Ryan's Dive into '95 - Part 34 (8/20 - 8/26)
The King of the Deathmatch is crowned, Eddy Guerrero and Dean Malenko bid adieu to ECW in a 2-out-of-3 falls match, Davey Boy breaks bad, Michinoku Pro and PWFG bring the awesome, and much more!
If you haven’t read it already, please check out my introductory article that explains what this series is all about. As a reminder, footage is sourced from the Goodhelmet 1995 Yearbook, unless otherwise stated.
How ya now?
It’s gonna be a longer issue this go-round. A good chunk of our content this week will come from smaller Japanese promotions. We’ll have the gigantic IWA Japan Kawasaki Stadium show with the legendary King of the Deathmatch tournament. Plus, PWFG and Michinoku Pro each contribute a match, we get a heel turn in the WWF, and we end things off with Eddy Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko in a two-out-of-three falls match.
Well…
AUGUST 20th
IWA Japan Kawasaki Dream - We now come to the most famous and successful show IWA Japan ever produced as Kawasaki Dream drew a staggering 28,757 fans to Kawasaki Stadium. The crown jewel of the show was the King of the Deathmatch tournament, an 8-man single-elimination tourney featuring several different types of deathmatches. If I remember correctly, this was the first tournament of its kind. If I’m wrong, feel free to correct me.
These types of ultraviolent spectacles were a pretty big ticket in Japan back in the day. Smaller outfits like IWA Japan and FMW were able to lure huge crowds into baseball stadiums with the promise of some dudes getting lacerated, burned, and blown up.
Back in the day, this was a HOT commodity among tape traders. Hell, the first time I was able to order tapes from GoldenBoyTapes (now THERE’s someone I haven’t thought about in years), I got this show, along with some J-Cups, Michinoku Pro and Mid-South compilations, DDT Royal Rumble, and several best-of collections for guys like Ricky Steamboat, Dynamite Kid, and Nathan Jones.
Here's how the tournament played out:
QUARTERFINALS:
Tiger Jeet Singh defeated Mr. Gannosuke in a Barbed Wire Board and Chain match.
Mr. Gannosuke is between FMW stints here as he (and Tarzan Goto) left that company earlier in the year due to differences with Atsushi Onita. He’d return in 1997 to feud extensively with Hayabusa.
Terry Funk beat AEW sensation Leatherface in another Barbed Wire Board and Chain match.
Cactus Jack pinned Terry Gordy in a Barbed Wire Baseball Bat and Thumbtacks match.
Jack specifically instructed Gordy to hit him really hard during this one.
Shoji Nakamaki defeated Hiroshi Ono in a second Barbed Wire Baseball Bat and Thumbtacks match.
SEMIFINALS:
Terry Funk defeated Tiger Jeet Singh in a Barbed Wire Board and Glass match.
Cactus Jack got past Shoji Nakamaki in a Barbed Wire Board and Spike Nail match.
King of the Deathmatch Finals, Barbed Wire Rope, Exploding Barbed Wire Boards and Exploding Ring Time Bomb Deathmatch: Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk - For the finals of the tournament, IWA considerably ups the sadism with exploding barbed wire boards and the promise of the ring blowing up after 10 minutes. Both guys are looking pretty rough after two prior rounds of deathmatchery, especially The Funker.
Both guys open by trading punches and teasing some trips into the wire. Jack eventually grinds Funk's face into the wire, then Funk returns fire by backing Jack into the barbed wire ropes. Foley soon knocks Funk onto one of the exploding boards! Funk had actually asked for extra C4 explosives after seeing a demo of the boards earlier in the day. I’m willing to bet he regretted that one as he landed flat on the board and ended up badly burning his arm.
Funk barely kicks out at two, then Jack abuses Funk further with the wire. Funk comes back with a butterfly suplex and runs Cactus into the wire. Jack is then hiptossed onto the exploding boards and piledriven a couple of times. Jack eats a barbed wire board in the corner, then we brawl on the outside for a bit. Jack whacks Terry with the barbed wire spool, then elbows a barbed wire board onto a prone Funk! They head back into the ring and Funk hammers away at Jack.
