by Dave Meltzer
There are total denials from Heyman in regard to WWF having any financial stake in ECW or its upcoming PPV show. There are many within the industry who don’t believe that, although nobody who believes it has any tangible evidence of it. The best argument is simply noting the ECW PPV show got more hype and air time to be promoted on WWF programming than the Leonard-Camacho fight did, and the WWF definitely had a financial stake in that show; and that WWF of late has had an iron-clad policy of not letting anyone appear on television that wasn’t locked into a contract and yet now all of a sudden there are guys all over its television, any of whom its rival promotion could theoretically take on a moments notice.
It does create curiosity and talk, and WWF does need that, and without question a promotion vs. promotion feud would boost business for both sides in the short-run. But does WWF need it at the expense of its own product rather than adding to its own product, since by all accounts the traditional wrestling approach of a promotion vs. promotion deal isn’t part of the plans, particularly with WrestleMania around the corner?
And the other question is, why, if you’ve got the single greatest angle possible in recent times that always works wonders when done correctly (or even done incorrectly as New Japan vs. UWFI and WCW vs. NWO have been at times), you instead have the outsider group play babyface and feud only with the company heel court jester rather than a serious star, and set up no plans for inter-promotional matches?
There’s no doubt an ECW vs. WWF feud would work to the short-term benefit of both groups. But in the long-term, it would be more difficult because Paul Heyman’s company doesn’t appear to be in the financial straits that other companies who lay down and play dead for New Japan and turn into pro wrestling super novas have been. WWF exposure is good, but they don’t need WWF, at least not today, for survival. If they do poorly on PPV, that may change, but as it stands today, ECW is a cult merchandising bonanza and its house show business isn’t spectacular, but it fills up small halls most weekends. Ken Shamrock was also announced as appearing on the show although there was no context or explanation as to a storyline reason as to why.
Hart’s half-worked column about ECW, saying it was the first time he and Lawler ever agreed on anything, stated, among other things:
...to call ECW second rate isn’t accurate because to me, it doesn’t even rate. It is interesting ECW wants to be on Raw. ECW cult guru, Paul E. Dangerously (Paul Heyman) has brainwashed his followers into believing ECW is a rebel group that won’t dilute the extreme nature of its style to conform to TV censors or arena administrators. While this philosophy has cultivated ECW’s loyal following in their home area, it has kept them from expanding into other venues and limited them to poor TV time slots in only a few markets. It is not surprising Heyman is now trying to convince the cable companies his product is similar to WWF and WCW. What better way to show them that ECW has the WWF’s stamp of approval than to be on Raw. The style of ECW matches on Raw was changed to make them acceptable to censors and fans. You’d think ECW followers would be outraged the ECW matches on Raw weren’t hardcore. You’d think they’d turn on Paul E. for selling out everything he has been preaching to them. Instead, they all waved at the cameras.
APRIL 14
Some notes about the wrestlers in the USWA who are under WWF contract and developing. The Commandant, who is the friend of Bret Hart’s from South Africa, appears to be a decent run-of-the-mill heel manager. Of the Truth Commission guys, Tank, who used to be Mantaur in the WWF, is as bad as ever, maybe even slower than before. The one who is Barry Buchanan isn’t good, but is easily the best of the three, and the tall Canadian guy is really horrible. Brakkus is surprisingly animated in the ring for a guy who literally had never even seen a wrestling match until a few months ago, but is super green and stiff as a worker. He is a lot better than either Jim Hellwig or Steve Borden were when they came through Memphis in 1985 with a similar level of experience, so who knows.
MAY 26
This week’s ECW television is largely focused on making Rob Van Dam into the top heel in the group for appearing on WWF television and being affiliated with Jerry Lawler. Paul Heyman is once again interested in bringing Lawler into the ECW Arena to shoot an angle because Lawler would be the most over heel ever in ECW. Van Dam was suspended (since he’s on the Japan tour) but will return likely on 6/7 at the Arena.
