The “OH MY GOD!” Review: ECW in Downingtown, PA 11/29/96

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1996-11-29 at Farmer’s Market in Downingtown, PA

Champions
World: Sandman
TV: Shane Douglas
Tag Team: Gangstas

Spike Dudley vs. Axl Rotten, ref John Finnegan
Rotten has some serious heat with the fans. Axl makes fun of Spike for being so small. Spike out wrestles Axl which I mean isn’t very hard. They fuck up an arm drag spot. Axl takes it to the floor but then refuses to use weapons to piss the fans off. First thing he’s ever done that I enjoyed. Fans chant boring so Axl locks in a chin lock and says “I can stay here all night”. Fans are getting crazy pissed. Spike with a tornado bulldog for 2. He goes up top and hits a cross body for 2. Back up and a missile drop kick gets 2. He goes up a third time but Axl decapitates him with a clothesline on the way down and gets the win in 8.49. WOW Axl puts on a match with no extended brawling on the floor and zero weapons and it was somewhat enjoyable.

Gorgeous Quartermaine vs. Roadkill, ref Jim Molineaux
The masked GQ still as emotionless as always. Pretty sure he yawns while making his entrance to the ring. Joel Gertner handles the ring announcing duties for this match so he can help with the mask gimmick. Gertner does a really good job of getting this over. Match is clipped appears we just missed lots of stalling from GQ. GQ in control hits a few drop kicks and a powerslam for 2. Roadkill makes a comeback hitting a clothesline and suplex for 2. Roadkill off the middle buckle with a clothesline gets another 2 count. Roadkill goes up top but misses a big splash. GQ comes back with a swinging neck breaker and finishes things off with a top rope leg drop. 6.05 was filmed. Basically the same match they had last week.

Super Nova vs. Chris Candido, ref John Finnegan
Some nice quick back and forth counters ends with Nova hitting a drop kick and a rana. Candido goes to the floor to slow things down. The strategy works as he takes over back in the ring hitting a suplex. Candido goes for a super belly to back but Nova reverses it and lands on top getting a 2 count. Spinning heel kick sends Candido to the floor but then Nova misses a dive to the floor. Candido does the same thing as Axl where he picks up a weapon but then doesn’t use it. Candido goes low 2 times in a row. A couple of nice reversals back and forth and both men end up on the top rope. Nova throws Candido to the mat and comes off the middle buckle but gets power slammed. Nova comes back and hits a bulldog for 2. Candido goes low again to regain control. Nova with a drop kick off the second buckle but then he misses a clothesline and gets German suplexed. Candido comes off the top but Nova gets his foot up. Candido fights off Nova and goes up top but gets cut off and superplexed. Nova goes up top now but Candido stops him hits the super bomb and gets the win in 8.44

The Eliminators vs. Little Guido & David Tyler Morton Jericho, ref Jim Molineaux
Guido seeing action for only the second time this month here. Eliminators get a big reaction from the fans. Saturn and Gudio start off. Gudio gets in some offense early on hitting a side slam and getting a few near falls. Saturn however hits a powerslam and tags Kronus. Some double team kicks and Kronus tells Guido to tag. Morton comes in and he Guido double team Kronus. Saturn however comes into the ring to break that up. Morton goes for a rana but Kronus sits out into a power bomb. More double team kicks. Total elimination on Morton ends it in 3 minutes on the dot. Ever since Kronus dropped some weight they have added a bunch of new kicks to their arsenal and really seem to have a new life to them.

Rob Van Dam vs. Taz (w/ Bill Alfonso), ref John Finnegan
Taz gets on the mic and says he is not going to wrestle between now and Holiday Hell. Alfonso distracts Van Dam allowing Taz to attack from behind. Van Dam comes back with some kicks. Taz goes to the floor so Van Dam flies out after him. Van Dam with a body slam and he quickly goes up top and comes off with a leg drop for 2. Taz catches Van Dam and hits a belly to belly when we hear the b.W.o. theme song hit! The action in the ring comes to a stop for a bit while the b.W.o. pose on a stage. Taz attacks Van Dam to get things back going as the b.W.o. leave. Van Dam gets a chair and throws it at Taz and kicks it into his face. Taz ducks a clothesline hits a t bone and locks in a tazmission. Van Dam tries to kick off the turnbuckle to get a pin but it only gets a two count. Van Dam gets to the ropes! Very surprised to see someone get out of the tazmission. Taz doesn’t break and almost immediately a bunch of guys come from the back to try and pull him off Van Dam. The fans want Sabu. Call this a no contest in around 4.45. I don’t mind the finish but the guys came out from the back WAY to fast. Would have liked to see more of a match between these two but it seems they are saving it for Holiday Hell next week.

