ECW Hardcore TV 5/7/2000

Written by: Bob Colling

Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 5/7/2000
From: Poughkeepsie, NY

Matches:
1.) Tommy Dreamer defeated Simon Diamond
2.) ECW World Champion Justin Credible defeated Mikey Whipwreck to retain the title

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Joey Styles talks about Cyberslam 2000 sending the promotion into turmoil. Lance Storm was injured. Tommy Dreamer won the ECW World Championship from Taz. Buried the hatchet with Raven. Justin Credible won the title from Dreamer following Francine turning on Dreamer.

2.) Simon Diamond is in the ring with his crew to cut a promo. Diamond says he’s tired of everyone thinking he’s a comedy act. Diamond is a blue chip athlete. Diamond issues an open challenge to anyone in the back. The challenge is eventually accepted by Tommy Dreamer.

3.) Diamond hammers away on Dreamer to start the match against the ropes. Diamond rubs Dreamer’s eyes over the ropes, but Dreamer comes back with a neckbreaker. Dreamer plants Diamond with a spinebuster and tosses Diamond through the ropes to the floor. Dreamer sends Diamond back first into the guard railing back first. Dreamer chokes Diamond over the apron and smashes the ring bell on Diamond’s groin. Dreamer decks Diamond’s musketeer off the apron and is clotheslined by Prodigy. Diamond continues to work over Dreamer with right hands in the corner. Dreamer is sent hard across the ring into another corner, but fights back with strikes. Diamond keeps Dreamer on the mat with a laying abdominal stretch. Dreamer breaks free and almost wins with a handful of tights. Diamond drops Dreamer with a clothesline for a two count. Diamond takes Dreamer over with a series of snap suplexs. Dreamer counters with a suplex of his own. Dreamer ducks a clothesline and puts Diamond in a tree of woe. Dreamer has a chair and Diamond’s manager gently hits Dreamer and is met with a low blow with an umbrella. Dreamer baseball dropkicks the chair into Diamond’s face. The Musketeer gets in the ring and wants a duel with Dreamer, which they do. Dreamer ends up hitting a Death Valley Driver. Diamond low blows Dreamer with the umbrella and almost wins the match. Diamond scoop slams Dreamer, but the referee takes a weapon away. Prodigy’s sister misses a top rope moonsault allowing Dreamer to hit a double DDT. HC Loc, the referee, chops Diamond in the corner and Dreamer plants Diamond with a DDT to win the match. (*1/2. Diamond really shouldn’t be a comedy character as he’s far better than that role. I wasn’t a fan of the interference nor the usage of the referee getting involved on Diamond. The action was rather basic and felt like a house show Tommy Dreamer match rather than a TV match.)

4.) Backstage, Mikey Whipwreck is talking with Sinister Minister saying that Justin Credible sold his soul to the devil. Minister thinks that Whipwreck owes him the ECW World Championship or Credible’s soul. Whipwreck says that if he fails both of those than Minister can have his soul, but Minister says nobody wants that soul. Minister doesn’t even want Francine’s soul and proceeds to make a reference to Francine being a whore.

5.) Backstage, ECW World Champion Justin Credible cuts a promo saying everyone wants a piece of him and he’s always looking over his shoulder. They have no idea what it feels like to be looking over his shoulder. Credible knows the people want to see Francine butt naked in the ring. Francine chimes in and says that’s not happening. She will strip Dawn Marie naked if anyone were to lose their clothes in the middle of the ring. Credible finishes off with his usual catchphrase.

6.) Footage of a confrontation between Justin Credible and Lance Storm is shown. Storm is pissed that Credible spat on the titles and tossed the tag titles down. Storm says that Credible owes him a championship and he’s either going to take it or Credible will give it to him. Credible isn’t going to do that and says Storm can go back to Calgary. That leads to a brawl between the two of them spilling to the floor where security breaks them apart. Dawn Marie and Francine have a cat fight in the ring until Storm and Credible pull them apart, as well. Raven comes out and attacks Credible with right hands. Storm superkicks Raven followed by a DDT. Jazz drops Marie with a slam, but Storm superkicks Jazz. Kid Kash came out and had a match with Lance Storm while Dreamer brawled with Credible in the crowd. All of this was shown on ECW on TNN.

7.) Prior to the main event, Justin Credible taunts the crowd but the censors bleep literally everything he says to them. Credible decides the crowd doesn’t deserve a title match and decides to leave with Francine.

