We start off with the original Full-Blooded Italian, J.T. Smith, and another edition of the Italian Karaoke Bistro. For tonight's sing-along, Smith has promised to bring us a real live rock 'n' roll band, KISS. The Blue Meanie, Stevie Richards, Nova, and Donn E. Allen enter dressed as the members of KISS to a *huge* pop and begin singing along to "Rock N Roll All Night". The Sandman eventually enters and canes the crap out of the future bWo. Raven enters and Sandman declares he wants to "cane your ass all night and party everyday" in tune with the KISS music that previously blared in the background. Classic, not to mention great, segment.
Damian Kane and Lady Alexandra (!) introduce Devon Storm to take on Mikey Whipwreck in the opener. This was way before WCW and Storm looks more like Marc Ash than Crowbar. If only Ash had 1/10th Storm's talent. They trade holds early including a nice chain-wrestling sequence of nearfalls. They trade armbars until Whipwreck surprises Storm with a headscissors to the floor. Mikey dives onto him and then tosses him back in. Storm hits a snap suplex for a two count. Storm with sort of an indian death lock and then a modified bow and arrow. Storm takes Mikey down with a reverse frankensteiner and a cartwheel kick before locking on an over-the-shoulder backbreaker, which Mikey counters with a sunset flip. Storm sits Mikey in the chair and then dives onto him with a 360 tope to the floor. Mikey hits a cross-bodyblock for two until Damian runs in. Mikey disposes of Damian and then hits the FrankenMikey for the win. Storm was, at best unpolished at this point, but this is not too bad. *1/2.
Louie Spicolli is up next against Johnny Smith of All-Japan fame. Nice series of takedowns and counters to start. Louie backdrops Smith over the top to counter a shoulderblock attempt, then drops him on the guardrail. German suplex from Louie gets two. Smith takes over with a lovely missile dropkick and a kip-up. Louie ducks a clothesline and plants Smith with a C.W.-quality spinebuster for two. Smith with some European uppercuts, but Louie counters the third one with a backslide for two. Smith rolls out and nails a tiger bomb to take the win. **
D-Von Dudley vs Axl Rotten begins with a LOT of stalling, before dueling chairs, which is won by Axl. D-Von takes over with a low blow and pops Axl a few times with the chair until Buh Buh Ray enters and cracks D-Von in the head. D-Von goes low on Buh Buh and then nails the other Dudleys with chairs repeatedly in between a pull-apart with Buh Buh. Big Dick makes the save and D-Von and Axl powder. Axl and D-Von are outside the ring until Buh Buh scores with a tope (!) onto both of them. See, Axl can relate to D-Von, because he never got along with his brother (Ian) either. Non-match. DUD
Raven cuts a promo with a noticeable cast on his foot. He cannot defend the Heavyweight title tonight against The Sandman, so Stevie is going to defend it for him. Raven DDTs Richards out of frustration as the Sandman hits the ring, cane in hand. Stevie (still in KISS make-up, just for the record) gauges at Sandman's injured eye. Sandman canes him a few times and then DDTs him for two. Sandman drapes Richards over the guardrail and legdrops onto him from the apron. Raven tosses Stevie the title belt, and he cracks Sandman with it. Meanie is up top for the Meaniesault, but his back is turned, so Sandman turns the tables on them and Meanie lands on Stevie. Meanie and Nova both botch interfearance attempts and nail Richards. Both men go for clotheslines and the ref gets caught in the middle. Raven tries to interfear, as do Missy Hyatt and Lori Fullington. Lori nails Missy with Raven's loaded boot and Sandman nails Raven with a DDT. Sandman wants to cane Raven, but he shields himself with Tyler. Stevie nails Sandman with the loaded boot and Raven gets the pin. Just a bunch of spots. 1/2*
