Post by jackknight on Nov 27, 2013 20:44:03 GMT
11/27/96 - Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, NJ
"Mean" Gene Okerlund and "The Genius" Lanny Poffo welcome us to the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey for another exciting edition of Eastern Championship Wrestling! And they're particularly excited because it's that time of the year again! That ECW is just four days away from the biggest Pay Per Veiw event of the year; Wrestle Annual III!Before they get started they briefly recap last week's show including The Dark Circle's savage attack on Circus of Doom member "Mad Dog" Luna Vachon, ECW President Eric Bischoff signing a match between Sir William Regal and "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero at Wrestle Annual, "Macho Man" Randy Savage pinning the Eastern States Champion Chris Benoit in a Tag-Team match in last week's Main Event; and of course the dastardly deeds of "The Long Island Loud-Mouth" Chris Jericho!
They remind us of how last week Chis goaded ECW Champ "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson out onto the ramp where he orchestrated a vicious attack on Double A just days before their Title match at Wrestle Annual III. Anderson has been seen by several medics and industry professionals this week regarding the extent of his injury. But as of yet no definitive answer has been given on whether the Champ will be able to compete. And the rumors in the wind aren't good...
Just then from out of the back however storms the Eastern Heavyweight Champ himself; "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson! He has Tully Blanchard and Scott Taylor with him as he heads down to the ring. But things aren't looking good. His arm is wrapped up in a sling!
Inside the ring Anderson stalks about for a bit after Tully hands him a mic. He seems to collect himself before telling us that over the past few weeks he's been acting the part of a damned fool. And it's his own fault. He let that snake Chris Jericho creep and crawl under his skin. He allowed him to get inside his head. And what happened last week? Well it happened. But he'll be damned if he lets this little scratch keep him from defending this here Title; the Eastern Heavyweight Title this Sunday December 1st at Wrestle Annual III! And that means nothing but bad news for that little bitch "The Long Island Loud-Mouth" because ol' AA ain't going into Wrestle Annual to wrestle, hell he ain't even going in there to fight. What Arn Anderson is going to do at Wrestle Annual is hurt Chris Jericho. And he means to hurt him bad before walking out of Madison Square Garden still the ECW Champion! He guarandamntees it!
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Back from the break we hear from the announcers that ECW President Eric Bischoff signed the following # 1 Contender's Match for the Light Heavyweight Title at Wrestle Annual III! Joining us at ringside for this one is the Lightweight Champ Dean Malenko's manager David Prazak who tells us that he asked his client to remain at home tonight in the hopes of keeping the Champ fresh at Wrestle Annual III. Okerlund thinks that's a sound strategy.
Joel Gertner announces the first match of the night.
Light Heavtweight # 1 Contender's Match: Aryan von Raschke vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri
Referee: Danny Davis
"The Hero of the German Peoples" Aryan von Raschke and "The Japanese Buzzsaw" Yoshihiro Tajiri battle back and forth in this hotly contested battle which sees Tajiri break out the handspring back elbow, the scoop sitout Brainbuster; and even the illegal Tarantula hold on his opponent! Aryan get just as nasty decapitating "The Buzzsaw" with a Sieg Heil! superkick, a corner sitout powerbomb and even a jumping DDT off the second rope which would've probably spelled the end for Yoshihiro had he not countered it with a Frankensteiner! Both men are looking tired when suddenly there's an explosion at ringside!
As The Baron von Raschke who's been meddling throughout the match gets turned about and pummeled by "The Lone Wolf" Dean Malenko! The Blitzkrieg comes right after the Champ, but Dean throws the shreiking Baron right into the path of destruction! And rolling into the ring he kicks Aryan in the gut and hits him hard with a DDT! Davis calls for the bell throwing out the match as Malenko pulls Aryan up to his feet and runs him across the ring tossing him right out onto the Baron and The Blitzkrieg who're headed his way! Dean holds the Title up into the air and the fans cheer before he turns about and slams it right into the face of Tajiri! Malenko then rolls from the ring as the Ubermensch storm in after him! They're having a shouting match as ECW takes a...
