He wrestles like Dusty Rhodes. He bleeds like Ric Flair. He is Steve “Old School” Corino, ECW’s new World Heavyweight Champion. At the exemplary November To Remember pay-per-view from the Odeum Theater in Illinois, Corino barely survived the barbaric four-way match against The Sandman, Justin Credible and then-champion Jerry Lynn in a championship bout which will be entered into the ECW record books as one of their mostbrutish and bloody ever.

Corino’s triumph symbolized the show as a whole — a show that ranks right up there with ECW’s best. The November To Remember card was unprecedented in this day and age where more time is spent on promos and angles than the matches themselves. It was wall-to-wall back-to-basics wrestling from a proficient stable of up-and-comers who put some of WCW’s and WWF’s headlining stars to shame. It is hard to believe that a promotion capable of booking a pay-per-view that was head and shoulders above anything WCW or the WWF has broadcast in the past few months is still searching for a network to broadcast their weekly show on after they were dumped by TNN in favour of the WWF about a month ago.

The ECW World Title match was supposed to be two matches in one ring with the winners slated to face-off for the title. It didn’t work out that way. Justin Credible and Jerry Lynn both arrived for their bout but The Sandman (assaulted by Steve Corino and Jack Victory in his locker room) didn’t show up until over three minutes into the match prompting Cyrus to advise the officials to check the local bar for him. Of course while Jerry Lynn was being pummeled by Corino and Credible in the ring, The Sandman had to make his usual time-consuming entrance popping four or five beers in the crowd while the other bloodied grapplers stalled as best they could. Albeit a very distracting and unnecessary one, it was the only pause in the action.

Throwing the rules of the match out the window, Sandman attacked anything that moved caning Lynn and Credible. As he stopped to down a brewski in the ring, Corino slapped it out of his hand. Irritated at having his tasty beverage spoiled Sandman caned Corino and an interfering Jack Victory before Lynn put a stop to it. Sandman brought a ladder into the ring, standing it up in a corner. Corino, Credible and Lynn (in that order) were Irish whipped into it. Sandman suplexed and splashed Corino onto the ladder and got a two count as Justin and Lynn fought outside. Corino placed a guardrail held up by four steel chairs in the middle of the ring. The Sandman suplexed Corino on the rail.

Francine low-blowed the referee and Jerry Lynn after Lynn Tombstoned Credible. Dawn Marie wanted to cat fight Francine but Corino wouldn’t allow it. Marie left the ring upset by Corino’s actions. Credible doomed Lynn with That’s Incredible as Corino stole Sandman’s own move and Russian Leg Sweeped him with the Singapore Cane. The Sandman and Lynn were both eliminated at just over sixteen minutes into the main event leaving Corino and Credible to fight for the coveted gold.

The crowd was behind Corino chanting “Old school!” throughout the remaining portion of the match. Lynn and Sandman hung around outside the ring interfering only if someone was thrown out near them…which wasn’t often.

Corino and Credible got into a chop-fest the likes of which has never been seen before. For minutes and minutes they swung at each other until finally Credible fell to his knees to low-blow Corino. Following a series of standing switches, Corino suplexed Credible through a table. As Corino went for a superkick, Credible pulled Francine into the line of fire. Corino performed his finishing, neck-breaker move — Old School Expulsion. Credible kicked out at two then caned Corino two or three times. Corino hit Old School Expulsion a second time and as he was about to pin Credible, Dawn Marie low-blowed him and Jack Victory. Marie left the ring in disgust.

Credible continued to use the cane on Corino until he caught a super kick to the chops.  That was all Corino needed to win his first ever ECW World Heavyweight Championship. Showing his son’s name (Cody) written on the athletic tape wrapped around his fist and wrist, Corino dedicates the match to him. In a show of REALLY bad sportsmanship, Jerry Lynn reluctantly handed Corino the belt and then slapped him right in the face.

  • The next ECW pay-per-view is Massacre On 34th Street on December 3rd.

    ECW November To Remember 2000 results

  • Styles and Gertner cut their usual promos. Simon Diamond interrupted them demanding to know why the announcing team wasn’t putting him over. Gertner said that was because Diamond was mid-carder or something. Diamond beat on Gertner. Styles jumped on Diamond’s back. Diamond and Johnny Swinger were about to break Gertner’s ankle with a steel chair. Tommy Dreamer made the save. C.W. Anderson beat on Dreamer. Christian York and Joey Matthews cleared the ring of the heels.

    Simon Diamond, Swinger Vs Christian York, Joey Matthews

  • The match goes on for three minutes without any commentary being spoken. Finally, an uncomfortable Cyrus comes on the headset and begins calling the match. The Rockers Y2K lose after C.W. Anderson jumps in with a Spine Buster. Diamond, Swinger and Anderson stomp Rockers Y2K. Kid Kash clears the ring.
  • Winners: Diamond, Swinger at 5 minutes and 19 seconds.
  • Match Rating: 6 / 10.

