Search - ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) - Guilty as Charged 2001 on DVD

The Final Curtain of ECW....

the_ringmeister | Los Angeles, CA. | 12/09/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In a time of today where WWE ruled the wrestling world, it's not too cool to see that they are the only one that's offering the product on a mass audience scale, and it doesnt even look as good as it could be. Makes me long for the days when there was actual competition from other companies, like ECW. Guilty As Charged 2K1 was the last Pay Per View ever done by the Philadelphia company, and it turned out to be one of the better ones they ever did in their history. While the show may not be as good as it can be in some areas, it is still better than what the WWE is offering today. Here are the match-by-match breakdown:
1. The Network (Jerry "New F'n Show" Lynn and Cyrus) Vs. Josh Matthews and Christian York: Not much of a match as the Baldies crashed Matthews' and York's entrance and pummelled them all the way to the ring. Lynn and Cyrus came in and match ended with the Cradle Piledriver by Lynn to give the Network the W.2. World Tag Team Championship match: Danny Doring and Roadkill (champs) Vs. Hot Commodity w/ Chris Hamrick and Electra- Great match from the tag teams with lots of technical moves and double teaming. Champs retain, then got beaten up by HC and Hamrick. Nova then comes to the rescue, which leads into...3. Impromptu Match #1: Nova Vs. "Confederate Currency" Chris Hamrick- The New Nova shows off new attitude and moves and all. Great wrestling displayed here. The end was bad, though, with Chris Chetti, Lou E. Dangerously and Spike Dudley all got involved in the end. Nova wins it with the Kryptonite Krunch.4. "I Quit" match: "The innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer Vs. CW "The Enforcer" Anderson- Brawling, technical wrestling, weapons and blood. This match has it all here. Lots and lots of sick bumps taken by both men in the match. In the end, Anderson submitted to TD.5. 3 Way battle for the Tag Team Title's #1 Contenders status: "Japanese Buzzsaw" Yoshihiro Tajiri & Mikey Whipwreck Vs. Super Crazy & Kid Kash VS. The FBI- Now this is action-packed wrestling!! Very fast, very innovative match makes this the match of the show. The display of submission moves at one point in the match by all three teams was incredible. Tajiri and Whipwreck took this one after delivering simultaneous Tiger Suplexes on the FBI.6. Chilly Willy & Balls Mahoney Vs. Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger: Not much of a match here either, as Rhino came and destroyed all four combatants AND their valets (Jasmine and Dawn Marie). ALso, Blue Boy took a gore from Rhino too.7. World Heavyweight Championship Match: Tables, Ladders, Chairs and Canes- The Sandman Vs. Steve Corino Vs. Justin Credible: As Francine and Jack Victory roamed around ringside, this match played itself out as an incredibly violent and exciting match from all three men.The Title is suspended above the ring. Lots of action and double teaming, with the TLCC's being employed very well by the all three. Sandman takes it here.8. Impromptu Match #2: World Title- Rhino Vs. The Sandman: Rhino crashed Sandman's celebration and destroyed everyone in his sight. Then after extorting the Sandman to face him for the world title, he destroyed him with gores and piledrivers through tables. Rhino is YOUR last ever ECW champ.9. Impromptu Match #3:Rhino Vs. Rob Van Dam- After the win, Cyrus came into the ring, congratulated his Man Beast for the win, and challenged anyone from any wrestling company to take on Rhino. "Walk" by Pantera hits, and we get RVD on the scene, back after filming "Black Mask 2" in Thailand. As Rhino and RVD was about to face off for the World Title, Jerry Lynn crashed the party,and Rhino fled with the belt. So with that, we have..10. Main Event: Rob Van Dam Vs. Jerry Lynn- Lynn's wish to main event at the beginning of the show comes true, albeit against his nemesis, RVD. Not the best match out of their numerous encounters in ECW, but it is still good, with lots of action by both men. Cyrus interfered, which brought out Joel Gertner to DDT him, and RVD finished Lynn off with two of his chair-assisted finishers: the Van Daminator and the awesome Van Terminator. So there you go, ECW's last ever show went down with a bang, and so did the company soon after. Much better show than a lot of the PPV's you get from WWE nowadays. A great show to pick up for any wrestling fan or ECW newbies."

ECW's Last Dance

madkat41 | 04/09/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"On April 11, 2001, ECW filed for bankruptcy, thereby making Guilty As Charged 2001 the promotions last PPV. Although many fans complain that the show at times appears to be stitched together with many impromptu matches and last minute looking decisions, the show overall is very entertaining and a great final showing for a company that tried so hard to survive in a world determined to kill them off! Some higlights from the show include the long awaited return of Rob Van Dam to ring action to face off in another classic battle with arch-nemesis Jerry Lynn! The Sandman wins his fourth ECW World Heavyweight Title after beating out Justin Credible aand Steve Corino, only to lose the title to Rhyno minutes later making it possibly th shortest World Title reign in sports entertainment history! The lesser return of a "new" Nova and some fairly decent announcing from Joey Stiles round out to make Guilty As Charged a decent, if not fitting end to the chaos tha was ECW!"

Going Down In A Blaze of Glory?

