Customer Reviews

ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) - Hardcore History

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The person who claims to have the "inside scoop" on the contents of the DVD is wrong.

The actual matches on the DVD are:

- ECW World Tag Team Champions Sabu & Taz vs. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko - February 25, 1995

- ECW World Tag Team Champions The Gangstas vs. The Eliminators - Natural Born Killaz Cage Match - August 24, 1996

- ECW World Tag Team Champions Raven & Stevie Richards vs. The Pitbulls - Two out of Three Falls, Double Dog Collar Chain Match - September 16, 1995

- ECW World Television Champion Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #2 - August 3, 1996

- ECW World Champion The Sandman vs. Cactus Jack - Singapore cane vs. Fist wrapped in barbed wire - July 1, 1995

- Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu - Stretcher Match - August 3, 1996

- DVD Only: Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera - Two out of Three Falls - March 9, 1996

- DVD Only: Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Lee - High Incident Scaffold Match - October 26, 1996

With the resurgence of ECW in the public eye on WWF television, more casual wrestling fans may find an interest in learning about the revolutionary promotion that changed the face of sports entertainment in the mid to late `90s. ECW Hardcore History highlights 8 of the greatest matches and superstars in ECW history during its golden era of 1995-1996. Also included in the "DVD Special Features" are promos, wrestler biographies and another "extreme moments" montage and yes, ANOTHER hidden promo.

Here are the matches featured on this release:

1. "Crippler" Chris Benoit and "The Shooter" Dean Malenko vs. Taz and Sabu (2/25/95): For the ECW Tag Team Titles. Solid (albeit lackluster) scientific contest on the part of Benoit and Malenko. Also appearing: The Public Enemy and 911!!! 3 ¾ stars

2. The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa Saed) vs. The Eliminators (Perry Saturn and John Kronus) (8/24/96): Cage Match for the Tag Team Titles. This was an intense bloody brawl that spanned the arena, featuring foreign objects and TONS of cage dives (and as is the custom with Gangsta matches, Dr. Dre pounding on the sound system). Also appearing: "The Franchise" Shane Douglas!!! 4 stars

3. The Pitbulls (Gary Wolfe and Anthony Durante) vs. Raven and Stevie Richards (9/16/95): Double Dog Collar 2/3 Falls for the Tag Titles. This single match has been touted by MANY as THE greatest match in ECW history, both in terms of storytelling and physicality. All-Out WAR between these two teams featuring dog collars, lots of tables and LOTS of guest appearances by: The Dudley Boyz (Dudley, Dances With and Big Dick), 911, Referee Bill Alphonso and Tommy Dreamer. The first two falls seem to have been slightly clipped, but the 3rd fall is probably THE MOST INTENSE moments you'll ever see in a wrestling ring. 5 stars.

4. Pitbull II vs. "The Franchise" Shane Douglas (w/Francine) ( 8/3/96): Pitbull I gives his retirement speech before the match. Hard fought back and forth brawl matching Pitbull's awesome power vs. Douglas' finesse. Everything except the kitchen sink was used in this hardcore battle. 4 ½ stars.

5. The Sandman (w/ Woman) vs. Cactus Jack (7/1/95): For the ECW Heavyweight Title. Slow paced but brutal brawl between the two Hardcore Icons. Lots of caning; lots of barbed wire. Also featuring: Shane Douglas and 911. 3 ¾ stars.

6. Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu (8/3/96): Stretcher Match. As Joey Styles would say, OH MY GOD!!! The object in this match was to beat your opponent so senseless that they had to be carried out on a stretcher to the back. Hands down this is one of THE best matches I've ever seen. In one for the highlight reel it's all-out aerial/martial arts war between two of ECW's best and most popular workers. Brutal. 5 stars.

7. Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera (3/9/96): Extreme Lucha Libre!!! 2 out of 3 Falls. Before they became mainstays on Monday Nitro, Rey Rey and Juvi lit up the house in ECW. This is probably THE best lucha match I've ever seen, and that says A LOT. If they showed matches like this every Monday night I'd be really happy. It's a back and forth air war in ring (and across the arena) between the two most well-known luchadors in America. 5 stars.

8. "The Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer vs. "Primetime" Brian Lee (10/26/96): "High Incident" Scaffold Match. Hard-hitting arena spanning brawl VERY notable (and notorious) for its EXTREMELY brutal ending. 3 stars for the match, 5 stars for the ending!!!

In addition to these 8 matches, the DVD also includes these special features.

1. Wrestler bios written by Michael Johnson II, of www.1wrestling.com, the same guy who did the bios on the ECW website and the previous DVD releases. Nice extra, but nothing to write home about...

