ECW Guilty As Charged 2001 Review

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that tweets at worse times than Lana! ECW’s final pay per view, it’s ECW’s Guilty As Charged 2001! Headline by the return of ECW to The Land of Extreme, RVD faces long-time rival Jerry Lynn while Steve Corino defends his championship against Justin Credible and The Sandman who had stolen the championship. Tommy Dreamer faces CW Anderson in a rematch from the last pay per view and the usual madness from the mid-card. ECW has a chance to go out with a bang, can ECW succeed? Let’s find out!

Jerry Lynn & Cyrus vs Christian York & Joey Matthews

Gertner introduces the tag team he’s managing which is York & Matthews, Da Baldies make quick work of York & Matthews, Gertner interferes foolishly. DDT on the concrete for Gertner, double flapjack by Da Baldies on Matthews. Out comes Cyrus and serious Jerry Lynn, missile dropkick/powerbomb combination by Da Baldies. Lynn Cradle Piledrivers Matthews, Cyrus covers for the win on Matthews. Lynn cuts a passionate promo, Lynn wants to wrestle only in the main event, thanks for that? DUD!

(ECW World Tag Team Championship Match) Hot Commodity W/ Elektra & Hamrick vs Danny Doring & Roadkill ©

These were not the challengers I was thinking of, Doring and Dinero begin the match. Doring talks shit to Elektra, armwork from Dinero. Dinero struts, corner spear and chops by Doring. Right hands by Doring, drop toehold and La magistral for Dinero, two for Dinero. Superkick by Doring, exploder suplex by Dinero. Tag to Money, hiptoss. Some grinding from Money, Roadkill is behind Money.

Eye poke and falling slam, slingshot elbow drop. Lancaster lariat of lust on Money, running powerslam and elbow drop on Dinero. Roadkill misses a corner splash, tope suicida by Dinero. G-Spot Suite on Money, Doring dives onto Dinero. Roadkill has Elektra, superkick from Hamrick. Money nails The Money Clip on Roadkill into the crowd, springboard bulldog by Dinero & Hamrick for two. STO by Dinero, tag to Money. Double hiptoss, double slam for two. Right hands by Money, boot by Doring. Easy Bomb for two, Money tries an axe handle but Doring blocks with a boot.

Dinero dropkicks Roadkill off the apron, headscissors into the turnbuckle for Doring. Neckbreaker for two, Bare-back on Money and Dinero. Hot-tag to Roadkill, clotheslines for both men. Barn Burner on Dinero, powerbomb for Money. Springboard clothesline on Hot Commodity, Elektra distracts the referee. The Jalapeno Popper, moonsault by Money for two. Hamrick clotheslines Money by mistake, Dinero is knocked into Hamrick. Buggy Bang on Dinero for the win.

What a fun tag team match, I will say it again that Doring and Roadkill could have done something more after ECW ended, they were a tonne of fun inside of the ring. They had a lot of great tag team manoeuvres, they were entertaining and Roadkill was freakishly athletic. Dinero and Money were fine but I was hoping for The Unholy Alliance.

Winners: Doring & Roadkill over Hot Commodity via Buggy Bang!

Chris Hamrick W/ Elektra vs Nova

Nova saves Doring & Roadkill, lots of dives and kicks to Hamrick. Elektra distracts Nova, Nova battles back with a shin breaker, dragon screw and figure four before Elektra rakes the eyes. Facecrusher by Hamrick for two, Nova eats a boot to the face. Nova nails a sit-out facebuster, Elektra crotches Nova. Super hurricanrana from Hamrick, two for Hamrick. Right hands by Hamrick, Nova wants more. Rights and lefts from Nova, enzuigiri from Nova. Two for Nova, superkick by Nova for two. Elektra mounts Nova, Nova kicks Elektra’s arm. Hamrick kicks Nova into the referee, crossface chickenwing from Nova. Chetti comes out in a referee shirt, Chetti fast counts Nova. Lou E. cracks a referee with a cellphone. Chetti attacks Spike, Acid Drop on Chetti and a Senton Bomb from Nova. Nova rolls Hamrick into The Kyrptonite Krunch and Nova wins.

