Customer Reviews

ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) - Barely Legal

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On April the 13th, 1997, the folks at Extreme Championship Wrestling staged the most important event in their short history - their first pay-per-view. For a company that started out as a non-profit regional promotion, this was a crucial date indeed - if the PPV didn't succeed, chances are neither would ECW. Thankfully then, for both Team Extreme and their fans, they didn't disappoint. In a full run-down of the card...

ECW World tag team champions The Dudley Boyz (Buh-Buh Ray & D-Von) defended the gold against The Eliminators (Perry Saturn & John Kronus) in an entertaining, yet psychology-lacking opener... Lance Storm took on (substituting for the injured Chris Candido) Rob Van Dam in a decent outing... The Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada and (subbing for the injured Gran Naniwa) Masato Yakushiji locked horns with Taka Michinoku, Dick Togo and Terry Boy in a tremendous Six-man match... World Television champion "The Franchise" Shane Douglas battled Pit Bull #2 in a sloppy disappointment... Taz faced (after a year and a half's worth of hype) Sabu in a hard-hitting, enthralling bout... And finally, Terry Funk bested bWo leader Stevie "Big Stevie Cool" Richards and The Sandman in a great Three Way Dance to advance to take on World heavyweight champion Raven in the brutal and bloody finale.

A memorable, if not entirely satisfactory, card; Barely legal is available commercially on video and DVD for the first time and, if I were you, I certainly wouldn't pass up the chance to own this fantastic piece of wrestling history.

This was ECW's first PPV from the bingo hall known as the "ECW Arena" and really the event that put ECW on the map nationwide. Joey Styles did the entire PPV (with the exception of the main event) alone without a color commentator which made him the first person in history to do that.

Tag Team Champions Dudley Boyz vs. Eliminators - The Dudleys were nothing more than bodies for Eliminators to get all their high flyin' spots on. It looked pretty cool seeing heavyweights like Saturn & Kronis pull off such quick high risk moves but that's all this opening match really was...a spotfest for the Eliminators.

Rob Van Dam vs. Lance Storm - They would go on to have better matches as Storm was really "green" to the ECW enviroment (as you can see by his weak chairshots to RVD). This match is memorable for two reasons as it was the first time RVD used the "Vandaminator" as his finisher & this was the beginning of him becoming "Mr. Monday Night."
(Also available on Rob Van Dam "One Of A Kind" DVD)

Great Sasuke, Bran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji vs. bWo International (Taka Michinoku, Dick Togo, Mens Teioh) - People night recognize the bWo International team as the original members of Kaientai from WWF but if you only know them from their run there, you'll be impressed here. This match was a crusierweight six man tag that you would see in Japan & it was great quality wrestling for those who apprechiate the japanese style of wrestling. This was also the PPV debut of Taka & Great Sasuke 3 months before WWF claimed it was their PPV debut at the "Canadian Stampeed" PPV.

Television Champion Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #2 - This match was based off the hottest angle in wrestling for the past year for the simple fact that it got more "white" heat from fans than any angle WWF or WCW had during that time period. Shane Douglas had broke the neck of cult favorite "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe less than a year earlier (and that's no storyline, he really did it) and Pitbull #2 had his last chance for revenge. Pitbull's style of powermoved didn't really clash well with Shane Douglas' style as the match came off sloppy at times to me. The side storyline to this match was about a masked man (believed to be Rick Rude) who was stalking Francine & if Douglas won the match, he would be unmasked. The mystery man would be revealed & who was under the mask that night would be a shock to Douglas & his "Triple Threat" faction.

Sabu vs. Taz - This was dubbed "The Grudge Match Of The Century" as Sabu & Taz had a legit beef with each other dating back to when Sabu was fired from ECW in April '95 & if was perfectly built as they didn't fight each other for over a year leading up to this match as it had a great mix of wrestling from both men along with each incorporating their styles of Sabu's high flyin' & Taz's judo martal arts submission as well. The match itself lived up to the hype eventhough they would top the match later on in ECW.

Terry Funk vs. The Sandman vs. Stevie Richards - Tommy Dreamer joined Joey Styles on commentary for this & the next match. This was also the best match Stevie Richards has had in his career. This involved barbed wire, ladders, and trash cans. Great three way dance. Various spots include Sandman whipping Funk's bare back with barbwire & also throwing a steel trash can into the ring right on Funk's head.

