ECW House Show 9/13/1996

Written by: Bob Colling

Extreme Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: 9/13/1996
From: Jim Thorpe, PA

Opening Contest: Bubba Ray Dudley & Hack Myers vs. The Bad Crew: All four men brawl in the ring with Bubba and Myers getting the advantage until Myers was sent to the floor and Bubba gets double teamed briefly. Bad Crew hits a spine buster/clothesline combo on Bubba. Myers enters and helps Bubba knock down Bad Crew. Bubba side slams one of the Crew guys whole Bubba hammers away on the other in the opposite corner. Bubba hits a scoop slam and goes to the top rope. Bubba leaps off hitting a big splash but doesn’t go for the cover instead hammering away on him. The camera goes blurry, but there is a double pin on Bad Crew. (1/2*. It wasn’t much of an opening match, really. Fans really like Bubba, though.)

Stevie Richards has a microphone and cuts a promo on Johnny Smith. Richards wants Smith to give a message to the Queen. Richards says that the Queen owes him money and they will break her thumbs if they don’t get the money. Okay…

Second Contest: Super Nova vs. Johnny Smith: Nova tries for the early attack but that doesn’t work very well for him as Smith takes him down to the canvas. Smith works over Nova in the corner with a strike and a kick to the canvas. Smith works over the left arm of Nova and puts a kimora on him. Nova is able to reach the ropes to break the submission. Smith drives Nova down with a backbreaker and a few elbow drops. Smith puts a Boston Crab on Nova getting some good torque on it but Nova doesn’t give up and reaches the ropes instead. Smith takes Nova over with a gut wrench suplex but the fans are rather bored by the match. Smith has Nova up and drops him gut first across the top rope for a near fall. Smith shoulder blocks Nova but soon gets tripped by Richards from the floor allowing Nova to get the cheap advantage. Richards is doing some commentary behind the camera guy as Nova got a near fall on Smith. Nova dropkicks Smith in the corner followed by a scoop slam and a slow motion leg drop, which Richards even says he messed up. The crowd lets him know that he messed it up, too. Blue Meanie chokes Smith over the middle rope and Nova continues his attack. Smith knee lifts Nova a few times followed by a DDT. Smith heads to the top rope hitting a missile dropkick. Smith clotheslines Nova for a near fall. Nova avoids a German suplex but gets met with a power slam for a two count. Storm plants Nova with a sit down power bomb for the win. (**. The fans were bored early on, but by the end they appreciated Storm. Nova was a little sloppy, but the match was okay as Storm is a solid wrestler and carried the match.)

Prior to the next match, Bill Alfonso cuts a promo and puts down the crowd. I’m assuming since the microphone isn’t very good. Also, Gabe Sapolsky is shown how to work the camera to keep it in focus. I’m assuming Gabe didn’t exactly know how to keep the video free of blur, but hopefully he figures it out for the remainder of the show.

Third Contest: Taz vs. Little Guido in a submission match: Taz destroys JT Smith with an overhead suplex and Guido tries to take down Taz but fails. Guido gets out of a wrist lock and keeps control of Taz on the mat focusing on the knee. Taz rolls over and puts a front face lock on Guido. Taz takes Guido down with a fireman carry. Taz is focusing on the left arm with a wrist lock but Guido gets to the ropes. Taz stomps on Guido and soon hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Taz finishes off Guido by locking in the Taz Mission. This was basically just a quick squash match to put over Taz. After the match, Taz wants Sabu to come out to the ring but that’s not going to happen, apparently.

