JUSTIN CREDIBLE vs. TOMMY DREAMER
Tommy Dreamer, meanwhile, was an ECW mainstay ever since the promotion first formed. Early in his ECW tenure, fans continually booed him, no matter how many bumps he took and how much blood he lost. However, it was when his several year-long feud with Raven began that they began appreciating "The Innovator of Violence." He took Chokeslams onto concrete, through tables, off balconies, and combinations of each (and all) of the previously stated. He is regarded as one of the most respected professional wrestlerse ever, and, while his mat wrestling skills leave a lot to be desired, his will and ability to take pain is matched by few. So, without further ado, I hereby present the Justin Credible vs. Tommy Dreamer Spotlight Feud...
The FEUD: The feud between these two began on January 31, 1998, at ECW Hostile City Showdown. Tommy Dreamer's grandfather had recently died, and there was a ten-bell salute to him. But, about midway through, Justin Credible's music hit and he came out and berated Dreamer, telling him that he wished "it was you (Dreamer) that died instead of Grandpa Joe." ECW fans in attendance couldn't believe what they were hearing, as it was obvious that Credible had completely passed the line between civil acceptability and evilness: A newcomer in ECW (as he had recently debuted at As Good As It Gets) had actually gone so far as to interrupt a sacred vigil for the "Heart and Soul of ECW"'s grandfather and actually say that he wished it was Dreamer that was dead! Not only that, but, back in '98, most fans took the "Justin Credible" name as a complete joke. That was not to be for very long...
At February 21, 1998's ECW Cyberslam, he two fought in a vicious "First Blood Match," where the first competitor to make his opponent bleed would be declared the winner. For awhile, the two brawl everywhere, hammering eachother with several different weapons. Dreamer's valet, Beulah, and Credible's valet (?), Nicole Bass, both get involved, while the referee bumps and is out. Soon after that, Dreamer actually wraps himself in barbed-wire, but JC keeps escaping from him. Rob Van Dam soon runs in uses his own barbed-wire to cut Dreamer open. JC then Piledrives Beulah, just as the referee gains consciousness and sees Dreamer bleeding and declares JC the winner. After the match, Dreamer assaults JC's other manager, Jason.
The two again battled on the first of March, at ECW's Living Dangerously Pay-Per-View. As usual, we get some brawling on the outside, before JC hits his That's Incredible. Beulah, who had seemed to be teasing the idea of turning on Dreamer, ends Justin's attempted pinfall by nailing him in the crotch, prompting a few superstars to run in (Bass, Jason, & Mikey Whipwreck), beginning an all-out brawl, basically pitting Dreamer, Beulah, and Whipwreck against JC, Bass, and Jason. In the midst of all the chaos, Dreamer's hits JC with his Dreamer DDT, grounding him long enough to score the pinfall win at 8:58. Tommy Dreamer had gained a measure of revenge on Justin Credible, but he still wasn't nearly even.
For about the next half-year, Dreamer allied up with The Sandman to wage war against The Dudley Boyz. Dreamer and Credible again went at it at a House Show on October 10 of '98, where they went to a No Contest in an "Extreme Deathmatch." At Novemer to Remember, which occurred on the first of November '98, Tommy Dreamer was scheduled to team up with a mystery partner against Justin Credible and Jack Victory. Most fans (including many internet smarts") predicted that Dreamer's partner would be his mentor, Terry Funk, but, midway through the PPV, Funk said he was going home, forever. So, it looked like that possibility wouldn't gappen, and most were now stumped on who would ally with Dreamer. It turned out to be another legend of the business, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, appeared to team with Dreamer (albeit in street clothes) against Credible and Victory.
Like predicted, we get a full-fledged brawl to start, and, back in the ring, JC hits a (sloppy-looking) Jumping DDT, followed by a Raven-like Drop Toehold on Dreamer. Jason, JC's ally, seems to have taken Victory's place in the match, as he's up on the apron and seems to be wanting a tag. He'll have to wait, though, (maybe for eternity), as Roberts is tagged in and cleans house, albeit for only a few seconds, as One Man Gang, Rod Price, and The Gangstinatas (John Kronus & New Jack) hit the ring, too, prompting an ECW-style all-out brawl (you should of knew it was coming, sooner or later!).
