Written by: Bob Colling
East Coast Wrestling Association presents Night Of Unusual Matches
Date: 5/1/2004
From: Wilmington, DE
Opening Contest: Japanese Pool Boy, MAGIC & Suba vs. The Night Shift (Big Sky, Lucian & Mayhem) in a shoe on a pole match: I’m only really familiar with Japanese Pool Boy, but that’s only from the PWI magazines and have never really watched him wrestle. MAGIC and Suba controlled the match cleaning house and yelling to the crowd, but it doesn’t get over with the crowd. One of the Night Shift guys uses a strap on the faces until Pool Boy delivered a DDT and spanked him with the strap. Pool Boy delivered a double low blow to the other two members. Triple stink face in three corners by Pool Boy’s team, but they get sent to the floor. Night Shift celebrate, but they knock down one of their partners. Pool Boy climbs off their back in the corner to retrieve the shoe and delivers a shoe strike to win the match. (DUD. That was really bad and made no sense, which doesn’t surprise me. The crowd didn’t seem to be invested in this. It didn’t take too long, but it wasn’t good at all.)
Second Contest: Johnny Maxx vs. Mozart Fontaine vs. Mike Tobin: Fontaine and Maxx start off until Tobin punches them. Maxx connects with a clothesline and is worked over by Fontaine with some strikes. Maxx hits a Thez Press and right hands. Tobin and Maxx trade rights in the corner. Maxx chops Tobin to gain control of the match. Maxx misses a splash and Tobin hit a neckbreaker for a two count. Tobin and Fontaine double team Maxx for a bit, but they can’t agree on who should get the pin. Maxx drop toe holds Tobin, but Fontaine plants Maxx face first to the mat for a near fall. Fontaine tries for a reverse DDT, but Tobin counters with a standing chicken wing. Maxx puts a choke on Tobin briefly as well. Maxx delivers a double DDT to cause all three men to be knocked down. Maxx clotheslines both men and plays to the crowd. Tobin superkicks Maxx, but Fontaine puts Tobin on the top rope only to be dropped over the top rope. Maxx flapjacks Fontaine and connects with an ace cutter on Tobin in midair to win the match. (*1/4. I mean, they tried to do some of the classic three-way matches, but it was clunky and didn’t come across very well.)
John Walters promo is shown on the big screen and talks about the 2004 ECWA Super 8 where he came up short and tonight he gets another chance, but it’s for the ECWA Heavyweight Championship. Walters promises to not come up short this time around. Walters believes he’s earned the respect of the fans. Walters believes that guys like Kruel, Daniels and Aries have all had their moments to shine. Walters promises to become the ECWA Heavyweight Champion tonight.
Third Contest: Mr. Ooh La La vs. Xero in a three stages of hell match:
First Fall: Blindfold match: They are wearing hoods like you’d see at WrestleMania VII. La La freaks out because he can’t see, which doesn’t get a crowd reaction. La La tries to get the crowd to help him, but they are not interested in doing so. Xero is doing the same thing looking for La La. La La lifts the mask up and kicks Xero with the referee distracted to win the first fall.
Second Fall: Hardcore Rules: Originally it was a hair vs. hair match but Xero is already bald so that wouldn’t make a lot of sense. Brooms and mops are slid into the ring to be used for the hardcore match. Xero hits La La with the plunger and sticks it onto La La’s face for a moment. Xero squirts La La with a water gun before using a mop in the corner. La La low blows Xero to gain the advantage and uses the mop. Xero tries to fight back but La La continues with strikes and an attempted clothesline. Xero doesn’t really budge on the clotheslines and plants La La with a chokeslam for the win.
Third Fall: Bullrope: La La is getting a handful of powder as the referee is distracted helping Xero with the rope. La La tosses the powder into Xero’s eyes and delivers a few shots with the cowbell. La La plays to the crowd, but Xero is touching the corners as La La is on opposite sides of the ring. They have a tug of war with La La letting go and Xero touches the final corner to win the match. (DUD. This sucked majorly. It was bad comedy.)
