Last time we looked at the issues that the rebirth of ECW suffered, in balance I thought it would be good to look back at the early days of ECW to redress the balance. So our show in question isn't actually a PPV its a live show that was recorded for TV and video tape. The fact that ECW had a video tape distribution deal in 1995 shows what the promotion had done in a very short time. The show begins with a promo from an example of what ECW did well. “The sexiest man on earth” Jason was up until that point known as Jason Knight a WCW jobber. Paul Heyman, wrestling genius that he is, looked at the package and did not see a great wrestler, what he did see was a heat machine. A good looking young man who could cut a promo and take indignity with heart (he lost to Jazz on a later PPV) the ideal concept behind a manager. It is what Bobby Heenan did well for years here its reinvented. This is early in ECW's development, so early the fans are still trying to pronounce the W in ECW, but even in the first five minutes the manifesto of the company is laid out. Fan interaction, chants the whole deal is as Pavlovian as it gets. The fans loved this attitude and they loved Jason in way that has only recently become mainstream. Jason was not a great wrestler, but the fans knew he had talent on the mic and booed him because they where supposed to, a mark of respect accorded to few in the ECW locker room at the time. Jason also introduces the one other factor that set ECW apart from other promotions of the time, they brought in wrestlers from all over the world and gave them equal time with their stars. Jason the Terrible never really caught on as the second coming of Abdullah the Butcher in the US, however over in WINGS and later the IWA he was a huge star. ECW knowing they had a very loyal but also very knowledgeable tape trading fan base brought him in for a series of matches teaming him up with the super over Pitbulls to great effect. Really this opening segment sets the tone of the show and lays out the philosophy of Paul Heyman as a booker. Hide the negatives accentuate the positives, make the most out of what you have got. Give people the opportunity to excel and see what happens, when it works chase it up and keep it moving. Respect the fans and respect their opinions. Even Shah Hack Myers was an ECW legend through his never ending but usually futile efforts. Note to this is no squash match, everyone gets even billing and is a competitive contest, though it maybe kept short to hide the short comings of the participants. 6 man's always do it gives the appearance of greatness without anyone having to be great.

The video packages are also part of the charm of these old ECW tapes, cool music quick cuts and use of locker room interviews that where revolutionary at the time. The company really didn't hide anything. It looks like it comes from a disused bingo hall because it comes from a disused bingo hall, but presented like it comes from MSG. Making things special even when it seems they are not, is incredibly important, especially for a small company.

We then have Steven (not quite yet Stevie) Richards, Raven's lackey, vs Tommy Dreamer, also not quite yet the epic feud that Raven Dreamer would become. This is the opening salvoes, with Raven controlling the gullible Steven to do his bidding. Its a scrappy affair but of note because of firstly Tommy Dreamer's physique which is ripped to say the least and then secondly because of his aerial offence. This was Tommy 30 lbs from his heyday and it showed in his crispness and pure wrestling aesthetic. (I tweeted about this while I was writing this article Tommy replied “I still fly these days just not so high"). Steven and Raven show only potential as to where this feud could go. No Beaulah, no flock and it is amazing to think what happened with this feud after this match and how it touched so many lives.

Then onto an example of the Heyman booking philosophy in full effect Mikey Whipwreck and “Giant” Paul Laurie. Whipwreck was a true Heyman protege, a small young guy who would help set up the ring if they could get some training time in before the show. Paulie saw the young wannabe flying around the ring and he had a vision of a guy who would get beat up for months on end, no jobbers in ECW remember, until one day he got in a shot and the crowd got behind him. They saw something different in Mickey, he was not the same as anyone else on the roster, in fact he wasn't like anyone else in wrestling. Now if Paulie could do that for some one like Mikey, what could he do for someone with real star potential? Which brings us neatly to the Bad Breed fall out. As documented on the tape, Ian and Axl Rotten had a falling out over their break up by The Pitbulls which resulted in this extremely violent affair which began steadily but slowly but surely got up the card with yet another ECW calling card, extreme. This was the year where blood and guts moved up the card in ECW, Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, New Jack and The Dudleys took it to the next PPV level in the years to come. This match is pertinent for also what happened after ECW, with Ian Rotten going on to promote matches like this as the bread and butter of his IWA Mid South, using DVD and IPPV sales as a platform much the same as Paul Heyman had done with video tapes back in the day.

Despite the violence what I remember most about the early ECW was the pure wrestling that they had on offer. Here Al Snow takes on the Crippler Chris Benoit. Snow was an underground sensation at the time while Benoit was world famous from his time in NJPW and Stampede. These two where perfectly matched, a much more agile Al than you may remember from his WWE days. After the initial exchanges they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. So with a guy like Whipwreck Paulie could make a star, with the ready made stars he just let them go and do what they do best and it all worked for itself. Here Benoit and Snow tell the story of cocky Canadian National arrogance and American Revenge, even ECW fans where not that cynical back then.

And so we move onto the ECW world title match, Tully Blanchard vs Shane Douglas. Paulie always had a cool way of using the veterans, bring them into get the younger guys over. If they proved vital then they would get longer programmes. Blanchard here is clearly angling for a job after a less than stellar previous performance that saw him booed out of the building. Shane Douglas, then champ, takes a beating while Tully goes to town. Tommy Rich and Terry Funk where used in a similar way at times, though Funk was born for ECW. Blanchard makes a good account for himself here and looks as if he is in as good a shape as his Horsemen heyday. Douglas as always is The Franchise, with all the pomp and swearing you can muster. Blanchard, always sharp when it came to money matches, really earned it on this night. You may also notice this was not the main event. That would be saved for the Tag Team titles later on, yes the TAG TEAM TITLES. That's how over The Public Enemy where.

The Sandman and Cactus Jack, the two biggest draws in the arena, Texas Death Rules seemed appropriate, a good idea you would say. Except when, at 1:23:33, Jack takes a swing with a frying pan at Sandman's head. That isn't the flimsy Poundland special Jack took a swing with, something more akin to one of Tefal's greater creations. Which had predictable results on The Sandman. He was knocked unconscious. The rest of the match is a disaster area, or the greatest bottle feeding job of all time as Jack tries to get Sandman to lay down so he can get some medical attention, because its Texas Death Rules so the ref can't stop it . . . When you play with fire . . . This was only topped in the ECW bad ideas stakes when The Sandman got drunk before wrestling Sabu.

And so the main event The Public Enemy Defending against The Tazmaniac and Sabu. When Paul Heyman took over the book of ECW his first creation was The Public Enemy. Flyboy Rocco Rock and Johnny Gurnge where always opponents, so Paul thought they know each other so well why not put them together? The white guy playing black gimmick went down a storm with the locals and it took off better than Paul imagined or hoped. Sabu was a man on the rise before ECW came along and Tazamaniac was an incredible wrestler who never got anywhere because, well to be blunt, he was short and had to have the wild man gimmick to get used anywhere. He hated it, and it was blessed relief for him when he had the chance to reinvent himself as Taz. Double Tables was the ideal environment for two high flying teams like this and showed what the ECW environment could do for match quality.

So there you have it, not all that violent, not all that much violence against women, not to much bad language but all the elements of what ECW is remembered for are there one year after its rebirth. The key element though, reinvention was there from day one.

Enjoy the show.