Hardcore Heaven 1997 turned out to be total Hell for the ECW Heavyweight Champion, The Sandman! With the last date of his and “Ravishing” Rick Rude’s contract being fulfilled TONIGHT, what will become of the ECW Heavyweight Championship? What will Saturn have to say after suffering a crushing loss to “The Human Suplex Machine”? All these questions and more will be answered tonight, in Trenton, New Jersey!
ECW: Resurgence – LIVE from the CYO Center in Trenton, NJ – 08/23/97
- Opening Segment: A rockus crowd welcomed viewers to ECW: Resurgence tonight in Trenton, New Jersey. Joey Styles thanked the crowd for their response. Before he could get into a rundown of the card for tonight’s episode, Todd Gordon stormed to ringside. Joey welcomed him and handed him the microphone. Todd explained to viewers that tonight was the final night of The Sandman and Rick Rude’s ECW contracts. They are obligated to appear live, in the ring tonight. Todd admitted that following Hardcore Heaven, he has not seen or heard from either man. Nonetheless, Todd Gordon promised both men to the crowd and that ECW isn’t going to go down as easy as “Ravishing” Rick Rude thinks.
- Commercial + ECW Hardcore Heaven 1997 replay ordering options are provided.
- Back from commercial, Saturn was standing in the ring. He didn’t have a mic, or any reason to be in the ring. He paced and eyed the hard camera. Joey Styles mentioned on commentary that if he was Taz, he’d know what Saturn wanted. After a full minute of pacing, “The Human Suplex Machine” marched to the ring with Bill Alfonso at his side. Taz grabbed a mic at ringside and asked that if Saturn was out here to beg for a rematch, all he had to do was ask. Saturn finally grabbed a mic of his own and stated that he wasn’t asking Taz for a rematch, he was telling him there would be one! He never tapped, never gave up, and never lost the ECW Television Championship. Taz remarked that the belt being right here with him says otherwise. He told Saturn to take it up with Paul E. and Todd, because he’s on to bigger challenges. He has no interest in choking out Saturn again.
- “Anything But Boring” Danny Doring defeated AJ Fatal in a quick bout to further prove that his losing streak was well behind him. After the match, Doring attempted a beat down, but Mikey Whipwreck ran out to fend him off. Whipwreck helped Fatal to his feet. (5:24)
- Commercial + Hype Central for merchandising info.
- Al Snow Interview: Al Snow was caught backstage in a folding chair rocking back and forth. He shared a few works about his Hardcore Heaven debut against Rob Van Dam. Snow said that despite the element of surprise being on his side, he still put RVD away at his best. He also mentioned that Head wasn’t big into betting, but Head was willing to bet Al could repeat his Hardcore Heaven success!
- In a chaotic tag team match, The Gangstas defeated The Pitbulls in a brawl that brought them all over the CYO Center. A quick appearance and run-in on both teams was provided by The Prime Time Killers. After laying waste to both teams, they left to allow the match to continue for a few minutes longer. The finish came with New Jack pinning Pitbull #1. (12:07)
- Commercial + Upcoming show dates provided.
- Bam Bam Bigelow Interview: Backstage, The Triple Threat accompanied Bam Bam was hot with The Franchise Players. “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, Chris Chetti, and Chris Candido were each targeted by Bam Bam, with him taking special shots at Chris Chetti. He explains how he slapped him around backstage at Hardcore Heaven following their match and if it wasn’t for his little posse, he’d be a dead man walking! Bam Bam promises to put Chetti away for good new week on Resurgence!
- The Sandman made his way to the ring next, mic hanging from his pocket. Once in the ring and two beers deep, he appeared to be back to his old ways following Rick Rude’s betrayal at Hardcore Heaven. His suit was carried over his shoulder and thrown down as he explained that if Rude was going to take the title to WCW, he’d have to pin him first! He continued that without him, Rick Rude wasn’t worth whatever Eric Bischoff was willing to pay! Rick Rude came down to the ring and agreed to fight Sandman for the title, if he was willing to do so blindfolded! Dying to get his revenge on Rude, The Sandman reluctantly agreed. After several minutes of a one-sided battle, Rude was nearing a victory over the disadvantaged Sandman. As Rude set up the Rude Awakening, Sabu rushed to ringside with a chair and threw it right at Rude’s face. The chair stuck over his head as Sabu followed up with a dropkick to put Rude on his back for the first time in the match. Sabu helped The Sandman remove his blindfold, Sandman grabbed Rude and his White Russian Leg Sweep. A three-count won Sandman the match and kept him the rightful holder of the ECW Heavyweight Championship. (8:52)
- After the match, Paul E. Dangerously, Todd Gordon, Bill Alfonso, Sabu, and The Sandman helped escort “Ravishing” Rick Rude out of the building and subsequently out of ECW.
- Closing Segment: With the trash taken out backstage, Todd, Paul E., and The Sandman returned to the ring. An ECW contract was handed to The Sandman, promising him more money as the reigning and recognized Heavyweight Champion. After a few moments of contemplation, The Sandman signed the new contract. The Sandman held up his title as the show came to a close and he crack another beer.