ECW November To Remember 2000 Review

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that hopes the winner of The Royal Rumble will headline Wrestlemania! ECW’s November To Remember 2000 headlined by a Double Jeopardy Match, what the fuck is that you ask? Beats me, we also have Chris Chetti vs Nova, the tag team that had a tonne of potential but never had the chance to win the titles, RVD is gone so we have New Jack vs Rhino and Da Baldies taking on Chilly Willy & Balls Mahoney. We are going down to our last legs now with the company, the starpower which was pretty diminished to begin with is dwindling down ever further. Let’s see how it goes for ECW!

Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger vs Joey Matthews & Christian York

Diamond attacks Gertner, Styles attacks Diamond. Swinger has a chair, Gertner is left alone in the ring. Dreamer makes the save, what is going on. CW Anderson lays out Dreamer, York & Matthews come out and make the save. Could we not just have a match? Double suicide dives by York & Matthews, assisted suplex and senton combination. Double Russian legsweep to Diamond, hotshot by Swinger and a clothesline by Diamond. Matthews meets the guard rail, Simon suplexes for two. Where is the commentary? What is taking Styles so long? It sounds so odd! Double STO on Matthews, neckbreaker by Matthews out of desperation. Diamond attacks York, low blow by Matthews and a tag to York.

Springboard elbow, sit-out facebuster with Diamond saving Swinger. Matthews and Swinger brawl on the floor, Diamond and Swinger nails a sidewalk slam and reverse DDT on a chair. Two for Swinger, Swinger is sent into Diamond’s jewels. Hurricanrana by Matthews, Anderson interferes and Spinebusters Matthews. Problem Solver on York and this match is over.

Fine opening match, no real story to the match. The young tag team put over another team, Diamond and Swinger are nowhere near as interesting as Doring & Roadkill but it worked for the match. Just wish they would cut out all run-ins and such, we could have a normal match without the need for all the bells and whistles.

Winners: Diamond & Swinger over Matthews & York via Problem Solver!

Kid Kash vs CW Anderson

Kash saves the young tag team, dive onto everyone, Anderson is thrown in the ring and we have a match. They trade control before a slingshot hurricanrana by Kash, crowd brawling. Chair to the head, two for Kash. Springboard is countered for the Ferris Wheel, chop by Anderson. Single Arm DDT by Anderson, Kash is tossed to the floor. Kash is sent into the ringpost arm first, chair to the arm of Kash. Kash’s arm is worked over, corkscrew attack for two. Massive left from Anderson for two, single arm TKO for two. Springboard sunset flip for two, double knockdown in the middle of the ring. The two smack one another on the ground, Kash wins the war. Springboard hurricanrana for two, delayed superplex for two.

Series of pins by both men, Kash misses a springboard and eats a massive Spinebuster for two. Anderson is not happy, Kash ducks a punch. Money Maker does not connect, spinning DDT and that is all she wrote, Anderson does not kick out.

Well, they wrestled but I felt I saw nothing of any note or importance, there is nowhere for Kash to really go except for the TV Championship. Whether it would happen or not, I am not sure but Anderson went from challenging for the number one contendership to nothing on this pay per view. It is disappointing but what should I expect from ECW at this point, they are losing stars every second so it is a miracle that they are even putting together shows.

Winner: Kid Kash over CW Anderson via DDT!

Danny Doring & Roadkill/Spike Dudley vs Hot Commodity W/ Elektra

Why Doring and Roadkill are not competing for the tag team titles I will never understand, these guys have been the most popular tag team for months in ECW. Hot Commodity use their three on two advantage to rough up Doring & Roadkill, Spike Dudley is here to aid Doring & Roadkill. Lots of diving to the floor, Hamrick is caught by Roadkill. Slam, slingshot elbow. Powerslam to Money, Elbow Drop to Money. Lancaster Lariat of Lust to Dinero, Doring is distracted by Money and Hot Commodity take control. Quick tags between Dinero and Money, Huge Leg Drop by Hamrick for two. Right hands by Hamrick, G-Spot Suite by Doring.

Tag to Roadkill, clotheslines for everyone. Barn Burner, eye poke to Dinero. Dirt Road Slam, Hamrick whacks Roadkill with a chair. Spike raises hell before a chop block, Hamrick misses his leg drop. Dinero misses a diving clothesline, Acid Drop is blocked for a powerbomb. Roadkill nails his springboard clothesline, Elektra is in the ring. Bare-Back, Acid Drop to Hamrick for the win.

Another quick match which had plenty of fun spots, enough to make the match entertaining. Doring & Roadkill need the tag team belts, they are the premier team and they are being wasted every day that they do not hold those belts. Nice to see Spike in the ring, Spike is a bumping machine and it’s nice with The Dudleys being gone that we get to see Spike mix it up with other wrestlers.

Winners: Team Spike over Hot Commodity via Acid Drop!

(Loser Leaves Town Match) Chris Chetti W/ Lou E. Dangerously vs Nova

They split up, if they had more profile and meaningful matches, this would mean a lot more. Nova runs at Chetti, clotheslines and kicks. Nova misses a plancha, Chetti chops Nova. Off the guard rail, Nova goes. Chetti misses a spear, Nova has a chair. Chetti is bleeding, crucifix by Nova for two. They dodge one another’s finishes, chickenwing by Nova. Lou E. grabs Nova’s foot, thrustkick by Chetti. Chetti is whipped into a chair, stomps by Nova. Chetti is down, low blow by Lou E. Scissors Kick, right hands by Chetti.

Corner clothesline and sidekick for two, delayed suplex for two. Backslide from Nova, two for Nova. Eye poke by Chetti, Novacaine for two. Sidekick by Nova, Nova pummels Chetti. Chetti cracks Nova with a chair, Nova shakes it off and screams, pummelling Chetti. Enzuigiri, Lou E places Chetti’s boot on the bottom rope. Baseball slide to Lou E, Third Degree from Nova. Lou E cracks Nova with a cellphone, Nova kicks out at two. Nova and Chetti brawl on the top rope, Nova catches Chetti for a Super Kryptonite Krunch for the win.

I did not feel the desperation of the match, I did not buy the two hated one another despite their best efforts, I thought the interference made no difference as I am almost numb to it at this stage, every match has interference of some kind. The finish was fitting of a feud such as this but everything that went in between was not interesting, the ultimate slap to the face is that they cut away not even seeing Chetti’s reaction to leaving ECW.

Winner: Nova over Chris Chetti via Kryptonite Krunch!

(Flaming Tables Match) Balls Mahoney & Chilly Willy vs Da Baldies

This reeks of desperation, chairs to the head by Mahoney. An insane amount of crowd brawling and brawling by the stage, some chairs are thrown. Boots to the head of Mahoney, a table has been brought into the ring. Mahoney DDTs Angel, Devito dropkicks Mahoney. Mahoney nails a Super Nutcracker Suite, too bad I have seen a finisher off the top rope already. Nutcracker Suite on Angel, Devito is thrown to the floor. Table is lit on fire and Angel eats a powerbomb through the table. Garbage match, no wrestling DUD!

Winners: Balls Mahoney & Chilly Willy over Da Baldies via Powerbomb Through A Table!

(ECW World Television Championship Match) New Jack vs Rhino ©

Weapons, weapons and more weapons. Lots of weapon shots for New Jack, Rhino shakes it all off. Table is in the corner, Rhino uses the referee as a shield to avoid a trash can to the head. New Jack has a staple gun, crooked referee from before gets stapled. New Jack has a guitar, Rhino no-sells the guitar. Gore through the table, cover and Rhino wins. Trash, back to back trash is awful. DUD!

(ECW World Tag Team Championship Match) The Unholy Alliance vs The FBI © W/ Big Sal

Rematch from last month, Whipwreck and Mamaluke begin the match. Hammerlock from Whipwreck, hammerlock from Mamaluke. Wristlock from Whipwreck, victory rolls by both men. Sidewalk slams by Whipwreck to both FBI members, tag to Tajiri. Double spinebuster and gutbuster followed by a dropkick. Guido is tagged, shoving between the two. Test of strength, Tajiri snapmares Guido. Escapes and counters from both, firemen’s carry by Tajiri. Pin by Tajiri for two, stand-off. Kick by Tajiri, tag to Whipwreck. Slingshot leg drop, Guido is sandwiched between two chairs and gets kicked in the head. Mamaluke is smacked onto the guard rail, Guido onto the announce table. Mamaluke crotches Whipwreck on the top rope, Guido and Mamaluke get caught.

Double Whippersnapper from the top rope, Whipwreck is clutching his shoulder. Big Sal splashes Mamaluke by mistake, Whipwreck is legit injured. The match comes to a stand-still, Whipwreck is stretchered out of the arena. Tajiri is caught in a Sicilian crab, Super Crazy makes his return to ECW and of course, it’s to team with Tajiri. Double dropkick to The FBI, monkey flip for Mamaluke. Ten punches to Guido, pop-up facebuster for Mamaluke. Mamaluke is caught in the tree of woe, low dropkick for Mamaluke. Guido eats a chair to the face, Crazy holds a chair for Tajiri to kick in Guido’s face. Mamaluke and Guido take control of Tajiri, multiple kicks to the arm. Tajiri is isolated, Guido nails The Sicilian Slice for two.

