November to Remember ’97

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

November to Remember

November 30, 1997

Golden Dome

Monaca, Pennsylvania

News & Notes: Welcome to ECW’s 3^rd PPV, November to Remember. The Triple Threat explodes when Shane Douglas faces Bam Bam Bigelow for the ECW title. Plus, Dreamer bounces RVD like a basketball, Sandman trips balls, and Al Snow gets some head! Wait, that’s not what it sounds like! I swear. But first, other things happened in ECW.

I’ll start with Taz. He had multiple TV title defenses. So Taz declared his belt was more prestigious than Douglas’ ECW title. He was a better champion. Taz said the same to Bam Bam when Bigelow defeated Shane. (More on that later.) Bigelow and Taz even went face-to-face. That will come into play later in this review. But that wasn’t Taz’s only focus. He still can’t stand Sabu. Taz attacked Sabu while Sabu & RVD were beating up Dreamer. He didn’t do it for Tommy’s sake. But Dreamer said he owed Taz a favor nonetheless. Taz told Dreamer the best way to repay it was to face him in a TV title bout. It ended with no winner because of RVD & Sabu. So Taz & Dreamer teamed to face them. (I’ll explain the rest in the match notes.)

Meanwhile, two ECW personalities had attitude changes. First, backstage interviewer Lance Wright turned heel. Wright said he regretted coming to ECW. He could have co-hosted WrestleMania or appeared on Nitro. But he chose ECW instead. Lance even claimed he still had connections in the WWF. He tried to use them to his advantage. But this didn’t work with Taz. He beat up Lance for wearing orange. That’s Taz’s color! (Some things never change. Taz still complains about others wearing orange on AEW TV.) But it’s okay. Lance now has backup. He became the manager of The Pitbulls. However, he’s not the only new heel. Referee Jeff Jones also went to the dark side. He got mouthy with certain wrestlers. But he always favored the heels. Then he took it further. Jones took away Dreamer’s chair and refused to count pinfalls. Jeff even prevented other refs from doing their jobs if it hindered a heel. The other referees are sick of his crap.

Joey Styles is in the ring. He welcomes everyone to the 5^th annual November to Remember. They’re up the road from Pittsburgh, and they have the largest crowd in ECW history! Joey promises they will give the fans a November to remember! Then we get the traditional ECW opening video. It’s filled with violence, Sandman drinking, and wrestlers hitting their finishers. Oh, and there are some hot women too. We end with a shot of the current ECW champion, Bam Bam Bigelow.

Chris Candido vs. Tommy Rogers

Notes: There’s no build. So I’ll discuss Candido’s past few months. Chris faced a debuting Jerry Lynn and won with the Triple Threat’s help. Then Candido defeated Lance Storm at As Good As It Gets. This created a comradery between the men. They teamed up to beat Furnas & Lafon in an upset. But Storm & Candido couldn’t help trying to one-up each other. Storm even aided Chris in attacking Bam Bam Bigelow after he turned on the Triple Threat. (More on that later.) This new partnership gave Candido confidence. Chris called himself the real showstopper in wrestling. It’s not Shawn Michaels! Candido promised to prove this by having the best match of this PPV! He’s facing Tommy Rogers. Tommy was one-half of The Fantastics. He was making the rounds in 1997. Both Fantastics appeared on RAW in a random light heavyweight encounter. Now he’s in ECW.

The Match: They shove each other into the corners for clean breaks. But when Tommy shoves him, Candido complains of hair-pulling. Then Rogers controls the action with takedowns, arm holds, a shoulder block, and an enziguri. Candido bails and tries to lure Tommy into a trap. So Rogers trips Chris and crotches him on the post. (Styles says it will change Candido’s Sunny disposition.) Then they have two cool spots. Rogers nails an apron suplex to the floor. Tommy also turns an electric chair drop into a hurricanrana. However, he slows the pace with chinlocks and front facelocks. Candido punches free and catches Tommy with a powerslam. Then he follows with a stalling suplex and a diving leg drop. Chris sets Rogers on the top rope twice because Tommy fell off. But he hits a super Frankensteiner for a two-count. Next, Candido tries a missile front dropkick. But Tommy turns it into a sit-out powerbomb. This leads to Lance Storm interfering. He gives Tommy a wheel kick and Storm & Candido attack. Jerry Lynn comes to the rescue.

