An Extreme Review with ECW - The Night The Line Was Crossed.

My Kingdom of Honor co-host and I are doing a new series exclusively for our Patreon subscribers where we are going to extensively breakdown older special events for various promotions. We are starting it with ECW and all the events and promotions we can find starting with 1994. To listen to the series please check out our Patreon site here.

The Night The Line Was Crossed, February 5th 1994 

We start the special with a cut a way shot to Eastern Championship Wrestling President Todd Gordon who runs down all of the things ECW has been accused off. Being the hardest hitting, being the bloodiest and being the goriest. He closes the segment by letting us know that Eastern Championship Wrestling is not for everyone.

Grade: 2 Stars

Wildman Sal Bellomo vs The Roughneck Mr. Hughes w/ Jason.

Highlights:

Mr. Hughes is still wearing his sun glasses during the beginning of this match. Didn't take long before Hughes hits the sidewalk slam and gets the three count.

Grade: .5 Star 

Thoughts:

The only remarkable thing about this match is that Mr. Hughes's sunglasses stayed on the whole time.

The Sandman and Tommy Cario vs The Pitbull and Rockin' Rebel with Jason.

Up next is a Dog Collar Match. Jason has changed outfits in between the two matches. Sandman is chained to Rebel and Cairo is chained to the Pitbull. Cairo and Rebel are both busted open really early. Sandman took a pile driver on a table. Cairo hits a belly to belly suplex and Sandman runs over to tie up The Pitbull's legs with the chains. Cairo gets the three count.

Grade:  3 Stars 

Thoughts:

What a great match. It wasn't technically sound but what would you expect for a Dog Collar Match. It was very short but, you need to consider this was 1994, nothing like this happened anywhere, ever. These four guys beat the hell out of each other and we were treated to some never before seen mayhem.

The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocko Rock) vs The Bruise Brothers (Ron and Don Harris)

Highlights:

This match is about 15 seconds in before it spills into the audience. All four men are in the crowd hitting each other with anything they can find. Joey Styles mentions that "chairs are flying everywhere and Johnny Grunge is wearing one. Quite frankly it goes good with his outfit" Another Joey Styles quip as Rocko Rock gets thrown through a pile of chairs. "Well now you know, when you buy a front row seat at ECW you are getting your moneys worth. You might have to share it with The Public Enemy but you're getting your moneys worth." Joey Styles again "Can you imagine their poor mother trying to feed these two (Bruise Brothers)? What do you do, just knock off the horns rip off the tail and wheel it out?" Rocko Rock hits one of the Bruise Brothers with a 2x4 and both members of Public Enemy cover him for the three count.

Grade: 3 Stars

Thoughts:

Again this was not a wrestling match. Not even close but what did you expect? This match gets easily a full star upgrade for the commentary of Joey Styles.

Tommy Dreamer vs Jimmy Superfly Snuka 

Highlights:

Snuka yells at a fan ringside. Dreamer comes over and seemingly yells at the same fan. Snuka yells at the fan again and Dreamer goes out to him, grabs his hat and wears it into the ring. Dreamer kicks out of the Superfly Splash. After the third Superfly Splash, Snuka gets the three. After the match Snuka headbutts the referee and starts pounding on Tommy who is gushing blood from his mouth. Todd Gordon comes to the ring to stop Jimmy Snuka from another splash and gets a double ax handle for his trouble. Other wrestler comes to the ring to help as Dreamer was hit by four Superfly Splashes.

Grade: 3 Stars 

Thoughts:

This was a good match and a great change of pace from the last two. It was great heel work by Snuka and better face work by the gutsy Tommy Dreamer.

Kevin Sullivan and the Tazzmaniac w/ Woman vs The Original Sheik and Pat Tannaka. 

Sullivan and The Sheik immediately head to the crowd as Tazz and Tannaka stay in the ring. After a few minutes the Sheik throws a fireball from ringside onto Tazz and Tannaka gets the three count.

Grade: 0 Stars 

Thoughts:

This had nothing, no time, no innovation, no funny one liners from Joey Styles. Just bad.

JT Smith vs Mike Awesome. 

Highlights:

Smith and Awesome come out to the same music. Smith jumps the bell but Awesome takes over from there. JT Smith rolls Awesome up as he goes for the power bomb for the three count. After the match Awesome power bombs the ref. Mike Awesome goes to deliver a splash on the ref and the top rope broke. Awesome lays there for a second then gets up and throws the turnbuckle onto the ref.

