ECW Hardcore TV 8/7/1999

Written by: Bob Colling

Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 8/7/1999
From: Philadelphia, PA

Matches:
1.) ECW Tag Team Champions Balls Mahoney & Spike Dudley defeated Axl Rotten & New Jack in an extreme death match to retain the titles
2.) Tajiri defeated Little Guido

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Footage of the Impact Players attacking Jerry Lynn after Lynn defeated Jason at the ECW Arena is shown. Justin Credible hit Lynn with a kendo stick several times. Credible finished off with his catchphrase along with Storm as Lynn was left bloodied.

2.) Joey Styles is in the ring to welcome everyone to the program. Styles notes that it is hotter than hell in the ECW Arena. They are counting down the days to the TNN debut for ECW. Styles introduces the new ECW Tag Team Champions Balls Mahoney and Spike Dudley for an interview. Spike switches glasses with Styles for a few moments before Styles retrieves them. They have issued an open challenge to any two wrestlers for a title shot even if they don’t wrestle for ECW. Mahoney has one condition in that the match be an extreme death match. Mahoney demands Paul Heyman send out whomever he found to wrestle them.

Axl Rotten makes his way out to the ring. Axl had been a previous tag partner with Mahoney. Axl says that not a lot has changed since he’s been gone and puts over the fans as the sickest fans in wrestling. Axl talks about a promise they made where if they lost to the Dudley’s they’d fight each other. Axl is here to fight Balls Mahoney to live up to his end of the bargain. Styles wants to know who Axl has as a partner. Axl says his partner is a man that has spilled more blood than serial killers. That man is none other than… New Jack.

3.) Jack whacks Spike with a trash can lid and a belly to belly suplex while Mahoney just stands there. Jack uses a staple gun on Spike. Balls and Axl trade strikes in the ring while Jack continues to work over Spike. Axl continues with his jabs as Jack hits Spike with an ironing board on the floor. Axl digs a spike into Mahoney’s forehead as the show goes to commercial.

It should not be a surprise that the match has been a complete bloodbath when the show returns from commercial. Spike comes off the top to hit Jack with a trash can lid shot. Spike chokes Jack with a cable cord and digs the kitchen sink into Jack’s forehead. Axl and Mahoney have made their way to the stage. Mahoney hits Axl with a water bottle a few times. Spike has the ironing board and nails Jack with it on the aisle way. Axl eye rakes Mahoney as all four men are brawling in the crowd. Jack sets up a table near the stage. Jack brings Spike to the top of the balcony as Mahoney is laid on the table. Spike leaps off the stage to hit the Acid Drop on Jack crashing onto Mahoney through the table. Axl sends Mahoney face first into the ring post. Mahoney and Axl return to the ring where Mahoney lights a table on fire. Mahoney puts Axl through the flaming table with a slam and Axl’s back was on fire a few seconds. That leads to a win for Mahoney. (**. Obviously the match is heavily clipped coming out of the commercial, but they did a good job with keeping the interesting and entertaining moments of the match. It was a complete bloodbath and the flaming table spot is always over with the ECW Arena fans.) After the match, New Jack and Axl attack the tag champs with Axl whacking Mahoney over the head with a steel chair. Rotten brings Spike to a table in the front row of the crowd. Jack goes to the top rope and hits a chair assisted elbow drop to put Spike through the table in the crowd! That was nuts.

4.) Justin Credible wrestling D-Von Dudley is being shown coming back from commercial, but Jerry Lynn slides into the ring with his head taped up and attacks Credible until Lance Storm made the save. This was an Impact Players vs. Dudley’s match at the ECW Arena, but they don’t show the match.

5.) RVD has a headlock on Lynn until they trade leapfrogs. RVD monkey flips Lynn, but Lynn lands on his feet and misses a leg drop. They avoid each other and have a standoff. They just show the brief interaction between RVD and Lynn from the six man tag match on the show.

6.) The Dudley Boys apparently got sick of Joel Gertner and hit the 3D on Gertner to essentially end that relationship. Dudley’s play to the crowd and are getting cheered. Was that a face turn?

7.) Justin Credible pinned Bubba Dudley after several kendo stick shots, which finished the six man tag match. That’s all they showed.