Well, it was going grand until whatever the fuck that was at the end of the match involving Spike and Chetti, no time for that kind of crap at this stage in ECW. You want to talk about failing to build new stars? What about Nova? Nova could be another major star in ECW, Nova is being wasted with segments like this.

Winner: Nova over Hamrick via Kryptonite Krunch!

(I Quit Match) CW Anderson vs Tommy Dreamer

They tie-up, rolling to the floor. They brawl, Dreamer suplexes Anderson on the concrete, ouch for both men. Anderson pummels Dreamer, Dreamer hotshots the arm of Anderson. Slingshot crossbody for two, dragon sleeper from Dreamer. Anderson hurls Dreamer shoulder first into the turnbuckle, shoulder stunner. Armbar from Anderson, sky high from Dreamer. Transition into a single leg Boston crab, Dreamer smacks a chair against Anderson’s arm. Dreamer smacks the ringbell off Anderson’s head, Anderson avoids an oncoming Dreamer who meets the guard rail. Drop toehold onto the chair, Dreamer is bleeding just like Anderson.

 Anderson shin breakers Dreamer onto the chair, Indian deathlock from Anderson. Anderson smacks the leg with a chair, Dreamer boots the chair into Anderson’s face. Middle rope elbow for Anderson, Dreamer has razor wire. Anderson nails a huge left, towel boy attacks Anderson. Towel Boy cracks Anderson with trays, why is this happening? No clue, Anderson nails a Ferris Wheel on Dreamer. Anderson cracks towel boy with a tray, delayed vertical suplex on towel boy. How am I supposed to take this seriously?

Anderson tries a superkick, Dreamer catches the kick for an ankle lock. Anderson elbows Dreamer, Spinebuster on the razor wire! Suplex onto two chairs by Anderson, Dreamer is sent crashing into a steel chair. Anderson sets up a table, Dreamer catches Anderson on the top rope. Spiccoli Driver through the table, Dreamer grabs the table wire and chokes Anderson crossface style for the win.

Decent brawl, had all the brutality you would want from an I Quit Match, the fans rally behind Dreamer so easily, Dreamer could always be considered the heart and soul of the company due to the amount of pain he would put himself through but also the way Dreamer was so easy to be sympathetic towards, fun match at the end of the day.

Winner: Tommy Dreamer over CW Anderson via I Quit!

Super Crazy & Kid Kash vs The Unholy Alliance W/ Sinister Minister vs The FBI W/ Big Sal

Oh wonderful, they are going to work this match by having a member of each team in the ring at the same time, Mamaluke, Whipwreck and Kash begin the match. Mamaluke hiptosses Whipwreck, Kash botches something. Double underhook suplex, Kash attacks Mamaluke. Shitty stand-off, Tajiri and Crazy are the only ones in the ring. Armdrags and flips, theatrics that make you feel pathetic by comparison, Fujiwara armbar from Guido. Spinning heel kick by Tajiri, Crazy misses a dive. Slingshot leg drop by Whipwreck to Guido, corkscrew senton by Kash to Guido. Mamaluke saves Guido, Tarantula on Kash. Everyone is doing submissions, The FBI stop Crazy’s moonsault.

Crazy tope con hilos onto everyone, Kash says my turn with a corkscrew attack to the floor. Ten punches by Crazy, Kash hurricanranas Whipwreck. Crazy dives onto Tajiri, Tajiri kicks Crazy. Big Sal splashes Kash, Mamaluke covers Kash and the team of Super Crazy and Kid Kash are eliminated from this match.

Mamaluke begs for mercy from Tajiri & Whipwreck, clotheslines and sit-out facebusters with a low dropkick for good measure. Guido is launched off the top rope, Guido is placed in the tree of woe. Mamaluke too, Guido eats a dropkick. Mamaluke avoids Whipwreck, inverted tornado DDT on Whipwreck. Slingshot Sicilian Slice for two, kimura lock from Guido. Snap suplex by Mamaluke, Whippersnapper by Whipwreck. Tag to Tajiri, kicks for The FBI. Steel chairs are wedged between turnbuckles, lawn darts onto the chairs. The FBI reverse a double whippersnapper for a double Fujiwara armbar. Buzzsaw kicks for Guido, mist for Mamaluke and double Tiger suplexes for the win.