ECW Champion Raven vs. Terry Funk - This is one right after the other match. This was more about the emotional story of Terry Funk getting his "one last run" than a match itself. Tons of cameos by Tommy Dreamer & Raven's flock. Just a very emotional match as Terry Funk pulled off the impossible & won the World Title at ECW's biggest show at that time.

DVD extras here are the same as all the ECW PPV DVD's in that they give a storyline history & background of each match on the card.

Recently, WWE packaged this PPV with their One Night Stand 2006 DVD. The main differences between that copy & this one are that Joey Styles redid some of his commentary on the WWE DVD. Also on the WWE DVD, they included the backstage promos & interviews while this DVD didn't. As for the music & entrances, all the entrances that didn't have ECW original music were either edited out or the music was muted out & the Motorhead cover of "Enter Sandman" was dubbed over the original version. The WWE version kept the entrances but put generic music over the ECW music they didn't own (no "Enter Sandman").

It wasn't the best PPV but if your looking for one of the most emotional nights in wrestling history, you'll find it here as it had something for every different type of wrestling fan. I highly recommend. If your not sure which version to get, read above what the differences are between the two & make your own choice.

On April 1997, ECW broke through all rival promotions to present the most grueling PPV of the year, "Barely Legal" 1997. Although lacking the pomp and grandiose of Wrestlemania, "Barely Legal" easily held on its own with terrific hardcore action and ooh-ahh spots that had everyone on the edge of their seats.

1.) Eliminators vs. Dudley Boyz- This is a near-total squash, but what a beautifully done squash! Perry Saturn and John Kronos deliver their most perfect performance ever with a never-ending array of somersaults and brain-busting double-team kicks! This may be more like a Ringling Brs. Circus spectacle than an actual wrestling match, but you will be amazed of the pace so much that you can only thirst for more ECW! ****

2.) Lance Storm vs. Rob Van Dam- The fans on this show don't give enough credit to either man in one of their numerous encounters together. If you think Jerry Lynn is Rob's most common opponent, then you've flat out missed Storm. Both men are harassed with boos and curses on all sides (Lance because he makes [poor]chair shots, and Rob because he messes up some maneuvers with the ropes). Besides that, a healthy does of technical, mid-air mayhem, supplied with plenty of innovative ideas with chairs, makes this match one for fans of Storm and Van Dam. Now that both men are in the WWF, expect them to be the next rivalry since Rock & Austin or Benoit & Jericho. ****1/2

3.) Michinoku Pro- Remember Taka Michinoku, from WWF's Kaientai? If you're one of those people who thinks he's a [bad]c Japanese goof-off, you haven't see him back in the days as part of the Lucha-style Michinoku Pro promotion. Along with Dick Togo and Mens Teioh, Taka faces off against Masato Yakushuji, Gran Naniwa, and the greatest Japanese luchadore ever, Grand/Great Sasuke, in the most stratospheric battle you might have ever seen. Forget RVD, these guys take airborne to new heights! It seems ever minute, at least two men are jumping over each other to get the better hand (or foot) over the other. Moonsaults, Lionsaults, Suicide Dives, Triple-team Slams, Piledrivers, Tornado DDTs, Senton Splashes...the list of air moves goes on and on, and that's coming from a cast of fighters with a half of them weighing over 240 pounds! If you are to see only one tag team wrestling match in your entire life, make it this one! This is match of the night. *****++

4.) Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #2- You've seen one match between these guys, you've seen them all...That's the best I could say about this confrontation for the TV title. Douglas is okay, but Pitbull #2 is awfully messy and keeps making mistakes in this match (Hence, the audience keeps chanting "B.S." and Pitbull #2 never gets to stick around in the ECW universe for long). The closing sequences to the match are very similar to the 4 Corners TV match almost 6 months before, so if you've seen that classic, you won't be surprised who'd win this match in the end. The subplot involving a masked man is bound to confuse newbies to ECW. ***

