Mike Reviews ECW Hardcore TV – 25.10.97

Happy Extreme Friday Everyone!

We’ve got some Hardcore TV for you this week, courtesy of F+C, as we take a look at a famous episode built around Bam Bam Bigelow challenging Shane Douglas for the ECW World Title.

You can check out the full card for this episode of Hardcore TV by clicking below;

ECW Hardcore TV Card

Hardcore TV is emanating from the Elks Lodge (and it’s fun Fire Pro Wrestling styled hard cam) in Queens, New York. The footage was taped on 16th October 1997 and then aired on the 25th October

Calling the action is Joey Styles

Joey Styles starts out the show in the ring and invites ECW World Champ Shane Douglas and Francine down for a promo segment. Douglas makes sure to Heel on the crowd and then gets us on topic, which is that Rick Rude has been finding handpicked opponents for Douglas in exchange for Rude having some…quality time with Francine. This brings out Rude, who instead flips the script by finding Douglas a very tough opponent in the form of Douglas’ stablemate Bam Bam Bigelow. Chris Candido, the other member of the Triple Threat stable, tries to talk Bigelow out of the match, but Bigelow shoves Candido aside and the bout is on. This was an effective start to the show, with the crowd giving the Heels the business whilst the Heels played up to it. Francine in particular did a good job riling them up by refusing to show them her flowery baps. At one point Douglas had to practically beg the fans to shut up so that they could get the segment moving. Bigelow as the surprise opponent was a good twist, and Douglas freaking out when “Welcome to the Jungle” hit for Bigelow was very well done. Sunny even makes a cameo to try and talk Bigelow out of fighting

We get the show intro. This week’s tagline is “Tonight, From New York City, Bam Bam Challenges The Franchise”. This was during the period where they had a tv monitor effect on the video clips, which I never personally liked that much. They eventually dropped that in 1998 I think

Match One
ECW World Title
Champ: “The Franchise” Shane Douglas w/ Chris Candido and Francine Vs “The Beast From The East” Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Rick Rude

Bigelow controls things for the most part in this one, throwing Douglas around with power moves and clubbing away at him with strikes. Douglas bumps around in order to make Bigelow look dangerous, with it being an effective way of making Bigelow look like a monster. Douglas does get some flurries of offence, and is even able to bump Bigelow with a dropkick at one stage. Styles does a decent job on commentary getting across the idea that Douglas is a deserving champion who is capable of putting Bigelow away, because if Bigelow beats a loser then it does nothing for him, and if he loses to one it does real damage. Douglas even manages to bust out a vertical suplex on Bigelow at one stage, which looks impressive. Bigelow fires back with the Rude Awakening though and big powerbomb soon follows to give Bigelow the belt after 7 Minutes.

WINNER AND NEW CHAMPION: BAM BAM BIGELOW
RATING: **1/2

Thoughts: An effective way of crowning a new champion and making it feel like a big deal, with the Queens crowd going nuts for it. Douglas sold well and Bigelow looked like a big star here on route to winning the belt. Everyone involved in the match did well though in fairness, with Francine in particular selling fear for her man throughout at ringside in a very good example of understated, yet effective, managing. The Triple Threat has now splintered and we have a new ECW World Champ, so the landscape of ECW changed a lot in the past 20 Minutes!

Rude grabs a mic following the match and officially announces Bigelow as the new champion whilst Douglas looks crestfallen at losing. This helps make the belt look like it matters and is worth having, so I approve

Match Two
“The Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal Madman” Sabu w/ Bill Alfonso Vs Mikey Whipwreck

Sabu was a Heel feuding with The Sandman at the time, leading to a HORRIBLE match at November to Remember 1997. These two usually had decent matches together, with Mikey being a good punching bag for all of Sabu’s big high risk moves. They actually work this on the mat to mat to start, which isn’t bad but it feels like they’re killing time until they can make it to the fireworks factory, rather than two wrestlers trying to out grapple one another.

Eventually Sabu introduces a chair into proceedings and uses it as a boost so he can deliver a rana from the top rope on Mikey. That opens the door to the expected spot fest, with Sabu sending Mikey outside and following with a dive into the front row, as you do. Mikey manages to avoid getting put through a table by Sabu at one stage by flinging a chair at his opponent, and he follows that up with some near falls, with the most impressive probably being a Bulldog from the top rope.

Mikey even gets to kickout of a Triple Jump Moonsault at one stage, so he isn’t getting treated as a goober here by any means. That point is only extenuated when Rob Van Dam has to run in and help Sabu, leading to Mikey putting RVD through the table that Sabu set up earlier. However, this leaves Mikey open for a Sabu attack, with that leading to Sabu giving Mikey another Moonsault whilst Mikey is straddled over the middle tope for three count after 10 Minutes.

WINNER: SABU
RATING: **1/2

Thoughts: Selling was at a premium in this one, as guys were taking big bumps and getting up seconds later in order to do the next one. As a result; this one won’t be for everyone, but I found it entertaining for what it was. I also like how Mikey was treated as an actual competitor who was on Sabu’s level and wasn’t just an enhancement guy there to get creamed. Sabu needing help from Rob Van Dam to eventually get the win only made Mikey look all the more credible, and it also helped with maintaining Sabu’s status as a Heel

Joey hypes up November to Remember 1997

Match Three
Justin Credible w/ Jason Knight Vs The Great Sasuke

Credible had recently jumped to ECW and his act was more of a general cocky young Heel and not the “future of the company” star that Paul Heyman tried to position him as after this. Sasuke had made a real splash back at Barely Legal as part of the highly regarded Michinoku Pro six man tag, but he’s here for a singles match this time. The fans in Queens actually throw some streamers into the ring prior to the match in a nice touch. According to Styles, Pee Wee Moore the referee can speak both English and Japanese, which is very cool if true.

Sasuke shines on Credible to start with a mixture of strikes and holds on the mat, with Credible bumping, selling and feeding for it all. I know it was wrong for ECW to try Credible as a World Title level guy, just because he was never going to work at that level on the card, but he was a solid in-ring performer who played the role of weasel Heel well. Credible displays that here by giving Sasuke a low blow for the cut off and then working some heat, delivering some nice offence whilst also taunting the crowd and showing off some decent Heel personality and mannerisms.

Credible actually delivers a nice rana off the top onto Sasuke at one stage, which isn’t a move he’d do that much as his ECW career continued. Sasuke eventually makes a comeback, leading to an action-packed closing section where Sasuke gets to show off his high-flying abilities, which the Queens crowd appreciates. Knight ends up getting involved though, cutting off a Sasuke move from the top rope, which allows Credible to catch Sasuke with a spinning Tombstone Piledriver for the three count after 10 Minutes.

WINNER: JUSTIN CREDIBLE
RATING: ***

Thoughts: Good match to close out the show, with Credible being a solid Heel who played his role well, whilst Sasuke got to show he was the superior wrestler overall who ultimately only lost because Credible’s manager got involved. This was a big win for Credible, although he’d then go on to lose to Mikey Whipwreck at November to Remember 1997, highlighting the stop-start nature of his push that often plagued him throughout his early ECW career. Still, this had good action and the match structure was on point

In Conclusion:

This was an easily digestible edition of Hardcore TV that featured some decent wrestling, a hot crowd, a big newsworthy moment in the opener, and a genuine surprise in the third match with Credible upsetting Sasuke (and thus technically beginning the over-push from hell in the process)

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