If Crazy and Kash are not going to play any real significant part, why have them in the match? If you are going to build around Tajiri and Whipwreck as top heels to Doring & Roadkill, why have them go against The FBI when The FBI are clearly heels? Have The Unholy Alliance beat Crazy and Kash so the two are not cheered, simple booking at the end of the day.

Winners: Unholy Alliance over The FBI via Tiger Suplexes!

(ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match) Steve Corino © W/ Jack Victory vs Justin Credible W/ Francine vs The Sandman (Tables/Ladders & Canes Match)

Before the match, Rhino murders the lower card of ECW because Rhino is the fucking man! Mahoney cracks The Blue Boy with a chair before Rhino comes down for his fun. Gore for Balls, Gore for Diamond & Swinger. Poor Dawn, Rhino Gores Dawn too. Chilly Willy is here, Rhino Gores Chilly Willy. Blue Boy is Gored too, poor Jasmine St Clare. Jasmine gets the best treatment of all, a Rhino Driver from the middle rope, what a bump to take. Fair play to the girl, Rhino is a beast!

Corino and Credible jump The Sandman, Corino throws a ladder at Sandman. Leg lariat using the ladder by Corino, Corino eats the ladder from Credible. Credible stomps Sandman, Credible places a ladder on Corino and uses a second ladder to drive down into the ribs of Corino. Sandman whips Corino into the ladder, bulldog on the ladder by Sandman. Sandman is caned off the ladder, Credible cracks the two opponents with the ladder he’s wearing on his head. Sandman climbs for the championship once more, Corino stops Sandman. Corino & Credible smack a ladder into Sandman’s balls. Sandman is whipped through a table, Credible is dropped onto a chair by Corino.

Low blow by Corino on Sandman, Sandman canes both Corino and Credible. Credible is tossed to the floor, Sandman places a ladder against the ropes. Suplex for Corino, Sandman drops a ladder on Corino. Sandman climbs the ladder and the ladder breaks, sending Sandman crashing to his own doom. Credible controls the ring, stomps and kicks to Corino. Corino is dropkicked off the ladder by Credible, Sandman is climbing a ladder before being tipped over by Credible & Corino. Sandman is straight back on his feet, Corino catapults Credible into the ladder. Old School Expulsion is blocked, That’s Incredible. Francine hurricanranas Sandman, Sandman pulls out a massive ladder.

The belt is escaping the grasp of Corino and Credible, Sandman canes everyone down off the giant ladder. Credible and Corino bulldog one another through a table, Sandman is left alone and Sandman pulls down the championship. Credible and Corino shakes hands with Sandman, Da Baldies attack but Corino and Credible clear house. Gore to Sandman, Rhino goads Sandman into the championship match. Gore through the table, Sandman kicks out! Rhino Driver through a table, Sandman kicks out again. Another Rhino Driver and we have a new champion.

I just do not understand the booking of the TLC match, you have Corino who appears to be your top babyface but you book him so awkwardly, Corino was teaming up with Credible and heeling it up throughout the match, what is the point of Corino winning the championship if you do not even believe in the man? You want to talk about poor character development? Francine went from fan of Stevie Richards to Pitbull mistress to The Head Cheerleader to standing beside Tommy Dreamer after years of wars to turning affectionate towards Raven as Raven would often protect her to being passed around and being with the champion for sex…

Sandman winning the belt does not do much for me, Sandman was arguably the most popular babyface left due to RVD leaving and Corino’s odd and quirky booking but Sandman is not going to draw, Sandman cannot main event, it’s a shit-show like every match Sandman has, the tip of the iceberg was Sandman falling from the ladder without any attacks from Credible and Corino. Rhino’s win is different, it had been building and it looks like if they had strong enough babyfaces they could build to RVD vs Rhino, RVD would have drawn for the company I am sure, it was all about building credible challengers but for ECW, they did not know who they would have week in and week out so how can you plan ahead when you don’t know what day it is?

Winner: Rhino over Sandman via Rhino Driver!

Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn W/ Cyrus

RVD comes out, looking to face Rhino. Lynn says fuck that and makes the match between RVD and himself. The duo go through their usual spots and dodges, it is all very hardcore heaven 1999. More nice counters, crossbody from Lynn. Spilling to the floor, brawling on the floor. Guard rail moonsault from RVD, rights and lefts from Mr. Pay Per View. Corkscrew guillotine leg drop from RVD, Lynn counters a suplex. Military press slam with moonsault by RVD, middle rope moonsault for two. Lynn nails a massive shoulder block from the middle rope, RVD is bleeding from the mouth heavily. Stomps and kicks by Lynn, RVD elevates Lynn to the apron. Guillotine leg drop by Lynn as RVD misses a shoulder thrust, RVD hits the floor hard as Cyrus and Lynn hug.

Brawling by the guard rail, Lynn plants RVD on the concrete. Security rough up a fan, two for Lynn in the ring. Sunset flip by Lynn out of the corner, two as both men trade pins. Low blow by Lynn, botched small package for two. Kick by RVD, step-through spinning heel kick. Rolling Thunder for two, RVD dropkicks the chair into Lynn’s face. Lynn sunset flip powerbombs RVD onto a chair for two, German suplex by Lynn for two. Tornado DDT by Lynn onto a chair for two, RVD nails a springboard thrustkick. Five Star Frog Splash misses, Oklahoma roll for two. Gertner DDTs Cyrus, Lynn has a chair. Van Damanator, Gertner assists for The Van Terminator. RVD wins the final pay per view match for ECW.

A fitting end when you look at it, despite all the hardship and problems the company faced, they had matches the people wanted to see and these two were just magic in the ring when it came to wrestling. RVD and Lynn were probably the best wrestling-wise rivalry in the company, RVD the biggest star in the company standing tall, a brightspot in all of the darkness surrounding the company. I will spare you any more dramatic quips, this was two wrestlers with great chemistry doing their best spots and sending the fans home happy.

Winner: Rob Van Dam over Jerry Lynn via Van Terminator!

Time to organize my thoughts after watching three years’ worth of pay per views, ECW was revolutionary there is no doubt about it. You can see how much influence the company would hold, The Attitude Era taking its edge from The Land of Extreme. The Franchise inspiring The Game, the lucha-libre style of Mysterio and Psychosis, Malenko and Guerrero ending up on WCW and its Cruiserweight Division. ECW became a breeding ground for the WWF and WCW, Heyman would build up the stars for when the big companies would come calling, all credit to Heyman for focusing on the advantages of his wrestlers and hiding the negatives of the wrestlers in that locker room.

By the time, ECW came on pay per view, I feel they lost some of their lustre. There could have been hotter feuds and bigger angles on pay per view had ECW made it onto pay per view in 95 or 96, a tv deal would have helped the product so much but it was not possible due to the edginess of the product. ECW’s early pay per views I felt were very over-booked and had bad flows even with the likes of Douglas, Bigelow, Funk and Sabu. Dreamer and the other die-hard ECW wrestlers were putting their style on pay per view and it just did not click for me when I was watching these earlier pay per views.

By late 1998 and rolling into 2000, the quality of the shows did improve in my eyes thanks to the work rate of the likes of Tajiri, Guido, Super Crazy, Lance Storm. The series between RVD & Lynn, the likes of Tanaka and Awesome, Super Crazy vs Guido or Tajiri or Lynn, they could always put on a show with the likes of Doring & Roadkill and Nova & Chetti putting on great spectacles in tag matches when given the chance. ECW shows were always fun, there is no doubt about that and these wrestlers made it so easy to sit through these shows.

My major gripes were the fragility of the roster with the big companies always screwing up plans, in the year of 2000 we did not see a conclusion to The Impact Players, RVD winning the championship, Awesome losing the championship or Raven’s love angle with Francine and hatred of Dreamer. Booking of Douglas losing to Taz got very strange, not capitalizing on Taz when The Human Suplex Machine was red-hot, Taz never got a fair shake in the main event with no real challengers, Awesome would have a similar task on his hands and we had the hot-shotting of the championship with Lynn, Credible, Corino and Sandman.

