Extreme Archive: ECW Television Episode 005

Reviews, Shows, Top Story, TV Shows

When the student is ready, the master appears – Buddhist Proverb

Note:  Due to a travel schedule, I was unable to post last week’s Extreme Archive.  My sincere apologies.

In our modern culture, we are very used to watching or studying a classic or interesting television series (e.g., Star Trek, Lost, or even Seinfeld) and learn how the pieces come together.  And you learn how things worked, came together, and started to move towards the well known classic series we know so well.

You could do the same thing with WWE Monday Night Raw and WCW Monday Nitro as well.  Watch the pieces of a weekly live television show as it moves towards the moments in history that transformed the business forever.

However, I’m trying to start at the beginning of ECW, and while ECW was probably trying to be innovative and interesting in 1993, it also had a much more primary goal: to stay in business.

The 1990s Indy wrestling model wasvery simple.  Get agroup of 20 local wrestlers who will never make the big leagues who are willing to work for drinking money; Get 4-5 wrestling students who mmmmmmight get a look with the WCW and the WWF; And get 5-8 former WWF/WCW stars who will actually bring in the people.

And if you’re lucky, you get popular enough in a market that wants to show these stars on television. Weekly access if you’re lucky.

So, back to my original topic… some weeks a major piece of the ECW puzzle reveals itself, and some weeks it’s just a wrestling show.  This week is the former.

ECW Telelevision Episode 005

Taped: April 02, 1993
Broadcast: May 04, 1993
Taping Location: Cabrini College Fieldhouse
Announcing Team: Jay Sulli & Stevie Wonderful

Previously:

  • Larry Winters & Tony Stetson defeated the Super Destroyers
  • Don Muraco joins Hot Stuff International
  • The Suicide Blondes (Johnny Hotbody & Chris Candido) debut
  • The war between The Rockin’ Rebel and The Sandman escalates

Synopsis

Opening Segment
The video shows Terry Funk at the Double Cross Ranch talking to a horse’s backside pretending it’s Eddie Gilbert (i.e., Eddie is a horse’s ass).  In an editing mistake, Terry suggests that Eddie has already accepted a Texas Chain Match Massacre match.  Very cheesy video, but it’s an Indy wrestling federation with no money.  And just remember, the Cactus Jack – Lost in Cleveland videos were run by WCW at this same time, and they had money.  
  
Segment #1: Eddie Gilbert & Don Muraco vs JT Smith & Glen Osborne
 JT Smith looks like Jay Lethal’s older uncle or something. Gilbert and Muraco destroy Smith with classic 80s grappling and cheating, including the classic throwing of the face over the top rope 1.
Muraco rolls JT back into the ring after gingerly dropping him on the guardrail. Smith makes the comeback and tags in Osborne, and it’s breaking down in Philly as all four men are in the ring. Osborne with a scoop slam on Gilbert, followed by a piledriver, and the cover while the ref is outside dealing with Muraco and Smith. And then the future of professional wrestling changed forever… Take a deep breath… Here we go…

A man comes running out of the locker room with an oversized portable phone and nails Osborne in the head.  The man is revealed to be PAUL E. DANGEROUSLY!!!!! 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbFhRiZE2nY

Gilbert makes the cover for the victory while the fans chant “Paul E.”  In the post match interview, Paul and Eddie have merged Hot Stuff International with the Dangerous Alliance and are going to put Tod Gordon out of business.  Paul seems really pissed off at someone, I wonder who?

Segment #2 – ECW Tag Team Title Match: Super Destroyers vs Larry Winters & Tony Stetson
A rematch from last week (aka last hour), and the belts are on the line.  In the pre-match interview, Mr. Hunter Q. Robbins III announces that this is Winters and Stetson’s last chance at the titles. 4 Decent interview from Robins, to my great suprise.
Stetson starts with Super Destroyer #2. SD #2 hits him with a pump handle slam. Several arm drags by Stetson who tags in Winters. Some solid quick tagging by Winters and Stetson to dominate the bigger opponent.  Reverse savate kick by SD #2 who tags in Super Destroyer #1.Super Destroyers take over on offense using a combination of power moves, cheating, and falling headbutts to the lower midsection to dominate Winters.Destroyers throw Winters to the outside and dominate him there, bringing Stetson over to help.  Thrown back inside the ring, Winters is able to tag in Stetson.

Stetson hits a flying forearm on SD #1.  Stetson throws SD #1 through the ropes to the apron.  SD #1 gets brass knucks from Robins and nails Stetson in the head during a back drop. Super Destroyers get the victory.