Grade: 3 Stars 

Thoughts:

This match was 1 star at best but Mike Awesome unloading on the ref bumped it up big time.

The Franchise Shane Douglas vs Sabu w/ Paul E Dangerously vs. ECW Champion Terry Funk. 

Highlights:

Paul E Dangerously runs to the ring and blindsides Sherri Martel during Sabu's entrance. Shane Douglas beats the holy hell out of him. Sabu hits the ring and takes it to Douglas. This match is held under different three way dance rules than we are used to. The first two guys get 15 minutes. If there is no pinfall then Funk comes to the ring and faces both men. Sabu does some great story telling by attacking Shane's injured left arm. The action spills out to the ring and Mr. 911 hands Sabu a table. Shane gets laid out on top of it and rolls out of the way as Sabu crashes through the table and to the floor. 15 Minutes of great story telling and great back and forth wrestling then Terry Funk comes to the ring. Funk goes straight after the Franchise. Sabu has been helped from the ring and can not continue due to a leg injury. Out to the floor Funk hits Sherry with a forearm across the back then DDT's The Franchise. Back in the ring Funk is asking for the fans to throw chairs into the ring. Some make it a lot more don't. Funk stacks up five chairs in the middle of the ring and then DDT's Douglas on the chairs. After Funk gets thrown into a ladder, receives a ton of abuse outside the ring and gets hit with Sherri's shoe, he is bleeding from the forehead. Funk knocks out the referee and receives multiple head shots to the steel after Douglas removes the turnbuckle padding. 15 minutes after Funk entered the match and he and Douglas are fighting all over the arena. Sabu makes his way back to the ring as Funk steals Joey Styles's mic. He spews a bunch of expletives and then heads back to the ring. Dangerously gets the crowd behind Sabu as Funk headbutts Sherri. Douglas has a sleeper on Sabu and Funk puts one on him. Sabu slips on his attempt at a springboard moonsault, limps and attempts it again this time hitting it. Funk gets laid out by a bunch of chair shots from Douglas and get carried out by his "Few Good Men" The Rottens come in and put the chairs to Shane Douglas for what he did to Funk. Axel and Ian Rotten decimate Sabu and Douglas. Shane Douglas brings Sabu back from the dressing room and sends him for an Irish Whip and Sabu falls because of his bad leg. Funk makes his way back to the ring. Funk and Douglas have taken the fight outside while Dangerously and 911 take out Ian Rotten. Funk headbutts the ref, delivers a low blow to both Douglas and Sabu. Sabu tries twice to hit a moonsault from the middle of the ropes and cant so he heads to the corner. Funk rolls into position and Sabu hits it. Funk suplexes Sherri in the middle of the ring, Douglas saves her from a spinning toe hold. Funk kicked the ref out of the ring and Douglas lays out Paul E. Funk grabs Sherri's boot and uses it to low blow Sabu then shoves it in Douglas's ear. 2 minutes remaining and all three men are outside the ring. Back in the ring and Funk covers Sherri, then he alternates covers on both Sabu and Douglas but there is no referee. With a flurry of covers to end this match we reach the 60 minute time limit draw.

Grade: 5+ Stars 

Thoughts:

Seriously I have absolutely no clue what the hell I just watched. when you look at the rating you may be surprised but this seriously was an instant classic that will be talked about for years just not in the way most people would have imagined it. This is definitely a match that every wrestling fan should watch in their lifetime.

After the match we find Joey Styles ready to interview Terry Funk who retained his title. Terry is crying and says that the management in WCW and WWF have belittled the business. He doesn't think the guys in the locker room are bad but he doesn't like the companies. He respects the guys in ECW, and talks about how ECW is the best. He is with an athletic organization that is not about producing children programming. He respects the fans and Shane Douglas and Sabu.

Grade: 3 Stars 

Thoughts:

While trashing the other companies wasn't great Terry was very emotional and it didn't seem contrived. maybe a little out of place but not contrived.

Backstage for an interview with Sabu at the press conference. Paul E and 911 are having trouble controlling Sabu as he looks to tear everyone apart. Sabu can't be controlled so Dangerously spoke on his behalf. he called out Shane Douglas for being disgusting, The refs for favoring Funk and Funk for being a cry baby.

