ECW Reload: Booking Living Dangerously 2001
January 7th, 2001 - ECW’s ingaugural PPV of the year had just concluded in typically dramatic fashion from the epicentre of Hardcore; The Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City - That should ruffle a few Viking Hall die hards!
Rob Van Dam had once again defeated the persistant thorn in his side and latest Network aquisition; Jerry Lynn in the main event. While ever the opportunist Rhino, proceeded to snatch the Heavyweight Championship away from The Sandman; mere moments after he had captured it during a grueling 3 Way Dance.
For the fans, 2001 looked to be an intriguing and somewhat promising year for ECW; as the company began navigating towards pushing its younger, less estabished talent to the top.
It’s no secret that ECW never really recuperated from losing locker room mainstays like Taz, The Dudleys, Raven, Mike Awesome, Lance Storm, the list goes on. So this would’ve been the perfect time for Paul Heyman to start cultivating new talent, seeded from the growing independant circuit that was generating a real buzz at the time. If ECW did mange to stay afloat, you can be sure that guys who built the foundations for promotions such as Ring of Honour, Jersey All Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling and IWA Mid-South (to name but a few) would have inevitably done so via the Land of Extreme.
Less than a week later, and after 2 small shows you probably never even knew existed, ECW was dead and burried. It wouldn’t be until 2005, 4 years later, that ECW would receive the send off it truly deserved - And no, The Blue Meanie’s 3PW does not count (There’s a review for another time).
But what if ECW didn’t fold and Guilty as Charged wasn’t the last PPV of 2001?
What if ECW solidered on inspite of its issues and proved its critics wrong?
Well then allow me to pick up where we left off, sort of...
ECW LIVING DANGEROUSLY 2001
My Photoshop skills have not improved since I was 20.
From the sold out Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Our champions heading in are as follows -
ECW World Heavyweight & T.V Champion: Rhino
ECW World Tag Team Champions: Danny Doring & Roadkill
With Guilty as Charged now being 2 months prior, lets imagine that there would’ve been some TV events to fill in the gaps here for the set up. British TV channel Bravo aired ECW Hardcore TV from 1996–2000; as well as ECW's PPV events up until the end. Had ECW managed to find a new carrier in the US, it’s easy to believe that a UK distrubtion deal probably would’ve continued as well. Hardcore Revolution UK Tour anyone?
In an age where every indy promotion can reach a global audience at the click of an upload button, I can only imagine ECW being the first to make its content digital, eventually becoming trailblazers for the iPPV era as online viewership grew. Anyway, on with the show!
Dark Match: Kid Kash & Michael Shane Vs Johnny Swinger & The Prodigy
ECW’s Tag Team division had become sort of a mish-mash of talent that wasn’t really sticking toward the back end of 2000. Michael Shane wen’t virtually unnoticed during his short lived stint with the company - but later went on to become a pioneer of TNA’s original X-Division, where he won the title on 2 seperate occasions and partnered/fueded with The Franchise himself, Shane Douglas. Pair him up with the equally matched Kid Kash, bring in Traci Brooks as their manager and you have a winning tag team combination.
Winners: Kid Kash and Michael Shane
Joey Styles and “The Quintessential Studd Muffin” Joel Gertner rally up the Poughkeepsie crowd to start off the main show. Gertner had taken a beating at the hands of Cyrus and his hired goons Da Baldies back in January, so “The Network Vs ECW” storyline would likely continue here.
Gertner cuts a classic tongue-in-cheek promo on The Network, reminding them that it was his interference that cost Jerry Lynn his match against RVD. Que Da Baldies, who rush the ring and go to town on Gertner while Cyrus directs traffic. Cyrus berates Gertner in the ring, asking him if he thinks he’s Hardcore or Extreme enough to try his luck against The Network now.
“No, but I know sometone who IS!!!” exclaims Gertner.
The crowd avidly start chanting “New Jack”, who hadn’t been seen in ECW since December ‘00. Instead, out comes Chilly Willy to make the save, but the numbers game proves too strong as inanimate objects start to fly into the mix.
