Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: 10/22/1998
From: Buffalo, NY
There are two matches that weren’t filmed, apparently. They are the following…
Danny Doring defeating Chris Chetti
Tracy Smothers defeating Nova
Opening Contest: FTW Heavyweight Champion Taz vs. Big Dick Dudley: Taz gets distracted by D-Von and that allows Dick to deliver a choke slam. However, Taz completely no sells it and takes Dick over with a t-bone suplex. Taz locks in the Taz Mission and wins the match in under fifteen-seconds. After the match, the Dudley Boys attack Taz until Rob Van Dam and Sabu come into the ring for the save. Shane Douglas and Chris Candido also enter the ring to get in some offense. Taz is choking out officials in the ring at this point.
Second Contest: ECW World Champion Shane Douglas vs. Mikey Whipwreck: Mikey punches Douglas at the start followed by a backdrop and a forearm attack coming off the ropes. Douglas bails to the floor to regroup. Whipwreck follows and hammers away on Douglas sending him into the guard railing. Mikey rams Douglas face first onto the apron several times before bringing the action back into the ring. Whipwreck keeps Douglas on the mat controlling his left leg and puts an Indian death lock. Douglas isn’t going to submit instead manages to reach the ropes. Mikey dropkicks the left knee of Douglas to keep control of the match. Whipwreck slams Shane’s knee onto the canvas. Whipwreck sits Douglas on the middle rope and delivers a dropkick. Mikey goes for the cover but Douglas kicks out at two. Douglas gets dropkicked into the corner after missing a clothesline. Mikey sends Douglas into the corner and connects with another dropkick. Mikey goes to the floor and goes after Francine. Douglas takes control hitting a baseball slide sending Mikey into the guard railing. Douglas crotches Whipwreck over the guard railing Francine sends Whipwreck into the guard railing and eye rakes Mikey. Douglas hits a suplex on Whipwreck driving down onto the floor. Douglas rams Whipwreck into the guard railing. Douglas attempts a cover but Mikey kicks out at two. Douglas continues with a rolling neck snap. Douglas drives Whipwreck down with a back breaker. Shane nearly wins the match with a side Russian leg sweep. Douglas controls Whipwreck with an abdominal stretch. Whipwreck counters with a rollup but gets stopped by a quick clothesline.
Douglas confronts the referee but quickly begs off. Douglas tosses Whipwreck with a fallaway slam. Douglas heads to the top rope but Whipwreck slams him off. Whipwreck hammers away on Douglas before putting the champ on the top turnbuckle. Mikey takes Douglas over with a superplex for a near fall. Mikey heads to the top hitting a missile dropkick for a near fall. Mikey nails Douglas with the Whippersnapper but Francine distracted the referee with her breasts. Whipwreck only manages a near fall. Mikey counters a belly to belly suplex attempt with a DDT for a two count. Douglas drives Whipwreck down with the Pittsburgh Plunge for the win. (**. A decent enough match, but Douglas really looked sluggish in the match. The continued formula seems to be having Douglas take a lot of offense but manage to hit his finisher and escape with the gold. This probably went a little longer than needed, but it was enjoyable enough.)
Third Contest: Lance Storm vs. Chris Candido: Storm is backed into a corner but is able to breakaway Candido. They trade wrist locks until Candido punches Storm into a corner delivering chops to keep control. Storm battles back with a series of chops. Candido shoulder blocks Storm followed by a standing hurricanrana. Storm tries for a hurricanrana but is instead power bombed. Storm rolls to the floor and Candido takes him out with a cross body over the top to the floor. Candido sends Storm into the guard railing and hits him with a drink. Storm sends Candido side first into the guard railing but is met with a boot to the face. Storm sends Candido over the railing into the crowd. Storm works over Candido with a few right hands. Storm hammers away on Candido and drops him with a forearm shot for a two count. Candido lifts Storm up with a delayed vertical suplex but Storm gets out of it and decks Candido with a right hand. Storm rolls through and puts a Boston Crab on Candido, but can’t get a submission. Candido kicks Storm to the floor after breaking the hold by getting to the ropes. Storm punches Candido from the apron and hip tosses him over the top to the floor. Storm rolls Candido into the ring and connects with a springboard clothesline into the ring for a near fall. Storm drives his knee into the upper back of Candido before headlock on. Candido catches Storm with a power slam and runs around like Rick Steiner. Candido clotheslines Storm a couple of times followed by jabs. Candido plants Storm with a power bomb for a near fall. Storm springboards off the top rope to back elbow Candido for a near fall. Storm handspring clotheslines Candido in the corner. Candido comes back with a DDT out of the corner for a near fall. Candido heads to the top rope but Storm gets up and cuts Candido off with a right hand. Candido power bombs Storm off the middle rope but the referee gets distracted by a cat fight on the floor between Sunny and Tammy Lynn Bytch. Storm and Candido collide with double clotheslines. Sunny is on the top rope as Storm power bombs Candido. Tammy comes off the top to cross body Storm! Sunny hits a stunner on Tammy Lynn Bytch and the same for Storm! Candido comes off the top with a diving headbutt for the win! (***. I enjoyed the finish as I was not expecting Tammy to hit a cross body off the top rope. Candido and Storm usually work well with each other and they held my interest. They are probably two of the most under appreciated wrestlers in ECW history.) After the match, Sunny strips Tammy Lynn Bych to her lingerie.