Fourth Contest: Mikey Whipwreck & Louie Spicolli vs. Doug Furnas & Phil Lafon: Furnas and Whipwreck start the match with Furnas controlling Whipwreck with a headlock on the canvas. Whipwreck backs Furnas against the ropes but they cleanly break free. Spicolli tags in as Furnas brought Whipwreck to the corner. Furnas backs Spicolli into his corner and Lafon tags in to kick Spicolli but Spicolli backdrops Lafon. Spicolli elbow strikes Lafon in the corner and Whipwreck hit a double axe handle off the top. Lafon arm drags Whipwreck and controls him on the mat with a cross arm breaker. Lafon brings Whipwreck into the corner and Furnas tags in. Furnas puts Mikey down with a headlock as the match hasn’t really done anything. Whipwreck dropkicks Furnas and controls his arm before Furnas tags out to Lafon. Lafon knee strikes Whipwreck and pummels him with right hands on the canvas. Lafon misses a clothesline but hits a spinning heel kick for a two count. Furnas tags in and dropkicks Whipwreck for a two count. Furnas beats down on Whipwreck and tags in Lafon. Lafon controls Whipwreck in the corner but Whipwreck nearly wins with a rollup. Lafon plants Mikey with a sit down power bomb for a two count. Lafon super kicks Whipwreck in the corner for a near fall. Lafon has a front face lock on Whipwreck and tags in Furnas. Furnas works over Whipwreck with a strike but Whipwreck hit a hurricanrana and tags out to Spicolli. Louie cleans house with scoop slams and a dropkick on Lafon. All four men are brawling in the ring as Lafon and Furnas collide. Louie clotheslines Furnas to the floor and plants Lafon with a spine buster. Mikey takes Furnas out with a somersault dive to the floor. Louie hits a bridging suplex on Lafon for a near fall. Furnas decks Louie from the apron and Lafon hits a cobra clutch suplex to pin Spicolli. (*1/2. I had a lot more hope for this match and it was quite a disappointment. They didn’t click very well at the start and it just felt sloppy and uninspired. I really thought that these four would put together a fun match and it just didn’t happen.)

Fifth Contest: Devon Storm vs. Steve Williams: I’d be surprised if Devon Storm got much offense in this one. Williams shows off his strength by shoving Storm down to the canvas at the start. Storm decides to slap Williams and probably regretted that. Williams swipes Storm on a dropkick attempt and press slams Storm down to the mat. Williams works over Storm in the corner with strikes and sends Storm flipping over the top to the floor. Williams follows him to the floor and tosses Storm onto a table before hitting him with a trash can lid. They return to the ring where Williams gets a two count. Williams clotheslines Storm against the ropes and rams Storm back first into the corners before hitting a power slam for the win. This was exactly what I thought it would be. The Eliminators come into the ring and attack Williams as Saturn nails Steve with a super kick. Tommy Dreamer slides into the ring and helps out Williams hammering away on Saturn and Kronus knocking them to the floor and standing tall.

Sixth Contest: ECW Tag Team Champions New Jack & Mustafa vs. ECW Television Champion Shane Douglas & Samu: Samu is the mystery partner for Douglas. New Jack cut a promo before they wrestled but again I can’t really make out what he said, but it was surely insulting his opponents. Samy and Jack start the match with Jack actually controlling eh match with strikes but Mustafa gets involved to help out. Samu fights Mustafa off but is attacked from behind. Douglas seems more interested in rooting on his partner than actually doing anything. Samu is double teamed against the ropes for a few moments. Samu works over Mustafa with chops against the ropes and follows up with a clothesline after a leapfrog. Jack comes back in and gets met with a headbutt before getting tossed to the floor. Samu headbutts Mustafa and takes him down to the canvas. Douglas isn’t interested in a tag from Samu and drops to the floor. Jack has a chair on the top rope as Samu isn’t paying attention. Jack hits him with the chair and wins the match. Really? That’s got to be some kind of joke. After the match, Douglas gets in the ring and shames Samu asking what the hell kind of effort was that. This makes Douglas more a dick but it is kind of cheap for the fans to not get the tag match. Douglas ends dup decking Samu with the ECW Television Championship from behind followed by a swinging neck breaker. Samu’s buddies enter the ring to make the save but they are obviously too late. They are selling Samu having some kind of neck injury and Samu is heard saying he’s going to kill Douglas.

