2 Cold Scorpio

Future puro stars pop up in the strangest places in their early years- like CIMA making Nitro & Thunder appearances!

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This week we have a wild assortment of weirdness, as I finally get to showcase something I’d been wanting to share- the time CIMA & Tokyo Magnum hit WCW! See, Ultimo Dragon wanted some training time for his boys in what was then called Toryumon, and so we have them acting as jobbers in all sorts of WCW programming, taking on guys in true “Wait, THAT happened?” bouts- such as here against The Public Enemy in their second WCW run!

Also the KOTR run of Chyna inspired me to check out an IC Title defense from the same era, as she takes on DX stablemate Mr. Ass! Then watch a bizarre OVW trios match, as “The Main Roster Failures Squad” (Sean O’Haire, Lance Cade &  Renee Dupree) take on The Big Boss Man (an OVW trainer at this point!), Charlie Haas and John Cena! Also an all-time dream match as Blake Beverly takes on SMASH… but in WCW when the latter was completely washed up and doing the “Hole in One” gimmick on WCW Saturday Night. TWICE they wrestled- smell the ratings! Finally, more of my dive into lucha as Silver King, 2 Cold Scorpio & El Texano team up against Dr. Wagner Jr, Scorpio Jr & Black Power.

THE PUBLIC ENEMY (Rocco Rock & Johnny Grunge) vs. SHIIMA NOBUNAGA & TOKYO MAGNUM:
(WCW Thunder 07-08-1998)
* GOD I love WCW! Where else can you see shit like Dragon Gate guys fighting TPE on the B-show? The rookie trainees already have great looks and good gear, but they’re taking on an increasingly-rotund TPE (Grunge in particular is HUGE now). Magnum’s in pink & black, Shiima’s in yellow & black, and TPE have big white jerseys on.

Violence X Suffering: Lucid Dreams
Date: April 9, 2021
Location: Cuban Club, Ybor City, Florida
Commentators: Various

We’re back with another midnight show from GCW’s the Collective and that could mean a lot of things. I don’t know anything about this promotion or anything about this show, so as usual I’m coming in blind. That is kind of the point of a show like this, but hopefully they aren’t on until almost 3am again. Let’s get to it.

For The Culture 2021
Date: April 8, 2021
Location: Cuban Club, Tampa, Florida
Commentator: Big Perc

We continue the Wrestlemania weekend run with our first offering from the Collective. This is from Game Changer Wrestling which has some rather unique options at times. They have a rather solid collection of talent from what I’ve seen so far, which could make for a pretty awesome show. Let’s get to it.

When a five-minute match ends up still being talked about 20 years later.

Welcome back to more Dream Matches! This one features the famous Nitro bout between Main Eventer Kevin Nash and the rising star Wrath! And totally isn’t just an excuse for me to write a mini-column whining about that match and then put up random other weird shit I found to pad it out!

Also here: one of the Headhunters being the hardest working guy in a match involving four former major stars and then-current major lucha acts, plus did you know that Flash Funk and the GOON crossed paths? Well now you do!

KEVIN NASH vs. WRATH:
(WCW Nitro, Nov. 23 1998)
* So THIS turned out to be one of those things that always sticks to Kevin Nash, and is still talked about to this day. So Nash was heading towards his big Title match with Goldberg at Starrcade. Wrath, meanwhile, was getting bigger and bigger reactions for going from a midcarder to ANOTHER Goldberg-style squash artist, just wrecking guys on the undercard for months, to the point where he was getting great reactions. As he was a huge guy who could really move, and had good monster charisma, he was over and he had a lot of potential. Buuuuuuuuuuuut since Goldberg famously had an unbeaten streak, Nash was thought to need to “warm up” by fighting ANOTHER guy with a “streak” going. And so Wrath, in the middle of a hot streak, is booked against a main eventer who can’t afford to lose.

This card was the largest of ECW’s Holiday Hell Tour in December 1995, taking place at the Lost Battalion Hall in Queens, New York on December 29.  According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the show attracted a sold-out crowd of 1,283, the largest to see an ECW event to that point.

Joey Styles provides commentary for the evening’s events, working solo as per usual.  He starts the show in the ring, putting over ECW’s debut in the New York City area.  Stevie Richards and the Blue Meanie interrupt so Richards can put himself over for a few minutes and question the sexual preferences of fans at ringside.  Missy Hyatt is spotted in the crowd and Richards tries to put the moves on her, but Hyatt is reluctant until Richards tells her that she can get Hyatt a date with Raven.  Hyatt kisses Richards, telling him to give that to Raven and Richards marks out to a chorus of boos.

A graphic describes ECW as the place “Where the big boys don’t play” to lead into a replay of the Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer-Raven and Cactus Jack match at November to Remember.  ECW clips the match down to three and a half minutes to hide its faults.

Funk puts over Dreamer as the next hardcore athlete and how his wrestling career is winding down.  A tearful Dreamer tells Funk that he will never forget what he did for him.

Buh Buh Ray Dudley’s introduction and squash of the Broad Street Bully at November to Remember ’95 airs.

