MIKE AWESOME VS. MASATO TANAKA
ECW One Night Stand (12th June 2005)
This match. THIS MATCH! After everything that I'd seen that night this one the one that really stood out to me. It brought me a newfound love of ECW's style. Mike Awesome became my #1 Wrestler for a long time after viewing this match. I remember seeing Tanaka live in a standard rules match and just feeling it wasn't the same. Awesome and Tanaka had one hell of a feud in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling over in Japan that Paul Heyman had no choice but to bring them in. The feud in ECW reached the highest platform it could after Tazz, the defending ECW champion at the time was eliminated first in a Three Way Dance match leaving these two fighting for the chance to be the new champion. However, this was the first match of theirs I saw and for that reason will always have a special place in my fandom. Just as a note: this DVD is available on the ECW: Most Violent Matches US (REGION 1) DVD release.
Paul Heyman introduces us to the match, going back to 7th January 2001, ECW's last Pay Per View, from the Hammerstein Ballroom. Guilty As Charged. That is until 4 years later, where ECW returned to the Ballroom for ECW One Night Stand 2005 due to popular demand. No match epitomises the attitude of ECW than Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka. All of this is said during a video package of the event.
Awesome enters first to a favourable reaction. Joey Styles and Mick Foley handle commentary for this match. A pairing I'd actually like to see in the booth more regularly. Styles is straight in talking about Eric Bischoff, who's in the crowd, and WCW throwing a load of money at Mike Awesome when he was ECW champion. I hope the money was worth it, I haven't heard good things about his WCW run. Eric Bischoff is up in a private area with WWE crusaders including his lacky at the time Johnathan Coachman, Edge, Christian, Christian's bodyguard Tomko. All from Raw who turn their back on Awesome. Although to be fair he gestured them first. Anyway, the only notable guy that showed up from Smackdown was JBL if I remember right. Angle could have been there too? I'm also throwing in here that Mike Awesome's entrance theme rocked. Masato Tanaka comes out, and he just seems to naturally look nervous. He's also one hell of a badass and Mick Foley calls him one of the toughest men he's seen in a Japanese ring. That's no small thing considering Japanese Deathmatches. Or Foley's career for that matter.
Styles keeps turning on Awesome because he took a $250,000 check (not $250, Joey) from WCW to walk out on ECW as champion. Shoving match begins the match, it quickly becomes an overhand chop battle. Tanaka knees Awesome in the gut and grabs a side headlock, but Awesome shoves him off the ropes. Awesome mistimes a belly to belly spot, then gets sent over the ropes to the apron. Awesome hits his slingshot shoulder barge, something a man his size should not be able to do. Although I believe he's trimmed 20lbs from his late 90's weight. Throughout that whole time, Joey Styles was ranting. Foley calls that the second shoot promo of the night, after Rob Van Dam's earlier. Tanaka rolls out of the ring and Awesome follows with a suicide dive. Joey Styles makes a call now that's harder to hear now. “E-C-Dub” chants by the fans as both men are down. Foley calls for a replay as Styles wishes Awesome cracked his head. Awesome sent Tanaka into another section of the guard rail. Awesome charges but Tanaka backdrops him into the crowd. Tanaka grabs a chair and gets a run-up. Tanaka jumps in the air, nailing Awesome in the head mid-flight. The referee has words with Tanaka which is stupid for three reasons. There's a language barrier, it's a hardcore match, and most importantly of them all. HE'S A CRAZY GUY WITH A CHAIR!
Tanaka slides the chair into the ring as a “fuck you” to my rule of three there before sending Awesome into the guard rail. Awesome gets his boot up and clotheslines his foe down. ECW were made to have the crash mats for this event. Joey Styles stressed that earlier in the evening but I'm going to get it in here. Awesome throws Tanaka back in the ring as Styles mentions these two feuded over the ECW championship from late 1999 through to the new millennium. Awesome clears the timekeeper's desk and moves it. Leaning a portion over the guardrail. Styles is now shooting on TNN, ECW's Network during the 1999-2000 period. Awesome gets back on the apron, and Tanaka meets him there, Tanaka ducks a clothesline but gets caught on a second. At which point Styles decides to call the match. Tanaka rolls out to the apron but Mike Awesome brings him to his feet. AWESOME BOMB THROUGH THE TABLE!! Tanaka genuinely looks like he broke his neck. Awesome gets him back in the ring and hits an Awesome Splash off the top rope! 1, 2, No!
Foley mentions that Tanaka landed awkwardly through the table and Awesome lifts Tanaka for the piledriver, Tanaka reverses and gets Awesome over. Awesome doesn't release so Tanaka has a jackknife for one before Awesome rolls over and connects on a powerbomb. Awesome looks under the ring, but decides to have a security team member's chair instead. He brings it in the ring, and Tanaka's on his feet. He has the chair from earlier. Both men miss their first shot. Awesome connects! Second shot collides with Tanaka's skull, and he's still on his feet. Tanaka ducks under another shot but gets clocked for a third time, sending him down. Tanaka showing he won't stay down! Tanaka back to his feet in the corner, Awesome's in shock! Awesome charges into boots and Tanaka hits a Diamond Dust out of the corner! Tanaka places the chairs on the floor in the corner and hits a tornado DDT! Tanaka covers, 1, 2, NO!
Tanaka places a chair over Awesome's head and swings the second chair at him. Tanaka takes flight again, diving off the top rope with the chair. Tanaka covers but Awesome STILL gets out at 2. Styles gives Awesome the credit he's due. The WWE guys are shown throughout the match sarcastically “enjoying” the show, but the fans genuinely appreciate it and give these men an “E-C-Dub” chant. Both men get to their feet and Tanaka hits a forearm shot. Tanaka catches a boot, Awesome ducks the Dangan elbow and hits a german suplex! Tanaka's neck must be made up of hopes and dreams right now. His shoulder also appears to be split open under his tape. Tanaka straight back to his feet before being speared out of his boots. Awesome grabs a steel chair and climbs to the top rope. The chair connects with Tanaka's head before Awesome brings a table into play. For whatever reason he didn't like the first one he chose, so he used the second instead. Awesome decides to set the table up and sends Tanaka into the corner. Awesome readjusts the table and perches Tanaka on the top turnbuckle. Awesome climbs up for a superplex but Tanaka punches his way out. TORNADO DDT THROUGH THE TABLE BY TANAKA! 1! 2! Noooo!
Tanaka climbs to the top again, but Awesome gets to his feet. Awesome hits some weak right hands before climbing to meet Tanaka. Awesome has Tanaka up for an Awesome bomb on the table! “Holy shit” chants and a nearfall for that move. Awesome sets up another table outside the ring, that areas getting crowded with plunder now. He moves the guardrail back and gets back in the ring to “this match rules” chants. Awesome gets Tanaka up for the Awesome bomb but Tanaka slips out. Kick to the gut by Awesome and he has Tanaka up again, Awesome bomb to the outside! Smashing the table! Awesome Splash! Cover! 1! 2! 3!
WINNER: MIKE AWESOME
This wasn't even a match, it was a war. They went tooth and nail from the start and upped the intensity with a good pace with the short time they got. The crowd helped make the match, and going home at that point to stop a riot was perfect for me. This was my match of the night as I stated and probably top 10 2005 matches. Tanaka looked like a beast against Mike Awesome and his facial expressions whilst selling was amazing. Awesome has athleticism guys his size shouldn't legally have. Both guys got to play their best hits for an appreciative crowd, and this match really helps draw me back into being a fan upon each rewatch. – Rating: 8.8/10
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