Segment #3 – ECW Heavyweight Title Match: The Sandman vs Sal Bellomo
Okay, big time tease.  Promised a ECW Title match, and we get Sal Bellomo?  Before the match, Sal is given interview time… Sal speaks with his long hair in front of his face speaking some sort of English/Italian hybrid mash-up.

Sandman reminds me of future times, as he checks out Peaches’s ass as she enters the ring. 6
Sandman rolls Sal up and pats his ass to make him mad.  Sandman throws Sal to the corner and runs into a boot.  Sal dominates for a time with headbutts and reverse chinlocks.  Wow, rest hold city!  Sandman and Sal even have a rest hold during a pinning combination. Eventually Sal rolls out of the ring, and walks up the aisle, where he gets the fastest count-out in wrestling history. I’d complain, but it’s a mercy killing.

Segment #4 – Rockin’ Rebel vs Ernesto Benefico
Pre-segment interview by Rebel with Tigra.  Rebel gives a very generic heel interview against The Sandman and Peaches while Tigra does nothing but show off her rack and her nails.  If you have a breast and scratching fetish, this is the girl for you.

Rebel starts the match by slapping Rebel.  Rebel dominates the jobber, and even no sells Ernesto’s drop kick.  Powerslam by Rockin’ Rebel who pulls up Ernesto to punish him more. Rebel finishes Ernesto off with a spine-buster. 7

Segment #5 – Contract Signing with The Super Destroyers
Tod Gordon is at ringside with Jay Sulli and Hunter Q. Robbins III. Has a contract where Winters and Stetson put up their hair against the Super Destroyers titles next week.  Robins signs without reading the contract.  After the signing, Gordon reveals that Robbins didn’t read that he will be handcuffed to Tommy Cairo during the match next week.
  
Segment #6 – Tommy Cairo vs Jonathan Hotbody    
Apparently ECW feels the need to replay the Suicide Blondes interview from last week. 8 While, Tommy Cairo removes his leather chaps, I question the decision to go with Hotbody instead of Candido for this match.  But Johnny is the better known wrestler to the fans. 9

Cairo dominates with a hiptoss and an overhead suplex on Hotbody. Cairo follows Hotbody to the floor where Candido nails him with the clothesline. Hotbody hits his best move, a running elbow drop to Cairo from the ring apron to the floor. 10 Hotbody gets Cairo on the top turnbuckle and hits a superplex, that looks more like a ddt.

Cairo hits a reverse neckbreaker on Hotbody.  Cairo rams Hotbody’s head into Candidos on the apron and rolls Jonathan Hotbody up for the victory.  The Blondes do a post-match attack on Cairo as the show ends.

Analysis

Debuts
Paul E. Dangerously
Titles
ECW Heavyweight Champion: The Sandman (since 11/16/1992)

ECW Television Champion: “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka (since 03/13/1993)

ECW Tag Team Champions: The Super Destroyers (since 06/23/1993)

Random Thoughts
  • The Terry Funk video is really bad, and there’s more to come unfortunately.  I mean we’re talking cheesy video tricks you would do in high school.  But, I believe that it is video of the actual Double Cross ranch, so that part is cool at least.
  • The 1993 version of me totally got schooled here.
    Was totally expecting Winters and Stetson to win the titles here.  But the contract signing for next week assures this weeks mistaken assurance.
  • Can you imagine how the wrestling world would have been different, if Paul Heyman didn’t already live close to Philadelphia?
  • Paul Heyman is actually listed as an Executive Producer of the television show.  Good hire, I guess.  Just don’t let him be your CPA.

ECW Spotlight: Paul E. Dangerously

Okay, let’s understand this as much as we can.  Just like Mick Foley has three personalities: Cactus Jack, Mankind, and Dude Love.
Paul has three personalities as well.

  1. Paul Heyman, former WWE announcer and manager, current internet huckster who helped Brock Lesnar write his autobiography. A mostly bald, clean shaven, cocky suit wearing businessman type, who is part of the system.  This guy:

    This spotlight is not about him
  2. Paul E, who sort of was on the television as the executive producer of ECW.  Sometimes he was on-screen a lot, and other times, he wasn’t.  A balding ragged unshaven maniac who would wear suit jackets with t-shirts and wrestling baseball caps, This guy:

    This spotlight is not about him.
  3. Paul E. Dangerously was one of the last great managers of the territory system.  He portrayed an 80s new york yuppy combined with a cocky sports agent atittude. 11 A loudmouth who felt he had to grab what he could whenever he could.  A smiling power suit wearing bully, who would hide behind the muscle of his wrestlers, and frequently received his comeuppance. 12 This guy:

    This is who the spotlight is about.

