To capitalize on the recent ECW groundswell of interest, the WWE has released a new ECW compilation DVD, showcasing the bloodiest brawls and fights in ECW’s short lifespan. With a divisive reputation as either a hardcore trailblazer or violent crap, this DVD will only serve as ammo to either side … but will the ECW fans it’s targeted at find satisfaction in this set?
Disc #1:
Match #1: Cactus Jack & Mikey Whipwreck vs. Public Enemy, ECW Tag Title match (Hardcore TV, 8.27.94)
Why it’s on here: Because, when you say “ECW”, “brawl” and “extreme”, the Public Enemy helped turn Eastern Championship Wrestling into the wild, extreme capital of the wrestling industry. Plus, Mikey takes an extreme ass-whipping like no other.
What to expect from it: You’ve got two psycho brawlers in the PE, you’ve got the king of the deathmatches in Cactus Jack, and you’ve got Mikey Whipwreck, a human punching bag. Add it up, yo.
The watchability: Surprisingly, not very great. It’s alright, and the ending is cool, but the match isn’t anything very special at all. A weak, slow motion brawl.
Match #2: Sandman & Terry Funk vs. Cactus Jack & Shane Douglas (3.18.95)
Why it’s on here: Um … maybe this has some kind of legendary value to old ECW mutants. Any such value is lost on me.
What to expect from it: This match has two serious cases of One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other: Douglas not being a brawler like the other three, and Sandman not having a lick of workrate like the other three. So, since brawling is the motif of three of the four, guess what happens? Brawling. Lots of slow, klutzy brawling.
The watchability: Meh. Not horrible, but not great. There are better brawls in ECW, but there are worse. Like, for instance …
Match #3: Ian Rotten vs. Axl Rotten, Taipei Deathmatch (Hardcore Heaven, 7.1.95)
Why it’s on here: Well, the concept of the DVD is ECW’s most violent matches. And few matches fit the bill better then this.
What to expect from it: If you’ve never heard of a Taipei Deathmatch, I now bear the burden of having to illuminate you: take two guys, tape their fists and affix REAL SHARDS OF BROKEN GLASS to said fists. Now, to make the match oh so much more enticing, they included two masters of workrate, Axl & Ian Rotten. If you’ve never seen them (count yourself lucky), take Dusty Rhodes … eliminate all traces of workrate … now, picture these two lugs beating each other with broken glass on their hands. Oh, the thrills.
The watchability: I’ve seen this match twice: the first time was on one of the Acclaim ECW releases years back. I almost threw up watching it. A then-friend who hadn’t seen ECW wanted to see it, so I suffered through it again, and was moved to purge again. I haven’t seen it since. I refused to watch it for this review. It’s a horrible, pathetic, insulting excuse for a match. Two guys gouging each other with broken glass and punching for 15 minutes is not my idea of entertaining, even in a deviant way. It certainly fits the bill as violent, but there are ways to be violent and entertaining. This fails miserably. It’s matches like these that puro elitists, workrate neurotics and general snobs think of ECW as “violent crap”.
Match #4: Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Psicosis, Mexican Deathmatch (November 2 Remember, 11.18.95)
Why it’s on here: Um … ya know, I haven’t the foggiest. This DVD is all about bloody, violent brawls. This match is all about lucha libre.
What to expect from it: If you’re expecting a carnage-filled bloodfest with crazy lucha spots using barbed wire and all that, stop right now. This match isn’t about that in the slightest. You’re gonna get old school an cruiserweight match with just a twinge of ECW in it.
The watchability: Hey, you won’t hear me complain about this match being good. It just doesn’t belong on this DVD. It’s a serious fish out of water amongst Taipei Deathmatches and Barbed Wire matches.
Match #5: Shane Douglas vs. Chris Jericho vs. 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Pitbull #2, ECW Television Title four-corners match (Heatwave, 6.13.96)
Why it’s on here: This match is legendary amongst ECW fans. I don’t know if this was the first four-corners match ever, but it is the blueprint for how to do a good one.
