From Crossing the Line to Barely Legal:

 

Until the start of the Extreme Three Way Dance Podcast, I had never watched ECW other than a few clips here and there, but as an avid original fan of the PTBN and NoSo Network, I followed along on the journey.  I knew ECW had crazy moments and a rapid fan base but I didn't really know what I was getting into.  So here are my thoughts on three years of watching the promotion starting with The Night the Line was Crossed which I review here up until ECW's pay per view debut Barely Legal.

The Taz and Sabu feud, with Taz calling out Sabu for months without a response for months, didn't make any sense to me at first, but I loved Taz being a badass and killing dudes while Fonzie being the most devious insane heel manager ever was great.  Taz started out dressing like a savage and being under the tutelage of Kevin Sullivan.  His transformation into a fight camp bad ass has been such an amazing improvement.  Sabu says nothing and his matches are car crashes.  In a 2022 lens his work isn't that impressive but in mid 90s lens, this is shit crazy cool.  Sabu spent most of the time in random matches until his feud into partnership into maybe another feud with Rob Van Dam.  Since it's the 1990s, I will rate these two over three years with this Bill Clinton:

Shane Douglas continues his long battle against the Pitbulls after taking Francine away from them.  In the three years, I have been watching minus a quick failed WWF run, Shane Douglas has been so freaking evil.  At the beginning he was a Ric Flair wannabe who just made pot shots at Ric Flair, he came back evil, angry and amazing.  Every match you want him to be destroyed and he gets away.  The Pitbulls went from insane creatures managed by Jason to insane creatures managed by Francine to slightly less insane creatures with human names occasionally.  I miss Jason so much and his insane character so much.  He was so bad he was great.  I hope he comes back.  Both of these acts reach their peaks with Francine with them.  The Pittbulls now have "the masked man" who may reveal himself.  It's Rick Rude and nobody is pretending otherwise.

  

The tag team division has been a story of a dominant team ruling the division taking all comers from the Public Enemy, to DA Gangstas, to the Eliminators, the tag division has been fun but also victim of the champs being entertaining centerpieces who each have their own brand of the same match, over and over again.  The Eliminators have been my personal favorite, but each team made you clearly aware of who they were and what they were motivated by.  The current tag champs, The Dudleys are very confusing to me. The Dudley's transformed from a collection of misfits in Raven's Flock to feuding with estranged Brother D-Von to Buh buh reuniting and turning evil for no discernable reason.  I haven't been a fan of the new Buh Buh and D-von unit and they defend the titles against the former champs, The Eliminators at Barely Legal.

  

The World Title has been held in strangle hold by Raven other than his month stay in rehab has been in strangle hold by Raven.  Raven has burned and churned through flock members but Stevie Richards has been by his side since the beginning.  As Stevie gained popularity  and independence, Raven would make sure to put Stevie back into his place.  Stevie and his own cronies, the Blue Meanie and Nova would begin parodying other groups both musical and wrestling based, and when they parodied the nWo with the bWo, Stevie took off in popularity.  I honestly haven't figured out why this is so popular as I believe Stevie has been more entertaining his whole run than he is as the bWo. Raven also messed with Sandman, by taking his title, his ex-wife and his son.  His shoot 7 year old son, in an ECW ring, with a bloody Raven.  It's been a crazy ride that like most ECW feuds went a little longer.  Terry Funk is middle aged and crazy, fought to win the NWA title one last time, the grizzled old gun fighter heading in for final battle.  Raven thinks Funk needs to go away, because Funk reminds Raven of his father that molested him.  Funk doesn't care about the molestations and Raven needs to get over it. Raven's three rival meet in a 3 way dance to determine the #1 contender for Raven's title later in the night. 

