Extreme Archive: ECW Television Episode 010

ECW Television Episode 010

Taped: May 14, 1993
Broadcast: June 08, 1993
Taping Location: ECW Arena in South Philadelphia, PA
Announcing Team: Jay Sulli & Paul E. Dangerously

Previously:

• Don Muraco with help from Paul E. Dangerously and Rockin Rebel defeat The Sandman to become the new ECW World Champion
• Super Destroyers attacked Sal Bellomo during a match between Bellomo and Super Destroyer #1.
• Cairo & Osborne are unable to defeat Gilbert & Snuka.
• JT Smith pins Thrasher to continue their feud.

Synopsis

Opening Segment

Live from the ECW Arena, in beautiful South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! ¹ And I get two treats, not only from the ECW Arena, but it seems that Paul E. Dangerously has replaced Stevie Wonderful on color commentary.  They run down the matches this week: Debut of Road Warrior Hawk, Battle Royal to determine the new Pennsylvania Champion, Tag Team title match, and a Heavyweight Title Rematch between The Sandman and Don Muraco.

Sulli introduces Tod Gordon who bring an official crown to ringside, which will be presented to the winner of the Terry Funk vs Eddie Gilbert Texas Chain Match Massacre. ² As Dangerously declares a premature victory for Gilbert, Road Warrior Hawk arrives. ³

Hawk cuts a very generic Road Warrior, bad ass promo that mentions both teeth and bowel movements.  ⁴

Segment #1: Recap of the Terry Funk vs Eddie Gilbert Feud

You know the type. Let’s watch videos of previous weeks to hype an upcoming match.  They show both physical confrontations between Funk and Gilbert from the first weeks of ECW tapings. ⁵

Terry Funk then arrives at the arena in his standard red poncho shirt with a chair wrapped around his fist. Explains the rules of the match. ⁶ Paul E comes back in and arranges a match between Terry Funk and the Dark Patriot.

Segment #2: Handicap Match: Road Warrior Hawk vs The Samoan Warrior and Don E. Allen

YES! YES! The arrival of PWI #499 Don E. Allen!⁷  Oh yeah, and The Samoan Warrior.⁸  This isn’t going to be pretty.  I mean did anyone win a handicap match in the 1990s? ⁹

Both men attack Hawk right at the bell.  Hawk with a double-clothesline to permanently take over the match.  Power slam on Samoan Warrior.  Top rope clothesline.  Press slams Allen onto Samoan Warrior and covers for a quick three.

Next week Hawk will face Jimmy Snuka for the Television Title.  ¹⁰

Segment #3: Eddie Gilbert Video

Okay, after weeks of bad Terry Funk videos, I guess Eddie should get a rebuttal.  After wearing a New Jersey Devils jersey for the last taping, Eddie goes with a Phillies baseball cap. ¹¹ Apparently Eddie is the hero we’ve been waiting for in Philly, and he’s going to even be bigger than the mayor of Philadelphia.  ¹²

Segment #4: 16 Man Battle Royal –  Pennsylvania Heavyweight Championship

Participants: Super Destroyer #1, Super Destroyer #2, Chris Candido, Johnny Hotbody, Larry Winters, Tony Stetson, The Sandman, Rockin Rebel, Sal Bellomo, Tommy Cairo, Canadian Wolfman, JT Smith, Max Thrasher, Samoan Warrior, Herve Renesto, and Glen Osborne.

I’m not going to recap a battle royal. It’s impossible.  Highlights:

• Stetson already showing signs of his eventual heel turn, which was spoiled last week, by scrapping with the faces in the ring.
• Paul E. hints at an alliance between Hunter Q. Robbins and The Suicide Blondes.
• When down to the last 5 wrestlers (Candido, Hotbody, Winters, Stetson, and Cairo), Suicide Blondes have Stetson against the ropes and Winters pushes the Blondes (and inadvertently Stetson) over the top rope.
• Stetson confronts Winters for pushing him over the top rope. ¹³ Stetson nails Winters with a punch.
• Back in the ring, Cairo and Winters fight for the championship. Winters misses a dive over the top rope, and Cairo recovers enough to redo the finish on the fly, eventually throwing Winters over the top rope.  ¹⁴

Tommy Cairo is the inaugural Pennsylvania Heavyweight Champion. ¹⁵ After the match, Stetson comes out to talk to Winters as if he is going to apologize for his actions, before he changes his mind and rams Winters into the ring post. That’s pretty good heel work adding the exclamation point to the turn.

Segment #5: Backstage Interview with Sandman and Peaches

Stevie Wonderful is still employed and working as a backstage interviewer. Peaches is wearing a really cute sports bra and has really sexy stomach. ¹⁶ Sandman’s interview skills are atrocious. I think he’s better drunk.  I can’t even put Surfer Sandman’s interview into context. ¹⁷ Hey, it’s going to be The Sandman’s birthday on June 19.

Segment #6: Backstage Interview with Sal Bellomo

Ummmm, there’s nothing here that makes sense.  I think he challenged both Sylvester Stalone and possibly the Super Destroyers.