Joey Styles puts over how the Public Enemy owned November to Remember, winning big matches in the first two editions of the event over Badd Company and Cactus Jack and Mikey Whipwreck.

Joey Styles handles the commentary for the show, which took place at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 18.  According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the show drew a sellout crowd of 1,150 fans.

Buh Buh Ray Dudley walks to the ring to do guest ring announcing duties for the Broad Street Bully-Don E. Allen opener.  He is accompanied by the other members of the Dudley clan except for Dudley Dudley, who is no longer part of the company.  Buh Buh is wearing a top hat and suit coat like he is running a circus.  Buh Buh gets through the welcome until he tries to mimic Michael Buffer and stutters over the word “rumble.”  Frustrated, Buh Buh takes out the jobbers with Buh-Buh Bombs.

The closing moments of Mikey Whipwreck beating the Sandman for the ECW Championship on last week’s show air.

Joey Styles tells viewers that the Sandman is incensed over losing the ECW Championship and has vowed revenge.

Joey Styles calls the action on this episode, which continues to come from The South Philly Jam.

Steve Austin cuts his famous promo that denounces his treatment in WCW and puts over how he is now in an environment where no one can hold back his wrestling abilities.  The segment marks the end of the “Stunning Steve” character as Austin promises to reach new heights because no one can stop him any longer.  And what makes this promo so great is Austin would later become one of the most famous wrestlers in history and helped bring down the company that cast him aside.

Amid terrible camera work that keeps shaking, Lance Wright hypes the October 28 ECW Arena show which will feature the Sandman defending the ECW Championship against Mikey Whipwreck in a ladder match.

Don’t forget to vote in the Doomies!  Polls close on Saturday!  https://blogofdoom.com/index.php/2021/01/04/seventh-annual-doomie-awards-poll/

Beulah McGillicutty says she is going to have a segment on future broadcasts that will answer any fan questions, whether they are about romance or wrestling.  She promises that her “[mail]box is always open for you.”

As a follow up to the previous segment, Joey Styles tells fans that they can send their mail for Beulah to P.O. Box 17280, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19105.  Styles adds that the Public Enemy will face the Gangstas in a street fight this Saturday that will literally take place on the streets as a ring will be setup underneath a trestle a block away from the ECW Arena.  The show will also feature the Sandman defending the ECW Championship against Mikey Whipwreck.

Highlights of the Pitbulls winning the ECW tag team titles from Raven and Stevie Richards at Gangstas Paradise air.  After, the Pitbulls and Francine brag about winning the titles and Richards woman.

Joey Styles announces that the Pitbulls will defend the ECW Tag Team Championship against Raven and Richards on October 7 at the ECW Arena.  The match will feature dual special guest referees.

Joey Styles commentates the matches, which come from the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 16.

Joey Styles calls tonight’s action, which comes from the ECW Arena on August 26.

Lance Wright hypes Club ECW where for $100 you get the same ringside seat for the next four ECW Arena shows, get on ECW’s priority mailing list, and get twenty percent off all ECW merchandise.

Joey Styles narrates a video package that recaps the Eddie Guerrero-Dean Malenko feud.

Styles announces to the ECW Arena that 2 Cold Scorpio is the new television champion after defeating Guerrero in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.  When asked about Taz, Scorpio says that if Taz wants some, he can come and get some.  And when asked who he thinks will win the two-out-of-three falls match between Guerrero and Malenko, Scorpio says he does not care because he is the champion.

A recap of Cactus Jack’s heel turn at Wrestlepalooza ’95 airs.

ECW Champion the Sandman and Woman talk about how they love thinking about Mikey Whipwreck and the Public Enemy lying in a poor of their own blood.  The Sandman adds that Whipwreck is a boy trying to do a man’s job.

Joey Styles says that tonight’s footage will come Wrestlepalooza ’95, which took place at the ECW Arena on August 5.  He reviews some of the events that transpired there, including the Sandman caning Mikey Whipwreck until Woman told him to stop because she did not want the Sandman to forfeit the ECW Championship.  The Sandman sat in the ring as part of a strike, triggering a confrontation with the Public Enemy because they had a stretcher match with the Gangstas.  A disjointed recap over still photographs reveals that the Sandman cost the Enemy the match and that Whipwreck returned to battle with the Sandman after the match was over.

The Enemy and Whipwreck are in the hood, with the Enemy giving Whipwreck a Public Enemy jacket.  They try to educate him in the ways of the street before Johnny Grunge screams about the Enemy being the “MacDaddys of violence in ECW” and that they are going to take the Sandman to the extreme.  As all three walk away, Whipwreck does the Enemy’s celebration wave.

Footage of fans celebrating in the ring with Public Enemy at one of ECW’s Florida shows, and the ring collapsing because of it, is shown.

Joey Styles says that the matches on tonight’s show come from the Orange County Fairgrounds in Middletown, New York.

Highlights of Tommy Dreamer, the Pitbulls, and Luna Vachon fighting Steve Richards, the Vampire Warrior, Raven, and the Dudley Brothers in Florida is shown.

Joey Styles calls the matches on the card, which come from ECW’s July 21 show from Tampa, Florida.