Notorious ECW Matches
ECW is notorious for having some of the most violent matches in history. I mean the word “extreme” is in the name alone. There has been so many moments that just made you think that this person was going to die or that that person was surely going to the hospital once the night was done.
In my time of watching ECW, my jaw dropped every single time. The amount of brutality that these wrestlers put on their bodies through just for our entertainment was just mind-bottling.
One can imagine the effects these wrestlers are feeling today.
It seemed like every week or in every Pay-Per-View they somehow pushed the envelope further. Sadly, I can’t name all my favorite ECW matches because that would be an insanely long list. But, here are some of my most memorable ones.
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Shane Douglas Vs Chris Jericho Vs Scorpio Vs Pitbull #2 — Four Corner Match
It was not the first ever four corner match and it wasn’t the most violent match in ECW history. But it was one hell of an entertaining match. You had four of the most hungriest and most talented wrestlers competing in one match.
Chris Jericho was defending his TV Championship.
This was more of a Shane Douglas Vs Pitbull #2 match as prior to the match, Shane douglas broke Pitbull’s neck.
The one person who never gets credit where credit is due was Scorpio. The man was a sure loose cannon. He really put his body on the line every night in the ring. He did a lot of air maneuvers that only he could execute. Not to mention he had a certain swag to him when he made his way to the ring.
This match was unique and proved that these four future superstars had all the right things to become champions.
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Tommy Dreamer Vs Brian Lee — Scaffold Match
ECW being ECW would take an already dangerous concept and make it more dangerous and raise the stakes higher. Tommy Dreamer and Brian Lee had been going at it for a good minute before this match ended their rivalry.
The match was a simple concept on paper. There would be a scaffold structure hanging above the ring. The ring would then be covered in dozens of tables. The only way to win the match was to let someone fall onto the tables below.
Being that ECW didn’t have the biggest budget, or even a budget most of the times. When I looked at the scaffold it honestly looked like it wouldn’t hold a 73 pound child. It looked so sketchy. Which I guess was the beauty for them. They loved to make us feel like something bad was going to happen.
Both men fought on top of the structure for what felt like hours. They slowly moved around. With every step they took, the structure moved side-to-side. I for only was like OH MY GOD. They also seemed to lose balance every moment.
The final moments of the match saw Tommy Dreamer just drilling Brian Lee with multiple punches. Brian Lee hanged on by a thread as he was seconds from falling. With one final punch, Brian Lee descended onward to the tables below. The sound of his body hitting the tables was deafening.
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Sandman Vs Sabu — Stairway To Hell Match
You cannot make an ECW list without these two manics. Sandman and Sabu were the epitome of extreme wrestling. Sandman had the best entrance ever. He’d come out with a cigarette in mouth, can of beer in hand, and his trusted kendo stick. He’d chug his can of beer and smash the can onto his forehead, most of the times busting himself open before his match even started.
Then you have Sabu…what can’t be said about this man. This man has dozens of scars around his body from his extreme matches. Scars on his stomach from his barbed-wire wars with Cactus Jack in Japan. His body surely has seen years of in-ring abuse.
This match happened at House Party ’98. The match included a ladder, where the wrestler had to climb it to grab a ring of barbed-wire that hanged above the ring . After grabbing the babred-wire well…it was up to the wrestler to see how to use it…and man did they use it alright.
So many bad moments happened in the match. Sandman ended up slashing his forehead deeper and his face was a crimson mask. Most notably was the moment where Sabu smashed his jaw on the guarding rail. The man didn’t care, he didn’t give no F’s that he broke his jaw. He simply got some duct-tape and taped his jaw shut.
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Mike Awesome Vs Spike Dudley — Guilty As Charged
Mike Awesome was that outsider that everybody loved to see in ECW. The irny was that he was also a WCW wrestler, which at the time most fans were very territorial when it comes to which promotion you liked. So, with ECW fans being okay with a WCW wrestler on their turf it was pretty cool.
Little Spike Dudley I think is one of the unsung heroes of ECW. The guy put his body through hell, probably more than Sandman and Sabu and that’s a big stepping stone. He was one of the wrestlers who let you do whatever you wanted to him as long as it got a popped from the crowd.
Mike Awesome put Spike through a table with a powerbomb, he whacked him with dozens of chairs, Mike even threw Little Spike to the crowd.
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Raven and Cactus Jack Vs Tommy Dreamer And Terry Funk — November 2 Remember
Okay, we all know the 1992 Olympic basketball dream team that had almost every legend in basketball history, right? Well this was our dream team for wrestling fans.
These four men are what ECW was about. All four men were as violent as you can get, they were all willing to take insane blows to the heads, they were willing to bleed buckets for their art. This was a match made in heaven…or hardcore heave…I had to put in that pun.
Raven and Tommy Dreamer had a legendary feud during this time. Both men didn’t trust each other, and when one did the other would quickly turn his back.
The amount of bloodshed that Raven and Tommy Dreamer went through to get to this match is something of myth. They fought in cage matches, torch matches, Beulah (Tommy’s valet) turned on him and joined Raven.
It’s a real shame how no one really talked about their rivalry.
Cactus Jack and Terry Funk…there’s no need for introduction here. These two have met in matches for decades at this point. Both had one of the most infamous death match in Japanese history.
This match had everything you could think of. Chairs, blood, hatred, pain, betrayal, interference from other wrestlers, and of course barbed-wire. It had it all. I’ve rewatched this match multiple times and it never gets old.
This match was a great way to end all the rivalries in one shot.
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Beulah Vs Bill Alfonso
The match that shocked shook the wrestling world to its core. The match that really made ECW a household name. The match that could’ve easily shut down the promotion.
Beulah and Bill Alfonso weren’t wrestlers. Beulah being a valet and Bill Alfonso being a “fired” referee turned valet for Rob Van Dam and Sabu. Both didn’t have any formal training.
Bill was forced into the match as a form of punishment from then ECW owner Paul Heyman. Bill was secretly taking ECW talent to WCW. When Paul found out…he was seconds from actually firing Bill but instead this match happened.
The match lasted less than 15 minutes.
The moment that shocked the entire world was when Beulah hit Bill with a chair to the head, which ruptured an artery. Bill started to bleed a river of blood…I mean Bill was BLEEDING RIVERS. The man’s face was a complete red mask.
Bill lost so much blood that he started to get woozy during the match. He couldn’t see anything he stated. He started to act drunk around the ring. Beulah knew something was wrong but she was a professional and kept the show going.
Bill literally passed out outside the ring after going through the ropes. No one knew how bad the injury was. Everyone thought he was just playing the part and being dramatic (as he tended to be over the top some times).
Everyone knew something was wrong when they all noticed that Bill hasn’t moved in 3 minutes. He was just laid out on the floor.
Bill had to get rushed to the hospital where he had to get a blood transfusion to save his life. He lost 1/3 of blood in his body.
It’s a match that’s hard to find. I also think most people tend to stir away from talking about it. Because it was really a real scary time for the promotion and for everybody in the arena. Not even Paul Heyman likes talking about it…well maybe because it was his idea to put him in the match.
If you search for it on Youtube and I’m sure you will find it. I have and watched it numerous times. It’s actually quite scary to see a person bleeding out right before you.
