I'm curious for those who were online

[Guest Dmann2000]

What was the internet response to ECW showing up back in Feb 1997. I wasn't very net savvy back then, took about another year before I found most of the sites I frequent today.

[Guest Doyo]

ECW existed as Eastern Wrestling Alliance back around 1992.

In 1994 it became Extreme Wrestling Alliance. The internet was

very instrumental in the rise of ECW. On RSPW, Dave "1wrestling.com" Scherer

and others used to write detailed reviews of their shows.

This was before there was pretty pictures on the internet, just text.

There wasn't 50 million places to discuss and learn about wrestling

like now. There was just the RSPW newsgroup. Oh and there were

some other newsgroups for people on AOL and Prodigy I believe.

Interest grew more and more and ECW tape trading deals were being

set up left and right on the internet. Eventually a fan convention

was set up through the internet. 1997 was when they debuted on ppv

and it was great to have watched ECW start out as something small

and grow to that point.

[Guest Doyo]

Here is a blast from the past! Dave Scherer's RSPW recap of the

Nov. 19, 1994 ECW show. This is actually only part of his post.

He would always do a lot of writing about the scene in the parking

lot before the show. Which included public beer drinking. Haha.

Go here to read his full report and one can look around and find other old RSPW stuff

as well.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The house was PACKED. It looked to be at very least 1200. It was the

biggest crowd I can ever remember and tons of people were standing, and

they didn't care. The Wrestling Psychopath, Mike Lano was there shooting

pics at Ringside. Jeff Cohen and I we nt up to talk to him, or as Brian

said, "brown nose." Dr. Mike loved us and thought we were psychotic,

which is all I ask of anyone.

 

Opener was a match where the two guys got to pick a partner from guys not

on the card. Steve Richards picks JT Smith. The Shah of Philadelphia,

Hack Myers picks Chad Austin. Before the show, Hack and Mikey Whipwreck

pulled up in Hack's car. We ask him who he's fighting tonight and he says

he hopes Chad Austin. Austin did an angle at the last TV tapings where he

said ECW stunk and that SMW was great. Hack doesn't ever break kayfabe,

so of course he tells us he wants Chad in a match. So when he picked him

as his partner, we KNEW what was coming. Austin takes the stick and says

that ECW bites and NWA is great. At our urging, Hack trashes him and all

three beat the crap out of Chad. We were doing our Shah chant. Richards

pins Austin. Hack takes the mic and says "Hey Austin, just remember when

NWA is drawing 2 or 3 people, ECW is kicking your fucking ass." If I was

there, I would have added, "And while some people (Herb) say ECW TV is

repetitive, at VERY least they show excellent hot arena matches and great

angles instead of stale squashes week in and week out." Too bad I wasn't

there. Me and Rat gave it a major thumbs up as an opener.

 

Next Shane and Sherri came out for an interview. They said Austin is

hurt. We do a Turner Sucks chant. Shane laughs. We then do a Dick Flair

sucks chant, and Shane says "Don't he ever." Just so the braindead know,

we did that chant because Flair is t he booker and I have a feeling he

worked the injury to Austin so he did not have to send him. In any event,

we are told we will get a Hollywood Blonde, and it's gonna Pillman, which

is fine by me since he's twice the wrestler Austin is anyway. Sherri also

says it's great to be with the REAL champion. Shane and Pillman pay

homage to those wild and abusive boisterous bleacher creatures. We love

it, and so do they.

 

The Rocky Horror Picture Show started next, as Brian so aptly put it.

Interactivity has come to Philly. Double Dog Collar time between The Pit

Bulls, who we serenaded with a "Roid Boys" chant, against my boys, the Bad

Breed. This was a quintuple juice match. How is that possible with only

four guys you ask? Well, if you had seen Ian Rotten you'd understand.

This was psychotic. Chairshots, tables, chains, you name it. Suplexes,

DDT's, and top rope maneuvers. They went all over the building, to which

Brian said jokingly, "the Ref has lost control of this one." My man Brian

has perfect timing with his sarcastically placed Monsoonisms. End comes

when Pit Bulls double DDT Ian from the top rope. Brian, Vin, and me: 4.

Rat: 4.5. Clarence and Giraffe : 4.

 

Next is 911 time. Tonight's victim, Bob Artese. Paul hits him with the

phone and 911 toasts him. We like it. If you don't, your loss. We do a

Dennis sucks chant. Paul takes that to mean toast Bob Artese again, so

911 does. Twice. We do "Bob is Dead" chant.

