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KEEPING THE MEMORIES ALIVE: LOOKING AT ECW'S LAST PPV

Hello readers and welcome to the third edition of “Keeping The Memories Alive“. In today’s edition, I will be reviewing the very last ECW Pay Per View, Guilty As Charged 2001. The event was shown live on Pay Per View from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York on January 7, 2001. Keep your requests coming. Also, I will be changing the format a bit by toning down on the play by play.

Editors Note: I am reviewing the DVD version of this event. It may contain edits from the original broadcast.

Joey Styles and Joel Gertner welcome us to the event from the ring. Gertner does his usual opening with some sexual one liners. Not as funny as usual. Gertner introduces a new tag team to ECW, Joey Matthews and Christian York. Just as the young team makes their way to the ring, they are attacked by Da Baldies, Angel and Devito.. Gertner gets in Da Baldies face and is taken out for his troubles. While Da Baldies completely annihilate York and Matthews, Cyrus and Jerry Lynn make their way out to ringside. Apparently, we have our first match.

Match #1: Joey Matthews & Christian York vs. Cyrus & Jerry Lynn.

Tale Of The Tape: Joey Matthews & Christian York (424 pounds, from Fairfax, Virginia. Matthews is 21 years old, former MCW Tag Team Champion. York is 23 years old, former ECWA Tag Team Champion). Cyrus (210 pounds, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, former BCW Tag Team Champion). Jerry Lynn (212 pounds, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, 37 years old, former ECW Champion).

Da Baldies do all the work until Lynn nails Matthews with the cradle piledriver. Cyrus gets the pin for the win in about 3 minutes. After the match, Cyrus gives Da Baldies a couple of cigars for their troubles as the crowd chants “you suck dick”. Jerry Lynn gets on the microphone and tells Matthews and York that they are jobbers, paid to make him look good. Lynn says he had that job for 12 years but now he is the whole fucking show. The crowd chants RVD. Lynn says that Rob Van Dam will not be here tonight. Lynn says he will never wrestle in ECW again unless he is in the main event.

We go to the Guilty As Charged intro video.

Match #2: “Dastardly” Danny Doring & “The Angry Amish Warrior” Roadkill defend the ECW Tag Team Titles against Hot Commodity (Julio Dinero & EZ Money, with Elektra & “Confederate Currency” Chris Hamrick).

Tale Of The Tape: Danny Doring & Roadkill (541 pounds, on first reign as ECW Tag Team Champions. Doring is 26 years old from Wildwood, New Jersey. Roadkill is 24 years old from Lancaster, Pennsylvania). EZ Money (239 pounds, from Atlantic City, New Jersey). Julio Dinero (225 pounds, from Washington, DC, 28 years old, 2 time PCW Champion).

Dinero and Doring start out the match. Cyrus and Joey Styles will be calling the action tonight. Lots of fast paced action in this match. Chris Hamrick is constantly getting involved, as is Elektra. Roadkill and Doring hit Dinero with the Boogie Bang for the win in about 10 minutes. Danny Doring and Roadkill remain ECW Tag Team Champions. Fantastic opener. After the match, all 5 men brawl until Nova comes down to even up the odds.

Match #3: Nova vs.. “Confederate Currency” Chris Hamrick (With Elektra).

Tale Of The Tape: Nova (214 pounds, from the Silicon Valley, 28 years old). Chris Hamrick (210 pounds, from Bristol, Tennessee, 34 years old, 2 time PWF Champion).

This impromptu match is now on the way. Hamrick is hitting all his trademark springboards. Elektra gets involved every time Nova hits any offense. Referee HC Loc is taken out and Chris Chetti comes out in a referee shirt and makes a very fast count to give Hamrick the win. Chetti recently lost a loser leaves ECW match to Nova. Lou E. Dangerously is now out here. Highway To Hell hits and here comes Spike Dudley! While Lou rambles on the mic, Spike gives Chetti the acid drop, followed by a swanton bomb from Nova. Hamrick is now back in the ring and Nova nails him with kryptonite krunch as Spike counts the pin in about 8 minutes.

