ECW Hardcore TV #10 08/06/1993

Hawk vs Samoan Warrior & Don E Allen

Unsurprisingly, the debuting Hawk squashes the unimpressive pairing of Allen and Warrior. Big double-clothesline, powerslam and top-rope clothesline to Warrior, followed by press-slamming Allen onto his partner – easy win.

Battle Royal

This is to crown the Pennsylvania State Heavyweight title, a terrifically unimportant sounding belt. It’s basically everyone on the roster, bar the Dangerous Alliance. Sandman and Rockin’ Rebel eliminate each other straight away. Suicide Blondes show the most smarts by working as a team throughout, in direct contract with Larry Winters and Tony Stetson, who break up as a team following Winters’ elimination of his partner. Stetson lays out Winters, leading to his elimination at the hands of match-winner Tommy Cairo (though Winters does botch his elimination, leading to a re-do). Stetson then apologises outside the ring. With his apology finally accepted, he brilliantly then rams Winters into the ring post. Aside from this, the battle royal was pretty unremarkable.

Suicide Blondes vs Tommy Cairo & Glen Osbourne

Not much of a bout. Osbourne actually looks a lot better than usual here, mainly because he’s got the Blondes stooging and bumping around for him. Cairo has a nice belly-to-belly suplex that he lays out both Blondes with, but he gets hit by Hunter Q Robbins with a cane – RIGHT in front of the referee – and pinned for the win. Cairo and Osbourne should really be asking this ref what he was playing at. Match only existed as a backdrop for Robbins joining the Blondes as manager and the Super Destroyers turning face.

The Sandman vs Don Muraco

This is Sandman’s ECW title rematch. We’re JIP with a long Sandman headlock section. I’m a bit of a sucker for “face frustrates heel with long headlock” sections, but Muraco’s head threatens to slip lose at any moment, ruining the illusion. Muraco responds with a lengthy cheat-filled abdominal stretch, before Sandman is counted out on the outside when he tries to attack Paul E Dangerously and gets taken out by Muraco. Terrible stuff.

ECW Hardcore TV #2

Glenn Osbourne vs Johnny Hotbody

I’d only seen Osbourne once before in 1999 CZW, where he’s a lot chunkier. This was basic, competent stuff, but I did enjoy a few things Hotbody did. Nice sequence where he avoided a shoulder charge and hit a fluid German suplex right away. Also enjoyed his flying shoulder tackle off the apron. The end sees a ref bump, followed by Hotbody lowblowing Osbourne and nailing a piledriver. For some reason, Hotbody decides to do a superplex, but gets distracted by an arriving Tommy Cairo and gets knocked down, which Osbourne follows with a shitty splash for 3.

Larry Winters & Tony Stetson vs Chris Michaels & Samoan Warrior

This was competently worked, but featured moments of terrible nonsense. Michaels worked most of the match as an overconfident stooge, which was pretty fun. I quite enjoyed some of the double teaming by Stetson and Winters that was quite fluid. A few baffling moments though – at one point Michaels is running the ropes and for no reason decides to skin the cat, whereupon he turns into a clothesline as his opponent had just been standing there waiting. The end was also a bit off – Samoan Warrior is in the match for maybe 30 seconds, gets hurled out and the faces throw Michaels back into the ring. Despite being very much the illegal man who had been brought back in against his will, Michaels gets taken out with a Death Sentence for the win.

The Sandman vs the Kodiak Bear

Ha ha, this was ridiculous. Seeing Sandman in his original gimmick of happy surfer is obviously hilarious, and his opponent looks like a hobo John Tenta. This was shit, as Kodiak Bear seems barely able to bump. Lots of very, very basic offence here, with Sandman going for armwringers and roll ups. Sandman hits a terrible missile dropkick and a worse slingshot shoulderblock, before locking in a Million Dollar Dream for the win.

Eddie Gilbert vs JT Smith

This starts at a much brisker pace than the rest of the show, as Gilbert rushes Smith sending him outside and brawling in the crowd. There’s a great camera shot where you see these two just disappearing into the darkness to fight. Loved the sleight of hand as Gilbert manages to crack Smith with the ring bell right behind the ref’s back. Smith makes a comeback, but misses a moonsault. The end sees Smith try a back suplex, but gets levelled with a loaded punch, Gilbert landing on top for the win. Best match on ECW so far.

Tommy Cairo vs Super Ninja

The Gilbert match would have been the perfect way to finish, but we instead get this JIP Cairo match. Very short, Cairo looks decent here with some nice fire, and I dug the ending as Ninja tried a splash in the corner, only to get caught and planted with a back suplex match for the win.