Background: The new ECW champion Terry Funk took on the three opponents that made up the finale of ECW’s first pay-per-view main event during the company’s return to Buffalo.
The Buffalo Invasion
Buffalo, NY
May 17, 1997
Terry Funk vs. The Sandman vs. Raven vs. Stevie Richards
Raven got tired of The Sandman’s long-winded entrance, attacking him when he got over the railing after partying with a bunch of people. Tossing The Sandman into the ring, Raven tried to work out a deal with his former follower in Big Stevie Cool as Terry Funk made his entrance – no running for Funk as he saw what was waiting for him in the ring. The former ECW Tag Team champions tried to doble team Funk, but the champ was having none of it as Rickards was getting thrown against the guardrails and Raven decided he wanted to beat up The Sadnman some more. The action spilled into the crowd where Raven took a chair to the back courtesy of the champ while The Sandman dropped a big leg across Stevie’s neck. Funk, after tossing chairs into the ring, intiaitaed a fistfight with The Sandman that ended with Raven slipping into the ring and hitting them with the DDT. Raven commanded Richards to pin The Sandman. Rather than take the order, Big Stevie Cool Stevie Kicked Raven. The Sandman made the pin, eliminating Raven.
The Sandman tried to follow up by going after the neck of Richards for a quick pin, leading the charge alongside Funk that would culminate into a spike piledriver on Stevie … for a near fall!
The same thing happened when Richards was double team power bombed. As the fans chanted, “B-W-O!” The Sandman ttacked Funk befre leaving the ring. Why? To retrieve a guardrail that he would eventually be thrown into by Funk after its retriver placed the steel weapon in the nearest corner. Using the guardrail like he would a ladder around his head, Funk was performing the steel windmill. Richards connected with a Stevie Kick to The Sandman after he disposed of Funk and grabed the guardrail again. The steel collided with The Sandman’s face, knocking him out for the three count.
Before Richards could get up, Funk tossed the guardrail across Richards’ neck! Stevie immediately went down and was prone to a three count.
Winner: Terry Funk (10:30)
Is It A Classic: This turned out to be a strong, wild brawl, but nothing truly memorable compared to what happened on PPV other than the disturbing sight of Richards getting his neck cracked by a guardrail.