Bruce Prichard apparently has been clamoring for more ECW stuff on the WWF television because it gets Internet reaction. In addition, everyone at WWF was surprised at just how over Van Dam got at the Raw last week. The idea is to build to a Sabu & Van Dam vs. Tommy Dreamer & Sandman feud for the summer. Van Dam did receive an offer from WCW and WCW at one point was confident he’d be going, although it wasn’t like they saw him as being another Curt Hennig or anything like that. I’d suspect that up until the PPV show, he probably was going and when the angle of his leaving got him over so strong, from that point on I’d figure his leaving was a work.
JUNE 9
ECW and USWA have agreed at least to a limited inter-promotional angle between the two companies, which would also be pushed on WWF television.
The angle actually started a few weeks back when they hooked up Rob Van Dam with Jerry Lawler on Raw. On Memphis television on 5/31, Lawler issued a challenge to anyone from ECW to come into the USWA and face him, which will probably be announced this coming week to set up USWA’s return to Memphis on 6/14 with Lawler vs. Tommy Dreamer. Lawler was scheduled to accompany Van Dam to the ECW Arena in a surprise angle on the 6/7 show, although at press time due to a lot of booking changes being done in ECW due to injuries, that is not a definite, although one would expect Lawler will eventually appear.
There was supposed to be an angle involving ECW, probably Dreamer and Paul Heyman, with Lawler on the 6/2 Raw show, however due to all the booking having to be re-worked in ECW, Heyman and Dreamer had to cancel, but they, along with Van Dam, are scheduled for the 6/9 Raw in Hartford.
JUNE 16
The ECW, WWF and USWA feud geared up this past weekend with incidents in all three promotions.
The biggest angle, perhaps ever, in ECW took place on 6/7 at the ECW Arena where Jerry Lawler debuted to a thunderous heel reaction. Lawler’s crowd pop for his monologue and where he, Sabu and Rob Van Dam destroyed several ECW wrestlers with chair shots, was said to be perhaps the loudest in the history of the promotion, and certainly the loudest for any incident in the Arena where a woman wasn’t getting piledriven, choke slammed or power bombed by a man.
That morning, on USWA television, they officially announced that Tommy Dreamer had accepted Lawler’s challenge and would face him on 6/14 in Memphis. Dreamer did a taped interview where he said how Lawler had sold out the USWA, and said how he was a big fan of Memphis wrestling growing up and blamed Lawler’s selling out on the reasons the promotion is in the state it’s in, doing what was basically an approved shoot style interview. Dreamer and Paul Heyman taped a second interview to air on the 6/14 Memphis television show.
Lawler, Van Dam, Dreamer and Heyman also appeared both on the live Raw is War show on 6/9 in Hartford, CT, and also did a second angle on the Shotgun Saturday Night show. The current plan is to continue this feud on Raw is War, although complete details haven’t been worked out, to culminate in a match most likely at SummerSlam on 8/3 at the Continental Arena in East Rutherford, NJ.
Sources in ECW have said that the match would be at SummerSlam with Van Dam & Sabu vs. Dreamer & Sandman, which is the same main event match Heyman is headlining most of his major shows including the 6/28 ECW Arena show with. Sources in the WWF say that it’s better than 50% such a match will take place at SummerSlam and it’s tentatively penciled in for the show, but that it’ll be Lawler & Van Dam as the tag team against Dreamer & Sandman or whomever Heyman picks to oppose them.
Heyman has in the past expressed concern about using Sandman against Lawler feeling that Sandman’s style and Lawler’s wouldn’t work well together. It is also being considered
having the match on the 9/7 In Your House from Louisville, KY rather than the Meadowlands, since Lawler’s name would mean so much to be involved in a program for a match in that city.
Both Sabu and The Sheik are claiming to be appearing on the 6/23 Raw is War show which will be from Sheik’s old stomping grounds, Detroit’s Cobo Arena, to do an angle that would set up their involvement in SummerSlam. Paul Heyman claimed he knew nothing about that.
