1996-12-20 at Fairgrounds Fieldhouse in Middletown, NY
Champions
World: Raven
TV: Shane Douglas
Tag Team: Gangstas
Joey Styles is in town for tonights show as it’s a TV taping. Joey hypes to crowd up to open the the show when Taz and Bill Alfonso hit the ring. Taz is his normal grump face. Taz calls out Sabu and both he and the fans chant for him. The lights go out and Sabu is in the ring!! The ref calls for the bell.
ECW Extreme Rumble
This match, as explained by Joey Styles on the TV version, is sort of a come as you are type event as most wrestlers opt to come out in their street clothes since they’re not dressed to wrestle yet. The Eliminators hit the ring and hit total elimination twice on Sabu as Taz goes to the floor. It should be noted that tag teams can enter together and you can be eliminated via pinfall or over the top elimination. So Sabu is #1 and the Eliminators are #2. Tag Team Champions The Gangstas hit the ring at #3 and the fight is on. Eliminators hit total elimination on both Gangstas and toss them out! Then a Spike piledriver on Sabu.
Rob Van Dam is out next at #4. Van Dam is wearing the most ridiculous looking checkered pants. It’s not part of his ring gear he actually forgot to take off his pants it seems. Balls Mahoney makes his ECW debut next at #5. Spike Dudley out next at #6. In comes Little Guido at #7. Eliminators are destroying everyone. Spike gets hit with total elimination and pinned.
Buh Buh Ray Dudley hits the ring at #8. Buh Buh presses Guido over his head and throws him to the floor. Van Dam and Balls are gone, it happens off camera. Saturn drops Buh Buh with a neck breaker followed by a springboard moonsault. Chris Candido is out now at #9 and he joins the Eliminators in going after Buh Buh and Sabu. Saturn with a falcon’s arrow on Sabu. Brian Lee joins the match next at #10. Lee chokeslams Buh Buh from the apron through a table eliminating him as TV Champion “The Franchise” Shane Douglas hits the ring with Francine at #11. Kronus was tossed out at some point off camera.
Tommy Dreamer is the next participant to join the match at #12. Douglas eliminates himself to avoid Dreamer. Tommy gets a chair and goes after Lee. D-Von Dudley comes out at #13 and goes after Dreamer. . Sandman comes out at #14 to a huge ovation and takes down Saturn. Out goes Saturn.
Louie Spicolli is next at #15 and he goes right after Candido and tosses him, getting a measure of revenge from TV two week ago. Dreamer charges Lee but gets backdropped over the top rope. Louie jumps on the back of Lee but Lee manages to throw him off and too the floor.
BWO music hits and they all join the match, Stevie, Meanie, and Nova all clock in at #16. Lee immediately clotheslines Blue Meanie and Super Nova out of the ring. Stevie Richards hits a super kick on Sandman, but then gets tossed by Lee. Fans are pissed about the fast elimination to Stevie. D-Von had been eliminated off camera. Lee gets rid of Sandman. Sabu comes off a chair with air Sabu and clotheslines Lee sending him over the top to the floor to pick up the victory in 21.17. The #1 draw Sabu wins. That was lots a fun.
GQ Gorgeous Quartermaine vs. Spike Dudley (w/ Sign Guy Dudley)
I hate both these guys. The fans agree as a “You both suck” chant quickly starts up. Spike fucks up a sunset flip from the apron into the ring but recovers nicely with a small package. GQ has the upper hand using his size advantage. This is probably the only match up where that could be said. GQ eventually misses a top rope leg drop and Spike hits the tornado bulldog for the win in 5.46.
D-Von Dudley vs. Buh Buh Ray Dudley (w/ Sign Guy Dudley), ref Jim Molineaux
A slow start for this guys they keep it in the ring and actually do some wrestling moves to start off. D-Von hits a belly to back suplex and head butt for 2. Buh Buh comes back and hits a drop kick. Buh Buh with two headbutts to the groin and he throws D-Von outside and follows after him. Chair shots all over the places. Back in the ring D-Von comes off the second turn buckle but Buh Buh drop kicks the chair into his face. D-Von though comes back and hits a rocker dropper on the chair. Head butt from the second rope gets a 2 count for D-Von. Buh Buh bomb for 2. Buh Buh with the flapjack into a cutter for the victory in 9.15. Joel Gertner comes out and announces D-Von as the winner on points. Buh Buh nails Gertner with a clothesline and top rope splash.
“Bulldozer” Brian Lee vs. Louie Spicolli, ref John “Pee Wee” Moore
Spicolli wastes no time going after Lee and they take it to the floor. They fight over to the TV truck, the same one Pitbull 2 got choke slammed from last time in Middletown. Spicolli goes face first into it. Back at ringside Lee suplexes Louie through a table. In the ring Lee lays a chair on Spicolli and then comes off the second turnbuckle but the chair is thrown into his face. Spicolli gets Lee up for the DVD but we get the same finish from a few weeks ago as Lee chokeslams the ref. Spicolli hits the DVD but goes to check on the ref. Lee hits a chokeslam and John Finnegan comes in a makes the three count. Lee picks up the victory in 4.25.
