The following is a reprint of the Torch Newsletter review of an ECW Arena show from five years ago this week.

-Jason Powell, Torch assistant editor

* * *

Torch Newsletter Archive
By Chris Forbes, Torch correspondent
ECW Arena Report
Originally published: Pro Wrestling Torch Weekly newsletter #466
Cover dated: November 15, 1997

When: November 8, 1997
Where: Philadelphia, Pa.—ECW Arena
What: ECW house show/TV taping
Attendance: 1,400 paid

(1) Mikey Whipwreck beat Spike Dudley. The crowd chanted "Spike's On Acid" and "LSD" at Spike. Spike hit an early head-scissors and a huracanrana through the ropes. He then somersaulted Mikey at ringside which prompted a chant of "ECW." Spike tried another flying legscissors, but Mikey countered by hitting a stun gun to take over offense. Mikey went for a top rope suplex, but Spike turned it into a powerbomb. Mikey got the advantage back with a superkick, then splashed onto Spike on the floor. Spike hit a running top rope Diamond Cutter to score a two count and pop the crowd. Mikey threw Spike over the top rope and then hit a Whippersnapper (top rope Stunner) for the pin. The fans popped. A solid six minute, all-action opener.

(2) Justin Credible beat Chris Chetti. Fans chanted "Let's Go Kramer" and "Justin A--hole." Chris nailed three armdrags early in the match. Chetti came back with a headscissors and clotheslined Justin over the top rope. He then dove onto Justin and Jason. In the ring Justin hit a flying DDT to give him the advantage, then dropkicked Chetti in the face. Justin hit a top rope frankensteiner for a two count. Justin missed the turnbuckle and got football kicked and crotched. Chetti missed a top rope moonsault later and was tombstoned and pinned.

(3) Blue Meanie pinned Jason. Before the match Jason sent Justin to the back. He said of the 30 wrestlers in the back, only five can wrestle and he is one of them. He challenged anyone from the back to meet him in a street fight. Sir Meanie came out with Super Nova. A minute later Meanie rolled up Jason, gave him a wedgie, and scored the pin. The crowd did the YMCA salute along with Meanie. New Jack & Kronus even came out onto the upper stage to do it. Hilarious stuff.

Rick Rude came out to introduce the ECW Title match. Fans chanted, "You sold out" and "You f--- Chyna." Rude introduced Bam Bam Bigelow. Chris Candido and Lance Storm attacked Bigelow in the aisleway. Rude ran down to make the save. Fans chanted, "Bye bye, Bam Bam." The ring announcer said the title match had been postponed until later in the show.

(4) Al Snow pinned Paul Diamond (w/Chastity). Snow brought out a mannequin head with him. He lay down and acted as if the head was giving him managerial advice. Snow went to the crowd and chanted with them at Chastity, "I smell fish." Al nailed a superkick knocking Diamond to the floor, then bolted on him for a small pop. At ringside he hit some Flair chops and the fans "Whoo'd" along every time. Snow hit a powerbomb and scored a two count. Fans began chanting, "You both suck." Chastity got up on the ring apron with a chair. Snow reversed Diamond's whip, so Diamond crashed into the chair. Fans chanted, "Boring."

Diamond came back to hit a back suplex and bridged into a pin, but Snow lifted his shoulder at two while Diamond's shoulders were still down. They tried, but it really wasn't a good match. Considering Snow was working with an injured shoulder, it was satisfactory. Diamond sat in the ring and said the finish was b.s. and he wasn't going anywhere. Tommy Rogers and Jerry Lynn came out to get them out of the ring. Lynn chased Diamond and Chastity. Chastity slapped Rogers, who gave her a bow and arrow type move followed by a modified DDT that was impressive and worth the pop that it got. Fans chanted "Na na na na, good bye" at Chastity.

