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Bill Barnwell

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Well, I guess this is a return for me. I enjoyed recapping ECW on TNN for a while, but eventually, I didn't like the product, ECW on TNN has become a boring, clichéd show. I thought for about 30 seconds, and I realized that I should take a look back and review the "glory days" of ECW that everyone speaks of: 1995. This was the year of ECW.

1995. What a year. The WWF was still in denial, trying to give Mabel a main event push, but not realizing that everyone wanted what that HBK guy was doing. WCW was pre-NWO, but they still had all the WWF old guard; Hulk Hogan, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, the Honky Tonk Man, etc; all these guys were WCW stars. On the East Coast, however, a promotion brewed that wasn't pushing old, fat guys to the moon; instead, the product featured intense brawls and actual wrestling. While the other two promotions were child-friendly, this product was focused to adults; specifically, the cynical adults of one Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The famous fans who would boo babyfaces like there was no tomorrow, and pop for heels. The same fans who, four years later, would cheer as a near-crippled Michael Irvin was stretchered out of Veterans Stadium. This, readers, was the crowd that filled the ECW Arena in 1995. 

Now, let's go over the cast of characters going into 1995:

  • Shane Douglas - Shane Douglas is the ECW World Heavyweight champion who, in a NWA Title Tournament in 1994, won, only to throw the NWA Title, a title with 85+ years history, onto the ground. He followed that by creating the "Extreme Championship Wrestling" World Heavyweight Title, and changing what was a Philadelphia indy, Eastern Championship Wrestling, into what we know today as ECW. Douglas is a tweener here, he doesn't really act like a heel, but the way he carries himself is heel-like.
  • Paul E. Dangerously - I don't believe he owned ECW yet, but he was booking. He managed Sabu, Tasmaniac, and 911. Paul E. is a babyface.
  • Sabu - This is the Sabu that marks read about in PWI; the underground, insane wrestler who would do moonsaults through tables out of spite. Despite the fact that he hasn't said a word on ECW Television, and wouldn't do so until 1999, Sabu is the most popular babyface in the federation. He primarily wrestles tag matches, along with his tag team partner,
  • Tasmaniac - Yes, Tasmaniac was Sabu's partner in 1995. Their breakup (which will be covered later) lead to the whole Taz/Sabu feud in 1997. Tasmaniac is commonly referred to as "Taz" by Joey Styles and Paul E., but the official name is Tasmaniac. Unlike today's Taz, Tasmaniac didn't wear a towel over his head; instead, he wore a usually maroon singlet, and he had dreadlocks. No joking. When I get a Snappy to scan digital pictures in, this will be the first thing I scan in.
  • 911 - 911 was probably the 2nd most over guy in the Federation, after Sabu. He is a major babyface, who chokeslams everyone from referees to jobbers. That's all he does.
  • The Sandman - The Sandman is accompanied to the ring by Woman, who eventually gains even more fame by dumping Kevin Sullivan for Chris Benoit (we'll get to him later). She carries the Sandman's cane, as well as being his beer and cig supplier. The Sandman is freshly turned to his famous gimmick. He, however, is a heel when we start off, being in a feud with babyface
  • Cactus Jack - Mick Foley is currently feuding with the Sandman and Woman, who was the wife of Cactus' partner in WCW, the aforementioned Kevin Sullivan. I don't think he needs more explanation.
  • Tommy Dreamer - Dreamer in 1994 was a hated babyface rookie. In 1996, he was a hardcore hero. 1995 is the year he goes from the former to the latter. How does he do it? His feud with a certain guy who wasn't even around when '95 started.
  • Dean Malenko - Malenko in 1994 worked with his brother, Joe Malenko, in the ECW tag division. He also had a feud with Tasmaniac, which included the most gracious thing I've ever seen anyone do in wrestling. Malenko hit a Tiger Driver (double underhook powerbomb into a sitting position), then after, rolls backwards on his head into a standing position. When I first saw it, I think I rewinded it 80 times. 
  • Chris Benoit - Chris showed up late in 1994, and subsequently broke Sabu's neck in the now infamous fashion shown on Extreme Warfare: Volume II. ECW took advantage of this and booked it into angles, as you'll see. 
  • Public Enemy - If this was the year of ECW, then this was the year of Public Enemy, because the Public Enemy were everything ECW represented; heels in 1994, who became huge babyfaces in 1995 because of their street attitude. They have just finished a feud with the Funk Brothers which ended with a barbed wire match, won by PE. They are now moving onto Sabu & Taz.
  • Ron Simmons - The ex-WCW champ was in ECW for a little while, on his way to the WWF, where he'd become Faarooq. He was booked as a babyface in ECW, but came off as a cheesy All-American (which is exactly what he was billed as), meaning he became a heel.
  • 2 Cold Scorpio - Scorpio was mainly wrestling in the undercard; his glory days would not be seen until May or so.
  • Mikey Whipwreck - A ECW standard; Whipwreck was a student of Cactus Jack, who would get his ass kicked regularly and get no offense in; in fact, when he got his first offensive move in against Mike Awesome (who toured with ECW in 1994), it received an "Oh My God" from Joey Styles; a rare one, as Joey didn't make this his catchphrase until the middle of '95. 
  • Steve Richards - Yes, he wasn't yet Stevie, and he wasn't yet funny. An undercard worker until he got teamed up with, well, we'll get to it. A major heel.
  • Jason - Jason wasn't just a mouthpiece and bump for Justin Credible in 1995; he was a GREAT heel manager, who managed the Pitbulls when 1995 rolled around. He was also known to wrestle a little bit.
  • The Pitbulls - Speaking of the Pitbulls, they were a tweener team booked as heels. God knows why they got over, but they did.
  • Axl and Ian Rotten - They were a tag team who also competed in ECW in 1994. They generally got very little reaction.
  • J.T. Smith - The future originator of the FBI was a former star of ECW who, because of injuries (most of which inflicted while trying to be "hardcore"), was a jobber at the time. The original recipient of "You Fucked Up".
  • Tommy Cairo - Cairo was in the main events in 1994, but only wrestles once in ECW in 1995. He is managed by a slutty-looking bitch in a wedding dress who's called the "Virgin Princess Angel". Don't worry, neither of them last long.

That's basically it; anyone not mentioned either wasn't here yet (Raven, Eddy Guerrero), or I'm forgetting. I plan on reviewing shows when I get a chance to; in fact, I have the first show report written out, just need to type it. Expect it tomorrow. 

Bill Barnwell
Blitz Sports

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