I just purchased the DVD of the first ECW Pay Per View.This was the only ECW PPV i didnt either have on tape or hadnt seen.It was excellent. I was inspired to chronicalize not only some of the happenings before the PPV but the PPV itself.Including match highlights.So here it is BARELY LEGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In 1996 wrestling was on the verge of being popular again,but there was no WWF attitude,the nWo angle had just started and the national wrestling scene had become stale.Of course the underground revolution was being lead by ECW.But the Malenkos,Gurreros ,Benoits,Cactus Jacks and Public Enemies were gone.All ECW had left was a hungry young talent roster that was ready to take over and change professional wreslting as we knew it.At the time ECW was on the verge of a signing a national sydication deal with Sports South and over 100 different Syndicators all over the United States, but when Turner Broadcasting,Part owner of Sports South,found out all hell broke loose.They canceled ECW programming and replaced it with,big surprise here,WCW Worldwide.So Paul E and the crew got pissed ECW had built up the most rabid fanbase in the world and it was about time after 4 years of busting there ass to show the world what EXTREME and real wrestling was all about.It was in late 1996 rumors started stating that ECW Owner and Executive Producer Paul Heyman and ECW Commisioner (part owner) Tod Gordon was in negotiations with various cable outlets to get ECW on Pay Per View.After a year of negotiations it was at House Party 97 in January at the ECW arena that Paul E with the whole ECW roster annouced that ECW would finally hit Pay Per View on sunday night April 13th 1997 with BARELY LEGAL!!!!.This annoucnement set the wrestling world on its ear.ECW the underdog, the most violent,profane ,politcally incorrect wrestling promotion on the planet had done the unthinkable and landed a Pay Per View deal.But what would be the matches,the storylines leading into this event.The Main event was actually set in stone before the PPV even got cleared.

When SABU returned to ECW from his ill faded stint in WCW at the end of 1995 it wasnt recieved well by his old partner TAZ.The former Tasmainac had changed his look and attitude since SABUs departure.And he wasnt pleased when SABU made his dramatic return at the November To Remember 1995, all through the remainder of 1995 and through 1996 the 2 would clash on and off.TAZ stated that all the attention was on SABU and never was on him.And lashed out at the ECW arena crowd when they rejoyeced over the return of the Lord Of The Hardcores.TAZ sided with renagade reffere,Bill Alfonso and would go so far as to interfere in SABU s last respect match with Rob Van Dam .Finally when SABU and RVD joined forces in ther fued with The Eliminators in the summer of 96 TAZ went ballistic claiming that he was hiding from him and was afraid of being choked out so he started hounding SABU at every corner.Then at the November to Remember 1996 just one year after making his return to ECW TAZ shot on SABU and called him out after his match against Too Cold Scorpio.He waited, then finally the lights went out when they came up SABU was in the middle of the ring .The 2 stared each other down from opposite sides of the ring then finally they charged each other.The lights went out and when they came up TAZ was standing in the middle of the ring wondering what in the hell was going on.The night the PPV was announced at the ECW arena it was confirmed the Main Event for ECWs first ever Pay Per View would be THE GRUDGE MATCH OF THE CENTURY.THE SUCIDAL, HOMICIDAL,GENOCIDAL DEATH DEFYING MANIAC KNOWN THE WORLD OVER AS SABU WOULD FACE HIS ARCH ENEMY AND FORMER TAG TEAM PARTNER THE HUMAN SUPLEX MACHINE TAZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In March of that year another strange occurance took place,On a WWF Raw telecast Jerry The King Lawler publicly took his brewing interpromtional fued between ECW and his promotion,USWA, public.Lawler had been badmouthing ECW on USWA programming calling out ECW champions and finaly had enough after he took the sign of a fan in the front row behind him holding a ECW sign and called out Paul E and the whole company on WWF Television and also took shots at the upcoming PPV.In reality Paul E had arranged with the WWF to have ECW talent come on and promote the PPV to a larger national audience.After the event got national clearance which just happend to be 2 weeks before the incident with lawler,ECW Invaded Raw and stole the show the highlights seen SABU jump clear off the huge RAW sign onto Team Taz, The Sandman hitting the ring to aid Tommy Dreamer against The Dudley Boyz,and the first national appearacne of the bWo.At the end Paul E got his hands on Jerry Lawler finally and sparked a war and and angle that would get very interesting over the coming weeks.ECW talent would invade WWF programming for the next 3 weeks not only to fight lawler but to put over the PPV.Back in ECW the PPV was taking shape.The ongoing fued between The Pitbulls and Shane Douglas had escilated.A masked man appeared at the ECW arena in January and kept sitting in the front row at Shane Douglas's matches finally one night he hopped the guardrail got into the ring and approached The Franchise.A RAVISHING voice came from that mask.He said it was his new years resolution to FUCK with the franchise.Douglas went into a extreme state of paranoia and nearly lost his i quit match with Pitbull 1 Gary Wolfe because of it.The match was finally signed, Shane Douglas would defend the ECW World Television Title Against Pitbull #2 Anthony Durante with the stipulation if Douglas beat Pitbull #2 the masked man had to reveal himself.The ECW Tag Team Title Scene had also gotten tense.After waging a war with The Gangstas, The Elimnators won the tag titles back for the second time in september of 96 then just 2 months later The Dudley Boys who had just formed took the ECW world tag team titles from The Eliminators in a upset after Sign Guy Dudley violently hit Perry Saturn with a pane of glass.The Dudleys then went on ECW tv at any chance they got boasting that they were the best tag team in not only ECW but professional wrestling.This raised the ire of The Eliminators even more and the match was signed.Also just weeks before the event Rob Van Dam was spotted at a WCW event talking to Eric Bichoff and had been runored to be in talks with Jim Ross and Vince McMahon from the WWF.This sparked serious rumors that both compaines were after the soon to be Whole Fn Show.RVD wasnt even scheduled to be on the PPV ,but after Chris Candido partially tore his bicep in a match against the late Louie Spicoli his match with Lance Storm looked like it would have to be canceld.But ECW officials seen dollar signs, counting on the heat that RVD would get as soon as the rumors started about his possible jump they replaced Candido with Van Dam and sparked one of the angles that would propell ECW into the spotlight in 1997.

