Extreme Championship Wrestling by Stojy

[Stojy]

ECW Hardcore TV
June 2nd, 2001
Villa Park, Illinois​

The show opens up in a manner somewhat expected from a wrestling program for a change, as the cameras simply pan around the building, showing all of the fans going ape shit with excitement. Bellows of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” can be heard from the excited fans as they continue to cheer loudly, whilst it seems tonight’s commentators, Joey Styles and Joel Gertner are already up in The Bird’s Next. Whilst we continue to get further shots of the ring and its surroundings, the two commentators begin shilling some of the features of tonight’s show.

Joey Styles: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to yet another fantastic edition of ECW Hardcore TV! I’m ‘The Voice of ECW’ Joey Styles and I take care if play by play announcing, whilst my partner Joel Gertner brings some color to the party.

Joel Gertner: I couldn’t have said it better myself, Joey. As always, thanks for the kind introduction and I’m STIFF with excitement to be here tonight considering the main event we have in store.

Joey Styles: The never ending war between The Network and Extreme Championship Wrestling continues to be waged, and that will continue again tonight. In the main event of the evening, two kings from The Network, Steve Corino and Jerry Lawler will team up to face two of the greatest, most loyal men to ever wrestle in ECW, Tommy Dreamer and Rob Van Dam!

Joel Gertner: As you mentioned before, the war just keeps on going on, and one must wonder whether a win for either team could change the direction things are heading as we speak.

Joey Styles: We hate to admit it but The Network, mainly due to the power they have with Cyrus at the helm, are well and truly winning the war, but ECW isn’t dead yet. A win tonight, leading to Lawler losing and leaving could be exactly what we need to get back into the fight and even the ledger. Tonight isn’t just ECW versus The Network, tonight is about a potential turning point in this never ending story.

Joel Gertner: And one can’t forget the hatred between Jerry Lawler and Tommy Dreamer. They met a few weeks back, four years in the making and thanks to CW Anderson, Lawler picked up the win and evened their score at one a piece.

Joey Styles: One must wonder whether tonight’s tag match could be the final fall between these two men. How sweet it would be for Tommy Dreamer to beat Lawler tonight and exile him from ECW forever… We’ll get to the main event later on tonight, but we’re changing things up tonight, as we’re going to kick of the show with some PULP FICTION~!

Pretty much as expected now for PULP FICTION~!, “Miserlou” by Dick Dale comes over the arena speakers, which of course gets some heat from the diehard ECW fans who hate the song. Despite the heat for the song, if anything the volume only gets louder (thanks Cyrus), as the first wrestler we see is a sweaty, tired, frustrated looking Lance Storm. It’s clear that this segment was taped at the end of last week’s show, as Lance is wearing the same wrestling tights he did last week, as he shakes his head in annoyance.

Lance Storm: I’ve made it clear since I’ve come back that I’m not aligning with anybody, but people still had some questions considering I was teaming with Justin Credible tonight. I will set everything straight one last time; I’m not with The Network.

I’m pretty sure everybody will believe him after he just took Credible’s head off during their tag team title shot. Still, despite that surely satisfying moment, Storm looks less than impressed.

Lance Storm: I’m a lone ranger; I’m here on a question to win as much gold as I can. That means that I’m not with Justin Credible!

He actually shows a slight snarl at the mention of Credible, clearly having had more than enough of his former tag partner.

Lance Storm: I’ve seen dysfunctional champions who don’t actually like each other in the past become good teams, and I thought maybe The Impact Players could become those types of champions, but we can’t. No promise of tag team titles can change the fact that I hate The Network and Justin Credible.

The Canadian almost looks a little annoyed at himself for almost having a lapse of judgement.

Lance Storm: I refuse to be swayed though and I will stay on my own journey, and I’ll stay true to the goals I set before I came back. I didn’t come back to ECW to rekindle the past.

Storm shakes his head with his words, further emphasizing his point.

Lance Storm: Like I’ve said numerous times now, I came back for gold.

After wiping a bead of sweat from his eyebrows, Lance motions for a title to be positioned around his waist.

Lance Storm: At other places, I’ve proven that I’m the best of the best because that’s what you need to be to win championship gold. I now want to prove that I’m the best in ECW, I… Want… Rhino!!!

Holy shit! A big time call out from Lance Storm who then continues to head towards the showers, still sweating buckets after his match…

…

The next segment and the rest for this episode of Pulp Fiction are all taking place in present time. Firstly, we see the leader of The Network Cyrus sitting behind his desk, stacking some paper work, before he looks into the camera, pretending that he only just noticed it was there.

Cyrus: Once upon a time, way back when, Kid Kash somehow defeated my Rhino to become the ECW Television Champion! Forgetting the fact that Rhino won the title straight back, on a whole, Kid Kash got lucky. Kid Kash got lucky once…

Cyrus holds up one finger, shaking his head with a wry smile on his face.

Cyrus: But as far as I’m concerned, one fluke win over a distracted champion doesn’t earn you a title shot. He’s not getting any title shot unless he can get past Justin Credible in a one on one match next week!!!

Credible/Kash have never really had a proper end to their rivalry, so Cyrus has just made a BLOCKBUSTER match for next week’s show. The leader of The Network has said all he wanted to, now going back to stacking papers…

…

Next up, we’re in a dark room with one eerie spotlight shining on a hooded man, until the man looks up to the skies, removing his hood to reveal Christopher Daniels. ‘The Fallen Angel’ looks to be in somewhat of a trance as he continues to look at the heavens whilst speaking.

Christopher Daniels: I’ve been sent on a mission from the powers that be, and I am well and truly on my way to achieving that mission. All in my path shall perish.

With a real menacing look on his face, Daniels finally shoots his gaze in the direction of the camera.

Christopher Daniels: This isn’t a threat, this isn’t a promise, as a matter of fact, this isn’t even a guarantee!

Daniels puts his hood back over his head now.

Christopher Daniels: THIS… MY FRIENDS… IS GOSPEL!!!

Suddenly, the one light shining in the room goes off, and we are left in pure darkness…

…

Before we cut to a random alley way, in a warm night in Illinois, where Angel and Tony DeVito, Da Baldies are standing. As usual, their arms are crossed and they wear dirty looks on their faces, doing their best to look as mean as possible.

Angel: Later on tonight we leave our streets for a few moments to take on Christian York and Joey Matthews. We’re taking out those pretty boys tonight.

Both men remain in their “thug” stance, as DeVito now takes over.

Tony DeVito: We’re going to make what we did last week to Hot Commodity look like a walk in the park. We’re going to take York and Matthews out worse than we did those queers last week.

DeVito seems pretty happy with his speech, allowing Angel to finish off.

Angel: We’ve been disrespected and underutilized for far too long. It’s about time people remembered DA KINGS OF DA STREET!!!

The two continue to lean against the brick wall, mean mugging the camera, upholding their image, until we cut away…

…

Much like his behavior for the past few weeks, next we see the ECW Television Champion Jerry Lynn sitting down in the floor of a room, in complete solitude. He’s cradling his TV Title close to his chest, rocking back and forth ever so slightly, with a wide eyed, unhinged look on his face.

Jerry Lynn: One in a million, on every other night I would have beaten Kid Kash. Last week was a fluke… Last week was a fluke… … Last week was a fluke!

Lynn uses both hands to wipe his eyes, looking as if he hasn’t slept all week.

Jerry Lynn: I can hear the whispers and I can feel something building, I’m not stupid. I know that everybody’s out to get me…

The TV Champ pauses and his eyes dart from side to side, paranoia running wild, as it almost looks like he’s expecting somebody to jump out of him. Suddenly, he gets a malicious look on his face.

Jerry Lynn: To prevent being taken down from within, I’m going to get everybody first!

With that, the champion puts his head back down and continues to rock back and forth, squeezing the title so tightly to his chest that he’s leaving the plate mark over his chest…

…

In a random hallway in a backstage area, we initially see a steel chair with the name “CHRISTOPHER DANIELS” spray painted on it, dragging across a wall, making an incredible amount of noise. The camera then pans out to see a pissed off Balls Mahoney staring into the camera.

Balls Mahoney: When Christopher Daniels deliberately targeted the neck of Spike Dudley, this punk put my friend on the shelf!

Sending a message of sorts, Balls now cocks his chair like a baseball player.

Balls Mahoney: Karma is a bitch, Daniels! And what goes around comes around!

In a show of aggression and fury, MAHONEY SLAMS HIS STEEL CHAIR AGAINST THE WALL, CREATING A VERY LOUD DISTURBANCE!!!

Balls Mahoney: Tonight, it’s payback time. I’m going after that stack of dimes Chrissy Daniels calls a neck tonight!

Balls then turns from the camera and continues to walk down the hallway with his chair, clearly pumped up for his match tonight against Christopher Daniels…

…

The final segment of PULP FICTION~! tonight sees arguably the most hated man in ECW, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler standing out the front of the arena. Lawler has a scowl on his face, as he adjusts his crown before beginning.

Jerry Lawler: As much as I would rather be in any other wrestling company in the world, I’ve come back to this shithole to help out my disciple.

Lawler smashes his fist into his palm a couple of times, signaling that there will be violence tonight.

Jerry Lawler: I’m here tonight to help out Steve Corino, the young king in waiting!

He smirks at the mention of ‘The King Of Old School’, clearly a fan of the guy.

Jerry Lawler: I’m here to help him tonight because I’m a firm believer in his cause. I’m happy to help as he tries to eliminate the scum from ECW.

‘The King’ screws up his face now, shuddering at the thought of the scum.

Jerry Lawler: And I can respect that, because I’ve been there. He’s trying to make things better, just like any good ruler would do with their kingdom.

He pauses for a moment, adjusting his crown before continuing.

Jerry Lawler: Let me make it clear as to what the next steps of the purge of ECW are. Firstly, I’m going to burn Tommy Dreamer’s face again!

The look of pure excitement at the thought of such violence is quite a scary one from Lawler.

Jerry Lawler: Once Tommy Dreamer is out of the picture, next up is Van Dam!

He actually looks a little disappointed when mentioning RVD, shaking his head ever so slightly.

Jerry Lawler: I remember Rob from our association four years ago, and I remember thinking he had it all. I thought RVD knew better…

Jerry pauses yet again, shaking his head a little more this time.

Jerry Lawler: There is only one logical explanation as to what has happened to RVD since I knew him. Someone got into his head in the last four years and made him stupid.

No evil cackle or anything from him tonight, as he remains deadly serious.

Jerry Lawler: Now in a sad, sad waste of talent, he’s one of these degenerates too…

For the second time tonight, Jerry begins smashing his balled up fist into the palm of his other hand.

Jerry Lawler: So just like the other degenerates, he’s got to go!

Before he can say anything else, he looks to the side with a smile as Steve Corino, Dawn Marie and Jack Victory all trot into the screenshot, seemingly in happy moods. Corino and Lawler share a cheesy high five, clearly thinking they are cool.

Steve Corino: We’re all ready to go, and just like you’ve said in the past, it’s good to be the king!

Corino smirks as Victory THROWS UP THE V, meanwhile Lawler is ogling Dawn Marie’s breasts in her extremely low cut top.

Jack Victory: HIGH SPOT!!!

Lawler doesn’t move his eyes from Dawn’s voluptuous bust.

Jerry Lawler: I’ll tell you what; you can say that again…

Victory shrugs.

Jack Victory: HIGH SPOT!!!

With that, the quartet all turn and walk inside of the arena, all on the same page and ready for action in tonight’s main event…

…

Once the fun promo based segment is completed, it’s almost as if the show resets itself. For the first time in over a month, “Elevation” by U2 rocks through the speakers, as the official ECW Hardcore TV opening video plays. This allows more time for the cameras to scan the building, showing all of the excited ECW fans, who of course, sensing the moment, break out into another passionate “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant.

After a few more moments of letting the show sink in, it’s time for our first match of the evening. “Electric Molecular” by Chemlab hits and gets a pretty nice ovation as the always ready to fight tandem of Christian York and Joey Matthews head towards the ring. Walking to the ring with a purpose, both men acknowledge the fan support with sincerity, as the commentators put over how hard these two continue to work to climb the ladder here in ECW. Once they are inside of the ring, “False Salvation” by All Out War gets some heat but nothing crazy as Da Baldies strut out from the back. Angel and Tony DeVito both mean mug like they did during Pulp Fiction, whilst pointing at their opponents and threatening them before they even get into the ring. As Da Baldies get inside of the ring, the referee gets in between both teams, ensuring the action won’t start until the bell is rung.

Match One
Christian York and Joey Matthews vs. Da Baldies

I don’t have a lot to say for this one really, because as much as Da Baldies have some received some screen time over the past few weeks, they still suck. More than anything, this match is a showcase match for the duo of York and Matthews, as they show what they can do with some impressive team work. More importantly than that, they also show that they can actually win a match. They dominate most of the match before isolating Angel, AND CHRISTIAN YORK TAKES ANGEL FROM THE TOP ROPE WITH A HUGE FRANKENSTEINER!!!

Whilst the fans chant “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” for the incredible show of athleticism, Joey Matthews begins scaling the top rope himself. With Angel not even looking like moving, JOEY LEAPS OFF THE TOP ROPE AND CRUSHES THE CHEST OF ANGEL WITH A FLYING ELBOW DROP!!!

JOEY MAKES THE COVER…1…2…3!!!

Winners – Christian York and Joey Matthews @ 4:18

After the rather academic victory, York and Matthews get their hands raised by the referee, before they head to different corners of the ring, posting to the appreciative fans.

Despite being happy with their victory, they realize they have bigger fish to fry, and keep their celebration pretty short.

Once York and Matthews have made it to the back, we focus on inside of the ring, where Da Baldies have both recovered, frustration and embarrassment written over both their faces.

They don’t get to lick their wounds for long though as HOT COMMODITY SPRINT DOWN FROM THE BACK AND SLIDE INTO THE RING!!!

CHRIS HAMRICK… EZ MONEY… AND JULIO DINERO ALL START SWINGING AT DA BALDIES… AND THE BRAWL IS ON!!!

Even with the numbers disadvantage, the street fighter Baldies hold their own, as neither team is willing to back down.

Punches and kicks are thrown and due to both acts being the drizzling shits, there is virtually no reaction from the crowd. This may be the worst brawl in the history of professional wrestling.

Still, the teams continue to go at it… UNTIL A TONNE OF SECURITY COME OUT AND THEY PULL THE TWO TEAMS APART!!!

Again, there is not much reaction from the fans, as the two teams continue to try and get at each other but are unable to do so. We are ready to cut to commercial break in absolute chaos, with the feud between these two groups surely not over…

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

Yeah, commercials are over so let’s get another video package up and running…

***

ECW Heatwave
July 15th On PPV
From Dayton, Ohio

***​

No messing about here tonight so as soon as the PPV hype video has finished, it’s time for our next match. “Big Balls” by Boner is the first theme song to be heard, and it gets a VERY ROWDY reception, with plenty of cheers for Balls Mahoney. As per usual, Mahoney is accompanied by his trusty steel chair, which has the name “CHRISSY DANIELS” spray painted on it. Whilst inside of the ring, Mahoney nods his head along with the fans chants of “BALLS”, “BALLS”, “BALLS”, as he awaits his opponent. “Wings Of A Fallen Angel” by Dale Oliver interrupts the chants and are greeted with MASSIVE heat, as the stoic, hooded Christopher Daniels power walks towards the ring. There is no wasted motion from ‘The Fallen Angel’ tonight, as he gets straight into the ring, before throwing off his hood and preparing for battle.

Match Two
Balls Mahoney vs. Christopher Daniels

One thing to mention right off the bat is that for this contest, the man in charge is The Network’s head referee, Danny Daniels. Anyway, the match begins and in the early stages, Daniels looks truly overmatched by the fired up Mahoney. Obviously not in a technical sense but Daniels never gets the chance to use any of his ability. Instead, hunting for retribution for his friend Spike Dudley, Mahoney goes on a rampage, beating Daniels from pillar to post without ever putting him away. A few times Daniels looked likely to comeback, when the referee of the same name stopped Mahoney from landing a closed fist punches as a distraction. Despite this though, Balls continued to dominate until he hopped outside of the ring and grabbed his trusty steel chair. With the fans chanting “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, Mahoney stands over Daniels, and as Chris gets up… BALLS RAISES THE CHAIRE ABOVE HIS HEAD… BUT THE REFEREE GRABS THE CHAIR… AND THE MOMENTARY DISTRACTION ALLOWS CHRISTOPHER DANIELS TO KICK MAHONEY RIGHT IN THE DICK!!!

Simply put, that moment in the contest was a game changer. As Mahoney remained down, clutching at his groin area, Daniels was able to recover and begin to use his wrestling ability to beat the living hell out of Balls. ‘The Fallen Angel’ sadistically focused on the neck of Mahoney, similar to what he did to Spike Dudley just over a month ago. Much like with Spike, Daniels’ neck work seems to have a long lasting effect, as even when Balls manages to get a moment of space, he chooses to grab at his neck. Showing the tremendous heart that has won over the fans though, Mahoney, bad neck and all, manages to make one last come back. BALLS GETS DANIELS IN POSITION FOR THE NUTCRACKER SUITE… BUT DANIELS SLIDES OUT AND LANDS BEHIND MAHONEY!!!

Before Balls can react, Daniels uses his quickness to RAKE BOTH OF MAHONEY’S EYES AT THE SAME TIME!!! Daniels lets go and Mahoney is in agony as he staggers around the ring… SO DANIELS GETS A QUICK SCHOOL BOY COVER… HOLDING ONTO THE MIDDLE ROPE FOR EXTRA LEVERAGE…1…2…3!!!

Winner – Christopher Daniels @ 9:39

The fans immediately ark up, unhappy with the result of the match, especially considering the biased referee Danny Daniels got involved quite a few times. Both Daniels’ get out of dodge pretty quickly, and half way up the ramp, they stop so ‘The Fallen Angel’ can have his hand raised in victory.

Balls is furious inside of the ring, shaking his head at being screwed out of the match up. He still clutches at his neck a little to, which makes Christopher Daniels smile before heading through the curtain, victorious in singles action yet again.

Meanwhile, inside of the ring, Mahoney is still storming around, clearly frustrated with how he lost as we cut away…

…

We head to what looks like a VIP locker room, filled with champagne and two long, black leather couches, and sitting on one of them, feet up and eating a strawberry is none other than Justin Credible. Despite the classy environment he is in, Credible still rocks a sleeveless top and his jean shorts, and even more so, he still looks as arrogant as ever.

Justin Credible: I decided to stay away from the arena tonight because I decided that I needed a break after being in such high demand. Everybody wants a piece of the hottest man in professional wrestling right now.

Credible pauses to take a sip of his champagne, washing down the strawberry. He makes sure to have his pinkie raised when he sips on his drink also.

Justin Credible: I mean as much as I make it look glamorous, it’s tough being me. Firstly, The Network wants me to do this and that…

He playfully rolls his eyes, not really minding The Network orientated obligations.

Justin Credible: Okay, okay, as you can see by looking around me, being the star member of The Network has its perks, but I still do have a lot of stressful things to deal with. Rhino wants me in a title match so he can finally say he faced off against the greatest ECW Champion of all time.

JC pauses, letting those words sink in.

Justin Credible: My former friend or better yet, my former lackey Lance Storm tried to use me to get his name back on the map in a real wrestling company.

Even though he’s mainly putting himself over, Credible clearly enjoyed his WCW dig as he smile is especially big as he says it.

Justin Credible: And there’s two other leeches as well, Kid Kash and Jerry Lynn KEEP trying to use me to make themselves relevant.

He pretends to take a deep breath and wipe sweat off his forehead, demonstrating how hard his life really is.

Justin Credible: I’ve already beaten Jerry Lynn and put him in his place countless times, so now I’m going to put this Kid Kash shit to rest once and for all next week.

For the first time tonight, Justin looks a little serious and annoyed.

Justin Credible: Kash, you must have some serious lucky charms stashed away somewhere, because you’ve got lucky a few times…

He still doesn’t look happy discussing Kid Kash.

Justin Credible: But that’s all it was, luck, that’s it!

Getting a bit too angry, Credible takes a few breaths and regains his composure, once again smirking.

Justin Credible: But luck runs out, and order will be restored. I’m on my way back up where I belong…

He puts his thumbs up to signal where he is going, before putting his thumb down.

Justin Credible: And I’ll say goodbye to Kid Kash, who is on his way down, where he belongs.

Credible pauses one last time, before continuing.

Justin Credible: If you don’t believe me, tune in, because I’ll make it REAL clear next week.

Suddenly, Credible gets off of the couch, only to walk over and pour another glass of champagne. He takes another sip and makes an over exaggerated noise representing his satisfaction of the drink, living the lavish life.

Justin Credible: That’s not just the coolest, that’s not just the best, that’s just incredible!!!

Credible continues to enjoy his surroundings, taking further sips of his champagne as we cut to our final commercial break of the evening.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

We’re back at ringside as it’s time for our main event of the evening. “Great Gates Of Kiev” plays to an ENORMOUSLY BAD reaction, as the ECW fans FUCKING ERUPT with heat as Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler steps out from the back. With his crown on his head, Lawler pretends to carry himself with class, only to then begin insulting fans and threatening to hit them. The only thing is, this isn’t the WWF and some of the ECW fans threaten to hit back. Lawler gets pelted with garbage once he steps inside of the ring as well, which he is none too pleased with, but further confirms that he is public enemy number one. “The Old School Style” by Boner signals the arrival of Lawler’s partner and the other ‘king’ in ECW, Steve Corino. ‘The King Of Old School’ still gets a lot of heat but not quite as much as Lawler, and as always is accompanied by the scantily clad Dawn Marie and the loyal Jack Victory. The trio join Lawler in the ring and are all smiles ahead of their big match tonight. “Walk” by Kilgore finally gets the crowd up and about, as BY FAR THE LOUDEST ovation of the night goes to the man on a hunt for retribution, Rob Van Dam. The time for jerking around and having fun is over, as the ever serious RVD gets to the ring rather quickly, slapping hands with a few fans, but refusing to do the thumb taunts at the same time as the ring announcer says his name. Showing no fear, Van Dam gets straight into the ring, severely outnumbered and there are chants of “RVD”,”RVD”, “RVD” from the fans. “Man In The Box” by Alice In Chains gets another fairly big pop as RVD’s partner is another ECW favorite, Tommy Dreamer. Much like Van Dam, Tommy looks extremely determined to succeed tonight and get some revenge on The Network after a tough few weeks. Dreamer gets into the ring and shares a fist bump with Van Dam, before they completely zone in on their opponents.

Match Three
Jerry Lawler and Steve Corino w/Dawn Marie and Jack Victory vs. Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer

I think it’s safe to say that nobody ever considered that this match was going to be a technical classic. At times, RVD and Steve Corino have some quality exchanges, revisiting their feud from a few months ago, but for the most part, this match was absolutely out of control. With Tommy Dreamer and Jerry Lawler on opposing teams, it was never going to be any other way. Right from the get go there were no tags and no fancy double team moves, it was straight Dreamer and Lawler beating the hell out of each other, inside the ring, outside the ring and even through the crowd.

Eventually all four men involved in the match ended up back in the ring, when Dawn Marie got onto the apron to distract the referee, and this allowed JACK VICTORY TO SNEAK IN AND BATTER DREAMER ACROSS THE BACK WITH A STEEL CHAIR!!! As always, thanks to the awesome chair shot, we get a massive “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant as the fans show their appreciation. This was the turning point in the match though as from here the team of kings, Lawler and Corino, have their way with Dreamer, isolating him and dominating the match. Unfortunately for The Network backed team, they are unable to put Dreamer away, and eventually he is able to make the hot tag to RVD. Once ‘The Whole Fucking Show’ gets into the ring and begins dominating with his educated feet, all hell breaks loose again as the heels try and gang up on him and refuse to remain on the apron.

Once Dreamer recovers and the numbers are even, Van Dam dominates Lawler, whilst Tommy and Corino begin to brawl on the outside of the ring. Back inside of the ring, RVD manages to drop Lawler with a Step Over Spinning Heel Kick, before heading up to the top rope. With the fans chanting “RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD”, VAN DAM LEAPS OFF OF THE TOP ROPE AND CONNECTS WITH THE FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH ON LAWLER!!!

Van Dam rolls around on the canvas, clutching at his mid-section… BEFORE MAKING THE COVER…

THE REFEREE LOOKS TO SPRINT INTO POSITION TO MAKE THE ACADEMIC COUNT…

ONLY TO BE DROPPED WITH AN OLD SCHOOL KICK FROM STEVE CORINO!!!

With the referee unconscious and the fans chanting “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA, Corino smirks realizing that he just prevented the end of Lawler’s reign in ECW. Meanwhile, with the referee out of commission for good, it’s safe to say this match will be ruled a…

No Contest @ 16:45

RVD gets up, immediately realizing what is happening, and he is frustrated, AND RVD AND CORINO START TO THROW HANDS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING!!!

Neither man takes a backwards step initially, until Van Dam lands a few forearms in a row, gaining an advantage… UNTIL HE GETS CLOBBERED FROM BEHIND BY JACK VICTORY!!!

From here, it’s a two on one mugging as Corino and Victory go to work on RVD. They don’t land anything major, but they stomp the hell out of RVD, keeping him from being able to get back to his feet.

Suddenly, BILL ALFONSO MAKES HIS RETURN, running through the curtain and sliding into the ring. “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants erupt as Corino and Victory haven’t realized… SO ALFONSO HITS VICTORY FROM BEHIND WITH A LOW BLOW!!!

As Victory bends down, holding onto his groin… ALFONSO DROPS HIM WITH A SLOPPY LOOKING DDT!!!

Alfonso pumps his fist in the air, happy to get some retribution on The Network, who are the reason he hasn’t been around recently. Corino finally notices that Victory is down, and looks to turn his attention towards Fonzie, but RVD begins to fight back. RVD fights back as Fonzie yells “GET HIM, GET HIM”, until RVD GETS ATTACKED FROM BEHIND AGAIN…

THIS TIME BY CW ANDERSON!!!

Again, with RVD outnumbered, Anderson begins going to work, mounting him and HAMMERING AWAY WITH BRUTAL LEFT HANDS, UNTIL TOMMY DREAMER SMASHES A STEEL CHAIR ACROSS THE BACK OF CW ANDERSON!!!

Seeing Dreamer with the chair, Corino goes into self-preservation mode and slides out of the ring, as the fans mark out for the violence. “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” echoes throughout the building as with Anderson down now, Tommy sets CW’s arm up in the steel chair…

Tommy heads to the top rope… READY TO LEAP OFF AND BREAK THE ARM OF CW ANDERSON… WHEN JERRY LAWLER GETS ONTO THE APRON AND PUSHES TOMMY OFF OF THE TOP ROPE!!!

AND DREAMER GOES CRASHING THROUGH THE TIME KEEPER’S TABLE!!!

The “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants get louder as Tommy isn’t moving, he may be dead. Lawler steps back into the ring with a smug look on his face, enjoying the heat he is now getting from the fans. However Lawler turns around… INTO A STEEL CHAIR FLYING AT HIM… LAWLER CATCHES IT… RVD NAILS LAWLER WITH THE VAN DAMINATOR!!!

CW Anderson and Corino are with Victory and Dawn Marie, all four trying to regain their wits on the outside, and RVD sees them and shrugs… BEFORE SPRINTING ACROSS THE RING AND LEAPING OVER THE TOP ROPE… TAKING OUT ALL FOUR OF THEM WITH A PLANCHA!!!

With everybody seemingly down and out now, an “RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD” chant breaks out, as he slowly uses the crowd barricade to get to his feet. It seems like it will be a triumphant night for RVD, as he FINALLY performs his thumb taunt…

BUT HE GETS ATTACKED FROM BEHIND FOR THE THIRD TIME TONIGHT…

THIS TIME… BY RHINO!!!

The audience almost gasp in shock knowing that being attacked by Rhino is no joke, and RVD could be in some serious trouble. With RVD down on his stomach, RHINO GRABS HIS ECW TITLE AND USES IT AS A WHIP… SMASHING IT ACROSS THE BACK OF VAN DAM FIVE TIMES!!!

Van Dam is left with brutal red marks on his back, as another “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant can be heard. Meanwhile, Rhino, salivating at the mouth, as intense as ever, heads underneath the apron AND PULLS OUT A TABLE!!!

He sets up the table on the floor, before dragging RVD up by the hair, and he takes Van Dam onto the apron. RHINO GETS RVD IN POSITION FOR THE APRON PILEDRIVER…

When “RHINO… OVER HERE… IT’S PAYBACK TIME FOR WHAT YOU DID TO LORI, BITCH”!!!

THE SANDMAN HAS MADE HIS WAY THROUGH THE CROWD AND IS IN THE RING!!!

The fans begin buzzing for yet another brawl to begin, and Rhino relinquishes the chance to take out RVD, and heads into the ring to fight The Sandman. Rhino charges at Sandman, but Sandman moves out of the way of a potential Gore… AND IMMEDIATELY NAILS RHINO ACROSS THE HEAD WITH THE SINGAPORE CANE!!!

The champion staggers but doesn’t go down… SO SANDMAN KEEPS SWINGING WILDLY WITH THE SINGAPORE CANE… LANDING TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN SHOTS UNTIL HIS SINGAPORE CANE IS SEVERELY BENT OUT OF SHAPE!!!

Those “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants are showing no signs of slowing down, and INCREDIBLY, Rhino is still on his feet…

BUT HE STAGGERS STRAIGHT INTO A SUPERKICK…

BY LANCE STORM!!!

The fans further mark out for the appearance of the Canadian, who has made it clear that he wants a shot at the ECW Championship at some point in time. Sensing Rhino is in trouble, CW ANDERSON LEAPS ONTO THE APRON... ONLY TO BE DROPPED BY A SINGAPORE CANE SHOT FROM THE SANDMAN!!!

STEVE CORINO JUMPS ONTO THE APRON ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RING… STORM DROPS HIM WITH A SUPERKICK!!!

WHILST THE SANDMAN GOES WILD AGAIN WITH SINGAPORE CANE SHOTS ON THE PRONE BOYD OF RHINO, LANDING ANOTHER SIX SHOTS, ONE FOR EACH WORD AS HE YELLS

“THIS IS FOR LORI MOTHER FUCKER”!!!

Due to his arms burning from lactic acid, The Sandman finally stops, barely able to lift his arms, as Rhino looks to be in strife. Meanwhile, CW and Corino have reconvened on the outside, thinking of what’s next… SO STORM SPRINTS ACROSS THE RING AND TAKES THEM OUT LIKE RVD DID EARLIER… WITH A PLANCHA!!!

Speaking of RVD, he’s back in the ring now, steel chair in hand, as he shares some words with Sandman, whilst Rhino remains down. Suddenly, The Sandman drags Rhino to the corner in a seated position, before grabbing the steel chair from Van Dam.

The Sandman wedges the steel chair in the ropes in front of Rhino’s face, as Van Dam begins scaling the top rope on the opposite side of the ring.

The arena is at a fever pitch, as Van Dam points his thumbs to his shoulders… “ROB…VAN…DAM”, BEFORE LEAPING ACROSS THE RING… AND RVD SENDS THE STEEL CHAIR CRASHING INTO THE FACE OF RHINO WITH THE VAN TERMINATOR!!!

On this night, the numbers advantage has failed The Network, with Credible nowhere to be seen and Jerry Lynn not involved. “RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD” chants ring out now, as Rhino looks well and truly conquered thanks to the handiwork of three men, The Sandman, RVD and Lance Storm.

Storm remains on the outside whilst The Sandman and RVD stare down the out of it Rhino as the show fades to black…

END OF SHOW

***

Current Card for ECW Heatwave
July 15th, 2001
Dayton, Ohio

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Rhino (c) defends against Justin Credible​

 

[Stojy]

ECW Hardcore TV
June 9th, 2001
Mobile, Alabama​

As usual with ECW, we never open up in a normal fashion, as this week we are straight into the backstage area, where standing in front of the standard ECW ‘interview set’ is Joey Styles and Joel Gertner. Both men are suited up, smiles on their faces, microphones in their hands, as “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants can be heard from inside the arena. Once they finally begin to die down, it’s time to receive an official welcome to the show.

Joey Styles: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Extreme Championship Wrestling’s Hardcore TV! I’m ‘The Voice Of ECW’, Joey Styles and standing next to me as always is Joel Gertner.

Joel Gertner: Thanks Joey. Happy to be here as always and after the chaotic ending to last week’s show, I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen tonight.

Joey Styles: Last week we had a huge tag team match be our main event as Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler and Steve Corino from The Network teamed up to face two of ECW’s all time favorites, Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer. Lawler has openly said that he would leave ECW if he lost, and he looked ready to lose after RVD nailed the Five Star Frog Splash, only for Corino to take out the referee. This ended the match in a no contest and I for one can’t help but be a little upset by the fact that we got so close to getting rid of Lawler, but ultimately failed.

Joel Gertner: The only man I could think of who might be shockingly happy that Lawler is still around is Tommy Dreamer, as I have to believe he wants to be the man to rid ECW of Lawler, just like he did four years ago. After the No Contest was ruled last week, that’s when things really heated up. The Network sent down CW Anderson and Rhino to do some damage, but for once the numbers weren’t on The Network’s side, as The Sandman, Lance Storm and a recovered RVD beat up everybody and left Rhino for dead in the center of the ring!

Joey Styles: I can’t remember a time when our ECW Champion was decimated like that. He received Singapore Cane Shots, a Superkick and a Van Terminator! One has to think that Rhino will be out for some sort of revenge tonight!

Joel Gertner: Speaking of revenge, we all know that our next pay per view Heatwave is going to be headlined by an all Network match, as Rhino defends the ECW Championship against that turncoat Justin Credible. We also know that RVD wants in that ECW Title match at Heatwave.

Joey Styles: He does want in, he’s made it very clear he wants in; however thanks to Cyrus and The Network, he’s being shut out!

Joel Gertner: And conveniently, and perhaps as a distraction for Van Dam, we can now announce the second match that has been signed for Heatwave.

Joey Styles: It will bring the never ending war between The Network and the diehard ECW wrestlers to the spotlight again as Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman will team up to take on The Network’s Jerry Lawler, Steve Corino and CW Anderson in a six man tag team match!!!

Joel Gertner: I’m sure that’s not the match RVD necessarily wants, but I know he’ll still give it his all, and maybe Heatwave will be the night we finally get rid of Lawler. With that match in mind, two of the competitors will do battle in tonight’s main event as ‘The King Of Old School’ Steve Corino will go one on one with Tommy Dreamer!!!

Joey Styles: Tommy took a pretty brutal fall through a table last week, let’s hope he’s at one hundred percent, he’ll need to be against Corino. Tonight we’ve got another big time match as Kid Kash and Justin Credible will finally put an end to their hostilities. The match was booked last week with the stipulation that if Kid Kash wins…

Finally, there’s a slight pause as Joey is building the anticipation.

Joey Styles: He will get an ECW Television Championship match against Jerry Lynn at Heatwave. If there is ever a time to want to face Lynn, it’s now when he’s paranoid, all out of confidence and seemingly all out of luck. That’s enough about Heatwave because we’re going to head to ringside where we are about to see some extreme tag team action!

After that LONG opening from the two commentators, Joey and Joel sign off, because it’s time for the in ring portion of the show to start…

…

We’re at ringside for the first time tonight where “Electric Molecular” by Chemlab hits and as usual, the duo of Christian York and Joey Matthews get a nice, positive ovation from the ECW fans. Coming off a win last week, the two seem to be supremely confident and full of smiles, as they slap hands with the fans on their way down to the ring. As they get into the ring, the smiles disappear though, and they prepare for their opponents. “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by The Beastie Boys hits over the pa system and there is a fair amount of heat for the loud mouthed trio known as The Full Blooded Italians. Their leader, Little Guido, Sal E. Graziano and Tony Mamaluke whipped the fans into a frenzy on the way down the ramp, hurling insults and hand gestures at all of them (of course the ECW fans more than return serve). Once they get close to the ring, the Italians begin telling York and Matthews that they are going to pay for getting involved in their business last week, but the youngsters refuse to be intimidated, motioning for them to bring it on.

Match One
Christian York and Joey Matthews vs. Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke w/Sal E. Graziano

Despite the fact that they haven’t been in a really high level program for a while, it’s worth noting that The FBI can still go, and they prove that here. Sensing that this is potentially a chance for them to move back up in terms of title contention, The FBI use their experience and numbers advantage to quite frankly, dominate York and Matthews in the early stages of the contest. Unfortunately for The FBI, York and Matthews are no longer the innocent, inexperienced kids they were a year ago, and they refuse to stay down, before making a fiery comeback and taking control of the match.

York and Matthews can’t quite put The FBI either away, and this time, at the behest of Guido, the Italians try to divide and conquer. Guido threw York outside of the ring and as Guido and Mamaluke still focused on Matthews, and keeping the referee’s attention, Big Sal went to work on York. Big Sal ends up putting York against the ring post, and taking a few steps back, whilst Matthews managed to drop Guido, but Mamaluke is heading up to the top rope. Outside of the ring, BIG SAL SPRINTS AT YORK… AND LOOKS FOR THE BODY SPLASH INTO THE RING POST… BUT YORK MOVES… AND SAL COLLIDES WITH THE RING POST!!!

AND THE IMPACT CAUSES THE RING TO SHAKE… SO MAMALUKE LOSES BALANCE AND FALLS DICK FIRST ONTO THE TOP ROPE!!!

A big time pop comes out for the game changing moment, as the fans let out an “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant. York is still down on the outside but he has a relived smirk on his face, because Big Sal is in agony, and doesn’t look like being a factor in the match again. Meanwhile, Matthews manages to fight his way back up to his feet, just as Guido as, and Matthews charges with a Clothesline, sending Guido flying over the top rope and to the outside of the ring.

After the big fall, Mamaluke remained stranded on the top rope, before he eventually falls back to the canvas, but he’s still out of commission. Seeing this, Matthews senses his chance and walks over… BEFORE QUICKLY PERFORMING AN OKLAHOMA ROLL…1…2…3!!!

Winners – Christian York and Joey Matthews @ 6:00

The fans cheer the conclusion of the match, happy to see York and Matthews rebuild some serious moment, as the referee raises Matthews’ hand in the air. York then rolls back into the ring and he joins the victory ceremony, and the two partners share a high five, happy with their performance for the evening.

The celebration doesn’t last long though… AS YORK AND MATTHEWS BOTH GET KNOCKED DOWN FROM BEHIND…

BY LITTLE GUIDO AND BIG SAL!!!

Heat emanates from the fans for the cowardly sneak attack, but The FBI doesn’t care. With Mamaluke still down, GUIDO AND SAL STOMP ALL OVER YORK AND MATTHEWS, SENDING A MESSAGE THAT THEY ARE NOT TO BE MESSED WITH!!!

THEY CONTINUE THE ATTACK…

WHEN DANNY DORING AND ROADKILL SPRINT DOWN THE RAMP AND SLIDE INTO THE RING!!!

Admittedly, Doring gets to the ring a little quicker and Roadkill, but they both do get there… AND DORING MEETS GUIDO WITH RIGHT HANDS!!!

Guido is in shock, as Doring continues to hammer away, before he grabs Guido by the hair, AND THROWS HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!

Meanwhile, ROADKILL SIMPLY RUNS AT BIG SAL, LANDING A BODY SPLASH WHICH SENDS HIM TUMBLING TO THE CANVAS AND UNDERNEATH THE BOTTOM ROPE!!!

Seeing what has happened to his teammates, Mamaluke smartly rolls underneath the bottom rope, deciding not to get involved in the after match festivities.

The fans are chanting “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” for the somewhat exciting aftermath to the contest, whilst The FBI back up the ramp, with Guido shouting “THIS IS NOT OVER”!

Back inside of the ring, York and Matthews are now back to their feet, and much like when they saved Doring and Roadkill from The FBI, the two teams share a nod, respect shown, but neither team completely at ease with the other.

The two teams, both with the same championship goal, continue to stare down each other and The FBI as we cut to commercials…

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

Once the commercial break is over, we follow a camera in the backstage area, in a rundown office with an old computer, with Cyrus sitting behind the desk. The seemingly relaxed leader of The Network takes a chilled out breath, before placing his feet on the desk, watching ECW Hardcore TV on the television positioned on the other side of the room. Suddenly, there’s a commotion, as the office door FLIES open and SLAMS into the wall, causing Cyrus to jump to his feet, looking concerned. Cyrus’ facial expression changes from concerned to irritated as in walks the ECW Television Champion Jerry Lynn, with the same paranoid look on his face he’s had for the past month. Lynn clutches the TV Title as close to his chest as possible, rubbing his sleepless eyes, whilst Cyrus seems to be surprised by Lynn’s appearance, especially his full grown, unshaved beard. After a few more moments, the intense Lynn walks up to the desk, puts both hands on it and begins to speak.

Jerry Lynn: I’ve given you a few weeks out of good grace, but that time is over now. I don’t know why but you’re keeping me out of the loop. I demand to know what the deal is.

Cyrus seems taken aback by the directness of Lynn, looking shocked, but Lynn doesn’t budge.

Jerry Lynn: I still can’t believe you’re associating with Justin Credible but I’ve heard rumors of all sorts of plots and plans that don’t involve me. I’M THE TV CHAMPION!!!

Weeks of pent up frustration is coming out of Lynn now, as he drives his fist into the desk in anger.

Jerry Lynn: I REPRESENT THE NETWORK!

The leader of The Network still doesn’t say anything, just staring down Jerry, whose eyes begin to dart from side to side, paranoia in full swing.

Jerry Lynn: Look, I’m sorry okay, I don’t know how to approach this situation, but I’ve heard things and I haven’t heard from you in weeks. Tell me I’m safe and tell me who my next challenger is.

Now Jerry just shoots a penetrating gaze at Cyrus, who has a slight smirk on his face, whilst he nods knowingly.

Cyrus: Look honestly; there is a reason why I’ve kept you out of the loop. It’s because there is no plan!

Lynn doesn’t buy it for a second.

Jerry Lynn: I’m not in the right state of mind for this, don’t screw with me.

Cyrus walks around the desk and places a friendly hand on Lynn’s shoulder. Jerry shoots a quick look at the hand but lets it stay there as ‘The Virus’ speaks.

Cyrus: I can understand you feeling this way but at the same time, I can’t. I brought you back from a dark place and I’ve never steered you wrong.

Lynn kind of shrugs, realizing Cyrus is speaking the truth.

Cyrus: But what you’ve got to understand is that sometimes I need to do what’s best for The Network. Bringing in Credible was what is best for The Network, but there is no elaborate plan. That was just a lie to get Credible into the fold.

Cyrus nods along with his words, almost trying to convince Lynn, who seems a bit uneasy still. Realizing this, Cyrus shoots Lynn a grin.

Cyrus: Come on, man, think about all the good things I’ve ever said about you, way before this began. You’re my number one guy and we’re building this company around you.

Cyrus now takes a step back and puts out his hand to Lynn… AND LYNN ACCEPTS THE HANDSHAKE!!!

Jerry Lynn: Thank you, that’s good.

Jerry looks ready to leave, a smile now on his face, but Cyrus holds up his hand, motioning he has something else to say.

Cyrus: And just to make sure there no problems between you and I, as a show of good faith…

He pauses and Lynn looks intrigued.

Cyrus: I’ve decided to clear up your schedule and you give a little more r and r. You can have next week off from defending your title and you can just kick back with me tonight, and watch Justin Credible shut down Kid Kash!
Despite being a little more confident with the situation, that last mention of Credible clearly irks Lynn all over again. Still, Cyrus sits back down and signals for Lynn to pull up a chair, which he does, and it seems the two will watch the rest of the show together. All is well in the world of The Network…

…

We’re back at ringside as it’s time for our second match of the evening, but before that, we get a video package…

***

ECW Heatwave
July 15th On PPV
From Dayton, Ohio

***​

This time it really is time for the next match as “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck” by Grinspoon plays to a GIGANTIC amount of heat as usual, whilst the ever confident Justin Credible saunters down the ramp. The heat doesn’t die down either, rather rabid from the fans, but Credible doesn’t care, just twirling his Singapore Cane with his fingers, before sliding into the ring. Despite being ready for battle against an arch nemesis, JC seems to be in an OVERLY confident mood, clearly not sweating his opponent. “Fuck That” by Kid Rock is his opponent’s music, and once it hits, Kid Kash immediately bursts through the curtain, eager to reach the ring. The fans cheer loudly as Kash slaps a few hands, before sliding straight into the ring and going nose to nose with Credible.

Match Two
Justin Credible vs. Kid Kash

Before the match begins, The Network official Danny Daniels sprints to the ring and has a heard with the existing referee, telling him that he is no longer required. The referee initially looks as if he’s ready to complain but realizes that there is no point, so he instead tucks his tail between his legs and leaves the ring. This makes Credible even happier, but ‘The Notorious K.I.D.’ pays it no attention, ready to get this one underway. The early stages saw the match go up and down, neither man able to get an advantage, showing that these two really are an even match up each time they step into the ring. KK decides to change his strategy slightly though, blocking out his hatred, being less aggressive and instead using his quickness to his advantage. The change in tact actually allows Kash to begin to gain a sustainable advantage… UNTIL CREDIBLE BLATANTLY KICKS HIM IN THE DICK!!!

