ECW Unaired TV Pilot (November 28, 1992)

Original Airdate: November 28, 1992 (unaired)

 

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Jay Sulli and Stevie Wonderful

 

Tommy Cairo v King Kahlua: They must not have gotten the memo that Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan took wrestling out of the smoke filled arenas. Kahlua attacks while Tommy is getting all his various leather gear off, but Tommy fights him off, and works an armbar. Tommy with a bodypress for two, and an armdrag leads to another armbar. Terrible execution there, as he hit the armdrag, and then had to crawl several feet over to put on the armbar. The announcers, trying to put over the psychology, are acting like this armbar is in danger of costing Kahlua his arm. Meanwhile, the crowd entertains themselves by chanting 'queen' at Kahlua. At least the ECW fans would get a lot more clever as time went on. Kahlua works a chinlock, but Tommy fights free, so Kahlua throws a knee. Pointed elbowdrop gets him two, and a bodyslam sets up a fistdrop for two. Kahlua's little taunt between each move is so wonderfully jobber-ific. Backelbow sets up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, but a corner charge misses, and Tommy makes a comeback. Atomic drop connects, but Kahlua rebounds off the ropes, and knocks Cairo to the outside. Kahlua regroups, but Tommy comes back at him with a slingshot sunset flip for the pin at 6:37. This was fine. Afterwards, Sulli gets word with Tommy, and apparently when he comes to town, everyone goes down. Must be nice. * ¼

 

ECW Tag Team Title Match: The Super Destroyers v Larry Winters and Jimmy Jannetty: The challengers stick and move in the early going, but Jimmy runs into trouble, and the heels cut the ring in half. He manages a tag to Larry, but Winters sucks, and quickly gets his eyes raked, then takes a sidewalk slam for two. The champs work him over, but Jannetty gets the tag, and... hits a dropkick, then tags back out. They don't seem to understand the basic tag team structure at all. The challengers go to work on Destroyer #1, taking turns putting him in some really terrible looking holds, but Winters collides with him for a double knockout spot. Larry rolls over for the cover, and he looks to have it won, but time expires at 7:46. This was pretty terrible. DUD

 

Backstage, ECW Television Champion Glen Osbourne's voice doesn't match his body. Meanwhile, Jimmy Snuka don't like them apples

 

ECW Television Title Match: Glen Osbourne v Jimmy Snuka: The video quality is so bad here (even compared to the 1993 ECW shows) that it's astounding that they were trying to use this to get a TV deal. Lots of stalling to start, as both guys works the crowd. Finally, after two minutes of circling each other, Osbourne sneaks up with a schoolboy for two, and he works a wristlock from there. It's less a 'wristlock' than Glen just kind of holding his hand, however. Criss cross ends in Osbourne hitting a hiptoss, and an armdrag puts Jimmy in an armbar. Osbourne works that for a while, until Hunter Q. Robbins III trips him up in the ropes, and Snuka takes control. Jimmy with a 2^nd rope fistdrop, but Glen snaps off a small package for two, so Snuka goes to the eyes to keep control. He dumps Glen to the outside for Hunter to abuse, but Osbourne manages a dropkick on the way back inside. He makes a comeback, but ends up colliding with the referee during a criss cross, and there's no one to count after he delivers a powerslam. Glen lets off the cover to go try and revive the official, but that allows Snuka to recover, and he rolls the champ up - another referee running in to count the fall at 8:39. We have a new champion, but then the original referee recovers, and rules that Snuka is disqualified for causing the collision earlier. This was a really dull match, to say the least. ¼*

 

ECW Title Match: Sandman v Kodiak Bear: Bear attacks from behind, and pounds on the champion for a while, but hits boot while trying a corner charge. That allows Sandman to return fire with a dropkick, and he takes Bear down for a chinlock. Bear escapes and forces a criss cross, and Sandman actually botches a leapfrog so badly that his ass falls out of the ring. At least in the later days he had the drinking as an excuse, here he just sucks. Back in, Sandman delivers a backdrop, but gets distracted when Cosmic Commander is going after Peaches, and Rockin' Rebel runs out to attack him while he's distracted. That allows Bear to get control of the action, and he delivers a backdrop of his own for two. Bear works him over in dull fashion, but a bearhug fails to put the champion away, and Sandman makes a comeback. Slingshot kick leads to a missile dropkick to retain at 7:12. ¼*

 

Backstage, Rockin' Rebel attacks Sandman, but other workers make the save. As usual, that Tommy Cairo is sticking his nose where it don't belong

 

BUExperience: What's honestly more shocking: that this didn't get picked up, or that they actually landed a TV deal with this same style/roster just a few months later?