While the late 90’s pro wrestling war was fought between WCW and WWE, ECW still played a significant role in establishing and platforming many wrestlers that would go on to compete in WWE a few years later. As a veteran of ECW himself, Tommy Dreamer took part and witnessed several matches in the promotion and in a recent episode of “Busted Open Radio,” he recalled the two best matches that ever took place in the ECW Arena.
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“Eddie Guerrero versus Dean Malenko,” Dreamer pointed out, noting how their clash helped open the door for wrestlers under 6 feet to be taken seriously and make them believe they could be main eveners, during a time where there was still heightism when it came to wrestlers. Unfortunately, the match in question was both men’s final ECW bout, but they still got a heartwarming send off. “I got so lost in the emotion and I was just like ‘God, this is great!’ And we just stormed the ring and held the guys up,” he recalled. Dreamer further emphasized that the match put a spotlight on Guerrero’s greatness.
“My number 1…Terry Funk versus Shane Douglas versus Sabu; the night the line was crossed,” Dreamer said, noting this 1994 match made history as wrestlers didn’t compete in three-way matches before this. “The guys go an hour, one hour of wrestling, and then this crowd stands up and goes ‘five more minutes’ after seeing people fight for an hour.” Dreamer further opined that the booking was solid and that all three men had a rightful claim to the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.
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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
