[2000-09-15-ECW-TNN] Steve Corino vs Justin Credible

[soup23]

Francine cuts a promo to big heat while Gertner makes sex jokes on commentary. We might as well get a drum cymbal between Joey and Joel. Francine announces that thanks to her network friends, Victory is barred from ringside. Corino informs us that he saw this coming and has Dawn Marie to help manage him. The match itself is an adequate ECW style match with brawling and big moves. The finish plays off of that with run ins, a catfight and Corino seemingly having the match in his grasp before Credible knocks off the That’s Incredible to gain the win. **3/4

[AstroBoy]

I thought much more highly of this than I thought I would going in. The first part of the match is pretty mundane but worked at a different pace than so much other ECW stuff that it has a nice vibe to it. It had the feel of a slower building title match, taking its time to build into a meaningful outcome. The end of the match sees the dog and pony show kick in and it was an amazing amount of misdirection, bullshit, and hot nearfalls. Corino blades, Billy Corgan gets involved, Corino lays out Francine, Corino gets several red-hot nearfalls that have the crowd biting. Finally Credible gets the upper hand and hits That's Incredible on a chair to retain. This crowd was hot, these guys put together a really good match, and with a stronger start and body this could have been pretty special. May not be for everyone but I thought this just-missed being a near classic.

 

***3/4

[GSR]

The winner of this one will go on to defend the ECW World title against Jerry Lynn in his home town of St. Paul, MN at Anarchy Rulz.  Francine has got something to say although is struggling to be heard over the “she’s a crack whore” chants, Joey Styles and Joel Gertner even getting in on the fun as they make jibes at her expense.  Thanks to her friends at The Network she has with her a faxed memo which states that either Jack Victory vacates ringside immediately or the title match won’t happen.  Corino checks over the memo and a reluctant Jacko is forced to leave.  He makes out that he’s all upset over this before saying how they fell into his trap, how they will never out-heel ‘the King of Old School’ and introduces Dawn Marie to be in his corner tonight instead.  Gertner claims there is legitimate heat between the two women and how Dawn is Francine’s worst nightmare.  Joey doesn’t bother with any of that nonsense, preferring to talk about how it wasn’t too long Steve Corino was just a comedic manager for Tajiri and Rhyno however now is in the biggest match of his career.  It takes barely thirty seconds for the action to spill to the floor, Credible flying out over the top turnbuckle after Corino had whipped him into the corner.  They fight their way up the aisle and into the fans, the crowd being super hot for Corino.  As they return to the ring Credible manages to gain the upperhand until Corino starts swinging back and the two exchange hard slaps to the chest.  Francine passes Credible a chair which he slams Corino’s face into before throwing him back to the outside.  He bridges a table between the guard rail and apron but, unlike with the chair, Corino blocks having his head slammed into that.  More interference from Francine who takes Corino down with a flying huracanrana from the apron to the floor.  Back inside Corino escapes a rear chinlock, holds onto the ropes to avoid the dropkick and then slingshots Credible out over the top rope and onto that table he had set up earlier.  Bionic elbow.  Credible is early on the tip up so Corino kicks him between the legs.  Francine is interfering yet again, however Corino has had enough and grabs her by the hair pulling her into the ring.  Her man comes to the rescue but Corino with a float over into a schoolboy for a near fall.  Jim Molyneux gets bumped as he’s admonishing Francine and there’s no one to count the cover on Corino’s cradle suplex.  Lou E. Dangerously breaks a phone over Corino’s head, which brings out Billy Corgan who breaks a guitar over Lou’s.  Credible goes to cane Corgan who ducks the shot and Corino levels him with a superkick.  Molyneux is still down so the crowd count themselves as he gets a visual pin.  Mike Kehner slides into the ring but Credible kicks out at two.  A Credible clothesline turns the challenger inside out and he then hops outside to grab another table which he positions in the corner.  Corino with a standing switch and a Northern Lights suplex puts the champion through the table.  Francine breaks up the cover leading to the expected “cat fight”, Dawn finally having had enough of her incessant interference.  Credible canes Corino between the eyes, busting him open, before going on to shatter the Singapore cane over his back, very reminiscent of the Sandman and Mikey Whipwreck from back in the day.  Corino counters ‘That’s Incredible’ with an ‘Old School Expulsion’, Credible barely getting a shoulder up to save his title.  He grabs the chair and is about to cave his skull in when Francine is on here knees in front of her man pleading for mercy.  Of course the fans want him to brain her.  Tombstone piledriver on Francine!  When he turns around through he’s met with a front kick, ‘That’s Incredible’ onto the steel chair and its Justin Credible who will take on Jerry Lynn at Anarchy Rulz.

I was dreading this when I switched it on seeing the time counter, but the longer the match goes the more you’re drawn into the story they’re telling; one that legitimises Steve Corino as a viable contender for the World title and someone who you could see carrying the company in the not too distant future.  Yes, there is repeated interference and a ref bump, which tend to be par for the course with ECW, although for a change I didn’t really mind them here (okay I could’ve done without the Lou E. and Corgan stuff).  Highly recommended and, as Joey Styles pointed out towards the beginning, they have done an amazing job turning Steve Corino from this comedic manager into a future World champion.