Customer Reviews

Hardcore Homecoming : November Reign

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

 

 

The Blue Meanie-Danny Doring match was sloppy & short. The Balls Mahoney-John Kronus match was not great but pretty good and the same goes for the Matt Hyson-CW Anderson match. Taipei Deathmatch between Axl Rotten & Ian Rotten while not as good as their first match from 1995,it was still a bloody,hardcore,hard-fought brawl. The Dog Collar match between "Pitbull" Gary Wolfe & Shane Douglas was pretty good for a Dog Collar match. The Jerry Lynn-Justin Credible-Steel Cage match was a hard-fought/solid bout with 2 surprise guests as a added twist. I give this event a 8 out of 10. F.Y.I This version does not have the tag team match with Team 3-D against the team of Terry Funk & Sabu which was the showstealer of the event. You have to buy the RF version of this DVD at [...] in order to see that tag team match.

This show was different than the previous Hardcore Homecoming show from the ECW Arena in that some of the ECW alumni who weren't available for the previous show due to being under WWE contract were no longer with the company allowing themselves to be able to compete here while WWE also heavily enforced their copyrights so some of the wrestlers weren't able to use their previous ECW names. Joey Styles was unavailable to do the commentary here as he signed a WWE contract shortly after One Night Stand and the main event of this show was a tag match between Team 3D (Dudley Boyz) vs. Sabu & Terry Funk but TNA's national DVD deal prohibits their contracted talent from appearing on nationally released DVDs outside of the TNA brand so the match was removed. Now keep in mind that I got the original copy of this event that had the Team 3D vs. Funk & Sabu match, not the version here where it's removed & replaced with the extra matches so this review is strictly based around the main show itself.

Blue Meanie vs. Danny Doring - This was very short & sloppy as they openly botched some moves making this nothing special.

Balls Mahoney vs. Kronis - This was a brawl from the start with both men fighting on the outside leading to Kronis doing a drop toehold on Balls into both a guardrail & chair face first that caused Balls to bleed. Balls returned the favor busting open Kronis after nailing him with the ring bell. The action returned to the ring as went arial with both men delivering a superplex while Balls later doing his own frog splash. A chair played a big part in the match as both traded chairshots before Kronis used it to do a face driver on Balls & an attempted corkscrew body press on the chair while Balls used the chair for his nutcracker sweep. It was a good brawl.

C.W. Anderson vs. Matt Hyson - For those who don't know, Matt Hyson is the former "Spike Dudley" while this was Anderson's first match since being hospitalized with liver failure only a few days earlier. This match had it's moments like C.W. using his old "Anderson" tactics by focusing on Hyson's arm using the pole & guardrail while applying the armbar, both men brawling on the floor, and Hyson doing his old "Acid Drop" onto the guardrail before using a chair on Anderson. This was an average match but you have to give it more credit for Anderson's performance just knowing his medical condition days earlier.

Right around here was a special segment as it was the introduction of the Hardcore Hall Of Fame with Terry Funk being the first inductee with both Todd Gordon & Terry Funk giving emotional speeches to the crowd.

Taipei Death Match II: Axl Rotten vs. Ian Rotten - This was the rematch from their famous match over a decade earlier under the same conditions that both men had their fist taped before dipping it into glue & attaching glass to it. Both men started with stiff punches to the face causing them to bleed right away. Axl used a fork to stab Ian's arm & head but he returned the favor using the fork to stab Axl in the arm & head & groin. They took the brawl to the floor before a staple gun was brought into play by both men who them stapled dollar bills to parts of the others body from their cheeks & arm to even Ian's tongue. With thumbtacks & chairs getting involved, this was bloody violent to stay the least.

Dog Collar Match: Pitbull Gary Wolfe vs. Shane Douglas w/Francine - This match was based off the "Forever Hardcore" documentary where each man blamed the other for the incident in 1996 where Wolfe had his neck broken in the ring via a DDT in Shane on top of a championship belt & it should be noted that before the match, Shane Douglas had some words for Vince McMahon. This was mostly a brawl that went all along the outside floor with Wolfe getting busted open on the ringpost & in the ring with Francine getting involved & almost having a "wardrobe malfunction" in the process but it was just an average brawl.