NATURAL BORN KILLAZ hits the Mid-Hudson Civic Center and out comes New Jack pushing a shopping cart full of hazadous goodies! Jack goes to work on the New York street thugs with reletive ease, teaming up with Chilly Willy in the process. Chilly had been teaming with Balls Mahoney for some time prior and to mild success. While Jack might recieve the biggest pop here, having Chilly out there injects him into the main storyline and elevates him as a much needed enforcer.
With Da Baldies hurting on the oustide, the brawl comes down to Cyrus, Jack, Chilly and Gertner in the ring. Cyrus scurries backward into the turnbuckle, pleading for Jack to spare him. Jack and Chilly hand him over to Gertner who performs a double leg take down and follows up with a flurry of left and rights until Cyrus is pulled out by the reeling Baldies to avoid further injury.
Our man, Stephen DeAngelis (who sadly isn’t on Twitter?!) is standing by to announce the following opening contest...
Amazing Red Vs Super Crazy Vs Low Ki
What’s an ECW PPV without an International 3 Way Dance? But lets face it, Tajiri Vs Super Crazy Vs Little Guido has been done to death by this point. We need a refresh! ECW always did such a great job bringing in guys from Japan and Mexico to showcase for these 3 to pick apart, but they never built anything upon it.
Red and Ki were busy making a name for themselves on the indy circuit by this point so it wouldn’t be totally unrealistic for them to be brought in here. I’d have them both debut seperatly a few weeks prior on TV as Crazy’s opponents (both in losing efforts) and then bring the trio together for the PPV. I’d also opt to bring in Red under his masked luchador gimmick Fuego Guerrero. The moves Red was coming up with in his early career were incredible, so the mask would serve to help carry the hype further. I highly recommend seeking out Fuego Guerrero Vs Super Crazy from MLW Reload 2002 (pictured below) if you can find it - It’s also one of the better early post ECW events, that in my opion represented what the company would move on to become. Striking Martial Arts + Hard Hitting Lucha Libre + Innovative Aerial Offense = A great fast paced opener. Lets put 1 of the new guys over...
An obvious inclusion, but Punk’s straight edge gimmick would’ve been a shoo-in for ECW. The original Paul Heyman guy would debut weeks before on TV, much like Red and Low Ki, but this would be his 1st official match. Punk would come out and cut his heel “Straight Edge means I’m better than you” promos on the fans and the locker room, until eventually someone would come out to shut him up. If there was anyone that was the antithesis of everything Punk stood against at the time, it would’ve been The Chair Swinging Freak - Balls Mahoney (RIP). By now, Mahoney had established himself as a guy who could lock-up with the rest of ‘em (see Anarchy Rulz ‘99 Vs RVD), so I feel a decent “Wrestling” match could be had between the two if needed. While initially this would start off as a brawl, Punk would take control of the match later on, eventually catching Mahoney off guard with a sly rope assisted pin; establishing the heel victory and giving the fued momentum.
ECW Tag Team Championship
Danny Doring & Roadkill (c) Vs The Unholy Alliance
Tajiri and Whipreck had won the right to become #1 contenders to Doring and Roadkill’s Tag Titles back at Guilty as Charged. Both teams were white hot at the time and a match between the four would’ve been a absoloute barn burner! While Doring and Roadkill well and truly deserved their 1st run as Tag Champs, by March they would’ve held the straps for 4 months. Interference from The Sinister Minister with a well placed cane shot to the back of Roadkill’s skull, would allow Tajiri and Whipreck to nail a Whipper Snapper/Buzzsaw Kick combo on Doring...
Winners: AND NEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS - The Unholy Alliance
Now hear me out. I’m certaintly not suggesting that ECW would’ve had a Women’s Champion, let alone form a stand alone Women’s division. But who knows, maybe a forward thinking Heyman would’ve recognised a niche showcasing Women’s wrestling in a more serious light (much like today) and want to create a few legitimet names in the process. Jazz had already sucessfully gone toe to toe with most of the male locker room by this point, so a new female challenger would make sense. Allison Danger was on the come up in 2001 and by 2002 was part of the hottest stable in ROH; The Prophecy. Danger would answer Jazz’s open challenge and get the suprise win. We’re at Living Dangerously, so why not?
