TV 1993-04-05 (Matches taped 1993-03-12 from Cabrini College in Radnor, PA)

Champions
Heavyweight: Sandman
TV: Vacant
Tag: Super Destroyers

This is the debut episode of ECW TV on the Sports Channel in Philadelphia. The opening to the show is the same as what appeared on the 1992 pilots.

We go to Jay Sulli and Stevie Wonderful at ringside welcoming us to the first week of ECW TV. Sulli introduces ECW President Tod Gordon. Gordon has the ECW TV Title with him because starting tonight is a tournament for the title. Gordon says a third man is going to be added to the commentators’ table and out comes “Hotstuff” Eddie Gilbert. Gordon doesn’t let him on the mic and tells him to look at the monitor to see who the third man really is. We see footage of Terry Funk on Quantum Leap. Gordon introduces Funk and Gilbert goes nuts. Funk tells Gilbert that if he wants to get tough they can step in the ring but Gilbert will look real bad when he gets beat up by an old man. Funk thanks all the fans and puts over Gordon and ECW.

Tag Team Champions Super Destroyers (w/ Hunter Q. Robbins III) vs. The Hell Riders ref Jim Molineaux
The Riders attack before the bell but quickly get over powered. EZ Rider gets whipped in and kneed in the stomach. The champs hit a double team flapjack. They make a few tags back and forth using basic big man moves. EZ gets thrown into his corner and tags HD Rider. HD gets suplexed and power bombed as the other Destroyer hits a running somersault senton for the win in 2.58.

After the match Funk interviews Robbins. Funk calls Robbins a turd, which obviously would be upsetting. Robins gets in Funk’s face as we go to a video package of the ECW Champion The Sandman.

Sandman is a surfer who has according to the video package spent some time down in the USWA. I wonder how the surfing is down in Memphis. The video is set to Billy Joel’s “Big Shot”

We see the brackets for the TV Title Tournament. This week we will see Jimmy Snuka versus Larry Winters and Tommy Cairo against Sal Bellomo. Next week we finish up round one with Eddie Gilbert taking on JT Smith and Johnny Hotbody versus Glenn Osbourne. They do not mention the fact that the title already has a lineage with Johnny Hotbody and Glenn Osbourne both holding the title. Osbourne who was the last champion was forced to vacate the title for no reason. One can assume it was to have a tournament that would keep people interested in watching the show the first few weeks.

“Wildman” Salvatore Bellomo (w/ Cosmic Commander) vs. “Ironman” Tommy Cairo ref Joe Dinolli TV Title Tournament 1st Round Match
Funk has a quick interview with the undefeated Cairo before the match. Funk wishes Cairo luck and Cairo puts over the new TV show. If you have never seen Tommy Cairo he comes to the ring in a leather jacket, ass-less leather chaps and an American flay bandana. Village People would be prowd. Arm drag by Cairo, they lock up and he hits another one. Bellomo locks on a standing top wrist lock but Cairo uses his power and throws him down. Bellomo attacks from behind and get Cairo down. Arm drag into a wrist lock by Bellomo. Cairo reverses a corner whip charges and eats a back elbow. Bellomo gets him down with a chin lock. Bellomo racks the eyes and attacks Cairo some more. Cairo fights back and hits a crossbody. Johnny Hotbody comes to ringside as the Commander distracts the ref. Bellomo holds Cairo and Hotbody comes off the top rope but Cairo moves. Bellomo rolls to the floor and gets counted out in 5.40. Hotbody attacks after the match and goes for a top rope elbow drop but Cairo moves. Hotbody bails to the floor and leaves.

“Hitman” Tony Stetson vs. Rockin’ Rebel ref John Finnegan
Rebel is the number 1 contender for the ECW Title. Tony Stetson is half of the 1 contender for the Tag Team Title. Stetson starts off with an arm drag and Rebel complains of a hair pull. Another arm drag and hip toss by Stetson. Rebel gets a headlock and gets pushed off and hits a shoulder tackle. Stetson drags and arm bars Rebel. He drops some knees on the arm and stomps his elbow. Corner whip is reversed by Rebel and Stetson hits chest first. Elbow drop by Rebel and a drop kick. Rebel locks in a reverse chin lock and drops a knee. Irish whip by Rebel and he hits a flying back elbow. Side slam by Rebel gets two. Rebel whips Stetson in and ducks his head but Rebel grabs his hair and slams him down. Stetson hits a flying forearm and top rope leg drop but Rebel gets his foot on the rope. Rebel trips up Stetson in the corner and puts his feet on the rope for the win at 4.38.

Jay Sulli interviews Rebel after the match. Rebel grabs the mic from Sulli and calls out Sandman saying he will take the title and end the career of the Sandman.

