ECW November to Remember 1997

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that thinks touring will save 205 Live! ECW’s November to Remember 1997 headlined by Bam Bam Bigelow vs Shane Douglas for the ECW Championship. We have RVD taking on Mr. ECW in Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman vs Sabu in a grudge match months in the making. The card is not bad but what about the product? Has the production improved? Has the wrestling improved? Or are we in for some over the top booked wrestling? There is only one way to find out so let’s do this!

Tommy Rogers vs Chris Candido

Tommy Rogers of The Fantastics is here to do battle with Chris Candido, Rogers had been featured in the WWF as a top light heavyweight wrestler while Candido had been kicking ass in SMW and the WWF before winding up in ECW as part of The Triple Threat. Candido is babyface because Rogers represents old style wrestling? That is all I can gather really or the fact that he is old? Rogers clean breaks Candido in the corner, clean break from Candido which leads to a shove from Rogers. Side headlock by Rogers, nice counters by Candido. Stalemate with the two exchanging pleasantries. Side headlock by Candido, hiptoss and armdrag by Rogers. Boring chants from fans, right hands by Candido.

Candido misses an enzugiri, enzuigiri by Rogers. Candido dodges a baseball slide, Candido misses an axe handle. Rogers scores with a right hand, Candido is sent groin first into the ringpost. Inverted atomic drop and clothesline by Rogers for two, Candido rolls to the floor. Candido slips into the ring and attacks Rogers who is left on the apron, Rogers suplexes Candido to the floor from the apron. Rogers charges Candido into the guard rail, forearm and camel clutch by Rogers. Candido escapes to eat a hurricanrana, two for Rogers. Front chancery from Rogers, powerslam by Candido. Delayed vertical suplex by Candido, two for Candido.

Middle rope leg drop for two, chops by Candido. Rogers chops back, Roger places Candido on the top turnbuckle. Superplex, two for Rogers. Candido knocks Rogers to the floor off the top turnbuckle, Candido slaps Rogers. Top rope hurricanrana for two, Candido tries a hurricanrana and eats a powerbomb from Rogers. Lance Storm comes down and attacks Rogers, Rogers eats a double elbow. Here comes Jerry Lynn to save Rogers, double clothesline by Lynn. Dropkick for Storm, Candido is in a Fujiwara armbar but Storm makes the save. Lynn baseball slides Storm, springboard crossbody by Lynn.

Candido dives onto Lynn and Storm, Rogers joins the fun. Crossbody onto everyone, this match has fallen apart. John Finnegan calls for a tag match, Lynn and Storm do battle, assisted powerbomb by Candido and Storm, Rogers makes the save. Rogers rolls-up Candido for two, low blow by Candido. Rogers has Candido in a hold, Storm knocks Lynn to the floor. Candido reverses the hold, Rogers switches with Candido as Storm nails Candido with a missile dropkick. Rogers dropkicks Candido to the floor, crossbody by Lynn on Storm for two. Candido and Storm argue, Blonde Bombshell connects but Rogers saves Lynn. Tomikaze on Storm by Rogers, Candido nails a northern lights suplex for the win.

What is with this company and flat finishes, a northern lights suplex out of pretty much nothing? It is starting to get on my nerves just a tad, Candido is a very good performer in that ring but the man had Taz the last time I seen him in the ring. Rogers was great in the day but in that ring on this night, I was watching a match that almost put me to sleep. ECW is not doing the best in terms of exciting opening matches, I would step up my game for all my bragging because if this is what ECW has to offer, I would not be buying the pay per view.

Winners: Storm & Candido over Lynn & Rogers via Nothern Lights Suplex!