    Kid Kash Vs C.W. Anderson

  • A Match Of The Year candidate. Almost a flawlessly wrestled and booked match that had both the Lucha, high-flying stylings of nineties wrestling with the technical expertise seen in the seventies. One hell of a bout. Anderson’s hanging super-plex from the top rope on Kash and Kash using the official as a springboard to do a suicide dive on Diamond and Swinger outside the ring were classics. Anderson counters the Money Maker only to be downed with a Tornado DDT.
  • Winner: Kid Kash at 10 minutes and 43 seconds.
  • Match Rating: 10 / 10.

    Hot Commodity Vs Danny Doring, Roadkill, Spike Dudley

  • It is three (Chris Hamrick, EZ Money, Julio Dinero) against two until Spike Dudley books himself onto Doring and Roadkill’s team. Spike’s Acid Drop with an assist by Roadkill clenches them the contest.
  • Winners: Danny Doring, Roadkill, Spike Dudley at 8 minutes and 13 seconds.
  • Match Rating: 7.5 / 10.

    Chris Chetti Vs Nova

  • Chetti feels so confident he’ll beat his former tag-team partner Nova that he makes the match a Loser Leave Town bout. Nova has lost it. Wearing his Venom attire, he really takes it to Chetti bouncing him off steel guard rails and using a steel chair on him. Intense! Nova kicks a steel chair into Lou E. Dangerously’s face and folds up Chetti with the Kryptonite Krunch from the top rope no less. Chetti is supposedly…outta there.
  • Winner: Nova at 10 minutes even.
  • Match Rating: 7 / 10.

    The Baldies Vs Chilly Willy, Balls Mahoney (Flaming Tables Match)

  • Before this match I didn’t really dig Chilly Willy at all. How can I respect a guy who names himself after a cartoon penguin? This match changed my feelings. Comfortable and more intense, he reminds me of a “Natural” Butch Reed now. They brawl in the ring. They brawl in the stands where the cameras lose them for minutes and minutes on end. Chilly Willy is powerbombed through two chairs by Angel. Mahoney’s Nut Cracker on Devito and Angel sets up the finale. Mahoney and Willy empty two bottles of lighter fluid all over a table. They light it on fire. The flames are enormous when Angel is slammed through it. In a slo-mo replay we can see that his shirt catches on fire. Two ECW personnel pour bottled water on him to extinguish the flames. Really a two spot match.
  • Winner: Balls Mahoney, Chilly Willy at 12 minutes and 40 seconds.
  • Match Rating: 2 / 10.

    Rhino (champion) Vs New Jack (challenger) (ECW World Television Title Match)

  • New Jack cuts a wicked promo before the match saying he doesn’t even care about the belt and that if he wins it, he will use it to score hookers and as collateral when he gambles. Funny stuff that. Styles is right. Any resemblance between this and a wrestling match is purely coincidental. New Jack’s match all the way. Sign to the crotch. Trash cans and traffic signs to the head. Pool cue across the back. It takes five minutes before Rhino drops New Jack with a clothesline for the first wrestling move to make an appearance. Rhino pulls the ref into a New Jack chair shot. The evil official, Danny Daniels, subs. New Jack staple guns him to the head and throws him out of the ring. Rhino no-sells a guitar shot. He Gores New Jack through a table to retain the belt. The crowd really doesn’t like the outcome.
  • Winner: …and still ECW World Television Champion…Rhino at 7 minutes and 59 seconds.
  • Match Rating: 5 / 10.

    The F.B.I. (champions) Vs Tajiri, Mikey Whipwreck (challengers) (ECW World Tag Team Title Match)

  • Though he was shown in a promo earlier in the show, the announcers say that The Sinister Minister is absent because The F.B.I. tortured and cut some of his fingers off. Yikes! That’s gotta hurt. Mikey drills Mamaluke and Guido with a double Whippersnapper from the top rope. As he lands, he hurts his left shoulder and must be carted out on a stretcher. The F.B.I. double team Tajiri until…the returning Super Crazy blows into the ring as Tajiri’s substitute partner. Super Crazy does another suicide leap on Big Sal from the stands to the floor below though the cameras are out of position so we don’t see its true impact. Tajiri has Mamaluke in the Tarantula. The F.B.I. double bulldog him and win. Even though they lost, Tajiri and Super Crazy shakes hands.
  • Winner: …and still ECW World Tag Team Champions…The F.B.I. at 15 minutes and 45 seconds.
  • Match Rating: 7 / 10.

    Jerry Lynn (champion) Vs Justin Credible (challenger) and The Sandman (challenger) Vs Steve Corino (challenger) (ECW World Heavyweight Title – Double Jeopardy Match)
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  • Winner: …and new ECW World Heavyweight Champion…Steve Corino at 24 minutes and 24 seconds.
  • Match Rating: 10 / 10.
  • Total Event Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes
  • Overall Event Rating: 9 / 10.