Dreamer attempts several of his finishers on JC, but he's never able to get the pin, as everyone in the ring always breaks it up. Bass gets DDT'd a few seconds after JC's other valet, Chasity, is Piledriven. A ladder's brought into the ring, and it serves as the surface JC gets Dreamer DDT'd on for Dreamer and Robert's victory in 12:56. After the bout, Terry Funk broke his promise of going home, entering the ring and beginning to argue with Dreamer. Roberts leaves, and the student and teacher are alone. Funk calls Dreamer an "asshole" several times, prompting him (Dreamer) to turn his back, looking to be headed backstage. Funk, though, attacks him from behind and beats him down, turning heel.
On January 10, 1999, the Guilty As Charged Pay-Per-View featured a bllody "Stairway To Hell Match" between Justin Credible and Tommy Dreamer. It was simple: There was barbed-wire hanging about 15 feet above the ring, and the object was to use a ladder to retrieve the barbed-wire. From then on, you could use it in any way you wanted, and the first competitor to make the pinfall would win the match. There was bound to be blood, but, afterall, that's why ECW is (or was) so extreme.
Within the first half of the match, the two have been in the ring and out on the concrete about four times each. The guardrail, a steel chair, and a ladder, which Dreamer used to fight off both JC and Jason, have becomea common use for both competitors. The ladder becomes the dominant weapon, as the two never hesitate to bash eachother with it. About 15 minutes in, Dreamer leaped off a ladder and caught JC in midair, drilling him with a Ladder-Leaping DDT, so to say. His advantage didn't last long, though, as Terry Funk ran in and attacked him, allowing JC to cane him. This allowed JC to set up a ladder on the mat and drop Dreamer on it with a That's Incredible. 1-2-3, and Justin Credible had defeated Tommy Dereamer in 18:45. After the match, Funk and him continued beating on Dreamer.
For the second straight year in a row, March 21, 1999's Living Dangerously Pay-Per-View served as the battleground for Justin Credible and Tommy Dreamer, this time in a tag team match, pitting Dreamer and Shane Douglas against The Impact Players, a then-newly-formed alliance of JC and fellow-Stu Hart trainee Lance Storm. Douglas and Credible start off with a nice exchange, and Dreamer enters and starts beating on Credible. He locks him in an abdominal stretch, allowing Douglas to drop Storm right on his outstretched knee! OUCH! An inevitable brawl begins, but ends within about two minutes, and JC nails Dreamer wtih a (weak-looking) Superkick.
JC keeps the advantage for awhile, until Dreamer hits a[(nother) weak-looking] TommyHawk (Falling 3/4 Facelock Bulldog/Diamond Cutter), a trademark manuever of his. Douglas begins to tease turning on Dreamer, only to attack JC and Storm. A ladder comes into play as a weapon, just as Douglas hits his trademark Belly-To-Belly Suplex on JC, but gets only 2. JC's down and out, though, after Douglas' Pittsburgh Plunge (Fishermanbuster/Fisherman's DDT), allowing the faces to win in 18:58, exactly 10 minutes more than JC and Dreamer's one-on-one bout one year earlier (8:58).
On August 26, 1999, former-arch-nemesis Raven (who had recently walked out on WCW and, about 12 hours after that, resigned with ECW and returned to the promotion that first made him a household name) and Tommy Dreamer shocked the world by winning the ECW World Tag Team Titles from The Dudley Boyz. On the January 7 edition of ECW On TNN, though, Credible and Dreamer went one-on-one in a Stairway To Hell Match. Like their first Stairway To Hell Match, the two continually used the ladder as a weapon. The match saw interference by Dawn Marie, Francine, Lance Storm, and Raven. In the end, Dreamer ducked a cone shot, but was hit with a second, making him prone to That's Incredible and the 1-2-3.
They successfully defended the titles against all comers, but, on January 9, 2000, at the Guilty As Charged Pay-Per-View, the duo faced their hardest challenge yet, as they defended their titles against The Impact Players, comprised of Justin Credible & Lance Storm. Dreamer and Raven are accompanied by Francine, while The Playaz' have Dawn Marie in their corner.