Sidekick by Tajiri, clothesline by an interfering Mamaluke. Handspring Elbow by Tajiri, Crazy comes in for the hot-tag. Low dropkick and powerbomb for Mamaluke, spinning DDT for Guido. Spinning heel kick for Mamaluke, Mamaluke bounces Crazy’s head off the apron. Mamaluke is pressed into the crowd, Big Sal attacks Crazy on the floor. Big Sal and Crazy are in the crowd, Fujiwara armbar by Tajiri. Crazy moonsaults onto Big Sal, Tajiri is left with two FBI members. Tarantula on Mamaluke, Guido kicks Tajiri. Bulldog by Guido, sloppy looking one and the match ends.

Oh no, that was weak. When I say weak, I mean one of the lamest finishes I have seen in recent memory. ECW and its old ways, would have been a nice return for Crazy to win the championships, Crazy and Tajiri both deserve to be champion based on their Herculean efforts in stealing the shows on ECW.

Winners: FBI over Crazy & Tajiri via Bulldog!

(ECW World Heavyweight Championship Double Jeopardy Match) Jerry Lynn © vs Justin Credible/The Sandman vs Steve Corino

Odd match, two single matches take place and the winner of both will face-off for the championship. Sandman is late? So, Lynn and Credible fight. Corino gets involved even though he doesn’t really have to, all three men fight one another. Sandman eventually makes it to the ring, Corino is meant to be a babyface yet is heeling harder than Credible at this moment and time. Lynn is already bleeding, this match has broken down so why not have a four-way dance? Lynn tornado DDTs Corino, Sandman guillotines Corino off the guard rail. Scrapbuster slam by Credible on Lynn, Lynn and Credible fight one another in the ring, Sandman and Corino continue brawling. Sandman has a ladder, Credible meets the ladder via Irish whip. Same fate for Lynn, Lynn and Credible are thrown to the floor.

Corino is suplexed on the ladder for two, Corino is buried under a ladder, slingshot hilo by Sandman for two. Sandman bulldogs Credible on the ladder, Corino is in the ring with chairs and a guard rail. Corino is suplexed onto the guard rail, Lynn tombstones Credible. Francine interferes, Dawn Marie is stopped by Corino. Sandman canes Corino, Lynn eats a double superkick from Credible and Corino. That’s Incredible on Lynn, Old School Expulsion on Sandman, we have a double elimination.

Corino has been acting heelish all night long, Lynn who had been champion for all but a month, Credible is back in the title picture. Who do I even cheer for in this? It seems they were doing their best to make me hate Corino, this makes no sense. Bionic Elbows from Corino for two, Corino is back dropped onto Lynn. Credible is whipped to the floor, White Russian legsweep by Sandman against the guard rail. Corino has a table, both me chop one another. Both men bang heads, Corino northern lights suplexes Credible through the table. Francine is in the ring, Credible pulls Francine into a superkick. Old School Expulsion for two.

Credible measures Corino, Superkick to the face of Corino. Two for Credible, Credible has a cane. Corino is whacked on the back of the head, That’s Incredible is countered for Old School Expulsion. Dawn Marie low blows Victory and Corino, not enough limelight for her. Credible has his cane, whack to the head of Corino. Superkick by Corino out of desperation and we have a new champion.

Garbage match, I am sorry but there is no way around this bizarre clusterfuck of a match. Lynn hands over the belt to Corino like a passing of the torch, CORINO DID NOT EVEN PIN LYNN FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. There is no sense in this passing moment, LYNN WAS CHAMPION FOR A MONTH. Am I living in an alternate universe? I am proud of Corino, the guy was arguably one of the most entertaining wrestlers over the year 2000 but this moment was done so poorly. Makes his number one contender’s match with CW Anderson pointless, the crowd wanted RVD or The Sandman.

Winner: Steve Corino over Justin Credible via Superkick!

That was ECW’s November To Remember 2000, their annual big show of the year and if you big show of the year has two garbage matches back to back, you can go jump off a bridge. Like most ECW shows, it starts off fun, no real psychology, story-telling is non-existent but you have a good time. That slump in the middle took me out of it, two matches of nothing but brawling back to back, please never again you are killing me Mr. Heyman. The main event was silly, a four-way dance would have been fine not this double jeopardy nonsense. Corino’s crowning came over the wrong man and in the wrong angle, why pull the trigger at such an awkward time? You need RVD but RVD is not around, you have no real main event scene and the show falls apart. Thanks for reading and remember: There’s always another night!

ECW Heatwave 2000 Review

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that could save 205 Live! ECW’s Heatwave 2000 where Justin Credible defends his championship against Tommy Dreamer in the match that the fans wanted to see at the last pay per view. Rhino and The Sandman do battle once more, RVD looks for revenge against Scotty Anton for his double-cross at the last pay per view and it seems mid-card mania continues for the likes of Super Crazy, Guido, Tajiri and Jerry Lynn.

Opening Promo

Joel Gertner and Styles do their usual shtick before Cyrus interrupts, Gertner finally snaps and attacks Cyrus for his colossal douche-baggery.

Balls Mahoney vs Big Sal

Somehow we make it out of that brawl to Big Sal and Balls, Big Sal spits at Mahoney. Clothesline to the back of the head, massive shots to the back. Mahoney punches, Big Sal staggers. Low blow and a chair shot with Big Sal still standing, Big Sal shakes it off. Chokeslam by Big Sal, Big Sal is on the bottom rope. Elbow to the balls of Mahoney, belly to belly suplex and Big Sal beats Mahoney. Well, that was a shock why did they go with that finish? No idea, DUD!

Winner: Big Sal over Balls Mahoney via Belly to Belly Suplex!

Simon Diamond/Johnny Swinger/CW Anderson vs Danny Doring/Roadkill/Kid Kash

Doring & Roadkill are full-blown babyfaces now while Kid Kash continues to show incredible growth as a high-flying daredevil. Diamond has a new partner in Swinger, CW Anderson is proving to be quite the hand in the ring. Kash and Diamond begin, lock-up. Waistlock by Diamond, Kash counters for a hammerlock. Firemen’s carry by Diamond, hammerlock from Kash. Snapmare and armdrags by Diamond, armdrag by Kash. Hiptosses by Kash, stand-off. Anderson comes in, eats an elbow from Doring. Roadkill splashes Diamond & Swinger, the babyfaces pose in the ring.

Kash nails Anderson with a slingshot hurricanrana, Diamond sends Roadkill into the guard rail. Springboard clothesline by Kash on Anderson, Diamond saves the match. Hurricanrana on Diamond, Anderson catches Kash for the ferris wheel for two. Swinger is legal, back suplex and stomps to Kash. Anderson is legal, massive chop to Kash. Kash chops back, right hands. Irish whip, Anderson eats a boot. Moonsault by Kash, Anderson is down. Doring comes in, superkick for Swinger. G-Spot Suite for Anderson, Bare-back to Diamond. Swinger Russian legsweeps Doring for two. Diamond and Swinger nail a double complete shot on Doring for two, crowd chants for Roadkill.

Simon suplexes, two for Diamond. Tag to Anderson, chops by Anderson. Doring fights back before a huge left, two as Kash saves Doring. Rocker Dropper by Doring, Roadkill gets the hot-tag. Sidewalk slam to Swinger, Dirt Road Slam to Diamond. TKO to Anderson, Doring planchas onto the heels. Kash does the same onto everyone, Roadkill springboards onto everyone. Danaconda for two, Diamond saves Swinger.

Roadkill is crotched on the top rope, Swinger & Diamond double suplex Roadkill for two. Kash saves Roadkill, Anderson spinebusters Kash for two as Roadkill drops the leg on Anderson. The Problem Solver is stopped, Wham Bam Thank You Mam, Money Maker on Swinger and this match is over!

What a fun match, the heels were hated and the babyfaces were loved, pro-wrestling at its simplest and finest. Kash was money as Styles would scream, freakishly athletic with a finisher that makes you go aww each and every time. Doring and Roadkill were a great tag team in ECW by this point, Roadkill and Doring complimented one another greatly, I would love to see a tag team championship match though, I feel like it has been ages with the dissolution of The Impact Players.

Winners: Team Kash over Team Diamond via Money Maker!

Steve Corino W/ Jack Victory vs Jerry Lynn

The idea was Jerry Lynn was joining The Network, this proved wrong as Lynn was out for one person and that was himself. Lynn sprints down to the ring an chops Corino, corner clothesline followed by diving bulldog. Clothesline to the floor, Lynn dives onto Corino and Victory. Backbreaker by Lynn, stomps by The New F’N Show. Lynn leg drops Corino guillotine style, Corino meets the guard rail. Corino ducks a clothesline and crotches Lynn, Corino has a chair. Lynn kicks the chair into Corino’s face. Tornado DDT using the guard rail for leverage, both men are down.

Corino is bleeding, no surprise there. Right hands by Lynn, ten punches by Lynn but Corino powerbombs Lynn onto a chair. Chops by Corino, Victory cheap shots Lynn. Left hands and bionic elbow by Corino, two for Corino. Lynn eats a powerslam for two, stomps by Corino. Victory attacks Lynn again, Lynn is flattened using the guard rail. Lynn is thrown into the guard rail, right hands by Corino. Lynn fires up, exploder suplex by Corino. Two for Corino, Lynn is back with right hands. Low blow by Corino, Lynn dropkicks a chair into Corino’s face. Slugfest with Lynn winning the war, Corino is crotched on the top rope.