Heat reverberates around the arena as Kash drops to the canvas, coughing and spluttering, and potentially not being able to have kids. This break in action and slowdown of the pace allows Credible to shake out the cob webs as he leans against the ropes. The fans are almost in riot mode, whining about the low blow; however, Danny Daniels simply shakes his head, rubbing his leg whilst yelling “IT WAS A KICK TO THE THIGH”. Credible giggles regarding Daniels’ ruling, whilst the fans continue to hate on him, as the obvious low blow has Kash still clutching his groin area on the canvas.

From here on out though, it’s a completely different match to the beginning. Slow and steady wins the race for Credible, as he beats down on Kash, hoping to make him regret constantly picking a fight with Credible. Despite the beat down from Credible and several near falls, with a few fast counts sprinkled in, he just can’t quite put Kash away. The frustration continues to build for Credible, so he perhaps too early in the contest, GETS KASH IN POSITION FOR THE THAT’S INCREDIBLE… BUT KASH POWERS OUT OF IT WITH A BACK BODY DROP!!!

KK made a comeback from here, using his quickness and his hatred for Credible, to really leave the number one contender for the ECW Championship reeling. The fight moved to the outside of the ring where ‘The Notorious K.I.D.’ continued to ride his wave of momentum, until we went underneath the ring and pulled out a WOODEN TABLE!!! Kash set the table up on the outside of the ring and throughout the course of the next few minutes; both men teased using the table, but for one reason or another were unable to do so. Eventually, they fight back inside of the ring and Kash ends up grabbing Credible and placing him onto the top turnbuckle in a seated position. Kash follows him up, as the fans begin to cheer… AS KASH GETS READY TO GO FOR A FRANKENSTEINER… TO THE OUTSIDE AND THROUGH THE TABLE… BUT CREDIBLE REVERSES AND LANDS A SIT OUT POWERBOMB FROM THE TOP ROPE TO THE INSIDE OF THE RING!!!

The fans immediately break out into another “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant… AS CREDIBLE REMAINS IN A SEATED POSITION FOR THE COVER…1…2…3!!!

…

NO!!! KASH JUST ROLLS A SHOULDER OFF THE MAT AT THE LAST SECOND!!!

Credible is so shocked at the resilience of Kash, so much so that he even begins to argue with referee Daniels, who simply shrugs, also at a loss. Whilst Kash is still in the contest, he isn’t really, as for the next few minutes Credible has his way with the annoying KK. JC lands several big time moves, except for the That’s Incredible, which Kash keeps evading. Credible gains several near falls in the next few minutes but is unable to put Kash away.

Getting a little frustrated, Credible looks down on the canvas at a barely moving KK, before casting his eyes upon the table that is set up on the outside of the ring. The fans begin to buzz in anticipation as Credible drags Kash by the hair and drags him through the ropes and to the apron. To make sure Kash remains down, Justin lands a few quick stomps before looking right into the camera and yelling “WATCH THIS, RHINO”! With a message to be sent, CREDIBLE GETS KASH IN POSITION FOR A PILEDRIVER… LOOKING FOR THE PILEDRIVER OFF OF THE APRON… BUT KASH FIGHTS OUT OF IT!!!

Kash manages to break Credible’s grip and free himself, before using his last ounce of energy to HAMMER away with several right hands. With Credible dazed, Kash lands a kick to the gut… BEFORE LEAPING OFF OF THE APRON… AND SENDING CREDIBLE THROUGH THE TABLE WITH AN INSANE TORNADO DDT!!!

HOLY SHIT!!! After that huge spot, the fans once again erupt into chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. Both men remain down in the rubble, Credible showing no signs of life, whilst Kash is beginning to stir and crawl towards the crowd barricade. Sensing that this match is slipping away from Credible and The Network, Danny Daniels thinks on his toes and begins counting…1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…

Daniels is counting both men out which is getting ENORMOUS heat from the fans. Credible is yet to move a muscle, whilst Kash is using the crowd barricade to get to his feet, so Daniels speeds up his count…9…10!!!

Double Count Out @ 12:56

Danny Daniels immediately calls for the bell, and the fans can’t believe it, chanting “FUCK THE NETWORK”, “FUCK THE NETWORK”, “FUCK THE NETWORK”. Kid Kash has finally battled his way back to his feet, and he slides into the ring, before using the ropes to once again drag himself to his feet.

Realizing that he has saved the match for The Network, and perhaps prevented KK from getting a shot at the TV Title, Daniels immediately hurries from the ring. Being a little out of it, Kash isn’t sure what’s going on as Daniels is leaving, until the ring announcer makes an announcement…

“LADIES AND GENTLEMAN… THE REFEREE HAS RULED THIS CONTEST A DOUBLE COUNT OUT”!!!

More heat from the fans can be heard as the announcement echoes throughout the arena, whilst an exhausted and beaten up Kash drops to his knees. He’s clearly confused yet extremely frustrated with the fact that he was once again within an inch of beating Credible, but more importantly, he was THAT close to a TV Title shot.

Meanwhile, on the outside of the ring there is some concern as Justin Credible, outside of a couple of twitches, is yet to really move. The fans don’t care but ‘Damage Control’ do as they make their way down the ramp, and they end up having to stretcher Credible out of the arena.

Inside of the ring, Kash gets back to his feet and “Fuck That” by Kid Rock plays, whilst the fans give Kid Kash a STANDING OVATION. Despite his disappointment with the result, Kash nods appreciatively with the fans, and turns to leave the ring…

ONLY TO BE CLOBBERED IN THE FACE WITH THE TV TITLE…

BY JERRY LYNN!!!

Kash may damn well be unconscious now, past the point of recovery, as Lynn just stands over him, snarling. With the TV Title in his grasp, Lynn rolls out of the ring, clearly happy with his handiwork, as the fans continue to boo the hell out of him.

Outside of the ring, Lynn grabs a microphone, a sadistic smile on his face. He’s forced to wait a few moments before speaking due to the volume of the heat coming from the fans.

Jerry Lynn: You put in a good effort Kash, but I’m out here to put a full stop on the fact that it wasn’t good enough. You had to BEAT Justin Credible to get a title shot but you didn’t, which proved that you’re not as good as the New F’n Show.

Volcanic heat continues in the direction of Lynn, but the champion ignores it, seemingly back to a good mindset after his earlier chat with Cyrus.

Jerry Lynn: I beat Justin Credible with ease at Hardcore Heaven. You’re not as good as me, so you couldn’t beat that stupid bald headed prick!

There is still a slight smirk on the face of Lynn as he gets to insult Credible, whilst even a few fans let out a little pop. He still gets tons of heat as well though.

Jerry Lynn: Taking a good look at my competition, I can confirm that NOBODY IS AS GOOD AS ME, AND I’M GOING TO HOLD THIS TITLE FOR TWENTY FOUR MONTHS!!!

BOOOOO, as the intense Lynn makes reference to beating RVD’s historic TV Title reign.

Jerry Lynn: FUCK YOU, VAN DAM!!!

Always obsessive, Lynn makes one more reference to his old enemy RVD, before looking inside of the ring and scoffing at Kid Kash. Lynn then SPIKES the microphone to the floor, causing it to make an awful noise, before he raises the TV Title above his head.

Jerry closes his eyes in ecstasy, not minding the heat from the fans, having a much better night than the last few. It’s now time for our final commercial break of the evening…

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

In his usual locker room with battered locker doors, all alone and pacing is a furious looking ECW Champion Rhino. The champion is all sweaty, matted hair, obviously quite worked, as he starts speaking whilst continuing to pace.

Rhino: I’m a man to be feared, I’m not afraid of anybody!

He lets out a roar as he continues to pace, jaw trembling, ready to explode with fury.

Rhino: ANYBODY!!!

The champion screams his loudest, showing just how angry he is right now.

Rhino: NOT SOME GUY WITH A FUCKING STICK!!!

If it’s even possible, he seems to get even angrier at the reference to The Sandman.

Rhino: I CAN BREAK A STICK!!!

Rhino signals breaking something with his hands.

Rhino: I CAN BREAK A NECK!!!

He grits his teeth, continuing to breathe heavily.

Rhino: I CAN END A LIFE… I WILL END A LIFE IF JUSTIN CREDIBLE GETS IN THE RING WITH ME…

Bronx cheers come from the fans at the insult towards Credible, as Rhino is now frothing from the mouth.

Rhino: LANCE STORM? I’M NOT AFRAID OF LANCE STORM… FUCK LANCE STORM!!!

No more cheers from the fans now as they love Storm, but the champ couldn’t care less.

Rhino: FUCK CANADA… DETROIT TAKES A SHIT ON CANADA…

I love being able to say the most outrageous stuff with this man. Oh yeah, and he’s still angry of course.

Rhino: I’LL TAKE A SHIT ON LANCE STORM!!!

Rhino drives his boot into one of the lockers, needing to let out some violence.

Rhino: I’LL MAKE HIM EAT IT…

The outrage continues to pour out as he holds up his ECW Title.

Rhino: LANCE STORM HELD THREE TITLES BUT HE NEVER HELD THIS… HE NEVER HELD THIS BECAUSE HE’S A FUCKING PUSSY!!!

He throws the title to the floor now, and begins ripping at his hair, face reddening by the millisecond.

Rhino: I’LL FIGHT LANCE STORM ANYTIME HE FUCKING WANTS AND IF STORM HAS ANY COURAGE… HE’LL FIGHT ME NEXT WEEK FOR THE TITLE…

Whoa, big challenge made by Rhino. I wonder if Cyrus would be happy with that being made…

Rhino: I’LL FIGHT ANYONE!!!

Rhino pauses before heading to one of the lockers… AND HE HEADBUTTS IT, LEAVING A MASSIVE BUMP IN IT!!!

Rhino: I DON’T GIVE A FUCK…

The champion continues to pace like an absolute mad man.

Rhino: EVERYBODY KNOWS MY NAME… BECAUSE I’M THE ECW CHAMPION!!!

He drags the title off of the floor and puts it over his shoulder, further emphasizing that he’s a champion.

Rhino: I’M UNDEFEATED WITH THIS BELT ON THE LINE… EVER… I’VE NEVER LOST…

Suddenly, Rhino stops pacing but he continues to breathe loudly, almost frantically.

Rhino: SAY MY NAME… SAY MY FUCKING NAME… I’LL MAKE LANCE STORM SAY MY FUCKING NAME ALL NIGHT!!!

One last pause for the psychopath to catch his breath.

Rhino: RHINO… RHINO… RHINO… RHINO… RHINO… RHINO!!!

The champion lets out a roar again, before staring into the camera, looking unhinged and we cut away…

…

It’s main event time now so “King Of Old School” by Boner hits to a fantastic NEGATIVE reaction as Steve Corino slowly swaggers towards the ring. Not too far behind is his entourage, consisting of Dawn Marie and Jack Victory, and they all seem to be in good spirits despite the insults coming from the fans. Once they get inside of the ring, Corino flips a few of the fans off before getting his mind on the task at hand. “Man In The Box” by Alice In Chains rocks through the speakers now and the ever resilience Tommy Dreamer makes his way straight towards the ring. Tommy slaps hands with a few of the fans on his way to the ramp, before climbing onto the apron and performing the ‘Raven pose’. The fans chant along with Dreamer as Tommy gets into the ring and is ready to get things going.

Match Three
Steve Corino w/Dawn Marie and Jack Victory vs. Tommy Dreamer

To be completely honest, this is pretty much the same as every other match that involves Tommy Dreamer; it’s a god damn brawl. As usual with the ECW style, they brawl inside and outside of the ring, and even make their way through the crowd at different parts of the contest. No longer the joke he was twelve months ago, Corino hangs tough and actually does okay with Dreamer, however being the more natural brawler, Dreamer does eventually take over. Dreamer gets close to finishing things off a couple of times throughout the contest, when Corino is saved thanks to interference from Dawn Marie and Jack Victory!!!

After another near fall thanks to Dawn Marie getting onto the apron and distracting the referee, Tommy gets fed up. Victory doesn’t want to get involved initially as Tommy walks over to the apron and Dawn asks, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GONNA’ DO”? Tommy responds by GRABBING DAWN BY THE HAIR AND DRAGGING HER THROUGH THE ROPES AND INTO THE RING!!! Marie’s tune has changed now as she begs for mercy, as does the referee, whilst the fans blow the roof off of the arena, wanting Marie to get decked. After milking the moment for a little longer… TOMMY PUTS DAWN IN POSITION FOR THE DDT… BUT VICTORY HAS HANDED SOMETHING TO CORINO… AND CORINO THROWS POWDER RIGHT INTO THE EYES OF TOMMY!!!

Dreamer immediately lets go of Dawn, who hurries out of the ring, as Tommy keeps trying to get the powder out of his eyes. He is clearly blind as a devilish smirk appears on Corino’s face, and TOMMY WALKS STRAIGHT INTO AN OLD SCHOOL BOMB FROM CORINO!!! The fans begin an “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant… SO CORINO HOOKS THE LEG, GOING FOR THE COVER…1…2…NO!!! TOMMY GETS HIS SHOULDER UP AT THE LAST SECOND!!!

Dawn is white as a ghost on the outside of the ring, and the commentators mention that she probably won’t be a factor in the rest of the match now. Meanwhile, Corino now has his time in the sunshine, able to beat the living hell out of Dreamer, but unable to score a three count. The ‘King Of Old School’ is as resourceful as ever though, constantly using Victory to help him maintain an advantage. Eventually, showing why he is the heart and soul of ECW, Dreamer begins making a comeback, only for Victory to try and get involved again. As a dazed Corino rests on the other side of the ring… DREAMER GRABS VICTORY… AND DROPS HIM WITH THE DDT!!!

The fans mark out for Victory finally getting what he deserves, whilst Corino tries to rush up behind Dreamer, but Tommy avoids it. Tommy then kicks Corino in the gut… AND GETS HIM IN POSITION FOR A DDT… BUT HE QUICKLY TOSSES CORINO TO THE SIDE…

BECAUSE HE SPOTS CW ANDERSON HEADING TOWARDS THE RING!!!

CW slides into the ring, but Tommy immediately meets him with a barrage of wild left and right strikes, just completely overwhelming Anderson. Anderson is forced to just cover up, and Tommy’s a man on the mission, delivering a close to career performance… AS HE GETS ANDERSON INTO POSITION FOR THE DDT NOW… WHEN STEVE CORINO THROWS A FUCKING FIREBALL INTO THE FACE OF TOMMY DREAMER!!!

There is a momentary stunned silence, which is interrupted by chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. The fans can’t believe it as Tommy releases Anderson and staggers around the ring for the second time tonight, clutching at his face. This time is a lot worse than the first as Tommy’s hands cover his face, leaving him with no vision… SO CORINO POUNCES WITH A QUICK INSIDE CRADLE…1…2…3!!!

Winner – Steve Corino @ 15:14

The fans BOO the result as the referee raises Corino’s hand before quickly rushing from the ring. It’s with good reason to as Dreamer has bounces straight back to his feet, and he’s SWINGINGWILDLY, trying to attack anything that moves.

He doesn’t have much luck though, still having vision issues after the fireball incident. On commentary, Joey Styles and Joel Gertner mention that the fireball must have been a glancing blow, because Tommy doesn’t seem to be as hurt as The Sandman and Corino were when they received it.

Either way, it doesn’t matter because just as Dreamer starts to corner Corino, CW ANDERSON BELTS HIM WITH A LEFT FOREARM TO THE NECK FROM BEHIND!!! The heat from the fans picks up as from here we have a two on one assault, with Anderson and Corino beating the hell out of Dreamer with punches and kicks.

The beating continues when “Enter Sandman” by Metallica blares throughout the arena, and gets an EPIC POP as The Sandman appears in the bleachers. CW and Corino pay him no attention, continuing to not allow Tommy to breathe, as Sandman foregoes his beer and cigarette and rather hurriedly makes his way through the fans, before sliding into the ring.

As always, The Sandman is accompanied by his trusty Singapore Cane, so when CW sprints at him… THE SANDMAN TAKES ANDERSON’S HEAD OFF WITH A SINGAPORE CANE RIGHT TO THE FACE!!!

“ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants ring out again for the weapon use, as Corino is mounting Dreamer… ONLY TO COP A SHOT TO THE HEAD WITH THE SINGAPORE CANE AS WELL!!!

Just like that, The Sandman has evened the odds, getting cheered loudly, and he raises the Singapore Cane above his head… UNTIL DAWN MARIE SNEAKS FROM BEHIND AND NAILS A LOW BLOW ON THE SANDMAN!!!

Dawn is quick to get back out of the ring, when The Sandman drops to his knees, and now all four men are down inside of the ring. The fans are urging Dreamer and Sandman to get up, and The Sandman is the first to get up, still favoring his groin… AND HE STUMBLES STRAIGHT INTO AN ANDERSON SPINEBUSTER FROM CW!!!

Meanwhile, Corino is back up as well now, and Dawn Marie grabs a steel chair and slides it into the ring. The ‘King Of Old School’ picks up the steel chair, before standing over the tired Dreamer, who is trying his best to get up. CORINO SMASHES THE STEEL CHAIR ACROSS THE BACK OF TOMMY… And Dreamer falls back flat, but immediately tries to get up again… SO CORINO LANDS A SECOND AND A THIRD SHOT WITH THE STEEL CHAIR ACROSS THE BACK!!!

Even though the violence is coming from the heels, another “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant starts up. Corino smugly stands over Dreamer now, yelling “I DARE YOU TO FIGHT BACK”, whilst CW stands over Sandman and yells, “NOBODY STANDS UP TO AN ANDERSON”!

Almost as if on cue, “Walk” by Kilgore BLOWS THE ROOF OFF OF THE ARENA as the familiar theme song signals the arrival of Rob Van Dam. Sensing that his teammates for Heatwave are in trouble, Van Dam jogs down the ramp, paying the fans no attention, but as he goes to get into the ring… CW AND CORINO BEGIN KICKING THE ROPES, NOT ALLOWING RVD TO GET INTO THE RING!!!

He tries a few more times but they continue to block his entrance to the ring, much to the dismay of the fans. Eventually RVD rolls his eyes and turns around in frustration, hands on hips… BUT HE TURNS STRAIGHT INTO A DEADLY GORE OUTSIDE OF THE RING BY…

THE ECW CHAMPION RHINO!!!

Nobody expected that so another “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant rings out from the crowd. Rhino pounded his chest with pride, before not even acknowledging his Network comrades and just turning around and stomping off to the back.

Van Dam is broken in half on the floor, not even looking like recovering, as inside of the ring, Corino and Anderson continue to beat the hell out of Dreamer and Sandman. Wanting to finish off with a bang, Corino yells to Victory, “GIVE ME YOUR BELT”, and Victory immediately undoes his belt and passes it to Corino.

Corino stands over Dreamer again… BEFORE GOING TO TOWN… WHIPPING HIM REPETITIVELY WITH THE BELT, CAUSING WELTS TO POP UP ALL OVER HIS BODY!!!

The noise of the shots can be heard throughout the entire arena, as Corino now tosses the belt to Anderson. Following Corino’s lead… CW NOW WHIPS THE SHIT OUT OF THE SANDMAN WITH THE SAME BELT!!!

Brutality is the name of the game, and The Network seems to have won tonight. Having finally had enough, the fans begin chanting “FUCK THE NETWORK”, “FUCK THE NETWORK”, “FUCK THE NETWORK”, not enjoying the fact that Dreamer and Sandman have been left lying, with welts all over their bodies.

Meanwhile, Dawn Marie gets back into the ring now, standing next to Victory, Corino and Anderson, and the four raise their hands in the air, in celebration mode.

The quartet continue to celebrate over the fallen bodies of Dreamer and Sandman, as the crowd begins hurling garbage into the ring, and we fade to black…

END OF SHOW

***

Current Card for ECW Heatwave
July 15th, 2001
Dayton, Ohio

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Rhino (c) defends against Justin Credible

Grudge Match:
CW Anderson, Jerry Lawler and Steve Corino vs. Rob Van Dam, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer​

 

[Stojy]

ECW News And Notes

It has been reported and confirmed by insiders within Extreme Championship Wrestling that on the most recent episode of Hardcore TV, Justin Credible has sustained a shoulder injury. The injury is said to have occurred during his match with Kid Kash, when both men went crashing through a table on the outside of the ring thanks to a Tornado DDT. Credible was kayfabe stretchered out of the arena, perhaps meaning ECW were planning to play on the spot anyway; however, this left shoulder injury is said to not be kayfabe. At this stage, exactly what the injury entails is unconfirmed, yet it is said to be very unlikely that Justin Credible will be able to compete at ECW Heatwave on July fifteenth.

This causes concern for the company as the current main event scheduled for Heatwave sees Rhino defend the ECW Championship against Justin Credible. There is still a slight chance that Credible’s injury isn’t as bad as currently feared, and he could be fit to compete at Heatwave, but Heyman, and his investor, refuse to take that chance. If Credible is deemed fit to compete, he may be placed into some sort of last minute program, but the ECW Championship match currently scheduled has officially been cancelled. Cyrus has released a statement via The Network confirming that he will be making an announcement regarding a replacement for Justin Credible at Heatwave this week on the June sixteenth edition of Hardcore TV.

On another note, there have been rumors swirling for a few months now that the WWE were very close to signing a big ECW name. Whilst no information regarding who the wrestler is has been revealed, the deal itself is now being described by people in the know as a “done deal”, and could see the wrestler’s last appearance with ECW to be as soon as Heatwave. We’ll hopefully be able to deliver more on this story as it continues to develop.​

 

[Stojy]

ECW Hardcore TV Preview
16-06-2001
Mobile, Alabama​

The road to Heatwave continues to get hotter and hotter by the week, and the building heatwave will burn through Mobile, Alabama for Hardcore TV this week. The biggest piece of news coming out of last week’s show is that it has now officially been confirmed that Justin Credible will not be competing for the ECW Championship against Rhino at the Heatwave pay per view. The planned number one contender suffered a left shoulder injury that will keep him out of action for the better part of the month, after being on the receiving end of a Tornado DDT through a table from Kid Kash. The leader of The Network, Cyrus, must be frustrated by the fact that his all Network main event has now been ruined. Kid Kash is not scheduled to appear this week but one must wonder if when he returns, there will be some sort of punishment for the ruining of Heatwave’s main event. Whilst that will have to wait, Cyrus has confirmed that by the end of the night, Rhino’s new challenger for Heatwave will be announced. The question remains, will Cyrus’ planned main event remain an all Network affair or will somebody unexpectedly be able to push their name into the equation?

So much surrounding the ECW Championship scene at Heatwave is up in the air, but one thing that’s not up in the air, is this week’s main event. All of the talk is surrounding who Rhino will defend the ECW Championship against at Heatwave, but he needs to make it to Heatwave as the champion first. This week on Hardcore TV, Rhino will defend his ECW Championship against one of the best wrestlers to ever step foot in an ECW ring, Lance Storm. Two weeks ago, Storm signaled his intent on wanting to face Rhino for the ECW title and got involved in a beat down on the champion, nailing him with a Superkick. Last week, Rhino, in his patented, intense manner, said that he would take on Storm at any time. It’s rumored that Cyrus wasn’t happy on booking this match for his chosen Network approved champion, however Rhino managed to talk him into it. By the end of tonight the Heatwave ECW Championship match will be booked in its entirety, as the number one contender will be announced, but we will also know who will carry the title into the pay per view event in July.

The running theme over the past few weeks has been that the one goal The Network hasn’t been able to achieve is claiming the ECW Tag Team Championships. In the past, Cyrus made it very clear that he feels for The Network to truly hold all the power, they need to hold all of the gold. As it currently stands, phase one of this plan seems to be pitting all of the non-Network teams against each other, in the hopes that they will beat each other down. We really have no idea what phase two will be at this point, as two teams in particular, be it the champions The Unholy Alliance and Danny Doring and Roadkill both look impossible to beat. Keeping with the trend of faze one though, Cyrus has decided to focus on Doring and Roadkill, as to continue their path towards a rematch for their ECW Tag Team Titles, they will need to defeat the team of Balls Mahoney and Pierre Carl Oulette. The team fondly titles Eye Balls have slowly been working their way through the ranks and despite a few setbacks, they can’t be too far behind the pecking order in terms of earning a shot at the tag titles. Either way, the two teams will go at it this week and we have to assume the winner’s will be one step closer to a shot at the gold.

After a rough run over the past month, not really knowing where he stood with The Network, the ECW Television Champion Jerry Lynn finally had a good night last week. Despite his hated nemesis, Justin Credible joining The Network and being named the number one contender for the ECW Title, Lynn is finally happy again. He had a conversation with Cyrus where Cyrus assured Lynn that he plans on building this company around him. Unknown to Jerry, it seems as if Cyrus has had this conversation with numerous members of The Network. Either way, after coming out on top and beating down Kid Kash after his match with Justin Credible last week, The Network and Lynn have decided it’s time for him to have a match tonight. Whilst we have no idea who Jerry’s opponent will be, it has been confirmed that Lynn will open the show and issue an open challenge to anybody on the roster to come and get a shot at his ECW Television Championship. Will Jerry Lynn be able to retain his title against a surprise opponent, and just who will jump at the chance to win the gold?

Please tune in to see all of this and much, much more!!!

Confirmed Matches:

ECW Championship Match:
Rhino (c) defends against Lance Storm

Danny Doring and Roadkill vs. Eye Balls

ECW Television Championship Open Challenge:
Jerry Lynn (c) defends against ???​

 

[Stojy]

ECW Hardcore TV
June 16th, 2001
Mobile, Alabama​

It seems as if the days of the in ring introduction that ECW fans have grown accustomed to really have become a rare commodity, as tonight’s show opens up backstage. As a matter of fact, the show opens with the ECW commentary team of Joey Styles and Joel Gertner standing in front of the ECW interview set, which is a ripped, mesh fence with a crooked “ECW” sign hanging crookedly in the background. Before the two excited commentators can speak, they are forced to just stand around in their suits, smiling, as echoing chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” come from inside of the arena. After a few more moments, the chants die down so the duo can begin speaking.

Joey Styles: Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of ECW Hardcore TV! I’m ‘The Voice Of ECW’, Joey Styles and standing next to me is the ‘Quintessential Stud Muffin’ himself, Joel Gertner. Now Joel, we’ve got a jam packed show tonight, with plenty of extreme action, but it would be remiss of me to not skip straight to the main event. The ECW Champion Rhino will defend his ECW Championship against one of the more decorated contenders he has had to deal with, in Lance Storm.

Joel Gertner: Rhino is a monster, who has destroyed everybody in his path. It doesn’t matter if they’re quick, if they’re strong, Rhino finds a way to take out all of his competition, but tonight, against Storm, this could be something else.

Joey Styles: That has to be the biggest question coming into this one. Rhino has defeated everybody in his path, rather convincingly too, but he’s never had to face somebody as technically sound as Lance Storm. Lance has been successful outside of the walls of ECW as well, he is truly one of the greatest in the entire business, but with that being said, so is Rhino.

Joel Gertner: I couldn’t have said it better myself, Joey. This is a mouthwatering ECW Championship match!

Joey Styles: Lance Storm hasn’t been back long but he’s made it clear that he is pro ECW and anti Network, which in turn makes him anti Rhino. Storm issued the challenge a few weeks back and the volatile champion accepted, so here we are! Outside of this championship match though, there are more implications for the ECW Championship tonight!

Joel Gertner: You’re right there, Joey. For those of you who missed last week’s show or any of the announcements throughout the week, the number one contender for the ECW Championship has been injured. Please take a look at the move that took Justin Credible out of action last week.

Almost as if this was a planned production or something, a video package begins to play…

***

We see a few different camera angles of last week’s match, where KID KASH nailed JUSTIN CREDIBLE with a Tornado DDT off of the ring apron and through the time keeper’s table.

After the match was ruled a dubious Double Count Out, we see Justin Credible get stretchered out of the building.

***​

We now cut back to Styles and Gertner.

Joey Styles: We’re still unsure of exactly what the issue is; doctors have apparently been at a loss to explain the injury after multiple scans and x rays. The one thing that can be confirmed is that Justin Credible has suffered a shoulder injury.

Styles stops and straightens his tie subconsciously as Gertner takes over.

Joel Gertner: Based off of the indecision regarding those tests, there have been rumors circulating all week that Justin Credible will not be cleared to wrestle in time for Heatwave.

Gertner is forced to pause due to a pop that comes from the arena.

Joel Gertner: I normally wouldn’t wish an injury on anybody, but when it comes to The Network, I would. It has now been confirmed that Justin Credible will not be able to compete at Heatwave, which is a SHAME!!!

The sarcasm is dripping off of Gertner as he and Joey share a look, smirking at each other. Suddenly, they snap out of it and get back into serious mode, probably not wanting to raise the ire of Cyrus.

Joey Styles: Cyrus has promised to make an announcement which will clear up exactly what will happen at Heatwave, but the only thing that is certain right now, is uncertainty. We don’t know who the champion or the challenger will be for the ECW Championship at Heatwave, but we will by the end of the night!!!

With the shill job having been completed, Styles and Gertner sign off and send us to ringside, allowing them to begin to scurry to the commentary position…

…

“Scapegoat” by Fear Factory hits to a MASSIVE negative reaction, which only gets louder as The Network’s chosen ECW Television Champion Jerry Lynn makes his way out from the back. With the ECW TV Title around his waist, Lynn is in a pair of blue wrestling tights, as he smirks at the audience, whilst flicking his hair which is tied into a tight ponytail. Simply put, being back in The Network’s good books has worked wonders for Lynn, as he looks like a champion should look. He still gets plenty of heat though, but he laughs through it, before grabbing a microphone once inside of the ring.

Jerry Lynn: For those of you, who have been living under a rock for the past few months, WCW is well and truly dead, which means I’m the only Television Champion left.

Even though Lynn is a heel, his initial statement gets a pop from the fans, which makes him smirk, clearly playing the fans.

Jerry Lynn: Being the mathematician that I am, one plus one equals two, which means I AM THE CHAMPION OF ALL TELEVISION!!!

The champion takes the title from around his waist and raises it in the air, eyes closed, basking in the heat from the audience.

Jerry Lynn: Boo me as much as you want, I’m the most successful I’ve ever been in my career because I’ve realized that you people don’t matter… Now moving onto something that does matter, I’ve heard that Justin Credible is hurt.

No cheers for anything this time around, as the cocky Lynn gets heat. As relaxed as ever, completely stable, Jerry just laughs it all off.

Jerry Lynn: I know The Network and Cyrus put their support behind Justin Credible, but I believe The Network made a mistake. I am the cornerstone of The Network and everything is ruined because Credible went and got himself injured. Might I add that he got himself injured to a guy that I beat down with a click of my fingers? But this is what happens when you put your support behind a loser like Justin Credible and not ‘The New F’n Show.

He looks slightly irritated for the first time tonight, knowing that Cyrus chose Credible over him for the ECW Title shot.

Jerry Lynn: With Credible out for the foreseeable future, we need a new challenger for the ECW Championship at Heatwave. Being the champion of all of television, I nominate myself to face Rhino at Heatwave!

A HUMUNGOUS amount of heat is heard for this, as nobody wants to see Lynn versus Rhino at Heatwave. Lynn shows an annoyance at the reaction from the crowd this time around, but quickly decides to keep speaking.

Jerry Lynn: Being a member of The Network and therefore the most likely choice to replace Credible isn’t enough for me though. Tonight I will prove my metal because I’m going to offer an open challenge for my ECW Television Championship RIGHT NOW!!!

Jerry points to the curtain, waiting for somebody to answer his challenge, but after waiting for a few moments, nobody makes an appearance. The excited buzz from the fans quickly disappears, as Lynn scoffs to himself, clearly believing nobody would have the guts to accept his invitation. The arrogant champion puts the microphone to his mouth, ready to speak again, when “Born In China” by The Immortals begins to play throughout the arena. Lynn drops the microphone, looking shocked but he quickly tries to cover it up with a smirk, as Low Ki stalks through the curtain. Ki is relatively quick to make his way down the ramp, as the commentators put over that Ki is always happy to compete, having now answered a second open challenge in the past month. The champion stands his ground as Low Ki shows no hesitation, enjoying the cheers from the fans as he steps into the ring, and goes nose to nose with Lynn. The tension is building between the two, as the fans continue to get more and more excited, until Lynn breaks eye contact, takes a few steps back, and begins to speak once again.

Jerry Lynn: Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but being that I’m a champion, I can’t remember every average Joe. Who are you?

JL feigns confusion as the fans boo his arrogance, but ‘The Warrior’ doesn’t even blink. Instead, he SNTACHES Lynn’s arms and drags it to his mouth, catching the champ off guard.

Low Ki: Don’t play games; you know who I am…

Despite a gulp showing that he’s a little intimidated, Lynn attempts to keep face.

Jerry Lynn: Oh you’re right, I’m sorry; I know exactly who you are. You’re the midget who watches too many karate movies!!!

To cap off his lame joke, a giggling Jerry Lynn puts both hands in the air and one foot in the air, completing a mocking Kung Fu pose. The fans boo the hell out of Lynn who sticks his tongue out at the non-responsive Low Ki…

UNTIL LOW KI DROPS JERRY LYNN WITH A ROUNDHOUSE KICK TO THE FACE OUT OF NOWHERE!!!

The fans mark out and an “LOW KI”, “LOW KI”, “LOW KI” chant kicks off, as the champion grabs his title off of the canvas and rolls underneath the bottom rope. The calm Low Ki invites Lynn to get back into the ring, whilst Jerry is clearly embarrassed, jumping up and down in frustration. The ECW fans continue to give Lynn a hard time, as he grabs a microphone from the ringside crew, no longer having access to the one inside of the ring.

Jerry Lynn: Whoa, whoa, when I made my open challenge I feel like something must have gotten lost in translation. When I made the challenge to anybody, I meant QUALIFIED challengers.

‘The Warrior’ shakes his head, showing emotion for the first time, as Lynn feels at his jaw, still angry about the attack. Meanwhile, the audience continues to heckle the hell out of Lynn.

Jerry Lynn: You, whoever you are, are certainly not qualified for a shot at the ECW Television Championship. I’m not putting the title up against you…

MAJOR heat for that announcement, as Ki once again invites the champion into the ring. Lynn simply shakes his head.

Jerry Lynn: But I’ll tell you what I will do, I’ll teach you some damn respect!

SUDDENLY, LYNN DROPS HIS TITLE AND SLIDES BACK INTO THE RING!!!

Lynn charges at Ki and attempts a Clothesline… BUT LOW KI DUCKS AND DROPS LYNN WITH A SUPERKICK!!!

A big time pop goes up as Low Ki gets the better of Lynn again. Jerry uses the ropes to pull himself back to his feet, still hot headed, before thinking twice and trying to step through the ropes and to the outside… ONLY FOR LOW KI TO SEND HIM FLYING TO THE FLOOR WITH THE ROLLING LIGER KICK!!!

Lynn falls to the floor in a heap, bettered YET AGAIN by Low Ki, as an “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant starts up. Being the disciplined warrior that he is, Ki once again manages to keep his cool, standing in the middle of the ring.

On the outside, Lynn hastily pulls himself up via the crowd barricade, ignoring the insults coming from the fans closest by. Jerry is clearly embarrassed now as he pulls the title off of the floor, and drapes it over his shoulder, tapping it once or twice to make sure it stays there.

As he begins making his way around the ring and backs up the ramp, Lynn manages to find another microphone…

Jerry Lynn: I am a champion and I am The Network, this crap shouldn’t happen to me. I’ve had it with the disrespect AND NOBODY GETS TO MAKE THEIR NAME OFF OF JERRY LYNN TONIGHT!!!

The furious champion continues to back further up the ramp, as Ki looks confused inside of the ring. The heat from the fans is just getting louder and louder.

Jerry Lynn: SCREW YOU, LOW KI AND SCREW ALABAMA AS WELL!!!

Low Ki continues to beckon for Lynn to come back, and the fans aren’t happy with what’s happening, but Jerry Lynn pays neither of them any attention.

Lynn simple shakes his head, swatting away any idea of returning with his hand, before turning his back and walking through the curtain.

The heat from the fans is enormous as Low Ki shakes his head, hands on hips, and in that rather anticlimactic fashion, we cut to our first commercial break of the evening.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

When we return from the commercial break, we are in the backstage area, and the cameras follow a furious Jerry Lynn, who storms down a hallway, ECW TV Title still in his hand. Lynn doesn’t stop for a moment, barging through numerous random people in the hallway, and kicking open a door, which leads to the parking lot.

The champion speed walks to an SUV, and he happens to have his car keys in his hand (must have picked them up during the commercial break). Lynn presses a button which pops the trunk, and he throws the TV Title into the trunk.

With a frustrated look still on his face, Lynn slams the trunk shut, before climbing into the driver’s seat, and Lynn takes off, leaving the arena. The embarrassment from Low Ki has caused Jerry Lynn to leave the show and abandon his open challenge…

…

Back at ringside, “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors begins pumping through the speakers, and the fans pop pretty loudly, as a man who hasn’t been seen recently, Super Crazy steps onto the stage. The Mexican fan favorite takes a moment or two at the top of the ramp, surveying the arena, before he sprints down the ramp and leaps through the middle rope and into the ring. Once inside of the ring, Crazy poses on the top rope, getting more cheers from the adoring fans. As Crazy continues to bounce off of the ropes, “Sad But True” by Metallica plays throughout the arena, and gets basically no reaction as Tom Marquez begins making his way towards the ring. Barely any reaction from the fans continues as the former ‘Prodigy’ gets into the ring and gets ready for battle.

Match One
Super Crazy vs. Tom Marquez

In the early stages, as the two lock up and Super Crazy immediately begins to show his superiority, the fans remain switched off and even the commentators ignore the action. Joey Styles damn near almost apologizes for the match, stating that it was a rushed, put together replacement match, as this segment was supposed to be filled by Jerry Lynn’s ECW Television Championship Open Challenge. The match continues as you would expect, with ‘The Extreme Luchadore’ dominating and never really looking like he is in trouble.

After a couple of minutes of playing with his food, Crazy decides to end things, by passing the smaller Moonsaults, and heading straight to the top… BEFORE LEAPING OFF OF THE TOP ROPE AND CONNECTING WITH A MOONSAULT ON THE PRONE BODY OF MARQUEZ!!!

The fans chant “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” for the epic high risk move, as SC takes a moment or two, selling the impact of the move. CRAZY THEN HOOKS THE LEG AND THE REFEREE MAKES THE ACADEMIC COUNT…1…2…3!!!

Winner - Super Crazy @ 2:34

The bell signals the end of the match, and the fans pop, probably showing their support for the victorious Super Crazy, but also celebrating that the match is over. Speaking of celebrating, Crazy has his hand raised by the ref, before ascending to the top rope to continue his celebration.

As mentioned previously, the ovation is pretty good for Super Crazy, who seems to be pleased to be back in action. Crazy continues to enjoy the spoils of victory, as Tom Marquez hasn’t looked like moving a muscle.

The final image we get is Super Crazy with a smile on his face, enjoying the spoils of victory, before we cut away…

…

And we cut to another video package playing…

***

The video package opens and its night time, before we scan across various busy roads, flashing lights of cars and buildings coming across our screens. Suddenly, we pan out to a bird’s eye view of the whole city, revealing none other than New York City.

The camera seems to pick up steam, showing numerous images and shots of different streets that make up the heart of New York City, as all important text comes over the screen.

“THE KING OF THE STREETS IS COMING FOR HIS TURF”

We get one last view of New York City, before the video package fades to black.

***​

Once the video package has been completed, the ring is once again empty, but before we get on to another match, it’s time for another commercial break.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

With our second commercial break of the night having finished, we’re at ringside once again, where “Super Bon Bon” by Soul Coughing rocks throughout the arena, and two men in a better mood than Jerry Lynn, Danny Doring and Roadkill appear from the backstage area. Doring and Roadkill both seem in good spirits, slapping hands with the fans, who as always are giving them a PRETTY LOUD ovation. As they get into the ring, Doring and Roady share some final words of strategy, knowing tonight could be another crucial match on their quest for a title shot. “Big Balls” by Boner gets a JUST AS NICE reception from the fans as Balls Mahoney and Pierre Carl Oulette, collectively known as Eye Balls, make their way down towards the ring. As usual, Mahoney and Oulette carry a chair each, and on this particular night, one reads “DORING”, whilst the other reads “ROADKILL”. Doring actually smirks at his name being on a chair, showing no signs of fear, as finally, all four men are inside of the ring. The four men share a respectful nod before talking amongst their own teams, deciding who is going to start the match.

Match Two
Danny Doring and Roadkill vs. Eye Balls

Despite the show of respect before the bell rung, once the match started, it was a case of white line fever for both these teams. There was no hesitation from either team as they went hell for leather, doing all they could to up the other team. In the early stages, there isn’t really a period of domination from either team, as momentum changes are quite frequent, showing just how evenly matched these two teams are. Considering how good of a face against face match this is, the fans struggle to decide who to cheer for throughout, popping for all of Doring and Roadkill’s offence, but spontaneously breaking out into chants of “EYE BALLS”, “EYE BALLS”, “EYE BALLS”.

As the match progressed, it was a little easier to see some trends begin to develop. Eye Balls identified that Danny Doring was the weak link of the opposition and tried to isolate him whenever they could. The strategy seemed to work as well, because every time Doring got in a one on one situation against either Mahoney or PCO, he seemed to get overwhelmed by their strength. The former tag team champions are exactly that though, a tag team, and they were able to use some of their awesome double team moves to stay in the match. On the other side of the coin though, every time Roadkill got into the ring, Eye Balls’ strength based game plan no longer worked, as Roady was able to out hoss Balls and Pierre in a one on one situation.

As with most, if not all tag team matches, as we come to the end of the contest, all hell has broken loose, and all four men are involved, one way or another. Danny Doring and Roadkill manage to extract PCO from the ring and double team Mahoney. After softening him up, Doring heads to the top rope… AS ROADY LIFTS MAHONEY UP IN A WHEEL BARROW POSITION… PERHAPS SETTING UP FOR THE BUGGY BANG… BUT PCO INTERRUPTS… BY KNOCKING ROADKILL DOWN WITH A STIFF LARIAT!!!

Doring looks shocked and prepares to climb off of the ropes, but before he can, Oulette bounces off the ropes. This causes Danny to lose balance and crotch himself on the top rope. Ever the rugged veteran, PCO adjusts his eye patch, before helping Balls back to his feet. Eye Balls nod at each other, realizing Roadkill is out of it, so Balls head to the top rope… AND GRABS DORING… GETTING HIM IN POSITION… AND DROPPING HIM WITH THE NUTCRACKER SUITE!!!

The fans mark out for the big time move, as Doring is out of it, and PCO is already waiting on the top rope of the opposite corner. He waits for Mahoney to roll out of the way… BEFORE LEAPING OFF OF THE TOP ROPE… PCO LANDS ON DORING WITH LE’ CANNONBALL!!!

As Pierre clutches at his back, MAHONEY LEAPS ON TOP FOR THE COVER…1…2…3!!!

Winners – Eye Balls @ 13:48

An enormous pop rings out once the final count is made, as Eye Balls have probably shocked a lot of people by defeating a team with all the momentum in the world. Mahoney and PCO share a hug, before having their hands raised in victory by the referee.

Danny Doring and Roadkill have managed to roll to the outside, where they lick their wounds on the outside. They are clearly in agony, but they also know that they will be back on another day. As for right now though, it’s all about Eye Balls, as they pretend to lead the choir, as the fans chant along with chants of “BALLS”, “BALLS”, “BALLS”, and “EYE”, “EYE”, “EYE”.

The victors continue to have fun with the fans, but the ovation begins to sour, with some heat kicking in…

AS BOTH MEMBERS OF EYE BALLS GET DROPPED FROM BEHIND…

BY THE FULL BLOODED ITALIANS!!!

LITTLE GUIDO… TONY MAMALUKE… AND SAL E. GRAZIANO!!!

The Italians have clobbered Mahoney and Oulette from behind, and after being exhausted from their match, they don’t have the energy to fight back.

Doring and Roadkill are still down on the outside as well, so it’s simply open season for The FBI as they continue to stomp all over Eye Balls.

The fans BOO the hell out of what’s happening, but that doesn’t worry The FBI at all. They continue to beat down both men, until they are convinces that there are incapacitated.

Guido then grabs the arms of Mahoney, whilst Mamaluke grabs his legs, and they completely stretch the body of Mahoney over the canvas. With Mahoney stretched out… BIG SAL LEAPS AND SQUASHES WITH A BIG TIME SPLASH!!!