Mikey Whipwreck vs Justin Credible

When I think of wrestlers changing quickly over time, I think of Flair in the WWE or Michaels after his back injury, those are two that come to mind when I think of stars changing a lot in terms of aging and their face. On a less extreme scale, I was always blown away by how big Whipwreck got between the years 1996 to 1997. Whipwreck looks like he skipped the chubby phase of being a teenager and it finally got up with him. Anyways, Credible has a great pun of a name and is being used far better than he was in the WWF. Whipwreck starts off hot, Credible is sent tumbling to the floor. Plancha and hurricanrana by Whipwreck, Credible nails a swinging DDT. Low dropkick and taunting, uppercuts by Credible.

Scoop slam, Credible climbs to the top turnbuckle. Missile dropkick for two, Credible hurls Whipwreck to the floor, Jason nails a clothesline. Chop by Credible, Whipwreck fights back but Credible counters with a snapmare and low dropkick to the back of the head. Credible has Whipwreck in the corner, Whipwreck fights back but walks into a sunset flip powerbomb for two. Reverse chinlock, Whipwreck escapes for a sleeper. Jawbreaker by Whipwreck to escape a Credible sleeper, superkick for two.

Spinebuster by Whipwreck for two, top rope hurricanrana. Whipwreck has Jason who was on the apron, low blow by Whipwreck. Credible nails a falling reverse DDT for two, Credible is on the top turnbuckle. Whipwreck whips Jason into Credible, Top Rope Whippersnapper for the win.

Largely boring match between those two, it just was nothing at all of note. I cannot really remember anything about it. ECW is not showing me anything to make me tune it to another show, it is ridiculous like send out your best talent? Is this your best talent? Are you telling me you could have given me anything better than that match?

Winner: Mikey Whipwreck over Justin Credible via Whippersnapper!

(ECW Television Championship Match) Taz © vs Pitbull 2 W/ Pitbull 1

The Pitbulls have gone corporate siding with Lance Wright, the former reporter for ECW who was pushed too far. Note that Brakkus is here as a bodyguard, this looks like this will be a fun squash match. Pitbull 2 jumps Taz off a distraction, right hands by Pitbull 2. Powerbomb by Pitbull 2, spinning heel kick. Diving shoulder block by Pitbull 2, Taz escapes a military press for a belly to belly Tazplex. Exploder Tazplex, Tazmission and this match is over. Well, that’s quick, no real rating for that.

Winner: Taz over Pitbull 2 via Tazmission!

(ECW Tag Team Championship Match) FBI © W/ Tommy Rich vs The Dudley Boyz W/ Joel Gertner/Big Dick Dudley vs The Gangstanators vs The Hardcore Chair-Swingin Freaks

Fuck me, Gertner’s promo before he nailed it is painful, it goes on and on. Anyways, this is everyone in one big match for the championships, Smothers and Guido are champions, the match starts with Rotten and Mahoney smacking everyone with chairs. Dudleys and FBI beat down Rotten and Mahoney, Mahoney is shoved to the floor. Smothers and Guido stomp Rotten, Bubba nails Mahoney with a superplex. Diving headbutt by D-Von, The Dudleys and The FBI celebrate in their handy work but here comes The Gangstanators! New Jack and Kronus bring their toys to the ring, it is about to go absolutely nuts in ECW. Weapon shots all around, Smothers is being beaten with crutches. Kronus hammers Bubba with a metal tray.

Smothers is smacked with a mailbox, everyone is using weapons now as the match has all but come crashing down in terms of quality. Bubba is grating the face of Mahoney, some people are bleeding. Kronus and D-Von brawl in the ring, spinning heel kick by Kronus. Big Dick is in the ring, Kronus is clubbed down. Big Dick misses a moonsault, Chokeslam to Kronus. New Jack nails Big Dick with a guitar, Kronus no-sells everything. Kronus nails a 450 Splash, Bubba splashes New Jack in the corner. Bubba planchas onto everyone on the floor, this match is just insane, New Jack is alone in the ring. Tommy Rich is stalking New Jack, New Jack kicks off Rich and plants the guitar on Rich’s head. Kronus is in the ring, Guido pushes Kronus into a Bubba Cutter for the elimination.

