Heatwave 98' kicks off with Joey Styles in the ring - like all ECW pay-per-views I've seen - welcoming his special guest color commentator, the ECW Heavyweight Champion, Shane Douglas. There's a little bit of comedy with Francine pulling Styles' face into her breasts and then the usual pre-show video before its time for Justin Credible vs. Jerry Lynn in the finale of their "Summer Series." Over the past few weeks, I think I've seen more Justin Credible matches than I had in the 38+ years before it combined. I'm willing to admit that he's better than I thought he was - he's a great bumper and he knows how to irritate the crowd and he clearly is well-trained in how to work a match from beginning to end - but I wouldn't necessarily call him "underrated." Here, he's working with one of the most fundamentally sound workers in the US at the time in Jerry Lynn, one of the best examples of a guy that was able to get over almost purely on his in-ring work, which is not just sharp, but spirited and subtly flourished with character work. Watching Lynn, you get why you should be cheering for him as a babyface without him having to do much more than just deliver his offense and look determined to win. Credible, meanwhile, is an excellent scumbag, but isn't an interesting one, his fatal flaw as a character (especially in a company so loaded with over-the-top, somewhat bizarre personalities). This was a solid opener to the show and the crowd was very into it, especially once Jason, Chastity, and Nicole Bass got involved. Lynn was the better wrestler, but the right man won this match as Credible was in the midst of a sizable push plus that 2nd rope "That's Incredible" piledriver was a very definitive ending that didn't hurt Lynn one bit. (3/5)
Another "banger" of a match follows as Chris Candido takes on his tag partner/rival Lance Storm in a grudge match. Sunny is on hand for this match and was the centerpiece of this feud. Storm and Candido are both technically sound and this match builds up in intensity properly without having to rely on too many gimmicks or much weaponry. They trade chest chops, they play up Candido's damaged ear, and when Sunny gets involved, the crowd loses their mind (maybe too much as Sunny's involvement ends up distracting from the finish a bit). Other highlights included a terrific suplex to the floor from Storm to Candido and some classic "shtick" out of Candido after he gets blinded by some powder. We get another strong finish as Candido hits an insane Blonde Bombshell powerbomb from the top rope to win the match after Sunny hits Storm with a shot to the balls. I can see the argument that this match was maybe too similar to the match that preceded it in tone (and even in the finish used), but this was equally good and, again, the crowd was hot for it despite it being maybe a bit "straightforward" compared to what some people thought ECW was all about. (3/5)
Joey then sends us to a video showing New Jack getting assaulted in the parking lot by Jack Victory and the Dudleys. Joey says this video shows why the advertised New Jack/Jack Victory match has been cancelled for tonight. Did ECW ever put on a PPV where all the advertised matches actually happened?
Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome is next, a match that made these two essentially "overnight sensations" in the US despite both having extensive runs in Japan prior to this. They'd go on to have several other matches against each other in ECW (and this wasn't even their first ECW match), but this was the one that got people talking and it still holds up nearly 25 years later. Awesome's high flying doesn't always look pretty, but in 1998, there really wasn't anyone else his size doing those spots regularly. Tanaka is fiercely tough, eating some nasty chair shots. At one point, Tanaka powerbombs Awesome out of the ring, through a table, and onto the concrete floor and it is just an incredibly painful looking spot. Tanaka brings him back into the ring and delivers a tornado DDT onto two chairs to get the well-earned win, but this match made both guys look like stars. Despite only going for a little bit over 10 minutes, this feels and is an absolute war. (4/5)
After a promo from Taz, its time for the ECW World Tag Team Champions, Sabu and Rob Van Dam, to defend their titles against the team of Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki (who was known to most US wrestling fans from his work as Hakushi in the WWE a couple years prior). This was billed as a bit of a "dream match" as everyone involved was known for their high-flying and innovative ring work. The match doesn't quite deliver on that promise as it takes a while before it warms up and, truthfully, after watching so much of RVD and Sabu's work in 97' and 98' over the past few months, I've come to the conclusion that their biggest weakness wasn't their inconsistency, but their inability to "fill in the blanks" and string together a cohesive, coherent match. The big spots get reactions, look devastating, and were incredible for their time...but the downtime between them often feels aimless instead of furthering the match's story or raising the suspense. This match runs 20 minutes, but almost feels like 30, dragging in parts. I liked the finish, but I don't see this as the "classic" I'm sure many fans, especially 25 years later, wish it was. (2.5/5)
