ECW Hardcore TV 10/23/1998

Written by: Bob Colling

Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 10/23/1998
From: Philadelphia, PA

Matches:
1.) Bam-Bam Bigelow defeated ECW World Tag Team Champion Sabu
2.) Balls Mahoney fought Masato Tanaka to a no contest
3.) Balls Mahoney & Masato Tanaka defeated The Dudley Boys

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Sabu kicks a chair into Bigelow as the match is joined in progress after a commercial. Sabu sends Bigelow into the crowd and hits a springboard dive over the railing onto Bigelow from the ring. Bigelow sends Sabu into the railing but misses a splash hitting the railing instead. Sabu hits a springboard moonsault to take Bigelow out. Bigelow slams Sabu back first across a chair and kicks Sabu. Bam-Bam blocks a steel chair shot and Sabu sets a table up on the floor despite Bigelow working over him. Bigelow misses a splash and hits the apron instead. Sabu places Bigelow on the table and hits Bam-Bam with a chair. Sabu attempts a springboard but Bigelow shakes the ropes and Sabu falls off. Bigelow hip tosses Sabu over the top and he crashes through the table instead. Sabu hits Bam-Bam on the knee with a chair and hits a double springboard leg drop for a near fall.

Sabu hits the triple jump moonsault but can’t get a three count on the cover attempt. Sabu hits a springboard spinning leg drop, bout it wasn’t hit very well. Sabu locks in the camel clutch but Francine causes a distraction to allow Shane Douglas to enter and hit Sabu with his elbow brace. RVD comes out and attacks Douglas on the floor. Bigelow sets Sabu up looking for the Greetings From Asbury Park and hits the move even with RVD hitting a chop block. (*1/2. There wasn’t much of a match between Bigelow and Sabu as this was more designed to hype the main event for the pay per view.) After the match, the Dudley Boys come out and attack Van Dam to help the Triple Threat. Taz comes running down and cleans house with a suplex and clothesline. Douglas quickly bailed from the ring to avoid Taz. Douglas comes back into the ring and wrenches on Sabu’s neck. Douglas bails from the ring as soon as Taz returns to the ring.

2.) Tanaka hits a cross body early on in the match to get a near fall on Mahoney. Balls quickly comes back with a hip toss and dropkick. Mahoney jabs Tanaka several times in the corner but is met with a drop toe hold sending him face first into the corner. Tanaka hits a missile dropkick to send Balls to the floor. Tanaka comes off the apron to axe handle Mahoney and continues with several strikes. Mahoney sends Tanaka into the railing back first before tossing a chair into the ring. Tanaka battles back using a chair on Mahoney and drops Balls throat first across the railing. They both have steel chair and begin to swing at each other. The Dudley Boys storm the ring and attack both men to put an end to this match and we get a tag match right after.

3.) Tanaka and Mahoney scare the Dudley’s out of the ring with chairs in hand. They make it seem like they are purely scientific wrestlers and aren’t wanting to compete in a hardcore match. D-Von and Tanaka kick off the match when the Dudley Boys return to the ring. They keep it a basic start with some mat wrestling to begin the contest. Tanaka decks D-Von with a few clotheslines and tags in Mahoney. Mahoney comes off the top and hits a frog splash on D-Von for a near fall. Bubba enters but is decked by a double roaring elbow for a near fall. D-Von scoop slams Balls and hits a middle rope leg drop for a two count. Masato hits a suplex but can’t keep D-Von down long enough on the cover attempt. Bubba scoop slams Tanaka and heads to the middle rope but Tanaka gets up and stops Bubba with a few right hands. Tanaka hooks Bubba and attempts a superplex but Mahoney comes over to help and they hit a double superplex!

Tanaka leaps off the back of Mahoney to take out D-Von on the floor. Balls leaps off the top himself and takes out D-Von and Big Dick with a dive, too! All four men are on the floor brawling. Bubba and Mahoney are in the ring with Bubba using a cheese grater on Mahoney. Of course, that busts Balls wide open. Bubba hits Mahoney with a chair while in the crowd. The shot apparently wakes Mahoney up and hits Bubba with a drink. Big Dick attempts a choke slam on Axl, but Axl gets out of it and nails Big Dick with a couple of chair shots to send him over the top to the floor. Mahoney hits the Nutcracker Suite on Sign Guy and no sells a chair shot from Joel Gertner. Joel is freaking out but avoids a steel chair shot from Mahoney. All four men are now in the ring with chairs in hand. Mahoney and Tanaka no sell chair shots!

The third chair shots does the trick to knock them down but only get a two count. Mahoney and Tanaka hit side suplexs on the Dudley’s and follow up with chair shots for a near fall. Balls hits the Nutcracker Suite on D-Von landing on a chair and Tanaka plants Bubba with a tornado DDT onto another chair for the double pin. (**1/2. It’s exactly what you’d expect. Chair shots and just overall violence for an entertaining close to the show. Tanaka and Mahoney seem to be a pretty good tag team and credible threats in the division should they team regularly moving forward.)

Final Thoughts:
An average episode this week was the main event tag match was worthwhile and it actually has be interested to see more of Tanaka and Mahoney teaming up together. There was some good advancement for the November to Remember six man, as well.

Thanks for reading.