8.) Guido slaps Tajiri in the face to start the match and controls Tajiri on the mat. Tajiri has his face taped up thanks to his match with Taz where barbed wire was used on his mouth. Tajiri fights free and rolls to the floor. Tajiri chops Guido on the floor, but Guido sends Tajiri into the railing allowing Big Sal to hit a splash against the railing. Guido rolls Tajiri into the ring and delivers a few stomps to maintain control of the contest. Tajiri tries for a tilt a whirl, but Guido lands on his feet and locks in a cross arm bar. Guido counters a handspring elbow with a neckbreaker for a two count. Guido keeps an arm bar on Tajiri, but Tajiri doesn’t give up. Guido stomps on Tajiri followed by strikes to the back. Guido rams Tajiri into the corner and puts him in a tree of woe. Guido taunts the crowd and misses a baseball slide hitting the post groin first. Tajiri delivers a kick to the face and knocks Guido out. Sal gets on the apron, but jumps off as Tajiri continues to beat on Guido in the corner. Tajiri tries to sit Guido on the top rope, but Guido counters with an Un-Prettier for a two count. Steve Corino pulls Guido to the floor and tosses a drink into Guido’s face. Tajiri connects with a kick to the head. Tajiri hooks Guido for a suplex, but Guido counters with a side Russian leg sweep for a near fall. Guido stomps on Tajiri followed by strikes and kicks to the midsection. Guido drives Tajiri down to the mat face first to counter a head scissors attempt. Guido hits a middle rope leg drop to a hunched over Tajiri for a near fall. Guido nails Tajiri with a forearm strike. Tajiri dropkicks Guido on the knee and delivers a kick to the midsection. Guido collapses to the mat on an Irish whip to the corner. Tajiri slaps Guido and delivers more kicks to Guido’s leg on the mat. Tajiri puts Guido in the tree of woe to hit a baseball slide dropkick. Tajiri puts a Texas Cloverleaf on Guido to win the match by submission. (**1/2. The action was okay, but it’s not on the same level as their previous encounters. I like how this was presented to give Tajiri some momentum leading into his showdown with Taz in Queens.) After the match, Tony DeVito hits Sal with a few chairs. Sal no sells it. Sal is kicked by Tajiri and Corino cuts a promo saying that they have two more stupid victims. Corino taunts Guido saying that he’s not hardcore. Corino calls out Tommy Dreamer saying that he’s watching what he should be doing. Paul Heyman is trying to cool off Dreamer as Corino calls Francine a slut. Corino brags about being on TNN and becoming a superstar. Corino says that Dreamer is nothing more than a mark like everyone else. Corino says there’s nothing Dreamer can do about being a fan. Dreamer gets fed up with Corino’s remarks and makes his way towards the ring.

9.) Dreamer and Francine walk through the crowd. Dreamer stands on the apron as Corino says he’d hand him his ass if he jumped the railing. Corino wants Dreamer to step into the ring and pin Dreamer. Dreamer asks if Corino wants to be famous and proceeds to attack the heels. Dreamer puts Tajiri in the tree of woe and puts a chair in front of Tajiri’s face allowing Francine to hit a dropkick on Tajiri. Dreamer hits Jack Victory on the leg with a Japanese flag. Dreamer takes off Victory’s leg brace. Dreamer puts a figure four on Victory and Francine low blows Corino. Francine puts a figure four on Corino. Tajiri spits mist into Francine’s eyes and kicks Dreamer! Tony DeVito slides a table into the ring and sets it up by the corner.

Taz makes his way out to the ring to make the save for Dreamer and Francine. Dreamer holds DeVito’s leg to prevent DeVito from escaping the ring. DeVito begs off, but Taz counters a powerbomb and puts DeVito through the table with a double leg slam. Corino bailed to the aisle as Taz gets a microphone. Corino says that Taz will never kill him and Taz can’t catch him. Corino tells Taz to keep the title if he lets him. Taz laughs that off in the ring and tells Corino that he’s the champion no matter the promotion. Taz finishes off with his catchphrase to end the program.

Final Thoughts:
Corino/Taz feud is feeling a lot like Jericho/Goldberg from 1998 in the sense that when it happens Corino is likely going to get destroyed in short order. I’ve been enjoying the build towards it regardless. This week show was okay, but it didn’t have anything all that memorable in-ring wise. I think they did a good job building their angles, though. I’d say it was a good week of TV.

Thanks for reading.