5.) Sabu vs. Taz- Just about any ECW fan would say this match, involving the suicidal, homicidal, genocidal high-flyer Sabu and the suplexing machine Taz, is very disappointing by the standards of both men. In a way, they're right. The weardown holds Taz keeps doing to Sabu are way too long, and Sabu keeps getting too vulnerable to Taz's hits. There are a few highlight moments, though, such as Sabu's leaps off of chairs and a messed-up table spot that has him tasting wood. Hardcore Sabu/Taz fans would diss this as an amateur accomplishment, but it is important in introducing Bill Alfonso as the hilarious manager of Sabu and Sabu's partner, none other than egomaniac Rob Van Dam. ***1/2

6.) Big Stevie Cool vs. The Sandman vs. Terry Funk- The Innovator of Violence, Tommy Dreamer, sits down next to announcer Joey Styles in the hopes that mentor Terry Funk would vanquish archenemy Raven off his World Heavyweight Championship. The problem for the Funker is that he first must survive this hardcore Three-Way Dance against the popular leader of the Blue World Order and the ultimate ECW hardcore icon, and what a confrontation it is. It's a 20-minute war as chairs, tables, a ladder, a garbage can, and barb-wire streamers are the weapons of choice in this insane brawl. (How many times did the fans go "Ooh" when a ladder slammed down on a poor luchadore?) Highlight moments include a loud slap fest, a ladder landing on everyone's noggin every few moments, even some brutal see-saw action with the ladder thrusting up on someone's chin!) Very illogical, but truly brutal and worth looking at for its unbelievable content. ****1/4

7.) Terry Funk vs. Raven- The Funker survives the battle, but all battered and broken, he must take on a fully fresh slacker who is also the World Heavyweight Champion. This is more of a spot fest than a total wrestling match, but the story being told here is well done. Raven begins severely blading Funk with a chair, causing the 53-year old to bleed in sickening pints (Makes this THE scariest moment in this show). Although a doctor tries to help out Funk, Raven continues to assault the man with his cronies and even smashes him through a table on the outside. Raven then begins to taunt ole Tommy Dreamer that he'll end the career of Dreamer's tutor right before the Innovator. Dreamer is incensed and demands to fight Raven, until Big D. Dudley comes up and attacks him from behind. The burly Dudley then grabs Dreamer and prepares to level him with 3 stacked tables below. But Tommy kicks out and sends Big D. crashing right through the tables into unrecognizable splinters! ..Raven is stunned that the plan backfires, and suddenly, Dreamer pursues his opponent and lands Raven with a DDT! In due time, Funker is able to pin the slacker and become the first man to win the ECW World Heavyweight Championsip on a PPV! Dreamer and Funk warmly hug each other as the crowd proudly shouts, "ECW! ECW! ECW!..." This was just too cool an ending. ****1/4

So there you have it. The mid-card may be slightly weak, but the earlier matches and the double main-event makes this again an ECW video worth the money. You won't regret it.

This is ECW's very first and highly anticipated pay per view, EVER. Dudley Boyz vs. Eliminators is a good, but short spotfest. RVD vs. Lance Storm is good,nothin to write home about. The Michinoku Pro 6 Man Tag is HANDS DOWN the MATCH OF THE NIGHT, and definitely one of ecws best matches EVER. TAKA Michinoku, Dick Togo, and Mens Teioh battle Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada, and Masato Yakushiji in a high flying acrobatic match that makes ANYTHING the wwf and wcw puts on look like a Big Show/Billy Gunn match. Simply AWESOME. Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #2 SUCKS. the ending was the same as Heat Wave 96 and The Doctor Is In, which made the match even worse. Sabu vs. Taz was a great brawl, with some surprisinly good technicality. Sandman/Stevie/Funk was an all out BRAWL, with tables, chairs, ladders, barbed wire,garbage cans, a very hard hitting match. Raven vs. Funk, well, it was short, but there was a sweet bump during the match taken by Big Dick Dudley, but i wont spoil it for you. All in all, definitely worth a look, and well worth the money.

