Rebooking ECW: ECW Heatwave 1997 (07/19/97)

The wait is finally over, as tonight, Extreme Championship Wrestling presents: ECW Heatwave 1997! The summer of violence continues to heat up as bitter battles come to ahead, when the highly anticipated client of “Ravishing” Rick Rude goes one-on-one with the ECW Heavyweight Champion, Sabu! Will The Sandman stand victorious and take the belt with him to a rival promotion? And who walks out tonight as the undisputed ECW Television Champion, Taz or Saturn? The ECW Tag Team Championships are also up or grabs as The Gangstas look to settle the score with The Prime Time Killers! All that and much more await you, live from the hot streets of New York City!

Extreme Championship Wrestling presents:

ECW Heatwave 1997 – 07/19/97 (Queens, NY)

MATCH CARD:

Impromptu Singles Match 

Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. ???

Tag Team Match for the ECW Tag Team Championships

The Prime Time Killers (c) Vs. The Gangstas

Singles Rematch

PG-187 Vs. Davey Morton Jericho

Sudden Death Submission Match for the ECW Television Championship

“The Human Suplex Machine” Taz (c) w/Bill Alfonso Vs. Saturn

Singles Match

Danny Doring Vs. Roadkill

Singles match for the ECW Heavyweight Championship

Sabu w/Bill Alfonso (c) Vs. The Sandman w/”Ravishing” Rick Rude

The results were as follows:

1. Opening segment: Bam Bam, followed by fellow Triple Threat members Lance Storm and Mike Awesome stormed the ring and chased Joey Styles off before he could properly open the show. Bam Bam demanded a mic and wasted no time. “Listen up! Two days ago, I was blindsided with a hammer from behind. So, somebody without an ounce of balls in their body decided to try and take me out. But, you don’t target The Beast From The East! Whoever the b****** was that did it, needs to come out here and face their destruction. If not, The Triple Threat is prepared to come back to that locker room and lay waste to those without answers!” Storm and Awesome watched Bigelow’s back as he continued to demand his assaulter come out. “Come out, coward, or you’ll face even more problems than you already got comin’ to you!” Just then, “The Head Cheerleader” Francine jumped up on the apron and low blowed both Awesome and Storm as they stood close to the ropes behind Bam Bam. The crowd went nuts, as after those two were down, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas’ music hit. He ran down to ringside and started throwing fists with Bigelow. A referee ran down and an impromptu match began!

2. Shane Douglas got his revenge on Bam Bam Bigelow for causing him to suffer a concussion at ECW’s first pay-per-view event, Barely Legal, approximately one month ago. Douglas and Bam Bam brawled to the first quarter of the match, until Douglas smartly turned the fight into a wrestling match to get the better of Bam Bam. The two fought on pretty equal plains for most of the match until Bigelow began to lose steam and rely on Lance Storm and Mike Awesome to interfere. The two men put the boots to Douglas while Bam Bam tried to catch his breath until Francine jumped on his back and clawed at his eyes. Bam Bam rammed her into the corner and she fell into a seated position. This fired Douglas up, he laid Awesome and Storm out with a chair, and hit a quick belly-to-belly suplex on Bigelow followed by a huge Pittsburg Plunge for a quick victory. He carried Francine to the back as he celebrated and the Triple Threat crawled slowly to their feet.

3. Commercial break + Hype Central merchandising information.

4. The Gangstas entered first and anxiously waited for the champions. The Prime Time Killers slowly made their way down to the ring and stalled before getting in. Finally, the referee was able to get the champions into the ring to start the match which allowed The Gangstas to begin teeing off. The tornado tag match quickly became just as destructive as the first match, and sooner rather than later, both “Prime Time” Lee and “Killer” Kronus were busted wide open. Towards the second half of the match, Lee and New Jack brawled in the crowd while Mustafa and Kronus worked in the ring. New Jack would make his way back to the ring for a double team on Kronus before Mustafa headed out to deal with Lee. Eventually, the two teams would make their way out of the arena onto the busy streets of Queens! Both teams bounced each other off bus stop booths, subway signs, and brick buildings until finally steeping back into the hot arena. After a brawl all the way back to the ring, New Jack picked up the victory after hitting his signature 187 on Kronus. Lee was laid out on the floor in the crowd while Mustafa headed back to the ring to celebrate with New Jack as the new ECW Tag Team Champions!

5. Davey Morton Jericho Interview: Joey Styles invited Davey Morton Jericho down to the ring for an interview. Jericho appeared frustrated with a statement to be made. “Mr. Morton Jericho, on the latest episode of ECW Resurgence, it seemed as though you had something on your mind following your loss to one of ECW’s newest wrestlers, PG-187. You were visibly upset, care to elaborate?” Davey Morton snatched the mic and kept it short. “Joey, tonight, right now, if I can’t beat PG in a match, the office might as well consider it my resignation letter! If I can’t beat a guy like him, I don’t want to be here! The office doesn’t believe in me, none of the boys in the back know my name, you people don’t respect me, and most of all, I’m questioning my own abilities. I have yet to win a match here and quite frankly, I’m pretty g****** sick of it! PG-187, come on out here.”

