Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 11/8/1997
From: Philadelphia, PA
Matches:
1.) Sabu defeated Tommy Dreamer and Shane Douglas in an elimination match
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Joey Styles opens the program in the ring to welcome everyone to the show. Lance Wright chimes in and says he has a scoop. He’s not in the ring but rather in the booth. Rude is with Wright and says that Styles makes everything sound so easy. Rude didn’t sell his soul for Francine’s booty. Rude says the only reason he wanted Francine was because she belonged to Shane Douglas. Rude says that Bigelow’s caerer was bogged down by cooperation while Rude’s career has thrived based on manipulation. Rude says that Vince McMahon calls him to beg to have him on RAW. Rude wants Douglas to worry about getting his ass kicked at November To Remember and doesn’t want the anticipation to kill him beforehand.
2.) Shane Douglas and Francine come down to the ring to cut a promo. Douglas is pissed off and wants to tell the crowd why he’s so pissed off. Douglas says they are dead wrong about him says “it’s at least twelve inches”, which Francine agrees with. Douglas isn’t happy that his bag is real light and he’s not been able to eat, sleep, workout, or get a boner to have sex with Francine without the championship. Douglas knows that he’ll be back to his usual form in no time. Douglas is glad to see that true colors of Bam-Bam Bigelow. Douglas is glad that the fans in Philadelphia didn’t get to see him lose.
3.) They start off with a three way lockup and that leads to a standoff. Douglas goes after Sabu with a boot to the midsection and Dreamer shoulder blocks Douglas. Douglas and Dreamer have a double top wrist lock on Sabu, but Sabu takes them both over with an arm drag. Sabu tries for a crossbody, but settles for a springboard moonsault. Douglas and Sabu stomp away on Dreamer to keep control of the contest. Dreamer comes off the ropes and is met with a backdrop. Dreamer is driven down with a double vertical suplex. Sabu leaps off the chair to splash onto Dreamer in the corner. Sabu hits a springboard axe handle to take Douglas out on the aisle way. All three men are brawling on the floor as Sabu sends Douglas into the ring post. Sabu whacks Douglas over the shoulder with a chair shot and the same happens to Dreamer. Sabu baseball slides Douglas into the guard railing. Sabu drops Douglas over the top rope arm first while on the apron. Sabu leg drops Dreamer and keeps an arm lock on Douglas. Douglas lifts Sabu up, but Dreamer comes over to hit a side Russian leg sweep causing Sabu to hit the mat, too. Douglas nails Sabu with a rolling neck snap and Dreamer dropkicks Douglas while he’s seated. Sabu has a chair and comes off the top, but Dreamer boots the chair into Sabu’s face. Dreamer uses the chair to stop Douglas with a jawbreaker.
Douglas drops Dreamer groin first over a chair and Sabu delivers a dropkick to keep Dreamer on the mat. Sabu low blows Douglas and all three men are struggling to get to their feet. Sabu rams Douglas face first onto the apron several times. Dreamer stops Sabu on the top rope and delivers a chair shot over the head. Douglas low blows Dreamer on the middle rope and lays Dreamer onto the table. Douglas stops Sabu and slams Sabu onto Dreamer through the table. Douglas nails Sabu with a piece of table. Douglas sends Sabu into the broken table in the corner. Dreamer nearly pins Douglas with a rollup, but Douglas clotheslines Dreamer. Sabu almost pins Dreamer following a leg drop. Douglas and Dreamer hit a powerbomb/neckbreaker combo. Sabu manages to kick out on the cover attempt. Sabu dropkicks Douglas and Dreamer stops Sabu with a clothesline. Douglas and Dreamer hit Sabu with another chair shot.