Grade: 4 Stars 

Thoughts:

It's Paul E. do I need to say more.

A very angry Shane Douglas is the next interview. He states he beat Sabu and beat Funk so Todd Gordon should declare him the champ. He rips into the fans, says Gordon can fire him and he doesn't care. Terry Funk comes out and calmly asks Douglas why is he so mad? Douglas runs down Funk and his age. Funk gets insulted and after some more back and forth Funk had's Douglas the Title Belt and says he is gifting it to Douglas so it is so much sweeter when he takes it back by beating Douglas. Shane throws the belt at Funk and gets a slap across the face. A melee breaks out and the locker room clears to pull them apart as the show ends.

Grade: 4 Stars 

Thoughts:

An angry Franchise and a calm Funk played perfectly together. The fight at the end was a perfect way to end an ECW show.

Grade: 3 Stars 

Full Show Thoughts:

The good out weighed the bad and it is a must watch for any wrestling fan. There were a lot of moments that I didn't really know what was happening. It was chaotic, violent and fun.

Make sure you check out our show, Kingdom of Honor, for the latest in wrestling talk every Monday night on Lords of Pain Radio and find our archived shows with a lot of never before heard content on our Patreon page here. Also please leave a comment with your thoughts below or send your feedback to us directly at Kingdomofhonor123@gmail.com

The Wrestling Legacy of Rob Van Dam

My Kingdom of Honor co-host and I are doing a new series exclusively for our Patreon subscribers called Wrecked with Rasslers. We are going to be choosing one wrestler and picking four matches or moments that we would want with us if we were stranded on a desert island. This series will focus on wrestling and wrestling only as the real-life stuff you can find else where. To listen to the series please check out our Patreon site here.

Rob Van Dam has been one of the most popular wrestlers in the industry over the last 20 years. His laid back demeanor and flashy move set has drawn a legion of fans his way. The whole F'n Show, Mr Monday Night, Mr Pay Per View, whatever you call him he was always the franchise no matter where he went. Whether he was a face or a heel he was always cheered. The man had charisma that oozed from him. When he first broke on to the wrestling scene, he was so much like Sabu and so much unlike Sabu that he built his own aura. And whether you liked him or not when he put the thumbs to his shoulders you chanted right along with R-V-D. Lets take a look at the four matches I would want with me on a deserted island.

With Sabu vs the Eliminators, Cyberslam 1997. Perry Saturn and John Kronus were arguably the best tag team in the world in 1997. They were the ECW Tag team champions and in this match put the titles up for grabs in a tables and chairs match. Handshakes to begin the match were a rare thing in 1997 but these two teams showed each other a tremendous amount of respect. The best of the handshake spot was the story it continued from Rob's first feud in ECW against Sabu. Surprisingly in a match that featured Sabu this one started out as a very good technical bout. We got about eight minutes in before weapons were introduced and that was when all hell broke loose. Saturn tries to bring the ladder in and RVD stops him. The ladder is draped over the turnbuckle with Saturn and RVD fighting over it. A double dropkick by Sabu and Kronus sends both men to the floor. Sabu goes for a suicide dive and catches the steel guard rail when Saturn bats him away. Kronus goes up and over and lands on RVD. A Rolling Thunder with Sabu delivering a slingshot leg drop onto a ladder gets a two count on Saturn. RVD is slingshot into a ladder that is set up in the corner. Kronus does a cart wheel followed by a back flip and hits a back elbow onto RVD. Saturn gets a running start and uses a ladder on the mat to jump to the top rope and deliver a dive to Saturn who is on the other side of the guardrail. Saturn and Kronus hit Total Elimination twice and pin RVD for the win. 4.5 Stars This was a tale of two matches. A very good technical bout started the night and turned into a slug fest once the weapons got involved. Joey Styles is soooo great at what he does. He lets the action speak for itself and chimes in every now and then with some play by play. Also interesting to note that RVD refused to shake hands after the match.