Groans echo throughout the arena as all the air is driven from the body of Balls. Mamaluke and Guido now do the same thing to PCO, stretching him out… AND BIG SAL LEAPS AGAIN… THIS TIME SQUASHING PCO WITH A BIG TIME SPLASH!!!

Everybody inside the arena is pissed, unhappy, but The FBI has certainly made an impression. All three get up and Guido dusts his hands together, signaling that the job is done.

We get one last view of Eye Balls down inside of the ring, and Doring and Roadkill down on the outside, before we see The FBI, standing strong in the middle of the ring…

…

Before we cut to the final commercial break of the evening, we get our final video package of the evening…

***

The video package begins with text reading “LAST WEEK”.

The fans BOO the result as the referee raises Corino’s hand before quickly rushing from the ring. It’s with good reason to as Dreamer has bounces straight back to his feet, and he’s SWINGINGWILDLY, trying to attack anything that moves.

He doesn’t have much luck though, still having vision issues after the fireball incident. On commentary, Joey Styles and Joel Gertner mention that the fireball must have been a glancing blow, because Tommy doesn’t seem to be as hurt as The Sandman and Corino were when they received it.

Either way, it doesn’t matter because just as Dreamer starts to corner Corino, CW ANDERSON BELTS HIM WITH A LEFT FOREARM TO THE NECK FROM BEHIND!!! The heat from the fans picks up as from here we have a two on one assault, with Anderson and Corino beating the hell out of Dreamer with punches and kicks.

The beating continues when “Enter Sandman” by Metallica blares throughout the arena and gets an EPIC POP as The Sandman appears in the bleachers. CW and Corino pay him no attention, continuing to not allow Tommy to breathe, as Sandman foregoes his beer and cigarette and rather hurriedly makes his way through the fans, before sliding into the ring.

As always, The Sandman is accompanied by his trusty Singapore Cane, so when CW sprints at him… THE SANDMAN TAKES ANDERSON’S HEAD OFF WITH A SINGAPORE CANE RIGHT TO THE FACE!!!

“ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants ring out again for the weapon use, as Corino is mounting Dreamer… ONLY TO COP A SHOT TO THE HEAD WITH THE SINGAPORE CANE AS WELL!!!

Just like that, The Sandman has evened the odds, getting cheered loudly, and he raises the Singapore Cane above his head… UNTIL DAWN MARIE SNEAKS FROM BEHIND AND NAILS A LOW BLOW ON THE SANDMAN!!!

Dawn is quick to get back out of the ring, when The Sandman drops to his knees, and now all four men are down inside of the ring. The fans are urging Dreamer and Sandman to get up, and The Sandman is the first to get up, still favoring his groin… AND HE STUMBLES STRAIGHT INTO AN ANDERSON SPINEBUSTER FROM CW!!!

Meanwhile, Corino is back up as well now, and Dawn Marie grabs a steel chair and slides it into the ring. The ‘King Of Old School’ picks up the steel chair, before standing over the tired Dreamer, who is trying his best to get up. CORINO SMASHES THE STEEL CHAIR ACROSS THE BACK OF TOMMY… And Dreamer falls back flat, but immediately tries to get up again… SO CORINO LANDS A SECOND AND A THIRD SHOT WITH THE STEEL CHAIR ACROSS THE BACK!!!

Even though the violence is coming from the heels, another “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant starts up. Corino smugly stands over Dreamer now, yelling “I DARE YOU TO FIGHT BACK”, whilst CW stands over Sandman and yells, “NOBODY STANDS UP TO AN ANDERSON”!

Almost as if on cue, “Walk” by Kilgore BLOWS THE ROOF OFF OF THE ARENA as the familiar theme song signals the arrival of Rob Van Dam. Sensing that his teammates for Heatwave are in trouble, Van Dam jogs down the ramp, paying the fans no attention, but as he goes to get into the ring… CW AND CORINO BEGIN KICKING THE ROPES, NOT ALLOWING RVD TO GET INTO THE RING!!!

He tries a few more times but they continue to block his entrance to the ring, much to the dismay of the fans. Eventually RVD rolls his eyes and turns around in frustration, hands on hips… BUT HE TURNS STRAIGHT INTO A DEADLY GORE OUTSIDE OF THE RING BY…

THE ECW CHAMPION RHINO!!!

Nobody expected that so another “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant rings out from the crowd. Rhino pounded his chest with pride, before not even acknowledging his Network comrades and just turning around and stomping off to the back.

Van Dam is broken in half on the floor, not even looking like recovering, as inside of the ring, Corino and Anderson continue to beat the hell out of Dreamer and Sandman. Wanting to finish off with a bang, Corino yells to Victory, “GIVE ME YOUR BELT”, and Victory immediately undoes his belt and passes it to Corino.

Corino stands over Dreamer again… BEFORE GOING TO TOWN… WHIPPING HIM REPETITIVELY WITH THE BELT, CAUSING WELTS TO POP UP ALL OVER HIS BODY!!!

The noise of the shots can be heard throughout the entire arena, as Corino now tosses the belt to Anderson. Following Corino’s lead… CW NOW WHIPS THE SHIT OUT OF THE SANDMAN WITH THE SAME BELT!!!

Brutality is the name of the game, and The Network seems to have won tonight. Having finally had enough, the fans begin chanting “FUCK THE NETWORK”, “FUCK THE NETWORK”, “FUCK THE NETWORK”, not enjoying the fact that Dreamer and Sandman have been left lying, with welts all over their bodies.

Meanwhile, Dawn Marie gets back into the ring now, standing next to Victory, Corino and Anderson, and the four raise their hands in the air, in celebration mode.

The quartet continue to celebrate over the fallen bodies of Dreamer and Sandman, as the crowd begins hurling garbage into the ring, and we fade to black…

***​

Once the video package is done, we head straight back to the ‘ECW set’, where a suited and booted Joey Styles and Joel Gertner are standing by. Much like earlier in the evening, they seem to be in good spirits, ready to make some sort of announcement.

Joey Styles: Ladies and gentlemen, we are just moments away from the ECW Championship being on the line when Rhino defends against Lance Storm. Before we get to that though, we have a quick announcement to make based off of the events which occurred last week. As you just saw, the ending to last week’s show saw involvement from the competitors in the six man tag team match that has been announced for Heatwave. After being helpless and being forced to watch his teammates be attacked last week, Rob Van Dam has wanted revenge and he is being given the opportunity next week. I can’t help but think Cyrus and The Network have something up their sleeve, as next week’s ECW Hardcore TV will hold a main event featuring CW Anderson going one on one with Rob Van Dam!!!

Joel Gertner: CW Anderson and The Network got one up on our pro ECW guys, but Rob Van Dam has been in a foul mood ever since Heatwave. I wouldn’t want to be CW Anderson next week!

Joey Styles: However before we get to next week, we’ve still got one hell of a main event tonight. Rhino defending the ECW Title against Lance Storm right after this commercial break!!!

The two sign off one last time as we cut to our final commercial break of the evening.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

We return to an electric atmosphere inside the arena, as everybody is pumped for tonight’s main event. Not wasting any more time, “El Phantasmo And The Chicken Run Blast O Rama” by White Zombie is up first, and the positive ovation is GIGANTIC, as everybody’s favorite extreme Canadian, Lance Storm slaps hands with the audience. He makes his way to the ring rather quickly, a serious look on his face, before climbing the ropes and signaling that the title is coming around his waist, which gets another big ovation from the fans. Almost before “Debonaire” by Dope hits our intense ECW Champion Rhino is already storming down the ramp. Storm looks confident inside the ring, as the champion snarls and spits his way down the ramp, inside of the ring and right into the face of Storm. Suddenly, Rhino drops the title onto the canvas and yells at the referee to “RING THE FUCKING BELL”!

Match Three
ECW Championship Match
Rhino (c) defends against Lance Storm

The most highly anticipated match on Hardcore TV in quite some time certainly delivered, as these two men went at it. As per usual, Rhino looks to use his explosive strength and straight viciousness to run through yet another opponent, but at this point in his career, Storm is a wily veteran who has dealt with everything before. The Canadian manages to avoid Rhino’s explosiveness in the early stages, using his supreme foot work to constantly avoid some of the champion’s hot headed attacks. After demonstrating that he can’t be caught, Storm then begins to contain Rhino’s explosiveness, using a mix of speed and beautiful technical wrestling to keep the champion grounded. Whilst not in any harm of losing in the early stages, Rhino gets frustrated as the commentators put over the fact that Storm is dealing with Rhino better than just about anybody, except maybe Rob Van Dam.

No matter how good you are though, there is only a certain amount of time; you can stay on top of Rhino before he regains the ascendency. After being outwrestled for the first few minutes of the contest, ‘The Big Fuckin’ Deal’ strikes with a savage Clothesline out of nowhere, sending Storm tumbling across the ring. With that one move the entire match changes. From here, this becomes a typical Rhino contest as he uses his sadistic, no mercy nature to beat the living hell out of Lance Storm. Rhino dominates for a fair portion of the contest, even scoring several near falls, but Storm proves his toughness, refusing to stay down.

Resiliency is something every champion needs to have, and Storm proves that he has it in spades, taking all of Rhino’s offense, but then managing to still fight back with some of his own. The Canadian seems to catch the overly aggressive champion off guard once or twice, and this allows him back into the contest. As Storm manages to maintain a vertical base and the speed of the match picks back up, the challenger regains complete control. Storm lands several big moves, looking really impressive, but Rhino keeps kicking out of some close pinfall attempts. After another failed attempt at ending the match, Lance gets to his feet, but Rhino was crazily already up, and he kicked Storm in the gut before dropping him with a Vertical Suplex. Rhino then went outside of the ring and pulled a WOODEN TABLE from underneath the ring and slid it into the ring. Rhino leans the table up against a corner of the ring, before dragging Storm up and hoisting him up onto his shoulder, in position for a Powerslam… RHINO THEN CHARGES ACROSS THE RING… POWER SLAMMING STORM THROUGH THE DAMN TABLE!!!

Rhino lets out a satisfied roar whilst the fans mark out with chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. Not wasting anytime, Rhino quickly drags the lifeless body of Storm out of the rubble… AND MAKES THE COVER…1…2…3…NO!!! LANCE MANAGES TO KICK OUT AT THE LAST SECOND!!!

The champion shakes his head in anger, annoyed at the match not being over, before getting back to his feet and standing over the carcass of his opponent. Rhino decides to drag Storm back to the center of the ring… BEFORE GETTING HIM IN POSITION FOR A PILEDRIVER… BUT STORM POWERS OUT WITH A BACK BODY DROP…

AND THEN STORM ROLLS BACKWARDS, INCREDIBLY LOCKING IN THE MAPLE LEAF!!!!

Storm screams as he applies as much pressure as possible, whilst Rhino screams in agony. The referee is in perfect position, ready to see if Rhino gives up, but there is no sign of him quitting in the champion. Instead, he grits his teeth, digs his nails into the canvas and begins trying to claw himself towards the ropes. Rhino makes a little bit of progress but is nowhere near making the ropes… WHEN STORM LETS GO OF THE HOLD???

BECAUSE STEVE CORINO IS STANDING ON THE APRON!!!

Our Canadian challenger immediately charges across the ring, dropping Corino with a right hand, which sends him crashing to the concrete floor on the outside. Lance leans over the ropes and sends a message to Corino, yelling “STAY OUT OF MY WAY”! Unfortunately for Storm, the incredible resilient and persistent champion is already back to his feet… BUT STORM SENSES IT… AND BOUNCES OFF THE ROPES WITH A SPRINGBOARD SPINNING HEEL KICK!!!

Both men collapse to the mat… SO STORM MAKES THE COVER…

BUT THERE IS NO COUNT… BECAUSE THE REFEREE HAS BEEN DRAGGED OUT OF THE RING…

BY CYRUS!!!

Storm doesn’t realize at first, but Rhino shoots a shoulder off of the canvas, despite there being no count. It’s hard to know for sure whether he would have beaten the three count, but either way, this match will continue. The heat is volcanic for Cyrus as he argues with the referee on the outside of the ring. Suddenly, Lance notices why there was no count, and he sees Cyrus, realizing that he is about to be part of a Network screw job. Eyes bulging with anger, Storm gets out of the ring… AND BEGINS CHASING CYRUS… WHO RUNS AROUND THE RING AS IF HIS LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!!!

Storm chases Cyrus and gets closer as they have done a lap of the ring, but Cyrus just manages to stay out of arms reach. They begin to do a second lap and Cyrus turns a corner, but as Storm does… HE GETS MOWED DOWN WITH A FUCKING GORE BY RHINO OUT OF NOWHERE!!!

The challenger for the gold is no longer moving after the Gore on the concrete floor, as Cyrus jumps up with joy. Despite being irritated by the circumstances, the fans can’t help but break out into another “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant. Rhino looks angrier than we have maybe ever seen him, as he jumps up to his feet, adrenaline having kicked in, and he lifts the dead weight of Storm up, and rolls him back into the ring. Instead of capitalizing on it though, Rhino turns his attention to Cyrus and the now recovered Corino, saying “I DON’T NEED YOUR FUCKING HELP… LEAVE”! Cyrus and Corino look a little confused as Rhino gets back into the ring, once again turning his back on Storm and motions for his fellow Network buddies to leave. Finally, Rhino turns his attention back to Storm, AND LOOKS FOR A PILEDRIVER… BUT HE’S TAKEN TO LONG AND STORM IS PLAYING POSSUM… SO LANCE SHRUGS RHINO OFF AND HITS HIM WITH A LOW BLOW!!!

Before Rhino can hit the deck, holding his groin… LANCE NAILS HIM WITH A SUPERKICK!!!

The fans are losing their shit, chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” echoing throughout the arena. Cyrus and Corino are jumping up and down on the outside, clearly concerned, as for the second time tonight; LANCE STORM LOCKS THE MAPLE LEAF ONTO RHINO!!!

He wrenches the hold, as Rhino looks incredibly vulnerable, putting his head in his hands, screaming in despair. Storm continues to apply pressure, WHEN CRYUS JUMPS UP ONTO THE APRON… DISTRACTING THE REFEREE….

SO CORINO CAN SNEAK INTO THE RING AND LEVEL STORM WITH AN OLD SCHOOL KICK!!!

Boos can be heard from the cans as Corino leaves the ring, and Cyrus jumps back off of the apron, telling the referee to do his job. A limping Rhino uses the ropes to pull himself back up… AND HE FINALLY CONNECTS WITH THE PILEDRIVER ON STORM!!!

RHINO CRAWLS ON TOP OF STORM, MAKING THE COVER…1…2…3!!!

Winner –Rhino @ 16:20

The bell rings and the audience are a little unsure on how to react, a mixed reaction emanating from the fans. Meanwhile Rhino gets back to his feet, looking truly exhausted, but he still manages to scare away the referee who attempts to raise his hand.

Cyrus and Steve Corino quickly step into the ring, both with huge smiles on their faces. Storm rolls to the outside, clearly still out of it, as Cyrus gives Rhino the ECW Title, before twirling a microphone around in his hands.

Now that it’s not just Rhino and it’s The Network celebrating, it’s pure heat from the fans. Corino puts a hand on Rhino’s shoulder, looking to continue celebrating, BUT RHINO CLUTCHES ONTO HIS ECW TITLE… AND SHOVES CORINO AWAY FROM HIM!!!

Cheers pick up a little for that as Corino and Cyrus seems concerned. The uncontrollable champion begins pacing around the ring, yelling “RHINO… RHINO… RHINO… RHINO… RHINO” at the top of his lungs.

‘The King of Old School’ and the leader of The Network both attempts to calm Rhino down, but he unleashes, “I TOLD YOU NOT TO FUCKING INTERFERE… I DIDN’T NEED YOUR HELP… FUCK YOU GUYS… I’M THE CHAMP”!!!

The fans are marking out now, as Rhino seems to be rebelling against The Network. At the behest of Cyrus, Corino takes a step back from Rhino as Cyrus calmly speaks over the microphone.

Cyrus: You know what, we’re sorry. We messed up, you are the champion, we apologize. It’s okay…

Corino nods along, understanding that Cyrus is trying to calm the champ down. At this stage, Rhino just continues to pace back and forth, seething with anger.

Cyrus: Our interference didn’t do anything to make you look bad anyway. Everybody knows Lance Storm isn’t good enough to challenge you.

Finally, Rhino begins to settle as he stands in line with Cyrus and Corino now, yelling “NOBODY IS GOOD ENOUGH”!!!

Cyrus: Speaking of who is good enough, I do have an announcement to make here tonight regarding the ECW Championship. Justin Credible is too injured and can’t get clearance to fight Rhino at the pay per view.

A pop can be heard for the announcement of Credible dropping out, which annoys Cyrus somewhat. Rhino and Corino don’t seem too bothered though.

Cyrus: As unfortunate as Justin’s injury is, the show must go on, so we’re going to have to call a substitution.

Everybody’s ears prick up now, waiting for the announcement.

Cyrus: After some serious deliberation with The Network, I think I’ve come up with the perfect replacement. It will be… The…

Cyrus is interrupted as “Walk” by Kilgore hits AND THE FANS LOSE THEIR MINDS, jumping up and down like crazy as Rob Van Dam steps through the curtain. Cyrus and Corino look really irritated at the interruption, but they are forced to attempt to hold Rhino back, as he looks ready to head outside of the ring and attack RVD.

Seeing Rhino’s reaction seems to make Van Dam smirk as he walks down the ramp, enjoying the “RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD” chants that he is being serenaded with. Once at ringside, RVD stands still, deciding not to step into the ring with the numbers disadvantage.

Van Dam puts the microphone to his mouth, but before he can speak, Cyrus takes over.

Cyrus: Before I was ever so rudely interrupted, I was going to name the New F’ing show as the replacement for Heatwave.

Massive heat from the fans as RVD shakes his head in disgust.

Cyrus: Considering you’re the old show, I can see how you must have got confused.

More heat from the fans as Cyrus and Steve Corino laugh at his lame joke. Rhino and RVD just continue to shoot daggers at each other though.

Rob Van Dam: No, you see that’s where you’ve got it wrong. I’m not confused, dude.

Cyrus looks irritated at being called dude, but RVD ignores it.

Rob Van Dam: After all the interference and the shit that went down at Hardcore Heaven, I want one more shot!

As you can imagine, the pop is GIGANTIC as the fans are all for seeing Rhino and RVD go at it again. Van Dam nods along with the fans, as Rhino invites RVD to get into the ring now. Cyrus quickly shakes his head in a negative fashion, hosing down the idea.

Cyrus: As far as I’m concerned, second chances are for losers. You had your shot…

Suddenly, RHINO SNATCHES THE MICROPHONE OUT OF CYRUS’ HAND!!! Cyrus and Corino can’t believe it, mouths wide in shock, as the fans cheer the move.

Rhino: YOU’VE FUCKING GOT IT!!!

The fans mark out for that announcement as Rhino begins pacing back and forth, motioning for Van Dam to get into the ring.

Rhino: LET’S DO IT RIGHT NOW!!!

Cyrus haphazardly but politely asks for the microphone back and Rhino gives it. Off of the microphone, its clear Cyrus is doing his best to calm Rhino down.

Cyrus: You know what? Fine. I’m a giving man. If my monster wants it…

Rhino raises his eyebrows at almost being called Cyrus’ property, but nobody else seems to notice.

Cyrus: I’ll do the right thing and I’ll let it happen!!!

An EPIC pop reverberates throughout the arena as Rhino vs. RVD for Heatwave has been made official. Even Van Dam claps his hands together, happy with Cyrus’ decision.

Cyrus: I’ll do the right thing and let it happen under one condition. I want one stipulation added…

A worrying sight for sure, a shit eating grin appears on Cyrus’ face.

Cyrus: Rob Van Dam, I’ll give you a shot…

He pauses, building the anticipation.

Cyrus: BUT IF YOU LOSE, YOU’RE GONE FROM ECW!!!

A hushed silence comes over the arena, as everybody seems shocked at the stipulation that will be on the line. After a few more moments, RVD NODS, CONFIRMING THAT HE ACCEPTS THE MATCH!!!

Corino and Cyrus both look pretty content, when suddenly, RHINO PUSHES CYRUS AND CORINO OUT OF THE WAY AND LEAPS OUT OF THE RING!!!

RHINO AND ROB VAN DAM BEGIN TRADING RIGHT HANDS!!!

“ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants start up again, as Rhino and RVD continue to do battle, neither man willing to take a backwards step.

The punches continue to be thrown… UNTIL ABOUT HALF THE ROSTER AND A SHIT LOAD OF SECURITY HURRY DOWN THE RAMP AND BEGIN SEPERATING THE TWO!!!

RVD and Rhino are both trying to break free from their capture, whilst Cyrus shares a worried look with Corino inside of the ring.

The two most hated rivals continue to be held at bay, pandemonium only a second away, as we fade to black…

END OF SHOW

***

Current Card for ECW Heatwave
July 15th, 2001
Dayton, Ohio

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match;
Title vs. ECW Career:
Rhino (c) defends against Rob Van Dam

Grudge Match:
CW Anderson, Jerry Lawler and Steve Corino vs. The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer​

 

[Stojy]

ECW Hardcore TV
June 23rd, 2001
Mobile, Alabama​

Much like last week’s show, the show opens without the in ring introductions, and instead we see Joey Styles and Joel Gertner standing by. Of course they are in front of the same mesh fence, with the crooked “ECW” sign hanging in the background, but both men seem happy to be there, looking slick in their suit and ties. The duo shoot looks to their left and right, listening, happy to allow the fans from inside the arena to continue their chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. Eventually, the most passionate fans in the business quiet down, allowing the commentators to begin to speak.

Joey Styles: Hi everybody and welcome to another edition of Extreme Championship Wrestling’s Hardcore TV! I’m Joey Styles, with me is Joel Gertner, and we’ve got another crazy night in store for all of you, as things just keep getting hotter and hotter in ECW, with a clear Heatwave on the way.

Joel Gertner: It’s getting hot and sweaty to the point where I might need to start thinking about trading in this suit and tie for my birthday suit… Anyway, I didn’t think we could top last week’s show, but with some of the action we have in store tonight, we just might.

Joey Styles: And it doesn’t get any bigger than tonight’s main event. Rob Van Dam has officially been removed from The Network versus ECW six man tag team match at Heatwave, instead putting his career on the line to get one more shot at Rhino and the ECW Championship. With that being said, Van Dam is clearly pro Network, and after watching The Network do a number on Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman two weeks ago, RVD has his chance for revenge tonight. Tonight’s main event will be Rob Van Dam going one on one with CW Anderson!!!

Both commentators smile at the announcement, with Gertner rubbing his hands together in excitement.

Joel Gertner: What a match it’s going to be. CW Anderson is arguably on the biggest roll of his career after defeating Tommy Dreamer at Hardcore Heaven in a Last Man Standing match, whilst there is a reason they call RVD ‘The Whole F’n Show’.

Joey Styles: Our main event isn’t our only course of action tonight, as we have also received word that later on tonight, we will have another big announcement to make. Word has come from the office of Cyrus himself that we will numerous big time matches announced for upcoming TV tapings.

Joel Gertner: Let’s hope Cyrus actually gives us what we want to see, and not what The Network wants to see!!!

Styles nods with a knowing smirk, clearly agreeing with the anti Network Gertner.

Joey Styles: That’s for a little later but one thing I know for certain is that we definitely want to see tonight’s opening match. These two debuted together at Living Dangerously back in March and since then their careers have been linked. On their debut, Christopher Daniels managed to defeat Low Ki but refused to shake his hand after the match in a blatant show of disrespect. Since then, Low Ki has been chasing that win back and almost got it at Hardcore Heaven, however Lance Storm managed to pin Little Guido first. Tonight, as a matter of fact right now, is the chance for Low Ki to get his win back, as coming up next is Christopher Daniels versus Low Ki!!!

A BIG cheer echoes throughout the arena for that announcement, followed by more chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. As the chants continue, Styles and Gertner send us to ringside, allowing them time to scramble to their usual commentary position…

…

We’re now at ringside where “Wings Of A Fallen Angel” by Dale Oliver interrupts the “ECDUBBYA” chants, and gets a MAMMOTH amount of heat, as Christopher Daniels heads towards the ring. Wearing his usual dark hood, ‘The Fallen Angel’ slowly makes his way down the ramp, casting his eyes to the sky, looking up from where he was sent. Daniels seems almost oblivious to the negative reception from the audience, instead just getting into the ring, before ripping off his hood to reveal his usual strange painted on symbols over his face. “Born In China” by The Immortals then hits and the fans ERUPT with a big time pop and a round of applause, as Low Ki stalks his way down the ramp as only he can. ‘The Warrior’ locks eyes with Daniels half way down the ramp and doesn’t break eye contact, showing exactly where he is. Despite the hatred/competitiveness between the two, once they are in the ring, they are both calm, waiting for the referee to signal for the match to begin.

Match One
Christopher Daniels vs. Low Ki

Finally, it’s here. A rematch from Living Dangerously as Daniels and Ki’s tension will hopefully finally be put to rest tonight in this match. The two circle each other in the early stages, really cagey, until Ki stops and shows that he’s a warrior with honour, once again offering his hand to ‘The Fallen Angel’. Daniels pauses, looking a little taken aback, before surveying the audience, who encourage him to take the hand. He thinks about it for a moment or two before flipping Ki off, much to the dismay of the fans, and Daniels immediately locks in a Side Headlock as the two transition straight into some competitive mat work.

As good as Low Ki is, and as calm and calculated as he is, something about Daniels and the allure of Daniels brings out the worst of him in the early stages. Whilst he’s still competitive due to his skill level, he’s a little over eager at times, and Daniels uses his experience to almost sit back and wait for Ki to make a mistake. Unfortunately for Daniels though, he has no respect which also fails to allow him to finish off Low Ki. Daniels has the advantage for a fair portion of the match but instead of going for the kill, he decides to taunt Ki, which allows Low Ki to come back with some rapid fire kicks and other strikes.

‘The Warrior’ really managed to have Daniels rocking and reeling but was only able to gain a couple of near falls, with Christopher showing off his resilience. Just as it seemed as if Daniels was out of it, having been on the defensive for a long period of time, he manages to land a thumb to the eye of Low Ki which completely drains his momentum. From there, it’s the same as most Daniels’ matches so far in ECW, as he begins focusing on the neck of Low Ki. The commentators put over the success that this strategy had on Spike Dudley and Balls Mahoney, and it seems as if it will have a similar outcome on Low Ki.

Ki has heart though, so much like Daniels earlier in the contest, he refuses to let his shoulders stay on the mat for the count of three. He shows his grit and determination, slowly fighting back, and we get to the final portion of the match with both men meeting in the centre of the ring. Having gone a long time already, both men are exhausted, but they throw shots at each other, before the finishing sequence shows both men going for their biggest moves, and the other being smart enough to counter. Ki eventually headed up to the top rope and leapt off, looking for a Crossbody but Daniels landed a Dropkick in mid air, which well and truly gave him the advantage.

Sensing the end is near; Daniels drags Ki to his feet… AND GETS HIM IN POSITION FOR THE LAST RITES… BUT KI KICKS DANIELS IN THE HEAD TWICE… BREAKING HIS GRIP… BEFORE SYNCHING IN THE DRAGON CLUTCH!!!

The fans mark out as Daniels begins flailing his arms wildly, trying to get out of the hold, but he’s caught in the centre of the ring. It seems as if Ki is finally going to beat Daniels, as he applies more and more pressure on the hold, and it seems as if Daniels is fading. The referee continues to check on Daniels, who is yet to submit, as the fans start up a rabid “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant. The chant continues, as Daniels fades further, and the referee raises his arm in the air, checking for signs of life…

DANIELS’ ARM DROPS ONCE…

The referee raises his arm in the air again…

DANIELS’ ARM DROPS TWICE…

One more drop and it’s over. Ki readjusts his grip, leaning back, applying as much pressure, as possible, when the referee raises Daniels arm in the air again…

Daniels still hasn’t moved…

WHEN SUDDENLY THE BELL RINGS???

The referee lets go of Daniels’ arm, which drops by the way, before having a conversation with the timekeeper and ring announcer, looking awfully confused. After a moment or two, the result is confirmed and announced much to the chagrin of the fans.

Time Limit Draw @ 15:00

Once the result settles in, Low Ki looks rather fed up inside of the ring, a shake of his head visible for all to see, as the referee explains to him exactly what happened. Meanwhile, in the corner of the ring, with a sly smirk on his face, Daniels gasps for air, realising that he has escaped another match without being pinned or submitted.

The fans are unhappy with the result, and they begin a chant of “FIVE MORE MINUTES”, “FIVE MORE MINUTES”, “FIVE MORE MINUTES”. ‘The Fallen Angel’ pays them no attention as he uses the ropes to pull himself up, however the chants seem to give Low Ki an idea, so he grabs a microphone from ringside.

Ki waits until Daniels is back up and steady on his feet, before looking him in the eye and speaking.

Low Ki: I don’t think this is the type of finish that anybody wanted to see. I came down to Mobile to win a match.

A big cheer for the ever serious Low Ki, as Daniels just rolls his eyes.

Low Ki: I shouldn’t have to deal with the same crap two weeks in a row. Last week, before our match could even start, Jerry Lynn walked out on me.

Boos for the mention of the TV Champion, whilst Daniels looks at Ki as if to say “so what”.

Low Ki: I know me and you don’t see eye to eye, and we never will, but you’re not Jerry Lynn. You have a little more honour than that.

The fans aren’t sure how to react, so Ki continues his speech with CD looking bemused.

Low Ki: Everybody has more honour than a champion who walks away from a fight… But maybe you don’t have that much more honour than Jerry if you can’t give me…

Ki points at himself and then Daniels as he keeps speaking.

Low Ki: If you can’t give yourself…

‘The Warrior’ now points to the fans.

Low Ki: And more importantly then us, if you can’t give these people an honest result. So what do you say, Daniels, to five more minutes?

Another LOUD pop emanates from the fans as they are all for the awesome match continuing. Christopher Daniels politely extends his hand, asking for the microphone and Ki hands it over amicably. The fans encourage Daniels to agree to five more minutes, much like they encouraged him with the handshake earlier in the night, however he seems unsure. Once again, Daniels surveys the audience, gauging their reaction before he finally speaks.

Christopher Daniels: I must admit that was a pretty good speech. You know what I think?

‘The Fallen Angel’ smirks as Low Ki nods his head, stating “yeah”, when DANIELS CHEAP SHOTS LOW KI WITH A MICROPHONE SHOT TO THE HEAD!!!

The heat is enormous as the fallen warrior clutches at his head on the canvas, meanwhile Daniels looks down with absolute disdain in his eyes.

With Low Ki still out of it, Daniels quickly drags him up to his feet… BEFORE DROPPING HIM WITH THE LAST RITES!!!

As expected, the boos continue to ring in as Low Ki now lies motionless, with Daniels standing over him. After a few moments, Low Ki rolls out of the ring and to the floor, grabbing at his neck, whilst Daniels picks the microphone back up, a smarmy look on his face.

He tries to speak but he initially has to wait for the fans to lower their volume, such is their hatred for him right now.

Christopher Daniels: Let me tell you all what I think. I think that Low Ki doesn’t deserve anymore time.

Major heat from the fans continues to get directed at the villainous Daniels.

Christopher Daniels: More importantly then that, you people don’t deserve anymore of ‘The Fallen Angel’!

Daniels seems to enjoy the heat, basking in it, as he closes his eyes and tilts his head up towards the heavens. Suddenly, “Highway To Hell” by ACDC interrupts proceedings and the pop from the fans is MASSIVE…

AS SPIKE DUDLEY STEPS THROUGH THE CURTAIN!!!

Spike is making his return after being put out of action thanks to Daniels. ‘The Fallen Angel’s’ eyes bulge out of his head, not expecting this to occur, as Spike takes a moment to point menacingly…

BEFORE HE BEGINS SPRINTING TOWARDS THE RING!!!

The smallest Dudley immediately hammers away with a barrage of lefts and rights, taking out weeks of frustration onto Daniels. Being exhausted from his long match just a few moments ago, all Daniels can do is cover up… WHILST SPIKE CONTINUES TO LAND LEFT AND RIGHTS, CAUSING CHRISTOPHER TO COLLAPSE ON THE CANVAS… AND ROLL UP IN A FETAL POSITION!!!

Our fans are at a fever pitch now, continuing to cheer on Spike, who lands a few more shots, as Daniels tries to roll out of the ring. Daniels gets to the apron but the determined Spike manages to stop him, and Dudley mounts Daniels and goes on the attack with more fists of fury on the apron.

Finally, Spike relents for a moment, standing up and looking at the audience, letting out a yell which gets the fans behind him even further. Those “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants are echoing throughout the arena for the return of Spike, as he now drags Daniels to his feet.

Spike thinks for a moment, before getting Daniels in position… AND SPIKE LEAPS OFF… CONNECTING WITH AN ACID DROP OFF OF THE APRON AND THROUGH THE FUCKING TIME KEEPER’S TABLE!!!

An epic spot tonight as both men remain down, and the bonkers crowd continue to unleash “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants. After a few more moments, Spike pulls himself out of the rubble and stands on his two feet. Meanwhile, an out of it Daniels begins feeling at his neck, still barely moving.

As Spike gets a standing ovation… A GAGGLE of referees sprint down the ramp and get in between Spike and Daniels. The fans boo the end to the massacre, as Spike leans through the referees, yelling “HOW’S YOUR NECK NOW, DANIELS”?

The referees continue to escort Spike to the back, whilst ‘Damage Control’ run out to check on Daniels. It’s absolutely mayhem here in Mobile, Alabama as we cut to our first commercial break of the evening…

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

Upon returning from the break, we are in the backstage area, more specifically in a dingy looking locker room, where The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer seem to be in the middle of a conversation. Tommy looks pretty serious, whilst The Sandman is in the process of lighting a cigarette, clearly an ailment to wash down the crumpled beer can at his feet. The two continue to be in conversation when they hear the locker room door open and they both turn to face a sheepish looking Rob Van Dam. RVD enters the locker room and still looks a little uncomfortable, which seems to confuse Sandman and Dreamer.

Rob Van Dam: Look dudes, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for leaving you guys in the lurch, now that I’m facing Rhino at Heatwave; I’ve been removed from the six man tag match. Maybe it’s a little selfish of me, but I have unfinished business with Rhino.

Van Dam looks at both men, waiting for a response, but Dreamer puts his hands up to say “don’t even worry about it”.

Tommy Dreamer: You have nothing to apologise for, Rob. Dethroning Rhino is a big part of this war, so you’re still in it with us. Plus, we’d much rather see you get the title then Jerry Lynn or Justin Credible.

All three men share a laugh, able to agree with that sentiment.

Tommy Dreamer: So, well you’re here, it’s the perfect opportunity for me to wish you good luck!

‘The Whole Fuckin’ Show’ is clearly relived as Dreamer smiles at him, and the two share a handshake. RVD now turns towards The Sandman who is half way through another can of beer and puffing on a cigarette. The Sandman simply nods his head mid cigarette puff, as a sign of respect, and Van Dam takes that as all he needs, nodding back, before leaving the locker room.

The Sandman seems not too bothered by the whole situation, but suddenly Dreamer begins to get a worried look on his face.

Tommy Dreamer: Now we’re outnumbered, what are we going to do? Who could we call to come in as our third guy?

Still not looking bothered by the situation, The Sandman takes a LONG drag of his smoke, before chuckling.

The Sandman: What’s wrong with you? I thought you were Hardcore?

Tommy looks a little confused and taken aback by the insult.

The Sandman: We don’t need a third man to beat those Network chumps. We’ll take all three!

As casual as ever, The Sandman seems ready to step into a Handicap situation, and after a moments consideration, Dreamer smirks, apparently happy to so as well. The two then get back into their private conversation as we cut away from the scene…

…

We now cut back to the interview set in the backstage area, where much like at the start of the show, the excited pair of Joey Styles and Joel Gertner is standing by. Both men are still in their suits, although their ties have gotten a little looser as the night has progressed, but they seem pumped up to make some more announcements.

Joey Styles: Ladies and gentleman, we won’t take up to much of your time but we have some announcements we need to make over what’s to come over the next few weeks on ECW Hardcore TV! Firstly, this is our last episode in Mobile, Alabama as we are taking the show to Cleveland all the way up until Heatwave!

The fans interrupt from inside the arena with some light hearted boos, not happy with the fact that Hardcore TV won’t be in Alabama next week.

Joel Gertner: I know I know, but don’t be upset; we’ll be back real soon, Alabama. However, we must stress there are still tickets available for the upcoming shows in Cleveland, so be sure to get onto those as soon as possible. We’ve got some big stuff coming!

Joey Styles: Next week for instance, we could have another ECW Championship match depending on the result in tonight’s match. The word is that Rhino has requested a match up against a man who wants payback, as Rhino not only stole the ECW Title off of him to begin with, but has Gored his wife twice and put her in hospital. The Sandman wants vengeance and he has a chance to get it next week when Rhino goes one on one with The Sandman!!!

Cheers from inside the arena as an “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant starts up.

Joel Gertner: Rhino is an unstoppable monster but The Sandman is pissed off. You never mess with another man’s wife, and Rhino may to have pay for his actions next week.

Joey Styles: The week after on July seventh, we have another huge main event to announce for all of you. It will be The Network versus ECW yet again, and depending on tonight’s results, it could be an ECW Championship match. The extreme Canadian up against ‘The King Of Old School’, Lance Storm will go up against Steve Corino!!!

As expected, more hooting and hollering for the fans, as two blockbuster matches have now been announced.

Joel Gertner: Weapons or no weapons, both these guys can go. We could be a looking at a match of the year candidate with this one.

Joey Styles: Two announcements out of the way and one to go, as on July fourteenth, in three weeks, the night before Heatwave, we will see the end to one of the most hated rivalries in the history of wrestling. Entwined within the battle of The Network versus ECW are two men who couldn’t be more different. It will be the embodiment of sports entertainment and a man who hates ECW and everything it stands for, against the heart and soul of ECW. These two men have battled twice before, and a final encounter will take place, when Jerry Lawler and Tommy Dreamer do battle!!!

More of those famous “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants as Styles and Gertner both smile.

Joel Gertner: I don’t know even know if Cleveland will be able to contain these two. The animosity is at levels that we’ve never seen before.

Joey Styles: You’re right, it’s put up or shut up time and I have a feeling a certain ‘king’ won’t be talking after this match. But that’s a few weeks away, as of right now; we’ll head back to ringside as our ECW Tag Team Champions will be in action!!!

Yep, all signed off. Styles and Gertner begin hurrying back to their commentary position as we cut away…

…

Back at ringside “False Salvation” by All Out War gets a little bit of heat, but it’s the type of reception that shows the fans aren’t all that interested, as Da Baldies walk out from the back. The duo mean mug as per usual, looking as gangster as ever, with Angel jaw jacking to the fans, whilst Tony DeVito decides to remain rather silent. The two get into the ring, showing no fuss, perhaps just ready to show that they are the kings of the streets. “Sinister Music” by Boner plays and gets the fans riled up and interested, as the ECW Tag Team Champions The Unholy Alliance make their way down the ramp. Mikey Whipwreck leads the way, slapping hands with the fans, as Yoshihiro Tajiri stalks behind him, and The Sinister Minister brings up the rear. The champs seem to be ready to, getting inside of the ring and raising their titles above the head, to another nice ovation, before they nod, indicating that they are ready to fight.

Match Two
Da Baldies vs. The Unholy Alliance w/The Sinister Minister

Another team is thrust in front of The Unholy Alliance and it’s the same result, pure domination. The Sinister Minister barks instructions and encouragement on the outside, and Mikey and Tajiri put on a show. Da Baldies get in little to no offense, as this is a showcase match for the champions, just a way to get them on the show. Considering the action is so one sided, Joel Gertner makes an exciting announcement regarding word he just received for a match at Heatwave. There will be a number one contender match for the ECW Tag Team Championships, and it will be a Four Team Elimination Match. The teams involved will be Christian York and Joey Matthews, Danny Doring and Roadkill, Eye Balls and Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke!!! Styles then takes over and says we have seen a few different multi team matches in the tag division recently, but The Unholy Alliance has been so dominant that Cyrus feels he needs to keep pitting the rest against each other to find worthy challengers.

Considering Da Baldies aren’t in the number one contender’s match, I’m assuming you can pretty much guess how this one goes. The champs isolate Tony DeVito, and Mikey ends up taking him to the top rope… AND BRINGING HIM BACK DOWN WITH A SUPER WHIPPERSNAPPER!!!

The high risk move garners some “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants from the fans, as Mikey knocks Angel off of the apron, and makes the tag to Tajiri. Tajiri raises DeVito to his knees and lines him up… BEFORE TAKING HIS HEAD OFF WITH THE BUZZSAW KICK!!!

TAJIRI HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3!!!

Winners – The Unholy Alliance @ 3:08

After a pretty elementary victory for the champions, The Sinister Minister gets into the ring with the tag titles, and hands them to his charges. The referee gets in between The Unholy Alliance and raises their hands in the air, allowing the fans to cheer them some more.

Tajiri and Mikey celebrate for another minute or so in the ring, but they don’t overdo it, knowing tonight wasn’t a huge deal. Once they have completed their celebration, the champs and The Sinister Minister step out of the ring and make their way to the back, job done for the evening.

Meanwhile, inside of the ring, Angel helps Tony DeVito to his feet, and the two Baldies lick their wounds, feeling the bumps and bruises from their match tonight.

As they finally get steady on their feet… THEY GET ATTACKED FROM BEHIND BY…

HOT COMMODITY!!!

CHRIS HAMRICK, EZ MONEY AND JULIO DINERO ARE BEATING THE LIVING HELL OUT OF DA BALDIES!!!

The fans let out a light smattering of heat, not overly concerned, as Elektra cheers on her charges from outside of the ring. Hot Commodity clobbers them with punches and what not, before landing some stops to ensure they stay down.

With Angel and DeVito both out of it, Elektra gets into the ring. Elektra holds Angel down, whilst Hamrick holds DeVito, as EZ and Dinero both head to the top rope. They look at each other, shoot a wink… AND LEAP OFF OF THE TOP ROPE, CONNECTING WITH STEREO MOONSAULTS!!!

A bit of an “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant can be heard for the high risk move, as Elektra yells “MOVE THEM CLOSE”. Knowing what that means, EZ and Julio manoeuvre the bodies of Da Baldies to be right next to each other.

At the same time, Hamrick heads to the top rope, smirking… BEFORE LEAPING OFF THE TOP ROPE… SO HE CAN LAND THE CONFEDERATE CRUNCH ON BOTH MEN!!!

Those “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants don’t stop as Da Baldies are completely incapacitated now. Hot Commodity however stands in the middle of the ring, all four with their hands in the air, enjoying their moment of glory considering it’s their first in awhile.

They continue to celebrate, as the novelty wears off and the fans begin to boo them, whilst we cut to a commercial break…

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

Once we return, we are backstage, in an office like environment, where the pompous as ever members of The Network stand by. The image of Cyrus, Dawn Marie, Jack Victory and Steve Corino all appearing draws big time heat from inside the arena. All five of them stare into the camera until an arrogant looking Corino begins to speak.

Steve Corino: You’re all in for a treat because I’m about to take you all for a quick trip behind the curtain. You see, its common knowledge amongst anyone who knows anything now that Lance Storm is headed to the WWF.

‘The King Of Old School’ pauses, letting those words sink in as it’s the first time it has been mentioned on television.

Steve Corino: Well kudos to you, Lance. Honestly, we’re all real happy for you!

They all clap and nod, “supporting” Storm. Corino then looks towards Cyrus, who stops smiling and takes over.

Cyrus: As somebody’s boss, you always want to see them move onto better things, so I’m glad I’ve been able to help Lance with this. I couldn’t be prouder. My only problem is that he couldn’t have taken some of these other bums with him.

The leader of The Network shakes his head in disdain, as Corino begins looking really irritated.

Steve Corino: As much as we’d love to get rid of all of the ECW trash, that isn’t even the big problem here. The problem lies in the fact that Lance Storm thinks he can walk out in two weeks WITHOUT HONOURING PRO WRESTLING’S OLDEST RULE!!!

A sombre mood comes over the group as they all seem disappointed in Storm.

Steve Corino: This shocks me more than you can imagine, because as much as he would hate to admit, Lance and I have some similarities. I know for a fact that he’s old school like me…

Corino pauses, mulling over his words.

Steve Corino: And having those old school values means that he knows the right thing to do is leaving on your back.

The Network nods along with Corino, clearly in agreement.

Steve Corino: However Lance has made it clear, that he doesn’t want to help out ECW’s fastest rising star like that.

This clearly irritates Steve Corino, as he shakes his head in disgust.

Steve Corino: BECAUSE HE DOESN’T RESPECT THE KING OF OLD SCHOOL!!!

As Corino loses his mind, his best and most loyal friend, Jack Victory shakes his head, clearly angered by this also. Even Dawn gives a little shake of her head.

Dawn Marie: I’ve dealt with Lance for years and he’s just plain mean.

