Guilty as Charged 2000

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

Guilty as Charged

January 9, 2000

Boutwell Memorial Auditorium

Birmingham, Alabama

News & Notes: After November to Remember, a drunk Sandman went on a rampage. So Rhino warned the Impact Players when they arrived at the building. Credible wanted to fight, but Storm said it wasn’t worth it and left. Because of this, Rhino stopped helping the Players. He saw them as weak, but a new opportunity arose. Tammy Sytch seduced Rhino into teaming with Candido. Rhino then spent the next few weeks goring Sandman and Credible through tables. So ECW booked Rhino vs. Sandman for this PPV, but they dropped it without an on-air explanation. The real reason was Sandman had a family emergency and couldn’t appear on this show.

In other news, Steve Corino pissed off multiple people before this event. First, he crashed a Limp Bizkit concert. Steve insulted the fans and confronted Fred Durst on the stage. However, Balls, Axl, and New Jack attacked Steve with a chair. Later, Corino spotted Dusty Rhodes in the crowd at an Atlanta TV taping. He blamed Dusty for starting the hardcore revolution, so Corino said he didn’t respect him. This drew Dusty into the ring, but Corino wouldn’t let him speak. He called Rhodes an old fossil and slapped him. This was a mistake. Dusty gave Corino and his crew bionic elbows. But Corino’s antics continued. Steve also paid Rhino to take out Balls Mahoney in the locker room. When Balls and Sandman looked for payback, Rhino gored both men.

Now here’s a rundown of the remaining news. Joey Styles made Gertner sweat about his job. He convinced Joel the mythical office Cyrus spoke about didn’t like Gertner. It worked for a week until Gertner realized ECW had no office. But then Cyrus revealed the truth. He was never talking about ECW. Cyrus works for TNN. He represents the network! Elsewhere, the former James Vandenberg joined ECW. He pretended to be a priest, but Cyrus told him the TNN executives were Jewish. So James said he would wear a Yamaha next week. (Those were his words, not mine.) Finally, say goodbye to Axl Rotten, Candido, and Tammy Sytch. Axl left, but Heyman fired Candido and Sytch because of their drug problems. Two of those three will show up somewhere else soon.

Joey and Cyrus welcome us to the show. Cyrus says his headset allows him to give the network a blow-by-blow account of everything. So Joey says that’s enough about how Cyrus got the job. After disregarding the innuendo, Cyrus talks about his intellect. And speaking of innuendo, Gertner joins them. He calls himself the mack daddy of the new millennium. Plus, Joel jokes about scoring with Heather Locklear and Heather Graham. Then Gertner does his usual dirty middle name joke. He says, “If being hung is a crime, then I’m guilty as charged!” Once Joel finishes, Joey asks if he interrupted them only to say that. Gertner says yes, but he has one last thing. With that said, Gertner gives Cyrus the up yours gesture and leaves.

After the intro, Mikey Whipwreck arrives to face C.W. Anderson. Anderson is the enforcer of the New Dangerous Alliance led by Lou E. Dangerously. Lou grabs a mic and calls the fans redneck pieces of trash. He also tries to introduce himself, but the fans won’t let him speak. But he powers through it and finishes.

C.W. Anderson (w/ Lou E. Dangerously & Beautiful Billy Wiles) vs. Mikey Whipwreck

Storyline: Lou E. Dangerously created his own Dangerous Alliance. However, it isn’t a tribute to Heyman. Lou hates him. With that said, Lou introduced his first two members. They are C.W. Anderson and Billy Wiles. They consider themselves a throwback to old school tag teams. Styles said C.W. has no relation to the Andersons, but he wrestles like one. Meanwhile, Lou turned on the man he brought back to ECW. He hit Whipwreck with his cell phone. So Mikey faced Anderson on Hardcore TV, and Whipwreck won when Lou hit Anderson with the phone by mistake. Later, Mikey challenged RVD for the TV Title, but he lost. Then Mikey sold out to the Impact Players. They paid him to take out Raven, so the crowd gave Mikey crap for it. Whipwreck assured them he’s not a loser or a baby, but he failed to defeat Raven.

