The “OH MY GOD!” Review: ECW In Staten Island, NY 12/21/96

1996-12-21 at Sportsfest in Staten Island, NY

Champions

World: Raven

TV: Shane Douglas

Tag Team: Eliminators

Balls Mahoney vs. Louie Spicolli, ref Jim Molineaux
Opps about a minute passes and I realize I’m on eBay and not watching the match. Spicolli with a drop kick that sends Balls to the floor and he follows. Balls goes into the guard rail and ring post. Back in the ring Louie ducks a cross body attempt and grabs a chin lock. Balls ducks a line and delivers a spin kick that sends them both over the top rope. Back in the ring Louie moves on a corner charge and hits a nice release german suplex. Louie misses a knee drop and Balls takes back over. Balls goes up top but Louie cuts him off and hits a superplex and both men are down. Louie back up and he hits a pile driver for 2. Balls comes back but then misses a top rope leg drop. Louie ducks a clothesline and hits the DVD for the win in 8.36. Louie has some words after the match for TV Champion “The Franchise” Shane Douglas and his boys.

Mikey Whipwreck vs. “GQ” Gorgeous Quartermaine, ref Billy Caputo
Billy Caputo used to referee on WWF Championship Wrestling back in the early 80’s. If you don’t know by now, GQ is the future Chris Chetti. Mikey hits some awful looking drop kicks then a somersault plancha from the apron to the floor. GQ hits a powerslam as Mikey charges. Mikey ducks a line but gets hit with a spin kick. Elbow drop gets a 2 count for GQ. GQ spends the next few minutes on offense but then misses a top rope leg drop. Mikey with a la magistral cradle and he gets the win in 6.10.

Chris Candido vs. Spike Dudley (w/ Sign Guy Dudley), ref John Finnegan
We get a quick glimpse off a backstage area and see that Sunny is in attendance tonight hanging out. Candido on the mic before the match starts can’t really understand what he’s saying though. Some back and forth action to start things off. Candido ends up taking over and whips Spike chest first into the turn buckle. Spike flips out of a belly to back and goes for a top rope cross body. Candido catches him and plants him with a power slam followed by a suplex for 2. Candido begins to work over the shoulder of Spike. Gut wrench power bomb as the crowd has now spotted Sunny and is done paying attention to the match. Candido goes up top and misses a diving head butt. Spike able to being a come back that’s really nothing more then a bunch of roll ups. He finally hits his tornado bulldog but only gets 2. A top rope cross body follows for another 2 count. Spike again goes up but Candido cuts him off he goes for a super bomb but they slip and fall. Crowd gives them the “You fucked up” chant but Candido plays to them and just does some push ups getting them back on their side. Candido puts Spike but up top and nails the super bomb for the win in 11.02.

Brian Lee vs. Buh Buh Ray Dudley (w/ Sign Guy Dudley), ref John “Pee Wee” Moore
They start brawling before the ring intros and go right to the floor and into the crowd. They brawl all over the place including fighting into the middle of a roller hockey game with Buh Buh getting thrown through the goal. Chris Candido comes out for a brief moment and gets some shots on Buh Buh. Back to the ring they eventually go after a real fun brawl. Buh Buh hits a flying clothesline and a cutter for 2. Lee back drops Buh Buh onto the apron and then chokeslams him off it through a table on the floor. Lee rolls Buh Buh back into the ring and covers him for the win in 6.48.

Tag Team Champion Saturn vs. Sabu, ref Jim Molineaux
As Saturn is coming to the ring Taz’s music hits. Taz pushes right past Saturn and then Sabu dives out of the ring onto Taz. Security forces Taz to the back and Saturn goes to work on Sabu. Sabu fights back and hits a DDT then a triple jump moonsault for 2.5. Sabu goes up top with the chair but Kronus comes out and pushes him off the top rope. Rob Van Dam comes out and goes after Kronus and they fight on the floor. Saturn goes to the floor and Van Dam gets in the ring. Saturn gets on the mic and puts the titles on the line.

Tag Team Champions Eliminators vs. Sabu & Rob Van Dam, ref Jim Molineaux
About a minutes of the two teams going at it passes when the former champions The Gangstas hit the ring.

Tag Team Champions Eliminators vs. Sabu & Rob Van Dam vs. Gangstas, ref Jim Molineaux
All six men brawl in the ring. Mustafa hits a drop kick! Kronus gets a NES and nails everyone with it. It’s pure chaos as everyone is just all over the place. Sabu puts Mustafa through a table. Fans are going crazy. There’s to much action to call as everyone hits their big moves. Van Dam turns into a spin kick from Kronus and is pinned in 12.12. New Jack hits 187 on Kronus but then Saturn drop kicks the chair into the face of New Jack and pins him at 12.25 to retain. Everyone shakes hands after the match.