New stars were not ascending the card, they were stuck in purgatory. I mentioned the likes of Tajiri, Guido and Super Crazy, Lynn could be included too. It seemed that no matter how doomed ECW was becoming, ECW would never pull the trigger on any of these stars, a possible reason could be Rhino holding the Television Championship but someday the monster had to fall, some day the fans could not watch Crazy vs Tajiri every single day and moving them all into tag teams was not a quick fix for the problem. You also had the garbage wrestling of ECW, the blood and the guts. New Jack matches, Balls Mahoney matches, Da Baldies and even The Dudleys had a tonne of brawls despite their status as the best tag team in ECW, it was too much of the same and I felt you could only go so far with these type of wrestlers and matches.

In conclusion, this company had one hell of a journey, it was heart-breaking at times and not many of those who filled that locker room went onto huge success, it is a sad tale especially as so many have passed away and struggled with addictions since the company’s closure. For a few years, the company was a revolution, it gave birth to a new attitude among the wrestling scene. Everything became darker and grittier, it was for the best as WWF and WCW phased out the wrestlers who had real jobs, the goons, the clowns etc. But they were badly mis-managed just like WCW and it all came crashing down in 2001 as ECW’s Guilty As Charged! Thanks for reading, I hope you have enjoyed this arc on the website, up next is The Golden Era of The WWF so expect every pay per view and Saturday Night’s Main Event up until Hogan’s departure at King Of The Ring 1993!

ECW Anarchy Rulz 2000 Review

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that lets you down more than the servers on Gears of War 4! ECW’s Anarchy Rulz 2000, just three months after this and the company will have folded. No doubt though, they were putting together more entertaining shows than WCW at the time. The main event is Jerry Lynn against Justin Credible, Lynn has been growing steadily for more than a year now, it was his time but could Lynn survive Justin Credible? Also, RVD comes back finally for his TV championship, the championship RVD never lost, standing in RVD’s way is Rhino, thee man to beat in ECW. Will this be a home-run? Let’s find out!

Danny Doring & Roadkill vs Christian York & Joey Matthews

Two tag teams, Doring and Roadkill are the veterans. Doring and Matthews lock-up, side headlock by Doring. Shoulder block, headscissors by Matthews. Dropkick, right hands by Matthews. Low blow by Doring, G-Spot Suite. Tag to Roadkill, Matthews tags York. Side headlock by York, shoulder block by Roadkill. Armdrags by York, dropkick does not work. Catapult by Roadkill, York counters for a leg drop on Roadkill’s face. Falling slam by Roadkill, Matthews comes in for a sidewalk slam. Slingshot elbow drop by Roadkill, Matthews bulldogs Roadkill. Lancaster Lariat of Lust by Doring & Roadkill, Doring misses a dive to the floor.

York & Matthews nail suicide dives, double powerbomb by York & Matthews. Springboard clothesline from Roadkill, running powerslam for Matthews. Danaconda, York nails a top rope leg drop on Doring. Neckbreaker by Matthews for two, assisted suplex and senton form York & Matthews for two. Wham Bam Thank You Mam on York, Barn Burner on Matthews. Powerbomb to York, corner splash by Roadkill to both. Bare-Back to Matthews, Buggy Bang for the win.

One word: Fun! Roadkill & Doring had a tonne of moves that were over with the fans, they had chemistry and complimented one another so well. It’s sad to think the company would not be around too much longer because these guys were so much fun, I find it bizarre nobody snapped up the two. Probably because of that ECW vibe, that would not surprise me.

Winners: Doring & Roadkill over Matthews & York via Buggy Bang!

EZ Money vs Kid Kash

Swinger & Diamond attacked Doring & Roadkill, not much to report there but it should setup where we go next, Cyrus threatens Joel before bringing out Julio Dinero, EZ Money and Elektra. Commissioner Spike Dudley says screw that, Kid Kash will fight Money and if Kash wins, the match will take place. Money eats a headscissors, armdrag on Money. Money is side-stepped to the floor, Hamrick & Dinero eat punches to the face. Elektra distracts Kash, sneak attack from Money. X-Plex by Money, two for Money. Money dives onto Hot Commodity, Kash signals it’s time for a dive. Double springboard splash to the floor, unbelievable balance from Kash. Boot by Money, Money Clip which is a flip into a clothesline for two.

