Heat Wave ’98

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

Heat Wave

August 2, 1998

Hara Arena

Dayton, Ohio

News & Notes: As usual with ECW, I have no extra storylines to discuss. After Wrestlepalooza, ECW TV was laser-focused on building the matches for this event. Everyone praises this PPV, but you hear little talk about the build. It was one of the better jobs ECW did for the shows I’ve covered. 

Joey Styles welcomes everyone to Dayton. The crowd chants his name, which almost overwhelms Joey. He recovers and introduces his co-host and color commentator, Shane Douglas. The ECW champion brings Francine with him. They kiss, and Douglas pretends to faint. Then Shane tells the truck to cut his music. He’s excited for Bam Bam vs. Taz. Bigelow put Taz through the ring at Living Dangerously. Tonight, he vowed to drive him through the concrete floor! Styles says we will see. Despite this comment, Joey and Shane compliment each other. The fans don’t care. They want Francine to show her goods. Joey compares his double-breasted suit to her. It earns Styles a trip to cleavage town! Francine doubts Joey’s suit cost six grand like her breasts. They go to the opening video as Styles makes a hilarious sound.

After the intro, Justin Credible arrives for his fight. He brought his entourage. Styles suggests they should call Nicole Bass, Russia. She’s bigger than Chyna! Then Joey mentions this is the finals of a summer series. The victor wins the feud. When Jerry Lynn enters, Joey calls him the most underrated man in wrestling. And no, he didn’t say sports entertainment!

Justin Credible (w/ Jason, Nicole Bass, & Chastity) vs. Jerry Lynn

Notes: Credible and Lynn wrestled at an ECW event called It Ain’t Seinfeld. (It aired the same night as the series’ finale.) Lynn scored a surprise victory when he stole Justin’s finisher. The disrespect didn’t sit well with Credible. He had a series of fights against Jerry. They held a 2 out of 3 Falls encounter at A Matter of Respect. Justin won after Chastity hit a low blow. Then came an I Quit bout. Lynn endured interference from Nicole and Jason to defeat Credible. Next, Credible & Jason faced Lynn & Pablo Marquez in an Elimination tag. Justin’s team triumphed, thanks to Nicole Bass. Their final confrontation happened on the go-home show. Two feuds crossed paths. Lynn teamed with Tanaka against Credible & Awesome. Jerry once again used a Tombstone to pin Credible. Now we get the rubber match.

The Match: Lynn catches Justin with arm drags. It leads to traded chops and pin attempts. Credible tries That’s Incredible. Jerry counters with a victory roll. Lynn follows with more takedowns and sends Justin outside for a flying plancha. When they return, Credible reverses into an inverted DDT. With Lynn down, Jason introduces a chair to the fight. Justin drives it into Jerry with a running knee. He also drops Lynn on it with a sit-out bomb. Afterward, Nicole holds Lynn for some punches.

They fight outside, and Justin smashes a beer on Jerry’s face. Justin takes control, but Jerry surprises him with a clothesline and a flapjack. Credible does a sidewalk slam and slows the action with a chinlock. However, Lynn breaks free and rallies. They trade covers. Then Jerry nails a Super Frankensteiner. He flies for a dragonrana next. Justin turns it into a powerbomb. Credible calls for a chair. It backfires. After Lynn does a DDT on it, Chastity puts Credible’s foot on the ropes. Things grow worse when Lynn hits another Super Frankensteiner onto a table on the floor! The entourage storms the ring. Jerry fends them off. He powerbombs Jason and low blows Nicole. Chastity tries to kick Jerry in the junk. She hits Justin by mistake! Lynn then tombstones Chastity and puts Credible on the top rope. But Justin low blows Lynn and lands a second-rope That’s Incredible for the win.

Thoughts: It was a strong and well-paced encounter. They built to a chaotic finish. It bordered on overbooked, but it didn’t cross the line. I liked the ending. Credible gets the heat for winning by nefarious means. Lynn looks strong. He fended off Justin’s entire entourage. Both men look good in the end.