D-Von Dudley vs. Buh Buh Ray Dudley (w/ Sign Guy Dudley), ref Jim Molineaux
Buh Buh hits the ring and they go right at it. D-Von with a belly to back for 2. They fight it out in the ring and we are 2 minutes in and haven’t gone to the floor yet. In the middle of typing that sentence they went to the floor. D-Von with the advantage using a chair and the guardrail. D-Von goes up top but Buh Buh shakes the ropes. D-Von then nails Buh Buh with the chair as Buh Buh goes over to him. D-Von comes off the top with the chair but it gets drop kicked into his face for 2. D-Von comes back and lands a rocker dropper on the chair. D-Von comes off the top with a head butt that gets 2. Buh Buh reverses an Irish whip. D-Von ducks a line and a back elbow but then Buh Buh hits a flapjack into a cutter for the win in 6.42. Gertner announces that D-Von one based on points. D-Von is back up but Buh Buh nails him with a chair. Axl Rotten comes from behind with a chair and nails Buh Buh. Sign Guy and Spike get in on the action but are taken out also. Tag Team Champion New Jack hits the ring to make the save. New Jack on the mic afterwards but who the fuck needs to listen to him. This match isn’t bad but I’ve seen them do it like 4 or 5 times now.

Pitbull 2 vs. Rick Rage, ref Jim Molineaux
Rage attacks before the bell to get the upper hand early on. Rage comes off the second buckle with a double axe handle attempt. Pitbull catches him puts him back on the turnbuckle and gives him the super fall away slam for the win in 1.52. It was odd to watch him catch Rage and put him back on the buckle to give him the move as opposed to just knocking him down while he was already on the ropes and doing it.

TV Champion “The Franchise” Shane Douglas (w/ Francine) vs. Tommy Dreamer (w/ Beulah), ref John Finnegan
Dreamer hits the ring and they go right to it. Dreamer takes the belt and nails Shane with it. Chair to the face of the champ for a 2. Tommy in control but then he ducks his head for a back drop and Shane hits a swinging neck breaker. Piledriver gets a 2 count for Shane. Shane goes to work on the knee of Dreamer. This is spot for spot the same as the 11-23 show except after Dreamer hits Francine with a piledriver at the end “Primetime” Brian Lee comes out and nails Dreamer with a chokeslam. Shane then hits the single arm DDT to retain in 10.06. Pitbull 2 saves Beulah from the belly to belly.

World Champion Sandman vs. Raven (w/ Lori & Tyler Fullington & b.W.o.), ref Jim Molineaux
Stevie Richards gets on the mic and calls everyone in the crowd gay and says the only reason they are there tonight is to try and bang him. Blue Meanie and Super Nova do their Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan impressions. Raven attacks Sandman in the crowd during his entrance. They work their way to the ring where Raven hits a piledriver for 2. Sandman fights back so Richards comes in and nails him with a steviekick. Back to the floor they go where Sandman takes over. Back in the ring Raven with a quick DDT. Sandman fucks up a ref bump spot so then he hits the ref with a chair. DDT and cover but there’s no ref! Lori comes in but Sandman spanks her. Raven from behind with a cane to the head and DDT on the chair. It gets 2.8. Richards and Meanie come in to help out. Meanie goes for an avalanche but Sandman pulls Raven in the way hits a DDT and gets the pin in 7.23.

My thoughts on the show…
I enjoyed this show quite a bit. None of the matches felt like they dragged on and the show runs a quick hour and forty five minutes. Even the 3 matches that have been running on every show haven’t totally bored me yet although I’m getting there with the Raven Sandman feud. Hopefully with Holiday Hell and the new year coming up they will switch things up a bit.

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