Money applies a billy goat’s curse before the pendulum of pain, two for Money. Reverse chinlock from Money, Kash escapes. Both men chop one another, springboard into a sunset flip, springboard hurricanrana from Kash. Swinging DDT for two, Hamrick trips Kash. Electric Dreams for two, Kash nails a corkscrew senton attack for two. Springboard sunset flip for two, series of pins by both. Money Maker, Elektra distracts the referee. Hamrick is on the apron, Dinero nails an STO. Double suplex thing, Hamrick nails a Confederate Crunch but Kash survives it! Money is crotched on the top rope, Kash wants a superplex. Money low blows and wants a powerbomb but Kash reverses in mid-air for a hurricanrana, Gertner will face Cyrus.

Joel Gertner vs Cyrus

Dinero attacks Kash, Hamrick helps out as they nail a springboard dropkick/powerbomb combination. Spike comes in to help Kash, Dinero superkicks Hamrick by mistake. Acid Drop on Dinero, Money chop blocks Spike. Figure four on Spike, The Sandman is here. Cane shots for all, Elektra begs for mercy. Sandman pours beer down Elektra’s top and shoves Gertner’s face in those big enormous boobs. Crowd goes crazy, Cyrus is yanked in the ring. Spear by Gertner, right hands by Gertner. Gertner shows off that Kamala is his inspiration, splash in the corner. Cyrus stops the elbow, stomps by Cyrus. Knee drop, chop by Cyrus. Sandman spits in Cyrus’ face, roll-up by Gertner and that angle has been paid off after almost a year.

Kash’s match was fun, no real psychology but a collection of cool looking spots that make the fans wet themselves, can’t get much better than that for ECW. Gertner beating Cyrus was a feel good moment despite how terrible Gertner was and how short it was. Worth the wait, waste of Sandman for a big show though.

Winner: Kid Kash over EZ Money via Hurricanrana!

Winner: Joel Gertner over Cyrus via Roll-Up!

Balls Mahoney & Chilly Willy vs Da Baldies

Big punches by Willy & Mahoney, double neckbreakers. Fork to the head of Devito, elbow by Mahoney. Devito is bleeding, Willy is battling Angel on the floor. More fork attacks from Mahoney, Devito sends Mahoney into the guard rail. Mahoney back drops Devito into the crowd, crowd brawling. Lots of spots in the crowd before Devito and Mahoney make it back to the ring. Headbutts do not affect Mahoney, Balls punches. Mahoney misses a corner splash but crotches Devito, Devito escapes a back suplex. Superkick by Mahoney, massive chair shot from Mahoney. Angel staples Mahoney’s eyes, Da Baldies batter Mahoney & Willy for the win.

A lame finish for a match that was just a lot of brawling, if you like that sort of thing it will be a decent match. For me it was nothing special, marginally better than a New Jack match and that is not saying a lot ladies and gentlemen. Mahoney does not sell his eye until after the match, that’s another knock.

Winner: Da Baldies over Mahoney & Willy via Chairs!

(Number One Contender Match For The ECW Heavyweight Championship) Steve Corino W/ Dawn Marie vs CW Anderson

Not what you think of when you think two heavyweight contenders but CW Anderson was climbing the card, Corino had a phenomenal 2000 by ECW standards. Corino feuded with Dusty Rhodes, stole the show with Tajiri and Jerry Lynn. The man had a great mouth coming into ECW in 1999, Corino bulked up and became the man over the course of the year. Nice stare-down to begin, lock-ups with clean breaks. Side headlock, shoulder block. Nice little wrestling sequence before a Japanese armdrag, armdrag by Corino. Stand-off, series of chops from both men. Corino wins the war, elbow from Anderson who nails a superkick.

Anderson has a chair, Anderson says fuck it. Right hands by Corino, ten punches. Anderson eats an exploder suplex, Corino has a chair. Make it two, Anderson gets smacked. Two for Corino, Anderson is bleeding. Leaping leg lariat for two, Anderson pulls Corino to the floor. Anderson is laying up against a chair, Anderson dodges the baseball slide for a chair to the face. Corino is bleeding, in other news water is wet. Corino meets the guard rail, Anderson wedges the chair in the corner. Anderson works the arm, two for Anderson. Right hands by Corino, single arm DDT by Anderson for two. Anderson stomps a chair into Corino’s arm, Anderson soccer kicks Corino with a chair for two.

