As reported by PWInsider, January 13th is a truly special date in the history of professional wrestling. While there may be more than just one reason for that, we’re going to focus on the fact that back in 2001, the original incarnation of Extreme Championship Wrestling aka ECW held one last event before eventually declaring bankruptcy on April 4th.
The show took place in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and in true ECW fashion, it was closed out by Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman toasting to the fans before being joined by the remainder of the locker room. Interestingly enough, exactly seven years later in 2008, WWE’s version of ECW put on a show just 45 minutes down the road in Little Rock.
2001 – ECW holds an event at the Pine Bluff Convention Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, which would be its last before the company declared bankruptcy on April 4. The results were:
– Nova pinned The Prodigy (with Stan Lee) after reversing a front suplex into the Nova Blast.
– Joey Matthews and Christian York defeats Hot Commodity (Julio Dinero and EZ Money), when Matthews pinned Dinero after the Future Shock from him and York.
– Super Crazy pinned Yoshihiro Tajiri after reversing a hurricanrana into a cradle.
– ECW World Tag Team Champions Danny Doring and Tommy Dreamer (subbing for Roadkill) defeated The Full-Blooded Italians (Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke), when Doring pinned Mamaluke after he and Dreamer hit the Buggy Bang, to retain the title.
– Jack Victory pinned C.W. Anderson (with Lou E. Dangerously) in a Street Fight, after Spike Dudley interfered and hit Anderson with the Dudley Dog, then pulled Victory on top, and sat on top of Victory, for the cover.
– Michael Shane pinned Stan Lee after faceplanting Lee from the top rope.
– ECW World Heavyweight and Television Champion Rhino pinned Spike Dudley, after a piledriver on a chair, to retain the Heavyweight title.
– Justin Credible (with Francine) came out to face The Sandman. Credible challenged Sandman to a wrestling match instead of a hardcore match, prior. Sandman accepted, on the terms that Justin “owed him one”. Credible pinned Sandman, after while Sandman had Credible up for a suplex from the apron, Francine grabbed Sandman’s leg, causing him to fall with Credible on top for the pin.
– Since Justin owed Sandman a match, he then left to get a container of weapons for “his kind of match”. The Sandman pinned Justin Credible in a hardcore match, after a piledriver onto the metal backing of an air conditioner. The fans littered the ring with bottles and cups targeting Credible after his loss, with Atlas Security going into the crowd to stop it. Justin and Sandman hugged in the ring after the match.
– The entire locker room then came to the ring. Tommy Dreamer got on the mic and thanked the fans for their support, with The Sandman adding “This Bud’s for you”, to close the show with the wrestlers sharing beer in the ring.