The match begins with the predicted full-fledged brawl around the arena, with Dreamer and Raven dominating JC and Storm with various weapons. Back in the ring, Dreamer ducks JC's trademark Superkick, only to be nailed with Storm's. A steel chair comes into play, with Dreamer and Storm exchaning irish whips into it. By now, Dreamer's busted open, and it doesn't get any better once he's Hangman's Neckbreaker'd onto it by JC. Well, actually it does, as Dreamer and Raven soon take back control after the Dreamer DDT on Storm. Raven's tagged in, and hits his signature drop toehold onto a steel chair on JC, but The Playaz' take back control with his trademark That's Incredible on Raven, but gets only 2!
Dreamer enters and attacks JC, only to get Piledriven by Storm. Storm's attempted suplex on the concrete is countered by Dreamer, and Storm's soon at bay for awhile. Back in the ring, Francine smacks Credible, prompting Marie to attack her, beginning a catfight! Francine hits Dawn with a Bronco Buster, but, after Raven pushes her (Francine) out of the way of JC's singapore cane shot, he's easily prone to That's Incredible for the 1...2...3, allowing The Impact Players to win their first ECW World Tag Team Titles in 9:23. Dreamer would gain some revenge, though...
On February 26, 2000, Dreamer and Francine had a fallout, and Raven ran in and hit Dreamer with his Evenflow DDT, and left with Francine. The Impact Players didn't hesitiate to come out and attack the already prone Dreamer. When it looked like Dreamer was going to be decimated, though, Japanese superstar Masato Tanaka ran down and made the save. That night's main event became an impromptu bout and began immediately, once the bell rang. The Impact Players would defend their titles against Dreamer and Tanaka.
Starting off, Tanaka was double-teamed by The Playaz', but, after reversing an attempted Double Big Back Bodydrop into a Double DDT, a full-fleged brawl spread throughout the arena. Dreamer and Storm fought near the concession stands, while Tanaka and JC weren't far behind. Once they were back in the ring, Dreamer used his trademark Tree of Woe Steel Chair Baseball Slide into Storm, forcing him (Storm) to become acquainted with the chair. OUCH! JC caned Dreamer, allowing Storm to steal control back with three of his signatures: a superkick, jawbreaker, and dropkick.
The Playaz's plans backfired, though, as Dreamer hit the Spicolli Driver, putting Storm through a table set up in the corner, which JC had set up. After caning both opponents, JC lifted Tanaka up for his That's Incredible, but he dropped out and hit JC with his trademark Shoulder Powerbomb. When JC got back up, Tanaka was ready, as he flipped off the top-rope and caught JC with a Stunner (a move that he calls the "Diamond Dust," which is technically called a Top-Rope Somersault 3/4 Bulldog Facelock Drop). 1...2...3! The unlikely duo of Tommy Dreamer and Masato Tanaka were the new ECW World Tag Team Champions!
Their reign only lasted about a week, though, as they were unseated on March 4 by Mike Awesone (Tanka's arch-rival) and Raven. For the third year in a row, Credible and Dreamer fought at the Living Dangerously PPV. The main event of the March 12, 2000 show was a Tag Team Title Three-Way Elimination Match: Dreamer/Tanaka vs. The Impact Players vs. the defending champions, Mike Awesome and Raven. Early in, after Raven drop toeholds Dreamer through part of a table and the rest of it is set up in the corner, Awesome tries to Awesome Bomb Tanaka through it. It's countered, though, into a big back bodydrop, dropping Awesome through the table. Tanaka's Roaring Elbow (Spinning Elbow Smash) gets the 1-2-3, eliminating Awesome and Raven.
