Written by: Bob Colling
ECW on TNN
Date: 8/4/2000
From: Houston, TX
Matches:
1.) ECW Television Champion Rhino defeated Nova to retain the title
2.) Little Guido defeated Mikey Whipwreck
3.) Steve Corino defeated Jerry Lynn and Tajiri in an elimination match
4.) Tommy Dreamer defeated Scotty Anton
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) The show starts off with Nova missing a swanton bomb off the top and Rhino delivering a GORE through a table in the corner. We’re told that Rhino retained the title.
2.) Joey Styles and Joel Gertner are in the ring to officially start the show with a red-hot Houston crowd. Cyrus comes out after Joel delivered his poem. Cyrus recalls having Gertner arrested at Heatwave 2000 where Joel assaulted him. Cyrus got himself a wrestling license and will wrestle Gertner tonight. That brings out Spike Dudley, who is still injured. Spike is wearing a dress jacket and tells Cyrus to kindly shut up on behalf of everyone. Dudley just got off the phone with Paul Heyman and reveals that Heyman gave Spike authority to be the matchmaker for the night! Spike tells Cyrus that his first opponent will not be Joel Gertner, but rather…The Sandman! After a commercial break, Sandman whacks Cyrus with a kendo stick shot. Here comes Rhino and Justin Credible and they get worked over until Credible plants Sandman with the That’s Incredible. Spike Dudley tries to help out but is attacked and Rhino puts Spike through a table with a piledriver off the apron! Credible whacks Sandman over the head several times with a kendo stick until Chilly Willy comes out and cleans house on the heels. Cyrus is stumbling to his feet and bumps into Chilly. Cyrus tries to buy off Chilly but instead is met with a sit out front slam as the segment comes to an end.
3.) Guido and Whipwreck trade a few chops in the corner until Whipwreck hammers away on Guido. Mikey yanks Guido down by the hair and kicks Guido in the groin followed by a tilt a whirl slam for a near fall. Whipwreck goes after Tony Mamaluke and Guido accidentally hits Mamaluke to a cross body on the floor. Whipwreck takes them out with a slingshot dive to the floor. Mikey tries the same onto Big Sal but is caught. Mikey manages to send Sal face first into the ring post and goes back to work on Guido. Whipwreck hits a top rope superplex for a near fall. The referee is distracted to allow a double side Russian leg sweep off the middle rope to get Guido a near fall. Guido hits a middle rope leg drop to a hunched over Whipwreck for a near fall. Mikey gets out of a cover after a double boot to the face. Whipwreck plants Guido with a swinging DDT for a two count. Mikey follows up with a hurricanrana and leg drops Guido across the bottom rope. Mikey hits the Whippersnapper but there is no referee! Mamaluke hits a top rope leg drop and Guido nearly wins. Guido gets out of a backslide. Mamaluke hits Whipwreck with a chair and Guido is able to get the pin fall. (**1/4. Some decent action from these two as it was non-stop without any rest holds. Guido should have just gone over clean as it’s not like Mikey is up to anything.) After the match, Tajiri makes the save and shakes hands with Whipwreck to form the Unholy Alliance.
4.) Corino gets worked over by both Lynn and Tajiri to start the match. Tajiri hits a spinning heel kick and Corino is sent to the floor. Tajiri and Lynn have a standoff after trading some moves. Tajiri hits a handspring back elbow on Lynn and a dropkick to a kneeling Corino. Tajiri locks in the Tarantula in the corner but Corino comes over to make the save and works over Lynn hitting a heel kick of his own. Corino low blows Lynn and baseball slides Tajiri on the floor. Lynn leaps off the top and takes both Corino and Jack Victory out with a cross body on the outside. Tajiri kicks Lynn on the apron and brings him into the ring with a suplex, but Lynn lands on his feet. Tajiri counters a German suplex and hits a hurricanrana but walks into a super kick from Corino. Tajiri blows mist at Corino but Lynn spikes Tajiri with the cradle piledriver to eliminate Tajiri.
Corino wipes the mist out of his eyes and begins to jab Lynn followed by an elbow smash to the forehead. Lynn avoids an elbow drop and delivers a chop. Corino plants Lynn with a power bomb for a near fall. Lynn stops Corino in the corner and attempted a tornado DDT but settles for a back suplex instead for a two count. Lynn side slams Corino and plays to the crowd before heading to the top rope. Corino stops Lynn on the top but Lynn still hits a sunset flip power bomb for a near fall! Lynn plants Corino with a reverse DDT for a near fall. Lynn rolls Corino up out of the corner and they begin to trade pin attempts with neither man getting a three count. Corino hits a snap power slam and goes to the top turnbuckle. Lynn crotches Corino and connects with an elevated DDT! Lynn knocks Victory off the apron but Lou E. Dangerously pulls the referee out of the ring. Corino is given the phone and whacks Lynn over the head with it but Lynn still kicks out at two. Lynn goes for the cradle piledriver but lets go to knock Scotty Anton off the apron. Corino hits the Old School Expulsion for the win. (**1/2. Some good action by the three though Tajiri was eliminated early. It really seemed that at this point fans were far more interested in seeing Tajiri than Lynn. Anyway, a good win for Corino who seemingly hasn’t been on the winning side of things lately.) After the match, Lynn is tripled teamed by Anton, Corino and Victory with the fans chanting for RVD. Instead, they get Tommy Dreamer, who comes in and cleans house on the heels. He has a match with Scotty Anton.
5.) Dreamer tosses Anton over the railing into the front row. In the ring, Jack Victory is attacking Jazz until Jazz sends him into a ladder in the corner. Dreamer and Anton are all the way at the top of the bleachers. Anton is rammed into the wall several times. They return to the ringside area where Dreamer lays the ladder across the apron and railing. Anton avoids a bulldog off the apron and shoves Tommy into the ladder face first! Dreamer has been busted wide open and fans are trying to avoid blood from being on them. They get into the ring where Anton continues to work over Dreamer. Dreamer sends Anton into the ladder back first. Dreamer mocks Anton and places him on the top rope. Dreamer stands on the ladder in the corner and hits a superplex for a near fall. Dreamer is given a few chairs from Jazz and puts the ladder across them. Anton counters and puts Dreamer through the ladder with a suplex. Anton locks in the Clap but Jazz enters and whacks Anton over the head with a chair. Anton plants Jazz with a spine buster. Dreamer attempts a DDT but is sent onto the chair. Jerry Lynn comes in and hits the cradle piledriver on Anton. Dreamer comes off the middle rope to elbow drop a chair into Anton’s face for the win. (*1/2. Your standard match that involved Dreamer at this point. Nothing new and nothing really to see.)
6.) Cyrus cuts a promo backstage saying that payback will be coming for Sandman and Chilly Willy. He reveals that Rhino and Justin Credible will be wrestling Sandman and Chilly in the tag team tournament. Credible doesn’t want to because he tossed the titles down. Rhino tells Credible he will make him wrestle in the tournament. Rhino is looking forward to beating up Sandman and Chilly. They will remember the name Rhino!
Final Thoughts:
The segment that started the show with Cyrus, Spike and Sandman was done very well. The matches this week featured a lot of the top talent for ECW, but nothing was exceptional. They showed brief clips of an RVD/Kid Kash match that happened during the taping, but it looks like that aired on the 7/30 Hardcore TV show. This was an average episode of ECW on TNN.
Thanks for reading.