EXTREME CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING TV
August 16, 1996
1. Eliminators (Saturn & Kronus) vs Takashi Okano & Keisuke Yamada
Saturn and Okano started with a simple exchange. Saturn took Okano down, Okano countered with a headscissors but Saturn dominated him on the mat. Saturn gave Okano a savate kick and Kronus followed with a "hurricane Kronus" elbow in the corner. Kronus slammed Okano but missed a legdrop. Yamada went after Kronus with a headlock but Kronus countered with a back suplex. Kronus slingshot Yamada onto the top rope. Kronus held Yamada over his knee and Saturn gave him a top rope kneedrop, then knocked Okano off the apron. Saturn gained a near fall on Yamada and gave him a northern lights suplex for another near fall. Saturn and Kronus gave Yamada a double spin kick and Saturn dropkicked Okano off the apron. Kronus clotheslined Yamada but Yamada countered a second clothesline with a crucifix for a near fall. Yamada hiptossed Kronus but Kronus fought back with an overhead slam. Kronus kicked Okano and Saturn gave him a pumphandle suplex for a near fall. Okano sunset flipped Saturn for a near fall and German suplexed him for another near fall. Saturn folded up Okano with a German suplex and threw him out of the ring. Saturn whipped Okano into a sea of chairs and hit a plancha. Kronus easily got the better of Yamada and press slammed him. Kronus gave Yamada a kneelift. He whipped Yamada into the corner and kicked him, then Saturn added a superkick. Saturn applied a crossface of sorts. Saturn gave Okano some kicks on the apron and clubbed Yamada. Saturn tripped Okano and applied a rings of Saturn only to turn him over into a pin attempt for a near fall. Saturn and Kronus booted Okano. Kronus slammed Okano and hit a somersault legdrop. Kronus belly to belly suplexed Okano for a near fall. Kronus superplexed Okano and Saturn hit a top rope splash for a near fall. Okano hiptossed Saturn and clotheslined him. Okano and Yamada double dropkicked Saturn and then Kronus. They double clotheslined Saturn out of the ring. Saturn and Kronus got the better of Yamada and Saturn gave him a stiff high kick to the head. Kronus kicked Okano but Okano scored with a spin kick and slammed him. Yamada gave Kronus some punches and a spin kick and hit a flying bodypress for a near fall. Okano gave Saturn a flying bodypress. Okano and Yamada applied a double STF on Kronus but Saturn broke the hold with a double elbowsmash. Saturn superkicked Okano but telegraphed a backdrop and Okano DDTd him for a near fall. Okano slammed Saturn and hit a top rope dropkick for a near fall. Okano jumped off the top rope but Saturn dropkicked him in mid-air. Saturn gave Okano a screwdriver and a top rope headbutt for a near fall. The Eliminators gave Okano total elimination and Saturn pinned him at 14:01. A fairly flat match for the most part, with both teams turning in low-end performaces for their skill levels. Fans ate up what they could, and the same match in 2002 would NOT get as much heat in Korakuen Hall as it did in 1996. Decent work from both teams, but this came across as kind of a spot show effort or a match between two teams without familiarity with each other. *1/2
2. ECW Title: Raven (c) vs Tommy Dreamer (w/Beulah)
They tied up and ended up tumbling out of the ring. Raven punched Dreamer and rammed him into a ringside table. Back in the ring Raven kicked Dreamer, then snapmared and punched him. Raven missed a dropkick and Dreamer gave him a kneedrop in the bollocks. Dreamer threw Raven out of the ring and rammed a chair into his head with a baseball slide kick. Dreamer rammed Raven into a fan's chair and busted him open before taking the fight through the crowd. Raven fought back as they brawled near the top of the stands and suplexed him on the floor in the crowd. Raven pushed Dreamer down some steps to the floor and hit him with a chair. Back in the ring Raven snapmared Dreamer and punched him in the crotch. Raven placed a chair on Dreamer's head and legdropped him. Raven unfolded the chair and DDTd Dreamer on it for a near fall. Raven threw Dreamer out of the ring and rammed him into a table. Raven placed Dreamer on the table and splashed him from the apron. Dreamer fought back and rammed Raven into the ringpost. He dumped/suplexed a table onto Raven, then took the fight into the stands. Dreamer rammed Raven into a wall, then pushed him and Raven tumbled down the steps. Stevie Richards attacked Dreamer from behind and dumped him back into the ring where Raven gained a near fall. Richards slapped and Steviekicked Dreamer as Raven held him and Raven gained a near fall. Richards Steviekicked Raven when Dreamer ducked, then powerbombed Dreamer and placed Raven on top of him for a near fall. Dreamer fell against the ropes and crotched Richards on the top rope. Dreamer superkicked Richards to the apron. Raven dropkicked Richards when Dreamer moved out of the way. Dreamer DDTd Raven for a near fall and punched Richards. Dreamer bulldogged Richards on a chair and corner splashed him but Raven then corner splashed Dreamer (and Richards technically). Raven rolled up Dreamer for a near fall but Dreamer fought back with a DDT. Dreamer hit a top rope splash for a near fall. Patricia ran in and attacked Dreamer but Beulah went after her. Dreamer piledrove Patricia but Raven hit him with a chair and pinned him at 11:23. Lame ending to a below average, but solid match for these two. Not nearly as good as their U.S. battles for the most part, but overall a solid match with good intensity. Very good fan heat for this match as they were thrilled to see ECW wrestlers do their thing live. Fun show as a novelty, but the enjoyment wears off on repeated viewings. **
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