Wrestlepalooza ’98

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

Wrestlepalooza

May 3, 1998

Cobb County Civic Center

Marietta, Georgia

News & Notes: Happy Holidays, everyone! I have little extra notes for this event. As usual, ECW ran a tight ship on TV. They dedicated most of the episodes to building the matches. So I’ll dedicate this section to a mystery I hope you can solve. Who came up with the Wrestlepalooza name first? The inaugural ECW Wrestlepalooza happened in August 1995. Two months later, Married…with Children aired an episode called “Flight of the Bumblebee.” This is the one where Bud wrestled King Kong Bundy at an event called Wrestlepalooza. Was this an ECW reference? They probably filmed the episode before the ECW event. Is it a coincidence? Did Heyman have advanced knowledge of the episode? I know both entities were playing off the Lollapalooza name. Who made it a wrestling thing first? Perhaps a reader can answer this question.

Joey Styles welcomes everyone to the show. Sit back and relax for three hours of wrestling action! After it’s over, you will never forget the name of Gold—I mean, Wrestlepalooza. This leads to ECW’s opening video. They added new clips. We see violent weapon shots. The Sandman drinks. People jump off high places! Taz suplexes wrestlers on their heads! Hot women grace the ECW ring. They even added the footage of Bam Bam and Taz crashing through the mat! It’s ECW’s Wrestlepalooza!

We join The FBI’s entrance in progress. Smothers dances while Styles doubts their Italian heritage. He says The FBI thinks innuendo is an Italian suppository. Then Meanie & Nova run, dance, and raise the roof. (Kudos to The Meanie for not blowing up from all that running and dancing.) Once everyone arrives, Bob Artese introduces the teams. He calls Tommy Rich the self-proclaimed President of Little Atlanta. Mr. President threatens the crowd for mocking him. They chant you suck in response.

The Blue Meanie & Super Nova vs. The F.B.I. (w/ Tommy Rich)

Notes: It hasn’t been a good two months for The Full Blooded Italians. They failed to capture the tag titles from the dysfunctional team of Storm & Candido. Then they lost a 3-Way Dance involving The Hardcore Chair Swingin’ Freaks and Danny Doring & Roadkill. But there is some great news! According to Tommy Rich, Tracy Smothers won a dancing award on American Bandstand. (Wait a second. Was that show around in 1998?) Tracy showed off his sweet moves in a dance-off with The Blue Meanie. However, the fans chose Meanie as the winner. An angry Smothers jumped his opponent. Then Meanie & Nova wrestled The FBI. Guido & Smothers won when Rich used the Italian flag as a weapon. Now we have a rematch!

The Match: Guido and Nova trade arm holds and takedowns, but Guido stops to taunt. Nova capitalizes with a choke-lift into a Manhattan Drop. When Smothers enters, Nova avoids him. ECW’s superhero then gives The FBI a bulldog/leg drop combo. This leads to Meanie tagging, so Rich wants a dance-off rematch! Meanie and Smothers dance. Then Meanie invites referee John Finnegan to do the same! Meanie declares John the winner, so Smothers attacks! But The FBI run into each other by accident. Meanie tricks a confused Guido into giving his own partner a Paisan Elbow. The confusion causes a wild brawl. Meanie & Nova hand out slams, which dazes Smothers. He stumbles into Finnegan, so John slams him too! When Guido complains, Finnegan does the same to him! John even covers for a mock two-count. After more miscommunication between The FBI, Nova sends them outside. He nails a corkscrew plancha. However, Tommy Rich attacks. This allows Guido & Smothers to double-team Nova. Smothers dropkicks him into a Manhattan Drop and a Russian Leg Sweep. Next, The FBI uses frequent tags and strikes. Nova counters with the Scream Machine (Inverted Electric Chair). It leads to Meanie’s hot tag. He cleans house with clotheslines and a double noggin knocker. Everyone brawls, so Nova sends Smothers to the floor for a pescado. Meanwhile, Meanie climbs for a Meaniesault. Rich distracts him, so Meanie misses. Guido then hits Meanie with the flag after two attempts, but Nova is back. He gives Guido the Novacaine (Flatliner) for the victory.

