ECW delivers at Living Dangerously
By MIKE WHALEY -- SLAM!
Wrestling
ECW once again showed why it is the greatest wrestling around today,
even if the March Madness fans don't realize it, at their Living
Dangerously pay per view. From Ashbury Park, NJ, the card was topped
off by a rematch from the first ECW pay per view as ECW World Champion
Taz successfully defeated FTW champion Sabu, thus unifying the belts.
Sabu was supposedly wrestling with an fractured jaw (I say supposedly
since I heard nothing on the internet about it) Before the match
started Taz made it an Extreme Death Match with falls counting
anywhere. Sabu's manager Bill Alfonso seemed against it but Sabu
threw him out of the way to get the match started.
Taz immediately went to work on Sabu's jar from the outset laying
forearms into it. The match though would go back and forth in the
opening. Both men exchanging high spots with each other. Sabu went
for his first big move when he jumped off a chair, off the ropes and
over the guardrail but Taz greeted him with a chair to the face.
The two then spilled into the stands and fought. Nothing too special
happened in there. After Alfonso set up a chair between the ring and
the guardrail, Taz nailed a belly to belly suplex, sending Sabu over
the top rope and through the table.
Taz then went back to work on the jaw, with blood flowing out of
Sabu's mouth. He stopped his attack to challenge the like of Flair,
Hogan and the likes but was interrupted as Sabu started to rip at his
eyes with his fingers. Taz though maintained control and had Alfonso
so worried that he tried to throw in the towel but Sabu stopped him.
Sabu though would mount a comeback capping it off with a face first
dive onto Taz who was lying on a table mounted at the corner of the
guard rails. The fight would then become a back and forth contest
with the two foes alternating between Taz's trademark suplexes and
Sabu's aray of flying moonsaults and legdrops.
Taz soon though would take control for good. It started with a head &
arm superplex from which Sabu kicked out of. Sabu somehow found the
energy to try and set up another table in the corner of the ring but
he took too much time and Taz was soon on him, laying the beats to
him. Then Taz connected with a Dragon suplex, sending Sabu through
the table.
Alfonso again tried to throw in the towel but Sabu threw it back out.
Maybe he should of let it stay though as Taz wrapped up Sabu in his
submission move, the kati hajime and the fight left Sabu as his arm
fell three times to give the win to Taz and to unify the ECW World
Championship and FTW title.
After the match Taz grabbed the mic again and said that every time
they fight he gets more respect for Sabu. He then asked to shake
hands and Sabu agreed, ending what was a great show.
The next WCW pay-per-view is Living Dangerously on May 16th,
1999.
ECW Living Dangerously Results
Super Crazy vs Tajiri
Rematch from the last pay per view.
Shorter match but much better then their last effort.
A great match of that the fans appreciated. Two minutes into the
match they gave a standing ovation after a prolonged series of counter
wrestling. This match would never go over in the big two.
Bad moment for Crazy as he slipped on the top rope and got a "You
fell down" chant.
End came when Tajiri hit a huricanrana but Crazy rolled through it
for the pin out of nowhere.
Both men received a huge ovation afterwards with Tajiri getting a
standing ovation for his effort after the match as he bowed to them.
Match Rating: 8.5 / 10
Steve Corino vs. Ballz Mahoney
Corino came out and bragged about how he was a "wrestler" stuck in a
land of brawlers. Challenged anyone to come out and Balls Mahoney
answered the challenge.
Mahoney stunned me with a frog splash across the ring. Impressive
for someone with the beer gut he possesses.
Corino teased using a chair but then just opened it and sat on it
while applying a headlock.
Mahoney soon grabbed control and nailed Corino with the same chair to
get the pin.
Fun match but nothing special.
Match Rating: 5 / 10.
Antifaz Del Norte vs. Little Guido
Guido accompanied by Big Sal but noticibly absent were Tracy Smothers
and Tommy Rich.
Action went back and forth for most of the match.
Sweet move by Guido as he hit a Side Italian (Russian) Leg Sweep from
the second rope.
Antifaz sprung over the top rope but was caught by Sal and the 500
pounder power slammed him through a table.
Guido then slapped on a Sicilian (Boston) Crab for the victory.
After the match both Smothers and Rich came out, weird since both
were rumored gone from ECW. Smothers nailed Guido and Rich attacked
Sal with the flag, but it did no damage as Sal chased the two from the
ring and the end of the FBI (the Full Blooded Italians) came to pass.
