ECW House Show 5/3/1997

Extreme Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: 5/3/1997
From: Trenton, NJ

NOTE: The microphone is impossible to hear what people are talking about, so I’m only focusing on in-ring action. It’s not likely there will be any sort of major developments on a promo for a house show, anyway.

Opening Contest: ECW Tag Team Champions The Eliminators (Saturn & Kronus) vs. FBI (Guido & Smothers): Saturn and Guido kickoff the title match. Saturn backs Guido against the ropes, but backs off. Guido shoulder blocks Saturn and gets a rollup for a two count. Guido taunts the crowd and embraces Smothers on the apron. Saturn puts a head scissors on Guido, but Guido breaks free with a headlock. Guido arm drags Saturn, but Saturn arm drags Guido followed by a spin kick to send Guido to the floor. Saturn tags in Kronus to keep control. Kronus kicks Guido and Saturn superkicks Guido coming out of the corner. Smothers tags into the match to try his luck with Kronus. Smothers takes Kronus down to the mat, but they have a standoff. Smothers elbows Kronus followed by a shoulder block. Kronus powerslams Smothers followed by a leaping spin kick. Kronus tries for a handspring elbow in the corner, but Smothers drops Kronus with a clothesline. Smothers slams Kronus and misses a splash. Saturn tags into the match and Smothers is met with elbows and a double superkick. Guido tries to get involved and is met with a double kick to the back of the head. Smothers tags into the match to battle Saturn.

Smothers gets in Saturn’s face talking smack for a bit. Smothers shoves Saturn away and flips Saturn off. Saturn responds with a shove and they bicker at each other some more. Smothers slaps Saturn and is decked to the mat by Saturn. Smothers and Saturn trade chops in the middle of the ring with Saturn gaining the advantage. Smothers backs Saturn against the ropes with chops. Saturn sunset flips Smothers for a two count. Smothers dumps Saturn through the ropes to the floor where Tommy Rich drops Saturn on the railing. Guido stomps Saturn before rolling Saturn back into the ring and Smothers gets a two count. Smothers works over Saturn in the corner with several strikes. Smothers rams Saturn into Guido’s knees and they deliver a double elbow drop after knocking Saturn to the mat for a near fall. Guido slams Saturn and hits a slingshot elbow drop from the apron for a two count. Guido tries for a few pin attempts, but Saturn powers out each time. Smothers tags back in and Saturn is met with a double dropkick. Smothers covers for another two count. Smothers rams Saturn into the corner, but Saturn hits a twisting crossbody for a near fall. Smothers nails Saturn with a clothesline and tags in Guido to keep the advantage.

Saturn stops Guido with a side Russian leg sweep, but Smothers cheap shots Saturn from the apron. Rich whacks Saturn with a flag stick shot. Guido sends Saturn into the railing, but Saturn sends Guido into the railing. Smothers tries for a cove, but Saturn kicks out at two. Saturn ducks an elbow and hits a crossbody for a two count as Guido breaks the cover. Saturn nails the FBI with a double kick over the head. Saturn avoids elbow drops and Kronus enters to clean house with kicks. Kronus spin kicks Smothers and Guido. Kronus slams Smothers, but misses a springboard moonsault. Guido shoulder rams Saturn in the corner. FBI are sent into each other and Smothers is spin kicked by Kronus. Guido is left in the ring and suffers the Total Elimination leading to the three count. (***. A good house show match by these two teams. The Eliminators may be the ultimate “what if?” tag team for me. If they had gotten a run in WWF or WCW at this time how many memorable matches could they have had? Especially with the WCW tag division. Saturn looks like a million bucks and could easily have been an ECW World Champion had he stuck around longer. The crowd reacted strongly to the action and for a match that went over ten minutes, it was a solid bout.)

Second Contest: WING Kanemura vs. Kevin Quinn: Quinn arm drags Kanemura at the start of the match and keeps arm control for a moment. Kanemura eye rakes Quinn and puts a headlock on Kanemura. Kanemura shoulder blocks Quinn, but is slammed to the mat. Quinn controls Kanemura on the mat until Kanemura gets to the ropes. Quinn forearms Kanemura at ringside. Quinn sends Kanemura into the railing back first. Quinn stands on the top rope teasing a dive, but doesn’t do it. Kanemura eye rakes Quinn, but Quinn delivers a spinebuster. Kanemura low blows Quinn and taunts the fans, who are chanting boring. Kanemura leg drops Quinn on the lower midsection. Kanemura stomps Quinn on the lower midsection again. Kanemura kicks Quinn on the upper back and continues to taunt the crowd. Kanemura whirly birds Quinn to the mat for a near fall. Kanemura threatens the referee in the corner. Kanemura slams Quinn and misses a springboard moonsault attempt. Quinn dropkicks Kanemura to the floor. Quinn hits a slingshot crossbody to the floor. Quinn rolls Kanemura into the ring and heads to the top nailing Kanemura with a missile dropkick. Quinn takes Kanemura over with a snap suplex and a release German suplex. Quinn gets a two count with a bridging suplex. Kanemura kicks Quinn to avoid a backdrop. Kanemura hooks Quinn for a suplex, but Quinn drops Kanemura over the top rope. Quinn leg drops Kanemura over the top rope from the top for a near fall. Kanemura low blows Quinn followed by a dropkick to the knee. Kanemura heads to the top hitting a senton splash for a near fall. Kanemura powerbombs Quinn for the win. (*1/2. The crowd quickly gave these guys crap, but it’s not the worst match I’ve ever seen. Quinn actually displayed some good offense and once they got past the opening sequence they put together a decent little match.)

