Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 5/17/1997
From: Philadelphia, PA
Matches:
1.) Tommy Dreamer defeated Louie Spicolli
2.) Taz & Chris Candido defeated Rob Van Dam & Sabu
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) The show opens up with footage from the recent ECW Arena show where the Pitbulls battled ECW Television Champion Shane Douglas and Bam-Bam Bigelow. Pitbull #1 plants Douglas with a power bomb but Bigelow kicks him and Douglas has a cover. Rick Rude comes out and puts Francine in a piledriver position while putting his face in her crotch area. That leads into the regular ECW opening video.
2.) Joey Styles opens the show introducing Rick Rude to the ring to join him for the show opening. Rude says that he has to excuse himself because he’s been a little hungry lately and says he knows he can get whatever he wants at Francine’s restaurant. Rude makes a fish joke in relation to Francine. Rude assures Douglas that he age Francine a “really big tip.” Rude tells Styles that it was a pleasurable dining experience. It was just another way for Rude to “f*** with the Franchise!”
3.) Joel Gertner promises to expose Rick Rude later tonight. Rude says, “Truth may be stranger than fiction.”
4.) Spicolli continues to have a cast on his left hand since Dreamer broke his fingers. Spicolli shoves Dreamer in the face and decks Dreamer with his cast. Spicolli takes off a wrap and apparently his cast was loaded to get the early advantage.Louie continues with a power slam and Dreamer is busted open within ten-seconds of the match beginning. Louie baseball slides Dreamer to the floor and sends Dreamer back first into the guard railing before dropping Tommy throat first across the railing. Louie whacks Dreamer over the back with a steel chair, too. Louie brings the action back into the ring delivering right hands on Dreamer. Spicolli misses a kick and Dreamer comes off the ropes with a bulldog. Dreamer puts Spicolli in the tree of woe in the corner. Dreamer punches Louie in the groin before going to the floor to grab a steel chair. Dreamer puts the chair in front of Louie’s face and hits a dropkick sending the chair into Louie’s face. Louie has been busted wide open thanks to that shot. Dreamer tears off Louie’s pant leg and sends him over the top to the floor. Dreamer sends Spicolli back first into the guard railing and then over the railing into the crowd. Dreamer whacks Louie over the head with a steel chair. Dreamer drops Louie groin first across the guard railing and grabs a chair. Dreamer comes off the apron to hit Spicolli with the chair. Louie is bleeding pretty badly at this point. Dreamer goes to the top rope but gets crotched by Louie. Spicolli hooks Dreamer up for a superplex but Tommy blocks it and slams Spiocolli face first to the mat. Dreamer comes off the top with a cross body but Louie rolls through for a near fall. Spicolli cuts Dreamer off with a quick clothesline. Louie attempts a Death Valley Driver but settles for a northern lights suplex. Dreamer comes back with a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Spicolli plants Dreamer with a spine buster for a near fall. Spicolli gets kicked in the head and Dreamer manages to get a three count. (**3/4. An enjoyable match, but I think Spicolli winning would have given him some much needed momentum in this feud. I find it’s usually difficult for a heel to get over if they lose the first big match of a feud. Though, the aftermath helps.) After the match, Spicolli knocks Dreamer off the apron and plants Beulah with a Death Valley Driver! Spicolli did a “too sweet” gesture before performing the move. Several wrestlers and officials exit the locker room but Dreamer shoves them away to check on his wife.
5.) Joey Styles and Rick Rude sell the attack by Louie Spicolli with a somber tone. Rick Rude doesn’t condone what Spicolli just did to Beulah. Rude threatens to kick Spicolli’s ass himself if Dreamer doesn’t do it.
6.) Backstage, Tommy Dreamer is preventing people from checking on Beulah. ECW World Champion Terry Funk tries to talk some sense into Dreamer and appears to be successful as Dreamer breaks down in tears. Styles and Rude continue to be somber about the entire situation.
7.) Joel Gertner says that the truth he’s talking about is not Rude’s failed Hollywood career or failed wrestling career. Gertner reveals the truth about Rick Rude saying that Rude would go to the Ramada to watch reruns on the Cartoon Network instead of being a ladies man. Paul E. Dangerously would ask fans if they wanted to use his three inch cellphone. Gertner ends up doing another strip tease for the camera showing off his hairy, out of shape body. Styles and Rude make a joke of the segment.