Thoughts: This turns into a tag match. So I’ll give my thoughts on the singles portion of the bout. It was technically sound, but this was dull. They had some cool spots. But they spaced them between stalling, standing around, and regrouping. There was no flow to the action. Nothing looked bad. But it wasn’t good. (On a side note, Rogers hurt his neck. It might explain why they changed this.)

Winner: To be continued (13:20)

Chris Candido & Lance Storm vs. Tommy Rogers & Jerry Lynn

The Match: Lynn fights off both men with a backdrop, dropkicks, forearms, and an armbar. Then the action spills outside and everyone does a dive. Lynn starts with a springboard crossbody. Candido follows with a flying version that takes out his own partner. Even Rogers gets some of the action. This is where the ref officially makes it a tag match. (A fan yells, “Hey, Joey! Is he allowed to do that!?”) Lynn also hands out kicks. One is to Chris’ balls. But Storm & Candido catch him with a clothesline/powerbomb combo. Next, Rogers rolls up Candido and almost exposes him. (A fan wolf whistles.) Then Storm hits his partner with a missile dropkick by accident. But Lance blocks a tornado DDT from Lynn. However, he can’t stop Rogers & Lynn’s crossbody doomsday device. Lynn then climbs the ropes again, so Storm crotches him. Lance wants to do a back superplex. But Candido pulls him down. It’s his turn! Chris takes over and nails a Blond Bombshell. But Rogers breaks up the pin. Storm enters the ring to stop this and Rogers gives him a Tomakaze (Unprettier). Then Tommy turns to attack Candido. So Chris reverses a suplex into a bridging Northern Lights Suplex for the win.

Thoughts: This was much better. The action picked up once Storm and Lynn arrived. It should have been a tag match from the start. That would have made for a hotter opening contest. Storm and Lynn had some great spots. Plus, I like the continued storytelling of Storm & Candido trying to outdo each other. If this were a full tag match, I’d rate it higher. But I liked it for what it was.

Winners: Candido & Storm (3:23)

Instead of helping Storm, Candido asks for a fan’s sign. It says, “Candido Show Stopper.” Chris holds it up for the crowd while Storm writhes around on the mat. Styles says, “With a friend like Candido, who needs enemas.” (Um, I think you meant something else. Oh, who am I kidding? He did that on purpose.)

Next, they show a video package about Mikey Whipwreck. It includes footage of him pinning Steve Austin. (That’s a nice touch, ECW.) Then it transitions to clips of Justin Credible hitting his That’s Incredible finisher. They follow this with Credible’s entrance. Jason is with him. Joey calls Jason by his nickname, The World’s Sexiest Man. But Joey chokes on the words. Styles says Jason gives him the hives. Meanwhile, some fans chant Aldo at Justin.

Mikey Whipwreck vs. Justin Credible (w/ Jason)

Notes: At As Good As It Gets, Jason had a big announcement. An excited Joey Styles hoped Jason was leaving. But that wasn’t the case. Jason introduced his newest wrestler. It’s the former Aldo Montoya! He ditched the jockstrap mask. Now, he calls himself Justin Credible! Why does he call himself this? It’s because he’s just incredible, both in and out of the ring! (What? Why are you laughing? He’s serious!) Justin showed this by defeating Jerry Lynn, The Great Sasuke, and Chris Chetti. Credible put them away with his finisher, That’s Incredible (Spinning Tombstone). Meanwhile, his opponent returned to ECW TV in October. Mikey Whipwreck claimed he wanted to end his career in ECW. He also said he was afraid of no one! So Mikey faced Sabu. But Sabu won with RVD’s help.

