ECW GANGSTAS PARADISE 9/16/95 Commercial Tape
Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Gangstas Paradise was certainly not ECW’s greatest show ever in terms of depth. The first two, maybe even first three matches were throwaways from either a quality and or entertainment standpoint. However, the main strength of this card as a whole lies in its final three matches. The first of those three matches was arguably the best booked match in ECW history and superbly exemplified ECW’s creative and chaotic product. You had the debuts of Rey Misterio Jr. and Psicosis, and they continued, if not elevated, the standard of excellence for great wrestling in ECW that Guerrero and Malenko had previously established. Finally, you had a wild cage match featuring six of ECW’s most significant personalities that produced a bit of violence, some spectacular athleticism, and which took the standard of table breaking to a new level. In other words, that trio of matches captured the spirit and essence of the ECW product as effectively as any trio of matches in ECW history. Just for those matches I would highly recommend this tape to any ECW fan or anyone who wants to check out the ECW product from its glory period.
1. Bull Pain vs Broad Street Bully
Pain hit a back suplex early but Bully asserted himself and hit Pain with his hockey stick. Pain hit Bully with a chair at ringside and rammed him into a chair a fan was holding up. Pain suplexed Bully through a table. Pain gained a near fall with a powerslam. He clotheslined Bully off the apron to the floor but Bully fought back with a series of chairshots. Pain clotheslined Bully as Bully sat on a chair at ringside. He dropped Bully waist-first onto the barricade. Pain gave Bully a top rope superplex and pinned him at 8:41 with a unique DDT. Not great, but they did enough so fans could get into it. **
2. Dudley Dudley & Dances With Dudley (w/Big Dick, Sign Guy & Chubby Dudley) vs Chad Austin & Don E. Allen
DW dominated Austin early with moves such as a face first suplex. DD gained a near fall on Austin with a snap suplex. DW gained a near fall on Allen with a powerslam. DD attacked Austin at ringside with a chair as DW dominated Allen in the ring. DD suplexed Austin through a table at ringside. Dudley pinned Allen at 4:50 after a top rope splash. A virtual squash. *
3. Hack Myers vs J.T. Smith
They traded headlocks early in the match. Fans chanted “shah” for Hack’s strikes and “sh**” for Smith’s blows. Smith slipped on the ropes and fans got on his case. Smith outquicked Myers on the mat. He missed a tope and Hack hit a lariat at ringside. Smith attempted to piledrive Hack on the bleachers but Hack countered with a backdrop. Hack dominated Smith back in the ring but Smith fought back. Smith went for some top rope move but slipped, fell and crashed through a table at ringside. Smith was counted out after about 10:00 (5:07 aired). This looked like an average or slightly below average match, but not bad.
4. Taz, Rick & Scott Steiner vs The Eliminators (Saturn & Kronus) & Jason (w/Too Cold Scorpio)
Scorpio sneak-attacked the injured Taz. The Steiners asserted themselves against the Eliminators in impressive fashion. Kronus hit a somersault legdrop on Rick for a near fall. Rick gave both Eliminators a Steiner line. Scott gave Jason an exploder and Taz clotheslined Jason at ringside. Scott gave Jason a wedgie suplex and a belly to belly suplex on Saturn. Rick belly to belly superplexed Saturn for an impressive near fall. Scott gained a near fall on Saturn with a second rope Samoan drop. Taz attacked Jason as the Steiners and Eliminators brawled at ringside. Scorpio came in and kicked Taz. Jason then pinned Taz to win the match. Only 3:20 aired, but what aired was very good.
