Dangerous Incorporated
10-17-2006, 12:05 AM
SECOND, MORE DETAILED 10/14 ECW SHOW REPORT FROM TUCSON
I got to Pima Hall about 2 hours before the show began and was pretty dismayed as there was maybe 8 people there total (not including my group of 4). However, the mood changed immediately when a friend of mine said "look... that's Sandman!" And it sure was! I knew right away this wouldn't be your normal WWE event! Instead of riding a golf cart to the nicer, more private restroom area the other performers were using, Sandman just went to the ones just outside Pima Hall. We walked up as he was getting out of the restroom and it WAS the Sandman... cigarette hanging and all! He was nice enough to sign a few autographs and take a few pictures, of which I got one of myself with him. I may be wrong, but I think I was the only person not starstruck enough that I first extended my hand and told him it was a pleasure to meet him. They may be on TV, but they're people all the same. The surrealness continued as performers would go by on golf carts back and forth. Balls Mahoney came out on a cart once and just hollered "Is this the way CM Punk went?" So, yeah, the joke of the night was we gave Balls directions to the bathroom. Also, she may be young, but the 19 year-old Kelly Kelly was very nice when she passed us on the cart. The line was out in the street, and some idiots tried to stop the cart. We sat off in a grassy area and just said hi as everyone passed by. Kelly was nice enough to ask how we were doing and whoop and holler... even had a laugh when we asked if she could come over and play poker. All this was just the set-up for a great night.
After a while, the crowd showed up and doors opened about 6:30 or so. It was surprising to see a lot of kids, but the majority of promotion was through RAW and SD! as SCI-FI is only available on satellite and digital cable here.
Rene Dupree vs Tommy Dreamer
Tommy was OVER with this crowd. Several "Tommy" chants throughout the match. A lot of false finishes and much more of Rene Dupree's rear end then I cared to EVER see when Dreamer pulled Dupree's tights down during a Sunset Flip. Kinda sad that Dupree's character has reverted back to his La Resistance snob, now trash-talking everything that is "extreme." Kinda liked him claiming to be "extreme" but I guess WWE feels differently. Tommy picks up the win.
Eric Perez vs Stevie Richards
I got a slight BWO chant started at the beginning. The crowd definitely died during this match but I think that's due to 2 reasons.
1) Stevie Richards hasn't been on TV in a while, and he always loses when he is
2) Perez hasn't ever been seen on TV. The match was decent and we see Richards go over.
FBI vs Heyman's Security Force (HSF)
The crowd really came to life here. "FBI, "We want pizza/where's my pizza" and other chants. Bashams... err... HSF got incredible heel heat when the crowd chanted "we want tables" and HSF#1 went to the outside, flipped up the ring apron, dug around, then decided not to give us tables. LOL... excellent moment. FBI gets the win, HSF beats them down afterwards.
Shannon Moore vs Balls Mahoney
Moore gets bad heel heat, although the assorted "3 Count" shouts and a small "Shannon" chant starts up. Balls is probably one of the top 3 over guys in ECW... crowd ate it up. Balls knows how to work the crowd, get them into chanting. Moore got a surprising amount of offense here, but Balls takes the "3 count", so to say.
CM Punk vs Mike Knox
Punk is absolutely over. I wouldn't say he got THE best crowd reaction, but he is definitely getting there, and probably the best ovation for a non-ECW original. Mike Knox gets decent heel heat, and Kelly Kelly gets the cat calls. CM Punk worked his ass off, and it shows he's having fun out there. At one point he went outside and had Kelly dance around him, enraging Knox. Great personal moment for me was when Knox was getting in the ring... I yelled out "You suck!" at the right moment and he looked at me and yelled back "kiss my ass!" Great interaction! Knox knows how to play a heel!
CM Punk gets the win here with the Anaconda Vice.
Intermission... but I already got my Sandman t-shirt so I stay in my seat. they announce that tonight is the first night the CM Punk shirt is available. I voted for the one used, so that's good (and the voting link I found right here... on PWInsider.com! cheap pop!)
Matt Striker comes down and tears into Justin Roberts.
