[1999-06-17-ECW-Chicago, IL] Dudley Boys vs Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney (Chicago Street Fight)

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

They say they are in Chicago, but they are actually in the Villa Park suburb. The match will be a Chicago Street Fight where falls count anywhere. Every ECW match is a Chicago Street Fight. Bubba Ray attacks Spike with a cheese grater and Spike returns the favor, giving us two guys covered in blood. Balls was already bleeding from something or other too, so D-Von was the only holdout, which changed when Balls sliced his head open with a fork. This is violent in a very different way than ECW is usually violent, where it's just for violent's sake. There is actually some real hate and desperation to go with this instead of it just being part of the signature spots. Spike dives off the balcony onto all three guys. Love Spike's spots where he finds a way to attack both Duds at the same time, and the stereo stuff in the ring is really good. Some really good nearfalls, and I like that this spilled back into the ring a lot. Sign Guy interferes to swing the match back to the Dudleys, but it doesn't last long and it's looking like someone may finally be getting some measure of revenge against the Dudleys for something. Balls decides to go for revenge and sets the thumbtack table on fire, which is a great callback. D-Von cuts him off with a chairshot and the Dudleys deliver the spot to Balls yet again before getting the win. I LOVED this match, which I didn't expect at all. As good as any ECW match I've ever seen.

[tim]

Great match that is really all the best aspects of ECW rolled into one. Everyone is over and connects with the crowd, good use of hardcore stuff, crowd brawling and a huge spot that gives it an out of control feel that you couldn't get in the two big promotions, an over the top ending and some great work in between blending good wrestling spots with hardcore stuff. Bubba really bumped great here and Spike good great in general as the plucky small guy taking it to the bigger Dudleys. Some really good nearfalls, some that I actually bought as the finish. The kind of match that could only really happen in ECW and a great one.

[Tim Evans]

I didn't like this as much as you guys. The cheese grater stuff and the fire tables were just all played out. Everyone bleeds and then go into the crowd. Bubba and Dvon did a good job at trying to hold this together. Spike took nutty bumps like always and Balls just goes through fire like it's a regular bump. Not my cup of tea.

[soup23]

This is a great brawl. Spike is able to bump well against the Dudleys and him and Balls make a cool team together based on contrast. The fire stuff still is engaging to me because it should be building up to a great payback spot. ECW so far has still had a good bit of entertaining in ring highlights from the year and it feels like this feud still has a lot of legs to it. ***3/4

[Superstar Sleeze]

ECW World Tag Team Champions Dudley Boys vs Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney - ECW 6/17/99

 

Balls says he owes the Dudz a receipt for putting him through a flaming table with thumbtacks strewn on it. Im just glad he upgraded his partner to Spike Dudley. Really tight, action-packed garbage brawl. The Dudleys have been a great heat-seeking act, but really have not been having the matches to match how good they are as asshole heels. I feel like this is the best possible Dudleys match. Great spots...loved Balls hurling Spike onto the Dudz outside the ring with force. The cheese grater stuff was violent as hell. Spike's balcony dive was a holy shit spot. The stereo nearfalls (loved the Acid Drop/legdrop combo) were cute in a very fun way that I liked. Sign Guy distracts the faces long enough to cause enough commotion that Spike eats a wicked 3D. DAMN! I forgot how badass that move could look. 3D is the one thing in ECW that is sold as death and even though match goes on for another two minutes, Spike never moves. I love that. Balls tries to fend off the Dudleys going so far as to set up the table, scatter the thumbtacks and douse it with lighter fluid, but eventually the numbers game catches up to him. Putting Balls through a flaming table never gets old!!! Marked out all over again! Double pinfall win. Great finish. Like I said super compact, never a dull moment, the finish is a great climax. ****

[ohtani's jacket]

#288

 

A cheese grater? A table on fire? Probably my least favourite type of wrestling imaginable. At least they didn't claim it was a wrestling match. .

[PeteF3]

Yeah, I'm more open to this style than OJ but I didn't see the big deal about this one either. There were highlights, like Spike's balcony dive, Balls throwing an awesome superkick, and Spike hitting the Acid Drop on D-Von while also legdropping Bubba Ray for a hot nearfall. But the stabby-cutty stuff was whatever, Styles continues to ruin what could be great false finishes, and I don't get what rehashing exactly what we saw before with Balls and the flaming table is supposed to accomplish, other than to tell us that Balls is the only person willing to take the bump. And the Dudleys are getting to be as bad as 1996 NWO or '97 DX in terms of vanquishing their babyface opponents every time out. There are many crazy ECW brawls that are much worse than this but there are also a lot of better ones.