2. Extreme Moments Montage: Featuring a BLOWN spot by JT Smith, a New Jack suicide balcony dive, etc...

3. Promos: by Steve Austin, a Brian Pillman and Pillman vs. Shane Douglas promo.

4. HIDDEN PROMO: Continuing in the grand tradition of the previous DVD releases, Hardcore History features another hidden promo. You can see the hidden profanity-laden but hilarious ECW blooper promo with "The Franchise" Shane Douglas and Francine in Title 3.

Here's my rundown:

Best Matches: Rey Jr. vs. Juvi, RVD vs. Sabu, Pitbulls vs. Raven/Richards, the end of "High Incident".

Cool Moment: The Hidden promo, the blown spot in Extreme Moments Montage

Overall, if you are new to the world of Extreme Championship wrestling, this DVD is a great way to catch up on what you missed. OR, if you are a long-time fan this DVD will add nicely to your collection. Overall, if you are a wrestling fan looking for some hard-hitting, fast paced, great action, this DVD will get the job done for you with 3 AWESOME matches and 5 pretty decent to great matches.

Recommended

Hardcore History is a much better offering than Deep Impact. The choice of matches is great. Chris Benoit/Dean Malenko vs. Taz/Sabu. This is a decent tag match to start things off,plus you get to see how silly Taz used to look. Gagstas vs. The Elminators inside a cage. This is the definatley the bloodiest most violent cage match I've ever seen.Perry Saturn shines in this match,even with out Moppy. Raven/Stevie Richards vs. The Pitbulls in a 2 out of 3 fall dog collar match. This is tied for the best ECW style match on the DVD.Blood,tables,and the old school Raven.Awesome match. Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull 2. This match is the other tie for best ECW style match. It as brawling,and great wrestling,and Pitbull #2 bleeds like a stuck pig! Cactus Jack vs The Sandman in a barbed wire fist/singapore cane match. This is a nice little brawl that shows some of the interesting match ideas that ECW tried out. Sandman wraps himself in barbed wire wich is always fun to watch! RVD vs. Sabu in a stretcher match. This match is an awesome display of what both men are capable of. I liked their match for the TV title a lot better though. Rey Misterio Jr. Vs. Juventud Guerrera2 out of 3 falls. This is probably the best lucha match I've seen. It's better than anything either one did in WCW. Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Lee in High Incicdent. This is a scaffold Match above a ring filled with tables. Great finish as you can tell. If you have the DVD go to wrestler biographies and go to Joey Styles. Clik the right arrow on your controller twice.A cool blooper segment with Shane Douglas,a can of spray paint and a camera apears. Pretty funny stuff. I also got it when I clicked into Styles Bio and hit DVD menu.Just play with some buttons in the bio area and you'll find it I guess.

Another compilation of matches from various ECW TV shows & PPV's with an introduction to each match by Joey Styles.

Tag Champions Sabu & Tazmaniac (Taz) vs. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko - This was really a quick handicap match as Taz was taken out of the match quickly & Sabu had to fend of both men himself. This match showcased the merciless style of Benoit & Malekno as a tag team since they took apart each team member before winning their tag team championship...and the first title Benoit won in the United States. Also watch out for the pre & post match confrontations with Public Enemy to set up the 3 way fued between all 3 teams.

Steel Cage Match: Tag Champions The Gangstas vs. Eliminators - This was the best Gangstas match I've seen because it didn't involve their usual "come to the ring with the trashcans full of weapons & use them non-stop" formula. The match looked like a legit fight with an occassional weapon here or there plus all the dives that Saturn did off the cage were right out of Jimmy Snuka's playbook & Shane Douglas makes a cameo appearence here as well. Again, the best Gangstas match I've seen.
(Also available on "ECW Extreme Rules")

Double Dog Collar/2 out of 3 Falls Match: Tag Team Champions Raven & Stevie Richards vs. The Pitbulls - The match itself featured plenty of broken tables before anyone had ever heard of Bubba & D-Von Dudley along with so many important appearances & storyline twist in a single match than a month's worth of WWE TV featuring ECW stars such as owner Tod Gordon, Bill Alfonzo, Tommy Dreamer, Taz, Paul Heyman, and 911. This was Stevie Richards breakout match for the next couple of years as this was an out of control brawl & one of the most famous matches in the early history of Extreme Championship Wrestling.
(Also available on "Rise & Fall Of ECW")

Television Champion Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #2 - This was their best match from their yearlong storyline revolving around Douglas breaking the neck of Pitpull #1 (again, that's not kayfabe...he really did it!). Pitbull #1 did a prematch promo that got the crowd so heated that they wanted to kill Douglas & you saw that by watching this match. They had the kind of heat that you rarely see in wrestling. The story behind this match (besides the crowd heated at Douglas & Francine) was really Pitbull #2 never giving up despite losing alot of blood. Douglas escaped with his life & this was their best match. The crowd reactions in his match was really something to see.