Thoughts: This was silly fun. The referee spots were over-the-top, but I didn’t mind it. It’s what you expect from a Blue Meanie match. I’m unashamed to say I’m a Meanie fan. He always amused me. They worked the crowd well and got them excited. It’s a nice way to open the show.

Winners: Meanie & Nova (9:28)

Mikey Whipwreck broke Justin Credible’s winning streak, so Justin broke Mikey’s leg. This was the last we saw of Mikey until Living Dangerously. Whipwreck gave Nicole Bass a Whippersnapper, so Credible hit him with a crutch. These confrontations led to a good old-fashioned grudge match. It happens live on Pay Per View!

After the video, Jason and Chastity lead Justin Credible to the ring. Joey doesn’t believe Chastity lives up to her name. Styles also thinks they should take Jason to the Cobb County Correctional Facility. He needs a delousing. Joey reminds us the Big Boss Man worked there. Then Mikey arrives and rushes to the ring.

Justin Credible (w/ Jason & Chastity) vs. Mikey Whipwreck

Notes: Whipwreck returned at Living Dangerously for revenge. Then he intervened again when Credible and his crew jumped Tommy Dreamer. Mikey gave Justin & Co. the Whippersnapper. Credible got some payback. Nicole Bass distracted Dreamer by kissing him, and Justin attacked Mikey with a chair. He then hit That’s Incredible on poor Whipwreck. This led to Mikey vs. Credible in Buffalo, NY. Justin won with the help of Jason and the crooked referee, Jeff Jones. During the bout, Mikey went after Justin’s knee. Credible returned that favor after his victory, but Dreamer stopped him. In other news, Nicole Bass isn’t here for this PPV, but Chastity is. She’s a new addition to Justin’s stable. Chastity managed the bWo and Doring & Roadkill. She will later play Raven’s sister in WCW.

The Match: Mikey throws strikes and attempts a Whippersnapper. Justin avoids it, and they brawl to the floor. Whipwreck then whips Justin into and over the rail. Credible lands on a child in the front row! (That poor kid looked shell-shocked.) After a Russian Leg Sweep into the barricade, they scuffle on the apron. Justin shoves Whipwreck into the rail, and Jason hands Justin a chair. Credible gives Mikey a facebuster and a powerbomb on it. He also knees it into Mikey’s face while Jason holds the chair. Whipwreck rallies with pin attempts. Justin turns a Whippersnapper into a reverse DDT. Next, Jason attacks Mikey with a backbreaker and puts him on a table. When Justin climbs on the guardrail, Mikey throws a chair at him. It misses and hits a fan! (They hate the fans in this bout!) Whipwreck then powers Justin into a suplex onto the table. The injured fighters crawl into the ring for more chair shenanigans. Mikey also nails a swinging neckbreaker and a Frankenmikey. After some reversals, Whipwreck lands a Whippersnapper. This draws in Jason’s entourage, so they all get Whippersnappers! Mikey gives Chastity one from the top rope! Then Mikey tries to give Credible a That’s Incredible on a chair. Justin reverses and does it to Mikey for the victory.

Thoughts: This was a good intense fight, and the closing minutes were great. However, I felt bad for the fans. They took a beating in this bout. Did ECW get sued for this match? It added to the chaos of this fight, but it’s not worth injuring spectators. I enjoyed watching it, but they should be more careful.

Winner: Justin Credible (9:53)

Joey recaps the action, but Axl Rotten and Balls Mahoney interrupt. Axl is sick of Storm & Candido. He calls Chris a pussy-whipped sissy. Storm is a good athlete, but he doesn’t have what it takes to defeat The Hardcore Chair Swingin’ Freaks! They had the champs beat at the ECW Arena, so they want their match now! Axl asks for Storm & Candido’s music, and he gets his wish. However, Candido storms backstage and demands his own entrance. Chris also tells Artese to introduce him first. Meanwhile, a shocked Axl & Balls are still in the announce booth. It seems they didn’t expect Storm & Candido to oblige. The Chair Freaks climb through the crowd to reach the ring. But Candido stalls. He tells Artese to introduce their opponents.