Fourth Contest: Nick Malakei vs. J-Busta: Busta wants a test of strength to start the match and Malakei got the advantage before an eye rake stopped that. Busta kicks Malakei, but Malakei comes back with clotheslines and a catapult into the corner. Busta bails to the floor to regroup and taunts fans in the front row. Malakei baseball slides Busta before bringing the action back into the ring. Malakei is dropped over the top rope and Busta hit a death valley driver. Busta drapes the Canadian flag over Malakei, but doesn’t get a three count on a pin attempt. Busta slaps Malakei and avoids a few wild strikes. Malakei fights back with strikes and hits a neckbreaker out of the corner for a two count. Busta sits Malakei on the top rope and puts him in the tree of woe to deliver a kick to the head for a near fall. Malakei nearly wins with a rollup and tries for a sunset flip, but Busta rolls through. Malakei chops Busta a few times and hits a double hook face buster for the clean win. (*. They are two young talents that had better energy than the other matches thus far. However, they are really green and it wasn’t a good match.)
Austin Aries promo on the big screen is shown. Aries talks about coming up a bit short at the Super 8 and showed his potential. Tonight, he has a goal to win the ECWA Heavyweight Championship. Aries taunts Mike Kruel for giving up and losing the title. Aries looks to repeat his performance against Christopher Daniels tonight.
Next up we have a bodybuilding contest. Johnny Heartbreaker comes out to the stage. He’d be better known as Romeo Roselli. Matt Striker comes out to the stage, as well. I think this is essentially a bodybuilding contest. Heartbreaker is shredded. Striker is in pretty good shape himself, though. They pose a few times and eventually go to the judges. Johny Heartbreaker wins, which is not a surprise.
Fifth Contest: Matt Striker vs. Johnny Heartbreaker: Striker head scissors Heartbreaker and delivers a backdrop as they’ve entered the ring for a match. Striker leaps off the top to axe handle Heartbreaker on the floor. Heartbreaker yanks Striker over the top rope back first. Heartbreaker delivers a neckbreaker for a one count. Heartbreaker tries for a slam, but Striker breaks free to hit a German suplex. Striker hits a northern lights suplex. Striker drops Heartbreaker over his knee followed by a big boot. Heartbreaker hits a cutter on Striker for a two count. Heartbreaker comes off the middle rope to leg drop a hunched over Striker for a near fall. Striker with a neckbreaker and a backstabber. Striker plants Heartbreaker with the Play of the Day for the clean win. (*1/2. It’s sad that this has been by far the best match on the card thus far. Naturally these two go on to accomplish decent things in theirs career.)
Sixth Contest: SAT & Mike Fury vs. Freak Nasty & ECWA Tag Team Champions The Valedictorians (Billy Bax & Rob Eckos) in a tables, ladders and chairs match: Jim Ketner is the special referee for match. All six men are brawling around ringside to start the match. Nasty and Fury enter the ring trading right hands with Fury getting the advantage. Fury heel kicks Nasty to the floor. Bax pulls Fury to the floor, but Joel punches Bax. Joel and Jose hit a double bulldog on Eckos. Bax misses a forearm and Joel gets out of a backbreaker, but Bax kicks Joel on a springboard attempt. Fury missile dropkicks Bax off the top. Nasty tries to use a chair, but Fury runs away and slides around the post to kick the chair into Nasty’s face. Bax clotheslines Fury from behind on the floor. Bax hip tosses Joel as Eckos appears to be setting up a table. Jose rams Eckos face first onto the table. Bax dumps Jose to the apron and Jose dropkicks a chair into Bax from the top rope. Joel works over Nasty with a chop. Eckos whacks Joel with a chair from the floor in the ring. Nasty is dropkicked into Eckos knocking Eckos off the apron by Fury. Fury grabs a ladder and slides it into the ring. Bax and Fury are fighting over the ladder until Jose dropkicks the ladder into Bax. Nasty is laid onto a table and Fury climbs the ladder, but Bax stops Fury. Bax drops Fury over thetop rope. Jose climbs teh ladder and grabs Bax. Ketner stops the tag champs manager from using a chair. Jose has Bax on his shoulders to hit a Death Valley Driver off the ladder! Nasty slams Jose and is met with a kick on the middle rope. Jose takes Nasty over with a hurricanrana off the middle rope.
