best tag team in ECW. Douglas will be wrestling Bigelow at the January 31st show, apparently.
9. Backstage, Al Snow is hanging upside down and talking to Head.
10. Outside the arena, Bam-Bam Bigelow is looking for Taz. Bigelow stops Taz’s car and confronts him again to be his partner. Bigelow says Taz has a chance to prove himself against Douglas and the Triple Threat. Taz walks away from Bigelow and Bigelow gets down on his knees to beg Taz. Taz finally gives in and tells Bigelow that he will be his partner and team with him for one reason. After they are done beating the Triple Threat Taz is going to give Bigelow an ECW Television Championship match. Taz tells Bigelow he will not be his partner, but instead his savior!
Final Thoughts:
An average show at best this week. The in-ring wrestling wasn’t all that good but they are doing a good job of making the Bigelow/Triple Threat stuff interesting. I really enjoyed the final brief segment between Taz and Bigelow. It was nicely done and has be interested to see how that tandem works out. Plus, a match between Taz and Bigelow down the line should be a good one.
Thanks for reading.