Even though this DVD has yet to be released, I was lucky enough to see ECW's first pay-per-view event already. Although it was not a perfect outing for ECW, it is definitely worth buying because there were a lot of memorable moments. In the opening match, the Dudley Boyz [WWF] challenge the Eliminators (Perry Saturn [WWF] & John Kronus) for the ECW Tag Team titles. Next, Rob Van Dam replaces an injured Chris Candido when he takes on Lance Storm [WCW]. My personal favorite match of the night is a six-man tag team extravanganza starring superstars from Japan's Michinoku Pro. The Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada, and Masato Yukushiji (subbing for Gran Naniwa) face Taka Michinoku [WWF], Mens Teioh, and Dick Togo. In an easily forgettable match, Shane Douglas [WCW] defended his ECW Television title against Pitbull #2. In a match that had been built up for quite some time, Sabu took on Taz [WWF] in a classic encounter. The Sandman, Terry Funk [WCW], and Stevie Richards [WWF] battled in a match to determine who would get an ECW Heavyweight title shot. The winner of that match took on Raven for the title in the next and final match of the night. I really enjoyed this event and would recommend it to any wrestling fan to purchase on DVD. Even big fans of the WWF and WCW will recognize many superstars who appeared on this show. I gave the show four stars out of five only because of the Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #2 mess that should have never taken place especially for as long as it did.

Over the years ECW had done many Pay Per Views with extreme hardcore stuff, but Barely Legal is like comparing ECW to WCW. ;yeah really its that good;

Here is the card The Dudley Boyz vs. The Eliminators This is a great match with many spots and aerial maneuvers. 7/10

Rob Van Dam vs. Lance Storm This was one of my favorite matches with great technical wrestling, another high flying match 9/10

Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada, and Masato Yakushiji vs. Taka Michinoku, Mens Teoh, and Dick Togo This was my favorite match of the night that had unbelivable japan wrestling moves. 10/10

Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #2 This is the boring match of the night but it did have some surprise guest during the match 5/10

Taz vs. Sabu I honestly dont know why everybody thinks this match is so good, I mean sure there was great wrestling and spots but this is Sabu were talking about, compared to his other matches with Sandman this was a sleeper. 7/10

Stevie Richards vs. The Sandman vs. Terry Funk this was a good match and the wrestlers made good use of the ladder and barbed wire, this was one of terry funks most Memorable matches. 9/10

Terry Funk vs. Raven The main event after the three way were raven beats on a beat up Terry Funk, great match and I bet big dick dudley wishes he was never there. 8/10

There is only one special feature and that is the match histories which isnt the greatest but its better than nothing.

This DVD is great and has every thing, hardcore, aerial, technical and just plain crazy. Overall mark 8/10 Highly Recommended

Here it is. Definitely a piece of ECW history. Though the promotion is now officially dead (having filed for bankruptcy), this DVD marks ECW's crowning moment: Its first ever Pay-Per View held on April 13, 1997. The DVD itself is not overly great but it is decent. Unlike the other ECW DVD's, this one does not have "exclusive" DVD features aside from match histories for the pay-per-view. However, this is definitely a great collector's item when you look at the big picture of ECW history, and in fact, wrestling history. Seven great matches fill this card. Here they are:

1. The Eliminators vs. The Dudley Boyz: One-sided affair that was pretty much a spot fest showcase for Saturn and Kronus. AWESOME displays of martial arts and aerial maneuvers, including three (3) Total Eliminations. 4 stars.

2. Chris Candido promo.

3. Lance Storm vs. Rob Van Dam: Great match between two premier talents. Great contest mixing sound technical, mat wrestling and aerial spots. 4 1/2 stars.

4. Michinoku Pro 6 Man Action - Great Sasuke, Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji vs. TAKA Michinoku, Mens "Terry Boy" Teioh and Dick Togo. At first, it would seem odd that ECW's debut pay-per-view would feature NON-ECW stars. However, ECW, among other things, has always been known for its unmatched in-ring product in terms of pure athleticism. Let me tell you, these puroresu sensations deliver that and a whole lot more in this all out war. GREAT ACTION with tons of mat wrestling, aerial maneuvers, martial arts, double team and triple team maneuvers. Fans of puroresu know that the in ring product in Japan is light years ahead what American audiences see on a weekly basis. Ironically, later on Taka, Teioh and Togo (along with Funaki) formed Kaientai in the WWF. It is ironic to think that this talented group went on to become comedy relief jobbers and their awesome skills never displayed. What a shame. 5 stars.