The Match: They trade punches until Mikey whips Justin into a corner flip. Then Whipwreck shoves Credible into the rail. And he swings around the post for a hurricanrana. But Justin nails a swinging DDT when they return to the ring. Credible also uses dropkicks, a snapmare, and a slam. But does crotch chops and punches between them. (He has a slow pace.) Next, Justin sends Mikey to the floor and distracts the ref. Jason takes forever to hit a running clothesline. Credible follows with more dropkicks and strikes. He also lands a sunset bomb off the top. But then Justin slows the bout with more chinlocks and a sleeper. Whipwreck breaks free with a jawbreaker and hits a superkick. Mikey even catches a leapfrogging Justin in a powerbomb. Then Whipwreck follows with a super Frankensteiner. So Jason distracts Mikey. Whipwreck is having none of that. He pulls Jason into the ring and kicks him low. But Credible uses the opening for a reverse DDT. Justin wants to finish it, so he has Jason hold Mikey. However, Whipwreck kicks Jason low again and whips him into Credible. It crotches Justin on the top rope. So Mikey does a super Whippersnapper (Stunner) for the victory.

Thoughts: This started and finished hot. But Justin ground it to a halt in the middle. The crowd booed the slow action. If Credible’s goal is to get heat by boring the fans, he’s doing a good job. But I’m surprised they gave Mikey the win. Justin is ECW’s new star. He was undefeated until this bout. I don’t mind it, but it’s surprising.

Winner: Mikey Whipwreck (7:15)

Then Styles gets a message from the truck. He says, “What? I can’t say that. What do you mean Al Snow is in the locker room getting head!?” This leads to a promo from an insane Al Snow. Everyone in the locker room ignores his ranting. Al is wearing a t-shirt that says, “J.O.B. Squad 4-Life.” He also wrote help me backward on his forehead. But that isn’t the strangest part. Al is talking to a mannequin head on the chair next to him. The previous match was his. But Head told everyone Al was injured! Al rambles about the ECW wrestlers. They set themselves on fire and stick brooms up their butts. But he can’t wrestle!? Then Al gets mad because Head says he screwed him. No, Head screwed Head! When Al turned his back, Head went to Eric Bischoff and asked for a job! Al says he’s the bread and butter of the team. He got Head over, as he does everyone else. Al also says he let Head get a free shot. He shows off his black eye. (They packed this segment with Montreal Screwjob references.) Al says he took one for the boys. The frightened guys in the locker room agree. They won’t argue because Al slams the lockers. He screams, “I’m not crazy! I’m not crazy at all!” (Al played this perfectly. It’s an absurd gimmick, but he makes it work. And it gets over with the fans. They carry Styrofoam mannequin heads to the shows. The entire thing is an excuse to make oral sex jokes. But it works in a way wrestling absurdity can.)

They go back to a dumbfounded Styles. He can’t believe he uttered the words head in the locker room. Joey introduces a recap package about Sandman. But they apparently cut it. It goes to the introductions for the next match instead. Paul E. Dangerously joins Joey for commentary. Joey calls him boss. So Paul E. says, “That’s what you’re calling me now? You’ve been watching too much Monday Night RAW.” Joey replies, “Someone has to. Their ratings are in the toilet.” Dangerously also calls Taz the most miserable man in wrestling.

TV Title Match: Taz (c) vs. Pitbull #2 (w/ Pitbull #1, Brakkus, & Lance Wright)

Notes: The Pitbulls returned at As Good As It Gets. They were now heels. Pitbull #1 proved this by claiming they were in talks with the WWF! That’s a cardinal sin in ECW. Also, while #1 was out with injury, almost no one cared! Only two people sent get-well cards. That was Lance Wright and Lance’s mother! So Wright joined as their manager. As you can see, they also added Brakkus. Who is he? This is a German bodybuilder Vince McMahon hired. Vince sent him to ECW for seasoning. They chose ECW because Candido helped train him. (Spoiler: it doesn’t work. They don’t even introduce him by name. Artese calls him Wright’s entourage.) Meanwhile, The Pitbulls picked a fight with Taz. #1 challenged Taz to fight #2 at As Good As It Gets. The fight ended in chaos when Taz punched a fan. Security jumped Taz, and the police arrested him. This only pissed Taz off even more. He called out The Pitbulls & Wright for a handicap match. But Taz never got that wish. What he got instead was The Pitbulls interfering in his matches. They lured Taz into the crowd for a brawl during the tag match I mentioned in the intro.