Third Contest: Battle Royal: Taz and Sabu start off the battle royal, which is not something I was expecting. They start off trading strikes in the middle of the ring. Taz tosses Sabu overhead with a suplex. Taz clubs Sabu in the corner with strikes. Sabu springboard heel kicks Taz and pummels Taz with right hands on the mat some more. Taz kicks Sabu followed by right hands. They continue to trade strikes when two random dudes slide into the ring and they get destroyed by Sabu and Taz. Sabu eliminates one of them while Taz tosses the other to the floor. Taz tosses Sabu with another overhead suplex. Rob Van Dam makes his way out to join the match and pummels Taz on the mat with strikes and stomps. Taz is double teamed for a bit by RVD and Sabu. Taz fights back nailing RVD with a clothesline and does the same to Sabu. RVD dropkicks Taz into a corner when Chris Candido makes his way out to join the match and tackles RVD to the mat to deliver a flurry of strikes. RVD crotches Candido on the top rope, but misses a springboard kick attempt. Sabu knocks Candido off the ropes to eliminate Candido quickly from the match. D-Von Dudley comes out to join the match as RVD and Sabu continue to double team Taz. D-Von backs off and then goes after Taz to lead to a triple teaming of Taz.

Taz fires back to fight all three men off and decks D-Von with a clothesline, but is nailed by Sabu from behind. The Eliminators come out and clean house to help out Taz. Saturn slams D-Von followed by a standing double stomp. FBI run into the ring and attack Kronus. Chris Chetti joins the match and eliminates somebody with a clothesline. Roadkill comes out next to join the battle royal. Smothers eliminates Chetti, but Smothers gets tossed out by Taz. Taz eliminates Roadkill and Guido. RVD superkicks Kronus to the floor and Saturn clotheslines RVD to the floor. Raven joins the match next. Saturn works over Raven in the corner with strikes. Raven boots Saturn in the corner and delivers a fist drop. Saturn is double teamed by D-Von and Raven. D-Von tosses Saturn to the floor after Saturn hit a nice top rope spin kick. Sabu has been helped backstage after suffering an injury, apparently. Spike Dudley slides into the ring and forearms D-Von several times. Spike inside cradles D-Von, but Raven decks Spike with a clothesline since there aren’t pins in this match. Raven suplexs Punishment. D-Von slams Spike. D-Von spikes Spike with a piledriver. Raven whacks Punishment and Spike with chair shots.

Axl Rotten joins the match and Raven drop toe holds Rotten onto a chair face first. D-Von whacks Spike over the head with a steel chair shot. Spike bulldogs Punishment out of the corner. D-Von leg drops Raven when Nova comes out to join the match. Punishment is double teamed by Nova and Blue Meanie. Raven splashes Rotten in the corner. Balls Mahoney joins the match next. The match has largely depleted of top level talent at this point and has turned into a regular battle royal. Stevie Richards and Louie Spicolli have joined the match. Raven is helped to the backstage area by several officials as Sandman comes out for the match. Pitbull #1 is also in the match. Eventually the final two for the match are D-Von and Sandman. D-Von delivers a cutter and tosses Sandman over the top to the floor to win the match. D-Von has earned an ECW World Championship match. (NR. The fans did not like D-Von winning, but I don’t think it was because he’s a heel and rather because they don’t want to see him against Funk instead of a guy like Sandman. I don’t mind it since it’s a house show and you can do different things.)

Fourth Contest: Axl Rotten & Corporal Punishment vs. The Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa): As is usually the case with New Jack matches, or Gangsta matches, this is mostly a brawl with weapons galore. There’s plenty of blood for the live audience, who are enjoying the massacre of Rotten and Punishment. Mustafa slams Punishment and Jack delivers a flying chair shot from the top rope to pin Punishment for the win. Rotten bailed on the match. (NR. Weapons. Blood. Gangstas fun.)

Raven comes out using crutches and isn’t able to compete in his scheduled match on the card.