Tag Team Title Match: Chris Candido & Lance Storm (c) vs. The Hardcore Chair Swingin’ Freaks

Notes: The Triple Threat kicked Storm to the curb, but Storm & Candido are still the tag champions. Heyman ordered them to defend their belts, no matter what. If they screw each other out of the titles, he’ll fire them. They tried to coexist. Candido wanted his own entrance music and top-billing. This led to fighting during the title defenses, but they still won. Since they couldn’t stop fighting, The Triple Threat faced Storm, Lynn, & Chetti. Storm’s team lost when Bam Bam gave Lance the Greetings from Asbury Park. Meanwhile, ECW declared The Hardcore Chair Swingin’ Freaks as the #1 Contenders. So Balls & Axl beat up the champs with chairs. The Triple Threat had to save Candido. His partner wasn’t going to. Because of this, Balls & Axl claimed they scared Storm & Candido. These teams fought on TV with plenty of chair shenanigans. Storm & Candido won when Chris stole a pin from Lance. Lance attacked Candido for his disrespect. Then Candido faced Axl one-on-one and lost. He attacked Axl out of frustration, so The Triple Threat saved Chris’s hide again.

The Match: Candido and Axl trade hammerlocks, headlocks, wristlocks, and takedowns. Storm does the same, but he gains the advantage with a low blow and a wheel kick. So Candido tags himself in and they argue. Balls & Axl capitalize with a drop toe hold/leg drop combo. Then Mahoney tumbles outside on a missed wheel kick, but he drops Chris on the rail. After some miscommunication between Storm & Candido, Axl nails a somersault plancha. When they return, Storm regains control, so Chris tags himself in again! Chris does a stalling suplex that hurts his back. He tags Storm for some relief. Axl is in trouble. Storm and Candido use frequent tags. Axl rallies with chops and a sunset flip. (The chops cause a Free Ric Flair chant.) Next, Candido is in trouble when Axl lands on his crotch, so Storm enters for a double flapjack. Axl turns it into a double DDT and tags Balls. Mahoney cleans house and attempts The Nutcracker Suite. Sunny arrives to stop it, so Balls tries to give her the move! This leads to a brawl. Storm and Axl fight to the floor. In the chaos, Balls nails The Nutcracker Suite on Candido and grabs a chair. Storm knocks it into Mahoney’s face with a springboard dropkick. When Storm covers, Candido whacks Lance with the chair and steals the pin.

Thoughts: This was a solid and fun match. The storytelling with Storm & Candido elevated it. Also, you sometimes forget Balls & Axl are decent wrestlers. Their chair gimmick overshadows it. They were good here. I enjoyed this bout. The PPV is off to a good start.

Winners: Storm & Candido (12:04)

Candido celebrates with both belts, so Storm attacks him. They brawl down the aisle, and Lance lifts both titles. Meanwhile, an angry Balls Mahoney slams his chair into the ring post.

And now for something completely different. Joey Styles introduces some legends of Georgia wrestling. The Junkyard Dog is first. (This is his final appearance before he dies in a car crash.) They follow with Dirty Dick Slater. Joey says he’s extreme both in and outside the ring. Next, we have The Masked Superstar (Demolition Ax). He once broke Bob Backlund’s neck. The final honoree is Bullet Bob Armstrong. Joey says he won every title in Georgia. Everyone gets a great reaction. (Update: After writing this article, I learned an interesting story. New Jack punched JYD before this segment. JYD owed Jack money for weed and refused to pay him, so Jack hit him. Heyman offered to pay Jack what JYD owed him, but Jack wanted the money from The Junkyard Dog himself.)

Next, Joey interviews the ECW champion, Shane Douglas. Joey lists Shane’s injuries. He’s wrestling with an elbow that needs surgery, a fractured cheekbone, and a broken palate. Styles calls him courageous. Shane says he wrestled for sixteen years. Men worked through injuries, but now they collect guaranteed contracts. Those men sit at home with a stubbed toe! In the WWF, that pussy Shawn Michaels handed Shane a belt because he had a bump on his head! This showed Douglas the IC title doesn’t mean shit. Then Shane bashes Ric Flair, which angers the fans. (Read the room, Shane.) He knows Flair won’t answer his challenge. Shane tells the fans to boo. He doesn’t care because he hates that old man! Shane will wrestle tonight like it’s his final match. He claims the fans will tell their grandchildren about it! (I doubt it.)

