ECW House Show 5/30/1997

Written by: Bob Colling

Extreme Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: 5/30/1997
From: Hazelton, PA

Tod Gordon comes out to announce that ECW World Champion Terry Funk will not be in attendance due to injury. Also, due to transportation issues, another wrestler won’t be on the show, but I can’t make out who Gordon said. Gordon offers a refund to anyone in attendance but here comes Bill Alfonso to get involved. The microphone is difficult to hear what they are saying. Alfonso is giving Gordon a chance to leave the ring before he beats him up. Gordon low blows Alfonso from behind and delivers a clothesline. Gordon pummels Alfonso with right hands until the locker room empties to prevent anything further. Gordon is held back which allowed a slap from Alfonso but Gordon broke free to get a few more shots in. Gordon runs up the aisle way and attacks Alfonso a few more times.

Opening Contest: Chris Chetti vs. Little Guido: Guido takes Chetti down by the hair to kick off the match, but his control isn’t very lasting or effective. Chetti works over the left arm hitting a leg drop. Guido ducks a clothesline to rollup Chetti for a two count. They are doing some counters, but it’s rather sloppy. Chetti shoves Guido several times but falls to the floor after Tracy Smothers held down the ropes. Smothers attacks Chetti a few times while the referee was distracted. Guido slams Chetti and taunts the fans. Guido gets a two count following a dropkick. Guido follows up with a leg drop but Chetti is too strong at this point. Chetti counters a hurricanrana attempt with a power bomb and hammers away on Guido. Chetti misses a splash in the corner and Guido hits a back suplex. Smothers continues to get several cheap shots in from the outside. Guido connects with a snap power slam for a near fall. Guido stops Chetti with a knee lift to the midsection. Chetti gets a two count with a sunset flip but Guido quickly recovers to hit a clothesline. Guido drives Chetti down to the canvas with a side slam for a near fall. Chetti fights back with a spinning heel kick but Guido kicks out. Chetti hits a swinging neck breaker for another two count. Chetti backdrops Guido but only manages a near fall. Chetti heads to the top but Smothers shoves him off and Guido is able to get the pin with a rollup. (*1/2. That was very basic and not all that exciting. The loss doesn’t hurt Chetti since it’s not clean whatsoever. I think we’re a few months away from Chetti really hitting a stride in the ring.)

Second Contest: PG 13 (JC Ice & Wolfie D) vs. Mikey Whipwreck & Spike Dudley: Ice and Dudley kick off the match with Dudley tossing Ice to the canvas. Wolfie tags in to try his luck against Dudley. Wolfie works over Spike with strikes in the corner and a scoop slam. Spike gets a rollup on Wolfie for a near fall. Spike gets a few cover attempts and Wolfie backs into the corner complaining of a hair pull. Wolfie reaches the ropes to break a hold and slaps Spike. Wolfie bails to the floor and runs away back into the ring where he gets control. Spike low blows Wolfie and hits a bulldog. Spike atomic drops Wolfie and tags in Whipwreck as they send him over the top with a clothesline. Ice tags in and takes Whipwreck to the mat with a headlock. Wolfie tries to get some cheap attacks but misses Whipwreck and hits Ice numerous times. Mikey keeps Ice on the canvas with a headlock on the canvas. Mikey hip tosses Ice and follows up with a few arm drags causing Ice to bail to the floor where Mikey hit a slingshot cross body! Dudley tags in and wrenches on the arm of Ice followed by a leg drop. Ice clotheslines Spike from the apron to give Wolfie the advantage. Wolfie hits a gut wrench slam and tags in Ice. Spike is driven down with a double running bulldog. Wolfie chokes Spike behind the referees back. Wolfie plants Spike with a sit down power bomb but doesn’t go for the cover and instead taunts the fans.

Wolfie clotheslines Spike and shows off his muscles before tagging in Ice. They hit an atomic drop/clothesline combo. Ice scoop slams Dudley and Wolfie heads to the top rope where he misses a swanton bomb as Spike rolled out of the way. Ice gets tagged in but Mikey gets the hot tag and cleans house with strikes. Mikey hammers away on Ice and nearly wins with a sunset flip. Ice sends Mikey to the floor and holds Spike but Whipwreck crotches Wolfie. Spike turns the tables on Ice and Mikey hits a missile dropkick allowing Spike to get a rollup and a three count. (**1/2. That wasn’t so bad, really. PG 13 had some fine power moves and they did more high flying stuff than I was expecting them to, really. It was a suitable undercard match.)

