ECW Hardcore TV #28 19/10/1993

Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond vs the Public Enemy

Good solid tag team wrestling here. Nothing outstanding, but this is well worked, decent stuff. Tanaka looks great here, loved his kicks and sudden legsweep, and catching a Rock rana into a ditout powerbomb looked really good. A lot of the early stages feel like a Tanaka & Diamond showcase, but Public Enemy are solid when they get control, working over the knee of Diamond. Tanaka makes for a fine hot tag, loved the double superkick they hit before Grunge accidentally hits Rock during an O’Connor roll and Tanaka gets the pin. Fun stuff.

Jimmy Snuka vs Chad Austin

Austin is an average looking man in a pink singlet, and he gets treated accordingly. He bumps well for the slow paced beating Snuka inflicts on him. Genuinely can’t tell if the release powerbomb Snuka hits was intentional or just laziness. Slingshot suplex gets the win for Snuka.

Johnny Hotbody & Tony Stetson vs The Sandman & JT Smith

Given that three of these guys are the best wrestlers in ECW, it’s quite galling that this is the match that gets clipped. Plus, since we last saw them, Hotbody and Stetson are mysteriously tag champions. They look good as a unit, double-teaming nicely, and Stetson goes right after the injured leg of Smith. Dug his little tricks like grinding his knuckles into the knees of Smith. At this point, it clips and we come back to Stetson dropping  big leg onto Smith’s knee. Bizarrely, the heels just let Sandman tag in after all that work on Smith. The end is hokey, as Sandman gets backdropped onto Terry Funk at ringside and, as Sandman puts Hotbody in a sleeper, Funk comes in to hit Sandman with a chair, seemingly in affront at Sandman having the audacity to get thrown onto him. Really odd ending.

Tommy Dreamer vs Tazmaniac

Here’s a young, suspenders-wearing Tommy Dreamer making his ECW debut, as a Marcus Bagwell-esque pretty boy face. It’s Taz who brings the fun stuff to the match, hitting a big t-bone suplex, a nice powerslam and then reversing a suplex attempt into a big Northern Lights. Tommy takes a beating here for a crowd who don’t seem certain what to make of him, getting a chair broken over him and eating a big DDT on the floor. Tommy fires back, and Joey Styles massively telegraphs that he won’t win by guaranteeing he will, only for Taz to catch him on the top ropes with a big Northern Lights suplex from the top to win. Actually fun stuff here.

ECW Hardcore TV #26 05/10/1993

The Public Enemy vs Silver Jet & Gino Caruso

JIP match, and we’re definitely in proper ECW territory now. The arena is better lit now, with the crowd in the dark and the ring illuminated. Looks a lot better than the crappy “ECW” banner from the first few episodes. This is a largely sluggish beatdown by the Enemy, bar a few nice little spots. Silver Jet looks terrible in his camo trousers and black t-shirt. He’d be the most bush-league looking guy in a 2003 CZW student battle royal. Rock hits a nice quebrada, Grunge hits a reverse DDT and Rock finishes the Jet with a Swanton, admittedly getting good distance on it.

Sabu vs Tazmaniac

I am sure this was revolutionary in 1993, and the fans eat it up, but viewed through 2017 eyes…this is shit. There’s very little structure, just a bunch of spots which are hit with varying levels of success. I did think Taz showed some smarts when, after the table Sabu placed him on falls apart, Taz just gets up and suplexes Sabu through the remains. I was less impressed when Sabu elbowed him in the face and Tazmaniac sold it by climbing to the second rope to eat a top rope Frankensteiner. Taz hits a huge suplex that almost drops Sabu on his head. The transitions here are woeful, momentum just switching arbitrarily. Sabu picks up the win with a sloppy moonsault. Really disliked this.

The Sandman vs The Metal Maniac

This wasn’t any better. Sandman hits a nice high waistlock takedown early, and that’s probably the best part of the match. Maniac barely gets Sandman off the ground with an unbelievably shit side suplex. Sandman hits a top rope clothesline to win. Awful.