Fourth Contest: Balls Mahoney vs. Masato Tanaka: They shake hands to show mutual respect for each other. Tanaka takes Mahoney down early on with a drop toe hold. They are actually going with a wrestling oriented start, which usually happens since people don’t expect them to go this route. Mahoney comes off the ropes to shoulder block Tanaka but doesn’t quickly follow up. Tanaka comes off the ropes attempting a shoulder block but settles for a cross body for a near fall. Mahoney hip tosses Tanaka followed by a dropkick. Mahoney arm drags Tanaka and keeps him on the canvas. Mahoney chops Tanaka in the corner several times. Mahoney is met with a drop toe hold sending him face first into the middle turnbuckle. Tanaka comes off the top to hit a missile dropkick and Mahoney rolls to the floor. Tanaka takes Mahoney out with a cross body over the top. Mahoney sends Tanaka back first into the guard railing. Mahoney grabs a drink and whacks Tanaka over the head with it. Tanaka sends Mahoney into the guard railing back first. Tanaka has a chair and smashes Mahoney in the face with it. Tanaka drops Mahoney throat first across the railing. Mahoney battles back with a power slam after sending Tanaka into the ropes. Mahoney scoop slams Tanaka and heads to the top rope. Mahoney comes off the top to deliver an elbow drop for a near fall. Axl Rotten is at ringside at this point. Mahoney goes to the top rope and gets cut off by Tanaka. Tanaka takes Mahoney down with a superplex! Tanaka goes for the cover but Mahoney kicks out at two. Mahoney stops Tanaka on the top rope and takes Tanaka down with a superplex of his own for a two count. Mahoney is met with a roaring elbow but Mahoney kicks out. Tanaka misses another elbow and Mahoney hit a back suplex. They both have steel chairs. Mahoney whacks Tanaka over the head with it and it took a second shot to knock Tanaka down for a near fall. Tanaka whacks Mahoney over the head with a steel chair several times. Mahoney drops to the canvas but kicks out on the cover attempt. Tanaka heads to the top rope but Mahoney crotches him. Mahoney puts two chairs in the middle of the ring but Axl is tossing chairs into the ring. Tanaka attempts a tornado DDT but Mahoney plants Tanaka onto the chairs with a spine buster. Mahoney attempts a slam but Tanaka hits a tornado DDT onto the chairs for the win. (**. A decent match between two hardcore brawlers. They just did the same spots and the finish felt a little flat to me. Axl Rotten just really annoys me on these shows for some reason that I have yet to figure out.) After the match, all three men embrace to show mutual respect for each other.
Fifth Contest: ECW Tag Team Champions Rob Van Dam & Sabu vs. Dudley Boys: RVD and Bubba kick off the tag title match after several moments of stalling with Sabu in the ring at first. RVD does a few jumping kicks to taunt Bubba into a corner. Bubba tries to showcase his karate kicks but fails horribly. Bubba drives RVD down with a side walk slam. Bubba works over RVD in the corner with right hands and kicks to the midsection. RVD monkey flips Bubba out of the corner and jumps off the middle rope to hit a somersault dive to take Bubba out. RVD knocks D-Von off the top and comes off the top to connect with a cross body. Bubba ducks a spin kick and drives RVD down with a Samoan Drop. Bubba continues to work over RVD with overhand strikes. Bubba and RVD trade right hands in the middle of the ring. Bubba kicks RVD in the midsection and attempts a power bomb but RVD breaks free and springboards off the middle rope to kick Bubba. Sabu and RVD hit a rolling thunder splash/slingshot leg drop for a two count on Bubba. Sabu is now legally in the match hammering away on Bubba in the corner. Bubba splashes Sabu over the back and tags out to D-Von. Sabu takes down D-Von for a two count. D-Von works over Sabu on the canvas but Sabu backs D-Von into the corner and delivers a few strikes. Sabu springboards off the middle rope to heel kick D-Von for a two count. Sabu hits a slingshot leg drop from the apron for a two count. D-Von continues to work over Sabu with right hands. D-Von rams Sabu face first into the corner and sends Sabu into the corner chest first. Sabu attempts a springboard but D-Von stops Sabu with a middle rope neck breaker for a two count!