Third Contest: Balls Mahoney vs. Tracy Smothers: Smothers takes Mahoney down to the canvas with a fireman’s carry but Mahoney hits an arm drag to play to the crowd. Mahoney knocks Smothers to the floor and Little Guido is mad at ringside but doesn’t get involved. Mahoney hits a power slam but only get a two count on Smothers and sends him to the floor again. Guido grabs Mahoney has he runs the ropes and Smothers knee lifts Balls to the floor. Guido comes off the apron to knock Mahoney down on the floor. Guido chokes Mahoney over the bottom rope while the referee is distracted again. Balls hammers away on Smothers but runs into a big boot in the corner. Smothers hammers away on Mahoney in the corner and lets Guido choke Balls some more. Mahoney has an inside cradle on Smothers but Guido is distracting the referee. Smothers drops Balls with a clothesline and taunts the fans. Smothers nails Mahoney with a leaping spin kick and gets a two count. Tracy leaps off the top but Mahoney delivers a shot to the midsection and a clothesline. Balls hammers away on Smothers with a series of strikes. Mahoney clotheslines Smothers for another two count. Mahoney splashes Tracy in the corner and hits a scoop slam. Mahoney hits a middle rope big splash. Balls knocks Guido off the apron with a right hand. Mahoney has a steel chair but that gets kicked into his face but Smothers only manages a two count. Smothers has the chair and accidentally whacks Guido with it. Mahoney gets a rollup on Smothers and wins the match. (*1/2. It was exactly what you’d expect it to be. The fans only cared when the chair was involved, and I can’t blame them.) After the match, Mahoney whacks Guido over the head with the chair and the same goes for the referee.

Fourth Contest: Axl Rotten vs. New Jack: Hey it’s a New Jack singles match! As you’d expect, there is just an insane amount of weapon shots and the fans eat it all up. Rotten takes the beating the best way he can. Rotten gets some control of the match but it’s just two hardcore guys beating the shit out of each other with weapons. Rotten is busted wide open as they are brawling with a guard railing on the aisle way. Jack is busted open, too, of course. Jack leaps off the top with a chair shot and pins Rotten to end the match. This was just the hardcore mess that the fans were wanting and ate up everything.

Fifth Contest: D-Von Dudley vs. Tommy Dreamer: Beulah is at ringside sporting a neck brace. D-Von is taken to the mat a few times but gets control of Dreamer with strikes against the ropes. Dreamer sends D-Von over the top to the floor and quickly follows to brawl for a few moments. D-Von sends Dreamer hard into the guard railing back first. Tommy crotches D-Von on the railing and has a steel chair in hand. Dreamer smashes D-Von over the head with the chair before playing to the crowd. Dreamer comes off the ropes to hit a bulldog but only gets a two count on the cover. Joel Gertner trips Dreamer from the outside and D-Von gets control. D-Von drives Dreamer down to the mat with a side slam and blows a kiss to Beulah. D-Von yanks Dreamer out of the corner and Tommy crashes to the mat. D-Von drops Dreamer with a clothesline keeping to a basic offense of attack. D-Von leaps off the middle rope but misses a head butt. Dreamer fights back with a backdrop and a side Russian leg sweep. Dreamer attempts a DDT but grabs Gertner on the apron instead. D-Von holds Dreamer for Gertner but that doesn’t work so well for them as Beulah enters and low blows Gertner! Dreamer plants D-Von with a DDT and wins the match. (*1/2. That was rather dull, but the fans pop for Dreamer hitting the DDT. Dreamer is really over with the ECW fans by this point.)

Sixth Contest: ECW TV Champion Shane Douglas & Chris Candido vs. The Pitbulls: Candido and #2 kick off the match with neither man getting an advantage. #2 clotheslines Candido to counter a hip toss attempt. #2 works on the arm of Candido and #1 enters to work over Candido with a few strikes. Candido is double teamed by the Pitbulls before #2 legally tags in and hits a spinning heel kick. Candido gets momentum hitting a German suplex and Douglas tags in to plant #2 with a piledriver. Douglas taunts #1 on the apron before tagging out to Candido. Douglas delivers a headbutt to the groin area of #2. #2 fights back with a press slam on both Candido and Douglas. #1 gets involved clotheslining Douglas to the floor and the Pitbulls pose in the ring. Douglas is tossed back into the ring where #1 is ready for him and tosses him to the floor. #1 splashes onto Douglas against the ropes and drops Douglas throat first across the top rope. #2 comes off the top to hit a shoulder block for a near fall. #2 wrenches on Shane’s neck but isn’t able to get a submission. #1 tags in and sends #2 into the corner to hit a spin kick on Douglas. #1 nails Candido with a clothesline on the floor, as well. #2 takes Douglas over with a snap suplex for a two count. #2 spikes Douglas with a tombstone but Candido enters to prevent a pin attempt. #2 clotheslines Douglas and hits a fist drop after an awkward running of the ropes. Candido distracts #2 on the apron, which might have been a botched spot, as Douglas took awhile to get up and hit a swinging neck breaker. Candido enters after faking a tag.