The ECW ring announcer is an alumnus of the University of Arizona, which is true, I know this from conversing with him when he was with a Phoenix-based promotion a year or so ago. Striker runs down Tucson, the U of A, the "barn" he's in now and pretty much everything else. Out come the diva's for an Extreme best Body contest. The contestants are Trinity, Diva search contestant (and my favorite from that) Rebecca, and Kelly Kelly. To determine the order which they go, Striker says they will guess a number between 1-10, and that will determine. Kelly's number is "x" Rebecca's number is 69 (!), so Trinity goes first by default. Kelly Kelly wins. Striker degrades the women for prostituting themselves and goes on a tangent. Sandman's music hits and Kelly Kelly and Trinity flee the ring. Rebecca sees Sandman come up from behind, exits the ring and Sandman canes the holy heck out of Striker. He gives Rebecca a beer, which she kind of drinks before pouring it all over herself. Sandman goes into the seats and celebrates amongst the fans, nearly making it all the way around the ring area except a group of fans standing on the concourse prevent him from making a full circle. It was here that it felt like a true ECW moment. I may not have ever made it to Philly, but this was my bingo hall.
Kevin Thorn vs Rob Van Dam
RVD is absolutely over with the crowd and could very well be one of the most over workers I've ever heard. It's too bad he had his "incident" in July or he may still have been defending the ECW belt on this night. Kevin Thorn gets a decent amount of heel heat. It took these guys probably 7 or 8 minutes to finally lock up after posturing in the ring for a long, long time. RVD got chants going, Ariel would jump in the ring... anything to prolong the match from starting. Decent match that saw RVD go over.
Test vs Sabu
EXTREME RULEZ MATCH
Absolutely the shortest match. Test has X-Pac heat, and that's never good. I got a small "Test takes steroid" chant. Test is a great heel as he got right up in the face of a guy in the front row of my section. That kind of interaction is great! A table is pulled out and teased. Back to in-ring action. After a bit, Sabu gets the table back in the ring and sets it up in the corner. After one move in the ring, the table falls off the top rope and rests on the middle one. Shortly after, Sabu puts Test though the table and gets the win.
Seriously, I have no idea what that other report was about. ECW may not be what it was, but I think tonight's show proved that it had a nationwide following as there were some classic ECW chants going on. I even had a conversation with my friends and we agreed that the ECW originals HAD to have felt good about the reaction here.
I got to Pima Hall about 2 hours before the show began and was pretty dismayed as there was maybe 8 people there total (not including my group of 4). However, the mood changed immediately when a friend of mine said "look... that's Sandman!" And it sure was! I knew right away this wouldn't be your normal WWE event! Instead of riding a golf cart to the nicer, more private restroom area the other performers were using, Sandman just went to the ones just outside Pima Hall. We walked up as he was getting out of the restroom and it WAS the Sandman... cigarette hanging and all! He was nice enough to sign a few autographs and take a few pictures, of which I got one of myself with him. I may be wrong, but I think I was the only person not starstruck enough that I first extended my hand and told him it was a pleasure to meet him. They may be on TV, but they're people all the same. The surrealness continued as performers would go by on golf carts back and forth. Balls Mahoney came out on a cart once and just hollered "Is this the way CM Punk went?" So, yeah, the joke of the night was we gave Balls directions to the bathroom. Also, she may be young, but the 19 year-old Kelly Kelly was very nice when she passed us on the cart. The line was out in the street, and some idiots tried to stop the cart. We sat off in a grassy area and just said hi as everyone passed by. Kelly was nice enough to ask how we were doing and whoop and holler... even had a laugh when we asked if she could come over and play poker. All this was just the set-up for a great night.
After a while, the crowd showed up and doors opened about 6:30 or so. It was surprising to see a lot of kids, but the majority of promotion was through RAW and SD! as SCI-FI is only available on satellite and digital cable here.
Rene Dupree vs Tommy Dreamer
Tommy was OVER with this crowd. Several "Tommy" chants throughout the match. A lot of false finishes and much more of Rene Dupree's rear end then I cared to EVER see when Dreamer pulled Dupree's tights down during a Sunset Flip. Kinda sad that Dupree's character has reverted back to his La Resistance snob, now trash-talking everything that is "extreme." Kinda liked him claiming to be "extreme" but I guess WWE feels differently. Tommy picks up the win.
Eric Perez vs Stevie Richards
I got a slight BWO chant started at the beginning. The crowd definitely died during this match but I think that's due to 2 reasons.
