Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

[1996-05-11-ECW-A Matter of Respect] Shane Douglas vs 2 Cold Scorpio


Loss

Recommended Posts

  • 3 weeks later...

I think this is my favorite ECW match, and maybe the best stateside match so far this year. I love that they were doing actual wrestling for a large portion of the opening, and doing it well. The spot where Scorpio is about to do the dive on the table but Douglas gets off the table and comes out on the other side of the ring is great. I also liked the weird guardrail suplex thing Douglas did. Scorpio laying out Douglas for being kind of douchey in the post-match was perfect. Great match!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Part of what makes this match great is the storyline around it with Douglas scoffing at the TV title pre-match and just dismissively trying to win via countout before realizing he's in a real war and appreciated his title win as a result of the competition in the match. This also officially began the "TV title is co-equal to World title" theme that would dominant ECW til the end of it's run.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

dismissively trying to win via countout before realizing he's in a real war and appreciated his title win as a result of the competition in the match.

And I love how they put this over with the two sick bumps Scorpio takes on the floor, only to get back in the ring before the count, although I don't think the first was meant to be the crazy ass headrop it ended up being.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

The thing that struck me odd was that Shane's promo and Scorpio laying him out really seemed to make Shane into a babyface, and he was only a couple of months away from becoming a white hot heel. Shane wins the title, cuts a great promo putting over ECW, and Scorpio huge, and then gets laid out. Even if it was somewhat douchey of him to ask Scorpio to strap the title around his waist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Very good match, that takes the Douglas-Jannetty template and improves it with better opening matwork and more Extreme™ action with chairs and tables. I dug Douglas busting out more high-flying offense out of desperation, like springboarding off a chair. And the Chekov's Gun stuff with the table (teasing someone going through it, not delivering, then sending somebody through it with a sudden fall later) always gets me. Also have to give credit to everyone for getting me to think "time limit draw" (having called that as the finish with Gertner's 25-minute time call) and then going to a finish anyway.

 

A really, really dumb post-match angle follows, as Douglas spends 9 hours talking about everyone he's ever worked with in his life, acting as a humblebragging babyface for some unexplained reason. They drag this out FOREVER even though it's obvious through all this respect garbage that someone's hitting somebody else with the belt. It ends up being Scorpio, after Douglas hands the belt over to him thus looking like a total moron, which could work if his character was that of a moron--but it isn't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Nice sentiment with Douglas actually caring about the TV belt based how the match was worked and I understand the escalation aspect of using weapons, brawling and table to get stuff over but I really dug the beginning with the chain and counter wrestling and it took me a while to get going once they went away from that. I also appreciate that the time limit draw is a nice tease given past history but this match still felt too long and while these signature Scorpio matches are good, I always feel like they need an editor which does reflect ever so negatively on him as a performer in my eyes. Little things like that are the barometer for him making my GWE list or not. The Douglas promo at the end again was overwrought and unnecessary. ***3/4

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Did not like this match. Douglas learning to respect the TV title is a good story, but it's not the story the match told. His promo at the end seems to come from a completely different show.

 

Full of good spots, but didn't flow together as a cohesive whole for me. Scorpio is one of those guys I just don't get. His prideful refusal to cover after hitting three straight moves would have worked much better by someone with more charisma. As would his terrible top rope decision at the end. As it was, none of that stuff mattered at the end of the match thanks to Douglas' robotic non-reaction to Scorpio's cockiness.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Definitely might be the best ECW match ever. This is one of those ECW match that is very much rooted in being a more 'traditional' wrestling match, but still makes use of weapons, crowd brawling, etc. as supplements to the match without it really feeling like a "hardcore" match. This pulls that off spectacularly. There was plenty of great straight up wrestling in this match. For all the big spots, my favorite part might have been that awesome sling-shot rollup that Scorpio did. The progression of this match from Douglas playing around, not caring about the belt to the match becoming an epic fight and Douglas ending up giving it his all realizing the level of competition the belt offers is awesome. This really had the feel of a classic title match.