We go backstage to Steve Corino and Jack Victory. Corino says that when he entered ECW, everyone thought he was a comedy act. He says he killed the legend of Dusty Rhodes and became ECW Champion. He lets his opponents tonight know that he is walking out of New York City, with his ECW Championship.

Match #4: “The Enforcer” CW Anderson vs. “The Innovator Of Violence” Tommy Dreamer in an I Quit Match.

Tale Of The Tape: CW Anderson (230 pounds, from Raleigh, North Carolina, 30 years old, former NWA Tag Team Champion). Tommy Dreamer (255 pounds, from Yonkers, New York, 29 years old, former ECW Champion).

Very violent match that involved ring bells, chairs, wrenches, razor wire, sheet pans and a lot of blood. The ECW Towel Boy also got involved in this match, helping Dreamer. Anderson ended up giving Towel Boy a very nicely done delayed superplex. I wonder if Davey Boy saw that? Dreamer would hit the Spicolli Driver off the top rope through a table and then choking Anderson with a cable before the Enforcer would say the words “I Quit” in about 14 minutes.  Both men shake hands after the match.

Backstage, we see Francine about to bite into a huge sub sandwich but she can’t get it in her mouth. Steve Corino shows up and asks why don’t she put his salami in her mouth. Francine says she won’t do that until the ECW Title is back around his waist. Corino asks where Justin Credible is. Francine says he is in the other room with Missy Hyatt. Corino rolls his eyes and leaves. Credible and Hyatt then come out of the other room in towels. Hyatt leaves and runs into Corino and Jack Victory. Victory asks Hyatt if she remembers him? She asked if she fucked him before, he says no, you managed me. Missy does not remember. Funny stuff.

Match #5: Mikey Whipwreck & “The Japanese Buzzsaw” Yoshihiro Tajiri (With the Sinister Minister) vs. The Full Blooded Italians (Little Guido Maritato & Tony Mamaluke, with “Big” Sal E. Graziano) vs.. Kid Kash & “The Insane Luchadore” Super Crazy in a 3 Way Dance Elimination Match.

Tale Of The Tape: Mikey Whipwreck (187 pounds, from Buffalo, New York, 28 years old, former ECW Champion). Yoshihiro Tajiri (210 pounds, from Yokohama, Japan, 30 years old, former ECW Television Champion). Full Blooded Italians (340 pounds, former ECW Tag Team Champions. Little Guido Maritato is 28 years old from Sicily. Tony Mamaluke is 23 years old from Brooklyn, New York). Kid Kash (202 pounds, from Johnson City, Tennessee, 31 years old, former ECW Television Champion). Super Crazy (215 pounds, from Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico, 27 years old, former ECW Television Champion).

After about 7 minutes, Kash and Crazy are eliminated after Big Sal gives Kash a big splash and Mamaluke gets the cover. Awesome match, especially love Tajiri in this. Tajiri and Mikey get the win in about 13 minutes after they give both FBI members a tiger suplex. Mikey and Tajiri are now the #1 contenders for the ECW Tag Team Titles.

We are taken backstage to the Sandman who is smoking a cigarette and drinking beer. Sandman says tonight there will be tables, ladders and chairs. He is the king of extreme. He asks if the viewer was a betting man, would you pick Steve Corino, Justin Credible or the Sandman?

Simon Diamond, Swinger and Dawn Marie make their way out. Swinger says that Simon has not been sharing Dawn Marie lately so he has enlisted the services of Jasmine and the Blue Boy, and out they come.

Match #6: Simon Diamond & Swinger (With Dawn Marie, Jasmine & The Blue Boy) vs. Chilly Willy & Balls Mahoney.

Tale Of The Tape: Simon Diamond (230 pounds, from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, 32 years old, former ECWA Champion). Swinger (250 pounds, from Long Island, New York, 25 years old, former EWF Tag Team Champion). Balls Mahoney (305 pounds, from Nutley, New Jersey, 28 years old, 3 time ECW Tag Team Champion). Chilly Willy (250 pounds, from your hometown, 26 years old, 2 time SCW Champion).

The Blue Boy gets involved in the match and is given a chair shot for his efforts. After about a minute into the match, Rhino comes down and gores everyone in sight, Dawn Marie included. This match ends in a no contest. Jasmine ends up getting a piledriver off the top rope.

