ECW on TNN

September 17, 1999

The program opened with the finish of Raven & Tommy Dreamer defeating Rhyno & Jack Victory to retain the ECW tag team title as well as the “celebration” afterward. Cyrus broke news that the ban on Sabu from wrestling had been lifted and that he would wrestle Justin Credible at Anarchy Rulz. An interview with Bill Alfonso & Sabu aired.

1. P.N. News vs Spike Dudley

News caught Dudley and slammed him. News missed a second rope splash and ran into a kick. Dudley kicked News low and gave him an acid drop for the pin at 25 seconds. That’s it. NR

2. Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Super Crazy

This match was joined in progress. Crazy and Tajiri exchanged chops after which Tajiri dropkicked Crazy. Tajiri knocked Crazy over the barricade into the crowd with a baseball slide kick and hit an Asai moonsault onto Crazy in the crowd. Tajiri gave Crazy a roundhouse kick but missed a top rope dropkick. Crazy gave Tajiri 10 punches in the corner and the fans counted in Spanish. Tajiri fought back with his handspring elbow off the ropes. Tajiri attempted a German suplex and Crazy blocked it, but Tajiri then gave Crazy an airplane spin while holding Crazy in back of himself instead of on top. Tajiri German suplexed Crazy for a near fall and hit a low dropkick to Crazy’s head. Crazy countered a brainbuster attempt and powerbombed Tajiri for the pin. The last 2:40 aired. Looked like a great match, but not one of their best.

A Raven interview aired in which he talked about Tommy Dreamer and their love/hate relationship. Clips also aired of their feud during the segment.

It was revealed that the ambulance shown earlier in the program transported Jerry Lynn to a hospital. Lance Storm came out, supposedly to take Lynn’s place in his match against Rob Van Dam.

3. Rob Van Dam w/Bill Alfonso vs Lance Storm w/Dawn Marie

Storm hit a tope before the bell and whipped Van Dam into the barricade. Storm hit a spectacular springboard dropkick on Van Dam. Storm crotched Van Dam on the top rope and hit him with a chair. However, Storm turned his back, turned back around and Van Dam hit a great top rope Van Daminator. Justin Credible then interfered and went after Van Dam. Jerry Lynn then made the save until Johnny Smith intervened on behalf of the Impact Players (Credible and Storm).

After a commercial break, Van Dam extended a challenge to Lynn to have their scheduled match after all. Lynn, with his ribs taped, accepted.

4. ECW TV Title: Rob Van Dam (c) w/Bill Alfonso vs Jerry Lynn

After a ton of counters back and forth both men clotheslined each other. Van Dam gave Lynn a spinning legdrop for an early near fall. Lynn gave Van am a cross bodyblock that sent both men over the top rope to the floor. Van Dam whipped Lynn into the barricade and dumped him into the front row. Van Dam climbed onto the barricade but Lynn hit him with a chair and Van Dam fell crotch first onto the barricade. Lynn drove Van Dam off the barricade head first onto a chair in the front row. Lynn went to give Van Dam a chairshot in the crowd but Van Dam hit a Van Daminator before Lynn could react. Van Dam rammed Lynn into the ringpost and gained a near fall back in the ring. Van Dam went for a rolling thunder splash, Lynn sat up, but an alert Van Dam kicked him. Van Dam missed a somersault legdrop and gave Lynn a legsweep. He then hit a split-legged moonsault on Lynn for a near fall. Lynn whipped Van Dam into a corner but Van Dam then whipped Lynn into the opposite corner. Van Dam set up a chair in one corner. After some counters Van Dam kicked Lynn and hit a top rope dropkick for a near fall. Van Dam whipped Lynn into the corner, Van Dam went for a monkey flip onto a chair but Lynn moved, and Lynn gave Van Dam a powerbomb out of the corner onto the chair for a near fall. Van Dam blocked a suplex attempt but Lynn countered one as well and German suplexed Van Dam for a near fall. Lynn dropkicked Van Dam into the corner. He went to ram Van Dam into the turnbuckle but Van Dam blocked it and clotheslined Lynn off the apron through a table on the floor. Lynn sold his ribs huge as several referees checked on his condition. They were going to carry Lynn to the back on a stretcher but Lynn refused and returned to the ring. Van Dam hit Lynn in the ribs with a knee and suplexed him back into the ring for a near fall. Van Dam did a backflip but Lynn dropkicked a chair into his face for a near fall. Lynn went for a cradle piledriver but Van Dam countered with a backdrop. Van Dam attempted a northern lights suplex but Lynn countered with a DDT in a great spot in part because Van Dam was spiked almost vertical in the DDT. Lynn then gained a heated near fall. Lynn whipped Van Dam into the corner but ran into a knee in the ribs. Van Dam went to the top rope but Lynn crotched him there. Lynn gave Van Dam a top rope superplex but sold his injured ribs huge, then gained a heated near fall. Van Dam rolled up Lynn for a near fall but Lynn then reversed the rollup and gained a near fall of his own. Lynn rolled up Van Dam for another near fall, Van Dam pushed him off, and Lynn ran right into a chair held up by Alfonso. Van Dam then missed a five star frog splash and Lynn gained a very heated near fall. Lynn picked up a chair but Van Dam gave him a Van Daminator and pinned him at 13:37 to retain the title. Just a brilliant effort, and perhaps the best RVD-Lynn match ever. Just about everything they did hit perfectly, and the pacing was as strong as and Van Dam match even to this day. The match built well from start to finish, even with great spots from the opening bell, climaxing in a dramatic final three minutes with super heat. In fact, this might have been the best match from ECW in 1999. A must-see match. ****1/4

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