ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) - Heatwave '98 (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)With the resurgence of ECW in the public eye on WWF television, more casual wrestling fans may find an interest in learning about the revolutionary promotion that changed the face of sports entertainment in the mid to late `90s. Touted by many (with GOOD reason) as ECW's best Pay-Per-View, Heatwave '98 featured 6 GREAT matches. This DVD recounts all 6 matches, plus all the promos and backstage antics from the Pay-Per-View (aired August 2, 1998 from the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio). Included on the DVD are the match histories detailing the feuds and situations at the time written by Michael Johnson II of 1wrestling.com, the same guy who wrote the wrestler bios for the other ECW DVDs and the ECW website. Johnson's match history write-ups provide nice background and sets the tone nicely for the matches. I recommend reading his write-ups BEFORE watching the matches.
Here are the matches and line-up for the program:
Heatwave `98
Your commentators are Joey Styles and "The Franchise" Shane Douglas (w/ Francine)
1.Justin Credible (w/ Jason, Nicole Bass and Chastity) vs. Jerry Lynn: Summer Series Finale. This was the cap off match to the big feud these two had during the summer of '98. Solid wrestling match between these two with several high spots, great technical wrestling and all participants getting involved. The brutal finish to the match is one for the highlight reel. 4 ½ stars.
2.Lance Storm vs. Chris Candido (w/ Tammy Lynn Sytch): Grudge Match Between Former Partners. This match was also a cap off to a feud between both men. Again, this is another solid match between two great workers with great technical wrestling and solid aerial spots. Like the previous match, the ending is also one for the highlight reel. 4 ½ stars.
3.New Jack promo with the fans outside the arena, featuring appearances by the Dudleys, Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten.
4.Rob Van Dam, Sabu and Fonzie Promo
5.Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome: AWESOME match between these two as always. This is another GREAT match in the loooong history in the continent spanning war between these two gladiators. Lots of power moves, lots of aerial moves, tables and chairs mark this match. In another moment for the highlight reel, there is this one TOTALLY KILLER spot (emphasis on KILLER) that the crowd and even the announcers cringed at. 4 ¾ stars.
6.Taz promo
7.Dudleys promo
8.RVD and Sabu (w/ Fonzie) vs. Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki: ECW Tag Title Match. Shinzaki may be better known to American fans as Hakushi from the mid-90s WWF. AWESOME match. It's aerial and martial arts warfare from 4 of the best workers in the world. Hands down, to me this was THE best match of the night and realistically, one of the best matches I've ever seen!!! Jaw dropping back and forth war with TONS of high spots, TON of martial arts, tables and chairs in this one. The match was a virtual highlight reel!!! 5 stars.
9.Highlights Package featuring Taz' war with the Triple Threat.
10.Taz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow: FTW Championship Match. Falls Count Anywhere Death Match. Hard-hitting, intense and BRUTAL brawl across the arena, notable for yet another jaw dropping, unbelievable moment. It was a battle so intense, not even the ground could hold it... 4 ¼ stars for the match, 5 stars for the finish!!!
11.The Dudleys (Buh Buh Ray, D'Von and Big Dick, w/ Jeff Jones, Joel Gertner and Sign Guy) vs. The Sandman, "The Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer and Spike Dudley: Dudleyville Street Fight. This is a big pay-off match to the intertwined feuds all three faces had with the Dudleys. Fun match complete with the classic Dudley and Sandman ring intros. Classical ECW arena-spanning brawl featuring tables, ladders, chairs, canes, etc... ECW at its best. 4 ½ stars for the match. 5 stars for the Intro
Overall, this Pay-Per-View has been noted as ECW's best for good reason. All 6 matches on this card were just top notch. The two opening matches were solid scientific classics, Tanaka and Awesome was a WAR (plus that INSANE bump), the Tag Match was just AWE INSPIRING and the two top matches featured the hard-hitting, hardcore style that made ECW famous.
Though the card may look small (with only six matches) and the run time on the DVD may be just a little over two hours (with NO special features other than the match histories), Heatwave '98 proves the old adage about "quality" vs. "quantity." ECW became famous for giving its fans their monies worth in action. Heatwave '98, with six of the best matches you'll see on a wrestling card, does just that.
Highly Recommended

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