Backstage, Rhino is beating on a door and screaming about how he loves violence and he has just begun tonight.

Match #7: “The King Of Old School” Steve Corino (With Jack Victory) defends the ECW Title against Justin Credible (With Francine) and “The Hardcore Icon” The Sandman in a 3 Way Dance Stairway To Hell Match.

Tale Of The Tape: Sandman (265 pounds, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 37 years old, 4 time ECW Champion). Steve Corino (242 pounds, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 27 years old, on first reign as ECW Champion). Justin Credible (225 pounds, from Ozone Park, New York, 27 years old, former ECW Champion).

The Sandman does his usual entrance to Motorhead’s “Enter Sandman”. This match features ladders, tables and chairs, just as Sandman promised earlier. Francine managed to hit a “cuchicanrana” on Sandman during the match (nicely done). In all do respect, this was one of the worst ladder matches of all time. The match ends when Corino and Credible are fighting on the ladder and both fall through a table. This allows Sandman to go up and grab the belt to become a 5 time ECW Champion in about 13 minutes. After the match, all 3 men shake hands and then Da Baldies hit the ring. Corino and Credible take them out and the 4 brawl backstage. Sandman continues to celebrate in the ring. Suddenly, Rhino hit’s the ring and gores Sandman! He makes a challenge to the Sandman for the belt or else Rhino will go after Sandman’s family.

Match #8: “The Hardcore Icon” The Sandman defends the ECW Title against Rhino.

Tale Of The Tape: Sandman (265 pounds, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 37 years old, on fifth reign as ECW Champion). Rhino (275 pounds, from Detroit, Michigan, 25 years old, on second reign as ECW Television Champion).

Rhino hit’s a piledriver through a table and then a big gore to become ECW Champion in about a minute and a half. Cyrus is now back in the ring. Cyrus makes an open challenge to anyone who thinks he can beat the new ECW Champion. Suddenly, “Walk” hits on the speakers and this place goes insane. Its Rob Van Dam! RVD has a stare down with Rhino until Jerry Lynn attacks him from behind.

Match #9: Jerry Lynn vs. “RVD” Rob Van Dam.

Tale Of The Tape: Jerry Lynn (212 pounds, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, 37 years old, former ECW Champion). Rob Van Dam (237 pounds, from Battle Creek, Michigan, 30 years old, former ECW Television Champion).

Excellent match as always when you have RVD and Lynn in the ring. Their last ever meeting inside an ECW ring. Joel Gertner would return to ringside and DDT Cyrus after he was trying to interfere in the match.. Chairs being used for all kinds of moves in this match. The match ends in about 20 minutes after Gertner holds the chair in order for RVD to execute the Van Terminator.

Backstage, Francine is with Justin Credible, Steve Corino and Jack Victory. Apparently, this is the new Impact Players. Unfortunately, ECW would only hold 2 more shows. 2 months later, Paul Heyman showed up on Raw to make ECW’s death official.

The show closes with a video package of the event.

Its sad to watch this show. It was exciting as any ECW show was. But this company has lost so many of the stars they created to WCW and the WWF. Taz, the Dudley Boyz, Eddie, Benoit, Public Enemy, Jericho, Malenko, Mike Awesome, Mysterio, Raven, Lance Storm, Shane Douglas, New Jack and Sabu to XPW and the list goes on and on. But as you do see, Paul Heyman was always bringing in new talent, just so they can get over and go make a living in the Monday night war. A lot of the wrestlers from this card showed up in the WWF later in the year. A lot of them also went to XPW.

I hope you enjoyed reading the third edition of “Keeping The Memories Alive”. In the next edition, I will be reviewing the very first episode of WWF Raw. Now I ask, what would you like to see reviewed? Got a favorite Pay Per View from WWE, WCW, ECW or TNA? A favorite episode of Raw, Smackdown, Nitro, Impact, ECW, Superstars, Hardcore TV, Clash Of The Champions or Saturday Nights Main Event? What about a classic super card like Super Clash or Parade Of Champions? A certain home video release? Email me your feedback and requests at jbryan21408@yahoo.com.