It's now down to Dreamer and Tanaka vs. The Playaz'. JC and Storm used all of their manuevers, including a powerbomb, dropkick, Swinging DDT, and even cane shots, but they weren't able to gain a three count. Some miscommunication eventually leads to Dreamer ducking JC's Superkick, making it Storm. JC's hit with the Dreamer DDT, and Tanaka's tagged in. He hits a double stunner on both Playaz', and his team's in control. Then comes the interesting par: Tanaka leaps off the top-rope and, in midair, latches onto Credible's head and neck, bringing him off Dreamer's shoulders with a Diamond Cutter. Credible hits the mat below dangerously hard, and is easily hit with the Diamond Dust! Storm, though, breaks up the count and Piledrives Tanaka, allowing the Playaz' to drop Tanaka with a Spike Piledriver for the 1-2-3 at 9:04. The Impact Players have regained the Tag Team Titles in a great bout.
Now, this is where it gets interesting. One of ECW's greatest ever, Taz, had debuted at the WWF Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View on January 23, 2000, beating Kurt Angle via the Taz(z)mission chokeout. On April 13, 2000, in Indianapolis, IN, ECW World Heavyweight Champion Mike Awesome stated that nobody in ECW could beat him. This was a bad mistake, as ECW legend Taz (FUCK the other "z"!) ran out and attacked Awesome. An impromptu title match began, and, around the two minute mark, Tommy Dreamer ran in and stiffly Dreamer DDT'd Awesome, allowing Taz to lock on the Tazmission and easily choke him out, winning the ECW World Heavyweight Title for the second time in his career! After the match, Dreamer raised the hand of the new champion, while Awesome stumbled through the crowd, never to be seen at an ECW show again, as he'd debut in WCW soon after. Clips of this match were shown on the April 14 edition of ECW On TNN.
Then, on the April 20 edition of WWF SmackDown!, Taz(z) interrupted a promo by WWF World Heavyweight Champion Triple H and his wife, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. Taz challenged Trips to a World Champion vs. World Champion Non-Title Match later that same night, and Trips agreed, vowing to prove why "ECW sucks." It was back and forth for most of the match, until TOMMY DREAMER ran in through the crowd, steel chair in hand. He swung the chair at Trips, who ducked, only to have it knock out Taz(z)! Trips then kicked Dreamer in the gut and dropped him with the Pedigree. Dreamer was down, and Trips made the easy pinfall on Taz(z), defeating the ECW Champion in a Non-Title Match.
On April 20, 2000, Taz defended his ECW Title against Tommy Dreamer. The end came when, after Taz got a 2 count with a Northern Lights Suplex, Dreamer set up a for a Tiger-Driver. As he was hooking the arms, Taz took out his legs from under him, looking for a pin, but Dreamer climbed over him and locked his legs in a sunset-flip pinning combo. The referee counts: 1......2......3!!! He's done it!!! Tommy Dreamer is the new ECW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!!!!!!!
It was truly the defining moment in Dreamer's legendary career (along with him beating Raven at Wrestlepalooza '97). He had been the "heart and soul of ECW," having stayed loyal to the promotion since it's formation in the early '90's. During it's worst times ever, when they were losing money, when the Mass Transit incident almost ruined their reputation and their chances of any sort of Pay-Per-View deal. Dreamer was the only person (besides Paul Heyman, but, then again, he's the owner) to stick with ECW through thick and thin.
He stayed with them while so many departed to Atlanta's World Championship Wrestling (Awesome, Bigelow, Blue Meanie, Benoit, Candido, Foley, Guerrera, Guerrero, Harris Brothers, Jericho, Malenko, Misterio Jr., Psychosis, Raven, Richards, Saturn, Storm, Sandman, Vampire Warrior, Vito Lograsso, & Whipwreck), "New York"'s World Wrestling Federation (Al Snow, Austin, Blue Meanie, Candido, Douglas, Dudleyz, Luna, Richards, Ron Simmons, Scorpio, Taz), and various other promotions (Brian Lee, Headhunters, Public Enemy, Sabu, Super Crazy, Terry Funk, Terry Gordy, & Tracey Smothers).
After the match, which saw several ECW'ers empty the lockerroom and come to ringside, Taz took a microphone and talked about how guys like him, Dreamer, RVD, Sandman, Douglas, Sabu, Raven, and a crazy guy called Paul E. He told Dreamer to wear the belt with respect, and always give the fans their moneys worth. The two embraced, and Taz left to a gigantic pop. Dreamer, who's face was full of teers, got on the mic and thanked his fans, and then said something that really speaks for himself: "I may never make it to WrestleMania, and I sure as hell don't want to make it to StarrCade, but I've finally made it in ECW."