Dawn pretends to be getting all emotional, even though she has no heart. Victory and Corino ‘console’ her whilst Cyrus begins speaking again.

Cyrus: Whether now or in two weeks, he will respect you, Steve. You will make him leave on his back whether he wants to or not.

‘The King Of Old School’ nods along with Cyrus, who has a devilish grin on his face.

Cyrus: As far as I’m concerned, nobody gets out of ECW unscathed and without paying proper respect to The Network.

Suddenly, the door SMASHES OPEN… LEAVING A CRACK IN THE PLASTER IN THE WALL… As the ECW Champion Rhino storms into the ring. Rhino looks as worked up as ever, steaming in anger whilst he interrupts proceedings.

Rhino: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!

Whoa. Rhino lays down the law and Cyrus can’t believe it. The whole Network look a little confused as to whether Rhino realises he just interrupted Cyrus, either way, the champ continues.

Rhino: Sandman… Sandman… Sandman… Sandman… Sandman… when will you have had enough?

The champion begins pacing back and forth as he always does, whilst the others in the room are clearly intimidated, shrinking into the background.

Rhino: What do I need to do to put you down for good? I’ve Gored you…

The violent Rhino is sweating profusely, so worked up.

Rhino: I’ve done more; I’ve Piledriven you through tables…

A sadistic smirk crosses his face for a fleeting moment.

Rhino: I’ve done more, I’ve Gored your wife…

Rhino’s face is getting redder and redder, he’s ready to explode.

Rhino: I’ve done more; I’ve Piledriven your wife through tables…

Finally, he loses it. Rhino is clearly frustrated with the persistence of The Sandman. Realising Rhino is about to explode, the others in the room step further away.

Rhino: DO I HAVE TO GORE YOUR Blue, BASTARD SON?

Corino laughs at the question and the champ shoots him a death stare. Corino pipes down real quick.

Rhino: YEAH, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT KIDS PROBABLY NOT EVEN YOURS!!!

Ouch. Burn from the champion, who continues pacing back and forth, quickening his pace.

Rhino: DO I HAVE TO DRAG FUCKING OLD USED UP WOMAN BACK OUT TO ECW AND GORE HER?

He’s salivating at the mouth, like a wild animal as he continues.

Rhino: BECAUSE I’M WONDERING HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES I HAVE TO BEAT THE SANDMAN? HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES, CYRUS? HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES, STEVE?

The champion looks at Cyrus and Corino when he asks them the question, and they both just kind of shrug. Rhino maintains his stare, right into the fearful eyes of Corino.

Rhino: AND BY THE WAY, NEVER GET IN THE RING DURING MY MATCH AGAIN, OR I’LL GORE YOU TOO!!!

The furious champion TOSSES A CHAIR across the room, as Corino looks happy that he’s no longer being lambasted.

Rhino: NOBODY MESSES WITH RHINO!!! NOBODY… NOBODY… NOBODY!!!

His screaming is getting louder and louder, Rhino’s ready to kill somebody tonight.

Rhino: I BROKE LANCE STORM… I BROKE NEW JACK… I BROKE SPIKE DUDLEY… I BROKE THE SANDMAN… I BROKE LORI… I BROKE VAN DAM…

Holy shit. The intensity is unreal as Rhino continues, pounding his own chest.

Rhino: SAY MY NAME… SAY MY FUCKING NAME…

Rhino doesn’t realise but Victory looks to step up and say his name, but Cyrus puts a hand over his mouth, stopping him.

Rhino: RHINO… RHINO… RHINO… RHINO… RHINO!!!

Suddenly, Rhino stops, getting up close and personal with the camera, a scary sight in itself.

Rhino: FUCK ROB VAN DAM…

He now points at himself.

Rhino: I AM ECW!!!

With that, Rhino turns to face the rest of The Network, who aren’t really sure how to react. There is an awkward silence in the office, as we fade away…

…

Before cutting to ringside where “Mama Said Knock You Out” by LL Cool J comes on the pa system and there is an INCREDIBLE amount of heat for The Network’s Enforcer, CW Anderson. CW walks down the ramp with a purpose, refusing to acknowledge the savage heat from the fans, before getting into the ring and cracking his knuckles, loading up his deadly left hand. “Walk” by Kilgore virtually blows the roof off of the arena as everybody’s favourite wrestler, Rob Van Dam steps out from the back, closely followed by the whistle blowing Bill Alfonso. Alfonso jumps around like a lunatic, hyping the audience even further, as a massive “RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD” chant goes on throughout the arena. Tonight, RVD takes the time to point his thumbs to his shoulders, in rhythm with the ring announcer saying “ROB…VAN…DAM”, much to the delight of the fans. Once inside the ring though, the fun and games are over, as Van Dam realises he needs to send a message to The Network tonight.

Match Three
CW Anderson vs. Rob Van Dam w/Bill Alfonso

Whilst on paper this is a solid match, in the scheme of things I don’t really have a hell of a lot to say about it. This is pretty much an extended showcase for RVD, as whilst Anderson gets in a fair amount of offense, ‘The Whole F’n Show’ manages to get all of his signature spots into the match, including the ones that take an eternity to set up. As to be expected, it was Van Dam’s feet doing most of the damage, however what was more interesting is that The Network never appeared during the match. On commentary, Joey Styles references the awkward confrontation with Rhino just before the match started, and they must be doing their best to keep the peace backstage right now.

CW gains a few near falls in the home stretch, looking good, but RVD shows off his resilience, before introducing a steel chair into the match back fires on Anderson. He stands over RVD, steel chair in hand, BUT RVD LEAPS UP… AND HITS A VAN DAMINATOR OUT OF NOWHERE!!!

Those iconic “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants play throughout the arena, as Anderson drops the chair, but falls to the mat, clearly out of it. This allows RVD to head up to the top rope, and he takes a moment or two, surveying the audience… BEFORE JUMPING OFF THE TOP ROPE… AND CONNECTING WITH THE FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH!!!

As he always does, Van Dam clutches at his mid section, rolling around on the canvas, selling the impact of the blow. After getting some air back, RVD HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3!!!

Winner – Rob Van Dam @ 14:28

The adoring fans continue to cheer loudly, as the bell rings and the referee signals that RVD is the victor. Van Dam seems relatively unscathed as he gets up, a smirk on his face, whilst Alfonso rolls into the ring and begins jumping up and down in celebration.

Van Dam is content, but he doesn’t allow the fans chants of “RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD” to get him too excited. He gets onto the top rope and performs his thumbs to the shoulder taunt one last time, before signalling that the ECW Championship will be coming around his waist at Heatwave.

With the fans chanting his name, and RVD looking unstoppable tonight, the questions remains, is this our next ECW Champion?

END OF SHOW

***

Current Card for ECW Heatwave
July 15th, 2001
Dayton, Ohio

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match;
Title vs. ECW Career:
Rhino (c) defends against Rob Van Dam

Grudge Match:
CW Anderson, Jerry Lawler and Steve Corino vs. The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer

Elimination Match:
Christian York and Joey Matthews vs. Danny Doring and Roadkill vs. Eye Balls vs. Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke​

 

[Stojy]

I know, I know, I've spammed it up in here over the last few days, just trying to move this along as it's still mainly a repost of all shows at this time. This will be the last post in quick succession, as the next show was written in recapped form, and I'll be remastering it into a full version, so it's similar to all the other shows posted. So yay, semi new content in ECW.

ECW Hardcore TV Preview
30-06-2001
Cleveland, Ohio​

Another show on the road to Heatwave and despite the fact that the ECW Championship match for the pay per view got a little bit clearer, there is still some uncertainty in the air. It has been confirmed that Rob Van Dam will be the challenger for the ECW Championship, but with this week’s show in mind, the question remains, who will be the champion heading into Heatwave? It has been confirmed that this week Rhino will defend the ECW Championship against The Sandman. The word coming from those in the know is that Cyrus and The Network did not want to book this match, but Rhino forced their hand, threatening them if they didn’t. Whilst Rhino is perhaps the most dominant man in professional wrestling, The Sandman will have revenge on his mind as for the second year in a row at Hardcore Heaven, Rhino delivered a Piledriver through a table to The Sandman’s wife, Lori. It’s worth keeping in mind that Rhino only became champion due to defeating The Sandman after Sandman won the title in a gruelling four man ladder match. Since that moment, The Network has done all they can to prevent The Sandman from getting a rematch for the gold. That ends tonight, and in a match that is sure to be full of fireworks, we are left with the same question we started with, who will be champion at Heatwave?

Two weeks ago, our ECW Television Champion Jerry Lynn, with the approval of Cyrus and The Network, decided to host an open challenge for his ECW TV Title. A man who has been making waves throughout his first three months in ECW, Low Ki accepted the challenge, only for Lynn to take it as a joke, and pretend that he didn’t know who Low Ki was. When the defiant Low Ki refused to back down, Lynn tried to land a cheap shot, but Ki cleared Lynn from the ring. After a second unsuccessful attempt at attacking ‘The Warrior’, the champion stormed off and ended up leaving the arena. Despite the terrible outcome of the first challenge, it has been announced that Jerry Lynn will once again host an open challenge for his ECW Television Championship. Ironically, it has also been confirmed that Low Ki won’t be in the arena this week, so one must wonder who will accept the challenge, and whether Lynn will have better success then last week.

The ongoing battle within the tag division of ECW seems to be the ECW Tag Team Champions The Unholy Alliance just being a step above the rest. The remainder of the tag division seems to be trading wins as they find a way to make themselves the obvious number one contender’s for the tag titles. This week in non title action, The Unholy Alliance will go up against Kid Kash and Super Crazy, who at this point are not a full time team. Crazy and Kash teamed up at Hardcore Heaven in a Three Way for the tag titles and had relative success, but were unable to get the win in the end. One must think that if they get a win in a non title match tonight, that must put them right at the top of the list in terms of who gets the next title shot. Funnily enough, since defeating Jerry Lynn in non title action three weeks ago, Kash hasn’t even been booked on the show. One must wonder whether booking this match is another way for The Network to keep another dangerous challenger in Kid Kash away from Lynn’s TV Title. Either way, we’ll have to see how this pans out, as there could be some tag team gold in Kash and Super Crazy’s future.

Please tune in to see all of this and much, much more.

Confirmed Matches:

ECW Championship Match:
Rhino (c) defends against The Sandman

ECW Television Championship Open Challenge:
Jerry Lynn (c) defends against ???

Kid Kash and Super Crazy vs. The Unholy Alliance​

 

[DTP]

ECW Hardcore TV - June 23, 2001:

I've been so out of the loop with a lot of things, but I am glad to see the consistency is still here with this project. I can't believe it's June already, but then again, I see ECW took a pause for much of January, February and March. Entering such unchartered waters is a somewhat spooky concept, given the lack of a promotion's existence at this time allows you absolute freedom with no guidelines.

Given what we know about a hypothetical ECW resurrection post-bankruptcy, it opens up the talent pool of guys from a time if World Championship Wrestling still came to an end. It also lends into that idea that the Extreme era was not long for this transformation into a hybrid style. And with Gabe Sapolsky involved in the booking process, who knows how Ring of Honor this can possibly get, advancing into 2002.

I really enjoyed the Low Ki and Christopher Daniels stuff on this show. It felt normal for Little Spike Dudley to get involved in the mix, though I was more than surprised to see Spike still here. I figured one way or another, he'd be primed for a WWF run in 2001. The time limit draw was something ECW crowds would have despised, but the post-match more than made up for it.

I'm enjoying that we still see nuances of the ECW everybody knows and loves. After all, The Network are a part of the bigger picture in this continuation of the promotion, at least in storyline. Has Rob Van Dam's official crowning of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship happened yet, or are we waiting on another television deal to magically arise? That one I'm also sceptical on, mostly due to how WWF struggled to obtain a deal for their WCW invasion this summer. That said, this is a world where WWF isn't the only game left in town. I have to believe RVD's time will come, and hopefully before WWF comes knocking (unless he's tethered down to a contract).

It makes sense seeing Yoshihiro Tajiri get the win for the Unholy Alliance over Da Baldies, though from the writing it makes it seem as though Tajiri never held the ECW World Heavyweight Championship just six months ago. Then again, Mikey Whipwreck is also comedically a former World champ. ECW World Tag Team Championship run when? I'm also eager to see some new blood in this division, at a time where The Briscoe Brothers are nearly of age; The Maximo Brothers are setting the indies alight the following years; and The Jung Dragons are surely free agents (or tied down by a WWF developmental deal).

I think it makes absolute sense for Rhino to be the man to be beaten, and I really enjoyed his tirade about being ECW personified. He deserved a long killer run as ECW World Heavyweight Champion.

 

[Stojy]

First ECW show in awhile. This was initially written in recap and involves promos being rewritten to be in full.

ECW Hardcore TV
June 30th, 2001
Cleveland, Ohio

After opening with the traditional opening video package, we once again forego the idea of the ECW in ring introduction, and there is barely an intro at all, as the commentators are nowhere to be seen. Instead, we are straight into the in ring action for the evening as KID KASH AND SUPER CRAZY make their way towards the ring, and yes, because they aren’t a full time team at this point, they get separate entrances. They get a pretty good ovation from the fans, but they look focused, realizing a victory tonight could get them in line for an ECW Tag Team Title opportunity. Once they are inside of the ring, THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE step through the curtain and head towards the ring, with MIKEY WHIPWRECK AND YOSHIHIRO TAJIRI slapping hands with the fans, as they wear their tag titles with pride. Surprisingly, The Sinister Minister is not with them tonight, however Joey Styles and Joel Gertner probably talk about the fact that they are facing opponents with honor, and they won’t feel like they need TSM to have their backs.

MATCH ONE
KID KASH AND SUPER CRAZY VS. THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE

As you can imagine with the four men involved, the match is fast paced right from the get go. It’s a nice change of pace to not have to worry about interference or cheating also, as these teams both want to prove that they are the best with a victory. Especially in the early stages, but for a majority of this match, we simply get a spot fest as both teams go all out to achieve victory. Plus, from a booking stand point, it makes complete sense to open up the show with something as hot as this match, getting the fans hyped for the rest of the show.

Considering the talent involved, there is no surprise that there is plenty of high risk moves in this match, as well as a lot of stiff kicks (thanks Tajiri). Both teams have periods where they look to be the better unit, and both are able to score several near falls without putting the opposition away. Eventually the two teams pair off and we get Mikey and Kid Kash going at it, whilst Super Crazy and Tajiri reignite their long standing rivalry. Seemingly having forgotten about the tag titles for a few minutes, Crazy and Tajiri let it all hang out, taking the fight into the crowd. The Mexican manages to beat down Tajiri in the audience, before climbing back to the ring apron, and when Tajiri gets up… SUPER CRAZY LEAPS OFF OF THE TOP ROPE… CONNECTING WITH AN ASAI MOONSAULT ON TAJIRI AND A FEW MEMBERS OF THE CROWD AS WELL!!!

An epic visual is created by Crazy, as the fans immediately burst into a chant of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. Despite the big time move from Crazy, he remains down, clearly feeling the impacts of the high risk move. Inside of the ring, his partner Kid Kash isn’t having the same success, as Mikey beats him into the corner. After a few moments, Mikey hoists Kash up to the top rope, before climbing up after him… AND MIKEY LOOKS FOR THE SUPER WHIPPER SNAPPER… BUT KASH BLOCKS IT… LEAPING OFF OF THE TOP ROPE AND DRILLING MIKEY WITH A SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB!!!

Another tremendous spot from the title contender’s here, as another “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” tune can be heard from the audience. ‘The Notorious K.I.D.’ takes a moment to recover on the canvas but Mikey isn’t moving, completely out of it. Wanting to put an exclamation mark on things, instead of going for the cover, KK drags Whipwreck into position… BEFORE LANDING THE MONEY MAKER!!!

KASH NOW HOOKS MIKEY’S LEG FOR THE COVER…1…2…3!!!

WINNERS – KID KASH AND SUPER CRAZY @ 13:10

After the match, Kash and Crazy get together and celebrate, signaling that they want the tag team titles around their waist, much to the delight of the fans.

***​

We now head up to The Bird’s Nest, where we get to see our commentary team of JOEY STYLES AND JOEL GERTNER for the first time this evening.

Joey Styles: That’s exactly why tag team wrestling in ECW is some of the most exciting wrestling in the world.

Gertner nods along, agreeing with Styles.

Joel Gertner: After an incredible performance like that when they haven’t even teamed up a handful of times, this must mean that Kash and Crazy have to be in line for a tag title shot next.

Now it’s Joey’s turn to look agreeable with his colleague.

Joey Styles: Considering that The Unholy Alliance has virtually beaten everybody else in a straight two on two match, I don’t see any other option at this point.

The two continue to sell their excitement for the tag scene, before sending us off to our next segment.

***​

Next up we are in the backstage area, where everybody’s favorite extreme Canadian, LANCE STORM is standing by. He seems to be in a somber yet determined mood as he begins to speak.

Lance Storm: Everybody who heard Steve Corino run his mouth last week would know the truth. Steve Corino let the cat out of the bag, I admit I’ve signed with the WWF and my last match in ECW is going to be next week against some sorry, blonde haired punk named Steve Corino.

Storm clearly isn’t happy with the way his pending departure was announced, as he shakes his head, looking exasperated.

Lance Storm: Let me ask you a question, Corino, do you think you’re cool or smart running around like a jackass and disrespecting EVERYTHING? Well, you’re not.

As serious as ever, Storm shakes his head in disgust when thinking of the actions of his final ECW opponent.

Lance Storm: You’ve actually taken quite a bit from me, Corino. You’ve basically built your career off of me. You’ve taken my girl… And you’ve taken my move… But you’re NOT taking my pride or my reputation.

The Canadian looks defiant, standing tall and proud.

Lance Storm: I guarantee that I will be leaving ECW with my head held high. I’m going to beat you and I’m going to take away your moment.

Suddenly, thinking happier thoughts, Storm’s mood shifts to a better one, a slight smirk developing on his face as he continues.

Lance Storm: Because history repeats itself and if history taught me one thing, it’s taught me this. Boys running around claiming to be kings don’t fare so well against men from CALGARY… ALBERTA CANADA!!!

Storm, then, well, storms out of view, having finished his promo with a veiled shot at Jerry Lawler, and a shot at Steve Corino, continuing to show his disdain for The Network, even during his penultimate appearance.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

Upon returning from the commercial break, “Scapegoat” by Fear Factory can be heard playing throughout the arena. The fans give a TREMENDOUS amount of heat towards the ECW Television Champion Jerry Lynn, who has a pompous look on his face. Lynn clearly has disdain for the fans as he slowly saunters down the ramp, showing off the same attitude he’s had ever since joining The Network. Once he’s actually into the ring, the TV Champ grabs a microphone and looks to begin speaking, but the BOOS from the fans prevents him from doing so, which pisses him off.

Jerry Lynn: As much as I’ve tried in the past, I really don’t understand you people. How can you people boo THE CHAMPION OF ALL TELEVISION???

The irritated Lynn yells the last part of his question, which just gets even more heat from the fans.

Jerry Lynn: I guess I shouldn’t really care about what you people think. Ohio is nothing but a bridge between Detroit and Pennsylvania anyway!

This time the fans are riled up, and it’s Jerry’s turn to have a laugh at the fans expense.

Jerry Lynn: And I’m not here to impress you people, I’m here to host another successful open challenge!

Our TV Champ pretends not to notice, but the fans let out an ironic pop, followed by chants of “LOW KI”, “LOW KI”, “LOW KI”. This is mainly due to Lynn’s recollection of his last open challenge being a little different than the fans.

Jerry Lynn: I think there was a bit of confusion during the week so I just want to clarify that this open challenge will not be for the TV Title.

MASSIVE heat for our not so fighting champion, who feels the need to defend himself.

Jerry Lynn: Don’t give me that crap; I’m all for defending my title against a challenger who deserves it. Nobody has earned a shot yet.

Before Lynn can say anything more, the curtain parts and out steps a young, pale man with short hair and he’s pretty short in stature also. The fans don’t really react too much, murmuring amongst themselves, whilst Lynn chuckles at the prospect of his opponent.

The kid wearing blue trunks with a US flag in the corner, slowly steps into the ring, showing no fear of Lynn. As the man gets closer to Lynn, he laughs out loud.

Jerry Lynn: I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but I have to ask, who sent this jobber out here?

The fans boo the arrogance of Lynn, who clearly isn’t taking his challenge seriously. The generic man looks intent though, refusing to budge.

Jerry Lynn: I don’t understand how you made it out here. This must be another classic Cyrus prank!

Again, Lynn laughs but his challenger doesn’t.

Jerry Lynn: You’re not supposed to be out here right now, you come out here before the show. As you can see, the rings already set up.

This time the debutant shakes his head, slowly getting fed up with the irritating champion.

Jerry Lynn: You have no name value whatsoever, hell; none of us even know what your name is. You don’t get to wrestle on TV just yet.

JL looks to dismiss his challenger completely… WHEN HE SNATCHES THE MICROPHONE OUT OF LYNN’S HAND!!! The fans mark out for the show of defiance, whilst the champion looks seriously offended.

???: I came a long way to get here, and I’m not leaving until I get what I came for. I’m here for the challenge!

The stranger shoots daggers at Lynn, who breaks eye contact and gets a new microphone from ringside, taking a few steps back.

Jerry Lynn: I tried to warn you but if this is what you really want, it’s going to be an easy night for me. Why do you think you can beat me?

For the first time tonight, the debutant smirks and chuckles to himself.

???: I’ve been watching ECW for a long time and its plain and simple. I can beat you because I’M BETTER THAN YOU!!!

An epic pop emanates from the fans that’re getting behind the attitude of this man. Lynn is all red faced now, clearly furious with the blatant disrespect.

Jerry Lynn: What? I’m the champion; you can’t speak to me that way. Who in the hell do you think you are?

The debutant doesn’t move a muscle.

???: MY NAME IS BRYAN DANIELSON!!!

Not much of a reaction from the fans in all honesty, if only they knew.

Bryan Danielson: NOW REFEREE, RING THE BELL!!!

A referee immediately charges from the back, and we will indeed have the open challenge tonight…

MATCH TWO
JERRY LYNN’S OPEN CHALLENGE
BRYAN DANIELSON VS. JERRY LYNN

Despite the clear anger and frustration from Jerry Lynn, he holds it together as the bell rings, telling everybody that he carries himself like a champion. The match begins with some chain wrestling, and the first few encounters lead to the TV Champ locking in a basic Side Headlock and a Hammer Lock, before slapping Danielson in the back of the head. Lynn is clearly out to embarrass the young man and Danielson refuses to stand for it, and once they lock up again, Danielson shows that he has some serious skill. He uses technical mastery to simply school Lynn on the mat for about a minute, and each time Lynn tries to throw a cheap shot to halt the momentum, Danielson shows his superior quickness, able to avoid the shot.

Even though the skill is there for all to see, the one thing Danielson is yet to gain is all of the experience that Lynn has. As Danielson looked to apply a brutal Crossface, Lynn managed to make the ropes, and Danielson gave him a little too much space. This allowed Lynn to slide underneath the bottom rope and take a breather, attempting to regain his composure. Jerry argues with the audience a bit, and they start up their obligatory “PUSSY”, “PUSSY”, “PUSSY” chant which they tend to do each time somebody stays away from their opponent. Getting a little frustrated himself now, Danielson looks to head after Lynn, but walks straight into a cheap shot, which completely changed the course of the match.

From here, the TV Champion gets a relatively quick period of domination in. He shows off a slightly more aggressive side than normal, choosing to brawl rather than wrestling, and just beating the living daylights out of Danielson with punches and kicks. The beating continues as Lynn is careful not to make any mistakes; however, he’s only able to score a few near falls, as Danielson shows he also has resilience in his repertoire. Eventually, that resilience comes in handy, as Danielson has had enough, and begins to fight back with some stinging Knife Edged Chops, really rocking Lynn.

Just as it seems as if Danielson is about to fight his way back into the contest, Lynn uses his experience again, landing a perfectly placed thumb to the eye. Danielson immediately grabs his eyes, staggering around blindly, which allows Lynn to grab him and take him to the corner. An annoyed Lynn signals it’s all over, before heading to the second rope… AND HE GRABS DANIELSON’S HEAD… BEFORE LEAPING OFF WITH THE TORNADO DDT… BUT DANIELSON SHOWS INCREDIBLE STRENGTH… HANGING ON TO LYNN AND FORCING HIM TO LAND ON HIS FEET!!!

LYNN IS SHOCKED AS DANIELSON GETS A LIGHTNING QUICK GO BEHIND… AND SNAPS A DRAGON SUPLEX… HOLDING THE BRIDGE…1…2…3!!!

WINNER – BRYAN DANIELSON @ 4:49​

The referee calls for the bell and raises Danielson’s hand in the air, and suddenly, he gets a HUGE pop from the fans. It’s clear on his first night in ECW; Danielson has gained the respect of all the fans, as he gets up to the top rope and signals that the TV Title will be coming around his waist.

Lynn is still on the canvas but he’s aware of the loss, and he begins arguing with the referee, claiming it was a two count. Of course, the referee has none of it, as Danielson walks past to go celebrate in another corner, a smirk on his face.

Furious but knowing he got bested tonight, Lynn decides to roll out of the ring. He grabs the TV Title and backs up the ramp, holding it tightly to his chest. He looks completely frazzled tonight as Danielson now stares him down from the middle of the ring, telling him to “HOLD THAT TITLE TIGHT… WELL YOU CAN”.

The champ does his best to ignore Danielson’s threats, backing through the curtain, whilst Danielson goes back to celebrating his massive victory. He continues to get some well-deserved spotlight as we cut to commercials.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

Upon returning from the commercial break, we get a video package…

***

The video begins with images of last year’s Hardcore Heaven where RHINO delivered the Piledriver off of the apron and through the table to LORI.

We then cut to exactly one year later, at this year’s Hardcore Heaven, where RHINO, once again, Piledrives LORI off of the apron and through the time keeper’s table.

We see clips of ECW Guilty As Charged back in January where THE SANDMAN battled hard in a four man ladder match to regain the ECW Championship.

Straight after the match, CYRUS booked Rhino to face The Sandman, and Rhino immediately defeated the tired Sandman and won the ECW Championship.

From here, we see clips of heaps of different brawls between the two, and a few shots of The Sandman levelling Rhino with a Singapore Cane, before text comes over the screen which reads…

“TONIGHT, THEY SETTLE THE SCORE”!

***
​

Before it’s time for the main event, we head to the back where our commentary team of JOEY STYLES AND JOEL GERTNER are standing by.

Joey Styles: ECW Heatwave on July fifteenth is really shaping up to be a pay per view event for the ages. Our two headline matches will see the long running feud between ECW Champion Rhino and challenger Rob Van Dam reach a conclusion, as well as the big ECW versus The Network tag match which will feature Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and a mystery partner taking on Steve Corino, CW Anderson and Jerry Lawler. On top of that, we can now announce some new matches added to the card. Firstly, Christopher Daniels versus Spike Dudley has now officially been booked for Heatwave, as well as Da Baldies versus Hot Commodity.

There is clearly a deflated look on their faces as they announce the second match, which admittedly isn’t very exciting. A frustrated Gertner looks particularly irked by it.

Joel Gertner: This is not what ECW is about. Why is this happening on pay per view?

Gertner looks at the knowledgeable Styles for an answer, but Joey just sort of shrugs, and there’s an awkward silence for a few moments.

Joey Styles: Cyrus makes the matches, not me. And who knows what goes through that guy’s head. I have absolutely no idea.

One good match signed for the pay per view and one not so good, as the two sign off and send us to ringside for our main event…

***

We’re now at ringside, ready for the main event, and the crowd are losing their mind, as THE SANDMAN goes through his usual shenanigans as he makes his way through the crowd. He chugs some beer, puffs on some cigarette and has a great time, before getting into the ring and waiting for the man he hates more than anybody. The ECW Champion is always up for a fight so RHINO hurries down to the ring rather quickly and alone, ignoring the mixed reaction from the fans. He gets into the ring, takes off his title and is ready to fight.

MATCH THREE
ECW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
RHINO (C) DEFENDS AGAINST THE SANDMAN

As soon as the referee rings the bell, these two do what they do best; lock horns in the middle of the ring, throwing haymakers. The energy doesn’t die down at all either, as both men use every fiber of their being to beat the living hell out of the other. In the early stages, the match already breaks down into an all-out war; however, there isn’t really a sign of either man taking over. The ring isn’t enough to hold these two, as they battle inside of the ring, and all throughout the arena, including through the crowd, and they make sure to battle each other with plenty of weapon use throughout as well.

Despite battling everywhere but the ring for a big portion of this match, the two do eventually make it back to ringside and into the ring. The match continued to be a back and forth affair, until The Sandman got Rhino down long enough, to get his hands on his trusty Singapore Cane. As Sandman slides into the ring with the Cane, Rhino gets to his feet, realizing he is in a bit of trouble. Instead of backing down like a normal person, Rhino slaps his own face and yells at Sandman to “BRING IT ON”, and the fans cheer the craziness of Rhino, but as Rhino braces his upper body… THE SANDMAN DRILLS RHINO WITH A CANE SHOT RIGHT TO HIS LEFT KNEE!!! Rhino’s leg immediately buckles, and he staggers to the ropes to stay on his feet… AND SANDMAN SWINGS AGAIN… THIS TIME TAKING RHINO OFF OF HIS FEET WITH THE BLOW TO THE LEG!!! Once Rhino fell to the mat, THE SANDMAN UNLEASHED WITH EIGHT MORE SINGAPORE CANE SHOTS TO THE LEG, NEARLY INCAPACITATING RHINO, and once an exhausted Sandman finally stops, the fans erupts with a chant of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”.

After these blows, Rhino is still in the contest, but there is a definite difference, as he is limping around, and struggling to put a lot of weight on his leg. The Sandman has a short period of dominance from here, but he’s unable to put away the determined champion. You can’t keep a good man down forever, so eventually The Sandman makes a mistake, and this allows Rhino to power back into the contest. Adrenaline kicks in for Rhino and he’s able to hoist The Sandman on his shoulder… RUN ACROSS THE RING… AND POWERSLAM SANDMAN THROUGH THE WOODEN TABLE THAT WAS SET UP IN THE CORNER EARLIER IN THE MATCH!!!

RHINO DRAGS SANDMAN OUT OF THE RUBBLE… AND HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…NO!!! SANDMAN KICKS OUT!!!

For the big time table spot, the fans chant “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, and they are equally excited, knowing the match will continue. Seemingly having gotten over most of the pain from his leg (still a slight limp), Rhino viciously beats down Sandman for a while, before deciding that enough is enough. RHINO GETS SANDMAN IN POSITION FOR THE PILEDRIVER… BUT SANDMAN MANAGES TO GRAB HIS SINGAPORE CANE OFF OF THE FLOOR… AND HE SLAMS BACK INTO THE INJURED LEG OF RHINO!!! The champion immediately lets go of the hold and clutches at his leg… BEFORE SANDMAN KNOCKS HIM WITH THE SINGAPORE CANE RIGHT TO THE FACE… BUT RHINO REMAINS STANDING… SO SANDMAN LANDS A SECOND… THIRD… FOURTH… FIFTH SHOT WITH THE SINGAPORE CANE TO THE HEAD… UNTIL RHINO FINALLY COLLAPSES TO THE MAT!!!

The champion is in big trouble here, and the “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants can be heard once again. Rhino is not moving on the canvas now, as The Sandman stands over him and yells, “THIS IS FOR LORI”, before letting out a scream… AND GOING WILD WITH SINGAPORE CANE SHOTS TO THE BODY OF RHINO!!! RHINO DOES HIS BEST TO COVER UP… BUT THE SANDMAN CONTINUES TO LAND SHOT AFTER SHOT… THE CROWD LOSING COUNT… AS THE SANDMAN KEEPS SWINGING FOR A GOOD THIRTY SECONDS… UNTIL THE CANE CRUMBLES IN HIS HANDS!!!

More “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants for the pure brutality, as Sandman picks a few splinters out of his hands, and flicks them to the canvas. With Rhino still down, it’s time for the killer blow, as The Sandman heads to the apron and ascends to the top rope. The Sandman is getting cheered from the fans, ready to leap off… WHEN HE GETS SHOVED OFF OF THE TOP ROPE OUT OF NOWHERE…

BY CW ANDERSON!!!

Big time heat immediately comes from the fans due to the interference from The Network member, whilst CW Anderson gets into the ring and moves the referee out of his way. Anderson checks on Rhino, who is still down on out, but this has allowed The Sandman to grab another Singapore Cane, lying in the corner of the ring from earlier. As CW looks to turn his attention towards him, THE SANDMAN SWINGS WITH THE SINGAPORE CANE… BUT CW DUCKS… SO SANDMAN TAKES THE REFEREE’S HEAD OFF WITH THE CANE SHOT!!!

Look, from here, it’s safe to assume that this match is ending as a…

NO CONTEST @ 14:05​

“Would we have had a new champion if CW Anderson didn’t get involved? The Sandman was in control however Rhino is almost impossible to keep down. We will never know.” – Joey Styles

Now that the match is officially over, CW Anderson mounts The Sandman and beats the hell out of him with some savage left hands.

The fans are having none of it, fuming, but suddenly, they cheer… AS RHINO DRAGS CW ANDERSON OFF OF SANDMAN… AND THROWS HIM OUTSIDE OF THE RING!!!

As the fans cheer loudly and break out into a “RHINO”, “RHINO”, “RHINO” chant, the champion looks down at Anderson and yells “DON’T GET INVOLVED IN MY FUCKING BUSINESS”!

With his message being sent loud and clear, Rhino goes back to focusing on The Sandman, dragging him underneath the bottom rope and onto the apron. ‘The Big Fuckin’ Deal’ grabs Rhino… AND GETS HIM IN POSITION FOR A PILEDRIVER…

WHEN ROB VAN DAM BEGINS HEADING TOWARDS THE RING!!!

Rhino sees him coming and despite the fact that RVD is armed with a steel chair, Rhino drops Sandman and heads to the middle of the ring. RVD gets in, steel chair is hand, and immediately avoids a charging Rhino, who is a little slower than normal due to his banged up knee.

‘The Whole Fuckin’ Show’ then throws the steel chair into the air, Rhino catches it… VAN DAMINATOR SENDS THE CHAIR INTO THE FACE OF RHINO!!!

Massive “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants ring out throughout the arena, whilst RVD realizes he has Rhino all to himself. RVD drags Rhino by the hair and places him in the corner of the ring, before grabbing a steel chair, and heading to the opposite corner.

Van Dam begins scaling the ropes, Van Terminator on his mind, and he gets to the top, when suddenly the fans begin to BOOOO really ferociously. We soon see why as…

STEVE CORINO AND JACK VICTORY BEGIN SPRINTING TOWARDS THE RING!!!

Due to the noise from the fans, Van Dam sees them, drops the chair… AND LEAPS OFF WITH A SOMERSALT SENTON TO THE OUTSIDE… TAKING OUT BOTH CORINO AND VICTORY!!!

After that enormous move, the fans break out into chants of “RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD”, whilst he works his way back to his feet. RVD uses the crowd barricade to get up, but before he can slide into the ring, HE’S ATTACKED BY CW ANDERSON!!!

Anderson lands a few left hands, but Van Dam shrugs them off and rolls CW back into the ring. RVD looks to follow in… BUT HE GETS TACKLED TO THE FLOOR BY RHINO!!!

Those famous “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants start up again, as Rhino and RVD roll around the floor, swinging punches, neither man able to maintain an advantage.

A swarm of REFEREES AND SECURITY GUARDS run out and begin trying to separate the two, but they tear through security, and continue to fight.

There is no stopping the hatred between RVD and Rhino, as they keep hammering away on each other, eventually making their way through the curtain and to the back.

The arena is at a fever pitch as the fans don’t get a chance to settle down any, with Anderson, Corino and Victory now beating the hell out of the Sandman inside of the ring.

The Sandman manages to knock victory unconscious with a Cane shot, but from there, it’s all Corino and Anderson, using punches and kicks to keep The Sandman grounded…

UNTIL TOMMY DREAMER RUNS TO THE RING!!!

Dreamer gets into the ring and immediately begins peppering both Network members with right hands, changing the momentum of the moment. “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants continue, as The Sandman battles his way back up.

Together, The Sandman and Dreamer to a number on Corino and Anderson, BEFORE SETTING THEM UP FOR STEREO DDT’S…

BUT THEY GET A COUPLE OFF BY A DOUBLE LOW BLOW!!!

FROM JERRY ‘THE KING’ LAWLER!!!

Holy shit! The heat is UNGODLY for Lawler, as he helps Corino and Anderson up, and together the three of them stomp all over Sandman and Dreamer.

Corino then drags Tommy up… AND DROPS HIM WITH THE OLD SCHOOL EXPULSION!!!

Whilst on the other side of the ring, CW whips Sandman into the ropes, and when he bounces back… CW DRILLS HIM TO THE CANVAS WITH THE ANDERSON SPINEBUSTER!!!

More boos ring out as Sandman and Dreamer out of it now, yet the three on two bludgeoning continues. Eventually, as Corino and CW continue to kick away at their downed foes, Lawler picks up a microphone.

Jerry Lawler: Tommy Dreamer… Sandman… You two are just like everybody else in this arena, you’re pathetic. You both need to just quit, you both have nobody.

Lawler has a smug look on his face, as he points to himself, whilst the fans boo the hell out of him.

Jerry Lawler: The difference between us is that I have the best The Network has to offer on my side!

More heat and it gets even LOUDER, AS LAWLER, CORINO AND ANDERSON SHARE A CELEBRATORY HUG!!!

Once they break apart, with “FUCK THE NETWORK”, “FUCK THE NETWORK”, “FUCK THE NETWORK” chants in full swing, Corino takes the microphone.

Steve Corino: Jerry, Jerry, one thing I think you’re forgetting, is that we need to give them credit. They actually fought well.

Nobody is really sure how to react to that statement, so the smirking Corino continues.

Steve Corino: But I mean they never really had a chance, it’s two against three!

The trio laugh together smugly.

Steve Corino: Tommy, Sandman, sooner or later you’ll learn, NOBODY STANDS UP TO THE NETWORK!!!

With that, ‘The King Of Old School’ drops the microphone, and the trio continue to hug and celebrate, ignoring the bone rattling heat from the fans.

The final scene we get is of trash getting throw into the ring, with The Network standing over Sandman and Dreamer, as the show fades to black…

END OF SHOW

***

Current Card for ECW Heatwave
July 15th, 2001
Dayton, Ohio

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match;
Title vs. ECW Career:
Rhino (c) defends against Rob Van Dam

Grudge Match:
CW Anderson, Jerry Lawler and Steve Corino vs. The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer

Elimination Match:
Christian York and Joey Matthews vs. Danny Doring and Roadkill vs. Eye Balls vs. Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke

Christopher Daniels vs. Spike Dudley

Chris Hamrick and EZ Money vs. Da Baldies​

 

[Stojy]

ECW Hardcore TV
July 7th, 2001
Cleveland, Ohio​

The show opens up with a video package, highlighting the ending to last week’s show, including the finish of the main event featuring Rhino defending his ECW Championship against The Sandman. Whilst Rhino can never truly be written off, Sandman was in control, until CW Anderson interfered. This led to The Sandman accidentally knocking out the referee, which forced the match to end as a No Contest.

With the match being over, Rhino wasn’t happy and threw Anderson out of the ring, which was a shock since both are members of The Network. From there, Rhino was distracted by the number one contender, Rob Van Dam, and the two battled each other to the back. Meanwhile, The Sandman was double teamed by Anderson and Steve Corino, until Tommy Dreamer made the save. Unfortunately for the pro extreme team, Jerry Lawler appeared and turned the tide back into The Network’s favor, and they left Dreamer and The Sandman lying in the middle of the ring.

Last week’s show came to an end with Lawler, Corino and CW questioning how Dreamer and The Sandman expected to beat them when it was three on two…

…

We are now live and in current time, but we find ourselves seeing a camera view outside of the arena, and the camera is focused on a public telephone booth. The camera pans out to reveal that the telephone booth is conveniently located just outside of the arena, but the pan out also reveals a man heading towards the phone booth. That man is none other than Tommy Dreamer. Dressed in an ‘ECW’ t-shirt and pair of black sweat pants, Tommy heads into the phone booth, before he begins rummaging through his pockets. He continues to search through his pockets, which are jingling, until he pulls out a few coins and enters them into the telephone booth. He immediately picks up the phone, ready to speak, like he has had all week to be ready for this conversation.

Tommy Dreamer: CONNECT ME TO THE DOUBLE CROSS RANCH!!!

Tommy waits, taking a deep breath, phone to his ear, as we cut away from the scene…

,..

In a somewhat clunky beginning to the show, but something that isn’t completely foreign to ECW, we now get the traditional opening video package, showcasing the current wrestler’s in ECW. Of course, this is accompanied by “Elevation” by U2 pumping through the pa system, and the fans are jumping around loudly, filling the arena with chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. Everybody looks excited enough to be here, the commentators are welcoming us to the show, already in their commentary position, as it’s time for the competitors involved in our first match to make their way towards the ring…

,..

Now that all the early show shenanigans are out of the way, in ring action looks to kick off with a tag team match, as ‘The Fallen Angel’, CHRISTOPHER DANIELS is first to head towards the ring, gaining plenty of heat from the fans. Arguably, his tag team partner, who is a member of The Network, gets even more heat, but CW ANDERSON doesn’t care, shrugging off the fans. These two clearly aren’t friends though and they share an awkward nod, whilst waiting for their opponents. They don’t need to wait long, as THE ROOF BLOWS OFF OF THE ARENA for the arrival of ROB VAN DAM, who is looking to continue to build momentum heading into his ECW Title Match/Career threatening match at Heatwave. Van Dam waits just outside of the ring, until his partner for the evening; SPIKE DUDLEY makes his entrance to a solid ovation, and the two bump fists, before sliding into the ring, ready for battle.

MATCH ONE
CHRISTOPHER DANIELS AND CW ANDERSON VS. ROB VAN DAM AND SPIKE DUDLEY

As with most of these ECW tag team matches, once the bell rang to signal the beginning of the match, all hell broke loose. All four men went at it in the middle of the ring, and the initial points went to Van Dam and Spike, as they managed to clear their opponents from the ring. Whilst the heels recuperated on the outside, much to the dismay of the fans, RVD and Dudley had a conversation, and it was decided that Spike would start the match. Once the heel team were ready to reconvene, CW Anderson was decided to be the legal man.

Spike and CW circled each other a few times, before Anderson tried to trap him in a corner, but Spike would use his quickness to evade his larger opponent. Daniels laughed at Spike a few times on the apron and Spike yelled “GET IN HERE THEN”, but Daniels would shake his head, not wanting any of Spike. The initial exchanges between Anderson and Spike were rather even, until Daniels would distract Spike. Numerous times throughout Spike’s time in the ring, Daniels would land a cheap shut on the smallest Dudley, or he’d cause Spike to charge at him, which would allow Anderson to attack from behind.

This allowed the heel team to isolate Spike, and of course, only when Spike was out of it would Daniels tag in, and focus on the previously injured neck of Spike. Eventually though, Spike was able to duck a left hand from Anderson and drop him with a DDT. The hot tag was made to Van Dam and he immediately went to town, cleaning house, beating the crap out of a shocked Anderson. RVD uses his quickness and unique strikes to keep Anderson off balance, until Daniels hits him from behind, only for Spike to spear tackle Daniels and the two go tumbling through the ropes and to the outside. ‘The Fallen Angel’ manages to shove Spike away, before hopping over the crowd barricade and leaving the ringside area, however Spike is hot on his tail. The two begin brawling through the crowd, Daniels trying to get away and Spike chasing, before disappearing from view amongst the fans chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”.

Back inside of the ring, we have an even contest on our hands with CW and RVD, with Daniels’ strike to Van Dam giving CW the time he needed to recover. To be honest, it’s actually really similar to their main event match up from two weeks ago, with Anderson putting up a good fight, but he never truly looks like picking up the victory. ‘The Whole Fuckin’ Show’ just looks a class above, and looks to be closing in on victory, when THE ECW CHAMPION RHINO CHARGES DOWN THE RAMP AND SLIDES INTO THE RING!!!

Van Dam was focused on dragging Anderson back to his feet, but the noise from the fans seems to have alerted him that something else is going on. Van Dam turns around… AND RHINO CHARGES AT HIM WITH THE GORE… BUT RVD MOVES… SO RHINO GORES THE HELL OUT OF CW ANDERSON!!!

The fans mark out and there are more chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, as whilst Rhino is shocked, he shows no compassion for taking out his fellow Network member. Rhino turns back to Van Dam… BUT HE TURNS STRAIGHT INTO A SPINNING HEEL KICK!!!

With Rhino and CW down, Van Dam walks towards the corner… BEFORE LEAPING UP AND BOUNCING OFF THE ROPES WITH A SPLIT LEGGED MOONSAULT TO CW ANDERSON!!!