Too Cold Scorpio out to take on Chris Jericho, in what would be Jericho's final ECW match, and it is a doozy. Counter-wrestling sequence starts, ending with both men facing off on their feet. Jericho takes him down and locks on a bow-and-arrow. Scorp escapes locks Jericho in a surfboards Jericho. They trade unusual submission holds and then a test of strength. Scorp monkey flips, floats over, Jericho does the same, dropkicks, but gets caught with an armdrag. Jericho with a dropkick in midair, an armdrag, and then a Japanese armdrag as Scorp bails. Back in the ring, Scorp catches Jericho with kicks and a clothesline. Jericho with a nice suplex and then a slingshot splash for two. Scorp with a t-bone suplex for two. They trade nearfalls and Scorp kicks Jericho out of the ring. Scorp with a crescent kick but ends up on the apron, and ducks Jericho's springboard dropkick. Jericho makes it to apron but Scorpio takes him back down with a buzzsaw kick. Scorp brings him back in with a big powerbomb and then a top-rope legdrop. Jericho mounts a comeback and Scorpio ends up on the floor, where Jericho dropkicks him from the top to the floor. Jericho brings him in with a suplex and hits a tiger driver for two. Jericho gets caught on the second rope and Scorp sunset flips him off for two. Scorp telegraphs a backdrop and Jericho DDTs him. Jericho misses the Lionsault but lands on his feet and catches Scorpio with a rana. Scorp counters a second tiget driver attempt with a rana and then slams him. Scorpio misses the picture perfect moonsault, Jericho counters with a top-rope splash for two. Jericho counters a monkey flip attempt by placing Scorp on the top rope and attempts a rana, but Scorpio tosses him to the floor. Back in the ring, Scorp drops down and Jericho hits a Lionsault for two. Scorp counters a suplex with a DDT. Scorp goes up top but Jericho counters, both men are up top and Jericho powerslams him off for two. A senton from Jericho is followed by a corkscrew plancha, that misses. Scorp nails a tombstone then goes up top and hits an absolutley gorgeous shooting star press for three. Great match. ****
The Pitbulls and Joey Styles do the TV opening, where 'Pitbull I' Gary Wolfe announces his retirement, but says he will never give up totally, and will remain in PB II's corner. The very mention of Shane Douglas' name draws a chorus of boos. THE F'N FRANCHISE makes his way to the ring and insists on being introduced by heel announcer Joel Gertner. Douglas attacks but Pitbull sells nothing other than a low blow. The crowd wants Douglas' head on a stick as PB2 twists the neck of the Franchise. Pitbull keeps going back to the neck and the two eventually end up brawling on the floor. Back in the ring, Pitbull knocks Douglas around a little, but misses a cross-corner splash and ends up on the floor. On the outside, Gertner keeps intentionally popping his neck to taunt PB I. Douglas rolls to the outside and side-steps a dive attempt from PB II while continuing to mock Gary. PB II is busted open pretty good but keeps kicking out of pinfall attempts. Pitbull press-slams and clotheslines and does generic power moves until Francine hands him a chain. Douglas hits a belly-to-belly, which gets no-sold, then a second one to take home the victory. Off-night for Douglas, but then again, look who he had to carry. Referee John Pee Wee Moore and Joel Gertner both take Superbombs just for the hell of it. *
Bill Alfonzo leads Taz to the ring for the dream partner tag match that earned this show its title. Tommy Dreamer and Brian Lee would each pick a partner. Lee picked Taz, and Dreamer countered by saying he would bring to the ECW Arena the one man that Taz feared. Dreamer selected as his partner Steve "Dr. Death" Williams. Styles remarks that "If you are only going to fear one man on planet Earth, Dr. Death is a hell of a good choice." Taz challenges Dreamer to wrestle, rather than brawl, and Dreamer holds his own breifly, but the crowd (and Taz) is calling for Doctor Death. Doc gets tagged in and they face-off, but Lee interfears and Taz ends up brawling on the floor with Dreamer. Eventually, all four end up on the floor, and Dreamer sets up three tables on the lower stage and then moves up top. Dreamer throws Taz through a wall, but Lee comes up top to meet Dreamer. Dreamer is going to DDT Lee off the top stage through a table, but Taz grabs Dreamer and t-bone tazplexes Dreamer through one of the tables. Beulah and Fonzie brawl in the ring to divert attention away as they check to make sure Dreamer is okay. Doc tosses Fonzie onto Team Taz and finally, Taz and Doc lock up. They trade takedowns and counters. Taz goes for a t-bone, but Williams counters with a doctor bomb. It's two-on-one until Dreamer makes the save with a garbage can. Dreamer goes to DDT Lee onto the trash can, but Lee counters it with the Prime Time Slam onto the can and gets the pin. **, mainly for Dreamer's bump.