Seventh Contest: Perry Saturn vs. Pitbull #2: Pitbull #1 is at ringside with his partner wearing a halo for his neck injury. Saturn taunts the Pitbull in a halo for some cheap heat. #2 backs Saturn into a corner but just backs away. Saturn controls Pitbull with a headlock but lets go and they both attempt a spinning heel kick but miss and have a standoff. Saturn misses a clothesline and avoids a back suplex but kicks Pitbulls. Pitbull catches Saturn on a springboard moonsault attempt hitting a power slam for a two count. Saturn battles back with a boot to the midsection but Pitbull works over Saturn in the corner. Pitbull hammers away on Saturn and controls him on the mat with a sleeper hold. The fans want Pitbull to break Saturn’s neck. Saturn kicks Pitbull in the ribs but Pitbull comes back with a press slam for a two count. Pitbull plants Saturn with a power bomb for a two count. Pitbull plays to the crowd and dangerously drops Saturn on his head as he lost grip on a power bomb. So, he might have broken his neck. Anyway, Pitbull tosses Saturn to the floor and whacks him over the back with a chair. Pitbull also hits Saturn with a trash can lid. Saturn sends Pitbull into the guard railing back first a few times followed by strikes. Pitbull sends Saturn back first into the guard railing and they brawl into the crowd. Pitbull tosses Saturn into the wall but Saturn fights back with right hands. Pitbull pummels Saturn with right hands in the crowd and hits Saturn over the head with a weapon.

They roll back into the ring and Pitbull goes to the top rope attempting an axe handle but Saturn dropkicks him in midair instead. Saturn goes to the top but is caught and backdropped, but it was really sloppy looking and probably supposed to be just a catch spot. Pitbull puts Saturn on the top rope and hits a fallaway slam! Pitbull clotheslines Saturn over the top to the floor and comes off the top missing a double axe handle. Saturn drops Pitbull across the guard railing chest first. Saturn comes off the apron to drop Pitbull across the railing again. Saturn hits an ace crusher in the ring. Saturn rakes the eyes of Pitbull followed by a leg drop. Saturn controls Pitbull with a sleeper hold on the canvas. Saturn comes off the ropes with a swinging neck breaker. Saturn drives Pitbull down with a brain buster and taunts the fans afterward. Saturn kicks Pitbull on the back of the head for a near fall. Saturn tries for a suplex but Pitbull takes him over with a backdrop. Saturn hits another ace crusher and heads to the top rope. Saturn leaps off hitting an elbow drop for a two count. Saturn continues his offense with a neck breaker and a leg drop to the back of his head. Saturn comes off the top hitting a knee drop. Pitbull #1 wants to throw in the towel for his partner, but #2 won’t allow him to. Saturn continues to work over Pitbull hitting a spin kick. Saturn plants Pitbull with a face buster and comes off the top hitting a leg drop. Saturn catches the towel and gets met with a rollup to give Pitbull the win. (**1/4. The usage of the towel came across like they were trying to force sympathy or emotion into the match. It was a fine brawl and Saturn did a really good job throughout to work with a limited Pitbull. This is the only match to get considerable amount of time and be actually competitive on the show.)

Raven has Sandman’s son Tyler and wife Lori with him at ringside for this match. Sandman wants to get a hug from his son, but he puts his arm out like Raven and sits in the corner with his mother and Raven.

Eighth Contest: ECW World Champion Raven & Brian Lee vs. The Sandman & Tommy Dreamer: Lee attacks Dreamer with right hands and works over Tommy in the corner as Sandman went after Richards and Meanie on the floor. Lee sends Dreamer hard into the corner but Dreamer fights back with a low blow and jaw breaker before sending Lee to the floor. Dreamer quickly follows and hits Lee with various weapons that fans had. Raven comes over and brawls with Dreamer sending him into the guard railing. Dreamer also sends Raven into the guard railing back first. Dreamer is stopped by Lee and is double teamed until Sandman finally comes over and whacks them with his kendo stick. Dreamer is working over Raven with a trash can lid. All four men are brawling at ringside using weapons around the surrounding area. Lee sends Dreamer back first into the railing. Lee and Dreamer return to the ring while Sandman brawls with Raven. Lee takes Dreamer down with a choke hold it looks like but Sandman enters the ring to make the save. Raven comes in as well and dropkicks both opponents. Lee sends Dreamer over the railing into the crowd and they continue to brawl with Lee hitting Dreamer with a chair. Dreamer sends Lee into the wall of the building a few times. Lee drops the guard railing down onto Dreamer’s chest a few times. Raven rolls Dreamer into the ring but Sandman comes over and brawls with Lee. I think Dreamer hit a DDT on Raven, but Lee backdrops Sandman onto a stable. Lori prevents a cover and Raven nearly pins Dreamer, but the camera guy missed what happened. Sandman and Raven are both busted open at this point. Raven brawls with Dreamer heading towards the backstage area but Raven send shim into the railing a few times. Dreamer sets Raven up and piledrives him onto a table, which doesn’t break!