RVD STAYS ON TOP FOR THE COVER…1…2…3!!!

WINNERS – ROB VAN DAM AND SPIKE DUDLEY @ 9:04​

Cheers reverberate around the arena, as the fans are happy to see Rob Van Dam pick up yet another victory on his road to Heatwave. The referee doesn’t get a chance to raise RVD’s hand though, as he realizes that Rhino has rolled out of the ring… SO RHINO LEAPS OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE OUTSIDE WITH A PLANCHA, TAKING OUT RHINO AGAIN!!!

A massive pop comes from the fans, which is now followed by a chant of “RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD”. Despite being on the receiving end of the mood, the fresher Rhino gets to his feet at the same time as Van Dam, and the two stand face to face, throwing punches at each other.

Eventually Rhino’s punches begin doing more damage, and he gets the advantage… BEFORE GRABBING RVD AROUND THE HEAD… AND RHINO HURLS RVD INTO THE CROWD BARRICADE!!!

The chants have changed to ones of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” now as Rhino lets out a primal roar. Before he can continue his assault however, a BUCKETLOAD OF REFEREES AND SECURITY SWARM RINGSIDE, CREATING A WALL BETWEEN RHINO AND RVD!!!

Rhino looks furious as the fans boo the fight being broken up… UNTIL RHINO CHARGES AND GORES THE SHIT OUT OF ONE OF THE REFEREES!!!

Our ECW referee may be dead, as more “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants echo throughout the arena. Rhino takes a breath after one more piece of carnage, seemingly ready to leave, when a recovered RVD LEAPS OVER THE TOP OF ALL OF THE REFEREES AND SECURITY AND TAKES RHINO DOWN AGAIN!!!

Both men immediately scramble to their feet and Van Dam uses his quickness to beat Rhino to the punch, but they don’t seem to be having much impact. The ECW Champion swings a right hand of his own, but Van Dam ducks, before landing a Superkick… Followed by another… And a third Superkick which sends Rhino staggering up the ramp.

Van Dam backtracks for a moment, but only to find a weapon, as he heads underneath the ring and pulls out a STEEL CHAIR!!! RVD stalks the dazed Rhino now, meeting him at the top of the stage… AND HE THROWS RHINO THE CHAIR… RHINO CATCHES IT… VAN DAMINATOR…NO!!! RHINO DUCKS AND THROWS THE CHAIR RIGHT INTO THE FACE OF RVD!!!

The chair is lodged on Van Dam’s head as he crumbles to the floor. Those famous “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants have kick started again, as Rhino takes a few steps back from the downed Van Dam. All of the security and referees who’re left standing create a wall between the two enemies, however once RVD gets up… RHINO SPRINTS TOWARDS HIM… THE REFEREES AND SECURITY SCURRY OUT OF THE WAY… SO RHINO GOES FOR THE GORE… BUT VAN DAM AVOIDS IT FOR THE SECOND TIME TONIGHT… AND RHINO GOES FLYING OFF OF THE STAGE AND INTO THE FUCKING CROWD!!!

“HOLY SHIT”, “HOLY SHIT”, “HOLY SHIT” chants can be heard, as Rhino has taken out half of the front row by the stage. Everybody looks shocked, including Van Dam, who removes the steel chair that he was wearing as a necklace of sorts. Rhino is already scrambling to his feet, pushing fans out of the way, an absolute force of nature, so RVD walks towards the edge of the stage… AND LEAPS OFF WITH A SOMERSAULT SENTON… LANDING IN THE AUDIENCE AND TAKING OUT RHINO YET AGAIN!!!

“RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD” chants reign supreme and don’t look like stopping, as suddenly ANOTHER SWARM OF SECURITY MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE AUDIENCE TOWARDS THE CARNAGE!!!

This time both men are staying down, absolutely out of it, and the referees and security will have the time to hopefully get on top of things. As they begin to deal with all of this mayhem caused by the ECW Champion and the number one contender, we head to our first commercial break of the evening.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

After the commercial break, we see a confident looking Steve Corino strutting through the backstage area, sharing a laugh with his forever loyal comrade Jack Victory, who is only a step behind him. The two continue to walk through a hallway until a door bursts open out of nowhere to reveal the leader of The Network, Cyrus. After initially being startled, Corino smirks at Cyrus but ‘The Virus’ doesn’t return the favor, looking extremely stressed.

Cyrus: Quick, before anybody sees you, get into my office!!!

‘The King Of Old School’ still seems a little confused, but the look on Cyrus’ face tells him to listen anyway, so he allows himself to be ushered into the office.

Cyrus: You know you’re my most trusted confidant, you know you are The Network, so we have a problem that we need to discuss…

With that, Cyrus slams the office door shut, locking out the camera, but also locking out Jack Victory. Victory looks a little irritated for a moment, before shrugging and THROWING UP THE V~!

Jack Victory: HIGH SPOT!!!

Victory now walks away from the office door, looking to find something to do until his buddy is available to hang out with again…

…

The show cuts to another area backstage, this time in the more traditional ECW set, where our awesome commentary team of Joey Styles and Joel Gertner are standing by. As usual, they are dressed in their finest and look pretty excited to make some announcements, and well, hopefully sell some tickets.

Joey Styles: Ladies and gentleman, we won’t take up to much of your time, but we have a match announcement to make regarding Heatwave in just over one weeks’ time. Last week we saw the relatively new team of Kid Kash and Super Crazy shock the world and defeat the ECW Tag Team Champions in a non-title contest. After that result, it has been confirmed that at Heatwave The Unholy Alliance will defend the ECW Tag Team Championships against Kid Kash and Super Crazy!!!

Both men smile at the announcement, knowing that the match is going to be pretty great.

Joey Styles: Whilst that match will be at Heatwave, I want to talk about something we saw a little earlier tonight. Tommy Dreamer seemingly made a call to the Double Cross Ranch and that can only mean one thing.

Gertner nods along with Joey before taking over.

Joel Gertner: This isn’t something new, we’ve seen this happen before, but there is still a lot of intrigue surrounding this situation. We’ve seen this before and we obviously know who he was calling…

Joel pauses for a moment.

Joel Gertner: But there is still plenty that we don’t know and we’ll just have to wait and see to find out. We don’t know if he said yes or even if he picked up. We’re just going to have to wait and see!

Having hyped some of the current happenings in ECW, the two now sign off, sending us to ringside for the next match of the evening…

…

It’s time for match number two of the show, and this time we are ready for some six man tag team action. Firstly, the team of HOT COMMODITY make their way to the ring, with CHRIS HAMRICK, EZ MONEY AND JULIO DINERO ready to compete. Surprisingly, Elektra isn’t with them tonight, but they get some heat from the fans anyway. Their opponents begin making their way to the ring now, starting with the favorites to become the number one contenders for the ECW Tag Team Titles, DANNY DORING AND ROADKILL. The cheers for these two are as loud as ever, and the ovation continues as the third member for their team tonight, the ever impressive LOW KI makes his way out from the back.

MATCH TWO
HOT COMMODITY VS. DANNY DORING, LOW KI AND ROADKILL

As the match begins and Hot Commodity do their best to stay afloat, Joey Styles and Joel Gertner ignore the action inside of the ring, instead hyping the terrible feud between Hot Commodity and Da Baldies. They announce that Da Baldies are sick and tired of being outnumbered by the trio, and have brought back Vito to be able to help even the odds and take care of business.

Anyway, onto the actual match, and this one proves that are levels of class here in ECW, and this was simply a bit of a mismatch. The teamwork of Doring and Roadkill shone through here, but so did the individual skill of ‘The Warrior’, as all three men got in their licks as they comfortably ran through Hot Commodity.

As usual with these types of matches, all hell broke loose towards the end of the contest, but it did nothing to change the momentum of the contest. Almost simultaneously, DORING HIT HAMRICK WITH THE PANTY ELBOW DROP, ROADKILL DRILLED EZ WITH THE AMISH TKO AND LOW KI DRILLED DINERO WITH THE KI KRUSHER!!!

ALL THREE MEN THEN PIN THEIR VICTIMS…1…2…3!!!

WINNERS – DANNY DORING, LOW KI AND ROADKILL @ 3:25​

After the match, to some nice cheers from the loving fans, Doring, Roadkill and Low Ki have their hands raised in victory by the referee. Doring and Roadkill then share a respectful nod and shake of the hand with Low Ki, before the celebration is rather subdued, with all three men knowing they have bigger fish to fry.

The celebration ends rather quickly, as they make their way to the back, and Hot Commodity are left to lick their wounds inside of the ring. United in defeat, the three attempt to help each other to their feet, when DA BALDIES SPRINT DOWN THE RAMP AND SLIDE INTO THE RING!!!

AND THIS IS DA BALDIES THAT CONSIST OF:

ANGEL, TONY DEVITO AND VITO!!!

The trio get into the ring and punch and stomp all over Hot Commodity, who doesn’t provide any sort of resistance, completely out of it after their match.

The attack only lasts a short amount of time, before each member of Da Baldies picks up a member of Hot Commodity… AND THROWS THEM OUTSIDE OF THE RING!!!

With the ring being clear, Da Baldies stand strong in the middle of the ring, despite still not getting much reaction from the fans. Suddenly, Angel grabs a microphone from one of the ring crew, ready to speak.

Angel: You know there have been some rumors going around as of late, I hear that the king of the streets is back, papa.

The fans buzz a little for that statement, whilst Da Baldies all look confused. Angel then hands the microphone over to Tony.

Tony DeVito: This guy, I tell you what, he’s persistent. How many times we gotta’ run him out and show him the streets belong to DA BALDIES!!!

Boos from the fans as the trio chuckle together, with Angel retaking the microphone.

Angel: I know you want to make your triumphant return, so here’s your chance. Come on out here and try and take the streets from us.

They all stand in the middle of the ring, extremely confident, when “The Truth” by Beanie Segal hits and gets a minor reaction, as Da Baldies and even the fans aren’t too sure what this means. On commentary, Joey Styles mentions that it seems as if “NEW JACK HAS GOT SOME NEW MUSIC”, however suddenly…

A MAN IN AN ORANGE PRISON JUMPSUIT JUMPS OVER THE CROWD BARRICADE AND SLIDES INTO THE RING!!!

The man stands behind the unsuspecting Baldies… BEFORE HE BEGINS BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF ALL THREE OF THEM!!!

He beats all three men down with vicious strikes, able to keep them down long enough to focus on one at a time. Firstly, he focuses on the big mouthed Angel… AND PUTS HIM DOWN WITH AN ACE CRUSHER!!!

Wasting no time, he turns to see Tony DeVito approaching… SO THE MAN KICKS TONY IN THE DICK… BEFORE GRABBING HIS HEAD AND BITING HIM UNTIL HE DRAWS BLOOD!!!

The man lets go and Tony staggers around in pain… BEFORE BEING THROWN OUTSIDE OF THE RING!!!

Last is Vito, fresh off of his return… AND HE GETS DAMN NEAR MURDERED WITH A FUCKING VERTEBREAKER!!!

After that awesome move, the fans break out into a chant of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, as the mystery man surveys the devastation around him, before picking up the microphone from the canvas.

???: I just made one thing perfectly clear, there ain’t but one king of the streets!!!

There is a nice reaction for that statement as this man has clearly made an impression.

???: And this company, ECW, this is my shit now. MY SHIT!!!

A few of the diehard ECW fans begin chanting “NEW JACK”, “NEW JACK”, “NEW JACK”, a little disappointed with what they’ve gotten instead. The mystery man takes notice, shaking his head a little.

???: That’s funny, were you guys expecting somebody else? That cocksucker ain’t got shit on me.

Just like that, this man gets some heat, as the fans don’t appreciate the disrespect towards one of their favorites. He now points down at the corpses of Da Baldies.

???: It’s clear for all to see, neither did these smurfs!!!

He wipes a bead of sweat from his brow before continuing.

???: Bottom line, it’s a new day on the streets and in ECW…

A slight pause as this intense man mulls over his next words.

???: Why? Because I’m here!

Another slight pause.

???: I ain’t no snitch, I ain’t about to call a 187!

He shakes his head along with his words, further emphasizing his point.

???: Nah, fuck that.

One rowdy fan member yells “NAH, FUCK YOU”, but it’s ignored.

???: I AM A 187!!! THESE STREETS BELONG TO THE NOTORIOUS 187… HOMICIDE!!!

With that, the man presumably known as Homicide drops the microphone, before kicking the prone bodies of Da Baldies and leaving the ring. The fans give Homicide some more heat, as the commentators put over how dangerous this man looks, before we head to another commercial break.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

We return with a video package beginning to play…

***

The video package shows the verbal confrontation where Bryan Danielson made his ECW debut and answered the open challenge of the ECW TV Champion Jerry Lynn. Lynn tried to brush off the challenge, but Danielson remained firm and the two agreed to meet in a non-title match. Despite Lynn’s best efforts, perhaps his arrogance got the best of him, and he was no match for the newcomer, as Danielson put him down with a Dragon Suplex, and picked up the victory in less than five minutes.

***​

Once the video package is completed, we are in the back, where Joey Styles and Joel Gertner are waiting to talk about it.

Joey Styles: Ladies and gentleman, as you just saw, last week a relatively unknown man to the public in Bryan Danielson debuted on ECW and defeated Jerry Lynn in a non-title match. We have done some research over the past week and we can confirm that this man has quite the pedigree, having been trained by one of the greatest in Shawn Michaels.

Joey pauses, taking a breath before continuing.

Joey Styles: Bryan Danielson is not the only Shawn Michaels student, as we’ve always seen Michael Shane be a little less successful on a few occasions. These two, along with a few others, are trying to break through here in ECW.

Styles has a big smile on his face as he speaks, as does Gertner, clearly behind the young guns.

Joey Styles: Whilst there is a group of young men trying to make a name for themselves, for Bryan Danielson, it’s already done. This is unprecedented to have a rookie getting a tryout match and beating a champion in ECW.

The two commentators continue to look happy at the thought.

Joey Styles: We’re happy to announce that based off of last week, The Network and Cyrus seems to have made a good decision. Bryan Danielson has been signed for all possible future dates!

Cheers can be heard from inside the arena, and now, Gertner gets a turn to talk.

Joel Gertner: There is no wait time on the contract as well; it begins right now, which means all future dates includes Heatwave.

Joey takes over again.

Joey Styles: There was a little bit of confusion surrounding the ECW TV Title and who is the number one contender, however The Network has now made a decision. They have thrown something of a monkey wrench in the works as Jerry Lynn WILL defend the title at Heatwave.

A big pop from the fans, who seem just as happy as the commentary duo.

Joey Styles: The Network acknowledged that there were two logical number one contenders after Lynn’s open challenges, and they are Low Ki and Bryan Danielson. Let’s forget for a moment that The Network seemingly deliberately booked Kid Kash out of the TV Title scene…

For the first time tonight, Styles and Gertner look slightly irritated.

Joey Styles: But the decision has already been made, and since there are two logical number one contenders, they will have to fight first.

There is clear excitement amongst fans and commentators for the idea of a Low Ki/Bryan Danielson match.

Joey Styles: At Heatwave, Low Ki will face Bryan Danielson in a match that will be a glimpse into the future of Extreme Championship Wrestling…

A glint is in Joey’s eyes, as he’s pumped up.

Joey Styles: Now whoever wins this match, will face Jerry Lynn for the ECW Television Championship later on the same night at Heatwave!!!

More cheers from the fans, although there are some boos due to the deck being stacked in favor of the current champion and Network representative. Joey and Joel acknowledge this and then sign off, sending us to ringside for our main event…

…

LANCE STORM is first out for the main event, and he gets A MASSIVE STANDING OVATION, the fans really showing their appreciated for the Canadian. Despite walking into his last match in ECW, Storm looks composed and ready to go. STEVE CORINO is out next, accompanied by DAWN MARIE AND JACK VICTORY, and the trio are greeted by vicious heat from the fans. ‘The King Of Old School’ is the opposite of Storm, pumped up and arrogant, oozing testosterone, before stepping into the ring.

MATCH THREE
LANCE STORM VS. STEVE CORINO W/DAWN MARIE AND JACK VICTORY

In the initial stages of the match, Storm looked ready to lock horns, although despite his confident nature leading up to the match, Corino is a little hesitant to get started. He stalls a few times, heading outside of the ring and seeking advice from Marie and Victory, which gets him serenaded with chants of “PUSSY”, “PUSSY”, “PUSSY” from the fans. After doing some mock stretching on the outside, Corino gets back into the ring, signaling that he is now ready to do battle. Again, the experience of Storm comes to the forefront as he waits, and eventually gets Corino to begin wrestling. From the moment they lock up, Storm uses simple chain wrestling holds to take Corino down and embarrass him on the canvas.

The Canadian is simply riding Corino on the canvas, transitioning from hold to hold at will. There is a point where Storm goes from a Hammer Lock, to an STF, before applying a brutal looking Crossface to the STF as well. The torture of Corino continues, having no answer to the technical expertise of Storm.

Suddenly, a change comes over Storm, and maybe because it’s his last night in ECW, he decides to have some fun with everything he is doing. With a smile on his face, Storm reapplies the Hammer Lock he used earlier but transitions his body so that at the same time, he can place a hand on the back of Corino’s head, and he rubs Corino’s face into the mat. This gets a nice pop from the fans as Corino squirms, and Storm keeps him flattened out, before riding him, transitioning from position to position, slapping Corino across the back of the head and face as he does so.

Eventually Storm decides enough is enough, and he gets up and invites Corino to do the same. The fans cheer the awesomeness of Lance, whilst Corino opts to roll underneath the bottom rope and to the outside, looking for further comfort from Marie and Victory. As they calm him down, the fans do their best to infuriate him further, starting up yet another “PUSSY”, “PUSSY”, “PUSSY” chant. ‘The King Of Old School’ blocks his ears and takes his time, with the experienced Storm once again keeping his composure, and waiting for Corino to return to the ring.

The fans let out some Bronx cheers when Corino finally does enter the ring again, giving him a hard time. The two men circle each other in the middle of the ring, before they lock up and Corino manages to apply a Side Headlock. Storm immediately begins working on the grip of Steve, looking to make progress on breaking the hold… WHEN CORINO BREAKS IT HIMSELF… ONLY TO RAKE THE EYES OF STORM WITH BOTH HANDS!!!

There is heat for the relatively dirty tactic, as Storm staggers around blindly. For the first time tonight, Corino is well and truly in control, as he jumps at the opportunity, hammering away with punches, backing Storm into the corner. With Storm slumping against the corner, Corino continues to land rapid fire punches, refusing to stop, ignoring the referees pleas, until Lance collapses to the canvas. Smelling blood, Corino stays on the attack, turning to stomps as he stomps the living shit out of Storm, who rolls around on the canvas, clearly struggling. Not wanting to burn himself out completely, Corino finally stops and walks away, only to reach out to Jack Victory, who gets onto the apron and the two, share a high five.

Corino stays in control for a few moments, using the simple strategy that has worked so far, consisting of just punch and kicks. Storm is able to fight back though, eventually ducking a wild haymaker from Corino, and he’s able to retaliate with some stinging jabs. Corino is a little dazed, so Storm sends him to the ropes, and when Corino comes back, Storm connects with a Heel Kick!

As with every other time Storm has had the advantage, Corino defaults to rolling outside of the ring, but this time, Storm follows. Victory and Marie ensure they stay out of the way, as Storm chases Corino down… AND WHIPS HIM INTO THE CROWD BARRICADE!!! Rather than rest on that, Storm drags Corino up… AND SENDS HIM INTO THE CROWD BARRICADE AGAIN… AND STORM DOES THIS A THIRD TIME AND A FOURTH TIME AS WELL!!!

Marie and Victory look panicked on the other side of the ring, whilst the fans let out the first “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant of the match. ‘The King Of Old School’ remains down and out on the floor but the relentless Storm hoists him back to his feet and drags him around ringside. They approach the time keeper’s table, AND STORM RAMS CORINO’S HEAD STRAIGHT INTO THE TIMEKEEPER’S TABLE!!! Corino is spaghetti legged and ready to drop, however Storm keeps hold of him, and rolls him back into the ring instead.

Lance takes a moment on the outside, enjoying the encouragement from the fans, before he heads up onto the apron. Storm looks to head back into the ring… BUT JACK VICTORY GRABS AT HIS ANKLE… SO STORM SWINGS HIS FOOT… LANDING SQUARELY IN THE FACE OF VICTORY… KNOCKING HIM TO THE FLOOR!!! Storm looks around, making sure Marie isn’t going to try a similar thing, when he turns to face the ring again, and he manages to catch a charging Corino with a right hand.

Corino staggers back, his momentum causing the blow to be quite a substantial one… WHEN STORM LEAPS UP USING THE TOP ROPE… SPRINGBOARDING… BUT BEFORE HE CAN COME OFF THE ROPES… CORINO SPRINTS AND PUSHES HIM… CAUSING STORM TO FALL OFF OF THE TOP ROPE AND GO CRASHING BACK FIRST RIGHT THROUGH THE TIMEKEEPER’S TABLE OUTSIDE OF THE RING!!!

The fans are in shock initially, before breaking out into another “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant. Corino looks on from inside the ring, a devilish grin on his face, and Victory and Marie look on with similar looks on their faces. Meanwhile, Storm isn’t moving and with the visual of Storm’s final night in ECW potentially being a bad one, we head to our final commercial break of the evening.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-

When we return from the break, Joey Styles and Joel Gertner confirm that Corino has been in complete control after the table spot before the break. We pick up play to see Storm down on the canvas, not offering much in terms of resilience, whilst Corino has his way, doing whatever he likes. At the moment he seems to be focused on keeping Storm grounded, which allows him to pick up a few near falls in the process, but he’s unable to put the veteran away.

Getting a little bit frustrated, Corino roughly grabs Storm and places him over the second rope, applying pressure on Storm’s back to ensure the middle rope is pushing against the throat of Storm. As Corino stops and Storm gasps for air, the referee pushes Corino away, admonishing him for choking his opponent. Despite clearly not caring, Corino seems happy to engage in conversation with the referee, and it’s clear to see why… AS DAWN MARIE RUNS UP AND CLIMBS ONTO THE APRON… BEFORE PLACING HER BODY WEIGHT ONTO THE NECK OF STORM… CONTINUING TO CHOKE HIM ON THE ROPES!!!

The fans are getting restless now, booing massively, and a brief “SLUT”, “SLUT”, “SLUT” chant starts up. Corino keeps the referee distracted as Dawn gets off of the apron to yell at the fans… ALLOWING VICTORY TO LAND MULTIPLE RIGHT HANDS TO THE DEFENCELESS STORM… BEFORE RAKING THE EYES FOR GOOD MEASURE!!!

The audience sound as if they could riot, and Victory and Dawn laugh at them, as Corino finally steps away from the referee. Getting back to business, Corino drags Storm to the middle of the ring and lands a couple of Knee Drops. Storm sits up, almost out of instinct and Corino applies a Chinlock, happy to wear out his opponent. The fans obviously get right behind Storm as Corino holds him down, but after a few moments, Storm begins battling back to his feet.

The cheers get louder as Storm begins elbowing Corino in the ribs to break the grip, but ‘The King Of Old School’ is stubborn and won’t let go. Instead, Storm changes tactics… LIFTING CORINO UP FOR A BACK SUPLEX… BUT HE DROPS CORINO GROIN FIRST ONTO THE TOP ROPE!!!

A big time pop can be heard from the fans, which is followed by another chant of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. Meanwhile, Storm collapsed to the mat in exhaustion, and Corino eventually fell to the mat as well. Both men remain down for a few seconds, before crawling towards the ropes, making it to their feet ever so slowly. When they get up, still being the fresher man, Corino beats Storm to the punch, landing several right hands, but after a while, Lance begins to no sell them. Storm fights back to a kick to the gut, followed by some Knife Edged Chops, turning Corino’s chest red.

As Storm lines up for another chop, Corino pushes him away, before swinging wildly with a Clothesline!!! Lance ducks under the Clothesline, runs to the ropes, and comes back with a Spinning Wheel Kick! Corino is down and out after that, and Storm looks to see where Victory and Marie are standing, before he heads to the apron. The Canadian waits, showing patience, as Corino wobbles back to his feet… STORM LEAPS UP…AND CONNECTS WITH A SPRINGBOARD FLYING CLOTHESLINE!!!

STORM HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…NO!!! CORINO KICKS OUT!!!

Despite the resilience from Corino, the match has shifted now, completely in Storm’s favor. Lance drags Corino back up by the hair, and lands a few right hands for good measure, before sending Corino into the corner. Storm charges in after Corino, crushing him with a Corner Clothesline!!! The veteran takes a few steps back and Corino looks set to collapse to the mat, but Storm holds him up, before locking in a Front Facelock and he heaves the dead weight of Corino up into the air, placing him on the top rope.

Before climbing up after him, Storm lands a couple of open handed slaps to the chest, ensuring Corino is still unable to move. With the fans cheering him on, Lance climbs up to the top and lands a few more right hands. Sensing his time is now, Storm hooks Corino up… AND LIFTS HIM FOR A SUPERPLEX… BUT CORINO MANAGES TO HOLD STORM’S TIGHTS… BEFORE LANDING A FEW QUICK PUNCHES TO THE MID SECTION, BLOCKING AND STOPPING THE SUPERPLEX ATTEMPT!!!

Showing some resistance and strength, Corino shoves Lance with all of his might, and Storm falls off of the top rope, but manages to land on his feet. Corino looks to jump off as well… BUT AS CORINO JUMPS OFF OF THE TOP ROPE… STORM CATCHES HIM WITH A MANHATTAN DROP!!!

Corino’s eyes bulge as more damage is done to his testicles, and the fans chant “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” quite loudly. Corino remains on his feet though, so Storm hooks him up… AND DRILLS HIM WITH A FISHERMAN’S SUPLEX!!!

LANCE FLOATS OVER AND MAKES THE COVER…1…2…3…NO!!! CORINO KICKS OUT AGAIN!!!

Storm shakes his head, a little surprised at the kick out, but he doesn’t waste any time. Instead, he is straight back up and onto the ring apron, once again checking to ensure that Victory and Marie are not nearby. Storm perches himself on the top rope, waiting for the damaged Corino to reach a vertical base, and when he does… STORM LEAPS OFF OF THE TOP… CONNECTING WITH A PICTURE PERFECT CROSSBODY… BUT CORINO ROLLS THROUGH AND HOLDS THE TIGHTS…1…2…3…NO!!! STORM JUST KICKS OUT IN TIME!!!

Both men bounce to their feet rather quickly this time, adrenaline pumping, and Corino connects with a brutal European Uppercut. The shot staggers Storm, so Corino lands two more big Uppercuts, pressing the advantage. ‘The King Of Old School’ runs towards the ropes, bouncing off them for momentum, and as he comes back… STORM CATCHES HIM WITH A POWERSLAM!!!

LANCE STAYS ON TOP FOR THE COVER…1…2…NO!!! CORINO KICKS OUT YET AGAIN!!!

The match is picking up in pace now, but Storm still just can’t manage to put Corino away. With Corino still barely moving, Storm heads to the apron yet again, planning his next big move.

Just as Storm looks ready to leap… DAWN MARIE SWIPES AT HIS LEG… AND STORM IS FORCED TO THROW A KICK IN HER DIRECTION!!! Storm manages to keep Marie at bay… BUT CORINO SPRINTS AT STORM… BUT HE SEES IT AT THE CORNER OF HIS EYE AND PULLS DOWN THE TOP ROPE… LOW BRIDGING CORINO… CAUSING HIM TO TUMBLE TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE RING!!!

An embarrassed Corino is straight back to his feet, red faced and he slides straight back into the ring, but at the same time, Storm spring boarded back into the ring, impressively landing on his feet. As Corino scrambles to his feet… STORM GOES FOR THE SUPERKICK… CORINO DUCKS… AND SCORES WITH THE OLD SCHOOL BOMB!!!

THIS TIME CORINO HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3…NO!!! STORM ROLLS A SHOULDER OFF OF THE MAT!!!

Now it’s Corino’s turn to stay on the attack, as he slaps the mat in frustration before immediately dragging Storm to his knees. ‘The King Of Old School’ bounces off the ropes, building some momentum, and just as Storm begins to get to his feet, Corino takes him down with a Running Knee Lift!!! Again, Corino takes a few steps back, and as Storm uses the ropes to get up… CORINO RUNS AT HIM… OLD SCHOOL LARIAT!!! NO!!! STORM DUCKS AND DRILLS CORINO WITH A BRIDGING NORTHERN LIGHTS SUPLEX!!!

HE HOLDS THE BRIDGE FOR THE COVER…1…2…3…NO!!! CORINO JUST KICKS OUT!!!

The fans are enjoying the back and forth between the highly skilled competitors, whilst Victory and Marie freak out, realizing Corino is in an absolute war. Realizing he has his opponent on the ropes, for the umpteenth time, Storm heads up to the top rope. Once Corino battles to his feet… LANCE LEAPS OFF OF THE TOP… CONNECTING WITH A MISSILE DROPKICK!!!

STORM CRAWLS ACROSS THE RING TO MAKE THE COVER…1…2…3!!!

NO!!! SC MANAGES TO ROLL A SHOULDER OFF OF THE MAT!!!

Knowing that there isn’t a lot left in his arsenal that he hasn’t tried, Lance is back up to his feet and takes a few steps away from Corino. He begins rubbing his leg, signaling for a Superkick, and the fans mark out, looking forward to seeing the signature move. ‘The King Of Old School’ manages to make it to his knees… WHEN JACK VICTORY JUMPS ONTO THE APRON, DISTRACTING STORM!!! Lance yells at Jack, “GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE” BUT Victory continues to mouth off, which leads to Storm walking towards him. Suddenly, Corino is back up… SO CORINO SPRINTS AT STORM… BUT STORM SENSES IT AND MOVES OUT OF THE WAY… SENDING CORINO CRASHING INTO VICTORY!!!

Victory crumbles to the concrete floor, with Dawn Marie watching on in horror, whilst Corino staggers back into the center of the ring… STORM GETS AN O’CONNOR ROLL…1…2…3!!!

…

NO!!!

CORINO MANAGES TO KICK OUT YET AGAIN!!!

This time, on instinct, both men bounce to their feet, but Storm is just ahead of Corino. Lance decides to bounce off the ropes, building some momentum… BEFORE RUNNING AT CORINO... BUT HE RUNS STRAIGHT INTO THE OLD SCHOOL LARIAT!!!

STORM DOES A THREE SIXTY IN MID AIR DUE TO IMPACT… AND CORINO IMMEDIATELY HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3!!!

NO!!! STORM GETS A SHOULDER UP DESPITE THE TREMENDOUS BUMP!!!

As soon as the pinfall attempt is over and the match is continuing, the fans break out into a chant of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. “ECDUBBYA”. After being battered for a majority of the match, now being in control, Corino takes a moment or two to smirk at the fans, signaling that this match is about to be over. He then picks up Storm, getting him in position… AND HE GOES FOR THE OLD SCHOOL EXPULSION… STORM BLOCKS IT… BEFORE TURNING INTO A BACKSLIDE…1…2…3!!!

…

…

NO!!! CORINO JUST MANAGES TO ROLL OUT OF THE COVER!!!

Both men bounce up again, with Storm showing superior quickness… LEAPING OVER CORINO WITH A SUNSET FLIP ATTEMPT!!! CORINO FIGHTS IT… BUT STORM GETS HIM DOWN!!! BUT INSTEAD OF GOING FOR THE PIN… STORM STANDS UP OUT OF IT… TURNING CORINO INTO THE CANADIAN MAPLE LEAF!!!

Corino screams in agony as a MASSIVE pop echoes throughout the arena, followed by more chants of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. Lance wrenches back with all his got, really applying pressure, as Corino screams scarily, hand up in the air, ready to tap. ‘The King Of Old School’ continues to scream, eyes watering due to the pain, really ready to tap now… WHEN JACK VICTORY SLIDES BACK INTO THE RING!!!

VICTORY RUNS AT STORM WHO SEES HIM COMING… SO STORM TAKES HIM DOWN WITH A DOUBLE LEGGED TAKE DOWN… BEFORE LOCKING IN THE CANADIAN MAPLE LEAF ON JACK VICTORY!!!

Almost immediately, Victory begins tapping out and Dawn shrieks on the outside, but it doesn’t matter, Storm continues to keep the hold locked in. Lance is enjoying torturing Victory on his last night in ECW; however, he doesn’t see that his opponent has gotten back to his feet. Corino has battled up, and he walks in front of Storm… BEFORE GOING FOR THE OLD SCHOOL KICK… BUT SHOWING TREMENDOUS REFLEXES… STORM LETS GO OF THE HOLD AND DUCKS THE KICK JUST IN TIME… AND LANDS A SUPERKICK OF HIS OWN ON STEVE CORINO!!!

CORINO COLLAPSES TO THE MAT... SEEMINGLY OUT COLD… SO STORM HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3!!!

…

…

STORM HAS DONE IT!!!

…

NO!!! CORINO SOMEHOW MANAGED TO GET HIS FOOT ON THE BOTTOM ROPE!!!

The air kind of disappears from the arena as nobody can believe that Corino manages to find a way to survive the Superkick. Storm certainly can’t believe it as he rubs his hands over his head, not sure what else he needs to do to put Corino away. The dogged Corino remains down, as Victory does, whilst Dawn Marie yells from the outside, but Storm pays her no attention. Instead, he heads to the ring apron, perhaps realizing that he’s going to need something special to defeat Corino. Eventually, Corino uses the ropes to pull himself up… AND STORM GOES FOR A SPRINGBOARD SPINNING WHEEL KICK… CORINO DROPS DOWN TO AVOID CONTACT AND STORM LANDS AWKWARDLY!!!

THEY ARE BOTH BACK UP… CORINO GETS A SCHOOL BOY… AND HOOKS THE TIGHTS…1…2…3!!!

…

…

NO!!! STORM SAVES HIS FINAL MATCH IN ECW WITH A LAST DITCH KICK OUT!!!

Both men bounce back up yet again, evenly matched now… AND CORINO GOES FOR THE OLD SCHOOL KICK!!! NO!!! STORM CATCHES THE KICK AND USES CORINO’S LEG TO SPIN HIM AROUND… BEFORE GOING FOR A GERMAN SUPLEX… BUT CORINO MANAGES TO SWITCH BEHIND!!!

CORINO ATTEMPTS A GERMAN OF HIS OWN… BUT STORM ELBOWS OUT OF IT, CAUSING CORINO TO SWAGGER AWAY!!!

OUT OF NOWHERE, STORM THEN NAILS A CHARGING JACK VICTORY WITH A SUPERKICK!!!

He then turns back into Corino, who meets him with a kick to the gut… AND THEN CORINO GOES FOR THE OLD SCHOOL EXPULSION AGAIN… BUT STORM MANAGES TO TURN AROUND AND PUSH CORINO AWAY!!!

BEFORE HE GETS STUNG WITH A LOW BLOW FROM DAWN MARIE OUT OF NOWHERE!!!

The heat is enormous as Storm drops to his knees, looking at Dawn in shock… AS CORINO FINALLY LANDS THE OLD SCHOOL KICK!!!

WITH STORM OUT OF IT… CORINO MAKES THE COVER…1…2…3!!!

…

…

…

IT’S FINALLY OVER!!!

WINNER: STEVE CORINO @ 17:20​

What a match!!! The fans are in shock, silent for a moment, before they begin booing again, unhappy with how this match finished. On the other side of things, Corino and Dawn Marie are ecstatic, as they hug, before Corino gets onto the top rope to celebrate, and Dawn tries to help Victory up.

Eventually Victory wakes up and the three continue celebrating over the fallen body of Storm, probably not what a lot of people would have expected/wanted for Storm’s last night in ECW.

As the celebratory scenes continue, Joey Styles and Joel Gertner finish off the show on commentary.

Joey Styles: Who would have thought that a lady who played such a big part in the success of Lance Storm in ECW would be the one ruining his final night in the company? Storm looked as if he had this match in control without Victory and Marie’s interference; however Corino certainly impressed me with his resilience.

Joel Gertner: Corino was impressive but Lance had his number. The big issue here is Dawn Marie, what a lost cause she is

Joey Styles: Lance Storm has been a highlight for ECW over the years and I’d like to take this time to thank him for all of his contributions to the company. We have no more time for tonight’s show so whilst it ends on a sour note, we take nothing but positive memories for what Storm has done with this company.

Joel Gertner: Amen, Joey!

Joey Styles: Be sure to tune in next week ladies and gentleman, where we might finally see the end to a feud that’s been simmering for six years when Jerry Lawler goes one on one with Tommy Dreamer for the third time!!! Goodnight everybody!!!

The Network members have left now, and a defeated Storm has gotten to his feet, a disappointed look on his face. He gets a damn good reaction from the fans though, as they give him a standing ovation, followed by chants of “PLEASE DON’T GO”, “PLEASE DON’T GO”, “PLEASE DON’T GO”!

Storm nods his head in appreciation, in pain but happy with the respect shown, and the final vision we get of the night is of Lance Storm leaving an ECW ring for the last time…

END OF SHOW

***

Current Card for ECW Heatwave
July 15th, 2001
Dayton, Ohio

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match;
Title vs. ECW Career:
Rhino (c) defends against Rob Van Dam

Grudge Match:
CW Anderson, Jerry Lawler and Steve Corino vs. The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer

ECW Tag Team Championship Match:
The Unholy Alliance (c) defend against Kid Kash and Super Crazy

ECW Television Championship Match:
Jerry Lynn (c) defends against ???

Elimination Match:
Christian York and Joey Matthews vs. Danny Doring and Roadkill vs. Eye Balls vs. Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke

Christopher Daniels vs. Spike Dudley

ECW Television Championship Number One Contender’s Match:
Bryan Danielson vs. Low Ki

Chris Hamrick and EZ Money vs. Da Baldies​

 

[Stojy]

ECW News And Notes

It has already been announced on television, but we can also now further confirm that Lance Storm has indeed wrestled his last match for Extreme Championship Wrestling. With television angles, you can never be sure if there is some sort of swerve involved, however that’s not the case here. Surprisingly, ECW have been the one wrestling company that is always pretty honest with its fans when it comes to wrestler’s leaving. In slightly more worrying news for ECW, Lance Storm is apparently not the rumored big name who is set to leave the company for the World Wrestling Federation shortly.

It’s said that one of the rumored three of Rhino, Rob Van Dam and Steve Corino could still be on their way out the door as well. There are rumblings that Lance Storm could have been the first in what could kick start a mass exodus for the company, with even more wrestlers than just the three previously mentioned names set to leave. This has apparently really worried Paul Heyman and ECW’s mystery investor which is why they have hired numerous talents such as Homicide and Bryan Danielson in the past few weeks. The idea is if they load up the roster now, they will feel it less when more talent leaves.

Whilst things continue to be traumatic behind the scenes, the on screen product continues to be running pretty strongly. TNN remain happy and at this stage, The Network storyline looks set to continue for the foreseeable future.​

 

[Stojy]

Another show full of reworked promos to make it a full one...

ECW Hardcore TV
July 14th, 2001
Cleveland, Ohio​

The show begins with JOEY STYLES AND JOEL GERTNER standing in the middle of the ring, surveying the audience as those famous “ECDUB” chants can be heard loud and clear.

Joey Styles: Hi everybody and welcome to ECW Hardcore TV. It’s a hot and steamy night here in Cleveland, Ohio, and we are less than twenty four hours away from ECW Heatwave two thousand and one. I’m Joey Styles, and this is Joel Gertner.

The passionate fans cheer loudly as Gertner has a smarmy look on his face, ready to speak.

Joel Gertner: Well, well, well… There won’t be any sexual innuendos here in Ohio, because I’m gonna’ blow my load right away and talk about tonight’s main event. It’s Jerry Lawler versus Tommy Dreamer THREE.

A bit of heat for the lack of Gertner’s intro is quickly drowned out by a cheer for the mention of the main event.

Joey Styles: It was five years ago where Tommy Dreamer chased Jerry Lawler away from The Network, and quite frankly, let’s hope he can do it again tonight.

Gertner nods in agreement, and they hype things a little more, before preparing us for the opening contest of the night…

…

The first competitor to the ring, getting a pretty negative response from the crowd is HOMICIDE. Fresh off of his first appearance in ECW last week, he’ll have his first match tonight. Homicide’s opponent will be another debutant, having previously competed in WCW, its KWEE WEE~! Despite the fact that Homicide is aligned to be a heel, the ECW fans are ruthless to Kwee, perhaps making Homicide a face by default for his first match.

MATCH ONE
HOMICIDE VS. KWEE WEE

Before the referee can even call for the bell, Homicide goes straight on the attack, beating the living hell out of Kwee Wee. Instead of signaling the beginning of the match, the referee does his best to interrupt the mauling, eventually managing to convince Homicide to back away from his opponent. During this brief pause in the action, Joey Styles mentions that much like Christopher Daniels, Low Ki, Michael Shane and Bryan Danielson, Kwee Wee is the next man to be given a try out match by Cyrus and The Network. Apparently, The Network believes coming from WCW gives Kwee Wee an element of star power that ECW needs.

Styles’ voice is laced with sarcasm, but that doesn’t matter, as finally the referee has signaled for the bell, officially kicking off this match. Nothing changes though as Homicide destroys Kwee Wee with punches and kicks, before grabbing him around the neck… AND BRUTALLY BITING THE FOREHEAD OF KWEE WEE!!!

Homicide manages to pierce skin, causing some blood to drip down the forehead of Kwee, which garners an “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant. The relentless Homicide smiles when he sees the blood, before dragging Kwee Wee into the center of the ring… SO HE CAN DRILL HIM WITH THE COP KILLA!!!

HOMICIDE MAKES THE COVER…1…2…3!!!

WINNER – HOMICIDE @ 0:50​

Barely having broken a sweat, Homicide gets up and ignores the mixed reaction from the fans and scares away the referee. He looks down at his opponent, shakes his head and scoffs, opting to leave the ring rather than celebrate…

…

Next, we are in the backstage area, where The Network members CW Anderson, Jerry Lawler and Steve Corino are standing by. All three men look to be in pretty good spirits, ignoring the heat from the fans. The three are in a pretty fancy looking office, clearly living the high life, and eventually, one of them speaks up.

Jerry Lawler: I don’t understand what all the fuss is about, so let me ask a question. Am I supposed to be worried about Tommy getting on a phone and crying to his hero?

The three villains all have a giggle, clearly mocking Tommy Dreamer.

Jerry Lawler: Last time I checked, Terry’s meds had finally started working, and he doesn’t even like Tommy anymore.

Cheery is the mood in the room, as Lawler shakes his head in bewilderment.

Jerry Lawler: The clues are there for everybody to see, even you idiot ECW fans… Tommy doesn’t even have Terry Funk’s phone number. That’s why he had to use a pay phone like some schmuck.

More laughs from the trio as Corino takes over.

Steve Corino: The difference between being successful and unsuccessful is all about choices, and that couldn’t be clearer when it comes to the choices that Tommy has made in life, compared to the choices I have made in life. While Tommy idolized Terry Funk…

Corino pauses and Anderson rolls his eyes, showing that Tommy’s choice was dumb. ‘The King Of Old School’ points at Lawler before continuing.

Steve Corino: I IDOLIZED THIS MAN… AND MY IDOL KICKED YOUR IDOL’S ASS!!!

They continue to look pleased with themselves, ‘The King’ letting out another hearty laugh, before adjusting his crown.

Jerry Lawler: Ah, those were the good old days! Speaking of which, how’s your eye doing these days, Funk?

A sinister look comes across Lawler’s face as he becomes a little more violent.

Jerry Lawler: It was a long time ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember Terry Funk hollering and crying in an empty arena about his eye…

Lawler pauses and Corino mocks holding his eye, pretending to be blind. CW Anderson just remains with arms crossed, looking tough.

Jerry Lawler: Actually maybe that’s why Tommy idolizes Terry; they have a lot in common. Terry cried about his eye and Tommy cries about everything.

Corino and Lawler cackle away again, as finally Anderson gets a chance to speak.

CW Anderson: And unfortunately for all of us that have to hear it, the crying is far from over. The Sandman, Dreamer, Funk, or any combination of the three, it doesn’t make a difference. It doesn’t matter if Funk shows up or if it’s three on two.

CW pauses, taking a breath, before puffing out his chest proudly.

CW Anderson: Why? Well, it’s the same reason why I kicked Tommy’s ass for the past six months. Nobody gets past an Anderson.

Lawler pats CW on the back, still smirking, but Corino frowns, almost as if he has forgotten to mention something.

Steve Corino: I can’t believe I almost forgot a special stipulation that has been added to the match at Heatwave. I’m so sure about the result that I’ve got permission from Cyrus…

He pauses and his teammates look genuinely confused with where this is going.

Steve Corino: As far as we’re concerned, fair is fair, so we’ve decided to dangle a carrot for The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer. If Tommy and The Sandman can get past The Network’s Dream Team…

Corino stops himself again, building anticipation like a pro.