What to expect from it: Firstly, the plotlines crashing into each other here is brilliant: Jericho was the reigning champ, and the other three were the three most recent former champs. Everybody wanted a piece of everyone for one reason or another. But the big story is Douglas (the lone true heel) having to contend with three people who unite in equal hatred of him. Plus, he kinda broke Pitbull #1’s neck, so you got that. 40+ minutes (yes, you read that right) of crazy wrestling, wild spots, twists, turns and some classic ECW clusterf*ck booking.
The watchability: Off the charts. One of my top 5 favorite matches of all time. Not just in ECW but of ALL TIME. It is the perfect blend of wrestling and angles, action and entertainment.
Match #5: Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Lee, Weapons match (Hardcore Heaven, 6.22.96)
Why it’s on here: Tommy Dreamer’s nickname is “The Innovator Of Violence”. Need I elaborate further?
What to expect from it: Tommy in a Weapons match. Anybody who knows Tommy can put those two elements together and see where it’s going: carnage extraordinaire.
The watchability: It’s a patented traveling ECW brawl that goes out into the streets of Philly and across the street. Some interesting weapons spots, a lot of blood. Not a great match by any stretch, but a decent enough fight.
Match #6: Sabu vs. Rob Van Dam, Stretcher match (The Doctor Is In, 8.3.96)
Why it’s on here: This was the culmination of the RVD/Sabu war in 1996, most of which is featured on the Rob Van Dam DVD. After an RVD/Sabu match ended with Sabu being carried out on a stretcher, this was signed as the blowoff: the loser is whoever is beaten so bad, they are carted to the back by paramedics on a stretcher.
What to expect from it: A young RVD, wrestling with a vicious heel side you haven’t seen in years, and Sabu before he got too broken down. No rules, no restraints.
The watchability: Classic ECW, with crazy spots, hardcore action and an awesome ending. You can’t beat this with a barbed-wire ballbat.
Match #7: Terry Funk vs. Sandman vs. Stevie Richards, 3-way dance for #1 contendership to the ECW World Title (Barely Legal, 4.13.97)
Why it’s on here: It’s the main event from their first-ever PPV, a three-way elimination match for an immediate match against ECW World Champion Raven (which follows, unadvertised, on the DVD).
What to expect from it: Look at the competitors and you tell me. Tables, ladders, chairs, lots of psycho brawling that could still inspire TNA’s Grievous Bodily Harm division to new heights 9 years later.
The watchability: Off the freakin’ charts. The story is fantastic, the violence is top notch, and you can’t beat the ending.
Disc #2
Match #1: Sabu vs. Terry Funk, ECW World Title barbed wire match (Born To Be Wired, 8.9.97)
Why it’s on here: Because in a DVD of ECW’s most violent matches, there HAS to be a barbed wire match. And if you’re gonna have a barbed wire match, the most well-known barbed wire match in ECW history is this one.
What to expect from it: Oh, Jesus, if you ain’t heard, are you in for it. More blood then the entire Friday The 13th series. More sickening spots then any Hell In A Cell (there’s one that … no, you’ll see. You’ll see and you’ll know which one I’m talking about, instantly). As violent, if not more so, then the Taipei Deathmatch, but at least they TRY to wrestle here. Emphasis on try.
The watchability: Um … er … see … I go back and forth. This is a spectacle for sure, especially since one participant was 50-something at the time of this match. It’s amazing to see what they go through in this. But on the other hand … it’s f*cking sick. Sick as sick can be. I can’t in good conscience call it a good “match”. A visually captivating spectacle, yes. But watchable? Caveat emptor.
Match #2: Beulah McGillicutty vs. Bill Alfonso (As Good As It Gets, 9.20.97)
Why it’s on here: Bill Alfonso pissed off everyone at this time, acting as a ref who “called it right down the middle”, but rarely did. Plus, the whole turning on Taz back in April earned him no friends. Anyway, he’d pissed off Tommy Dreamer and his girl, Beulah, one too many times. This was the result.