COMMERCIAL BREAK
ECW Correspondent Terri Runnels is in front of the ECW banner talking to the preening # 1 Contenderl "The Long Island Loud-Mouth" Chris Jericho. He asks her if she can feel it? Feel the momentum going into Wrestle Annual changing Terri? Can she feel the greatest standing beside her? How does it feel standing beside the next Eastern Heavyweight Champion?! Go ahead Terri. Touch it. We know you want too! Terri doesn't but he goads her into touching his chest and she seems rather disgusted. That's right baby! That's what greatness feels like and "The Long Island Loud-Mouth" Chris Jericho doesn't care what old Yawn Anderson's excuses are baby. He doesn't care that last week ol' Double A fell and he couldn't get back up. Go call LifeCall grandpa! Because the outcome is going to be the same. And that's all Chris Jericho cares about. That in four days he'll be walking out of Madison Square Garden in his home state of New York the ECW Champion!
Chris stares into the camera and seems to get a bit uncomfortable before it pans over to ECW President Eric Bischoff?! "Easy E" says he's glad to hear Chris say that. Because if all he cares about is being ECW Champion; then he won't mind being in tonight's Main Event! He figures an athlete as amazing, the caliber of "The Long Island Loud-Mouth" won't care about being fresh going into Wrestle Annual III after all. Jericho doesn't look pleased with this news however.
Tag-Team Match: The Bayou Boys vs. The Hughes Brothers
Referee: S.D. Jones
These two teams have a well-paced back and forth bout. Cousin Jamie and "The Redneck" Rebel hit the Dosey Doe on both Hughes Brothers mid-match with Jamie picking up another two count on Spike Hughes who earlier hit the Bayou Boy with the Mission from Gawd! corner springboard cutter. Devon ran afoul of Gilbert's Hot Shot flapjack dropped into a hangman adopted from his brother and the bigger Hughes nearly put out Doug's lights in turn with the big ol' Black 'N Blues Spinebuster! The end came however when little Spike Hughes laid Jamie out with a running bulldog which Devon hughes capped off with a very theatrical flying headbutt and the cover for the win here tonight. Testify my brothas!
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Match: Ron Simmons vs. Prince Nana Osei Bandoh
Referee: Danny Davis
The announcers talk about "The All-American" Ron Simmons' partnership with "Macho Man" Randy Savage going into Wrestle Annual III as Savage and Debbie Combs accompany him out to the ring. Poffo says it's unfair to Benoit to have Simmons in his corner. They aren't even really friends. They're just out to screw the Champ! Hell Simmons said he don't even like Savage! And who could blame him for that! The match begins and Prince Nana does his best getting in some nice offense; but he's clearly out-classed by Ron Simmons who hits him with the Dominator inverted front powerslam for the win. As he celebrates with Debbie and Randy however; Chris Benoit flies down the ramp and slides into the ring!
And he hits a Lou Thesz press on Simmons before caving his skull in with a flurry of punches! Savage pulls him off and the two men begin slugging it out in the middle of the ring! But Ron recovers and the duo chase "The Crippler" off before the...
COMMERCIAL BREAK
"Mean" Gene and Lanny welcome us back from the break before reminding us that next week ECW will be coming to us live from the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York! They say that while tickets are sold out, those folks at home should be sure to tune in right here on Eastern Championship's home station of TNN The Nashville Network for the first night after ECW's biggest Pay Per View Event of the Year! ECW Wrestle Annual III! And with that they send us off to the Wrestle Annual Control Center!
Where ECW President Eric Bischoff and the Honky Tonk Man tell us yes you've already heard the news now it's time to pay the dues! That's right folks, parents go tell your kids to order Wrestle Annual III today! For a mere $19.99 on Sunday December 1st you can witness the biggest PPV event in this sport live from the Madison Square Garden Felt Forum in Manhattan New York! They then run down the matches on the card thus far!
Match: William Regal vs. Eddie Guerrero!
Tag-Team Title Match: Dustin Rhodes & Tommy Dreamer w/ Beulah vs. Rick Rude & Rob Van Dam!
Eastern States Championship: Chris Benoit (c) vs. Randy Savage!
Main Event ECW Championship Match: Arn Anderson (c) vs. Chris Jericho!