6. Commercial break + Upcoming ECW event date information.

7. By the time the break was over, the starting bell rang and PG-187 and Davey Morton Jericho were already circling the ring. In the most cleanly competitive match thus far, Jericho and 187 put on a solid wrestling match. The two smaller men lit up the ring, balancing some high flying with technical skill. After an even battle and a few near falls for both men, PG-187 was still able to defeat Davey Morton Jericho. This is where the clean competition went out the window! PG offered a handshake to which Jericho responded with a kick in the groin! He then spit on PG, grabbed a mic and ended his ECW career with “That’s what I thing of you, PG, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and all of you people who pay to watch this s***! I’m out of here!” With a pair of middle fingers, Davey Morton Jericho brashly exited the arena.

8. Both men met in the center of the ring for the introductions without breaking sight of one another. Alfonso aggressively blew his whistle at ringside while both men scrambled to take each other off their feet. Wrestling skills were once again put to the test on either side, as both traded holds for a couple of minutes without any wiggle room. Taz would catch Saturn a few times in a hold, including the Tazmission, so painful, Saturn would bite down on his own bicep to keep from tapping! Things quickly broke down, though, as Saturn would be the first man to be thrown to the outside. The two brawled around the ringside area, even allowing Saturn to get a shot in on Fonzy which exploded the crowd. The two would work their way through the crowd, even getting to the point of Taz slapping a guillotine on Saturn with the aid of a seated fan’s chair legs! Finally, the action would make its way over to the commentator’s area, right next to Joey Styles! The two continued to trade heavy blows until Saturn got Taz up onto Joey’s table in a devastating Rings of Saturn scissored armbar! After two full minutes in the hold, a shamed Taz quickly tapped out and rolled off the tabletop. Saturn’s bloody arm would be raised in victory to signify him as the new ECW Television Champion!

9. Commercial break.

10. Danny Doring got on the mic before the match started to make sure Roadkill know that the only reason he requested to have this match scheduled was to get even with Roadkill for costing him a tag team win over Sabu and Rob Van Dam. He claimed he teach Roadkill exactly what winning was all about tonight! With Doring off the mic and Roadkill good and mad, he proceeded to run through Doring like a derailed freight train. Roadkill made quick work of Danny Doring and earned himself a pinfall victory. After match as he groveled at Roadkill’s feet, Doring could be heard saying, “Maybe we should be friends!” Roadkill ignored the offer and exited the ring.

11. Rick Rude and Sandman segment: Rude and Sandman stood in what was presumed to be the WCW offices as a graphic lets the watching audience know that this footage was taped from earlier in the day and they sit in the lobby. Rude spoke quietly while Sandman smoked, “Welcome to the million dollar WCW offices, ECW… Beats the hell out of that hole in the wall in Philly, doesn’t it? Speaking of which, tonight’s the last night we have to be in the minor leagues, because it’s off to big money Atlanta. Hey Sabu, when we hand over your belt to Eric Bischoff, should he spit on it, or s*** on it?” Sandman and Rude began laughing as somebody shushed them off camera and spoke. “Hey, sir! No smoking in here.” Sandman looked at Rude and stood up and headed toward the voice off camera. Rude motioned a kiss to the viewing audience and began to laugh as a fight is heard breaking out in the background.

12. Sabu with Alfonso following close behind him made their way down to the ring. After two full minutes of mind game waiting, The Sandman entered wearing suit pants and a dress shirt with the sleeves cut off. As Sandman smoked, “Ravishing” Rick walked behind with the briefcase and the Singapore cane in-hand. Finally, he cracked open a beer, and instead of pouring it down himself and smashing it on his head, he sipped it weakly and smashed it over the head of Sabu. From then on, the action was nonstop! Sabu put in most of the formidable offense, but Sandman landed several haymaker shots to stay in the match. The Singapore cane came in handy when Sabu would take to the ropes and Sandman would swat him down with it to combat his aerial assault. Sabu put Sandman through a table set up by Fonzy at ringside while Rude was down after receiving a good punch from the ECW Heavyweight Champion! Towards the end of the match, Sabu looked to hit a moonsault on a standing Sandman. Rude jumped to the apron and nailed Sabu’s head with his briefcase, which caused Sabu to stumble back into the ring, and into the waiting arms of The Sandman who hit a huge White Russian Legsweep with his cane across Sabu’s throat! Rude gave Alfonso a Rude Awakening while The Sandman got the three count on Sabu to capture the championship! He held up the belt, Rude shoved it in his briefcase, and the two hurried toward the back as Sabu stumbled to his feet and followed after them!