"High Incident" Scaffold Match: Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Lee - There's not much to a scafford match except climb up the scaffold & knock the other guy off but in this case, there were tables stacked to crash through below. However this one had them brawling all over the building & even had Tommy take the hardest crotch shot before the eventual ending happened.
(Also available on "ECW Extreme Rules")

ECW Champion Sandman vs. Cactus Jack - This is the match were Cactus Jack had his arm wrapped in barbed wire while Sandman had his singapore cane. The match was mostly just a brawl like most Sandman matches are but the bigger picture here was the Shane Douglas storyline where he was leaving for WWF that night (remember Dean Douglas?) and had issues with both men leading to a cameo appearence in the end. The ending was a little weak as most of their matches were but still, it's a good brawl.
(Also available on "ECW Extreme Rules")

2 out of 3 Falls Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Juventud Guerrera - This was probably the most memorable "extreme lucha" match in ECW history as this was the most high impact one. One memorable spot was when they brawled outside the building & Mysterio did a "frankensteiner" (I can't spell the mexican name for it) to Juvi off the hood of a fan's car. Again, this was the best & most memorable "extreme lucha libre" match in ECW history.

Stretcher Match: Sabu vs. Rob Van Dam - These two were trained together & learned off each other's styles while growing up so you can see that this is going to be a great match (and they never had a bad one). Very physical match with very unique spots involving the stretcher as well.
(Also available on "Bloodsport: ECW's Most Violent Matches")

The DVD extras are another Extreme Moments section which features an insane bump by J.T. Smith that ends up having a bump on his head swell up to the side of a ping-pong ball, a wrestler does breaks his leg off the top rope (ala Sid Vicious) and ends up still getting caned by Sandman, and a New Jack balcony dive onto Jack Victory. Also featured is Steve Austin's last promo before leaving to WWF, a short Brian Pillman promo, the second incident between Shane Douglas & Brian Pillman that results in damn near another riot, and a hidden ECW promo blooper between Shane Douglas & Francine.

Just like the Extreme Evolution DVD, I highly recommend this one as well right behind it.

I GOT THREE WORDS FOR THIS VIDEO. OH, MY GOD! THIS TAPE IS A MUST-SEEEEEEEEEE. BENOIT/MALENKO VS. TAZ/SABU(FOR THE TITLES); ENOUGH SAID. GANGSTAS/ ELIMINATORS IS VERY VIOLENT AND THEY USE EVERYTHING! RAVEN/RICHARDS VS. PITBULLS IS SIMPLY CRAZY. SHANE DOUGLAS/PITBULL 2 HAS A SUPER CONTROVERSIAL AND INSANE FINISH.

CACTUS/SANDMAN HAD A LAME FINISH BUT THE MATCH IS GOOD. VAN DAM/SABU(STRECHER MATCH) WAS THE BEST MATCH EVER BETWEEN THEM. REY MYSTERIO/JUVI IS A CLASSIC.

DREAMER AND BRIAN LEE IS JAW DROPPING! IF YOU BUY THE DVD YOU HAVE THE HONOR TO SEE THIS UNIQUE AND DRAMATIC MATCH.

THIS TAPE IS GREAT AND YOU WILL GIVE ME THE REASON WHEN YOU FINISH TO SEE THIS VIDEO.

ECW always puts out great DVD's so let's see what we got here:

1. Sabu/Taz Vs. Chris Benoit/Dean Malenko - Really great match but short, especially when one of them leaves with an injury. What's here is great though! ****

2. The Gansters Vs. The Eliminators - Cage match - Not the greatest match, but with the Gansters you'd know they'd be blood everywhere. They beat on each other with various objects like they were in a video game or somethin :-).. Saturn Flies off the top of cage like 5 times giving this an extra star. *1/2

3. Raven/Steven Richards Vs. The Pitbulls - 2/3 Fall Double-Collar match - The stipulation is that each person is attached to an opponent with a collar wrapped around their head. Sounds stupid, but they really pulled it off. Violence and tables .. TO THE EXTREME!.. Really great match with a really great ending and Tommy Dreamer and 911 getting involved at the end. *****

4. Shane Douglas Vs. Pitbull #2 - Pitbull #1 was injured by Douglas and his partner vows revenge! This series always seemed
boring to me and unfortunatly so did this. *1/2