Taz interrupts. He isn’t buying the way ECW paints Shane as a hero. Taz tells Shane to tell the truth. Who busted him up? It was Taz. He’s the uncrowned champion, so Taz tells Douglas to hand him the belt. Otherwise, Taz will ruin the PPV and Shane! Douglas says Taz doesn’t deserve it. It leads to a brawl, and Taz puts Shane in the Tazmission. However, the ECW officials and the police pull Taz out of the ring. Then Taz brawls with Bigelow in the aisle, but the police subdue Taz. They drag him through the crowd and outside the arena. When they put Taz in the police car, he kicks out the window! (Whoa! Taz better respect law and order in Cobb County. We all know what happens if you don’t!) Meanwhile, the officials and Francine help Douglas out of the ring. He’s bleeding from the mouth. Bam Bam remains for his match, so New Jack enters the arena.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. New Jack

Notes: There is no build for this. New Jack was up to his usual antics. Bam Bam was busy defending and losing his TV title. First, Bigelow had a successful defense against The Sandman. Then he fought RVD, but Van Dam defeated him for the belt. (I’ll explain more later.) Meanwhile, Bigelow also gained Taz’s respect. After Living Dangerously, Bam Bam called himself the Taz killer. Taz confronted him, but he called Bigelow the better man in their match. They even shook hands.

The Match: Jack throws his weapons into the ring, but Bigelow attacks him in the corners. Bam Bam throws strikes, but he misses a guitar shot. New Jack answers with cookie sheets and a crutch. Then Jack places a Godzilla toy on Bigelow’s crotch and hits it with the crutch. Bam Bam rolls outside to regroup, but Jack joins him. However, Jack hurts himself with a headbutt. Bigelow capitalizes with chairs to Jack’s head. They bust him open. When they spill into the crowd, Bigelow uses multiple chairs and rams Jack into the walls. Then Bam Bam crashes on a rail with a missed splash. Jack heads for the balcony, but the security has to help him. He’s too woozy. It takes forever, so Bigelow stumbles around like a fool. Jack takes a fan’s guitar and falls out of the balcony onto Bam Bam. He knocks himself out in the process. Bigelow recovers first and carries Jack’s limp body to the ring. He rolls him inside for a weak Greetings from Asbury Park. It gets the win.

Thoughts: This was a literal and figurative mess. It wasn’t good, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of it. If you like watching a car wreck, you might enjoy this. The action concussed New Jack. He also admitted in interviews he was high on cocaine for this bout. It showed. When the officials have to help you do spots, you’re in trouble. This was a disaster, but you almost have to see it to believe it.

Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow (8:27)

They recap Dreamer & Sandman’s feud with The Dudleys, but it begins with footage of Dreamer vs. Raven. Tommy smashes a chair into Raven’s head. This leads to clips of Dreamer & Sandman dishing out violence through the years. The Dudleys did the same to Tommy & Sandman. A nasty 3D left The Sandman with an injured neck.

After the video, Gertner and The Dudleys are in the ring. Before he introduces the hardcore drunk and Dreamer’s T&A (Beulah), Joel talks about himself. He’s the object of your affection, the innovator of vocabulary, and a damn handsome man. The ladies call him Flintstone because he makes their beds rock. (Joey laughs until he catches himself.) He’s Joel Gertner! Then Joel starts his introduction of The Dudleys, but The Sandman interrupts. This infuriates Gertner, which also makes Joey laugh. The Dudleys sit through Sandman’s entrance, but they aren’t happy about it. Sandman moves slowly because of his injury. He has trouble downing beers. However, Dreamer & Sandman have no problem spitting beer on their opponents. Next, they toss Big Dick over the ropes.

Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman (w/ Beulah McGillicutty) vs. The Dudley Boyz (w/ Joel Gertner, Big Dick, & Sign Guy)

Notes: Dreamer had another match with Justin Credible, and Sandman attempted to win the TV title. Then Dreamer & Sandman tried to right a terrible wrong in ECW. The Dudleys invited The Bushwhackers to be honorary members. They even dressed them in Dudley clothes. Dreamer & Sandman arrived with canes to end this nonsense, but it was a trap! The Dudleys attacked them with chairs. They hit Sandman with a nasty 3D that jammed his neck. The medics put a neck brace on Sandman and wheeled him out of the arena. His wife cried as she watched in horror. The Dudleys bragged about ending Dreamer & Sandman’s careers. They even went after Beulah, but the lights went out. When they returned, Sandman was in the ring wearing a neck brace. He chased The Dudleys away with his cane.

The Match: Everyone brawls to the floor where Sandman throws a table at Buh-Buh. Then Dreamer drapes The Dudleys over the rail for Sandman’s apron leg drop. When they return to the ring, Tommy nails a hangman’s neckbreaker on D-Von. Meanwhile, Sandman puts a section of the guardrail into the ring. Then Sandman & Dreamer hit a slingshot leg drop/splash combo. Dreamer whips D-Von into the rail, but Buh-Buh reverses Sandman into it. This aggravates Sandman’s neck injury. Tommy protects him while the officials load Sandman onto a stretcher.

It leaves Tommy vulnerable, so The Dudleys attack. They give him a backdrop, a double suplex, double elbows, and stereo jumping headbutts. Sign Guy messes up a powder attack, but he follows with a loaded sign. Next, The Dudleys crotch Tommy on the rail and do a conchairto. It’s weak, so the fans give them crap. Since Dreamer is in trouble, Spike Dudley comes to the rescue. Spike hands out Acid Drops onto the rail, and Dreamer places D-Von in a tree of woe. Sign Guy and Big Dick interfere to stop this. Dick does the Total Penetration (Chokebomb) to Tommy. Buh-Buh attempts a Buh-Buh Bomb on Spike, but he gets a low blow. Then Spike kicks a chair into D-Von’s face, but Dick grabs him. Beulah saves Spike with another low blow, so The Dudleys threaten her. Spike stops them and eats a 3D for his trouble. However, this gives Sandman the opening to return. He canes The Dudleys, and Dreamer & Sandman use canes, chairs, and a Double DDT for the victory.

Thoughts: This was okay. It was the usual overbooked Dreamer stuff. It had some fun spots, and it’s nice to see Spike. The closing moments were fun. However, the rest dragged. I didn’t mind it, but it was one of the weaker bouts on the show.

Winners: Dreamer & Sandman (11:19)

RVD and Sabu had a rocky friendship from the start. Things grew worse when RVD stole the TV Title from under Sabu’s nose. Tonight, Sabu challenges RVD, but their relationship crumbled further before this event. Bill Alfonso prevented their collision in previous weeks. Now we get a high-flying battle between two of wrestling’s best superstars! Sabu takes on his own partner. It’s a tug-o-war for the ECW TV Title!

Who will Fonzie manage tonight? Is it Sabu? It seems that way. He poses with Sabu backstage. However, Fonzie holds the belt in front of the camera. When he pulls back, Bill is with RVD instead. Alfonso claims he will manage both men tonight. Ether way, Fonzie leaves the building with the TV Title. Joey Styles calls it a win-win situation, but then he spots Jeff Jones entering the ring. Styles can’t believe this crooked ref is in charge.

TV Title Match: Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Sabu

Notes: RVD & Sabu teamed for a while, but RVD always goaded Sabu during promos. When ECW made Sabu the #1 Contender for the TV Title, RVD suggested they share the belt. Then Fonzie asked RVD to soften up Bigelow for Sabu. RVD implied he might take the belt for himself. And that’s what he did! When the time came, RVD used Sabu’s interference to his advantage. Sabu used a chair and a fork on Bam Bam, so RVD pinned him and won the Television Title! Since they already promised Sabu a title bout, Heyman said Sabu would now face Van Dam! So RVD got inside Sabu’s head. Rob wrestled a match dressed as Sabu. Then RVD took it a step farther. Sabu wrestled Al Snow. He had him beat until RVD threw in the towel to give Snow the victory. This led to a scuffle between Van Dam and Sabu. Fonzie tried to keep the peace. Alfonso played both sides during the build. In fact, he’s in both men’s corners for this encounter.