vs Jerry Lynn, Hardcore Heaven 1999. This could very well go down as one of the greatest feuds in history. Flair vs Dusty, Flair vs Sting, Ciampa vs Gargano, Hogan v Savage, Omega vs Okada, and Jerry Lynn vs RVD. I have always hated Bill Alfonso and that damn whistle. A fast paced match with a lot of fun spots including Alfonso getting involved and helping set up a Vandaminator that Jerry Lynn ducked out of. RVD crotches Lynn on the top rope and delivers a spinning heel kick off the middle rope that knocks Lynn to the floor. Jerry's face hits the concrete between the mats and RVD needs to muscle Lynn back to his feet. Lynn has been busted open and gets a sling shot over the guardrail and into the first row. RVD gets a running start and dives over the guardrail to deliver a flying clothes line on Lynn. Back in the ring and Van Dam goes for a Rolling Thunder but Lynn sits up and gets a spinning heel kick to the face. RVD hits a Vandaminator of the guardrail into Lynn who's out in the crowd. RVD hits a corkscrew guillotine leg drop on Lynn who is draped over the guardrail. A sunset flip over the top rope on RVD through a table on the outside Puts Jerry Lynn in charge. A botched spot on the top rope where Lynn slipped and fell. RVD awkwardly fell onto the top rope and rolled in the ring to cover a sprawled out un-moving Jerry Lynn. Lynn hits his own Vandaminator. A second Five Star Frog Splash keeps Lynn down for the three and RVD retains the television title. 5 Stars Great spot near the end where the move was botched but the two guys played it off like it was nothing and RVD took the two count on an unconscious Jerry Lynn. Great story telling and great athleticism highlighted one of the best matches I have ever seen.

Vs Bobby Roode Sacrifice 2012, RVD and The It Factor in a ladder match for the TNA heavyweight title. A spinning leg drop on Roode as he is draped over the guard rail. So far the count for Tazz using the word nasty is at four. RVD sets up a ladder in between the second and third ropes. RVD ends up underneath the ladder and Roode delivers a catapult into the ladder. Roode sets up the ladder on the top rope to suplex RVD on. Rob counters and suplexes Roode on the ladder instead then hits a second rope moonsault. RVD sets up another ladder in the corner on the face of Roode. He dropkicks a chair into the ladder into Roode. Bobby hits the Double R Spine Buster onto a ladder and Tazz's "nasty' count is up to seven. RVD hits the Rolling Thunder onto the ladder and Tazz breaks out another "nasty" RVD misses a Five Star Frog Splash onto a ladder. The It Factor is climbing the ladder and RVD tries to stop him. Roode kicks him off the ladder and he hits the back of his head on another ladder that was lying on the mat. Roode takes down the title and retains his belt. 3.5 Stars RVD was still very talented and athletic 17 years into his career. Some great spots. A lot of the usage of the word "nasty" by Tazz (I counted 11) and the It Factor at the top of his run in TNA. This was a very fun match and one that entertained me quite a bit.

Vs Jeff Hardy, Invasion 2001. The Hardcore Championship is on the line as RVD makes his way to the ring with some of the best entrance music I've ever heard. Definitely Rob's best in his career. Another very technical match considering this is a for the hardcore title. Van Dam hits a spinning heel kick off the apron onto Hardy who is draped over the barricade for a two count on the floor. Hardy climbs to the top of a 20 foot ladder and RVD pushes the ladder over causing Jeff to crash to the floor. RVD grabs a chair and stalks Jeff who is laying on the floor. When RVD gets close Hardy from a prone position picks up the top of the ladder and hits RVD with it. Hardy grabs the chair and stalks RVD to the top of the stage. RVD hits the VanDaminator and knocks Hardy off the stage to the floor. Hardy misses the Swanton and RVD places the Hardcore title on Hardy's chest. A Five Star Frog Splash for the three count and we have a new Hardcore Champion. 4 Stars I loved this match between the WWE's version of the ECW legend going one on one. The best part is that the hardcore was kept to a minimum and the crowd benefited by it. great showing by the two of them.

Make sure you check out our show, Kingdom of Honor, for the latest in wrestling talk every Monday night on Lords of Pain Radio and find our archived shows with a lot of never before heard content on our Patreon page here. Also please leave a comment with your thoughts below or send your feedback to us directly at Kingdomofhonor123@gmail.com

G1 Climax 29 A block Night 1

July 6th, Dallas Texas is the spot where the 2019 version of the G1 kicks off. The blocks are set and we now set forth on the most grueling and prestigious tournament in wrestling. Sit back and enjoy the ride as this only comes around once a year for a reason.