5. The Sandman Vs. Cactus Jack - Barbed-Wire match - Cactus gets his chance at the ECW Championship belt. Some crazy spots in this match from both wrestlers made this a surpring good barbed-wire match. ****

6. Sabu Vs. RVD - Stretcher match - The first person to be carried out on a stretcher loses. Crazy, Insane, Career-Ending Spots in this one. Sloppy match, but the insane moves these men attempt make this my favorite match of the DVD. *****

7. Rey Mysterio Jr. Vs. Juventud Guerrera - 2/3 Falls match - Ridiculously non-stop lucha match with both men flying around inside and outside the ring.. Even outside the arena! Awesome match *****

8. Tommy Dreamer Vs. Brian Lee - Scaffold match - A Scaffold match is where 2 wrestlers battle on a cakewalk 15ft or so over the ring, first one thrown off loses. This one has a 1,000 tables or so under the scaffold for someone break on the way down. For a scaffold match (which always suck) this isn't too bad - **1/2

-Another great DVD from ECW with a little something for everybody. Cya!

All around, a really great DVD, and that is rare, considering all of the bad DVD releases wrestling-wise. Brutal hardcore wrestling, great high flying action... it has everything ECW was about, and everything that the WWE lacks today. Buy the DVD version, as it has a great promo from Steve Austin before he became the badass Stone Cold character, along with wrestler profiles for those not so familar with the now defunct ECW.

Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Sabu & Taz (***1/2): Alright match, probably put on the DVD just to show how these guys got a start in ECW back in 1995, and how it launched their American careers.

The Gangstas vs. The Eliminators (*****): A brutal, brutal cage match with blood from everybody, especially John Kronus, who bleeds like a pizza. Perry Saturn (pre-WCW/WWE fame) takes about 10 dives off the cage, all of which are very cool. Not many wrestling holds are executed, but this one is fun to watch, for sure.

Raven & Stevie Richards vs. The Pitbulls (***): Okay match, the most memorable thing being the amount of tables used by the Pitbulls. Like most early ECW, it's all brawl and table, which is okay.

Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull 2 (*): Worst match on the DVD, just because it wasn't up to par with the rest of the stuff. Okay if you're a Douglas or Pitbull fan though, I guess.

Cactus Jack vs. The Sandman (**1/2): A great brawl, but nothing too spectacular. It's more of a crowd reaction thing than it is a good match, but these two ECW icons are great fighters and can put on a show, kinda.

Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu (****): One of the best matches on the DVD in my opinion. It's known as the 'Stretcher Match', where you have to get your opponent on a stretcher and wheel him out. Sounds stupid, but the concept really is great. RVD wasn't that big when the match occured, but he impresses everybody with high spots and great brawling as well as wrestling. Sabu blows a bunch of spots as usual, but makes up for it with crazy moonsaults and eventually the big dive onto the stretcher for the win. Very cool match, but loses a star for blown spots.

Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera (*****): This is a great example of how ECW brought lucha libre into the US. Mexican-style wrestling in this 2 out of 3 falls match, these guys are both about 170 pounds and they fly like ragdolls. Amazing, amazing in ring action.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Prime Time Brian Lee (*****): HIGH INCIDENT! Yeah, these guys brawl all over the ECW Arena before going up to the scaffold and fighting up there for about 5 minutes. After a few slugfests, Dreamer knocks Lee off the scaffold and into the ring through a ring stacked full of tables! Worth 5 stars just for that, one of the greatest high spots you'll see, ECW or elsewhere.

Buy this DVD now! The price is well worth it, whether you're an ECW fan, a fan of brawling-style wrestling, or just a casual wrestling fan, you'll probably enjoy something, cause this early years ECW DVD has it all.

I just bought this dvd today and it was great! here are the matches and how i rate them.

Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko vs. Taz and Sabu: Good match. Pretty mutch handicap all the way with taz getting his knee injured mid-match. *** stars (out of 5)

Gangstas vs. Eliminators in a weapons cage match: Very good match. Very bloody. But you can perry saturn pull out his blade to "blade" himself. Wild dives by saturn too. ****

Raven and Stevie Richards vs. The Pitbulls: Excellent tag team dog collar match. (2/3 falls) Great tables bumps in the match. ****1/2

Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull 2: Very bloody match between these two. Pitbull 2 bleeds like a prime rib. Douglas dominates most of the match. ****

Rey Mysterio Jr. Vs. Juventud Gererra: "Lucha Libre Match" Greatest Lucha match EVER. Wild moves. They brawl everywhere. *****

