Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 12/25/1999
From: Nashville, TN
Matches:
1.) Balls Mahoney defeated Steve Corino
2.) ECW Television Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Mikey Whipwreck to retain the title
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Mike Awesome press slammed Spike Dudley into the front row and was caught by Masato Tanaka. That leads to an impromptu title defense as Tanaka was there to scout Awesome for the title match next week in White Plains. Cyrus convinced Paul Heyman to allow the match. We proceed to see clips of the match and Tanaka winning the ECW World Championship.
2.) Backstage, ECW World Champion Masato Tanaka cut a promo in Japanese. He seemed happy to be champion.
3.) Backstage, Rhino comes out of a locker room with Steve Corino and Jack Victory. Rhino has blood on his hands while Victory’s chair has blood on it. Balls Mahoney staggers out of the room bloodied saying that he’ll kill them. Corino said that nobody upstages them.
4.) In the ring, Steve Corino cuts a promo about getting the last laugh. Corino notes that Balls and Axl tried to ruin his fun at the Limp Bizkit concert. So, Corino had Rhino take care of the freaks. Balls and Axl won’t be making it to the tag match scheduled because of their attack. Mahoney staggers out from the backstage area bloodied. Corino asks what is wrong with Balls and help make him realize that he’s the most powerful man in ECW. Balls wants all three men. Corino decides to have just a singles match.
5.) Rhino decks Mahoney from behind before leaving to allow Corino to stomp on Mahoney and deliver strikes. Mahoney fights back with a series of jabs. Corino heel kicks Mahoney and taunts the crowd. Corino pummels Mahoney with right hands and taunts the crowd some more. Victory cheap shots Mahoney while the referee is distracted. Mahoney absorbs a few rights and tries to slam Corino, but Corino counters by dropping Mahoney to the mat by his neck for a two count. Mahoney jabs Corino a few times followed by a right hand. Mahoney misses a clothesline and Corino hits a superkick. Victory sets a table up by sliding it into the ring. Corino sets the table up in the corner. Victory gives Corino a second a table. Corino hits a side Russian leg sweep, but Mahoney no sells it. Mahoney superkicks Corino and decks Victory off the apron. Mahoney grabs his chair, but Rhino returns to the ring and attacks Mahoney as the show goes to commercial.
Sandman is in the crowd sharing beers with fans to make the save for Mahoney. Sandman sure takes his time as Mahoney is pummeled in the corner. Sandman gets in the ring and cleans house with kendo stick shots. Sandman goes to Rhino, but Rhino GORES Sandman through the table in the corner. Mahoney whacks Corino over the head with a steel chair to win the match. After the match, Rhino has a standoff with Mahoney and they swing chairs. Victory takes the chair away and Rhino GORES Mahoney. (*1/2. I’m not surprised by how this played out. I’m hoping that this is a full steam push for Rhino without any more speed bumps.)
6.) Backstage, Danny Doring, Roadkill and Electra are giving gifts to wrestlers. Super Crazy is given a red card because he doesn’t really care if Crazy stays in the country. Francine is next after a commercial and is given blank discs. Francine shows Doring the tag title, which is something he’ll never carry. Francine gives Roadkill a bra. Joel Gertner is next and assumes he’s getting Electra, but that’s not the case. Roadkill gives Gertner Francine’s bra and Gertner smells them.
7.) RVD starts off with strikes and stomps against the ropes on Whipwreck. RVD hits a standing moonsault and stomps Whipwreck on the mat. RVD misses a clothesline and Mikey hit a side Russian leg sweep and a dropkick. RVD nails Whipwreck with a step over heel kick. RVD sends Whipwreck to the floor and follows with strikes. RVD sends Whipwreck into the guard railing. RVD remains in the ring playing to the crowd. RVD sends Mikey into the railing back first to maintain control of the contest. RVD sends Mikey into the railing again and continues to play to the crowd in the ring. RVD leaps off the apron to leg drop Whipwreck over the railing. RVD sends Whipwreck back to the floor to deliver a kick to the jaw. RVD sends Whipwreck into the railing again and crotches Whipwreck over the railing to deliver another kick to the face. Whipwreck struggles to the apron and is met with several kicks to the head. RVD rams Whipwreck into the corner delivering right hands. RVD forearms Whipwreck followed by an atomic drop and dropkicks a chair into Mikey’s face in the corner as the show goes to commercial.
Whipwreck hits a slingshot leg drop over the middle rope for a two count. RVD runs into a boot in the corner and Whipwreck hit a head scissors off the middle rope for a near fall. Whipwreck tries to monkey flip RVD, but RVD sits Mikey on the top rope and kicks Whipwreck to the floor. RVD sits Mikey on the top turnbuckle, but Mikey shoves RVD off. Whipwreck hits a tornado DDT onto a steel chair for a near fall. Mikey lays a chair down in the middle of the ring. Mikey tries for a piledriver, but settles for a rollup. RVD tries to slam Mikey, but Mikey hits a German suplex onto the chair for a near fall. Jerry Lynn is watching the match at ringside as Mikey hit a slingshot leg drop onto the chair for another two count. Mikey heads to the top rope missing a senton splash and lands on a pile of chairs. RVD backdrops Mikey onto the locker room, which I don’t know why they are there. Tommy Rich and Tracy Smothers attack RVD until the lights go out and it’s Sabu making the save with a chair shot. Sabu tosses the chair at RVD and lays RVD over a table that’s over the apron and railing. Sabu leaps off the top to leg drop RVD through the table! Mikey hits the Whippersnapper on RVD and almost wins the match. Mikey sits RVD on the top turnbuckle looking for another Whippersnapper, but RVD holds onto the ropes. RVD hits the Van Daminator. Smothers is nailed with a chair and RVD hits the Five Star Frog Splash to pin Whipwreck for the win. (**1/4. It’s remarkable how much RVD can take and still prevails. The booking of RVD makes his challengers look like they have no chance or at least nothing realistic. The matches are enjoyable, but you know how each one is eventually going to end every time.)
8.) Tony DeVito cuts a promo with Grimes and Angel saying that New Jack has a lot of people watching his back. DeVito says they saw his mother and she was looking good. Tony notes that his mother was shot by his father. Angel suggests that Jack give them his mother and they will take her.
9.) Rhino tells Doring and Roadkill to not mess with him.
10.) Lance Storm tells Tommy Dreamer that Jesus better resurrect himself before the PPV.
11.) Raven cuts a promo about being crucified for the sins of his past and wipes the blood off his forehead. You’ll crucify the Raven… nevermore.
Final Thoughts:
A decent week of TV as we have a shocking new champion and some angle progression for Sabu/RVD. The show is missing the one major angle to carry TV, but it’s likely the tag title feud that’s seen as the top feud from a story perspective.
Thanks for reading.