All of the wrestlers in the ring, except for Francine and Raven. Raven and Tommy hugged and Raven raised the hand of the new champion. Then, the unthinkable happened: Jason and Justin Credible hit the ring and attacked the two. He gave Raven That's Incredible, and caned the absolute shit out of Dreamer. He said he was sick about hearing of Awesome and Taz, and that he wanted a shot at the world title. Dreamer, albeit bloodied and bruised, uttered "Ring the bell, and so it was rung, signaling a new match. They quickly took into the crowd, before coming back into the ring where JC hit an Inverted Reverse DDT, Pullout Powerbomb, Drop Toehold (onto a chair), and Swinging DDT.
Dreamer fought back, though, and eventually put JC through a table that was bridged between the guardrail and the apron with a Spicolli Driver! Back in the ring, though, Jason distracted Dreamer, allowing JC to hit That's Incredible! Dreamer kicked out, though, and soon hit a Dreamer DDT, but JC kicked out. Another unexpected event happened: while Jason distracted the referee, Francine ran in and low blowed Dreamer, allowing Justin to hit That's Incredible on Dreamer, but is it enough????? 1.....2.....3!!!!! JUSTIN CREDIBLE is the new ECW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!!!!!
After the match, Francine took off her shorts and Raven t-shirt to reveal a skimpy bikini, and then, along with Jason and the new ECW Champion Justin Credible, recited with a champion version of their trademark catchphrase, that being that "That's not just the coolest, that's not just the best, that's the new ECW World Heavyweight Champion, and that's Justin Credible!"
On May 14, 2000, at the Hardcore Heaven Pay-Per-View, Justin Credible was scheduled to defend his ECW Title against both Lance Storm (who he had recently broken up with) and Tommy Dreamer. However, before the match, JC came out and said that he wanted it to just be him and Storm, so they could find out who was the better of the two former tag team champions. JC eventually escaped with the win after hitting That's Incredible for the 1-2-3, retaining the title and sending Storm out of ECW (he'd appear in WCW a few weeks later). After the match, Dreamer runs in and starts caning him. Francine begs him not to cane her, but, hey, this is ECW and assaulting women is encouraged. So, after pretending to oblige not to, he lifts her up on his shoulders and slams her with the Spicolli Driver!
At July 16, 2000's HeatWave Pay-Per-View (which was taking place in L.A., CA, the home turf of Xtreme Professional Wrestling), Credible defended his ECW Title against Dreamer, with the gimmick being another "Stairway To Hell Match." Before the match, Georgeous George comes out and sets up a ladder in the entrance aisle. She shows her support for Dreamer, standing in his corner just as he's entering with Jazz. Credible's accompanied by Francine, who gets tons of boos. The match starts late because some XPW superstars (namely Supreme) start messing with Francine at ringside, prompting half the damn ECW lockerroom to empty, and, eventually the XPW guys are escorted out of the building. This would begin the interpromotional rivalry between ECW and XPW.
The match eventually begins with some mat wrestling, but it quickly goes outside, where they brawl into the concession stands. Once it's back in the ring, a catfight begins, and Jazz rips off Francine's shirt, revealing...uhh...her nipples have tape on them. OK... Dreamer's able to climb the ladder and grab the barbed-wire, but his advantage is quickly halted when JC drops him on the barbed-wire with That's Incredible, but he kicks out. JC's hit with the Dreamer DDT, but also kicks out, and, soon after he hits That's Incredible on the barbed-wire, and Dreamer's out. 1-2-3. Justin Credible has retained his ECW World Heavyweight Title against Tommy Dreamer in their third "Stairway To Hell Match."
If you look at the impact that this feud had on the career of Tommy Dreamer and, especially, Justin Credible, I think it really was significant. As I talked about far above, before coming to ECW, Credible was an all-star jobber in the WWF, laying down for all the names on early editions of RAW, Shotgun, and Superstars. When he entered ECW, very little took him seriously, especially considering that he had a name like, "Justin Credible." Joey Styles even laughed at his name when he debuted at As Good As It Gets.