Stomps on the arm, left hands from Anderson. Corino fires up, Anderson blocks Old School Expulsion for the Ferris Wheel, two for Anderson. Sleeper by Anderson, Corino crotches Anderson on a chair. Bionic low blow by Corino into a Bionic Elbow, Jack Victory attacks Swinger & Diamond. Left Hand by Anderson for two, Superkick by Corino. Two for Corino, spinebuster is countered for The Old School Explusion on the chair for the win.

Corino wins in what I thought was a decent match, Corino was someone that the fans could buy into, Corino had grown by leaps and bounds over the course of 1999 into 2000. I loved Corino’s change from scrawny annoying chickenshit heel to legitimate ass-kicking and punishment taking babyface. The match will not be blowing anyone’s minds but this was a huge win for Corino, I never thought Corino would be one of the last ECW babyfaces.

Winner: Steve Corino over CW Anderson via Old School Expulsion!

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

Whipwreck & Tajiri start out hot with kicks, Tajiri decimates Guido. Mamaluke and Guido are dropkicked in the nuts, Tarantula on Guido. Slingshot leg drop on Mamaluke by Whipwreck, Whipwreck is attacked by Big Sal. Big Sal meets the ringpost and a kick to the head, Mamaluke is left in the tree of woe. Low dropkick by Tajiri, fireball from The Sinister Minister. Guido eats a chair, Buzzsaw Kicks to Guido. One with a chair for good measure, Whipwreck throws a chair at Guido. Whipwreck stabs Guido with the chair, headbutts to Mamaluke.

Ten punches to Mamaluke, low blow by Mamaluke. Double Powerbomb by The FBI, two for Guido. Stomps in the corner, faceplant for Whipwreck. Sicilian Slice for two, tag to Mamaluke. Snap suplexes and Russian legsweep by Mamaluke for two, Mamaluke eats a sit-out facebuster. Tag to Tajiri, sidekick for Guido. Handspring Elbow, lariat to Mamaluke. Mamaluke German suplexes Tajiri, Whipwreck makes the save. Gutbuster by Whipwreck, slingshot leg drop by Guido. Kiss of Death is blocked, green mist. Double Whippersnapper for two as Big Sal pulls out the referee. Sinister Minister pisses off Big Sal, splash in the corner. Roll-through snap from the challengers, Guido hurls Whipwreck to the floor. Big Sal eats the championship to the face, Asai Moonsault by Tajiri to Big Sal. Top rope Whippersnapper is stopped with a belt shot, double weird slam thing for the win.

It was fine, nothing special considering the type of chemistry that Guido and Tajiri have with one another, I must go back and check how many times the duo have faced one another on pay per view as it must be a ridiculous number by this time. It started off on high energy but was flat by the end, hoping for more at November to Remember if there is a rematch.

Winners: FBI over Unholy Alliance!

(ECW World Television Championship Match) Rob Van Dam W/ Bill Alfonso vs Rhino ©

RVD is back for his championship, Rhino is side-stepped to begin the match. They brawl on the floor before RVD is shoved into the crowd by Rhino. Military press to ringside by Rhino, Rhino is crotched on the guard rail. Thrust kick Van Damanator style, RVD nails a tope con hilo. Kicks by RVD, inverted atomic drop followed by a skateboard dropkick using a chair. Rhino elbows RVD, diving clothesline by Rhino. Two for Rhino, knees to the head by Rhino. Corner Gore, RVD is tossed to the floor. Rhino reaches for a table, RVD kicks and punches at Rhino. Rhino has a table in the corner, reverse chinlock from Rhino. RVD escapes, enzuigiri and a step-through spinning heel kick.

 Chair to the face by Rhino, RVD nails a rolling firemen’s carry, moonsault and a Five Star Frog Splash. Two as Rhino kicks out! Gore from Rhino, Rhino Driver through the table at ringside. Two as RVD kicks out! Knees to the head by Rhino, Alfonso smacks Rhino with the chair. Van Damanator, RVD signals for The Van Terminator. Credible appears and smacks RVD with the cane, Rhino uses Alfonso for a shield to the van terminator. Gore through the table and a Rhino Driver on the chair for the win.