The Match: Mikey whips Anderson into Wiles and gives Billy a drop toe hold onto CW’s crotch. Then Mikey follows with a slingshot leg drop and a wheelbarrow slam on the rail. But when they return to the ring, Wiles grabs Mikey’s leg. This allows Anderson to nail a superkick and focus on Whipwreck’s arm. He gives Mikey a hammerlock slam and an armbar. Plus, CW nails an armbreaker and blocks Mikey’s tornado DDT. Afterward, Mikey scores a Russian Leg Sweep, flying clothesline, and Whippersnapper. So Lou pulls the ref to the floor. With the ref distracted, Wiles powerslams Mikey, but it only gets a two! Next, Lou distracts the ref again only for Mikey to give Wiles a Whippersnapper. Since Wiles’ interference didn’t work, Lou decks Mikey with the cell phone. And Anderson ends it with a spinebuster.

Thoughts: This was alright. They gave us decent action, and the finish was fine. But everything felt rushed. I like the idea of the New Dangerous Alliance. They’re poking fun at all the rehashed groups and tag teams in wrestling. The commentary makes this clear. Plus, ECW is the place they could do this parody and the fans would appreciate it. So this deserved more time.

Winner: C.W. Anderson (3:42)

Afterward, Styles and Cyrus discuss the tag team title match. Joey says Francine showed more sympathy for Raven than Dreamer. This doesn’t surprise Cyrus. He says Raven always gets the girl. When Joey questions this, Cyrus says Joey should spend more time with the boys. Instead, Joey sits backstage and stooges on everyone. Cyrus calls Joey a male rat, which makes Joey crack and he laughs. So they switch topics to RVD vs. Sabu. Cyrus claims RVD is the only one who can get under Sabu’s skin.

Now it’s time for a six-person tag. Simon Diamond brings his personal ring announcer Mitch with him. This leads to some gay jokes from Joey and Cyrus. But Styles gives Diamond some credit. He talks about Simon’s background as a baseball player and an executive with Pepsi. Next, Nova, Kid Kash, and Jazz join them. Joey says the Dupps broke Kash’s jaw, so he’s wrestling with it wired shut. Kash also lives up to his name by wearing his best Kid Rock outfit. Meanwhile, Mitch steals DeAngelis’ mic and introduces Diamond. He calls him the vessel of virtuosity and his personal favorite. Once Mitch finishes, DeAngelis does his job, but he stumbles over Roadkill’s nickname. Roadkill glares at Stephen for the error, and Cyrus calls Stephen an idiot.

Danny Doring, Roadkill, & Simon Diamond (w/ Mitch & Elektra) vs. Nova, Kid Kash, & Jazz

Storyline: Simon lost his Dick and Doring’s girlfriend left him, but they both rebounded. Doring found a new girl named Elektra. Then he attempted to cheer Diamond up with women, but Simon had eyes for a man named Mitch. This made Doring and Roadkill uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Nova teamed with Kid Kash while Chetti rehabs his injury. A jealous Chetti tried to come back early, but Nova talked him out of it. So Chetti warned Kash not to screw things up for Nova. He worried about nothing because Nova & Kash defeated the Dupps. While these events unfolded, Jazz continued her rivalry with Diamond. He pinned her in a match. Later, Nova & Kash had a 3-Way Dance against Doring & Roadkill and the Dupps. So Jazz interfered and fought with Elektra. Doring & Roadkill used the distraction to win.

The Match: Nova, Kash, and Jazz fend off Doring and Roadkill until Jazz and Simon face each other. Jazz avoids the Simonizer and hits a Jazz Stinger. However, Simon’s Dick returns to save him and they share a sweet moment. Then Dick attacks Jazz, so Kash dives onto him! Back inside, Nova shows off some moves. He hits a DDT Squared and the Elevator. But Doring and Roadkill answer with the Lancaster Lariat of Lust. Afterward, Chetti runs to the ring and tags himself in. This causes a brawl, and everyone dives outside, including the ref. While this happens, Chetti attacks Roadkill, so Elektra slaps Chetti. With Chetti distracted, Doring and Roadkill target Chetti’s injured back. Nova almost saves him, but he and Doring tumble off the top rope. And Roadkill finishes Chetti with an Amish Bomb.