Larry Winters vs. “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka ref John Finnegan TV Title Tournament 1st Round Match
Snuka grabs Jay Sulli before the match and says it’s a pleasure to be their tonight. Snuka just signed a contract with someone the fans are going to love very much. Eddie Gilbert comes out and says Jimmy Snuka is the first person to join Hotstuff International. Snuka beats on Winters stomping and choking him. Snuka whips Winters in and backdrops him and does it again and hits a chop. Corner whip and Snuka follows it up with a clothesline. Winters fights back but gets cut off with an eye rack. Snuka whips Winters in and Winters ducks a clothesline and hits a crossbody for 2. Winters hits a drop kick and hiptoss followed by a legdrop for 2. Winters whips in Snuka and hits a back body drop. Winters hits Gilbert who had gotten up on the apron. Winters hits the ropes and Gilbert trips him. Snuka hits a back breaker and Superfly Splash to advance in the tournament at 4.30.

Terry Funk and Jay Sulli are thanking everyone for watching this weeks show. Sal Bellomo hits the ringside area and says he wants to have one more match he gets in the ring and we have another match

“Wildman” Salvatore Bellomo (Cosmic Commander) vs. Ernesto Benefico ref John Finnegan
Bellomo attacks and wins with a splash in .19.

Tod Gordon and Terry Funk talk about next weeks show. We will see Sandman and the rest of round 1 of the tournament.

My thoughts on the show
Well the show itself wasn’t all that great. Fifteen minutes of wrestling on a 47 minute show, and none of it very good, is not my ideal form of being entertained. It is however the first episode of ECW and is a must see for that reason alone.

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TV 1993-04-12 (Matches taped 1993-03-12 from Cabrini College in Radnor, PA)

Champions
Heavyweight: Sandman
TV: Vacant
Tag: Super Destroyers

Jay Sulli and Stevie Wonderful welcome us to this week’s episode of Eastern Championship Wrestling. Wonderful introduces today’s special guest ring announcer “Hotstuff” Eddie Gilbert. Sulli says he’s not the guest announcer and shows us some footage from Quantum Leap of the real guest ring announcer Terry Funk. Funk comes out and him and Gilbert argue a bit. Funk takes Gilberts water bottle and pours it on him.

Johnny Hotbody vs. Glenn Osbourne ref Joe Dinolli TV Title Tournament 1st Round Match
Both men play to the crowd a bit Glenn gets a headlock and hits a shoulder tackle. Hotbody bails to the floor and gets flung back into the ring by the ropes. Hotbody able to get a head scissor but Osbourne kicks out of it and gets a side headlock takedown. They do the same thing three more times until Osbourne decks Hotbody with a right. Hotbody pulls Osbourne into the turnbuckle and then hits a suplex for 2. Clothesline by Hotbody and into a chinlock. Osbourne fights back with some elbows and hits the ropes but gets kneed in the stomach. Hotbody whips Osbourne into the corner and hits a German suplex as he stumbles out. Cover gets 2 and Hotbody throws him to the floor. Johnny follows Osbourne outside and hits a suplex on the floor. Hotbody dives off the apron and hits a forearm on Osbourne. Back in Hotbody locks in a sleeper hold. Osbourne fights back and throws Hotbody into the corner. Hotbody comes out with a clothesline but Osbourne ducks and it hits the ref. Hotbody with a low blow and piledriver on Osbourne. Hotbody goes for a superplex but Tommy Cairo hits the ring and pushes Hotbody to the mat. Osbourne comes off the top with a splash as the ref wakes up and counts the three at 7.58.

Funk interviews Osbourne after the match. Osbourne says the title is going to be his once the tournament is over.

Samoan Warrior & Chris Michaels vs. Larry Winters & Tony Stetson Ref John Finnegan
Stetson and Winters are the number one contenders for the tag team titles currently held by the Super Destroyers. Winters starts off with Michaels. Michaels hits a knee to the stomach and grabs a side headlock. Winters pushes him off and hits a hip toss. Michaels kicks him away and slams him. Winters kicks him away and hits some arm drags and makes a tag. Stetson comes in and hits a swinging neckbreaker and gut wrench suplex. Michaels gets Irish whipped and for some reason he throws him self over the ropes and skins the cat back in. He turns around and a clothesline from Stetson sends both men over the top to the floor. Stetson gets back in and tags Winters. They both suplex Michaels back into the ring from the apron. Winters goes to work on the arm and tags in Stetson. Stetson stays on the arm and tags back out. Double team back body drop and Winters hits the snapmare Mr. Perfect neck breaker combo and then tags. They whip in Michaels and hit a double shoulder block. Michaels reverses an Irish whip and the Warrior puts a knee into Stetson’s back. Michaels drops an elbow and makes the tag. Warrior ducks his head for a back body drop but Stetson drives it into the mat. Warrior gets right back up cause he’s Samoan and corner whips Stetson. He charges and hits a clothesline then whips him to the other corner but misses the charge this time. Stetson makes the tag and Winters back drops Warrior and clotheslines him to the floor. Winters drags Michaels back into the ring and kicks him to the ground. He grabs him in a bear hug position and leans him over as Stetson comes off the top rope with a leg drop. Winters covers and gets the win at 5.05.