Funk grabs a spinning toe hold, but Tiger Jeet Singh runs in and clubs away at Terry with the hilt of his sword. Tiger and Cactus run Funk into another exploding board, then Jack hits a neckbreaker and some double-arm DDTs. We're seconds away from the time bomb going off! Jack exits the ring, leaving only Funk in there! THE TIMER REACHES ZERO, AND…the explosion was a big ol’ dud.
The fans are NOT happy with that one. Even Funk was like:
Left to salvage the match after the lackluster explosion, Jack gets back-suplexed onto an exploding board (which ended up burning him AND Funk), then heads out to grab a ladder. Funk tastes the steel!
Jack then suplexes the ladder onto Funk's knees. Cactus ascends the ladder and drops a big elbow on Funk, but he kicks out! Jack climbs back up, but Funk knocks him off and into the barbed wire! However, Funk used up all his strength and collapses, so Jack crawls over and pins Terry for three.
Cactus is presented with a trophy he'll never see again and tries to shake Funk's hand, but Terry is quickly helped away from the arena by the young boys.
*** - I'm very mixed on this one. It wasn't nearly as good as their January match as that one seemed to have better structure and intensity. Plus, the interference from Tiger Jeet Singh and the AEW Revolution 2021-esque non-explosion take a lot away here. I’d normally be down about the finish, but with Funk being in too much pain to continue, I completely understand why it ended how it did.
However, I’ll still give this one a good rating because it did deliver on most of the spectacle, it was appropriately violent, and the effort from both guys has to be commended. Cactus and Terry had to be drained from wrestling two other deathmatches each earlier in the night, and they still managed a fun brawl. They left a lot of flesh and blood in Kawasaki that night.
Backstage, Jack cuts an impassioned promo about what facing and beating Terry Funk meant to him. Tiger Jeet Singh is also there.
Funk walks out of the arena and into an ambulance. The fans give him the hero’s treatment AS THEY SHOULD.
There were also several non-tournament matches:
Keisuke Yamada & Keizo Matsuda defeated Yoshihiro Tajiri & Taisuke Tagami in a dark match.
Yes, that is indeed ECW and WWE’s Tajiri cutting his teeth as a pro wrestler.
Keisuke Yamada would have some mild fame as Osaka Pro’s Black Buffalo.
Keizo Matsuda would have his own bit of mild infamy as Fake HG in HUSTLE.
Kiyoko Ichiki defeated Emi Motokawa in another pre-show dark match.
Motokawa is better known these days as AEW’s Emi Sakura. An 18-year old rookie, Emi just had her first match three days prior to this show.
Takashi Okano beat Flying Kid Ichihara (c) to win the WWA International Light Heavyweight Championship.
Okano would be later known as The Winger, working extensively with Big Japan and FREEDOMS. He would win tag team gold with The Dokken. OK, I made that last part up.
Ichihara would be later known as Ebessan in Osaka Pro (well, after the original guy, who currently wrestles as Kikutaro, left the promotion).
In what sounds like a Top Gun dogfight on paper, Iceman defeated Kamikaze.
The Headhunters defeated Los Cowboys (El Texano & Silver King) (c) to win the IWA World Tag Team Championship.
Dan Severn (c) defeated Tarzan Goto via TKO after a chokehold to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
This match was an AMAZING trainwreck. It was an incredibly weird clash of styles, and Severn goes absolutely apeshit at one point, throwing chairs into the ring and screaming “GOTO!”. They then have a ridiculous chair battle in the ring. It’s worth seeking out. I considered doing a full review of it, but the article’s already going to be quite long, so I opted not to.
This show garnered a lot of praise back in the day and Mick Foley’s first book, “Have a Nice Day”, gave it a certain level of notoriety. However, a lot of it doesn’t really hold up in 2023 eyes, and that’s perfectly fine. Wrestling is often a product of its time. It’s still a fun watch, but other matches and companies have outdone this show in terms of nuttiness and carnage, for better or worse. Definitely watch it out at least once, though, especially for the circus that was Severn vs. Goto, or if you’re a major Funk or Foley fan.