Thoughts: This was an absolute mess. It was almost impossible to follow. Plus, it made no sense. People complain about how chaotic AEW tag matches get, but this was far worse. They lost all semblance of order. You had people who weren’t involved tagging into the fight. Even the ref did a wrestling move. It popped the live crowd, but it wasn’t fun to watch. Also, Kash, Jazz, and Diamond somehow vanished into the void by the ending. Where did they go?

Winners: Doring, Roadkill, & Diamond (9:58)

Before anyone can celebrate, the Dupps run to the ring. Puck directs traffic while Bo and Jack attack Roadkill. So Nova and Doring clear the ring with chairs and send the Dupps packing. Afterward, Doring gives Nova sarcastic applause for helping him. Then Doring and Nova check on their fallen comrades.

Next, we get comments from Judge Jeff Jones and Mike Awesome. Jones asks Spike how his girlfriend is feeling. She may have given Jeff an Acid Drop, but Awesome kicked her teeth out! Now Spike has a chance at greatness. Tonight, Spike steps into the ring with the most awesome giant on the face of god’s green Earth. Spike might be a giant killer, but this giant will kill Spike. Once Jones finishes, Awesome speaks. He brags about what he did to Spike’s girlfriend. Awesome says he spent the last twelve years busting his ass to become a champion. If Spike wants it, he has to take it away from Mike Awesome!

With that said, they switch to Spike and his girlfriend for a response. She shows off her missing teeth while Spike tells Awesome to look at his handiwork. Does Awesome think he’s a tough guy for knocking out a girl’s teeth? Tonight, he has to deal with Spike Dudley on PPV. As he says this, Spike removes his glasses to show he is serious. So Heyman asks him to restart the promo. This makes Spike lose his cool. Spike throws things around and asks Heyman if he thinks he’s acting. This isn’t an act. Spike says he will fucking hurt Mike Awesome. Because of this, Cyrus apologizes for Spike’s language on behalf of the network.

Now it’s time for a dream partner match. Tajiri and Super Crazy will choose mystery partners to face each other. As Corino leads Tajiri to the ring, Styles and Cyrus discuss Jerry Lynn’s loyalties. Is he working with Tajiri? However, Corino confuses the situation even more with his announcement. He picked the perfect person to team with Tajiri. It’s Super Crazy! The commentators say he can’t do that, and they aren’t alone in their disgust. Guido storms to the ring. He asks Corino why he didn’t pick him, but Corino tells Guido to shut up. He calls the shots around here! This comment pisses off Heyman, so he confronts Corino. Paul calls Corino a dickhead who screwed up everyone’s plans. Therefore, Heyman picked a partner for Guido. It’s Jerry Lynn!

Yoshihiro Tajiri & Super Crazy (w/ Steve Corino) vs. Little Guido & Jerry Lynn (w/ Sal E. Graziano)

Storyline: Lynn faced Corino after Steve taunted him. During the fight, Tajiri blinded Lynn with the mist, and Crazy came to help. However, a blind Jerry attacked Crazy by mistake. Later, Lynn came after Tajiri, but an angry Crazy scuffled with Lynn. So Jerry gave him the piledriver. This led to Crazy vs. Lynn, and Jerry scored a tainted victory because Tajiri beat up Crazy. But did Lynn see the interference? Then the plot thickened because Guido defeated Crazy when Lynn and Tajiri interfered. Afterward, Styles and Cyrus tried to ask Lynn if he was in cahoots with Tajiri. Lynn took offense to these questions, but he never answered them. But it wasn’t all bad for Crazy. He earned victories over Ikuto Hidaka and Super Calo. Plus, Guido also beat Calo. Finally, Styles announced Crazy and Tajiri would find mystery partners to face each other.

The Match: Everyone exchanges takedowns, reversals, and leapfrogs. When it settles down, Guido grabs an armbar, but Tajiri answers with a Tarantula. Next, Crazy and Lynn take over and tumble outside. There, we get moonsaults and planchas until Guido and Crazy fight into the stands. Back in the ring, Lynn and Tajiri trade hurricanranas and German suplexes. Later, Crazy and Tajiri do stereo corner punches, but Lynn and Guido turn them into powerbombs. Afterward, Guido and Lynn land stereo tornado DDTs. However, Crazy fights back and does a springboard moonsault. It isn’t enough, and Lynn shows life. So Tajiri spits green mist into Jerry’s eyes. This leads to a tandem powerbomb by Tajiri and Crazy, and Crazy gives Lynn a piledriver. So Guido saves Jerry—only to give him the Maritato! With Lynn down, Crazy wants the pin, but Tajiri kicks Crazy. Tajiri then wins with a brainbuster on Lynn.

