House of Hardcore review

[Stopspot]

Warning! Long read but well worth it.

Spoiler

I learned a long time ago to never set your standards too high with a debut show as there are almost always flaws and a few mess-ups along the way. So when I attended House Of Hardcore this was no exception as far as expectations went.

I am unsure how many people the Mid-Hudson Civic Center actually holds but I would estimate that it had 1950-2000 people in attendance for last nights show and it was nearly a complete sellout.

My biggest concern going into this show is that it was going to be another attempt to make money off of ECW’s legacy, and aside from Stephen DeAngelis being ring announcer and a few of the same stars this was NOTHING like ECW!

The opening match was Crowbar (Devon Storm) vs. Shawn Daivari.

This match was a really strong opening match and both guys worked very hard to please the crowd and oh, did they ever.

It was a back and fourth match that went outside the ring. Crowbar was impressive in this match and has made a bigger impact this year than he did his entire run in WCW thanks to his matches here and earlier in the year in Extreme Rising

Daivari took the victory in this one after landing a tornado DDT and following it with a top rope splash. The crowd really enjoyed the match and the efforts.

This match gets an 8 out of 10 in my opinion which is fantastic for an opening match. I hope Devon Storm keeps improving and that Daivari continues to impress.

The next match was FBI (Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke) vs Roadkill and Danny Doring.

The FBI had Big Sal E. Graziano as a corner man while Roadkill and Doring had some other amish man as a corner man. It has been reported since that Smith James was the other amish man but I cannot confirm this.

This match was pretty much what you would expect from these two teams and was just very good wrestling. Roadkill looked excellent seeing to how he has not wrestled a match since he left WWE/OVW in January of 2008.

When I watched this match it really felt like I was watching two teams of guys in their twenties or thirties. Everyone was so extremely impressive and it was a nice bit if nastalgia for old ECW fans as well.

The match was won by Danny Doring and RoadkIll when they hit their old ECW finisher on Mamaluke.

This match also gets an 8 out of 10 but I almost felt it needed more because of the classy moment that followed.

After the match Roadkill got a mic and asked all of the FBI to return to the ring. Roadkill said he respected all the work they did together in ECW as well as respecting The FBI themselves. This, of course, led to an “ECW” chant.

Roadkill then said that ECW was a thing of the past and HOH is going to be the future. He thanked everyone and then gave the mic to Danny Doring.

Doring said that it doesn’t matter where they are at, of if you chant ECW, HOH, or something else the fact is there would be no Doring/Roadkill team without The FBI. It was a top notch promo and a very classy moment.

Jazz vs Winter is up next.

This match was an ok match but really had a lot to follow after the first two matches and I really think this match should have opened the card to really get people into it.

Winter and Jazz both worked her and did the best they could with the time they were given. I am a huge fan of both ladies but this just felt out of place.

Good technical moves during this match including chops, sharpshooters, and more. The crowd seemed to enjoy the match just fine but not like the first two.

The match ended when Jazz reversed a slam into a Michinoku driver. I would give this match a 6 out of 10 despite efforts from both ladies.

Alex Reynolds vs Tony Nese with Mikey Whipwreck as special referee.

This was a fantastic match with a lot of back and fourth maneuvers. Lots of reverses and Nese landed a very impressive move off the top rope which resulted in “HOH” and “This is awesome. Chants.

Nese missed a 450 splash which resulted in Reynolds landing a forearm and a ‘lungblower’ but it was another two count. Reynolds had begin to grow frustrated with the two counts and eventually had words with Mikey Whipwreck

This match ended when Reynolds received a whippersnapper by Mikey and then a 450 splash by Nese. A lot of “This is awesome” chants and they were well deserved

This match gets a 9.5. This truly was an excellent match. I wish more matches would have had unestablished stars like this one.

Scott Steiner vs. Luke Gallows

Scott Steiner comes out next and cuts a promo about how Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were pus$*es and when he told the truth about it he ended up in a lawsuit. He thanked all his followers for following him on twitter.

Luke Gallows and Eddie Kingston came out and Gallows and Steiner begin brawling. They battled outside the ring and Gallows took a chair shot to the head.