8.) The main event tonight is a mystery partner tag team match. Rob Van Dam chose Sabu while Chris Candido chose Taz, obviously. All four men start with RVD working over Taz in the corner while Sabu and Candido brawl on the floor. Taz and RVD brawl into the crowd. Sabu knocks Candido over the railing into the front row. They all remain at ringside where RVD leaps off the apron to kick Taz. Candido is met by Sabu with a springboard clothesline. Sabu leg drops Candido on the back of the head. Sabu hammers away on Candido but misses a clothesline. Candido knocks Sabu down with a kick to the side of his head. Taz wants to be tagged in but his partner doesn’t want to. Sabu clotheslines Candido after sending him chest first into the corner managing a near fall. Sabu backdrops Candido over the top to the floor and follows up with a baseball slide. Sabu sends Candido into the guard railing a few times. Sabu puts Candido on a table at ringside. Sabu goes for a triple jump onto Candido but Bill Alfonso stops him because he wants Taz to feel the move. Sabu misses a springboard to the floor and hits the guard railing chest first. Candido leaps off the top to dive onto Sabu with a cross body. Taz hammers away on RVD with strikes and ducks a spinning heel kick. RVD plants Taz with a double under hook face buster. RVD comes off the top with a frog splash but plays to the crowd. RVD works over Taz with strikes. RVD avoids Taz in the corner with a rollup for a two count. Taz hits a tiger suplex on RVD. Sabu tags himself into the match much to the delight of Taz. They begin to hammer away on each other with Taz going for a suplex. Sabu low blows Taz and hit a t-bone suplex but Taz no sells it. Taz tosses Sabu with a suplex dropping Sabu on his head.
Sabu struggles to the corner and tags out to RVD. Candido decides to tag in but RVD bails from the ring. Candido and Sabu trade right hands with Sabu getting the better of the exchange. Sabu hits a somersault leg drop off the middle rope for a two count. Sabu tosses a chair at Candido and springboards off a chair to head scissors Candido out of the corner. Sabu attempts a triple jump moonsault, but the chair slides in the ring and Sabu dangerously crashes to the mat. Candido works over Sabu with strikes. Sabu attempts a springboard heel kick but Candido hits him in midair. Candido drops Sabu with a swinging neck breaker onto a steel chair. Candido heads to the top rope missing a diving headbutt and hits the steel chair. RVD tags in and gets clotheslined by Candido. Candido pummels RVD in the corner with strikes and stomps. Candido ducks a spin kick but another spin kick drops him. RVD delivers a twisting kick and Sabu crotches Candido on the top rope. RVD springboard kicks Candido off the top rope. Taz enters and puts the Taz Mission on RVD! Sabu comes off the top to leg drop Taz! Sabu holds Taz but Taz counters and takes Sabu over with a suplex. Taz crotches RVD on the top rope and stomps on Sabu. Candido grabs RVD on the top rope but is met with a low blow from Bill Alfonso. RVD brings Candido into the ring with a superplex off the top. Francine gives Candido a chain around his fist. Taz doesn’t appear to want Candido to use the chain. RVD kicks Candido and the chair hits Taz in the face. RVD heads to the top rope and misses a kick. Taz takes RVD over with a German suplex and Candido goes for the cover but Alfonso breaks up the cover. Taz gets his hands on Alfonso but Sabu leaps across the ring and chop blocks Taz! RVD and Sabu hit a splash/leg drop combo. Sabu jumps off of RVD’s back to splash Candido in the corner. RVD accidentally hits Sabu with a chair and Candido pins RVD with a bridging German suplex! (***. I enjoyed the tag match as it tied in two feuds going on. Candido getting the win over RVD works well. They kept a good pace and the match flew by.) After the match, RVD is pissed off about losing and says that this wouldn’t happen if he was wrestling where he belongs. He shouldn’t be wrestling in front of 1,200 drunks. He has million of fans wanting to see him in action. RVD says he can work for any wrestling company in the entire world. The fans chant for RVD to leave as the show comes to an end.
Final Thoughts:
A stronger episode compared to the last few weeks. The issues between Spicolli and Dreamer was nicely done and gives Spicolli some added heat for his feud with Dreamer. I just hope he gets a major win over Dreamer soon. Both the matches were enjoyable this week, too.
Thanks for reading.