What to expect from it: On paper, a train wreck. In reality, a train wreck. But not the same kind. There is honestly something very entertaining about this match, something I cannot describe. Is it seeing Fonzie get the ever-loving snot beat out of him? Is it seeing Beulah being the one to deliver the beatdown? I don’t know. All I know is, pound for pound, this is one of the bloodiest, most violent brawls you’ll ever see.
The watchability: Crazy good, man. Way better then it has any right to be. I put this on my “guilty pleasure” column a while back, and for good reason: it defies all sensibilities, all rational thought and all expectations and entertains despite (in spite of?) itself.
Match #3: Taz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, ECW Deathmatch (Heatwave, 8.2.98)
Why it’s on here: This was the wrap-up of the Bam Bam/Taz feud in 1998 that got its start when Bigelow beat Taz for the Television Title by driving him through the ring./
What to expect from it: If you’ve seen their previous match … make it falls-count-anywhere. That’s it. If you haven’t seen the previous match … hard hits, hard throws; a match representative of the title of the DVD.
The watchability: If I had to do a score … 7 of 10. Not a fantastic match, but they both work their asses off, both take some evil bumps, and both put in a hard day’s work for the paying fans. Really, you can’t ask for more.
Match #4: Taz vs. Shane Douglas, ECW World Title match (Hardcore TV, 1.17.99)
Why it’s on here: Because … um … because … ya know, I haven’t the foggiest. Because their Guilty As Charged 1999 match sucked?
What to expect from it: This is from Hardcore TV, so it’s got a nice cut for commercials right when the brawling moves from the arena to the streets of Philly, thus killing the match’s momentum and flow. Plus, Douglas is injured (compound fracture of the wrist, sporting a huge cast), and that doesn’t help things.
The watchability: Not much. The ending is wholly remarkable (Tazmission-plex through a table!!!), but the match itself is disjointed and has no flow from one spot to another. Not to mention, compared to the other brawls on here, the violence is embarrassingly tame. A major victim of the “one of these things is not like the other” syndrome.
Match #5: Dudley Boyz vs. Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney, ECW Tag Title match falls count anywhere Chicago Street Fight (Hardcore TV, 7.5.99)
Why it’s on here: Because these two teams fought a million times in 1999, and since the Dudleys and Balls are well known for their brawling, and Spike is a human tackling dummy …
What to expect from it: If you’ve seen one of these matches, you know what’s coming. All sorts of wild, bloody, psychotic brawling. C’mon, man, it’s the freakin’ DUDLEYS IN ECW!!! Plus, the ending … even if you know it’s coming, it’s still painful to watch.
The watchability: A great brawl, no doubt. Nothing trailblazing in terms of the industry, but a good damn match nonetheless.
Match #6: Mike Awesome vs. Spike Dudley, ECW World Title match (Guilty As Charged, 1.9.00)
Why it’s on here: Big 6’6″ guy who likes to power bomb people through tables vs. a guy who weighs 120 soaking wet with bricks in his pockets. Got the picture yet?
What to expect from it: See previous statement. That’s all you need to know. Spike Dudley, playing a very plucky underdog, getting tossed about by Awesome.
The watchability: Amazingly, the match tells a great story, and there are moments when you believe he can win. It ain’t no Malenko/Guerrero three-falls classic, but for what it is, it’s good.
Match #7: Rhino vs. Sandman (ECW on TNN, 2.25.00)
Why it’s on here: Because Sandman is all about brawling, and Rhino … well, IT’S MOTHERFUCKIN’ RHINO!!!
What to expect from it: Sadly, nothing. It’s from the TNN days, and maybe about 5 minutes long, more of an angle-advancement match then anything. Tables and ladders get brought in in that 5 minutes, but having to advance Rhino’s “chosen one” status in The Network, the burgeoning Rhino/Sandman war, and the ECW/Network angle is far too many masters to serve.
The watchability: None, really. Check it out once if you don’t believe me, and you’ll see. Not worth the five minutes.
Match #8: Super Crazy vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Little Guido, 3-way dance (ECW on TNN3.3.00),
Why it’s on here: Because they had, like, a billion matches in 2000, and they were all pretty good.
