Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 3/19/1996
From: Philadelphia, PA
Matches:
1.) The Bad Crew fought El Puerto Ricano & Damien Stone to a no contest
2.) The Bruise Brothers fought The Pitbulls to a no contest
3.) Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Juventud Guerrera in a best two out of three falls match
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Brian Pillman comes out during the opening match and attacks both Bad Crew and their opponents. Pillman demands that Joey Styles get in the ring and after a moment Joey appears to interview him. Brian hugs Joey telling him that he loves Joey. Pillman says when the student is ready that the teacher will appear. He refers to himself as the Rouge Horsemen. Shane Douglas is heard on the microphone and Douglas appears in the crowd. Douglas says that Pillman can have his lawyer sue him or the agent blackball him from Hollywood. Douglas isn’t going to waste his time on Pillman… actually, yeah Douglas is going to do exactly that. Douglas heads to the ring but Pillman quickly bails from the ring and heads backstage. Douglas wants a piece of Pillman and rips his shirt off.
2.) Tommy Dreamer has his arm in a sling but cuts a promo on Bruise Brothers. He says that half of him is better than two of them. He is going to make one of them an only child.
3.) Speaking of Dreamer, he came out and attacked the Bruise Brothers during their match with the Pitbulls. Dreamer also brawled with Stevie Richards and Blue Meanie tossing them into the crowd. There wasn’t any kind of finish between the Bruise Brothers and Pitbulls as Dreamer and the Pitbulls stood tall to end the segment.
4.) This is from the Big-Ass Extreme Bash in 1996, and it’s Rey’s last ECW match before jumping to Atlanta. It’s also 2/3 falls. Rey with a surfboard, into the bridging deathlock. Juvy gets a northern lights suplex for two. Rey gets a rana for two. Pinfall reversal sequence ends with a two count for Juvy. Nick knucklelock gymnastic exhibition spot leads into a near-fall for Juvy, and Rey comes back with another rana for two. Rey dumps him and fakes a highspot, then follows with a quebrada. Back in, Rey goes up with a top rope powerbomb for two. They fight over a suplex, won by Juvy for two. Spinkick, springboard dropkick, and dragon suplex finish for Guerrera at 5:30.
Second fall: Rey snaps off a rana for two. Juvy charges and splats on the apron, and Rana headscissors him to the floor. Rey vaults over the ref and gets a tope on Juvy, and they head back in. Powerbomb gets two for Rey. Lionsault gets two. Juvy snaps off a clothesline and kicks away, but gets dropkicked while trying a bodypress and Rey finishes with a Doctorbomb at 9:01.
Third fall: Juvy takes a breather outside and then dropkicks Rey, and puts him on top for a dropkick to the floor. Baseball slide, and Rey is in the crowd. Juvy follows with a quebrada. Back in, springboard leg lariat gets two. Springboard legdrop misses, and Rey comes back. They head up and Juvy blocks a rana, but gets caught coming off into a powerbomb for two. Rey with a northern lights suplex, and a moonsault misses. Juvy gets a blockbuster suplex for two. Rey with the leg lariat and Juvy bails, but Rey slides out with a headscissors on him. Rey hits a tope and battle outside the arena, where Juvy powerbombs Rey on a CAR, and they head back in. To the top, where Rey reverses Splash Mountain into a rana for the pin at 16:00. Non-stop spots. ***1/2 (Credit: Scott Keith, ECW Big Ass Extreme Bash ’96 Review)
5.) Brian Pillman is in the kitchen preparing a meal for Gary Jester, a WCW lawyer. Pillman spits in a salad and sends it out be served to Jester.
6.) Shane Douglas is at a fair with an actress and doesn’t make the ball in the hole, which frustrates him.
7.) Missy Hyatt tells Sandman that she loves how Sandman dishes out pain, but she likes how he takes it. Sandman’s back is scratched pretty badly from Hyatt.
8.) JT Smith says he has everyone fooled into thinking he his clumsy, but rather he is really smart.
9.) ECW Tag Team Champions The Eliminators says their only regret about taking out Francine is that she isn’t pregnant because then it would be a two of one. OUCH.
10.) Hyatt doesn’t like Shane Douglas and wants Sandman to cane Douglas and everyone in sight. Sandman says that Douglas doesn’t want to cross this line. What mommy wants, mommy gets.
11.) Raven says there is one major difference between himself and Tommy Dreamer. Raven says that Dreamer loves everyone and everything. Meanwhile, Raven has only ever loved Beulah and Tommy only loved Beulah once he found out what was in her box!
12.) Back to Brian Pillman at the restaurant who gives his autograph to a server. Pillman says it’s all a work and he isn’t really a loose cannon, but then proceeds to stab himself with a fork on his arm saying that it is all a perception of reality.
Final Thoughts:
For sure I’m sold on the angle between Pillman and Douglas. The pulp fiction style promos this week really stood out as being solid promos and adding depth to various feuds. A fun Rey/Juvi matches makes this a solid overall effort from ECW.
Thanks for reading.