ECW Hardcore TV 1/23/1999

Written by: Bob Colling

Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 1/23/1999
From: Philadelphia, PA

Matches:
1.) Sid defeated Skull Von Krush
2.) Tajiri defeated Super Crazy
3.) ECW World Champion Taz defeated Shane Douglas to retain the title

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) The show starts off with the Dudley Boys in the ring cutting a promo. Bubba tells the fans to not get excited because this is the only time he will shoot with them. He says “they” aren’t here and it’s true. Bubba tells the fans they have never left and tells the fans they don’t need an applause. Bubba says that Public Enemy sold everyone out. Bubba feels bad for the fans not being able to see two of the greatest teams in ECW history compete. They are going home because there is no match.

2.) Joey Styles notes that Public Enemy has no motivation to return to the company to fight the Dudley Boys in a street fight when they work for WCW and make a lot of money.

3.) This is Sid’s ECW Arena debut. Sid beats on Von Krush with kicks to the ribs. Sid grabs Von Krush by the throat and tosses Von Krush over the top and through the ringside table. Sid drops Von Krush chest first over the guard railing. The fans are heavily cheering for Sid. Sid plants Von Krush with the powerbomb and wins the match. (1/2*. Well, that was exactly what it needed to be. Sid in ECW is a crazy sight. ECW fans love him, which contradicts everything ECW is.) After the match, Sid plants Von Krush with another powerbomb.

4.) Backstage, Steven Prazak interviews Chris Candido, but Tammy is there and she’s eating a banana. Tammy suggests that Prazak can get up and close with her. She looks awful here. Candido says there are no more jokes. Candido says that Douglas didn’t find his actions at the PPV to be very funny and Taz won’t find his actions to be funny tonight either.

5.) Tajiri sends Crazy to the floor with a handspring back elbow followed by a somersault dive to the floor! Tajiti kicks Crazy on the apron and puts him in the tarantula. Tajiri plants Crazy with a tilt a whirl backbreaker followed by a standing moonsault for a two count. Tajiri misses a top rope moonsault and Crazy missile dropkicks Tajiri to the floor. Crazy dumps Tajiri into the crowd and springboards off the top to hit a moonsault into the crowd. Crazy crotches Tajiri over the top rope before hitting a springboard spinning heel kick. Crazy slams Tajiri and hits a springboard moonsault for another near fall. Crazy slams Tajiri before going to the top and misses a twisting splash. Tajrii delivers a kick to Crazy’s head twice followed by a quick seated dropkick. Tajiri takes Crazy over with a bridging German suplex. Crazy low blows Tajiri and tries for a suplex, but Tajiri lands on his feet. Crazy nearly pins Tajiri following another moonsault. Crazy gets a surfboard on Tajiri and rolls around the ring before switching to a dragon sleeper. Crazy chops Tajiri to the floor, but misses a crossbody off the apron hitting the railing. Tajiri takes Crazy out with a springboard moonsault to the floor! Crazy sends Tajiri into the railing and manages to hit a twisting dive to the floor. Tajiri nearly wins with a hurricanrana! Tajiri plants Crazy with a DDT. Tajiri comes off the top to hit a spinning heel kick for a near fall. Tajiri spikes Crazy with a brainbuster for another near fall. Tajiri climbs to the top rope missing a missile dropkick. Crazy powerbombs Tajiri followed by a tornado reverse DDT for the win. (***. A fun match between these two, which is to be expected. The finish felt a little flat as I’m not sure many people thought Crazy would win after that move. There were a lot of dives and the moonsault spot might have been used a little too much. Regardless, these two work well together.)

6.) Backstage, Steven Prazak is with Lance Storm and Tammy Lynn Bytch. Prazak tries to apologize for questioning Storm last week. Storm says he is through being saddled with a blonde named Chris. He has everything he needs. Storm wonders why ECW couldn’t have gotten Ed Waylen after Prazak says he’s from Atlanta.

7.) ECW Television Champion Rob Van Dam cuts a promo like he’s Bill Alfonso and then whistles with Alfonso. The promo was about hating Boston for the most part. I couldn’t really tell.

8.) Before the scheduled Taz vs. Chris Candido match, Shane Douglas enters the ring and whacks Candido with a steel chair. Douglas plants Candido with a Pittsburgh Plunge onto the chair. Francine had been on the apron and was going to have a cat fight with Tammy Sytch, but Douglas stops that. Douglas tells Francine to go backstage. “Trust me, go to the back.” Douglas says he didn’t build the belt up and the arena to have people disrespect it. People like Raven and Sandman needed a dog and pony show to make themselves great champions. Douglas didn’t need to do that. Douglas wants to give the people a World Championship match they can be proud of. Taz agrees.

9.) Douglas and Taz shake hands prior to the match officially starting. They have a slow start with Taz backing Douglas into a corner, but does a clean break. Taz cradles Douglas for a two count after some mat work. Taz gets a rollup on Douglas after some more mat work, but Douglas wiggles free. They are really focusing on mat work. Taz avoids a leapfrog to hit a t-bone suplex. Douglas quickly bails to the floor. The crowd is rooting for Douglas. Douglas sends Taz over the railing into the crowd. Douglas goes to the top rope axe handles Taz over the railing. Douglas whacks Taz over the back with a steel chair. Taz puts Douglas through a table with a suplex at ringside. Taz dumps Douglas over the railing into the crowd. They proceed to brawl into the bleachers. Taz tosses Douglas off the bleachers and through a table by the merchandise tables. Taz hits a belly to belly suplex onto another table, which doesn’t break. Douglas drops Taz gut first onto a speaker. Douglas climbs up the Eagles Nest and leaps off to take Taz out with a crossbody. Douglas tosses Taz off the platform and into some merchandise.

After a commercial, Douglas and Taz had brawled outside the arena. Douglas sends Taz head first into a gate. Douglas decks Taz with a few shots with his cast. Douglas grabs a table at ringside and slides the table into the ring. Douglas hits a snap suplex and a rolling neck snap. Douglas sets the table up in the corner. Taa decks Douglas with a few clotheslines and right hands. Taz tries for the Taz Mission, but Douglas hits a back suplex for a near fall. Douglas takes Taz over with a snap suplex for another two count. Taz takes Douglas over with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Taz locks in the Taz Mission but Douglas fights out with his cast. Douglas misses a wild strike and Taz suplexs Douglas through the table in the corner to win the match. (**3/4. I enjoyed the match and thought they told a good story. Douglas did a few things off the top rope that I was legit surprised to see him do. Douglas felt like a guy desperate to win his title back and Taz overcame the odds. The atmosphere was interesting as the fans were heavily behind Douglas, too. This has to be seen as an end of an era in ECW.)

10.) Taz tells the guys to kill his music and that leads to the crowd applauding for Douglas. Douglas gets to his feet and the fans are chanting ECW. The crowd switches to chanting “Shane”. Douglas acknowledges the chant and he’s getting emotional. The crowd is chanting for Douglas to not go to WCW.

Final Thoughts:
A really good episode of Hardcore TV as everything delivered. Sid appearing and killing Von Krush, Crazy v. Tajiri and the main event title match. A great hour of television for ECW.

Thanks for reading.