World Champion Raven (w/ Lori Fullington) vs. Mikey Whipwreck, ref John Finnegan
The bWo show up in the crowd before the match gets going. After some back and forth Mikey hits a head scissor and a drop kick that sends Raven to the floor. Mikey follows with a dive and whips Raven into the crowd. Back in the ring Mikey slams a chair onto the back of Raven and drop toe holds him onto the opened chair. Mikey sets the chair in the corner and sends Raven into it twice. Raven comes back and hits the DDT for the win in 5.44. Sandman hits the ring but Raven is able to nail him with a DDT. Lori gets the cane and nails Sandman with it. Mikey tries to break it up but gets nailed with the belt. Sandman back up with the cane but Raven ducks nails Sandman with the belt and hits another DDT. Raven breaks the cane but Sandman is back up and he hits a DDT and leaves with the belt.
Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Candido, ref Jim Molineaux
Van Dam got changed for the match here. The first five minutes is some nice back and forth between the two with neither man really getting the upper hand. Van Dam eventually takes control hitting a drop kick. Candido slips after a leap frog but quickly quiets a “You fucked up” chant with a diving power bomb followed by a snap suplex. A snap belly to back suplex gets Candido a 2 count. Van Dam comes back with a powerslam but Candido trips him up as he tries to go up top. Candido with a piledriver for 2. Candido misses a corner charge and Van Dam hits a springboard leg lariat. Van Dam with a monkey flip out of the corner and he comes off the top rope with a karate kick. Double undertook front suplex. Candido gets a breather back dropping Van Dam out of the ring. Van Dam comes back in the ring with a chair and throws in at Candido. Candido catches it ducks a kick and nails Van Dam with it. Van Dam though comes back and kicks the chair into the face of Van Dam. Candido hits the ref and they both go down. Shane Douglas hits the ring and gives Candido a chain. Van Dam gets nailed and out from the crowd comes Louie Spicolli in a ref shirt. Louie rolls the ref out of the ring and lays on the mat covering his head pretending to be the knocked out ref as Candido goes for the cover. Candido goes over to Spicolli and gets nailed with a DVD. Van Dam with a splash as the actual ref gets back in the ring and counts the 3 in 13.14. Spicolli gets some payback for what Douglas, Candido and Brian Lee did to him a few weeks ago.
Tag Team Champions The Gangstas vs. The Eliminators, ref John “Pee Wee” Moore
Saturn and New Jack quickly bust each other open. A few minutes later and Kronus and Mustafa are also bloodied. All four men to the floor where the fight continues. Kronus is a bloody mess. Mustafa and Saturn head back into the ring as the other two brawl on the floor. Mustafa with a double under hook suplex for 2. New Jack nails Saturn with a chair and then goes after Kronus. 187 attempt onto Kronus but Saturn drop kicks the chair into the face of New Jack. Mustafa is set up and nailed with total elimination and get the win and titles in 8.25. The fans explode. Mustafa refuses to give up the belts but Jack talks him into it and hands the titles over to the new Champions. The Eliminators raise the hands of the Gangstas showing respect after all the brawls the teams have had in the past.
Balls Mahoney vs. Sabu, ref John Finnegan
Balls is dressed like a biker. Sabu quickly sends Balls to the floor and hits a triple jump dive into the crowd. Back in the ring Sabu with a leg drop for 2. A rana is reversed into a power bomb. Balls gets in a little offense but Sabu hits a springboard leg lariat and Arabian press for 2. Balls catches Sabu coming off the ropes with a power slam followed up by a leg drop. Balls goes up top but Sabu cuts him off and hits a super rana but Balls kicks out at 2. They go to the floor and Sabu puts Balls through a table with a slingshot leg drop from in the ring to out of it. Sabu throws a chair at Balls and it opens around his head so its just hanging on his neck. HAHA. Balls comes back but misses a top rope leg drop. Sabu with a triple jump moonsault for the win in 7.48.
TV Champion “The Franchise” Shane Douglas & Francine vs. Tommy Dreamer & Beulah, ref Jim Molineaux
Douglas on the mic before the match and he talks shit about Middletown, Beulah and Dreamer. He tells Francine that if Beulah gets in the way to “slap the taste of that bitch Kimona right out of her mouth”. Let’s take a moment to think back on how hot Beulah is………Shane freaks out when the ref goes to check him for weapons. Shane had a chain in his knee pads. Beulah on the mic tells Francine she’s going to kick her ass. Shane charges her but Tommy stops him and takes him outside of the ring and into the guard rail. Shane turns things around and now has the advantage on Dreamer. In the ring Shane remains in control. Francine comes in and Tommy grabs her by the puss. Shane with a piledriver on the belt. Shane goes up top but Tommy cuts him off and hits a superplex. Tommy with a DDT on the belt but Francine puts Shane’s foot on the rope to stop the count. Tommy drags Francine in the ring and tags in Beulah. They roll around on the ground. Shane back up nails Dreamer and grabs Beulah for a belly to belly. Dreamer though back up gets Shane in a school and gets the pin in 5.58. Shane grabs Dreamer and plants him with a single arm DDT. Beulah grabs Shane from behind and he elbows her. Shane nails the ref and gets the chain out of his pocket. Dreamer nailed with the chain and as Shane goes to hits Beulah Pitbull 2 comes out and makes the save nailing Shane with a press slam. Dreamer gets back up and spikes Francine with a piledriver. Dreamer, Beulah and Pitbull celebrate in the ring and leave with the TV Title.
My thoughts on the show…
Decent show here, rumble match was fun. The fact that it was something brand new for ECW made it even cooler. Big title change as the Eliminators, after a month or so of looking totally dominant, get back the tag team gold. Looking forward to see if a new team steps up to chase after the gold. Van Dam/Candido was decent and the ending to the main event sent the crowd home happy. Overall a decent show.
