ECW Eastern Championship Wrestling (August 17, 1993)

Original Airdate: August 17, 1993 (taped August 7)

 

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Host is Jay Sulli from the studio

 

We start with an announcement of a tournament for the now vacant ECW Tag Team Title, and we run through the brackets. The belts have been vacated because Chris Candido jumped to SMW, though they don’t actually say that, or even offer any explanation whatsoever, really

 

Next, we run down the card for UltraClash I. Sulli is no Mean Gene, or even Todd Pettengill, that’s for sure. Eddie Gilbert shows up as he reviews the matches, and implies that Sulli is cheating on his wife with hookers, and apologizes to Jay’s wife for spilling the beans. Well, that shit never happened to Pettengill, I’m pretty sure. Not the whores part, but the beans part. Or maybe that’s not even true, he usually looked gassy

 

Gilbert goes for a walk outside the studio, and finds some random guy on the street, offering his $5,000 to come in and co-host with Sulli. I hope that dude insisted on being paid in cash. Both in kayfabe, and not

 

The Koloffs are ready to continue pretending that one of them is Nikita

 

ECW Tag Team Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: The Headhunters v Ivan Koloff and Vladimir Koloff: The Headhunters are the W*ING World Tag Team champions at this point, and they attack the Russians before the bell to kick start things. Things spill to the outside for a brawl, and everyone’s using weapons, and slugging it out. The Headhunters control, and manage to isolate Ivan, and they go to work on him. Tag to Vladimir turns the tide when he comes in with a belly-to-belly suplex, and are those Nikita’s old tights, or did Vladimir just not know how to buy the right size? Another brawl breaks out, and Ivan shoves the referee, but somehow that results in the Headhunters getting disqualified at 2:55. Which they literally decide via coin toss, since the official was threatening to DQ both teams. Tournament’s off to a great start, I see. ¼*

 

Tito Santana notes that “fans are starving for good wrestling,” and makes a challenge to ECW Champion Don Muraco for next week. I’m pretty sure we’re all going hungry

 

ECW Title Match: Don Muraco v Metal Maniac: Maniac attacks from behind while Muraco cuts a promo on Santana, and he pounds Don into the corner. He unloads, until Muraco gets sick of selling, and just stops cold. Don with a powerslam and a piledriver, before tossing Maniac over the top, and ramming him into the timekeeper’s bell. ‘Ramming’ isn’t really the right word there, but it sounds better than ‘gently acquaints him with.’ Maniac somehow beats the count, and this guy looks less like a ‘metal’ maniac than he does a ‘munching’ maniac. He’s fat, you see. Fat guys in rocker gear is always a weird look. Same goes for bald guys. Muraco with a tombstone at 3:53. ¼*

 

Abdullah the Butcher hype video

 

ECW Tag Team Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Sandman and Salvatore Bellomo v Sir Richard Michaels and Tony Stetson: The graphics for the brackets look like something straight out of 90s SEGA videogame hell. They take forever to get started here, and Sandman schoolboys Stetson for two once they do. Sandman with a bodyslam and an elbowdrop for two, and it’s over to Bellomo with a standing dropkick. Snapmare and a splash get him two, but Tony tags out. Bellomo hammers Michaels, and Sandman tags in to corner whip him, then follow in with an elbow. Backdrop, but Michaels leapfrogs, and we get a double knockout spot as they criss cross. Sandman recovers with a gourdbuster, but Tony switches off sans tag, so Bellomo does the same. And somehow, defying all logic, the referee doesn’t notice that at all, and Bellomo cradles him at 5:33. ¼*

 

Tod Gordon comes out to hype UltraClash. Sorry, UltraClash I

 

Jimmy Snuka doesn’t want to live in the past like Stan Hansen. He just wants to reminisce about that time he dove off the top of the cage at Madison Square Garden. But, that’s totally different

 

ECW Television Title Match: Jimmy Snuka v Stan Hansen: Snuka attacks before the bell, which is apparently the cool, hip, happening thing tonight. They spill to the outside for a brawl, and Snuka is in control as they head inside. Chop knocks Stan back to the outside, so Snuka chases, but Hansen is ready with a chair this time. He throws Snuka into Eddie Gilbert while they’re out there, and Stan ropechokes him on the way back in. Snapmare sets up a chinlock, but he gets into an argument with the official, and Snuka superkicks him. Stan pretty much ignores that and keeps hammering him, however, and a DDT is worth two. For all the talk of Hansen being a stiff worker, he’s missing shots by a mile here. Lariat looks to finish, but Gilbert comes in for the DQ to save Snuka’s title at 3:43. This was bad, Tommy. Real bad. Afterwards, Stan goes for Eddie’s throat, but Freddie Gilbert runs in to make the save, and Stan gets to beat expendable Freddie up instead to get his heat back. DUD

 

BUExperience: This wasn’t good, but between the tournament and getting footage from a fresh taping, this was much better than some of the recent ones.