ECW House Show 2/20/1998

Written by: Bob Colling

Extreme Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: 2/20/1998
From: Woodbridge, NJ

Opening Contest: Chris Chetti vs. Jimmy Shoulders: They trade a few go-behinds to start the match. Chetti takes Shoulders down with a rollup for a near fall. Shoulders shoulder blocks Chetti but gets catapulted across the ring. Chetti runs over Shoulders with a clothesline and Jimmy bails to the floor. Shoulders remains on the floor and taunts the crowd. Chetti slingshots Shoulders into the ring and delivers a forearm shot for a near fall. Chetti clotheslines Shoulders but is met with a low blow and Shoulders hits a Fame-Asser. Shoulders gives the fans the finger before going back to work on Chetti. Shoulders plants Chetti with a side slam. Shoulders works over Chetti in the corner with right hands but Chetti comes off the top with a springboard heel kick. Chetti backdrops Shoulders out of the corner as they appeared to mistimed the spot. Chetti spin kicks Shoulders followed by a power slam for a two count. Shoulders takes Chetti down with a swinging neck breaker. Shoulders continues with a leg drop. Shoulders crotches Chetti on the top rope and taunts the fans. Shoulders attempts a suplex off the middle rope but Chetti lands on his feet and nearly wins with a rollup off the middle rope. Chetti takes Shoulders down with a power bomb and finishes Jimmy off with a double springboard moonsault. (*1/2. It’s one of the few times that I’ve seen Chetti get a positive reaction, which is usually because he’s up against someone who is better than him. That wasn’t the case here. Chetti looked pretty good and while it was a short match, it provided a decent start to the show.)

Second Contest: Tracy Smothers & Little Guido vs. Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney: Tommy Rich got in the ring to wrestle Rotten, but decided to roll to the floor. This happened because Rotten knocked Rotten off the apron. Guido and Mahoney start the match with Mahoney dropping Guido with a short arm clothesline after they started to dance. Mahoney takes Guido over with a side suplex. Mahoney and Rotten hit an over the shoulder slam/top rope forearm drop for a two count on Guido. Rotten legally enters and drops Guido with a headbutt. Rotten works over Guido with more strikes before tagging in Mahoney. Mahoney comes off the ropes to leg drop Guido after a drop toe hold. Mahoney goes for a slam but Guido whips him down by his hair. Smothers enters and works over Mahoney with stomps and taunts the crowd. Smothers leapfrogs Mahoney and nails him with a heel kick. Mahoney drops Smothers with a super kick after missing a clothesline. Guido pulls down the top rope causing Mahoney to crash to the floor. Tommy Rich takes advantage dropping Mahoney groin first over the guard railing. Mahoney goes double teamed with chops and elbow drop giving Guido a near fall. FBI hits a double shoulder block to keep Mahoney on the canvas. Smothers dropkicks Mahoney as Guido hits a side Russian leg sweep. Smothers keeps Mahoney on the mat with a headlock. Mahoney catches Smothers on a cross body attempt managing to hit a power slam. Smothers stops Mahoney on the top with a power slam. Smothers goes to the top hitting an uppercut on Balls for a near fall. Mahoney plants Smothers with a power bomb. Rotten gets the hot tag and cleans house with clotheslines and jabs on both FBI members. Rotten continues with a double clothesline. All four men are in the ring as Mahoney has gotten steel chair. Mahoney plants Guido with the Nutcracker Suite and Rotten hit a reverse DDT on Smothers. However, Jeff Jones comes out to be the heel referee and he gets DDTd by the original referee. Mahoney covers Guido and wins the match. (*1/4. I guess it’s not as bad as it usually is with Rotten and Mahoney in tag action. It wasn’t an overly long match and the FBI guys were in control for the majority of it.)

Justin Credible attacks Mikey Whipwreck during his entrance for a match against Spike Dudley. Spike tries to help out but Credible drops Spike across the guard railing. Jason is at ringside and he stomps on Whipwreck. Credible plants Spike with That’s Incredible. So, we don’t have a match. Looks like Jerry Lynn wants a piece of Justin Credible.

