Extreme Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: 11/29/1996
From: Downington, PA
Opening Contest: Axl Rotten vs. Spike Dudley: They trade shoves to start the match, but Rotten goes to taunting the fans in the corner for a moment. Rotten decides to stall a bit by going to the floor. Spike snapmares Rotten for the early advantage, but Rotten tosses Spike across the ring to break free from a headlock. Rotten eye rakes Spike and taunts the crowd briefly. Spike takes Rotten over with a sloppy arm drag, but Rotten gains the advantage with a headlock until Dudley reaches the ropes. Rotten shoulder blocks Dudley, but misses an elbow drop. Spike keeps a side headlock on Rotten, but Rotten breaks free. Dudley almost wins with a rollup. Dudley maintains control with a headlock out of the corner. Rotten backdrops Dudley over the top to the floor. Rotten grabs a chair, but decides against using it to get heat from the crowd. Rotten eye rakes Dudley and delivers an elbow strike against the ropes. Rotten elbows Dudley coming off the ropes. Rotten continues with a scoop slam. Rotten keeps Dudley on the mat with a sleeper. Rotten sends Dudley into the corner, but misses a splash. Dudley fires bak with right hands and drives Rotten to the mat with a bulldog out of the corner for two count. Spike leaps off the top to hit a flying crossbody for a near fall. Dudley climbs to the top rope hitting Rotten with a missile dropkick for a two count. Spike leaps off the top, but Rotten decks Dudley with a clothesline in midair to win the match. (*1/2. I’m not sure I was expecting Rotten to win at all here. I’m not even sure if I’ve often times saw Rotten compete in a match where zero weapons were used. That’s a bit weird to witness. It sure seemed like it would be a good spot in the show for Spike to win and keep the crowd hot instead of having him job to a less interesting Axl Rotten.)
Second Contest: GQ Gorgeous (Chris Chetti) vs. Roadkill: This is a match between two ECW school students. Gorgeous has a ridiculous cape on and Roadkill does not have the look that would make him famous later on in ECW. Gorgeous wrestles the match wearing a mask to seemingly protect his good looks.
Early on, Gorgeous goes to the floor to stall for a bit. Roadkill slingshots Gorgeous into the ring from the apron and continues to deliver strikes. Roadkill backdrops Gorgeous coming off the ropes. Gorgeous ducks a clothesline to savant kick Roadkill followed by overhand strikes to the back. Gorgeous decks Roadkill to the mat and continues with stomps. Gorgeous nails Roadkill with a spinning heel kick and taunts the crowd before working over Roadkill with more strikes. Gorgeous dropkicks Roadkill coming off the ropes. Roadkill sunset flips Gorgeous for a near fall, but Gorgeous recovers to deliver a clothesline. Gorgeous powerslams Roadkill coming off the ropes for a two count. Roadkill clotheslines Gorgeous for a two count. Roadkill rams Gorgeous into the corner head first followed by a stomp to the back. Roadkill elbow strikes Gorgeous and continues with a snap suplex for a two count. Roadkill leaps off the middle rope to clothesline Gorgeous for a near fall. Roadkill slams Gorgeous and heads to the top rope. Roadkill misses a splash attempt. Gorgeous nails Roadkill with a swinging neckbreaker followed by a scoop slam. Gorgeous climbs to the top rope and hits a leg drop for the win. (*1/2. A students match on an ECW show is always going to be a tough spot. I’m sure this is seen as paying their dues, but also valuable experience. Neither guy came across as a star, but Gorgeous showed potential with his skill. Luckily, they got eventually figure it out and become worthwhile acts for ECW in the future.)
Third Contest: Super Nova vs. Chris Candido: Nova puts a headlock and hammerlock on Candido, but Candido breaks free to shoulder block Nova. Candido elbows Nova and runs the ropes, but is met with a dropkick and standing hurricanrana. Candido bails to the floor to regroup. Candido knee lifts Nova followed by strikes in the corner and hits a snap suplex. Candido crotches Nova on the top rope and tries for a back suplex, but Nova lands on top for a two count. Nova comes off the ropes to hit a spinning heel kick and fakes a dive to the floor. Nova misses a slingshot crossbody and hits the railing chest first. Candido doesn’t use a cooking sheet that a fan brought, but brings it into the ring and drops it to put an abdominal stretch on Nova. Candido low blows Nova a couple of times. Candido works over Nova with headbutts and slaps in the corner. Candido catches Nova in the corner, but is sent chest first into the corner. Candido knee lifts Nova and sits Nova on the top turnbuckle. Candido tries for a suplex, but Nova slams Candido off. Nova tries for a crossbody, but is caught in midair by Candido with a powerslam for a two count. Candido keeps Nova on the mat with a sleeper and stomps Nova on the chest. They begin to trade strikes until Nova gets the advantage and bulldogs Candido out of the corner. Nova tries for a cover, but Candido kicks out and low blows Nova. Candido slams Nova for another two count. Nova nails Candido with a middle rope dropkick. Candido nearly wins with a German suplex. Candido sits Nova on the top rope hitting a hurricanrana. Candido goes to the top rope, but is met with a boot to the face. Nova backdrops Candido and connects with a dropkick coming off the ropes. Candido elbows Nova to stop the momentum and delivers a few kicks to the ribs. Candido is dropkicked on the top rope and Nova hits a superplex for a two count. Nova is crotched on the top rope and Candido heads to the top rope hitting a top rope powerbomb for the win. (**1/2. They kept a good pace for the match and I enjoyed the action. Candido pulling out the top rope powerbomb on a house show is always a plus, too.)