But we didnt have a world title match yet.Just about everyone in ECW wanted a peice of Raven and his ECW World Title.Tommy Dreamer of course wanted to kill Raven for all the wrong doings he had perportrated on him over the years.The Sandman wanted revenge for Raven taking his son and wife away from him.Stevie Richards had just broken away from Raven and formed the bWo (blue world order a nWo parody and a very popular gimmick)and wanted to get back at him for all the abuse he suffered over the years, and then there was Terry Funk.The 53 year old Hardcore Warrior was pissed off at Raven and wanted a shot at him for paying Bulldozer Brian Lee to try to take him out which was a gruesome scene Lee beat Funker and Tommy Dreamer so bad there was blood coming out of Funks ears,but funk came back using his flaming branding iron on lee the next week actually setting his hair on fire.Then ECW named both Stevie Richards and The Sandman as number 1 contenders.But Tommy Dreamer wouldnt stand for that although Raven wasnt all that willing to give either Funk,Sandman,Richards or Dreamer a shot at the belt.So Raven then came up with the idea for a tag match where he would team with Stevie Richards against Dreamer and Funk , if Funk or Dreamer pinned Raven Funk got the shot at Raven at Barely Legal.Stevie Richards would end up screwing Raven and leaving him alone in the ring with The Funker and Dreamer leading to Funk pinning Raven and getting the shot.Now we had a big time problem on our hands.There were now 3 number one contenders for Ravens ECW World Heavyweight Champoinship.Tommy Dreamer also was now the number 2 contender for the belt,but Dreamer withdrew his claim to it saying that he would get more enjoyment seening funk take the belt from Raven.Funk being Tommy Dreamers hero and mentor Dreamer steped down from his shot at Raven.So how did they solve this problem you ask?? Easy they set up a elimination 3 way dance ,The winner would face Raven later on in the night for the belt.Of course Raven would be getting the advantage here he would be the fresh man, and Tommy Dreamer hated that with a passion.

ECW then invited 6 stars from the Michinoku Pro promotion from Japan.Michinoku Pro combined the hard hitting shoot syle of Japanese wrestling with the high flying action of Mexican Lucha Libre.In a 6 man tag match at the ECW arena the team of The Great Sasuke,Gran Hamada and Gran Naniwa took on TAKA Michinoku,Dick Togo and Men's Teioh .This was way before Taka and co went to the WWF to form Kaienti.If you wanna see the REAL Taka Michinoku wrestle buy or rent a tape of this PPV.The 6 tore the house down in one of the greatest matches in ECW history.So it was a natral fit that the 6 would return to be on this Pay Per View, only Grand Naniwa couldnt make it due to prior obligations and was replaced with Masato Yakashiji.The event was now set the wrestling world waited with tainted breath to see if ECW the underdog could pull this off without falling on there asses.The night of the event over 2,000 people crowded into the ECW arena a venue that was built to hold only 800 people.They even overloaded the power in the building with all the lighting,tv and satalite equipment.But when Joey Styles made the annoucement that they were live on the air for ECWs first Pay Per View ever the ECW arena crowd went crazy.Joey went into a run down of the matches but was interupted midway through by The Dudley Boyz the PPV was on the air. Here is my reivew of ECWs first Pay Per View , BARELY LEGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Match 1:ECW World Tag Team Titles Buh Buh Ray and D-Von The Dudley Boyz(c) vs The Eliminators