Fifth Contest: Stevie Richards vs. The Sandman: Richards wants Sandman in the middle of the ring so that he can kick his ass. Richards takes Sandman down and elbows drops Sandman on the left knee for the early advantage. Sandman kicks Richards, but Richards stomps Sandman’s knee in the corner and delivers a knee drop to Sandman’s knee. Sandman sends Richards into the ropes and delivers a hip toss followed by an arm drag. Sandman keeps an arm bar on Richards, but doesn’t get a submission. Richards hip tosses Sandman coming off the ropes followed by an arm drag and knee drops Sandman’s left arm on the mat. Richards keeps Sandman on the mat with an arm bar. Richards chops Sandman over the chest several times. Sandman knee lifts Richards in the corner and sends Richards into the corner. Richards pops out of the corner to clothesline Sandman. Sandman avoids a dropkick by holding onto the ropes. Richards ducks a clothesline to drop Sandman with a superkick. BWO’s music hits and both Blue Meanie and Nova come down to the ring with the rest of the group. Meanie grabs a microphone and confronts Richards. Meanie asks if Richards is with or against them. Sandman attacks Meanie from behind to knock Richards to the floor. Meanie moonsaults Sandman from the top rope. Sandman is slapped by another man looking like Dennis Rodman. Sandman low blows Meanie and Nova. Meanie powerbombs Nova after being blinded. Richards sends Sandman into the referee, but there’s no count. Raven hobbles down to ringside and Sandman plants Richards with a front suplex. Raven gets into the ring with crutches, and ditches them proving to be faking. Raven spikes Sandman with a DDT onto a crutch. Richards crawls over and pins Sandman to win the match. (*. Not much to this one. Certainly would have rather seen Raven vs. Sandman, but oh well. ECW struggles when they don’t do hardcore wrestling with blatant hardcore wrestlers. Sandman is a limited guy and can’t be thrown out to just have a match without the proper style.)

Sixth Contest: Rob Van Dam vs. Balls Mahoney: Mahoney backs RVD into a corner, but RVD delivers a couple of strikes and a middle rope heel kick. Mahoney hip tosses RVD out of the corner followed by a dropkick and an arm drag to keep arm control on the mat. RVD fights free with right hands to the midsection, but Mahoney delivers a fist drop. Mahoney backdrops RVD coming off the ropes followed by an arm drag. Mahoney keeps RVD on the mat with an arm bar. RVD strikes Mahoney against the ropes and sends Mahoney into the ropes missing a spinning heel kick. Mahoney misses a running heel kick and falls over the top to the floor. RVD takes Mahoney out with a somersault dive over the ropes to the floor. RVD baseball slides Mahoney and continues with stomps on the floor. RVD kicks Mahoney into the railing and smashes Mahoney with a chair shot. RVD rolls Mahoney back into the ring and leaps off the top to nail Mahoney with a kick to the face. RVD hits a standing moonsault for a two count. RVD keeps Mahoney on the mat with a sleeper, but Mahoney doesn’t give in. RVD nails Mahoney with a somersault leg drop off the ropes for a two count. RVD leaps off the top rope to deliver a leg drop and kicks Mahoney on the mat several times. RVD forearms Mahoney, but Mahoney battles back and misses a splash in the corner. RVD leg drops Mahoney for a two count. RVD slams Mahoney and leaps off the top missing a frog splash. Mahoney decks RVD with a clothesline. Mahoney powerslams RVD coming off the ropes. Mahoney clotheslines RVD several times for a near fall. Mahoney side slams RVD for a two count. RVD is stopped on the top and dropped to the apron as RVD drops Mahoney over the top rope throat first. Mahoney superkicks RVD and grabs a steel chair. Bill Alfonso trips Mahoney and Mahoney lands on the chair. Mahoney threatens Alfonso, but RVD kicks the chair into Mahoney’s face to win the match. (*1/2. It almost felt like an extended squash/showcase for RVD. Mahoney didn’t manage to do a whole lot offensively. A completely forgettable match.)

Seventh Contest: ECW Television Champion Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #1: Pitbull backdrops Douglas coming off the ropes and delivers right hands to knock Douglas to the mat several times. Pitbull clotheslines Douglas in the corner and continues with right hands. Pitbull clotheslines Douglas coming off the ropes. Pitbull forearms Douglas over the chest on the apron. Pitbull chokes Douglas on the mat as Douglas was in the ropes. Pitbull catapults Douglas throat first into the bottom rope. Pitbull suplexs Douglas into the ring from the apron. Pitbull spikes Douglas with a piledriver. Pitbull tries for another piledriver, but loses his footing and drives Douglas to the mat gut first. Pitbull powerslams Douglas coming off the ropes. Francine gets in the ring and attacks the referee. Pitbull grabs Francine and decks Douglas with a right hand. Pitbull strikes Douglas into the corner as Rick Rude comes out and picks up Francine. Rude puts his face in between Francine’s ass cheeks and they head backstage. Pitbull has a nerve hold on Douglas, but Douglas fights free with strikes. Pitbull drives Douglas to the mat with a neckbreaker for a two count. Pitbull rams Douglas into the corner a few times to maintain the advantage.

