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Random EC F'N W Bullshit

Valeyard

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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.
 

Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

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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

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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

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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.

*
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.
 

Brocklock

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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.
 

AA484

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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.
 

strummer

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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
 

Valeyard

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Hunter Q Robbins is an ECW treasure.
 

Valeyard

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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

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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

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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

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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.
 

Big Papa Paegan

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...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.
 

geniusMoment

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

Valeyard

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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.
 
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