Eckos and Fury are brawling towards the table near the stage. Eckos kicks Fury away and they climb to the top of the concession stand. Eckos has Fury setup for a powerbomb, but Fury breaks free with strikes. Fury sidesteps Eckos and tosses Eckos off the top of the concession stand. Of course, the camera doesn’t catch where Eckos land so it’s likely on a padding. Bax whacks Jose with a chair in the corner. Joel makes the save sending Bax to the floor. Joel kicks Nasty in the corner, but Nasty stops Joel on the top rope. Joel is put in a tree of woe and Nasty jabs him with a chair a few times. Nasty hits the SAT’s with a chair as they are trapped on a ladder. Fury lays Eckos onto a table and climbs back to the top of the concession stand. Bax and Nasty save Eckos, but Fury still dives off to hit a crossbody onto all three men. Ketner gets slapped by the manager, who begs off. Ketner chases after the manager on the floor and they go through the crowd. They climb up a scaffold, but the manager is stopped by Joel on th top of it. They setup two tables near the scaffold. Bax climbs up to try and save his manager. Jose breaks a chair over Nasty’s baack. Bax and Fury are trading chops on the second level of the scaffold. Nasty is laid onto the two tables and Joel hits a moonsault off the scaffold onto Nasty through the two tables to win the match. (***. I was really starting to dread this show, but thankfully there’s at least something to make this not a completely awful match. I liked that they kept with the brawling throughout and the finish was really good. I enjoyed this quite a bit compared to everything before it.)
Mike Kruel cutting a promo is shown on the big screen. Kruel mentions that the final four of the Super 8 will be in one match tonight. Kruel is going after the ECWA Heavyweight Championship. Kruel says that Christopher Daniels really gets under his skin. Kruel lost his mind to give the championship to Daniels and promises to get revenge tonight.
Seventh Contest: ECWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Ace Darling vs. Prince Nana in a lumberjack match: Nana tries to attack before the bell, but fails. Darling hits a clothesline and dropkick to send Nana to the floor. Nana gets tossed right back into the ring and Nana complains. Darling almost wins with a rollup from behind and delivers a few forearms. Darling plants Nana with a bulldog for a two count. Nana manages to send Darling to the floor where the lumberjacks get a few shots in before Darling is rolled back into the ring. Nana clotheslines Darling coming out of the corner. Nana sends Darling to the floor again. Nana puts a chin lock on Darling in the middle of the ring. Nana splashes down onto Darling to keep control of the match followed by a vertical suplex for a two count. Nana leaps off the middle rope missing a senton splash. Darling waits in the corner and hits a kick to the head for a two count after Nana blocked a superkick. Darling superkicks Nana after ducking a clothesline for a near fall. Nana clotheslines himself and Darling to the floor and that leads to the lumberjacks brawling on the floor. Darling comes off the middle rope to hit a leaping DDT. However, Nana’s manager hits Darling with the championship allowing Nana to win the title. (**. That wasn’t too bad, actually. The finish had a good flow to it and didn’t come across clunky. They kept a good pace and I was impressed with Darling’s offense.) After the match, Nana cuts a promo until Mega comes out and that leads into the battle royal.
Eighth Contest: Battle Royal: Mega wins the battle royal.
Christopher Daniels promo airs on the big screen. Daniels says that everyone knows that he made Kruel submit to win the title last month. Daniels notes that Aries showed guts, but he showed he’s still the best wrestler in the ECWA. Daniels doesn’t want Walters to try and make history tonight. Daniels is confident that he’ll walkout as the champion.
