[1995-09-16-ECW-Gangstas Paradise] Raven & Stevie Richards vs Pit Bulls (Double Dog Collar, 2/3 falls))

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Not a great match. Not the best ECW match of the decade. But it is an intricately booked, great collection of storyline payoffs disguised as a match, so I can see why it's been such a loved match over the years. Plus, it's an ECW match with an ether rag!

[Matt D]

I know a lot of people don't think Levy's ECW stuff has held up, but I love hearing him talk about it. He put so much thought into this crap. In the end, however, I think the Raven character went too far away from his stooging/heeling strength. He actually has talked about the fact he realized that and that's why he used Stevie/Meanie to sort of represent that side of him while he was Raven.

[El-P]

Agreed. Think what you want about Scott Levy, but he's an old-school guy who just *loves* wrestling and the absurdity and the fun of it. I find his enthousiasm communicative.

[jdw]

I do enjoy how much credit Levy takes for his matches. I remember being in Korakuen Hall before an ECW joint card with a Japanese company and watch & listen to Paul going over the matches with the guys at length.

 

Yes, Levy put a lot of thought into his shit. So did Paul... a hell of a lot. And hell, I'm not even someone who likes Paul at all.

 

John

[Tim Evans]

This might have been slightly overbooked but man was it fun. You have botched piledrivers, Bill Alfonso getting his to a big pop, Beulah/Francine catfight and Dreamer crying. What more do you want from ECW/

[Laney]

This was just magnificently booked and a great representative of what ECW was at this time with many of the storylines coming to a head. I've seen seen some debate over this match in the past with some people claiming it to be the best in ECW history. I think that it's definitely not the best from a workrate standpoint, but it may be the best booked segment that ECW ever did.

[PeteF3]

There's a metric shit-ton of stuff to absorb here, to the point where it's useless to try to recap it all. I wasn't quite feeling the "*****, best ECW match ever" love at first...but even though I knew this was the night the Alfonso/chokeslam tease was paid off, by the end I was practically marking in my chair. Big Dick Dudley hits Dreamer with a chokeslam as Alfonso rightfully waves off his pin on Raven, since Dreamer wasn't a legal participant, and Fonzie quickly and awkwardly declares the chokeslam legal after the fact. Cue "Frankenstein," in one of the best-timed entrances in wrestling history. 911 finally does Alfonso in to a monster reaction, maybe the best fan reaction to anything all year. For once, ECW's smartest-guys-in-the-room fans allowed themselves to viscerally get involved in a story and a payoff, and we're all better off for it. Then they stack Raven and Stevie into a double-superbomb which was a cool way to decisively finish this one off. And goddammit, somehow they got me emotionally involved in the potential breakup of two anonymous roid boys, thanks to throwing every long odd in the book at them, from the Dudleys to Raven's ether to Alfonso. This is a match that practically defies a traditional star rating, but I have no problem holding it up as the high watermark for ECW as a promotion and a brand. It's to the ECW style--whatever that is--what Savage/Warrior at WM7 is to the WWF or what 6/3/94 is to All-Japan or what the Super J-Cup is to '90s junior wrestling.

[Superstar Sleeze]

ECW World Tag Champions Raven & Stevie Richards vs The Pitbulls - ECW 9/16/95 Double Dog Collar Match 2 Out Of 3 Falls

Raven's Masterpiece. When I first discovered Youtube in about 2006, one of the first channels I discovered was devoted to '95 ECW. So while I am not nostalgic for this in the same way most of you are. I was still in High School when I first saw the whole Raven/Dreamer story and watching this teleported me back to my the back room of my parents' house gobbling up this feud up. If there was ever a match that needed context for a person to fully understand it, it is this match. Pro wrestling should be able to do this more often weave so many stories together. The Pitbulls, the former minions of Raven, now off their leash seeking vengeance against their former master. Stevie Richards as the chump extraordinaire who somehow managed to pull Francine, but of course he fucked that up and we get a catfight. Raven's new freaks, the Dudley Boys, get involve. There is a piledriver through a table to end the first fall, a Superbomb to end the second fall. Raven nearly gets decapitated on a Superbomb into the edge of the table. The Original Dudleys and Pitbulls (the Superbomb is an awesome move, but they suck otherwise) are fucking terrible wrestlers, but who cares Raven is just mindfucking every fan into lapping this up as he busts out a FUCKING ETHER RAG! Bow to the Master! Pitbull #2 is sent to the back and of course here is Tommy Dreamer. DDT! 1-2-3! WHAT THE FUCK...I THOUGHT THAT NEVER...Fonzie is out and he is striking it from the record book because Dreamer was not offically a part of the match. Fonzie is so damn good at crazy promos. I was watching him cut an absolutely insane rant against Heyman where he first banned the Chokeslam and just loved it. He legalizes the Chokeslam after Big Dick chokeslams Dreamer. 9-1-1! 911 is such a great name for a pro wrestler. 911 chokeslams FONZIE STRAIGHT TO HELL! ELEVEN STARS!  DOUBLE SUPERBOMB ON BOTH RAVEN & RICHARDS! Gordon and Dreamer count the pinfall and new Tag Champs! Pro wrestling is fucking great. ***********