Lynn has a chair, Lynn DDTs Corino onto the chair, Tower of London style for two. Corino manages to kick out of the DDT, Lynn talks trash before using Corino’s blood to write the word DIE on his chest. Lynn is one crazy motherfucker right here, Corino is not finished though. Superkick by Corino for two, Corino eats a reverse DDT from the middle rope for two. Scoop slam is countered for The Old School Expulsion, Corino gets two. Low blow by Lynn, powder goes into the referee’s eyes, thanks to Victory. Corino nails Lynn with his boot, Lynn is nailed with the cowbell by Victory. Two for Corino, the two reverse pins because that just has to happen. Cradle Piledriver and Lynn wins the match.

Corino and Lynn put up a good match for every fan in the arena, Lynn never fails to put a smile on my face while watching this company, the DIE moment and Lynn’s Piledriver were things of beauty. Corino is a master of blading but more importantly, Corino puts himself in another match where the fans would be talking about him the next day, Corino continues to be the man inside of that ring.

Winner: Jerry Lynn over Steve Corino via Cradle Piledriver!

Da Baldies vs Nova & Chris Chetti

New Jack comes out on crutches, Da Baldies are not fond of New Jack and beat the piss out of The Gangsta before Chetti and Nova make the save. What was the point of brining Jack out for that? Dives from Nova and Chetti, Devito nails some rights on Nova. Double flapjack on Nova, Devito gets two. Right hands by Devito and a big dropkick, belly to belly suplex from Nova. Tag to Chetti, right hands and a big thrustkick. Sidekick to Devito, Angel saves his team. Blue Thunder Bomb by Chetti, Devito attacks Chetti. Nova misses the senton bomb, Devito nails his Bronx Bomb. Devito misses a moonsault, Nova nails a piledriver followed by a second and a sit-out powerbomb. Angle clotheslines Nova, Chetti pummels Angel.

Angel ducks a clothesline, Angel misses a leg lariat. Amityville Horror connects, Nova and Chetti climb to the top rope, Angle has nowhere to go but down as Chetti and Nova nails The Tidal Wave for the win. That was fairly short, a squash in every sense of the word so not much to report here.

Winners: Nova & Chetti over Da Baldies via Tidal Wave!

Little Guido vs Psicosis vs Tajiri vs Mikey Whipwreck

Well would you look at that, Guido and Tajiri have not progressed at all since 1999, Whipwreck enters this match as he is insane, Whipwreck is in pyromaniac mode. Tony Mamaluke gets planted for interfering, Big Sal catches Whipwreck and sends Whipwreck into the ringpost. Psicosis nails his Guillotine Leg Drop with Guido stealing the pin for the elimination.

Tajiri kicks Guido, Psicosis chops Tajiri. Armdrag by Tajiri, shoulder block by Psicosis. Hurricanrana by Tajiri, headscissors too. Hotshot by Psicosis, Guido and Psicosis brawl before an Asai Moonsault from Tajiri. Buzzsaw kick to Guido, superplex from Tajiri. Corkscrew Moonsault by Psicosis for two, Psicosis goes after Tajiri. Chops by Psicosis, Guido nails The Kiss of Death. Buzzsaw Kick from Tajiri to Guido, German Suplex on Psicosis and we are down to two.

 Tajiri slams Guido to the mat, victory roll from Guido for two. Buzzsaw Kick by Tajiri, Tarantula from Tajiri. Handspring Elbow by Tajiri, Tajiri wants a chair from ringside. Guido is placed in the tree of woe, chair to the ribs. Dropkick to the face, Guido kicks a chair into Tajiri’s face. Sicilian Slice by Guido, chops by Guido. Tajiri is faceplanted onto a chair, Tajiri stops the kiss of death. Green Mist and a Brainbuster on the chair for the win.

What can I say that I have not already? Tajiri and Guido have touched a thousand times, they bring out the best in one another, both men are two wrestlers you want opening shows because they are staples of the company, both men connect with the crowd so easily and they never have a bad match with one another.

Winner: Tajiri over Little Guido via Brainbuster!

(ECW Television Championship Match) Rhino © vs The Sandman

The Sandman looks for revenge against the monster Rhino, Rhino vs The Sandman was twice stopped from taking place on pay per view. Rhino had destroyed Sandman’s wife, Sandman had cost Rhino the TV Championship but Rhino is the champion at the end of the day and this feud continues despite the terrible matches, Sandman cracks Rhino with his cane four times and Rhino is on his feet. Clothesline by Rhino, Sandman dodges a corner clothesline. Right hands by Sandman, left hands by Sandman on the floor. There is a guard rail in the ring, Rhino has a chair. Chair to the back, left hands by Sandman in the ring.

Rhino meets the guard rail, Sandman nails a Heinekenrana onto the guard rail for two. Bulldog on the guard rail for two, Rhino suplexes Sandman on the guard rail. Rhino is slammed, Sandman places the guard rail on Rhino. Rolling Rock by Sandman for two, Rhino meets the guard rail again. Victory and Corino are here, Spike Dudley in a leg brace is here. 3D on Corino, Rhino is up. Roll-up by Sandman, Rhino Gores Spike. Rhino Driver on Spike through a table at ringside, more cane shots to Rhino. White Russian Legsweep is countered, Sandman bounces off the guard rail. Rhino Driver on the guard rail, Rhino retains.

Best they could hope for, all the violence of a match between the two, interference to clear up any sticky spots, Rhino continues to be an absolute monster, surviving everything that is thrown his way while Sandman will always be over, a legend in ECW by this point with nothing be able to diminish his starpower in the fans’ eyes.

Winner: Rhino over The Sandman via Rhino Driver!

Rob Van Dam W/ Bill Alfonso vs Scotty Anton

Scotty Anton was a dear friend to RVD, RVD was going to beat Jerry Lynn again before Anton turned his back on RVD costing him the match. Not sure what they thought they would get out of Anton but let’s see how it goes, RVD nails spinning heel kicks and a splash for two, Anton whips RVD into the guard rail. Boot by RVD, moonsault off the guard rail. Corkscrew guillotine leg drop with a chair by RVD, Anton begs for mercy. Low dropkick by RVD, military press by RVD. Moonsault, rolling firemen’s carry with a middle rope moonsault for two. Forearms by RVD, RVD crotches Anton on the rope. Anton wrestles the chair from Alfonso and RVD is smacked with the chair to the floor.

Anton does the clap, knee to the head of RVD. Bulldog onto the guard rail, clothesline against the guard rail. Anton slams RVD into the turnbuckle, Oklahoma Stampede style. RVD is in the tree of woe, choke from Anton. Both men are on the top rope, back superplex by Anton for two. Anton mocks RVD, stretch from Anton. Anton makes RVD do the clap, DDT by Anton. Two for Anton, Anton dropkicks RVD in the head. Anton clotheslines RVD off the guard rail, RVD is in the tree of woe. RVD kicks a chair into Anton’s face, diving thrustkick is blocked for a Boston crab. Alfonso breaks up the crab, RVD leg trips Anton onto the chair. Two for RVD, step-through spinning heel kick.

Inverted atomic drop by RVD, running chair dropkick into the face. Two for RVD, split-legged moonsault. Two for RVD, Rolling Thunder from RVD. Anton attacks the weakened leg of RVD, Clapper from Anton. RVD grabs a chair, big stomp from Anton. Anton grabs Alfonso, two-handed throat toss. The Clapper on Alfonso, slowest Van Damanator ever! Five Star Frog Splash, Van Terminator for the first time ever.

God, that was a long match. Anton and RVD do their best pose off for half of the match, the heat segment went on and on and on and on and on, I thought it would never come to an end. Anton was nowhere near as over or as good as he needed to be to be in there with RVD, it made for a real boring match. The Van Terminator was worth investing in though, the fans loved it and RVD is an athletic freak. Boring match with a cool finish.

Winner: Rob Van Dam over Scotty Anton via Van Terminator!

(ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match) Tommy Dreamer W/ Jazz vs Justin Credible © W/ Francine

Gorgeous George is here too, what in the name of God is going on for this match? Anyways, Credible vs Dreamer has been going on for beyond a year I’d say at this point, another dynamic was added with The Impact Players vs Raven and Dreamer, that went nowhere due to Storm and Raven leaving for WCW and WWF respectively. Another layer would be added with Mike Awesome leaving for WCW, Tazz beating Awesome for the championship and then, Dreamer beating Tazz. Dreamer was champion for about thirty seconds before Credible stole the championship, playing up to Dreamer’s pride and goading Dreamer into a championship match. Lovely start to quite the storyline with XPW morons attacking Francine, Dreamer and the locker room spill out for war.

That’s a shame considering this was a great build to a feud, we eventually start. Dreamer seems off his game, superkick by Credible. Powerslam by Dreamer, clothesline to the floor. Beer to the face of Credible, crowd brawling. Credible meets the guard rail, more crowd brawling. Dreamer is tipped off the ladder falling somewhere between tables, we are back at ringside. Credible is sent into a ladder, we are in the ring. Ladder is placed on the top turnbuckle, Dreamer is sent into the ladder. Dreamer smacks Credible into a ladder, Dreamer climbs towards the barbed wire. Low blow by Francine, Dreamer lands on Francine. George and Jazz come in, Jazz wants Francine.