The Match: Pitbull #2 jumps Taz. He gives him strikes, a powerbomb, a wheel kick, and a flying shoulder tackle. But that’s it. Taz drops behind on a press slam attempt. Then Taz nails an overhead belly-to-belly. He follows with a t-bone suplex and locks in the Tazmission for the win. Paul E. freaks out. He can’t believe it.

Thoughts: It was a squash. This made Taz look strong. But Pitbull #2 looked like a chump. Taz spent the past few months giving his opponents more than this. #2 looks weak because he’s the only one who couldn’t last longer. This is fine for TV. But it’s not great for a PPV. Taz needed a better opponent.

Winner: Taz (1:29)

Pitbull #1 attacks Taz. So Taz gives him a pumphandle suplex for his trouble. Dangerously calls Taz the best wrestler on TV today. Then Taz grabs a mic. He spots Brakkus at ringside and insults him. Taz calls him Lance Wright’s boyfriend. He implies Brakkus was Vince McMahon’s gift to Lance. And Taz says Brakkus sticks needles up his ass. So Taz dares Brakkus to enter the ring. He’ll teach him the difference between being cum drunk and punch drunk! Styles & Dangerously ask the truck to cut Taz’s mic. Brakkus climbs on the apron, but the security stops him. So Taz attacks the security guard and puts him in the Tazmission. Heyman says, “Oh, great! Another lawsuit!” He also begs the truck to roll something else.

This leads to footage of Bam Bam throwing Spike into the crowd again. This time, the fans crowd surf Spike’s body around the arena. He then finishes Spike off with a flying headbutt. Then they show Bigelow holding the ECW title. It’s followed by clips of Bam Bam defeating Shane Douglas.

After the video, we see The Full Blooded Italians (Little Guido, Tracy Smothers, & Tommy Rich.) Rich says he deserves respect. They’ve received mail from godfathers all over the country. Then D-Von interrupts. So Rich tells him to shine his shoes. But D-Von steals the mic and enters the ring. He tells Gertner to testify! Joel says it’s a marvelous night for an evening. (Huh?) Then he calls himself the quintessential muff stuffer—he means stud muffin. Like a Rubik’s Cube, he gets harder the more you play with him! He’s so big it’s hard to keep from hurting her, Gertner! Next, Joel introduces Sign Guy and Big Dick. Gertner implies Big Dick impregnated some fan’s mother. (Oh, great. More Dudleys!) So the fans chant little dick at him. Joel also introduces D-Von and Buh-Buh. He gives D-Von the old 2 Cold Scorpio introduction. (He implies D-Von is slim and trim.) The next match is a Four-Way. But New Jack & Kronus are fashionably late. Balls & Axl enter the ring and hand out chair shots before the bell.

Four-Way Dance for the Tag Team Titles: The F.B.I. (c) (w/ Tommy Rich) vs. The Dudley Boyz (w/ Joel Gertner, Sign Guy, & Big Dick) vs. The Hardcore Chair Swingin’ Freaks vs. The Gangstanators

Notes: All four teams brawled and scuffled over the last few months. They also traded the tag team titles. First, The Dudleys taunted Kronus for losing his partner to WCW. So Kronus fought with The Dudleys. He received help from an unlikely source. Since Mustafa is still out, New Jack joined forces with Kronus to form The Gangstanators! Then they defeated The Dudleys for the belts! But The Dudleys got revenge by costing them the titles. Little Guido & Tracy Smothers of the FBI took the gold. Meanwhile, Balls Mahoney & Axl Rotten (The Chair Swingin’ Freaks) also have troubles with The Dudleys. They used a chair and a barbed wire bat to stop The Dudleys’ carnage at Born to be Wired. Everyone was at each other’s throats. So they held a four-way elimination match between Axl, D-Von, Kronus, & Smothers. Axl won the encounter. But they all bled thanks to New Jack’s weapons!