Terry Funk vs Jimmy Snuka

This is a cage match for the TV title, billed as “Funk’s Last Stand”. There’s bits of this that are good, and bits that are very poor. Funk sells like a champion early, as Snuka whips him into the corners, making a simple move looks vicious. He’s also the first to eat a faceful of cage. For two veterans, they both manage to make piledrivers look utterly ineffectual. Funk sells one by getting up 10 seconds later to prevent Snuka escaping a cage, and Styles helpfully points out that Funk is hitting headbutts just moments after taking a piledriver. Funk soon hits his own ineffectual piledriver. They base a lot of this match around headbutts, which isn’t particularly interesting, though Snuka is at least sensible enough to base a lot of his offence around trying to hurt Funk’s neck. The end feels pretty anticlimactic, as Funk just gets to the top of the cage, manages to knock down Snuka then hangs from the top of the cage before dropping to the floor to win. Even with the advanced age of Snuka, you’d expect better from these two. My opening claim of “Some of this is very good” doesn’t seem accurate now.

ECW Hardcore TV #23 14/9/93 & #24 21/9/93

Combining two episodes here, as #23 is mainly a preview of Ultraclash 93 and #24 is dealing with the fallout.

Tony Stetson vs Tommy Cairo

This is for Cairo's Pennsylvania Heavyweight title. Actually a pretty good match here, thought Stetson was really good. Loved him jawing at the crowd and suddenly poking Cairo in the eye. Stetson controls with a nice flying clothesline and a throat chop. Also, loved the mule kick as he re-enters the ring, just flowing round into it in one quick movement. Cairo isn't great here, his belly-to-belly looks unimpressive and his leg lariat looks more like a clumsy hip attack, but he's perfectly carryable. The match ends with a clash of heads, the ref getting bumped and Hunter Q Robbins putting Stetson on top for the win.

Jimmy Snuka vs the Metal Maniac

Oddly, the face/heel roles seem off in this match. Snuka has been heel for his whole ECW run, but here he’s leapfrogging, moving quickly and posing for the crowd. Meanwhile, Maniac does stuff like a cheap shot knee to the stomach. Everything Maniac does looks slow motion, making this feel more like a training match. Snuka gets the win with a small package.

The Public Enemy vs Jason Knight & Ian Rotten

This is a full match from Ultraclash 93, and is a squash for the Public Enemy. Ian Rotten is oddly billed as coming from Newcastle, England. It’s an overlong squash, though TPE look impressive throughout. Liked their double-team tombstone on Rotten, though the bit where Rotten leaped over the top rope off an Irish whip just so Rocco Rock can hit a big tope looks off. The end sees Grunge hit a reverse DDT and Rock hits a swanton for the victory.

WCW Slamboree 1996

WCW was my favourite wrestling company of all-time. The first wrestling I ever got to see was 1992 WCW on ITV every Saturday, and I loved that stuff. Therefore, I thought it time to revisit my favourite company in the days just before the NWO showed up.

Hawk & Lex Luger vs Animal & Booker T
I'm going to count off examples of the booking making a mockery of the "random draw" claim. Here is number one, as the Road Warriors end up on opposite teams. However, at least the fans will finally get to see the Roadies square off, right? Luger and Animal start off by working a reasonable power match, where at least Luger seems motivated. Booker continues the work on Luger, including a swank spot where he turns a missed elbow into a spinneroonie into a roundhouse kick for two. It breaks down into a melee when Luger stupidly shoves Hawk for saving him from being pinned and all four brawl outside and get counted out. The LOD never exchanged one blow to the disappointment off all. Stupid booking.

