Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: 2/21/1997
From: Queens, NY
Opening Contest: Chris Chetti vs. Balls Mahoney: Chetti gets the early offense with a hip tosses to control Mahoney. Chetti comes off the ropes to hit a cross body for a two count. The fans are chanting that they want the Sandman. Mahoney stops Chetti with a short arm clothesline. Mahoney continues with an exploder suplex but Chetti kicks out at two. Mahoney catches Chetti on a cross body hitting a fallaway slam and deliver a leg drop after doing a one leg taunt on Chetti during a pin attempt. Mahoney runs into a big boot and Chetti hits a middle rope clothesline for a near fall. Mahoney fights back with a superplex and goes to the top but misses a leg drop. Chetti hammers away on Balls and hits a spinning heel kick for a near fall. Chetti nearly wins following a swinging neck breaker. Mahoney power slams Chetti and hits a middle rope elbow drop to win the match. (**. There wasn’t bad action here, but the fans wanted more known names or acts. Chetti continually showcases some good stuff and Mahoney showed more than just brawling.)
ECW TV Champion Shane Douglas was originally supposed to compete in the next match but during the entrance he comes out with crutches. Douglas gets on the microphone talks about having fun with Francine and he pulled a groin muscle. Pitbulls make their way out as they will battle Brian Lee and Chris Candido anyway.
Second Contest: The Pitbulls vs. Brian Lee & Chris Candido: Lee and Candido go on the attack and they brawl on the floor, but Lee is sent into the railing back first. #2 drops Candido throat first across the railing. They are sending each other into the railings several times. Candido is crotched over the railing and knocked into the crowd. #2 drops Candido across the railing gut first. Candido’s theme music has been playing the entire time. Lee is working over #1 with a chain and Douglas hits #2 with a chain, too. #1 whacks Lee with a chair and sends Lee crashing through a table on the floor. #2 backdrops Candido in the ring and delivers a clothesline. Candido is double teamed with a double vertical suplex by the Pitbulls. Lee whacks #2 with a steel chair on the apron. Lee and #2 are going at it legally in the ring. Lee power slams #2 and Francine chokes #2 over the bottom rope. Candido and Lee big boot #2 and keep control of the match with Candido hammering away on #2. Candido is launched off the top rope by Lee and splashes #2 for a near fall. Candido avoids #2 in the corner and #2 hits hard chest first. #2 stops Lee with a running clothesline. #1 gets the tag and cleans house with strikes. Candido comes off the ropes to be backdropped and the same happens to Lee. #1 sets Lee up in the corner for #2 to hit the Super Bomb but Candido comes off the top to break the cover. Candido avoids the Super Bomb thanks to a crutch shot by Lee but Candido can’t get a three on the cover after a hurricanrana. Shane Douglas enters the ring and is knocked down. #1 plants Candido with a power bomb. #1 gets hit with a crutch by Lee and that’s good enough for the win. (**. The opening brawling was fun and there wasn’t any real traditional tag stuff going on here, which helped the action greatly. The finish was kind of deflating and lame, but these five guys have plenty of history and heat so it continued that nicely.)
Third Contest: Bubba Ray Dudley vs. Spike Dudley: Spike goes after Bubba with a flurry of right hands. Spike dropkicks Bubba a few times followed by a clothesline sending both men over the top to the floor. Spike comes off the apron hitting a rolling senton splash. Spike leaps off the top to take Bubba out with a cross body on the floor. Spike knocks Bubba off the apron and Bubba lands across the railing chest first. Bubba drops Spike throat first across the top rope and returns to the ring. Bubba works over Spike for a little while with basic strikes. Bubba stops Spike with a stiff clothesline. Bubba plants Spike with a power bomb but pulls Spike up on the cover attempt. Bubba big boots Spike in the corner but misses a big splash. Spike leaps off the top and hits a missile dropkick. Spike springboards off the middle rope to hit a bulldog and Sign Guy accidentally low blows Bubba! Spike goes tot he top but gets shoved off by Axl Rotten and in midair, Bubba hits an ace crusher for the win. (*1/2. A few good spots thrown in, but this wasn’t overly exciting or fun.)
Prior to the next match, Stevie Richards offers Raven to forget about the past and to team tonight to beat Sandman and Tommy Dreamer. I’m assuming Raven agreed due to his silence.
Fourth Contest: ECW World Champion Raven & Stevie Richards vs. Sandman & Tommy Dreamer: Richards and Dreamer start off the tag match with Richards working over Dreamer but gets caught on a cross body and Dreamer hit a fallaway slam. Sandman enters the match and works over Richards with chops. Sandman dives over the top rope to take out the BWO on the floor! Richards tags in Raven who stomps on Sandman several times. Raven knee drops Sandman on the groin. Raven accidentally punches Richards off the apron and Sandman decks Raven to the floor. Richards argues with Raven on the floor about the miscommunication. Richards tags in and Dreamer enters hitting a piledriver on Richards for a two count. Dreamer punches Raven to the floor. Richards argues with Raven again on the floor. Dreamer is getting double teamed with Richards hitting a leg drop after a drop toe hold. A double vertical suplex keeps Dreamer on the canvas. Blue Meanie goes to the top looking to hit a moonsault but Richards tells Meanie not to do it. Raven is annoyed and tags in Richards who jumps onto Dreamer across the middle rope. Richards misses a leaping forearm and decks Raven off the apron sending the champ into the railing.