Lance Archer vs Will Ospreay kicks of this tournament. A brand new look from Archer since his KES partner has bolted for another promotion and to be honest, he's scarier then usual. Archer charges while Ospreay is taking off his jacket and  catches a One Man Spanish Fly for his effort. Archer rolls out of the ring and is hit by a corkscrew moonsault on the outside. Ospreay throws Archer back in and hits a springboard 450 for a 2 count. A chop in the corner wakes up Archer who drops Ospreay with a forearm. Archer catches Ospreay in a Space Tiger Drop attempt and then choke slams him through a ringside announcers table. Archer in complete control of this match walks from turnbuckle to turnbuckle on the top rope, then walks halfway and delivers a version of the Undertaker's Old School. After a little offense by Ospreay Archer delivers a pounce and is back in control. Archer drags Ospreay up the ramp where Ospreay counters a power bomb into a Code Red. Archer beats the 20 count by sliding under the ropes and Ospreay beats it by hitting Archer with a springboard dropkick. Following that with a Shooting Star Press for a two count. Robinson Special followed by an Oz-Cutter for another two count. A little back and forth before Archer delivers the Blackout for a two count. A top rope Blackout followed by the Iron Claw ends Ospreay's night. 4.5 Stars This was an interesting match. Seeing Ospreay beaten down like this was a shock considering how hot he has been this year. This was a highlight for Archer coming out with a new look and showing some flashy new offense and it feels like a major push is in store for him. Archer gets his first two points of the tournament.

Evil vs Bad Luck Fale continues the night of great A block matches. Evil may have my favorite entrance in wrestling., music is great and fits him perfectly and the mask, robe, and presence is second to none. Evil jumps the bell and brings Fale to the outside. A running clothesline down the ramp staggers Fale and Evil has come to this tournament to prove a point. The tide quickly turns, however, and Fale is on offense. After a few failed attempts at the power slam, Evil finally hits it, afterwards they make their way out to ringside. Evil uses a chair then rolls Fale back into the ring. A Bronco Buster gets a 2 count. A shoulder tackle by Fale and Evil's offense is once again short lived. Fale brings a chair into the ring and as he and the ref play tug of war with it, Evil kicks it into Fale's face. A running clothes line drops the big man and Evil tries to hit Everything is Evil but it is blocked by Fale. Grenade by Fale for a two count. Referee gets knocked to the outside and Evil hits Fale with a chair. A low blow from Fale followed by a chair shot and the Bad Luck Fall gives Fale his first two points of the tournament. 3 Stars This tournament is off to a blazing start with another fantastic match. Fale is that guy who is a great monster heel but never seems to put it all together. Evil looked like a man beast throughout this match. He absorbed a ton of punishment and showed a lot of heart in the process. Kevin Kelly and Rocky Romero played up the fact that Evil may be shopping for a new stable throughout the match, and he faces his tag team partner and stable mate, Sanada, July 18th

Speaking of Sanada he is up next against the best technical wrestler in the world today, Zach Saber Jr. Two minutes into this match and we have been treated to an amazing display of back and forth technical wrestling that features counter after counter after counter. Sanada heads to the outside to slow the pace and gets a drink of water from the announcer's booth. Sanada is looking for a test of strength which ZSJ is having none of. They finally lock up and start twisting each other into a back and forth of the same move. After multiple attempts at the paradise lock were countered, Sanada finally ties ZSJ up using the ropes. A great spot wear ZSJ had Sanada into a modified Skull's End was powered out of by Sanada. He stands up with Zach in an electric chair. Sanada then flips ZSJ into position for the TKO but Zack counters it into an Octopus. A rope assisted neck breaker followed by a TKO and a two count on ZSJ. A Skull end by Sanada turned into a Big Swing and a moonsault attempt that was countered into a triangle. Sanada powers out of the triangle and hits a second rope moonsault into another Skull End. Over twenty minutes into this match and ZSJ counters the Skull End into a pin attempt, Sanada rolls through and gets the three count. 5 Stars This was every technical wrestling fans dream come true. A beautiful display of athleticism, ring psychology and technical ability where counters ruled the match. Great heel work by ZSJ as he mocked the fans and Sanada at various spots. Great work by Sanada selling his arm injury and counter mocking Zach. This is one of my top 10 matches of the year so far.

