Tremendous Tirades: ECW on TNN Debut (8.26.99)
Posted by Larry Csonka on 03.20.2008
And closing out the debut shows, we go to ECW on TNN!
The First ECW on TNN Date: August 26th 1999 Location: Studio Produced Show Announcers: Joey Styles
-We get Joey Styles welcoming us to ECW on TNN and see the Dudleyz powerbombing Balls Mahoney through a flaming table.
-Styles welcomes us again from Toledo Ohio, and hypes the ECW TV title, and name drops Eddie, Jericho, Malenko and others that people would know that held the ECW TV Title. They also show RVD defeating Bam Bam Bigelow, another name people know, for that title. Joey then explains that RVD has had the title for over 18-months, and that no champion in any federation in the world has held a title as long.
Lock up and a wristlock by Lynn. Reversal by RVD and then by Lynn. Take down by RVD and Lynn up. Reversals again and so mat work and RVD gets a cover for 2 and celebrates and stalls a bit. Lock up and off the ropes and a whole slew of reversals and another stand off to applause. I forgot how annoying that damn whistle was! RVD celebrates and finally a lock up and he takes Lynn to the corner and breaks clean. Stalling and a lock up, Lynn backs RVD to the corner and breaks clean, and then nails RVD with forearms. More reversals and counters and RVD with a monkey flip and another stand off and RVD’s eye is busted open. Kick his ass chant from the crowd, nice. They talk smack and a boot by RVD. Forearms to Lynn and then right hands. Boot to the gut and RVD to the apron and Lynn with a springboard dropkick takes RVD to the floor. Lynn up top and a sweet cross body to RVD! Lynn back in the ring and as RVD tries to get in he eats a dropkick, and then a leg drop by Lynn gets 2. Lynn works over RVD with chops now, then sets him on top…Lynn up and a 2nd rope bulldog gets 2! Lynn up top again…and Fonzie crotches him. He holds a chair, and RVD up top…leaps and misses the kick and Lynn grabs the chair and waffles RVD! Lynn charges RVD, and gets crotched again! Springboard sidekick and Lynn crashes to the floor face first! RVD follows and boots Lynn in the head. RVD with a chair and the ref checks on Lynn. He got jacked up! Lynn is busted open from the nose and RVD rolls him into the ring, than back out. He whips Lynn over the steel railing and RVD back in the ring. RVD to the floor, runs and leaps the guardrail and clotheslines Lynn. Lynn reverses a slam and dropkicks RVD over the railing back to ringside. Back in the ring they go and RVD with boots to Lynn. Forearms by RVD but Lynn with a sunset flip for 2. Alabama slam by RVD, ties rolling thunder but opts for a kick. Tries again and misses! Boots by Lynn and RVD whipped and Lynn caught…tornado DDT by Lynn reversed into a northern lights suplex for 2! Boots by RVD and he sets Lynn on top. RVD up as well…SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB by Lynn for 2! Off the ropes and a clothesline by Lynn. Lynn to the floor and gets a table! He sets it up and RVD is out to greet him with a right hand. Lynn tossed over the railing and RVD tosses a chair to Fonzie, who tosses it to Lynn and RVD with a springboard VANDAMINATOR! Lynn reverses RVD and rams him into the steel post now. They go to the top and battle…and RVD tosses Lynn over his head and to the floor! RVD out and whips Lynn to the steel railing. Suplex to Lynn onto the railing…corkscrew leg drop by RVD. Back n the ring and RVD covers for 2. Dropkick to the knee by RVD and then a dropkick with the chair to Lynn! They battle on the apron now and battle to the top…tornado DDT but RVD reverses and clotheslines Lynn into the ring. Springboard leg drop by RVD gets 2. Boots to Lynn now and whipped to the corner. Lynn fights RVD onto the apron and Lynn gets a SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB THROUGH THE TABLE! Back in the ring and Lynn covers for 2. Boots by Lynn now and then he smash mouths Fonzie with the chair and gets a German to RVD for 2! Slam by Lynn, he goes up top…but RVD nails him with a kick. RVD up top… Lynn fights…reverses him and Lynn falls as RVD crotches himself for a “you fucked up” chant. Lynn with a VANDAMINAOR for 2! Lynn tries the cradle pile driver, reversal into a pin then back up, reversals again and Lynn rolls him up for 2! Rights by Lynn, RVD set on top…they battle and Lynn tossed off. Split-legged moonsault by RVD for 2! Reversals and a leg drop by RVD. Up top…5 STAR FROG SPLASH! RVD covers and Lynn reverses into a roll up for 2! Fonzie is back up, tosses in a chair…VAN DAMINATOR! RVD up top…5 STAR FROG SPLASH AGAIN! 1…2…3!
Lynn and RVD high five after the match.
Winner: RVD @ 26:22 via pin
Part of me feels that this hasn’t aged well, but part of me also things that this is a great spotfest, and really, they have their place in wrestling. I still dig this match. I believe the first time around, back in the day I went ****, but I feel that it has depreciated a little over time and have slightly dropped the rating. Not all things hold up over time as we remember, but this is close.
Rating: ***¾
-Styles is back and hypes the FRIDAY NIGHT THRILL ZONE and ROLLER JAM!
-Joey now hypes Tazz as the ECW champion, saying it is a belt that Foley, Konnan, Saturn, Simmons and not even Steve Austin won while they were in ECW.