Steve Corino: They will be rewarded with a triple threat match against the winner of Rhino and Rob Van Dam for the ECW Championship!!!

Holy shit! That’s huge. Everybody is shocked except for Corino, but all three remain in good spirits.

Steve Corino: BUT IT’S NOT GOING TO FUCKING HAPPEN!!!

A serious Corino shakes his head, certain of it.

Steve Corino: BECAUSE NOBODY GETS PAST ‘THE KING OF OLD SCHOOL!!! BECAUSE NOBODY GETS PAST MY ENFORCER!!!... BECAUSE NOBODY GETS PAST ‘THE KING’… PERIOD!!! NOBODY!!!

The red faced Corino stops to catch his breath, as even CW and Lawler look serious now.

Steve Corino: JUST LIKE NOBODY STANDS UP TO THE NETWORK!!!

Finally, he begins to relax, breathing slowing down, but he has one more yell left in him.

Steve Corino: JACK… HIT THE V!!!

Suddenly, the camera pans out to reveal Jack Victory and Dawn Marie sitting on some comfortable looking black leather couches. An excited Victory leaps into the air… BEFORE THROWING HIS ARMS UP IN THE SHAPE OF A V!!!

Jack Victory: HIGH SPOT!!!

And with that, they have finished speaking. It’s safe to say The Network is full of confidence and on the same page, ready for action. With that image clear for everybody to see, we cut to our first commercial break of the evening…

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

We aren’t messing around tonight as we are straight into our next match, as CHRISTIAN YORK AND JOEY MATTHEWS make their way out from the back. York and Matthews haven’t been on television in a few weeks now, but they get a chance to shine ahead of their number one contender’s match at Heatwave. Their opponents for the night are DA BALDIES. ANGEL AND TONY DEVITO get some heat from the fans, as they look to get some momentum going after being destroyed by Homicide last week.

MATCH TWO
CHRISTIAN YORK AND JOEY MATTHEWS VS. DA BALDIES

York and Matthews are their usual plucky selves in this one, showing their resilience and staying in the contest, however they surprisingly struggle a bit against Da Baldies. With Vito having left again after his one night only appearance, Da Baldies look to be on the same page. Wanting to prove that they are the kings of the streets, the two use what tag team prowess they do have, as well as brute force and brawling tactics to really take it to York and Matthews.

This isn’t a completely one sides contest as York and Matthews still have their moments, but for the most part, Da Baldies are in control. Da Baldies manage to get somewhat of a sustained advantage, landing a few power moves in a row, and this brings out HOT COMMODITY!!! CHRIS HAMRICK, EZ MONEY AND JULIO DINERO all slowly saunter down the ramp, yelling insults at Da Baldies, which distracts them.

The momentary distract is all that York and Matthews needed to fight their way back into the contest, with the youngsters using their pace to their advantage. The referee completely loses control of the match, which leads to all four men in the ring at once, and a Double Dropkick from York and Matthews sends Angel falling through the ropes. Outside of the ring, with Angel down, ALL THREE MEMBERS OF HOT COMMODITY BEGIN STOMPING ALL OVER HIM, SENDING A MESSAGE!!!

Despite Da Baldies being heels, the fans boo the sneak attack from Hot Commodity, but York and Matthews haven’t noticed what’s happening on the outside. Instead, they are focused on taking out DeVito, TAKING HIM DOWN WITH A HUGE FRANKENSTEINER FROM THE TOP ROPE!!!

“ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants ring out for the high risk move, and it’s followed by another… AS DEVITO GETS SQUASHED WITH THE FROG ELBOW!!!

YORK HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3!!!

WINNERS – CHRISTIAN YORK AND JOEY MATTHEWS @ 4:18​

After the match, Hot Commodity jog to the back, ignoring the insults from the fans, having gotten one up on Da Baldies before Heatwave.

As for Da Baldies, they stay down on the outside, whilst York and Matthews celebrate their victory, getting a polite ovation from the fans.

The duo motion for the tag titles, with Heatwave on their mind, as they are one step closer to another shot at the elusive gold. That’s for another night though, as for now, the celebration continues, until they decide to make their way towards the back…

…

Now we get a special video package…

***

A video package plays, backed up “Walk” by Pantera and the package basically highlights the ECW career of ROB VAN DAM!!! It begins with his impressive debut, followed by some highlights from his series with Sabu, as well as teaming with Sabu. It shows RVD and Bill Alfonso together, before showing highlights from all of RVD’s awesome TV Title defenses.

The video then shows RVD’s ankle injury at the hands of RHINO, before Van Dam made his return. Finally, the package has a voice over from Joey Styles who mentions that this could be a summary of Van Dam’s entire ECW career if he loses to Rhino at Heatwave.

***​

We now go backstage to a dark, lonely locker room, where one scary individual stands alone, and that’s the ECW Champion Rhino. The champ looks as intense as he ever has been, pacing back and forth, ECW Title strapped around his waist.

Rhino: One thing that is pissing me off more than anything else is that everybody’s talking about Rob Van Dam… Rob Van Dam… Rob Van Dam… Can Rob Van Dam finally beat Rhino? Will Rob Van Dam finally win the ECW Title?

He shakes his head, his frustration brimming to the point of no return, as he grinds his teeth.

Rhino: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!

Finally, he’s lost it. His pacing quickens as he lets out a yell before continuing.

Rhino: THERE’S ONE NAME PEOPLE SHOULD BE SAYING… AND IT’S MINE!!! YOU KNOW MY FUCKING NAME… SAY IT!!! SAY MY FUCKING NAME… RHINO… RHINO… RHINO… RHINO!!!

The champ’s voice begins getting hoarse as his face gets redder by the second.

Rhino: ROB VAN DAM KNOWS MY NAME… ROB VAN DAM KNOWS MY FUCKING NAME BY NOW!!!

Rhino punches his own chest, continuing to get more worked up, salivating as he speaks.

Rhino: IT’S THE NAME OF THE MAN WHO BEAT HIM… IT’S THE NAME OF THE MAN WHO HE CAN’T BEAT… IT’S THE NAME OF THE MAN WHO’S GOING TO SEND HIM OUT OF ECW IN A BROKEN FUCKING BLOODY HEAP!!!

As usual, he’s as graphic as ever, a furious flint in his eye.

Rhino: AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK CYRUS IS PLAYING AT… BUT AFTER I DESTROY ROB VAN DAM…

The wheezing has begun so he’s forced to take a break to get his breath back. HE HURLS A TRASH CAN ACROSS THE ROOM to let out some aggression.

Rhino: I’LL BREAK BOTH THE SANDMAN AND TOMMY DREAMER’S NECKS AT ONCE!!!

Rhino is clearly annoyed at Cyrus and seemingly Steve Corino have made a decision regarding his championship without consulting him.

Rhino: I’LL DO IT BY MYSELF… I DON’T NEED ANY FUCKING HELP!!!

He throws the championship the floor, as it’s just slowing him down at this point.

Rhino: I AM THE ECW CHAMPION… I AM THE NETWORK… I AM ECW!!!

Rhino now walks straight towards us, getting up close and personal with the camera. He tilts his head slightly, a demented look on his face, almost as if he’s speaking directly to the viewer.

Rhino: AND YOU KNOW MY FUCKING NAME!!!

Just like that, Rhino grabs the camera man (who we can’t see), and shoves them out of the locker room, before SLAMMING the door in his face. Rhino is alone in his cold, dark locker room, irritated, angry and determined to take on the world, starting with RVD at Heatwave.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

When we return from the commercial break, another video package plays…

***

The screen comes to life with a video that is basically detailing the history between ECW Champion Rhino and Rob Van Dam before they lock horns at Hardcore Heaven.

The first event we are shown is a clip from ECW House Show back on January 29th, 2000 where then ECW TV Champion RVD fought Rhino. Van Dam lands a Baseball Slide during the match but in the process breaks his ankle. He valiantly continues to fight and ends up winning the match after landing the Five Star Frog Splash.

Due to the injury, RVD was unable to compete for three months and had to vacate the ECW Television Championship. During that three month period, a tournament was held to crown a new ECW TV Champ and Rhino won the tournament.

By the time RVD returned, Rhino was a card carrying member of The Network, and would brag about taking RVD out at any chance he got. Van Dam would earn a rematch for the TV Title at Anarchy Rulz in October; however Rhino would get the victory after landing a Piledriver off of the apron and through a table.

The Piledriver through the table didn’t break RVD’s neck but seriously injured it, and once again, at the hands of Rhino, Van Dam was out of action. This time RVD would make his return three months later at ECW Guilty As Charged on January 7th. On this event, Rhino would Gore The Sandman to become the ECW Champion, however RVD would return afterwards and defeat Jerry Lynn in an impromptu main event. After the contest, Cyrus announced that ECW would not be dying because ECW had been purchased by The Network.

RVD signaled his intentions to get an ECW Title shot and a rematch against Rhino at Living Dangerously on March 11th; however The Network prevented this from occurring. RVD decided to get at The Network in another way, entering the latest TV Title tournament, but in his Quarter Final match against Super Crazy, Steve Corino interfered and prevented him from winning.

At Living Dangerously, RVD would overcome Steve Corino whilst Rhino would successfully defend the ECW Championship against Yoshihiro Tajiri.

Over the course of the next month, RVD and Rhino would brawl multiple times, showing just how personal the feud between them was. Despite these brawls and seemingly both men’s willingness to fight again, The Network refused to book the two in an ECW Title match.

On the April 14th edition of ECW Hardcore TV, Cyrus booked a main event between Justin Credible and Rob Van Dam. If Justin Credible won, he got an ECW TV Title match against Jerry Lynn at Hardcore Heaven, however if RVD won, he got his desired ECW Title match against Rhino. The two went back and forth in an awesome contest, until Rhino snuck into the ring and Gored RVD, causing him to lose the match.

After the match, RVD remains in the ring and ends up face to face with Cyrus. RVD puts forward how bad he wants Rhino, claiming that he will fight against the entire Network to get a shot. Cyrus agrees, stating that next week Van Dam would fight the entire Network and if he won, he’d get his match with Rhino at Hardcore Heaven, but if RVD loses, he will be contractually barred from ever receiving another ECW Title shot. The determined Van Dam would obviously accept the challenge.

In the next week’s main event, RVD faced off against nearly the ENTIRE Network. It was one on five however plenty of the ECW roster hates The Network, and wanted to see RVD win. Their distractions and interference would allow RVD to land a Five Star Frog Splash on Jerry Lynn to pick up the win. With that, it was official; Rhino would be defending the ECW Championship against Rob Van Dam at Hardcore Heaven on May 13th.

We then see a quick clip of ECW Hardcore TV where Rhino successfully defended his ECW Championship against Super Crazy. After the match, Rhino set up a table on the outside and looked set to continue his assault, when RVD made the save. The two went back and forth until RVD nailed a Superkick which sent Rhino flying off the middle rope and through a table on the outside of the ring.

Next up we see clips from Hardcore Heaven, which shows RVD, on the top rope, ready to put Rhino away, when Justin Credible hit Van Dam off the top with a Singapore Cane. This allowed Rhino to pick up the victory.

The next month showed Van Dam fighting his way back into title contention, despite the fact that Cyrus swore RVD would not get another shot at Rhino. Eventually, Van Dam’s persistence and bettering of Rhino was rewarded with one final ECW Title match at Heatwave. However, if RVD loses, his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling will be over.

***​

Once the video package has completed, we’re back at ringside for our main event. JERRY ‘THE KING’ LAWLER is out first, and as you can imagine, the heat for a man who has been anti ECW for over five years is absolutely deafening. ‘The King’ continues to trade insults with the fans as TOMMY DREAMER comes out from the back, looking as determined as ever to finally shut up his longtime rival.

MATCH THREE
JERRY LAWLER VS. TOMMY DREAMER

These two men aren’t exactly friends and it’s quite obvious from the get-go, as they skip a feeling out process, and go right at each other. This isn’t a technical masterpiece, rather a brawl right from the start, with Tommy showing why he’s the heart and soul of ECW, whilst Lawler shows he’s no slouch either. Much like a typical ECW match, with neither man giving an inch, they fight inside of the ring, outside of the ring, throughout the crowd and they even end up in the arena parking lot for a while. Whilst out there, they make sure to cause as much bodily harm to each other as possible by ramming them into cars that are parked outside of the arena. Eventually, both men resort back to their right hands being their favorite weapon and they battle away, ending up back inside of the ring.

After a few more minutes back inside of the ring, Dreamer manages to get on top, dropping Lawler with a Swinging Neckbreaker before heading outside of the ring. Despite the chaotic nature of the match, there hasn’t been a hell of a lot of weapon shots until Tommy asks the audience for a weapon, and they provide him with a STEEL CHAIR!!! Tommy slides into the ring with the steel chair, cocked, locked, and ready to go, waiting for Lawler to stagger back to his feet. Using the ropes, ‘The King’ gets up… SO TOMMY SWINGS THE STEEL CHAIR… BUT LAWLER SENSES IT… AND DRAGS THE REFEREE IN FRONT OF HIM… SO TOMMY SMASHES THE STEEL CHAIR OVER THE HEAD OF THE REFEREE!!!

The referee crumbles to the canvas, unconscious, and the rowdy fans break out a chant of “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. Tommy looks a little shocked, hesitating for a moment, before heading back towards Lawler, but Jerry manages to poke Tommy in the eye. Dreamer chops the chair and Lawler picks it up… BEFORE SMASHING THE CHAIR ACROSS THE BACK OF DREAMER!!!

Tommy manages to stay on his feet, although his back is arched and his face screams agony. Meanwhile, Lawler throws the chair to the canvas, meaning there are now two chairs lying on the canvas. Jerry grabs Tommy though, PUTS HIS HEAD BETWEEN HIS LEGS… AND LAWLER DRILLS DREAMER WITH A PILEDRIVER!!!

‘THE KING’ IMMEDIATELY ROLLS ON TOP OF TOMMY FOR THE COVER…

BUT THERE IS NO REFEREE…

…

UNTIL A SECOND REFEREE SLIDES INTO THE RING…

AND BEGINS TO COUNT…1…2…3!!! NO!!! TOMMY MANAGES TO GET A SHOULDER UP!!!

The fans mark out, clearly ecstatic with Tommy staying in the contest, whilst Lawler can’t believe it. ‘The King’ jumps to his feet and argues with the referee, claiming it was three, but the referee signals that it was only a two count. Lawler shakes his head in frustration, before yelling “OH YEAH”, AND HE KICKS THE REFEREE IN THE GUT… BEFORE PLANTING THE REFEREE WITH A PILEDRIVER!!!

Holy shit!!! Another “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chant breaks out as Lawler signals for somebody to make their way out from the back. Immediately, major heat emanates from the fans, as The Network’s crooked referee, DANNY DANIELS runs out from the back and slides into the ring. Before turning back to Dreamer, Lawler looks at Daniels and says “I’M GONNA’ HIT HIM WITH THE CHAIR, THEN YOU COUNT THE THREE”!!!

Daniels nods obediently, not wanting to get on Lawler’s bad side after seeing what happened to the other referees throughout the match. As confident as ever now, and with his back still to Dreamer, Lawler picks up a steel chair, but he doesn’t realize that Tommy has managed to get his hands on the other chair that was on the canvas. Lawler turns to face Dreamer… AND LAWLER SWINGS WILDLY WITH HIS CHAIR… BUT SO DOES TOMMY… AND BOTH MEN KNOCK EACH OTHER DOWN WITH A STEEL CHAIR SHOT!!!

Both men are down in the center of the ring, and Danny Daniels looks in a panic, unsure of what to do. Blood trickles from both men’s foreheads as the char shots were clearly solid ones, with neither men moving. As always after a vicious move, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants reverberate around the arena. Neither man is moving, and Daniels is unsure of what to do… UNTIL TOMMY DRAPES AN ARM OVER LAWLER’S CHEST… LOOKING FOR THE PIN…

…

BUT THERE IS NO COUNT!!!

INSTEAD, DANNY DANIELS SIGNALS FOR THE BELL TO BE RUNG!!!

The bell rings and the audience is a little confused, as Daniels relays his message to the ring announcer, “THIS MATCH IS RULED A NO CONTEST… NEITHER MAN IS ABLE TO CONTINUE”!!!

NO CONTEST @ 16:46​

The fans shit all over the decision once the ring announcer has confirmed it, as yet again, Tommy Dreamer has been robbed of ending his feud with Jerry Lawler once and for all.

Realizing Dreamer is in slightly better shape than Lawler right now, Danny Daniels signals for back up, when CW ANDERSON AND STEVE CORINO sprint out from the back and slide into the ring.

The heat from the fans picks up as they know what is about to go down, and sure enough, the duo begin stomping all over Dreamer, keeping him grounded.

CW THEN MOUNTS TOMMY, HAMMERING AWAY WITH LEFT HANDS… BEFORE CORINO BEGINS CHOKING THE LIFE OUT OF TOMMY WITH HIS BOOT!!!

After a few more moments of the beat down, they stop and help Lawler to his feet. ‘The King’ is furious and slowly gets Tommy in position for a Piledriver…

WHEN LAWLER GETS SHOVED TO THE CANVAS…

BY RHINO!!!

Lawler looks shocked, as do Corino and Anderson, whilst Daniels takes this as his time to leave the ring and run up the ramp. The ECW Champion doesn’t pay any attention to his Network brothers, instead grabbing Tommy by the hair, and dragging him through the ropes and onto the ring apron.

The arena begins to buzz, knowing where Rhino is going with this, but before he can set up Dreamer for the Piledriver…

“Walk” by Pantera hits to an EPIC POP AND ROB VAN DAM SPRINTS TO THE RING!!!

Rhino stops moving, watching from the apron, as VAN DAM DROPS CORINO WITH A SPINNING WHEEL KICK!!!

He immediately bounces to his feet… BEFORE DROPPING CW ANDERSON WITH A SUPERKICK!!!

The fans are chanting “RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD” as Rhino is distracted by Tommy swinging a punch at him. Rhino shakes it off, before hammering Tommy with a few punches.

These flatten Tommy but also allowed Van Dam to scale the top rope… VAN DAM LEAPS OFF OF THE TOP ROPE… LANDING A KICK STRAIGHT INTO THE CHEST OF RHINO… THIS SENDS HIM FLYING OFF OF THE APRON AND INTO THE FUCKING CROWD!!!

The ever impressive Van Dam lands on his feet on the apron, as the chants now turn to “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”. Rhino has taken out half of the front row, and Van Dam looks on, admiring his own work.

Suddenly, “Enter Sandman” by Metallica hits and the cheers remain as high as can be, as THE SANDMAN can be seen working his way through the crowd, his trusty Singapore Cane in his hand.

As The Sandman makes his entrance, Rhino begins using the crowd barricade to pull himself back to his feet, so Van Dam shrugs… BEFORE LEAPING OFF WITH A CROSSBODY INTO THE CROWD… TAKING OUT RHINO AND THE FANS!!!

Another “RVD”, “RVD”, “RVD” chant erupts from the rabid crowd, as Lawler, Anderson and Corino are back up, but are forced to stop beating on Tommy. This is because The Sandman has stepped into the ring…

CORINO CHARGES AT SANDMAN… BUT RUNS STRAIGHT INTO A SINGAPORE CANE SHOT!!!

THE SANDMAN THEN NAILS A SHOT WITH THE CANE TO THE MID SECTION OF CW… AND WHEN HE BENDS OVER… SANDMAN DROPS ANDERSON WITH A CANE SHOT ACROSS THE BACK!!!

LAWLER NOW CHARGES AT THE SANDMAN… AND HE COPS A CANE SHOT TO THE HEAD AS WELL!!!

Momentarily, The Sandman is the only man left standing as more “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants can be heard. The Sandman takes a moment now, helping Tommy get to his feet, and Tommy says “LET’S GET THESE FUCKERS”!

Tommy meets a recovering Corino and hammers away with punches… BUT THE SANDMAN TURNS STRAIGHT INTO AN ANDERSON SPINEBUSTER FROM CW!!!

Tommy continues to get the better of Corino with punches… UNTIL LAWLER HITS DREAMER IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD WITH THE SANDMAN’S SINGAPORE CANE!!!

Both men are down now and the three Network members begin beating the living hell out of them, the numbers game working to their advantage yet again.

Dreamer is beaten down and easy to control, but the fresher Sandman begins to get up… SO LAWLER DROPS THE SANDMAN WITH A PILEDRIVER!!!

Lawler is full of laughter as he gets up, knowing that they well and truly have the advantage. From the outside, RVD works his way back to ringside and looks to climbs into the ring, but Corino kicks RVD, sending him off of the apron.

A frustrated Van Dam gets straight back up… BUT IS CHARGED THROUGH WITH A GORE BY RHINO… SENDING BOTH MEN CRASHING THROUGH THE FUCKING CROWD BARRICADE!!!

They took out a few fans again, as both men lay motionless, with the fans serenading them with “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” chants. Back inside of the ring, the merciless beating continues until Lawler grabs himself a microphone.

He needs to wait a few moments for the heat to die down before he can speak.

Jerry Lawler: You want to be tough guys and make a phone call that’s supposed to scare us? Where is your guy huh?

Lawler stands over Tommy as he yells this… BEFORE SLAPPING DREAMER ACROSS THE FACE!!!

The heat only gets louder, when ‘The King’ stands over The Sandman… AND SLAPS HIM ACROSS THE FACE AS WELL!!!

More boos but the sadistic Lawler couldn’t care less, as Corino and CW chuckle amongst themselves.

Jerry Lawler: I’ll tell you where he is, he’s nowhere!

As you can imagine, more heat from the fans as Lawler pauses.

Jerry Lawler: HE’S NOWHERE BECAUSE HE’S YELLOW… HE’S NOWHERE BECAUSE HE’S A COWAR-…

Lawler doesn’t get to finish that sentence BECAUSE THE FANS GO FUCKING BONKERS…

AS TERRY FUNK RUNS OUT FROM THE BACK…

AND HE’S BRANDISHING A STEEL CHAIR!!!

Terry slides into the ring and Corino charges at him… SO FUNK TAKES CORINO’S HEAD OFF WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!!!

Anderson makes the same mistake, running at Funk… AND HE COPS A STEEL CHAIR TO THE FACE FROM THE FUNKER ALSO!!!

Corino and CW are both out of it, having chosen to roll outside of the ring, leaving Funk with just one target. As the fans go ape shit with chants of “TERRY”, “TERRY”, “TERRY”, Funk raises the steel chair, before pointing at Lawler, showing his intentions.

‘The King’ doesn’t look like royalty at the moment, he looks as if he’s about to cry. Lawler puts his hands together, back pedaling as he begs Funk, “PLEASE DON’T, PLEASE”!

The sadistic Terry Funk gets a smirk on his face, enjoying the fear from Lawler, but by no means is he going to stop. Terry gets a few steps closer… RAISES THE CHAIR ABOVE HIS HEAD… AND SWINGS FOR THE FENCES…

BUT LAWLER DUCKS…

BEFORE DROPPING TO THE CANVAS AND ROLLING OUT OF THE RING!!!

Funk stomps his foot, frustrated with the near miss, before he pays attention to Dreamer and Sandman, helping them up.

Terry looks over at Lawler and yells “YOUR TIME WILL COME”, as ECW stand stall in the center of the ring, and The Network are in full retreat mode.

Funk, Sandman and Dreamer share some fist bumps and a hug, with the fans chanting “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA”, “ECDUBBYA” as we cut to our final break of the evening…

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

And we’re back to finish off the show with something we haven’t had in a while, PULP FICTION~! Of course, “Miserlou” by Dick Dale plays over the background, as we cut to our first scene…

Which shows our ECW Television Champion Jerry Lynn with a pretty annoyed look on his face. As per usual, he’s holding onto the TV Title rather tightly, almost as if he’s worried it could be snatched away at any time.

Jerry Lynn: There is a big difference between a title and a non-title match. I want to make it clear that nobody gets to touch the TV Title.

Lynn holds the belt even tighter, making his point known.

Jerry Lynn: Congratulations to both the kids who beat me recently, they got lucky!

The champion scoffs, playing them off as a threat, before he suddenly gets a serious look on his face.

Jerry Lynn: No, no, I’m serious, there is no questioning it. The kids are getting lucky, that’s it!

The paranoid Lynn clearly feels as if he has to convince everybody.

Jerry Lynn: They don’t understand that this is not the way the world works. I fought for fifteen years to become who I am now.

He puffs out his chest, proud to be a champion.

Jerry Lynn: This business runs in cycles and I’m at the top of my cycle. It’s their turn to wait and put me over and pay their dues like I had to.

Jerry’s getting more and more intense, before finally losing it.

Jerry Lynn: WHY IS TO SO FUCKING EASY FOR THEM, HUH?

The champion is full of rage and bitterness.

Jerry Lynn: THEY CAN MAKE STARS FOR A GOD DAMN DECADE LIKE I DID BEFORE THEY CAN EVEN SNIFF THIS TITLE!!!

His voice is dripping with contempt now, as he pauses, taking a few deep breaths and regaining his composure in the process.

Jerry Lynn: Let’s face it, these kids aren’t anything special. This is only happening because there is nobody else available because I’ve already beaten everybody else.

Lynn’s eyes open wide, a light bulb moment, as he nods along with his own words.

Jerry Lynn: Yeah, yeah, there is nobody else for me to beat, that’s it…

Suddenly, the erratic champion is full of confidence again.

Jerry Lynn: There can’t be any other reason for it. The Network wouldn’t leave me out to dry like this.

Looking more convinced then when he begun, Lynn straightens the title across his shoulder, before turning away from the camera…

…

Next we see a lot of people’s favorites to win the tag team titles number one contender match at Heatwave, the former champions, DANNY DORING AND ROADKILL. As usual, Doring steps up to the plate, ready to take care of most of the talking for the team.

Danny Doring: It feels like it has been forever, it’s been a LONG three month road back here since we lost the titles. No matter what, we have overcome all of the hurdles put in front of us, and we’re coming to Dayton to prove what we already know, and what we’ve already proven over the past year and a half.

Doring pauses to look at his Amish buddy, brimming with confidence.

Danny Doring: In a straight up match, no shenanigans, NOBODY in the world can touch us, and tomorrow night at Heatwave, we’ll take on EVERYONE to prove it.

The determined former champions have a bit of a chip on their shoulder, as Doring looks over at Roadkill and smirks before continuing.

Danny Doring: Four teams will walk in, three teams are going to get eaten up and spat out just like…

Roadkill: CHICKENS~!

…

We now cut to an alley way, where we see a bad ass looking HOMICIDE looking as street as ever, bandana covering his mouth. He looks into the camera, pulls down his bandana and simply yells “BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBDAT”!!!

…

In a less dramatic scene, BRYAN DANIELSON sits on a folding chair in an empty locker. He looks down at the ground, pondering his words, not much of a talker at this point in his career.

Bryan Danielson: Without meaning to sound cocky, I’m confident that I will win at Heatwave because I beat the TV Champion in my first match in ECW.

Danielson shrugs, he’s not gloating, it’s just a fact.

Bryan Danielson: As far as I’m concerned, that’s NOT a fluke, that’s TALENT. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to look past either of my opponents at Heatwave, but with all due respect to Low Ki, I didn’t come here to be any other guy.

The fired up youngster gets off his chair now, feeling an adrenaline rush.

Bryan Danielson: I came here for a pretty simple reason, I came here to be the best. I will prove that I am the best and that starts tomorrow night when the ‘American Dragon’ goes through two men and walks out the Television Champion.

Well, there you have it, the man apparently known as the ‘American Dragon’ means business…

…

The crazed, old lunatic Terry Funk is now walking through the backstage area, SMASHING A steel chair against the floor and the wall, before he begins cutting a promo like only he can.

Terry Funk: All of you know this old man to well by now; did any of you actually think I wasn’t going to show up?

Funk shakes his head at the apparently unbelievable thought.

Terry Funk: I love this god damned crazy place. I wouldn’t miss a chance to come back to ECW in a million years.

He stops with a smile on his face, probably reliving some awesome, extreme memories.

Terry Funk: But I have to admit, there is more in it for me than just coming back to ECW. I wouldn’t miss a chance to punch Steve Corino in the mouth in a million years.

Terry smirks again, looking at his fist before continuing.

Terry Funk: Hell, there’s even more than that. I’m loyal to my friends; I wouldn’t miss a chance to help out Tommy Dreamer in a million years.

A switch seems to have flicked as Funk doesn’t look as happy now.

Terry Funk: There’s more again… I wouldn’t miss a chance to show an Anderson… WHO THE REAL GOD DAMNED TOUGH FAMILY IN THIS SPORT IS IN A MILLION YEARS!!!

Red faced and furious, this is the best Terry Funk.

Terry Funk: AND I WOULD NEVER MISS A CHANCE TO DO BODILY HARM TO THAT NO GOOD DAMNED FOOL JERRY LAWLER IN A MILLION YEARS!!!

He drops the chair now, getting as close to the camera as he possibly can.

Terry Funk: LAWLER… YOU COCKSUCKER…

Funk is forced to catch his breath a little.

Terry Funk: AN EYE FOR AN EYE!!!

With that, Funk continues to walk down the hallway, having sent his message, loud and clear…

…

We cut backstage to another area in the back, where THE SINISTER MINISTER stands by, as always with his ECW Tag Team Champions MIKEY WHIPWRECK AND YOSHIHIRO TAJIRI!!! THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE has their titles with them, as The Sinister Minister speaks on behalf of the group.

The Sinister Minister: I give credit where credit is due, Super Crazy and Kid Kash pulled off the UNTHINKABLE once when they beat the greatest team in the world. Lightning won’t strike twice, they are FOOLS to try it a second time, Tajiri and Mike are a DIFFERENT team, especially when the tag team titles are on the line.

Subconsciously, Mikey and Tajiri look down at their titles, as Minister chuckles to himself.

The Sinister Minister: Congratulations boys, you won the big game once, but that’s where this end. Facing us again, this is a gamble, and history has shown, when you gamble with the devil, you will lose and the house always wins.

Just like that, Mikey and Tajiri continue to mean mug the camera, whilst a confident The Sinister Minister begins laughing uncontrollably…

…

Next, we see an intense looking SPIKE DUDLEY staring into the distance, a short message to send.

Spike Dudley: Tomorrow night, I’m going to break Christopher Daniels’ winning streak and his NECK.

Short and sharp from Spike as we move to our next scene…

…

We see our ECW Champion RHINO pacing back and forth, a slight limp up after the huge bump that he and RVD took earlier in the night. He looks in a state as usual, heavy breathing, pacing back and forth, but surprisingly he doesn’t say anything. He pays no attention to the camera, continuing to just pace and be lost in his sadistic thoughts, before we cut away…

…

To the trainer’s room, where the number one contender, ROB VAN DAM is getting treated. Despite some of the limb tests that the trainer is performing, RVD seems in good spirits, smirking when he sees the camera.

Rob Van Dam: I know that tonight didn’t exactly go as planned for me, but am I supposed to show fear now or something?

A wry smirk stays on his face as he shakes his head at the idea of being scared.

Rob Van Dam: Throughout my career, I’ve been beaten up by bigger guys than Rhino, and I’ve still got back up, dusted myself off and won.

The trainer finishes some of his tests which allows Van Dam to sit up a little straighter as he continues.

Rob Van Dam: Think about a couple of the nasty, unstoppable guys that I’ve beaten. Does Bam Bam Bigelow ring a bell? Because I ran him out of ECW.

Van Dam nods, remembering his epic battles with Bigelow.

Rob Van Dam: What about ‘The Human Suplex Machine’? Does Taz ring a bell? Because Taz choked out Rhino but he could never beat Mister Pay Per View.

Van Dam smirks as he gets up off of the trainer’s bed, doing a quick stretch, before becoming more serious.

Rob Van Dam: Rhino has been telling everybody that listens that he is The Network, but if that’s the case, I might just be ECW personified bro… AND ECW TAKES A SHIT ON THE NETWORK!!!

RVD pauses after that outburst of intensity, leaving the trainer’s room but continuing to give his thoughts.

Rob Van Dam: Tomorrow night at Heatwave is going to be different; Rhino won’t be able to beat me this time. Tomorrow night, a different Rob Van Dam will show up, because Rhino dude, you’re not only dealing with the GREATEST athlete in ECW history and the best big match player this company’s ever seen… But you’re dealing with all of these things when I have a point to prove with my back against the wall.

RVD is dead serious.

Rob Van Dam: Heatwave is do or die.

Those last words definitely resonate with Van Dam as he takes a breath, stroking his chin in thought.

Rob Van Dam: This stipulation will bring out my best, there’s a reason I’m ‘The Whole Fucking Show’, and you, well you’re the champ, but you’re just another main eventer.

There’s some arrogance in that, but RVD shrugs, unashamedly.

Rob Van Dam: Cyrus didn’t want this match to happen because your HANDLERS know that without their help, you will end up just like everybody else, you can’t hang with me bro.

‘The Whole F’n show’ pauses for a moment, wanting that last message to be taken in.

Rob Van Dam: Tomorrow night, I will prove that I am Mister Pay Per View… That I am Mister Saturday Night…That I am Mister ECW… THE WHOLE FUCKING SHOW… THE NEXT ECW CHAMPION…

An intense Van Dam now points his own thumbs to his shoulders.

Rob Van Dam: ROB…VAN…DAM!!!

With that, RVD takes one last look at the camera, determined to win, yet knowing this could be his last ever appearance on ECW Hardcore TV. With that sobering thought, the show fades to black.

END OF SHOW

***

Current Card for ECW Heatwave
July 15th, 2001
Dayton, Ohio

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match;
Title vs. ECW Career:
Rhino (c) defends against Rob Van Dam

Grudge Match:
CW Anderson, Jerry Lawler and Steve Corino vs. Terry Funk, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer

ECW Tag Team Championship Match:
The Unholy Alliance (c) defend against Kid Kash and Super Crazy

ECW Television Championship Match:
Jerry Lynn (c) defends against ???

Elimination Match:
Christian York and Joey Matthews vs. Danny Doring and Roadkill vs. Eye Balls vs. Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke

Christopher Daniels vs. Spike Dudley

ECW Television Championship Number One Contender’s Match:
Bryan Danielson vs. Low Ki

Chris Hamrick and EZ Money vs. Da Baldies​

 

[Stojy]

I know this is still mainly a repost and will be for awhile, but I'm pretty proud of the effort I've put in here. Writing Heatwave 2001 the first time, I was eager to get to a big upcoming angle, so I half assed the show. I've taken my time and done a real remaster here and I'm pretty proud of the effort. Not that detail dictates the showing being good or not, but just for context, the original Heatwave 2001 was approx 4000 words long, whereas this version I'm sharing today sits at approx 13,000. Enjoy, or don't, whatever, but kind of just wanted to acknowledge that I'm proud of the effort I put into this one.

ECW Heatwave
July 15th, 2001
The Hara Arena
Dayton, Ohio​

The show begins in a pretty standard ECW pay per view type of way, with the fans going absolutely ape shit, killing those world famous “ECDUBBYA” chants. We do forego the in ring introductions from the commentary team, as JOEY STYLES AND JOEL GERTNER are already in their seated position as they run down the card. Suddenly, they are interrupted by the approach of the leader of The Network, CYRUS who sits down and places a conveniently placed third headset on.

Cyrus: Gentlemen, sometimes you’ve just got to do smart business. I’m joining you tonight because I’m not taking any risks on the second biggest show of the year. The Network has a lot riding on this, so I’ll stick with you to make sure you call it right.

Styles and Gertner are clearly agitated by the looks on their faces, but there isn’t much they can do as the competitors for the first match begin making their way towards the arena.

Match One
WINNER GETS A SHOT AT THE ECW TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP LATER ON TONIGHT
Bryan Danielson vs. Low Ki

The two young upstarts, both looking to make an impact, begin with a handshake before there is some chain wrestling over the course of the first few minutes. Neither man can completely gain the advantage, with Ki being the faster of the two, but Danielson is clever and explodes unexpectedly with counters to keep up. The fans are really into it, which allows Cyrus to put over The Network’s relocation plan.

Cyrus: This is the way it should be, listen to that crowd. The crowd in the Midwest can actually appreciate HIGH QUALITY chain wrestling without chanting BORING after two minutes without a weapon like the SLACK JAWED blueberries in the Tri-State area. The proof is in the pudding, The Network’s relocation plan as done well.

Joey Styles: I’d just like to take a moment to apologize to ECW’s HOME fans for that outburst.

Cyrus: Second biggest show of the year, Joey, HEATWAVE. This is your one and only warning, call it properly.

Much like the commentary, the match continues to grow in intensity, as the wrestling aspect comes to a stalemate. Ki starts throwing some vicious kicks, whilst Danielson responds with forearms and some stiff low kicks of his own. Ki hits a blitz of kicks to rock Danielson, before bouncing off the ropes for momentum, BUT HE RUNS STRAIGHT INTO A DROPKICK!!!​

Ki snaps down to the canvas and is grounded once again, as Danielson looks to keep him down and grind away at him on the mat. Danielson has some success with this strategy, until ‘The Warrior’ fights back to his feet. Ki starts hitting some chops to the chest, but Danielson responds with some of his own, and they engage in a full blown chop war, until Ki hits a HUGE Double Mongolian Chop!!!​

Danielson staggers backwards, rubbing his chest for a moment, before responding with a STIFF European Uppercut. Now it’s Ki’s turn to stagger backwards, a little stunned, and Danielson immediately grabs him and sends him into the corner. ‘The American Dragon’ charges in after Ki, nailing him with a Corner Forearm!!!​

Danielson notices Ki staggering out of the corner and runs off the ropes… RIGHT INTO A ROLLING LIGER KICK FROM LOW KI!!!​

Danielson falls backwards, right into that same corner, and now Ki explodes with a barrage of kicks, and all Danielson can do is attempt to cover up. Ki now whips Danielson across the ring, sending him to the opposite corner. Ki charges in after him… TIDAL KRUSH!!!​

NO!!! BRYAN CUTS HIM OFF WITH ANOTHER STIFF FOREARM!!!​

AND THEN IMMEDIATELY HITS A SNAP BUTTERFLY SUPLEX!!!​

Ki is down and out in the middle of the ring, as Danielson heads to the top rope, giving us our first taste of high risk tonight… DIVING HEADBUTT CONNECTS!!!​

Ki barely moves, but Danielson grabs at his head and face, selling the impacts, BEFORE CRAWLING ON TOP OF KI…1…2…NO!!! LOW KI GETS A SHOULDER UP!!!​

‘AmDrag’ is relentless as he grabs Ki and drags him, landing some more strikes whilst backing him into the corner. He then lifts Low Ki up, positioning him in a seated position on the top rope. Danielson climbs up after him, landing a few more shots for good measure before hooking him in position… SUPERPLEX!!!​

THIS TIME DANIELSON IMMEDIATELY MAKES THE COVER…1…2…NO!!! KI JUST GETS A SHOULDER OFF THE MAT!!!​

Wiping some sweat from his forehead, Danielson remains on task, pulling Ki up and getting a Waist Lock… GERMAN SUPLEX!!!​

NO!!! KI DESPERATELY SWINGS ELBOWS INTO DANIELSON’S TEMPLE!!!​

The blows force Danielson to relinquish his grip, and Ki immediately sprints to the ropes… SPRINGBOARD GAMENGURI!!!​

LOW KI HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…NO!!! DANIELSON KICKS OUT!!!​

Stalking his opponent in a measured way, The Warrior’ lets Danielson get back to his feet, and then begins teeing off with hard kicks to the chest. With Danielson struggling to remain standing… LOW KI SWINGS WITH THE ROUNDHOUSE KICK!!!

NO!!! DANIELSON DUCKS…​

AND NAILS A GERMAN SUPLEX!!!​

DANIELSON MAINTAINS THE BRIDGE…1…2…NO!!! KI JUST ESCAPES!!!​

Another near fall for Danielson seems to just make him hungrier for the victory. He pulls Ki up from his prone position… AND HOOKS HIM FOR A DRAGON SUPLEX!!!​

NO!!! KI SWITCHES AND GETS BEHIND DANIELSON!!!​

DRAGON SLEEPER FROM KI!!!​

NO!!! DANIELSON TURNS AROUND…​

AND HITS A NORTHERN LIGHTS SUPLEX!!!​

AGAIN, DANIELSON MAINTAINS THE BRIDGE…1…2…3…NO!!! KI JUST ESCAPES YET AGAIN!!!​

Something seems to click inside of Danielson now as he looks a little more determined to be vicious. He grabs Ki by the hand and arm and uses it to pull him up. He maintains that single arm grip and keeps pulling Ki into vicious European Uppercuts. Finally, he relents and Ki staggers, so Danielson charges forward… ROLLING ELBOW!!!​

NO!!! KI JUMPS UP AND HITS AN ENZUIGURI!!!​

Danielson turns away and moves to create some distance, a little rattled after the unexpected shot, but Ki pounces… TIGER SUPLEX!!!​

NOW IT’S LOW KI’S TURN TO MAINTAIN THE BRIDGE…1…2…3…NO!!! DANIELSON JUST ESCAPES THIS TIME!!!​

Realizing he’s finally on top, Ki immediately pulls Danielson to his knees… AND UNLEASHES WITH A TONNE OF KAWADA KICKS!!!​

After being absolutely battered, DANIELSON SOMEHOW CATCHES THE LEG ON ONE OF THE KICKS!!!​

DANIELSON USES IT TO GET TO HIS FEET… AND DRIVES HIS ELBOW RIGHT INTO THE LOW KI’S KNEE!!!​

Ki immediately reacts, bending down to grab the knee… ROLLING ELBOW FROM DANIELSON!!!​

Ki stays on his feet, but the blow spins him 180, to be facing away from his opponent… DANIELSON HITS A DRAGON SUPLEX!!!​

DANIELSON KEEPS THE BRIDGE AGAIN…1…2…3……….​

THE REF STOPS COUNTING BECAUSE THE WAY KI’S BODY HAS FOLDED MEANS ONE OF HIS FEET ARE TOUCHING THE BOTTOM ROPE!!!

A slight grin crosses Danielson’s face for a moment, he can’t believe how unlucky he is with that one. After coming to terms with it, Danielson surprisingly plays to the crowd, making a signal that it’s about to all be over. Danielson drags Ki up and lifts him in the air, before placing him in a seated position on the top rope but facing outside of the ring.​

Danielson climbs up after him, clubbing Ki across the back a few times, before hooking him up… BACK SUPLERPLEX!!!​

NO!!! KI COUNTERS IN MID AIR INTO A CROSSBODY!!!​

KI STAYS ON TOP FOR THE PIN…1…2…3…​

…​

NO!!! DANIELSON JUST SHOOTS A SHOULDER UP AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT!!!​

Ki rolls off of Danielson, using the ropes to pull himself up, only to realize that Danielson has backed into a separate corner, pulling himself up that way. Ki charges across the ring… THIS TIME TIDAL KRUSH CONNECTS!!!​

KI LOOKS TO FOLLOW WITH THE KI KRUSHER!!!​

NO!!! DANIELSON PULLS KI INTO AN INSIDE CRADLE…1…2…3…​

…​

…​

NO!!! KI ESCAPES THE FLASH PIN!!!​

Both men bounce to their feet quickly, and Danielson gets a go behind… DRAGON SUPLEX!!!​

NO!!! KI SPINS AROUND BEFORE DANIELSON CAN LOCK HIS HANDS…​

AND THEN POWERS DANIELSON UP… HITTING THE KI KRUSHER!!!​

LOW KI WITH THE PIN…1…2…3…​

…​

…​

IT’S OVER!!!

WINNER – Low Ki by pinfall @ 14:02​

After the match, Low Ki celebrates his hard fought victory, as Danielson uses the ropes to pull himself up, clearly favoring his neck. As Ki soaks in the ovation from the fans, Danielson watches on, a variety of emotions crossing his face, disappointment, sadness, jealousy, before he takes a deep breath and offers Ki a handshake. The two finish the match the same way they started, with a sign of respect and a handshake, much to the delight of the fans. Once Danielson leaves the ring, Ki continues to get his moment in the sun.

Joey Styles: What a fine display of athleticism between two men who will clearly play a big role in ECW moving forward. Professional wrestling at its finest here tonight, and now Low Ki gets an ECW Television Championship match later tonight against Jerry Lynn.

Joel Gertner: It’ll be a big test in stamina for Low Ki tonight, something I know a lot about, but it’s definitely advantage Jerry Lynn for the TV title match.

Cyrus: Whoa, look at this guys!!!

BUT OUT OF NOWHERE... LOW KI GETS HIT IN THE BACK OF THE NECK BY JERRY LYNN AND THE ECW TV TITLE!!!

The heat is enormous as Cyrus sniggers knowingly on commentary, whilst Lynn quickly grabs a microphone from ringside. Intense and in a bit of a hurry, Lynn talks over the disgusted fans.

Jerry Lynn: IT’S BEEN ABOUT A MINUTE SINCE LOW KI WON THE SHOT!!!