AUGUST 21st
WWF Monday Night RAW - We kick off our look at this week’s RAW with…another goddamn edition of The Report Card. Dean Douglas is in a video control room this time, but he still has a blackboard. The word of the week is “Dominate”.
He lavishes praise on Men on a Mission, particularly Mabel. We see footage of Mabel beating the poo out of a jobber, and Dean claims he is READY for WWF Champion Diesel at Summerslam. Douglas awards him a grade of “NC”, which stands for “New Champion”. CLASS DISMISSED HA HA.
We now cut to Goldust in front of a green screen displaying the Hollywood sign. He directs his attention to Shawn Michaels, promising a permanent vacancy at the Heartbreak Hotel.
He caps things off with a “hasta la vista, baby”, because MOVIES.
We now cut to Vince McMahon. He brings Diesel to the ring for a likely insipid chat.
Vince asks basic questions about Mabel, and Diesel gives generic-ass babyface answers. He says that he may not be able to Jackknife powerbomb Mabel…or maybe he can. Get real, dude.
After Summerslam, the WWF will still be running on DIESEL POWER!
The British Bulldog comes out now and wishes Diesel good luck. Men on a Mission had actually challenged the Allied Powers to a match earlier in the show, but as Lex Luger is in Atlanta with a “medical emergency”, Davey Boy asks Diesel to be his partner. Big Daddy Cool accepts and the match is on!
Diesel & The British Bulldog vs. Men on a Mission - We didn’t get much in the way of build towards the Summerslam main event title match during this series because, well, why the fuck would we? It’s Diesel vs. Mabel!
Diesel and Mo start off, but Large Father Frigid wants Mabel. No dice, so Diesel beats the crap out of Mo. Big boot from Diesel as Bulldog is REALLY hamming it up in the corner. Mabel comes in to face Diesel…but Bulldog clotheslines Diesel from behind and Mabel catches him with a Bossman slam! Bulldog’s friendship was a RUSE! King Mabel holds Diesel in place for some slaps from Davey Boy!
Jim Cornette comes out and celebrates, pretty much confirming Bulldog as his new charge. Diesel fights back, but Bulldog powerslams him and Mabel hits the splash. Mabel puts on the crown, grabs the title, and legdrops Diesel!
As much as I rightfully crap all over this program being the top match of a Big Five PPV, this was actually a pretty solid segment. The beatdown from Mabel was good (wearing the crown and the title while kicking Diesel's ass is amazingly disrespectful), and the Bulldog turn was effective.
The Allied Powers weren't going anywhere (especially with Luger soon to be gone), so turning Davey Boy gives him something to do. It also freshens up his character, balances the heel/face rosters a bit, and sets up another challenger for Diesel down the line (though that match did end up sucking ass).
The Bulldog turn had actually started at an MSG house show on August 12th. Davey Boy had walked out on Lex Luger during a tag match, but the canon turn was here. Bulldog would continue to walk out on Lex during house show tag matches, but they never did a breakup on TV. It definitely shows that Luger wasn’t exactly in The Fed’s long-term plans at this point.
AUGUST 22nd
ECW Hardcore TV - We start our ECW coverage with a match from Wrestlepalooza. I covered this show in Part 31, so the events shouldn’t come as a shock.
Singapore Cane Match: Mikey Whipwreck vs. The Sandman - Sandy's ECW title is NOT on the line here. This is a rematch from an episode of Hardcore TV a few weeks prior. The angle at the end of THAT one got ECW kicked off of the Sunshine Network. As with the earlier match, the loser receives ten whacks with the cane.
Mikey starts off hot with some flying moves, including a twisting senton to the floor! We clip to Sandman beating down Mikey for a bit. Sandy looks especially drunk as shit.
Mikey gets another ‘rana and a dropkick, then we clip to him braining Sandman on the floor a few times with a chair. Back in, Mikey hits a crossbody for the pin! Joey Styles and the fans go APESHIT. The match was clipped like crazy, but what was shown was pretty fun. It was nice to at least see Mikey get one up on The Sandman…for now.
