David Hunter
Welcome back to another installment as we roll through the month of June including a major match.
Falls Count Anywhere w/Woman & Peaches Barred From Ringside: The Sandman vs. Tommy Cairo Taped June 3rd and aired June 14th on Hardcore TV
Overall Thoughts: So, so hyped for this one. It’s been a great feud back and forth with Sandman just coming into his own on the mic and in the ring throughout and Cairo being the willing babyface defending the honor of Peaches. Crowd already booing Sandman and are behind Cairo.
Cairo immediately takes it to Sandman including a back body drop and a flying somersault body block. Sandman takes a crazy bump over a wooden rail and Cairo follows it up with a flying clothesline. Fun spot. We start jumping around, unfortunately, to Cairo suplexing Sandman onto the concrete and then Sandman hitting Cairo with a folded up wooden table. Cairo blocks the second attempt and hammers Sandman with six consecutive shots which gets him the win at 3:04 aired. Crowd seemed really hot for this one. Shame the entire match wasn’t aired as the crowd seemed into it. After the match, Sandman has a SINGAPORE CANE and is caning the holy hell out of Cairo including a pretty sick shot to the stomach off the top rope.
Sabu vs. Too Cold Scorpio Taped June 3rd and aired June 14th on Hardcore TV
Overall Thoughts: Should be a fun match between two extremely athletic wrestlers.
Sabu smartly opens the fight immediately going after Scorpio’s right leg to try and ground him. Drop toehold and Scorpio grounds Sabu with a submission on his left knee. After traded shoulder blocks, Sabu sends Scorpio to the outside with a dropkick and hits a slingshot somersault plancha(!) Sabu tries to pick up the pace but Scorpio smartly slows it down. Sabu hits Scorpio on the apron and takes a nasty bump missing the sunset flip powerbomb on Scorpio to the outside, leading to a moonsault off the apron by Scorpio(!) which somehow still looked solid despite his foot clipping the second rope.
Scorpio takes advantage of a missed slingshot legdrop by Sabu by kicking his leg out from under him and locking in a grapevine to ground him. Good little story of Sabu being high flying and aggressive whereas Scorpio is being more patient and using his veteran know how to attack Sabu when the opening is there. Scorpio hits a running flying crossbody plancha onto Sabu in an impressive spot. Sabu, after being slammed on the concrete outside, turns the tide using a steel chair against Scorpio inside the ring. Sabu hits the AIR SABU! Flying crossbody by Scorpio gets and 2 and a 1/2 count. 180 splash gets another 2 and 1/2! Bridging German Suplex gets and 2 and 3/4ths! A second 180 splash gets a 2 count. Scorpio sends Sabu outside and hits a CRAZY flying crossbody plancha onto Sabu, 911, AND Paul Heyman. Wow.
911 is choking Scorpio on the outside and lays him on a table. Second rope ASAI MOONSAULT through the table! Holy Shit! Sabu took himself out as Heyman helps him up while 911 throws Scorpio in. Sabu covers and gets the win at 9:35. Really good stuff, some incredibly unique spots, and it gets a ***1/4. Worth checking out and a great in ring debut for Too Cold Scorpio.
Rolling into June 21st, Jason cuts a promo insinuating partly that Taz may “like” Jason, or just want to be Jason after constantly attacking him and trying to tear his suits. Jason’s growing on me the more I see his promo work. He’s not a revelation or anything but he’s got a feel for who his character is, which is enough. Pitbull calls out Mikey Whipwreck, still pissed that he lost the Television Title to him. A good way to get multiple feuds intertwined while keeping them somewhat separated.
TV Title: Mikey Whipwreck(C) vs. Pitbull Taped June 17th and aired June 21st on Hardcore TV
Overall Thoughts: Big rematch here.
Pitbull wastes no time and immediately takes it to Mikey Whipwreck including a front suplex on the guard rail outside. Crowd are not big fans of Pitbull at all as Pitbull slams Mikey through a table, jeez. Poor Mikey! I find it kind of hilarious that there’s such a “loser” gimmick to Mikey even the announcers are sounding glad that Mikey would ‘lose’ the TV Title just for his own health’s sake. Crowd’s into this going so far as to chant “Mikey” as he takes a pretty big clothesline. We come back to commercial to Mikey trying (and failing) to hit a cradle only to get slammed down by Pitbull instead. Rockin’ Rebel on the outside gets into the act including a body slam on the concrete floor and an elbow drop. Swinging FULL NELSON and Mikey appears to give up at 5:06! In a hilarious moment, Pitbull gets disqualified by not releasing the Full Nelson and Mikey survives as TV Champion. Poor Mikey. *1/2 for a fun beat down and the continuation of amusing ways to keep the belt on Mikey.
Public Enemy cut another good promo touting how 9 months after their debut in ECW they are now the ECW Tag Champions and how Terry Funk and Dory Funk don’t stand a chance at Hostile City Showdown. Amusingly, Johnny Grunge is hot wiring a car in the background as Rocco cuts a good promo calling the Funks out and remarking how the Public Enemy grew up on the streets.
Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr vs. Stevie Richards (Debut) and Hack Myers Taped June 26th and aired June 28th on Hardcore TV
Overall Thoughts: Terry and Dory both look ancient here and it’s 1994! Stevie Richards is making his debut wearing neon green and purple shorts and is partly why I wanted to review this one.
Dory just hammers Stevie with some nasty looking European uppercuts. Terry posts Stevie groin first on the guard rail, setting up Dory to hit him with the double underhook suplex in the ring which gets just a one count. Terry delivers some nasty sounding chops and Hack Myers tags in. Terry and Dory quickly start working Hack over, including a chairshot outside by Dory(!) Dory tags in and hits a double underhook suplex on Hack, wow. Richards tags in after Hack gets control and hits a STEVIE KICK on Terry Funk for just a one count, poor Richards. A second one gets just a 2 count, damn. Terry fights back with a belly to back suplex then hits an inverted TOMBSTONE on Stevie. Stevie kicks out at 2 and 1/2. Dory tags in after a great combo of nasty headlocks with a takeover on Stevie for the win at roughly 7:41. Solid squash bout gets *1/4 for some of the spots the Funks used.