Douglas low blows Pitbull with a mule kick. Douglas atomic drops Pitbull and dropkicks Pitbull on the knee. Douglas headbutts Pitbull on the lower midsection. Douglas drives Pitbull with a vertical suplex for a two count. Douglas spikes Pitbull with a piledriver for a near fall. Douglas grabs the championship and decks Pitbull for a near fall. Douglas strikes Pitbull on the mat several times, but Pitbull hulks up. Pitbull backdrops Douglas followed by a clothesline several times. Pitbull tosses Douglas into the corner a few times followed by kicks to the chest. Douglas clotheslines the referee on accident. Pitbull powerbombs Douglas, but there’s no referee for the cover. Chris Candido runs out and accidentally leg drops Douglas. Pitbull drops Candido with strikes. Pitbull hits a belly to belly suplex. Bam-Bam Bigelow comes out and nails Pitbull with a top rope diving headbutt. Douglas covers Pitbull and the referee counts the fall to allow Douglas to retain the title. (**. A decent match as these two seem to have a fine formula for a house show setting. Rick Rude appearance and Bigelow appearance got good pops from the crowd, too. Douglas took some good bumps from Pitbull during the match.) After the match, Pitbull #2 makes the save with chair shots. Bigelow pummels #2 in the corner with strikes. #1 double teams Bigelow in the corner. #2 splashes Bigelow and #1 clotheslines Bigelow to the floor. Rick Rude came back out with a kendo stick. #2 press slams Douglas over the top onto Candido.

Main Event: ECW World Champion Terry Funk vs. D-Von Dudley: Funk sends Dudley to the floor to the start the match. Funk slams Dudley onto the timekeepers table, but the table doesn’t break. Funk whacks Dudley over the head with a chair shot. Funk chops Dudley against the ropes several times. Dudley misses a clothesline, but forearms Funk to the mat. Dudley punches Funk several times knocking the champ to the mat. Dudley scoop slams Funk and comes off the ropes to elbow drop Funk for a two count. Dudley stomps Funk on the mat several times as Funk rolls to the floor. Dudley leaps off the apron to strike Funk on the floor. Dudley chops Funk against the railing and continues with strikes. Dudley rams Funk into the ring post. Dudley whacks Funk over the head with a chair shot. Dudley slams Funk onto the timekeepers table, but the table doesn’t break and tips over. Dudley forearm drops Funk in the ring and hits a middle rope leg drop. Dudley strikes Funk several times knocking Funk to the mat. Dudley kicks Funk in the groin and Funk drops to the mat. Funk low blows Dudley and continues with jabs to drop Dudley to the mat. Funk throws Dudley through the ropes to the floor. Funk tosses Dudley over the railing into the crowd.

Funk beats on Dudley in the crowd with left hand strikes. Funk brings Dudley back to the ringside area and whacks Dudley over the head with a chair shot. Funk drops Dudley with a neckbreaker. Funk drives Dudley to the mat with another neckbreaker for a two count. Funk slaps Dudley on the head several times. Funk does a spinning toe hold, but Dudley kicks Funk to the floor. Dudley plants Funk with a reverse DDT for a near fall. Bubba Dudley decks the referee with a strike. Bubba slams Funk and D-Von goes to the top hitting a diving headbutt. Tommy Dreamer comes in and cleans house on the Dudley’s with strikes. Beulah is at ringside, as well. D-Von leg drops Funk on the lower midsection. Dreamer and Funk lock in stereo spinning toe holds. Beulah takes Gertner down and also puts a spinning toe hold on him. The referee is up and signals for the bell as Funk forced D-Von to submit. (*1/2. There’s something about Funk in ECW that makes him feel like a bigger deal compared to everyone else. It solidifies how big of a deal Funk had become in his career and probably a respect level as a viewer. Even with a challenger in D-Von, it still felt like a bigger match than anything else on the show. The action was decent for what it was, and it was obvious that D-Von never had a chance to win the title or anything. Funk being on the show in itself is a positive thing for the overall show, though.)

Final Thoughts:
The show started off well with a good tag title match, but it reverted back to at best average wrestling from then on. I wouldn’t say it was an awful experience as the crowd seemed enthusiastic for most of what was going on. I’ll give this an average show rating, but certainly nothing must-see. The Eliminators/FBI is one of the better ECW house show matches to check out, though.

Thanks for reading.