Backstage Rhino and Cyrus cut a promo on long time enemy RVD ahead of their main event match later tonight. Cyrus warns Gertner that he’s next on Rhino’s hit list after he gores a hole through Van Dam. Cut to Rob and Bill Alfonso, who aknowledge that Living Dangerously has already been a night of a many firsts with the main event being no exception - as RVD will walk away with his first World Heavyweight Title, dude!
Tournament Finals to crown the #1 Contender for the T.V Championship
Nova Vs Chris Chetti
Nova and Chetti’s “Good Friends turned Bitter Enemies” fued had cultimated with Nova winning a Loser Leaves Town Match at November To Remember 2000. It wasn’t until Guilty As Charged that Chetti returned to screw Nova over in a match against Chris Hamrick. Weeks later and the two would find themselves in a tournment to crown the new #1 Contender for Rhino’s T.V Championship. These two worked so well together, both as partners and enemies that they’d pull out all the stops for a high stakes match such as this - So in appropriate fashion, our finish would see a Top Rope Kryptonite Krunch through a table...
Spike Dudley Vs Simon Diamond (with Johnny Swinger and Dawn Marie)
Simon has a problem...and this time it’s the runt of the Dudley litter, Little Spike Dudley! Spike had been viciously choked out by Rhino at Massacre on 34th Street but made it back to even the odds when Chetti and Hamrick teamed up on Nova at Guilty as Charged. This really is a throw away match that’s just needed to add some filler. After teasing the Acid Drop on Dawn Marie, Spike reverses a Fireman’s Carry Reverse DDT into an Acid Drop on Diamond for the 1-2-3.
Promo Ad for Hardcore Heaven 2001 -
The New Impact Players (Steve Corino & Justin Credible (with Jack Victory & Francine) Vs The Network (Jerry Lynn & Tommy Dreamer (with Cyrus)
This next one is gonna blow your tiny little minds! I promise.
At the very end of Guilty as Charged, we see Corino and Credible cut a promo putting each other over. I believe this to be the turning point that would’ve seen them form The New Impact Players (I marked out making this gif btw). With The Sandman injured (kayfabe) at the hands of Rhino’s impromtu attack, the new alliance between Corino and Credible would step up to face The Network. Both men have had long, bloodied rivalries with The Network’s poster boy Jerry Lynn. But Tommy Dreamer, I hear you cry, surely he wouldn’t join The Network?! Well, that’s where this gets interesting...
Tommy Dreamer had always been a company guy. He had started out with ECW just before it changed its name from Eastern Championship Wrestling. Since the day he stepped through the doors of the ECW arena, Dreamer had poured his blood, sweat and tears into the company - But where did it ever really get him? Dreamer wasn’t main eventing PPV’s. He certainly wasn’t being given opportunities for the Heavyweight title. At best he had a Tag Team title reign he never asked for, with someone he utterly despised and a fluke Heavyweight title reign for half a cup of coffee.
Dreamer put his body on the line night after night for Heyman. He’d been Heyman’s right hand man for so many years. Dreamer had remained loyal to Paul while others left and moved on to bigger and better places. He’d sacrificed his marriage, his friendships and here he was bleeding buckets putting mid-card guys over for nothing. It was time he was finally given what he truly deserved and The Network was all too happy to offer that to him. The expensive clothes, rolex watches, fast cars and faster women; these were all things Dreamer secretly craved.
He wanted the spotlight, the recognition, something The Network was willing to give him. This would be the ultimate heel turn in ECW history imo, you’d never see it coming and there would be nothing Heyman could do to prevent it.
Tommy would turn his back on ECW in a match on TV just after Guilty as Charged, setting up the fued with The New Impact Players. Cementing Dreamers turn on PPV would be crucial to the storyline, so after a wild hardcore match, a barbed wire cushioned Dreamer Driver on Corino would do just that.
The following contest is your MAIN EVENT of the evening!
