12/21/96 - The New Daisy Theater Memphis, TN
Buck Zumhoff and the Honky Tonk Man thank us for joining the original Rock 'N Roll broadcasting team for another exciting edition of ECW Weekend Warriors, tonight coming to you live from The New Daisy Theater in Memphis, Tennessee! They then tell us that they have an exciting show lined up for us tonight! They then tell us we'll witness a Battle Royale to determine the # 1 Contender for the Women's Championship as well as The Circus of Doom in tag-team action! And in tonight's huge Main Event "The Lone Wolf" Dean Malenko will get his Light Heavyweight Title rematch against the man who beat him for the belt; current Champion "The Japanese Buzzsaw" Yoshihiro Tajiri!
"It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls then hits and out from the back frolics the ECW Women's Champion "Gorgeous" Michele Starr! He is with Joe E. Legend as usual and does Buck and HTM the "honor" of joining them on commentary. They aren't happy about it. and Michele tells them to stop being catty.
Joel Gertner then makes the announcements for the first match of the night while Danny Davis officiates.
Women's # 1 Contender Battle Royale: Beulah McGillicutty vs. Jacqueline Moore vs. Lisa Moretti vs. Leilani Kai vs. La Diabolica vs. Brandi Wine vs. Velvet McIntyre vs. Rockin' Robin vs. Debbie Combs vs. Tiffany
Honky touts this match "Christmas for the eyes" as each of the femal wrestlers have dressed for the Season, usually in something sexy. The matches begins and the women all tear one another to shreds and Michele expresses his ignorance in how Buck, HTM; or any of the fans for that matter could enjoy such a spectacle. Leilani Kai makes her presence felt early on as she tosses out both Rockin' Robin and Brandi Wine! Jacqueline Moore who has been battling it out with Tiffany in the corner just escapes being eliminated when Lisa moretti blindsides them with a double clothesline! Tiffany isn't so lucky however and hits the floor while "Miss Texas" rolls back in from the apron and takes a stomping from Lisa.
The remaining seven women battle all over the ring for several minutes without another elimination. But when the masked La Diabolica leaps up onto Jacqueline's shoulder for a Frankensteiner, she finds herself caught; and powerbombed out to the floor! Beulah McGillicutty and Debbie Combs form a short-lived alliance and eliminate Lisa Moretti with a tandem dropkick. After the elimination Debbie and Beulah high five, but Beulah pulls "Hot Stuff" in and back drops her out to the floor! Honky says payaback's a female dog; his momma used to say.
Four women remain as this point with Jacqueline Moore slugging it out with Leilani Kai and the veteran Velvet McIntyre attacking McGillicutty from behind! And in a move that shocks the audience, Velvet hurls Beulah out over the top rope! And getting the drop on Moore, Kai whips her into the ropes and charging in hits a running big boot on "Miss Texas" sending her toppling out! But in doing so Leilani gets his leg caught over the top rope! And moving in for the kill Velvet tries to throw "The Hawaiian Princess" over the top! She nearly succeeds, but Leilani lands on the apron and slugs it out with McIntyre getting the better of it before running her toward the turnbuckle and smacking her head first into it! Velvet bounces back into the ring as Leilani Kai climbs up top and hits the Diving Splash! From there it is easy for the former ECW Women's Champ to toss Velvet over the side making her the # 1 Contender!
Michele Starr is white as a sheet at ringside and Buck offers him some water.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
After the break we're taken to a promo by the Baron Von Raschke and his Ubermensch who are pissed that ECW President Eric Bischoff made their Tag-Team Title match a Triple Threat! The Baron says that those undeserving American dogs blew their chance earlier this month at Wrestle Annual! And their claim that they helped his men defeat the Tag Champs to earn their shot is built on the same house of cards as the American Dream! A pack of lies!
Tag-Team Match: The Circus of Doom w/ Brimstone vs. Tekno Team 2000
Though Travis and Troy get some early offense in on "The Ring Master" Matt Borne; Tekno Team 2000 are no match for the Circus of Doom with Matt isolating and dominating Troy in the corner before tagging in Pogo the Clown with a slap to the face! "The Monstrosity of Mirth" enters giggling maniacally; Burying first Travis who comes to the rescue and then Troy in the Basement for a three count with an exclamation point. Brimstone enters the ring after the match and gazes menacingly at the crowd.