The Match: Balls & Axl hit a spinebuster, a double clothesline, and a drop toe hold/leg drop combo. Then The FBI uses chairs, but Big Dick stops that! This allows The Dudleys to do a Samoan Drop, a superplex, and a flying headbutt. Meanwhile, The FBI give Axl a Rocket Launcher. But The Gangstanators arrive! New Jack’s music plays while he goes crazy with weapons. They use crutches, a mailbox, a cookie sheet, and a cheese grater. Everybody bleeds! Buh-Buh licks the cheese grater after using it on Mahoney. Next, D-Von introduces a frying pan. And everyone but Kronus and D-Von fights on the floor. Kronus nails a wheel kick. So Big Dick penetrates the match! (Those are Joey’s words, not mine!) Dick misses a moonsault, but he chokeslams Kronus. So New Jack smashes a guitar over Dick’s head. Joey says he went limp. (Even Styles admits it’s too many dick jokes.) Then Kronus gives Dick a 450 Splash. He covers, but the ref reminds him Dick isn’t in the bout.

Next, Buh-Buh surprises everyone with a plancha onto a pile of competitors. While this happens, New Jack climbs the turnbuckles. He waits a while because Tommy Rich is slow. But New Jack gives Rich a flying guitar shot. Then Kronus goes to the top. So Guido hits him with the flag and sends Kronus into a Buh-Buh Cutter. (Elimination: Gangstanators) It at least stops the music! Next, Balls hands out a press slam, a superkick, and a wheel kick. But Gertner has powder! It ends up in Buh-Buh’s eyes by mistake. Balls tricks the blinded Buh-Buh into giving D-Von a 3D! (Elimination: The Dudleys) The Freaks then use strikes, chair shots, and clotheslines. Axl lands an elevated reverse DDT. Balls hits The Nutcracker Suite (Sit-Out Tombstone). But he clips the ref! This allows Jeff Jones to take over. However, Jones stops his count to check on John Finnegan. Mahoney grabs Jones, so Jeff kicks him in the—balls. It allows Guido to roll up Balls. (Final Elimination: Chair Swingin’ Freaks)

Thoughts: I don’t always like these chaotic brawls. But this one had enough amusing moments and spots to keep my interest. It wasn’t great, but I enjoyed it. A little chaos can be fun when done right. This one did it right enough to not be bad. Plus, the finish continues the ongoing story with Jeff Jones. I’m fine with it.

Winners: The FBI (14:32)

Next, they show comments from Tommy Dreamer. He arrived at the building around 5 PM, according to the timestamp. Tommy says he’s not supposed to be there. He has a busted shoulder and a broken heel. But he lives his life in pain. It’s all about how you deal with it. RVD is a better wrestler than him. If it were any other match, Rob would win. But Tommy has the weight of the world on his shoulders. No wrestler or promotion will stop him. Tonight, RVD discovers what the revolution is about. Beulah makes sour faces as Tommy speaks.

This leads to a video recapping the Dreamer/RVD feud. Based on the dubbed music, it’s set to Tommy’s theme. (“Man in the Box”) We see RVD’s various attacks. The video ends with a shot of Dreamer and Beulah holding an ECW flag. Then RVD & Fonzie enter the arena. Styles refrains from saying bad things about the WWF. But he’s glad he’ll never work for them. (Oh, if he only knew.) Styles also calls RVD a disgusting sell-out and a turncoat. Then Joey loses his train of thought when he sees Beulah. She carries an ECW flag in her hand. Joey says Dreamer is wrestling against doctor’s orders. He signed a hold harmless agreement. But he didn’t do it on TV, like other wrestlers! (Hmm, I wonder what he’s talking about.)

