The Hack Myers-Tony Stetson match from Enter Sandman airs. Instead of airing a clip job, which would have covered up how bad this match was, ECW opts to show it in its entirety.
Joey Styles asks Paul E. Dangerously why Taz dropped his gimmick. Dangerously answers that Taz does not need a gimmick to reach the top of professional wrestling. He adds that Taz is already a “larger than life man” and the Tazmaniac is no more.
Footage of ECW Tag Team Champions the Public Enemy defending the tag team titles against the Pitbulls in Japan is shown. The Enemy are then shown at a local batting cage, doing some comedy about Japanese culture and Big League Chew before hyping their “Brawl Game” match with the Pitbulls this week at Drexel University.
A recap of Bill Alfonso’s antics in ECW and Tod Gordon’s disgust with him airs.
The Sandman’s successful ECW title defense against Shane Douglas at Enter Sandman is shown, along with the post-match brawling between Raven, Steve Richards, Cactus Jack, and Tommy Dreamer.
The Last Word: This was just another basic recap episode of Hardcore TV. The Public Enemy-Pitbulls feud is doing nothing for the Pitbulls since they keep losing all of their title shots and fail to get heat to make up for it. Hopefully, ECW ends that feud quickly and gives the Enemy something else to do.
As noted in this broadcast, ECW did run a house show at Drexel University in Philadelphia on June 9. Here were the results of that show, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Drexel University – June 9, 1995 (302): Mikey Whipwreck beat Don E. Allen…Shane Douglas beat Hack Myers…Cactus Jack beat Ian Rotten…Marty Jannetty wrestled 2 Cold Scorpio to a no contest…ECW Tag Team Champions the Public Enemy defeated the Pitbulls in a baseball bat match…Raven & Steve Richards defeated Cactus Jack & Tommy Dreamer…ECW Champion the Sandman pinned Marty Jannetty…ECW Champion the Sandman beat 2 Cold Scorpio.
Backstage News*: Paul Heyman’s negotiations with Tod Gordon for Gordon’s fifty-percent stake in the company is ongoing, with Heyman lining up an investor to make Gordon an offer. Gordon is also looking for investors to stay involved in the company, though, so the entire backstage situation is uncertain at present. There are also doubts that ECW only owes $15,000 in debt as was reported last week. Flying in big name talent costs money and the promotion’s ticket sales cannot cover that. Some within the company are trying to convince Heyman and Gordon to go the pay-per-view route. SEG, who does UFC pay-per-views, has shown interest in working with ECW but Heyman is skeptical of doing a pay-per-view at the present time because ECW needs more market exposure and a terrible buyrate would do lasting damage to the company’s image.
*In terms of media markets, ECW recently added Channel 25 in Cincinnati, which will air Hardcore TV at 10 p.m. on Monday nights.
*At Drexel University, the Cactus Jack-Ian Rotten match started off as a scientific clash because Jack said he needed a rest from the punishment. When the crowd booed, Jack and Rotten encouraged them and Jack told fans to fax Dave Meltzer and tell him they were putting on a five-star classic. Near the end, both men got into a bloody brawl as the story of the match was that they wanted to wrestle it straight but could not because of their natural tendencies. A lot of it went over the fans heads, according to arena reports, though.
*ECW is trying to prevent the WWF and WCW from poaching their talent. Chris Benoit decided not to go to the WWF due to his commitments in New Japan and he will appear on ECW’s June 17 card at the ECW Arena. Benoit informed Heyman of his decision on June 12. However, Shane Douglas was spotted at the WWF television tapings last week. Douglas is supposed to go to medical school next year and works as a high school history teacher in Pittsburgh, a job he would have to give up going to the WWF. However, sources say that Douglas was unhappy about losing the ECW title to the Sandman and Heyman’s decision to let the Sandman keep it rather than job it back to him. WCW is also interested in getting Tommy Dreamer, which could wreck ECW’s storyline between he and Raven.
*In talent relations news, Terry Funk will make his last ECW appearance on the company’s July 1 show. Sabu has been in discussions to return but Heyman is wary because he does not want to set a precedent for the rest of the locker room. Also, ECW is forming a connection with the Mexican-based AAA promotion. Konnan was going to make a surprise appearance at the Drexel University card but had to miss due to a family emergency. However, he is expected to do some shows over the summer, and this could open the door to other AAA stars like Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Psicosis working ECW events. Jungle Jim Steele , who worked for WCW last year, was backstage at Drexel University and hoping to secure work. Finally, the Gangstas from Smoky Mountain Wrestling should be coming into the promotion by the end of the month and will be programmed against the Public Enemy. PG-13 from the USWA might be used too so that the Enemy have multiple challengers.
*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for June 19.
Up Next: ECW Hardcore TV for June 13!