ECW House Show 3/3/1995

Written by: Bob Colling

ECW House Show
Date: 3/3/1995
From: Philadelphia, PA

Opening Contest: Stevie Richards vs. Tommy Dreamer: Richards accompanied to the ring by Raven, again. Dreamer backs Richards against the ropes but cleanly breaks away. Dreamer locks up with Richards with Stevie controlling with a headlock briefly. Richards gets monkey flipped and arm dragged by Dreamer. Richards works over Dreamer in the corner but misses a splash and is arm dragged again by Dreamer. Dreamer slaps Richards in the corner and follows up with a vertical suplex. Dreamer tosses Richards to the floor to continue his offense. Dreamer sends Richards head first into a fans chair in the front row. Dreamer continues with a snap suplex on the floor. They return to the ring where Richards is begging off. Richards stops Dreamer with a sloppy looking backdrop. Richards backdrops Dreamer better on a second attempt and stomps away on him in the corner. Richards slams Dreamer out of the corner followed by a head butt. Richards plays to the crowd before hitting a scoop slam. Richards goes to the top rope and hits a fist drop for a two count. Richards works over Dreamer in the corner with strikes and knee lifts. Richards gets met with a low blow in the corner after

Tommy blocked a big boot attempt. Richards nails Dreamer with a super kick. Richards goes for a cover but Tommy gets his boot on the bottom rope. Dreamer goes for a neck breaker but Richards hangs onto the bottom rope. Richards misses a super kick and Dreamer hit a neck breaker for the win. After the match, Raven rolls into the ring but kneels in the corner before standing up and taking his jacket off. He shoves Richards down and trades blows with Dreamer. Richards comes from behind to super kick Dreamer and he gets double teamed. Dreamer ends up planting Richards with a DDT and plays to the crowd. Dreamer gets a steel chair and DDTs Richards before celebrating with the fans. (**. A decent opener to start the show. Richards is really good at his heel role and got good heat throughout. There were a few sloppy moments, but I thought it was an acceptable match with some good action.)

Second Contest: The Tazmaniac vs. Dino Sendoff & Don E. Allen in a handicap match: Taz tosses both men with suplexs after they tried to get the cheap advantage at the start. Taz decks Sendoff with a clothesline while Allen struggles to standup on the floor. Taz hits another suplex on Dino. Allen gets a chair and this Taz on the knee with it. Taz tosses Allen with a German suplex dropping him on his head it looked like. Taz hammers away on Allen with right hands. Taz knocks the referee down and the referee calls for the bell. 911 makes his way down to the ring and pulls Taz off of Dino as Taz was just pummeling him with right hands. I guess this would just get Taz over as a ruthless heel.

Third Contest: ECW Television Champion Dean Malenko vs. 2 Cold Scorpio: They start off with some mat wrestling and neither man getting the advantage causing for a standoff. Scorpio trips Malenko and they go back to trading holds on the mat. Malenko gets control driving his knee into Scorpio’s back. That doesn’t last too long as Scorpio gets a hammerlock and they have a standoff. Scorpio knee drops Malenko after running the ropes and Malenko rolls to the floor. Jason Knight is at ringside supporting Malenko. Malenko returns to the ring and takes Scorpio down to the canvas. Malenko works over Scorpio with knee drops to the left knee a few times before controlling the leg with a leg lock but isn’t going to get a submission. Scorpio works over Malenko with a few head butts and a snap mare takedown. Scorpio attempts a crucifix rollup but Malenko is preventing his shoulders from staying down too long. Scorpio transitions to an arm bar but Malenko isn’t going to give up. Scorpio head scissors Malenko and soon gets a two count while controlling Dean’s wrist. Malenko monkey flips Scorpio but is met with an arm drag and taken back down to the canvas. Scorpio scoop slams Malenko followed by a leg drop for a two count. Malenko stomps on Scorpio in the corner for a few moments. Malenko clotheslines Scorpio and hits a delayed vertical suplex. Malenko hits a brain buster but only manages a two count on the cover. Malenko dropkicks a seated Scorpio and taunts the fans. Scorpio attempts a backslide and eventually gets a two count.