5. ECW Tag Team Title Best of 3 Falls: Raven & Stevie Richards (c) w/Beulah McGillicutty vs Pitbulls (1 & 2) w/Francine 9/16/95
This was one of the most historical and memorable ECW matches ever because it best exemplified the hardcore and chaotic style that set ECW apart from WWF and WCW. Originally a one fall match, Beulah requested that it become two out of three falls because Richards "couldn't compete". During the first fall, Pitbull 1 found Richards backstage, brought him into the ring, and busted him open. Raven piledrove Pitbull 2 through a table to win the first fall in 2:12. Pitbull 2 evened the score by superbombing Richards through a table and pinning him at 1:50 of the second fall. The third fall, though, is what will be remembered most about this match. First, the Dudleys (Dudley and Dances With) ran in and attacked the Pitbulls. Raven and Richards superbombed both Pitbulls, who got right back up and DDTd all four men at once. Pitbull 1 went to superbomb Raven through a table, but Raven instead cracked the back of his head on the edge of the table in the sickest spot of the match. Pitbull 2 was stretchered out after being splashed through a table. Tommy Dreamer then ran in, DDTd Raven, and pinned him, supposedly ending the match. However, heel referee Bill Alfonso came in and overruled the pin. ECW commissioner Tod Gordon came in to argue but Alfonso shoved him down. Big Dick Dudley then chokeslammed Dreamer. Even though Alfonso had banned that move, he decided to allow it for one night. 911 then ran into the ring, and, in an angle that had been building for three months, finally chokeslammed Alfonso for a huge pop. Pitbull 2 returned and superbombed both Raven and Richards at the same time. He then pinned them to win the match and tag team titles at 14:35 of the third fall. Not a technical masterpiece, but the booking and selection of spots cannot be denied. This was ECW at its hardcore best. ****1/2
6. Rey Misterio Jr. vs Psicosis
Misterio armdragged Psicosis out of the ring early. Psicosis got the better of Misterio early with a hammerlock. Misterio fought back with a great snapmare. Misterio did another armdrag ending a great lucha exchange between the two. Psicosis elbowed Misterio and powerslammed him. He threw Misterio into the air and dropped him front first. Psicosis dropped Misterio upside down in the corner and slammed Misterio neck-first on the top rope. Psicosis dropkicked Misterio and legdropped him. He chopped Misterio in the corner and gave him a flying corner splash of sorts. Psicosis missed a second corner splash and Misterio gave him a great springboard huracanrana for a near fall. Misterio gave Psicosis another huracanrana and a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Psicosis and Misterio exchanged chops on the apron. Psicosis kicked Misterio but Misterio then kicked him head first into the ringpost and Psicosis crashed onto the floor. Misterio scored with a couple chops but missed a corner splash. Psicosis hit a top rope legdrop for a near fall and gained another near fall with a powerbomb. Psicosis spin kicked Misterio out of the ring and went for a tope suicida but Misterio hit him with a chair to the head in a great spot. Psicosis dropkicked Misterio in the legs twice. Psicosis hit his great top rope corkscrew senton for a near fall. Psicosis missed a corner splash and took a crazy bump over the top rope to the floor. Misterio hit a great springboard plancha onto Psicosis in the crowd. Misterio hit a running top rope huracanrana and pinned Psicosis at 10:19. An excellent match and intro of these two to ECW and American wrestling fans. ****1/4
7. Cage Match: Public Enemy (Rocco Rock & Johnny Grunge) & Mikey Whipwreck vs Sandman (w/Woman), Too Cold Scorpio & New Jack
Sandman and co. got the better of their opponents early. Whipwreck whipped Sandman into the cage, but was himself whipped into the cage by Scorpio. Rocco did a second rope backflip into a Russian legsweep on Sandman for an early near fall. Rocco whipped Sandman and Scorpio into the cage. Grunge and New Jack brawled outside the cage and Grunge hit Jack with a chair. Grunge and New Jack were both bloody by the 4:00 mark. Sandman and Whipwreck battled atop the cage. New Jack hit Grunge with a chair as they fought in the crowd. Sandman hung upside down from the top of the cage as Whipwreck assaulted him. Grunge elbowed Jack off a balcony to a raised area below the camera but Jack fought back and suplexed Grunge on the stage. Whipwreck gave Sandman a spinning huracanrana off the top rope for a near fall. New Jack and Grunge continued to fight in the crowd. Sandman draped a table on Whipwreck as Grunge and Jack fought near the entrance. A total of three tables were brought into the ring at various times. Rocco assaulted Sandman with a frying pan and threw him halfway out the cage door as Sandman hung on the apron with half his body outside the cage. Grunge hit Jack with the frying pan. The Public Enemy set up the three tables and stacked them on top of each other. Rocco and Scorpio battled atop the cage and both crashed through the tables, breaking two of them in a crazy spot. Grunge threw Scorpio out of the ring and cage. Rocco dropkicked Sandman into a table. Public Enemy suplexed Sandman as Whipwreck did a flying bodypress and Whipwreck gained a near fall. Whipwreck gave Sandman a huracanrana off the top of the cage for a great near fall. The other four brawled outside the cage as Whipwreck flew off the top of the cage and splashed Sandman for the pin at 15:06. A bit too much standing around at times, but otherwise an excellent, chaotic match. ***3/4
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