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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Arguably, the Best Pay-Per-View in ECW History!!!, August 13, 2001
This review is from: ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) - Heatwave '98 (DVD)
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. Touted by many (with GOOD reason) as ECW's best Pay-Per-View, Heatwave '98 featured 6 GREAT matches. This DVD recounts all 6 matches, plus all the promos and backstage antics from the Pay-Per-View (aired August 2, 1998 from the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio). Included on the DVD are the match histories detailing the feuds and situations at the time written by Michael Johnson II of 1wrestling.com, the same guy who wrote the wrestler bios for the other ECW DVDs and the ECW website. Johnson's match history write-ups provide nice background and sets the tone nicely for the matches. I recommend reading his write-ups BEFORE watching the matches. Here are the matches and line-up for the program: Heatwave `98 Your commentators are Joey Styles and "The Franchise" Shane Douglas (w/ Francine) 1. Justin Credible (w/ Jason, Nicole Bass and Chastity) vs. Jerry Lynn: Summer Series Finale. This was the cap off match to the big feud these two had during the summer of '98. Solid wrestling match between these two with several high spots, great technical wrestling and all participants getting involved. The brutal finish to the match is one for the highlight reel. 4 ½ stars. 2. Lance Storm vs. Chris Candido (w/ Tammy Lynn Sytch): Grudge Match Between Former Partners. This match was also a cap off to a feud between both men. Again, this is another solid match between two great workers with great technical wrestling and solid aerial spots. Like the previous match, the ending is also one for the highlight reel. 4 ½ stars. 3. New Jack promo with the fans outside the arena, featuring appearances by the Dudleys, Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten. 4. Rob Van Dam, Sabu and Fonzie Promo 5. Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome: AWESOME match between these two as always. This is another GREAT match in the loooong history in the continent spanning war between these two gladiators. Lots of power moves, lots of aerial moves, tables and chairs mark this match. In another moment for the highlight reel, there is this one TOTALLY KILLER spot (emphasis on KILLER) that the crowd and even the announcers cringed at. 4 ¾ stars. 6. Taz promo 7. Dudleys promo 8. RVD and Sabu (w/ Fonzie) vs. Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki: ECW Tag Title Match. Shinzaki may be better known to American fans as Hakushi from the mid-90s WWF. AWESOME match. It's aerial and martial arts warfare from 4 of the best workers in the world. Hands down, to me this was THE best match of the night and realistically, one of the best matches I've ever seen!!! Jaw dropping back and forth war with TONS of high spots, TON of martial arts, tables and chairs in this one. The match was a virtual highlight reel!!! 5 stars. 9. Highlights Package featuring Taz' war with the Triple Threat. 10. Taz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow: FTW Championship Match. Falls Count Anywhere Death Match. Hard-hitting, intense and BRUTAL brawl across the arena, notable for yet another jaw dropping, unbelievable moment. It was a battle so intense, not even the ground could hold it... 4 ¼ stars for the match, 5 stars for the finish!!! 11. The Dudleys (Buh Buh Ray, D'Von and Big Dick, w/ Jeff Jones, Joel Gertner and Sign Guy) vs. The Sandman, "The Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer and Spike Dudley: Dudleyville Street Fight. This is a big pay-off match to the intertwined feuds all three faces had with the Dudleys. Fun match complete with the classic Dudley and Sandman ring intros. Classical ECW arena-spanning brawl featuring tables, ladders, chairs, canes, etc... ECW at its best. 4 ½ stars for the match. 5 stars for the Intro Overall, this Pay-Per-View has been noted as ECW's best for good reason. All 6 matches on this card were just top notch. The two opening matches were solid scientific classics, Tanaka and Awesome was a WAR (plus that INSANE bump), the Tag Match was just AWE INSPIRING and the two top matches featured the hard-hitting, hardcore style that made ECW famous. Though the card may look small (with only six matches) and the run time on the DVD may be just a little over two hours (with NO special features other than the match histories), Heatwave '98 proves the old adage about "quality" vs. "quantity." ECW became famous for giving its fans their monies worth in action. Heatwave '98, with six of the best matches you'll see on a wrestling card, does just that. Highly Recommended
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ECW at its prime., December 15, 2003
This review is from: ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) - Heatwave '98 (DVD)
Being a long time fan of Extreme Championship Wrestling, I have to say that this was HANDS DOWN the most exciting ECW Pay-Per-View I had the pleasure of watching. There wasn't one match that I thought was boring "filler," every match had its own history and importance -- and to be honest, either of them could have qualified as "main event" status in my opinion. My absolute favorite matches were: Mike Awesome VS. Masato Tanaka:
These two have history which dates back to Awesome's days in FMW, wrestling under "The Gladiator" name (Better gimmick since Awesome epitomizes the name.) This was the start of many matches between the two afterwards, and the "awesome" bump which sees Masato Tanaka powerbomb him OVER the top-rope and out of the ring through a table, demolishing it in the process! Rob Van Dam & Sabu VS. Hayabusa & Jinsei Shinzaki