The Gangstanators Have Been Eliminated!

Bubba waffles Mahoney with a chair, Guido is military pressed into the turnbuckle. The Dudleys rough up Mahoney, Superkick by Mahoney. Mahoney leg lariats D-Von to the floor, Bubba has Mahoney in a full-nelson. Gertner throws powder in Bubba’s face, Bubba 3Ds D-Von because he was blinded and we are down to The FBI vs Mahoney & Rotten.

The Dudleys Have Been Eliminated!

Bionic elbows by Rotten, double clothesline by Mahoney. Smothers is on the floor, Guido is all alone. High-angle Reverse DDT by Rotten, Nutcracker Suite by Mahoney. Crooked referee Jeff Jones does not count Mahoney’s pin, low blow by Jeff Jones with Guido rolling up Mahoney and the champions retain!

Well, that was an overbooked mess. Do not get me wrong, there was a lot of moments in this match that made me smile but if it was fun for 10% of the match, it was chaos for 90%. So many different things going on at once, I would have preferred two straight tag matches featuring The Gangstanators vs The Dudley Boyz and The FBI vs The Hardcore Chair-Swingin Freaks.

Winners: FBI over Everyone Else via Crooked Referee!

Rob Van Dam W/ Bill Alfonso vs Tommy Dreamer W/ Beaulah

RVD is a WWF man, RVD represents the WWF because they recognize what a star Mr. PPV is while ECW turned their back on RVD. This is the belief of Van Dam while Dreamer represents ECW, Dreamer is everything that ECW believes in and Dreamer would love nothing more than to destroy RVD inside of that ring and send RVD packing back to the WWF. Another feud that is quite hot but could the match be on par with the angle?

Dreamer has a separated shoulder and a broken heel, RVD trips Dreamer but Dreamer gets the better of RVD before RVD goes to the heel. Monkey flip, corkscrew leg drop by RVD. RVD poses, Dreamer nails a side Russian legsweep. Irish whip to the corner, clothesline by Dreamer. RVD avoids a DDT, baseball slide by Dreamer. Clothesline into the crowd by Dreamer, Dreamer meets the guard rail thanks to RVD’s jawbreaker. Somersault senton by RVD, Dreamer whips RVD into the guard rail, RVD is crotched on the guard rail and smashed with a chair. RVD returns the favours and kicks a chair into Dreamer’s face.

RVD punches Dreamer in the face, running dropkick with the chair. Chair into the face again, RVD continues to piss off everyone in attendance. Slingshot leg drop for two, Dreamer manages to crotch RVD on the top turnbuckle. Hangman’s neckbreaker for two, RVD is in the tree of woe. Low dropkick by Dreamer with a chair smacking RVD in the face, Dreamer is on the top rope. Alfonso cracks Dreamer’s ankle, Rolling Thunder by RVD for two. Dreamer blocks a split-legged moonsault with his knees, RVD blocks the DDT by STOing Dreamer onto a chair.

Dreamer DDTs RVD but Alfonso pulls out the referee, the referee is smacked with a road sign. RVD waffles Dreamer with a chair to the head, Dreamer nails RVD with the chair. Jeff Jones nails a referee, Dreamer dropkicks a chair into RVD’s face. Roll-up for two as Jeff Jones attacks another referee. Beulah is in, low blow and double DDT by the referees, what the fuck am I watching? Alfonso low blows both, Beulah low blows Alfonso. Dreamer nails RVD with a Piledriver and RVD kicks out! DDT by Dreamer, here comes Furnas and LaFon. Richards Superkicks Dreamer, Five Star Frog Splash by RVD onto Dreamer with a trash can. Here comes Sabu, Beulah pleads for Dreamer’s life and she is clotheslined by Sabu.

No Contest!