The one thing that I heard over the years, when ECW was being discussed was how everyone had their strengths focused on their weaknesses hidden.  That is so accurate.  I can't think of a single character that I haven't enjoyed for a while.  From Jason to Malenko, to Ron Simmons, to the FBI, to Mikey Whipwreck.  I enjoyed every character.  Some would over stay their welcome because they were so one dimensional but that single dimension was a fun place to to be. I have loved the ride way more than I thought I'm pumped for the PPV and to see where ECW goes from here.  And if you ain't ready to ride with this bunch deeper into 1997, then you going to have to answer to 'ol Slick Willy himself. 

The Night the Line was Crossed

I am a big professional wrestling fan.  I have watched hours upon hours of wrestling mainly from the WWE.  Fans have always seemed over the moon over ECW.  I have never seen any of it other than little clips that the WWE would run during highlight packages.  I would see the ECW wrestlers either before or after their ECW run in WCW or WWF.  I have not been impressed with them for the most part.  I don't get it.  How did these guys get so big and capture the imagination of fans and become a legitimate national promotion form tiny building in the Northeast.  The website placetobenation.com has begun a podcast series going through the ECW product starting with 1994 and I wanted to join in and keep my thoughts here.

Sal Bellomo vs. Mr. Hughes w/ Jason

Sal Bellomo was a jobber in the 80s for WWF if I remember correctly.  Mr. Hughes was bodyguard in the WWF right before this.  Bellomo comes out dressed like a Roman Soldier with a sack of toys that he is throwing into the crowd.  I don't get it and Joey Styles gives zero explanation for this other than it makes Sal happy.  Good for you Sal.  The world needs more giving. Mr. Hughes is dressed exactly the same as I remember him, but sloppilier.  This a bunch of punches and kicks.  It's not good and the crowd is not into it.  What I really want to discuss about this match is the manager, Justin. That's his name Justin.  No last name. No nickname.  It's not even a cool name.  It's just Justin.



I mean look at this guy.  He has a flat top with a mullet.  A sports jacket with no shirt on underneath and sunglasses in a dark arena.  I hate and love him at the same time.  AND HIS NAME IS JASON! THAT'S IT!!

The match was boring but maybe it was because I was trying to figure out this Jason guy the entire time.  He tripped Bellomo during his comeback allowing Hughes to hit a sidewalk slam for the win.

The Sandman and Tommy Cairo vs The Rocking Rebel and The Pitbull in a double dog collar match.

Jason is back out with Rocking Rebel and The Pitbull in a different outfit. Which means I will rooting for them to win and also lose because I don't know what to do about Jason other than follow him.  The Sandman is the only guy I recognize and this becomes an issue for me because the combination of the chaos, the far camera shot, and me not knowing who is who leads to me be really lost on which team is winning this match.  They fight all over the arena.  They pummel each other and Jason has little involvement and my heart aches.  Eventually Sandman and Cairo win with a double pin on somebody and then the losers go on the attack afterwards.  It's chaos and I am lost.  I think I may need to just copy that last sentence to use elsewhere in this review.

The Bruise Brothers: Ron and Don Harris vs The Public Enemy: Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge

My initial thoughts on this match were dread because I hated both of these teams during their future incarnations in WWF and WCW.  Plus no Jason.  So goes my first ECW match without Jason.  These guys also brawl around the arena the hit each other with everything they can get their hands on.  The Bruise Brothers beat the hell out of the Public Enemy the entire time.  I enjoyed the Public Enemy getting beaten because they have cost me many hours of bad matches.  After being pummeled the entire match Public Enemy hits a Harris Brother with a 2x4 and gets the pin.  If the goal of this match was to make the Harris' look lame for not being able to handle one tenth of what the Public Enemy could take that it achieved its goal.  I might have liked this a little more if it wasn't directly after the previous tag match which seemed exactly the same.

