Loss Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 In the same vein of the thread yesterday, and with the ECW PPV coming up, I thought it may be a good idea to revisit what's largely considered ECW's best year. Now, I was never a huge fan of the company, although this is the time period I can most tolerate for the company. The shining moments were Mick Foley's promos. I am not a fan of the Guerrero/Malenko I've seen (I've only seen the 2/3 falls match) nor of the Rey/Psicosis match, but there may be some things I've overlooked. I will say that the approach they had to wrestling in the 1995 climate was brilliant, but it doesn't really look all that impressive a decade later. So, this would be a good opportunity for those who were huge ECW fans to talk about your favorite matches and angles of the year, and share any memories you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 I actually liked the Rey-Psichosis matches but for different reasons... it was my first non-WCW exposure to them. As for 1995, I remember trying forever hunting down a copy of Double Tables for the Benoit-Snow match. I was let down. It was ok but not as mind-blowing as I was led to believe. I don't even remember being happy that it was on the Benoit DVD. I think the best part of ECW in this time-frame has to be the Mick Foley interviews and promos. I hav an old RF tape... Cactus Jack in ECW: Second Stage that highlights his time there as well as the ECW Best of Cactus Jack. Even when the matches sucked, Foley was still entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Cooke Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 I like the Rey/Psiscosis matches if just because by that point, they were so spot on with each other that everything was amazing in what they did. I think the Juve series in ECW the next year is better though. I'm sure watching weekly TV might make more sense of this, but the ECW WWE DVD made the "glory years" of 1995-1996 seem just as disjointed as everything else the company did. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 I was fortunate to be able to see the weekly tv shows every week. What made ECW great at the time was its freshness. WWF was airing Diesel/Mabel, while WCW booked Hogan against the world. ECW aired workers such as Eddy Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Psicosis, Rey Misterio Jr. that I had never seen before. Some of it was garbage wrestling, but it was DIFFERENT. A few things that stand out... -Mikey Whipwreck's Title Chase program. Fans will usually get behind a good underdog angle, and this one was well done. Mikey was portrayed as an inferior competitor, but one tough sob. -The Bill Alfonso Angle. Here's another example of dragging an angle and teasing the fans before delivering the payoff. Alfonso arrived from the PSAC as a special referee to tame the lawlessness of ECW. Fans hated him, and wanted to see 911 chokeslam him. They lasted for months before 911 could finally get his hands on him, and when he did, it elevated the excitement of the crowd during the double dog collar match. -Mick Foley's Promos. These have been covered to death. -Steve Austin's Promos. There is nothing much more fun than a bitter wrestler ripping apart his former employers. -Beulah McGillicutty. She was hot, I was 13. You do the math. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 I should add that it was in early '96 that I got flamed out on ECW. They increasingly turned to more gut-wrenching spots, usually involving one wrestler hitting another wrestler in the groin. It became uncomfortable to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Well, after reading Loss's review of Rey-Psichosis, I don't think it was the work that killed his enjoyment but the crowd. When I saw most of these matches, I would have the volume down low because I would watch wrestling late at night in the bedroom while my wife was asleep. Then, when you turn up the volume, you realize how dead or beligerent or annoying a crowd can be. It is also why I can stomach the earlier ROH matches moreso than you guys. I may have been handicapped when watching the matches but I had already adapted to watching wrestling that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted June 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 I'm sure I'd like the Guerrero/Malenko stuff from earlier in the year, as almost everyone calls the 2/3 falls match the worst one they had, and I'm interested in seeing some of the work from Scorpio as well. I'm also perfectly willing to revisit Raven/Richards v Pit Bulls sometime to see what I think of it, but I don't recall being too enthralled by it. Benoit/Snow I remember liking in ways, but neither guy played the heel and it was more of a match about wrestling than a wrestling match, if that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 The Pitbulls/Raven-Richards match is a mess. Great angles surrounding a crappy match. You know, I don't think I have seen any of the Eddie-Malenko matches either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Benoit/Snow I remember liking in ways, but neither guy played the heel and it was more of a match about wrestling than a wrestling match, if that makes sense. Last year, I got flamed over at TSM for knocking this match. I don't see what is so great about it, it's solid of course, but I've seen people give this match ****+. It was more of a show case for Benoiit than a wrestling match. The point of it was to say "Hey this Benoit guy is really good". Snow (despite a few short bursts of offense) was just cannon fodder. Good match that served to get Benoit over, but not the classic it has been portrayed as. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Metal Maniac Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 The thing that bugs me about the Benoit/Snow match is when Joey Styles starts hyping it as a MOTYC before it's even half-over. I dunno, trying to enjoy a match you've never seen is a bit harder when someone is yelling "LOOK HOW FUCKING GREAT THIS IS!!!" Shit man, I know it's good, shut the fuck up. Of course, I don't like Styles in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sass Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 Benoit/Snow is really just an extended squash match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 The thing that bugs me about the Benoit/Snow match is when Joey Styles starts hyping it as a MOTYC before it's even half-over. I dunno, trying to enjoy a match you've never seen is a bit harder when someone is yelling "LOOK HOW FUCKING GREAT THIS IS!!!" Shit man, I know it's good, shut the fuck up. Of course, I don't like Styles in general. This would also be the biggest comparison you could make between the ROH and ECW product. They both need to shut up and let the product speak for itself. In ROH's defense, most of the announcing is done after all of the hype has been spread on the net and on the ROH boards. It still doesn't excuse it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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