Sabu vs The Sandman

Do not worry you will get your review of RVD and Dreamer at the end of this match, I am continuing it on without a full review as this match and Sabu’s match run into one another. Sandman might be the shittest babyface hero as he took his time and waited for Dreamer and Beulah to be destroyed before making the save. Sandman is so great that he continues to do his usual shtick while Dreamer and Beulah roll out of the ring to be tended to by Medics. Lafon, Furnas and Richards just leave? Ok, we have our match beginning with Sandman and Sabu brawling on the floor. Sabu nails a Triple Jump Moonsault, two for Sabu. Sandman clotheslines Sabu, looks like Sandman has fucked up his wrist a second into this match.

Sandman throws Sabu to the floor, Sandman launches a ladder at Sabu’s head. Sabu Irish whips Sandman into the guard rail, leg lariat by Sabu using the chair to springboard. Sandman slams Sabu and suplexes a table onto Sabu, Sandman puts Sabu through a table. Sandman lays Sabu on a table, Sandman nails a leg drop through the table. More table, ladder and chairs throwing, Sandman has been placed on a table. Triple Jump Leg Drop through the table, shite Irish whip from Sabu. Springboard leg lariat by Sabu for two, Sabu has a giant ladder. Sandman eats it across the head, Sandman is up but is sent tumbling to the floor.

Sandman is on a table, Sabu tries flying off the turnbuckle with ladder in hand to crush Sandman, it does not work. Sabu is on a table, Sandman misses a Rolling Rock through the table. Triple Jump Moonsault for two, Sandman superplexes Sabu onto a ladder. Sabu flops a ladder on Sandman’s head, slingshot leg drop by Sabu on Sadnman. Sabu pulls out a fork and stabs Sandman over and over like his uncle The Sheik. Sandman hurls Sabu to the floor, ladder to the face. Sandman nails a Rolling Rock on Sabu who is under a ladder, Sandman nails a slingshot hilo.

Sandman slaps Sabu in the corner, Sabu reverses and Irish whip but Sandman counters a springboard for an electric chair drop. Sabu is on a table again, Sandman drops Sabu through the table with a Rolling Rock. Alfonso has Sandman’s cane, Sabu throws a fireball at Sandman. It does not work? Sandman grabs Alfonso, missile dropkick by Sabu who saves Alfonso. Sabu has Sandman on a table, Sabu sends Sandman through the table. Arabian Facebuster with a ladder and Sabu wins the match.

I am so glad I waited to give my opinion on those two matches. First, RVD vs Dreamer was on its way to a decent little match and then the booking kicked in. All my God did we have enough interference? Did we need to see Jeff Jones again? Did we need to see the referees posing? The match went from heated rivalry for the company’s honour for piss and shit show with booking galore. No definitive winner, no satisfying conclusion to the angle between the two. Go fuck yourself ECW on that blow-off. Then, we have this match, the most pedestrian-looking match I have seen in a while. These two stumbled around like two dickheads for the next table spot with no rhyme or reason building to a leg drop. It was so God damn boring, I wanted to fast-forward to the next spot because these two matches were awful.

Winner: Sabu over The Sandman via Arabian Facebuster!

(ECW World Championship Match) Bam Bam Bigelow © vs Shane Douglas W/ Francine

The Triple Threat imploded with Bigelow taking Douglas’ championship from him in dominating fashion with a massive powerbomb. Francine is on crutches, this saddens me greatly. This is very bizarre though, Douglas is the ultimate shit-talking heel, the ultimate dickhead when it came to ECW and now, they want him to play the role of underdog babyface in his hometown. Both men are heels in my book but Douglas is default babyface for being the hometown guy, I have a feeling this will not be good.