Tommy Dreamer vs Jimmy Snuka

Snuka is really old here and is lead to the ring by a manager whose name I didn't quite get but he had a lot of them so this dude is doing some rich guy gimmick.  When he first came out with the bad lighting I thought it was the Dr of Style Slick so it was quite a let down it was Generic Four Names.  Tommy Dreamer looks like a Great Value American Males Buff Bagwell.  Snuka stalls forever.  I mean almost ten minutes of yelling at a fan and then Dreamer going to the fan to get cheers, rinse, repeat.  Snuka demolishes Dreamer and then hit the Superfly Splash and Dreamer kicks out.  This pissess off Snuka so he hits two more before pinning him and then again after the bell.  He also beats up the referee and the commissioner.  Joey Styles is shocked but he shouldn't be because the guy is a murderer.  What's a little assault.    Dreamer is bleeding from the mouth and Generic Four Names did nothing.

Kevin Sullivan and the Tazmaniac vs The Original Sheik and Pat Tanaka

I know who all four of these guys are so I could follow our third chaotic brawl all over the arena tag team match.  However this was the worst one of the four.  Sheik is super old here and can barely move.  His brawling with Sullivan struggles as both guys kind of go through the motions.  Tanaka and Tazmaniac seem to be in submission holds when the camera pans back to them and then they randomly release the hold.  Eventually Sheik throws a fireball which lets Tanaka pin Tazmaniac and nobody seems to care or think that was dastardly.  Sullivan and Sheik keep fighting for a bit until they stop and just walk to the back.  This sucked.

Mike Awesome vs JT Smith

I remember Awesome in the dying days of WCW and short run during the invasion.  I have no idea who Smith.  This was a few minutes of an amazing squash.  Awesome is killing Smith with powerful looking moves and then Awesome dives over the top rope and crushes Smith against the protective barrier.  Awesome gets rolled up for a flash pin out of nowhere.  I was shocked.  Awesome gets upset and pastes the referee with two powerbombs.  This was fun and it was the first thing tonight, I would like to see more of the story as it goes on.

The graphic says this is Terry Funk defending the ECW title vs Sabu and Shane Douglas in a three way dance.  Paul Dangerously who is Sabu's manager runs out and attacks Douglas' manager Sherri Martel.  The match starts and I keep waiting on Funk to come out and join in but he doesn't.  Eventually Styles mentions that if this match doesn't have winner in fifteen minutes then Funk will join in and make it a three way. I have never seen something like that before.  Sabu tries to have a wrestling match and it is no good.  So Shane Douglas tries to go out on the floor and brawl with Sabu and it is also no good.

Fifteen minutes goes by and Funk joins the match.  Sabu botches and table spot and gets helped to the back.  So it's one on one for awhile.  It's a brawl through the crowd.  This has gotten repetitive.  It doesn't mean anything anymore.  Half of the card has gone through the crowd.  Eventually Sabu comes back and may be legitimately injured because everything looks difficult for him and he has been out of the match for twenty minutes.  Or it could just be that Sabu sucks.  Both are equally possible.

Funk goes up to the announce booth and calls out both Shane and Sabu to come fight him and calls them a litany of names.  Only problem is that they can't hear him.  It's not going through the arena only the TV audience.  Two guys called the Rotten Brothers come out and beat up Shane and Sabu.  The Rotten Brothers look like two Brian Nobbs from the Nasty Boys.  Sabu fights with them to the back and eventually returns.  All three guys are exhausted which is most understandable for Douglas the match meanders and is sloppy.  Terry Funk beats up the referee with ten minutes left for no reason.  In the final minute Douglas hits Sabu with a cross body which also catches Funk.  Then Funk tries to pin both of them back and forth but their is no referee because he beat him up for being alive or something.  The time limit thankfully expires.

This match was something.  It was chaotic and wild.  There were lots of parts that didn't make sense as they tried to give Funk and Sabu time for breaks.  Kudos to Douglas for going the whole hour.  However if you want to do a 1 hour time limit draw make sure it has three people who can go for an hour reasonably.  If this was condensed into an hour and more importantly had the undercard not stolen the thunder from the main event, this could have been something.

This whole show was not good. I will watch the TV leading up to the next supershow and see if it helps make sense of this.  I am lost and not entertained one show in.


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