Winner: Justin Credible (14:36)

Lynn is still down inside the ring. It concerns Joey Styles. Meanwhile, Credible celebrates on the ramp. He doesn’t bother helping his entourage. Jason carries Chastity while Nicole stands up and leaves. When she passes the camera, Joey says, “Yuck!”

Next, Lance Storm enters for his fight with Candido. Styles needles Shane Douglas about Storm’s problems with The Triple Threat. Shane ignores him. Then Candido joins the party. Chris wears headgear to protect his injured ear. He also has company! It’s his fiance, Tammy Lynn Sytch. (She’s no longer Sunny. The WWF released her for multiple backstage issues.) Chris and Tammy make out. Joey reminds the viewers about how the feud between Storm and Candido began. Chris thought Storm was messing around with Sunny. Was it true? While Joey speculates, Chris and Tammy mock the old Steiner Brothers pose. Artese almost introduces Candido, but Tammy takes his mic. An intoxicated Sytch does his job for him.

Chris Candido (w/ Tammy Lynn Sytch) vs. Lance Storm

Notes: With Douglas injured, The Triple Threat offered Storm his old spot in the faction. He refused as long as Candido was in the group. However, Lance changed his tune after a double-cross at A Matter of Respect. They did another Dream Partner Match. Candido chose Sabu. Storm picked RVD. It was a trap. RVD & Sabu were in cahoots! They turned on Storm & Candido. Despite their animosity, RVD & Sabu wanted tag gold. So Storm & Candido tried to coexist. They delayed the championship defense because Storm got stuck in Canada. Douglas filled in, but RVD & Sabu put Candido through a table. Chris injured his ear in the bout. When Storm returned, he and Chris lost the belts to RVD & Sabu. Without their titles, things fell apart. Storm made Candido wrestle most of a fight by himself. Then Storm walked out on Chris during a return encounter against RVD & Sabu. It infuriated The Triple Threat. They thought Storm was on their side. Chris almost lost an ear. And this is how Storm acts!?

The Match: They tussle into the corners and trade headlocks and leapfrogs. Storm scores a wheel kick and they exchange hard chops. Then Lance attacks Chris in the corner and removes his headgear. Chris answers by sending Storm outside for a flying crossbody. In the ring, Candido grabs a bow and arrow stretch. Lance mule kicks out of it, so Tammy trips Storm. He chases her and clotheslines Chris. Next, Chris turns a hurricanrana into a Liger Bomb. He follows with a stalling suplex and a diving leg drop. Candido then controls the action. He uses a swinging neckbreaker, a chinlock, and a powerslam. Lance throws kicks and elbows. It leads to fighting on the apron. Storm suplexes Chris to the floor and nails a baseball slide. It sends Candido into the crowd, so Lance does a springboard crossbody into the fans!

When they return, we get more strikes until they both go down to a collision. However, Candido stumbles onto Storm for a two! Storm fires back with a superplex, a flying wheel kick, and a sit-out bomb. Candido responds with a surprise powerslam. But Lance recovers for a springboard back elbow. Tammy senses trouble. She hands Chris white powder. Storm knocks it into Chris’s face! A blinded Candido decks the ref! Storm capitalizes with a superkick and climbs the ropes. Tammy gropes Lance and crotches him! The ref grabs her to stop the interference, but a still-blind Candido rolls the ref up. Since the ref didn’t release Tammy, he rips her dress! During the chaos, Candido regains his sight. He spots Lance on the top rope and joins him. Chris lands a Blonde Bombshell for the victory.

Thoughts: This was a fun bout. It had some hard-hitting moments and entertaining ones. Candido’s blind antics made me laugh. He’s good at the comedy spots. It was a great mix of action and shenanigans. Also, the finish was impressive. Did Storm get a concussion from it? His head bounced hard on the mat!