Malenko keeps Scorpio on the canvas with a few strikes. Malenko works over Scorpio in the corner ramming him head first into the corner. Malenko scoop slams Scorpio for a two count. Scorpio is able to super kick Malenko and almost gets a three count on the cover. Scorpio delivers a knee drop before coming off the top to hit a twisting big splash for a two count. Scorpio takes Malenko out with a cross body on the floor and goes after Jason Knight. Knight gets in the ring and rolls to the floor. Scorpio takes Malenko over with a suplex followed by a standing somersault leg drop. Malenko backdrops Scorpio to the apron but Scorpio hits a twisting cross body off the top after delivering an elbow for a two count on Malenko. Malenko nearly steals the match with an inside cradle. Scorpio backdrops Malenko and they trade a few rollups. Scorpio power bombs Malenko for another near fall. Scorpio runs into a big boot and Malenko hit a bulldog off the middle rope for a two count. Scorpio splashes Malenko in the corner followed by a tombstone piledriver. Scorpio hits a top rope moonsault but the bell sounds and that makes a twenty minute time limit draw. (***. The finish was expected but at least they didn’t tell the fans how much time had elapsed every five minutes. They worked well together and the fans seemed to enjoy the action throughout.) After the match, Scorpio says he wants five minutes with Malenko but that doesn’t end up happening.

Fourth Contest: The Sandman vs. JT Smith in a Singapore Cane Match: Sandman attacks Smith at the start of the match with kendo stick shots to the back. Sandman rolls Smith into the ring and whacks Smith with a kendo stick several more times. Smith wrestles the kendo stick away and whacks Sandman over the back several more times. JT breaks the kendo stick over his knee, which the fans didn’t appreciate. Smith dropkicks Sandman on the floor before rolling him back into the ring. JT clotheslines Sandman managing to get a two count. JT kicks Sandman down to the canvas. Smith works over Sandman with chops but is sent to the floor. Sandman has JT on the apron and hit a suplex back into the ring. Sandman dropkicks Smith, which looked really awkward. JT is sent chest first into the corner and Sandman plays to the crowd. JT atomic drops Sandman and puts him on the top rope. JT dropkicks Sandman off the top from the apron and they both crash to the floor in a dangerous looking spot. Sandman rolls Smith into the ring and grabs a steel chair, too. Sandman knee lifts Smith and delivers a few chops in the corner. Sandman catches Smith in the corner and hit a power slam. Sandman goes to the top rope but JT cuts him off with a strike. JT hooks Sandman and goes for a superplex but Sandman slams him off chest first. Sandman hit a leg drop off the top and that’s good enough for a three count. (**. I thought this wasn’t too bad, actually. Smith is a good in-ring hand and Sandman kept his offense mostly brawling before the finish with the leg drop. Plus, it didn’t go overly long sot hat made for an easier watch.) After the match, Shane Douglas runs out and attacks Sandman with a kendo stick shot.

Fifth Contest: Sabu vs. Osamu Nishimura: Sabu takes Osamu down to the canvas and they have a standoff. Osamu controls Sabu with a headlock on the canvas but they leads to another standoff. They trade a few strikes but neither man falls down. Sabu hits a springboard heel kick and gets a two count. Osamu gets back in control stomping on Sabu several times. Sabu comes off the ropes with a back elbow strike and hit a standing hurricanrana for a two count. Osamu is knocked to the floor where Sabu takes Osamu out with a slingshot somersault dive. Paul E. Dangerously is on the apron distracting the referee for whatever reason. Sabu quickly gets back on Osamu delivering strikes and takes him down to the canvas. Osamu nails sabu with a couple of dropkicks. Osamu scoop slams Sabu and heads to the top rope but is stopped by a right hand. Sabu has Osamu on the top looking for a hurricanrana but Osamu held onto the ropes and hits a missile dropkick. Osamu hits a slingshot cross body to take out Sabu on the floor. Osamu shoulder blocks Sabu and controls him with a headlock. Osamu has a head scissors on Sabu and isn’t going to get a submission. Sabu hits Osamu with a chair while the referee is distracted by Dangerously. Sabu hit a springboard splash off the chair into Osamu in the corner. Osamu clotheslines Sabu and grabs a chair to hit Sabu over the head with several times along with shots to the midsection. Osamu locks in Boston Crab but Sabu isn’t going to tap out. Osamu stomps on Sabu’s knee a few times. Sabu hammers away on Osamu and gets a steel chair to whack Osamu. Sabu misses a shot in the corner and Osamu delivers a few strikes to the lower back. Sabu scoop slams Osamu and hits Osamu with a few chair shots. Sabu knocks Osamu off the middle rope with a chair shot but misses an Arabian face buster off the middle rope. Osamu locks in a figure four leg lock. Osamu now has a sharpshooter locked in right in the middle of the ring. Osamu switches to an Indian death lock and then a surfboard. 911 is setting up a table on the floor when Sabu rams Osamu into head first. The table is small looking as he lays Osamu onto it in the ring. Sabu accidentally rips off a table leg and the table collapses. Sabu hits a standing Arabian face buster for the win. Osamu actually kicked out on the first cover. (**. I found myself getting a little bored towards the end of the match. The messed up table spot led to an awkward finish that included Osamu kicking out on accident.) After the match, 911 choke slams Osamu. Sabu hit a springboard moonsault, too.