The Eliminators enter for the four-way tag dance, defending the tag belts against the Bruise (Harris) Brothers, the Samoan Gangsta Party, and The Gangstas. Apparently, there was an altercation before the cameras were rolling tonight which led to the Samoans being escorted out in handcuffs. The Samoans are still cuffed but make it to the ring anyway. All eight men brawl around for a while as New Jack's music plays. A diving chairshot from New Jack leads to the Samoans being eliminated first. Saturn and New Jack brawl outside the building , and one of the Bruise Brothers and Kronus join them. Eventually, they all end up inside again. One of the Harris brothers nails Mustafa with a boot, but right after he connects the Elims sneak up and hit him with Total Elimination for the pin. Great spot. Its just Eliminators vs Gangstas now. The Elims attempt Total Elimination again, but New Jack pulls Saturn in the way of Kronus' spin kick. Mustafa seizes the moment and powerslams Kronus, setting up New Jack's diving chairshot. New Jack pins Kronus to win the titles. Styles does a beautiful job of putting over the Gangstas grand plan to take the titles, and thus, hurt the Eliminators in the worst way possible. On the brawl scale: **, mainly because Saturn carried the whole thing.
Rob Van Dam and Sabu are in the ring for the stretcher match, which would be the blowoff to the at least the first chapter of their feud. It is a slugfest early on with Van Dam getting the upperhand until Sabu hits a leglace and a slingshot splash. Van Dam attempts a slingshot splash of his own, but Sabu counters with a dropkick and then a slingshot sommersault senton. Sabu bridges a table on the guardrail but gets caught and Van Dam takes over on offense again. Sabu takes the upperhand back in the ring with a chair. A top-rope frankensteiner attempt is countered and Van Dam tosses Sabu to the floor. RVD drapes a chair across Sabu's face and then drops a leg. Damage Control wheels the stretcher to the ring and place Sabu on it, but at the crowd's urging, he makes it up. Standing leaping thrust kick from Van Dam, followed by a power bomb. Beautiful standing moonsault, and then Van Dam goes up top. Sabu goes to meet him, but Van Dam counters that too, and tosses Sabu. Van Dam tries to suplex Sabu onto the stretcher but Sabu counters it and drapes Van Dam over the ropes, then hits the legdrop from the second turnbuckle. Sabu sets up a chair and attempts Air Sabu, Van Dam dives towards him and falls short. Sabu hits a rolling Arabian facebuster and then a leaping Arabian facebuster. They roll the stretcher out start to carry out Van Dam, but he makes it back to the ring. Sabu connects with a Triple Jump Moonsault and then an Air Sabu. He places RVD on the stretcher and then heads back in the ring and Asai moonsaults onto Van Dam AND the stretcher. Sabu cracked his shin on the guardrail and now both men are on seperate stretchers. In the aisleway, Sabu rolls off, mounts the guardrail and legdrops onto Van Dam, knocking him off his stretcher also. Back towards the ring, Van Dam moonsaults off the guardrail out of nowhere and both men are down. Sabu tosses a chair at Van Dam and then hits a reverse victory roll off the top. Van Dam rolls onto the previously bridged table, and Sabu charges, but Van Dam catches him and hits a fisherman's buster through the table to the floor. Sick spot. They are wheeling Sabu to the back, but he ain't going out like that. Both men end up in the ring again where Van Dam just casually dumps a chair onto Sabu three or four times. They both attempt springboard dropkicks, but Van Dam connects with his first. Van Dam tries another fisherman's buster, but Sabu reverses it and hits one of his own. Sabu went for the Triple Jump Moonsault again, but Van Dam picked up the chair and nailed him with it. Van Dam spin kicks Sabu over the top and onto the stretcher. Van Dam mounts the top rope and hits a 360 plancha, but Sabu moved and Van Dam's head cracked the railing. Van Dam is out like a light and lands on the stretcher. They wheel him to the back and Sabu picks up the victory. ***1/2. This is a good ECW show, which was followed by an arguably even better one: Natural Born Killaz (rant coming soon).
Final analysis: Definite recommendation though the mid-card falls kind of flat, the undercard (especially Jericho/Scorpio) and the main event is really good.