1994
| When Worlds Collide | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 The ECW Arena | |||
| Promotion | Eastern Championship Wrestling | ||
| Date | May 14, 1994 | ||
| City | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | ||
| Venue | ECW Arena | ||
| Attendance | 1,558 | ||
| Event chronology | |||
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When Worlds Collide was produced by Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) on May 14, 1994. The event was held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. [1]
Excerpts from When Worlds Collide aired on the syndicated television show ECW Hardcore TV , while the full event was released on VHS in 1994. It was made available for streaming on the WWE Network in 2020. [2] The main event, a tag team match pitting Arn Anderson and Terry Funk against Bobby Eaton and Sabu, was included on the compilation DVD ECW: Unreleased Vol. 2 released by WWE in 2013. [3]
The title of "When Worlds Collide" referred to the involvement of World Championship Wrestling wrestlers in the main event. [4] The main event of When Worlds Collide came about after World Championship Wrestling approached ECW about cross-promoting its Slamboree pay-per-view, which was scheduled to take place in Philadelphia on May 22, 1994. The two promotions agreed to a talent exchange in which WCW wrestlers Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton would appear at When Worlds Collide, while Terry Funk and other ECW wrestlers would appear on WCW television. [5] ECW later sued World Championship Wrestling for copyright infringement in 1994 after they announced an event also titled "When Worlds Collide". The case was settled out of court. [6] As part of the settlement, WCW agreed to supply three of its contracted wrestlers for an ECW event on November 18, 1994: Kevin Sullivan, Sherri Martel, and Steve Austin (later replaced by Brian Pillman). [7] When Worlds Collide also inspired the naming of a series of WWE events, Worlds Collide. [8]
When Worlds Collide introduced the "Singapore cane" as a recurring weapon in professional wrestling, drawing upon the controversy resulting from the caning of American citizen Michael P. Fay in Singapore on May 5, 1994. [9] [10]
Event
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Joey Styles |
| Ring announcer | Bob Artese |
| Referees | John Finegan |
| Jim Molineaux | |
| John "Pee Wee" Moore |
The event was attended by 1,558 people, representing ECW's then-largest audience. [11]
The opening bout was a singles match between Rockin' Rebel and Tommy Dreamer. During the match, Dreamer took a frying pan from a member of the audience and used it as a weapon, starting the tradition of ECW wrestlers using weapons given to them by the audience. [11] Dreamer won the match by pinfall using a Thesz Press after interference from Rockin' Rebel's manager Jason backfired. [4] [5]
In the second match, Mikey Whipwreck defended his ECW Television Championship - which he had won the prior day [4] - against 911. The much larger 911 quickly overpowered Whipwreck with a chokeslam, but instead of pinning him lifted him and chokeslammed him twice more. After referee John Moore remonstrated with him, 911 chokeslammed both Whipwreck and Moore simultaneously, drawing a disqualification. [5] After the match, 911 chokeslammed Moore twice more. [12]
The third match was a singles bout between Jimmy Snuka and Kevin Sullivan in what was billed as a "battle of legends". Sullivan was accompanied to ringside by his wife, Woman; during the match, Woman left ringside with the Sandman, revealing herself as his new manager. Snuka's manager Hunter Q. Robbins III then tripped a distracted Sullivan and held down his legs, enabling Snuka to pin him. After the match, Sullivan attacked Robbins, then threatened photographers at ringside. [5] [12] This was Sullivan's final match with ECW for six months, as he returned to WCW full-time. [4]
The fourth match was a Singapore canes tag team match pitting Tommy Cairo and the Sandman's estranged wife Peaches against the Sandman and a partner of his choosing, with the stipulation that the loser would receive six lashes from the Singapore cane (in reference to the caning of Michael P. Fay). The match came about after a temporarily blinded Sandman accidentally hit Peaches during a match with Cairo, leading to her leaving him and siding with Cairo. The Sandman introduced Woman as his partner for the match. The match ended when Peaches pinned the Sandman following a DDT by Cairo. After the match, Peaches caned the Sandman until Woman threw salt in her eyes. The Sandman and Woman then caned Cairo and Peaches. This match established the Singapore cane as the Sandman's signature weapon, and he began carrying a Singapore cane to the ring for the rest of his career. [4] [5] [12]
The fifth match was a singles match between the Pitbull and the Tazmaniac which resulted from the Tazmaniac costing the Pitbull his ECW Television Championship the previous day. [4] Before the match began, 911 came to the ring and chokeslammed the referee, John Moore, twice more. Moore was replaced as referee by John Finnegan. The Pitbull won by pinfall after wrapping his fist with a steel chain and punching the Tazmaniac. [4] [5]
The penultimate match was a four-on-three handicap elimination match pitting the Bruise Brothers and J.T. Smith against Mr. Hughes, ECW Heavyweight Champion Shane Douglas, and the Public Enemy (Road Warrior Hawk was scheduled to team with the Bruise Brothers and Smith, but had to withdraw from the event due to a lingering knee injury [4] [11] ). The Bruise Brothers, Mr. Hughes, and Shane Douglas were all eliminated from the match by countout after brawling into the audience, leaving J.T. Smith alone against the Public Enemy. Smith went on to winning the match by pinning Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge with roll-ups in quick succession.
The main event was a tag team match pitting Arn Anderson and Terry Funk against Bobby Eaton and Sabu in a continuation of the feud between Funk and Sabu. During the match, the Public Enemy attacked Funk, hitting him in the leg with a 2×4. Towards the end of the match, Funk attempted to hit Sabu with a steel chair, but instead accidentally hit Anderson, causing Anderson himself to take the chair and hit Funk in the leg in retaliation. Sabu then applied a single leg crab to Funk's injured leg, forcing him to submit. [4] [5] [11]
After the main event, Paul E. Dangerously gave money to the Public Enemy for attacking Funk, then cut a promo praising Funk's grit. Funk gave a promo of his own in which he pledged to bring his brother to ECW as backup, setting up a tag team bout for Hostile City Showdown the following month. [4] [5] [12]
Results
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times [1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tommy Dreamer defeated Rockin' Rebel (with Jason) | Singles match | 6:21 | ||
| 2 | Mikey Whipwreck (c) defeated 911 (with Paul E. Dangerously) by disqualification | Singles match for the ECW Television Championship | 1:42 | ||
| 3 | Jimmy Snuka (with Hunter Q. Robbins III) defeated Kevin Sullivan (with Woman) | Singles match | 4:30 | ||
| 4 | Peaches and Tommy Cairo defeated the Sandman and Woman | Singapore canes tag team match | 4:55 | ||
| 5 | The Pitbull (with Jason) defeated the Tazmaniac | Singles match | 8:45 | ||
| 6 | The Bruise Brothers (Don Bruise and Ron Bruise) and J.T. Smith defeated Mr. Hughes, Shane Douglas, and the Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock) | Four-on-three handicap elimination match | 24:52 | ||
| 7 | Bobby Eaton and Sabu (with 911 and Paul E. Dangerously) defeated Arn Anderson and Terry Funk by submission | Tag team match | 19:35 | ||
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