However, they soon began seeing signs (albeit limited) of some potential during and after his exciting "Summer Series" with Jerry Lynn. Even after that, though, he was continually booked on the low or midcard each night, and it wasn't until he interrupted the religious ceremony that he really began drawing heat. While he's a pretty good worker, JC'd never be able to get over on workrate alone, but, by targeting such a high-profile name in Tommy Dreamer so quickly and unpredictably in his ECW tenure, fans began feeling an urge to boo him and those "Just An Asshole" chants just solidified his ever-growing heat.
Dreamer, on the other head, was always a household name with hardcore fans, and, years before JC first appeared in ECW, he was considered an extreme legend. His feuds with Cactus Jack (Mick Foley), Raven, Sandman, and Shane Douglas are looked at as the stuff of legend, and, a rung below those epics, he's had several series of classic wars against Jerry Lawler, Rob Van Dam, and Sabu, along with some nice rivalries with younger talent like CW Anderson, Lance Storm, Yoshihiro Tajiri, and, of course, Justin Credible.
This feud only solidified how much pain Dreamer's willing to absorb. There was tons of emotion involved, and, without his feud with Dreamer, there's no way his 2000 ECW World Heavyweight Title reign would have been so great. Also, without his feud with Dreamer, there's no doubt in my mind that Peter Polaco would be nowhere near where he is today. Now, I don't mean to say that Credible's a bad wrestler or anything, but I am saying that, without his rivalry with Dreamer, he wouldn't have gotten so over with the fans, and wouldn't be as successful.
I look at the Justin Credible vs. Tommy Dreamer feud as one of the best I'll review in the Spotlight Feud section, as there were very few lowpoints in it, and the emotion was always turned up high. It really never got stale, as it started with a hot beginning, featuring Credible interrupting the sacred ten-bell salute to Dreamer's late grandfather. Their one-on-one matches featured gimmicks like "First Blood" and "Stairway To Hell," making for a great chapter one.
The middle of it saw the two engage in several exciting tag team bouts, pitting Justin, Jason, and his new-found ally, Lance Storm, against various tag teams such as Douglas, Raven, and Tanaka. We saw several tag team title changes, ally turns, and plenty of uses of chairs, tables, and other weapons that are (or were) so commonplace in ECW. We saw the emergence of a new ECW tag team dynasty, that being The Impact Players, who would go down as one of the promotion's best tag teams, ever.
The end, saw them renew their one-on-one rivalry, which included the priceless interruption of Dreamer's emotional title win by Credible and his unseating of the champion (Dreamer), along with the engagement of the two in the dreaded Stairway To Hell Match. For the perverts in the crowd, there were plenty of catfights pitting Dreamer's valets, Beulah and Francine, against Credible's valets and managers, Chasity, Dawn Marie, and Nicole Bass. Of course, we'd see the swerve where Francine turned on Dreamer and sided wtih Credible, further solidifying his champion status.
So, in summary, I look at this rivalry as one of ECW's best. It's nowhere near Dreamer/Raven or RVD/Sabu, but it's a great feud over bragging rights, pride, allegiances, valets, and titles, and, as I said before, it had a big impact on the career of Credible.
MATCH RESULTS
Tag Team Match Results (please note that "IMPACT PLAYERS" referes to Justin Credible & Lance Storm):
TALLY: Credible: 2 wins; Dreamer: 3 wins
WINNER: Dreamer (3 wins)
One-On-One Match Results:
TALLY: Credible: 5 wins; Dreamer: 1 win;
Non-Decisions: 1 No Contest
WINNER: Credible (5 wins)
FINAL TALLY: Credible: 7 wins; Dreamer 4 wins; Non-Decisions: 1 No Contest
FINAL WINNER: Justin Credible (9 wins)
UNDISPUTED WINNER of the JUSTIN CREDIBLE
vs. TOMMY DREAMER feud:
Justin Credible (9 wins)