The Public Enemy vs Kevin Sullivan & Chris Benoit
Mockeries two and three see a regular tagteam facing two guys who don't like each other. This actually turns out pretty good, the opening exchange between Benoit and Rock is fun, as Rock clearly doesn't mind Benoit getting stiff with him on a huge powerbomb. The fight goes to the floor and Dusty gets very happy when the plundah! is brought out. Sullivan LEATHERS Rock with a hard plastic chair, but TPE get the win when both members plummet through Chris Benoit who is prostate on a table. Brief but fun

Sgt Craig Pittman & Scott Steiner vs the Booty Man & Rick Steiner
Here is mockery four. Pittman guides Booty Man through a passable mat sequence before planting him with a huge belly-to-back suplex. The crowd really want to see the Steiners fight and, despite Scott's hesitation, they get their wish. The Steiners go through a fun exhibition in the ring, until Scott lures Rick in by feigning injury and rolls him up for two. They then exchange a series of suplexes before both tagging out. Pittman locks the Code Red on Booty Man, but Leslie manages to tag in Rick who hits a German Suplex for 3. The three decent workers didn't let Booty Man stink this one up too much, so it was pretty fun, especially the Steiners sequence.

The Bluebloods vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan & VK Wallstreet
Herein lies mockery five. They at least try to explain this, by pointing out that Regal was scheduled to team with Finlay until the Bloods took him out, but considering that Regal was feuding with Finlay, it still ranks on the mockery list. This match is far too short to be any good, but Regal still manages to bring some goods- backed into a corner by Duggan, he hooks Hacksaw's ankle with his foot, thus preventing a clean break and allowing him to paste Duggan when the ref tries to intervene. Duggan and Wallstreet don't coexist at all, making it even worse when Duggan uses an illegally taped fist to pin Taylor and make the Bloods look like idiots.

Dick Slater & The Earl Of Eaton vs Alex Wright & Disco Inferno
This is pre-Boogie Knights, so doesn't qualify as a mockery. Again, too brief to really comment on, though Wright has some nice spunky babyface offence. Slater nails a dancing Disco with his boot while the ref is distracted to get the win

DDP & the Barbarian vs Meng & Hugh Morrus
The Faces Of Fear on opposing teams in this match makes this mockery six. Morrus misses a plancha right off the bat, hitting the floor with a satisfying thud. The Meng/Barbarian segments are the ones you'd anticipate most and are every bit as awesome as you'd hope, and the rest of the match is pretty fun as well. Barbarian throws Morrus across the ring from the top rope, while Morrus hits the best moonsault I ever saw from him. The ending is a bit poor, as we get a double-pin with only Barbarian's counting due to DDP making the ropes, but the match as a whole is fine

Big Bubba & Stevie Ray vs Fire & Ice
Mockery seven. Very, very short, but it's a a perfectly serviceable powermatch while it's on. Train and Stevie Ray aren't good workers, but getting four big guys in the ring to hit power spots for 3 minutes with no resting is a fine way to kill time. Fire & Ice advance

Eddie Guerrero & Arn Anderson vs. Ric Flair & Randy Savage
As a straight tag match, this would be unholy good. Sadly, it’s mockery number eight that sees Flair teaming up with hated rival Savage, while Flair’s best friend is half of the other team. The end result is that this is a bit of a mess, with Flair attacking his own partner, Guerrero feeling bad for Savage, then Arn turning on Guerrero with a DDT to allow Flair the win. There are some choice moments in the match: Flair tags Macho in after assaulting him, then grabs Eddie’s hand to make him tag in Arn who decimates Savage which is fun, while Eddie gets a huge pop for giving Flair a poke to the eyes.

Dean Malenko vs. Brad Armstrong
The first time that the Cruiserweight title was defended on WCW pay-per-view. Essentially a bit of a squash here, which is a shame given the talent on display. After a fun opening exchange, Malenko offers Armstrong a test of strength, only to dropkick his knee when approaching for lock-up. Malenko then spends the bulk of the match working over BA’s leg and, though Armstrong gets a small comeback at the end, Malenko makes quick work of him with a toprope gutbuster. The match is pretty short and, much as I hate to say it, a bit dull

Dick Slater & The Earl Of Eaton vs. VK Wall street & Jim Duggan
Yep, there’s a second round of tournament matches before we can get to the battle royale. This match starts with partners Duggan and Wallstreet brawling before joining forces to defend themselves when the opposition attack. However, this leaves the face/heel dynamic out of sorts, meaning that a hot-tag to Wallstreet gets no reaction, which doesn’t enhance a match that already feels like it’s going nowhere. Some more miscommunication leads to Duggan punching his partner into an Eaton rollup for 3.

