CZW 2/5 ECW Arena results: barbed wire & light tubes return, more
On Sunday, February 6, 2005 at 9:15 AM EST Credit: PWBTS.com)
In a 180 degree turn-around from January, CZW hit a home run last night in front of a crowd up considerably from the embarassingly small crowd at their January show...for their sixth anniversary show, entitled "Only the Strong: Scarred for Life".
Even with what looked like a promotional re-set with four title changes; the bigger story is that ultraviolence of the traditional CZW style returned...in a creative way that the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission can't regulate...via video screen live from backstage "after the CZW show is over" in a 2005 high-tech (and live) version of the old school Southern "non-sanctioned/lights out match".
Very good match. The Hurricanes got over so well. "Let's go Kenny! You Bastard!" Aside from a scary double botch of the flipping middle rope powerbomb (thank God it was botched the way it was, rather than the way it could've been), this match just clicked. So much awesomeness to speak of. EDIT: Oh, and Beef hit one of the Hurricanes with a ridiculous Package Dragon Suplex (not sure if he has a proper name for it). Absolutely awesome move, and very innovative.
The one spot that is still echoing in my head as this is being typed was the sound of the shot of Nick Gage to the face of Chris Cash that could be heard audibly in the crowd.
A rather interesting side note was the rant of Justice Pain, going off on a tirade against Nick Mondo about "Mondo not being retired...because he (Pain) said so>"
The crowd gave all concerned a full-out standing ovation...which tells you all you need to know as those come pretty rarely in Philadelphia.
Thus the "official CZW show ended".
*Wink, wink*
The lights in the Arena were turned out and..."after the CZW show ended", ultraviolence returned to the ECW Arena...as CZW did what they now call "Ultraviolent Underground" in what the fans viewed as a "screw you moment" to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission.
The State Athletic Commission has gotten considerable heat for allowing WWE to do its barbed wire cage match at the No Way Out PPV, despite there being a ban on the books in Pennsylvania against barbed wire and light tubes since 2002; including numerous contacts made to State legislators and to the Governor's office complaining about the one-way enforcement of these regulations.
Presumably, this is what all concerned came up with as some form of compromise...thus giving fans what they want in some form. letting WWE get away with violating the State Athletic Commission's regulations, and winking at CZW's way of getting around State Athletic Commission regulations in a way they can't touch.
The match was set up backstage in classic CZW style ultraviolence with a barbed wire cage (using the Cage of Death cage), light tubes, and a scaffold. This "Ultraviolent Underground Title" was suspended from the ceiling backstage of the ECW Arena. The match was viewed by the live crowd from the CZWtron.
In the match, by the way, JC Bailey defeated Necro Butcher to win what is essentially the Death Match title, called the "Ultraviolent Underground Title".
If anyone had any doubts that this match wasn't live (unlike a remote death match taped from the CZW school and aired on the CZWtron at the March 5, 2004 show between Zandig and Joker, who was leaving to join the US military)....the mike going out and JC Bailey having to fiddle with it to talk to the crowd...proved it well enough, as well as the raw switches between the two cameras set up backstage...not to mention fans seeing Bailey come out bloody after his match after the show really ended.