ECW MATTER OF RESPECT 5/11/96

Running Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

The closing moments of Damien vs El Puerto Ricano aired. 30 seconds into the clip Sabu ran in and attacked both men.

1. Devon Storm & Damien Kane (w/Lady Alexandra) vs Buh Buh Ray & D-Von Dudley (w/Chubby, D.W. & Sign Guy Dudley)

Storm dropped D-Von on the barricade as Buh Buh Ray hit Kane with a chair. Buh Buh Ray put Kane through a table and stiffed Storm with a chairshot. Kane scored with a couple chairshots on Buh Buh Ray. Storm hit a top rope dropkick on D-Von as Buh Buh Ray dominated Kane at ringside. Buh Buh Ray backdropped Storm over the top rope and Storm crashed onto D.W. who was in a wheelchair at ringside. Buh Buh Ray hit a plancha onto Storm but Storm fought back with a chairshot. D-Von hit Kane repeatedly with a chair and knocked Storm out of the ring with a chairshot as well. D-Von then stiffed Buh Buh Ray with a chair as well as the ref for the DQ at 14:10 (7:24 aired). This was decent based on what aired but nothing special. **1/4

2. FBI (J.T. Smith & Little Guido) vs Axl Rotten & Hack Myers

There was literally no action for the first two minutes. Axl and J.T. traded basic armbars. Axl hiptossed both opponents. Myers pummeled Guido and gave him an enzu-lariat. Myers draped Guido’s neck on the bottom rope and legdropped him on the apron. Myers went for a sunset flip but Guido blocked it and pinned Myers at 10:55 w/J.T.’s help (4:47 aired). Based on what aired, a really bad match. I didn’t know why they aired the first 2 1/2 minutes of stalling if they were only going to air 5 minutes total. DUD

3. ECW World Title: Raven (c) w/Stevie Richards & Blue Meanie) vs Pitbull 2 (w/Francine & Pitbull 1) vs Sandman (w/Missy Hyatt & Too Cold Scorpio)

They started with a 3 way lockup and Pitbull 2 overpowered both opponents. Raven gained a near fall on Sandman with a DDT. Sandman caned Pitbull 2 and Raven hit Pitbull 2 with a chair several times. Pitbull 2 no-sold the cane and chairshots and gave both Raven and Sandman a Cactus clothesline over the top rope to ringside. Pitbull 2 dominated Raven and legdropped him off the apron onto the barricade. He hit Raven with a chair but Sandman then caned Pitbull 2. Raven gained a near fall on Pitbull 2 but Sandman then caned Raven. Pitbull 2 missed a spin kick on Sandman in the corner and crashed to the floor. Sandman flew over the top rope and caned Pitbull 2 at ringside. Raven hit a tope on both opponents. Pitbull 2 whipped both opponents into the barricade but they then backdropped him into the crowd. Pitbull 2 and Sandman gained a near fall on Raven after Pitbull 2 gave him a modified tiger driver. Pitbull 2 powerslammed Sandman for a near fall. Sandman gained a near fall on Pitbull 2 with a Heinekenrana. Raven went for a DDT on both opponents but they countered with a suplex. Pitbull 2 went to pin Sandman but earlier Sandman had accidentally clotheslined the ref. Scorpio and Pitbull 1 interfered on behalf of their partners and fought each other with Scorpio getting the better of Pitbull 1. Richards also interfered on behalf of Raven. Pitbull 2 set up a table on the top rope as Sandman and Raven had a slugfest. Pitbull 2 gave Sandman a top rope back superplex. Sandman hit a second rope elbow on Raven and a top rope legdrop but hurt his knee in the process. Sandman hit Raven low with the cane. Pitbull 2 superbombed Sandman for a near fall but Raven then hit Pitbull 2 with his loaded boot and pinned him at 15:18. Francine and the Meanie Babe fought and Hyatt caned them both. Sandman gained a near fall on Raven with a rollup and another with a DDT. Richards went to superkick Sandman but missed and hit Raven instead and Sandman gained a heated near fall. Sandman brought a segment of the barricade into the ring and whipped Raven into it. Raven countered a suplex, pushed Sandman into the barricade segment and DDTd him for the pin at 18:23. A bit sloppy at times and some moments dragged, but overall a good match with good heat and intensity. **3/4