Sandman initially refuses to take the blows, but the referee tells Sandy that he will be stripped of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship if he does not uphold his end of the deal. Woman tells Sandman to take his punishment despite him begging and pleading her and Mikey to not go through with it. Whipwreck gives him a good wallop to start.
Sandman takes off his shirt, and Woman approves. I do not. Mikey pummels him with the cane until Woman pulls him away. Mikey grabs Woman and KISSES HER!
We cut to Sandman absolutely bodying Whipwreck with the cane as Woman, like last time, moans with pleasure. Good lord. The ref threatens to take the title away from Sandman if he hits Mikey one more time, prompting Woman to snatch the cane from Sandman. The footage ends before The Public Enemy come out to confront The Sandman.
AUGUST 25th
Michinoku Pro Fukumen World League, Night 28 - We come back to M-Pro for the first time in quite a while with the finals of the 1st Fukumen World League tournament. The initial iteration was a round-robin tournament featuring 10 masked competitors in a single block.
The final block standings:
1. The Great Sasuke & Dos Caras (14 points)
3. Super Delfin (12 points)
4. The Convict (Super Boy, not Nailz) (10 points)
5. The King's Cross, The Bandit, Gran Sheik (who wrestled as Ari Romero, El Gato, and…fuck, Ku Klux Klan III) & Mongolian Yuga (FUNAKI!) (8 points)
9. Gorgon Cross & Gran Naniwa (4 points)
The two last-place finishers, Gran Naniwa and Gorgon Cross, were forced to face off in a mask vs. mask match on this show. Naniwa won and Cross unmasked to reveal…Jerry Lynn!
1st Fukumen World League Finals: Great Sasuke vs. Dos Caras - Great Sasuke is excellent, as many of you likely know. Dos Caras is a legendary luchador that may be familiar to some who have seen Super J-Cup 1995 as he had a couple of fun matches there. His matwork is awesome. Not awesome is his garbage heap of a son, Alberto Del Rio.
Hey, it’s the SEXY ring apron!
We get some posturing from Caras to start, then an exchange of flying moves (Caras with a cross chop, Sasuke with a spinning heel kick). We now get some really cool, clever matwork with Sasuke working the arm and leg and Caras tying Sasuke up like a pretzel with moves I could spend all day trying to describe.
Caras gets what looks like a hands-free Sharpshooter. That's awesome. Daniel Garcia should crib that.
Caras then applies a Romero Special, but Sasuke escapes the ring. Back in, Caras continues to dominate until Sasuke gets the tiger wall flip, then he takes over on the mat. Sasuke deftly works a camel clutch into a jujigatame, but Caras escapes and regains the advantage with a nastier version of the Romero Special. Sasuke escapes and again works the arm, but Caras works out of it and hits a flapjack. Another one is countered with a dropkick. Sasuke slows things down with a chinlock.
Sasuke transitions back to the arm, but again Caras gets out of it. Cross bodyblock earns two as Sasuke bails. Back in, Sasuke hits a vertical suplex, then transitions into a keylock, but Dos Caras manages to turn that into a headscissors. The slick matwork continues until Caras hits a back suplex for two. Caras soon manages a dropkick after ducking a spinning heel kick, then hits a plancha to the outside.
Back in, Caras gets a quebradora for two, but Sasuke rolls through a crossbody for another two. Sasuke dispatches Caras to the outside with a dropkick and follows with his beautiful Asai moonsault. Back in, Sasuke hits a springboard dropkick, then a quebrada! Bridging roll-up gets two! Sasuke struggles with a powerbomb and is back body-dropped for his troubles. Caras soon gets a tope suicida! They keep pulling each other away from the apron, so Sasuke spinkicks Caras right in the mush.
Sasuke jumps back in and it's SASUKE SPECIAL TIME! Sasuke goes back in and tries a plancha, but Dos Caras moves! Sasuke goes splat on the floor! Caras clotheslines Sasuke off the apron, then soon POWERBOMBS HIM OFF THE APRON TO THE FLOOR! GOOD GRIEF! The floor pretty much has zero padding. Back in, Caras hits a folding powerbomb, then a sitdown powerbomb for the win!
