This ECW PPV was much better than the previous November to Remember. Quite a few excellent matches here. Although I may be a bit biased since I'm doing this directly after I saw the PPV. First impressions, you know.
I don't know why people were saying this match was going to suck. This was at least as good as Triple H vs. The Rock from SummerSlam. Lots of innovative uses for the ladder, as Tommy was placed on the ladder and while it was on the ropes, Justin heaved it over, causing Tommy to fall over the top rope through a table. Again, the ladder positioned on the ropes, Tommy brings down the half on the outside, causing the inside half to sail into Justin's face. Near the end, Terry Funk came down and nailed Dreamer with a garbage can, which let Justin execute That's Incredible on the ladder for the win. Afterward, Funk hit Dreamer with the can again and again until the can was almost flat.
Rating: ****
I wanted to give this match the honor of Match of the Night, but it was just a notch below Dreamer/Credible. Mostly because although it had Asai moonsaults, The Tarantula, etc. it was really nothing any cruiserweight fan hasn't seen before. Nice rolling surfboard by Tajiri. Super Crazy did a Tope Con Hilo, which I've never seen before. The end came when Tajiri countered a powerbomb into a Dragon Suplex and bridge for the win.
Rating: ***3/4
Another match I wanted to rate higher, but the first ten minutes were almost a repeat of their encounter in October. Van Dam plancha off the guardrail, another attempt except Storm dropkicks him off the rail. Back in the ring, Van Dam is crotched twice on the turnbuckles, then the chair gets involved. Van Dam hits the Van Daminator, then attempts it again. Storm throws the chair back and hits it with a side kick, which Styles perfectly described as a "Lance Storminator". Alfonso in with another chair, Van Dam gets him with a Van Daminator from the top. Van Dam then missed the Five Star Frog Splash. An excellent series of reversals followed, culminating in Van Dam executing a German Suplex for the win.
Rating: ***1/2
Joel Gertner introduced The Dudleys with his usual (lack of) fanfare. Gotta love Sign Guy Dudley's sign, "Do you read what the Sign Guy's writin'?" Usual New Jack match, lots of foreign objects involved. Spike nailed Big Dick Dudley with a guitar, which didn't phase him, although New Jack corrected the mistake by kabonging him with another. Sloppy 3D executed on New Jack on the ramp. Back in the ring, Spike hits low blows and Acid Drops on everybody, including Big Dick, who throws him off when he attempts to do it again. Spike was then hit with the Dudley Death Drop for the pin. After the match, the Dudleys claimed that they have beaten every team in ECW history except one. They then challenged the Public Enemy to a match at the ECW Arena on Jan. 16.
Rating: ***
Kronus makes his entrance, and then here comes "Judge" Jeff Jones, dressed in judge's robes. Somewhere in the midst of getting out a lot of Guilty as Charged puns, he tells everyone that John Kronus laid him out at a recent ECW event and 450 Splashed him. He then proclaims that he will be Kronus's judge and jury, but here comes his executioner, who is even more "psycho" than him. Of course, Sid comes out and prompty chokeslams Kronus over the top rope through a table. He then throws him back in the ring and powerbombs him (no one delivers it like Sid). Three seconds later, Sid took home the winner's purse.
Rating: **1/2
Before I get to the match, a series of exchanges took place between my friends that was rather funny.
"Cheesecake" (Art): I thought there was supposed to be some kind of cat fight? (Referring to Joey Styles's comment on the preview show about Tammy Lynn Bytch sooner or later answering to Tammy Lynn Sytch.)
Nathan: That was just... something.
Croooooow: Thank you for clarifying that, Nathan. Just something.
Anyway... It's kinda sad a short match like the one previous mentioned was better than these last two. This one started out dull, and got even duller as they made their way up the arena to the cheap seats. As they made their way back down, it seemed more like a stroll around the block than a match. Things picked up when Douglas propped a table in the corner and Irish Whipped Taz through it. A second table was smashed, although at this point I wasn't paying too much attention. Then the lights went out, and Sabu's music played. Lots of fireworks too. Sabu ran in and splashed Douglas through a table on the outside, then smashed Taz through a table on the inside. And then he left. The guy that single handedly saved a dull match left. Douglas got back to his feet and signaled for the Triple Threat to come out, which confused everyone. Then Tammy Lynn Sytch runs in, and for some reason Francine got mad and pushed her. They began to scuffle, but Chris Candido appeared and held Sytch back. Francine then Speared Sytch (Take that, Goldberg!). Candido exchanged words with Shane, and then popped him in the mouth. He and Sytch exited, but his punch allowed Taz to lock in the Taz-mission. Shane wouldn't tap out, and the ref did the hand drop thing, and Taz became the new World Champion.
Rating: **
This is the first time I've seen a match take a worse beating than a wrestler. Originally, Lynn vs. Storm vs. Whipwreck, when Mikey moved on it changed to Lynn vs. Storm vs. Spike. When Lynn was injured and Masato Tanaka couldn't get out of Japan, somehow it became this heap of suckage. It started FBI vs. Doring & Roadkill, but Balls & Axl rudely interjected themselves, comparing the match to a homosexual dance party. I'll spare you the details. Somehow Doring & Roadkill were eliminated, and somehow The FBI were eliminated, leaving Axl & Balls as the winners. The highlight came after the match, where they kaboshed Ulf Herman and Sal E. Gresiano with their chairs.
Rating: *1/2
Overall PPV Rating: **** (barely)
Personal Note: Many say there's nothing quite like ECW, but I for one am proud to say there is nothing quite like the get togethers we have at Croooooow's house every month for the PPVs. I may not always do this, but I'll give a little review of what we're like while watching pay per view. We discussed this during the main event, and we decided that Croooooow and I will retain our Internet monikers, and well... here's how we discussed it.
Crooooooow: I'll be Croooooow, Nykk will be Nykk how he spells it on his site, Art's "Cheesecake" (don't ask) and what do you want to be, Nathan?
Nathan: Huh?
(We all groan at his lack of attention span)
Anyway, I threatened to kick Huh's ass if he said bacon one more time, (old running gag... old VERY BAD running gag), we made fun of Heyman when the live cameras switched on too early, Cheesecake made a reference to Francine looking a little hung over, noted that Big Dick Dudley's catch phrase seemed to be "Rrrrrrrrrrruuuhhhhh!" which prompted a discussion of Huh catch phrases, including "bacon" and "huh? What?" It's probably one of those "you had to be there" things, but oh well.