The Sandman © vs Raven – ECW
ECW World Heavyweight Title Match
01/27/1996
It is tough, and not always advisable, to try and pinpoint the most important facet of a promotion’s rise to prominence. With certain cases, there are clear matches and angles that act as catalysts to the success that soon follows, but often it has to be a collective of good booking and in-ring talent that can finish what the storylines have started when the bell rings.
With that being said, it is hard to play down the importance of Raven to ECW, especially his feuds with the Sandman and Tommy Dreamer. The gimmick that launched a thousand rip-off wrestlers for roleplays, Raven took what Kevin Sullivan had done in the 80s, shaved off the overtly Satanic edges and added a grungier aesthetic to great success. When necessary, he could work from bell to bell, and the character engaged the audience. Some liked him, some liked him; they all had an opinion on him.
Just over a year to the day that the Raven character debuted on ECW television, Raven would not only introduce his new valet (Kimona Wanalaya), but he would also go one on one for the ECW World Heavyweight Title against the Sandman. Kimona replaced a recently-turned Beulah McGillicutty, and it wasn’t just Raven who was having valet issues; there had been increasing friction between himself and Woman over the past month that suggested all was not well in the champ’s camp.
Aired three days later on Hardcore TV, the match was only shown in highlight form. The footage cut in at a time when it seemed Sandman was having it all his own way, a cane shot and a DDT getting him a nearfall on the stricken challenger. Cane shot after cane shot after cane shot followed, with one even knocking the referee out before taking out Stevie Richards and the Blue Meanie.
You couldn’t have an ECW main event at this time without extensive interference, and this is no exception. With Richards and Meanie incapacitated, Dreamer stopped Raven using the cane on Sandman with a lowblow, before Cactus Jack ran in and the two new arrivals hit almost stereo DDTs on Raven and Sandman respectively. Not content with sticking their nose in the title match, Dreamer and Jack then began to brawl at ringside, eventually dragging the Meanie and a newly arriving Shane Douglas into the mix.
With the focus finally back on the in-ring contest, a resurgent Sandman Irish whipped Raven hard into the turnbuckle, before slamming him in preparation for a top rope legdrop. Missing the high risk manoeuvre left the champion vulnerable, and Raven would plant him with a DDT onto the chair for the three count and to start his first reign as ECW World Champion.
The ECW main events at this time had their formula and were pitched at a very specific audience, but even with that in mind it is hard to legislate for so much interference and extracurricular activity within a title match. The only thing missing – surprisingly – was a cat fight between Kimona and Woman.
As a match, it is hard to judge due to the relative brevity of what is available. In highlight form, it looks like a lot of the less highly regarded ECW contests with multi-man interference and aimless brawling until a finish. As a moment, it emphasised the trajectory Scott Levy’s career had taken over the past few years. From lightweight also-ran in WCW to commentator and manager in WWF, to be standing in the ring and holding a world title of any kind showed the extent to which the Raven character had resurrected his career.
This was not only the Sandman’s last night with the ECW World Title for the time being, but Woman walked out on him for (in real life) a role with WCW. Raven, outside of title trading with the Sandman later in the year, would effectively hold the title up until Barely Legal 1997, the first ECW PPV. Raven had earnt his reward for a banner year; ECW was now about to earn theirs.
