We’re still going through Extreme Championship Wrestling’s shows to catch up on WCW and WWE in 1996. It’s still February 1996 so it’s time for ECW Just Another Night.
The version I watched was on the WWE Network which has the…bad substitute music and fancam quality. Warning, the stills for this review are bad.
This show was released for home video with matches rearranged. Since I don’t grade matches in order, it doesn’t matter. Let’s get into ECW Just Another Night!
Low-Tier
The opening match saw Bad Crew defeat some scrub who was supposed to team with JT Smith. At this point, Smith had experienced head trauma which makes him believe that he is Italian.
This gimmick was the start of the popular Full Blooded Italians faction. The match itself was something you’d skip but Bad Crew has some pretty effective tandem work.
That’s the one bright point of the match—or one of them if you include The Sandman coming out and caning everyone.
This event saw more in the Tod Gordon vs. Bill Alfonso feud as Gordon—backed by Bam Bam Bigelow—defeated Fonzie who was backed by Taz.
On one hand, this wasn’t a match but it actually was, ya dig? I would definitely call it more than a confrontation.
In one of Cactus Jack’s final ECW matches, Bam Bam Bigelow—who was coming from WWE—defeated him. A short bout with Raven’s Nest attacking afterward.
Bam Bam was cleaning house until Taz came out and shut all of that down.
Mid-Tier
Raven’s Nest members Stevie Richards and Stevie Richards had a solid bout against The Pitbulls. The duo did their comedy thing but it was mixed in with actual in-ring action.
I can’t even say it ran too long. It was a solid. The Eliminators would come out and defend their ECW World Tag Team titles against Buh Buh Ray and Hack Myers.
Make no mistake about it: Buh Buh and Hack were defeated in short fashion but they weren’t on the defensive for most of it. Hack actually looked like he wanted that gold.
ECW Champion Raven defended his title against the recently returned Shane Douglas in an above average bout.
I have to say, it wasn’t the most exciting match of the night but it was one of the cleanest even with all the interference.
It was that very interference that contributed to the match’s excitement and Raven’s successful defense.
Exotic-Tier
You might see The Sandman vs. Axl Rotten and think “Ugh, that looks dreadful.” However, this match was the first really exciting match of the evening!
The match was a wild and at times sloppy brawl that simply worked. Axl threw some fast, intense punches while everything The Sandman did looked raw and unsafe.
In the confines of this match with this opponent, it was a near-perfect brawl. Hak sold way more than necessary, both men bumped way more than necessary, and it was just violent as hell.
Loved it. Even that sloppy ass leg drop that ended the bout.
Sabu vs. 2 Cold Scorpio II was another ECW TV title match—which wasn’t mentioned until close to the end—and it was a dope match. There was brawling, mat wrestling, high flying, a decent amount of danger—there was something for everyone here.
This one was better than the first which had too much time but was still a great bout.
ECW Just Another Night Verdict: Mid-Tier (6.75/10)
This was a really fun show. Even the low-tier matches had some fun stuff. The ECW World title match could’ve been better but there was still enough going on that this was an enjoyable show.
I’ll give match of the night to Sabu and 2 Cold Scorpio II but if you want a fight, watch The Sandman vs. Axl Rotten.
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