ECW World Heavyweight Championship
Rhino (c) Vs Rob Van Dam
I always felt like the original Van Dam/Rhino feud had a lot of wasted potential. It was during a match with Rhino that RVD broke his ankle and subsequently had to vacate the T.V Title. Once he returned, the opportunities to win the title back from Rhino where there, but he never succeeded. Why the pay off didn’t come at Guilty as Charged, we’ll never know. But with Rhino now holding the Heavyweight title, this would only serve to sweeten the deal alot more for Van Dam going into this match. I’d really want to build the heat between these two up again, as I feel like the feud ran hot/cold initially. There’s got to be some genuine emotion there. After all, Rhino inadvertently ended Van Dam’s undefeated streak as T.V Champ; A title he was never beaten for and a gimmick his entire persona was built on.
Van Dam would get the upper hand in the early going. His first ever run as Heavyweight Champion would look imminent until Rhino would start working over the once broken ankle. Allow Van Dam to build himself back up again, enough to hit a Van-Daminator in a false finish and we’ll be keeping the fans on the edge of their seats. Rhino would blast Van Dam with a gore before setting up a table ring side to Piledrive him through.
Just as it looks like Rhino has Van Dam put away...
SABBBBBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU makes his return to ECW.
Sabu hadn’t been seen in ECW since early 2000, so this would be a welcome return. Chair shot straight into Rhino’s face, who flails out of the ring and onto the table he’d previously set up. By this point Sabu has launched himself off of a second chair and onto the top rope before crashing down on top of Rhino, sending both men through the table!!! RVD can’t believe what he’s seeing. And neither can The Network! Out runs Lynn and Dreamer. Sabu and Van Dam manage to fend them off. Down come Da Baldies and the ringside area becomes a sea of flying fists!
Here comes the cavalry! The New Impact Players and Chilly Willy sprint down to the ring to collide with The Network. FUCK IT! Here come’s New Jack! Jack and Chilly brawl with Da Baldies through the crowd and to the back. Dreamer, Lynn, Corino and Credible are still brawling on the outside. Sabu sets his sights on the group...TRIPLE JUMP SOMMERSAULT PLANCHA onto the whole damn pile! OH MY GOD JOEY STYLES! Everyone goes down. A dazed and giddy Rhino stumbles back into the ring. This is your moment Van Dam! This has to be it!
VAN FUCKING DAMINATOR!!!!
Van Dam cradles his head in sheer disbelief. What will it take to put Rhino away? He looks to the top rope. Fonzy’s whistling like a bat out of hell for this. The Frog Splash has to put Rhino away! Van Dam musters up his last feat of strength and pulls himself up there. Rhino’s flat out. But wait! Jerry Lynn’s up on the apron and he’s got a chair! Fonzy tries to stop him. But he gets shoved back onto his ass with a boot to the face. SMACK! Chair shot to the back of RVD, who hits the matt like a sack of potatoes. Rhino rolls over, slowly making it back on to one knee. Van Dam drags himself back up to his feet using the ropes. He turns around...
Rhino makes the cover - 1,2,3
Winner: AND STILL ECW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION - Rhino
Lynn and Dreamer help Rhino to his feet as The Network celebrates the win over Van Dam, unceremoniously pelted with a hail of beer cups, no doubt. Sabu and The Impact Players look on at Van Dam’s crumpled body laying in the ring as Joey Styles proclaims “The Network have retained their ECW World Heavyweight Title and, my god, they’ve damn near broken Rob Van Dam in half. WHAT’S NEXT?!”. A chorus of boo’s plays us out as we Fade to black.
D: Kid Kash & Michael Shane def Johnny Swinger & The Prodigy
Fuego Guerrero def Super Crazy & Low Ki
CM Punk def Balls Mahoney
The Unholy Alliance def Danny Doring & Roadkill - New Tag Champs
Spike Dudley def Simon Diamond
The Network def The New Impact Players
Next stop ECW Hardcore TV. What did you think of Living Dangerously 2001? Let me know your thoughts @vincefearsecw
