Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 11/13/1998
From: Queens, NY
Matches:
1.) Dudley Boys defeated ECW World Tag Team Champions Masato Tanaka & Balls Mahoney to win the titles
2.) ECW Television Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Tommy Dreamer to retain the title
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) FTW Champion Taz makes his way out to open the show to be interviewed by Joey Styles. Taz says that Sabu screwed him over when he had Shane Douglas choked out. Sabu had to steal his thunder. Taz gets cut off by the ECW World Champion Shane Douglas quickly into his promo. Taz tells Douglas to prepare for a fight because he isn’t messing around. Douglas says he isn’t out here to fight Taz but rather to set the record straight. Douglas puts Taz over for being good at messing with peoples minds. Douglas is putting over Taz for beating Sabu at Barley Legal last year. Douglas has an offer for Taz to be part of the Triple Threat, something Taz teased back in May. Douglas says that Sabu earned a title a shot against him in January and says that Sabu is a freak who will do anything to get the belt off of him. Douglas asks Taz to do a little favor for him and wants Taz to take Sabu out of action before January. Douglas wants Taz to break Sabu’s neck so he can beat him in January. Douglas offers to give Taz the world including the Triple Threat and Francine. Douglas and Francine leave the ring before we get an answer from Taz. Taz is thinking about it and when Joey says he can’t be bought, Taz sarcastically says “yeah, obviously.”
2.) Bubba Dudley cuts a promo on Axl Rotten’s grandmother who is dying of cancer. Bubba says she isn’t laying in the hospital for cancer but is rather at the clinic dealing with a STD. While it may be in poor taste, this is incredible heel work.
3.) All four men start brawling in the ring to kick off the tag title match. Tanaka and D-Von go to the floor while Bubba works over Mahoney in the ring. They are all on the floor quickly to continue the brawling. Mahoney splashes D-Von in the corner for a near fall. Mahoney keeps control of D-Von with a backdrop but misses a clothesline and D-Von nails Balls with a leaping clothesline. Tanaka is getting double teamed by Bubba and Big Dick on the floor. D-Von hits a falling headbutt on Mahoney for a near fall. D-Von is keeping his offense very basic on Mahoney while Bubba clotheslines Tanaka into the crowd. Mahoney slams D-Von off the top rope and hits a super kick for a near fall. Mahoney goes to the top rope and hits an elbow drop for a near fall. Bubba enters the match and hits Balls with a cheese grater.
Tanaka hits a frog splash on D-Von but only gets a near fall on the pin attempt. Bubba gets stopped on the middle rope by Mahoney who hits a superplex. Joel Gertner hits Mahoney with a weak chair shot and Mahoney grabs the chair hitting Gertner with a vicious unprotected chair shot. All four men have chairs and start trading shots. Bubba falls down onto D-Von’s groin after they acted like they were fine. The champs get a near fall on a pin attempt. Mahoney and Tanaka hit roaring elbows but the challengers still kick out. Bubba hits Balls with a Bubba Bomb and Tanaka is slammed on a chair. Tanaka is met with a 3D and the Dudley’s win the titles. (**1/4. A fine match filled with brawling and the crowd was into everything they were doing. The match was similar to the match a couple of weeks ago on TV, but I thought it was solid.)
4.) Dreamer dropkicks Van Dam early on and uses his legs to flip Van Dam to the canvas. Van Dam misses a spinning leg drop and they have a standoff. Dreamer crotches Van Dam on the ropes but RVD quickly comes back with a monkey flip. Dreamer plants RVD with a spine buster and clotheslines Van Dam over the top to the floor. Sabu is at ringside to check on his partner. Dreamer comes off the apron to hit Van Dam with a steel chair. Van Dam sends Dreamer into the guard railing back first. Dreamer drops Van Dam with a side Russian leg sweep on the floor. Van Dam backdrops Dreamer into the crowd but Dreamer attempts a suplex only for Van Dam to drop Dreamer throat first across the railing and hits a somersault dive off the railing onto Dreamer. Van Dam hits a slingshot leg drop on Dreamer across the apron. Van Dam hits a slingshot leg drop from the apron for a near fall. Dreamer crotches Van Dam on the top and puts him in the tree of woe. Dreamer whacks Van Dam over the back with a chair and this a neck breaker for a two count.
Dreamer misses a middle rope elbow drop and gets leg sweeped face first onto a chair for a near fall. Dreamer crotches Van Dam on the top rope and hits a superplex. Dreamer hits a frog splash but can’t get a three count. Dreamer spikes Van Dam with a piledriver. Dreamer misses a splash in the corner but Van Dam hits a spin kick to drop Dreamer. Dreamer catches Van Dam in the corner and hits a side slam. Dreamer places RVD on a table that is bridged on the railing and apron. Sabu trips Dreamer face first onto a chair and he enters the ring to help Van Dam. Sabut hits a springboard elbow drop to put Dreamer through the table on the floor. Van Dam hits the rolling thunder but only gets a near fall on the cover attempt. Dreamer attempts a DDT but RVD counters with a northern lights suplex for a near fall. Dreamer plants Van Dam with the Spicolli Driver but here comes Shane Douglas to attack Sabu on the floor. Sabu is battling back on the floor but here comes Taz to attack Sabu. Chris Candido is out as well but RVD leaps off the top to take everyone out with a cross body on the floor. Justin Credible enters the ring and whacks Dreamer with a kendo stick followed by That’s Incredible! Van Dam comes off the top to hit the frog splash but Tommy kicks out at two. Van Dam crotches Dreamer across the top rope and kicks a chair into Dreamer’s face to get the three count. (***. The finish was good and the interference was rather entertaining. I enjoyed the action.)
Final Thoughts:
I’ve always liked the Queens arena and the action this week was entertaining. We get a title chance and a fun main event. You can’t go wrong with that.
Thanks for reading.