George turns on Jazz, swerve Vince Russo style. Francine looks for a bronco buster, Jazz counters with a boot. Jazz attacks George, Francine is stripped of her bra. That’s Incredible on Jazz, Dreamer nails The TommyHawk. Two for Dreamer, Dreamer pulls down the barbed wire. Credible is crotched onto the barbed wire, Credible counters diamond dust for That’s Incredible on the barbed wire, two for Credible. Francine canes Credible by mistake, DDT for two. Tommyhawk is countered for That’s Incredible on the barbed wire and it is over.

The problem here is the fans just did not want to see Credible as the top guy, the fans do not buy Credible as their main event heel with the likes of Dreamer, Lynn, Corino and Rob Van Dam around. The two put on an entertaining match, not sure why George was needed for that moment. Hope she was well paid for it, Dreamer in his own words said that he never wanted to be the champion in ECW but I just think that ECW may have missed the boat by not putting the championship on Dreamer on this night.

Winner: Justin Credible over Tommy Dreamer via That’s Incredible!

That was ECW’s Heatwave 2000, a one match show when you break it all down. I have grown accustomed to the fast paced matches of ECW, very rarely will you find yourself bored with an ECW pay per view, the over-booking of years gone past has been stamped out a lot, I am not finding myself wanting to throw fits when a pay per view is over. There are a lot of rising wrestlers on the roster, the likes of Corino and Lynn plus Rhino and Tajiri come to mind. The problem for me lies with booking, you cannot book long-term when everyone is jumping to the other companies because you cannot pay them. So, we have a lack of main event presence for ECW, the company is still going and the pay per views are mostly easy on the eyes but they could not keep it up much longer. Thanks for reading and remember: There’s always another night!

ECW Hardcore Heaven 2000 Review

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that could have sworn Jeff Jarrett kept wrestling after the closure of WCW! ECW’s Hardcore Heaven 2000, did I mention the wheels were coming off this company? Ok, Mike Awesome is gone, the behemoth that kills everything. We never get the pay off, it is disappointing. Raven is nowhere to be seen, The Impact Players have split as Lance Storm is off to WCW. Scrambling for an answer, we find Justin Credible as the new ECW champion with Dreamer waiting in the wings. RVD is back from injury while Jerry Lynn is scratching and clawing trying to make it to the  main event scene. Corino continues to rise and the mid-card seems the same as every other show, this could be a hit or a miss folks. Let’s get into it!

Balls Mahoney vs Masato Tanaka

The arena looks nice and well lit, they even have a ramp. Tanaka and Mahoney were tag team champions, they are facing one another because God knows why. Kintaro Kanemura chokes out Gertner on Cyrus’ order, waistlock from Tanaka. Hammerlock counters, front chancery. Mahoney reaches the ropes, takedown by Mahoney. Single leg Boston crab by Mahoney, Tanaka reaches the ropes. Slugfest, Mahoney knocks Tanaka with a right hand. Crossbody by Tanaka for two, armdrag into an armbar. Lariat by Mahoney for two, Mahoney misses a spinning heel kick. Tanaka tries a plancha, Mahoney catches Tanaka and sends Tanaka into the guard rail. Two beers to the head, Tanaka meets the guard rail.

Tanaka sends Mahoney into the guard rail, right hands by Tanaka. Chair to the ribs, Tanaka cracks Mahoney with the chair. Tornado DDT on the ramp, they swing chairs at one another, Tanaka takes three shots to the head. Two for Mahoney, Tanaka eats a superkick for two. Mahoney has gathered  many chairs, the nutcracker suite is countered for a tornado DDT, two for Tanaka. Nutcracker Suite for two, Mahoney cracks his own head off the turnbuckle. Diamond Dust for two, Mahoney punches Tanaka. Nutcracker Suite on the pile of chairs for two, Tanaka dodges the leg drop. Roaring Elbow for two, Tanaka nails a super chair shot. Mahoney strong styles up before another Roaring Elbow ends the match.

A tonne of fun, ridiculous at times due to the amount of finisher kick-outs going on in the match but every single move popped the crowd, building their excitement to another level. They had their formula down to a tee, a great opening match for the fans.

Winner: Masato Tanaka over Balls Mahoney via Roaring Elbow!

Simon Diamond W/ The Prodigy/The Prodigette/Mitch/Musketeer vs Little Guido vs Mikey Whipwreck W/ Sinister Minister

I do not even know where to start with Simon’s entourage, it is ridiculous. Little Guido has moved down the card as opposed to up as Guido is still wrestling the same type of match that dominated his 1999. Whipwreck has his hair dyed red and playing the gimmick of a fire-obsessed maniac. Teases of finishes everywhere, armdrags by all. Superkick by Whipwreck on Guido, dropkick on Diamond. Headscissors by Guido on Diamond, Guido faceplants Diamond for two. Whipwreck nails a diving clothesline on Guido for two, Simon suplexes on Whipwreck. Guido dropkicks Diamond for two, slingshot leg drop on Guido by Whipwreck. Diamond drills Whipwreck with a chair, the lights go down in the arena.

Diamond planchas onto Big Sal, Whipwreck takes out Diamond’s entourage. Big Sal squishes the entourage, Sicilian Slice on Whipwreck for two. Diamond hammers away on Guido, sit-out spinebuster by Diamond. Two for Diamond, superkick by Whipwreck. Whippersnapper on Diamond, Diamond is eliminated. Crossbody with a roll through by Whipwreck for two, Double Underhook Spinning Facebuster by Whipwreck for two. Big Sal clubs Whipwreck, Russian legsweep by Guido for two. Guido misses a super elbow, fireball by Whipwreck on Big Sal. Maritato by Guido for the win.

Not on par with Super Crazy & Tajiri but fun nonetheless. A big knock on the match is the lights going down in the arena, killing the mood for a lot of fans in attendance. A fun match at the end of the night, happy for Guido to get the win.

Winner: Little Guido over Everyone Else via Maritato!

CW Anderson W/ The Dangerous Alliance vs Kid Kash W/ Jazz

Jazz gets beat up by The Dangerous Alliance, Kash makes the save. Kash dives onto Anderson and Wiles, left hand in the ring by Anderson. Hurricanrana by Kash, deep armdrag and a dropkick. Wiles gets knocked, diving hurricanrana onto Wiles. Chops by Kash, headscissors by Kash. Anderson nails a sit-out powerbomb out of nowhere, chops by Anderson. Anderson throws Kash to the floor, Wiles does some damage. Kash nails a crossbody for two, lariat by Anderson. Exploder suplex by Anderson for two, reverse chinlock by Anderson. Kash fires up, powerslam by Anderson to stop Kash for two. Anderson misses a splash, Wiles is cracked with Lou E’s cell phone. Superkick by Anderson for two, Top Rope Hurricanrana by Kash for the win.

Alright match, Kash has huge potential to be mixing it up with the likes of Crazy, Guido and Tajiri. Whether the company does anything with Kash, we shall see.

Winner: Kid Kash over CW Anderson via Super Rana!

Da Baldies vs Doring & Roadkill vs Chetti & Nova

Starts off hot with a tonne of brawling, Chetti & Nova have Devito. Kicking combination, pump kicks for Angel. Face-off between what must have been ECW’s future hopes for the tag division. Da Baldies stop the face-off, springboard clothesline by Roadkill. Senton Bomb on Devito for two, Lancaster Lariat of Lust for two. Springboard thrustkick by Chetti on Doring, Dirt Road Slam by Roadkill on Chetti. Double flapjack by Da Baldies on Roadkill, double slam onto two chairs. Nova nails both Baldies, elbow drop by Doring on Angel. Grimes does a run-in, Bare-back on Grimes. Danaconda on Grimes, Angel cracks Doring with the guitar for the elimination.

Roadkill fucks up Grimes, cannot believe Grimes is walking. Roadkill has a table, springboard splash through the table by Roadkill. Chetti spinning heel kicks Devito, Nova nails a cutter on Angel. Amityville Horror on Devito, Tidal Wave on Devito for the win.

Fun tag match, wished it was a bit longer and we had Doring & Roadkill vs Nova & Chetti. They had chemistry and it could be a lot of fun, Da Baldies have been pure filler since their existence adding nothing to pay per views with their garbage brawling and of course, every time Da Baldies come out you must have New Jack, New Jack does his shtick at the end of the match.

Winners: Chetti & Nova over Da Baldies via Tidal Wave!

Steve Corino W/ Jack Victory vs Tajiri

The change in Corino is astounding, Corino went from looking like a girl in tights to a man with a good body to backup his great promo skills. Slaps and kicks by Tajiri, enzuigiri by Corino. Powerbomb by Corino for two, Tarantula by Tajiri. On the ramp, Tajiri kicks Corino. Brainbuster on the ramp, a kick sends Corino to the floor. Tajiri bites the cut of Corino, low dropkick in the tree of woe by Tajiri. Victory saves Corino from a second dropkick, superkick for two. Tajiri kicks a chair into Corino’s face, Tajiri baseball slides the table into Corino’s face. Springboard clothesline by Tajiri, Corino comes back with a back drop through the table. Fisherman suplex for two, northern lights suplex for two. Leaping leg lariat by Corino, abdominal stretch by Corino. Octopus stretch on Corino by Tajiri, Green Mist on Victory. Powerslam by Corino for two, Buzzsaw Rush from Tajiri, Diving Foot Stomp through the table for the win.