Main Event: ECWA Heavyweight Champion Christopher Daniels vs. Mike Kruel vs. John Walters vs. Austin Aries in an elimination match: Kruel and Aries go after Daniels until Walters goes after Aries with right hands. Daniels decks Walters and they trade strikes. They trade chops until Aries and Kruel return to the match with Kruel working over Walters in the corner. Kruel is backdropped to the floor and Daniels is met with a clothesline to the floor. Walters takes both men out with a suicide dive to the floor. Aries takes all three men out with a twisting dive to the outside. Aries rolls Daniels into the ring and hits a side slam for a two count as they legally start the match. Daniels backdrops Aries to the apron, but Aries delivers a back elbow in the corner. Aries works over Daniels with strikes in the corner. Daniels hooks Aries for a suplex, but Aries breaks free. Kruel accidentally clotheslines Aries and Daniels heel kicks Kruel to the floor. Daniels nearly pins Aries after a back suplex. Walters tags in and works over Aries with forearms and a neck vice before switching to arm bar submission. Walters arm drags Aries and keeps control on the left arm. Aries keeps Walters on the mat with a headlock, but Walters switches to a head scissors for a moment. Aries breaks free and dropkicks a seated Walters for a two count.
Aries punts Walters in the ribs and continues with a forearm strike in the corner. Walters hits a middle rope crossbody for a near fall and tags in Kruel. Kruel works over Aries with strikes to the back. Kruel arm drags Aries and keeps arm control on the mat. The fans are reminding Kruel that he tapped out and he’s getting frustrated. Kruel slams Aries followed by a leg drop for a near fall. Kruel takes Aries over with a snap suplex and Daniels tags in. Kruel puts a headlock on Daniels to keep control of the match. Kruel slaps Daniels and they begin to trade strikes. Kruel clotheslines Daniels in the corner and taunts the crowd. Kruel slams Daniels followed by an elbow drop for a near fall. Walters tags into the match and shoves Kruel before taking Daniels down with a vertical suplex for a near fall. Walters puts an Indian death lock on Daniels, but doesn’t get submission. Kruel is tagged in by Walters and kicks Daniels on the mat. Kruel wrenches on Daniels neck, but doesn’t get a submission. Kruel clotheslines Daniels coming off the ropes for a two count. Daniels elbows free and slams Kruel to the mat before tagging in Walters.
Kruel is met with a double hip toss as is Aries. Walters decks Daniels to the floor and forearms Kruel in the corner. Walters boots Kruel and goes to the middle rope, but Aries drops Walters over the top rope and Kruel hits an arm breaker for a two count. Aries sends Daniels into the ring post. Kruel focuses his attack on Walters arm. Aries leaps off the top to strike Walters and keeps a key lock on Walters. Aries locks in the rings of saturn, but Walters reaches the ropes. Kruel keeps Walters on the mat with an arm bar, but doesn’t get a submission for several moments. Aries tags back into the match and kicks on Walters arm. Aries uppercuts Walters and continues to work over the left arm. Walters comes off the ropes and is met with a double shoulder block sending both men down. Aries knocks Daniels off the apron to prevent a tag by Walters. Kruel returns to the match and beats on Walters before going back to the arm. Aries signals for a brainbuster, but Walters counters and hits a reverse DDT/DDT combo on Aries and Kruel. Daniels tags in and cleans house on both Aries and Kruel. Daniels slams Aries and signals for the BME. Daniels hits it once, but Aries avoids a second one. Daniels hits an STO for a near fall. Aries holds the ropes to avoid a dropkick. Kruel tosses Aries to the floor and elbows Daniels in the corner. Kruel takes Daniels over with a vertical suplex. Kruel hits a sit out death valley driver for a near fall on Daniels.