After a classic Joel Gertner dirty limrick the Eliminators hit the ring and hit Total Elimiation on Sign Guy Dudley.If you had never seen the Perry Saturn and John Kronus as The Eliminators before this is the match this is the one you need to see to get familiar with them.Plus this is a completely different Perry Saturn.Saturn and Kronus put on a array of double team moves that will blow your mind.The Dudley Boys would not put up much offense in this match it was all Eliminators.The most impressive move in the match was after they elims ran the dudley boyz out of the ring,Perry Saturn hits an asai moonsault to the outside on both men, then comes kronus with the Celestrial kronus bomb, a somersault moonsault over the top rope to the floor i cant describe this move you need to pick up a copy of this event.The Finish comes when The Eliminators hit Total Elimination on D-Von For the win and there third reign as World Tag Team Champions.*Like i said i can not describe this 5 star title change to you PLEASE Pick up a copy of this on video or DVD.*Then Joel Gertner hits the ring and does a pretty funny bit , he scouls in his usual STUDDMUFFIN manor, that acording to the Studmuffin Scoring System with a score of 83 to 86 The Dudleys had won the match and were still the ECW World Tag Team Champions.This act caused Gertner to get TOTAL ELIMINATION the most devisating finishing move of all time.It no wonder Gertner has had to wear a neckbrace ever since that night cause the Eliminators nearly took his head off.

Match 2:Rob Van Dam Vs Lance Storm

This was the begining of the "Mr Monday Night" character as i noted earlier RVDs carrer had just started in ECW a year earlier but it was known fact he was less than happy with the way his character was going.At this time RVD s character was a man who had no respect for anybody.This was shown in his matches with SABU which i highly recommend all ECW fans just now getting into it in the event of the death of the company or that didnt get to see it in the early days to pick up a tape from RFvideo.But he went from that to being a fall boy for The Eliminators.So when Candido got injured they had no choice but to put RVD in his spot.Lance Storm had just entered ECW also.Great match with some wicked chair spots from RVD, and a nice top rope spinning heel kick from Storm.Storm landed some weak chair shots in retaliation in this one and he got grilled by the rabid ECW arena crowd.RVD wins the match with the van daminator and then hits a beautiful standing moonsault for the pin.Like some of the other matches on this DVD you have to see it to beleve it.Then comes the good part.RVD takes the mic and instead of shaking the hand of Lance Storm he goes on a tirade about how he had sold out to himself in taking Candidos place for the match and how since he beat storm that n ight he was worth more money in ECW and worth even more elsewhere getting the ECW arena crowd's blood boiling.

Match 3:Michinoku Pro 6 Man tag, Great Sasuke,Gran Hamada and Masato Yakashiji vs bWo TAKA Michinoku, Dick Togo and Men's Teioh

In the words of Joey Styles OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! This is one of the most amazing matches i have ever seen in ECW or anywhere and your talking to a dude that has a SHITLOAD of japanese tapes with Sasuke and and TAKA on them but this was one of the best.This match defies description,tons of high spots, great wrestling by all and if you really want to see how good of a wrestler TAKA Michinoku really is go get this tape.Sasuke,Gran Hamada and Yakashiji won the match.

Match 4:ECW World Television Title "The Franchise" Shane Douglas (c) w/Francine vs Pitbull #2

This was the surprise of the PPV,Douglas went into his usual speil at the first of the match berading Pitbull 1 Gary Wolfe who was sitting in the front row with a neckbrace on.Douglas and Francine were actually lead to the ring by a riot squad to protect him from the "Masked Man".This was your typical Pitbull/Douglas match with both men trying to injure each other neck and Douglas going to EXTREME means to beat his opponent.Which usually meaning hitting him with a chain that he usually had hid in his right boot.A few good spots in the match but it doesnt get interesting till after Douglas wins the match.That same voice that haunted him at the ECW arena came across the speakers saying it was time to face the music and if he gave him Francine he would get to see who is behind the mask.Out came the masked man but for some reason he looked bigger than the last man who appeared at the ECW arena,plus a dead givaway he came out with a SIMPLY Ravishing robe.For weeks Douglas had speculated that it was Ravishing Rick Rude under the mask.This gave it away the man jumped in the ring layed one on francine then done Rick Rudes trademark pose, Douglas rushed him and hit him with the belt, took the mask off to reveal...HIS OWN TRIPLE THREAT MEMBER BULLDOZER BRIAN LEE!!!!! While this was going on a member of the riot squad crept up into the ring with baton in hand took off his motorcycle helmet and revealed himself to be Ravishing Rick Rude and hit douglas across the back of the head , knocks Candido off the ring apron and then Lee chokeslams Douglas straigt to hell.A weary Shane Douglas rolls out of the ring witha look of disbelife on his face,his so called freind and compatriot had swerved him and now he was looking at a man he though he would never see again.This was one hell of a swerve probably one of the best i had ever seen.