Fair play to Corino who took an ass-whipping on the last two pay per views back to back. I would say these two matches did a lot to help Corino in the eyes of the fans, Corino’s physical transformation from looking like a lesbian to a pro wrestler is a great help. But Corino takes a beating here, it is fantastic stuff. Perfect fit for the match, perfect way to end the feud.

Winner: Tajiri over Corino via Diving Foot Stomp!

(ECW Television Champioship Match) The Sandman vs Rhino ©

Rhino made things personal, Rhino gored Sandman’s wife, Sandman cost Rhino the TV championship although Rhino won it back in the end. Sandman’s return has been disappointing, two bait and switches on pay per view meant Sandman has wrestled once in a six-man tag match at November to Remember on pay per view while this event takes place in May of 2000.

Rhino stomps all over Sandman, right hands by Rhino. Sandman fights back with punches, Rhino is tossed to the floor. Rhino is tossed into the crowd, right hands by Sandman. Guillotine leg drop by Sandman, brawling outside of the ring. Rhino positions Sandman for a gore, Sandman dodges at the last second. Sandman piledrivers Rhino in the ring for two, make it two. Lori is here, Corino and Victory are here. Sandman saves Lori, Rhino piledrivers Sandman on the ramp. Lori slaps Rhino, Rhino Piledrivers Lori through a table at ringside. Sandman canes everything in sight, picking up his wife. Rhino Gores both through a table in the corner, Rhino retains his championship.

So, we waited three pay per views for that? I was expecting so much more from such an emotionally charged feud. Sandman is limited, I mean everyone knows that but I expected more violence, more insanity and intensity. I did not feel it for this match, the visual of Rhino destroying Sandman’s wife was quite disturbing, that is going so far but we did not get a huge angle out of it at the end of the day. The piledriver is a great finish though, perfect fit for Rhino.

Winner: Rhino over Sandman via Gore!

Jerry Lynn vs Rob Van Dam W/ Scotty Anton & Bill Alfonso

Quite possibly the best series of matches between two wrestlers in ECW is back to write another chapter, both men have been injured with Lynn being upset at the attention that RVD has received. Lynn has a darker edge to him, could this mean something promising?

Usual theatrics from the two, nice transitions with great fluidity. More flips and theatrics, crowd is eating every single thing up from these two. Side headlock by RVD, thrustkick connects on Lynn. Cartwheel moonsault for two, Lynn cuts off RVD. Springboard dropkick by Lynn, plancha connects by Lynn. RVD ends up crotching Lynn on the guard rail, thrustkick by RVD. Corkscrew guillotine leg drop by RVD, RVD misses a moonsault off the guard rail. In the ring, Lynn leg drops RVD for two, Jumping DDT by Lynn for two, tornado DDT does not connect. Both men are down after a clothesline, Alfonso has a chair.

Lynn hurls the chair at RVD, Lynn leg drops RVD onto the chair for two. Step-through spinning heel kick by RVD. Rolling Thunder by RVD for two, forearms by RVD. Inverted atomic drop, running Van Damanator. Two for RVD, Lynn powerbombs RVD for two. Superplex by Lynn, two for Lynn. Guillotine leg drop by Lynn, Lynn bulldogs RVD through the table. Scotty Anton is at ringside, Lynn nails Anton with a somersault. Scoop slam, Alfonso shoves Lynn off the top rope. Diving thrustkick with Lynn eating a chair to the face thanks to Alfonso, a chair is placed on Lynn’s body.

Five Star Frog Splash, RVD is slow to capitalize. Victory and Corino attack RVD, Lynn fights off Corino and Victory. Rhino Gores Lynn, Rhino powerbombs RVD. RVD smacks Rhino, diving thrustkick by RVD. Van Damanator to Cyrus, Lynn dropkicks the chair into Alfonso. Van Damanator on Lynn, Anton pushes RVD to the floor. Lynn delivers The Cradle Piledriver and RVD kicks out at two, Cradle Piledriver on the chair and Lynn wins the match.

That was a lot of fun until all of the interference, Anton turning on RVD would have been fine but you had all The Network stud which did not help the match in the slightest. RVD and Lynn have great chemistry, two tremendous performers who came together to make ECW’s version of art. Interesting to see where RVD goes in ECW from losing to Lynn as it seems RVD winning back the championship he never lost has been abandoned.

Winner: Jerry Lynn over RVD via Cradle Piledriver!

(ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match) Justin Credible © W/ Francine vs Lance Storm W/ Dawn Marie

Dreamer cannot fight Credible due to herniated discs in his back, I am sickened by the lack of a satisfying conclusion to Awesome’s title reign and the Dreamer/Raven/Francine storyline. Instead we have Storm standing up for ECW as Credible spat on the tag team championships destroying The Impact Players and making space for Storm to go to WCW. Storm takes down Credible, Credible powders. Right hand by Storm, Credible is being decimated. Flair flip and Storm dropkicks Credible to the guard rail. Storm tries a plancha, Credible waffles Storm with the cane. Storm is bleeding, a table has been setup on the ramp. Both men trade chops in the ring, boot by Credible.

Reverse chinlock by Credible, Storm sunset flips for two. Credible nails a clothesline, chops by Storm. Eye poke by Credible, another sleeper. Hurricanrana by Storm, elbow from the top rope for two. Jawbreaker and dropkick for two, series of counters before a northern lights from Storm for two. Superkick by Credible for two, Credible shoves Storm into a steel chair for two. Crossbody but Storm rolls through for two, Storm hiptosses Credible through the ringside table. Two for Storm, roll-through into The Single Leg Boston Crab. Francine cracks Storm with her shoe, catfight between the two ladies. Credible grabs Dawn, That’s Incredible to Dawn.

 Storm uses the cane on Credible, piledriver for two. Credible reverses Storm for That’s Incredible, two for Credible. Both men trade blows, Storm catapults Credible to the corner but Credible almost steals it with a reversal to a roll-up. Storm climbs to the top rope, Credible crotches Storm and That’s Incredible for the win.

I am not sure how that finish came off as so flat, there was no real dramatic finish from it but it is hard to complain. ECW was in a bad way due to stars leaving all the time, this match could have been something huge a year down the line. Looking back on ECW’s history, The Impact Players did not even reach their full potential being jerked around when it came to the tag team championships, so much more could have came before this match but issues like Awesome leaving and Storm leaving too complicated the matters. The crowd also wanted to see Dreamer win the big one, that much was obvious from the last image of the pay per view with Dreamer laying out Francine. Question is: Would ECW pull the trigger?

Winner: Justin Credible over Lance Storm via That’s Incredible!

That was ECW’s Hardcore Heaven 2000, a show that was more disappointing when all was finished. I have grown to breeze through ECW shows during this era, they are fun and even the bad is watchable. However, I am looking for advancements on pay per views, I am looking for quality matches with storylines and angles that I want to sink my teeth into, ECW is struggling to draw me in at this point. Corino is flourishing into a real superstar in the company that’s enjoyable to watch, Jerry Lynn has finally beaten RVD, that’s big news but outside of those two things I do not know how much interests me about the product. Tanaka is nowhere near the championship, Sandman and Rhino did not deliver and you just know they are going to fight again. Credible is going to suffer the same as Awesome and Taz before him as there are no credible challengers (excuse the pun) to face the champion. You can draw out Dreamer but RVD is not ready just yet, Lynn is not and Corino is not either so where do you go? It is a rough time on-screen and off-screen for the company. This show was enjoyable but I do not know how much had changed when everything was finished. Thanks for reading and remember: There’s always another night!

ECW Living Dangerously 2000 Review

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that forgot that Alexa Bliss was Raw Women’s Champion! (Don’t say you remembered it with all this focus on Rousey and Asuka) ECW’s Living Dangerously 2000, February must be the month of extreme as I continue to dive through ECW pay per views in the hopes of reaching the end and starting a new arc which will be WWF’s Golden Era for those interested (I am thinking of you, the two people who always read these reviews). ECW’s Living Dangerously 2000 could be seen as the beginning of huge problems again for ECW as RVD has broken his leg so we are having a tournament for the ECW Television Championship while Sabu has walked out on the company. Mike Awesome is wrestling Kid Kash, not the most thrilling contest, a rather carbon-copy of last month’s big man vs small man match. So I am not thrilled at the sight of this card but let’s see what happens.

Opening Promo

Gertner does his shtick, Cyrus is Network and not happy with Gertner’s use of language. Cyrus jumps Gertner, Styles pulls off Cyrus and we begin the show. Bleh! Corino talks shit to Sandman’s wife Lori, Rhino comes in and Gores Lori through the table. Sandman is distraught and going to the hospital with his wife.

(Bull Rope Match) Steve Corino vs Dusty Rhodes

Rhodes was called out by Corino, Corino has to pay for his sins now as Rhodes is here in ECW. This is Rhodes’ signature match, Corino is brutalized with the cowbell as we begin the match. Lots of crowd brawling involving Jack Victory too, we end up back ringside where both men are bleeding. Stomps by Corino, Corino goes to the middle rope before Rhodes yanks down Corino. More scraping with the cowbell, cowbell to the head of Corino. Corino begs for mercy, eye poke by Corino. Cowbell to the back, Corino wedges a chair between the turnbuckles. Rhodes rams Corino into the chair, Bionic Elbow. Slugfest, elbow by Corino. Bionic Elbows for both, the referee helps Rhodes tape a cowbell to Corino’s head. Chair shot to the cowbell, huge Bionic Elbow from Rhodes and it’s over.