The Match: RVD evades Sabu’s dives. Then they do some basic chain wrestling and have a stand-off. RVD takes a mic and says they swerved the fans. He won’t wrestle his best friend. They’re gullible! Jeff Jones demands they fight. RVD and Sabu appear to threaten him, but it’s a misdirection. Sabu kicks RVD! He flusters RVD with springboard and somersault moves in and out of the ring. They follow this with traded holds. Van Dam focuses on Sabu’s leg until they return to the floor. Sabu sets up a table and places RVD on it, but RVD moves. He hits a triple jump dive into the crowd anyway! Sabu also chucks chairs at RVD’s head whenever he takes control. RVD answers with a Van Daminator on the rail, but Fonzie won’t hold the chair for him! This annoys Rob. Fonzie says he doesn’t want to play favorites.

Next, they fight on the floor again. RVD nails a somersault plancha. Sabu answers with an Asai Moonsault while RVD is on the railing. This leads to a table spot from the apron. Sabu does a triple jump DDT, but they slip. The fans boo the weak move. A frustrated Sabu throws more chairs at RVD’s head! He also puts Rob through a broken table with a Super Frankensteiner. RVD answers with more kicks and apron leg drops. Then Van Dam gets two-counts off a Van Daminator and a Frog Splash. After a monkey flip onto a chair, Sabu fires back with an Arabian Facebuster. He then gets new table, but it has broken legs. Fans cheer when Van Dam finds a better table. He puts Sabu through it with another Frog Splash, but it only gets a two. So Sabu returns to his old tactic. He throws more chairs at RVD’s head. This leads to them trading more near-falls. They use a split-legged moonsault and another Arabian Press. However, the bell rings to signal a time-limit draw.

Thoughts: I thought this was solid and enjoyable, but I wouldn’t have done a time-limit draw. I’m fine with an inconclusive finish. The feud should continue. However, the match dragged. You could tell they were drawing it out. The kick-outs became excessive toward the end. It was a brutal war, but it went on longer than it should. I’d call it good, but not great. (Update: I forgot to mention Sabu puked in the middle of this bout. Maybe a thirty-minute broadway wasn’t the best idea for him.)

Winner: Time-Limit Draw (30:00)

RVD and Sabu argue with Jeff Jones while the fans chant we want more. Jones declares it a draw, which annoys RVD, Sabu, and the fans. The competitors threaten Jones. The crowd chants for five more minutes. Then RVD raises Sabu’s arm, but Sabu won’t give him his belt. So RVD snatches it and leaves the ring. Rob says Sabu can’t beat him.

Shane Douglas is backstage. He has words for Al Snow. Shane lists his injuries again, but he adds infected sinuses to the list. The doctors advised him not to wrestle, but he ignored them. Then Shane compares his career to Snow’s. One of them fulfilled their dream, the other didn’t. Shane is the franchise, and Snow will have to kill him to take the belt. His destiny is ECW’s destiny. The sport will know Shane as a fighting champion. This leads to a video about Douglas. It covers his entire ECW history. We see him throw down the NWA title, break Pitbull Gary’s neck, and form The Triple Threat. However, Snow pinned Douglas at Living Dangerously. It messed with Shane’s head. Is this the end of Douglas’ reign?

Al Snow says he worked for sixteen years to reach this point. This is his time in the sun. People held Snow back for years, and it frustrated him. He left places when he should have stayed. Snow isn’t Mr. Marketable, like Shane. Douglas has talent, but Al says he’s better. If he had Shane’s breaks, he would have made it. Snow sacrificed it all for next to nothing, but tonight is his night! Sure, people will claim Snow won because of Shane’s injuries. That’s fine. Snow doesn’t care how he wins, but he will win for a change. How does Snow know? Head told him!

Shane enters the ring while fans throw Styrofoam heads at him. Then Snow does his entrance. The camera films it upside-down. Styles asks if Shane will drown in a sea of heads. Joey then has a realization. Everyone is getting head at the same time. After Snow poses, the fans rub the mannequin heads together. It makes a weird sound. Meanwhile, Shane removes his arm brace for the bout. Styles calls it a mistake.