Fourth Contest: David Jericho (Kid Kash) & Little Guido vs. The Eliminators (Kronus & Saturn): Guido and Saturn kickoff the tag match by locking up and Guido backs Saturn against the ropes. Saturn shoves Guido, but Guido leg sweeps Saturn, but avoids a splash. Guido side slams Saturn for a two count. Saturn powerslams Guido coming off the ropes and signals to tag in Kronus. Kronus kicks Guido and Saturn comes off the ropes to deliver a kick. Guido tags in Jericho. Jericho arm drags Kronus and hits a standing hurricanrana. Guido enters to assist on a double dropkick. Saturn clotheslines Guido to the floor. Kronus counters a hurricanrana by Jericho by hitting a sit out powerbomb. Kronus heel kicks Jericho after a kick by Saturn. Total Elimination on Jericho leads to the three count in short order. (**. While it’s an incredibly short match, I enjoyed that quite a bit. Jericho literally wowed the crowd on the hurricanrana and is clearly a capable in-ring performer at this point in his career. The Eliminators are a great team.)
Fifth Contest: Rob Van Dam vs. Taz: Taz punches a chair into RVD’s face and pummels RVD with right hands. Taz backdrops RVD coming off the ropes and delivers an overhand strike to the back. RVD nails Taz with several kicks to knock Taz to the floor. RVD takes Taz out with a somersault dive over the top to the floor. RVD slams Taz to the mat and leaps off the top to hit a leg drop. RVD tries for a cover, but Taz kicks out at two. Taz tosses RVD overhead with a suplex. At this point, the BWO’s music hits to distract both men as they are in the crowd. Taz continues with work over RVD with strikes and keeps RVD on the mat with a sleeper. RVD nails Taz with a spinning heel kick. RVD grabs a steel chair and nails Taz with a kick to send the chair into Taz’s face. Taz tosses RVD with an exploder suplex. Taz locks in the Taz Mission, but RVD kicks off the turnbuckle to get a two count on Taz. Taz rolls over onto the back of RVD while keeping the choke locked in, but RVD reaches the ropes to break the hold. Taz refuses to let go, and several officials come down to assist in getting Taz to release the hold. In fact, there are several wrestlers in the mix, too. It appears the match has been thrown out as a result. (**. This felt like a tease, and it’s a bit frustrating. I think these two can have a great match and we got just a bit of a taste of it before the non-finish to avoid going through with a full match. I’d like to see these guys in a substantial match.)
Sixth Contest: Bubba Ray Dudley vs. D-Von Dudley: Bubba runs into the ring and trades strikes with D-Von. Bubba nails D-Von with a clothesline coming off the ropes. Bubba strikes D-Von against the ropes. D-Von strikes over the back and delivers a back suplex. D-Von stomps Bubba on the head and continues with strikes. They trade more strikes until D-Von low blows Bubba followed by a scoop slam. D-Von comes off the ropes to deliver a headbutt leading to a near fall. Bubba clubs D-Von over the back, but D-Von strikes Bubba into the corner. D-Von misses a running attack and crashes to the floor. Bubba leaps off the apron to nail D-Von with a strike. Bubba nails D-Von with a weapon at ringside and sends D-Von into the railing. Bubba grabs a steel chair, but D-Von blocks it and whacks Bubba over the head. D-Von sends Bubba into the railing back first. D-Von rolls Bubba into the ring to continue the match. D-Von grabs a chair and climbs to the top rope. Bubba shakes the ropes and crotches D-Von. D-Von manages to still whack Bubba over the head. D-Von leaps off the middle rope and Bubba kicks the chair into D-Von’s face. Bubba covers, but D-Von kicks out at two. D-Von strikes Bubba to avoid a chair shot. D-Von hits a Fame-Asser on Bubba driving Bubba face first onto the chair. D-Von clotheslines Bubba and heads to the top rope. D-Von leaps off hitting a diving headbutt for a near fall. Bubba sends D-Von into the ropes and lifts D-Von up to hit a cutter for the win. (**. The brawling was fine and the in-ring action was surprisingly better than expected. Bubba seems to be very over as a babyface act in ECW.) After the match, Bubba is attacked by D-Von and Axl Rotten until Spike Dudley comes out to make the save. New Jack ends up coming out and making the save, too.
Seventh Contest: Ric Rage vs. Pitbull #2: Rage attacks from behind and works over Pitbull with strikes in the corner. Rage splashes Pitbull in the corner and continues with strikes. Pitbull knee lifts Rage several times in the corner. Rage boots Pitbull and comes out of the corner with a bulldog. Rage takes Pitbull over with a suplex and a clothesline. Rage continues with a leg drop for a near fall. Rage leaps off the middle rope, but Pitbull catches Rage and sits him on the top turnbuckle. Pitbull tosses Rage with a middle rope fallaway slam for the win. (1/2*. Not much to this nor did I expect much to this. Pitbull looked good, but Rage isn’t ready for big time.)