Segment #7: ECW Tag Team Champions: Suicide Blondes w/ Hunter Q. Robbins III vs Tommy Cairo & Glen Osborne

Hunter Robbins is announced as the new manager of the Suicide Blondes while Paul E. diplomatically tries to explain the change away, saying that Robbins may not fully represent all of the Blondes interests at this point.

Osborne starts off with Candido in a back and forth contest. Hotbody comes in and Osborne takes out both with a double clothesline, and tags in his partner. Belly to Belly on both Candido and Hotbody. The challengers dominate the champions, avoiding the cheating. Robbins nails Osborne with the cane, and Candido covers for the victory.

Robbing announces the victory of the champions, and introduces the newest member of the Hollywood Blondes, Chris Michaels.  Just then, who should come down but Hunter’s other tag team charges, The Super Destroyers. Destroyers are so pissed that they actually talk. After a verbal sparring, they fire Hunter Q. Robbins III as their manager.  After fighting off all three Suicide Blondes, they demand a tag team match with the champions at the Super Summer Sizzler Spectacular.

Segment #8: ECW Heavyweight Champion: Don Muraco vs The Sandman

Eddie Gilbert joins Sulli on commentary, as Paul E. is at ringside.  Gilbert runs down Peaches, doing his poor man’s Ric Flair interpretation. Sandman starts with a headbutt on Muraco and a very weak toe-drop. Muraco and Sandman go outside and battle there.

Back in the ring, Clotheslines Muraco into the ropes, where his arms get caught. Muraco and Dangerously pull the old cheating move where they use leverage to keep Sandman in an abdominal stretch, while the ref is admonishing Peaches to get off the apron.  Ref finally sees it and Sandman reverses.  Paul goes after Peaches, and Sandman gives chase, and Muraco blasts him. Muraco rolls back in the ring, and Sandman is counted out for the loss.

Closing Segment

There isn’t one, and we go straight to the sponsored by advertisers.

Analysis:

Historic Significance

• Tommy Cairo becomes the Pennsylvania Heavyweight Champion
• Hunter Q. Robbins III becomes the new manager of the Suicide Blondes.
• Chris Michaels becomes the third member of the Suicide Blondes.
• The Super Destroyers turn face and fire Hunter Q. Robbins III as their manager.
• Tony Stetson turns heel by attacking his former partner, Larry Winters.

Debuts

Road Warrior Hawk, The Samoan Warrior, Don E. Allen, Chris Michaels, Herve Renesto

Titles

Feud Tracker

Verdict

Definitely more energy this week.  I know I’m reading too much into the switch to the ECW Arena which definitely gives the promotion a different look and feel.  The wrestling wasn’t much better this week, but the generic action was pretty good, and the booking was fun even thought it is straight-forward.  See ya all next week.

Footnotes

1 – Ahhhhh, I’m home!  It’s barely recognizeable, but I can see how it’s going to change.
2 – Okay, I knew that Eddie Gilbert wanted to make the Philly territory similar to Memphis.  But to bring in an actual f***ing crown, that is soooo reminiscent of Jerry Lawler’s crown.  I mean there’s a fine line between flattering imitation and blatant copying, and this crossed it and kept on going.
3 – In 1993, Animal was hurt, so this would be between Hawk obligations of tagging with Kensuki Sasai in NJPW as The Hell Raisers and his various rehab assignments. (I kid!)
4 – Philly Sportsnet must have had really stringent standards and practices, that Hawk can’t even say the word “Crap”.
5 – I honestly didn’t think you could hype a match with only two clips.
6 – AGAIN.  I know not everyone watches wrestling matches each week, but if you have to explain a match this many times, maybe you shouldn’t have it.  And does it really matter.  Most wrestling fans are in just by saing the word “Chain”.
7 – I’ll explain later.  Not sure when.  But I’ll explain later.
8 – That joke would be better if it was someone more significant, like Eddie “Umaga” Fatu.  This is actually Lloyd (L.A. Smooth) Anoa’i, one of the lesser known sons of Wild Samoan Afa.
9 – That’s like winning the first two matches in a best of three series, or having the faces win the coin toss in the War Games!
10 – And yet, we know that Snuka retains the title, because he is defending it against JT Smith at the Sizzler.  And don’t tell me that there’s the illusion of tv taping, that was burst last week when Jay Sulli showed results from this card.
11 – Smart choice actually. 1993 was one of the only years between 1984 and 2006 where they even challenged for the post season.
12 – Bigger than Ed Rendell, HOW DARE YOU SIR! (But then again, in 1993 Rendell wasn’t as beloved, so maybe)
13 – The confrontation between Hogan and Savage and Royal Rumble 89, this was not!
14 – While the miss was pretty blatant, this was a very nice recovery by both men, especially Cairo.
15 – Yeah, there’s a reason why you don’t hear about the ECW Pennsylvania Championship.
16 – Though I think she got implants later in her ‘career’.
17 – I wonder if modern wrestling fans, especially TNA fans, look at Sting during his surfer years and just stare at the screen with a blank look on their faces.