The Flying Hammerlock Video Review #67: The Eliminators vs. Sabu and Mikey Whipwreck

 

This review is dedicated to the memories of George "John Kronus" Caiazzo and Terry "Sabu" Brunk.   R.I.P.
 

ECW World Tag Team Champions The Eliminators (Perry Saturn and John Kronus) vs. Sabu and Mikey Whipwreck, ECW Heat Wave 1996, ECW Arena, Philadelphia, PA, July 13, 1996.
 

Mikey had defeated Paul Lauria just before this and the Eliminators attacked him and threw him out of the ring.  Saturn cuts a promo where he accepts the Gangstas' (New Jack and Mustafa) challenge for a four-way-dance.  (That match would happen at ECW The Doctor is In on August 3rd.)  Saturn challenges Mikey to get Sabu so they could have a tag title match.  Mikey obliges.  Sabu comes out and they run to the ring and start brawling with the Eliminators.  Off-camera, ring announcer Bob Artese announces that it is a title match.  Sabu and Saturn start.  They trade punches until Saturn kicks Sabu.   Sabu sweeps Saturn's leg.  Sabu chokes Saturn on the mat.  Saturn counters with a headscissors but Sabu escapes.  Back up, Saturn gets a side headlock but Sabu counters with a hammerlock into a schoolboy rollup for a 1 count.  Saturn grabs a front facelock into a takeover for 1.  Sabu rolls up Saturn again for 1.  Sabu applies a legbar.   Saturn gets to the ropes.   Sabu kicks Saturn and brings him into the corner.  Cross-corner whip and Saturn bounces out.  Sabu gives him two shots which have no effect.  Sabu hits the Moonsault Press for a 2 count.  Back up, Saturn hits Sabu with two thrust kicks.   Saturn brings Sabu up and Sabu decks him.  Sabu slams Saturn and climbs up but Saturn rolls out of the way of the Arabian Press.   Saturn thrust kicks Sabu, sets him up in a seated position on the mat and follows with a dropkick to the back of the neck.  Saturn slams Sabu and climbs up and hits a frogsplash for 2.  Saturn tags in Kronus.   Kronus grabs Sabu and goes for an Irish Whip but Sabu reverses but Kronus sends Sabu back into the corner.  Sabu comes out and Kronus kicks him in the back of the head and Saturn hits another thrust kick.  Kronus whips Sabu into the corner and follows with a handspring back elbow.  Kronus snapmares Sabu and goes out to the apron but Sabu is back up and punches Kronus.   Sabu traps Kronus between the second and third ropes and tags in Mikey.  Mikey comes off the top with a Guillotine Legdrop.   Mikey covers but only gets 2.  Mikey whips Kronus into the ropes and follows with a hiptoss and an armdrag.  Saturn comes in and gets the same.   Mikey hits a double Japanese armdrag and Sabu flies off the top with a bodypress to both Eliminators.   Mikey covers Kronus but only gets 2.  Mikey hits a legdrop and covers for 1.   Mikey gets an armbar as the referee tells Sabu to get back in his corner.   Mikey takes over Kronus and goes back to the arm.   Back up, Kronus whips Mikey into the ropes but Mikey comes off with a kick.   Mikey signals to Sabu.  Mikey gets down on all fours and Sabu springs off of Mikey's back onto Kronus'.  Joey Styles says, "I give up, don't know what to call it."  As the ref is telling Sabu to get out of the ring Saturn takes down Mikey with a clothesline.   Saturn rolls Kronus out of the ring and hits Mikey with a brainbuster.   Sabu tries to make the save and Saturn gives him a forearm to the back of the neck.   Saturn brings Mikey up and gets an arm wringer and a hook kick.  Saturn whips Mikey into the ropes and catches him with a clothesline.  Saturn covers but only gets 2.  Saturn tags in Kronus who climbs up top and they hit the Rockerplex (vertical suplex/bodypress combination).   Kronus goes for a cover but Sabu stops him.   Kronus gives Sabu a shot to the back of the neck, knocking Sabu off the apron.   Kronus gives Mikey a pumphandle suplex.   Kronus goes after Mikey's arm, going from an armbar to a cross-armbreaker, but Sabu breaks up the hold.   Saturn rolls Kronus out of the ring again and hits Divorce Court (single-arm DDT) on Mikey.   Saturn gets a hammerlock and brings Mikey up and hits a release German Suplex, dropping Mikey on the back of his head.   Saturn dropkicks Sabu off the apron to the floor.  Saturn covers Mikey and gets 2.  Sabu tries to get in the ring but the referee stops him again.  Saturn hooks Mikey for a vertical suplex and sets him up on the top turnbuckle for a superplex.  Mikey counters it.  Mikey comes off the top but botches the Frankenmikey.   Mikey recovers and tags in Sabu.  Sabu comes in with a chair and throws it in Saturn's face, then in Kronus'.   Another shot to Saturn and then to Kronus.   Sabu sets up the chair and goes for Air Sabu but falls off the top rope to the mat.  Kronus stomps Sabu but Mikey comes off with a forearm to make the save.   Saturn throws the chair away and punches Sabu and Mikey sends Kronus over the top to the floor.   Mikey hits a slingshot Frankenmikey to Kronus on the floor.  Sabu climbs up and flies off the top but Saturn catches him with a dropkick for 2.  Mikey is hammering Kronus on the floor.  Saturn is sitting on the top turnbuckle and Sabu gets in some shots and takes Saturn down with a huracanrana.  It gets 2.  Sabu runs off the ropes but Saturn catches him with a boot.  Saturn hits a Doctor Bomb (gutwrench sit-out powerbomb) for 2 1/2.   Mikey hits Kronus in the face with a chair.   Saturn goes out to the apron and goes for something but Sabu cuts him off with a dropkick.  Sabu hits a sunset flip powerbomb off the apron to the floor.   Sabu starts clearing off a table.  Back in the ring Mikey has Kronus in the corner and is punching away.  Sabu goes for Air Sabu on Saturn but Saturn stops him and sends Sabu through the table to the floor.  Saturn clotheslines Mikey.   Total Elimination finishes it, with Saturn scoring the pin.  ***1/2.
 

Fun match with some cool spots.   Recommended and you can watch it here.