-We now get clips of “The Birth of Extreme,” where Shane Douglas threw down the NWA Title and anointed himself the ECW World Champion. Such men as Raven, Sandman, Funk, Bam, Bam Bigelow and Sabu have held the title.
-We go to the next match, Steve Corino was too afraid to face Taz, to he sent Rhyno out to do the job. Taz on the mic and he says he will slap Rhyno around. Taz promises to make him bleed and to kick the shit out of him, because he is Taz, the ECW Champion, beat me if you can, survive if I let you!
Rhyno in and jacks Taz, POWERBOMB and Taz is up! He grabs Rhyno off the ropes and levels him with a clothesline. To the floor they go, Taz tosses Rhyno into the barrier and Corino keeps avoiding Taz. Back in, off the ropes and a TBONE Taz Plex connects. Taz sets him up top, and he goes up and gets a top rope belly-to-belly suplex! Taz beats down Rhyno, goes to the floor and gets a table. Taz sets the table in the corner, SICK TAZ PLEX through the table! TAZMISSION is applied and Rhyno taps.
Winner: Taz @ 3:10 via pin
Damn fine match here in the way that it made the champion look like a total bad ass.
Rating: *½
-After the match Taz drops his catchphrase.
-Styles says that Taz and Corino will eventually meet.
-We now get a video package for Sabu, showing all of his wild shit.
Little Spike Dudley vs. Sal E. Graaziano
Spike gets the acid drop and wins very quickly.
Winner: Spike Dudley @ 0:35 via pin
Yeah.
Rating: NA
-We see Jason, the Sexiest Man on Earth, Justin Credible, Lance Storm and Dawn Marie; Lance’s personal Bitch. CYRUS is now here as well. Jason talks about rubbing Joey Styles, wow. Cyrus is the extreme intellectual, and he complains about not getting TV time. Credible cuts a promo about playing the roster as we see clips of them destroying the Dudleyz, Douglas, Sid and many others.
-We now get a video package highlighting several of the ECW personalities, Dreamer, Balls, New Jack, Uganda, Spike, Axl, Nova, Doring, Roadkill, Storm, Dawn Marie, Credible, Lynn, RVD, Sabu, Tajiri and Taz.
-Taz now cuts a promo about being on TNN. He says that there is barbed wire, chair shots, tables and then there is Taz. He doesn’t need all of that, because he has his hands. His hands are his weapons. You can ask all of the guys that have been here, like Jericho and Douglas. Good luck guys, I choked you out. Bam Bam Bigelow, world famous, the monster. I hooked him, he tapped. Scorpio, Candido, Lawler; I tapped them all. The fact is that he is the guy your mother warned you about, I am not a role model because you don’t want your kids being like me. He lives by the motto of kill or be killed. His name is Taz, he is the ECW World Champion, beat him if you can, survive if he lets you.
The 411: ECW on TNN failed for many reasons. First of all they had lost a lot of talent to WWF and WCW. Secondly TNN was never fully behind them, as they were more concerned with Roller Jam and other things. Thirdly the debut that was taped never aired because TNN didn’t like the production. The show taped in Toledo was just bad, not full attendance wise, they had technical issues and by all accounts it was bad; so Paul went to the archives and thought showing RVD vs. Lynn would be a better debut. Which while it is a super fun match and a great spotfest, was months old at this time. Fourthly, with them losing so much talent and WWF especially taking many elements from ECW that ended up taking WWF into the Attitude Era, ECW came off as the ghetto stepson of WWF.
That all being said, I feel when you look back on this show that it worked on many levels. TNN hated the show, they didn’t want clips or video packages, they wanted an arena show; they wanted Raw, which they would eventually get. You saw the wildness in RVD and Lynn, you saw Taz being a total bad ass as the main champion, and you got video packages that introduced you to the roster. So while it did fail in the long run because TNN hated it, and that they came off as the ghetto stepson of WWF, it isn’t all that bad when you see what they did accomplish. Recommended for a fun look back and for historical purposes.
Didn't Rhino spell his name with an "i" when he was in ECW? I only
bring this up because you have Taz's ECW spelling here.
Posted By: subtlefuge (Registered) on March 20, 2008 at 01:47 PM
I remember seeing the introduction to the roster and feeling it was a cool idea
to introduce the brand. Being on the West Coast, I rarely got to see ECW so it
didn't bother me all that much eventhough I had seen a few PPV's previously.
TNN was such a bitch to ECW. Yet the same network stands strongly behind
TNA...go figure.
Posted By: Willie D (Guest) on March 20, 2008 at 05:11 PM
I was in Toledo for ECW's first taping, my first and last ECW event. 'Tis where
I came to love the work of Corino and Tajiri. Sadly, I have not seen any of
Corino's work since his ECW run and WWE made Tajiri a joke for much of his run.
The show itself was good, but at one point the arena lights went out leading to
a cool signature point from Mr. Sabu.
Posted By: Moose and Squirrel (Guest) on March 20, 2008 at 06:34 PM
I'm kinda glad there's never a mention of the terrible, terrible interaction
between Taz and Styles to open and close the show. They act like unfunny goofs
and make me want to reach through the TV and slap the shit out of them. At
least the action is good enough to make up for it.
Posted By: MP (Guest) on March 22, 2008 at 01:25 PM