Rhodes never was one for being reminded that he was old and past it, Rhodes would hate if the WWE used him in such a manner, I can see that and agree with that. Nobody wants to believe that they are past it, look at Ken Shamrock still fighting at 52, it eats away at you. But based on this performance, Rhodes was not worth the pay for ECW, I doubt it brought extra eyes to the product. The one thing ECW is doing right here is pushing Corino as the most annoying person on earth, Corino continues to shine.

Winner: Dusty Rhodes over Steve Corino via Bionic Elbow!

The New Dangerous Alliance W/ Lou E. Dangerously vs Doring & Roadkill W/ Elektra

Doring & Roadkill are now babyfaces, Anderson and Wiles are parodying The Dangerous Alliance. Left hand by Anderson, Dirt Road Slam for two by Roadkill. Falling slam by Roadkill, slingshot elbow. Tag to Wiles and Doring, shoulder block by Doring. Armdrag into an armbar by Wiles, tag to Anderson. Blind tag to Roadkill who nails a springboard clothesline, corner splash on Anderson. Bare-back by Doring, Doring dives onto The Dangerous Alliance. Right hands to Anderson, Wiles nails a powerslam on Doring for two.

Sit-out chickenwing slam, Anderson works the arm. Doring chops back at Anderson, Anderson nails a huge exploder suplex for two. Tag to Wiles, who nails Doring before a tag to Anderson. Huge double team for two, G-Spot Suite by Doring. Roadkill gets the tag, clotheslines. Sidewalk slam, TKO on Anderson. Roadkill is low blowed and thrown to the floor, Doring is catapulted into a superkick for two. Wham Bam Thank You Mam, Wiles saves Anderson. Super Lancaster Lariat of Lust, Danaconda but Roadkill is tripped by Elektra. Phone to the back of the head and Spinebuster, The Dangerous Alliance win with Elektra turning heel becoming Madusa.

Decent tag match, love the tag team moves of Roadkill and Doring, a lot of potential when it comes to those too. Their time will come in ECW, Anderson and Wiles have some nice moves but nowhere near as interesting or over as they need to be in the company. A few months will do both men well but a return to form in terms of opening matches from ECW.

(ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match) Mike Awesome © vs Kid Kash

Simon Diamond was meant to face Kid Kash, Mike Awesome says fuck that. Awesome wants to kill Kash, Diamond obliges. Awesome hurls Kash across the ring, corner clothesline and splash for two. Awesome pummels Kash on the floor, Kash manages to stun Awesome before diving into the crowd like a mad man. Judge Jeff Jones gets spiked before Awesome nails a slingshot shoulder block. Kash nails a hurricanrana for no effect, lariat by Awesome. Awesome Bomb, table is setup. Kash tries a hurricanrana from the top, Awesome says nah, Super Awesome Bomb, game over. Impressive move but DUD!

Winner: Mike Awesome over Kid Kash via Super Awesome Bomb!

Nova & Chris Chetti vs Team No Respect

Some FMW flavour as Jado & Gedo join ECW for another match, Jazz checks on Kash. Diamond attacks with Jado & Gedo, out comes Chetti and Nova. Jazz also attacks Diamond, double hiptoss on Jado. Headscissors by Gedo, Jado elevates Chetti to the floor. Asai moonsault by Gedo, Gedo and Nova square off. Sledge O Matic by Nova, tag to Chetti. Scissors Kick by Chetti, tag to Nova. Gedo eats a sitout-facebuster by Nova for two, Jado is legal. Huge clotheslines to Nova, Chetti ends up in the crowd. Team No Respect, nail a drop toehold and elbow combination. Jado has a Romero Special with a double axe handle by Gedo, Chetti saves Nova.

Nova is crotched on the top rope trying to turn the tide, Jado nails a super back superplex. Two for Jado, tag to Gedo. Gedo tries a middle rope hurricanrana but Nova nails a massive powerbomb. Tag to Chetti, German suplex by Chetti. Blue Thunder Bomb to Gedo, backslide on Jado for two. Gedo nails a superkick to Chetti, middle rope powerbomb on Nova but Chetti saves the match. Superkick to Gedo, clothesline on Jado. Nova nails a senton bomb, Gedo nails Chetti with a frog splash, both get two. Kicking combination on Jado, Amityville Horror on Gedo. Tidal Wave on Gedo for the win.

An upset? A huge victory? Against a team that has not been in ECW before brought in for the pay per view? I do not think anyone thought that Team No Respect were going to walk away with the win? Anyways, it was fine but nothing special.

Winners: Nova & Chetti over Team No Respect via Tidal Wave!

(ECW TV Championship Semi-Final Match) Super Crazy vs Little Guido

Well, this is new. New my damn ass! Low dropkick by Guido to start off for two, Guido is tossed into the crowd. Big Sal misses a splash and meets the guard rail, Asai moonsault by Super Crazy. Things change in the ring, chops by Guido. Sunset flip powerbomb by Crazy for two, Guido powders. Fujiwara armbar on the floor, Crazy is elevated to the apron before diving into a clothesline for two. Big Sal gives Guido a chair, Crazy takes the chair. Shot to the head, top rope chair shot. Two, Guido is bleeding. Ten punches, Big Sal is here. Big Sal squishes Guido, ten punches to Big Sal. Guido is knocked off as Crazy eats feet to the face from Guido for two. Big Sal gives Guido his belt, Crazy is whipped by Guido.

Two for Guido, Guido stomps all over Crazy. Swinging DDT from Crazy for two, Crazy has the belt. Guido begs for mercy, Guido stops Crazy. Sicilian Slice for two, knee drop by Guido. Crazy is placed on a table, Big Sal helps Guido climb him for extra pressure. Guido misses an elbow through the table, hurricanrana on Sal. Crazy covers Guido for two, Guido faceplants Crazy in one of their signature spots. Maritato is blocked, low blow and powerbomb on the edge of a table. Springboard moonsault and Crazy gets three but the referee says two, Brainbuster for the win due to the referee’s botch.

The two cannot have a bad match, they have fought a bajillion times, they probably know what the other had for breakfast lunch and dinner. It was fun, fast-paced and exciting at the end of the day, all you could really want from these two. I just wish they could have matches with other wrestlers, I feel they are pigeon-holed into these types of matches where at every pay per view Super Crazy must fight either Guido, Tajiri or Lynn. Give me something new, I beg of you!

Winner: Super Crazy over Guido via Brainbuster!

Balls Mahoney vs Kintaro Kanemura

Kanemura starts off hot with sentons, finger-gesturing at the crowd and such. Spinebuster by Balls, Kanemura tries to use Balls’ chair. No effect on Balls, Nutcracker Suite on the chair and the match is over, Da Baldies attack Balls and out comes New Jack. New Jack clears house and does his thing before Grimes and New Jack are forty feet in the air on scaffolding and it dawns on me, this is the moment where two men nearly die on pay per view before thousands of peoples’ eyes. New Jack tries to drag down Grimes, Grimes shits himself at the thought of falling and comes down on New Jack’s head blinding The Gangsta in one eye. They barely scratch the table as they go wide almost immediately, you do not want to see the state of the two wrestlers. Enough has already been said at the incident, it was reckless and they nearly died. New Jack tried to kill Grimes the next time they met on scaffolding, the less said the better.

Winner: Balls Mahoney over Kanemura via Nutcracker Suite!

(ECW Tag Team Championship Match) The Impact Players W/ Jason & Dawn Marie vs Mike Awesome & Raven © W/ Francine vs Tommy Dreamer & Masato Tanaka

Awesome and Raven are called out as the story of Raven and Dreamer took another twist, Raven and Dreamer separated which left Tanaka & Dreamer as a team while Raven and Awesome won the championships. Awesome and Raven make quick work of The Impact Players. In comes Tanaka and Dreamer, they clean house. Clusterfuck with everyone punching anything that moves, Dreamer goes after Raven. Dreamer and Raven have a table in the ring, bulldog by Raven. Awesome is raping Storm on the floor, Raven drop toeholds Dreamer into the table for two.

Awesome has a table in the corner, Tanaka back drops Awesome into the table. Roaring Elbow on Awesome and the champions have been eliminated! Credible uses his kendo stick to wipe out Tanaka, Storm and Credible measure a bloody Dreamer.

Mike Awesome & Raven Have Been Eliminated!

Swinging DDT on Dreamer for two, tag to Storm. Jawbreaker and dropkick for two, tag to Credible. Credible superkicks Storm by mistake, Dreamer DDT on Credible. Tag to Tanaka, elbows to all. Pumphandle Slam by Tanaka, double stunner by Tanaka for two. Super cutter by Tanaka and Dreamer for two, Credible has his kendo stick, wham to the head of Dreamer. Diamond Dust on Credible, piledriver on Tanaka. Dreamer is smashed with the championship, spike piledriver and The Impact Players win the match.