Thoughts: ECW seems determined to work against themselves on this show. Here’s another bout brought down by an attempt to be chaotic. The action was great, but the nonsensical swerves and lack of focus detracted from it. Why did Guido attack Lynn? What did any of this accomplish? Adding more confusion to an already convoluted storyline doesn’t make it a great mystery. I wanted to like this, but the extra B.S. got in the way.

Winners: Tajiri & Super Crazy (12:48)

Corino hugs Tajiri before Tajiri, Jack Victory and Tommy Rich attack Jerry Lynn. (Why is Rich there?) Steve calls this his master plan. He says Jerry Lynn fights every week, but he’s a piece of crap. Corino also says Lynn is a coward like the beat-up piece of garbage, Dusty Rhodes! As Corino says this, Dusty sneaks into the ring behind him. Corino claims he could kick Dusty’s ass, so Dusty gives him his chance. He delivers bionic elbows to everybody and slams Tommy Rich. But then Rhino appears! He attacks Dusty and Corino’s crew stomps on Rhodes. Corino even wears Dusty’s hat. This draws wrestlers from the locker room to clear the ring, so Corino and company retreat. Dusty still wants to fight, but he struggles to stand.

Next, New Jack cuts a promo in the stairwell. He says the Dudleys, Mustafa, and even Public Enemy didn’t piss him off as much as he is now. When Jack was thirteen, one of his buddies switched sides. He joined another gang and stabbed New Jack in the ass! So Jack walked around for a week with the knife in his ass. When he pulled it out, he whipped that sucker from one side of L.A. to the other! Now Jack vows to take out Da Baldies one man at a time. He even feels sorry for Angel because he will do everything imaginable to him tonight. There will be pain, blood, and anger when he whips Angel’s bald-headed ass! So Angel better kiss his fat wife goodbye! (I don’t like New Jack, but I’ll give him credit. This was a good promo.)

Afterward, Da Baldies enter the arena. Vic Grimes wears a pizza cutter around his neck. While they pose on the turnbuckles, Joey talks about New Jack’s history as a bounty hunter. He says Jack has justifiable homicides. Whereas Da Baldies are only bold when they watch each other’s back. This leads to Jack’s entrance. He brings his staple gun and a trash can full of weapons.

King of the Streets Match: Angel (w/ DeVito & Vic Grimes) vs. New Jack

Storyline: Big Vito lost a loser leaves ECW match, so Da Baldies replaced him. First, they tried Rod Price, but they settled on Vic Grimes. Then Da Baldies jumped Balls and Axl in a bathroom. Plus, they dared New Jack to fight them on a New York subway. After a game of cat and mouse, Angel and DeVito jumped Jack with a guitar. So Jack sought revenge while Da Baldies faced Balls & Axl. However, Angel stapled Jack’s ear to the side of his head. Later, Jack put DeVito through a table with a balcony dive. As a result, Da Baldies threatened to do vile things to New Jack’s mother. This led to Balls & Jack vs. Da Baldies. New Jack hit another balcony dive, but Angel stapled Balls’ head and pinned him.

The Match: Jack hits Angel with a street sign, a mailbox, and a cheese grater. Then he throws Angel outside and searches for weapons. Somehow, Jack finds the hood of a car under the ring! He slams Angel on it and hits a flying elbow. Also, Jack is bleeding, despite Angel’s lack of offense. Later, Jack uses a vacuum cleaner, so DeVito and Grimes attack. Jack fends them off and takes Grimes into the stands. There, he blocks a suplex and hits a DDT. Plus, Jack puts Vic on a table and lands a balcony dive! While this happens, Angel recovers. He drags Jack back to the ring and grabs a road sign. However, Angel misses, so Jack decks him with a tray. Jack also uses the staple gun on DeVito. But this gives Angel the opening to clock Jack with a shovel and pin him.