Steel Cage Match: Jerry Lynn vs. P.J. Palaco - A couple of notes here in that P.J. is the wrestler formerly known as "Justin Credible", Dawn Marie (who was pregnant at the time) was at ringside holding the key to the cage, and this was Lynn's first cage match at 42 years old. This match had it's moments like P.J. caught Lynn off the top rope with a superkick, Lynn's knee hitting the top of the cage, both men bleeding & kicking out of finishers at one point, Lynn falling off the top of the cage through a table on the outside, and surprise appearances from some "players" who were known to make an "impact" with P.J. in the past. This was a good cage match.

DVD Extras:

Pittsburgh, PA Hardcore Homecoming house show Fancam:
*Blue Meanie vs. Tracy Smothers
*Danny Doring & Roadkill vs. Chris Chetti & CW Anderson
*Ian Rotten vs. Balls Mahoney vs. New Jack
*Jerry Lynn vs. Justin Credible

1993 Los Angles Fan-Cam Bouts:
*Sabu vs. Al Snow (turns into 3 way with Terry Funk)
*"Pegasus Kid" Chris Benoit vs. 2 Cold Scorpio

XPW matches featuring former ECW stars :
*Jerry Lynn vs. Psicosis vs. Juventud Guerrera
*Shane Douglas vs. Vic Grimes

Bonus match from Big Vision's Desperados Del Ring series:
*Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera from 1990s in Mexican Bullring, Spanish commentary by Konnan and Larry Rivera.

*Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara's comments on ECW
*Highlights of Forever Hardcore Director's Cut
*trailer for Desperados Del Ring.

There will also be an Easter Egg hidden on the DVD set.
[On disc two, go to the extras option then click down twice & then click right to get footage of the Public Enemy in XPW.]

In the end, this show wasn't as strong as the first show but still had it's moments (Axl/Ian & the Steel Cage match) with the heavy amount of extra matches that should be able to make up for the 3D/Funk & Sabu match & other lackluster matches on here so this is something I would recommend for the hardcore alumni that want to get their hands on anything ECW.

Just for those who don't already know, there is another Hardcore Homecoming DVD out there besides the original event & November Reign. This DVD is about the September show they did in Cleveland called "Reunion Tour" available at RFvideo.com. I personally wouldn't get it because most of it was boring to me but just incase you want all the events available in DVD.

Tod Gordon welcomes the fans with appearence from Bill Alfonzo
Chris Chetti vs. Danny Doring
Blue Meanie vs. Tracy Smothers (basically, almost the same match from the first H.H. event because they did the same exact comedy spots at the same time)
Roadkill vs. New Jack (they both end up turning on the referee & attack him. New Jack went off on a fan doing the "WHAT?" chant during his promo)
Memorial Segment with Gary Wolfe & Johnny Grunge
Rhino vs. Raven
Shane Douglas vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Sabu (not a 3 way dance but triple threat match. Shane was really off this night)
Team 3-D vs. Ian Rotten & Balls Mahoney
Justin Credible vs. The Sandman (Singapore Cane Match)

Oh yeah, on this DVD. The theme songs aren't edited (you hear Natural Born Killaz throughout New Jack's whole match) and neither are the ECW references & chants.

This dvd has nothing to do with the wwe. it's not an ecw event. so all the cursing and chants will be left in. Check out the Hardcore Homecoming dvd, this will be on the same lines.

I never thought I say it judging from the first Hardcore Homecoming show but we are at the unseasonably comfortable ECW Arena in Philly, here are the matches:

Blue Meanie pinned Danny Doring with a Meaniesault. I thought it was a dark match because I didn't even recognize Dorings music. The fans chanted "F*** JBL." At Meanie with a very positive reaction.

Pregnant Dawn Marie came out and cut a promo saying she was going to hold the key for the cage match tonight in the main event. She bashed WWE for releasing her for wanting to have a family but she wanted to thank the fans and those who were involved with ECW were her true family. She promised to hold the key tonight with honor and thanked everyone for their support. She looks like she should be expecting anyway

Balls Mahoney pinned John Kronus. Crazy chair shots, both guys bled pretty good. Balls was clearly over in this match and the crowd sang his entrance before his match started. Everyone was chanting for New Jack at one point during the match.

Spike Dudley pinned CW Anderson, this match was totally weird. I thought Spike would try to be heel because CW was talking about the last several weeks and how difficult it was being on his death bed in the hospital and Spike or Matt, whatever you want to call him, attacked him and eventually won the match with a sunset flip holding the ropes. When the match ended, Anderson thanked everyone for their support during his illness and his career and the crowd chanting C F'N W.