Sandman and Dreamer work over Richards while Raven is on the floor. Richards hits a leaping clothesline on Sandman and wants to tag but Raven isn’t feeling it. Sandman nearly wins with a rollup from behind. Stevie tries to tag out again but Raven drops to the floor. Richards avoids Sandman in the corner but Raven walks off the apron again. Richards ducks a clothesline and super kick both Sandman and Dreamer. Raven enters and goes towards Richards but is met with a super kick as well. Richards proceeds to walkout of the match. Raven is sent over the top to the floor. Sandman leaps over the top with a kendo stick and whacks Raven over the back. Dreamer baseball slides a chair into Raven’s face. Dreamer whacks Raven over the head with a cheese grater and sends Raven into the railing. Sandman delivers a chair shot to knock Raven down. Raven manages to low blow both Sandman and Dreamer but is stopped with a backdrop and Dreamer plants Raven with a DDT allowing Sandman to get the win. after the match, Brian Lee enters the ring and attacks Dreamer and Sandman. Terry Funk comes walking down the aisle and enters the ring, which is unadvertised. Raven decides to bail from the ring and Funk stands tall. (**1/2. A fine tag match with the issues between Raven and Richards being focused on. I thought it was good that Richards walked out on Raven when before Raven was threatening to walkout on the match. The Funk appearance got a good reaction, too. An enjoyable match that came across more of an angle, but that’s perfectly fine.)
Fifth Contest: The Gangstas vs. Axl Rotten & D-Von Dudley: As you might imagine, the match is your typical Gangstas in ECW kind of match with excessive brawling and weapon shots. There is plenty of blood shed by all four men with the usage of a spike getting involved. New Jack pinned Rotten after a chair assisted elbow drop from the top. After the match, the Gangstas are attacked by the Dudley Boys.
Sixth Contest: Taz vs. Little Guido: Taz controls Guido at the start with a cross arm breaker but Guido reaches the ropes quickly. Taz locks in a half Boston crab but again Guido reaches the ropes. Guido hammers away on Taz a few times against the ropes and hits a dropkick for a two count. Taz tosses Guido across the ring with an overhead suplex. Taz backdrops Guido and delivers a stomp. Taz runs over Guido with a clothesline. Taz catches Guido on a leapfrog attempt hitting an overhead belly to belly suplex. Taz hits another exploder suplex. Taz wins with the Taz Mission. This was basically a squash match for Taz.
Main Event: ECW Tag Team Champions the Eliminators vs. Sabu & Rob Van Dam in a tables and ladders match: Saturn and Sabu kick off the match with Sabu getting a two count with a rollup. Saturn knee lifts Sabu several times and strikes Sabu over the back before hitting a standing hurricanrana. Kronus and RVD tag into the match to try their luck. Kronus takes RVD down to the mat to control but RVD quickly countered on the mat. RVD drops Kronus with a scissors kick but Kronus gets control on the canvas. RVD is sent into the ropes and the champs hit a double leg sweep. RVD drops Saturn with a standing spin kick and Sabu gets tagged in sending Saturn to the floor where Saturn is sent into a ladder. Saturn tosses Sabu into the railing chess first. Saturn rams the ladder into Sabu’s chest and is kicked by RVD off the apron. Saturn plants Sabu with a brain buster and tags in Kronus. Kronus slams Sabu and hits a middle rope moonsault for a two count. Sabu tags in RVD after dropkicking Kronus on the left knee and RVD focuses his attack on the knee. Kronus clotheslines RVD over the top to the floor and they both crash to the floor. Saturn and Sabu baseball slide the ladder into Kronus and RVD on the floor.
Saturn takes RVD out with a cross body off the top to the floor and Sabu dives onto Kronus. Kronus and Sabu brawl into the crowd with Sabu getting the better of the exchange it appears. All four men are brawling up to the second level but you can hear people say don’t go up there. RVD whacks Kronus over the head with a steel chair a few times. Kronus misses a spin kick hitting the door and not RVD. RVD spin kicks a chair into Kronus face. Kronus recovers first to whack RVD over the head with the chair as they brawl back towards the ring. Sabu splashes into Saturn in the corner after jumping off a chair. Saturn stops Sabu with a clothesline. Sabu lays a wooden ladder across the apron and railing but is taken out by Saturn. Sabu lays Kronus across the ladder but is kicked in midair by Saturn. Saturn dropkicks Sabu with a ladder in front of him but doesn’t get a three count. Sabu holds Saturn with a camel clutch to allow RVD to hit a dropkick and a standing moonsault for a near fall. Sabu is double teamed by the champs getting hit with a double kick to the face. Kronus hits a handspring back elbow to knock RVD down. Sabu hits a triple jump moonsault on Saturn but doesn’t go for a cover. RVD leg drops Kronus across the ladder but the challengers both miss top rope dives hitting the ladder instead of Saturn.
Sabu is slammed by Saturn who leaps off the top of a ladder and splashes Sabu! RVD plants Kronus with a power bomb and Sabu dives onto Saturn. RVD misses a split legged moonsaut with Kronus on a ladder and over shot it. RVD tried a twisting leg drop off the top and that was just as bad. Saturn spikes RVD with a piledriver and gets sent to the floor onto a table where Sabu hits a slingshot senton splash putting Saturn through the table. Kronus is sent into the corner and is met with a double kick by the challengers. Saturn avoids the move again and Sabu is sent to the floor. Total Elimination on RVD for the three count. (***. It’s one of the better matches between the two teams that I’ve watched thus far. I’m still hoping for at least one crazy awesome match since their styles should ideally work well together. The RVD spots towards the end were pretty bad, but the stuff prior to that was actually solid and enjoyable. If you enjoy highspots and little sensible moves, this match would be good to watch.) After the match, they show each other respect to end the show.
Final Thoughts:
An average show for ECW, but there wasn’t overly awful on the show. The Gangstas stuff was just the usual from them and has its place on the show since it is over with the crowd. The main event delivered a fine bout and the tag match involving Raven, Richards, Sandman and Dreamer was good in advancing an angle. There’s just nothing that makes the show memorable or must-see.
Thanks for reading.