D-Von comes off the ropes to take Sabu down with a swinging neck breaker for a near fall. D-Von scoop slams Sabu but is stopped in the corner as Sabu takes him over with a hurricanrana off the top turnbuckle. RVD enters as well and takes Bubba over with a double suplex. Sabu baseball slides D-Von over the railing into the crowd. Sabu takes D-Von out with a dive over the railing off the top rope. RVD is brawling with Bubba on the floor, too. Big Dick choke slams Sabu and RVD to help out the challengers. D-Von stomps away on RVD while Bubba chokes Sabu on the apron. RVD comes off the ropes and is met with a double elbow strike. D-Von comes off the middle rope delivering a headbutt to the groin of RVD. D-Von nails RVD with a spinning back elbow strike. D-Von and Bubba work over RVD in the ring. Bubba stands on Sabu’s back before kicking him to the floor. Bubba comes off the ropes with an elbow drop. Bubba scoop slams RVD and D-Von comes off the top hitting RVD with a headbutt for a near fall. D-Von continues to hammer away on RVD. D-Von slams RVD before coming off the ropes with an elbow drop. RVD avoids a jumping headbutt attempt. Bubba enters and hits the Bubba Bomb on RVD for a near fall. Bubba chokes RVD in the corner but RVD comes back with a heel kick and a leg drop for a two count. Sigh Guy enters and accidentally this Bubba. Sabu enters and clotheslines Sign Guy and D-Von before sending Bubba to the apron. Sabu has a table and sets it up in the ring. Sabu whacks Bubba and D-Von over the head with a steel chair. Bubba and D-Von are laid on the table as RVD, Sabu and Alfonso all go to the top. Sabu misses a leg drop as D-Von got off the table. Sabu completely missed the table. RVD drives Bubba through the table with a bulldog and tries to wake up Sabu. RVD tosses a chair at D-Von. RVD crotches D-Von over the top rope followed by a kick to the chest. RVD kicks the chair into D-Von’s face knocking him off the top rope. Bubba accidentally splashes D-Von and is spin kicked by RVD. Sabu gets a chair on the top and hits an Arabian face buster on Bubba for the win. (**. The match kind of dragged but it was okay for what it was. I found myself losing interest as it was almost a twenty minute match. It seemed like they were doing spots just do it and had a car crash style of action.) After the match, Taz comes out and attacks the Dudley Boys, Shane Douglas and Chris Candido. Douglas and Candido had some out to get some offense on RVD and Sabu. Taz brawls with Douglas on the floor for a few moments. Interestingly, Taz is actually left laying by the heels for once.
Main Event: Justin Credible, Jack Victory, One Man Gang, & Big Sal vs. Tommy Dreamer, New Jack, Spike Dudley & John Kronus in an extreme death match: There is a trash can full of weapons in the ring before all the men are introduced so that should give an indication as to how this match will play out. Dreamer and New Jack smash Credible and Victory over the head with various weapons. Dreamer has a pumpkin and hits Victory in the groin with it. Jack whacks Victory with a street sign on the groin. Dreamer clotheslines Credible over the top to the floor and continues to brawl with him. Jack is hitting Jason with various weapons as well. I wonder when all the other advertised guys will get involved in this match because it’s essentially just a tag match. Dreamer and Victory brawl into the bleachers. Dreamer hits Victory over the head with a trash can. Dreamer crotches Victory on hand rail in the crowd. They return to ringside after just a few moments of simple brawling. Jack is destroying Credible in the ring with various weapon shots. Jack has a cleaning machine and smashes Credible in the face with it in the corner. Dreamer lays Victory on a beach chair but misses a knee drop hitting the chair instead. Credible smashes Jack with a right hand and Victory hits Jack from behind. Victory chokes Jack with a golf club. Credible plants Dreamer with a DDT. Credible hits Dreamer with a shovel while a bloody Jason gets hit by Jack on the floor with a sign. Victory spikes Dreamer with a piledriver in the ring. Credible misses a splash off the top and Dreamer hits a side Russian leg sweep on Victory. Jack brings a chair into the ring but One Man Gang shoves Jack off the top. Gang attacks Dreamer with a few strikes, too. Gang comes off the ropes to splash Dreamer. Gang splashes Jack as well. Spike Dudley runs into the ring with a paddle to clean house. Big Sal is in the ring and is low blowed by Spike. Spike hits the Acid Drop on Sal! Gang accidentally slashes Sal and all the faces pile onto them for the pin. (*. If you like hardcore wrestling then you’d appreciate this. I don’t think this was a suitable main event and would have been better served earlier in the show. It’s just the typical bloody match with the good guys dominating a good portion of the match.)
Final Thoughts:
There’s some quality wrestling on the show and it’s not too bad. I’ll give it a slight thumbs up, but only check it out if you enjoy house shows like I do.
Thanks for reading.