Tommy and Raven continue to brawl in the crowd for a few moments. They are back at ringside where Raven sends Dreamer into the railing. Dreamer whacks Lee over the back with a steel chair. Sandman comes over and brawls with Lee. Sandman backdrops Raven on the floor for a near fall. Sandman rolls Raven into the ring and whacks him over the back with a kendo stick. Sandman actually whacks all the heels with it until Raven cuts him off from behind. Dreamer low blows Raven and delivers a kendo stick shot. Lee tries to help but jus stopped by Dreamer, too. Sandman has the kendo stick but Raven grabs Tyler to put him in front of him for defense. Lee choke slams Dreamer! Sandman misses a kendo stick shot but gets out of a choke slam. Sandman plants Raven with a DDT to win the match! (***. Well, that was a better brawl than I’ve normally seen and the usage of Tyler was done well here. The pop for the pin shows the fans are emotionally invested in the angle between Sandman and Raven. An enjoyable brawl that served a purpose and had a story at the end. A pleasant surprise.)

Main Event: Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu: RVD takes Sabu down to the canvas with a leg trip but Sabu reaches the ropes quickly. Sabu nails RVD with a few right hands and controls RVD in the corner. They end up having a standoff. RVD dropkicks Sabu to the floor. Sabu dropkicks the knee of RVD and knocks him to the floor. Sabu misses a baseball slide and RVD sends Sabu into the guard railing. RVD sends Sabu chest first into the guard railing. RVD tries for a suplex but Sabu drops him across the guard railing. Sabu picks up a table and drills RVD in the face, which was an accident. Sabu places RVD on the table across the railing and apron. Sabu springboards off the top and takes RVD out with a dive in the crowd as he had gotten off the table. Sabu works over RVD with a few strikes but RVD hits a springboard cross body. Sabu runs into a boot in the corner and RVD connects with a split legged moonsault. RVD slams sabu and hits a rolling thunder leg drop for a two count. Sabu dropkicks RVD but RVD comes back with a chair shot. RVD springboards off the bottom rope for another leg drop. Sabu whacks RVD over the back with a chair. Sabu smashes a chair into RVD’s face. Sabu connects with another moonsault as RVD was laying across the middle rope. Sabu uses a chair to deliver a leg drop for a near fall. Sabu sends RVD into the corner, but RVD comes out looking for a kick and misses. RVD ends up hitting a moonsault in an awkward moment. RVD dropkicks Sabu off the top to the floor. RVD tries to splash onto Sabu across the apron but Sabu tosses a chair into RVD’s face. Sabu sends RVD back first into the guard railing. Sabu goes back to the table laying over the apron and railing. Sabu hits a triple jump DDT through the table!

Back in the ring, Sabu manages to get a near fall on RVD. Sabu has a chair and comes off the top missing a somersault leg drop with the chair. RVD spin kicks Sabu and forearms Sabu to the corner. My tape decides to glitch and freezes up with about five minutes left in the ring. After looking it up, all i missed was a frankensteiner by Sabu off the top, Sab slipping on a triple jump attempt and Sabu finishing the match with a triple jump moonsault after 16 minutes of action. (**1/2. Up to the point I saw, it was a decent match and actually better than what I’ve seen from these guys during this time on the live event. It’s just a bummer my copy didn’t want to cooperate with me. The triple jump DDT was an awesome spot, I must say.)

Final Thoughts:
The final three matches saved this show from being a complete waste of time. The early stuff in the show didn’t do much for me, but the Steve Williams domination of Devon Storm felt like a turning point of the show. It’s not a must-see show, but coming in just under two hours made for a relatively easy watch. It’s an average show here.

Thanks for reading.