Best feuds/angles in ECW

[JoeDirt 0]

I know about the Dreamer/Raven feud...but what were ECW's other great feuds and angles?

[1234-5678 0]

I always liked the tension between RVD and Sabu.

 

The Cactus Jack "I'm not going to be hardcore anymore" angle.

 

Taz chasing Shane Douglas for the ECW title.

 

The "Funk in A Box" Cactus vs. Sandman angle.

 

Stevie Richards comes out from behind Raven's shadow to form the BWO.

[Guest Astro]

The Public Enemy are to defend the tag belts vs Axl Rotten and a partner of his choosing, Axl picks Ian Rotten.....who he'd broken up with and had been fueding with.... Trouble Shooter Bill Alfonzo comes out and reminds the Rottens that they lost a "Losing team must break up match" months earlier, and therefore, were banned from teaming. Axl says "fuck it!" and attacks Ian they brawl into the crowd..... PE stay in the ring and play to the fans, when out of no where SMW's Gangsta's jump the rails and beat PE bloody with night sticks, before being arrested by the police. A shocking debuet and combining multiple fueds into one angle = good stuff!

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

The Dudley Boyz were feuding with Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman, stemming from way back during the Raven/Dreamer feud. Suddenly, Buh Buh Ray and D-Von make it extra personal by 3D'ing Beulah McGillicutty, Dreamer's girlfriend, and breaking her neck. Dreamer enlists the help of friends Sandman and Spike Dudley to get revenge on Buh Buh Ray, D-Von, and Dick Dudley.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Taz chasing Shane Douglas for the ECW title.

 

Still my favorite ECW angle.

[The Mandarin 0]

Tanaka/Awesome is probably ECW's best 3 match series, with each of them being a 1999 US MOTY candidate (and the second being probably my favourite match/angle of 1999).

[1234-5678 0]

And of course Awesome never got the respect he deserved, and still doesn't. A 300 lb pound guy who does springboard moves and planchas? Um..........he's too stiff! Yeah that's the ticket!

[Youth N Asia 0]

I loved Mikey and Cactus as a tag team. That's probably my favorite ECW stuff ever.

 

Cactus: "Mikey, the Public Enemy is very mad at us. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?!"

 

Mikey: "It means I'm gonna die."

 

Cactus: "HE LIKES IT! MIKEY REALLY REALLY LIKES IT!"

[1234-5678 0]

Cactus: And I'd give you a few bucks to get a decent meal, and what would you get Mikey? Doritos! And you'd leave them behind, and they'd haunt me, and they'd call me. For God's sake man, don't you realize I have an eating disorder!

[JoeDirt 0]

Taz chasing Shane Douglas for the ECW title.

 

Still my favorite ECW angle.

I've seen Wrestlepalooza 97 where Taz chokes out Douglas in 3 minutes. Are we talking that, or in 98-99? How did it go?

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Cactus going heel, by doing only restholds. Still to this day....GREATEST. HEEL. MOVE. EVER

[1234-5678 0]

Does that make everyone in WWE a heel?

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Does that make everyone in WWE a heel?

No because they think that's the way your suppost to work........

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

The restholds thing was in part of Cactus's anti-hardcore angle where he was pissed off at the "bloodthirsty" fans, blaming them for Dynamite Kid and all the people who suffered for their enjoyment. His payback was to not do anything the fans wanted... which means headlocks.... headlocks.... and more headlocks.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I've seen Wrestlepalooza 97 where Taz chokes out Douglas in 3 minutes. Are we talking that, or in 98-99? How did it go?

 

Started in mid 98, but Taz had to chase Douglas throughout the year and wouldn't get the title until first thing in 99.

[The Mandarin 0]

Mike Awesome demolishing Spike Dudley's girlfriend with the mother of all lariats was a keeper as well.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Cactus: And I'd give you a few bucks to get a decent meal, and what would you get Mikey? Doritos! And you'd leave them behind, and they'd haunt me, and they'd call me. For God's sake man, don't you realize I have an eating disorder!

*cut to a shot of Mikey with a WTF look on his face*

 

"Doritos????"

[JHawk 0]

The hour or so from Wrestlepalooza 97 from the beginning of Raven-Dreamer until Taz wins the TV title. The single best hour of sports entertainment ever.

