ECW Hardcore TV 5/8/1999

Written by: Bob Colling

Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 5/8/1999
From: Queens, NY / Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Matches:
1.) ECW Television Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Bubba Dudley to retain the title
2.) Jerry Lynn defeated Justin Credible

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) The show starts off with footage from last week where Tommy Dreamer defeated Lance Storm, but was attacked by Justin Credible and Jason. Shane Douglas got involved, but was taken out, as well. Francine ended up getting hit in the face with a kendo stick.

2.) Francine is at the beach in Florida and says that Dawn Marie isn’t Beulah. At Hardcore Heaven, Francine is going to show her just how hardcore she can get.

3.) Cyrus and Steve Corino are at the beach where Cyrus says he has creative control over his character and Corino’s. Cyrus says that Corino has a lot of heat with the boys. Corino is shocked to hear that he has heat with Taz. Corino is denying that he was the mastermind behind the Candido halo incident. Corino says that he was helping Candido out with his neck injury and Corino calls Candido a troublemaker. Corino says he’s going to be tag partners with Taz, but of course Taz doesn’t know that. Corino hopes that Taz chokes out Candido.

4.) Judge Jeff Jones is in the parking lot and he’s going to talk to ECW World Champion Taz in the parking lot. Jones asks about Queens and Taz promotes the match at Hardcore Heaven. Taz is going to train and says that Candido is going to have to kill him for the championship. Taz is not angry because he’s in Florida. Taz goes to the trunk to get something and locks in the Taz Mission on Jones. Taz wants Jones to tell Candido everything he feels because Candido will feel the pain as well. Taz grabs Jones and tosses him into the trunk of the car. Taz walks off with Jones trapped in the trunk.

5.) ECW World Champion Taz makes his way to the ring before the taping officially begins. The seats are noticeably empty because nobody is prepared for this segment. Bill Wiles is in the ring and tells Taz that he’s busy. Wiles has a surprisingly amount of attitude towards Wiles. Taz responds by drilling Wiles with the championship. Taz wants to know what Wiles thinks about Candido knocking him out. Taz pretends to be Wiles and wants to know why people mess with him. Taz is giving Candido his notice that he’s going to choke him out because he’s the world champion.

6.) Bubba backs RVD into the corner and delivers a strike to the midsection followed by an elbow strike to the head and works over the lower back. Bubba shoulder blocks RVD and blocks a hurricanrana, but RVD nearly wins with a rollup. RVD dropkicks Bubba after an arm drag. RVD delivers a few strikes in the corner followed by right hands. RVD boots Bubba in the corner and monkey flips Bubba out of the corner. Bubba counters a dropkick attempt and locks in a Boston Crab as the show goes to commercial.

Bubba spikes RVD with a piledriver onto the championship. RVD backdrops Bubba over the top to the floor. RVD baseball slides Bubba into the railing and into the crowd. RVD leaps off the top to take Bubba out with a crossbody into the crowd! RVD scoop slams Bubba and goes to the top rope hitting a side kick for a near fall. RVD hammers away on Bubba in the corner and hits a rolling thunder splash for a two count. Bubba drives RVD down with a Samoan Drop for a two count. Bubba heads to the middle rope hitting an elbow drop. Bubba forearms RVD and runs into a boot in the corner. RVD misses a spin kick and Bubba plants RVD with a cutter! Bubba hooks the leg for a two count. Bubba slams the chair down and is pissed. Bubba is met with a kick on the middle rope. RVD kicks Bubba several times and tries for a hurricanrana, but Bubba connects with a powerbomb off the middle rope! Bubba makes the cover, but RVD pops out at two. Bubba whacks RVD over the back with a steel chair. Bubba slams RVD onto the chair and goes to the middle rope missing a senton and hits the chair. RVD kicks the chair into Bubba’s face. RVD staggers to his feet and goes to the top rope hitting the frog splash for the win. (***. A good TV match with Bubba looking good in a singles role. I wasn’t expecting this to hold my interest, but was surprised by how much I enjoyed this.) After the match, RVD brawls with D-Von. Bubba helps D-Von by tossing RVD with a release German suplex. D-Von trades right hands with RVD for a few moments. Dudley’s hit a back suplex/neckbreaker combo. Jerry Lynn enters the ring with a steel chair and cleans house. Lynn also hits RVD over the head with a chair two times. Justin Credible and Lance Storm enter the ring to attack Lynn. Sabu enters the ring and leads a massive brawl. Alfonso nails Sign Guy and lays him over a table. Sabu hits a springboard leg drop through the table. Bubba whacks RVD over the head with a chair. Dudley’s and the Impact Players brawl on the floor until Sabu takes them out with a dive to the floor! RVD takes everyone out on the floor with a somersault dive as the show goes to commercial.

