ECW November to Remember 16.11.1996
Philadelphia, PA
1. ECW World Tag Team Titles: Sabu & Rob Van Dam (c) def. The Eliminators (18 mins)
It's a first time ever and an "ECW dream match". The Eliminators want the belts back, after winning the feud against Doc and Gordy, but they have to face the most unconventional and effective tag team of Sabu and Van Dam, who won the titles at the first chance they got and, despite their arguments, seem to be just as good partners as they were good opponents. This was a good one, but didn't need to last 30+ minutes to lead into a further match on the same night, just let them open the show (Joey Styles mentions that Taz is not in the building yet). Sabu dives on Saturn, while in the ring Van Dam hits the split leg moonsault on Kronus and gets the 3 count before Kronus kicks out at 3.1!
ANGLE: Saturn is not happy, while Kronus swears that he kicked out on time! The Eliminators storm off disappointed and yelling this is not over, while Van Dam hands Sabu his belt and also offers his hand... and Sabu high fives him! Not only Sabu and Van Dam were strong enough to beat the Eliminators, but they finally showed respect for each other!
2. Stevie Richards (w/ The Blue Meanie and Nova) def. Louie Spicolli (6 mins)
Joey Styles reminds us how Spicolli lost Ultimate Jeopardy and so he won't have title shots for the next 5 months or so. While Raven stole the pinfall, it was Stevie to cause it with a stevie kick and so Spicolli wants some revenge here. Stevie does some goofy stuff with the Blue Squad and Styles can't help noticing that his status has raised, he might be a putz, but he proved he can hang in the ring and saved Raven so many times... Plus, some people actually cheer him now?!? Meanie and Nove interfere, Spicolli takes them down, but gets hit by the stevie kick for the pinfall!
3. Chris Candido def. Mikey Whipwreck (12 mins)
Candido made his ECW return at the last show, losing to Mikey in a tag match and thus asking for a rematch at N2R to redeem himself. Joey Styles quickly recaps how Candido clearly wants to reestablish himself as a wrestler, due to his silly stint in New York. Mikey has fully matured this year, he's an underdog no more and his confidence has increased, so this is an open match. Mikey seems ready to hit the frankenmikey from the top rope, but Candido knees him in the crotch! Mikey staggers, so Candido hits the powerbomb from the top and wins the match!
ANGLE: The crowd seems a bit confused about the finish (did Candido mean to hit Mikey low on purpose or not?), but Candido leaves no doubts about where he stands and he keeps attacking Mikey! Candido yells that he didn't come back to this dump to face a joke like Mikey! Candido wants to hit another powerbomb, but Louie Spicolli storms out to save his partner! Candido rolls out of the ring and birds the fans, while Spicolli helps Mikey getting back up after the beating
4. Taz (w/ Bill Alfonso) def. 2 Cold Scorpio (8 mins)
Joey Styles says that this is the first time in months that Taz faces an ECW wrestler, but it's also the same man he faced a year ago at N2R '95, when Taz got disqualified and his path of rage began that night, siding with Fonzie after the return of Sabu. Scorpio is off to WWF after this show, good luck to him, so here he can be used to go toe to toe with Taz in a physical contest, doing all he can and resorting to dives, but Taz looks like the dominant beast he is. Taz drops Scorpio on his neck, as a revenge for Scorpio breaking his neck the previous year, and then Scorpio taps out to the tazmission!
ANGLE: While Taz celebrates, Paul E. gets to the ring and says he's finally ready to expose the truth! Before bringing Sabu back at N2R '95, he took both Sabu and Taz on the side and they made a deal: they would ignore each other and never square off, so their hate and the incident of the Sabu no show at the Three Way Dance '95 would be forgotten. Sabu became an attraction, fighting newcomers and indulging in the tag division, while Taz would be booked against all the international stars that ECW brought in. They would never collide again, until them and the fans eventually would forget they were even a tag team to begin with. But for one year, Taz has called out Sabu... and the reason is that he knew Sabu couldn't answer his challenge, because he gave Paul E. his word! Paul E. even took himself off the air, but Taz kept calling out Sabu... and that is because Taz is the real pus** here, as he's taking advantage of Sabu's promise! Fonzie hits Paul E. and, when he turns, Taz locks the tazmission on Paul E.! But the lights go out!!! After about 10 seconds, the lights come back... and Sabu and Taz are squaring off, from different corners of the ring!!! They walk towards the middle of the ring, but Paul E. and Fonzie hold them back, while the fans want them to destroy each other! The locker room and security arrive to keep them apart and Taz kicks everything while he gets taken away, while Sabu checks on Paul E. along with Van Dam and does his pose in the middle of the ring!