What to expect from it: All three of these guys were/are neutered by the WWE system to the point of unwatchability. Back then, though, these guys were crazy good, with flying and technical ability and stiff shots galore. This is like a misplaced X-Division match, though, most definitely not a “most violent brawl”. What it’s doing here I haven’t the foggiest.
The watchability: Three crazy athletes doin’ their thing, back when they were allowed to. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.
Match #9: Tommy Dreamer vs. CW Anderson, I Quit match (Guilty As Charged, 1.7.01)
Why it’s on here: From ECW’s last PPV as an independent entity, with Dreamer trying to put over a youngster, despite the company having a few weeks left to live.
What to expect from it: You’d think the two would clash, and that you’d get some kind of horrible, disjointed match. Not so. They beat the crap out of each other, and they take each other to some extreme levels. Had the promotion continued, CW Anderson would’ve come out looking like a top-flight superstar.
The watchability: Pretty damned good, says I. One of the better I Quit matches in memory.
Match #10: Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka (ECW One Night Stand, 6.12.05)
Why it’s on here: To pimp One Night Stand? I don’t know. Seriously, they had other matches.
What to expect from it: Lots of tables and chairs and wild spots. If you’ve seen them tangle, you know what to expect. They like to beat on each other quite very much, and they didn’t take it easy here, stealing the show that night.
The watchability: It’s good, don’t get me wrong. But, in reality, their November 2 Remember match in 1999 was better. Any of their matches in ’99/’00 were better. They had something this didn’t: drama. This match is a psycho brawl. The others were psycho brawls with something behind them. Good, but not their best effort.
Then you get a textbook ECW music video, some interview extras about blood, flaming tables, the Taipei Deathatch and a few other things (none of it necessary to mention) … plus one more match:
Match #11: The Gangstas vs. Public Enemy (House Party, 1.5.96)
Why it’s on here: Because it ain’t a DVD about ECW brawling without something from these guys.
What to expect from it: If any match can make people view ECW as “violent crap”, this would be Exhibit A; there’s all of, maybe, four wrestling moves in the entire match (surprisingly, most are done by Mustafa!). The rest is brawling and weapons shots. Expect blood, too. The only person who doesn’t bleed is the ref.
The watchability: Meh. The teams split up (one half in the ring, one half doing a wandering brawl), and the back-and-forth cuts hurt the flow of the match. Then again, the two teams are not exactly masters of psychology. A mediocre brawl at best.
Frankly, I’m astonished at some of the things that made it on here, and some of the things left off. Rumor has it there is a volume 2 due later this year, where some of what got left off here might surface. But I still can’t help but think of the volume of brawling and extreme action in ECW’s lifespan, and wonder how certain things were even considered for this. How does the Psicosis/Misterio match fit on this thing? Or Taz/Douglas? Or Crazy/Tajiri/Guido? Why is there a match from One Night Stand on this? And, while it’s a brawl, the Sandman/Rhino match is all of five minutes or so; why did it get included? What are these things doing on here when there’s so many other matches left off the set that fit the bill better? Matches like the awesome Steve Corino vs. Jerry Lynn match in 2000 with the infamous “DIE” written in blood moment. Or any of the Corino/Dusty Rhodes matches. Or the surprisingly decent New Jack vs. Rhino TV Title match, also from 2000. Raven and Sandman had a barbed wire match, as did the Public Enemy and the Funks (Dory Jr. and Terry). What about High Incident, with Brian Lee and Tommy Dreamer? Or, hey, now that I mentioned Dreamer … WHY ISN’T THERE A SINGLE RAVEN/DREAMER MATCH ON HERE?!? Hell, except for the two minutes that is the Funk/Raven après, there isn’t a single bit of Raven on here. What gives? (It ain’t him being persona non grata, since Douglas is on the disc a couple times)
Bottom line … a decent set. There are some real gems in here, a few of them matches you wouldn’t have expected to see again. But the choice of matches, in coinciding with the theme of the set, is hit and miss at best. The ECW mutants will cream over it, the workrate freaks will spit on it, and the people in the middle might be left scratching their heads. Next time, guys, if you pick a theme, stick with it.
