Dec 2, 20205 min read

Nerd Watch Wednesday: Mike Awesome vs. 2 Cold Scorpio (ECW on TNN, 2nd December 1999)

By Ross Casey

"For the foreseeable future, Nerd Watch Wednesday's will feature a match that fell 'on this day' and this week I have picked a match from a taped ECW event at the Tabernacle Arena in Georgia that featured an ECW Heavyweight Championship match between Mike Awesome and 2 Cold Scorpio. I have never seen this match but on paper this sounds a fucking riot.

Mike Awesome in 1999 was an absolute bad ass and Scorpio was picking his career back up after a less than inspiring run in the WWF. With a sold out ECW Arena and the title on the line, this should deliver in spades. Let's get to it!"

ECW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: MIKE AWESOME (C) vs. 2 COLD SCORPIO

This episode of ECW on TNN aired a week after the taping and starts with a recap of Steve Corino getting beaten up on stage at a Limp Bizkit gig. What a time to be alive. There's a line Corino uses when Dusty Rhodes walks away from him "I guess Dusty left his spine at the last place he killed." That is a BURN.

There is absolutely zero build for the title match on the show beyond a package of Mike Awesome powerbombing Masato Tanaka through tables - which I am more than OK with. It's accompanied by a simple and matter of fact statement form Joey Styles... "Up next - the most awesome ECW champion in history - Mike Awesome."

I feel like 2 Cold is a little short changed there considering his history with the company and this is the first time meeting between the two - but in terms of building up your monster champ, it works.

Out first is 2 Cold looking a bit like a character from the film Blade, dancing with his valet Jazz to the ring in some gear that you would find in Cyberdog in Camden. Styles lets us know that a win here would make Scorpio a triple crown champion in ECW.

Out last, as it should be, is Mike Awesome with his manager Judge Jeff Jones. Awesome is sporting a small ponytail, which is a shame - let the mullet run free! The match starts off with Awesome in control, as he dominates Scorpio through his size and power advantage.

Scorpio changes tactic wisely and takes to the air against his bigger opponent with a corkscrew and then a moonsault off the top rope onto the champion on the ramp. which is directly up against the ring a bit like the old WCW set up,

The tide turns again though when Awesome belly to belly suplexes Scorpio out of the ring, sends him over the barrier and lands an awesome dive over it and onto him and the rabid crowd! This stuff is mad and we are only like 3 minutes into the match. It is certainly of its time and it lacks the psychology of previous match reviews, but boy is it fun.

Back in the ring and Mike Awesome attempts a top rope wooden chair shot, which sort of gets blocked but they decide to sell anyway for a two count. They look like they are from a garden party and will hurt a lot. I'm glad it didn't really connect.

Mike's assault on his opponent continues with a shoulder charge and a lariat that turns Scorpio inside out. Joey Styles on commentary does a great job of putting the champion over, asking how do you beat the 6'6 powerhouse that can move like a cruiserweight?

Scorpio does fight back though and gets a near fall with a victory roll and then a top rope splash, where he virtually jumped across the entire length of the ring.

Scorpio then gets another near fall from a moonsault only for Awesome to absolutely destroy him with a German Suplex that leaves him entangled in the ropes like headphones out of my pocket.

He asks Judge Jeff Jones to pass him a table which he sets up in the ring, only for Jazz to interfere. He wedgies her and sets her up for a powerbomb into the table, but Scorpio somehow dives over it and into a high cross body with Jazz in a sandwich between them for a two count!

Scorpio sets Awesome up for a moonsault through said table, but the champion pops up and instead sends 2 Cold through the table with an Awesome Bomb for the three count. Bloody hell, that move is dangerous, exciting and scary to watch. The way Scorpio has to get up and over at that velocity is hairy.

WINNER: STILL ECW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, MIKE AWESOME BY TOP ROPE AWESOME BOMB THROUGH A TABLE

THOUGHTS: This match is 8 minutes in length and features so much stuff that it is hard to take it all in. The psychology is not really existent beyond Awesome does power moves and Scorpio does aerial moves, but it is absolutely enthralling.

There were no horrible chair shots to the head or anything overtly grim, the crowd didn't shit on it or get misogynistic in anyway and we got what we came to see - Awesome dominating the field. Great fun, if a little throwaway.

That's all, folks!

PREVIOUS NERD WATCHES:

MATT C - SUMMERSLAM 92

CHARLIE - SURVIVOR SERIES 99

SHAFI - SUMMERSLAM 94

NINETIES MIKE - THE WRESTLING CLASSIC

JCH - WRESTLE KINGDOM 7

DOM - HEATWAVE 98

N/A - SUMMERSLAM 2019

PETE - SAKURA GENESIS 2017

ROSS - WORLD WAR 3 1997

RO - DECEMBER TO DISMEMBER