It Ain't ''Seinfeld'' was a
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
supercard
event
Event may refer to:
Gatherings of people
* Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion
* Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest
* Event management, the organization of eve ...
produced by
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...
(ECW). It took place on May 14, 1998, in the
Elks Lodge #878 in
Elmhurst, Queens
Elmhurst (formerly Newtown) is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Junction Boulevard on the east; and the New York Connecting Rail ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
.
Eight matches took place at the event. The main event was a six-man tag team match pitting
the Dudley Brothers
The Dudley Brothers were a professional wrestling stable active in Extreme Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1999.
The gimmick of the group was that, despite their obvious differences in physical appearance and race, the members were all s ...
(
Buh Buh Ray,
D-Von and
Big Dick) against
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...
,
Spike Dudley
Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenure in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing ...
and
the Sandman. The event also saw the introduction of the
ECW FTW Heavyweight Championship
The FTW ("Fuck The World") Championship was a professional wrestling championship. It was presented as an "outlaw" or "renegade" title that was unsanctioned by officials Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Angle, in-storyline, and often serve ...
by
Taz Taz or TAZ may refer to:
Geography
*Taz (river), a river in western Siberia, Russia
*Taz Estuary, the estuary of the river Taz in Russia
People
* Taz people, an ethnic group in Russia
** Taz language, a form of Northeastern Mandarin spoken by ...
.
Production
It Ain't ''Seinfield'' was held on the same evening that
the final episode of the popular
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Seinfeld
''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'' premiered on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
, inspiring the naming of the event.
The commentator for the event was
Joey Styles
Joseph Carmine Bonsignore (born July 14, 1971) better known by his ring name Joey Styles, is an American former professional wrestling commentator. He is best known for his time with ECW and WWE. Before working for WWE, Styles was a full-time ...
and the referee was John Finnegan.
Highlights of the event were shown in
syndication on episode #265 of ''
ECW Hardcore TV
''ECW Hardcore TV'' is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by the Philadelphia based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) composed of footage from live shows and recorded interviews. It ran in syndi ...
'' on May 20, 1998.
The full event was released on
VHS
VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s.
Ma ...
in 1998 and on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
in 2002, with the
cover art
Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product, such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ar ...
stylized after the ''Seinfeld'' logo.
Prior to the main event,
Buh Buh Ray Dudley's heckling of the crowd resulted in a member of the audience attempting to enter the ring to attack him. The man was subdued by security guards before entering the ring.
Background
It Ain't ''Seinfeld'' featured
professional wrestling matches
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and
storylines. Wrestlers portrayed
villains
A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
,
heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
, or
less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
The event took place 10 days after
Wrestlepalooza, where
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...
and
the Sandman defeated
the Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley Brothers, Dudley family members, notably ...
(
Buh Buh Ray Dudley and
D-Von Dudley
Devon Hughes ( ; born August 1, 1972) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, under a legends contract. He is best known for performing in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 a ...
). Dreamer and The Sandman continued their
feud
A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...
with the Dudley Boyz at It Ain't ''Seinfeld''.
Also at Wrestlepalooza,
Rob Van Dam
Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...
and
Sabu continued their feud over the
ECW World Television Championship
The ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in 1992 as part of National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Champi ...
, fighting to a time limit draw.
Prior to the event,
Taz Taz or TAZ may refer to:
Geography
*Taz (river), a river in western Siberia, Russia
*Taz Estuary, the estuary of the river Taz in Russia
People
* Taz people, an ethnic group in Russia
** Taz language, a form of Northeastern Mandarin spoken by ...
had been feuding with
ECW World Heavyweight Champion
The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
Shane Douglas
Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler, manager, and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship ...
. After Douglas sustained an injury, Taz was unable to challenge him for the championship.
Event
It Ain't ''Seinfeld'' was attended by approximately 1,000 people.
The opening bout was a
singles match between
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach.
Lynn has worked for professional wrestling promotion, promotions ...
and
Justin Credible
Peter Joseph Polaco (born October 16, 1973) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Justin Credible.
Debut ...
. Lynn won the bout by pinfall after reversing Credible's ''
That's Incredible
''That's Incredible!'' is an American reality television show that aired on the ABC television network from 1980 to 1984. In the tradition of ''You Asked for It'', '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' and '' Real People'', the show featured people ...
'' move into his own ''That's Incredible'', then pinning Credible.
The second bout was a singles match between
Danny Doring
Daniel Morrison (born February 19, 1974) is an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Danny Doring. He is best known for his appearances with the professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championsh ...
and
Sabu. Sabu won the match by submission using a
camel clutch
Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a Submission wrestling, submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ri ...
.
The third bout was a singles match between
Chris Candido
Christopher Barrett Candito (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Candito is best remembered for his tenures with professional wrestling promotion, promotions such as World Championship ...
and
Jamie Dundee. Candido won the bout by pinfall following a
diving headbutt.
