Taz and 911 vs Orient Connection (Hiroshi Itakura and Tsubo Genjin) ECW 05-13-1995
I'm still bummed out I missed out on ECW.
Don't get me wrong, I was aware of ECW and wanted to like it, but could never quite figure out how to find it. You kids today with your on-demands and your Sony Walkmans have it too good. I was just a little too young to be able to access it, as when ECW finally went under I was only 13 years old. For a long time, I could only follow it from the Apter magazines. It was like this mythical place I wanted to see more of, but access was limited
I only ever found a ECW Syndicated show one time. I stumbled upon it on a Spanish Language Station at 1AM of a Saturday Night. I was so excited, finally I found it! The next Saturday I made sure to stay awake, but it wasn't there. And it wasn't there the week after that or the week after that.
Gone in an isntant
I know people rip the ECW on TNN show, but to me it was amazing. I finally got to see all these guys I read about. I distinctly remember skipping decorating the Christmas tree with my family because 2 Cold Scorpio was coming back to face Mike Awesome for the World title. But I know ECW on TNN wasn't peak ECW.
It was peak RollerJam. I loved that show
So there's just a lot of ECW I've never seen that I've wanted to. I got the Rise and Fall of ECW DVD on Christmas morning and I'd watched the whole thing before the afternoon. I guess I had some regrets I wasn't around for it. It's not like it was my fault, but there was a sense of FOMO that I missed the BEST WRESTLING EVER. Nowadays, a lot of the bloom on the rose of ECW is off, but there's still part of me that wants to make time to go back and watch it. Actually watch it . I want it unedited and with copyrighted music and unnecessary head shots and pop culture references I don't fully understand. BY GOD WHATS DIVINE BROWN DOING IN THE ECW ARENA.
I think I would enjoy it.
Tonight we have a tag match between Taz and 911 vs The Orient Connection ( who Cagematch identifies as Hiroshi Itakura and Tsubo Genjin). I apologies for the text commentary over the video, but the match is too good not to use. I always had a soft spot for Tazmaniac, he main evented against Koko B Ware in the first wrestling show I ever attended. Apparently this is the last match of the Tazmaniac gimmick, as shortly after he will become Taz. His partner is 911, who is a Tim Robinson sketch come to life.
What's his gimmick
HIS GIMMICK IS CHOKESLAMS
But what if he needs to do another move
CHOKE-SLAMS.
Now, The Orient Connection are....I have no idea. This match doesn't have a lot of context and I'm unfamiliar with Itakura and Genjin. I can't figure out their deal. They're Japanese wrestlers , but they wear like...leotards? Real lack of context clues to help. I cannot tell who in Orient Connection is who and neither can Joey Styles who keeps calling them 1 and 2. Instead I'm going to go the FTR Bald and Hair root, and call them Pants and Leotard.
That's much more respectful.
Right off the bat Tazmaniac brings Leotard down and ties him up before bringing him up into a HUGE pumphandle drop. Then, IN A GREAT SQUASH TROPE, he tosses him to his partner because Tazmaniac wants someone else to hurt. Pants comes in and TAZMANIAC SUPLEXES HIM SO HIGH ON HIS HEAD.
Jeeeezuuussssssssss Chriiistttttt.
Pants and Leotard team up and attack Tazmaniac, but Tazmaniac BACKDROP DRIVERS BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME. InfuckingSanity. With the Orient Connection dead, Tazmaniac tags in 911 who lives the gimmick brother and promptly chokeslams both members of The Orient Connection. Leotard doesn't get up enough and Paul Heyman, their manager for this evening, demand another. The second chokeslam on Leotard is pretty brutal. One more chokeslam to Pants, and he gets the pin all while the crowd sings " Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye" to the Orient Connection, because well...they weren't very good.
This is incredible and unexpected. An absolute shitkicking from beginning to end featuring one of the nuttiest suplexes I have ever seen. It goes in the Hall of Fame and goddamnit I gotta track down more ECW that isn't on WWE Network
Think Kazaa still works?
TLDR REVIEW
This match is so brutal. Tazmaniac rules. Chokeslams keeps 911's house hot.
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