Later Steiner took a chair shot and Rick Steiner came to check on him. After Steiner recovered he went for a top rope move, Kingston interfered and was chased in the ring by Rick.

The match ended when Rick nd Scott hit Steinerlines on Gallows and Kingston. Good match. Everyone worked hard I give this match an 7.5 out 10. This match felt more like a fight than a wrestling match. Entertaining especially for old school wrestling fans.

Chris Mordetsky’s (Chris Masters) Masterlock Challenge

Mordetsky did his usual promo where he rips on Poughkeepsie (or whatever town he is in). He ripped the fans and picked some kid name Adam to attempt the Masterlock challenge.

The crowd was very upset over the person picked and a loud “bullshi*” chant broke out. Hale Collins came out and wanted to accept the challenge. The crowd popped loud as Collins is from the area

Chris Mordestsky vs. Hale Collins

This started as a Masterlock challenge but when Collins was about to break the hold, Mordetsky hit him in the back and begin stomping in him.

Collins made a decent comeback and held his own and the fans were really really behind him through the whole thing.

The match ended when a masked man pushed Collins off the top and Mordetsky hit a spinebuster. This was not a bad match but not one of the best of the night either, but, to be fair, it had stiff competition with those opening matches.

I would give this match a 7 out of 10. The fans almost turned and got lost at the beginning but Collins helped win them back. Great effort, especially from Collins.

“War Machine” Rhino vs. “Death Machine” Sami Callihan

This was another excellent match and the crowd loved this one. This is the match I was looking most forward to of all the advertised ones.

Sami Callihan is an excellent wrestler and easily held his own against Rhino. This was a battle that went all over the place.

They fought all over ringside before finally making there way back inside the ring. Rhino landed everything he could but Callihan kicked out of the TKO, piledriver and even the gore which really shocked the crowd.

Rhino took the victory with a Rhinodriver off the middle turnbuckle. This is another 8 out of 10 but with the Sami and Rhino involved it could have been so much better. Excellent match nevertheless!

Big Daddy V (Viscera) vs. ???

Big Daddy V had a manager named Nicky Benz (Nick Berk). They entered the ring and completely destroyed a “jobber” whose name I dont know. This was a quick short match and Benz called out someone else got Big Daddy V.

Jobber #2 came out and landed some useless dropkicks on Big Daddy V. V did a chokeslam turned into a sit-down power bomb for the win. Benz called for a third guy and out came….SPIKE DUDLEY

This was a nice surprise for the crowd and they loved it. Spike delivered a kick and acid drop to V for the victory. After the match, Benz was mad and went after Spike. Spike delivered an acid drop on him as well.

This match gets a 6 out of 10 due to the match not being a real match but gets points for crowd reaction and it was typical Spike Dudley. As said was a nice surprise the crowd enjoyed!!!

Edge(Adam Copeland) Promo

Edge came out and cut a promo saying he was only here because of Tommy Dreamer and that this was first time he had done a show of this level since 1997. He said seeing Sami Callihan get piledrived by Rhino reminded him of Hulk Hogan getting piledrived by Paul Orndoff.

He said the teams in next match remind him of Edge and Christian vs The Hardy Boyz and that Young Bucks, Paul London and Brian Kendrick are going to do things now that The Hardys, Edge, and Christian couldn’t do in their prime.

The Young Bucks (Generation Me) vs. Brian Kendrick and Paul London

This was an absolute amazing match and nothing I write here will do this match justice.

Both teams worked very very hard and definitely impressed the live crowd. This match was fast paced and full of crazy high spots.

This match alone will be worth the price of the upcoming DVD. Double hiptoss’s, double planchas, and a whole lot of near falls.

Brian Kendrick and Paul London won this match after Kendrick nailed sliced bread and London landed a shooting star press. This match was insane and the crowd chanted “HOH” after.

This match easily gets a 10 out of 10 and was match of the night in my opinion,

Main Event: FWE Championship Match – Mike Knox vs. Carlito vs. Tommy Dreamer (Champion)

This was yet another good match with a lot of wrestling involved. There was a funny spot where Carlito ate part of his apple and spit it at Knox, Tommy then ate part of the apple.