The 6/7 ECW Arena angle started after Dreamer finally pinned Raven in Raven’s final ECW match, a double-juice brawl that was said to be one of the best matches the two had ever had. The show, before a sellout 1,350 with a few hundred more turned away, was advertised on television as there being a major surprise appearance at the show.
The lights went out and when they came back on, Van Dam and Bill Alfonso were in the ring and destroyed Dreamer with a chair. The lights went out a second time, and when they came on, Sabu was in the ring helping them. The lights went out a third time, and when they came on, Lawler was in the ring. Lawler began talking over the house mic about ECW being Extremely Crappy Wrestling and did some swearing and the like, and joined in destroying Dreamer with a chair.
While this was all going on, Louie Spicolli was holding Beulah and forcing her to watch the carnage. The Gangstas did a run-in, but they were destroyed by Sabu and Van Dam. Ditto Balls Mahoney. At one point Shane Douglas came out and fans expected he’d save the ECW side but he got on the stage and said he had no problem with Sabu, Van Dam and Lawler and just watched it happen. WWF is said to be interesting in using Douglas for his mic work as part of the feud.
Heyman ran in after Lawler said he was the biggest piece of crap of all, and naturally he was destroyed. Sandman ran in and he was destroyed as well. Finally Taz came and everyone left, although Sabu wanted to go after him and he was held back by Van Dam and Lawler. The feeling among many is this may have been the best angle in the history of the promotion. Lawler is scheduled to wrestle Dreamer on the 8/17 PPV show, but Lawler will probably work ECW before that point as well.
In Hartford two nights later on Raw, they showed about a 10 second clip of the angle, and Heyman and Dreamer, with his forearm taped to sell an injury from two days earlier, came down through the crowd to sit in the front row. They got a surprisingly huge reaction with “ECW” and “Paul E” chants, to the point they stole center stage and killed the Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon vs. Head Bangers match that was going on in the ring. A few minutes later in the show, Van Dam beat Flash Funk in a fairly good short match. Heyman and Dreamer than hopped the guard rail and went after Lawler and Van Dam, largely with Lawler pummeling on Heyman and the other two going back-and-forth.
Vince McMahon tried to sell it as if Heyman and Dreamer were in the wrong because they hopped the barricade and were there because they had bought a ticket as wrestling fans, almost as if he was reacting the way Heyman told him to react rather than how he normally would in such a situation. It was a good heated brawl, although that couldn’t be said about the second angle.
On the Shotgun show, The Head Bangers were wrestling Lawler & Van Dam, which ended in a DQ when Dreamer attacked Lawler and Van Dam. This brawl lasted way too long and didn’t get much heat, much of which will be edited off television and took place after the cameras had turned off. It was largely afterwards considered a mistake by all parties, particularly since they kept brawling for so long it held up the taping of the rest of the show.
JUNE 23
USWA’s return to Memphis on 6/14 at the Big One Flea Market drew about 560 fans and $2,800 for the Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Dreamer match to start the USWA vs. ECW feud here. Dreamer was at the live television show that morning and they had security guards protecting announcers Lance Russell and Michael St. John because they portrayed Dreamer as an out-of-control mad man.
There were several fans wearing ECW t-shirts at the studio and chants of “ECW” throughout television. While on one hand the promotion was happy that people knew about ECW, there were feelings hurt about how popular ECW was and that the crowd didn’t take to ECW as a heel promotion as they did during the SMW feud.
Dreamer first showed up trying to attack Lawler as he had a TV match against his cousin, Mr. Wrestling (Carl Fergie), however the security held back Dreamer and threw him out of the building. Finally late in the show, Dreamer broke through security and beat up USWA commissioner Elliot Pollock and pretty well destroyed the television set, threw bleachers and a garbage can in the ring and while this was going on, the fans were cheering Dreamer like crazy. He also attacked the two security guards who sold the attack poorly.
This led to the house show later that afternoon where Lawler and Dreamer went to a no contest. There were a lot of fans with ECW t-shirts, but in reality the crowd wasn’t helped much by Dreamer being there as they had been drawing about 500 fans to recent Saturday afternoon house shows (the weeknight house shows at the big one were drawing closer to 250) and hadn’t run in six weeks. There were chants of both “ECW” and “ECW sux.”