Winner: Chris Candido (11:00)

Tammy covers herself in a coat to hide her ripped dress. Joey calls it a victory for the eye-popping pair. He means Chris and Tammy. Then Joey tries to discuss the victory with Shane. The men in the truck interrupt. They want to show some parking lot footage from earlier.

New Jack is hyping up the crowd outside the arena. He has words for his opponent, Jack Victory. New Jack will whip his ass in a Weapons Match! As if summoned by Jack’s words, Old Jack-O Victory appears. He wants to scuffle now. New Jack obliges, but The Dudleys arrive in a car. They stomp New Jack. Victory rams New Jack against the car. After a few more shots, The Dudleys escape in their vehicle. Balls and Axl rush to New Jack’s aid. Axl holds a bloody New Jack in his arms and screams for medical help. Joey reveals we won’t get the Weapons Match now.

Meanwhile, Fonzie, RVD, and Sabu have some promo time. Alfonso hypes their upcoming bout against the Japanese legends. Bill doesn’t care about their identities. They’re big fat losers! RVD tells Fonzie to relax. Mr. Monday Night brought everyone to the dance. This offends Sabu. He shoves his partner. Rob says the fans paid to see RVD—and Sabu. (He only added the latter because Sabu glared at him.) Van Dam then mentions their Japanese opponents. He doesn’t know their names. But his sneeze sounds like the name Hakushi. Fonzie blesses him and calls their rivals losers again. RVD says it makes him a winner. Oh, and Sabu too. Tonight will make Rob 6-0, but it’s okay to lose to Van Dam. Isn’t that right, Sabu? The comment makes Sabu grab RVD’s shirt, so Rob tells him to relax. Fonzie steps between them and blows his whistle.

Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome

Notes: Tanaka returned to ECW TV in July. He faced Balls Mahoney and proved he is impervious to pain. Masato absorbed Balls’ hardest chair attacks. He then pinned Mahoney with a Tornado DDT on some chairs. Meanwhile, Mike Awesome heard his old FMW rival was in ECW. He followed him to America. Mike and Masato wrestled on TV. Tanaka defeated him with a roaring elbow. A frustrated Awesome put Tanaka through a table with an Awesome Bomb! It didn’t deter Masato. He appeared the next week to face Tracy Smothers. Tanaka took The FBI’s best flag attacks and shook them off. Then he pinned Tracy with another Tornado DDT. As I mentioned earlier, Tanaka and Awesome were in a tag match. During the bout, Mike gave Masato another Awesome Bomb. He threw him over the ropes and onto a table on the ground!

The Match: After scuffling into the corners, they exchange hard strikes. Mike blocks a hip toss and surprises Masato for an overhead belly-to-belly. Next is a slingshot shoulder tackle and a splash from Awesome. The action spills out of the ring, so Mike lands a tope! Back inside, Mike nails a flying clothesline and a release German. Tanaka answers with a scoop powerslam and a springboard clothesline to the ramp. While outside, Masato collects a chair. He gets a running start and decks Mike with it. Tanaka follows with a missile dropkick. But Awesome dumps him to the floor. There, they have a chair duel! Tanaka wins and clobbers Mike’s back. Awesome responds with a backdrop over the rail.

With Masato in the crowd, Mike performs a springboard plancha into the fans! When they return, Mike does a sit-out bomb, an Alabama Slam, and a flying splash. They only get a two, so Awesome retrieves the chair. He blasts Tanaka with shots. Masato absorbs them until one attack bends the chair! Mike continues with an Awesome Bomb, but he’s not done. Awesome climbs and drills Masato with a flying chair attack. (Douglas screams for Mike to pin him!) He doesn’t. Mike sets up a table instead. He tries twice to Awesome Bomb Tanaka out of the ring. Masato slips free. He then hooks Mike gives him his own bomb onto the table! (Mike falls on his head!) It somehow only earns a two! A Roaring Elbow also gets the same fate. However, Tanaka finishes it with a tornado DDT into a pile of chairs.