Boos drowned out the TV champ, but he continues anyway.

Jerry Lynn: THAT’S LATER IN THE NIGHT, ASSHOLE!

“Indeed it is” – Cyrus.

Jerry Lynn: RING THE BELL!!!

With Cyrus clearly backing Lynn’s play here, it’s time for the TV Title match.

Match Two
ECW TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Jerry Lynn (c) defends against Low Ki

As you can imagine, Low Ki is exhausted, so this match starts with everyone booing like crazy, whilst Lynn continues to attack the back of Ki’s head and neck. It’s simple offense, he keeps the quicker, smaller man grounded, stomping all over the target area. Lynn roughly drags Ki towards the ropes, where he hangs Ki over the middle rope, pushing him down to simply choke him.​

From here, Lynn continues to dominate the match, keeping Low Ki grounded, but he’s unable to put the determined youngster away. Eventually Lynn locks in a Reverse Chinlock because he forgets this is ECW, but thankfully Ki fights his way up to his feet. Ki throws some elbows to the mid-section, breaking free, before unloading with chops to the chest of Lynn.​

As Ki starts to build some momentum, and the fans get into it, Lynn gets a rake to the eyes. Ki bends down, trying to rub his eyes… AND LYNN NAILS A SWINGING NECKBREAKER!!!​

Surprisingly, there’s no pinfall attempt as instead Lynn surveys the arena, getting plenty of abuse from the fans. He bites back at a few of the fans, before looking to focus on keeping Ki grounded again… BUT LOW KI EXPLODES WITH A JAWBREAKER!!!​

Lynn is stunned, grabbing at his chin, whilst Ki bounces back up and starts throwing his trusty kicks to the chest of Lynn. Kick after kick with no answer land… UNTIL LYNN CATCHES KI’S LEG AND PULLS HIM IN… TO A FLAPJACK!!!​

Ki gets hung throat first over the top rope, and then crumbles to the canvas. As Ki tries to catch his breath, the TV Champ picks him up and throws him out of the ring. ‘The Warrior’ lands with a thud on the outside, as Lynn surprisingly doesn’t follow him out, instead looking at the referee and telling him to “COUNT HIM OUT”!!!​

It’s not ECW per se, but this is a rule in the rulebook which The Network is forcing referees to abide by, so the ref begins counting Low Ki out…1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…NO!!! LOW KI ROLLS IN JUST BEFORE THE COUNT OF TEN!!!

It’s a quick movement to slide in the ring which infuriates Lynn, but once in the ring, Ki stays down. Lynn immediately stomps all over his battered body, ensuring that he stays down. Lynn eventually picks Ki up… CRADLE PILEDRIVER!!!​

NO!!! KI POWERS OUT WITH A BACK BODY DROP… SENDING LYNN OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE FLOOR!!!​

Lynn takes a BIG bump, and the fans mark out for Low Ki showing signs of life. Ki needs a moment or two to regain himself and recover, catching his breath, whilst Lynn slowly pulls himself back up after his awful landing. Suddenly, Ki swings into action… TOPE SUICIDA!!!​

Ki takes Lynn out again, and the fans greet him with a chant of “ECDUB”. Feeling acceptance, Ki even grabs a beer from the fan and finishes for him, because drinking on the job in pro wrestling is cool as shit. After taking the moment, Ki hoists Lynn up and rolls him back into the ring. Instead of following him in, Ki ascends to the top rope… CROSSBODY CONNECTS!!!​

BUT LYNN ROLLS THROUGH…​

AND HOLDS ONTO THE WAIST BAND OF KI’S PANTS AS HE HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3…NO!!! KI KICKS OUT!!!​

Both men try and scramble to their feet, but Low Ki is the quicker of the two… ROLLING LIGER KICK!!!​

The blow sends Lynn stumbling backwards until his back is against the corner. An exhausted Ki takes a moment before charging across the ring… TIDAL KRUSH!!!​

NO!!! LYNN CATCHES KI IN MID AIR… AND SPRINTS ACROSS THE RING…​

LIGER BOMB!!!​

LYNN HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3…​

…​

NO!!! KI SOMEHOW GETS A SHOULDER UP!!!​

A furious Lynn runs his hand through his hair, unable to believe the resilience of his opponent, who’s deep into his SECOND match of the night. After taking a moment to compose himself, Lynn drags Ki up and takes him to the corner. Lynn sits himself on the top rope, and grabs Ki’s head and neck… TORNADO DDT!!!​

NO!!! KI SQUIRMS FREE AND SHOVES LYNN IN THE CHEST, KEEPING HIM SEATED ON THE TOP ROPE!!!​

KI THEN HITS A JUMPING ENZUIGURI!!!​

Lynn somehow remains seated on the top rope, but his head and neck slump forward. Sensing his chance, Ki begins to climb up after him, but as he gets to the middle rope, Lynn pounces with a thumb to the eye. As Ki works on regaining his vision, Lynn wraps his arms around him… SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB!!!​

LYNN STACKS KI FOR THE PIN…1…2…3…

…​

…​

NO!!! KI EXPLODES FREE YET AGAIN!!!​

The fans can’t believe it, based on this performance they are more behind Low Ki than they ever have been before. Getting increasingly frustrated, the champ has had enough as he slides outside the ring and grabs the TV Title. Once he’s back in the ring, the referee confronts Lynn, begging for him not to use the title, but Lynn yells at him, “GET OUT OF MY FACE”!!!​

He shrugs off the referee, showing a more aggressive side… WHEN KI COMES FROM BEHIND WITH A SCHOOL BOY…1…2…3…NO!!! LYNN JUST KICKS OUT!!!​

The champ hurries to his feet, in absolute shock, as Ki bounces off the ropes, but Lynn cuts him off with a Clothesline! Realizing he needs to finish this off, Lynn gets Ki in position… CRADLE PILEDRIVER!!!​

NO!!! KI POWERS OUT AGAIN WITH A BACK BODY DROP!!!​

BUT LYNN HANGS ON WITH THE CRADLE SUNSET FLIP…1…2…3…​

…​

…​

NO!!! KI JUST KICKS OUT AGAIN!!!​

Despite the kick out, Ki is slow to his feet, clearly struggling from exhaustion, and by the time he’s up, Lynn is seated on the top rope. This time Lynn grabs Ki with ease… TORNADO DDT!!! ​

LYNN CRAWLS AND HOOKS THE LEG OF KI…1…2…3…​

…​

…​

…​

NO!!! KI JUST ROLLS AN ALMOST LIFELESS SHOULDER OFF THE MAT!!!​

Lynn looks to land the final shot again, shaking off his irritation and setting up for the CRADLE PILEDRIVER!!!​

WHEN KI EXPLODES AND BREAKS FREE!!!​

BEFORE GOING NUTS WITH A BUNCH OF KICKS… FOLLOWED BY SOME KAWADA KICKS…​

And with Lynn spaghetti legged… KI DROPS HIM WITH A ROUNDHOUSE KICK TO THE HEAD!!!​

Building momentum, The Warrior’ is quick to drag Lynn up and whip him hard into the corner of the ring. Ki charges in after Lynn… TIDAL KRUSH CONNECTS!!!​

With Lynn out of it in the corner, Ki signals to the cheering fans that this one is about to be over. Ki grabs the champ, KI KRUSHER!!!​

NO!!! LYNN DESPERATELY CLINGS ONTO THE TOP ROPE WITH ONE HAND TO PREVENT THE MOVE!!!​

There’s a struggle for position until Lynn manages to get a second hand on the top rope, which allows him to pull himself onto the apron. Ki still awkwardly has a grip on Lynn, but Lynn manages to hang Ki neck first over the top rope. Ki bounces off the rope and lands on his back in the middle of the ring, and Lynn quickly slides underneath the bottom rope to capitalize.​

Again, Lynn drags Ki up, this time looking for a CRADLE TOMBSTONE!!!​

NO!!! KI SLIDES DOWN AND GETS A CRADLE PIN…1…2…3…​

…​

NO!!! LYNN JUST BREAKS FREE OF THE FLASH PIN!!!​

Surprisingly, both men bounce up to their feet quickly, but the fresher Lynn gets a go behind… GERMAN SUPLEX!!!​

NO!!! KI BLOCKS IT WITH HIS HEAL…​

BEFORE TURNING TO FACE LYNN, AND HE HOOKS LYNN UP…​

KI KRUSHER!!!​

NO!!! LYNN COUNTERS AND SYNCHS IN A REVERSE DDT!!!​

LOW KI DROPS TO HIS KNEE AND GETS A SNAPMARE!!!​

BEFORE LOCKING IN THE DRAGON SLEEPER!!!​

LYNN IMMEDIATELY SPINS AROUND IN IT… AND TRIES TO SEND UP…​

SO, KI CHANGES TACT… AND POUNCES WITH THE KI KRUSHER!!!​

HOLY SHIT!!!​

KI HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3…​

…

…

NO!!! LYNN JUST SHOOTS A SHOULDER OFF THE MAT…​

BUT KI GRABS THE ARM… AND APPLIES THE DRAGON CLUTCH!!!​

Lynn’s eyes go wide in shock as he wriggles around in agony, unable to escape. Ki puts as much pressure on as he can. On commentary, Cyrus is freaking out…

Cyrus: NO! NO! SOMEONE GET DOWN THERE!!!

Cyrus’ pleas seemingly fall on deaf ears, as Ki keeps the hold locked in. Lynn waves his arms around desperately, looking for an escape, but he CAN’T find one… AND LYNN TAPS OUT!!!

WINNER – Low Ki by submission @ 13:25​

Holy shit, what a coming out party for Low Ki. Jerry Lynn rolls to the outside, in agony both physically and mentally, whilst Low Ki is given the TV Title. He raises it above his head, celebrating the biggest win of his career, with the fans going ABSOLUTELY WILD in the background.

...

Back at the commentary table, CYRUS is clearly fuming as The Network has just lost the ECW Television Title. Cyrus holds his headset, clearly talking to somebody on the other end of the headset.

Cyrus: Ugh, I can’t believe it. We need to get this show back on track, put the Baldies match up next.

Joey and Joel shoot Cyrus with a strange look and the production worker on the other end of the headset clearly questions the changes to the planned format.

Cyrus: I’m The Network, I don’t care about the format. What I say goes, this is ECW.

His commentary colleagues can’t believe the gall of Cyrus, but ‘The Virus’ doesn’t notice the looks he’s receiving from them.

Cyrus: Joey, Joel, you better not screw this up. Unfortunately I can’t babysit the two of you any longer, I need to go and make sure everything else goes smoothly. I need to make sure the rest of the night goes the way The Network planned since somebody just messed up.

Cyrus then gets up and leaves, which obviously puts Joey and Joel back into jovial moods like they were at the beginning of the show.

Match Three
Chris Hamrick and Julio Dinero w/EZ Money vs. Da Baldies

Look, everything on this show is getting a rewrite except for this, because one, the match would suck, and two, outside of the ending, it really has no consequence on things moving forward.​

The four men go back and forth throughout, and EZ Money provides interference at times, but this one just isn’t all that exciting. Eventually, the returning HARRIS BROTHERS put everybody out of their misery by sliding into the ring AND TAKING OUT ALL FIVE MEN WITH BRUTAL DOUBLE CHOKESLAMS!!!

No Contest @ 4:35​

The beating continues after the match with The Harris Brothers laying the boots on both teams. They eventually toss Da Baldies out of the ring and continue to focus their attack on Hot Commodity. Once they have softened up the trio enough for their liking, they stand over them and Ron Harris yells “STAY OUT OF NETWORK BUSINESS”!!!

...

We now cut to an area backstage where ‘Damage Control’ is swarming the area, clearly checking on the condition of somebody. Eventually, the camera man is able to get a better angle, and we see that SUPER CRAZY is laying on the floor, unconscious, clearly the victim of some sort of attack. The question must be asked, if Super Crazy is in this sort of condition, what happens to his and Kid Kash’s tag team title shot tonight?

Match Four
ELIMINATION MATCH
Christian York and Joey Matthews vs. Danny Doring and Roadkill vs. Eye Balls vs. Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke w/Sal E. Graziano

This match is a spot fest in the early stages, with all eight men that are legally competing beating the hell out of each other. The fast and furious pace doesn’t die down for at least a few minutes, and after some actual wrestling, this favors Eye Balls, who clean house with their power and brawling advantage. Obviously, Roadkill is a challenge, but they double team him to get him out of the ring. Whilst PCO and Balls Mahoney own the ring, YORK AND MATTHEWS HIT STEREO TOPE SUICIDAS ON GUIDO AND DANNY DORING ON THE OUTSIDE!!!​

The move gets a nice pop, and is greeted by an “ECDUB” chant, when York and Matthews get back into the ring. Unfortunately for them, Eye Balls are waiting for them, and the bigger, more experienced men have their way with the youngsters. Balls and PCO are looking on fire, beating on York and Matthews… UNTIL ROADKILL RUNS THROUGH EYE BALLS WITH A DOUBLE SPEAR!!!​

Now Roady notices that York and Matthews are getting to their feet, so he bounces off the ropes to build momentum… BUT SAL E. GRAZIANO PULLS DOWN THE TOP ROPE… LOW BRIDGING ROADKILL WHO TUMBLES TO THE OUTSIDE!!!​

The fans aren’t happy, starting the obligatory “YOU FAT FUCK” and “SAL ATE MY PIZZA” chants. Meanwhile, we get to a situation where Christian York and Joey Matthews are left in the ring with Tony Mamaluke stepping in to pick up the crumbs. Mamaluke waits for Matthews to turn towards him… SUPERKICK!!!​

NO!!! MATTHEWS DUCKS!!!​

AND THEN YORK COMES FROM BEHIND AND PICKS MAMALUKE UP INTO THE AIR!!!

Matthews runs the ropes… HART ATTACK DROPKICK!!!​

Having Mamaluke alone in the ring, both York and Matthews rush to their feet, before ascending separate corners of the ring... AND THEY LEAP OFF AT THE SAME TIME... CONNECTING WITH AN EVENT OMEGA!!!

YORK MAKES THE COVER...1...2...3...NO!!!

LITTLE GUIDO INTERRUPTS THE COVER WITH A FLYING LEGDROP FROM THE TOP ROPE... BUT YORK MANAGED TO AVOID CONTACT... AND GUIDO ACTUALLY CONNECTED ON HIS OWN PARTNER!!!

Guido gets up in shock, and MATTHEWS DROPS HIM WITH A SUPERKICK!!!

YORK MAKES THE COVER ON TONY AGAIN...1...2...3!!!

Elimination #1 Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke by pinfall @ 4:52

After the first elimination, the crazy pace of the match continues, as York and Matthews celebrate, slapping each other some five… ONLY TO BE TAKEN OUT WITH A DOUBLE CROSSBODY FROM THE TOP ROPE BY DORING!!!​

York and Matthews immediately throw Doring off of them, and as all three men get to their feet, Doring manages to land right hands and elbows, eventually dropping both the rookies. Getting cheers from the fans, Doring heads back up to the top rope… BUT MATTHEWS RUNS ACROSS THE RING… AND YORK LAUNCHES HIM UP IN THE AIR… INTO A FRANKENSTEINER ON DORING!!!​

HOLY SHIT!!! Those famous “ECDUB” chants come back, as the fans lose their minds for the awesome move. As Matthews recovers, YORK HOOKS THE LEG OF DORING…1…2…NO!!! ROADKILL DIVES IN AND BREAKS UP THE COUNT!!!​

Roadkill looks to drag York up by the hair, but York shrugs Roady off of him… AND YORK NAILS A SUPERKICK!!!​

The big Amish is staggered but remains off his feet, so York bounces off the ropes… RIGHT INTO A CHAIR SHOT ACROSS THE BACK FROM BALLS MAHONEY!!!​

As this happens on the opposite of the ring, PCO gets back inside, but Roadkill manages to send himself and PCO OVER THE TOP ROPE AND OUT TO THE FLOOR WITH A CACTUS CLOTHESLINE!!!​

Seeing Mahoney in the ring after laying out his partner with a chair, Matthews targets him next. Matthews runs off the ropes but runs straight into a jab. Balls lands more punches as the fans chant along… “BALLS”, “BALLS”, “BALLS”…”WHOOOAAAAAA… BALLS”!!!​

With Matthews seeing stars, Balls now bends down to pick up his steel chair… BUT DORING COMES OFF THE MIDDLE ROPE WITH A BULLDOG… SENDING MAHONEY FACE FIRST INTO THE CHAIR!!!​

DORING MAKES THE COVER…1…2…3…NO!!! BALLS KICKS OUT!!!

On the outside of the ring, PCO and Roadkill continue to do battle, whilst Guido is clearly just sitting at ringside resting. Meanwhile, inside of the ring, Joey Matthews gets Doring up onto the top rope, and he climbs up with him, potentially looking FOR A FRANKENSTEINER... BUT DORING SLIDES DOWN... AND PULLS AT MATTHEWS’LEGS... CAUSING MATTHEWS TO FALL FACE FIRST ONTO THE TOP TURNBUCKLE!!!

With both men down inside of the ring, PCO saves Mahoney by grabbing Roadkill outside of the ring, AND RAMMING HIM STRAIGHT INTO THE CROWD BARRICADE!!!

Oulette then gets in and takes out Doring with a hard Clothesline, before he gets onto the apron and up onto the top rope... AND LEAPS OFF WITH LE CANNONBALL... DAMN NEAR SQUASHING MATTHEWS!!!

PCO REMAINS ON TOP FOR THE COVER...1...2...3!!!

Elimination #2 Christian York and Joey Matthews by pinfall @ 8:11

PCO gets up and Balls gets up with him, and with no wasted motion, they drag Doring back up to his feet. They send him to the ropes, and when Doring comes back… DOUBLE SPINEBUSTER BY EYE BALLS!!!​

BALLS MAKES THE COVER…1…2…NO!!! DORING ROLLS A SHOULDER OFF THE MAT!!!​

At the same time, PCO notices that Roadkill is working to his feet on the outside, so he starts running towards the ropes… A RUNNING FLIP DIVE FROM OULETTE TAKES OUT ROADKILL ON THE OUTSIDE!!!​

Eye Balls are well and truly in control of this one, so Mahoney heads to the outside and gets his hands on a TABLE. Balls slides the table into the ring, and follows in himself, before setting up the table in the middle of the ring. He then grabs a hold of Doring and places him on the top rope, before climbing to the top. He adjusts Noble, getting him in position for the SUPER NUTCRACKER SUITE!!!

NO!!! DORING SQUIRMS LIKE CRAZY AND FIGHTS OUT OF IT!!!​

Landing behind Balls, but still on the top rope, Doring grabs Mahoney… G SPOT SWEEP THROUGH THE DAMN TABLE!!!​

“ECDUB” chants ring out like crazy, as amongst all the rubble, an almost lifeless Doring PLACES AN ARM OVER THE CHEST OF MAHONEY…1…2…3…NO!!! PCO JUST INTERRUPTS THE COUNT!!!​

Realizing his partner is in trouble, Oulette rolls Mahoney out of the rubble from the broken table, and outside the ring. He then drags Doring to his feet and lands some hard left hands, before sending Doring into the corner. PCO charges in… BODY SPLASH IN THE CORNER!!!​

PCO backs away, after squashing Doring… SECOND BODY SPLASH IN THE CORNER… QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY A THIRD!!!​

Somehow Doring still doesn’t fall forward to the floor, so PCO sends him to the ropes, and when Doring comes back… PCO HITS A CRAZY ATHLETIC CROSSBODY!!!​

The crowd are in shock from the feat from the former pirate, who gets back and runs off the ropes… BACK SENTON!!! ​

Wasting no time, PCO is back to his feet and drags Doring up as well… LIGER BOMB!!! ​

OUTLETTE STACKS DORING FOR THE PIN…1…2…3…​

NO!!! DORING JUST KICKS OUT!!!​

But again, PCO stays right on him, pulling Doring back up… AND TAKING HIS HEAD OFF WITH A LARIAT!!!​

Instead of going for the cover, Oulette has a dastardly look which the fans love, because he wants to inflict more punishment. He drags Doring to the corner of the ring and picks up a steel chair, placing it on top of Doring. Oulette then climbs up to the top rope, but Roadkill leaps onto the apron and grabs at his foot. ​

PCO clicks into gear, immediately using his other leg to kick at Roady, eventually breaking his grip and sending him falling off the apron. The French Canadian then turns his attention back towards the direction of Doring… BUT DORING THROWS THE CHAIR INTO OULETTE’S FACE!!!​

Dazed and confused, PCO loses his balance, and falls, crotching himself on the top rope. Seeing his much bigger opponent in trouble, Doring immediately climbs up after him, and starts hammering away with right hands. Doring seems to be positioning Oulette for something… WHEN BALLS COMES FROM BEHIND AND POWERBOMBS DORING OFF THE TOP ROPE!!!

This allows PCO the time to get himself steady again on the top rope and he leaps off… LE CANNONBALL!!!​

NO!!! ROADKILL PULLS DORING OUT OF THE WAY FROM OUTSIDE THE RING…​

SO PCO CRASHES AND BURNS!!!​

Roadkill heaves himself back onto the apron, watching Balls help PCO to his feet… SPRINGBOARD DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE FROM ROADKILL!!!​

It’s not exactly out of the textbook, it’s sloppy as hell, but it lands, and the fans mark out for it. Stunned but not out of it, both members of Eye Balls are quickly to their feet… WHEN ROADKILL TEES OFF WITH REPEATED AMISH CLOTHESLINES…​

FOLLOWED BY TWO BIG FLYING FOREARMS FROM THE BIG MAN!!!​

Roadkill is a full of fire babyface right now, as he waits for Balls to get up… AMISH SAMOAN DROP!!! ​

Now PCO staggers to his feet… AMISH SAMOAN DROP TO HIM AS WELL!!! ​

With the fans cheering loudly, Roadkill makes a signal that he’s about to try and end this thing. Roady stalks Oulette, and when he’s back up… ROADKILL GETS HIM UP FOR THE TKO!!!​

NO!!! PCO WRIGGLES FREE AND LANDS BEHIND ROADY…​

HALF NELSON SUPLEX FROM PCO!!!​

Holy shit! Somebody that big isn’t supposed to be thrown around like that, and as PCO dusts himself off, admiring his handiwork… DORING COMES FROM NOWHERE WITH THE PEARL NECKLACE CUTTER!!!​

DORING IMMEDIATELY HOOKS PCO’S LEG…1…2…NO!!! BALLS BREAKS IT UP WITH A CHAIR SHOT ACROSS THE BACK OF DORING!!!​

That one blow is enough to do some serious damage to Doring, who rolls into a fetal position. Balls drops his chair and quickly brings Doring to his feet… NUTCRACKER SUITE!!! ​

NO!!! DORING HOOKS HIS FEET AROUND THE TOP ROPE TO PREVENT THE MOVE!!! ​

Balls isn’t giving up that easily, trying to yank Doring out from the ropes, and he finally does, Doring manages to worm out behind Balls. Mahoney quickly turns around… INTO A SUPERKICK!!!​

It’s a perfect connection to the jaw, and Balls drops as if he’s unconscious. The defiant Doring immediately climbs up to the top rope… PANTY DROP ELBOW!!!​

IT CONNECTS!!! AND DORING ROLLS INTO THE COVER…1…2…3…​

…​

…​

NO!!! PCO BREAKS UP THE COUNT!!!​

Oulette stays on the determined Doring, landing some hard punches, before sending him bouncing off the ropes… LARIAT!!!​

NO!!! DORING DUCKS… PCO SPINS TO FACE DORING…​

SUPERKICK FROM DORING!!!​

PCO staggers but stays on his feet… UNTIL ROADKILL RUNS THROUGH HIM WITH THE LANCASTER LARIAT OF LUST!!!​

ROADKILL WITH THE LATERAL PRESS…1…2…3…​

…​

… ​

…​

NO!!! BALLS DIVES TO MAKE THE SAVE!!!

AND THEN IMMEDIATELY CRACKS A STEEL CHAIR OVER THE SKULL OF ROADKILL WHEN HE’S TRYING TO GET TO HIS FEET!!!​

Doring immediately looks to intervene, but Mahoney drops him with a right hand. Balls then sets up the steel chair as if it’s to be seated on, before focusing on Doring again. Mahoney whips Doring to the ropes, but Doring reverses, sending Balls instead, and when Balls comes back, ROADKILL CONNECTS WITH A DIRT ROAD SLAM… DRIVING BALLS MAHONEY THROUGH THE CHAIR!!!

ROADKILL MAKES THE COVER...1...2...NO!!!

PCO INTERRUPTS THE COVER WITH LE CANNONBALL FROM THE TOP ROPE!!!

OULETTE COVERS ROADKILL NOW...1...2...NO!!!

DORING BREAKS UP THE COUNT!!!

A determined Doring brings PCO to his feet, and looks for a Butterfly DDT, but PCO spins out, and goozles Doring, looking for a Chokeslam. Doring squirms out of Oulette’s grip and backs into the corner upon landing... PCO charges at Doring but catches a boot to the face. Oulette staggers backwards, AND ROADKILL COMES FROM BEHIND... LIFTING HIM UP IN A WHEELBARROW POSITION... AND THIS ALLOWS DORING TO CLIMB TO THE TOP AND CONNECT WITH THE BUGGY BANG!!!

DORING HOOKS PCO’S LEG...1...2...

BALLS LOOKS TO MAKE THE SAVE...

BUT ROADKILL INTERCEPTS...

3!!!

WINNERS – Danny Doring and Roadkill by pinfall @ 16:08​

As Doring and Roadkill celebrate yet another big time pay per view victory, getting cheers from the fans, our commentary team also gushed over them.

Joey Styles: A very impressive performance from Doring and Roadkill tonight, and that makes me wonder whether they have done enough to qualify for a tag title shot. And that conjecture in the tag division is on top of what will happen with the tag title match scheduled for tonight with Super Crazy out now.

Joel Gertner: That is still to come tonight but so is our hung, I mean huge main event. Rhino defends the ECW Championship against Rob Van Dam and if RVD loses, he MUST leave ECW.

Joey Styles: Both Rhino and Rob Van Dam refused interviews tonight, citing that tonight’s match is just too important for any distractions. It’s been a wild almost two years with these two at each other’s throats, and it will finally finish, one way or another, tonight.

Joel Gertner: I also haven’t forgotten that Rhino has made it clear that he will Gore ANYBODY who gets involved in the match. Is that anybody interfering on behalf of Rob Van Dam, or does that include Network members as well?

Joey Styles: So many questions still to be answered tonight, but before we get to the epic encounter between Rhino and Rob Van Dam, we need to find out the answer to another question. Can Spike Dudley get revenge on Christopher Daniels?

Match Five
Christopher Daniels vs. Spike Dudley

Considering he’s still chasing revenge after being put out of action previously, Spike Dudley comes out all guns blazing in this one. Daniels gets sent to the outside, and whilst Spike urges him to get back in, The Fallen Angel’ decides to stall on the outside. He argues with a particularly loud female in the crowd, but Daniels doesn’t realize that Spike has stepped onto the apron… AND A FIRED UP SPIKE JUMPS OFF THE APRON… LANDING RIGHT ON TOP OF DANIELS IN A MOUNTED POSITION!!!​

Spike throws wild rights and lefts, beating Daniels to a pulp, who can just put his hands up and cover up. Eventually Spike relents and gets to his feet, only to stomp the life out of Daniels instead. Spike basically bullies Daniels around ringside, throwing him into the ring post and the crowd barricade, really dominating him, capping things off WITH A NECKBREAKER ON THE CONCRETE FLOOR!!!​

There are gasps from the audience for the big time move, whilst commentary talk about how this is the revenge Spike wants, he wants to target the neck of Daniels. Spike sends Daniels back into the ring, but gets distracted by some “ECDUB” chants, and takes a moment to high five some fans. He takes too long, so when he gets on the apron and steps through the ropes, Daniels meets him with a Knee Lift. With Spike dazed, DANIELS HITS A SWINGING NECKBREAKER TO PULL SPIKE THROUGH THE ROPES AND BACK INTO THE RING!!!

Now it’s Daniels’ turn to be in control and as expected, he works over the back of the head and neck of Spike for the remainder of the contest. He understands that Spike needs momentum and adrenaline, so Daniels keeps things on the mat, happy to grind at Spike and make the match look quite ugly. Whilst he doesn’t put the runt of the Dudley litter away, Daniels gets super confident and begins arrogantly rubbing the face of Spike into the canvas.​

Even though he’s in complete control, Daniels uses nefarious tactics as well, plenty of cheating just because he can, and that riles up the fans too. All of this eventually fired up Spike as well, who battles at his feet and is able to shrug Daniels off of him. ‘The Fallen Angel’ looks to get right back on top, but Spike hits a spectacular Standing Dropkick! Daniels drops to the canvas but bounces back up, right into another Dropkick, followed by a third.​

This time Daniels stays down, allowing Spike, after cracking his neck, to head to the top rope. Once perched on top, Spike waits for Daniels to get up… CROSSBODY OFF THE TOP!!!​

BUT DANIELS ROLLS THROUGH!!!​

Daniels immediately pulls Spike up in one fluid motion… URINAGE!!!​

NO!!! SPIKE COUNTERS INTO A VICTORY ROLL…1…2…3…NO!!!​

DANIELS BREAKS FREE AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT!!!​

Both men are up to their feet right away… DANIELS CATCHES SPIKE WITH AN STO!!!​

No more messing around now, AS DANIELS GOES STRAIGHT FOR THE PIN…1…2…NO!!! SPIKE PUSHES A SHOULDER OFF THE CANVAS!!!​

For the first time tonight, Daniels shows some annoyance at the resilience of Spike, before dragging him to his feet and landing a Scoop Slam towards the corner of the ring. Daniels jumps up top… ARABIAN MOONSAULT!!!​

NO!!! SPIKE ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY AND DANIELS CRASHES AND BURNS!!!​

Daniels rolls onto his back, grabbing at his mid-section, which took the brunt of the bad landing. Sensing his chance, Spike quickly rolls underneath the bottom rope and then ascends to the top rope himself… SPIKE COMES OFF THE TOP WITH HIS PATENTED DOUBLE STOMP!!!​

SPIKE HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…NO!!! DANIELS GETS A SHOULDER UP!!!​

Battling back to his feet, Spike stays right on Daniels, lugging him to a vertical base, before gripping his head and neck… ACID DROP!!!​

NO!!! DANIELS SHOVES SPIKE OFF OF HIM!!!​

Spike collides chest first into the corner, before turning to face Daniels. ‘The Fallen Angel’ charges towards Spike in the corner, but Daniels runs right into a boot to the face. Daniels grabs at his face and stumbles backwards, so Spike explodes out of the corner, but Daniels catches him… URINAGE!!!​

FOLLOWED BY THE BEST MOONSAULT EVER!!!​

DANIELS STAYS ON TOP FOR THE PIN…1…2…3…NO!!! SPIKE JUST ROLLS A SHOULDER OFF THE MAT!!!

There’s almost a sadistic smirk from Daniels this time, as he looks forward to inflicting more punishment. He drags the lifeless Spike up, and begins savagely ramming elbows repeatedly into the back of Spike’s neck… BEFORE SETTING UP FOR A NECKBREAKER…​

... BUT SPIKE COUNTERS INTO A BACKSLIDE...1...2...3!!!

NO!!! DANIELS JUST GETS OUT IN TIME!!!

They bounce up, AND DANIELS LOOKS FOR THE ANGELS WINGS...

BUT COPS A HEADBUTT TO THE STOMACH FROM SPIKE!!!

As Daniels clutches at his gut... SPIKE LOOKS FOR THE ACID DROP...

BUT DANIELS HOLDS ON...

AND AS SOON AS SPIKE LANDS ON THE CANVAS...

DANIELS CONNECTS WITH THE LAST RITES!!!

CD MAKES THE COVER...1...2...3!!!

WINNER – Christopher Daniels by pinfall @ 9:44​

The air kind of drains out of the arena with that result as Spike is looked at by the referee, and Daniels celebrates arrogantly. ‘The Fallen Angel’ really takes his time, soaking in the moment, and the heat from the fans, as he continues his amazing run since joining ECW.

Joey Styles: Another big night for Christopher Daniels, another pay per view performance, and another victory. Despite his questionable philosophical outlook on life, this man has some serious skills and he is still somehow undefeated.

Joel Gertner: I’m not sure anybody can beat this guy.

...

Next up we get a video package…

***

Anarchy Rulz
September 9th, 2001
Atlanta, Georgia

***​

...

Our tag team title match is supposed to be up next, and with a little uncertainty regarding the challengers, our champions, THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE, make their way out first. They get a nice ovation from the fans and as does one half of the challengers, KID KASH, as he makes his way out, refusing to relinquish the golden opportunity tonight. Super Crazy’s music hits next but unfortunately nobody comes out, and just as everybody seems a little confused, a smug looking CYRUS steps out from the back, microphone in hand. Of course, he has to wait for the obligatory heat to die down before he can speak.

Cyrus: I hate to be out here right now to do this. I don’t know what else to say, this is a real shame.

Cyrus pretends to be earnest, but nobody is buying it.

Cyrus: Watching young talent slowly work their way to the top and grasp that brass ring is what myself and The Network love more than anything. And that’s exactly what you’ve been doing, Kash. You have been on such a roll lately, so your tag team partner tonight Super Crazy getting taken out is a damn tragedy. Something like this happening just has to break your heart.

Again, Cyrus is saying the right words, but they aren’t genuine. Even KK shakes his head in disbelief.

Cyrus: Luckily for you Mister Kash, The Network wants to ensure that ECW presents the best product possible. That means I want the best possible ECW World Tag Team Title match. After scouring the backstage area far and wide, I am happy to inform you that I have found the best available talent to replace Super Crazy.

Kash raises his eyebrows, his interest piqued, along with the fans who begin to murmur in anticipation. Noticing the reaction, Cyrus lets out a smirk.

Cyrus: Your partner tonight is a former ECW Champion. Your partner is someone who is returning from a terrible injury and has that burning desire to get back in the ring doing what he LOVES.

A familiar theme song hits and Kid Kash can’t believe, as his partner is none other than his worst enemy...

JUSTIN CREDIBLE!!!

Match Six
ECW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The Unholy Alliance (c) defends against Justin Credible and Kid Kash

The beginning of this one is interesting as the champions aren’t sure how to approach it, as a smarmy Credible offers a handshake to Kash, but Kash turns it down. In another move that annoys Kash, Credible nominates himself to start the match, and immediately begins cheating to gain the advantage over Mikey. Mikey managed to tag in Tajiri and after some limited success with the same dirty tactics, Credible starts to struggle as Tajiri lights him up with stiff kicks to the chest. Seeking some separation from the man who beat him for the ECW Title less than one year ago, Credible rolled out of the ring for a breather, but Kash hopped to the floor, and rolled his partner back into the ring.

The Unholy Alliance show why they are the tag champs, isolating Credible for a bit, until Mikey goes for a Dropkick, but Credible holds onto the ropes, avoiding the collision. Credible would then stumble over and make the tag to Kash, whilst Mikey recovered from his awkward landing. Kash gets in and is still determined to get the victory, despite his partner. He works hard, really having his way with Mikey, until Kash bounces off the ropes… AND TAJIRI HITS AN ILLEGAL KICK TO THE BACK OF KASH!!!​

The blow causes Kash to drop to his knees, and from there, Mikey is able to take over. Now the champs take apart Kash, with Tajiri especially hitting some brutal kicks and stretching ‘The Notorious K.I.D’ out on the canvas. As Kash continues to show resilience to stay in it but is getting beaten down, Credible gets into his role as the encouraging babyface on the apron. He stomps on the apron, and encourages the fans to start a slow clap, really hamming it up, but the fans don’t buy it for a second.​

Whether Credible’s encouragement is helpful or not, Kash does fight back against Tajiri, getting to his feet and lighting up Tajiri’s chest with chops. KASH THEN BOUNCES OFF THE ROPES AND COMES BACK WITH A SWINGING DDT TO TAKE DOWN TAJIRI!!! KASH MAKES THE COVER...1...2... TAJIRI KICKS OUT!!!

AND CREDIBLE REACHES OUT FOR THE TAG NOW THAT KASH IS IN CONTROL...

BUT KK REFUSES TO MAKE THE TAG!!!

Credible lets out a wry smirk as Kash does his best to go it alone, ignoring his partner and focusing back in on Tajiri. Kash brings Tajiri up and lands some hard forearm shots, before sending Tajiri into the corner. Kash charges in after Tajiri… BUT RUNS STRAIGHT INTO A SUPERKICK!!!​

As Kash stumbled around on queer street… TAJIRI LOCKS IN THE TARANTULA!!!​

Credible can be seen visibly smiling as his partner is in tremendous agony, until Tajiri has to break at the count of four and a half. With Kash on his knees, it’s the perfect opportunity for Tajiri to land more of his brutal kicks to the already discolored chest of his opponent. ‘The Japanese Buzzsaw’ then drags Kash into the corner and sits himself on the top rope… TORNADO DDT!!!​

NO!!! KASH THROWS TAJIRI OFF OF HIM… AND TAJIRI LANDS FACE FIRST ON THE CANVAS!!!​

Scrambling to take the advantage, Kash climbs up to the top rope… BUT MIKEY GRABS HIS FOOT!!!​

Kash desperately kicks away at Mikey, eventually breaking his grip and forcing him to back away. Kash then notices Tajiri is back up… BUT DIVES OFF THE TOP ANYWAY…​

RIGHT INTO A KICK TO THE RIBS FROM TAJIRI!!!​

Kash bends over, grabbing at his stomach and ribs, WHEN TAJIRI HOOKS HIM FOR A BRAINBUSTER!!!​

NO!!! KASH REVERSES WITH AN INSIDE CRADLE…1…2…3…NO!!! TAJIRI JUST KICKS OUT!!! ​

Still the fresher of the two, Tajiri is up way before the exhausted Kash… BUZZSAW KICK!!!​

TAJIRI HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3…NO!!! SOMEHOW, KASH GETS A SHOULDER UP!!! ​

Tajiri seems legitimately surprised that Kash is still in this but stays on him by applying an Octopus Stretch! He keeps the hold locked in for a substantial amount of time, really torturing Kash, until The K.I.D makes it to the ropes. The referee enforces the break and Tajiri releases the hold, now stalking Kash, who needs the assistance of the ropes to get back up.​

Once Kash is on his feet, Tajiri meets him with a karate rush full of strikes. With Kash dazed, Tajiri runs off the ropes for momentum… BUT KASH RUNS TO AND SURPRISES TAJIRI WITH A SPINNING WHEEL KICK!!!​

Both men remain down after this, and Kash begins crawling to his corner. He’s too exhausted to do this on his own, and at the same time, Tajiri makes the tag to Mikey. Mikey comes in… AND KASH DIVES TO MAKE THE TAG TO THE EAGER CREDIBLE…​

BUT CREDIBLE PULLS HIS ARM AWAY AND JUMPS OFF OF THE APRON!!!

The heat is huge from the fans, as Credible just shrugs, as the defeated Kash just shakes his head, knowing there isn’t anything he can do. As the cowardly Credible watches on, Kash is almost defenseless, as MIKEY DRILLS KASH WITH THE WHIPPERSNAPPER!!!

Mikey then tags in Tajiri... WHO NAILS KASH WITH THE BUZZSAW KICK!!!

Wanting to finish the job, The Unholy Alliance brings Kash back up... BEFORE DRILLING HIM WITH A DOUBLE BRAINBUSTER!!!

TAJIRI MAKES THE COVER...1...2...3!!!

WINNERS – The Unholy Alliance by pinfall @ 13:11​

The fans give some rather polite applause, but it’s a subdued celebration from the champions, as they receive their titles and make their way to the back rather quickly. After the champions have left, Justin Credible gets back into the ring, looking down at Kid Kash, and giving him some sarcastic applause. He even begins chanting “KID KASH” which the fans boo, but the arrogant Credible just laughs it off. Kid Kash slowly battles his way to his feet, worse for wear after the match, ONLY FOR CREDIBLE TO SEND HIM CRASHING BACK DOWN TO THE CANVAS WITH A SINGAPORE CANE SHOT TO THE FACE!!!

With Kash completely out of it now, a suddenly infuriated Credible mounts him, and hammers away with brutal punches. Eventually Credible stands over Kash and yells “DO YOU STILL WANNA’ PLAY NOW, HUH”?

Before leaving the ring, the villainous Credible drags Kash up one last time, AND FINISHES HIM OFF WITH THE THAT’S INCREDIBLE!!!

...

As Credible leaves the ring and Kash remains down inside of the ring, we get a video package…

***

The video package highlights The Network versus ECW feud, whilst also sharing a prominent amount of detail regarding the Jerry Lawler/Tommy Dreamer history dating back to ’97, as well as Terry Funk’s history in ECW, and his own personal history with Lawler in the early 1980’s.

***

Match Seven
CW Anderson, Jerry Lawler and Steve Corino w/Dawn Marie and Jack Victory vs. Terry Funk, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer

This match is just a typical ECW war, and it’s an immediately brawl as expected with no feeling out process whatsoever. The wild brawl sees the competitors pair off, with Dreamer and Corino going one in direction, Sandman and Lawler going in another, and then of course, Funk and Anderson in another. It’s just pure chaos as each pair ends up brawling through the crowd, with the fans having to virtually run for cover.

They all throw chairs at each other, almost connecting with fans in the process, and the brutality continues… WHEN LAWLER NAILS SANDMAN WITH A DDT ON THE CONCRETE FLOOR!!!​

There are no “ECDUB” chants for Lawler, instead plenty of heat, as the career villain (outside of Memphis), moves over to help Corino. The two quickly begin double teaming Dreamer, making that brawl uneven. Corino and Lawler drag Tommy back to ringside and continue to beat him up, whilst the Funk and CW escapades have ended up on the entrance ramp. ​

Funk, the wily veteran still has plenty of go in him, and he’s actually getting the best of Anderson on the ramp. He tees off with his typical left hands, really putting a hurting on Anderson… WHEN CORINO COMES FROM NOWHERE AND SHOULDER CHARGES FUNK… SENDING HIM FLYING OFF THE RAMP AND INTO THE CROWD!!!​

Funk takes out a couple of rows of fans, and the “ECDUB” chants are deafening, even from the audience members now on the floor. Now CW is able to shake out the cobwebs and join Corino and Lawler in the ring, where the Network trio now continue to beat down Dreamer. As Anderson and Lawler continue to hammer away, The King Of Old School’ heads to the outside and brings a bunch of steel chairs into the ring.​

As they try and sort out the chairs, Dreamer attempts to fight back, landing a barrage of shots on Lawler… UNTIL ANDERSON WHACKS THE STEEL CHAIR ACROSS HIS BACK!!!​

Dreamer screams and arches his back, stumbling forward… INTO A CHAIR ACROSS THE SKULL FROM CORINO!!!​

The second chair shot knocks Dreamer down, and the camera zooms in to show that he’s busted wide open. Like a shark smelling blood, Lawler mounts Tommy and punches away at the cut, causing more blood to spurt out. As this is happening, The Sandman has recovered enough to get himself over the railing and back to ringside… AND THE SANDMAN BEGINS HURLING STEEL CHAIRS INTO THE RING!!!​

The first few land harmlessly… BUT ONE HITS CORINO RIGHT IN THE FACE!!!​

Corino drops to the canvas, and as he rolls over, we see that he’s got a cut, and it’s a gusher. Corino tries to wipe the blood out of his eyes and ends up with blood now staining his peroxide hair. Sandman loves it as he picks up his Singapore Cane, tucks it into his pants and slides into the ring. Sandman swings left hands at anything Network related that moves, turning the tide of the match… UNTIL HE PULLS OUT HIS CANE AND CRACKS IT OVER THE SKULL OF LAWLER!!!​

CORINO’S NEXT TO RECEIVE A CANE SHOT…

AND THEN ANDERSON GETS ONE TOO!!!​

Sandman drops all three members of The Network, and he raises the Cane above his head, as another “ECDUB” chant breaks out. The victorious moment is short lived though… AS LAWLER COMES FROM BEHIND WITH A LOW BLOW!!!​

Meanwhile Dreamer has rolled to the outside, still trying to recover from the three on one he endured, but Anderson greets him on the outside and beats him around ringside. With Dreamer still stunned, CW TAKES HIS HEAD OFF WITH THE RING BELL!!!

After taking out Dreamer with the bell, CW picks up the hammer used to ring the bell and tosses it to Lawler inside the ring. It’s safe hands from ‘The King’ as he catches the hammer… AND HE HITS SANDMAN IN THE BALLS WITH IT!!!​

Suddenly, Corino leaves the ringside area, noticing that Funk has managed to extract himself from the crowd, and is crawling on the entrance ramp once again. Corino meets him halfway and gets him in position… PILEDRIVER ON THE ENTRANCE RAMP!!! ​

Inside of the ring, CW has now got ahold of the Singapore Cane… AND CW TEES OFF WITH CANE SHOTS TO THE BODY OF SANDMAN!!!

