October 22, 2008
Matt Peddycord

ECW: The Night The Line Was Crossed
February 5, 1994
Philadelphia, PA
ECW Arena

The current ECW Champs were as follows:
ECW Champion: Terry Funk (12/26/1993)
ECW Tag Team Champions: Vacant (2/4/1994)
ECW TV Champion: Sabu (11/13/1993)

Your host is Joey Styles.

Mr. Hughes (w/Jason) vs. Sal Bellomo

Sal Bellomo is a lovable fat Roman centurion character who happens to be pretty harmless. It’s kind of odd how Jason never made it over to WWE at least. He was sometimes more over than his own stable. This is just a Mr. Hughes squash. When Bellomo tries a comeback, Jason trips him up into the ANGRY BLACKMAN SLAM. (3:17) Squaaaaaaaash. ½*

The Sandman & Tommy Cairo vs. The Pitbull & Rockin’ Rebel (w/Jason) – Double Dog Collar Match

This may sound somewhat exciting, but it’s really not. The chains from the dog collars hardly even factor into the match other than to sling their opponent or pull them in for a clothesline. Pitbull and Cairo are linked together while Sandman and Rebel are paired off together. Sandman takes a backdrop onto a table from Rebel, which leads to a PILEDRIVER through a table on Sandman. Back in the ring, Cairo hits a BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX on Pitbull as Sandman holds down Pitbull’s legs with the chain to get the 1-2-3. (4:49) Pitbull and Rebel continue the attack on Cairo afterwards until Sandman scares them off. Pretty fun little brawl, but a little hard to follow since they only went with the hard camera. **

The Bruise Brothers vs. The Public Enemy

This is supposed to be a “no rules” which would later become known as “ECW rules”. The Bruise Brothers are of course Ron & Don Harris looking like the Bezerker twins. Just a fight and nothing more. No real interesting spots or anything at all. Public Enemy spend the whole match being destroyed until one of the Bruise Brothers takes a weak 2×4 shot to the back of the head to give Rocco Rock the pinfall. (7:59) Ehh. *

Tommy Dreamer vs. Jimmy Snuka (w/Hunter Q. Robbins)

Dreamer is still a pretty boy who gets no respect, which means the caning incident with Sandman is still to come. Lots of stalling as Snuka and Dreamer work the crowd. Once they finally get going, Dreamer misses a crossbody block and takes a chair to the head. Back in, Snuka hits the SUPERFLY SPLASH, but Dreamer kicks out. Everyone looks stunned. Snuka gives Dreamer two more SUPERFLY SPLASHES and gets the win. (10:15) Afterwards, Snuka headbutts the ref as we see Dreamer is bleeding from the mouth to show he has some internal bleeding. Snuka hits another splash and then goes up again. Todd Gordon comes out to stop him, but authority takes a double-sledge to the head! Uhh, I think you just turned Snuka back to being a face again. Finally, a bunch of wrestlers come out to stop more carnage being ensued upon poor Tommy. *

The Tazmaniac & Kevin Sullivan (w/Woman) vs. The Original Sheik & Pat Tanaka

Another big brawl that goes nowhere. Taz and Sullivan were tag team champions the day before, but the belts were held up because of a controversial finish in a match with the Bruise Brothers. Taz is stretching out Tanaka in the ring while nearly 70 year old Sheik brawls with Sullivan all through the crowd. While Tazmaniac has Tanaka in a half crab, Sheik throws a fireball at his back to break it up. Tanaka covers for the 1-2-3. (3:15) Nothing to it, but pretty cool to see the Sheik. CRAP

Mike Awesome vs. JT Smith

Awesome is REALLY motivated here. He’s not going to take any of JT’s crap and clotheslines him inside out a couple times. In one of the nastiest spots I’ve ever seen, Awesome hits a no hands plancha on Smith that causes his back to bend backwards across the guardrail! The crowd is loving this. Back in, Awesome looks to go for the kill, but JT Smith gets an inside cradle for 1-2-3. Huh? (2:00) Pissed at the ref, he gives him a couple AWESOME BOMBS and wants the FROG SPLASH, but the top rope breaks and Awesome lands flat on his face. Awesome gets up and slams the top turnbuckle on the ref and walks out, leaving the crowd in a frenzy. Match was nothing, but the impact Mike Awesome made was incredible. *

ECW Champion Terry Funk vs. Sabu (w/Paul E. Dangerously & 911) vs. Shane Douglas (w/Sherri Martel) – Three Way Dance