Dreamer and Douglas were going to work together, but they get tricked by Alfonso. Francine and Beulah corner Alfonso on the floor and beat him up. Alfonso gets thrown into the ring and they follow. Alfonso misses a clothesline and is met with a double clothesline by the ladies. Their partnership is short term and they have catfight. Dreamer and Douglas hit piledrivers on the other man’s woman and taunt the crowd. Sabu hits a springboard clothesline on both men. Sabu hits a triple jump moonsault on Douglas, but Dreamer breaks the cover. Dreamer hits a DDT on Douglas and Sabu hits an Arabian facebuster on Douglas, too. Douglas rolls to the floor and walks towards the backstage area. Bam-Bam Bigelow meets Douglas on the aisle and delivers several strikes. Bigelow press slams Douglas into the ring. Sabu with another Arabian facebuster and Douglas is pinned by both men to be eliminated from the match.
Sabu dropkicks Dreamer on the left foot, which has a protective boot on. Beulah is being carried to the backstage area. Sabu tosses Dreamer over the railing into the crowd. Sabu springboards off the top to nail Dreamer with a chair shot in the crowd. Sabu hits a slingshot moonsault for a two count. Sabu leaps off a chair to take Dreamer over with a hurricanrana for a two count. Sabu smashes Dreamer with a chair shot and sits Dreamer on the top. Dreamer leaps off to clothesline Sabu in midair. Dreamer leg drops a chair onto Sabu for a two count. Dreamer hits a Death Valley Driver and goes to get a table on the floor. Dreamer sets the table up and puts Sabu on the top rope. Dreamer hits a top rope DDT to put Sabu through the table! Alfonso nails Dreamer on the foot with a chair shot. Sabu with an Arabian facebuster and leaps off the top to deliver a leg drop. Sabu has the cover, but Dreamer kicks out at two. Sabu hits a triple jump moonsault and pins Dreamer to win the match. (***1/2. Well, that was a lot of fun. There was enough angle advancement that added to the match that allowed this to standout. The stuff with the managers was enjoyable and added to the match instead of taking away for the action. I was surprised to see Douglas be the first one eliminated, but this very well may mean that Sabu is in line for a title shot following the PPV.)
4.) Shane Douglas cuts a promo saying that people told him in 1983 that he’s too small to make it in the business. Douglas told people he’d be a star and that he’s not going higher than were he’s at.
5.) Bam-Bam Bigelow says that it comes to a point that people don’t want to do business with you. Bigelow has cooperated with many people, including Lawrence Taylor. Bigelow is tired of cooperating.
6.) Douglas recalls the NWA tournament he took place in back in 1994 and he won that tournament. Douglas would not settle for being second best. Douglas made a choice to go with ECW, a company that was never projected to make it.
7.) Bigelow doesn’t cooperate anymore and if he wants it, he takes it.
8.) Douglas recalls Bigelow coming down to the ring in Queens and he never thought that someone in the family would betray him. Douglas says that Bigelow proved what he knew that he had what it takes. Douglas credits him for that.
9.) Chris Candido is upset that Bigelow took the ECW World Championship away from the Triple Threat, which is good for him.
10.) Douglas says they will be going to the Golden Dome to show the world what they have to offer. Douglas doesn’t want Bigelow to cooperate or lay down and do the job. He wants Bigelow to show up and be ready for a fight. Douglas will overcome the weight difference and strength difference. Douglas says one of them will leave as champion and the other will leave defeated. Douglas says that his heart will continue to beat and if he goes down then so will ECW. Douglas has come too far to lose to Bigelow now. Douglas will be the champion after November 30th because it’s his championship.
11.) Bigelow tells Douglas that the belt is his and he’s not doing any jobs or favors. Bigelow isn’t cooperating with anyone. The belt is his and the only way he can get it is if he can pin him.
12.) ECW Tag Team Champions FBI talk to Joey Styles to close the program. Tommy Rich has something for Styles to read, but Joey doesn’t want to. Styles reads several Italian catchphrase and FBI joke around because they are the champs and they are happy about it.
Final Thoughts:
I thought it was a strong episode this week with a lot of focus on Douglas/Bigelow, which was the right move. The three way match was entertaining and a big win for Sabu to keep momentum moving forward. It was a very good episode to add hype to November To Remember, especially for the main event.
Thanks for reading.