Intermission
5. Bubba Ray Dudley (w/ Big Dick Dudley and Spike Dudley) def. D-Von Dudley (w/ Axl Rotten) (8 mins)
D-Von came in about 7/8 months ago, ruining the happiness of the Dudley family and the loveable Bubba Ray, as D-Von wanted a strong family and not some fools. D-Von got rid of all the family members he could along the way and finally enraged Bubba to the point that his happiness was gone and they are finally squaring off! This not the longest match, as they both seem quite eager to inflict some pain on each other. Bubba finally manages to say his name without stuttering at the first attempt, which gets a pop from the crowd, he blocks D-Von chair shots and finally hits him with the chair to win!
ANGLE: Annoying ring announcer Joel Gertner proclaims D-Von as the winner and keeps talking in an annoying and sleazy way, so Spike attacks him! D-Von tries to fire back, but Big D big boots Gertner and so D-Von and Rotten decide to go away. Bubba gets up and leaves with Spike and Big D (Big D is going to jail in real life, so he would get arrested due to the assault on Gertner, but the arrest doesn't take place at this show and it gets announced on a Hardcore TV episode)
6. Street Fight: The Gangstas def. JT Smith & Little Guido (5 mins)
After months of FBI annoying all the tag division, the moment of their fight with the Gangstas has finally arrived. Joey Styles admits that Guido and Smith are actually 3-0 in tag competition, but have refused to face the Gangstas for months, until they were made by Tod Gordon. Of course, the former champions want to destroy the Italians for costing them the tag titles and also snitching on Jack to get him arrested back in spring. The Gangstas mainly attack Smith and make him bleed, Jack pins him after the 187!
ANGLE: Guido plays like he's badly beaten too, staying on the floor, so the Gangstas go away satisfied and celebrating with the crowd! Guido then rolls back in the ring and grabs JT... Not to help him, but to spit on him and kick him! Guido yells that JT was never Italian and he will carry on the honour of the traditions by himself! JT is written off too, which is sad as he was tons of fun, but this Guido now the chance of becoming a more important figure
7. ECW World Heavyweight Title Steel Cage Match with Tyler as special referee: Raven (w/ Peaches) def. The Sandman (c) (12 mins)
Joey Styles goes back to the start of the feud, when Sandman and Raven only faced because Sandman is Tommy Dreamer's partner. Then Raven saw how losing Beulah affected him and managed to take both Peaches and Tyler to his side to win the World Title back, with Sandman living a nightmare since then. Despite Tyler being so icy and brainwashed in his promos, in this match his face expression changes a lot, the sight of these two men bleeding in a cage and both saying they love him confuses and scares him. Here we can do the famous spot of Tyler finally hugging a broken Sandman, but Raven hits Sandman with a cane from behind! Raven tries the pinfall and Tyler is confused, but Peaches (evil and scorned, but she's still mom to little Tyler) beats on the cage to convince Tyler, who reluctantly counts to 3! Raven is the champion again!
ANGLE: Brian Lee arrives to escort Raven away through the crowd, with a laughing Peaches and Tyler who seems very confused (and maybe regretful?). The Blue Squad does not appear. While the cage is raised, Tommy Dreamer and Beulah arrive to talk to his Sandman, who probably received the worst fate a father could. (Sandman is jumping on the conclusion that Tyler hugged him on purpose to set him up, as he was knocked out cold and doesn't know Peaches was the one to push Tyler to count to 3). Dreamer and Beulah promise Sandman that this is not over and they will help him taking down Raven. Sandman even refuses a beer and returns to the back
8. Tommy Dreamer & Terry Funk (w/ Beulah) def. Shane Douglas & Brian Lee (w/ Francine) (13 mins)
I actually wanted to do the Scaffold Match here, but on a commercial standpoint it's good to keep it on its own show as the main attraction, I guess. Just like opener, this was okay but it didn't need 25+ minutes. Dreamer is facing a long-time rival and the man that was hired to take him out, while Funk is returning to support his student and has a long history against Douglas anyway. Plus, Francine and Beulah have been rivals and jealous of each other since Francine's debut when she wanted to be in the Flock and Beulah didn't want her, so they have a pretty big catfight here and roll all around the ring. Douglas wants to hit Beulah, but Pitbull #2 returns and hits Douglas with a lariat! In the meantime, Lee wants to chokeslam Funk, but Dreamer stops him and Funk piledrives Lee, to get the pinfall and send the crowd home happy!