You’ve got to love Shane Douglas’ theme music just because it sounds so anti-ECW. Paul E rushes the ring right after Sabu’s introduction and clunks Sherri in the back of the head with his giant cell phone. Geez dude. A Paul Heyman tell-all book would be nice to know just what his deal is with women. Douglas grabs Paul E, but Sabu makes the save. Apparently, Sabu and Shane Douglas wrestle with a 15-minute time limit and the winner faces Terry Funk. If neither man gains a pinfall or submission, then Funk has to battle both men. Sabu works over Shane’s arm and shoulder for the duration. Then he messes up a table spot that causes him to be sent the dressing room. Could this be their way of covering up Sabu’s weaknesses while Funk and Douglas kill some time? Probably so. Crazy Funk goes insane on Douglas with PILEDRIVERS and DDTs. At one point, Funk tells the crowd to throw their chairs into the ring. He piles what few chairs the ECW mutants could hoist into the ring and DDT’s Shane on the pile of steel. Of course it hurts Funk just as bad or worse than Douglas. He gives Funk a tour of the ECW Arena while beating his head into walls and ladders. Funk’s busted open now. Douglas exposes the top turnbuckle and smashes Terry’s face into the steel ring a WHOLE bunch. One turnbuckle smash too many backfires on Douglas and he meets the steel. Funk unloads on Shane as they brawl through the crowd. Sabu comes back into the ring with his right knee all taped up and chases Douglas around the ring while Terry Funk goes into the crowd and starts throwing chairs around. He grabs Joey’s mic from him and thinks he has the house mic. He screams some obscenities at Sabu and Douglas, but they can’t hear him. Hahaha. Since they won’t come to him, obviously he goes to meet them. Douglas is working a half crab on Sabu’s injured knee. Funk gets rid of Shane and applies the SPINNING TOE HOLD on Sabu. 911 grabs hold of the ref while Paul E bashes Funk in the head with his phone. Funk stays in control though with headbutts and neckbreakers. That sets up the TRIPLE SLEEPER SPOT! With Shane in the middle, Sabu escapes first. Douglas elbows Funk away and hooks the figure-four on Sabu. Paul E breaks it up with a rake to the eyes. Sabu messes up one split-legged moonsault attempt on Douglas, but hits it on the second try for two. Sherri distracts Sabu and causes him to chase after her. Because of his bad knee, Sherri is able to keep her distances pretty easily. Out of nowhere, Axl & Ian Rotten come down and help Terry Funk to the back. Meanwhile in the ring, Douglas hits the Pittsburgh Plunge on Sabu for 1-2-NO! Sabu screws up a rana on Douglas and follows up with a slingshot legdrop for 1-2-NO! Sabu applies the Camel Clutch as the Rotten brothers return to the ring to beat down the challengers with steel chairs. The brawling continues on the outside and then somehow Douglas and Sabu return to the ring alone. Here comes Terry Funk. Douglas meets him on the floor while Paul E and 911 are beating up the Rotten brothers. Back in, Funk low blows both the challengers and headbutts them too until he falls flat on his back. Sabu can’t even hit a quebrada, but he can connect with the Moonsault on Funk and then on Douglas. Funk crawls over on top of both men, but the ref is down thanks to Funk a little earlier. Sabu and Douglas take turns trying to pin the champion, but he won’t stay down. Douglas interrupts Sabu’s Camel Clutch on Funk with a chinlock. Once Funk applies a SPINNING TOE HOLD on Douglas, Sabu takes a headbutt. Sherri jumps on Funk’s back and takes a suplex for her troubles. SPINNING TOE HOLD to Sherri! Douglas breaks it up with a clothesline. Funk takes off Sherri’s boot and straight up uppercut lowblows Sabu in the nuts. On the floor, Funk grabs Paul E and gives him an atomic drop. That’s always fun. Oh yeah, one minute left in the match. Back in the ring, Douglas hits a flying crossbody on Sabu. Still no ref to speak of. Funk goes back and forth trying to get a count on either man with thirty seconds left. Heel miscommunication ensues between Shane and Sherri. Sabu dives on Douglas and then Funk on top of Sabu as the time limit expires. (60:00) The crowd gives everyone involved a round of applause. One of the most overrated matches of all-time if you’re watching it on tape. I’m sure the 1000 in attendance would argue differently, but this match is not that good. Funk is an excellent brawler, but not even he could carry a sloppy Sabu and the weaker link of a tag team wrestler in Shane Douglas to anything groundbreaking. They did do some cool spots like the triple sleepers, throwing chairs into the ring, and three guys fighting over a pinfall that make it monumental. Other than that, there’s no way it’s anywhere near a MOTYC. ***

In the back, a bloody, battered and crying ECW champion Terry Funk puts over Shane Douglas, Sabu and ECW.

Next up, they bring out Sabu, but he’s too crazy for interviews and his handlers take him away from the press conference. That’s awesome. His uncle has taught him well. KAYFABE FOREVER! Paul E Dangerously calls shenanigans on the whole match and says everybody can go to hell!

Shane Douglas demands he be called the ECW champion right here and now because both Sabu and Terry Funk were carried out of the ring in mid-match because of him. He’s PISSED at everybody and everything ECW. Terry Funk comes by and asks him what his problem is. Shane calls Funk a shell of his former self. Funk says Shane has no right to say that after he just put him over on the mic. Shane calls Terry an old man again, so Funk goes as far as to give Shane Douglas the belt so he can win it back from him, but Douglas won’t take it and throws it back in Funk’s face to get him riled up. That cues a pull-apart brawl and we are outta here!

Final Thoughts: Definitely a one-match card unless you want to see Sandman in tights. No but seriously, unless you are a fan of the main event, don’t worry about this show. Thumbs down for The Night The Line Was Crossed.

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