Two questions: Why have your champion in this match? And why take the belts off The Impact Players for that? Did not make a lot of sense for me, Awesome pulled double duty for a good reason I mean we hardly got to see ECW’s main attraction and no furthering of the feud between Raven and Dreamer, it did not last long enough for us to see the two do battle. There was no need to switch the titles, there was no real need for the match either, I would have preferred a straight-up tag team match.

Winners: The Impact Players over Everyone Else via Spike Piledriver!

(ECW Television Championship Match) Super Crazy vs Rhino W/ The Network

Passionate stuff as it is portrayed as The Network TNN vs ECW, real-life being woven into a storyline. Crazy is the hopes and dreams of ECW, Rhino stands for TNN. Crazy throws everything at Rhino, splashes, topes. Rhino comes back with a powerslam and Crazy is whipped into the crowd. Suplex by Rhino for two, flapjack by Rhino. Military press through a table at ringside, powerbomb by Rhino for two. Rhino attempts a gore but Crazy leaps out of the way, Rhino smashes through the table. Crossbody for two, lariat by Rhino.

Tornado DDT by Crazy, Three Turnbuckle Moonsaults. Rhino uses the referee as a shield, Tajiri is here. Green mist, Buzzsaw kick and low dropkick. Low dropkick on Crazy who is in the tree of woe, RVD’s music hits in the arena. Scotty Anton is carrying RVD, Anton attacks Tajiri. RVD breaks a crutch over Rhino’s back, flapjack through the table. Moonsault by Crazy and we have a new television champion. Rhino Gores RVD, The Network are destroying everyone, who can save the day. Cue the drunken man with a Singapore cane, Rhino is waffled with the can over and over. ECW stands tall, ECW is the victor on this night.

In terms of drama and excitement, it was a clusterfuck but beautiful, a nice piece of story-telling with RVD helping Super Crazy and The Sandman coming down to make the save, a good moment that probably is not brought up due to ECW being seen as dead in the water by the time of the TNN deal. Plus, you have the whole New Jack/Vic Grimes thing happen on this show but Crazy’s win is a great moment!

Winner: Super Crazy over Rhino via Moonsault!

That was ECW’s Living Dangerously 2000, a show that seems rushed like your friend who does not pack the night before a flight but rather the morning of said flight. It ended after two hours, that never happens so you can see they were in a bit of a panic and matches that could have been stretched out simply were not salvaged. Have to admit, I was suckered into the ECW vs TNN storyline by the end of the night, the last match was so much fun compared to the chaos that surrounded the pay per view. Big matches were let downs, the tag matches were nice, Corino’s performance was great even if the match was slow and sloppy. A waste of Tanaka, Awesome and The Raven vs Dreamer feud, do not know what they were thinking but this was not the answer, it was a bad day at the office. Thanks for reading and remember: There’s always another night!

ECW Guilty As Charged 2000 Review

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that remembers Team Techno 2000! It’s time for ECW Guilty As Charged 2000, the final full year for ECW’s existence. Main event is Spike Dudley vs Mike Awesome for The ECW World Heavyweight Championship, a real David vs Goliath match, have to question how they would keep Awesome strong for that eventual match with RVD because that was the money match at the time. However, RVD is still TV champion and defending against best friend Sabu, their tag team had been interesting for a long time looking to explode and now it seems we will have a blow-off. Meanwhile, Raven and Dreamer, wrestling’s new odd couple take on The Impact Players for the tag team championships. Like ECW in 1999, there is potential here and these later pay per views have had enjoyable matches and been enjoyable pay per views. ECW’s November To Remember 1999 was disappointing so can ECW bounce back?

Opening Promo

Cyrus and Styles open the show, Cyrus is in full-on douchebag mode. Cyrus and Styles have to be one of the most underrated commentary teams in wrestling. Gertner comes out, the perfect foil to Cyrus. Gertner does his shtick, end of segment.

Mikey Whipwreck vs CW Anderson W/ Beautiful Billy Wiles & Lou E. Dangerously

Whipwreck returns from WCW to be a curtain jerker in ECW as Whipwreck faces a member of The New Dangerous Alliance. A great tribute to Heyman and The Dangerous Alliance, Lou E fits the role. Poor Wiles is no Bobby Eaton while Anderson would have decent success in ECW. Whipwreck rams Anderson into Wiles, Wiles headbutts Anderson in the groin following a drop toehold by Whipwreck. Anderson is flapjacked onto the guard rail, Wiles distracts Whipwreck. Superkick into the crowd by Anderson, ridiculous bump from Whipwreck. Running powerslam by Anderson for two, armbar from Anderson. Anderson works the arm, two for Anderson. Single arm DDT for two, huge left by Anderson. Whipwreck tries a tornado DDT, Russian legsweep for two.

Diving clothesline for two, Anderson blocks a backslide for a huge left. Whippersnapper in the centre of the ring, Lou E. pulls out the referee. Powerslam by Wiles, Anderson is on top for two. In comes Wiles, Whippersnapper on Wiles. Anderson has Lou E’s phone, Whipwreck ducks but Lou E has another phone. Whack and an Anderson Spinbuster and this match is over.

Decent opener, the gimmick is lame but it makes me laugh, I am sure Whipwreck was happy to be back wrestling in decent matches as opposed to sitting on his ass for months in WCW. Fun ending incorporating the gimmick of Lou E. I question the cheating behind the referee’s back, I mean does it matter if the referee saw it? Are there actually rules in ECW?

Winner: CW Anderson over Mikey Whipwreck via Spinebuster!

Simon Diamond/Doring & Roadkill W/ Mitch & Electra vs Nova/Kid Kash/Jazz

The feud of Jazz vs Diamond continues with Nova vs Doring’s feud on the side, Kash fills in for Chetti who was injured two pay per view ago. Electra has replaced Angelica as Lita has gone onto the WWF, first ppv appearance for Kid Kash. Jazz and Doring begin, lock-up. Side headlock by Jazz, Doring spanks Jazz. Shoulder block by Doring, Doring misses a splash. Victory roll by Jazz for two, Roadkill tags into the match. Jazz tags in Kash, armdrags for Roadkill. Dropkick too, Doring eats a spinebuster and bulldog. Jazz pulls in Diamond, chops by Jazz. Monkey flip by Jazz, low blow and Jazz Stinger. Dick saves Diamond, Diamond hugs Dick. Kash dives onto Dick and Diamond, Jazz dives onto Diamond.

Jazz chokes Dick, Nova has Doring in the ring. Falling reverse DDT, Nova neckbreakers Roadkill. Clothesline on Roadkill, Nova hits a hellavator on Doring. Roadkill saves, Lancaster Lariat of Lust/Hart Attack on Nova. Roadkill corner splashes Nova, Bare-back for two. Short slam by Roadkill, slingshot elbow by Roadkill. Dirt Road Slam, Doring nails a huge elbow drop for two. Doring struts, Chetti is here to be Nova’s partner despite his injury. Spinebuster by Nova on Doring, Nova does not want to tag Chetti.

Chetti tags himself in, clotheslines by Chetti. Kicks to Roadkill, superkick to Roadkill. Plancha onto Roadkill, plancha by Nova. Doring planchas onto Nova, the referee dives onto everyone. Chetti spots Electra, slap by Electra. Scoop slam by Chetti who enjoys the view, Doring attacks Chetti. Chetti cannot nail his finish, Wham Bam Thank You Mam by Doring. Doring knocks Nova into the guard rail, Roadkill nails The Amish Bomb on Chetti and it’s over.

A plethora of penis puns, interference and partners changing everywhere, that was like a huge fast-food pile of action and I do not know if I was happy with anything at the end of the match. I like everyone who was involved in the match and would have been more than happy with a six-man tag.

Winners: Team Diamond over Team Jazz via Amish Bomb!

Tajiri & Super Crazy vs Little Guido & Jerry Lynn

You know if you want to get these guys over, you have to stop making them just face one another? Lynn has new tights, hope there is more than that to make Lynn a big star. So, Lynn teams with Guido while enemies Crazy and Tajiri team up, a waste of a match really.

Lynn and Crazy show off athletically, armdrags by both men. Nice stuff, tilt-a-whirl armdrag by Crazy. More blocks and theatrics, Tajiri and Guido are in the ring. Slap by Guido, kicks by Tajiri. Takedown by Guido, huge slaps and a waistlock, kicks by Tajiri. Slap by Tajiri, Handspring Elbow by Tajiri. Buzzsaw kicks to Guido, Tajiri steps on Guido’s head. Massive chest slap, Fuijwara armbar from Guido. Tag to Lynn, corner clothesline by Lynn. Tarantula by Tajiri, Guido interrupts so in comes Crazy. German suplex by Crazy for two, headscissors by Crazy. Guido sidesteps Crazy, Lynn crossbodies to the floor. Tajiri Asai moonsaults onto Lynn, Guido and Crazy crowd brawl. Signature Crazy moonsault from the bleachers, Tajiri low dropkicks Lynn.

