ECW Wrestlepalooza ’97 Review: Dreamer vs. Raven, Taz’s Triumph, and Lawler’s Invasion

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word “palooza” as a large-scale festival or event, characterized by a specific thing or person. While CM Punk finds the name “ridiculous,” Wrestlepalooza kicked off a new era of WWE PLEs on ESPN. Wrestlepalooza was originally an event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) until the company went out of business in 2001, and WWE acquired the assets in 2003.

Wrestlepalooza is not the first time WWE has used an event name from ECW’s past. Heatwave was ECW’s summertime pay-per-view and is now an NXT PLE. ECW held four Wrestlepalooza events, featuring a total of 29 matches between 1995 and 2000. Despite ECW’s reputation for consistently delivering memorable cards, there is one Wrestlepalooza to rule them all.

Wrestlepalooza ‘97 emanated from South Philadelphia’s ECW Arena on Saturday, June 7, 1997. It was a fun time to be a diehard wrestling fan as the Monday Night War was on fire. WCW Monday Nitro was 12 months into its infamous streak, beating WWF Monday Night Raw in the ratings for 83 consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, ECW influenced changes within the industry, in front of and behind the camera.

Wrestlers were constantly jumping ship to different promotions, creating a “You never know who will show up next” atmosphere across the big three promotions in the United States. A hallmark of ECW was its ability to make the most of its shocking arrivals. One of ECW’s top stars was leaving the promotion for greener pastures, while a star from another company crashed the party in lights-out fashion.

The voice of ECW, Joey Styles, and “Ravishing” Rick Rude opened the show to announce a change to the world title match. Stevie Richards was pulled from the match due to what was thought to be a career-ending neck injury. Terry Funk would now defend the ECW World Heavyweight Championship against the Triple Threat’s Chris Candido on short notice.

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Al Snow Comedy Special to Air on Premier Streaming Network

Former WWE and ECW superstar Al Snow is entering the comedy ring with his new comedy special on June 30th, which will air on the Premier Streaming Network.

Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar and current co-owner of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), Al Snow and the multi-talented comedian, actor, singer/song writer David Vox Mullen have put their creative minds together to bring a hilarious new comedy special to Premier Streaming Network (PSN).

Produced by Under The L Productions, in association with Premier Studios, Al Snow Tag Team Comedy featuring David Vox Mullen will be the first comedy special on PSN and will be available on Friday, June 30th at 8:00 p.m./EST.

The hour-long show, recorded at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago and directed by Danny Reyes, blends outrageous stories from Snow’s time in the world of professional wrestling, along with Vox’s impressions and improv instincts for a one-of-kind special that will have viewers declaring Snow and Vox comedy’s tag team champions.

“I figured I’d give comedy a shot,” said Snow. “I mean, I was literally able to convince millions of people that I could knock another human being out with a plastic head.”

“This is a dream come true,” said Vox. “I remember watching Monday Night Raw during the Attitude Era, and watching a superstar that had so much charisma, such comedic timing, and that superstar was The Rock. But Al Snow was also on that show.”

The Al Snow Tag Team Comedy featuring David Vox Mullen will be part of the Premier+ subscription, or can be purchased as a separate event for $11.99.

For a preview of Al Snow Tag Team Comedy featuring David Vox Mullen, go to https://youtu.be/1dXJ4-8xc60.

Premier Streaming Network is available on a full suite of platforms and devices including Web, iOS and Android mobile web and desktop, Chromecast, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, and many Smart TV’s.

10 Greatest ECW Tag Team Champions

Written for and published by What Culture June 2015

The design of tag team wrestling is to increase the amount of action and drama in a particular match. Four wrestlers can pull off certain moves and tell certain stories that two wrestlers alone could never do, such as blind tags and double team maneuvers. ECW revolutionized the wrestling business in the ’90s with hardcore action, mature storylines, and highly technical and competitive matches showcasing different styles.

Their tag team division was not only a pivotal part of the show, but they exuded the essence of the art by increasing the excitement in a promotion that was already extreme. The ECW Tag Team titles were originally introduced in 1992 under the promotional moniker of Eastern Championship Wrestling and an affiliate of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

Seven tag teams held that incarnation of the championship until the promotion left the NWA in September 1994, when the company and the belts were rechristened Extreme Championship Wrestling. Three physical versions of the belts were fought over and defended until 2001, when the company’s original incarnation closed its doors.