[Scroby 0]

And of course Awesome never got the respect he deserved, and still doesn't. A 300 lb pound guy who does springboard moves and planchas? Um..........he's too stiff! Yeah that's the ticket!

 

You know its funny anyone says that since he normally wrestles in Japan..you know the land where most of their wrestilng is stiff in the first place. Poor Awesome I was shocked WWE didn't use him at all except for that Hardcore Title win.

 

Oh and the Tanaka vs Awesome title chase was the feud that got me liking ECW a hell of a lot.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Wrestlepalooza might be my favorite show from start to finish.

[King Cucaracha 0]

I always loved Sandman winning the title off of Douglas. They shot a lot vignettes with a big percentage or the roster, saying that Sandman didn't deserve the title because he wasn't a 'wrestler'. Everyone from Raven to the Pitbulls to Mikey had a short promo discussing it. Suddenly, you opened up about 10 or 12 possible World Title matches straight away. It put Sandman over as the wanted man.

 

Then it went to Cactus/Sandman/Douglas with a brief feud, where Cactus got the first title shot over his 'friend' Douglas.

[Zack Malibu 0]

The Sabu/RVD/WWF Invasion (which led to Lawler and Jim Cornette, amongst others, arriving in ECW).

 

Shane Douglas/Pit Bulls feud (Douglas breaks Gary Wolfe's neck, shakes him by his halo, etc.)

 

The Taz heel turn and aligning with Bill Alfonso.

 

Cyrus' "Network" gimmick/angle.

 

Taz, Sabu and RVD uniting against The Triple Threat.

 

Van Dam's "respect" gimmick from '96, which helped turn him face as he needed Sabu to help him against Furnas and Kroffat (Phil LaFon).

 

The Super Crazy/Tajiri series.

 

The Malenko/Guerrero classics.

 

Buh Buh Dudley heel turn on The Sandman to form The Dudley Boyz as we know them today.

 

Raven's return from WCW, coming to the aid of arch rival Tommy Dreamer, forcing him to have to share the tag titles with him.

 

I love ECW, so I could go on forever, but that's just some of my favorites.

[Guest ally mccoist]

When Taz turned heel during the Fonzie vs Ted Gordon match. Just the way it was set up with earlier in the night Taz punching Jason to solidify himself as a face, and then coming out later, turning on Gordon and cutting this really bitter, pissed off interview. He looked and sounded like a total badass.

 

Not my favourite, but one of my favourites and I watched it the other week so I remember it well.

[Jericholic82 0]

HMMM how about an angle that came about when I first got ecw tv in my area (spring of 96)

 

 

Shane Douglas had just returned from the WWF, aftrehaving a miserable run as Dean Douglas (and having HBK forfeit the IC title to him, then jobbing it to razor ramon the same night )

 

Anyways, Shane came back, cocky as ever. He eventually would upend 2 Cold Scorpio for the TV title. After the match, he seemed to change his thought, praising the tradition of pro wrestling, but of course scorpio was a rube and got suckered into a beating (then again that was basically the same promo as when shane threw down the NWA title and ECW became Extreme Championship Wrestling)

 

So, one night on ECW tv in June of 96, Shane comes out and cuts a promo challengeing anyone to take him one for the belt, Mikey Whipwreck accepts and they have a decent match,in which Mikey gets some close near falls, but Shane injures his leg and winds up making Mikey tap to a legbar submission type thingy. Shane gets on the mic and gloats about how easy that was.

 

Somehow Francine (was at the time manager of the Pitbulls) wound up in the ring , but my memories are hazy there. And she slaps Shane, he laughs, and then nails her with a stiff belly to belly suplex. Ptbull #2 rushes to her aid and we get an impromptu title match. Pitbull 2 gives Shane a beating then finishes him with a superbomb (powerbomb frtom the top) and pins him clean for the tv belt.

 

Shane was set to face Piutbull 2 in a rematch at Hardcore Heaven 96 but Shane lost two rematches at some houseshows (which were handily caught on ecw fancam) so Tod Gordon (on air boss-and real life finanical benefactor of ecw) decides that Shane doesn't deserve another match, and gives his Heaven title shot to the recently arrived Chris Jericho instead. The show comes and Jericho upsets Pitbull 2 for the title.

