(Tommy Dreamer’s theme, “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains is cued up and Tommy Dreamer and “The Head Cheerleader” Francine make their entrance.)
Joey Styles: I guess Tommy Dreamer’s on his way to the ring. I didn’t have that...
Cyrus: You know what? Don’t pay attention to that, just go with it, Joey, be natural. You’re tremendous.
Joey: No, no, I like structure, Cyrus, I like to follow a format.
Cyrus: (on Francine) I like that.
Joey: “The Innovator of Violence” Tommy Dreamer and “The Queen of Extreme” Francine on their way to the ring... a very sad story, Tommy Dreamer with two herniated disks in his lower back. He just turned twenty eight in January, or in February, excuse me... and his wrestling career may be over.
Cyrus: You may be right, it is sad. But let’s lay the responsibility at the feet of the man. Tommy Dreamer has done some of this to himself. He has enjoyed being “The Innovator of Violence.” Tommy Dreamer is somebody who is a *unknown* and now he’s paying the price for that.
(Tommy and Francine enter the ring.)
Cyrus: Look at that, Francine and I are very tight.
Joey: Does Tommy know about this?
Cyrus: I assume so, she talks about me all the time! She calls me up in Winnipeg...
Joey: You are the biggest... I mean, troublemaker, stooge, I’ve ever met, and you just... you live to stir it up.
Cyrus: What? Does she got a boyfriend?
Joey: She’s with Tommy! You think she’s out there with him for... for the hell of it!? Like we had no one else for him to show...
Cyrus: No one tells me anything!
Tommy Dreamer: If you anyone thinks there was going to be a Heat Wave party without “The Head Cheerleader” Francine and “The Innovator of Violence”, you’re damn nuts! Hey, after this pay per view is over, I say we all go back to the hotel, get drunk, get naked, and have one hell of an afterparty!
Cyrus: That’s disgusting! He’s influencing fans.
Tommy: You know I’m supposed to come out here and make this special announcement, but let me just ask you people one thing: There’s a lot of people... cable representatives... pay per view representatives... national TV representatives... three weeks ago, I watched a pay per view called WWF King of the Ring...
(Crowd boos)
Tommy: And last week I watched another pay per view that damn near put me to sleep called WCW Bash at the Beach...
(Crowd boos again)
Tommy: And this shows nothing on the wrestlers, because every wrestler that steps in the ring deserves your praise and credit and respect that you people always give them. But we still have a couple of matches to go, but let me just ask you people, and please show the millions at home and all the cable representatives: Is this the pay per view standard to set or what?
(Crowd cheers and chants “ECW! ECW!”)
Tommy: I got two parts to my special announcement. For those of you who maybe live under a rock, or in closets, or you know, way out in the boon docks, as everyone knows... now, ECW can be seen every Friday at eight ‘o clock, on The Nashville Network!
(Crowd cheers and chants “TNN! TNN!”)
Cyrus: Why can Dreamer just come out here and do whatever he wants?
Tommy: That means, I believe, 86 million viewers in the United States, and 17 million in the Hardcore country of Canada!
(Crowd boos)
Tommy: Now seriously, when the hell did we ever go to war with Canada? They’ve got some great athletes, all right? Now, from the bottom of my heart to every single wrestler who’s ever walked through these curtains and performed for you people, we wouldn’t be here without each and every one of your support. I’ve said this a lot of times before: I’ve wrestled on an ECW show with fifty people on it, and those guys put on one hell of a show, and those fifty people told friends, and then we grew that house to a hundred, then two hundred, so far, so forth... now, I believe this Dayton arena is sold out... so what I’m saying is we had small houses and one TV station... and then all we wanted to do was achieve pay per view... and we did it. And then all we wanted was national TV... and we did it. And now without your support, we wouldn’t be here, but what do you say we make ECW the number one wrestling promotion in the world today!
(Crowd cheers and chants “ECW! ECW!”)
Cyrus: Dreamer should be a politician, these people love him.
Joey: A wrestler running for office?
Cyrus: There’s a novel idea.
(Tommy’s eyes tear up.)
Tommy: (crying) And that makes the second part of my announcement even the harder...
(The crowd suggests he might be leaving)
Joey: Tommy’s all choked up about TNN... we’re all going to be on national cable...
Tommy: Guys, I’m not going anywhere, I’m dying in this company...
Cyrus: What’s the deal with Dreamer?
(Crowd chants “We love Tommy!”)
Joey: I don’t know. He’s just choked up, he’s been here since...
Tommy: I love you guys too.
Cyrus: We’re all happy about TNN, but...
Joey: Tommy takes this company to heart.
Tommy: I can’t believe I’m saying this, especially at the age of twenty eight...
(Steve Corino’s music plays, and Corino, Rhino, and Jack Victory walk down the ramp. Victory is in a wheelchair.)