Flag Match: Rob Van Dam (w/ Bill Alfonso) vs. Tommy Dreamer (w/ Beulah McGillicutty)

Notes: RVD has a new way to antagonize his opponents. He carries a WWF flag with him and drapes it over them. Rob claimed planting the flag made ECW a WWF territory. All their belts were now WWF titles. RVD & Sabu took it a step farther. They pissed on an ECW flag and set it on fire. To make matters worse, RVD, Sabu, & Fonzie attacked Beulah! This led to a mixed tag match at As Good As It Gets. Tommy & Beulah faced RVD & Fonzie. They took Dreamer out of the bout when he injured his heel on a table spot. It left Beulah alone with Alfonso. But Beulah busted Fonzie open and pinned him with a hurricanrana! Then Tommy returned to TV with a protective boot on his foot. So RVD & Sabu targeted the injury with a chair. As I mentioned earlier, Taz teamed with Dreamer to face RVD & Sabu. Dreamer won this fight with a DDT. So RVD & Sabu attacked his bad foot again the next week. (The Sandman also helped. But I’ll discuss his role before the next match.)

The Match: They trade takedowns and strikes until RVD poses for the fans. Dreamer capitalizes with a Russian Leg Sweep and the fight spills to the floor. They take turns fighting on and around the guardrail. Dreamer crotches RVD on it and busts Rob’s head open with a chair. Van Dam answers with a somersault plancha. And he does a springboard Van Daminator off the barrier. When they return to the ring, RVD hits a running Van Daminator. He follows with a backflip into a dropkick. But Tommy crotches Rob on the ropes and nails a hangman’s neckbreaker. He also places Van Dam in a tree of woe and dropkicks a chair into RVD’s face. A worried Fonzie interferes. He attacks Dreamer’s bad foot with a chair. This allows RVD to hit a Rolling Thunder. Then he tries a split-legged moonsault, but Dreamer blocks it with a chair. Next, Tommy low-blows RVD when he shows off and gives him a DDT. So Fonzie pulls the ref out of the ring and knocks him out with a sign. Other refs come to his aid.

RVD uses more chair attacks, but they backfire. However, Jeff Jones stops Jim Molineaux’s count and decks him! Tommy reverses another chair attack. But Jones attacks John Finnegan as well! The other refs are done with Jones’ crap. Beulah and the refs give Jeff low-blows and a double DDT. Then they pose over Jeff’s body, but Fonzie gives them his own low-blows. Meanwhile, RVD goes after Beulah, which is a mistake. Dreamer rolls him up and nails a piledriver. And I do mean nails. RVD bounces into the air like a basketball! There are no refs, so Beulah counts the pin attempts. RVD kicks out, so Tommy does another DDT and puts an ECW flag on him. So Furnas & Lafon interfere. Dreamer fends them off until a returning Stevie Richards emerges from the crowd! He gives Dreamer a Stevie Kick. Furnas & Lafon then place a trash can on Tommy and RVD lands a Frog Splash. The three men count Rob’s pin and declare him the winner. Fonzie dedicates it to Vince McMahon.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this. It was hard-hitting and had good storytelling. They came close to overbooking it. But I think they stuck to the right amount of shenanigans. Everything fits the story. So it’s fine. Plus, this bout had great heat from the crowd. This builds on RVD’s character even more. He had help from a WWF tag team and Stevie Richards. The fans don’t know Stevie left WCW. So it appears RVD had help from both companies. It’s a nice touch.

Winner: No Contest (16:02)

Styles says the win doesn’t count because a ref didn’t count the pinfall. Meanwhile, Fonzie tosses the ECW flag out of the ring and waves a WWF flag. Joey calls it nauseating. Then Furnas, Lafon, & Richards put Tommy on a table and drape the WWF flag over him. Fonzie calls for Sabu. He runs to the ring and hits a flying axehandle on Beulah. It horrifies Joey. Dreamer covers his wife, so everyone stomps him until The Sandman arrives! But he lets his music play and drinks a beer. (Take your time, Sandman. Dreamer is fine.) Oh, my bad. Sandman is here for his match. They drag Dreamer out of the ring while Sandman plays to the fans.