Carlito took th victory after nailing Tommy with a backstabber. Knox went for flying leg drop but missed and Carlito covered Tommy.

After the match Tommy handed the belt to Carlito. This led to a “Thank You Tommy” and “HOH” chants.

Knox and Carlito shook hands and then Knox knocked Carlito out and Raven entered the ring and evenflo DDTd Tommy Dreamer. Raven continued to beat on Dreamer until “Enter Sandman” played.

Sandman did his usual long entrance and when he finally hit the ring he ducked an attempted Knox clothesline causing Knox to clothesline Raven.

Sandman then caned both Raven and Mike Knox which caused them to flee and run out of the ring. Tommy Dreamer grabbed a mic.

Before Tommy could speak the crowd erupted with “Thank You Sandman”, followed by “Thank You Tommy”, and finally “Thank You Both” chants.

Tommy finally spoke and said he wanted to thank everyone for making it a success and spoke about how he thought it was going to be a disaster. He spoke of how a short time ago his mother had a stroke and he thought she was going to die, but she is here selling merchandise for the show. He said Edge blew off neck surgery to be there. He also said his wife (Beulah) and kids were in the back and had been very supportive.

The closing match and segment was a lot of fun and very entertaining. I give the ending match and segments a 9 out of 10 as the crowd loved every bit of it.

My thoughts: The whole show was a lot of fun and definitely exceeded my expectations. For an opening event Tommy Dreamer and House Of Hardcore blew this one away. Dreamer has said there would be an HOH 2 and I highly recommend anyone who could go to go. I appreciated the fact that Tommy didn’t try to make money off the legacy of ECW. The show was original and definitely established itself as its own product. I hope and believe this company will go a long way if they keep this up.

What others are saying: I spoke to a few people at the show and the feedback was nothing but positive. Quite a few people said they definitely plan to return for HOH 2 assuming it is in the same arena. A few said they would travel to other states to watch the second.

The feedback at the show as well as online have been nothing but positive and believe me this is well deserved. Tommy has definitely sparked interest in this promotion and needs to keep delivering. People are interested and this could be a very successful thing.

Changes I would make: There really are not many changes to be made as it was an excellent first show, this could, of course change going forward but as it sits right now House Of Hardcore is on the right track to hang oaround and last for awhile. The ONLY change I would suggest is to have more unknown stars in the future as they did with Alex Reynolds and Tony Nese.

Overall Show: I would give the overall show a 9.5 out of 10 as it delivered everything and everyone as promised. Had a few surprises which is always a plus. When the DVD comes out I highly recommend everyone buy it and if you can attend the next show if possible, if it’s like this one it will be worth your time and money.

This show had the perfect mix of technical wrestling and fan reaction. It was better than anything I have seen put out in years. It had some cane shots, chair shots, and high flying insane spots so it would appeal to ECW fans. Also of the stars and wrestlers involved depending on what ECW meant to you and what you liked about it. Anyonen who appreciates wrestling would enjoy it.

If you are a wrestling fan and care about more than promos this is for you. If you want to see wrestling at its best, this is for you.

Tommy Dreamer is a well respected person within the wrestling community and has ties with WWE, TNA, and ECW. This level of respect maybe the reason people like Roadkill and Spike Dudley were on the card despite being retired for the last few years.

More info can be found http://www.houseofhardcore.net

Looks like I am getting the DVD. :

 

[Bort]

Well, sounds like a lot of fun show, and they drew very well, hopefully the crowd enjoyed it, so they come back. Sami/Rhino and Londrick/Bucks sound awesome. But, I'm not happy Dreamer booked himself into the main event, and that Eddie Kingstong didn't have a match.

 

[Danielson]

This seems like it would be a really fun program to attend.

 

[Farooq]

Seems pretty good as I expected, will be getting the DVD when it comes out as well, glad everything went good. Of course some problems were there, but they weren't enough to make the shoe seem bad.

 

[Lacky]

Sounds like a very good show, with some pretty good talent on the card.

