My Take On The Original ECW 7.27.08: ECW Hardcore TV (4.28.96)

Introduction:
Welcome back to the latest edition of My Take On! With the addition of WWE 24/7 to my cable system, I have decided to have some fun and do some columns on “The Original ECW.” I plan to work this similar to the “My Take on MMA/The Monday Night Wars” columns, where it isn’t a recap as much as it is an analysis piece. Much like the Monday Night Wars pieces I am running, this is for entertainment purposes. I loved ECW back in the day, sitting with friends and watching the Monday Night Wars, and also have a love for the original ECW. I remember finding it at 2am back in the day in Pittsburgh and was just amazed at what I saw. I even went to a few shows in Pittsburgh. So with 24/7 jumping into my cable lineup, this will be another thing I bring you. I hope that you enjoy it.

For those that have asked, these columns don’t have a set schedule. They will appear as a fill in for when another 411 writer needs the day off.

Also, I will post out the couple of these I have done, but the future of the concept is in doubt as I am not sure if I will have 24/7 when I move. For those that have enjoyed the column, thanks!

I missed a couple of shows due to scheduling.

ECW HARDCORE TV! Matches from Hostile City Showdown 1996 Match/Segment: ECW Heavyweight Title Match: Raven vs. Shane Douglas Final Thoughts: Raven, after recovering from the gout, now had to defend the ECW Title against Shane Douglas. This is also the timeframe when Dreamer proved how hardcore he was, and took both Beulah and Kimona to bed. Tremendous. After a solid opening, featuring actual wrestling (contrary to popular believe, they did that in ECW) they spill into the crowd, Douglas does a HUGE dive and they brawl into the parking lot. Raven gets busted open, Douglas runs wild, Dreamer fights off Brian Lee but the ref was distracted and he couldn’t get the pin. Douglas blames Dreamer for this, and just as it looks as if they make up, BELLY TO BELLY on Dreamer. This leads to them brawling and Dreamer being tossed. They work back into a wrestling match, including some nice counters showing how they know each other so well. In a typical Raven fashion we get the smoke and mirrors with Stevie and the Meanie running in, Douglas fights them off, removes the “special orthopedic boot” that was protecting Raven’s ankle, fights off the Bruise Brothers, but this allows Raven to nail Douglas with the special orthopedic boot and steal the win. There was good wrestling here, as well as the Raven bag of tricks. I think that you either like it or not, no middle ground. I liked it. Larry’s Enjoyment Index: 8.0 08.08.08: The Day the 4R’s Change Forever! Match/Segment: Douglas Speaks Final Thoughts: Post match Douglas cuts a promo about wanting nothing but that ECW World Title and that HBK was too afraid to work him. This leads to 2 Cold Scorpio hitting the ring and he is OFFENDED that Douglas would disrespect the TV Title and puts over the history of that title, and then challenges Douglas. Douglas says Scorpio is a good “TV champion” but he doesn’t care about the TV Belt. So he of course attacks him and whips him with the belt, fights off the Sandman and canes both guys. Douglas then piledrives Scorpio onto the TV Title, and closes it out by laying the belt on his carcass. Larry’s Enjoyment Index: 7.0 Match/Segment: The Gangstas and the Eliminators Speak Final Thoughts: New Jack promises Violence for the sake of Violence against the Eliminators, and that they will take the tag team titles. Mustafa just stands there and laughs. The Eliminators promise to stand by each other, but then find out that their tag title belts had been vandalized. It was fine, it pushed the feud and upcoming match. Larry’s Enjoyment Index: 5.0 Match/Segment: Axl Rotten vs. Little Guido Final Thoughts: Oddly enough this was a pretty good little wrestling match. Axl is one of those guys the KNEW how to wrestle, but once the ultra-violent shit got him over so huge, he just relied on it and never went back. Axl wins with the dominator, Little Guido looked good in the loss as it was not a squash. JT Smith has the mic, Axl bails as JT combs Guido’s hair but gets cut off before he can sing. BULLSHIT. It was fine, but completely unforgettable. Larry’s Enjoyment Index: 5.5 Match/Segment: Taz vs. Dangerous Devon Storm Final Thoughts: Dangerous Devon Storm will be known to many as Crowbar. This was Taz at his finest. Storm was there to take bumps and sell the brutality of Taz, which he did. They also made the point that he emulated Sabu, and when he got a chance on offense it showed. Also when you think about ECW history, you think about Taz vs. Sabu, which is another reason I dug this. Taz would throw an overhead belly to belly from the ring to the floor, Storm unfortunately didn’t quite make the table, his legs did and he hit badly on the floor. Sucks to be him. Taz chokes him out on the floor after the match, and then says runs down Storm for being a Sabu wanna be, but does give him credit for showing up, unlike Sabu. Taz was just the fucking man here, superb squash. Taz was pissed during the match because Storm was late and generally unprofessional that day. Taz also believed that Storm was nothing but a Sabu rip off legit, and he decided to take care of business the only way he knew how. Larry’s Enjoyment Index: 7.0 The Overall: Best Match/Segment: ECW Heavyweight Title Match: Raven vs. Shane Douglas 8.0 Worst Match/Segment: The Gangstas and the Eliminators Speak 5.0 Final Thoughts: Another good episode of ECW, highlighted by the Raven vs. Shane Douglas ECW Title match. They did a good job of telling their story, while also telling all of the other stories that were involved in their feud. Dreamer, Lee, the Bruise Brothers all made sense with their parts, they all played their roles well and it just worked. They also transitioned well into the Douglas/Scorpio feud afterwards, which is good stuff. Taz also continues to be a bad ass and rules the universe, BERRYING Dangerous Devon Storm for being a Sabu rip off. This was a fun episode overall. Show Score: 7.0