Eighth Contest: ECW Television Champion Shane Douglas vs. Tommy Dreamer: Dreamer starts off by striking Douglas to kickoff the match and nails Douglas with the championship. Dreamer grabs a chair and smashes Douglas in the face leading to a near fall. Dreamer tosses Douglas to the floor and follows with a chair. Dreamer baseball slides the chair into Douglas face. Dreamer nails Douglas with a weapon at ringside. Dreamer puts a broom between Douglas’s legs and delivers a low blow. Dreamer nails Douglas with another weapon. Dreamer sends Douglas into the corner, but Douglas comes out with a swinging neckbreaker. Douglas spikes Dreamer with a piledriver for a two count. Douglas dropkicks Dreamer on the left knee. Douglas delivers a dragon screw leg whip and wrenches on Dreamer’s leg, but doesn’t get a submission. Douglas stomps on Dreamer’s knee and taunts the crowd. Douglas continues with a knee breaker and is given a chair by Francine. Douglas drives Dreamer through the chair knee first.
Francine enters the ring and splashes down onto Dreamer’s knee. Beulah gets in the ring as well as Francine slaps Dreamer. Beulah decks Francine, but departs the ring. Dreamer punches Douglas several times, but Francine enters to chop block Dreamer’s knee. Douglas tackles Dreamer to the mat. Douglas puts a figure four leg lock on Dreamer, but Beulah eye rakes Douglas. Dreamer get a rollup on Douglas, but only manages a two count. Douglas kicks Dreamer on the knee and taunts the crowd. Douglas whacks Dreamer over the knee with a chair shot. Douglas climbs to the top rope, but is met with a chair shot. Dreamer covers, but Douglas pops out at two. Dreamer powerslams Douglas for another two count. Dreamer hits a back suplex and spikes Douglas with a DDT for a two count. Beulah and Francine brawl on the floor for a moment. Dreamer brings Francine into the ring and pulls her dress up on a piledriver attempt. Dreamer spikes Francine with the piledriver! Brian Lee enters the ring and chokeslams Dreamer. Douglas nails Dreamer with a leaping arm breaker to win the match. (***. I enjoyed this quite a bit. The involvement of Lee doesn’t bother me. The crowd was hot for the action and the action flowed well the entire time. They tend to have a formula for their matches on the house show market, but it was solid this time.) After the match, Lee brings Beulah into the ring and she is cornered by the heels. Douglas tries for a belly to belly suplex but Pitbull #2 runs into the ring to make the save. Pitbull is worked over by Lee and Douglas, but connects on a double clothesline. Pitbull press slams Douglas causing Douglas to bail to the floor.
Main Event: ECW World Champion The Sandman vs Raven: Raven attacks Sandman in the crowd during his entrance with a kendo stick. Raven rams Sandman face first onto the merch table and sends Sandman into a trash can. Raven sends Sandman into the wall. Raven whacks Sandman over the head with a few chair shots. Raven tosses Sandman over the railing to the ringside area. Raven sends Sandman upside down into the railing. Raven sends Sandman into the railing a second time. Raven spikes Sandman with a piledriver in the ring for a two count. Raven tosses Sandman through the ropes to the floor. Sandman is busted open at this point. Raven eye gouges Sandman around ringside and rolls Sandman back into the ring. Raven whacks Sandman with a kendo stick shot in the face several times. Sandman stops Raven with a low blow. Stevie Richards gets in the ring and superkicks Sandman. Raven tries for a cover, but Sandman kicks out at two. Raven sends Sandman through the ropes to the floor. Sandman sends Raven into the railing to avoid a DDT. Sandman drops Raven gut first over the railing and leaps off the apron to hit a leg drop on the floor. Sandman picks up a table and slams it onto Raven. Richards works over Sandman with strikes, but Sandman rolls Richards into the ring.
Richards nails Sandman with a superkick sending a chair into Sandman. Raven tries for another cover, but Sandman kicks out at two. Raven misses a chair shot in the corner. Sandman elbows Raven as the referee gets knocked down. Sandman plants Raven with a DDT, but Lori gets in the ring to attack her husband, Sandman. Sandman knocks Lori to the mat and spanks her over his knee. Raven nails Sandman with a kendo stick shot over the head. Raven plants Sandman onto a chair with a DDT for a two count. Blue Meanie splashes Sandman in the corner, but accidentally splashes Raven on a second attempt. Sandman nails Raven with a DDT and manages to pickup the win to retain the title. (**1/2. An enjoyable main event even if they used a bit of smoke and mirrors to get there. There’s something about a Raven vs. Sandman match that is always going to catch my interest likely due to the strong story attached to them.)
Final Thoughts:
I thought this was an enjoyable house show for ECW. The early stage of the card was a bit underwhelming, but the key matches delivered quality action. For a show that ran under two hours, I enjoyed it.
Thanks for reading.