Third Contest: Jerry Lynn vs. Justin Credible: Lynn starts the match hammering away on Credible in the corner. Lynn sends Credible into the corner and delivers a couple of clotheslines. Lynn head scissors Credible and clotheslines him over the top to the floor. Lynn goes to the floor and sets a table up on the floor. Lynn somersaults off the apron to take out Credible in the front row. Lynn plants Credible with a sit down power bomb for a near fall. Lynn forearms Credible a few times and knocks Jason off the apron. Lynn catapults Credible over the top to the floor and Credible holds his knee seemingly landing awkwardly. Nicole Bass comes out to check on her man. Lynn takes Jason and Credible out with a cross body on the floor. Bass distracts Lynn allowing Credible to punch Lynn and rams him into the guard railing. Credible plants Lynn with a reverse DDT back in the ring for a two count. Credible rams Lynn face first into the corner a few times. Lynn fights back but an eye poke stops him. Credible knee drops Lynn for a two count. Credible keeps Lynn on the mat with a sleeper hold but Lynn isn’t going to give up. Lynn breaks the hold with a jaw breaker. Credible drops Lynn with a quick clothesline and wants a steel chair. Credible sits Lynn on the chair and hits a dropkick to knock Lynn down. Credible drives Lynn down onto the chair with a vertical suplex. Credible attempts a suplex but Lynn counters with a front suplex to plant Credible gut first on the chair. Lynn kicks Credible in the corner and sends him flipping in the corner. Lynn knocks Credible off the apron causing Credible to hit the railing. Lynn comes off the top to hit a cross body taking out Credible. Lynn rolls Credible into the ring and puts Credible on the top turnbuckle. Lynn hits a hurricanrana but Credible kicks out at two. Lynn spikes Credible with a tornado DDT out of the corner but Credible gets his boot on the bottom rope. Lynn puts Credible on the top turnbuckle but Credible hits a sunset flip power bomb for a near fall. Credible leaps off the top but is met with a dropkick in midair. Lynn attempts a tombstone but Credible counters with the That’s Incredible for the win. (**1/2. A rather solid back and forth match between two guys that would develop good chemistry. The finish is rather predictable and lazy, but I enjoyed the action provided.)

Fourth Contest: ECW Television Champion Taz vs. Darren Drosdov: Droz is here because Lance Wright is invading ECW with WWF stars, or something to that effect. I can’t imagine this will be a lengthy match. Taz takes Droz down locking in an ankle lock but Droz reaches the ropes quickly. Taz attempts a t-bone suplex but Droz avoids it. Well, he doesn’t avoid the second attempt at the move. Taz locks in the Taz Mission and wins it in less than two minutes.

Fifth Contest: ECW Tag Team Champion Chris Candido vs. Al Snow: Candido attacks before the bell but Snow fights back with a wheelbarrow suplex to cause Candido to roll to the floor. Candido hides behind the referee in the corner after the ring introductions. Snow gets out of a go-behind by hip tossing Candido to the canvas. Candido complains of a hair pull. Candido slaps Snow and then cowards into the corner to keep Snow away. Snow drop toe holds Candido but can’t follow up with the offense since Candido continues to avoid him. Snow takes Candido down to the mat with a headlock. Snow takes Candido over with a standing hurricanrana for a two count. Snow controls Candido on the mat with a headlock. Snow clotheslines Candido to counter a hip toss attempt. Snow goes back to controlling Candido with a headlock on the mat. Candido chops Snow in the corner but Snow gets Head and scares Candido. Snow kicks Candido followed by overhand chops in the corner. Candido does a flop on his face spot like he’s Flair. Snow backdrops Candido but Candido drops Snow on his face. Candido connects with a few clotheslines and a standing hurricanrana. Candido keeps Snow on the mat with a sleeper hold. Snow elbows his way out of the hold and punches Candido in the corner. Snow takes Candido over with a northern lights suplex for a two count. Snow plants Candido with a power bomb. Snow heads to the top rope but Candido cuts him off with a right hand. Candido attempts a superplex but Snow shoves him off. They proceed to trade a few rollup attempts. Candido nails Snow with a kick to the side of his head. Candido continues to stomp on Snow, but Snow battles back with right hands. Snow drops Candido throat first across the top rope and tosses Candido to the floor. Snow baseball slides Candido and hits a springboard moonsault on the aisle way. Snow rolls Candido into the ring and heads to the top rope. Snow misses a springboard moonsault off the middle rope. Candido goes to the top and misses a diving headbutt. Snow spikes Candido with the Snow Plow for the win. (**1/2. I thought it was a solid match between these two, though the crowd didn’t seem overly interested in the action. For this crowd, the Head gimmick is more over than Snow actually is. Anyway, it was an enjoyable undercard match.)

Sixth Contest: ECW World Champion Shane Douglas vs. ECW Tag Team Champion Lance Storm: Storm takes Douglas down with a top wrist lock but Douglas reaches the ropes instantly. Douglas complains to the referee when Storm gets a rollup for a two count. Douglas takes Storm down to the mat with a headlock. Storm gets out of a headlock and has a standoff with Douglas. Storm nearly wins the match with a backslide and keeps Douglas on the mat with an arm lock. Storm maintains control with a hammerlock driving his knee into the lower back of Douglas. Douglas backs Storm into the corner to deliver a few strikes. Douglas misses a running attack in the corner and Storm goes back to controlling the arm. Douglas scoop slams Storm but Storm keeps a grip on the left arm to take Douglas down to the mat. Storm controls Douglas with elbow drops to the left knee before putting a figure four on the champ. Douglas refuses to give up but he’s clearly in a lot of pain. Douglas is able to break the hold by reaching the ropes. Douglas kicks Storm away into the guard railing. Douglas rams Storm groin first into the ring post and drops Storm across the railing. Francine cheap shots Storm on the floor and Douglas sends Storm into the railing back first. Douglas goes to the top and takes Storm out with a clothesline for a near fall. Douglas delivers a rolling neck snap to keep Storm on the mat. Douglas takes Storm over with a butterfly suplex. Douglas lifts Storm up to connect with a delayed vertical suplex. Douglas puts an abdominal stretch on Storm and uses the ropes for an illegal advantage. Storm gets out of the hold with a hip toss but misses an elbow drop. Douglas gets a two count after a quick elbow drop of his own.