Tod Gordon came out and addressed the crowd. Then he inducted Terry Funk into the Hardcore Hall of Fame. They played a tribute video and unveiled a banner on the wall of the building where we were sitting. Funk ran down the names of several ECW alumni like Paul Heyman, Shane Douglas to name a few, saying they didn't make the company, but it was the fans that made it successful. The promo was one of the most emotional speech ever.

Axl Rotten Pinned Ian Rotten in a bloody, bloody Taipei Death Match after a powerbomb off the ropes through five chairs. Both used forks on each and obviously the glass. They stapled dollar bills to each other and Ian took thumbtack bumps. Axl had a serious gash on his arm. Sick but fun! Both guys hugged and Axl cut a promo. Then its intermission time...

Gary Wolfe pinned Shane Douglas (Dog Collar Match) Both men were bleeding. Where we were you saw the blood start to trickle down Shanes face after getting hit with the chain on the turnbuckle pad. Francine got involved and saw her tattoo on her ass and a partial boob shot and including getting choked out with the chain. Wolfe hit a belly to belly suplex through a table for the pin, although Douglas' foot was on the ropes. Another hard call, I thought Shane was totally over for him and even a fan was jabbing with Wolfe in front of us. All three raised each other's hands after the bell.

Team 3D defeated Sabu & Terry Funk. Bubba did his old school , "My name is buh buh buh Bubba Ray Dudley" bit on the mic. The crowd chanted "F*** Johnny Ace" and D-Von agreed on the mic. Great brawl. Crowd was into this big time. D-Von and Funk brawled into where we were and my friend Mike, the animal he is, gave Funk three steel chairs and threw every one at D-Von. D-von tried to hit Funk with a chair but Funk blew a huge fireball at him. They went to light a table on fire but Matt Hyson tried to stop them and he ended up taking the flaming table and it was apparent that he was hurt or burned by it. Bubba Ray did a great speech to Sabu and Funk, crediting Funk for being real in a business of liars and scumbags that Sabu put tables on the map and everyone who ever did it stole it from him. Funk said he respects them but they don't like losing and they'd like to have a rematch. All four embraced.

After the match, Bubba led an ECW chant asking everyone to chant it one time for them and as loud as everyone can saying it didn't belong to the "guy in CT who tried to steal it from all of us." A near building shaking chant of ECW started.

Justin Credible vs. Jerry Lynn (Steel Cage Match) w/ Dawn Marie is at ringside. They chopped the hell out of each other. Jerry took the mic and said something to the effect that he is glad that the cage match is going to be a pussy WWE cage match, since in this match the only way to win was painful or submission. If you escaped the cage, the match continued! Shockingly this match got a loud: "This match sucks" chant because it was nothing but basic wrestling in a cage, much to the disappointment of referee John Finnegan who was shaking his head during the chant. Jerry Lynn took a bump off the top of the cage thru a table to the floor. Credible slammed the cage door into the ref. Jason hit the ring but was taken out. Lynn cradle tombstone Credible. My prediction was correct held up, the lights went out and when they returned Lance Storm was in the ring. He helped Credible take out Lynn with the Spike Piledriver and pinned him. The Impact Players did their trademark pose to close the show. Lance and Justin cut promos thanking everyone after the match was over. Jerry Lynn received a nice ovation after the match was over.

Final thoughts: I thought the show was great. I thought this show had a little more emotional for the bigger matches then the last show and the matches were obviously longer then the last show. I cant wait for the DVD to come out to relieve some great memories!!

I was there live for Hardcore Homecoming "November Reign". I've been trying to get to an ECW show in Philly for so many years and i missed the first HH so this was quite possibly my last chance to experience the ECW nostalgia that i longed for since they went bankrupt in early 2001.

The show had it's flaws but being there live was such an amazing experience. Seeing Terry Funk in person was a dream of mine and he seriously can't have many matches left in him. In all honestly he should have retired maybe 2 decades ago but just seeing the living legend live for the first time was a dream come true to me.

The Dudleys (Team 3D) vs. Sabu/Funk was a classic ECW style brawl and i'll never forget it. Watching Funk in his 60's, a broken down old man nearly giving it all he had trying to do a moonsault was painful to watch.