4. Chris Jericho vs Mikey Whipwreck

Jericho took down Mikey early and dominated the first couple minutes. Mikey dropkicked Jericho in the corner and applied a Muto-lock (like an STF except for Mikey bridges instead of being on his side). Mikey applied a leglock but Jericho countered and escaped. Jericho vertical suplexed Mikey and gave him a spinning superkick in the corner. Jericho hit a slingshot corkscrew splash for a near fall. He spin kicked Mikey for a near fall and powerbombed him for another near fall. Mikey countered a Jericho tombstone with one of his own. Jericho caught Mikey on the top rope and gave him a spectacular dropkick with both men on the top rope that knocked Mikey to the floor. Jericho hit a second rope shouldertackle over the top and Mikey crashed into the barricade. Jericho hit Mikey with a chair in the crowd and buried him under a bunch of chairs. Jericho suplexed Mikey back into the ring and hit a top rope splash for a near fall. Jericho attempted another top rope splash but Mikey kicked him. Mikey scored with a rocker dropper for a near fall. Jericho fought back but missed a corner splash and crashed to the ringside floor. Mikey threw Jericho over the barricade into the crowd and hit a somersault plancha for a pop. Mikey hit a top rope clothesline for a near fall and gave Jericho a top rope huracanrana for another near fall. Jericho gave Mikey a fisherman suplex and a lionsault for a near fall. Mikey gained a near fall with a huracanrana. They exchanged rollups for near falls. Jericho gained a near fall with a tiger suplex. Mikey dropkicked a chair into Jericho’s face and gave him la magistral for a near fall. Jericho pinned Mikey at 14:19 after a double arm superplex. A great match, especially over the last 5 minutes that showcased both men’s strengths. ***3/4

ECW TV Title: Too Cold Scorpio (c) vs Shane Douglas

The early minutes saw mostly moves and counters. Scorpio worked on Douglas’s left arm but Douglas fought back and dropkicked Scorpio out of the ring. Douglas fought back with a lariat. They did more solid wrestling and countermoves. Douglas scored with a double arm suplex. He hit Scorpio with a chair and gained a near fall. Douglas backdropped Scorpio over the top rope to the floor and gave him a baseball slide kick and tope at 10:00. Douglas slingshot Scorpio and dropped him legs-first on the barricade. Scorpio whipped Douglas into the barricade but Douglas caught a charging Scorpio and dumped him into the crowd. Douglas dominated Scorpio in a brawl throughout the crowd. Scorpio fought back and hit Douglas with a crutch in the aisle and also hit him with a chair. Douglas fought back and shoved Scorpio into the barricade and then powerbombed him on the floor. Scorpio kicked Douglas low and hit him with a chair. Scorpio hit a great cartwheel into a backflip dropkick that knocked Douglas off the apron to the barricade. Scorpio hit an Asai moonsault on Douglas. Scorpio placed Douglas on a table and went to splash him through it but Douglas crawled out of the ring and sneak-attacked Scorpio. Scorpio gained a near fall with a rollup. He superkicked Douglas but Douglas crotched him on the top rope with a dropkick. Douglas kicked Scorpio off the ropes onto a ringside table. Douglas gained a near fall with a vertical suplex. Douglas missed a top rope splash and Scorpio superkicked him. Scorpio gained a near fall with a moonsault but he got off of Douglas before the 3 count. Scorpio hit a 450 splash and a corkscrew second rope legdrop on Douglas. Douglas gained a near fall on Scorpio with a back suplex and another with a cradle suplex. Scorpio hit a urunage for a near fall at 24:50. Scorpio attempted a top rope huracanrana but Douglas superbombed him for a near fall. Scorpio superkicked Douglas. Douglas belly to belly superplexed Scorpio off the top rope and pinned him at 26:15 to win the title. A bit methodical at times, but an excellent match with strong pacing. Both men showed patience and took time to let many of the big spots register more than usual. ****