After a meeting of the minds, Anderson hands the Cane to Lawler, before stepping to the ring apron. Jack Victory hops onto the apron as well and he and Anderson hold an arm of The Sandman’s each, hanging him over the top rope… SO LAWLER CAN GO NUTS WITH REPEATED SINGAPORE CANE SHOTS TO THE UNPROTECTED BACK OF SANDMAN!!!​

Somehow, Dreamer is back in the ring now and he begins throwing right hands at Lawler, Sandman and Victory. He manages to break up the thrashing of The Sandman, before grabbing ahold of the Cane himself. With all The Network members down in the ring momentarily, Dreamer heads to the entrance ramp… AND CRACKS CORINO IN THE FACE WITH THE SINGAPORE CANE!!! ​

Corino shows some real toughness, remaining on his feet, albeit spaghetti legged, with blood in his eyes… SO DREAMER GRABS CORINO AND THROWS HIM OFF THE RAMP AND INTO THE CROWD!!!​

Obviously, the audience marks out for that because it’s revenge for Funk, but it’s safe to say the crowd don’t handle Corino as gently as they did the legend either. Those famous “ECDUB” chants ring out yet again, as Tommy now looks to help Funk, his idol, to his feet. Before he can finish the job, Dreamer is clobbered from behind by Lawler… WHO THEN THROWS DREAMER OFF THE RAMP AND INTO THE RING POST!!!​

With Dreamer down, Lawler picks on the struggling Funk, and drags him to ringside, before rolling him into the ring. Back inside, Lawler and Anderson attempt to pinball Funk, taking turns punching him, but Funk fights back with punches of his own… BEFORE HE STARTS BITING AT THE FOREHEAD OF LAWLER!!!​

Funk lets Lawler go eventually, and Lawler backs away, feeling at his head, whilst Funk then drops Anderson with a left hand. This allows Funk time to pick up a chair… AND FUNK HITS ONE OF THE STIFFEST CHAIR SHOTS YOU’LL EVER SEE ACROSS THE SKULL OF LAWLER!!!

The former commentator knees buckle as he flops to the canvas… AS FUNK THEN NAILS ANDERSON WITH A CHAIR TO THE SKULL AS WELL!!!​

Sensing that The Network are in trouble, Jack Victory enters the ring, but Funk kicks him in the gut and drops the chair… FUNK DDT’S VICTORY ON THE CHAIR!!!​

Funk drops the chair, looking around, finding the target he wants and it’s Lawler. Our cameras show that Lawler is now busted open as well. Now it’s Lawler’s turn to have his cut targeted… AS FUNK KNEELS DOWN AND VICIOUSLY BITES AT THE CUT!!!​

Funk stops for breath, wiping Lawler’s blood from his face, but then he continues to target the cut with mounted left hands. Suddenly, Corino comes from behind and pulls Funk off of Lawler by the hair, but Funk shrugs Corino off, and starts peppering him with punches as well. Funk lands shot after shot, until Corino collapses to the mat.​

Wanting to inflict more damage, the crazy, old man leaves the ring and finds himself a LADDER!!! Funk takes the ladder inside the ring, and then puts his head and neck between the middle rung… AND FUNK BEGINS SPINNING AROUND IN A CIRCLE… IT’S THE THREE STOOGES SPOT WITH THE LADDER!!!​

FUNK TAKES OUT LAWLER WITH THE LADDER!!!​

BUT CORINO DUCKS… AND SOMEHOW LANDS THE OLD SCHOOL KICK TO FUNK IN THE LADDER!!!​

Corino is quick to now remove the ladder from the fallen Funk, AND CORINO GOES FOR THE FIRST PIN OF THE MATCH…1…2…3…NO!!! DREAMER AND THE SANDMAN BOTH MANAGE TO MAKE THE SAVE AT THE SAME TIME!!!​

Sandman and Dreamer drag Corino up and pinball him around the ring with punches, UNTIL SANDMAN GETS HIS HANDS ON THE SINGAPORE CANE AND OBLITERATES CORINO WITH CANE SHOTS!!!​

When Corino is down and out, Sandman notices CW Anderson fighting to his feet on the outside… SANDMAN RUNS AND SLOPPILY DIVES OVER THE TOP ROPE… TAKING ANDERSON OUT WITH A CANE SHOT IN THE PROCESS!!!​

It wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world, but it gets a MAJOR pop from the fans, followed by an “ECDCUB” chant. The blow kind of only grazed CW though so he stays standing, but Sandman is ready to do more damage. However, Jack Victory comes from behind and spins Sandman around, but Sandman immediately decks him with a left hand. The Sandman spins back to face Anderson… CW DROPS HIM WITH A SUPERKICK!!!​

Back inside of the ring, Corino and Lawler are now double teaming Dreamer, and he drops to his knees after a barrage of punches. The two kings look at each other and smirk… WHEN DREAMER POUNCES WITH A DOUBLE LOW BLOW!!! ​

Both kings are now in a lot of pain, as Dreamer fights back to his feet… SPICOLLI DRIVER ON CORINO!!! ​

With Lawler down on his knees, grabbing at his nuts, DREAMER PINS CORINO…1…2…3… ​

NO!!! DAWN MARIE PUTS CORINO’S FOOT ON THE BOTTOM ROPE!!!​

The fans go nuclear with heat, starting up a “SLUT” chant, and Tommy’s eyes go wide with fury. His anger is taking away his pain, as he’s got all the energy in the world… TO QUICKLY REACH THROUGH THE ROPES AND GRAB DAWN BY THE HAIR!!!​

TOMMY DRAGS HER THROUGH THE ROPES…​

AND PUTS HER HEAD BETWEEN HIS LEGS AND GETS HER UP FOR THE PILEDRIVER!!! ​

NO!!! LAWLER THROWS A CHAIR INTO THE FACE OF DREAMER!!! ​

Dreamer lets go of Dawn, and falls to the canvas, allowing Dawn to immediately scurry to the outside. Meanwhile, with Dreamer down and nobody else around, Lawler heads to the middle rope and PULLS HIS SINGLET STRAP DOWN!!!​

It’s UNGODLY heat from the ECW faithful… AS LAWLER COMES OFF THE TOP WITH THE FLYING FIST DROP!!!​

Lawler is right back up, with a shit eating grin, enjoying the reaction he’s getting. He signals that it’s time for the Piledriver, before dragging Tommy into position FOR THE PILEDRIVER!!!​

NO!!! THE SANDMAN NAILS LAWLER WITH THE SINGAPORE CANE ACROSS THE BACK!!!​

Anderson has followed Sandman into the ring and tries to come from behind, but Sandman sees him coming and out maneuvers him… WHITE RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP!!!​

THE SANDMAN PINS ANDERSON…1…2…3

…​

NO!!! JACK VICTORY PULLS THE REFEREE FROM THE RING!!!​

The referee is furious, immediately debating with Victory… VICTORY GRABS THE REF AND RAMS HIM INTO THE RINGPOST!!!​

Victory then motions for somebody from the back and the dirty Network official, DANNY DANIELS appears!!! The Sandman is completely distracted by the appearance of Daniels, and Corino charges and jumps, landing a knee in the middle of Sandman’s back to take him out.​

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring, Lawler is on top of Funk, viciously ripping at his eye. Adding insult to injury, Lawler constantly yells at Funk to “RUN AWAY NOW”! After finishing attempting to disfigure Funk, Lawler drags the battered old man up… LAWLER DRILLS FUNK WITH THE PILEDRIVER!!!​

LAWLER HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3​

…​

… ​

NO!!! DREAMER MANAGES TO JUST PULL LAWLER OFF THE PIN!!!​

AND SHIT AMPLIFIES AS SANDMAN IS BACK WITH THE LADDER FROM EARLIER… AND HE TEES OFF ON EVERYBODY WITH IT!!!​

All of The Network are hit with bad ladder shots, until Sandman places the ladder on top of the prone body of Corino. Getting plenty of encouragement from the fans, The Sandman then heads to the apron and climbs to the top rope… SANDMAN LANDS THE ROLLING ROCK ON TOP OF THE LADDER!!!​

“ECDUB” chants greet the big move, as the fan favorite rolls around on the mat, grabbing at his back. After a few moments, he pushes the ladder off Corino… AND SANDMAN DRAPES AN ARM ACROSS THE CHEST OF CORINO…​

…

…​

BUT DANNY DANIELS REFUSES TO COUNT!!!​

The Sandman looks up in confusion, only to see Daniels standing over him with a smug look on his face… UNTIL TERRY FUNK KNOCKS HIM UNCONSCIOUS WITH A LADDER SHOT RIGHT TO THE FACE!!!

Funk then takes down Lawler, and swings wildly with punches... BEFORE HE BEGINS TEARING AT THE EYE OF LAWLER!!!

UNTIL CW ANDERSON GRABS FUNK BY THE HAIR... AND DRAGS HIM OFF OF LAWLER...

BUT TOMMY DREAMER INTERVENES... DRILLING ANDERSON WITH A DREAMER DRIVER ONTO A STEEL CHAIR!!!

With Lawler and Anderson both out of commission, the three faces, who’re all now up, look to turn their attention towards Corino, when Dawn Marie slides into the ring. She looks ready to protect Corino, but Funk grabs her and throws her towards Dreamer. Dreamer grabs Dawn, SHOVES HER HEAD BETWEEN HIS LEGS, AND WITHOUT ANY HESITATION, TOMMY TAKES OUT DAWN WITH A PILEDRIVER!!!

Corino is back up now, AND HE SWINGS WITH AN OLD SCHOOL KICKS... TOMMY DUCKS...

SO FUNK CREAMS CORINO WITH A STEEL CHAIR TO THE FACE!!!

Corino rolls out of the ring, which Anderson has done also, and this leaves Lawler to stumble up, surrounded by his three adversaries. Lawler realizes the end is near, and he begs off, but to no avail... AS THE SANDMAN SMASHES A SINGAPORE CANE ACROSS HIS FACE!!!

They mercilessly drag the lifeless Lawler back up... SO FUNK CAN HIT HIM WITH THE STEEL CHAIR ACROSS THE FACE!!!

Again, Tommy drags Lawler back up, and takes a deep breath, FINALLY FINISHING HIM OFF WITH THE DDT!!!

TOMMY HOOKS THE LEG...

AND ECW REFEREE MOLINEAUX HAS RECOVERED TO MAKE THE COUNT...

1...2...3!!!

WINNERS – Terry Funk, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer by pinfall @ 17:30​

The celebration is MASSIVE in the ring afterwards, with The Network down and ECW reigning supreme. As the victorious trio continues to celebrate, they pay respects to Terry Funk, because nobody really knows how long he’s got.

As the three exhausted victors with next to nothing in common except for ECW continue to celebrate, we hear from our commentary team.

Joey Styles: As per the stipulation agreed upon, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer just earned shots at the ECW Title.

Joel Gertner: Could you imagine if Rob Van Dam wins the ECW Championship in the main event? If The Network has to sanction Rob Van Dam versus either one of them, well, Cyrus might just lose his mind.

Joey Styles: We can only hope, Joel.

...

It’s main event video package time…

***

The video highlights all the encounters between these two in the past two years, as well as RVD having to return after suffering a broken ankle at the hands of Rhino. This is arguably the BIGGEST feud in ECW history, between two of the most talented men to ever step foot in ECW, and it finishes tonight.

***

Match Eight
ECW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
IF ROB VAN DAM LOSES, HE MUST LEAVE ECW
Rhino (c) defends against Rob Van Dam w/Bill Alfonso

Despite priding himself on being a big time player, it’s clear that the stipulation is getting to RVD in the early stages, as he is a little tentative to attack. He tries to stick and move, targeting the legs of the champion with kicks, but it’s not his usual style and he pays for it. Rhino catches one of the kicks and uses it to back Van Dam in the corner, before he goes to town with shoulders to the mid-section, followed by some vicious knees as well.​

It's typical Rhino, nothing fancy but he just uses brute force to decimate RVD in the corner, until referee Hanson warns Rhino to get it out of the corner. Of course, the champion just shoots him a look and ignores the request. They do eventually leave the corner as Van Dam tries to create some space between the two, but the dominant champ continues to pinball RVD around the ring with strikes.​

Rhino eventually sends RVD to the opposite ropes and ducks his head… BACK BODY DROP!!!​

NO!!! RVD ROLLS OVER RHINO’S BACK AND LANDS ON HIS FEET!!!​

As Rhino turns to face him, RVD starts going nuts with kicks to the body, before Dropkicking the knee of Rhino. The champ’s leg gives out and he crumbles to the mat, allowing RVD to quickly climb to the top rope… CROSSBODY OFF THE TOP!!!​

RVD STAYS ON TOP FOR THE PIN… NO!!! RHINO KICKS OUT BEFORE THE COUNT OF ONE!!!

Rhino powers out like only he can, and Van Dam rolls across the ring. The desperate challenger is right back up and in the face of Rhino, and Van Dam connects with some more kicks. They seem to be doing some more damage now, as Rhino drops to the canvas and rolls underneath the bottom rope and to the outside.​

It’s not often the champ retreats so RVD looks to make the most of it, stepping onto the apron… AND RVD JUMPS OFF WITH ANOTHER CROSSBODY!!!

NO!!! RHINO CATCHES HIM IN MID AIR!!!​

AND RAMS HIM BACK FIRST INTO THE RING POST!!!​

It’s the biggest move of the match so far and it slows down Van Dam considerably. Rhino works a more methodical pace around ringside, beating down the challenger, before he grabs ahold of the ring bell. RHINO PUSHES THE CORNER OF THE RING BELL INTO THE THROAT OF RVD, CHOKING HIM!!!​

RVD is unable to free himself, but the referee intervenes and eventually annoys Rhino enough that he gives up the ring bell. However, with the referee’s back turned, RHINO WRAPS THE APRON SKIRTING AROUND VAN DAM’S NECK AND CHOKES HIM WITH THAT INSTEAD!!!​

With Van Dam struggling for breath, Rhino finally relents and lugs RVD onto the apron. Rhino climbs up with him and sets up for the PILEDRIVER!!!​

NO!!! RVD CHARGES FORWARD… PUSHING RHINO INTO THE RINGPOST!!!​

The blow forces Rhino to relinquish his grip on RVD and he drops to his knees. Van Dam uses the opportunity to get in the ring, before bouncing off the opposite ropes and charging at Rhino… BUT RHINO DIVES THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPE AND STOPS RVD IN HIS TRACKS WITH A SHOULDER BLOCK!!!​

Again, every time it looks like RVD may have an opportunity, Rhino seems to find a way to use his strength to nip it in the bud. Rhino grounds RVD now, just using his brutality to keep RVD grounded. Van Dam’s job is on the line though, and he’s not giving up without a fight. RVD fights back and is able to catch Rhino off guard with some more fast paced kicks, staggering him.​

As RVD earns a moment of breathing space, Bill Alfonso gets involved for the first time tonight and throws a steel chair to RVD. Van Dam places the chair in the middle of the ring, before approaching Rhino, who has backed into the corner… RVD MONKEY FLIPS RHINO… AND RHINO LANDS ON THE STEEL CHAIR!!!​

Sensing his chance, Van Dam is straight back up and he leaps to the top rope like only he can. He remains perched, until Rhino gets up… RVD LEAPS OFF THE TOP…​

BUT RHINO LEAPS UP AND CLOTHESLINES HIM OUT OF MID AIR!!!​

Once again, it’s one shot from the champion which completely changes the match. As RVD reels in pain, Rhino heads to the outside and slides a TABLE into the ring. Once back in, the champ leans the table against the corner of the ring just as he has so many times before. Satisfied with the position of the table, Rhino signals to the fans that it’s about to be all over.​

The audience begins to buzz, wondering if RVD is about to be vanquished from ECW, as Rhino picks up RVD, placing him over his shoulder… RHINO BEGINS SPRINTING TOWARDS THE TABLE!!!​

NO!!! RVD SLIDES DOWN RHINO’S BACK AND GETS A SCHOOL BOY PIN…1…2…3…NO!!! RHINO JUST KICKS OUT!!!​

The champ bounces back to his feet, absolutely furious, and he swings wildly with a Clothesline. RVD ducks… AND HITS A SPRINGBOARD FLYING SIDEKICK OFF THE MIDDLE ROPE!!!​

Rhino is down again, and RVD goes for the kill… HANDSPRING MOONSAULT!!!​

RVD STAYS ON TOP FOR THE PIN…1…2…NO!!! RHINO KICKS OUT!!!​

Getting back to his feet with a smirk, finally feeling like himself in this one, RVD roughly stomps on Rhino a few times to keep him down. Van Dam then jogs towards the corner… SPLIT LEGGED MOONSAULT!!!​

LANDS ON THE RAISED KNEES OF RHINO!!!​

Van Dam groans in agony, rolling around and coughing on the mat. Rhino notices and gets up and heads to the opposite corner, stalking RVD… AND RHINO SPRINTS ACROSS THE RING… GORE!!!​

NO!!! RVD SIDESTEPS RHINO… AND RHINO HEADBUTTS BUT DOESN’T BREAK THE TABLE!!!​

The champ probably has a concussion at this point as he falls to his back, so RVD bounces off the ropes… ROLLING THUNDER!!!​

VAN DAM WITH THE LATERAL PRESS…1…2…3​

NO!!! RHINO SHOOTS A SHOULDER OFF THE MAT WITH AUTHORITY!!!​

Much like after his last near fall, Van Dam lands a few kicks to the downed Rhino, before yet again, going to what brought him to the dance, and that’s high risk. RVD heads to the top rope, but Rhino recovers surprisingly fast. He heads over and pushes one of the legs of RVD, causing him to slip and crotch himself on the top rope.​

After landing a few hard right hands, Rhino climbs up and joins Van Dam on top, wrapping his arms around him… BELLY TO BELLY SUPERPLEX!!!​

No wasted motion as RHINO IMMEDIATELY HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…NO!!! RVD GETS A SHOULDER UP!!!​

Rhino shakes his head in annoyance at the resilience of the challenger, before pulling RVD up by the hair. Rhino easily props RVD onto his shoulder… Running Powerslam! With RVD trying to battle to his feet, Rhino heads to the opposite corner, getting down on his haunches, stalking his prey. RHINO CHARGES… GORE!!!​

NO!!! RVD JUMPS OVER RHINO AND STRAIGHT INTO A SUNSET FLIP…1…2…NO!!! RHINO KICKS OUT!!!

Both men scramble to their feet quickly, but RVD does so, with the steel chair in his hand. RVD throws the chair to Rhino, who catches it on instinct… VAN DAMINATOR!!!​

NO!!! RHINO DUCKS…​

AND THROWS THE CHAIR AT RVD… BUT RVD CLEVERLY CATCHES THE CHAIR!!!​

RVD surprises Rhino with a kick to the stomach… AND NOW RVD HURLS THE CHAIR INTO RHINO’S FACE!!!​

It’s a huge shot that sounds like a gunshot and draws some “ECDUB” chants from the fans. It really rocks Rhino too, which is no mean feat, as the champ falls back, sitting against the corner. RVD hurriedly scoops up the chair, and charges towards Rhino… BASEMENT CHAIR DROPKICK!!!​

More of those famous “ECDUB” chants ring out, as somehow Rhino has the wherewithal to roll to the outside for a breather. The champ is in trouble, trying to recover, but RVD hits a Baseball Slide Dropkick! The velocity of the blow sends Rhino tumbling over the crowd barricade and into the crowd. Almost terminator like, Rhino immediately drags himself back up, but RVD is already sitting on the top rope… FLIPPING SENTON OFF THE TOP ROPE… TAKING OUT RHINO IN THE DAMN CROWD!!!​

The loudest “ECDUB” chants of the night erupt for that, and its absolutely chaos in the first few rows. Both men remain down for a few moments, until RVD is first up, and he strains to hoist the dead weight of Rhino back over the crowd barricade, and he leaves Rhino hanging over the barricade.​

Now RVD quickly leaps back to ringside himself and gets onto the apron, before jumping off… SPIN KICK OFF THE APRON!!!​

NO!!! RHINO MOVES AND RVD’S LEG AND BODY JUST COLLIDES WITH THE GUARDRAIL!!!​

It’s a vicious bump from RVD, who looks like a pretzel at ringside. Meanwhile, the champion is back in the crowd and now he’s able to climb over the barricade properly and return to ringside. Rhino stalks RVD, who is sore and sorry, but finds a way to his feet… RHINO RUNS THROUGH RVD WITH A GORE ON THE FLOOR!!!​

Everybody is in shock as Rhino pulls at his own hair, almost looking in ecstasy at this moment. He quickly snaps out of his trance and rushes the dead weight of RVD back into the ring, RHINO FOLLOWS IN AND HOOKS THE LEG…1…2…3​

…​

NO!!! RVD SOMEHOW KEEPS HIS ECW CAREER ALIVE AND GETS A SHOULDER UP!!!

Rhino slams the mat with his hand in frustration, he truly thought that would be it. He mulls over his next move, before simply using both hands to shove RVD, in essence rolling him from the center of the ring to the corner where the table is set up. Rhino gets to his feet and stomps to the opposite corner, and now it’s the waiting game, and FINALLY RVD gets to his feet… RHINO CHARGES FOR THE GORE THROUGH THE TABLE!!!​

NO!!! RVD HITS A SPINNING WHEEL KICK OUT OF NOWHERE!!!​

Somehow, RVD has a second, or third, or fifth wind, as he uses the momentum to roll right back to his feet. RVD heads to the top rope, and as he steadies his footing, Rhino is ALREADY back to his feet… RVD LEAPS OFF WITH THE FLYING SIDEKICK!!!​

NO!!! RHINO DUCKS… ​

AND RVD TAKES OUT THE REFEREE WITH THE KICK!!!​

RVD lands and is a little in shock, WHICH ALLOWS RHINO TO HIT A SPINEBUSTER!!!​

Rhino looks at RVD and the referee with disdain, knowing they are both down. He opts to select picking on the ref first, dragging his lifeless carcass up and throwing him out of the ring. With the ref disposed of, Rhino picks RVD up, and slowly takes him through the ropes and onto the apron.​

Rhino stands over RVD on the apron… PILEDRIVER!!!​

NO!!! RVD BLOCKS…​

AND THEN SHOWS STRENGTH, LIFTING RHINO UP AND CROTCHING HIM ON THE MIDDLE OF THE TOP ROPE!!!​

Rhino hands precariously, clutching at his nuts, whilst RVD climbs the turnbuckles to the top rope. Like many times before… FONZIE GETS UP ON THE APRON AND HOLDS THE CHAIR IN FRONT OF THE FACE OF RHINO…​

TOP ROPE VAN DAMINATOR CONNECTS!!!

Fonzie slides down to the floor, and both RVD and Rhino conveniently land in the ring… AND RVD MAKES THE COVER...1...2...3!!!

BUT THERE IS NO REFEREE TO MAKE THE COUNT!!!

Clearly frustrated but knowing he has to stay on the task at hand; Van Dam drags Rhino to the corner of the ring, and gets him in position for the Van Terminator. RVD then walks to the other side of the ring and climbs to the top rope...

WHEN SUDDENLY VAN DAM SEES A BATTERED STEVE CORINO HOBBLING DOWN THE RAMP!!!

SO RVD LEAPS OFF OF THE TOP ROPE... DROPPING CORINO WITH A CROSSBODY!!!

Van Dam gets back up and rolls into the ring...

BUT BE ROLLS STRAIGHT INTO THE GORE FROM RHINO!!!

RHINO MAKES THE COVER...1...2...3!!!

NO!!! RVD MANAGES TO GET A SHOULDER UP AT THE LAST MOMENT!!!

Rhino nearly pulls his hair out before attempting a Piledriver, but Van Dam counters and manages to regain the advantage with a DDT. RVD begins heading up to the top rope again, when Corino gets onto the apron, trying to grab RVD’s legs. Van Dam manages to maintain his balance, however Rhino gets up... AND SHOVES CORINO OFF OF THE APRON!!!

The fans mark out as Rhino yells at the shocked Corino, “THIS IS MINE”!!!

The distraction proved costly though as Alfonso tosses a chair to RVD... WHO TOSSES IT TO RHINO...

RHINO CATCHES THE CHAIR...

SO RVD LEAPS OFF THE TOP... WITH THE FLYING SIDEKICK VAN DAMINATOR!!!

RHINO IS OUT OF IT...

RVD SCALES THE TOP ROPE YET AGAIN...

BEFORE LEAPING OFF AND CONNECTING WITH THE FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH!!!

AN EXHAUSTED RVD ROLLS ON TOP FOR THE COVER...

1...2...3!!!

...

...

NO!!! RHINO SOMEHOW ROLLS A SHOULDER OFF THE CANVAS!!!​

RVD runs his hands through his hair, exasperated, just in complete shock that Rhino would not stay down from the move that has finished EVERYBODY else. Slowly, and tiredly, RVD grabs Rhino by the arm and drags him to the corner of the ring. Van Dam grabs himself a steel chair and ascends to the top rope… VAN TERMINATOR!!!​

NO!!! RHINO ROLLS UNDERNEATH THE BOTTOM ROPE AND TO THE APRON BEFORE RVD JUMPS!!!​

Van Dam immediately steps down onto the apron, and approaches Rhino, but Rhino shocks him with a kick to the gut out of nowhere… APRON PILEDRIVER!!!​

NO!!! RVD BACK BODY DROPS RHINO OFF THE APRON AND THROUGH THE TIMEKEEPER’S TABLE!!!​

Rhino gets a taste of his own medicine going through the table, and it starts up another LOUD “ECDUB” chant from the excited fans. Van Dam looks down at Rhino, shaking his head in disbelief, before leaving the apron to hoist Rhino back into the ring. It’s a struggle but RVD gets the champ back inside and surprisingly doesn’t go for the pin.​

Instead, he picks up a steel chair and stalks Rhino, ready for his next big move…Sensing the urgency of the situation, a desperate Corino sneaks back into the ring... DRILLING THE REFEREE WITH THE OLD SCHOOL KICK!!!

ONLY TO TURN STRAIGHT INTO A VAN DAMINATOR FROM RVD!!!​

Rhino stumbles to his feet in the interim… BUT VAN DAM MEETS HIM WITH A SUPERKICK!!!

These two hated rivals continue to do battle, as RVD he takes a moment or two to collect himself, a bandaged DANNY DANIELS SPRINTS TO THE RING, READY TO REFEREE THE REST OF THE MATCH!!!​

RVD looks pissed off at the appearance of Daniels, but he tries to shake off the distraction, and yet again heads to the top rope. This time he waits for Rhino to get up… CROSSBODY FROM THE TOP!!!​

NO!!! RHINO CATCHES HIM… AND TURNS IT INTO A POWERSLAM!!!

Instead of going for the cover, Rhino waits for RVD to get back up... AND HE LOOKS FOR THE GORE... BUT RVD AVOIDS IT...

AND GETS A SCHOOLBOY...

BUT DANIELS REFUSES TO MAKE THE COUNT!!!

Rhino kicks out and both men bounce back up... ONLY FOR VAN DAM TO CONNECT WITH A HURRICANRANA WHICH SENDS RHINO STAGGERING FACE FIRST INTO A TABLE IN THE CORNER OF THE RING!!!

Suddenly, HC LOC, the head ECW referee who was fired by Cyrus months ago RUNS DOWN THE RAMP, WEARING A REFEREE T-SHIRT!!!

As he slides into the ring, Daniels looks confused; SO LOC GRABS HIM AND TOSSES DANIELS THROUGH THE ROPES AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!

Van Dam nods towards Loc, before picking up a steel chair, waiting for Rhino to turn towards him...

WHEN HC LOC KICKS ROB IN THE DICK FROM BEHIND!!!

Van Dam drops the chair...

And Rhino is able to walk around him... BEFORE CHARGING THROUGH VAN DAM WITH A GORE WHICH SENDS HIM CRASHING THROUGH THE CORNER TABLE!!!

The fans can’t believe it, heat filling the arena, as the ECW Champion pulls Van Dam up... AND CONNECTS WITH A PILEDRIVER!!!

RHINO HOOKS BOTH LEGS...1...2...3!!!

WINNER – Rhino by pinfall @ 23:07​

RHINO HAS RETAINED THE ECW CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY THAN THAT, ROB VAN DAM HAS WRESTLED HIS LAST MATCH IN ECW!!!

The fans are booing but not as vocal as usual, seemingly in shock at the result. Meanwhile, Rhino is presented with the ECW Championship, and he raises it above his head, having finally vanquished his biggest rival.

The commentators point out that Rhino doesn’t seem to have realized the interference from Loc helped him win. Eventually, Rhino looks down at RVD and sees him holding his groin, as the fans chant “FUCK YOU LOC”.

Rhino puts two and two together, and Loc admits it also, with a devilish grin...

SO RHINO GORES THE FUCK OUT OF HC LOC!!!

A big pop emanates from the fans, but it quickly disintegrates as Rhino drops his title, and drags RVD to his knees.

Rhino places Van Dam’s head between his legs... AND DRILLS HIM WITH ANOTHER PILEDRIVER!!!

Rhino picks up his title, the last man standing, whilst Van Dam lies motionless, the true loser in this story, and no longer a member of the ECW roster...

END OF SHOW​

 

[Stojy]

ECW News And Notes

Overall, everybody in the company seems to pretty happy with the buy rate and the way the Heatwave pay per view went down. Everybody performed to the best of their ability, with the only real sour point being the main event. A feud between Rhino and Rob Van Dam has been a big part of programming for the past year and a half, however in their final encounter, we didn’t get a clean winner. Rhino retained the ECW Championship however it was only due to interference from multiple members of the roster. The word behind the scenes is that Paul Heyman maintained hope of convincing Van Dam to ignore the World Wrestling Federation’s contract offer, and ‘protecting him’ in loss might help get that over the line. Unfortunately, Van Dam decided to leave anyway, so ECW ruined the booking of their main event and have little to show for it.

It must be mentioned that the current talent exodus that seems to be taking place in ECW, is in direct relation to their estranged relationship with the WWF. When World Championship Wrestling was still active, the WWF and ECW had somewhat of a harmonious working relationship. Now that the WWF’s major rival is out of business, it seems Vince McMahon and co are now focusing on taking all they can from the next closest thing. A few weeks ago, Lance Storm departed for the WWF, and Heatwave is confirmed as RVD and also Jerry Lawler’s final appearance in ECW. The scary part of this is that several other big names from ECW are being rumored to potentially be on the WWF’s hit list also. This is the main reason why Heyman and his financial backer have signed so many independent talents recently, trying to do what they can to bolster the roster. It’s also worth noting that preliminary planning is in the works to turn the financial backer into some sort of on screen character.

With Rob Van Dam, the number one face in ECW now gone, the chances are that there will be a huge landscape change for the company. Without RVD, it feels as if there is no number one babyface for the audience to get behind, and officials feel as if that needs to change as soon as possible. The word is that one of the mainstays like Tommy Dreamer or The Sandman could be given an ECW Title run to help steady the tide. The word is that in almost an entire roster upheaval, we could be in for some rapid fire title changes in the coming weeks. This is not entirely confirmed but has not been denied by sources either.

A few months back ECW made changes to their taping schedule, ensuring that the pay per view recap episode of ECW Hardcore TV no longer existed. Instead, straight after the pay per view, the company would get straight into the business of producing new content. Without an official reason but probably having something to do with the impact of RVD leaving, for one time only, ECW are resorting back to the next edition of Hardcore TV being a recap episode. This will allow Heyman and friends time to flesh out what the next few weeks of programming will look like without their main attraction.

The next pay per view coming up for ECW will be Anarchy Rulz. There are a few rumors swirling around regarding this event at this point in time. Apparently there will be some type of huge multi man match at the event, and one can only assume it will have something to do with the ECW vs. The Network ongoing angle. The other rumor is that a number of old school ECW wrestlers have begun negotiations with the company about appearing in a non-wrestling role at Anarchy Rulz.

Looking even further into the future, a former ECW wrestler has signed a contract to make sporadic wrestling appearances over the next twelve months. It’s not known who the wrestler is however their first match back will be at November To Remember, however we might start seeing some vignettes over the next few weeks promoting the return of this wrestler.​

 

[Stojy]

Another remastered show here, although light on content, with recapped promos now written in full.

ECW Hardcore TV
July 21st, 2001
Dayton, Ohio​

The show opens up with a video package, highlighting the main occurrences of ECW Heatwave’s main event between the ECW Champion Rhino and his challenger RVD. The package emphasizes the multiple times it looked like either man could win, especially RVD, until the match was soured by interference from Steve Corino and HC Loc. Despite Rhino’s reluctance to have interference on his behalf, he was able to pick up the huge victory after a Piledriver, retaining his ECW Championship and putting the final nail in the coffin of RVD’s ECW run...

...

Straight after the video package is finished, we head to the commentary area, where a somber JOEY STYLES AND JOEL GERTNER are ready to talk about the industry changing situation that ended Heatwave less than one week ago.

Joey Styles: I’m still at an absolute loss. Everything was set up for Rob Van Dam to win.

Both men are clearly depressed.

Joel Gertner: You’re right, Joey. Rhino threatened The Network to stay away. Crooked referee Danny Daniels was hurt, RVD was so close, he almost had it.

Styles sighs audibly, before attempting to get back to his analytical best.

Joey Styles: And then what about Rhino’s warnings not being taken seriously, with Steve Corino’s interference almost costing Rhino. That’s a discussion point out of Heatwave but so is the hardcore official HC Loc returning surprisingly. Even more surprisingly, we now know how he got his job back.

The commentary duo looks absolutely disgusted with the actions of HC Loc.

Joel Gertner: Now to a really depressing thought, Rob Van Dam is now gone from ECW as anyone watching on Monday night’s show on this ESTEEMED network could figure out. It looks like there’s nobody left who can stand up to Rhino.

‘The Voice Of ECW’ nods in agreement with his broadcast colleague.

Joey Styles: We will never forget Rob Van Dam and his legacy here in ECW, but we do need to move on from it. Per the stipulations of the next match, we’ll see highlights from Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman both get shots at the ECW Championship. At this time, I can announce THAT BOTH MEN WILL GET THEIR SHOT NEXT WEEK ON THE PROGRAM IN A ONE FALL TRIPLE THREAT MATCH!!!

HUGE NEWS, that both Joey and Gertner are excited about, before we cut away.

...

To another recap video from Heatwave…

***

The video package highlights the six man tag which saw Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and Terry Funk defeat Jerry Lawler, Steve Corino and CW Anderson. The video package pays extra attention to the ending, where the ECW representatives bullied Lawler around the ring, before Tommy put an end to their rivalry, finishing him off with a DDT for the win.

***

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

Upon returning from the break, we are taken to a segment which has a caption over the top which reads ‘THE NIGHT OF HEATWAVE’. All members of The Network are in a meeting room of the venue, ready for a debriefing of sorts. Sitting around a round table are STEVE CORINO, CW ANDERSON, JACK VICTORY, DAWN MARIE AND JUSTIN CREDIBLE, whilst a distraught JERRY LYNN sits in the distance, slightly isolated from the group. CYRUS stands at the head of the table, and behind him, a furious looking RHINO paces back and forth, his ECW Championship clutched in his hand.

Cyrus: Alright lets start this off by calling it how it is, it was a mixed bag tonight.

Cyrus isn’t asking for opinions; he’s telling and most the group murmur in agreement.

Cyrus: On the positive side of things, first of all, welcome back to Justin Credible.

The arrogant Credible smirks as Corino, Anderson, Victory and Dawn Marie clap for him, happy to have him in the group. Lynn and Rhino don’t seem as impressed. Speaking of Lynn, Cyrus turns his gaze to Lynn, who now looks a little sheepish.

Cyrus: Look Jerry, there’s no sugarcoating it…

Cyrus pauses for a moment, as Lynn looks down at his feet, a mixture of frustrated and embarrassed.

Cyrus: Tonight was far from your best night. You screwed up tonight and cost us the TV Title with a rash decision. The Network does not approve of your performance tonight but it’s okay.

Most around the table look confused at Cyrus telling him it’s okay, except for Rhino, who clearly doesn’t give a shit about any of this.

Cyrus: Take a breather and then next week, when you’re refreshed, you have a rematch. And despite tonight’s misstep, I have every faith in you to bring it back home.

Lynn nods in reaction to Cyrus’ words before fidgeting with his hands, still seeming a little out of it. Next up, Cyrus directs his gaze to address Corino and Anderson.

Cyrus: Much like Jerry, you both lost a big match, but it’s not your fault. I don’t blame you, Steve, and I don’t blame you, CW.

The leader of The Network shakes his head along with his words.

Cyrus: The entire Network put our trust in somebody we shouldn’t have. I blame that creepy, old man, he’s why you lost, and he’s gone now.

Corino and Anderson both seem content with Jerry Lawler apparently being gone.

Cyrus: He’s gone for good. He’s out of The Network and out of ECW.

Finally, Cyrus turns to the ever aggressive ECW Champion, who has not stopped pacing furiously.

Cyrus: Champ, Rhino, you have to calm down.

Rhino takes exception to that, getting right into Cyrus’ face.

Rhino: Hey, nobody tells me to calm down.

Cyrus gulps as tension grows around the room.

Rhino: In case you forgot, I’m the champion.

He aggressively punches the title on his shoulder to emphasize his point.

Rhino: And I’m the only one of us that won tonight.

Nobody from The Network is overly happy with that statement, but Rhino doesn’t care.

Rhino: Say my name, I’m the fucking man…

Rhino explodes with intensity.

Rhino: I’M RHINO… THE ECW CHAMPION… THE BIG FUCK…

Before Rhino can continue, the ballsy Cyrus holds a hand up, interrupting Rhino, who pipes down almost in shock.

Cyrus: Whoa, we get it, okay, buddy, you should keep doing what you’re doing and getting those victories, but we have a problem.

Rhino tilts his head, confused, as Cyrus thinks wearily at how to continue.

Cyrus: Based on the stipulation tonight, you have to face BOTH Dreamer and Sandman next week for that.

Cyrus points at the ECW Title on Rhino’s shoulder, however the defiant Rhino scoffs.

Rhino: It’s not an issue. I’ll Gore them both at once.

Cyrus and the rest of The Network don’t look as confident as Rhino, and that sets him off again.

Rhino: I’LL DO IT RIGHT FUCKING NOW… AM I SUPPOSED TO GIVE A SHIT? AM I SUPPOSED TO BE SCARED?

Again, sensing he’s losing control of the situation, Cyrus does his best to calm Rhino down by raising his hands up innocently.

Cyrus: I know what you’re capable of and I believe in you. But in my position within The Network, I need to be secure, so to add an element of safety, as an executive decision for next week’s title match, I’m putting Steve Corino in that match to make sure you come out on top.

Rhino no sells it, seemingly not with the plan, so Cyrus presses on before Rhino can decline.

Cyrus: It’s a solid plan, Corino can distract one of them, and you can do what you do, you can do your thing. Hit a Piledriver, break a neck, maximum violence, whatever, the important thing is you will keep the title here.

A slightly more satisfied Rhino nods his head in agreement, when Cyrus pats him on the shoulder. The acceptance gets a BIG grin from Corino as well, as Cyrus continues patting Rhino’s shoulder, but also patting the ECW Championship that is now hanging there at the same time. RHINO VICIOUSLY SHOVES THE ARM OF CYRUS AWAY.

Rhino: Cyrus, nobody touches my title.

‘The Big F’n Deal’ trembles with rage.

Rhino: NOBODY TOUCHES MY FUCKING TITLE… NOBODY!!!

With that, the segment comes to an end, The Network with a new plan, but seemingly being held together by a thread...

...

Next up we get another video package highlighting Heatwave, because that’s what these post PPV shows are filled with in ECW land…

***

The four way tag team match from Heatwave airs in full next, and it shows DANNY DORING AND ROADKILL DEFEATING EYE BALLS, LITTLE GUIDO AND TONY MAMALUKE AND CHRISTIAN YORK AND JOEY MATTHEWS!!!

***​

As the video comes to an end, we quickly cut back to The Birds Nest where JOEY STYLES and JOEL GERTNER are standing by.

Joey Styles: Ladies and gentlemen, after their impressive victory just showcased at Heatwave, Danny Doring and Roadkill have officially earned a shot at the ECW Tag Team Championships. We can confirm at this time that The Unholy Alliance will defend the ECW Tag Team Championships against Danny Doring and Roadkill at Anarchy Rulz!!!

Joey is clearly happy with the announcement and Gertner pumps his fist.

Joel Gertner: Oh, I can’t wait!

Our commentary team then send us to our final break of the evening.

-COMMERCIAL BREAK-​

In another segment filmed straight after Heatwave, we see THE SANDMAN hanging around backstage, covered in blood. Of course, despite the blood, he’s still got a cigarette and a can of beer in his hand.

The Sandman: Just like losing blood, it’s real simple.

The Sandman takes a minute to have a puff of his cigarette, savoring the taste.

The Sandman: I beat three other guys in a ladder match and I won the title.

Sandman shrugs nonchalantly.

The Sandman: After I won that title in a war, Rhino took the title.

For the first time, he looked annoyed, drinking some beer to maintain his composure.

The Sandman: Rhino took what was mine and now, I want the title back.

One of the number one contenders pauses, thinking for a moment.

The Sandman: But there’s more to it than that because I’m looking for revenge. Rhino broke my wife’s neck and threatened my kids.

Fury flashes across the face of The Sandman.

The Sandman: Not only am I going to beat him, but I’m gonna’ break Rhino’s neck. And Rhino, since you don’t have kids, I’ll hurt you a different way. I am gonna’ take the one thing that you care about, and that’s the ECW Championship.

The Sandman then looks right into the camera, ready to deliver one final message.

The Sandman: Happy parents’ day, you fucking bitch.

Sandman, clearly having not forgotten any of his history with Rhino, takes another puff of his cigarette, seemingly ready for next week.

...

Much like his partner’s previous segment, TOMMY DREAMER is covered in blood in the backstage area, attempting to towel himself down so he can look respectable as he speaks.

Tommy Dreamer: It has been a hell of a journey for me here in ECW. I’ve seen it all, been through it all, ups and downs, and people might forget I was ECW Champion once. I worked so hard to capture it, it was the culmination of everything.

Dreamer is as emotional and passionate as ever because he loves his work place.

Tommy Dreamer: I sacrificed it all, I literally broke my back for this company. I’m not complaining for one second because every time I couldn’t get out of bed and every time I’ve had trouble just walking from my car to the building was worth it when I won the title from Taz. Taz handed me the title; I hugged Raven of all people and I got to hold the ECW World Heavyweight Title.

Tommy smirks, recalling the memories fondly.

Tommy Dreamer: I was on top of the world, my heart was full and then somebody took it away from me.

No more smiling from the former champion now.

Tommy Dreamer: Then that cruel mistress named fate intervened and I got hurt again and again and again and every time, I felt it happening. I slipped farther and farther away from ever touching that again.

Dreamer pauses, mulling over his next words.

Tommy Dreamer: I’ve looked deep within my soul, and I’ve questioned for the last year whether it was worth it anymore. People told me if I kept working hard and kept coming back and fighting, that one day, sooner or later, I would earn it and get another shot.

Dreamer lets his words sink in, as serious as ever.

Tommy Dreamer: Turns out they were right because here I am!

He smiles again now, proud of himself.

Tommy Dreamer: I’ve put my ambitions to the side and bled for those three letters, ECW, and now I get my chance. I sent Jerry Lawler out of ECW.

Dreamer curls his upper lip and snarls at the mention of ‘The King’.

Tommy Dreamer: Despite the numbers, despite the odds, I turned back The Network again.

He’s full of pride with that one.

Tommy Dreamer: So now I stand here, battered, beaten, bloody, and I have my shot.

Dreamer subconsciously wipes his forehead with the white towel in his hand, staining it further with blood.

Tommy Dreamer: As for my opponents? It really doesn’t matter. Rhino might be unstoppable, and hell, my old pal The Sandman, he might be the icon of hardcore, but that’s not enough. I’m Tommy FUCKING Dreamer; I live for ECW and I can’t fail again.

Determination is written all over Dreamer’s face.

Tommy Dreamer: Scratch that, I WON’T fail again.

It’s clear by his face he means every word he’s saying.

Tommy Dreamer: I’m going to drive myself to Knoxville, Tennessee, and I’m winning the ECW Title next week. Once I’m champion, I’m going to save this company with the power that brings.

Tommy stands up, starting to feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Tommy Dreamer: Let me say it again, I’m winning the ECW Title next week, and then after I’m done celebrating, I’m getting the hell out of the ring.

Tommy smirks a little now.

Tommy Dreamer: I promise I’m winning the ECW Title next week. Then, I’m bringing it backstage, and for the first time in a long time, everything will finally be worth it again.

After that impassioned speech, Tommy stares into the camera, much like The Sandman, he’s also ready for next week.

...

It’s the show after the PPV so we can’t end without another video package…

***

This video package shows highlights from Heatwave, recapping all of the results, which I will not be doing here. You should scroll up and read the show.

***

END OF SHOW​