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CALDWELL'S MEDIA CLUB: Eddie Guerrero DVD review Day 2 - Innovating against Dean Malenko, set to break through in WCW Nov 15, 2008 - 4:20:40 PM
In April 1995, WWF was offering Jean Pierre LaFitte vs. Duke "The Dumpster" Droese on Raw. Good times were certainly being had on USA Network right before Silk Stalkings, while on WCW, Eric Bischoff and company were trying to push forth with a group of former WWF stars prior to the introduction of the NWO in 1996. (Paging TNA.)
Meanwhile, in ECW, Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero were part of the innovative group of wrestlers bringing a new style to the U.S. wrestling audience, albeit on a very small-case.
Malenko, Guerrero, and Chris Benoit made Cruiserweight or original X Division-style wrestling popular while casual fans of WCW and WWF were being spoon-fed old gimmicks and Vince McMahon's crazy new creations.
On Day Two of the Eddie Guerrero DVD review series, I'm looking at Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko from April 15, 1995 at the ECW Arena from "Hostile City Showdown." This match went to a 30-minute draw and took the Arena audience on a wild rollercoaster.
While ECW fans were accustomed to hardcore brawling, Guerrero and Malenko brought a technical aspect of wrestling to an audience that wouldn't be expected to invest for in-ring psychology and ten minutes of Dean working over Eddie's left ankle.
And, as a true testament to Eddie and Dean working with the audience in their hands, they didn't panic when the audience seemed to die down mid-way through the match while Malenko worked and worked and worked on Eddie's leg. Or, when fans turned their attention to a fan in the audience causing a disturbance.
Guerrero wasn't sure how the audience would respond to a match against Malenko where they weren't delivering highspots every five seconds, but slowed the pace down to tell a complete story over 30 minutes.
"I have never experienced another group of people like the fans at ECW Arena," Guerrero told Wade Keller in a 1995 Torch Talk. "They are so into it. It's crazy, man. That's the only way I can explain it. It's a great crazy atmosphere. I loved it."
Guerrero and Malenko were wrestling a style that wasn't available to casual fans on national TV. Casual fans knew weird-looking-gimmicks, Doink the Clown, and the occasional WWF main event heavyweight-style wrestling while ECW fans were believed to only care for hardcore brawling and violence. Where did Guerrero and Malenko fit in? 1910?
Fortunately, Paul Heyman knew the value in a new style of wrestling to off-set his brand of hardcore wrestling. Eric Bischoff said earlier this week that he needed a balance in WCW once the Monday Night Wars truly kicked in. His balance was heavyweight wrestling featuring the big names and cruiserweight style featuring Guerrero, Benoit, and Benoit.
I'll be looking at that trio in WCW as I dive into future installments of the Guerrero DVD review series, but Heyman found his balance of having hardcore wrestling and technical wrestling. No one was for sure if the ECW audience would appreciate Guerrero vs. Malenko for 30 minutes, but Heyman struck gold pushing innovative pro wrestling, as evidenced by the audience gretting the conclusion of the match with a standing ovation.
All the while, Guerrero was still looking for his niche in the mainstream. While Duke the Dumpster Droese was on USA Network wrestling for WWF, Eddie was in front of a few hundred in the ECW Arena working his tail off to help usher in a new era of pro wrestling. Didn't seem fair, but Eddie needed to take this step in his career to eventually get his foot in the door in WCW.
Up next: Guerrero at WCW Starrcade 1995.
Over the course of 25 days, I will be reviewing the "Viva La Raza" Eddie Guerrero DVD recently put out by WWE. I'll be looking at the significance of each of the 25 matches on the DVD as well as establishing the context of events that were occurring at the time of each match.
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AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?