6. Respect Match: Sabu vs Rob Van Dam

Sabu hit an ax kick early and rammed Van Dam into the barricade. Sabu launched off a chair into Van Dam at ringside. Van Dam fought back with a kick off the barricade and scored with a couple roundhouse kicks. Sabu draped Van Dam on the second rope and gave him a top rope legdrop onto a chair for an early near fall. Sabu launched off a chair and gave Van Dam a top rope huracanrana for a near fall. Sabu worked on Van Dam’s left arm a couple times. He hit a springboard DDT for a pop and knocked Van Dam into the crowd with a baseball slide kick. Sabu launched off a chair with a springboard plancha but Van Dam hit him in mid-air with a chair. Van Dam hit a somersault plancha on Sabu and gained a near fall back in the ring. Van Dam applied a Romero special and gained a near fall. He worked on Sabu’s weakened left leg. Van Dam hit Sabu with a series of kicks for a near fall. Sabu fought back and hit a springboard second rope kick for a near fall. Sabu gained a near fall with a second rope moonsault bodyblock and another with a slingshot moonsault. Van Dam powerbombed Sabu for a near fall and gained another with a somersault into a big splash. Sabu launched at Van Dam but Van Dam crotched him on the top rope and hit a top rope huracanrana. Van Dam draped Sabu’s head over the side of the ring, placed a chair on it and hit a legdrop for a near fall. Sabu sunset flipped Van Dam over the top rope to the floor and set up a table in the crowd. Sabu launched off a chair with a top rope splash onto Van Dam through the table in the crowd for a huge pop. Sabu gained a near fall back in the ring and gained another with a slingshot somersault legdrop. Van Dam fought back and gave Sabu a second rope brainbuster for a near fall. Van Dam missed a legdrop but recovered. Sabu dropped Van Dam off the top rope with a dangerous looking neckbreaker/stunner type move. Sabu hit a triple jump moonsault but Sabu crashed onto Van Dam’s outstretched knees. Van Dam hit another second rope fisherman buster for a near fall. Van Dam pinned Sabu at 18:50 after a split-legged moonsault to everyone’s shock. Afterwards Sabu said “respect” to Van Dam but Van Dam again refused a handshake and verbally ripped into Sabu before walking out with Taz and Bill Alfonso. Another super match between these two. Almost identical in terms of quality to their previous match. ****1/4

7. Eliminators (Saturn & Kronus) & Brian Lee vs Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa) & Tommy Dreamer

The match was a wild brawl from the start with all kinds of weapons used. The Gangstas and Dreamer had the early advantage. A hockey stick, a bunch of trash cans, chairs and soda cans were among the weapons used early on. Dreamer hit Kronus with a Mr. Coffee maker and in the crotch with a hockey stick. The other four brawled at ringside and into the crowd. Kronus hit a space flying tiger press onto Dreamer and Saturn. Saturn hit an Asai moonsault on Mustafa but Dreamer then hit a plancha. Dreamer hit Kronus with a section of the barricade. Saturn gained a near fall on Mustafa with a moonsault but Saturn then missed a top rope kneedrop. Mustafa dominated Saturn in the ring as Lee and Dreamer brawled in the crowd. Lee hit Dreamer with a crutch as Saturn got the better of Mustafa. Mustafa hit Saturn with a frying pan. Lee hit Dreamer with a chair and gained a near fall. Saturn and Mustafa brawled to the stage and Saturn splashed Mustafa off the upper deck to the stage. Mustafa fought back and suplexed Saturn on the stage. Lee dominated Dreamer as they fought above the stage. Lee suplexed Dreamer through a table above the stage and threw him off the upper deck to the stage below. Dreamer fought back and hit Lee with a chair as the Gangstas and Eliminators brawled towards the ring. Lee crotched New Jack on the ringpost and hit Mustafa with a chair. Saturn gave Dreamer a top rope spinning huracanrana. Dreamer fought back against Saturn but missed a top rope splash. Saturn hit a top rope kneedrop on Dreamer at 14:03. Dreamer was triple teamed but fought back and the Gangstas recovered as well. A bloody Dreamer hit Lee with a chair at ringside but Lee rammed him into the barricade. Dreamer DDTd Lee and went to piledrive him on a chair but Richards superkicked Dreamer. Beulah and Kimona came out, grabbed Richards by the crotch and dragged him to the back. Dreamer placed a cinder block on Lee’s crotch and hit the block with a chair for a near fall. Saturn piledrove Dreamer and set up a table in the corner. Saturn went to splash Dreamer through the table but Mustafa intervened. Dreamer gave Saturn a top rope DDT through the table for a pop and a near fall. New Jack jumped off the top rope with a chairshot on Saturn and pinned him at 20:48. An excellent, ECW style trainwreck of chaos. Much of it lacked rhyme or reason, but something was always happening. A great conclusion to a great show. ****

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