****1/4 - Excellent stuff here; a potent blend of creative mat work and tremendous high flying with an absolutely killer finishing stretch. Dos Caras was 44 years old at this point, but he still flew around like someone half his age, and he was a great base for Sasuke's stuff. Sasuke brought his typically graceful high-flying and took some ridiculous bumps, especially that powerbomb to the floor. He also held his own on the mat, though that was still very much Caras’ domain. Definitely watch this one.
AUGUST 26th
PWFG - Continuing on with the Michinoku Pro theme, we get one of that company's bright young stars taking on PWFG’s legendary namesake on Pro-Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi’s TV show.
Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. TAKA Michinoku - This seems like such a gigantic mismatch on paper considering the size, age, experience, and style differences between these guys. TAKA is a mere 21 years old at this point and is just under three years in the business. Fujiwara had socks older than TAKA.
We start with some graps, with Michinoku getting a surprising upper hand with a headlock until Fujiwara coldly drops him on the back of his neck. In the corner, Fujiwara slaps TAKA in the face, then works a side headlock out of a knucklelock. TAKA backs Fujiwara into the ropes and SLAPS HIM. Oh, dear. Snapmare, short dropkick, and rear naked choke follows.
Fujiwara snags an anklelock out of that predicament, causing TAKA to scurry to the ropes. Fujiwara gets a headbutt out of a knucklelock, but TAKA blocks another one, hits a forearm, and applies a rolling leglock. Fujiwara counters into one of his own, and TAKA again has to seek sanctuary in the ropes. TAKA tries to work the arm, but Fujiwara again wrecks him on the mat. The sound on this footage is super-tinny and there’s no commentary, so it sounds like robots humping.
TAKA works to escape and tries to go after the arm again. Fujiwara picks TAKA up and slams him down with disdain in his soul.
TAKA fights back with a dropkick to send the boss reeling. Michinoku rams Fujiwara into the turnbuckle, but Fujiwara no-sells it and ADJUSTS HIS SOCKS to a big pop. That's generational levels of disrespect. Fujiwara tries for a Him Armbar (a Fujiwara armbar, but I wanted to get cute with the name), but TAKA rolls through and grabs a rear naked choke! Fujiwara hardly seems bothered while TAKA smacks and kicks away at him. Fujiwara calmly catches a kick and applies an anklelock, but TAKA makes the ropes.
Back up, Fujiwara headbutts TAKA, but he’s TAKA-ING UP!
Another headbutt puts him down, and Fujiwara goes for an armbar, but TAKA grabs a leglock. Again, Fujiwara snatches an anklelock out of it, and TAKA escapes again via the ropes. TAKA tries fighting back…and he's got Fujiwara on the ropes! A dropkick knocks Fuj on his ass! TAKA goes for an armbar, but Fujiwara counters into a guillotine choke. TAKA gets to the ropes to break.
TAKA grabs a legbar, but Fujiwara naturally grabs another anklelock. Fujiwara then works into a NASTY crossface chicken wing. TAKA is forced to tap! Fujiwara take his time letting go of the hold, as if wanting to teach the impetuous youth a lesson.
***1/2 - This should not have worked as well as it did, but this was a ton of fun. TAKA was completely out of his depth, but he did a great job stepping up to Fujiwara. It was a terrific underdog performance. Fujiwara was at first nonplussed about TAKA, treating him with the utmost disrespect, but TAKA’s late comeback had him reeling. It was satisfying seeing TAKA’s offense finally have an impact on Fujiwara.
This was far more on the pro-wrestling spectrum than the worked shoot-style that PWFG partook in, but it all worked. The mat stuff and countering were very slick and quite engaging.
