Friday, May 19, 2023

ECW Barely Legal 1997 Review

ECW Barely Legal 1997

The year was 1997 and only a the hardcore were aware of ECW. I was only 14 years old when this came out, and I bootlegged a copy of it. I go back all of these years and attempt to relive the glory days, review the show, and see what my thoughts are for 2023. If you haven’t seen ECW Barely Legal 1997, then you can see it on Peacock Network. However, I recommend that you get it through DVD as it is uncensored. This review is based on that, the uncensored edition of Barely Legal from ECW from 1997!

The Eliminators defeated The Dudley Boyz for the ECW Tag Team Championship

John Kronus and Perry Saturn make up the Eliminators and they put on a showcase of high flying, fast paced wrestling. This match was to show them off more than anything, and that’s all I really recall from watching this again. The Dudley Boyz have a few moments, but it’s Saturn and Kronus jumping, diving, and throwing down the gauntlet that makes this a great match overall. It’s fast, to the point and while it’s not long one but it’s entertaining overall.

Rob Van Dam defeated Lance Storm

You have to put on your thinking cap folks, because these two are educated grapplers. They are high flyers, with a knack for awe inspiring moves. Lance Storm and Rob Van Dam put on a very back and forth match, with each one exchanging high flying moves, and reversals, the likes you would see now in every day matches. However, for 1997 this was a showcase of what the future modern style would be like. Storm and Van Dam put on a great 10 minute contest and really do well with one another. It’s smooth, it’s back and forth, and Van Dam gets the win, which is not half bad. Good second match, even though Van Dam was mad that he had to play second fiddle to Chris Candido’s injury.

The Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada, and Masato Yakushiji defeated BWO Japan (Taka Michinoku, Terry Boy, and Dick Togo) in a Six Man Tag Match

People are spoiled today. The style of wrestling that you see with this match is the standard amidst most all middleweight to lightweight superstars. There’s a mix of Japanese strong style, and lucha libre here, and it is back and forth a great deal. This is a modern match but it was done in 1997. Taka would go to the WWF at the time, and you’d also see Great Sasuke there for Canadian Stampede, if I recall correctly. This was very much back and forth, with a lot of double and even triple team moves, with an overall winner of Sasuke, Hamada, and Yakushiji, but it could’ve gone either way. One of the best matches on the card, and something a little different for the 1997 fan that was witnessing this for the first time.

Shane Douglas defeated Pitbull 2 in the ECW TV Championship Match

Maybe it was the fatigue of working 10 hour days, or maybe it was just that this match wasn’t that great, but something was off. Shane Douglas has been in some barn burners, but this was not it. This went 20 minutes and it was definitely not a great one. Pitbull is adequate, but it appeared he was blown up after a while, and Douglas slowed the pace down a bit. There were some insane moments, don’t get me wrong, but this was a much slower, and meandering match compared to what we had seen thus far. For 1997, this wasn’t bad, but for 2023 it just seemed a little much, and a bit boring at times. I had a hard time getting into it, even though I’m a Shane Douglas fan.

Taz defeated Sabu

Taz was wasted in WWE if you ask me. He was amazing in ECW and he did a lot of great work to make himself look like a monster. Hats off to him and Sabu for this one. Both men fought back and for about 17 minutes they put on a show of hardcore wrestling and it wasn’t half bad. Taz was the one that was doing more technical while Sabu was throwing himself at Taz, making for an interesting match indeed. Sabu would lose this one, but not without fighting hard to get a chance against Taz.

Terry Funk defeated The Sandman and Stevie Richards

This was a brawl, a 19 minutes slug fest with these three wrestlers. Stevie Richards is the most athletic overall, as Sandman and Terry Funk weren’t that great at this stage in their careers. Sandman and Funk were more hardcore wrestling archetypes in this match, meanwhile Richards was trying to include some semblance of wrestling. A good match, with lots of brawling, but it went a little long for my liking. Introducing a ladder, a trash can, and Terry Funk nearly eating it on a moonsault is something to see for yourself. A great affair this is not, but it was definitely a nice brawl.

Terry Funk defeated Raven for the ECW Championship

Terry Funk was already half dead at the start of this match. He just went through two others, and by the time Raven stormed the ring, he was definitely out. Raven would seem to have an easy opponent, only to find himself struggling to put away Funk. Funk would stick his ground, and box Raven even though Raven was the fresh man. This was a short brawl, under 10 minutes, and a roll up would get the pinfall and the crowd would go nuts! A Good brawl to send the fans home happy.

Final Thoughts:

Once again we visit 1997 and it isn’t bad. This first outing had a good deal of wrestling, and the guys put on a good showcase overall. For the most part, I liked it, even the dull parts. I liked the brawling, lucha style, and the overall offering. I liked the Japanese match the most, as it was most modern, but I dug the offering overall, and recommend this one. I give it a 3 out of 5.

You can see ECW Barely Legally 1997 on the peacock network, or you could track down the DVD for uncensored action.

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