7.) Justin Credible cuts a promo saying this feels like a flashback. Credible wants some respect and if they don’t get it then they are going to leave Florida. Credible recalls kicking Lynn’s ass last year during the summer series. He notes that RVD keeps ducking him but Lynn gets all the title shots. Credible wants a stipulation added where the winner gets a ECW TV Championship shot. Lynn tells Credible that he got through Heatwave by the skin of his teeth. Lynn is going to punk his ass out like the bitch Credible is.

8.) Credible knee lifts Lynn followed by a chop, but Lynn fires back with strikes. Lynn head scissors Credible and delivers a few strikes in the corner. Lynn kicks Credible in the face and sends Credible over the top to the floor. Lynn sends Credible into the guard railing and into the crowd. Lynn hits a running somersault dive onto Credible in the crowd. Lynn hammers away on Credible and sends Credible flipping into the corner. Lynn drops Credible throat first over the top rope. Lynn slides to the floor and yanks Credible face first down onto the apron. Lynn sends Credible into the railing and Jason helps Credible on the floor. Credible drops Lynn chest first over the railing. Credible works over Lynn in the corner with right hands and stomps. Credible powerbombs Lynn out of the corner for a two count. Credible chops Lynn in the corner a few times. Credible signals for an over the shoulder backbreaker, but switches to a Razors Edge! Credible goes for the cover, but Lynn kicks out at two.

Jason and Credible lay a table over the apron and railing. Lynn is laid onto the table, but Lynn rolls off. Credible sends Lynn into the ring post face first. They trade several chops on the floor. Credible keeps Lynn on the mat with a sleeper hold. Credible eye rakes Lynn, but Lynn gets a rollup out of the corner for a two count. Lynn elbows Credible, but Credible delivers a side walk slam for a two count. Lynn counters an abdominal stretch by hip tossing Credible over the top through a table on the floor. Jason hits Lynn with a kendo stick from the floor for a two count. Jason tosses a chair to Credible. Lynn spikes Credible with a DDT onto the chair for a two count. Lynn has a rollup, but Credible counters and they bridge up. Lynn connects with a sit down powerbomb for a near fall. Lynn spears Credible in the corner and hits a top rope hurricanrana for a two count. Jason dropkicks Lynn as Jazz distracts the referee. Lynn plants Jason with a reverse DDT. Jazz tries to clothesline Lynn, but that doesn’t work. Jazz kicks Lynn a few times and taunts the crowd. Lynn has had enough and spikes Jazz with a tombstone! Lynn ducks a kendo stick shot and Credible almost wins with a reverse DDT. Lynn gets out of That’s Incredible and hits the cradle piledriver for the clean win! (***1/4. That was a lot of fun and a great win for Lynn before his TV title match. The win is great for Lynn, but doesn’t do much for Credible as he’s involved in a top angle where his duo with Storm continues to fail to get any real momentum.) After the match, Lance Storm attacks Lynn with a clothesline and right hands. Tommy Dreamer clotheslines Storm and grabs Dawn Marie. Storm makes the save with a springboard clothesline and elbow drops to Dreamer. Dawn pie faces Dreamer a few times. Storm stands tall to end the program.

Final Thoughts:
Another solid TV episode for ECW as the matches delivered some fun action and they are advancing angles each week effectively. I’m having a tough time buying into Candido as a challenger to Taz, but there’s not much to work with here on the heel side. I’m assuming either Credible or Storm will be the next challenger after the PPV.

Thanks for reading.