Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 10/16/1998
From: Philadelphia, PA
Matches:
1.) Chris Candido defeated Jerry Lynn
2.) ECW Television Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Lance Storm to retain the title
3.) Tommy Dreamer, New Jack, Kronus & Spike Dudley defeated Justin Credible, Jack Victory, Rod Price & One Man Gang
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Mikey Whipwreck came out prior to the Candido/Lynn match and put over both Candido and Tammy Sytch. Mikey turns his attention to Lynn saying they have split fourteen matches and wanted to wrestle Lynn for the deciding fall. Lynn tells Whipwreck that if he can’t handle who he is booked to wrestle then to go back to the concession stand to sell snow cones. Mikey tells Lynn that he isn’t done with him and Lynn is fine with that. Tammy gets annoyed when Candido says this isn’t about her. Candido says she is pretty but wants her to go backstage. Tammy tries to tease Candido but Candido wants her to go backstage. Candido begs for her to go backstage and kisses her before she finally decides to go.
2.) We join the Lynn/Candido match in progress with both men missing strikes. Candido hammers away on Lynn but Lynn takes him over with a standing hurricanrana. Lynn power bombs Candido to counter a leapfrog and Chris rolls to the floor where Lynn hits a baseball slide sending Candido into the crowd. Lynn springboards off the middle rope and takes Candido out with a cross body into the crowd. Lynn misses a splash in the corner as we continue to get clipped version of the match. Lynn counters a missile dropkick with a Boston Crab but Candido reaches the ropes. Candido misses a top rope hurricanrana and Lynn plants Chris with a tornado DDT for a near fall. Candido hits a top rope double under hook suplex. Lance Storm comes in and plants Candido with a piledriver. Tammy Bytch slaps Candido until Tammy Sytch comes back in the ring and jumps on Storm’s back until she gets flipped over. Sytch low blows Storm but gets a purse shot to the head by Bytch! Bytch strangles Sytch but here comes Whipwreck to brawl with Storm. Whipwreck clotheslines Storm over the top to the floor but gets powder to the face by Bytch. Whipwreck hits the Whippersnapper on both Bytch and Sytch! Storm nails Lynn over the head with the steel chair and Candido gets the cover for the win. (**1/2. Well, for what we got in a clipped format, I thought it was a good match and the interference actually had some heat to it. Of course, a match with Lynn and Candido just going one on one would have been awesome.)
3.) Van Dam and Storm go to the mat early on for some mat wrestling with neither man getting a clear cut advantage. Van Dam takes Storm down to the canvas with a body scissors takedown for a near fall. Storm works over Van Dam in the corner with strikes before hitting a monkey flip out of the corner and a super kick as the program goes to commercial. Van Dam leaps off the railing to hit a somersault dive onto Storm. Storm avoids a baseball slide and sends Van Dam shoulder first into the railing but RVD avoids being rammed into the post by ramming Storm back first into the railing. Storm kicks RVD on an attempted springboard off the railing knocking RVD into the crowd. Van Dam attempts a top rope move but is crotched by Storm. Storm counters a German suplex hitting one of his own for a two count. Storm hits a standing dropkick on Van Dam but can’t get a three count. Storm and RVD trade right hands until Storm plants RVD with a DDT.
Storm hits a cartwheel splash in the corner but RVD hits a corkscrew standing leg drop with a chair to Storm’s face for a two count. RVD dropkicks a chair into Storm’s face in the corner. Storm avoids a second chair assisted dropkick attempt. Storm whacks RVD over the head with the steel chair a few times for a near fall. Storm clotheslines RVD in the corner and continues to work over Van Dam. Alfonso prevents Storm from using a chair and RVD leaps off the top to kick the chair into Storm’s face but Storm kicks out at two. Van Dam leaps off the top to hit the frog splash and wins the match. (**1/2. I don’t know why but I always felt these two didn’t work well or at least don’t recall enjoying their matches, but that wasn’t all that bad at all. It was a good ten minute TV match.)
4.) The Dudley Boys are cutting a promo in an alley way similar to what the Public Enemy would do three years prior. Joel Gertner says they don’t have a care in the world except for making money. Bubba, D-Von and Big Dick say they are the toughest men in ECW. Bubba wants the toughest to come to Buffalo to take them on. There isn’t anybody that can stand toe to toe with them.
5.) The main event was supposed to be a singles match between Credible and Dreamer, but as you can see it turned into a brawl involving several other guys. Credible quickly attacks Dreamer on the floor but Dreamer battles back with right hands. Dreamer sends Credible back first into the railing and hits him with a drink. Credible crotches Dreamer across the guard railing. Credible gets a chair tossed to him and he drop toe holds Dreamer face first into the back of the chair. Chastity kicks a chair into Dreamer in the corner but Dreamer gets up fairly quickly and Tommy hits the Spicolli Driver! Tommy takes care of Jason with a piledriver, as well. Dreamer takes Nicole Bass over with a side Russian leg sweep. Credible attempts the That’s Incredible but Dreamer gets out of it and hits a Dreamer Driver. Here comes Rod Price to attack Dreamer and this is where a lot of other guys are going to start and get involved. Price and Credible double team Dreamer until John Kronus slides into the ring trying to help Dreamer. Kronus dropkicks both men and hits the 450 splash on Price.
Jack Victory rolls into the ring and attacks both Dreamer and Kronus to give the match a three on two advantage of the heels. Victory plants Dreamer with a spike piledriver. New Jack’s music hit and here comes that regular routine of weapons galore. Jack smashes a guitar over Lance Wright’s head on the apron as the faces are destroying the heels with various weapons at this point. Jack climbs the bleachers and dives off to put Victory through a table as the program goes to commercial.
One Man Gang comes out and shoves Kronus off the top to prevent the 450 splash. Dreamer and Gang are brawling with Gang working over Dreamer in the corner with several stomps and strikes. Dreamer is held down and Gang hits a big splash. The same happens to Kronus. Spike Dudley comes out and has a ladder with him. Gang whacks Dudley over the head with a trash can to quickly stop his momentum. Gang sets a table up while everyone else is brawling on the floor. Gang hits a back suplex on Dudley dropping him on a ladder. Spike avoids an axe handle in the corner and puts Gang through the table with the Acid Drop! Dudley covers and gets the win on Gang. (**1/2. An enjoyable closing the show with the obvious Dudley overcoming the big man angle continuing. There is still plenty left in the Dreamer/Credible feud to be dragged into next year at this point.)
Final Thoughts:
A fine episode for Hardcore TV this week as every segment served a purpose and the action was enjoyable throughout.
Thanks for reading.