Paul E. Dangerously started in the territory system, working for Floirida, Memphis, and Alabama.  He met Eddie Gilbert in Alabama, where he allied himself with Hot Stuff International.

In the AWA he started managing the “Original” Midnight Express of Randy Rose and Dennis Condrey, and NWA/WCW brought the three of them in to start a feud with Jim Cornette’s Midnight Express of Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton. In WCW, Cornette was known to always carry around a tennis racket, and as a response, Paul would carry around a large bulky 80s mobile phone.  Paul would go on to manage both the Samoan Swat Team (Samu and Fatu) 14 and a wrestler named, Mean Mark Callous 15.

Paul developed strong feuds in the federation with both Jim Cornette and Missy Hyatte, very famously smashing his phone across the back of the head of Missy’s boyfriend Jason Hervey. Paul was also a very good announcer, doing both color commentary and hosting a Piper’s Pit like show called The Danger Zone.

In 1991, when Ric Flair had been signed by the WWE, WCW created a new stable around Paul E. Dangerously and his new charge, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, named The Dangerous Alliance.  The Dangerous Alliance was a strong Horseman-esque stable that dominated WCW in 91/92.

Paul was then fired by Bill Watts in 1992, supposedly over expense reports. In 1991, when Ric Flair had been signed by the WWE, WCW created a new stable around Paul E. Dangerously and his new charge, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, named The Dangerous Alliance.  The Dangerous Alliance was a strong Horseman-esque stable that dominated WCW in 91/92.  Paul was then fired by Bill Watts in 1992, supposedly over expense reports. 16

And so, the New York yuppie made his way back to the east coast. 17And became a manager in NWA: ECW.

Over the next weeks and months, we will witness the progression of Paul.  Where he goes from New York sports agent to Underground Anarchistic Revolutionary.

Verdict

If I’m looking at it as a fan from 1993, I am certainly excited at the potential of Paul E. Dangerously coming into ECW.  That will certainly make the interviews and promos more interesting and fun.

They are pushing the old WWF guys too much, but the Suicide Blondes, Super Destroyers, and Winters and Stetson make three serviceable tag teams for the moment.

The Terry Funk stuff is a killer though, and not in a good way.

Footnotes

1 – In the old NWA days, it was illegal for a wrestler to throw a wrestler over the top rope. So heels would frequently do this, when the ref’s back was turned.  I’m not sure whether NWA: ECW follows this rule, as it was rather antiquated in 1993.
– It’s scary that he is actually better known as Paul Heyman now, than Paul E. Dangerously.
–  Paul had a stable in WCW called the Dangerous Alliance, that consisted of Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Larry Zybysco, Bobby Eaton, Madusa, and a very young “Stunning” Steve Austin.
4–  A nice way to indicate that a title change is about to take place.
5
– aka the testicles, the boys, the bollocks, los pelotas, the nutsack, the jewels, the cojones, the lower brain, or the nards.
6– “Don’t let the clothes fool ya, it’s still fucking me!” Bill Hicks
7 – The boring, non step-over Spinebuster variety.
8 – ECW apparently thinks there is  important stuff in the interview. If so, I’m missing it.
9 – I guess known as sucking is better than unknown.
10 – Not quite Cactus Jack level, but it’s not a bad risk spot for 1993, actually. Maybe I’m slightly wrong about Hotbody.
11 – Think  Kevin Spacey from Working Girl.  Though there’s probably better examples.  And yes, Kevin Spacey was in Working Girl in a very small role, before anyone knew who he was.
12 – Often from Missy Hyatte.
13 – For me, a great manager has to have had success with multiple wrestlers, and not just be a hanger on for one wrestler.
14 – Maybe better known as the WWF team, The Headshrinkers.
15 – Mark would go on to become more famous as The Undertaker.
16 – The rumors I always heard was they removed Paul, because he didn’t get along with Ric Flair who they were trying to bring back to WCW. Treat this as any Internet rumor, but keep in mind that Flair came back to WCW after Heyman was fired.
17 – Supposedly after the WWF refused to hire him.

 

RJ Schwabe is a man who just cracked his fourth decade, and has yet to put his toys away. He is a life-long comic book fan, who is enjoying digital comics more than he ever thought he would. Big fan of nerdy television and comic books, and is a recovering pro-wrestling addict. His review blog can be found at http://looksat40.wordpress.com