The ending spot saw Spike Dudley go through a flamming table which DVD cannot do justice. I've seen these flamming table spots before on tape but being there live and in the front row, you could actually feel the heat from the table and smell the burnt lighter fluid. It's really a sight to behold.

This match really should have ended the show. Bubbah Ray started the match with his old "My Name is Buh, Buh, Buh" line and everyone went crazy. At the end of the match Bubbah told everyone one last time to yell out those 3 letters as loud as they could "E-C-W". It was a very special moment that sadly i'm sure will be cut from the DVD. :(

There was a very emotional tribute to Funk that i was honored to be a part of. They unveiled a Terry Funk banner atop the snack bar, hanging from the balcony on the north side of the building.

In closing, the Team 3-D/Funk&Sabu match is worth the price of the DVD alone. The Taipei Death Match 2 is also very good. Some of the matches weren't all that great but the crowd ate up everything and for a night of nostalgia it was definitley a "November Reign" to remember!

This DVD brings back some of the old school ECW guys for another reunion show from their run. It has some nice nostalgic spots and speeches given by the wrestlers. A few very solid matches and a few not so solid. CW Anderson and Spike Dudley was great, As was Jerry Lynn vs Justin Credible, and Shane vs Pitbull 1 was good too, Shane and Vic Grimes was a great match I hadn't expected anything from due to Grimes being more hardcore but Shane seemed to pull him through. And the others were decent but nothing to write home about. It lacked Raven, Dreamer, and a few other of the big names. The bonus disc has a few good matches as well, Juvi vs Psychosis vs Jerry Lynn, and Benoit vs 2 Cold Scorpio were good. They seem to edit less out of this DVD when referring to the ECW chants and such, which is good. Overall this, the first Hardcore Homecoming and the documentary, forever hardcore. Are all a great edition to any ECW and wrestling fans, I'm all for nostalgia.

I attended this event and was highly impressed. I purchased the original version of this dvd and basically saw everything I saw live. the fancam extras and the interviews were things I either experienced or had seen before. Judging by what's on here from the original this is worth buying, the extra extras make the pot sweeter.

Hardcore Homecoming [November Reign] took place in November of 2005 and a lot of names such as; Justin Credible, Spike Dudley, Balls Mahoney, Axl Rotten, Jerry Lynn, Shane Douglas, C.W. Anderson, and others came together for another night of No Holds Barred action. The good parts are that the ECW chants are not blocked out! There are also a lot of extra matches on the second disk, which includes some superstars like New Jack, Chris Benoit, Sabu, and others.
However one bad part was that this event seemed to lack the electricity that the first one had earlier that year. Joey Styles did not do announcing, and most of the matches that took place lasted less than 10 minutes. Never the less the extras on the second disk, as well as the main event and some of the matches, make this worth buying to check out.

The Blue Meanie vs. Danny Doring:
This was not what I was expecting to see. Horrible, horrible opening match. It lasts about 4 minutes. Skip this match and do yourself a favor. 1/10

Kronus vs. Balls Mahoney:
This was an okay, but really short match. They fight all over the arena and a lot of chair shots by both men happen. Balls even does a frog splash onto Kronus and swings a HARD chair shot to Kronus, who returns the favor a few minutes later. In the end Balls Mahoney gets the win. 7/10

C.W. Anderson vs. Matt Hyson:
Matt Hyson is actually Spike Dudley, who looked weird with a shaved head. The match doesn't start until Anderson slaps Spike who responds by kicking Anderson in the balls. They fight in the crowd and Spike does his classic moves such as balancing on the guard rail and slamming a chair over Anderson's back Spike won after doing a sunset flip on Anderson and holding on to the ropes 7.5/10

Taipei Death Match [2]
Ian Rotten vs. Axl Rotten:
This was just GRUESOME! If you've seen the original, you won't believe what else these guys do to each other. After dipping their superglued hands into a bucket of broken glass, they brought forks, thumbtacks, chairs, and a staple gun to the ring! This was just bloody and not for those who can't look at blood, because there is A LOT! Once the staple gun comes into play, that's when you should not watch if you can't stand violent images, because what happens next was unbelievable! Axl wins after powerbombing Ian through a set of 4 chairs set up with another chair placed on top of the seats. 8.5/10 [Extremely disturbing, but really hardcore!]

