Retro Reviews: ECW Barely Legal - April 13, 1997

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

In my inaugural installment of Retro Reviews, I'll be giving my two cents on ECW's 1997 Barely Legal pay-per-view. I hope to watch/review every ECW event in order, as well as WCW eventually as well. Thanks!

The Eliminators def. The Dudley Boyz to Win the ECW World Tag Team Championship

It didn't strike me until watching this show just how over both of these teams were. The Dudley Boys got tremendous heat before the match even began with their promo and the audience adored The Eliminators. They perfectly fit the ECW style at the time in that they could go hardcore, but they were also a lot of fun to watch in the ring. They contested an enjoyable match in the opening slot and the title change kicked off the event on a high note. The crowd popped big when they took out the announcer afterward as well, which was funny. It's a shame The Eliminators didn't have much success in WWE because they really could have been something special with the talent they possessed.

Chris Candido Addressed the ECW Fans

Oddly enough, I had never been exposed to any of Candido's work before prior to this show. Obviously, the injury prevented him from wrestling. but he still made an impact by "speaking his peace," explaining why couldn't compete against Lance Storm and setting up an appearance for later in the night. It was a short and sweet promo that kept fans intrigued as to what he'd do next. Why can't we get these kind of promos these days?

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Rob Van Dam def. Lance Storm

This is the kind of wrestling I want to see more of. Not just from ECW (in future pay-per-views I watch, of course) but also nowadays. When people think back on ECW, they remember all the crazy crap they did, and personally, I'm not a huge fanatic of that kind of stuff. That said, RVD and Storm worked a great wrestling match. Sure, they had some hardcore elements mixed in with the chairs, but most of the match was about the in-ring action and they did a solid job of telling a story. It was also refreshing to see RVD work as a heel for a change.


The Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada and Masato Yakushiji def. bWo Japan

There wasn't much rhyme or reason to this match, only entertaining action and a handful of high spots. There wasn't any incentive to care any either team since there weren't any established characters or rivalries, but it was a nice showcase for Michinoku Pro Wrestling and everyone involved was given a chance to shine. I was also pleasantly surprised with how much time they ended up getting and they paced the bout pretty well, especially down the stretch.


ECW World Television Champion Shane Douglas def. Pitbull #2

Douglas proved prior to the matchup why he was one of the best mic men of his generation. He did an excellent job of establishing his issues with The Pitbulls and that Pitbull #2 was out for revenge. I can't say the match itself lit the world on fire, though. Francine wasn't distracting at ringside at all, but Douglas and Pitbull just lacked the in-ring chemistry to have an interesting match (aside from that one spot where Pitbull #1 interfered). Thankfully, the post-match angle with Rick Rude and Brian Lee taking out Douglas was exciting enough to make the match worthwhile.


Taz def. Sabu

Of all the matches up to this point, this felt like the biggest deal. I'm familiar with their storied history in ECW, but even if I wasn't, the pre-match interview from Taz did a solid job of illustrating just how personal this rivalry has been and Taz's dominance so far in this career. Sabu is an absolute madman with all the crazy spots he goes for, but they paid off and the crowd ate it all up. The post-match angle with Bill Alfonso turning on Taz and joining Sabu and RVD was very well done and made for a great swerve.


Terry Funk def. The Sandman and Stevie Richards in a No. 1 Contender's Three-Way Dance for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship

I really liked the story of Tommy Dreamer giving up his spot in the match to see his mentor Funk get one last reign with the title. This was easily the most extreme match of the night, and as previously stated, that's not my cup of tea. I didn't hate the match; in fact, I applaud all three guys for giving it one hell of an effort. I didn't care for some of the spots, but it benefited The Sandman since he isn't the greatest in-ring worker and the Three Way Dance aspect protected him. They all had their motives for wanting to contend for the strap, making the ending outcome a lot less predictable.


Terry Funk def. Raven to Win the ECW World Heavyweight Championship

This was more of a massacre of Funk than it was an actual match, but it told a stellar story and that's all that mattered. The brutal, bloody beating Raven gave Funk made fans feel sympathy for him and it got to the point where it was so painful to watch for Dreamer that he felt compelled to get involved and help his mentor. This was perfect within the context of the story they were trying to tell given the storied history between Dreamer and Raven, and it definitely added to Funk's title win. It was a monumental moment and the best way to close off ECW's first pay-per-view.


Overall Show

I was expecting something entirely different going into my first ECW event in that I thought all the matches would be nothing more than glorified hardcore brawls, but that wasn't the case at all. The last two matches were the epitome of extreme, but the rest of the show featured a lot of great wrestling and storyline progression. It definitely felt like they went all out for their premiere pay-per-view and it definitely enticed me to check out more of their shows, I strongly suggest you do the same.