ECW hypes a house show wing through Pennsylvania on the back of fans getting to see more matches between Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko.
Joey Styles says that tonight’s matches are from Tampa, Florida.
After replaying last week’s issues between the Sandman, Cactus Jack, and Shane Douglas, Jack stops by for a promo. Jack says that Douglas is a broken man because he is no longer wearing the ECW Championship. He promises to send Douglas on a rocky road to the WWF if he does not officiate his upcoming title match with the Sandman fairly.
Opening Extreme Death Contest: Raven (w/Steve Richards & Beulah McGillicutty) (3-0) beats Tommy Dreamer (4-3) after a powerslam on a chair at 6:19:
Both men immediately start using weapons on the other, with Dreamer using whatever fans hand him to dish out punishment. The battle also spills into the crowd, a scary situation because there is no security employed but fans are still smart enough to keep their distance. Richards runs a distraction to keep Dreamer from pinning Raven after a DDT on a chair. Shortly thereafter, a blind charge by Dreamer eats boot and a powerslam on the chair allows Raven to maintain his winning streak in the feud. Rating: **¼
After the match, Richards spits in Dreamer’s face. Enraged, Dreamer DDTs Richards and the referee. McGillicutty, sporting a neck brace, slaps Dreamer, and receives a piledriver for that. Afterward, a revived Raven attacks Dreamer but Luna Vachon makes the save. Dreamer and Vachon kiss and pose for the crowd.
Dreamer and Vachon cut a promo, with Dreamer putting over Vachon’s hardcore attributes. Vachon says that her rage will be Raven’s horror show.
The Pitbulls hype three matches against ECW Tag Team Champions the Public Enemy this weekend in Pennsylvania. They vow to win the titles.
ECW Championship Match with Shane Douglas as Special Guest Referee: The Sandman (Champion w/Woman) (4-5) beats Cactus Jack (5-2) via disqualification at 10:48:
After starting the year 0-5 in singles competition, the Sandman has inched closer to .500 on the backs of several successful defenses of his ECW crown. After some lengthy ring entrances, the match begins with Douglas trying to prevent each man from using weapons. Woman tries to use the Singapore cane to make up for this, but when Douglas sees her interfering, he forces her to go to the locker room. In a genius piece of booking, Jack and the Sandman immediately return to their garbage-style ways when Douglas is preoccupied. Jack has the match won numerous times, only to have Douglas do slow counts. Jack corners the Sandman and rains down forearm blows, but Douglas does a quick five count and disqualifies Jack for not giving a clean break. This match was all Jack, as he was able to better work around the limited use of weapons than his rival. Rating: **
A video package puts over ECW’s swing through Florida.
The Last Word: There were some fun matches on this episode to maintain the focus on ECW’s hottest feuds. The main event got heat on Shane Douglas, who appears headed for a singles showdown with Cactus Jack in the near future.
ECW ran three shows in the Pennsylvania area on May 19 and May 20. Here were the results of those shows, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:
Hazelton, Pennsylvania – St. Joe High School – May 19, 1995 (225): Mikey Whipwreck pinned Steve Richards…Taz beat Hack Myers…Shane Douglas defeated Tommy Dreamer…Ron Simmons beat 2 Cold Scorpio…Marty Jannetty pinned Raven…ECW Champion the Sandman beat Cactus Jack…Television Champion Eddie Guerrero defeated Dean Malenko to go up 1-0 in their best-of-three series of weekend matches…ECW Tag Team Champions the Public Enemy defeated the Pitbulls.
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania – The Flagstaff – May 20, 1995 (275): Steve Richards pinned Hack Myers…Taz beat Raven…Tommy Dreamer beat Ron Simmons…Shane Douglas defeated 2 Cold Scorpio…Dean Malenko beat Television Champion Eddie Guerrero to tie their best-of-three series at 1-1…ECW Champion the Sandman wrestled Cactus Jack to a no contest…Doug Flex & the Public Enemy defeated Steve Richards & the Pitbulls when Flex pinned Richards.
Langhorne, Pennsylvania – Neshaminy High School – May 20, 1995 (291): Hack Myers defeated Don E. Allen…Ron Simmons pinned 2 Cold Scorpio…Taz pinned Steve Richards…Television Champion Eddie Guerrero wrestled Dean Malenko to a time limit draw at 26:46. The finish allowed Guerrero to retain the title…Cactus Jack & Tommy Dreamer beat the Sandman & Raven in a death match when Jack pinned the Sandman…Shane Douglas beat Mikey Whipwreck…ECW Tag Team Champions the Public Enemy defeated the Pitbulls in a double dog collar match.
Backstage News*: Tod Gordon is not attend any of the weekend shows in Pennsylvania, continuing rumors that the HHG company led by Paul Heyman will be taking over operations.
*The company is thinking of putting the Bad Breed back together to give the Public Enemy someone to feud with since fans are getting tired of Public Enemy wrestling the Pitbulls. The only problem is that Heyman does not want to cheapen the promotion’s stipulations since the Breed had to disband after losing a match to the Pitbulls at the end of last year.
*Ron Simmons officially turned heel at the May 20 show in Langhorne when he used a low blow to beat 2 Cold Scorpio.
*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for May 29.
Up Next: ECW Hardcore TV for May 23!
What the World Was Watching: Reviewing the History of Wrestling 