Dog Collar Chain Match
Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull Gary Wolfe:
Both men were attached to each other by collars around their necks and a 20 foot long chain. A couple of chairs were thrown, and both men get cut open. Francine [who accompanied Shane Douglas to ringside] interferes but pays for it after Gary Wolfe pulls her shirt, and even her bra, all the way off! They continue to fight and a table comes into play. Douglas tried to Irish whip Wolfe into the table propped in the corner, but Wolfe counters into a picture perfect Northern Lights Suplex on Douglas through the table. An excellent spot and Gary Wolfe wins the match. 8/10

Steel Cage Match
Justin Credible vs. Jerry Lynn:
A great steel cage match. This is what saved the whole event [in my opinion] some technical wrestling to begin with, and both men chop the hell out of each other. This was the longest match, 15 minutes long, which had some great spots. Jerry Lynn got superkicked as he came off the second rope, then Justin Credible [who was called PJ Polaco during the match] gets thrown into all sides of the cage after Jerry Lynn gets his second wind.
A great spot as both men were fighting on the side of the cage and Lynn ends up on the outside part of the side of the cage, but Justin Credible knocks him off and Lynn falls 15 feet through a table! They fight back in the ring and the lights go out. They come back on and Lance Storm is in the ring and helps Justin Credible win as the Impact Players reunite. After the match the Impact Players and Jerry Lynn all get great ovations from the crowd. 9/10.

I recommend this event for the main event, the Taipei Death Match [as gory as it is] and the dog collar match. Other than that the event seemed to be lacking but that was because of one big reason. A match [most likely the show stealer] was left out as the Dudley Boyz took on Sabu and Terry Funk.
I did not see the match but from what I hear, it was very cool to see. The reason it was left out was because The Dudley Boyz were part of TNA, and their contracts forbid them to compete in any other wrestling or independent show. So without that match this was an okay wrestling card but not really outstanding. However the rest of the extras make up for the lacking card.

The best of the extra matches on the second disk are:

Sabu vs. Al Snow:
This was a long time ago and there was no one announcing the moves. However some really good wrestling was shown including Sabu missing Snow in a suicide dive and landing on a chair that Snow was sitting on! Al Snow even powerbombs Sabu's manager through a table. Sabu wins the match. 8.5/10 After the match Terry Funk comes out and attacks both men for a good 7 or 8 minutes before getting in the camera man's face and leaving the building. Sabu even gets thrown into 2 rows of chairs!

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Ian Rotten vs. Balls Mahoney:
This was supposed to be one on one, falls count anywhere match. However NEW JACK comes out and that's when the rap began blasting out of the speakers and guys started to bleed! They pretty much cut each other up with scissors, knives, and forks. They fight all over the crowd and the end comes when New Jack climbs a section of bleachers that were folded up against a wall and jumps onto Ian Rotten through a table to win. 8/10

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Chris Benoit:
No one can tell me this match was bad and make me believe them. This was pure wrestling at its finest. Some great back and forth action, Benoit keeps getting thrown out of the ring but fights back with some hard chops and getting in the crowds faces. This was also back when Benoit was called Wild Pegasus, his old name. Scorpio gets the win. 10/10

These were the best ones, other matches include:

Juventude Guerera vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. [Short and no real point to watch it]

Tracy Smothers vs. The Blue Meanie [If you've seen Hardcore Homecoming, it's just like their old match]

PJ Polaco [Justin Credible] vs. Jerry Lynn [A good match but just like any other one they've had]

Shane Douglas vs. Vic? Grimes [This was in XPW and was pretty much a brawl. Both men use staple guns on each other and Shane even throws himself and Grimes off the top rope through two tables on the outside!]

Jerry Lynn vs. Psychosis vs. Juventude Guerera [Great match, some fast paced moves and some high flying moments. Can't remember who won, think it's Jerry Lynn.]

If you are a die hard fan, buy this DVD. If not, really consider whether this is worth it. I think it is [but just barely]

"This dvd has nothing to do with the wwe. it's not an ecw event. so all the cursing and chants will be left in. Check out the Hardcore Homecoming dvd, this will be on the same lines."
The first Hardcore Homecoming had all of the ECW chants edited out. Just watch. You can see them chanting, but it is edited out. Plus, are they really going to leave in Brother Ray's "My name is Buh Buh Buh Buh Ray Dudley"? That name is copyrighted by WWE. Plus, all of the music was edited out to. Sandman's Enter Sandman by Metallica was played at HH AND ONS, but both of them were edited out.