Greetings all!
House Of Hardcore VII aired on iPPV this past Saturday night. If you heard last week’s A1 Podcast you heard our interview with the impeccable Vic Travagliante about the show. If you haven’t, the link is below. Go ahead and check it out, I’ll wait.
All done? Good.
First off, let me give a few disclaimers before this review:
1. I was never a major fan of the original ECW. That is not a knock on the company, just a statement that it wasn’t my cup of tea at that point in time.
2. I am not as fluent in the independent wrestling scene as I am in the major promotions. So if I describe somebody in error, my apologies in advance.
3. I am watching this show on the scale of an independent show, not as a “PPV Quality Event” like a WWE style presentation.
With all that out of the way, here are my thoughts on House Of Hardcore VII.
tl;dr version: This was a great show, and well worth the $15. Go and get it if you’re on the fence.
Full Version: I am not going to give away many results, just match thoughts. I genuinely want fans to see this show, so I won’t spoil it with giving all the results. I will speak of the surprises because there are some doozies that are all over the internet now anyway.
Match #1: Danny Doring vs. Stevie Richards – This was the pairing of alumni, a nod to the fans that watched 20 years ago. Danny Doring has clearly aged, but in the way where he just looks different. Stevie Richards however, looks almost exactly the same. Whatever health regime he’s on is clearly working. He hasn’t aged a day in over a decade.
Match #2: Brian Myers vs. Christian York – For those that do not recognize the name Brian Myers, you certainly wouldn’t have recognized him by his look either. Myers is the former Curt Hawkins. He also has a short haircut and much more colorful tights. He played the heel in this match, with York being the homecoming hero.
It’s been said that Myers was underutilized in his WWE run, and after seeing this match I can understand those comments. Heck according to reports, this was the guy THE FREAKING ROCK took as his in-ring training partner to prepare for his matches with Cena and Punk. If The Rock notices you, you have something.
Post-Match gave us the first of many surprises. The former Ricardo Rodriguez came out to the delight of the crowd, and introduced none other than Alberto El Patron! Alberto cut a profanity laced promo (hey, it’s iPPV) stating that he didn’t think he’d be able to wrestle for a year. he isn’t a sports entertainer, he’s a wrestler. The crowd ate this up, and Alberto of course looked like a major star.
Match #3: Team Tremendous & Little Guido vs. Vik Dalishus, “All Good” Anthony Green, and Ben “The Beast” Otiz – My apologies, but I didn’t recognize any of these guys except of course Guido. That said, Ortiz seems to be a visual mixture of Bam Bam Bigelow and La Parka. This had some comedy and big dives, so it seemed to fit right in with the variety on the show.
Match #4: Eddie Kingston vs. Eddie Edwards – If Doring vs. Richards was for the classic ECW, this was a look at what ECW might look like if it still existed. Both of these guys are known for their hard hitting in-ring work, which help legitimize the look of the match.
Match #5: Tony Nese vs. vs. Alex Reynokds vs. Lance Anoai – This felt like the obligatory fast-paced high risk match that usually opens the major company’s shows. That is not a knock, just an assessment of the reason for the match.
Match #6: Killer Elite Squad vs. Team 3D – KES were originally set to face The Wolves, but Davey Richards was unable to appear. KES claimed to be the toughest team on the planet, and nobody had the guts to face them. This brought out Team 3D as the second surprise appearance of the night. It’s worth noting that Bully Ray did refer to himself and Devon as “The Dudley Boys”.
Next up was an Intermission, which I miss sometimes. It’s nice to have a moment where you can grab a bathroom break and know you’re not going to miss anything. During intermission Vic interviewed Stevie Richards.
Match #7: Austin Aries vs. Drew Galloway – Aside from the main event, this was my personal favorite match on the show. Austin Aries is one of my favorite wrestlers today, and if you have only seen Drew as his WWE persona of Drew McIntyre, you’re missing out. I think the best way I can sum up this match is with this tweet
#HOH7 @AustinAries and @TheDrewMcIntyre showing Hardcore doesn't need to involve weapons and blood #HOHPhilly
— The Wrestling Brethren Podcast (@twbpshow) November 16, 2014
Tommy Dreamer re-entered the ring, where he and Beulah once again thanked the fans. Dreamer also thanked TNA for allowing him to use their contracted wrestlers on his show. He said this show wouldn’t have been possible without them, which got some cheers from a previous anti-TNA crowd.
Match #8 MAIN EVENT: The Young Bucks vs. The Hardys – This was the match I was most looking forward to, and thankfully it went on as planned. It also lived up to my admittedly high expectations. Great high flying, well wrestled match that the crowd was well into. Arguably a Match Of The Year Candidate.
After the match Matt Hardy put over the Bucks, and offered a handshake. The Bucks accepted, but were ready for the double cheap shot The Hardys tried to pull. The Bucks knocked The Hardys out of the ring, but Team 3D/The Dudleys hit the ring and hit a 3D on both Bucks.
Tommy Dreamer returned to the ring as did Sandman, Velvet, Thea (who was piledriven minutes before, but I guess this is the curtain bow at the end of a play), The Hardys, and a few others. Beers and selfies for all, and the show ended on a feel good moment.
As I said on this week’s podcast, I don’t think my review does this show justice. If you are a wrestling fan, I think this show is well worth the $15 dollars. Heck it was probably worth it for Hardys/Bucks and the rest was free!
To order House Of Hardcore VII, or any other HoH material, got to House Of Hardcore for all the info you need. The show is carried at RF Video’s Catalog.