As we are set to begin the second half of the show Taz hits the ring with Bill Alfonso and calls out Sabu. Sabu hits the ring but is held back by security as the fans chant “Let him go”. Taz continues to taunt Sabu from the ring. Sabu continues to break away but is grabbed as he is sliding into the ring each time. Paul E. Dangerously comes out to calm Sabu down and helps get him to the back. A very loud “Fuck you Taz” chant fills the arena. Taz goes into the crowd and tries to get people to fight him. He’s a very angry man.

Pitbull 2 vs. D-Von Dudley, ref John “Pee Wee” Moore
Crowd gets on D-Von from the beginning as he turns and jaws with them. They lock up and Pitbull pushes him back into a corner. Full nelson into a side headlock by Pitbull. D-Von takes control but misses a corner charge. Pitbull scoops him up and plants him with a running powerslam for 2. Pitbull now with a corner charge but D-Von gets the boot up and starts hammering away on Pitbull. Irish whip is reversed and Pitbull press slams D-Von. Pitbull though ducks his head after an irish whip and D-Von kicks him and drops him with a clothesline. D-Von with a suplex but Pitbull bounces right back up and clotheslines D-Von over the top rope and to the floor. Pitbull with a chair to the back but then he gets sent into the guardrail. D-Von blast Pitbull with a chair to the head now. Back in the ring D-Von with a neck breaker as we head into minute number 10. D-Von with a slam and he comes off the top with a head butt for 2. D-Von grabs a chair and tries to come off the top with it but Pitbull drop kicks it back into his face. D-Von though reverses an irish whip and hits a powerslam. D-Von back up top but Pitbull catches him and places him up top. A super fallaway slam finishes D-Von off in 11.51. Joel Gertner is out and he announces D-Von as the winner on points. Pitbull goes after him but D-Von nails him with a chair from behind. The bWo come out and they help Pitbull fight off D-Von and he hits Joel with a super bomb. Stevie gives Pitbull a bWo shirt. Nova nails a leg drop on Gertner and covers him as Stevie and Pitbull make the count. The fans go absolutely crazy for all this.

TV Champion “The Franchise” Shane Douglas & Francine vs. Tommy Dreamer & Beulah, ref John Finnegan
Douglas on the mic, the audio is terrible but I’m sure he cursed a lot. Finnegan finds a chain on Shane during the pat down. Dreamer pulls a much bigger chain out of his pants and I’m guessing makes a penis size joke but again awful sound system. Dreamer and Shane go to the floor and fight down the aisle. Douglas gains control and suplexes Dreamer back into the ring. Douglas stays on Dreamer whipping him into the corner and working over the back. Dreamer though fights back and hits a belly to belly. Francine breaks up the pin which starts a cat fight between the girls. Douglas grabs Beulah but Dreamer stops him by trapping him in a school boy for the pin in 6.38. Douglas hits a single arm DDT after the match. Beulah tries to pull him off Dreamer so he elbows her. Douglas gets the chain from the ref and nails Dreamer with it. Pitbull 2 makes the save and Dreamer hits Francine with a piledriver.

World Champion Raven (w/ Lori Fullington) vs. Sandman, ref Jim Molineaux
Raven is out sans belt. Lori sits on the mat with Raven picking at her arm. She was so creepy and strung out looking. Haha the fans chant “One more beer” and “Chug” at Sandman. The announcers tells us that if Sandman doesn’t go to the back and get the title he stole last night he will forfeit the match. Sandman wonders if he should go back and get it and the fans chant “Get more beer” Sandman leaves and is gone FOREVER. I’m not even kidding it’s like he actually went backstage looked for more beer, couldn’t find any so went to the store to get it, drank some of it and THEN came back. Any way he finally returns but Raven is hiding with a chair and nails him from behind. In the ring Raven with a drop toe hold on the chair and then right back to the floor. Sandman though gains the advantage. Some fan in the background can be heard screaming about how he just get a great picture. I find this amusing. Sandman bleeding as they brawl into the crowd and towards the hockey rink. Raven with a piledriver through a table. They have been brawling all over the place for 5 minutes now. In the ring Sandman goes low but Lori comes and breaks up the pin. Sandman rips her dress off and then spanks her. Raven nails Sandman with the cane and covers but the bWo’s music hits!!! The crowd erupts as this is the first time we have seen Raven with the bWo. Sandman spits something in Ravens face and then Raven nails all the bWo guys. Stevie pushes Raven put then hits Sandman with a super kick. Raven covers and gets the pin in 10.24. Stevie gets into the camera and says that yet again he has saved Raven and his title. Stevie lets Raven know that the next time he pushes him he’s going to get his teeth kick down his throat.

My thoughts on the show…
Some fun brawls tonight. bWo got a HUGE pop each time they came out. Stevie Richards was very fired up and seems like he is coming after Raven! Hoping that wasn’t just some house show thing that will never play out on TV.