But that's not all! Because Bischoff promises us not one, not two; but three more matches to be added to the card before the event! So be sure to keep watching and to tune in this Saturday for ECW Slammin' Saturdays and ECW Weekend Warriors for more huge announcements! Right here on TNN The Nashville Network!
Match: William Regal vs. Shawn Hernandez
Referee: S.D. Jones
While Sir William Regal was looking for a fight last week and seems game to take on Shawn Hernandez here tonight, he is taken a bit offguard by just how much fight his younger opponent gives him; and nearly gets flattened by a slingshot shoulderblock from the apron into the ring which gets Hernandez a surprising nearfall! Regal however holds his own throughout and rebounds after that mistep to come out on stop, beating down Hernandez's neck and shoulder before forcing him to tap out via the Regal Stretch arm trap cross-legged STF! And just where is Eddie Guerrero during all of this? Barred from the building according to Okerlund.
After the match we're brought backstage where a distraught and enraged "Ring Master" Matt Borne talks to Terri Runnels about the actions of his former leader "The Soul Stealer" Papa Shango did to his beloved "Mad Dog" Luna Vachon last week! A tear escapes his eyes as he tells us that thanks to the Dark Circle Luna has been hospitalized and is still unconscious! He says that Shango and his ilk are going to pay for what they've done! That we've never seen how twisted, how sick; how depraved the mind of Matt Borne reall is! But we soon will because he's had enough! From here on out the Circus of Doom and The Dark Circle are at WAR!
A sinister cackle is then heard and Terri looks genuinely terrified as "The Soul Stealer" Papa Shango approaches with "Blackjack" Barry Windham and "The Man-Beast" Rhino in tow! Shango tells "The Ring Master" that he is indeed correct! Because last week, what's come before is only a taste of the terrors The Dark Circle will unleash upon the very soul of Matt Borne! Because in the end he and Pogo the Clown are the only traitors left and shall be destroyed as well! But first "The Soul Stealer" plans to make them both suffer in unimaginable anguish!
Borne laughs maniacally as he tells Papa that in that he's wrong, because Matt wasn't just talking about a War... he was talking about War Games! Bischoff has already signed off on a match between Shango, Barry; and Rhyno against him, Pogo; and another! Oh yes there is another!
COMMERCIAL BREAK
"Macho Man" Randy Savage is with Ron Simmons and "Hot Stuff" Debbie Combs talking about "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit! Yeah! He says that ever since the Showdown Benoit has been nothing but a thorn in the side of "The Macho Man!" And itch he just hasn't been able to scratch. Dig. But last week in that very ring he pinned "The Crippler!" Yeah. 1!... 2!... 3! And in four days at Wrestle Annual III he's going to take back what's rightfully his when he does it again and walks out of MSG the Eastern States Champ- e - on! Ooooh Yeah!
Match: Chris Benoit vs. Steve Corino
Referee: Danny Davis
"Mr. Wrestling" Steve Corino comes out to the ring by himself again and "Mean" Gene wonders where Jason Venom is hiding. Lanny says "Who cares?" Steve Corino is ready to fight, but this one never gets under way, because as Chris Benoit and Ted DiBiase make their way to the ring...
They're jumped from behind by "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Ron Simmons! DiBiase is thrown aside early; but the three men begin brawling back and forth until Ron Garvin shows up with his security team and with some real difficulty manages to break it up.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Back from break Okerlund and Poffo have more guests in the form of # 1 Contender's for the Tag-Team Titles World's Finest; "Mr. Wednesday Night" Rob Van Dam and "Ravishing" Rick Rude who seem pretty confident about winning the Titles at Wrestle Annual III.
Tag-Team Match: Dustin Rhodes & Tommy Dreamer vs. The Wiseguys
Referee: S.D. Jones
The ECW Tag-Team Champions Dustin Rhodes and Tommy Dreamer square off with Big Guido and Jimmy Cicero whom they make fairly short work of before "The Innovator of Violence" hits Cicero with a Fireman's Carry Slam for the pinfall. During the match Rude and Lanny mostly discuss Beulah McGillicutty who celebrates with the Champs after their win.
