That's right, I'm reviewing the first ever ECW PPV (available on the WWE Network). Now I won't go through all the backstory leading up to this show coming to be (even the show almost getting cancelled because of the Mass Transit Incident) because that stories been told so many times and you can find it in so many places. This is actually my first time watching an original ECW show, so here we go!!!
ECW Barely Legal 1997
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 4/13/97
The show starts off with the rabid Philadelphia fans chanting "ECW! ECW! ECW!". Joey Styles is in the ring and welcomes everyone to the show. After we get a cool video package, we cut back to Styles who is trying to do a preview of the show, but is interrupted by The Dudley Boyz and their posse. Joel Gertner cuts a promo talking about how great The Dudley Boyz are. He finishes up his shtick and The Eliminators come out to start things of..
1.) ECW World Tag Team Titles - The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray & D-Von with Joel Gertner & Sign Guy Dudley) vs. The Eliminators (John Kronus & Perry Saturn): **1/2
The Eliminators start things off by taking out Sign Guy Dudley with their tag team finisher, Total Elimination (as Joey Styles shrieks it as loud as they can). This was a fine opening match. The Eliminators did get to hit a lot of unique offense in here and The Dudley Boyz did get their shots in as well. The problem for me was that their was no attempt to put together a cohesive tag team match. Maybe I missed something and this was actually a Tornado Tag Team Match. I don't know. That was my only real complaint, however. The Eliminations win the match and the World Tag Team Titles.
After the match, Joel Gertner tries to announce that The Dudley Boyz are still the champions (for some reason, guess he's delusional), but The Eliminators quickly dispose of him.
The next match was originally supposed to be Chris Candido vs. Lance Storm, but Candido was pulled from the match due to a partially torn bicep. Candido comes out in a sling to cut a promo on not being able to compete tonight.
2.) Lance Storm vs. Rob Van Dam: ***1/4
RVD is replacing Chris Candido in this match. Essentially, RVD was a heel around this time, and his character was basically that he saw himself as someone who was using ECW to springboard himself to "bigger & better things". This was a pretty good match. Lance Storm was always a good wrestler, but man it's so different seeing a young RVD doing all this awesome stuff in the ring. They end up using a chair and a lot unique high flying offense is shown off. RVD eventually gets a win over Lance Storm.
After the match, RVD cuts a "shoot" style promo about how someone of his immense talent was only brought to the show as a fill in. He also mentions something to the degree of if he wins, he's worth more money in ECW, but that also means he's worth more money "elsewhere".
3.) Michinoku Pro Six-Man Tag - b.W.o. Japan (Taka Michinoku, Terry Boy & Dick Togo) vs. The Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada & Masato Yakushiji: ****1/2
Up next is a Six Man Tag featured six wrestlers from Michinoku Pro. Quick note on this one, Masato Yakushiji is replacing Gran Naniwa. Taka Michinoku, Terry Boy & Dick Togo are representing the Japanese Branch of the Blue World Order. I heard some great things about this match going in, and boy, it did not disappoint. To put it plainly, this match was AWESOME!!! So much happened here that's their is really no point in attempting to describe it. Just go and seek out this match. The team of The Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada & Masato Yakushiji pick up the win in an amazing affair.
4.) ECW World TV Title - "The Franchise" Shane Douglas (with Francine) vs. Pitbull #2: **
Douglas, the World TV Champion, comes out with Francine, surrounded by guys in riot squad gear (presumably there to protect Douglas), cuts a promo before the match. Basically the story here is that Shane Douglas broke the neck of Pitbull #1, Gary Wolfe, who is sitting at ringside. Pitbull #2 rushes the ring and we get things going in a hurry. At one point, Pitbull #1 jumps the guardrail and attacks Douglas after the World TV Champion gave Pitbull #2 several piledrivers. He is pulled off of Douglas and is removed from ringside. The match itself was ok. It had a good story behind it, and told a good story in the ring, but the problem was that it was twenty minutes long, and it did not need to be that long at all. They could have done the same thing it ten or twelve minutes, and it would have been a lot better. Douglas eventually gets the win, after using several foreign objects, to retain his title.