Match 5: The Grudge match of the century. SABU vs TAZ w/Bill Alfonso

Another incredible match.If you like hardhitting technical wrestling this match is for you.SABU takes some of the sickest suplexes Taz can dish out.Stiff shots to the face by taz that actually open up SABU hardway nearly breaking his nose at one point.But SABU gives as well as he recieves with some of his trademark chair throwing, and flys all around the ring and out side putting TAZ through many tables.At one point SABU sets up for his tornado ddt though a table on the outside but TAZ catches him and slings him through the table. Sabu comes back at one point and even hooks on the tazmission on taz for insult but is quickly suplexed out of his boots.SABU makes one more offensive move when he shoots the half and somehow pulls off a T-Bone tazplex and mocked the trademark TAZ pose , the suplex wasnt as affective as a taz plex and TAZ got up and he was pissed beyond belife. He runs towards SABU and hits a wicked and i mean wicked HEAD AND ARM TAZ PLEX.Setting up for the Tazmission and the win.Now comes the SWERVE.In very UNLIKE TAZ behavior he takes the mic and tells the world that SABU had gave him the match of his life, he fought SABU harder than anybody.He extends his hand , TAZ says he wants to shake SABUs hand, in a act of sportsmanship SABU shakes TAZs hand they both hug but then...Rob Van Dam hits the ring and attacks taz, after what appears to be an argument between Sabu and RVD turns into a full on assault of the Human Suplex Machine.They hit TAZ with every double team move possible with SABU hitting his Triple Jump Leg Drop through a table.And then trying to choke TAZ out with his own move once again.Back in the ring Bill Alfonso appears to be getting ready to defend the honor of TEAM TAZ, BUT as it looks as RVD and SABU are about to pounce on Fonzie he rips off his orange TAZ shirt and his black Team Taz T shirt to reveal a SABU T SHIRT!!!!!!! Bill Alfonso had turned his back on TAZ for not completely destroying SABU and putting him out of ECW.Fonzie took the mic and said TAZ was a dissapoint ment and he was giving his services to SABU and Van Dam.Yet another infamous swerve.Then RVD claimed he was open to work on monday nights.

Match 6: Three Way Dance For the Number 1 condtendership to the World title and a shot at Raven.Big Stevie Cool vs Terry Funk Vs The Sandman.

This is the blueprint for a hardcore match if there ever was one.With out having to do crazy shit like you see today out of these type matches on the independent scene these 3 went to lengths of extreme that havent been seen since.The hint of drama in this match was overwhelming.You had bWo Big Stevie Cool (Stevie Richards now Steven Richards) at the time one of the hottest talents in wrestling riding out the tide of one of the hottest and funniest gimmick in the business at the time in the Blue World Order.Richards went from a comedy act and Ravens Lacky to a serious contender.The Sandman who was already legend in his own right and the most popular man in ECW of that time and now for that matter he was over as hell. And Terry Funk the Living Legend the man who put ECW on the map.This match started off sorta slow but then got wild.At the 5 minute mark The Sandman had had enough of toying with both men and decided to get Extreme by going to the back and getting a 20 feet high step ladder.Funker was working over Big Stevie cool hitting 5 neckbreakers in a row.I kid you not on that one,then Sandman with incredible aim threw the ladder in the ring and it hit squarley on the head of Terry Funk knocking him down.Tommy Dreamer who had joined Joey Styles in the booth for guest commentary was stunned.To beat all after using the ladder as a weapon Sandman was dead set to climb it and jump off onto Stevie, Funk follows Sandman up and before he can reach the top the 53 year old Funk Moonsaults off the ladder onto Stevie Richards!!!!!They used the ladder , they used chairs, at one point Sandman and Steive mounted the ladder on both sides and a punch drunk Terry Funk stumbles into it sending them both into the top rope then funk takes the ladder and wedges his head between the rungs and starts using it as a battering ram.They see-sawed the ladder nearly taking Stevie Richards and most of the front rows heads off,Sandman went to the back and got a trash can that was wrapped with a peice of sheet metal and with his dead on aim once again threw it in the ring hitting funker between the eyes.Finally after nearly 20 minutes of this insanity and nearly going over time and costing the PPV satalite time,Sandman and funk double teamed Richards and put him out.It was now The Sandman and Terry Funk battling it out to see who got the shot at Raven.Sandman and Funk took some wicked trash can shots at each other, but now its time to get HARDCORE,Sandman went under the ring and pulled out a roll of BARBED WIRE!!!!!!!! Sandman got back in the ring and started whipping funks bare back with the wire you could actually see chunks of flesh being ripped out of funks back.Funk would come back with a series of his trademark left hands to the head then he started whipping Sandman with the barbed wire pulling even more flesh off of his back.Sandman kicks Funk in the nuts then takes the barbed wire and in shades of his barbed wire match with raven where he lost the world heavyweight title he wrapped himself in it and became A BARBED WIRE BATTERING RAM!!!!!!!! He charged Funk and then charged Stevie who hadnt left the ringside area yet.But The Funker had a big time game plan as he took the trashcan and put over sandmans head and started swinging a chair repeativly until he went down, Sandman wouldnt go so Stevie Richards stevikicks the trash can.Funk then moonsaults onto Sandman for the pin in one of the most brutal matches of all time.This lead to.......