5. "Franchise" Shane Douglas (with Francine) vs. Pitbull 2: TV Title match. This match was the culmination of a bitter feud between the Franchise and the Pitbull tag team. Decent, hard fought bout that saw Douglas use just about everything. Plus, "guest appearances" by Pitbull 1, Chris Candido, "Primetime" Brian Lee and "Ravishing" Rick Rude.

6. Sabu vs. Taz: "Grudge Match of the Century." GREAT match with tons of great mat wrestling, high spots and good ring psychology. Plus an appearance by Rob Van Dam and the shocking turn that led to the formation of one of ECW's best heel stables. Five stars.

7. Terry Funk vs. The Sandman vs. Big Stevie Cool (guest color commentator, "The Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer): Three-way Dance to determine the number one contender to the Heavyweight championship. Great hardcore, hard-hitting action including a ladder and barbed wire. Plus, an appearance by the bWo including, Da Blue Guy, Hollywood Nova, and 7-11. 5 stars.

8. ECW Heavyweight Champion Raven vs. Terry Funk: A fresh Raven seeks to keep his heavyweight title against a brutally injured Funk. Plus, appearances by Tommy Dreamer and Big Dick Dudley. 5 stars.

Overall, a great event. The "Match Histories" were written by Michael Johnson II, the same guy who wrote the wrestler bios for the other ECW DVDs and the ECW website. While not earth-shattering, they give a good background behind the storylines that led up to this pay-per-view and are well worth a read if you were not following ECW at the time. Plus, they set a good tone for you as you watch the pay-per-view. Read them before you watch the matches.

Overall this is a decent card and a decent DVD. It is definitely worth watching. Is it worth owning though? For pure historical value I say yes. It's definitely a collector's item.

Recommended.

1st match ecw tag team title match the dudlays vs eliminators winners and new champions eliminators. 2nd match lance storm vs rvd winner rvd. 3rd match great sasuke gran hamada and masato yakushiji vs terry boy dick togo and taka michinoku winners taka michinoku dick togo and dick boy. 4th match ecw tv title match shane douglas vs pitbull 2 winner shane douglas. 5th match tazz vs sabu winner tazz. 6th match 3 way dance stevie richards vs sandman vs terry funk winner terry funk. 7th match if you have weak stomachs for blood and gore than do not watch this viewer discresion advised ecw world title match raven vs terry funk winner a new champion terry funk like i said before this match was barley legal.

On April 13th of 1997, the now-defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling launched its first pay-per-view. It was headlined by the highly-anticipated first encounter between Taz and Sabu. It also featured Terry Funk battling his way through a "Triple Threat" match to eventually face Raven for the ECW World Title. Other highlights from this amazing show included Rob Van Dam declaring himself to the highest bidder, Rick Rude finally unmasking, and the Eliminators winning the ECW world tag team titles.

"Barely Legal" wasn't the greatest ECW event in history but it did have its share of cool moments. An unscheduled match between future WWF alumni Rob Van Dam and Lance Storm had its entertaining moments though Lance displayed some of the poorest chair work I've ever seen. This should be noted as to the match where Van Dam's major push as "Mr. Monday Night" began. Fans of the more aggressive Japanese style of wrestling will love the Michanoku Pro six-man tag. The very underrated Taka Michanoku, who was never used properly during his WWF stint put on a hell of a show with the rest of the guys. And what would an ECW show be without the "Queen Of Extreme" Francine and Beulah on it? They appear on seperate ocassions, Francine during Douglas' match with Pit-Bull #2 and Beulah before the start of the main event but they both come out looking amazing as always.

While the event itself was incredible, this DVD presentation is average at best. In addition to the fact that most of the promos and backstage interviews that aired during the original broadcast are not included, most of the entrance music has either been altered or removed entirely. The Sandman's entrance originally had hundreds of fans singing along to Metallica's "Enter Sandman". Since they had to replace it with the Motorhead cover version, you don't get to experience what truly was a great ECW fan moment. Since this is really the only version of the event on the retail market, you will have to settle with it or try to track down an original copy of the pay-per-view.

ecw barely legal is one of the best ecw ppvs ever!the best 2 matches are the japan-6man match or that brutal 3-way title match.buy barely legal now!