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"Brew Town
Rumblings"
by
Craig King
02/02/2001
Well, look who's finally back? I never really intended to go this long in between columns, but I've had bigger things to worry about than ECW during the last few weeks. I won't get into that here though. I know that Kurt has already looked to the past by presenting his ranking of the 15 greatest PPV's in ECW history, but what I would like to do is rank what in my mind are the 10 greatest matches in ECW history. Granted, I have not seen every match ECW has ever presented. However, of the ones I've seen, these are the 10 that I feel have set the standard or raised the bar in ECW.
10. Sabu vs. The Sandman - Stairway To Hell - 1/11/98 The Sabu /Sandman war of '97 and '98 was one of the most brutal and extreme feuds in ECW history. How either of those men survived that feud without being physically harmed for life is beyond me. This match demonstrates that quite prominently. Absolutely sick match that saw Sabu continue on even after breaking his jaw in the middle of the match. Sandman was so bloody by the end of this match that you could barely recognize him.
9. Raven vs. The Sandman - Barbed Wire - 12/7/96 This was the infamous match that nobody, except those who were there at the ECW Arena that night, was able to see until it was released on DVD and home video last year. I had heard so much about this match, and it did not disappoint. Everybody praises 'Born To Be Wired' as being the best barbed wire match in ECW history, but for some reason I like this one better. Plenty of brutal spots.
8. Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka - 8/2/98 This was the first encounter between these two on an ECW PPV and it was the match everyone was talking about when it was done. Sick, brutal match that showed everyone why these two guys were so fabled in Japan.
7. Tajiri vs. Super Crazy - Mexican Death Match - 1/15/00 The best match of the Tajiri/ Crazy classics. One of the first times the two incorporated hardcore into their series of matches. Both were on the top of their game this night. I could never get tired watching these two go at it, but for me at least, it didn't get any better than this.
6. Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer - 6/7/97 The ultimate climax to the greatest feud in ECW history. 'The Final Battle' as it was called, and they made it a memorable one. This was Raven's last match before heading off to WCW and he and Tommy went all out for this one. The angle that immediately followed this match, with Jerry's Lawler making his ECW debut, is one that has become legendary in the halls in ECW.
5. The Dudley's vs. New Jack / Kronus - 1/4/98 Ok, I admit that unless you were at this Indianapolis Invasion house show, you will have never, and will never, see this match. It would have ranked higher on my list if not for that fact. However, it had such an impact on me as a wrestling fan that I just had to include it. It was just an all out war that included what New Jack described as his most insane balcony jump ever. It is still the greatest tag team match I have ever seen live in person in any fed. Crowd was totally ballistic during this match.
4. Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn - 3/21/99 Everyone seems to think that their Hardcore Heaven match was the better of the two, but I feel quite the opposite. Their Living Dangerously match was the first time they were able to showcase what they could do against each other on a major national platform. It was the first time I had ever had the pleasure of seeing these two wrestle against each other, and it was totally fresh and innovative at the time. So that may be why I rank this match above their Hardcore Heaven encounter. 30+ minutes of some of the finest pure wrestling seen in years.
3. F.B.I. vs. Mikey Whipwreck / Tajiri - 8/26/00 With this being the most recent match on my list, everyone more than likely knows what this match was all about. Even with the several rematches these two teams have had since this infamous match, they have not been able to capture the magic of that glorious New York night. Amazing match.
2. Raven / Stevie Richards vs. The Pitbulls - 2/3 Falls - 9/16/95 The crowd heat sustained for this entire match is unparalleled in my opinion. The crown is literally on it's feet, all the way into the action, for the entire match. Several awesome spots here including Raven piledriving Pitbull #2 through a table in the center of the ring, Raven putting Pitbull #2 through two stacked tables outside the ring, and Stevie Richards being powerbombed off the second rope through a table in the inside of the ring. One of the best booked matches I have ever seen.
1. The Eliminators vs. Sabu / Rob Van Dam - 11/16/96 What can I say about this match? If you haven't seen it, do what ever it takes to get a hold of a copy of it. For my money, this is the greatest tag team match I have ever seen. 30 minutes of non-stop high intensity action, with two sudden death periods. All four guys were at their best that night and put on one hell of a show that I will certainly never forget.
Looking over my list, I find it interesting that the top three matches I ranked are all tag team matches. It just shows you that in the time period of the mid 90's, when tag team wrestling had become a lost art, ECW were the forerunners in bringing back the glory years of tag team wrestling that were prominent in the 80's. Once again I would like to reiterate that these choices are my opinion only. There are quite a few ECW matches I have not seen from the early years, 1994-1995, so I am bound to miss some.
Lastly, I would like to give a special shout out to my dear friend Jennifer who is going through a very tough time right now. I love ya Jen and I'm pulling for you all the way!
I should be back next week with a new column. Hopefully there will be some good news to talk about at that time. Until then, please send any feedback to [email protected].
To read other Brew Town Rumblings click on the links below
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