Douglas keeps a sleeper hold on Storm but lets go and keeps Storm on the mat by controlling his hand with a test of strength. Storm is trying really hard to get the crowd behind him but the fans are not responding. Storm nails Douglas with a spin kick. Storm hammers away on Douglas with strikes. Storm atomic drops Douglas followed by a clothesline. Storm continues with a standing dropkick. Storm hits a handspring clothesline in the corner and counters a belly to belly suplex with a DDT for a near fall. Storm leaps off the top with a reverse elbow strike. Storm hits a springboard dropkick out of the corner. Francine distracts the referee and here comes Chris Candido to attack his own tag partner with the championship. Douglas goes for the cover but Storm kicks out at two. Storm is taken down with a double belly to belly suplex and Douglas gets the win. (*1/2. The fans just didn’t care about Storm playing a face role. His attempts to get the crowd to rally behind him came across as being very awkward. Its a forgettable match and evidence that Storm doesn’t connect as a face, at all.)

Seventh Contest: New Jack vs. Bam-Bam Bigelow: Jack tosses a trash can full of weapons into the ring and Bigelow quickly hammers away on Jack in the corner. Jack whacks Bigelow with a cooking sheet, which you can see Bigelow tell him to do it. Jack drops Bigelow with a shot to the back with a crutch. Jack jabs Bigelow over the back with an umbrella. Jack continues to work over Bigelow with various weapons. Bigelow fights back with a right hand and works over Jack with weapon shots. They go to the floor where Jack puts Bigelow through a table against the railing. Jack whacks Bigelow with a cooking sheet to knock him down again. Jack uses a golf club to hit Bigelow in the groin. Shane Douglas and Chris Candido have come out to help Bigelow. Bam-Bam hits a DDT after the distraction and delivers a big splash. Bigelow wins the match after a simple falling headbutt. (1/2*. That was a lame finish. Just your typical hardcore stuff from New Jack, too.) After the match, John Kronus runs down to save Jack from a beating by the Triple Threat. Well, that is until he gets laid out by the Triple Threat, too.

Main Event: The Dudley Boys vs. Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman: Sandman arm drags D-Von but doesn’t followup on the offense. Sandman hip tosses D-Von to keep the action slow early into the match. Bubba hits Sandman from the apron and D-Von plants Sandman with a back suplex. Bubba tags in and hammers away on Sandman in the corner. Big Dick chokes Sandman from the floor while the referee was distracted. Bubba elbow drops Sandman after sending him into the corner. Bubba misses a splash in the corner and Dreamer gets tagged in. Bubba catches Dreamer on a cross body, but Sandman dropkicks Dreamer on top. D-Von gets involved but is hip tossed and dropkicked by Dreamer and Sandman. Dreamer and Sandman baseball slide to the floor and continue to brawl with the Dudley Boys. Dreamer holds a chair over Bubba’s head and Sandman comes off the apron with a leg drop. Sign Guy and Joel Gertner get knocked down in the ring. Big Dick tries for a choke slam and eventually hits one on both men. Bubba goes for a cover on Sandman for a near fall. Big Dick sends Dreamer into the guard railing. Bubba works over Sandman in the corner. D-Von keeps a front face lock on Sandman before dropping an elbow. Sandman gets sent into the corner and shoulder blocked by Bubba. Bubba takes Sandman over with a snap suplex. Big Dick sends Dreamer into the guard railing. D-Von headbutts Sandman in the groin area to keep control of the match. Big Dick sends Dreamer into the guard railing. Bubba chops Sandman in the corner while Big Dick crotches Dreamer into the ring post. Sandman pummels D-Von on the mat but Bubba helps him out. Dreamer gets in the ring and is worked over by the Dudley Boys. Beulah low blows Big Dick and Sandman hits a DDT onto a chair. Sandman and Dreamer hit stereo DDTs and pin the Dudley Boys. (*. It was mostly just brawling and there wasn’t much to the match. I didn’t care for it all that much, honestly.)

Final Thoughts:
Considering they had a big event the following night, it shouldn’t come to a surprise that the effort here was rather lackluster. There were a few entertaining matches, but nothing on here that is must-see. The bad outweighs the good for this show. Recommendation to avoid.

Thanks for reading.