Spinning heel kick by Tajiri, Crazy returns to ringside. Sunset flip powerbomb by Lynn to counter Tajiri’s hurricanrana. Standing hurricanrana by Lynn, Tajiri rolls through into a German suplex by Lynn for two. Tajiri counters the suplex, German suplex for two. Crazy missile dropkicks Guido, ten punches by both Crazy and Tajiri, both eat powerbombs for their shenanigans. Tornado DDTs by Lynn and Guido, two for Lynn. Tajiri is under the ring, Guido faceplants Crazy. Powerbomb by Crazy, springboard moonsault for two. Lynn saves, Tajiri mists Lynn. DDT by Crazy for two, double powerbomb on Lynn but Lynn survives. Guido dropkicks Tajiri to the floor, piledriver on Lynn with Guido saving the match. Maritato by Guido on Lynn, Tajiri kicks Crazy and Brainbusters Lynn for the win.

Usually when a team comes to blows, it is because there is a reason, a deep hatred or somebody being provoked inside of the room. Guido’s attack was random, Lynn and Guido have never had an issue, they did not have a miscommunication. What was the point of that? Tajiri and Crazy was a little more understandable, this match did nothing for the four stars though. All this did was setup Corino vs Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes was a lot of fun killing off Corino’s goons but why? Rhino Gores Rhodes, getting the monster over but the babyfaces clear the ring.

Winners: Tajiri & Crazy over Lynn & Guido via Brainbuster!

Angel W/ Da Baldies vs New Jack

Fuck me could New Jack not leave ECW yet? This will be a brawl, no moves just constant weapon shots and madness. I could probably skip it but for the professionalism of my career, I must soldier on through this “match”. New Jack has weapons, Angel has a head. New Jack sees weapons, New Jack sees Angel. New Jack decides to connect Angel and the weapons, love how the other Baldies are doing nothing to help their leader. New Jack whips Angel into some metal sheeting before nailing a diving elbow onto the sheeting. After a tonne of assaults, Devito and Grimes decide to get involved. New Jack dives off a balcony through a table onto Grimes, New Jack staples Devito before a shovel ends New Jack’s rampage. Pretty sure Heyman was pissed at New Jack so he kept jobbing him out to Da Baldies. DUD!

Winner: Angel over New Jack via Shovel Shot!

(ECW Television Championship Match) Sabu vs Rob Van Dam ©

Two best friends come to blows! RVD had pushed Sabu too far which leads us to two of the very best in ECW taking one another on for RVD’s television championship. RVD had been champion since defeating Bam Bam Bigelow in 1998, this should be a classic says Styles before we begin, I have a feeling that Styles is wrong.

Leg drop by RVD after theatrics, Sabu goes low with a dropkick. They brawl on the floor, Air Sabu into the guard rail. Fujiwara armbar by Sabu, springboard leg lariat by Sabu for two. Slingshot Arabian facebuster misses, RVD kicks Sabu. Handspring splash for two, RVD goes high but is shoved off the top rope to the guard rail. Baseball slide by Sabu, triple jump splash by Sabu into the crowd. Sabu has a table on the guard rail, RVD kicks Sabu. Corkscrew apron leg drop by RVD connects, Sabu is in a heap on the floor.

RVD nails a tope con hilo over the top rope, Sabu catches RVD with a nasty kick on the apron. Sunset flip powerbomb by Sabu, Sabu splashes RVD through the guard rail table. Sabu asks for tape for his leg, Sabu covers for two. Leg drop by Sabu, RVD has a chair. Chair war, Sabu throws the chair at RVD for two. Camel clutch followed by leg drop, Sabu is hobbling bad. Ref bump as RVD uses the referee to half block a leg lariat. Triple Jump Moonsault, Triple Jump Leg Drop for two. RVD Shining Wizards a chair into Sabu’s face who was on the top rope, two for RVD. Van Damanator, Sabu crotches RVD on the top rope. Hurricanrana does not work, RVD holds on for a split-legged moonsault for two. Alfonso is in the ring, Van Damanator on Alfonso. Sabu has a triple jump splash blocked, Five Star Frog Splash and RVD retains.

With their history and their chemistry, this was really bad. I do not know how much you can blame on Sabu tweaking his leg because this was going nowhere before that, did not enjoy Alfonso’s involvement in the match. Good for RVD to be going over Sabu, a great friend who would have no problem doing the job to get RVD over as the man in ECW. However, I really did not feel this match at all, it was what I would expect from a regular Sabu spotfest and that’s all I got at the end of the night.

Winner: RVD over Sabu via Five Star Frog Splash!

(ECW Tag Team Championship Match) The Impact Players W/ Dawn Marie & Jason vs Tommy Dreamer & Raven © W/ Francine

Credible and Storm had been a team since the end of Shane Douglas’ time in ECW, Credible and Storm were the new hot heels in town and were hell bent on letting the world know that they were that damn good. Credible and Dreamer had been feuding on and off before Dreamer would win the tag team championships alongside Raven in an impromptu match with The Dudleys. Raven returned to ECW following walking out of ECW but there was one problem: Raven still hated Dreamer’s guts. This leaves us with an odd couple pairing of Dreamer and Raven as champions with the added bonus of Francine, one of Dreamer’s enemies being Dreamer’s manager following Douglas leaving the company and Beulah retiring from wrestling. The story of this match is can Raven and Dreamer get along despite their problems against the well-oiled machine that is The Impact Players?

The match starts with The Impact Players ruling the ring, the heels get cocky and cut a promo, bad idea as Dreamer and Raven rough up the two. Raven and Credible are battling by the stage as are Dreamer and Storm. The Impact Players are tossed off the stage through tables, the champions pose on top of the stage. Credible is sent through another table, Dreamer and Storm are in the ring. Hotshot by Dreamer, slingshot splash for two. Tag to Raven, clothesline for two. Tag to Dreamer, neckbreaker. Storm drills Dreamer with a Superkick, Credible stomps all over Dreamer’s injured back. Stomps by Credible, jawbreaker and tag to Storm. Double back drop, two for Storm. Storm has a chair, Storm wedges the chair into between the turnbuckles. Dreamer shoves Storm into the chair, schoolboy for two. Credible is now the legal man, Credible has a chair.

Drop toehold onto the chair, Dreamer rolls to the floor. Dreamer is bleeding, neckbreaker to escape a reverse chinlock. Credible covers for two, Storm superkicks Credible by mistake. Dreamer DDT on Storm, Dreamer tags Raven. Right hands, knee lifts. Storm is knocked to the guard rail, Jason is in with a chair. Snot rag for Jason, Raven drop toeholds Credible on the chair. Baseball slide by Dreamer on Storm, That’s Incredible on Raven for two. Dreamer whips Credible to the floor, piledriver by Storm on Dreamer for two. Storm has a table, Dreamer back drops Storm through the table. Credible waffles Dreamer with a chair, Francine low blows Credible. In comes Dawn Marie, Catfight wars of 1999 continue into 2000. Francine wins the war, bronco buster on Dawn Marie. Raven saves Francine from a Singapore Cane, That’s Incredible on Raven and this match is over.

Much better than the six-man tag match that was the main event of November to Remember, it had the makings of a good match. A nice continuation for Raven as a character as Raven sacrifices himself for Francine, Francine already was sympathetic towards Raven already so this could lead somewhere interesting for the dark-hearted Raven. I imagine Raven and Dreamer were eventually meant to fight one more time one-on-one on pay per view but we would not get that far as Raven would go to WWF. This match was good for this card but nothing special over all.

Winners: The Impact Players over Dreamer & Raven via That’s Incredible!

(ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match) Mike Awesome © W/ Judge Jeff Jones vs Spike Dudley

David vs Goliath, Awesome knocked out Spike’s girlfriend’s teeth, this sent Spike over the edge. Spike wants to kill Awesome, good idea to turn Awesome heel as Awesome had the same problem Taz had, nobody to work with at the end of the day. Awesome abuses Spike to begin, guardrail splashes, slingshot splashes by Awesome. Lariat by Awesome, Spike fights out of an Awesome bomb. Hurricanrana, Spike dives onto Awesome. Acid Drop on the guard rail, jumping chair shots. Make it three, suicide dive does not work as Awesome catches Spike. Spike nails a top rope hurricanrana, no effect on the champion. Lariat and splash for two, Spike boots Awesome from the corner three times. Double stomp from the top rope, spear to the floor.

Awesome tosses Spike to the crowd, Awesome grabs a chair. Spike is cracked with the chair, springboard splash by Awesome. Spike is bleeding, low blow on the apron. Acid Drop through a table at ringside, chair across the head by Spike. Another acid drop attempt ends with Spike ending up through a table at ringside, Super Awesome Bomb from the top rope through a table and this match is over once and for all.

Fun match, Awesome is a table whore, the man goes through tables at an alarming rate. Spike selling for anyone is usually a good day at the office, not sure if it was worthy of a main event of a pay per view, it was quite one-sided granted it was the story of the match but I don’t know felt like an extended squash and that does not exactly scream great main event in my eyes.

Winner: Mike Awesome over Spike Dudley via Super Awesome Bomb!

That was ECW’s Guilty As Charged 2000, a fun show at its best and pure filler at its worst. The matches which I looked most forward to were fun but came off as rushed or simply a squash. RVD vs Sabu did not deliver, thought it was ugly and slow at times with a finish that did not exactly set the world on fire for such a big blow-off to such an emotional and storied rivalry. I am digging the continued push of The Impact Players, Raven and Dreamer could be going somewhere fun and Mike Awesome does look unstoppable. But the match quality was lacking this time, a fun show and a breeze to sit through at times but nothing you need to see here. Thanks for reading and remember: There’s always another night!