 

So eventually (with jericho having to leave for wcw soon) we got a four way dance for the title (its available on the path of destruction vhs and dvd) between Jericho,Douglas,Pitbull 2, and Scorpio.

 

Jericho is oddly enough the first guy eliminated by pinfiall byscorpio, thus guaranteeing a new champ. Shane plays a cowardly heel well, running away from Pitbull 2. But the two of them eventually call a momentary truce to eliminate scorp

so its down to 2 men. We get a ref bump and Francine hops into the ring and TURNS ON PITBULL BY THROWING POWDER IN HER FACE. He isn't happy and Pitbull # 1 comes to the ring to find out an answer. She doesn't answer quick enough and the pitbulls demolish her with a superbomb thru a table (a bit harsh, but this is ECW). Right after shane recovers and ddts pitbull 1 on the tv belt, "breaking his neck" the match continues and Shane can't beat pitbull 2 despite copius amounts of cheating. Somehow a belly to belly (shanes finisher) is enough to finally regain the belt for shane. (Which he wouldn't relinquish untill the aforementioned 3 minute challange with taz.)

 

So Pitbul 1 has a broken neck and the other guy is rightfully angry. So he continues to chase Shane, untill he gets a title match on ECW tv in around october of 96. Pitbull 1 accompanies his partner, wearing a neck brace and halo. The match occurs and its the usual fare, until Pitbull 1 gets up on the apron to try and stop Shane from hurting his partner. Shane comes up and in a TOTALLY EVIL A HOLE MOVE... GRABS THE HALO AND SHAKES HIM BACK AND FORTH. even the fans are shocked by that and get real quiet. the match stops and the medics rush the ring.

 

 

Fast forward to later in the year. A masked man begins appearing at ECW cards, challenging Shane, while sounding a lot like Ravashing Rick Rude. Shane even accuses him of being Rude, bu the masked one doesn't tell. In the start of 97 a tv ttile rematch is signed between pitbull 2 and douglas (basically the blowoff to the feud). But before that, Pitbull 1 makes a shocking return to the ring to claim revenge (he would ironically get injured for real and have to take time off).

 

The match is set for Barely Legal, the first ECW ppv. A stipulation is added, in which the masked man promises to unmask if Dougals wins.

 

In addition to all of this, Shane begins appearing with guards at the shows, as he has been constantly under attack by all the wrestlers who hate him and the fans too. The guards wear riot gear with helmets (hmm where have we heard that also? maybe 1998 wcw Raven, Kanyon ring a bell?)

 

At the ppv, Shane (w/helmeted guards) defeats Pitbull in much the same manner as when he won the belt (cheats, but can't win until he hits his finisher) and celebrates the win. "The Masked Man" makes his voice heard over the PA, saying ok he'll be a man of his word, hell take off the mask if he gives up the girl (Francine) The MM makes his way out, in a simply rvishing robe, but clearly is not the same guy as he is much fatter. the imposter guy goes to the ring and make sout with Francine, shane attacks and unmasks the guy. But oh no it's not Ravishing Rick he finds, but his own Triple Threat Partner "Primetime" Brian Lee (AkA the fake undertaker)

 

 

Shane is shocked, but as he has his back turend, one of his guards hops in the ring. He takes off his mask and HOLY CRAP ITS RICK RUDE The Bingo hall faithfull actually pop bigtime at Rude's appearnce. He taps shane on the shoulder, then bops him with a nightstick. Shane and Fran clear the ring and Rude and Lee celebrate (with Rick doing his hip swivel)

 

The whole angle came to a complete halt, when Lee left ECW for the WWF (to join the DOA as Chainz), then Rude turned heel on Tommy Dreamer and Sandman after awhile as a tv commentator, then abruptly left for the WWF and DX, which he appropriately enough abruptly left for WCW and the nWo

 

 

 

Well that was just an example of great long-term storytelling and how one angle begat another (and also how Francine wound up with Shane, who she would manage for the better part of three years till Shane left for wcw in 99)

 

 

sometimes Paul was right on the money