Taz pupils Danny Doring and Roadkill were the final team to hold the titles and even defended them on the independent scene post-mortem. Thirty-one teams over eleven years produced many popular feuds and memorable matches with a mixture of uniformed duos and makeshift pairs that often stole the show. Some teams stood out and brought more to the table (literally) than others.

Let’s look at the 10 Greatest ECW Tag Team Champions.

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Remembering New Jack, Dies at 58

I vividly remember an altercation during an ECW house show at Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere, MA. It was intermission, and there was a metal guardrail in the crowded foyer separating the wrestlers from fans buying merchandise.

“I don’t want to see that s***,” New Jack shouted to a fan who, without warning, handed him a VHS tape of his backyard wrestling exploits. New Jack quickly said he was only kidding, took the tape, removed the slipcover, and smashed it over the guardrail.

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Rob Van Dam Calls Out The Greene Screen

Thoughts on the Passing of Japanese Wrestling Legend Hayabusa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlQcpJYRSls

Last week, the wrestling world was saddened by the passing of Eiji Ezaki, better known to fans around the world as Hayabusa.

The words grace and innovation encapsulate the legend of this masked highflyer who astonished fans all across the orient as the star of the FMW promotion in the mid to late 90’s. Hayabusa made his sole U.S. wrestling appearance at ECW Heatwave 1998.

Ezaki’s daring array of moves like his patented Phoenix Splash influenced a generation of wrestlers. I’ve come across many wrestlers on the independent scene who tailored their gear and in-ring presentation after Hayabusa

I recently recorded an audio blog discussing my introduction to Hayabusa, his cult like status among die-hard wrestling fans and the mark he left in the industry.

My condolences go out to the family and friends of Eiji Ezaki.

The Absence of Snow as ECW Champion

There have been a lot of wrestling matches over the years where promoters booked the wrong person to win. While booking for financial gain isn’t an exact science, mistakes are made for a variety of reasons.

Sometimes a promoter wants to prolong the story in hopes of a larger return at the box office. Other times, these decisions are made simply to shock the audience with a curveball thrown out of nowhere.

There is one match in particular that took place in ECW where fans vehemently detested the end result, and I was one of those fans. After some information came to light, it turned out to be the right call even though it’s still a little disappointing that such a popular concept never reached its apex. Continue reading “The Absence of Snow as ECW Champion” →

Tag Team Wrestling in ECW

The design of Tag Team wrestling is to increase the amount of action and drama in a particular match. Four wrestlers can pull off certain moves and tell certain stories that two wrestlers alone could never do, such as blind tags and double team maneuvers.

ECW revolutionized the wrestling business in the 90’s with hardcore action, mature storylines, and highly technical and competitive matches showcasing different styles. Their tag team division was not only a pivotal part of the show, but they exuded the essence of the art by increasing the excitement in a promotion that was already extreme.

My latest column at What Culture.com reviews the best tag teams that ever graced the land of extreme. What qualifies someone as being the best? Championships do. Click here to check out 10 Best ECW Tag Team Champions Ever

Do You Remember The Original ECW Invasion?

As a teenager in the growing up in the 1990’s, professional wrestling was my singular passion. While WWF/E was often front and center for me, Extreme Championship Wrestling, spent a few years as my favorite wrestling company. What drew me into ECW was the realistic storylines and hardcore atmosphere, complimented by blood, guts, tables, chairs and barbed wire brutality.

Naturally, I was thrilled when WWF and ECW worked together for a time in 1997. Taz, Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Paul Heyman, and others appeared on Raw and in return, Jerry Lawler, with the help of Sabu and Rob Van Dam would infiltrate the ECW Arena. This was great stuff that really showed how to do a proper promotion vs. promotion angle.

Most wrestling fans only remember the poorly executed 2001 invasion angle involving ECW and WCW instead of its predecessor. I recently wrote an article for WhatCulture.com examining all the juicy details about this fresh concept during the heated stages of the Monday Night War. Click the link to check out 10 Things You Need To Know About The Original ECW Invasion.

WWE Network Recommendations

I crawled into bed late last night to watch TV. Channel after channel, nothing tickled my fancy until I said “Hey, you have the WWE Network.” I logged onto my iPhone and fell asleep watching WrestleMania Rewind chronicling the iconic confrontation between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. When I woke up, I realized I’d just experienced something that my ten year old self could only dream of. Continue reading “WWE Network Recommendations” →