Thoughts: The match itself was awful, and the shovel shot that finished it was weak. With that said, this had enough stupid nonsense and amusing moments to make me laugh. So it wasn’t a complete waste. Jack finding a car hood under the ring was over-the-top, and Styles had some good lines. Jack hit Angel with a mailbox with Heyman’s name on it. Styles said, “If there’s any outgoing mail in that box, I bet it’s not our checks!” Joey got me good with that one.

Winner: Angel (8:48)

Fonzie enters RVD’s dressing room. He tells Rob it’s 4:20 and time to cut a promo. While RVD gets ready, Bill opens a window to air out the room. RVD says it’s the new millennium, and 2000 will be his year. After all, he doesn’t see any competition coming up. Fonzie reminds RVD about Sabu, so RVD says he will beat him too. Then Van Dam lists everyone he’s defeated. He includes Ric Flair, but Rob realizes his mistake and corrects it. But he would win if Flair challenged him. RVD also says the fans always think this will be the night he finally loses, but it won’t happen. He is the best in the business and the whole effing show. Plus, he’s the Sheik’s favorite wrestler! Once Rob finishes, he asks if Fonzie is with him. Fonzie says yes, but he continues down the hall to Sabu’s room.

Fonzie hypes up Sabu and tells him it’s his night, but Sabu isn’t buying it. He grabs Fonzie and glares at him, so Bill calms down. Fonzie says Sabu waited thirty-three years to find someone as tough as him. He studied wrestling, but he couldn’t find his equal until now. RVD is his equal. And he’s a product of the Sheik, like Sabu! So Fonzie offers a shocking guarantee. If Sabu can’t beat RVD, he will grab his bags and walk out of ECW tonight!

Fonzie comes out first with water bottles for both men. Then we get RVD and Sabu’s entrances. They show RVD’s wife Sonya in the crowd. She blows him a kiss while Joey talks about her recent jet ski accident. He’s glad she recovered.

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

Storyline: Sabu got his match with RVD. They had an absolute barn-burner on TV. The ref restarted the bout twice, but it still went to a time-limit draw. Afterward, Sabu flipped RVD off instead of shaking his hand. So RVD taunted Sabu by claiming Sabu was the Sheik’s second favorite wrestler after Van Dam. This caused an impromptu rematch where RVD tried to break Sabu’s leg. Despite the injury, Sabu interrupted RVD’s title defenses and put him through tables. Sabu almost cost Rob the belt a few times. It wasn’t about the gold. Sabu wanted payback. This led to more taunting by RVD. He claimed he carried Sabu for years. Rob even called him an ugly shadow in his light. Plus, a sarcastic RVD dedicated his fights to Sabu. He only made Sabu angrier. All the while, Fonzie remained as neutral as possible.

The Match: It doesn’t take long for the action to spill outside. Sabu throws a chair at RVD’s head and hits double and triple jump attacks. Back inside, RVD scores a cartwheel moonsault, but he gets cocky. Sabu shoves RVD off the apron while he poses. Next, they take turns diving onto each other in the stands. When Sabu gains the advantage, he and Fonzie struggle to set up a table on the railing. Once it’s set, Sabu puts RVD through it with a flying splash, which hurts Sabu’s knee. So he tapes it up and keeps going.

Later, Fonzie brings them chairs and they have a duel. Sabu wins the exchange and puts RVD in a Camel Clutch. But when Van Dam escapes, Sabu wipes out the ref with a missed wheel kick. Now Sabu lands a triple jump moonsault and triple jump leg drop, but there is no ref. So another one arrives, as RVD fakes out Sabu and nails a Van Daminator. He also climbs, but Sabu fights him on the top rope. RVD blocks a Frankensteiner, which leads to a split-legged moonsault. But he only gets a two and argues with the ref. Since it didn’t work, RVD calls for another chair, but Fonzie hesitates. So Rob has enough and gives Fonzie the Van Daminator. This allows Sabu to attack and attempt a triple jump splash. When he comes down, RVD blocks it with a chair and ends the fight with the Five Star.