Dreamer came out shaking fans hands and got a babyface reaction, and didn’t play heel at all during the match. Lawler also played face and was cheered more than Dreamer during the match. This feud will be continuing although not sure in what fashion. Paul Heyman was said to be coming in for the next house show, although with it scheduled for 6/28, that won’t be the case because it’s the same day as the ECW Arena.
JUNE 30
There were some major problems backstage with Sabu and Rob Van Dam. Sabu was complaining about having to do a double count out with Funk. Van Dam was supposed to do a match with Jesse Jammes on Shotgun where Lawler would get involved and Van Dam would end up counted out. Van Dam made the comment that it would be like Bret Hart going to ECW and losing to one of their job guys. Several WWF officials, Gerald Brisco in particular, found it insulting that Van Dam would compare himself to Bret Hart and there were a lot of complaints about Van Dam thinking he was much bigger of a star than he really is.
It nearly killed the ECW/WWF deal completely but Paul Heyman’s ability to play both sides looks to have saved it. It may be Heyman’s game to if things go bad and his guys are put in a position to put over WWF talent to then pull off WWF TV and claim his group was too extreme for the WWF or that may be the position if things don’t work out and he’ll make that claim if WWF pulls out of the deal.
There was considerable heat in WWF with Van Dam not doing their planned finish. Of course from an ECW standpoint, it is a WWF prelim wrestler (Jammes) that an ECW main eventer (Van Dam) wasn’t able to beat in a television match so you can see their political side of trying to protect themselves from being devoured when working for a major group like the groups who have worked with New Japan have ended up and how SMW ended up when working with WWF.
JULY 7
Jim Cornette debuted with ECW on 6/28 in Philadelphia in an angle very similar to the one a few weeks back with Jerry Lawler.
In this case, during the main event with Sabu & Rob Van Dam vs. Tommy Dreamer & Sandman, the lights went out in the middle of the match and when they came back on, Lawler was in the ring and they worked over Dreamer & Sandman. This time, Dreamer & Sandman made a comeback and the lights went out again, and when they came back on, Cornette was in the ring and laid out both Dreamer and Sandman and about half the dressing room with his tennis racket.
During the finish, there were two referees knocked out, and then Tod Gordon came in to referee and he ended up being hit with a chair by Van Dam and sent through a table by Sabu and the match ended with Sabu pinning Dreamer and Van Dam pinning Sandman simultaneously.
Cornette’s appearance was said to have gotten an even bigger response than the debut of Lawler at the previous show and the angle was said to have come across every bit as strong. During the angle, Lawler caned Dreamer low and Dreamer was legitimately injured to the point he couldn’t work the next day and wasn’t going to be anywhere near 100% for his match in Tokyo for WAR on Sunday. Much of the dressing room emptie
d and got their clocks cleaned. The angle ended, similar to the first Lawler angle, with Taz’ music playing and him walking to the ring and the heels all leaving.
Taz then spotted a fan wearing a WWF “Raw is War” t-shirt and asked for the shirt. The fan wouldn’t give it to him which started what could have been a bad scene as the crowd was looking to jump on the guy. Taz said if he didn’t give him the shirt that the fans in the building were going to beat him up and get the shirt anyway. The guy still didn’t give him the shirt and Taz finally said that he respected the fan for standing up for himself, at which point the fan gave him the shirt and Taz burned the WWF t-shirt in the ring to end the show.
Cornette debuting ended about a week’s worth of negotiations, largely with Chris Candido as the middle man between Paul Heyman and Cornette. Heyman wanted to bring Cornette into the Arena feeling he was the last person anyone would expect to do an angle with ECW. Cornette, who has a longstanding hatred of both Heyman and ECW but also hadn’t been in a position to do the kind of angles that he loves for a long time, originally laughed off the suggestion but did it since Heyman met a number of his stipulations.