After the match however Rob Van Dam and Rick Rude leave the broadcast booth and enter the ring. The two teams stare one another down before Dustin Rhodes gets the mic from Joe Gertner. He tells Rude and RVD to calm down. Him and Dreamer get it. They're all in this business after the same thing. But that doesn't mean they can't be civil. Now at Wrestle Annual? They have no problem facing off against Rude and RVD. Hell, they look forward to it. Tonight however? Rhodes pulls out his flask and hands it to Rude. Rick takes it and after thinking about it a bit takes a swig. He then hands it to Rob who does the same before handing it back to the Tag-Team Champs.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Okerlund and Poffo welcome us back from the last commercial break of the evening before hyping up tonight's huge Main Event! They talk about the # 1 Contender Chris Jericho's heinous actions as of late against ECW Champion "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson. And how tonight after "The Long Island Loud-Mouth" bragged about injuring Arn set up tonight's match to "even the odds" a bit. Lanny however doesn't think Bischoff had any right to do this. That what happens between Jericho and Anderson is their business alone. "Thunderkiss '65" by White Zombie then hits.
Gertner: The following contest is scheduled for one fall. Introducing first weighing 226 lbs. from Manhasset, New York; he is "The Long Island Loud-Mouth" Chris Jericho!
The fans mostly boo as Chris Jericho explodes from the back, but he does have his fans here in East Rutherford.
Gertner: And introducing his opponent this evening accompanied to the ring by Tully Blanchard, weighing 207 lbs. from Westbrook, Maine; Scott Taylor!
Main Event: Chris Jericho vs. Scott Taylor w/ Tully Blanchard
Referee: S.D. Jones
Chris Jericho's first match back in ECW was against Scott Taylor and he doesn't seem to have forgotten that fact. This time he takes Taylor seriously right out of the gate. But Scott is pissed and this gives him the edge early on as he hammers Jericho back into the ropes and takes him down with a picture perfect dropkick! Taylor is on fire and has Jericho back-peddling for a while, hitting him with a side Russian legsweep; but he doesn't even go for the cover? Taylor seems to be out to hurt Jericho here tonight! This of course proves to be a mistake and after dominating him early on, he whips Chris into the ropes and charges in for a clothesline! But Jericho gets his boot up and catches Taylor flush in the mush!
Chris then grabs Taylor and runs him shoulder first into the steel ringpost! Pulls him up, shoulderbreaker over his knee! "The Long Island loud-Mouth" is now in full control! And he looks to end this one early as he hits a release German suplex on Taylor dumping him on his neck and shoulder before making the cover! 1!... 2!...
Taylor just kicks out! Chris traps him him a rear headlock punching him in the back of the head! But Scott escapes it and scrambles into the corner as Jericho follows him putting the boots to his opponent! He stomps Scott out in the corner and pulls him up to his feet and begins screaming at him! He unloads with a Chop! And another! He brings Scotty on a trip to Chop city! But Taylor fires back and stumbles out of the corner! Jericho spins and grabs at him! Superkick to Jericho and Chris goes down hard! Scott makes the cover! 1!... 2!
Jericho kicks free! Taylor attempts to keep on top of his opponent and grabs a side headlock! Chris fights it and after a while manages to free himself! They're locked up and Jericho fires off with a quick kick to the gut and then drops Scotty with a DDT! Chri jericho is standing over his opponent, he runs the ropes! He's going for the lionsault! But he misses the ropes?!!
Because Tully Blanchard has pulled it out of the way! Chris lands back first on the mat stunned, but is soon back up screaming at Tully who just shrugs. The ref is telling Jericho to get back to the match and he turns right into a hard left! But it isn't Scott Taylor!
Arn Anderson is in the ring and he pounds the surprised Chris around the ring with his good hand trapping him the corner after Jones calls for the bell awarding the match to Jericho via DQ! Arn doesn't care one lick and climbs up onto the second rope where he begins raining down the punches! He gets to about twenty as the fans chant along but have trouble keeping up. Anderson drops down as Chris hits the floor! He gets up on his hands and knees while Double A stalks his prey and as "The Long Island Loud-Mouth" pulls himself to his feet; he levels him with a Spinebuster in the center of the ring!
Lights Fade.
Working on it now.