Match 7:ECW World Heavyweight Title.Raven (c) Vs Terry Funk

Now for those of you that didnt get to see Raven in ECW till he returned in 1999 or are just familiar with the WCW or the WWF Raven you dont even have a clue i suggest you read my bio on Raven on this website before you even get into this match.This is the Raven that i remember best,the ruthless heel that would stand at nothing to get his way,the bi polar,anti social grunge freak that abused everybody that came across his path .Raven storms the ring and imediatly bloodies Terry Funk with the barbed wire that is left and a broken steel chair.Tommy Dreamer is going nuts at the broadcast position.I think this is the first match that i remember Funker not mounting much offense in in years.ECW doctors and paramedic intervien because the gash on the side of funkers head is pouring blood at an alarming rate.The Drama and pure ring pshycology in this match is so intense its staggering.Doctors want to stop the match but Funk will not let it happen and Tommy Dreamer is screaming from the broadcast position not to stop it, Raven then runs the doctors off throws funk outside and suplexes a table onto him, bridges a table inbetween the guardrail and the ring lays funk on it and get back in the ring and hits a plancha onto him over the top rope through the table. Something rarely seen from Raven at that time.Then it gets worse. Raven starts calling to the back for his nest, out comes 2 undentifed men who jump the guardrail and run toward the broadcast position where dreamer was at.Then Reggie Bennet , Ravens new female body guard who he peronally brought back with him from ECWs last tour of FMW in Japan in 97 hits the ring and assaults funk power bombing him onto a chair.Raven then grabs a mic and annouces to Tommy Dreamer and the whole world that he was gonna end funks carrer right in front of Tommy and have him chokeslamed through 4 tables like Brian Lee had done Dreamer at Hardcore Heaven 96.The nest had started stacking tables 4 high below dreamer, Dreamer had promised Terry Funk he would not interfere in this match but now he had now choice.Dreamer stainding on the Eagles Nest where Joey Styles was doing comentary for the PPV challenged Raven to come get him because he knew it was he who Raven wanted not Funk.Then out of nowhere came Big Dick Dudley.Dudley had been jailed a month earlier in real life for a domestic despute attacked Dreamer and was about to chokeslam him through 4 tables.Then Dreamer hit Dudley in the nuts turned him around and pushed him off the Eagles nest through 4 tables to the concrete.Raven was furious and took it out on Funker.Dreamer waded though the ECW arena crowd and was met with a trash can shot as he came over the guardrail on raven, Dreamer unfased hit the ring and was irish whipped into the ropes ducks the clothes line and hits a swining DDT, Funk then covers Raven for 2, Raven gets up and tries to go for the evenflow DDT Funk counters and rolls Raven up in a school boy for the pin.TERRY FUNK THE 53 YEAR OLD HARDCORE LEGEND WINS THE ECW WORLD TITLE.Incredible Match.Tommy Dreamer , Terry Funk and The ECW arena crowd celebrated the win as the PPV went off the air.

It was the single greatest night in ECW history.It will never be forgotten.If you want to know what happend after the PPV including the events that lead to the unfortunate downfall of ECW ill will be updating the history section when i get some more time off from school.