JUSTIN CREDIBLE VS. TOMMY DREAMER

  Joey Styles and Cyrus are on commentary along with guest Dawn Marie. The WWE Network version of this show doesn't have chapter hopping so I watched the whole event. Cyrus' comments on Dawn would win her big bucks in 2018, but this is 2000. It was a different time as the Millenium rolled over. Each man had a pre-match promo during the event, with Tommy Dreamer talking passionately about ECW and the wrestling business as Credible nervously spoke about his title defence. The video package showed singapore canes, a catfight and barbed wire rings. The champion enters first with a singapore cane in hand and Francine by his side. The barbed wire hanging from the ceiling just looks weird to me. Tommy Dreamer enters with Jazz here as an equaliser, which Dawn Marie aproves of. Gorgeous George joins them, bringing the ladder to the entranceway before the Big Match in-ring introductions. This was the event that a group of XPW wrestlers were run out of the arena by the ECW locker room, which Styles puts down to a drunken fan putting their hands on Francine, although Dawn Marie doesn't see why anyone would do that. Tommy Dreamer starts an ECW chant before the match.

JUSTIN CREDIBLE © VS. TOMMY DREAMER (Stairway to Hell for the ECW Championship)

ECW Heatwave (16^th July 2000)

We finally get to it and they lock up, working the ropes until Credible has Dreamer in the corner, Credible swings but Dreamer dodges and knocks Credible down with a right. Dreamer puts on a side headlock but gets sent across the ring. Tommy Dreamer runs through Credible with a shoulder tackle. Credible goes prone then leapfrogs Dreamer, a monkeyflip attempt is caught by Dreamer, rolling Credible through into a full nelson on their feet. Justin Credible reverses into a hammerlock and transitions into a side headlock but gets sent off the ropes. They struggle for hip tosses all the way to the ropes then are forced to break. (What?) It turns into a shoving match, Dreamer catches a kick from Credible and knocks him back into the corner. Justin Credible gets sent across the ring but floats over Dreamer, who turns around into a superkick. Tommy Dreamer reverses an irish whip but ducks too early, Credible kicks him on the return journey but runs back into a powerslam by Dreamer. Justin Credible makes his way to the feet but Dreamer sends them both over to the floor with a clothesline over the top rope.

Justin Credible gets knocked into the guardrail before getting brained with a fan's drink. Tommy Dreamer takes it into the crowd, sending Credible into some lockers in the back and busting him open before they fight back to ringside. Justin Credible is sent into the guardrail again as we see his cut properly. Tommy Dreamer sends Credible into another section of guardrail before taking him up the entranceway past the ladder and right in front of commentary in the Eagles Nest. Dawn Marie apologises for the fat jokes about Dreamer. Justin Credible rests on the railing as Dreamer grabs a ladder and places it on a merchandise table as Styles keeps us updated on their positioning related to commentary. Tommy climbs the ladder AND THE TABLE DOESN'T BREAK! He gets to the top but Justin Credible pushes the ladder from underneath him sending Tommy down to the concrete! The fans rightly chant holy shit as staff check for Tommy Dreamer's pulse and next-of-kin. Justin Credible takes advantage, bringing Dreamer back to the ring, along with the ladder needed to win the match.

Justin Credible crotches Tommy Dreamer on the guardrail and bridges the ladder between the rail and the apron but gets sent into it himself. Tommy Dreamer takes the match back in the ring along with the ladder, which is set up on the top turnbuckle. Justin Credible reverses an irish whip sending Tommy's skull into the ladder. Justin Credible replaces the ladder with a steel chair and bridges the ladder across the bottom rope in the corner. Tommy Dreamer fights out of a double underhook attempt and catapults Credible into the underside of the ladder. Tommy Dreamer sets the ladder up in the middle of the ring and starts climbing but Francine cuts him off with a low blow, Tommy Dreamer falls from the ladder right on to Francine! Jazz and Gorgeous George enter the ring, stalking Francine but Jazz wants to be the one to do the work. GEORGE TURNS ON JAZZ! Gorgeous George is with Justin Credible after all! Jazz gets her boot up on a Bronco buster by Francine and takes it to Gorgeous George. Jazz rips off Francine's top, sending her to the back. THAT'S INCREDIBLE TO JAZZ!

Tommy Dreamer hits a High Cross TKO on Credible and covers but only gets 2. Tommy Dreamer climbs the ladder again, untying the barbed wire mesh from the string hanging from the ceiling. The barbed wire drops to the floor so Dreamer follows, pretty much placing it over the top rope, Justin Credible fights off a tornado DDT but gets crotched on the barbed wire covered ring rope. Tommy Dreamer changes direction slightly to an inverted DDT but Credible fights out, he has Dreamer on one shoulder and hits That's Incredible on the barbed wire. Tommy Dreamer still kicks out after 2, although sometimes I wonder how much of that is the body's natural reflex. Tommy Dreamer reverses an irish whip, Francine gets a cheapshot with the cane but hits the wrong guy! Tommy Dreamer hits a DDT but still only gets 2. They struggle for postion on their feet ending with another That's Incredible on the barbed wire, allowing Justin Credible to retain his championship.

WINNER: JUSTIN CREDIBLE (Still ECW Champion)

This was a mess to be honest. They crammed everything they could into the small time-frame and it felt cluttered. The forgot about the gimmick until the very end and the whole match seemed like a waste of time. Fair play to Dreamer for taking the sick fall from near commentary but it was a wasted effort. This match was the drizzling shits, no matter how much Tommy Dreamer loved ECW. I'm almost jealous of the XPW wrestlers not having to sit through it. – WORKRATE: 1.5/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT 0.75/5 OVERALL 2.25/10