Thoughts: It was short, explosive, and impressive. They didn’t need a long bout. Awesome and Tanaka beat the crap out of each other. It even received a holy shit chant. The fight was enjoyable destruction. Some of the chair shots are uncomfortable in retrospect, but you should still see it to believe it.

Winner: Masato Tanaka (11:49)

Taz cuts a promo, much to Douglas’ chagrin. Tonight is the night. It gives Taz goosebumps. In a short while, Bam Bam will tap to the FTW champ. Taz declares himself the only champion who means anything on PPV. It’s not Austin, Goldberg, or Tyson. Taz admits he had no excuses for losing to Bigelow at Living Dangerously. But tonight he takes back the victory. Bam Bam may beat him up, but he won’t win. Taz tells Bigelow to beat him if he can and survive if he lets him. After the promo, an angry Douglas loses his cool. He points at his ECW title. Shane calls it the only real heavyweight belt. Taz should worry about bigger problems like Bam Bam.

The Dudleys are next. This time, Styles takes offense. He doesn’t want to hear them. Joey has no choice. Gertner dismisses the idea of doom for The Dudleys. They stacked the odds in their favor. New Jack has a prior engagement. Beulah won’t come anywhere near them. Once the Street Fight begins, Dreamer’s team has no one left to save them. Then Buh-Buh names Tommy the savior of the wrestling industry. But they crucified Tommy for Beulah’s sins. Tommy can give his soul to Jesus. His ass belongs to The Dudleys. The ring is their church. Tie-dye is their colors. And the 3D is their cross. It’s Tommy’s cross to bear! The sermon riles up D-Von. He yells, “Testify!”

Tag Team Title Match: Rob Van Dam & Sabu (c) (w/ Bill Alfonso) vs. Hayabusa & Jinsei Shinzaki

Notes: RVD and Sabu reformed their team, but the tensions still exist. They interfered in each other’s singles bouts. ECW even teased a rematch for the TV title. But then the double-cross happened at A Matter of Respect. RVD & Sabu reunited and won the tag team championship. Sabu stole the winning pinfall from RVD. Since they’re partners again, Sabu learned to live with Van Dam’s snarky attitude. But you could see him losing his patience during promos. It didn’t prevent them from fending off a return fight with Storm & Candido. Afterward, ECW announced RVD & Sabu would face new opponents at the PPV. Styles revealed they would wrestle FMW legend Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki. You may know Shinzaki better by his old WWF name. He is the former Hakushi.

The Match: Rob surprises Hayabusa with mat wrestling and submissions. Hayabusa botches a springboard arm drag, so Rob returns to the holds. Busa answers with a wheel kick and tags Shinzaki. Jinsei performs a Vader Bomb and trades strikes with Rob. Then Shinzaki does a praying rope walk into a flying chop. Van Dam responds with a corkscrew leg drop. Sabu then enters. Outside of a springboard leg drop and an Arabian Press, Sabu also uses mat holds. While Sabu grabs a Camel Clutch, RVD backflips into a low dropkick. Jinsei has enough. Everybody brawls to the floor. Hayabusa lands an Asai Moonsault. Sabu joins the fun with a double jump plancha into the fans! RVD throws the bodies over the rail, including his partner. Rob continues with an apron wheel kick to Hayabusa on the rail. Next, RVD puts Shinzaki in a surfboard stretch. Sabu clocks the prone Shin with a flying chair shot.

Busa and Shinzaki rally with their own combo attacks. They hit three springboard attacks in a row on Rob. Sabu breaks the pin and vaults off Busa for a corner wheel kick. It leads to another wild brawl in and out of the ring. Sabu gives Jinsei a Super Frankensteiner. RVD follows with a Frog Splash. They only get a two! Afterward, the teams trade combination moves. Busa and Shinzaki do a powerbomb and a Stardust Splash (450). RVD and Sabu hit a Rolling Thunder and a slingshot leg drop. Sabu uses a Boston Crab while Van Dam nails a springboard leg drop. (He lands on Jinsei’s head!) The ref loses control. Everyone fights. Hayabusa and Shinzaki have trouble with a broken table. But they splash RVD on it. Sabu brings in a better table instead. After an Arabian Facebuster and a Van Daminator, RVD and Sabu put their opponents on the plunder. They perform stereo guillotine leg drops to break it. However, Sabu shoves Van Dam aside to make the cover.