Kota Ibushi vs KENTA is next up on the night. This is expected to be a hard striking match and a mixed martial arts face off to start the match lends to that thinking. They get tied up in the ropes and KENTA teases a clean break but hits Kota with a right hand. Ibushi retaliates with one of his own that send KENTA to the mat. A second rope knee drop on a rope hung Ibushi swings the momentum Kenta's way. After KENTA controls a good portion of the beginning of this match, Ibushi's quickness allows him to hit a powerslam followed by a moonsault for a two count. Ibushi's flurry of offense is quickly countered and KENTA is back in control. After Kenta rolls to the outside, Ibushi dives over the top rope and gets countered with a knee to his left leg. Falling hard, he looks to have injured his ankle and KENTA pounces. Draping Ibushi over the guard rail KENTA delivers a double stomp from the apron and this match is back in KENTA's favor. A double stomp from the top rope by KENTA gets a two count. I thought it was a weird moment hearing the Japanese crowd break into a "this is awesome chant" then I remembered we are in Dallas lol. A series of roundhouse kicks to the head lands KENTA a two count. One of the worst looking GTS's I've ever seen ends the match and gives KENTA the victory. 3.5 Stars Much like the Ospreay vs Archer match, there wasn't much offense out of the loser. This match was dominated by KENTA from bell to bell. The bad looking Go To Sleep lowered the grade but that wasn't KENTA's fault as it was on Ibushi to make it look good and he spent a lot to protect his upper body from the knee.

Main event time between two old rivals in Okada vs Tanahashi. Okada mocks the big slap in the corner that has become famous by shushing the crowd and patting Tanahashi on the chest. Tanahashi retaliates with a forearm to the mouth. After a back and forth Tanahashi climbs to the second rope and gets drop kicked to the floor for his trouble. An amazing amount of back and forth action and it's really hard to pick out anything that impresses me because it is all so good. A High Fly Flow attempt is blocked by a couple of knees that does damage to both guys. Okada delivers a Rainmaker and keeps wrist control as he looks out to the audience. He pulls Tanahashi up for a second Rainmaker and connects full force. A third Rainmaker turns into a small package for a two count. Okada sets up for the Rainmaker a couple more times and is met with a right handed strike to the face. Tanahashi goes for a clothes line that turns into a spinning pile driver followed by a Rainmaker for the three and Okada has two points on the board. 4.5 Stars Every time these two guys meet you expect greatness, you expect a classic and every time, they exceed expectations. Okada is one of the top three in the world and when you see these performances, you see why he won the championship in New York and was the champion in Dallas. Great showing by the greatest Heavyweight Champion in the last 20 years.

Make sure you check out our show, Kingdom of Honor, for the latest in wrestling talk every Monday night on Lords of Pain Radio and find our archived shows with a lot of never before heard content on our Patreon page here. Also please leave a comment with your thoughts below or send your feedback to us directly at Kingdomofhonor123@gmail.com

Monday Night Wars from a fans perspective - WWE week of 6/10/1996

This is my continued look into the most profitable era in wrestling history for an extensive breakdown of what I am doing click here.

WWE RAW:

The show opens with Yokozuna in the ring and we quickly cut to Vince McMahon and "the King" Jerry Lawler. They discuss the upcoming interview with the Ultimate Warrior that is set for later tonight. Lawler shows us a beautiful portrait that he has personally drawn of the Ultimate Warrior and he will present it as a peace offering during the interview. Also tonight we get the Undertaker vs the British Bulldog in the main event. Owen Hart is making his way to the ring and we get a video package highlighting Owens 1994 King of the Ring victory and his Slammy win, that was supposed to go to Shawn Michaels, but was stolen by the King of Harts. 4 Stars This is how you open a show, great storyline building, great character development and great hype for what's coming up tonight. If Raw can keep up this kind of this kind of focus throughout the night, we are in for a treat.

Owen jumps Yokozuna before the bell and the opening match is underway. Yoko absorbs a ton of shots by Owen before an enzuguri finally knocks him off his feet. A missed elbow by the King of Harts followed by a couple ill advised head buts and Yoko is back in charge. Lawler questions how many kids in a Cantonese sweat shop would be needed to make a robe for Yoko's king coronation. Owen rolls to avoid the Banzai Drop and gets the pin with a little help from the ropes. 3 Stars Great heel work by Owen, impressive mobility and ring work by a a guy that weighs in at over 660 pounds. Add to that some fun commentary by Lawler and an entire match without a commercial break. This match well deserved the rating it got.

