ECW HOSTILE CITY SHOWDOWN 4/20/96

Running Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

This was the third annual editions of one of the marquee events of ECW’s early years. While this was certainly better than the first installment in 1994, it could not compare to the 1995 event. While that show had a number of really good or memorable matches, this show only had two genuinely good matches. Also, even with the Dreamer-Lee angle, it came off as little more than a bland run-of-the mill show until the last two matches. Those two matches delivered their potential quality, but perhaps it would have helped the show’s overall pacing if one of them had taken place earlier in the card. None of the matches were particularly bad, but the pacing of the show made it come across too much like an All Japan show. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this tape even though it wasn’t a bad show, but the Sabu-Van Dam match is worth tracking down for fans of either wrestler.

Joey Styles interviewed the Gangstas. A wild brawl took place between the Gangstas and the Eliminators throughout the ECW Arena. The locker room empties to separate the two teams.

1. Super Nova vs El Puerto Ricano

Nova hiptossed Ricano over the top rope to the floor and hit a somersault plancha over the ringpost. Ricano dropkicked Nova. Nova gained a near fall with a short powerbomb. Ricano used a victory roll and dropkicked Nova out of the ring. Ricano hit an Asai moonsault. Nova superkicked Ricano but the Eliminators ran in and attacked everyone at 2:11 ending the match. Saturn called out the Gangstas and another wild brawl took place all over the arena. *

2. Pitbulls (1 & 2) w/Francine vs Buh Buh Ray & D-Von Dudley (w/Chubby, D.W. & Sign Guy Dudley)

The Dudleys attacked the Pitbulls at the bell and all four brawled outside the ring. Pitbull 2 hit D-Von with a chair in the crowd. Pitbull 1 also hit Buh Buh Ray with a chair. Buh Buh Ray hit Pitbull 2 with a chair but Pitbull 2 soon returned the favor. All four fought in the aisle and towards the stage. Pitbull 1 came off the upper deck with a chairshot on D-Von on the stage. Pitbull 2 slammed Buh Buh Ray on the stage. Pitbull 1 whipped D-Von off the stage and D-Von took a good bump. Tons of chairshots continued to be exchanged throughout the crowd. The action finally returned to the ring six minutes into the match. D-Von gained a near fall on Pitbull 1 with a sunset flip. Pitbull 2 spin kicked D-Von in the corner and attacked D.W. Dudley at ringside. D-Von hit Pitbull 2 with several chairshots and a lariat. Pitbull 1 rammed D-Von’s head onto a chair. Pitbull 2 superbombed Buh Buh Ray but D-Von hit both Pitbulls with a chair. D-Von hit the ref with the chair to end the match at 9:02. Pitbull 2 superbombed the ref afterwards. A decent match with a screwy ending. **1/4

3. Taz (w/Bill Alfonso & Team Taz) vs Devon Storm

Taz took down Storm early and applied an armbar/headscissors combo. Taz gave Storm a T-bone Tazplex. Storm scored with a spin kick off the second rope and hit a baseball slide kick on Taz. Storm hit Taz with a chair and sat him in the chair. Storm hit Taz with a somersault plancha as he sat on the chair. Storm gained a near fall with a moonsault but then missed a moonsault with a chair in hand. Taz set up a table at ringside. Storm hit a lariat in the corner and launched off a chair towards Taz but Taz moved. Taz belly to belly suplexed Storm over the top rope and only Storm’s legs connected with the table. Taz won via countout at 4:52 but locked on a Tazmission afterwards. Another decent match with a cheap ending. *3/4

4. Little Guido (w/J.T. Smith) vs Axl Rotten

Rotten backdropped Guido into the ropes at the start. Guido gained a near fall with a sunset flip and took down Rotten with an armbar. Rotten dumped Guido clear over the top rope to the floor. Rotten dominated Guido outside the ring and hit him with a chair. Guido gained a couple near falls back in the ring. Guido gained a near fall with a lariat and Rotten rolled up Guido but J.T. distracted the ref. Guido applied a cross armbreaker. He missed a second rope legdrop and Rotten scored with a series of punches and a lariat. Rotten pinned Guido at 6:22 after a dominator-like powerbomb. Just an average match, somewhat bland and nothing special. *1/2