Thoughts: It was a mess. I’m not calling it terrible. There were good moments and some fun spots. But I had high hopes. This was disappointing, given the participants. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t great. The action had no flow, and it dragged.

Winners: RVD & Sabu (20:51)

Paul Heyman recaps the Taz/Bam Bam feud. The loss at Living Dangerously sent Taz on a soul-searching mission. Then Bigelow lost his TV title to RVD. It prevented Taz from regaining the belt from his rival. To make matters worse, Shane Douglas drew Taz’s ire. Taz injured Douglas and declared himself the uncrowned ECW champion. He even created his own title belt. But Taz couldn’t get to Shane without going through Bigelow first. Taz tried to trick The Triple Threat by joining them. It was a ploy to get at Douglas. When Shane aggravated his arm, the mood changed. Taz jumped Douglas, so the war with Bam Bam was on!

The video angers Shane. He says Bigelow hurt him. It wasn’t Taz! Bigelow will take out Taz tonight! After his tirade, Joey stirs the pot. Styles says Bam Bam tapped out. It happened before they crashed through the ring at Living Dangerously. The comment only makes Shane angrier.

Falls Count Anywhere Match for the FTW Title: Taz (c) vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Notes: Taz wanted an ECW championship opportunity, despite Douglas’ injury. Since Taz put Douglas on the shelf, he demanded people acknowledge him as the real ECW champion! No one would, so Taz created his own belt. He named it the FTW title. It stands for F*ck the World. Taz challenged Shane to a title vs. title bout, but Bigelow answered instead. They had a pull-apart brawl. Bam Bam threw members of security over the barricade. Then Taz tried to trick Shane into a match. He offered a truce and asked to join the Triple Threat in exchange for a championship shot. Only Bam Bam saw through the ruse. Taz got close enough to attack Douglas’ arm. Shane had no choice. He got the surgery and relegated himself to commentary while he healed. Douglas made Bigelow stand guard. Bam Bam said Taz would have to go through him to get Douglas. Taz stormed the announce booth multiple times. It led to more fights with Bigelow. One melee spilled to the parking lot. Bigelow shattered a car window with Taz’s body! Taz then issued an open challenge for his FTW belt. Bam Bam answered, but there was no winner. Candido & Storm interrupted.

The Match: Taz no-sells a powerbomb. He gives Bigelow a judo toss. Taz also powers Bam Bam into a Samoan Drop. It leads to fighting on the ramp. Taz kicks Bigelow off of it and dives. Bam Bam catches Taz and rams him into the rail. After more guardrail and chair attacks, they fight through the crowd. Bammer and Taz trade punches. Then Bigelow drops a portion of the railing onto him. Taz answers with a double-leg takedown and an overhead throw. When Bigelow slips and falls, Taz capitalizes with a cross armbreaker. Bam Bam elbows out of it and throws more chair strikes. Next, Bigelow counters a Tazmission with a jawbreaker.

They return to the ring. We see Taz is bleeding. Bam Bam gives him a powerbomb and fetches a table. He places it in the corner and whips Taz through it! Afterward, Bam Bam chokes a dazed Taz. But Taz reverses into a short-arm clothesline. He then plants Bigelow on the broken table with a t-bone Tazplex. When he recovers, Bam Bam takes Taz to the ramp. He threatens to throw Taz into the stands. Bam Bam lifts him. Taz turns it into a DDT. They crash through the ramp! It leaves a gaping hole. (Douglas wants someone to check on Bigelow.) After a moment, Bam Bam crawls out of the wreckage. However, Taz emerges behind him. He jumps on Bigelow’s back and locks in the Tazmission. Bam Bam flails his arm toward the ropes. The ref calls it a tap-out.