Mr. JKW | Honolulu, Hawai'i | 04/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Guilty as Charged 2001 was ECW's last Pay-Per-View before filing for bankruptcy and heading up to the big wrestling ring in the sky. While the pay-per-view card was comprised of a bunch of "WHO are theys?????" and seemed to be booked together at the last minute, the matches themselves were wrestled very well in ECW's signature high work rate, high spot fest style that made them famous. Overall, it was great for what it is, 2 hours or so of great adrenaline pumping ooohing and aaaahing entertainment.Here's the rundown of the matches featured on this DVD:THE MATCHESTelevised on January 7, 2001 from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City
Your hosts are Joey Styles, Joel Gertner and Cyrus the Network Virus1. Show introduction ring promo by Joey Styles and Joel Gertner with Gertner giving his patented (and to date) most filthy overt sexual laden intro yet.2. Match 1: Joey Matthews and Christian York vs. Jerry Lynn and Cyrus: Non-match as the Baldies ambush York and Matthews for Lynn and Cyrus. A few spots were gotten off by York and Matthews but it was otherwise a rubbish segment. DUD3. Jerry Lynn promo followed by the ECW opening montage4. Match 2: Danny Doring and Roadkill (champs) defending against Hot Commodity (EZ Money and Julio Dinero) w/Elektra and Chris Hamrick: Great in-ring action from all participants with great double team maneuvers and otherwise innovative moves as is the norm for ECW. 4 stars5. Match 3: Nova vs. Chris Hamrick: Impromptu match as Nova runs-out and attacks Hamrick. Decent match between the two with cool spots and action also featuring appearances by Chris Chetti, Lou E. Dangerously and Spike Dudley. 3 3/4 stars6. Steve Corino (w/ Jack Victory) promo7. Match 4: C.W. Anderson vs. Tommy Dreamer in an "I Quit Match:" GREAT submission/hardcore plunder match. Lots of weapons, lots of submission wrestling. Definitely one of the best matches on the PPV in my opinion. 4 1/2 stars8. More sexually innuendoed backstage hijinks backstage with Steve Corino, Jack Victory, Francine, Justin Credible and Missy Hyatt.9. Match 5: Yoshihiro Tajiri/Mikey Whipwreck (w/Sinister Minister) vs. the FBI (Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke w/Sal E. Graziano) vs. Super Crazy and Kid Kash in a #1 Contenders match for the tag belts: Another great match with TONS of high spots, double team maneuvers, etc. The first half of the match was more of a spot fest, but the action and drama picked up in the second half. 4 stars10. Sandman promo11. Match 6: Simon Diamond and Swinger (w/ Dawn Marie, the Blue Boy and Jasmine) vs. Chilly Willy and Balls Mahoney: Match starts off with a bunch of promos. Non-match anyway as Rhino came down and kills everyone. Great if you're into violence but otherwise a DUD match.12. Rhino promo13. Match 7: Steve Corino (w/Victory) vs. Justin Credible (w/Francine) vs. Sandman for the Heavyweight Title in a Tables, Ladders, Chairs and Canes match: Decent match with TONS of hardcore plunder spots with all the weapons. 3 3/4 stars.14. Post-match antics with the Baldies and Rhino.15. Match 8: Impromptu match between Rhino and Sandman for the title. As per norm with Rhino, TONS of violence. DUD16. Match 9: Impromptu main event, Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam: Typical match between these two. A little slow at the beginning but there were tons of high spots, chain wrestling and overall great action. 4 stars17. Promo by Corino and Credible declaring themselves the "New Impact Players."DVD Features:The DVD contains match history write-ups by Jim Johnston III, the same guy who did the ECW website and the previous ECW DVDs. Overall, the match histories give good background info on the storylines that led up to the matches and are a good read prior to viewing the matches themselves.THE VERDICT:Overall, some (justifiably) complained that some of the matches were complete rubbish and a waste and things seemed to have been "stitched" together with a lot of impromptu match-ups. While true, the Pay-Per-View itself served its purpose. It was entertaining. For everyone rubbish match there were two entertaining matches. The matches that were done were done VERY well (the tag title match, submission match and 3-way tag match in particular). Overall, while the show itself may have had the stated shortcomings, the show itself was very entertaining and is therefore worth the watch. Though ECW was indeed dying, it didn't go out with a wimper but rather in a blaze of glory.In sum, whether rented, borrowed or bought, this show is...Recommended"

"Guilty As Charged" 2001 Review

Crazy Jim | Massachusetts | 04/20/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"ECW's final pay-per-view, "Guilty As Charged" which aired in January of 2001 live from the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC was not exactly the defining moment in the company's history but it definitely had its share of moments. On this night, we got to see the surprise ECW return of Rob Van Dam as he took on longtime nemesis Jerry Lynn in the final match of their classic series of matches in ECW. There was a weapon-filled 3-Way Dance between Steve Corino, The Sandman, and Justin Credible for the ECW World Title. In watching "Guilty", it seemed like the ECW product was somewhat becoming stale. While the in-ring matches were as solid as ever, the once cutting-edge promos and backstage vignettes lacked creativety and relied too heavily on profanity and low-brow sexual inuendo. Since its inception, ECW has always pushed the envelope in being hardcore but on this night, it seemed like they were pushing dirty humor for the simple fact that they had nothing else to offer. Involving Missy Hyatt in the show could have made for some interesting TV but rather than using her to her full potential, they just had her cut a backstage promo where she appeared in a towel and was supposedly giving Justin Credible "oral pleasure" behind closed doors. Much like its previous editions of ECW pay-per-views, Pioneer's DVD for "Guilty" has been edited and altered to remove a majority of the entrance music due to copyright reasons. This unfortunately means that a number of the actual ring entrances have been taken out. If you're a longtime ECW fan, you'll probably want to pick up this DVD but if you're new to the ECW brand, this may not be the best title to introduce you to the product."