5. Sandman & Too Cold Scorpio (w/Missy Hyatt) vs Bruise Brothers (Ron & Don Harris)

Not much action early except for Don overpowering Scorpio. Scorpio attempted an offensive flurry against Don but Don responded with a lariat. Ron got the better of Scorpio but Scorpio fought back with a headscissors takedown. Scorpio gave Ron a couple dropkicks. Scorpio attempted a headscissors takedown but Don threw him over the top rope to the floor. The Bruise Brothers double-booted Sandman and whipped him with a belt. Sandman fought back but the Bruise Brothers attacked him with another double boot. Scorpio hit a top rope dropkick on both opponents and Sandman hit a tope on Don. Ron whipped Scorpio over the barricade into the crowd and Don did the same to Sandman. Don hit Sandman with a chair. Scorpio hit a great plancha onto both Bruise Bothers in the crowd. Scorpio spin kicked Ron and pinned him at 8:24 with a moonsault bodyblock. The match was really lackluster except for the brawling and a couple other spots. A barely average match, but the second half improved the rating. **

6. Tommy Dreamer vs Brian Lee

Dreamer and Lee fought before the bell. Dreamer hit a stone cold stunner with a chair on his shoulder. Dreamer missed a baseball slide kick and Lee hit him with a chair at ringside. Lee dumped Dreamer into the crowd and hit him with a chair. Dreamer hit Lee with a chair as they fought across the aisle and towards the stage. Dreamer gave Lee a bulldog on the stage and hit a flying bodypress off the upper deck to the stage below. Lee recovered and hit Dreamer with a chair. Lee threw Dreamer into the bleachers. He crotched Dreamer underneath the barricade and dropped the barricade on his crotch twice. Dreamer recovered and scored with a couple chairshots before the action finally returned to the ring. Lee went for a lariat but Dreamer moved and Lee struck the ref. Lee threw Dreamer shoulder first into the ringpost. Dreamer DDTd Lee but the Bruise Brothers attacked Dreamer. They gave Dreamer a conchairto with a double boot to the head. Lee then gained a near fall. Dreamer hit a DDT but Don Harris hit him with a chair. Ron Harris placed a cinderblock on Dreamer’s crotch and Lee hit the block with a chair in quite the hardcore spot. Lee pinned Dreamer at 6:50. A good match for what it was and with a memorable ending. **1/4

7. Sabu vs Rob Van Dam

Van Dam scored with a legdrop on a standing Sabu early. Van Dam gained a near fall with a somersault into a big splash. Sabu draped Van Dam on the second rope and hit a top rope legdrop but hurt himself in the process. Sabu applied moves such as a half crab as he slowed the pace. Sabu dropkicked Van Dam’s leg and his left knee as well. Sabu knocked Van Dam off the top rope to the floor with a nice off-balance top rope dropkick and followed with a somersault tope. Van Dam went for a moonsault bodyblock off the barricade but Sabu shoved him into the crowd. Sabu hit Van Dam with a chair. Sabu launched off a chair with a springboard plancha onto Van Dam in the crowd for a huge pop. Sabu set up a table between the ring apron and the barricade. Van Dam capitalized on a miscue by Sabu and hit him with a chair. Van Dam hit a superkick off the apron and jumped off the table with a somersault chairshot (?!) on Sabu. Van Dam gained a near fall with a springboard second rope legdrop. He powerbombed Sabu and briefly applied a Romero special. Van Dam worked on Sabu’s left leg. Sabu countered a northern lights suplex attempt with a DDT on Van Dam. Sabu charged at Van Dam but missed, but Van Dam then missed a chairshot. Van Dam jumped over a chair and the top rope with a tope con hilo on Sabu. Van Dam gained a near fall back in the ring. Sabu went for a top rope huracanrana but Van Dam pushed him off and through the table at ringside in a neat and spontaneous spot. Van Dam dove off the second rope but crashed to the floor when Sabu moved. Sabu placed Van Dam on a table and gave him an over the top rope somersault legdrop through the table. Sabu gained a near fall back in the ring and gained another near fall with a slingshot moonsault. Van Dam gained a near fall with a German suplex and Van Dam came off the top rope with a somersault neckbreaker for a near fall. Van Dam hit a legdrop over the top rope on Sabu whose neck was draped over the edge of the ring apron. Van Dam gained a near fall with a slingshot legdrop. Sabu drove Van Dam face first into a chair in a cool desperation move. He spiked Van Dam with a DDT in the corner for a near fall. Sabu pinned Van Dam at 18:57 after a triple jump moonsault. A super match, perhaps one of Sabu’s greatest matches and the match that established Van Dam as a future star. Afterwards, Van Dam refused a handshake in a move that set up their upcoming feud. ****1/4

