Random EC F'N W Bullshit

[Valeyard]

It's also that Eddie left at exactly the right time. Had he actually stuck around it really would be a PG-13 Memphis, so bless his ego and flakiness. The slow but very obvious tonal shift is so cool.

You know who needs more praise? Centurion Sal Bellomo. He was entertaining and there is no reason Sal Bellomo should exist after 1987 but here he is.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Maybe I'm forgetting something, but did the Headhunters make any shots after the handful in 93 around the tag title tournament and a bit beyond?

Why did Chris Candido leave ECW for SMW w/o dropping the tag straps?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Did ECW have any sort of smark buzz in the early days? Narrative is that it went from standard generic super indie to coolest show in town over night when Shane Douglas threw down the belt. Like I've watched some Eastern era stuff and I know it's not particularly good but listening to the John Arezzi podcasts covering 1991, there's a lot of Joel Goodhart shows talk so I imagine people would be geeked out over stuff like The Headhunters showing up and Terry Funk & Stan Hansen Vs Kevin Sullivan & Abdullah The Butcher. Or were the smarks of 1993 too jaded to even care?

 

[alkeiper]

Cactus Jack and Eddie Gilbert did a series including a best of three falls gimmick series that got them some magazine coverage. I don't think the stars brought them as much attention as simply having a measure of television coverage at that time. If there's a single point where buzz really started it wasn't Douglas throwing the belt, it was the triple threat between Sabu/Douglas/Funk.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

From what I've gathered in the various documentaries, Foley's book, and shoots? Goodhart's Tri-State had a great local following due to the violence (infamously, a "Last Blood" battle royal)*, and Gordon's ECW had a devoted local following early because of the region and utilizing a lot of the Tri-State talents.

The Night the Line was Crossed (Douglas/Funk/Sabu), though, is when the attention really came in. The Public Enemy became even bigger deals and defined the ECW garbage brawl, you had a lot of disgruntled talents from WWF/WCW coming in and "shooting" on their former employers, a lot of internationally renowned talents were first exposed to a US audience in a bingo hall on Alhambra (Jericho, Guerrero, Malenko, Benoit), and so on.

I'm fine with the first 3-Way Dance being seen as the first ignition point, because the rest came over the course of the next year and a half.

*

Spoiler

I am thoroughly surprised that the Last Blood battle royal isn't something that one of the lousy deathmatch promotions has done on a regular basis. Seems like something that Zandig would've been all over in 2002ish.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1413317879806758914

Hottest free agent in wrestling.

(really though is there any reason he couldn't be managing some undercard wrestler in AEW or Impact (other than the lingering neck injury)?)

 

[Brocklock]

I knew he was super young during his ECW tenure, but he's still only 45 years old.

We are in the midst of nostalgia for the edginess of The Attitude Era and the late 90's/early 00's in general. BRING BACK GERTNER SOMEONE.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I'll even accept Gertner in MLW as long as he's not managing one of the chuds on their roster. PEOPLE WANT GERTNER!

 

[AA484]

I almost want to say the buzz started as early as the Funk-Gilbert chain match but yeah, the first three way dance (which, in hindsight, was a pretty awful match) was the real spark. That, combined with other guys like Public Enemy and the Sandman making waves throughout 1994, out them on the map.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I disagree with it being an awful match, just one that was topped multiple times over in the ensuing years.

 

[strummer]

I knew he was super young during his ECW tenure, but he's still only 45 years old.

We are in the midst of nostalgia for the edginess of The Attitude Era and the late 90's/early 00's in general. BRING BACK GERTNER SOMEONE.

Gertner was 19 years old when he started for ECW

 

[BruiserBrody]

Do we know why Smothers had a falling out with ECW (per Wiki)? Money seems like a good guess.

Going from RAW jabroni in 97 to cult hit in 98 to WWF B-show jabroni in 99 is a ride.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1414337642565672967

Before he railed against the plight of parked school buses, he looked like the heavy in a breakdancing movie.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

GABAGOOL, WATCH ME SHOOT ON THIS POP N LOCKER

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1415873926551453700

 

[Valeyard]

Hunter Q Robbins is an ECW treasure.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1416511798627422210

 

[Valeyard]

Have not gotten far in but this looks more like the ECW I remember. Think this has the last appearance of Kronus too.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

It's a good reunion show for the spirit and feel of 1995-1997 ECW, but ONS was the better show in terms of quality.

 

[Super Leather]

I haven't watched my DVDs in a long time, but I thought that Hardcore Homecoming '05 was pretty good and better than ONS in that it felt more like an ECW show. Decent rematch of the original three-way dance with Foley refereeing.

Hardcore Homecoming: November Reign took place later that year; it wasn't nearly as good. Didn't feel like anything special. Felt like the law of diminishing returns was in effect.

One Night Stand '06 is a better show than all of them if you ask me.

 

[Valeyard]

I actually agree, but it's just hard watching ONS '06 for me because you can see so much potential in the ECW reboot that just never got there. RVD/Cena is just so special though.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1417248449087610887

Only way this could be more '90s NYC if they were standing in front of a Nobody Beats The Wiz

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

...you can't help but love it, though

In an ideal world, Dreamer is about to get screwed out of the win at GAC '01 by CW's crew (Simon and Swinger), but then Beulah returns to bash the shit out of them with a Cane and they embrace after the match. Would've made an already really good match into something potentially great.

 

[Valeyard]

Odds are good he sewed that patch on her jacket himself in Heyman's garage.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

also totally appropriate to do a death metal growl and throw up the metal horns when you ejaculate IMO.

 

[Valeyard]

Those were nice tights. Perfect for piledrivin'.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

So perfect that Kid Kash ended up wearing them for a bit of his TNA run.

 

[geniusMoment]

Man, Beulah was my jam back in the day. Highly underrated. Nobody pull off grunge hot better.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1419291939694956548

 

[Valeyard]

ECW's women were legit. They looked like they'd kill you. Also Francine's turn on the Pitbulls is really good and the most ECW thing there is.

Sabu's debut is great. If I'd seen it when it happened I would've lost my shit.