Match Rating: 6 / 10.
Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam
Probably the most hyped match of the card and it did not disappoint.
Van Dam carried most of the match for the first half with only little
flurries from Lynn.
A match full of great spots by both men.
Both men were battling on the top turnbuckle with a chair when Van
Dam hit a mini Van Dam-inator (kick the chair into the face) sending
Lynn flying from the top through a table at ringside.
Another great spot where they had a tug of war for the chair and Lynn
got a sunset flip but Van Dam still had a hold of the chair and he
used it to stop the pin.
Lynn then went on the hit a tornado DDT from the top onto a table at
ringside, though it didn't break (probably the only one not to all
night)
Bell rings to sound a 20 minute draw. Ref appears ready to award the
belt to Lynn (as he can by ECW rules) but Lynn asks for five more
minutes. The fans start to chant for it and Van Dam agrees.
Match starts up and soon into it Mr. Monday night nails Lynn with a
Van Dam-inator. He follows it up with a frog splash and gets the win.
At Bill Alfonso's urging he shakes hands with him.
This could be match of the year material.
Match Rating: 10 / 10.
Mustafa vs. New Jack
Former partners in the Gangsters, it was revealed that Mustafa was
paying the Dudley Brothers to take out New Jake, setting up this first
ever meeting between the two.
New Jack came out with his usual assortment of weapons and started
out using a crutch, a computer keyboard and a golf club into a baking
pan over Mustafa's groin.
When Mustafa got control of the match he used a plastic toy lawn
mower and a baking pan, busting open New Jack.
Fight spilled into the crowd with New Jack gaining control.
He used electrical tape to tie his former partner to a table and then
proceeded to climb to the balcony and hit a dive from 20 feet sending
Mustafa through the table.
Security dragged both men to the ring where New Jack drapped an arm
over Mustafa for the pin.
After the match the Dudley Brothers started beating on New Jack. We
were then treated to a shortened spiel by Joel Gertner but great none
the less.
Bubba Ray Dudley issued an open challenge and it lead to...
Match Rating: 10 / 10.
Dudley Brothers vs. Spike Dudley and Nova
Not much of a match to talk about. Bubba threw Spike into the crowd
as D-Von beat on Nova. The then hit the 3D, the Dudley Death Drop.
The ring announcer tried to stop the Dudley from continuing to beat
on Nova and he got a 3D for his troubles.
They then issued another open challenge. This was a big mistake as
out came Judge Jeff Jones which could only mean one thing. SID!!!!!
Bubba didn't back down though talking trash and calling him a faggot
to his face.
Sid ended up choke slamming both half-brothers and then focused on
D-Von.
In the meantime Spike Dudley made his way back after his crowd surf
and nailed Bubba with the Acid Drop for the pin.
After the match he tried to shake hands with Sid but got a power bome
for his troubles. Then to put an exclamation point on things, Sid
dropped the 155 pound Spike through a table from the ramp and made his
way to the back.
Match Rating: 3 / 10 (since there wasn't much of a match but action instead).
Justin Credible and Lance Storm vs. Tommy Dreamer and Shane Douglas.
The co-main event for some reason didn't click and didn't incite the
fans.
Douglas hit 3 rolling vertical suplexes on Credible and on the third
did it one handed with a finger for Storm on the way down.
The suspected double cross of Tommy Dreamer seem to come to pass as
Douglas gave his opponents the Triple Threat sign but he then
clotheslined them both.
Beullah aka Tammy Lynn Bytch then interferred bringing in Francine
and the prerequisite cat fight started. Storm though pulled off
Francine and then nailed her for good measure.
Francine though came back with a ladder, which Tommy Dreamer used to
perfection on his opponents.
Credible was about to hit Douglas with Sandman's Kendo stick when
Francine grabbed it from him. She then delivered a roundhouse kick
and Douglas caught him with a Pittsburgh Plunge (cradle suplex) for
the pin.
As Dreamer and Douglas were leaving, Don Callis aka Jackyl now known
as Cyrus distracted them allowing Storm to hit a flying clothesline.
He then tossed them into the ring where Credible dished out Kendo
stick blows to both.
Cyrus stopped them from beating on Francine but then head butted her
in the groin before leaving.
Match Rating: 7 / 10.
Sabu vs. Taz
Match Rating: 8 / 10.
Overall Event Rating: 9 / 10. Solid from top to bottom. Even the matches that weren't special had humor to cover it.