Joey: Tommy about to say something very... very heavy, obviously, but... now Rhino is wheeling Jack Victory to the ring...
Cyrus: Now there’s something that brings a tear to my eye. Jack Victory, riddled with injuries, in a wheelchair.
Joey: He can walk, let me tell you. I’ve seen him at... walking around at the bars, are you kidding me? And Steve Corino is out here...
Cyrus: What a nice young man he is. I’ve had an oppurtunity to get to know him, I really like him.
Joey: He’s a horse’s ass.
Cyrus: What!?
Steve Corino: Tommy, I’m sorry to break up your sad announcement, but I think what you wanted to say is: You never thought you’d go on pay per view and admit that you’re just a twenty eight year old has-been!
(Corino enters the ring.)
Cyrus: He’s polite.
Corino: See, Tommy Dreamer, you are a casualty of this stupid hardcore wrestling. For six years, Tommy Dreamer, you have slaved for ECW. You have fallen from eighteen tables. You have been bashed in the head with more chairs than anybody. And you’ve probably spilled more blood than anybody who’s ever walked into ECW.
(The crowd cheers and claps.)
Cyrus: He’s putting him over...
Corino: Go ahead and clap. What did that get Tommy Dreamer? Ah! Here’s where it got Tommy Dreamer: what he’s not telling you is that Tommy Dreamer’s physical therapy is not working. Tommy Dreamer’s two herniated disks in his back are not getting better. Tommy Dreamer needs back surgery! One plus one plus one equals Tommy Dreamer’s career is over!
Cyrus: What?
Joey: What? That’s what Tommy was trying to say?
Cyrus: Corino knows everything.
Joey: Tommy’s got to retire?
Corino: See, back in 1993, you used to wear suspenders, you used to be in great shape, and that was the Tommy Dreamer I respected, because you were a wrestler. But over time, every one of these people got to you! They made you the cancer of Extreme Championship Wrestling. The “W” in ECW still stands for “Wrestling,” people. What do you think, do you pay to see her? (he points to Francine)
(The crowd cheers)
Cyrus: That was a bit of a stupid question.
Corino: After all the tables, after all the chair shots, after all the pints of blood, Tommy Dreamer, let me ask you one question: Was it really worth it for all these people?
(Tommy stands in the corner with a face of stone, and nods.)
Corino: What are you nuts!? You’re dead! You have no career! You have to retire! You need surgery! Your career is over! What’s wrong with you!?
(Tommy remains impassive.)
Cyrus: Look at Dreamer’s face. This is true.
Corino: Look at me, Tommy Dreamer! I’m twenty four years old, I’m in the best shape of my life. You don’t see any scars on this body. You know why? Because I wrestle. I go in here, and I give the people what they want, and that’s an old school style match like they used to see in Memphis! But you, you had to prove something, you had to be “The Innovator of Violence!” Well, Tommy, now I have a role for you. Since you, the guy who worked here since day one, will never ever wrestle on TNN, I will. So why don’t you do the traditional thing, lay down, I will lay on top of you, I will even hook your leg because I respect the veteran...
Cyrus: That’s nice of him.
Corino: I will then elevate my career to superstardom, and you can go off to the pasture and get a job somewhere else. Maybe you’ll deliver flowers, maybe you’ll be a secretary. Dreamer, lay down for me, because Heat Wave is my night!
Cyrus: It’s a time honored tradition, Joey Styles.
Joey: He wants Tommy to do the job...
Cyrus: Of course! Tommy Dreamer should do the right thing. I feel bad for him, but he should do the right thing.
Joey: Not for Steve Corino...
Cyrus: Put Corino over. Who deserves it more?
Joey: Everyone! You, even!
Tommy: I don’t care if I’m wheeled out in a wheelchair. I’ll never lay down for you, I’ll never do the job for you, I’ll never put you over, because I’ve been in this company for six years, you’ve been in this company for about four months, and it was me and guys like me breaking their backs for people like this! So shove it up your ass!
Cyrus: That’s not business.
(Dreamer tries to exit the ring, but Corino blindsides him.)
Joey: Corino just punched Dreamer right in the small of the back!
Corino: (backs him into a corner) Look at you now, six years of nothing! (He hits Dreamer) I don’t think we have a pension plan! (He hits him again) Come on, Tommy! (He hits him again) Where’s your pride? (He hits him again)
(Tommy just stands there absorbing punches.)
Cyrus: Dreamer’s helpless!
Tommy: Come on!
Corino: You are nothing!
(He hits Tommy until finally he retaliates with a right hand and chops that places Corino in the corner off his feet. Francine enters the ring, launches off a referee’s back and gives him a bronco buster.)
(Corino gets to his feet, takes a swing at Francine but she ducks. Tommy nails him, and he walks right into a swinging DDT from Francine. She covers him and the referee counts to three, awarding the impromptu match to Francine.)