Fast-count from the referee, the referee is a heel? I am guessing so, RVD is already talking to Alfonso following the piledriver, not a big fan of that at all. RVD and Rhino both do not get dramatic kick-outs of one another’s finishes, that I thought was wasted as RVD survived a Rhino Driver and Rhino survived The Five Star Frog Splash. The finish does setup RVD vs Credible which would be the big match for the company if they managed to get that far so that is a plus.

Winner: Rhino over RVD via Rhino Driver!

(ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match) Justin Credible © W/ Francine vs Jerry Lynn

Thinking back, Lynn should have beaten RVD clean if they wanted to setup Lynn managing to win the championship, it would work so much better in Lynn’s favour if he could conquer RVD and then conquer Credible. Front chancery by Lynn, hammerlocks and armdrags. Lynn is in control, lock-up. Credible backs in Lynn, chops by Credible. Lynn answers back, Credible answers Lynn. More chops by Lynn, headscissors is countered for that’s incredible, both men escape one another’s finishes, nice sequence. Diving bulldog by Lynn for two, side headlock takedown by the challenger. Lynn whips Credible over the top rope, baseball slide by Lynn.

Diving crossbody by Lynn, Credible nails a massive sidewalk slam in the ring. Francine hands Credible a chair, chair to the face for two. Stomps by Credible, powerbomb by Credible for two. They kill a minute or so crowd brawling, Lynn DDTs Credible on a chair in the ring. Inverted DDT by Credible for two, front chancery by Credible. Credible cuts a promo mid-match to fire up Lynn, it backfires as all sorts of mess is fired at the two wrestlers, Lynn escapes for a crucifix pin. They trade pins, two for Lynn. Swinging DDT by Credible, tornado DDT by Lynn. Right hands and chops by Lynn, corner clothesline by Lynn. Lynn nails his guillotine leg drop, Leg Drop for two.

Lynn has a table, Credible is placed on the table. Francine grabs Lynn, Credible tosses Lynn through the table. Two for Credible, Lynn crotches Credible. Sunset flip powerbomb by Credible for two, Lynn escapes Credible’s tombstone. Cradle Piledriver for two, Credible nails That’s Incredible for two. Superkick for the referee, Lynn rolls-up Credible for two as a crooked referee screws Lynn. Francine canes Lynn, championship to the head but Lynn kicks out again.

Rib-breaker for two, Lynn is caned again by the referee this time. That’s Incredible, the referee stops counting as the referee hears New Jack’s music. Hold on a second, why the fuck did the referee stop counting? How did New Jack’s music stop the referee’s hand? What bollocks is that? Why is New Jack here? What does New Jack have to do with this feud or referee? I am lost, Credible canes New Jack. That’s Incredible by Lynn and Lynn is your new champion.

That was long, that was a crazy finish and I do not know if that kind of finish works for me if I am a fan of Lynn, Lynn was the pure wrestler who could out wrestle someone on any night, why would Lynn need so much interference? Could you have not put over Lynn clean? And the referee stopping his count bothers me tremendously, I am sorry but there was no reason for the referee to stop counting, hearing someone’s music would not stop someone counting a pin-fall, that’s bollocks.

Winner: Jerry Lynn over Justin Credible via That’s Incredible!

That was ECW’s Anarchy Rulz 2000, a fun and easy show to get through with some head-scratching booking towards the end of the night, it is easy on the eyes, there is no doubt about that for ECW. The Rhino vs RVD match was disappointing for me, did not deliver and the finish with RVD being beaten by a fast-count rather than Rhino drilling him with The Rhino Driver and that being all was frustrating, there was no need for a fast count when you have Rhino killing people left right and centre. Rhino is a monster, let him be a monster. The final match had too much interference for my liking, Lynn was hit by referees, Credible and Francine yet kicked out of everything only for a distraction from New Jack to help him win the championship. Not buying that, where does that leave Corino now? Are you going back to Lynn vs Corino? You have RVD vs Credible setup but what about Dreamer and Sandman? There were some big names not on this show, let’s see what you do from here ECW. Overall, thumbs up show with some complaints towards the end, 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!