Background: When Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight champion Mike Awesome jumped ship from ECW to World Championship Wrestling without losing the title belt, former ECW Heavyweight champ and then-WWF competitor Tazz returned to set things straight. The end result was Tazz becoming the first WWF contracted competitor to win an ECW championship. Tazz, looking to honor the company that made him famous, willingly defended the championship not only in ECW, but also in the WWF. Tazz entered the famous ECW Arena to take on the company’s heart and soul in Tommy Dreamer during his most recent title defense.
Cyberslam
Philadelphia, PA
April 22, 2000
Tazz vs. Tommy Dreamer
Following an honorable, almost un-ECW-like handshake, the two stalwarts of extreme locked up and traded holds that didn’t help either gain an advantage. Tazz decided to turn this into a brawl, punching Dreamer into a t-bone suplex. After several crossface strikes, the champ had Dreamer reeling. As the fight spilled to the floor, the challenger found a chair to clobber the incoming Tazz. Tommy Dreamer went for a baseball slide to dropkick a chair into Tazz’s face, but ended up being crowned with the very same chair as well. The momentum swung back and forth as both men looked to whip each other against the guardrails. It would take another suplex from the “Suplex Machine” in Tazz to turn the tides in his favor. Out of nowhere, Dreamer reversed a suplex to DDT the champ … for a two count!
Tazz somehow blocked the Spiccoli Driver, locking in the Taz Mission. Rather than be choked out and lose his biggest opportunity, Dreamer opted to mule kick his way out of the submission; hitting Tazz in the groin not once, but three times. Stunned, Tazz was prone to double underhook maneuver. Tazz reversed the attack, almost pinning his challenger. Dreamer kicked out, turning Tazz’s pinning combination against him via a sunset flip … to pin Tazz for the gold!
Winner: Tommy Dreamer (5:17)
Is It A Classic: There’s not much here outside of two ECW legends brawling and Dreamer showcasing that never-say-die attitude he became known for by surviving an initial onslaught and stopping suplexes before pulling off a surprise win. What makes this match memorable (and the only thing must-see) is the end result of a man (Dreamer) finally seeing his hard work pay off in a company he helped put on the map by defeating someone just as important to ECW’s history as he was. The emotion of witnessing Tommy Dreamer achieve the impossible is such a poignant moment for long-time ECW fans. It might not resonate as incredibly today (especially the aftermath featuring Justin Credible), but it’s still one of ECW’s last great moments during its final full year of existence.