8.) Mikey Whipwreck runs up the aisle and grabs Credible on the stage to toss the Credible off onto the guard railing chest first. Whipwreck works over Credible with strikes and sends Credible into the railing a few times. Whipwreck hammers away on Credible with strikes around ringside. Whipwreck sets a table up on the floor and slides Credible onto the apron to hit a slingshot leg drop over the bottom rope. Whipwreck is shoved off the apron and lands back first onto the railing. Credible beats on Whipwreck with a drink and right hands around ringside. Credible taunts the fans before returning to the ring with a chair. Credible smashes Whipwreck face first onto the chair and sends Whipwreck to the floor. Credible tosses Whipwreck over the railing into the crowd. Credible continues to punch Whipwreck in the crowd before tossing Whipwreck back to the ringside area. Credible rolls Whipwreck back into the ring and rams Mikey into the corner face first before pummeling Mikey with stomps.

Credible brings Whipwreck out of the corner with a powerbomb for a two count. Credible grabs a steel chair and decides against using it. Whipwreck tries to fight back with strikes, but Credible delivers an elbow strike. Credible goes to the middle rope hitting a forearm drop for a near fall. Credible keeps Whipwreck on the mat with a sleeper hold. Whipwreck tries to fight out, but is yanked down to the mat. Credible leg drops Whipwreck and goes back to a headlock on the mat. Whipwreck avoids a dropkick by holding onto the ropes and catapults Credible over the top rope through a table on the floor! Whipwreck sends Credible shoulder first into the ring post. Whipwreck sends Credible into the ring and delivers several stomps. Credible goes upside down in the corner and Whipwreck hits a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Whipwreck grabs a chair, but Credible stops Mikey with a low blow. Credible lays the chair down in the middle of the ring, but Whipwreck plants Credible with a DDT onto the chair! Francine makes the save with her shoe. Whipwreck grabs Francine and pulls her thong up out of a piledriver position. Credible destroys Whipwreck with a kendo stick shot from behind for a two count. Credible goes to the top rope, but Mikey crotches the champ. Credible shoves Whipwreck off and hits a flying crossbody for a two count. Whipwreck hits the Whippersnapper onto a chair for a near fall. Francine hits Whipwreck with a kendo stick from the floor and Credible delivers a superkick for a two count. Credible catches Whipwreck out of the corner to spike Mikey with the That’s Incredible to win the match. (***. It’s a good match with some good energy and the crowd responding well to the action. Mikey brought some good action out of Credible. I may have avoided Francine needing to help Credible to retain here as a clean win for Credible would benefit Credible to get over as a heel champion. If his opponent was higher up the card then the interference could work, but Mikey is a midcard act that wasn’t going to win the title. Thus, a clean win doesn’t hurt Mikey and actually helps Credible to get over in his role.)

9.) Backstage, Sandman is smoking and cuts a promo about his match against Rhino. Sandman is going to show Rhino why he’s the King of Extreme.

10.) Backstage, Rob Van Dam does his taunt while Scott Anton just looked at the camera.

11.) Backstage, Jerry Lynn is upset with Credible tossing the title on the ground. Lynn knows that RVD is the only man in his way from getting the ECW World Championship. Lynn knows that Credible will defend the title against someone who defeated RVD.

12.) Backstage, Rob Van Dam says that the fans will respond to Anton since he’s his best friend.

13.) Backstage, ECW World Champion Justin Credible cuts a promo about Lance Storm, the man who trained him and knows what he’s getting into.

14.) RVD blows a whistle into Anton’s ear, who says cut.

15.) Lou E. Dangerously and the Dangerous Alliance cut a promo saying they were going to be the next tag champions. They are coming for Credible for costing them the tag title opportunity.

16.) Nova and Chris Chetti cut a promo about studying previous tag teams in wrestling history. They are not happy with Credible throwing the tag titles on the ground. They feel like they got spat on, as well. Nova knows they would have won the tag titles. Chetti promises to rebuild the tag division and they will be the champions soon enough.

17.) Danny Doring and Roadkill cut a promo about also being the next tag champions, but that was prevented when Credible tossed the belts down. They will work hard to gain the belts.

18.) Back to RVD, Alfonso and Anton. Alfonso is yelling promoting the PPV. RVD says that people are worried that Lynn could be selling out to the Network. RVD has Alfonso in his corner to watch his back, which seemed to annoy Anton. RVD also joked he’d beat up Anton, which Anton made a face about.

19.) Cyrus and ECW Television Champion Rhino cut a promo about the match with Sandman on PPV. Cyrus says they are coming for Sandman at the PPV. They know that Sandman would love to win the one title he’s failed to win and get his hands on Cyrus. Rhino chimes in and says that he’s going to shove a beer can up Sandman’s ass and he’ll leave Hardcore Heaven as the champion.

Final Thoughts:
A decent show this week with the main event title match delivering a good match. The build for Hardcore Heaven feels a little rushed for the main event match between Storm and Credible, but considering Awesome left them in the dust and abruptly, they did as good as they could. I think the PPV has a strong enough card overall.

Thanks for reading.