The angle involving Beulah, Kimona, Shane Douglas, Tommy Dreamer and Raven took place. I won’t go into much detail but Beulah turned out not to be pregnant after all, Beulah and Kimona kissed each other, and Raven was left without a girl.

8. ECW World Title: Raven (w/Stevie Richards & Blue Meanie) vs Shane Douglas

Douglas gained an early advantage on Raven, who was dejected over the pre-match events. Douglas punched Raven off the apron and hard into the barricade. He hit a tope and whipped Raven into the barricade twice. Douglas applied a sleeper but Raven countered with a jawbreaker. Douglas recovered and hit a lariat but Raven applied a sleeper. Douglas dumped Raven into the crowd and hit a plancha. He hit Raven with a frying pan, repeatedly with a chair, and even used a cheese grater to bust Raven open. Raven threw Douglas off the bleachers to the stage and rammed him face first onto a chair. Raven and Douglas brawled out of the arena and into the parking lot. Douglas bashed Raven with a trash can lid as they returned to ringside. Douglas piledrove Raven back in the ring. Brian Lee ran into the ring but Dreamer intercepted him. Douglas belly to belly suplexed Raven and went for the pin but the ref was distracted and Douglas gained a near fall. Douglas belly to belly suplexed Dreamer as well, but Dreamer and Douglas then got into a slugfest in and out of the ring and had to be pulled apart. Raven gained a near fall with a small package. Douglas dropped Raven gut-first on the top rope. Raven countered a suplex attempt and shoved Douglas to the canvas. Douglas countered a superplex and dropped Raven to the canvas. Douglas hit a flying bodypress but Raven reversed the momentum and gained a near fall. Douglas gained a near fall with a backslide. Douglas applied a figure 4 leglock but released it when Meanie went for a moonsault which Meanie missed. Douglas applied a half crab on Raven but Richards superkicked him and Raven gained a near fall. Douglas gained a near fall with a DDT. Douglas hit a spinebuster and took the boot off Raven’s injured right leg and applied a figure 4 leglock. Ron Harris interfered but Douglas belly to belly suplexed him. Raven hit Douglas with his boot and pinned him at 16:44 to retain the title. For the most part a very good match, but lacked heat early due to the previous angle and the previous match. Strong effort from both men. ***1/4

Afterward Styles interviewed a dejected Douglas, who put over his craving of the ECW word title. He declared every other title meaningless. Scorpio, the ECW TV champion, confronted Douglas about that comment. Douglas said the TV belt meant nothing to him and sneak-attacked Scorpio. Douglas whipped Scorpio with the belt and even hit Sandman with it when he tried to intervene. Douglas caned both Sandman and Scorpio and piledrove Scorpio on the belt. A very good angle to get over the ECW titles as well as build to the Scorpio-Douglas match at Matter of Respect the next month.

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