Funk interviews the winners after the match. Funk stumbles over his words and before Stetson and Winters can say anything Hunter Q. Robbins III shows up and talks trash. Stetson and Winters grab him and the Tag Team Champions Super Destroyers show up and the four men brawl as we go to break.

Funk and Sulli welcome us back and Sulli tells us that coming up is the Sandman. Funk says that he likes the Sandman and says the winner of the tournament is going to have to face the Sandman to win the belt. Ummmm, wrong belt Terry. We go to the same video package on the Sandman from last week.

Sandman hits ringside with the belt and his surfboard. Sandman says it’s a pleasure to be next to Terry Funk and thanks the fans for cheering for him.

ECW Champion Sandman vs. Kodiak Bear ref Jim Molineaux
This match has a 1-hour time limit our announcer tells us. Lets pray it doesn’t get close to that. Before the match ring attendant Peaches gives Sandman a kiss. Sandman backs Bear into the corner and we get a clean break. Hip toss by Sandman as Bear complains of his tights being pulled. Sandman goes behind Bear and gets a school boy but Bear gets to the ropes and again complains about the tights. Bear gets the arm and starts pounding away on it. Sandman reverses the arm bar into one of his own. He goes for another school boy but Bear lands in the ropes. Bear gets a headlock on as the commentators question if after that kiss Sandman can be thinking about the match. Bear turns his back to the ref and thumbs Sandman in the throat. Bear chokes Sandman on the ropes and gets him in the corner. He whips him to the other corner but misses a charge. Sandman clotheslines him in the back of the head and comes off the top rope with a drop kick. Sandman goes to the apron and slingshots himself over the ropes into a crossbody. Sandman locks on a camel clutch and retains the title.

JT Smith vs. “Hotstuff” Eddie Gilbert ref John Finnegan TV Title Tournament 1st Round Match
Gilbert attacks right at the bell and throws Smith to the floor. Gilbert grabs a chair and hits Smith with it and clotheslines him on the floor. Gilbert sends Smith head first into a table and throws him into a wall. Gilbert takes the ring bell and waits for Smith and hits him in the face with it. Again Smith goes into the table. Smith fights back and Gilbert rolls into the ring. Smith gets in the ring and Gilbert begs off. Smith sends Gilbert into a corner and Gilbert stumbles out into a clothesline. Smith hits a fallaway slam but misses a top rope moonsault. Gilbert clotheslines Smith and he rolls to the apron. Back in the ring Gilbert thumbs Smith in the throat hits a snapmare but misses an elbow drop. Smith whips Gilbert and ducks his head for a back body drop. Gilbert goes for a kick but Smith moves and Gilbert hits the mat. Smith punches Gilbert and Eddie rolls to the apron. Gilbert takes something out of his tights and swings from the apron. Smith ducks and tries to back suplex Gilbert into the ring but gets hit with the weapon and Gilbert gets the pin at 4.33.

Eddie Gilbert against Glenn Osbourne and Jimmy Snuka versus Tommy Cairo in the semifinals are next week.

Back from break and we have a match already in progress

“Ironman” Tommy Cairo vs. Super Ninja ref Joe Dinolli
Eye rack by Ninja and thrust to the throat. Ninja chops away in corner but Cairo fights and hits a spin hell kick. Corner whip by Cairo and he hits a clothesline. Ninja racks the eyes again to regain control. He throws Cairo into the corner and charges and jumps at him with his butt. Cairo catches him and hits a German suplex in the middle of the ring. Johnny Hotbody hits the ring and drops and elbow on Cairo and they brawl to the back. 1.48 of the match is shown.

Funk closes out the show with Tod Gordon and mentions that the semifinals are next week with the winner facing the champion. Again I’m not so sure Terry understands how this tournament works. Terry can’t pick a winner but says it won’t be Gilbert.

My thoughts on the show
They continue to build the Cairo-Hotbody story this episode as well as giving us our first look into the feud between the Super Destroyers and Stetson/Winters. A decent show this week worth watching.