Thoughts: This was easily the match of the night so far, and I don’t mean by comparison. It was great. They were never going to top what they did on TV, but they still put on a fantastic performance. Plus, Fonzie’s involvement weaved nice storytelling into the bout. The only downside is we won’t get a follow-up. RVD suffers a leg injury in the following weeks and relinquishes the belt. (On a side note, go watch their TV encounter. It’s on the November 20, 1999 episode of Hardcore TV.)

Winner: RVD (14:37)

RVD celebrates while Joey and Cyrus sing his praises. But as Rob poses, Sabu raises a chair. When RVD spots him, Sabu throws it down and offers a handshake instead. Sabu even shakes an unconscious Fonzie’s hand, but he follows it with middle fingers for both men. Then Sabu limps down the aisle. Joey asks if we have seen the last of Sabu.

Next, we get an Impact Players promo. Storm says tonight they fulfill their destiny. They are faster, stronger, younger, and more talented than Raven and Dreamer. The only thing Raven and Dreamer have over them is the tag titles. And they will take those too. Then Justin says they took it to them for four months, but playtime is over. The Impact players beat them, insulted their families, and even crucified them. Tonight, they become the ECW tag champs. With that said, they end the segment with their catchphrase.

Before the entrances, the tech guys hold up a sign which says they want a raise. Joey tells them good luck with that. Plus, Joey argues with Cyrus about Cyrus shilling the Impact Players’ merchandise. It leads to a discussion about Joey and Cyrus getting their own t-shirts. Meanwhile, Raven arrives and rushes to the ring, so Justin attacks him.

Tag Team Title Match: The Impact Players (w/ Dawn Marie & Jason) vs. Tommy Dreamer & Raven (c) (w/ Francine)

Storyline: It appeared Raven and Dreamer were finally on the same page. Raven did the right thing and helped Tommy, which made Dreamer proud. However, Raven and Sandman still hated each other. Raven compared Sandman to his drunk and abusive father. So Raven refused to help when Sandman was there. This frustrated Dreamer, but Francine empathized with Raven. If Tommy wouldn’t help him, she would. The problem is, the Impact Players exploited the drama. They cost Raven a win over Sandman, with Dreamer as the ref. Raven said he did the right thing and paid for it! Later, the Players even cuffed Raven to the entrance set and caned him. While this happened, Da Baldies attacked Dreamer. Meanwhile, the Players earned this shot by beating Rhino & Candido. Afterward, Credible faced Dreamer in a Stairway to Hell. Interference and catfights allowed Justin to pin Tommy after That’s Incredible.

The Match: Everyone brawls until the Players clear the ring. They stop to do their catchphrase, so Dreamer and Raven pull them outside. Then the fight heads to the stage. There, Tommy and Raven put the Players through tables with stereo hip tosses. When they return to the ring, Tommy and Raven score a leg sweep/clothesline combo. Next, Tommy tries to fend off a chair attack, but Justin takes control. He taunts Raven by giving Dreamer a drop toe hold on a chair. Afterward, Credible uses a sleeper hold, but Tommy escapes. Once he’s free, a bloody Dreamer drags himself to the corner, and Raven tags him.

Raven cleans house with punches and sends Storm out of the ring. So Jason enters, but Raven smothers him with his snot rag. Raven also gives Credible a drop toe hold on a chair. As this happens, Dreamer takes out Storm with a baseball slide into a chair. However, Justin reverses Raven and hits That’s Incredible. But Raven kicks out! This leads to chaos. The Players give Tommy a piledriver and grab a table, but Dreamer backdrops Lance onto it. Meanwhile, Francine and Dawn have a catfight, and Francine does a Bronco Buster. So Justin tries to cane Francine, but Raven eats the shot to save her. This allows Justin to give Raven That’s Incredible for the win.

Thoughts: This was a solid tag match with some good spots and a nice finish. It fits the ongoing storyline well. Plus, this sets up events for after the PPV. I enjoyed this. They kept it the right length and accomplished all their goals. So I call this a well-rounded success.

Winners: The Impact Players (New Champions) (9:23)

Joey can’t believe Raven sacrificed himself to save Francine. He also says their biggest fears came true. The Impact Players are the tag team champions. They are one step closer to ruling over ECW.