USWA Championship Wrestling - We’re walkin’ in Memphis this week with arena clips of Bill Dundee vs. Buddy Landel in a Loser Leaves Town match. They punch the crap out of each other and the ref gets bumped. I know, I'm shocked, too. Landel socks Dundee with a chain (take a drink) and goes for the pin, but referee Kevin Christian calls for the bell and raises Landel's hand!
Frank Morell comes in and explains what went down to the ref, and he reverses the decision! Dundee wins, so Landel has to leave the USWA! Morell and Dundee beat the crap out of Budro to see him off.
SMW Commissioner Bob Armstrong comes out to the studio to protest what happened and insists Randy Hales reinstate Buddy. He then calls Bill Dundee a “yes man” for Hales and Jerry Jarrett. “If Hales made a sudden stop, Dundee would break his nose in about five places”. Fucking savage, dude.
Dundee comes out for his retort.
Armstrong then TURNS HIS CAP BACKWARDS (“this is my talkin’ cap!”) and again argues Landel's case.
Dundee is spoiling for a fight and grabs at Bob’s tie, but it’s a goddamn CLIP-ON! Tremendous! “Keep your hands off my commissioner's tie!”. Brian Jesse James comes out and attacks Dundee to defend his dad's honor. He locks on the shini no make (fancy-speak for the Cobra Clutch)!
PG-13 comes to the rescue and sends the Armstrongs scurrying. Heel commissioner Bob Armstrong was hilarious here. He was not afraid of looking like a complete doofus, and the bits with the hat and the tie were great. In actuality, though, the USWA/SMW feud was starting to wind down, so we’ll have to enjoy it while we still can.
WCW Saturday Night - On The Mothership this week, we sit down for a PERSONAL conversation with Arn Anderson.
He's always been there for Ric Flair, but he started to feel used and underappreciated. We get a clip of Arn refusing to help Flair cheat in match against Alex Wright and Flair offering to teach Arn a “wrestling lesson” as a result. Arn expects his match with Flair at Fall Brawl to be the fight of the decade. He pledges to leave the match with either Flair’s respect or his backside in his pocket. Great promo from Arn here to add to the intrigue of the upcoming match.
Mean Gene then brings out Ric Flair himself for his side of things.
He says that the match with Vader at Starrcade ‘93 was the biggest night of his life…until Fall Brawl. Ric recounts his history with his best friend, namedropping the other Horsemen but saying that Arn is the one constant. Is Double A truly on Flair’s level? Flair knows, but Arn does not.
Both guys dropped stellar promos this week. I’m actually looking forward to revisiting that match when we get to it. It’s nice to have a more realistic, relatable storyline like this; a nice contrast to the cartoony Dungeon of Doom stuff.
ECW Arena Show - This match was taped at a live event and broadcast on the 8/29 episode of Hardcore TV, but we'll take a look at ‘er now!
2-out-of-3 Falls: Eddy Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko - Surprisingly, this isn't for the ECW World Television title as 2 Cold Scorpio won it back the night before. This would actually be the last ECW match for both guys as they were due in WCW in a few days. They have Joey Styles giving extra-elaborate ring announcements here, even shaking hands with each competitor. The fans are AMPED for this one.
A dude in the front row has a sign saying “91 Days and Counting”, referencing the 90-day deals Guerrero, Malenko, and Chris Benoit have with WCW. Yeeaahhhh…
Another sign refers to Malenko as “The REAL Dean”.
FIRST FALL: It’s so weird not typing that in Spanish. Code of Honor is upheld, and we get some of the requisite crisp chain wrestling as the crowd chants “PLEASE DON’T GO!”. Dean neck-bridging to counter a crucifix roll-up is awesome. Malenko picks the leg, but Guerrero counters out of it and works an armbar.
Back up, we get a dizzying exchange of high flying techniques that end with a rebound bulldog takeover from Eddy (kind of), then Guerrero hits a ropewalk armdrag to rapturous applause. Eddy lands a uranage and a nice floatover fisherman's suplex for two. We hit the figure four headscissors, but Dean eventually works out of it and snags a Muta Lock/bow and arrow type-hold for a two-count.