 

Post-match angle is really good. It gets the belt over huge, Douglas comes off as sincere but still kind of a dick, so Scorpio laying him out isn't a total heel move.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • GSR changed the title to [1996-05-11-ECW-A Matter of Respect] Shane Douglas vs 2 Cold Scorpio
  • 1 year later...

A fantastic match with moves that was executed well but what really made this stand out was the brilliant storytelling with both men learning a lesson about respect. Douglas started off thinking the television title was beneath him, that this is a waste of his precious time. As the match progressed a switch flipped and Douglas was in it to win in giving all he had, actually caring about winning this title ultimately respecting it. Scorpio for his part had to learn respect for you opponent, in the middle part of the match he hit three of his kill shots and refused to put Douglas away, treating his challenger as insignificant and it costed him in the end, again brilliant storytelling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

ECW World TV Champion 2 Cold Scorpio vs Shane Douglas - ECW Matter of Respect

When did Scorpio turn babyface was it just because Sandman turned babyface? After Benoit/Guerrero/Malenko left, Paul E turned to Scorpio to fill his workrate void first with a great 30 minute draw with Sabu and now we get another long title defense against The Franchise. This is a pretty famous storyline. Douglas thinks the TV Title is beneath him. Scorpio takes umbrage with that. He is going to make Douglas Respect the championship and the champion. Douglas claims to not want the title but is he a liar? Gold can be alluring by any name.

I still have not watched the Jannetty match so I dont know how this compares. Douglas whups Scorpio for most of the 15 minutes. This is an anti-Flair NWA Championship defense. I am not going to assert that was intentional. Given Douglas' animosity to Flair, it could be seen in that context but I dont think thats what is happening here. At first, I thought they were going to do the NWA Championship standard babyface bests the heel on the mat, but Douglas actually wins most of the sequence causing three powders by Scorpio. First on a dropkick, then they do a finisher tease and Douglas wins with a Butterfly Suplex and then on the third Douglas hits a plancha. It felt like a babyface shine for Douglas. If he wasnt such a pompous prick, Id believe it. He hits Scorpio with a dangerous front suplex onto the guardrail. Just when you think Scorpio is going to mount a comeback, Douglas sends him flying into the crowd in a cool spot. Scorpio tries another comeback but Douglas kicks him in the balls and hits a hellacious powerbomb on the cement floor. I wouldnt think a Douglas squash would be so appetizing but he is actually a good squash wrestler. ECW really believed that the best way to earn respect was through takin' a lickin and keep on tickin. Thats how they got Dreamer over. It is definitely one school of thought. I think offense is a better way to go but thats just me.

Scorpio ends up kicking Douglas in the balls twice, chair shot, Flying Space Tiger Pele Kick and an Asai Moonsault finally put Scorpio in the drivers seat. I have found the match enjoyable so far. I think the transitions are solid which is usually the weakest part of ECW. I dont feel the heat is quite at the classic levels, but this has been good. Scorpio cant hit his dive on the table because Douglas moved and well-done sneak attack because the cameras intentionally lost Douglas.

The end of the match is bizarre. Are we sure that Douglas wasnt the babyface? Scorpio hits a moonsault. He gets up at 2. And just laughs. I feel like Scorpio doesnt respect Shane-O. 450 Splash and Legdrop no covers just high steeping. No transitions Douglas just gets up and starts hitting suplexes. This is trash. I liked the Superbomb. The cherry on top is the shitty finish. Scorpio says he is going up top, flips off the fans and then goes up and Douglas hits a low blow and Scorpio no sells it. Super Belly 2 Belly was a good finish. Douglas feigns respect only in a dick move to ask Scorpio to strap the belt around his waist. Scorpio smokes him with the TV title belt and beats the shit out of him. 

This match is overrated. This is a workrate championship match in ECW and so it feels different but it pales in comparison to the great championship matches of history. I liked the beginning Douglas was great on offense and worked compelling sequences. Once Scorpio took over the match fell off the rails. ***1/4

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...