(5) Lance Storm & Chris Candido beat Tommy Rogers & Jerry Lynn. Storm and Lynn started off trading some moves, then both tagged out. The frequent tags continued until Storm began to take a beating. Lynn hit a hard clothesline and Rogers hit a top rope splash. Candido broke up a pin attempt. Candido distracted Lynn as Storm got the advantage on his own by hitting Lynn with a clothesline and a flying DDT off the second rope. Meanwhile, Candido and Storm fought at ringside. Both Rogers and Lynn went to separate turnbuckles and hit simultaneous bodypresses on the floor for a huge pop. Back in the ring Lynn and Rogers did the Fantastics (Rogers/Fargo) strut. Candido hit some chest chops, then ran his hands through his hair and began to strut, but Lynn bulldogged him from the second rope.

Lynn hit a top rope frankensteiner, but when he went for a splash, Candido lifted his boot to hit him in the face. Storm powerbombed Lynn as Candido grabbed Lynn's hair. Storm hit a powerslam for a two count. Later Candido hit a salto suplex for a two count. Candido got caught going to the top rope and was suplexed from it. Rogers got the hot-tag and beat on both heels. Storm got double-dropkicked and they double backdropped Candido. It appeared Candido landed awkwardly. Candido had Dreamer up for a powerbomb from the top when he fell to the floor. Storm back suplexed Rogers for the pin. A very good match, over 15 minutes, nearly four stars. Candido didn't look like he was all there as he walked back to the dressing room.

(6) Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney beat The FBI (Tracy Smothers & Little Guido), New Jack & Kronus, and The Dudleys in a four-way non-title match. Joel Gertner came out and said: "Well, well, well, if you've got an hour, I've got the power. Joel ‘You can't eat your meat if you don't eat your pudding' Gertner." Then he introduced D-Von Dudley. Kronus and Smothers fought to ringside, then re-entered the ring. Kronus nailed a wheel kick on Smothers. Smothers and D-Von went after each other. Guido then hit the ring and the crowd chanted for New Jack. Mahoney came in and hit D-Von with a chair. Buh Buh Ray came out and hit a Diamond Cutter on Balls. Big Dick chokeslammed Kronus. Little Guido tried to hit Big Dick with a series of forearm shots. In a comedy spot, Guido put Big Dick's hand on his throat and then Big Dick chokeslammed him, which came across as absolutely hilarious. New Jack then came out with a trash can and hit D-Von, then hit him with two crutches and hit Buh Buh Ray with the other one.

Kronus, D-Von, Mahoney, Axl, and Smothers all bladed. All eight brawled at ringside and in the ring. Buh Buh bled from the nose. Mahoney hit D-Von hard with a chair, then hit Big Dick, but he no-sold it. All seven then brawled down the aisleway. New Jack went to the upper stage and flew off with a guitar. New Jack then dove onto Guido through a table for a huge pop. The most insane move of the night. Buh Buh gave Kronus the Dudley Death Drop for the pin. He was eliminated. Axl hit the Dudleys with a chair and D-Von got pinned. Heel ref Jeff Jones came out and broke up the count on the FBI. Other ECW refs came out. Ref John Finnegan dropkicked Jones. Axl hit Smothers with a chair and scored the pin. It was a non-title match, so FBI are still champs despite getting pinned. A good brawl. The ref angle was done well.

Joey Styles came out and said, sarcastically, nobody was at the Spectrum on Monday night. He brought out Shane Douglas and Francine. Styles acted shocked at the small dress Francine was wearing. Douglas said, "Cut the f---ing music. It seems we have made Bam Bam Bigelow a little more cooperative, so tonight you can walk down the aisle and do the job in the middle of the ring. This job won't be at the hands of Lawrence Taylor. It will be at the hands of Shane Douglas." He said he was going to regain his belt and then go back to Pittsburgh where a real PPV is from and he would escape from the "smart mark" fans of Philadelphia. Rick Rude came out. He said Douglas is gutless. Francine responded, "You're balls-less." The crowd chanted, "Little dick." Douglas challenged Rude to enter the ring. Rude entered. Storm and Candido came out, too. Bigelow then came out and attacked Douglas, Storm, and Candido. He tombstone powerbombed Storm. He was helped to the back by Candido.