 

As a sidenote, I was trying all day to come up with an ass kicking anti

NWA chant. We have high standards that must be met, but I was drawing a

blank. I asked the boys for help, but we were still hurting for the

"Flair is Dead" type of chant. Hopefully, that would change. For now,

Dennis sucks had to do.

 

Our hero, the Sandman with Woman took on Tommy Dreamer, without Peaches,

and Tommy Cairo as a guest ref. Cairo came out with a cane, which all

referees should do if you ask me. We chant "Pay your Bills" at Cairo.

Match starts when Sandman attacks Dreamer when he's coming out. The

brawl all around the Arena. It is as stiff as it gets. There's DDT's,

post shots, cases of soda, canes, chairs etc as they circle the building.

Cairo never leaves the ring. More interaction as the fans hand each guy

instruments of mayhem. Sandman does highspots off of a vending machine.

3 times. Rat calls him Sandbu. TD does a nasty reverse neckbreaker on a

chair on Sandman. They hit the ring, finally, and Dreamer gets a sleeper

on Sandman that Cairo calls a choke. He tells him to break the hold by

whacking him with the cane. It happens again. Peaches comes out.

Sandman does the 4 corner piledriver on TD. Finally, Cairo and Sandman go

to double clothesline TD with the cane and miss and Dreamer gets the pin

when second ref JR Finnegan makes the count. Brian says, "Dreamer: he's

hardcore." Peaches gives TD a cane and he whacks Sandman. Everyone but

Vin: 4. Vin: 3.

 

It's intermission when the World's greatest promoter, at least in my eyes,

Tod Gordon comes out and offers refunds for those who want to leave

because Austin was not there. After they had already seen half of the

show. Sure, he KNEW know one would leave but I'll bet there were people

at the NWA show who wish that they could have gotten refunds halfway

through that show.

 

Ah, next up we find something out. Who is right. I said right after the

11 show that Sabu would work tonight while others who shall remain

brainless, er nameless, said he wouldn't. Surprise surprise. Take a big

guess who was right? I told you so. Again. Sabu and Taz vs the Malenko

Brothers. Joe had a bit of a paunch on him, but still worked hard. Dean

asked us where the Dark Cheetah was, as he said he was looking for a

dinner companion. I told you that you should have came Lee. This match

was awesome. Freakin' awesome. Sabu came out with a neckbrace on and

worked like he was fine. He did the flip over the rope to the floor early

on Joe and we popped. He set up the table against the barrier and did the

plancha but Joe moved and he toasted the table. Meanwhile Dean and Taz

are going nuts in the ring. Hot moves throughout and the end came when

Taz gets the pin with a move I call the Rudeplex. Jason and the Pit Bulls

hit the ring. Jason toasts Paul E., but 911 chokeslams BOTH Pit Bills.

He is way huge man. Public Enemy does a run in and Sabu nukes both of

them. Then the Malenkos put a "Double Kunze armbar" as Brian put it, on

Taz. The PE do a stuff piledriver on Sabu. Paul E hits Johnny with the

phone so Rocco lays Paul out on a table and does senton from the top on

Paul, through the table. We all almost in unison say "he BOOKED that!"

They then toast Sabu on the table til Taz makes the save. Rat, Brian, and

Me: 4.5. Clarence: 4. Vin and Giraffe: 5.

 

Rocco the ring announcer then acts like he will throw Paul E.'s hat to the

crowd, and doesn't. He taunts the mutants and they nail him with trash.

 

ECW Tag title time. The Public Enemy vs Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan.

Wow. Hey, some out there may long for the days when Ted Petty was the

Cheetah Kid, but I can assure you that for every one of you, there are

1000 of us who like Rocco Rock just fine. This was beyond wild. Cactus

used a wood pallet. Sullivan used a soda can, a wood mallet, and a frying

pan, that ended up in Mr. ECW's hands somehow. There were sticks,

shovels, a long metal ceiling beam, and of course a hammer. Wild

psychotic violence. The stuff that made me a wrestling fan to begin with.

Midway through, Mikey comes out and occasionally joins the fray. Then it

was crutch time outside. I can't even describe it all. Cactus misses the

hipbuster from the apron to the floor. Mr. ECW hands Sullivan the frying

pan and of course he uses it, though not on Tom as we all had

chanted. Then a fan hands Johnny two cookie trays. Yeah, cookie trays.