1) Stevie Richards hasn't been on TV in a while, and he always loses when he is
2) Perez hasn't ever been seen on TV. The match was decent and we see Richards go over.
FBI vs Heyman's Security Force (HSF)
The crowd really came to life here. "FBI, "We want pizza/where's my pizza" and other chants. Bashams... err... HSF got incredible heel heat when the crowd chanted "we want tables" and HSF#1 went to the outside, flipped up the ring apron, dug around, then decided not to give us tables. LOL... excellent moment. FBI gets the win, HSF beats them down afterwards.
Shannon Moore vs Balls Mahoney
Moore gets bad heel heat, although the assorted "3 Count" shouts and a small "Shannon" chant starts up. Balls is probably one of the top 3 over guys in ECW... crowd ate it up. Balls knows how to work the crowd, get them into chanting. Moore got a surprising amount of offense here, but Balls takes the "3 count", so to say.
CM Punk vs Mike Knox
Punk is absolutely over. I wouldn't say he got THE best crowd reaction, but he is definitely getting there, and probably the best ovation for a non-ECW original. Mike Knox gets decent heel heat, and Kelly Kelly gets the cat calls. CM Punk worked his ass off, and it shows he's having fun out there. At one point he went outside and had Kelly dance around him, enraging Knox. Great personal moment for me was when Knox was getting in the ring... I yelled out "You suck!" at the right moment and he looked at me and yelled back "kiss my ass!" Great interaction! Knox knows how to play a heel!
CM Punk gets the win here with the Anaconda Vice.
Intermission... but I already got my Sandman t-shirt so I stay in my seat. they announce that tonight is the first night the CM Punk shirt is available. I voted for the one used, so that's good (and the voting link I found right here... on PWInsider.com! cheap pop!)
Matt Striker comes down and tears into Justin Roberts.
The ECW ring announcer is an alumnus of the University of Arizona, which is true, I know this from conversing with him when he was with a Phoenix-based promotion a year or so ago. Striker runs down Tucson, the U of A, the "barn" he's in now and pretty much everything else. Out come the diva's for an Extreme best Body contest. The contestants are Trinity, Diva search contestant (and my favorite from that) Rebecca, and Kelly Kelly. To determine the order which they go, Striker says they will guess a number between 1-10, and that will determine. Kelly's number is "x" Rebecca's number is 69 (!), so Trinity goes first by default. Kelly Kelly wins. Striker degrades the women for prostituting themselves and goes on a tangent. Sandman's music hits and Kelly Kelly and Trinity flee the ring. Rebecca sees Sandman come up from behind, exits the ring and Sandman canes the holy heck out of Striker. He gives Rebecca a beer, which she kind of drinks before pouring it all over herself. Sandman goes into the seats and celebrates amongst the fans, nearly making it all the way around the ring area except a group of fans standing on the concourse prevent him from making a full circle. It was here that it felt like a true ECW moment. I may not have ever made it to Philly, but this was my bingo hall.
Kevin Thorn vs Rob Van Dam
RVD is absolutely over with the crowd and could very well be one of the most over workers I've ever heard. It's too bad he had his "incident" in July or he may still have been defending the ECW belt on this night. Kevin Thorn gets a decent amount of heel heat. It took these guys probably 7 or 8 minutes to finally lock up after posturing in the ring for a long, long time. RVD got chants going, Ariel would jump in the ring... anything to prolong the match from starting. Decent match that saw RVD go over.
Test vs Sabu
EXTREME RULEZ MATCH
Absolutely the shortest match. Test has X-Pac heat, and that's never good. I got a small "Test takes steroid" chant. Test is a great heel as he got right up in the face of a guy in the front row of my section. That kind of interaction is great! A table is pulled out and teased. Back to in-ring action. After a bit, Sabu gets the table back in the ring and sets it up in the corner. After one move in the ring, the table falls off the top rope and rests on the middle one. Shortly after, Sabu puts Test though the table and gets the win.
Seriously, I have no idea what that other report was about. ECW may not be what it was, but I think tonight's show proved that it had a nationwide following as there were some classic ECW chants going on. I even had a conversation with my friends and we agreed that the ECW originals HAD to have felt good about the reaction here.