Apparently a stipulation added to this match beforehand was that if Douglas won, a masked man who had apparently been following him around for awhile, would unmask. It had been teased leading up to this that the masked man was in fact "Ravishing" Rick Rude, and fuel was added to this fire when the masked man came out in one of Rude's trademark "Simply Ravishing" robes. The Masked Man wants Francine and kisses her all the way down to the mat, leading Douglas to attack him. While this was going on, one of the riot squad guys gets in the ring and takes off his helmet, revealing himself to be RICK RUDE!!! Douglas doesn't see this, and the Masked Man reveals himself to be "Bulldozer" Brian Lee!! Rude takes Douglas out, and then Lee lays him out with a chokeslam and the two celebrate to a massive reaction from the crowd.
5.) Grudge Match - Taz (with Bill Alfonso) vs. Sabu: ***1/2
Much like the lead up to the PPV, I'm not going to go into much detail about this feud, because there has been so much said about it already. Simply put, this match has been building up for a long time, and now it's finally happening. I actually found this to be an entertaining match. It really did have that big match feel to it. For what it was, I though it was pretty good. Kind of short and sweet on the summary, but those are my thoughts on it. Taz gets the win over Sabu via submission.
After the match, Taz offers Sabu a handshake and the two embrace, but then Rob Van Dam attacks Taz from behind, and Sabu joins in on the beating!! Bill Alfonso look's like he's going to be getting involved, but he takes off his Team Taz T-Shirt to reveal a Sabu T-Shirt, and raises the duo's hands. Apparently Bull Alfonso had his money on Sabu in the match, and that was part of the reason supposedly (in storyline). RVD gives the same speech he gave earlier.
6.) #1 Contender's Three-Way Dance - The Sandman vs. Stevie Richards (with The Blue Meanie, Hollywood Nova, Thomas Rodman & 7-11) vs. Terry Funk: ***1/2
A three-way dance means that this match is held under Elimination Rules. Whoever wins will face Raven immediately after for the ECW World Title. Tommy Dreamer is out to join Joey Styles on commentary. The story here is that Dreamer was originally going to be in the Three-Way Dance, but he instead decided to give his spot to Terry Funk out of respect. Richards comes out with the rest of the Blue World Order and Sandman does his usual awesome entrance, already busted open before the match even starts. This was actually a pretty good three-way. It had some good hardcore spots, and was perfect for what it was. Richards gets eliminated first, and then Funk eliminates Sandman to win the match, but Raven attacks him almost immediately after to start the World Title Match.
7.) ECW World Title - Raven vs. Terry Funk: **
Funk is already bloody & weakened from the Three-Way Dance, so it seems like it'll be easy pickings for Raven. He beats up Funk and puts him through a table in a sick spot. Raven gets the mic and tells Tommy Dreamer, who is still at the announcer's position, that he's going to put Funk through more tables and that their isn't anything Dreamer can do about it. Dreamer walks to the edge of the raised area that the announcers position is located on. Suddenly, the returning Big Dick Dudley shows up! He looks to Chokeslam Dreamer off the raised area through a bunch of stacked tables below, but Dreamer counters and sends Dudley crashing through the tables!!! Raven takes out the referee with a DDT, but Dreamer comes down and gives Raven a DDT of his own!! Funk goes for a pin but Raven kicks out. Funk then small packages Ravens and gets the 1-2-3 to win the match and the ECW World Title!! The crowd erupts and Funk celebrates with Dreamer and the fans to close the show. The match was more of a moment than an actual match, but for what it was, it was a great way to end the PPV.
Overall: 8.5/10
When you take a look at this show strictly from an in-ring perspective, it was a pretty good show. The Michinoku Pro Six-Man Tag was easily Match of the Night, and the rest of the card was relatively solid, with nothing of note being bad at all. However, what made this PPV excel was that it was a show of moments, and for this being ECW's first PPV, it needed to have these moments to make a really good and lasting impression. Barely Legal delivered moments in spades. You had the World Tag Team Titles change hands in the first match on the show, the reveal of Rick Rude & Brian Lee, the long awaited clash between Taz & Sabu as well as the chaos in the aftermath, plus the entire World Title Match, which was essentially a moment more than a match, and the fact that Terry Funk won the World Title in a feel good moment. Barely Legal was a historic event in wrestling history, and if you have the WWE Network, you'd be a fool if you did not check this show out.
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