Malenko then transitions into an STF, but Eddy escapes via the ropes as the crowd sings some tawdry stuff about Eric Bischoff to the tune of “Camptown Races”. Both guys boot each other in the face, then Guerrero gently sends Dean to the floor. Back in, Eddy works over Malenko before hitting an overhead belly-to-belly and an enzuigiri. Guerrero nails a superplex for a close two, then hits a quebradora. Malenko gets a backslide, but Guerrero gets a roll-up for three and the first fall (though it looked a bit like Malenko's shoulder was up).
SECOND FALL: Malenko dropkicks the leg, but Eddy comes back immediately with a German suplex for two. Malenko goes right back to work on the leg. He soon counters an up-and-over into an Alabama slam, then locks in the Texas Cloverleaf, cranking it back for the tap and the second fall.
THIRD FALL: Guerrero walks around the ring to gather himself and alleviate the knee pain. Back in, Dean snaps off a brainbuster for two, then hits a leg lariat as Eddy powders. Malenko throws Guerrero back in and lays him out with a forearm, then hits the Tiger Driver for two! Guerrero soon gets a tornado DDT, but Malenko kicks out after a delayed cover. Eddy hits his own brainbuster and lands a frog splash for two! Eddy gets a hurricanrana for two, then Malenko intercepts Eddy's ascent up the ropes and puts him in an electric chair position, but that is turned into a sunset flip for two!
Dean flings Guerrero across the ring to block a tornado DDT attempt, then Malenko hits the gutbuster for two! Guerrero gets a front roll-up out of nowhere for two, then Malenko snares Eddy in a bridging roll-up. However, Eddy pins Dean’s arms down! The shoulders of BOTH guys are down, and the ref counts three! The third fall ends in a double-pin! WE HAVE A DRAW!
Shockingly, the Philly ECW fans do NOT shit all over that and gives both guys a standing ovation. Eddy addresses the fans, then Dean asks for the mic to the shock of everyone, including Joey. He had rarely, if ever, spoken in ECW. Dean admits he was skeptical of ECW at first because of the violent style, but he is happy to have earned the respect of the fans with his and Guerrero’s style of wrestling.
Paul Heyman, Tod Gordon, and several ECW babyfaces hoist the two on their shoulders as the crowd chants “E-C-W”.
**** - This was an absolute banger for both guys to go out on. Eddy and Dean simply went out there and had a great wrestling match for 20 minutes with fun matwork and a terrific finishing sequence. The atmosphere really lifted things up here as well. There were a couple of off-points here and there, and they didn't do a ton to differentiate this from some of their other matches, but it's Guerrero vs. Malenko. It's going to rule every time.
I'd normally not be into a double-pin to end a 2/3 Falls match, but it does tie into the story thread of both guys using flash pins to beat each other. They capped off their series by both getting flash-pinned at the same time. It also plays into the idea of both competitors being so evenly-matched during their rivalry.
Even with their stays being relatively short (especially Guerrero’s), they left an indelible mark on the promotion and helped turn ECW into a destination for good, solid WRESTLING. Losing the NJPW Three is going to be a huge hit to the overall match quality, though we'll soon see new talent pick-ups that will offset some of that deficit.
It's really interesting that, unlike a lot of ECW departures, the crowd and the company were not overly hostile to the outgoing talent here. Both wrestlers were treated like kings on their last night. It's probably because everyone thought that the WCW stints weren’t going to pan out due to the 90-day deals and possible lack of upward movement, so they would be back in a few months. History would say otherwise.
This was definitely a landmark week as we saw the King of the Death Match tournament and the final ECW match for Dean Malenko and Eddy Guerrero. You’d also want to seek out that Dos Caras vs. Great Sasuke match, and the PWFG match was quite fun. Premium graps.
NEXT TIME: It’s THE SUMMERSLAM! We’ll review some stuff from that, including a match that made the top ten matches of the year based on Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards voting. In fact, we’ll actually have TWO matches that made that top ten as we have a clash between Manami Toyota and Akira Hokuto! Plus, more Joshi action on top of that, plenty of vignettes, and another FMW match with Hayabusa!
Smell ya later!