Yeah, we’ll just go on ahead and get through the first four episodes of ECW Hardcore TV. We’re looking at episode two which continues the back and forth with “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert and color commentator Terry Funk.
The episode also continues the tournament to crown the first ECW Television Champion.
Low-Tier
In tag team action we had Larry Winters and Tony Stetson against Samoan Warrior and Chris Michaels. Nothing special about this contest really.
Samoan Warrior really showed out in this match with his bumping but that tandem move to put Chris Michaels away wasn’t bad either.
Now the entire match was something you’d skip but it was so short, you might as well watch it.
Hunter Q. Robbins III came out while Funk was interviewing them and was about to get lumped up by Winters and Stetson only for the Super Destroyers to strike.
Philadelphia Surfer Sting—er, The Sandman—came out to defend his ECW Heavyweight title against Kodiak Bear.
First off, Jay Sulli had caps for sale because he was really promoting The Sandman having the moves, the look, and the charisma when he only had one of them.
Second, that missile dropkick from The Sandman was pretty nice. The springboard crossbody left something to be desired and The Hardcore Icon should’ve kept that Cobra Clutch finisher.
Then again, his persona later in the 90s didn’t really lend itself to submission holds. Overall, this match was between trash and lousy.
Let’s add the main event between future Sandman rival Tommy Cairo and Super Ninja to that list.
That spinning heel kick from Cairo was nice and The Super Ninja should’ve been a regular gimmick. He was the only wrestler on this episode with decent gear.
The match itself? Boring. Not particularly bad or lousy just boring with nothing special to it. Johnny Hotbody interferes at the end, attacking Cairo.
Mid-Tier
The opening match was another TV title tournament bout featuring Glen Osbourne against Johnny Hotbody. While basic in execution, it mixed technical wrestling with a little brawling—so it was a pretty pedestrian match.
That said, it was pretty safe meaning there were no botches or awkward moments. This was a clean match from start to finish and I actually enjoyed it.
I have no complaints about the match. Hell, there was even a clean ass piledriver from Johnny Hotbody that I awarded an 8/10. Yes, I’m a piledriver connoisseur.
The other ECW TV title tournament match between Eddie Gilbert and JT Smith was also short and solid. Smith is presented as Terry Funk’s young protégé here against a veteran of the game.
The bulk of it was a brawling ass-kicking from Gilbert. Smith made a bit of a comeback in the second half and even attempted a moonsault with a ton of air and distance.
Unfortunately, Gilbert picked up the dub with a foreign object off a back suplex attempt.
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Osbourne and Hotbody but it was a decent match all around. It ticked all the boxes for an average or above-average match for an early 90s indy with TV.
Yes, that was very specific.
ECW Hardcore TV #2 Verdict: Low-Tier (4.5/10)
Terry Funk had the calmest, non-violent threat towards Stevie Wonderful just for him telling him “Shut up” during the Gilbert vs. JT match.
Moving on, this episode wasn’t bad. That first episode wasn’t the best introduction to ECW Hardcore TV at all but this one was solid! It moved along at a nice pace and storyline stuff happened.
The Sandman vs. Kodiak title defense slowed things down significantly but that was one sluggish match out of four.
Because of the two TV title tournament matches, the episode’s pace, and the little storyline development it was short of mid-tier. Blame The Sandman and The Kodiak Bear.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE! Don’t forget to check out Gamestingr for gaming news and reviews and TV Rocker for recaps and the latest gossip!
