[2000-01-14-ECW-Danbury, CT] Mike Awesome vs Rhino

[soup23]

Awesome pushing around Rhyno is much more impressive than him demolishing Spike at the PPV. They have a pretty spirited brawl and bomb throwing match with both looking good. I was really impressed with Awesome executing a doctor bomb for a nearfall. He instructs Judge Jeff to bring in a table and he props it up in the corner. Big mistake as Rhyno hits the gore to send Awesome through. Rhyno hits an excellent splash. Awesome is able to make a comeback hitting a release German and a head shot chair shot. Awesome comes off the top rope with a chair shot but only gets two. Another table gets brought in and Awesome is able to powerbomb Rhyno through this time to pick up the win. Satisfying main event to a pretty mundane house show overall. ***

[Loss]

This was fun. Rhino strikes me as a better big match performer even at this point than Mike Awesome, who just wants to get his shit in with his contrived chair and table spots, even though he does come off as a dominant champ. Rhino sells really well, builds comebacks really well and builds to his spots exceptionally well. I think had he not lost his way in 2001 after his injury, he would have eventually developed into a great worker and could have been a real top guy. This would have been a better PPV main event than what we got with Awesome and Spike Dudley I think, not only because Rhino gave such an inspired performance, but also because I think this did more to get Awesome over as a worthy champ because of it. ***

[Migs]

I liked this one less than you guys. Rhino was fine, but Awesome basically attempts to work his standard match with a guy who doesn't necessarily fit that match. Best match we saw from this show, but that's not saying much.

 

Part of the weakness might also have been the booking - Awesome's a heel, but getting cheered for doing cool moves against another heel. Left the crowd a little flat, other than the stray "Let's Go Mike" screams.

[goc]

I know soup described this as a "bomb throwing match" but it didn't really feel that way to me and that is what I wanted the match to be. Awesome kind of worked from underneath for a lot of this (including sitting in a Rhino chinlock for a minute or so) when I think this would have been a lot better if they'd have shaved off a minute or two of action and just went for a total sprint, bomb throwing match. This was ok for what it was though and the best match of the 4 from this card that are here although that's not really saying much.

[Kronos]

The spot where Awesome does a running dive over the guardrail may be a common one for him, but it's so damn cool.

 

Rhyno throws a wicked piledriver late in the match.

 

I cringe with every unprotected chair to the head on these ECW shows. This time it's Rhyno who gets it.

[Stiva]

I agree with Loss that this would have made a much better PPV main for Awesome but I still dug the Spike match more, largely on account of his performance. Plus, in this one, I was much more impressed with Rhino who made his moments matter a lot more, without having to throw tables and chairs into the mix. I really dug the back and forth nature of this, right until the plunder started coming in and then they lost me, though I did think the last powerbomb through the table was built to nicely and was the right climax. Still, Mike Awesome continues to bounce right off me as his two matches on this project have left me far more impressed with the guys he's faced.