Sixth Contest: Public Enemy vs. Hack Myers & Mikey Whipwreck: Public Enemy quickly go to work over Myers and Whipwreck with weapon shots. The match takes about three minutes before they start brawling in the crowd. In the crowd, there are chair shots and general craziness in the crowd. The bleachers are noticeably empty for this event. Myers slams Rocco off the bleachers with a rope around his neck. They eventually return to the ring where Grunge beats on Myers with a kendo stick. Grunge drops Whipwreck gut first across the top rope and Rock hits Mikey over the head with a drink. Grunge plants Mikey with a reverse DDT and Rocco comes off the top hitting a swanton for the win. (*1/2. I think this what the show needed, but I wasn’t interested in it. The fans were for sure into the action and again it felt like an exhibition for the Public Enemy.)

Main Event: ECW World Champion Shane Douglas vs. Tully Blanchard: Douglas backs Blanchard into a corner but Tully comes out and backs Douglas into another corner where he slaps the champ. Blanchard takes Douglas down to the canvas but Douglas rolls to the apron quickly. Douglas controls Blanchard on the canvas with a wrist lock but Tully reaches the ropes. Blanchard punches Douglas to stagger the champ and doesn’t quickly followup with the advantage. Douglas hammers away on Tully followed by a forearm shot to send Blanchard to the floor. Tully works over Douglas in the corner and continues with a stomp and elbow drop. Douglas goes to the floor to regroup. Douglas comes in and chops Tully several times before sending Tully across the ring and he flips over to the floor. Tully tosses a chair into the ring but the chair is quickly kicked to the floor. Tully shoves the referee to the floor because he wants Douglas in the ring alone. They trade a few shots with Douglas getting the better of the exchange. Douglas gets a two count as the referee is counting from the floor due to Blanchard’s request. Douglas works over Blanchard on the apron with a few strikes. Douglas covers Tully a few more times but doesn’t get a three count. Tully delivers a shot to the lower midsection to stop Douglas followed by an atomic drop.

Tully has a cover but doesn’t get a three count. They are on the mat trading pin attempts but nothing happening. Tully runs over Douglas with a big boot for a two count. Douglas has a body scissors on Blanchard but can’t get a three count. Tully monkey flips Douglas into the corner rather sloppy. Tully locks in the figure four right in the middle of the ring. Douglas turns the hold over and has the pressure on Blanchard. Tully reaches the bottom rope to break the hold. Douglas slams Tully’s leg across the apron and uses a chair on him, as well. Douglas wraps Tully’s right knee around the ring post. Douglas continues to stomp on Tully’s knee. Douglas has a figure four leg lock on Tully once again in the middle of the ring. Douglas keeps the hold on Tully but Tully gets his shoulders off the mat on a pin attempt. Tully dumps Douglas to the floor and Shane is holding his right knee. They are brawling on the floor for a few moments. On the floor, Douglas puts a figure four on Tully! Of course, it’s on the side of the ring nobody can see anything. Douglas brings Tully into the ring with a suplex from the apron for a two count. Douglas exposes his knee and misses a knee drop. Tully come soft the middle rope but is met with a strike to the midsection. Douglas has a rollup but Blanchard kicks out. They collide in the corner and drop to the canvas. Tully goes for a cover managing to get a near fall. Douglas counters a figure four attempt with a rollup for the win. (*. Well, that has to be seen as a disappointment. The action was slow and plodding. They didn’t do much to keep your interest into it. The fans seemed bored by the wrestling, too. It felt like a half-hour of wrestling when it was really more like twelve minutes or so. This was a bad main event for ECW.)

Final Thoughts:
Aside from Scorpio/Malenko there isn’t anything entertaining on the show. I was interested to see Tully in ECW outside of his one other match at the ECW Arena, and it’s safe to say that his experimental run in ECW was a failure. This show gets a thumbs down from me.

Thanks for reading.