Tables & Ladders Match: Sabu (w/ Bill Alfonso) vs. The Sandman

Notes: As you saw in my Hardcore Heaven review, The Sandman cost Sabu the ECW title. Then he came to Dreamer’s aid on TV. Sabu gave The Sandman chair shots for his trouble. So Sabu and Sandman had a match. However, it was inconclusive. Sabu smashed a bottle over Sandman’s head and cut him. Dreamer and RVD took over the action because Sandman could not continue. But The Sandman returned to aid Dreamer once more! This led to a second fight between Sandman and Sabu at As Good As It Gets. The Sandman introduced ladders into the action. So Sabu answered with a fireball to Sandman’s face! It put The Sandman out of action for two weeks. Sabu tried to use fire on Dreamer as well. But The Sandman came back to stop this. Now, ECW booked this bout where ladders and tables are legal. It’s not quite a TLC Match. Nothing hangs over the ring. You win by pinfall. Sandman hyped this bout with a cool promo. He said if Sabu is suicidal, then Sandman is his Dr. Kevorkian.

The Match: Sabu has enough of Sandman’s entrance, so he dives onto him. Then Sabu collects ladders and chairs. Sabu bounces off the chair for a triple jump moonsault and a wheel kick. The Sandman answers by throwing ladders at Sabu. Meanwhile, Fonzie sets up tables around the ring. He places them between the apron and the guardrail. Sabu takes Sandman on a tour of each one. The first table breaks before they do a move. He puts Sandman through the next one with a flying leg drop. Sabu even rides a ladder onto Sandman, but it grazes him. The Sandman then fights back and tries to return the table favor. He crashes on a missed somersault plancha. Sabu capitalizes with another triple jump moonsault and a suplex on the ladder. Then they botch a see-saw spot. But Sabu nails a slingshot leg drop onto the ladder. It busts open the back of Sandman’s head!

Sabu takes it farther! He pulls out a fork and jabs Sandman with it! Sandman fires back by throwing more ladders and doing his own see-saw spot. (It’s a little better than the one they botched.) Then Sandman follows with ladder-assisted somersault attacks. One of them puts Sabu through a table! A worried Fonzie steals Sandman’s cane and taunts him with it. So Sandman grabs him. This allows Sabu to set up a fireball. Sandman avoids it, but he doesn’t evade a flying kick. Sabu then puts him through another table with a flying ladder attack. And Sabu finishes him with an Atomic Arabian Facebuster using the ladder!

Thoughts: This was a mess and a car crash. It was also too long. (They were supposed to go longer. That’s scary.) It didn’t need to be, especially for their sake. There were some cool spots. But it dragged and was uncomfortable to watch. Then there’s the urban legend about this encounter. Sandman was apparently tripping on acid. He thought Sabu was Godzilla. When you add in a concussion, you see why this was a train wreck.

Winner: Sabu (20:55)

Fonzie calls Sabu a one-man army. He beat one of ECW’s biggest stars! Meanwhile, they linger on a shot of Sandman in the ring. It makes Joey uncomfortable. So he begs for replays. The fans cheer as Sandman tries to rise to his feet. Styles says Sandman has nothing to be ashamed of.

Then Joey tries to plug the ECW merchandise catalog. But Taz interrupts him. Taz says he’s the TV champion, which is the most prestigious title. He hopes Bam Bam defeats Shane Douglas tonight. Taz wants Bigelow at the next PPV. He forgets the name. It’s Living Dangerously or something. Taz issues his challenge and tells Styles to do his job.