The Taz vs. The Triple Threat storyline didn't always make sense, but it damn sure made for some legendary and iconic moments in ECW history, especially in the career of Taz. On this show, he gets his rematch against the man who took his ECW Television Championship, Bam Bam Bigelow. At the last ECW PPV, Bigelow and Taz had famously crashed through the ring after a brutal fight so expectations were high for this. Bigelow and Taz waste no time after the bell, Bigelow delivering a powerbomb, Taz no selling it, brawling out of the ring, Taz attempting a dive off the entrance ramp into the crowd, more brawling in the crowd...this is an outright fight with neither guy backing down. I guess people could criticize the lack of selling, but because Bigelow and Taz were both established bad asses and they let the big throws and suplexes register, it feels more like one of those Japanese monster fights than, say, two guys taking turns just hitting their signature spots. Back in the ring, Taz hits a T-Bone Suplex on Bigelow that sends him through a table and you have to give credit to Bigelow for his willingness to take bumps like that from a guy who was considerably smaller than him (and very well might've dumped him on his neck). Back onto the ramp they go and Taz hits a tornado DDT that sends them both through the ramp! The callback to their previous match might've been kind of obvious, but damn if it didn't look wild. Bigelow climbs out first, but doesn't look too hot. Taz climbs out behind him looking like an absolute killer and jumps on his back, bringing Bigelow face down onto the ramp (that couldn't have felt good) and then makes him tap out with the Tazmission (though, on commentary, Shane Douglas notes that Bigelow wasn't tapping, he was reaching for the rope). This match only goes 13 minutes, but it is a really fun and physical 13 minutes and I enjoyed it. I'd go as far as to say that this should've been the main event because the crowd was very into it and it put over Taz huge as the next challenger for Shane Douglas' ECW World Championship. (3.5/5)
Main event time - The Dudleys vs. Tommy Dreamer, Spike Dudley, and The Sandman. Before the match begins, we get a lengthy, lengthy intro from Joel Gertner followed by an additional 5+ minutes of The Sandman and the other babyfaces drinking beers before the bell rings. This is the kind of thing that was over huge with the live crowd, but isn't exactly great viewing on re-watch. The most surprising thing about this match is that it actually starts with some honest-to-goodness wrestling and both teams actually playing by the rules a bit. It doesn't take too long before the match falls apart into the wild brawl that it becomes. Credit to Heyman here - aside from the previous bout and pieces of the Tanaka/Awesome match, they hadn't done too much fighting in the crowd or cartoonish "kitchen sink" weapons stuff. This match, for better or worse, does feel the "grand finale" a bit, a match designed to just get all the blood and violence you can without any semblance of a story or pesky "rules." Some highlights include Spike Dudley doing an insane splash from the top of a ladder in the ring all the way to floor (something that even today would warrant a "holy shit" when you consider the ring being 3 feet off the ground and then add another 20 feet and then think about how green and unprofessional some of the guys catching you are), a silly spot where all the babyfaces and the ref hit dropkicks on the heels in the corner, and Dreamer getting the "feel good" win with a DDT on Buh-Buh into a ladder. During the post-match, Jack Victory shows up and is then taken out by New Jack, who brings with him a shopping cart full of even more weapons. The faces eventually run the heels out of the ring and we get a post-match celebration to end the show, which is a cool visual and something the Dayton crowd wanted to see. (3/5)
I've seen this show get called the best ECW pay-per-view ever, but I haven't seen enough of them to know for sure. What I will say is that this show does offer some good variety in action, is practically "all killer/no filler," is sequenced well, and even the less successful matches (like the Tag Team Championships bout) are at least interesting and fought in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The show's Kwang score of 3.17-out-of-5 is well-deserved. You may not enjoy every moment of this show, but there's likely a whole bunch of things here you'll dig.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
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