There was also a freakin' whip being used. Sullivan uses the belt on

Johnny and holds it up to Cactus who spits on it. We know belts don't

matter to Cactus, and if you will remember, Cactus spit on the WCW tag

belt on ECW TV earlier this year when he and Sullivan were champs and this

caused internal heat at WCW. I hate to have to explain the coolness of

these little angles, but unfortunately good booking is just completely

lost on some people. So, this of course causes Sullivan to turn on Cactus

and it's three on two as Mikey comes to Cactus' aid. It's ruled no

contest. PE go to toast Cactus on a table with the senton when Sabu and

Taz hit the ring. In case you again missed the good booking, Sabu has

heat with Rocco for stealing his crazy high spots, which some would have

you believe Ted once did as the Cheetah Kid but in fact also does as

Rocco Rock. Taz suplexes Rocco off of the top after crotching him. Sabu,

just to show all of those, um, people who said he would not be here

tonight that they were right (NOT) put a fucking chair on the top

turnbuckle and comes off of the chair onto Johnny who was on a table,

completely destroying it. Sabu, in one last showing of his poor health

(NOT) does a post match table toast. Everyone in sight: FIVE STARS.

 

After the match, someone threw the bullrope out of the ring into the crowd

and Brian and I got it. I was gonna throw it back, but someone said Brian

should take it home to Mary! Brian will have whip in hand at Holiday Hell

and now has to sit in the blea chers so we can, as a team, use it

effectively in a Rocky Horror manner.

 

They announce two matches for next show:

 

* 911 vs both Pit Bulls

 

* Sabu and Taz vs the public Enemy for the straps.

 

The main event had Shane Douglas and Brian Pillman vs Ron Simmons and 2

Cold Scorpio. Sherri had on a sweater now, which we knew would be gone

before it's over. Everyone hates Simmons. Everyone. We do a variation

of the Florida State chant saying:

 

Yoooooooooouuuuuuuu-ew really suck,

You real-ly suck,

You really suck.

 

It was loud and Ron hated it. Like we care. Big Vin, who is black, took

offense by Ron as he is the only "black man in America who still wears a

Gheri Curl." The match is slower and old style, but still good. We chant

our asses off. We do "We want Butch" "Flair is Dead," "Hogan Sucks,"

"Dick Flair sucks" etc. Ron tells us to shut up which prompts an "Eat me

Ron" chant. And then it comes to me, like a beacon. I start up a chant of:

 

N W WHAT? It picked up and was loud as hell and Shane was laughing about

it in the ring. We come through again. I know that we pleased certain

ECW officials with that chant, though they surely bear no malice

towards Coraloser. Hell, who can blame them? Why hate the pathetic?

They are there to be pitied. The match progresses and Shane has Scorpio

pinned when Sherri puts 2 Cold's foot on the rope. Then the ref gets

bumped by a Scorpio dropkick and Sherri goes to the top with her shoe but

hits Shane instead. Ron "you really suck" Simmons powerslams him for the

pin. Pillman throws Sherri in the ring and takes off the sweater and

she's wearing a Flair pin. We do the obligatory Flair chants. Shane rips

up the pin and piledrives her. We love it. Shane takes the mic and

gives Sherri a message for that "piece of shit" Flair you "slut," "Never

send a woman to do a man's job. Fuck you." We start with Flair is Dead

and N-W-What? And Shane appreciates it. We also do Hogan sucks. Brian &

Clarence: 2.5. Rat: 3.5. Me: 3.25.

 

We hung around afterwards to tell Tod how much we loved the show. All of

the guys came out. 911 is Huge. I shook hands with him and my mitt got

lost. Tod comes out to see us and we tell him how much we loved the show.

Cornette and Coraluzzo come up to fans after the show like this too

right? NOT. An obnoxious girl pesters Tod about Chris Benoit's address.

Yeah, like Tod will give that to you. He tells her come to next month's

show because he will be there. That's ECW, NOT the NWA. Benoit is

Coraloser's New Champ right? NOT. I told you so. Again.

 

All in all it was a great night, as usual. These guys are all first

class. You may, (MAY?) have sensed some hostility towards a pissant or

two in the report. Well, you are astute! I will be posting very little

to this group in the future. Those who care should know why and those

who don't are probably part of the problem, but in any case, I will be

posting regularly to the new mailing list. If I offended you, odds are

really good that it was my intention to do so. Vindication is the

sweetest of fruits. Say whatever you want about me here on the net,

because I won't read it. A very wise man said to me on 11 in the ECW

Arena Parking lot "I don't respond (to idiots) it just gives them

credibility." In thinking about that, I have decided to take the same road.