Tommy Dreamer vs. Prime Time Brian Lee: In a "High Incident Scaffold Match" Point of the match is to throw your opponent of the scaffold 30 feet above the ring through the tables below. Good way to end they dvd and great fall by brian lee. ****

BONUS MATCHES (DVD ONLY) Cactus Jack vs. The Sandman: Singapore cane against fist wrapped in barbed wire. Good match. Slow. But good. ***

Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu: Stretcher Match. Great Match! Very hardcore and fast paced. Best match on the dvd. *****

Hardcore History is one of the better DVD's I've bought in a while. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Sabu & Taz was better than I expected. The Gangstas vs. The Eliminators was a good match for those of you who like flat out brawling. Same thing with the Pit Bulls vs. Raven & Stevie Richards. I only watched about three minutes of Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull 2 before falling asleep. Cactus Jack vs. Sandman wasn't what I expected. Sabu vs. RVD was a fantastic match with a lot of good spots as was Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guererra. Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Lee was okay, but it was too short and once they got up on the scaffold it didn't last long. The only thing that keeps this from five stars is the fact that Shane Douglas was invovled in about half the matches. I don't care what anyone says there were alot of guys who personified ECW more than he ever did.

This DVD is pretty good, but the quality of the shows aren`t that great. It`s like watching an Indie fed, but the matches are still pretty good, old, but pretty good.

Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Sabu & Taz(2/25/95): Man, does Taz look rediculous (Actually Made To Look Like The Tazzmanian Devil!), while the match was ok, we seen an appearances by 911, and The Nasty Boys. (3.5/5 Stars)

The Gangstas vs. The Eliminators(8/24/96): This match was in a steel cage. Saturn took so many dives it wasn`t even that exciting anymore. Match made everyone bleed. Weapons Included: Tables, Chairs, a Computer Keyboard, a Knife, trash cans, and much more weapons. (4/5 Stars)

Raven & Stevie Richards vs. The Pitbulls(9/16/95): This was from what I seen a pretty good match, and not many people liked in on this board. 2/3 Falls, because it was reported that Richards had a broken arm, but Pitbull #1 fetched Stevie from the back and brought him out. Tables, Chairs, are involved in this match. (4.2/5 Stars)

Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #2(8/3/96): Pitbull #2 is out to seek revenge on "The Franchise" for breaking Pitbull #1`s neck. Lots of blood shed by Pitbull #2, and he certainly looked fatigued. I think he bladed wrong, because the blood was coming out like a faucet. Pretty Good Match. (4/5 Stars)

Cactus Jack vs. The Sandman(7/1/95): This match is Singapore Cane vs. Fist wrapped in Barbed Wire. Match is pretty good, but could have been better. Sandman does quite a few of aerial technics, which is always good from the fist fighter. (4/5 Stars)

Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu(8/3/96): This match is a Strecther Match up. It shows why Sabu is called "the Human Highlight Reel" as he was AWESOME in this match. RVD wasn`t the RVD we see today. He hadn`t discovered the thumb pose and really didn`t have much Signature Manuevers. I didn`t like the fact that they had to keep bringing Sabu or RVD back after practically every move, but some insane stuff happened outside the ring. Not a bad ending either! (4.5/5 Stars)

Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guererra(3/9/96): Rey Misterio(Mysterio) still had his signature mask that he wore in WCW in this match, while the rest of his outfit was out dated, and wasn`t wore in his time of WCW. Juventud didn`t have any signature gear, as he did in WCW, and his mask was completly different. This match stole the show, and swear to god this is one of the best matches I have ever seen from any luchadores. This match topped anything they did in WCW, and made me hate it when they ended the match. Rey Misterio is the new "Human Highlight Reel" you never seen him do the same move twice. Juventud is no slouch either. This blew all of the other Luchadore matches out of the ring, especially the Tajiri vs. Psicosis - Which I thought was pretty crappy. All In All, Best 2/3 Falls Match, I Have Ever Witnessed! (5+/5 Stars)

Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Lee(10/26/96): Pretty decent match, but could have been way more hardcore than this, and to go from an Extreme Luchadore 2/3 Falls Match to this is unprecidented! This match wasn`t all that good, besides the ending which I`ve seen worse, and on top of that barely any wrestling just brawling.(3.5/5 Stars)

All in all I would get this DVD just for the Rey Misterio vs. Juventud Guererra match, because you won`t regret it! But if you are not into those type of matches (Which I doubt you won`t be after you see this!) then definetly get a different DVD. Everyone made a big hype about this DVD, and was let down because of it when I got it. It`s a weaker DVD than the rest, but anything ECW puts out is better than the WWF.