Bam Bam enters first. Styles says Bigelow demanded this. He’s not one for tradition. Bam Bam trips on a cable and glares at it like he wants to kill the thing. Then Bam Bam poses in the ring and holds up the belt. Styles says they barred the Triple Threat from ringside. But they allow Francine. She’s on crutches. (Styles says she fractured her pelvis while interfering in Shane’s match.) Shane gets a good reaction because they’re near Pittsburgh.

ECW Title Match: Shane Douglas (w/ Francine) vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (c)

Notes: After Hardcore Heaven, Shane Douglas asked Rick Rude to find him some competition. Shane wanted someone to make him into the greatest champion ever. Rude promised to deliver such a man. So he offered Shane Al Snow and Axl Rotten. Then, while Rude was busy in the WWF, Shane got victories over Lafon and Dreamer. But Rude returned. He found the perfect opponent. It was Shane’s stablemate, Bam Bam Bigelow! Rude swerved Shane. He was never friends with The Triple Threat. Rude used them for a night with Francine. Then Bigelow defeated Douglas to become the new ECW champion! Bigelow explained his actions. He said he cooperated with people in the past, including Lawrence Taylor. But he was done cooperating with others! He wanted something, and he took it. Shane gave him credit for that. But it didn’t stop Douglas from sending Candido & Storm to attack Bam Bam. He didn’t want cooperation from Bigelow. Shane wanted a fight!

The Match: Bigelow shoves Shane around the ring and nails him with strikes and headbutts. Then Bam Bam absorbs Shane’s attacks and blocks a belly-to-belly with another headbutt. Bam Bam follows with an apron suplex and a powerslam to a diving Shane. He also wears Douglas down with more strikes and chinlocks. Douglas keeps regrouping and Francine tries to buy him time. So Bigelow chases her. Next, Shane uses a low-blow. But Bam Bam reverses a suplex and press slams Douglas on the turnbuckles. Then Bigelow sets up a table, but Shane powerbombs Bam Bam through it! Douglas follows with punches to the kidneys. But Bigelow returns the table favor when they fight to the floor. He powerbombs Shane onto it! Francine begs Shane to hold out a little longer. However, she calls for Storm & Candido when Bigelow threatens to throw Shane into the crowd! The security stops them, so Bam Bam throws Douglas onto everyone! He then brings Shane back to the ring and gets a two-count from a powerbomb! Next, Francine tries to stop Bigelow with a crutch. But this gives Bigelow another weapon. He rams it into Shane’s throat and attacks Douglas’ bad arm. Then Bam Bam nails a beal toss and some clotheslines. Shane answers with a desperate belly-to-belly, but he’s too tired to cover. So Bigelow recovers and grabs a chair and the remnants of a table. He wants to powerbomb Shane on them. But Shane reverses into a belly-to-belly onto the plunder. It’s enough for the win.

Thoughts: This was slow and dull. Bam Bam was sucking wind. He took long pauses between each move. But Bigelow controlled 90% of the bout. So it dragged for far too long. Then Shane wins after one big move. This was a disappointing main event.

Winner: Shane Douglas (New Champion) (25:02)

Candido, Storm, & Francine join Douglas to celebrate. But Shane is too exhausted to stand. Joey Styles says goodnight while a trainer checks on Douglas.

The Good:

• The tag team half of the opener was good.

• The tag title Four-Way was fun chaos.

• Al Snow’s promo.

• I enjoyed RVD/Dreamer.

The Bad:

• The dull main event.

• That Sabu/Sandman train wreck.

• Taz needed a better opponent.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to RVD. I enjoyed his match with Dreamer. Plus, his selling of the piledriver was memorable.

Final Thoughts:

This would have been a fine episode of TV or one of ECW’s super shows. But it didn’t feel like a PPV. Nothing was big. It doesn’t help the main event was dull and disappointing. Barely Legal felt like a PPV. But the shows since have fallen into the usual fare for ECW. This has a couple of good matches. The rest is forgettable. However, there was good news for ECW. This was their most financially successful PPV to date. Some things are looking up.

Thank you for reading. My next review is the WWF’s D-Generation X: In Your House. Look for it next Sunday!