Thoughts: It was a fun and intense brawl. Plus, that finish was great. Bigelow’s conditioning exhausted him, but it didn’t ruin the action. The pace of the bout helped mask his fatigue. They used enough bells, whistles, and cool visuals to make up for it. This is the perfect showcase for these two. It makes Taz look badass and it popped the crowd.

Winner: Taz (13:21)

The finish infuriates Douglas. He says Bigelow was reaching for the ropes. It wasn’t a tap-out! This is a bogus piece of crap. It’s a fix! Taz grabs a microphone and addresses Shane. He dares Douglas to beat him if he can. Taz then lets the fans finish the rest. Douglas destroys a TV monitor in a rage and leaves with Francine.

Joey discusses the upcoming Street Fight. The war began when The Dudleys put Beulah out of the business with a 3D. A slow-motion replay is too much for Styles. He can’t be an objective gentleman. Joey labels The Dudleys scumbags, criminals, and street trash. Heyman should have fired them, but they make him money. Joey promises he won’t be impartial. The Dudleys sicken him. He then goes silent. The producers ask Joey to speak. He refuses.

Joel Gertner leads The Dudleys to the ring. Sign Guy walks on crutches. Jeff Jones carries a blow-up doll dressed like Beulah. Buh-Buh Ray takes a mic. He tells the fans he hates them all. Ray proclaims The Dudleys are the three toughest men in wrestling. He challenges anyone from the WWF, WCW, and even the fans. None of them have the guts. Buh-Buh singles out one fat fan and dares him to fight. When he doesn’t, D-Von tells Gertner to testify!

Joel mocks Dayton. He says he’s the man their mothers warned them about. Gertner makes your panties moist! He’s the only man that matters. Joel is hotter than a heatwave and harder than Chinese algebra. His name is Joel, I always leave them sore yet they come back for more, Gertner! Then Joel does more announcements. First, we have Jeff Jones. He’s a referee with integrity and hair! Next, we have the Dudley’s blow-up doll, Beulah McGillislutty. She’s the trashiest prostitute in wrestling! He follows this with Sign Guy. Joel lists his injuries. Sign Guy calls Gertner an idiot when he mentions a torn rectum. He does The Dudleys next. Joel calls them the Intergalactic Six-Man Tag Champs. Big Dick, D-Von, and Buh-Buh get glowing and lewd introductions. Gertner berates the fans for chanting along with D-Von’s bit.

When Joel finishes, Dreamer’s team enters. They carry ladders with them. Tommy, Sandman, and Spike set them up and pose. Sandman passes beers to his partners and everyone does the routine. Joey worries about Spike. If he has too many beers, he can’t wrestle. Everyone spits beer at The Dudleys and into the crowd. (This is unsanitary!)

Street Fight: Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, & Spike Dudley vs. The Dudleys (w/ Joel Gertner, Sign Guy, & Jeff Jones)

Notes: The Dudleys promised to amplify the violence against Dreamer and his friends. This led to a bloody Stairway to Hell encounter. It left Dreamer tangled in barbed wire. Then they cuffed Tommy to the ropes and made him watch the unthinkable. The Dudleys gave Beulah a 3D! New Jack tried to help. The Dudleys newest ally thwarted him. It’s Jack Victory! The Dudleys then made things worse by mocking poor Beulah. Gertner discovered D-Von in the back of an ambulance. He was humping a blow-up doll dressed like Beulah. D-Von claimed she gave him crabs. Then they held a ten-bell salute for Beulah. This infuriated Dreamer. He sought help from New Jack, Spike, and Onita! However, Onita turned on Tommy and sided with The Dudleys. To top it off, the crooked ref Jeff Jones helped. But Dreamer’s team had a surprise on their side. Beulah’s brother jumped Buh-Buh during a fight. Next, Tommy & Co. invaded the Dudley locker room and attacked them. ECW booked this match, but they upped the ante. The participants had a series of singles bouts. The winner of the series could choose the stipulation. Big Dick pinned Spike to give The Dudleys a 2-1 victory. They chose a Street Fight.