Video package highlighting the Attitude Adjustment tour live events takes us to commercial break. A quick video interview with Jake "the Snake" Roberts discussing how important his wife was during his drug use days and how he is on the road to redemption Brings us back. 2.5 Stars Great use of time and video packages to highlight not only the excitement of seeing the stars of the WWE live but also Jake Roberts redemption story. Raw is on a roll tonight.

Jake Roberts joins the broadcast booth as we head to our second match of the night. Skip from the Body Donnas squares off against The Wildman Mark Mero, with Sunny, in the final first round match of the King of the Ring tournament. Before Mero makes his entrance we cut to an interview with JR and Yokozuna. Yoku seems upset that he lost to Owen Hart and that he isn't himself. He tells us he needs to go for a while to find himself. The match starts at a uptempo pace with a lot of back and forth action before Skip takes control. We head to a commercial break with a really fun match taking place. Back from commercial and Skip is still in control as Mero is doing an excellent job of showing spurts of possibly coming back only to be cut down by skip again. The crowd and Sable get behind Mero as he delivers a flurry of offense. Skip ducks a cross body attempt that sends Mero crashing to the floor. Skip goes for a slingshot cross body over the top rope and misses crashing to the floor. This opens the door for Mero who hits a slingshot 360 to skip on the floor. Mero rolls Skip back into the ring and hits a slingshot body press for two. A top rope frankenstiener for the three count and Mero advances. 3 Stars Great in ring product, announcers focused on the action in the ring with very minimal discussion about politics and outside story lines and Jake Roberts doing what he could to keep focus on the ring and not on himself. What an excellent match. It loses a quarter star for the commercial break mid match but the performance by the two involved especially the way Skip interacted with the crowd keeps this a must watch.

Back from commercial we find Vince and Lawler in the ring to introduce the Ultimate Warrior. Jerry lets the Warrior know how hard it is to be a king and he presents the portrait to Warrior as a peace offering so they can cancel the upcoming match at the King of the Ring. A really confusing answer by the Warrior where he talks about kings and warriors and how he is going to kick Jerry's ass at the King of the Ring. Warrior turns his back on the King and gets the portrait smashed over the back of his head. Warrior chases the King to the back. 1 Star Lawler had some good slimy heel work but Warrior made this unwatchable.

British Bulldog vs the Undertaker is up next. A video package recapping the match from Beware of Dog where the double pin is causing the rematch at the King of the Ring against Shawn Michaels. As the Undertaker comes to the ring we see a replay of his interaction with Mankind at Beware of Dog and set up his match against Mankind at King of the Ring. As the two get prepared in the ring we catch up with Shawn Michaels who is hanging out in the back. Jim Cornette grabs a mic and asks Michaels about how he is favored by Gorilla Monson. Cornette lets us know that as compensation for the Clarence Mason lawsuit Cornette and Mason get to pick the special guest referee. Finally the bell rings and we are underway with the main event. Almost 3 minutes into the match before we have our first wrestling move which was a suplex by the Bulldog. A powerslam on the undertaker gets a two count and we head to commercial break. Back from break with Bulldog wearing out the Undertaker with a chin lock. We continue with the hard hits and lack of wrestling moves. Undertaker gets counted out and the Bulldog wins the match because Mankind was under the ring holding on to Undertaker's leg preventing him from getting back in the ring. Bulldog and Mankind team up to beat down the Undertaker as Jim Cornette calls back his guys leaving Mankind and the Undertaker alone in the ring. A pile driver from Mankind and security rushing the ring is how we end tonight's broadcast. 1.5 star match and 3 Stars for the overall production. The match itself was nothing special and at times boring with a commercial break in the middle. The announcers spent more time talking about Shawn Michaels and his special guest referee than what was happening in the ring. But in there defense outside of a lot of punches and kicks....not much happened in the ring. The appearance by Mankind help send this show home on a high note.

All in all this was an excellent production put on by the WWE. The focus was clearly in the ring and progressing as many story lines as possible. We also got some under used talent the spotlight. So far this has been my absolute favorite show from all three promotions starting off what is now our third week of reviews. 4 Stars

Make sure you check out our show, Kingdom of Honor, for the latest in wrestling talk every Monday night on Lords of Pain Radio and find our archived shows with a lot of never before heard content on our Patreon page here. Also please leave a comment with your thoughts below or send your feedback to us directly at Kingdomofhonor123@gmail.com

Monday Night Wars from a fans perspective - ECW week of 6/3/1996

This is my continued look into the most profitable era in wrestling history for an extensive breakdown of what I am doing click here.