Kruel heads to the top rope hitting an elbow drop on Daniels for a near fall. Kruel punches Walters on the apron and knocks Aries off. Kruel is stopped by Daniels on the top rope. Daniels slams Kruel to the floor and hits a flatliner. Daniels locks in the koji clutch, but Kruel doesn’t tap and almost pins Daniels. Kruel avoids a backdrop with a boot. Walters nails Daniels with a backstabber to prevent the Last Rites and almost pins the champ. Walters hits a crossbody off the top for a near fall. Aries drops Walters with a gut buster and a slam for a two count. Aries cleans house on Walters and Daniels. Aries grabs a steel chair missing a shot in the corner. Kruel decks Aries and grabs the steel chair. Kruel misses a chair shot and shakes his hands. Daniels clotheslines both Aries and Kruel followed by strikes. Daniels bulldogs Kruel and clotheslines Aries. Daniels plants Aries with a powerbomb for a near fall. Aries elbows Daniels a few times, but Kruel slides a chair into the ring as Daniels hit a German suplex on Aries landing on the chair. Daniels is selling his head as if he hit the chair, too. Kruel spikes Daniels with a piledriver for a near fall. Kruel locks in a choke hold in the middle of the ring. Daniels is forced to tap! As a result, we are guaranteed a new champion.
Walters backdrops Kruel followed by a dropkick for a near fall. Walters kicks Kruel and hits a blockbuster off the middle rope for a two count. Walters suplexs Aries into the ring from the apron, but Aries lands on his feet. Walters hits a stunner on Aries and a leg drop on Kruel for a two count. Walters puts a chin lock on Aries and a headlock submission on Kruel, but neither man submits. Kruel sends Walters to the floor and Aries leaps off the apron to hit an elbow drop on the floor. Aries rams Walters face first onto the apron and Kruel gets a near fall. Kruel plants Walters with a sit down powerbomb for a near fall. Kruel takes Walters over with a snap suplex, but Walters fires back with hops. Aries decks Walters from the apron and encourages Kruel. Kruel hits a sit out death valley driver, but Walters isn’t the legal man. Aries rolls Kruel up from behind to score the pin and eliminate Kruel.
Walters nearly pins Aries with a rollup two times. Aries misses a clothesline, but a second attempt connects for a near fall. Aries hooks Walters for a suplex, but Walters counters with a few knee lifts and a swinging neckbreaker. Aries forearms Walters in the corner, but is dumped to the apron. Walters clotheslines Aries from behind and follows up with a running clothesline to cause both men to be down. Walters nearly wins the match on a cover attempt. They begin to trade strikes in the middle of the ring. Aries tries to slam Walters, but Walters hits a backstabber and a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Walters tries for a powerbomb, but forearms Aries and drops Aries over his knee for a near fall as Aries got his foot on the ropes. Walters tries for a powerbomb, but Aries spikes Walters with a brainbuster for a two count. Aries hits a running fireman’s carry and tries for a 450 splash, but Walters got his knees up and tries for an inside cradle, but Aries’ shoulders aren’t down. They begin to trade strikes in the corner with Aries chopping Walters. Walters fires back with strikes and misses a clothesline. Aries clotheslines Walters in the corner. Aries misses a hurricanrana as Walters held the ropes. Walters hits a middle rope over the shoulder slam for the win and wins the title. (***1/2. The main event delivered to leave the show on a good note. I love that Daniels was eliminated first because it makes the rest of the match even more interesting. Kruel getting a clean tap out on Daniels should lead to another match between the two and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a submission match or something along those lines. Everyone looked good in there and this delivered an entertaining main event.)
Final Thoughts:
Most of the undercard is brutal to watch. However, the TLC match and the lumberjack match were enjoyable followed by a really good main event. I didn’t think I’d be anywhere near an average show, but it pulled through in the end. I’m going to give it a thumbs in the middle, but if the main event is available by itself its worth checking out.
Thanks for reading.