Meanwhile, Steven Prazak finds Corino, Victory, and Rhino in the parking lot. He asks them how they could attack a legend like Dusty Rhodes. Corino says they don’t care about the legend of Dusty Rhodes. They buried him like the piece of crap he is! Then Corino tries to speak for Rhino, but he wants to talk. Rhino tells Prazak to shut up. Plus, Rhino says he is yesterday, today, and tomorrow’s news. He hears there is an ECW Title match tonight, so Rhino challenges the winner. Sooner or later, he will wear the belt around his waist.

Now it’s time for the main event. Spike Dudley walks to the ring with a purpose. He searches for a weapon and even makes the timekeeper help him. They set up tables around the ring, including two stacked on top of each other. Once they finish, Spike grabs a mic. He says Awesome made a name for himself by putting people through tables. But Spike made his name by going through tables! So he tells Awesome to get his pussy ass out there! When Mike obliges, Spike jumps him.

ECW Title Match: Mike Awesome (c) (w/ Judge Jeff Jones) vs. Spike Dudley

Storyline: After Awesome defeated Taz one-on-one, Jeff Jones called Awesome ECW’s giant. Since he’s a giant, Spike Dudley came looking for a kill. He gave Awesome a low blow and Acid Drop. The next week, ECW announced a rematch between Awesome and Tanaka for the following episode. Tanaka was in the crowd, so Awesome threw Spike Dudley at him! This led to a scuffle, and Cyrus goaded Heyman into having Tanaka vs. Awesome early. As a result, Tanaka beat Awesome to win the ECW championship! It sent Awesome on a rampage. He blamed Cyrus and Heyman. Mike even threatened Jeff Jones. However, Awesome regained his belt a week later. Afterward, Spike had another altercation with Mike, and Spike’s girlfriend got involved. Awesome attacked her and knocked out some of her teeth. So a serious Spike Dudley promised to take it to the extreme.

The Match: Awesome fends off Spike’s flurry and press slams him on a table. Then he beal tosses Spike onto the stacked tables. Plus, Awesome sends Spike over the rail and dives onto him. Back in the ring, Mike nails a slingshot splash, but his cocky cover only gets a two. Since Awesome toys with him, Spike rallies. He sends Awesome outside and does a shoulder block off the apron. Next, Spike does an Acid Drop over the railing and gives Mike chair shots. But Spike clips the ropes on a dive and Awesome catches him. Mike even participates in a you fucked up chant.

Later, Spike scores a Frankensteiner and a flying stomp. So Awesome kicks a chair into Spike’s face and throws him over the rail again. This time, he lands a springboard plancha into the stands! It gives Awesome time to set up another table, so Spike clings onto his leg for dear life. While in position, Spike throws a low blow and does an Acid Drop onto the table! He also chokes Mike with cables and delivers more chair shots. When they return to the ring, they escape each other’s finishers. This leads to fighting on the top rope, and Awesome ends it with a super Awesome Bomb on a table.

Thoughts: This was good fun. They gave Spike enough hope spots to draw in the fans, but Awesome still looked dominant in the end. Plus, outside of a couple of shaky moments, the action was good. It was everything a match like this needed to be.

Winner: Mike Awesome (14:10)

Awesome celebrates and taunts an unconscious Spike. While this happens, Styles says Spike proved he is an eight-foot man in a five-foot-five body. He also asks what planet Awesome came from.

The Good:

• RVD/Sabu was great.

• The main event was fun.

• The tag title match told a good story.

The Bad:

• The six-person tag was a mess.

• Some nonsensical booking.

Observations:

• I noticed Cyrus disappeared from the booth during New Jack’s match. Joey called it alone. I’ll have to go back and look, but I think he skipped the one at the last PPV too.

• People give Russo’s WCW crap for breaking the fourth wall and using insider terms. ECW also did this. The Spike promo on this show was an example. Joey even said we saw the man behind the gimmick.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to three people. RVD, Sabu, and Fonzie all played their parts perfectly in their match. They told a great story.

Final Thoughts:

The last three matches saved this show from being a disaster. It’s disappointing because the build on TV was great. I had high hopes after watching those episodes. But the first half of this show makes it hard to consider this a good PPV. So I will place the quality somewhere in the middle.

Thank you for reading. My next review is WCW’s Souled Out 2000. Look for it next Sunday.