ECW: HARDCORE TV

Joey Styles welcomes us to the show and introduces Stevie Richards with the world champ Raven to the ring for a quick promo. Stevie announces he has found the skankiest most vile woman around and calls Divine Brown to the ring. Raven declares she hasn't been with enough people yet and leaves the ring. Intro rolls and we cut to Styles who announces what is coming up in tonight's show. He plugs the heat between RVD and Tazz before a commercial break. .5 Stars I am really not sure what I just saw but seems about what I would expect from someone that just had Beulah and Kimona turn on him.

After the Break we get a "shoot fight" between Jason Helton and Tazz. Helton gets choked out by the Tazzmission in just over two minutes while Alfonso blows that damn whistle nonstop. Tazz grabs the mic after the match and tells the fans he hates all of them and that he and Bill Alfonso can't find anyone to give him a real fight. Joey Styles enters the ring to let us know that Paul Varelans from the UFC has accepted the challenge. After Tazz says he will stretch Varelans out. Paul jumps the barricade and gets stopped by a guy that looks an awful like carrot top. Tazz continues to taunt Varelans as the 100 pound security guards keep him at bay and ushers him out of the arena. Varelans charges the ring a few times while Tazz verbally abuses him. We cut to commercial with Tazz still yelling at the camera. 3 Stars  Tazz is one of the best wrestlers on the planet and here he showed his underrated mic skills as he drew amazing heat from the crowd and brought a ton of interest in a fight between him and Paul Varelans. I can't wait for that confrontation.

Joey Styles hypes up the match between Tazz and Varelans before we head to the ring for our feature match. Tommy Dreamer and the Pitbulls square off against Raven and his triangle of terror, the Bruise Brothers and Primetime Brian Lee, in a 6 man tag team elimination falls count anywhere match. The match starts while Styles is talking and we join the match as Pitbull #2 gets thrown through a table. Pitbull # 1 is the first elimination as the violence continues. Tommy dreamer gets two female fans to make out and Raven jumps him from behind. Lee makes his way to the top of the stage as the Bruise Brothers set up multiple tables next to it. Tommy gets choke slammed through the table stack as we cut to commercial. Dreamer miraculously recovers as the fans help him back to the ring. He hits a DDT, on one of the Bruise Brothers ringside, for the three count and we are suddenly in a two on two match. Lee gets set up on the table so the remaining Pitbull can power bomb Tommy off the top rope. The remaining Bruise Brother help Lee escape and Tommy goes through the table. Lee covers him for the count and Tommy is eliminated. Brian Lee sets up a chair behind the remaining PitBull so the remaining Bruise Brother can super kick him. The Pitbull ducks and Brian Lee takes the chair shot. Quick cover by the Pitbull and it is now a one on one match. Dreamer hits the remaining Bruise Brother with a DDT and Pitbull 2 gets the pin to become the soul survivor. Brian Lee puts the boots to Pitbull as Raven enters to declare that the title shot down the line is down the line right now. 4 Stars. I don't normally say this about matches that have 4 moves and a lot of chaos but this was really good.

Raven vs Pitbull #2 is happening now as Brian Lee and Raven stomp a helpless Pitbull in the ropes. Raven hits a pile driver on the table and Raven gets a count of two before the kick out. Pitbull mounts a comeback and opens up Raven with some closed fists.Raven hits a drop kick into a chair on a diving Pitbull then a DDT on to a chair. Raven kicks him in the back of the head and the world champ retains his title. 2 Stars 

After the match we cut to Brian Lee discussing the choke slam and a hyping of tonight's matches by Joey Styles. He mocks Raw and Nitro while pumping up the fact that Brian Pillman will be here next week. We also get a rematch between the Dudley's and FBI announced for next week. Sabu is going one on one with Mickey Whipwreck and more news is coming about Hardcore Heaven 1996. We also are going to get an update on Tazz vs Paul Varelans. 5 Stars

This was hands down the best show of the week. While Raw and Nitro sent the same old same old, ECW brought something fresh and original. I really loved the hype for next week as well. This entire show was an easy 3 stars.

For those of you keeping track at home... the overall score on wins of the week is WCW with 1, WWE with 0, and ECW with 1. I can't wait to see who wins the crown from a fans perspective next week.

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