The fourth bout was a
tag team match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
between the
Blue World Order
The Blue World Order (bWo) was a stable of professional wrestlers formed at Extreme Championship Wrestling's November to Remember 1996 event. The stable lasted until August 1998 and was revived briefly in World Wrestling Entertainment during th ...
and the
Full Blooded Italians. During the match, a disagreement arose between referees Jeff Jones and John Finnegan, culminating in Finnegan giving a
DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...
to Jones. The Blue World Order went on to win the match, with
Super Nova pinning
Little Guido
James Maritato (born March 12, 1972) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring names Little Guido and Nunzio. A high-school ...
following a ''
Novacain''.
The fifth bout was a singles match between
Balls Mahoney
Jonathan Rechner (April 11, 1972 – April 12, 2016), better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and WWE, W ...
and
Lance Storm
Lance Timothy Evers (; born April 3, 1969), known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a Canadians, Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he works as a producer. He is best known ...
. Storm won the bout by pinfall after driving a chair into Mahoney's face using a
springboard
A springboard or diving board is used for diving and is a board that is itself a spring, i.e. a linear flex-spring, of the cantilever type.
Springboards are commonly fixed by a hinge at one end (so they can be flipped up when not in use), and ...
dropkick
A dropkick is an Professional wrestling strikes, attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as they ju ...
.
Following the fifth bout,
Taz Taz or TAZ may refer to:
Geography
*Taz (river), a river in western Siberia, Russia
*Taz Estuary, the estuary of the river Taz in Russia
People
* Taz people, an ethnic group in Russia
** Taz language, a form of Northeastern Mandarin spoken by ...
came to the ring and gave a
promo
PROMO (Promoting Missouri) is a Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territ ...
in which he described himself as the uncrowned
ECW World Heavyweight Champion
The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
. Taz then introduced his own championship – the
ECW FTW Heavyweight Championship
The FTW ("Fuck The World") Championship was a professional wrestling championship. It was presented as an "outlaw" or "renegade" title that was unsanctioned by officials Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Angle, in-storyline, and often serve ...
– and challenged ECW World Heavyweight Champion
Shane Douglas
Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler, manager, and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship ...
to a title-versus-title match. After Taz's announcement, Douglas' ally
Bam Bam Bigelow
Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close-to-400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned mo ...
came to the ring and confronted Taz, telling him he would need to go through Bigelow to get to Douglas. After referees attempted to keep the two men apart, Bigelow
press slammed one of the referees into the audience. Taz and Bigelow then brawled.
The sixth bout saw
ECW World Television Champion
The ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in 1992 as part of National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Champio ...
Rob Van Dam
Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...
defend his title against
Mikey Whipwreck
John Michael Watson (born June 4, 1973), better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he was an ECW Triple C ...
. The match ended in a no contest after Chris Candido and Sabu attacked Van Dam. After Lance Storm came to the ring to assist Van Dam, the four men brawled until being separated.
The seventh bout was a singles match between
Axl Rotten
Brian Knighton (April 21, 1971 – February 4, 2016), better known by the ring name Axl Rotten, was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. In the early 1990s, he was a part of the tag team The Bad Breed with Ian Rotten. He had ...
and Bam Bam Bigelow. Bigelow won the bout by pinfall after performing ''
Greetings from Asbury Park'' on Rotten.
The main event was a
six-man tag team match
Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...
pitting
the Dudley Brothers
The Dudley Brothers were a professional wrestling stable active in Extreme Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1999.
The gimmick of the group was that, despite their obvious differences in physical appearance and race, the members were all s ...
against
The Sandman,
Spike Dudley
Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenure in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing ...
, and
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...
. The Dudley Brothers won the bout by pinfall when
Big Dick Dudley
Alexander Paul Rizzo (January 12, 1968 – May 16, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Big Dick Dudley. Rizzo was best known for his appearances with the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based professional wrestl ...
pinned Spike Dudley after performing ''
Total Penetration'' on him. Following the match, the Dudley Brothers beat down their opponents until
New Jack
Jerome Young (January 3, 1963 – May 14, 2021) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name New Jack. He was best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he became notorious for his willingn ...
came to the ring and helped drive them away.
Results
Aftermath
Rob Van Dam and Sabu continued to feud. On June 29, 1998, their rivalry took an unusual turn when they were teamed together by their mutual manager, Bill Alfonso, against Chris Candido and Lance Storm, who they defeated to win the
ECW World Tag Team Championship
The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestli ...
.
Tommy Dreamer, the Sandman and Spike Dudley continued their feud with the Dudley Brothers, defeating them in a
street fight at
Heat Wave
A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...
on August 2, 1998.
With Shane Douglas injured, Taz began defending the FTW Heavyweight Championship. At Heat Wave, Taz defeated Bam Bam Bigelow – Douglas'
stablemate in
the Triple Threat – in a
falls count anywhere match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
to retain the championship.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:It Ain't Seinfeld
1998 in professional wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling supercards and pay-per-view events
May 1998 in the United States
Professional wrestling shows in New York City
Seinfeld
1998 in New York City