Bigelow shoves Douglas to the floor, the Triple Threat is banned so Douglas can’t cheat? How can Douglas be a babyface? This is so weird, Bigelow hammers Douglas. Douglas fires back but Bigelow smashes Douglas. Bigelow steps on the throat of Douglas, heaadbutts by Bigelow. Douglas battles back again, stomps in the corner. Corner splash by Bigelow, Douglas blocks a splash but cannot life Bigelow. Headbutt by Bigelow, clubbing blows by Bigelow. Bigelow crushes Douglas after The Franchise tries a scoop slam. Reverse chinlock by Bigelow, Douglas escapes to eat a massive powerslam. Suplex from the apron into the ring by Bigelow, baseball slide by Bigelow.

Bigelow drills Douglas into the ringpost, splash against the guard rail. Low blow by Douglas, right hands by The Franchise. Bigelow suplexes Douglas, two for the champion. Reverse chinlock from Bigelow, Douglas fights out of the hold before Bigelow military presses Douglas onto the ringpost. Douglas chops back at Bigelow but Bigelow cuts down Douglas. Bigelow has a table, Bigelow wanted a moonsault but Douglas powerbombs Bigelow through the table. Douglas goes after the ribs, Bigelow throws Douglas to the floor. Douglas fights back attacking the ribs, multiple clotheslines and Bigelow is knocked to the floor. Plancha attempt by Douglas, counter by Bigelow who powerbombs Douglas through the table.

Powerbomb in the ring for two, Bigelow continues to wear down Douglas. Bigelow tosses Douglas onto security and The Triple Threat members, Douglas is bleeding everywhere. Bigelow shoves down the referee, Francine attacks Bigelow with her crutch. Bigelow waned to attack Francine, Bigelow uses the crutch on Douglas. Bigelow wants to break Douglas’ arm, toss across the ring. Clothesline by Bigelow, Belly to Belly Suplex by Douglas out of nowhere. Douglas cannot cover, corner splash by Bigelow. Bigelow has a chair and a table, Douglas counters a powerbomb and Belly to Belly Suplexes Bigelow through the table.

The roof explodes off of the building but fuck me were they watching the same snorefest that I was? As I said at the beginning I was very confused by the story they were trying to tell with Douglas as an underdog babyface. The interference of The Triple Threat and Francine did not help my opinion, either did the low blows or Styles commenting that Francine was upset because her meal ticket was getting beaten up. Bigelow plodded around, that is not a joke about his weight, it is what he did. Bigelow punch, Bigelow stalled. Bigelow slam, Bigelow stalled. Rinse and repeat and you have this match, Douglas could not come off as an underdog and it was another poor showing for ECW in the main event of their pay per view.

Winner: Shane Douglas over Bam Bam Bigelow via Belly to Belly Suplex!

That was ECW’s November to Remember 1997, a pay per view that I hope to forget! This was all around a bad, overbooked pay per view but I shall try to gather my thoughts about the whole card. The opener had boring chants and went far too long, it should have been a tag from the start or Lynn vs Candido. Rogers looked old and wrestled a styled that fans cared very little for, the next match featuring Justin Credible went far too long also. Credible should not have been on pay per view just yet in my opinion, didn’t seem to have all the tools.

The card descended into chaos after the Taz squash, the tag match was all over the place with twelve billion things happening at once. RVD vs Dreamer was a massive let down, it had the build like Lawler vs Dreamer, it had the intensity and the big fight feel with an angle that pissed off the fans but it was squandered with silly spots. You had referee bumps, Beulah and Alfonso followed by Lafon and Furnas with more interference, it became far too stupid to enjoy and I did not get a satisfying conclusion and I won’t because the next pay per view is months away!

Sandman and Sabu was awful, they did nothing in between breaking a million tables. By that point, I had seen everything how was I supposed to care about anyone in this match? Sandman seemed to dislocate his wrist seconds in which only made things worse as the man could barely wrestle with everything working in his body. Douglas and Bigelow was slow and dull with a story being told that made little sense, I suppose Douglas will be a massive dickhead again by the next night, yeah seems about right. Thanks for reading and remember: There’s always another night!