 

[Bort]

About the show:

Credit: Mike Johnson and Pwinsider.com

The debut of Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore likely could not have gone any smoother from a presentation standpoint. The show drew in the 1,900 plus range, just shy of a sellout (an official sellout would have been 20,50) for the first event Dreamer ever promoted. The early word was that the show was profitable and Dreamer noted on the mic that there would be a "House of Hardcore 2."

While the actual production of the show ran smooth, there were issues leading up to the show, including a "concerned citizen" calling different entities complaining about the show. It doesn't take a genius to realize that "concerned citizen" likely makes their money promoting wrestling in some form. It's pretty sad when people would rather spend time trying to hurt someone else instead of bettering themselves, but that's human nature for you.

The entire idea of the show was to try and run something where the wrestlers could perform and have fun without restrictions. While a lot of people dismissed the show as another ECW reunion, Dreamer has distanced himself from such things since the TNA Hardcore Justice show. The HOH blueprint was one that was designed to appeal to different demographics of wrestling fans - the average wrestling fan would have some former WWE names, the die-hard wrestling fan would get some ECW and independent names and the presentation was designed to allow the older names to work the undercard and allow the younger talents who can go athletically shoulder the "wrestling" aspect of the product. It was obvious that some of the names on the show were unknowns to the audience, which reacted positively to anyone who worked hard.

To keep with the "feel good" aspect of the show, all the babyfaces went over until the main event, where Dreamer was pinned - and if anyone expected Dreamer to put himself over on his own show surely hasn't paid attention to his career. Raven and Sandman were specifically booked to do the big Sandman entrance as a way to send fans home happy even though a heel, Carlito, went over in the main event.

True to form of the old days of ECW, however, the actual lineup wasn't written out until an hour or so before the show. The booking was designed to build the locals as something special - whether it was the NYWC guys tearing the house down or Hale Collins, who lives in the area and is a partner in the HOH school, nearly breaking the Masterlock in front of his hometown.

It was a very mellow and happy locker room backstage. No drama at all. There was a real positive feeling backstage at the show as Dreamer is one of the most well liked and respected guys among talents in the business.

Tony Devito worked the show backstage, helping with logistics and running the locker room. I believe Edge was helping out backstage as well. Among those backstage were TNA's Rosita, Ivelisse Velez of Tough Enough fame, former ECW producer and director Ron Buffone, Beulah McGuillicuty and a few independent talents.

Edge and The Steiners reunion were big draws for the pre-show autograph session. Edge was set up in one corner of the building while the Steiners were set up in the ring. The remainder of the roster all signed on the stage prior to the show.

When doors for the show opened, Dreamer was waiting in the lobby in front of a photo backdrop to take photos with everyone entering. The photos will be uploaded online for fans to grab for themselves.

While there are plans for another show, the early word was that it wouldn't be until 2013, and possibly not until May. That is probably for the best as what seems to be the only thing drawing on a grass roots independent level right now are shows that are "can't miss" and feature a really unique or blowaway lineup. Running on a regular basis would probably detract from the aura of the event.

From an in-ring standpoint, the best matches on the show were Tony Nese vs. Alex Reynolds (talk about two guys who are the future of the business) and Brian Kendrick & Paul London vs. The Young Bucks. Scott Steiner vs. Luke Gallows and Tommy Dreamer vs. Mike Knox vs. Carlito were both very good matches as well. There was nothing that left a negative feeling among fans with any of the matches.

Spike Dudley received a monster pop for his surprise appearance. He had retired about a year ago but is booked for at least one match in November for 2CW in New York against Kevin Steen, which should be awesome. The booking for his return was very well laid out as Big Daddy V killed two unknown, unnamed guys to build himself up and then Dudley returned to hit the Acid Drop and run V off.

I believe Roadkill working the show, his first match since 2008, was just a one-time deal, more giving him a chance to work one last time with Danny Doring, who is his best friend, and the FBI, who were their top opponents, but we'll see. Roadkill's speech didn't specifically say he was done, but given that he's rarely, if ever, done promos, it certainly came off as a farewell speech.

Before the show started, a video screen played clips of events that took place in Poughkeepsie, playing up the idea of celebrating the history of the venue.

The only injury of the show was Daivari getting a tooth knocked out from a stiff Crowbar kick. Crowbar was booked as a surprise.