A video clip featuring snippets from matches that took place this past Wednesday's show. We see "Mr. Wednesday Night" Rob Van Dam hit the 5-Star Frog Splash on Corporal Kirschner, "The Dark Prophet" Brimstone put Douglas Williams down with a Chokeslam from Hell, "The Leprechaun" Erin O'Grady lay out Shane Helms with the Lucky Charm double underhook implant DDT, "Too Cool" Brian Christopher landing the Hip Hop Drop atop Spike Hughes; and Scott Taylor hitting the high-angle diving Chop Drop off the top. Finally we see ECW Champion "The Long Island Loud-Mouth" Chris Jericho brain Sir William Regal with a steel chair. The ECW Wednesday Nights logo then appears.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
ECW Correspondent Terri Runnels talks with a very flirty "Ravishing" Rick Rude and an arrogant as ever "Mr. Wednesday Night" Rob Van Dam; collectively known as World's Finest about the Baron Von Raschke's words earlier tonight. Words is an apt description occuring to "The Ravishing One" who says that ECW President Eric Bischoff agrees with them, the Tag-Team Champions Dustin Rhodes and Tommy Dreamer agree with them; and most importantly the fans agree with them that they deserve a shot at the Tag-Team Champions just as much, if not moreso than the Ubermensch. And why is that? Cause they wanna see the best versus the best. And when you're looking for the best in this business; there's only one team that comes to mind. And that's World's Finest.
Match: Joe E. Legend w/ Michele Starr vs. Jimmy Cicero w/ Guido Falcone
Jimmy Cicero is holding his own against Joe E. Legend until some liberal interference from the Women's Champion "Gorgeous" Michele Starr gives him the edge he needs to dominate the rest of the match and beat Cicoer with the Godzilla Chokebomb. This doesn't sit well with his Guido Falcone at ringside who hammers Starr into the steel barricade with a body avalanche before Legend chases him off.
After the match we're taken back stage for Honky Tonk Man's "Rock 'N Rolling" segment where he sends us to a new video by the Stone Temple Pilots; "Lady Picture Show!"
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Zumhoff and HTM welcome us back from the last commercial break of the evening before hyping tonight's huge Main Event! They talk mostly about the match at Wrestle Annual III; which during a Triple Threat match "The Japanese Buzzsaw" Yoshihiro Tajiri pinned Aryan von Raschke to win the ECW Light Heavyweight Championship for the first time; from then Champion "The Lone Wolf" Dean Malenko! Tajiri obviously never pinned Malenko in that match. And the question is, will he have what it takes to do so tonight or will Dean Malenko win back the Title?
Gertner: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and is for the ECW Light Heavyweight Championship! Introducing first the challenger weighing 212 lbs. from Tampa, Florida and accompanied to the ring by David Prazak; he is "The Lone Wolf" Dean Malenko!
Malenko heads down to the ring all business as usual. Japanese music then hits.
Gertner: And now introducing from Tokyo, Japan accompanied to the ring by Mr. Fuji; weighing 209 lbs. he is the ECW Light Heavyweight Champion "The Japanese Buzzsaw" Yoshihiro Tajiri!
Main Event Light Heavyweight Title Match: Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Dean Malenko
These two men put on a clinic, pulling out all the stops as the fight back and forth. Several nearfalls are had by both men, but though Yoshihiro Tajiri's already dropped Dean Malenko with several hurrancanranas including a beautifully executed hurrancanrana pin, a dragon suplex; and the handspring back elbow; "The Lone Wolf" just keeps on coming. Even the Octopus Stretch doesn't seem to slow him down as he fires back with a powerbomb off the second rope, several suplexes; and quite a few submission holds. Tajiri just hangs in there, usually kicking out just before the three and manages to avoid the Texas Cloverleaf not once; but twice. The end finally comes when Mr. Fuji distracts Danny Davis "by accident" with his cane and while the ref's back is turned; "The Japanese Buzzsaw" lets loose with a face full of Asian Mist! From there Yoshihiro Tajiri hoists Dean Malenko up with the Brainbuster which connects for the three count!
Tajiri rolls from the ring and exits with the Title before Malenko has time to recover as the...
Lights Fade.
Working on it now.