Candido keeps #2 on the canvas with a running clothesline. #2 is briefly double teamed before Douglas entered and kept control of the match for his team. Douglas hits a delayed vertical suplex and taunts the fans after popping up from the mat. Candido comes back in and delivers a series of quick leg drops. Candido hits a snap suplex but #2 no sells it and runs into a big boot in the corner. Candido leaps off the top but #2 hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Candido holds the boot of #2 and allows Douglas to drop a few elbows. Douglas has Candido and attempts a rocket launcher splash but #2 got his knees up. Douglas enters to knock #1 off the apron and scoop slams #2 to keep control. Douglas helps Candido hit a leg drop but #2 kicks out on the cover attempt and has gotten a second wind. #2 no sells a few strikes and plants Douglas with a power bomb! #1 gets tagged in and hammers away on Douglas hitting a backdrop. #1 press slams Candido and the same goes for Douglas. #1 goes to the top but is crotched after #2 was sent into the ropes. Pitbulls goes for the Super Bomb on Candido but Candido countered with a hurricanrana! Francine gets involved jumping onto #2’s back. Douglas enters and #2 gets the pin with a neck breaker. (**1/2. They got plenty of time and it seemed like an average tag match. The feud between Douglas and the Pitbull doesn’t seem to have the same heated feel to it, but that’s natural over time. A clean victory for the Pitbulls is still a solid win here.)

Seventh Contest: The Sandman vs. Bubba Ray Dudley: Bubba opens the match after some stalling with a side slam for a two count. Bubba sends Sandman to the floor where Big Dick and D-Von are waiting and attack him sending Sandman into the railing. Back in the ring, Bubba hit a back suplex but Sandman kicked out on the cover. Sandman fights off the Dudley Boys on the floor sending them into the railing. Bubba is sent into Big Dick against the railing. Sandman dives over the top rope and takes all three members out with a cross body. Bubba is sent into the referee in the corner and Sandman takes Bubba down with a DDT. D-Von enters and is also met with a DDT. Sandman has a kendo stick but Big Dick isn’t overly impacted by the shots. Sandman walks into a 3D and Bubba gets the pin. (*1/2. At least it was rather quick, but that’s gotta be a huge upset for Bubba to get a win on Sandman. Obviously, Sandman is a character who could lose every time out and the fans will love him because the best thing about him is the entrance anyway.)

Main Event: ECW Tag Team Champions The Eliminators vs. Raven & Stevie Richards: Saturn takes Richards down to the canvas but Richards gets up and nails Saturn with several strikes a leaping forearm strike for a two count. Richards drives Saturn down to the mat with a side slam for another two count. Raven wants the tag but Richards flips him off. Saturn takes Richards over with a head scissors and a clothesline. Kronus drops Richards throat first across the top and Saturn hits a suplex for a two count. Raven does get tagged in and takes Saturn over with a snap mare followed by a fist drop to the groin. Raven holds Saturn but is stopped by a low blow and Saturn kisses Chastity on the apron. Saturn gets knocked to the floor but is quickly rolled back in by Richards. Richards plants Saturn with a sloppy power bomb as Kronus enters and gets a few shots in on Raven. Saturn drops Raven with a series of chops and a spin kick. Saturn big boots Richards and connects with a power bomb. Kronus hammers away on Richards in the corner and hits a standing spin kick. Kronus scoop slams Richards and hits a standing somersault leg drop. Kronus continues with a Rock Bottom on Richards and the Eliminators both nail Richards with spin kicks. Saturn has an inside cradle on Raven but the referee is distracted by Kronus. Saturn has another rollup on Raven and almost wins the match.

However, that’s all that is taped of the match. Yeah, that sucks. The Eliminators won the match, by the way. That’s super annoying that the match isn’t complete.

Final Thoughts:
A subpar show that not even the main event would have been able to save, really. A lot of average to below average action on this one. Which, is kind of surprising since ECW was on a roll.

Thanks for reading.