The Match: Dreamer and D-Von trade slaps, leapfrogs, and pin attempts. Tommy nails a hangman’s neckbreaker, so D-Von tags Buh-Buh. He faces Spike and throws the little one around the ring. Spike surprises Ray with a crossbody and stands on him. Ray turns it into a Buh-Buh Bomb. He then manhandles poor Spike until Spike catches Ray in a hurricanrana. Buh-Buh calls for a timeout after Sandman clocks him with a beer. It leads to Sandman and Big Dick fighting. The action devolves into a wild brawl. Tommy drags D-Von through the stands. Spike goes berserk on Buh-Buh. Sandman lands a Super Frankensteiner! Then Big Dick uses a chair on Tommy. While this happens, Spike and Sandman setup a ladder. Spike dives off it onto The Dudleys! He then rolls D-Von into the ring for more.

Sandman puts a ladder on D-Von and does a flying somersault senton. But Big Dick sends Sandman to the ramp. Buh-Buh returns the ladder favor. He puts it on Dreamer and hits a diving senton. However, Spike gives Ray an Acid Drop on the ladder! This opens the door for Dreamer’s team. One by one, they put each Dudley in a tree of woe. Even Gertner meets this fate. Tommy places Sign Guy in a Figure Four. Dreamer also piledrives Jeff Jones after Jeff mocks the blow-up doll again. With them out of the way, Dreamer’s team hits stereo dropkicks. Jim Molineaux joins and attacks Gertner. An angry Big Dick stops this nonsense. He drops Tommy on the ladder with Total Penetration. Dick also tosses Spike through a table when Spike attempts an Acid Drop. Sandman takes out Dick with a cane, but Buh-Buh answers with a chair. Ray continues with a splash, but he misses. Dreamer capitalizes with a DDT on the ladder for the three.

Thoughts: It was a wild and fun brawl. They never let it drag and it had some good spots. Spike was entertaining. I liked his dive off the ladder. The action did everything it needed to do. It would never be a technical marvel. They did crowd-pleasing bumps and brutal violence. Better yet, it didn’t have multiple run-ins like most Dreamer matches. I enjoyed it.

Winners: Dreamer, Sandman, & Spike (14:26)

Dreamer’s team celebrates, but Jack Victory interrupts. He smashes a guitar over Tommy’s head! The attack draws out New Jack! He arrives with a shopping cart full of weapons. Jack nails The Dudleys and Victory with signs and cans. He then knocks Big Dick over the ropes with the cart. Next, they place the stop sign on Jack Victory. New Jack selects a golf club. Styles says, “New Jack doesn’t golf!” It doesn’t matter. Jack whacks the sign with the club and breaks another guitar on Victory. Once they clear the ring, Sandman brings ladders. Everyone poses on them as the show ends.

The Good:

• The main event was fun.

• Credible/Lynn was solid.

• Storm/Candido was entertaining.

• Awesome/Tanaka was hard-hitting and impressive.

• Taz/Bam Bam was a good spectacle.

The Bad:

• The tag title match was disappointing.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to both Awesome and Tanaka. They took serious abuse during their match. Kudos to them for doing that for entertainment. But I’m glad wrestling moved away from the style.

Final Thoughts:

It’s easy to see why people call this the best ECW PPV. It was as close to flawless as an ECW show gets. Only the tag title bout was disappointing. Even it wasn’t bad. They showcased the variety ECW provides. This was the first time ECW knocked it out of the park. I enjoyed it.

Thank you for reading. My next review is WCW’s Road Wild ’98. Get ready for Jay Leno! Look for it next Sunday!