The Public Enemy vs. Ric Flair & Randy Savage
Match never gets started and is more angle advancement than anything else: Liz accompanies Flair to the ring, throwing Savage’s money into the crowd. This prompts the Macho Man to come out and attack Flair before security break them up. The crowd loved this more than any other second round match.

Diamond Dallas Page & the Barbarian vs. Booty Man & Rick Steiner
DDP flexes in front of the Booty Babe before the match starts, but takes a neato bump to the floor from a Booty Man attack. This is the best second round match, but only by default as at least the face/heel divide was clear. Steiner plays face-in-peril following a decent minute of action with the Barbarian, but the match still feels far longer than it is. Booty Man hits the High Knee on Barbarian following the hot-tag, but Page drops an elbow to the back of his head to get the win for his team.

Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Konnan
This is a US title match. Liger is accompanied by Sonny Ono and is wearing black, so you know he’s evil. They work a quick mat sequence, which ends in what we now know as the “Indy applause stance”, before exchanging holds again on the mat. The mat sequence is pretty smooth and has some nice little features, including Konnan using the old Regal trick of grinding a forearm into Liger’s face during an STF. As the mat sequence is pretty even, Liger changes his tactics, winning a striking battle with palm thrusts and a rolling Koppo kick. This leads to Liger concentrating more on high-impact offence to work over Konnan. A Fisherman Buster gets two, and is swiftly followed by a Ligerbomb for two. However, Liger makes the mistake of abandoning a successful tactic and gets catches only boot when trying a top rope move, allowing Konnan to hit Splash Mountain for the win. Best match of the show thus far, a solid 10 minute match which told a decent story and allowed a change of pace from the rest of the show.

Battlebowl Final: Scott Norton vs. Ice Train vs. Dick Slater vs. The Earl Of Eaton vs. Rocko Rock vs. Johnny Grunge vs. Diamond Dallas Page vs. The Barbarian
Not the guys you would have picked from the opening list of competitors. There are a lot of big guys in there, which helps the eventual winner look pretty impressive, though it also means that, due to a lack of space, we get guys casually walking round hitting each other and little else. We end up with a final four of DDP, Train, Barbarian and Grunge after a few quickfire eliminations. DDP hits Diamond Cutters on all three and, moments after Dusty yells how he’s now got to throw them over the top rope, pins Grunge and Train to eliminate them, before Barbie kicks out. Page and Barbarian actually have a nice little finishing spot, including DDP getting to kick out of a huge powerbomb, before another Diamond Cutter gets the win. Weak match which is saved by a solid ending which gave DDP a good deal more credibility.

Sting vs. The Giant
The main event and Giant’s first title defence, and Sting had brought Lex Luger out to be chained to Jimmy Hart to prevent interference. The match had a lot of potential: Sting had proven he could be an effective underdog against a larger heel during his Vader series, while Giant was improving all the time. Indeed, the opening part is pretty good, Sting using speed to try and take down the Giant (including a crossbody attempt where he just pings off the future Big Show), but tries a body slam too early which allows the Giant to take over. Giant’s offence is still pretty basic, but Sting puts it over like death, including some frantic thrashing during a body scissors. However, the second half of the match is marred by interference from both Luger and Hart, as well as some logic issues from Sting (why would he chose to Stinger splash a precariously balanced Jimmy Hart instead of trying to finish off the massive Giant?). Luger and Hart struggle over the megaphone which results in it hitting Sting in the head, making him easy pickings for a choke slam for the Giant’s win. The match was going well until the final 5 minutes, but it’s too short to be a satisfying main event.