ECW Eastern Championship Wrestling (April 5, 1993)

Original Airdate: April 5, 1993 (taped March 12)

From Radnor, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Jay Sulli, Stevie Wonderful, and Terry Funk

President Tod Gordon joins us to announce that there will be a tournament to crown an ECW Television champion, which is a funny deal where it was already an established title, but since this is the debut of their TV show, they're acting like it's a new title, and even stripped the previous champion (Glen Osbourne) of the belt to make it work. That draws Eddie Gilbert out to try to join the commentary team, but Funk shoos him away. It's funny, Terry is already talking up the 'hardcore' aspect of the product, though that wouldn't really become the main selling point until later

 

ECW Tag Team Title Match: The Super Destroyers v The Hell Riders: This venue looks somehow even more low rent than the ECW Arena, and the ring is tiny. The Riders try a sneak attack, but quickly get fought off, and I have no idea who is who here, and neither do the announcers, actually. I don't think it matters anyway. They're all fat, though. The Destroyers work over HD Ryder for a while until allowing him to tag EZ Ryder, who promptly gets destroyed as well. Powerbomb sets up a somersault senton splash to finish at 2:57. Not technically terrible, just felt endless. Afterwards, Funk gets a word with the Destroyers' manager (Hunter Q. Robbins III, or as Terry calls him 'the turd'), and he's like a weird cross between Jim Cornette and Clarence Mason. ¼*

 

ECW Champion Sandman music video, set to Billy Joel's 'Big Shot.' Well, not on the Network, but you know. It's still so weird to see him running around like a bootleg surfer Sting

 

ECW Television Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Tommy Cairo v Salvatore Bellomo: Bellomo's manager (the Cosmic Commander) is such a blatant Grand Wizard rip-off that I'm surprised someone hasn't went back in time to 1993 to sue him. Tommy with a few armdrags to frustrate Bellomo, and wow, not only is this ring small, but it looks like it's made of marshmallows. Bellomo gets him in the corner and unloads, and he works a wristlock. These announcers are terrible, though Funk is doing a good job of keeping it together, and lending credibility. Tommy fights him off with a cross corner whip and an elbow in, so Bellomo goes back to the wrist again, as the announcers wonder what Bellomo weighs in a way that gives me Art Donovan flashbacks. Don't... don't do that, guys. Into the corner, but the corners are Bellomo's kryptonite, apparently, because Tommy fights him off again. He runs into a boot, however, and Bellomo chokes him down. Headbutt, but Tommy gets fired up, and comes out of the ropes with a bodypress for two. That draws the Commander up onto the apron to distract the referee, allowing Johnny Hotbody to run in, but he nails Bellomo by accident, and Sal just kind of walks out on the match at 5:30. What a weird finish. Like, it's one thing if Hotbody knocked him cold, but Bellomo was walking around, and just made no effort to actually get back into the ring. Way to make the title seem prestigious, guys. Also, the match was uniformly terrible. –¼*

 

Tony Stetson v Rockin' Rebel: Rebel's the first guy on the show that actually looks like a mainstream star, though he never made it to either of the Big Two. Stetson using 'Hitman' as his nickname in 1993 is lame. It's one thing if Bret Hart wasn't a huge star yet, but in 1993? Also, do they not have an actual ring bell? I don't think we've heard a single one yet. Stetson dominates to start, but Rebel reverses a corner whip, and hits a dropkick. He works a chinlock, and luckily for Stetson not a stump puller, by the looks of things. Rebel with a backelbow and a sidewalk slam for two, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Stetson matslams him. He adds a jumping forearm to set up a flying legdrop, but Rebel is in the ropes at two. Stetson argues the point with the official, but that just allows Rebel to recover, and he hooks a leveraged pin at 4:37. Afterwards, Rebel calls out Sandman, declaring himself to be the top contender. Well, he did just beat Tony Stetson, hard to argue with that. ½*

 

ECW Television Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Jimmy Snuka v Larry Winters: Snuka introduces Eddie Gilbert as his new manager before the match. Jimmy pounds on him at the bell, and bootchokes him down for some stomping, while Gilbert takes cheap shots. Snuka with a cross corner whip and a clothesline in, and a snapmare sets up a bootrake, as the announcers note that Jimmy has a 'look in his eye that we've never seen before.' Count yourselves lucky. Larry starts fighting back, so Snuka goes to the eyes, but misses a clothesline, and Winters throws a bodypress for two. Dropkick leads to a cross corner whip, and Larry hits a hiptoss on the rebound. Legdrop gets two, so Gilbert trips him up to cut off the comeback, and Snuka delivers a backbreaker. Superfly Splash ends it at 4:31. He could still hit that move in a non-embarrassing way, so there's that, at least. ¼*

 

Salvatore Bellomo v Ernesto Benefica: This is an impromptu match, as Ernesto is in the ring (for what reason is never made clear, since the show is ending), and Bellomo just decides to come out and wrestle him, squashing him with a bodyslam at 0:16. Well, better than his earlier match. DUD

 

Send in your cards or letters to request dream matches you'd like to see on ECW TV! Do the requests have to pull from this roster?

 

BUExperience: As a debut episode this wasn’t especially good, or even interesting, and I probably wouldn’t bother watching the next episode if I’d seen this in 1993. But with the benefit of hindsight, it will be interesting to continue watching, and seeing how this completely nondescript local promotion evolved into one of the most legendary of all time.