ECW Title Match: Shane Douglas (c) (w/ Francine) vs. Al Snow (w/ Head)

Notes: When Snow pinned Douglas at Living Dangerously, it messed with his head. Douglas had to prove he was better than this man with a stupid gimmick! It didn’t help the fans taunted him with Styrofoam mannequin heads. Shane swore they didn’t bother him, but he snapped during a promo. Douglas almost attacked Francine, so Bigelow calmed him. However, Douglas grew more paranoid when Bam Bam lost his TV title. Everyone was out to get The Triple Threat! The fans increased their taunting. They showered Douglas with Styrofoam heads, so he destroyed them. This drew Al Snow to the ring. He hit Douglas with Head and threw him to the floor. The more paranoid Shane became, the more foolish he behaved. Douglas even got on the wrong side of Taz. Shane insulted Taz’s relative, Chris Chetti. It wasn’t about Chris. Taz had no issue attacking his own kin. It was about the disrespect. Taz wanted a title match. Shane said he didn’t deserve it, but he dared Taz to attack him. Taz obliged and aggravated Shane’s arm injury. When Douglas stayed home the next week, Taz called him scared.

The Match: They grapple and trade strikes and takedowns. It hurts Shane’s arm. Francine crotches Snow and pulls him outside to buy Shane some time. However, Snow avoids a baseball slide and crotches Shane on the rail and the post. Next, they fight at the apron. Douglas drapes Al on the ropes and dropkicks him to the floor. Shane follows with attacks on Al’s neck. Douglas also sets up some chairs, but he can’t get them right. A Manhattan Drop knocks the chairs over, which makes the fans boo. Shane makes up for it with a powerbomb onto them. It hurts Douglas’ arm again. This allows Snow to turn a backdrop into a DDT. When he attempts a Snow Plow, the Triple Threat arrives. Snow fights them off until Shane nails a belly-to-belly. It only gets a two! The Triple Threat interferes again, so Snow does an Asai Moonsault onto them! (We see the ECW locker room watching from the aisle.) When they return to the ring, Shane rolls through a flying crossbody. Snow follows with a Snow Plow, but it only gets two! A worried Francine attacks. Snow does the Snow Plow to her and gives Candido head. (You know what I mean!) After dispatching Shane’s cronies, Snow lands a sloppy flying sunset flip. But Shane hooks the legs and turns it into a pin.

Thoughts: This was disappointing. I don’t hate it as much as some people, but it was dull. The fans lost interest and chanted things at Francine. It’s a shame because Snow was over with the ECW crowd. The problem is, ECW changed their booking plans, and it affected the bout. Snow was supposed to win the title, but the WWF rehired him days before the PPV. ECW had to keep the belt on an injured Douglas. So they built sympathy for him during the event. He’s staying, but Snow is leaving. It was a fight between a man too injured to wrestle and a man heading out the door. This was a no-win situation for ECW. Now Shane will hold the belt despite his injuries. Don’t expect the Taz match anytime soon.

Winner: Shane Douglas (13:05)

The fans shower the ring with heads. They aren’t happy. The Triple Threat and other ECW wrestlers enter the ring. They lift both Shane and Snow onto their shoulders. Douglas raises Snow’s hand. It makes no sense to the crowd, but this was ECW’s goodbye to Snow.

The Good:

• The opener was fun.

• Credible/Mikey was intense.

• The Tag Title Match was solid.

The Bad:

• Bam Bam vs. New Jack was a mess.

• The main event was disappointing.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to the fans for taking a beating during the Credible/Whipwreck match. I’ll give a special shout-out to that kid who got squashed.

Final Thoughts:

People hate on this PPV, but I didn’t think it was as bad as they say. In fact, I found it to be an easy watch. I’m not calling it great, but it doesn’t deserve the hate. Only the Bam Bam/New Jack match was horrible. Even it was a fascinating car crash. This was better than Living Dangerously. Thankfully, ECW’s next PPV is one of their best, but this wasn’t terrible.

Thank you for reading. My next review is WCW’s Slamboree ’98. Look for it next Sunday!