(7) Bam Bam Bigelow pinned Shane Douglas to retain the ECW Title. Fans chanted "F--- him up." Bigelow pressed Douglas and dropped him on the turnbuckle ("snake eyes"). Fans chanted, "Show your tits" at Francine. Bigelow hit a baseball slide as Douglas hit the railing. Bigelow then tossed Douglas into the front row. He then rammed him into the post and tossed him back into the ring. Francine jumped off the apron, so Rude threw her into the ring. Bigelow pressed her and was about to toss her into the crowd, but Douglas dropkicked him in the knee and Bigelow dropped her. Candido and Rude brawled to the back. Later Bigelow missed a headbutt and Douglas got a two count. Douglas hit a belly-to-belly suplex for a very near fall. He couldn't believe he didn't score the pin. Bigelow hit a tombstone powerbomb for the three count. A better match than when Bigelow won the belt, just short of three stars.

(8) Sabu & Rob Van Dam (w/Bill Alfonso) beat Tommy Dreamer (w/Beulah) & Taz. Van Dam had spray painted on his tights, "ECW, WWF, Mr. Monday Night." Taz and Dreamer stood in separate corners. They announced Van Dam as being from Battle Creek, Mich., not Stamford, Conn. All four went right at it at the start. Sabu hit a legdrop on Dreamer for an early one count. Van Dam and Taz brawled at ringside. Dreamer hit a suplex on Sabu. Dreamer and Taz argued. Taz said, "I suplex people." Van Dam then hit Taz from behind. Van Dam hit a perfect monkey flip and top rope splash that looked great.

Taz came back to hit an overhook suplex. Taz and Sabu went at it as Taz attempted a chokehold on Sabu. Sabu hit Taz with a low blow to break it up. Taz later hit a back suplex for a pop. At ringside Taz and Dreamer threw Sabu first into the railing, then Sabu and Van Dam bolted on top of all three and did the flip over the top rope where he wouldn't even touch the ropes in the process. Van Dam then crotched Dreamer on the railing. Taz did the same thing to Van Dam. Sabu came off the apron and everybody spilled onto the fans. Back in the ring Sabu and Van Dam hit a double splash on Taz. They double kicked Dreamer. Taz out of nowhere locked on the Tazmission. Van Dam broke it up and then Dreamer put the Tazmission on Van Dam.

The Pitbulls came out with Wright and Taz went after them and never returned. Dreamer then hooked both Van Dam and Sabu upside down in the corner, put a chair in front of them, and slidekicked them. Dreamer tied Van Dam into the ropes and tied a chair to him and was about to slam into him when Alfonso tripped him. Beulah went after Alfonso who entered the ring. Sabu then hit her with a clothesline and Alfonso choked her in the corner as Sabu spread her legs. The fans chanted, "Thank you, Sabu." He put Dreamer on a table and went for a double splash. Dreamer moved and Van Dam hit the table hard. Dreamer went to the top rope, but Alfonso hit him with a chair, then mocked Taz by folding his arms and blowing a whistle. Later Dreamer hit Van Dam with a DDT for a pin.

Sabu brought out a ladder and the crowd chanted "Sandman." Van Dam held Dreamer with a chair as Sabu got up to the top rope with the ladder. He threw the ladder onto the chair on Dreamer. They then set up another table and stood the ladder up. They put Dreamer's foot under the table to further injure his already injured foot. Sabu was ready to light Dreamer's foot on fire when the lights in the arena went out. When the lights came back on Sandman was standing on the top of the ladder. Sabu still managed to light Dreamer's foot on fire.

Sabu snuck up on him from behind, hit him with a chair, and knocked Sandman flying off the ladder. Van Dam set up a ladder, but Sandman hit him. Sandman whipped Sabu into the ladder. Sandman tumble rolled into the ladder against Sabu to pop the crowd. Sandman then set Sabu on the ladder on a table and went to the top of the ladder and dove through it prompting a huge "ECW" chant. Both men took nice bumps. Van Dam, Sabu, and Alfonso then left as the fans chanted, "Sandman." Sandman drank a beer and appeared to have lost some weight. Dreamer held his foot in pain. An excellent brawl.

Overall a solid card without any bad matches.

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