ECW Hardcore TV 1/29/2000

Written by: Bob Colling

Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 1/29/2000
From: New Orleans, LA

Matches:
1.) Super Crazy defeated Ricky Banderas
2.) Simon Diamond defeated Jazz in a street fight
3.) Sabu defeated CW Anderson

Angle Developments:
1. Early on, Crazy controls Banderas with mat wrestling focusing on his legs. Banderas gets a cross arm breaker on Crazy until there is a rope break. Banderas controls the bout with a series of kicks after a forearm shot. Banderas hits a twisting dive over the top to the floor, but the crowd is not overly impressed with that. Banderas continues with a top rope clothesline but only gets a near fall on the cover. Crazy stops Banderas with a power bomb and follows up with a springboard moonsault. Banderas plants Crazy with a tornado DDT but only gets a near fall on the cover. Crazy is sent into the guard railing back first. Banderas drops Crazy gut first to the canvas after a tilt a whirl. Crazy battles back with a power bomb and a springboard moonsault for the win. (*1/2. A simple match that didn’t impress me at all. Banderas was nothing special and simply didn’t connect with the fans here. A competitive match, though.)

2. Backstage, Steve Corino cuts a promo saying that Tommy Dreamer can’t count on anyone in ECW. He assures Dreamer that he is going to screw with him every chance he gets.

3. Jazz monkey flips Diamond out of the corner and hammers away briefly on Simon. Diamond is sent into the guard railing a few times as well. Simon shoves Jazz away in the corner to get control of the bout. Simon hits a sit out spine buster for a two count. Jazz comes off the ropes and hits a float over DDT. Jazz attacks Simon’s manager with a low blow and face buster. Diamond hits the Simonizer and wins the match. (*. A quick match with Simon getting some decent heat.)

4. Sabu plants Anderson with a springboard tornado DDT early on. Sabu goes to the floor and sets a table up on the apron and railing. CW tosses Sabu into the railing to gain control of the contest. Sabu is placed on the table and CW heads to the top rope. Sabu crotches Anderson on the top rope and fights back. Sabu hits a top rope hurricanrana and takes CW out with a suicide dive over the top rope! CW punches Sabu in the throat and stomps away on him. A second table is brought into the ring. Anderson super kicks Sabu after a distraction but can’t get a three count. CW has Sabu on the table but is stopped on the top again. CW pushes Sabu onto the top and soon hits a spine buster through the table but Sabu kicks out at two. A third table is brought into the ring. Sabu has a chair and hits everyone with it. Sabu has Lou E. Dangerously on the table and settles for hitting a leg drop on CW through the table! Sabu hits the triple jump moonsault and wins the bout. (**. That was okay, but nothing great. Anderson hasn’t been pushed at all to be seen as a threat to a guy like Sabu. Would have helped if Anderson managed to beat a guy like Whipwreck the other week. Crowd sure does love Sabu.)

5. Backstage, ECW Television Champion Rob Van Dam talks about carrying Sabu for the past several years. Van Dam brags about Sabu not being able to beat him. RVD says he is simply better than Sabu. RVD puts over ECW World Champion Mike Awesome as being good, but not as good as him. Van Dam is confident that he will beat Awesome for the strap when the time comes.

Final Thoughts:
The show feels like it’s not a priority and is on the level of what Heat is for the WWF. I know as we move forward there will be more high profile matches, but early on it’s as if they aren’t attempting to make the action in-ring wise all that enjoyable.

Thanks for reading.