This is DEFINITELY my favorite tag-team match of all time. Both teams were constantly trying to show the other up with spectacular double-team maneuvers. Even Van Dam and Sabu constantly out-do eachother and hog for the spotlight! The ending involves Hayabusa and Shinzaki both laying on two tables side by side in the center of the ring and Sabu/Van Dam on opposite ends of the top turnbuckles dropping double leg-drop's in unison to flatten their opponents (and the tables!) Dudley Boyz VS. Sandman, Dreamer, & Little Spike Dudley
There was an emotional build up leading to this match. The Dudley Boyz had previously delivered Beulah, Dreamer's vallet, "3D: The Dudley Death Drop" at a prior event, thus breaking her neck which sent Tommy Dreamer into a tantrum wanting revenge on his crude, foul mouthed aggressors. Boy, is revenge sweet! This was a riot! Near the end when all four members of Dudleyville are hanging upside down on the turnbuckles (Tree-of-Woe position) Sandman, Dreamer, and Little Spike Dudley place chairs next to their faces and of all people the REFEREE decides to lend a hand as everyone baseball slides into the chairs! This was halarious and pretty F'N cool. To top it off, New Jack comes out and adds the icing to the cake with his small arsenal of weapons. Some people try to pass off ECW as a "mindless violence" organization, but I guarantee that it wouldn't have had the following it does without some GREAT wrestling. What many fail to see is that ECW had many of the best PURE wrestling matches you or I had ever seen this side of Japan, where they treat it moreso as a sport and not "sports entertainment." WWE's watered down, cliched wrestling matches are 90% not even worth keeping your eyes open for, whereas ECW would have you literally standing, eyes glued to the television in disbelief saying "I've never seen that in my life!" ECW was all about originality -- it started the "hardcore" trend over here, and despite many weak attempts by feds like XPW to mold themselves after ECW, they could never quite get the knock-off ingredients to work. Many of ECW's wrestlers were extremely innovative in the wrestling department, and we've seen moves and ideas both copied and stolen by the WWE and WCW in their respective time. Speaking of the WWE, it's rather saddening to see former ECW talent being held back, thrown away, or ruined. I wish Vince McMahon and the higher-ups would wake up and market these guys correctly.. Can't you still hear those "ECW" chants for guys like Tommy Dreamer on Monday Night Raw?
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ECW HEATWAVE 1998 IS EXTREMELY HOT, June 13, 2002
This review is from: ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) - Heatwave '98 (DVD)
ECW performed one of there most hot wired performances of there short history.All matches were done with 100% effort, if you are a WWE fan you would find this hard to believe considering the WWE PPV's, but welcome to ECW where all wrestlers poor there guts out for there fans no matter how bad they are injured these guys will give top performances. THE SUMMER SERIES FINALS!
JUSTIN CREDIBLE vs JERRY LYNN
Unbelievable opener, if you know these guys from the WWE, you dont really know them.This is a back and forth scientific wrestling war with a nice table spot and a great ending.I really enjoyed this match. FORMER PARTNERS COLLIDE!
CHRIS CANDIDO vs LANCE STORM
Very nice match up between these two.Fans of Lance Storm will enjoy this, although he has had better matches, these two worked very well with each other which ends with a powerbomb from the top rope to the other side of the ring. INTERNATIONAL WARFARE!
MIKE AWESOME vs MASATO TANAKA
Extremely hard hitting matches you would expect from these two.Alot of chairs, high flying moves and a table makes this a very in your face confrontation.No rest periods taking in this match just back and forth fast paced power move after power move battle which ends with a very extreme table break which Awesome landed to the concrete on the back of his neck and somehow finsihed the match.Most defanatly one of the nights HOTTEST. ECW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP!
SABU & ROB VAN DAM vs HAYABUSA & JINSEI SHINZAKI WOW what a match, alot of effort poured into this hard fought match.A slow start but do give it time as it will turn into a classic back and forth, martial arts war.The japanese guys are very good in this match and really shine more than RVD and Sabu.The match also features another AWE inspiring finisher.This would have to be one ECW's finest tag matches and if there is another one like it i do really want to see it.Some say this is the best match on the card and i cant really argue with that.MUST SEE MATCH FTW DEATH MATCH!
TAZ vs BAM BAM BIGALOW
If you are a fan of out of control brawls you will love this.Im not a fan of brawls so to me this wasnt the best match but the scorching hot ending is worth the wait. DUDLEYVILLE STREET FIGHT!
TOMMY DREAMER, THE SANDMAN & SPIKE DUDLY vs THE DUDLY BOYZ
The name of the match says it all.They start off with some wrestling but doesnt take long till all participants spread out to ring side and ladders and chairs come in to use.Some say this was very dissapointing, i can see why as when the brawling started to get really interesting and fast it all of a sudden just ends.But for some reason i put this dvd on just to watch this match, probably because it is a fun bumb fest match.If there are more matches like this i want to know what they are. New Jack also makes an appearance and makes work of the Dudlyz and jack victory with all sorts of weapons with a great picture of the champs. OVERALL
Im going to say it straight out, this is a must have dvd whether you are a fan of hardcore, high flying, techniqle or scientific wrestling it is all here on one HOT disc.
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