Double Tables was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

supercard In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

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 HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

(ECW). It took place on February 4, 1995 from the

ECW Arena 2300 Arena is a multipurpose indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania used primarily for professional wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, and concert events. Originally known as Viking Hall, the venue has since been named Alhambra Arena, The ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. 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 p ...

. The event was a part of an Internet wrestling convention being held in the area and was named after the show's main event. Several of the bouts were broadcast on the February 7, February 14 and February 21 episodes 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 ...

''.

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the WWE, World Wrestlin ...

versus

Al Snow Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Sn ...

was included on the 2004

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

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 kin ...

release ''Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story''.

Background

Double Tables featured

professional wrestling matches Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "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 ...

that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed

villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character as ...

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 Pitbulls The Pitbulls (sometimes written as The Pit Bulls) were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe and "Pitbull #2" Anthony Durante. They were best known for their tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where ...

had been on a roll since breaking up

The Bad Breed The Bad Breed was the professional wrestling tag team of Axl Rotten with his storyline brother/real life protégé Ian Rotten. The team achieved their greatest fame in the Philadelphia professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestlin ...

Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...

ended the winning streak of

Stevie Richards Michael Stephen Manna (born October 9, 1971), better known by his ring name Stevie Richards, is an American professional wrestler. Over the course of his career, Richards has performed for major professional wrestling promotions including Easte ...

, who had adopted the many identities of

Scott Levy Scott Levy (born September 8, 1964) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Raven. He is known for his appearances with professional wrestling promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Champions ...

, before heading off for a tour with All Japan. Richards then brought Levy himself to ECW but now he was known simply as Raven, a man with a grudge against Dreamer and was now instilling the same hatred into Richards.

Mikey Whipwreck John Michael Watson (born June 4, 1973), better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler working for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a trainer, and global ambassador. He is best known for his career w ...

and Paul Lauria were once friends but the latter had struck out on his own under the tutelage of

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

, which brought the two men into conflict. Immediately following their demise as a tag team,

Ian Rotten John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the United States Wrestling A ...

attacked older brother

Axl Rotten Brian Knighton (April 21, 1971 – February 4, 2016), better known by the ring name Axl Rotten, was an American professional wrestler. In the early 1990s, he was a part of the tag team The Bad Breed with Ian Rotten. He had a short stint with Worl ...

and began one of the most violent feuds in the promotion's history.

was bursting onto the wrestling scene in the U.S. while earning the reputation as "The Crippler" after breaking Sabu's neck and would take on another rising talent in

Shane Douglas Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...

had thrown down the

NWA World Title The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is in ...

and declared himself the new

ECW World 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 ...

. Douglas issued open challenges to the champions of both WWF and

WCW World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nationa ...

and began criticizing

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

on television, saying "Flair is dead" while claiming his new stable

The Triple Threat The Triple Threat was a professional wrestling villainous stable that existed in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1998. It was Shane Douglas's answer to Ric Flair's Four Horsemen. Douglas disliked Flair since he felt that Flair ...

was better than the

Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand tha ...

past and present. These statements got the attention of one of the original Horsemen,

Tully Blanchard Tully Arthur Blanchard (born January 22, 1954) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and manager. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-to-late 1980s as a member of ...

, who decided it was time to silence the new so-called "franchise" of professional wrestling. Cactus Jack was busy defending the throne of hardcore against the newest contender,

the Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

. Paul E. Dangerously's team of Sabu and

The Tazmaniac Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz) is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator and mana ...

had been chasing the ECW Tag Team Titles held by

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...

ever since the hoodies had put both Paul E. and Sabu through tables several months earlier. Now, the challengers would get an opportunity to settle the score and win the titles in the first ever Double Tables match.

Event

Preliminary matches

The show opens with

at ringside and he introduces

. The Sexiest Man on Earth brings out his new tag team,

the Pitbulls The Pitbulls (sometimes written as The Pit Bulls) were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe and "Pitbull #2" Anthony Durante. They were best known for their tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where ...

, as well as his newest talent acquisition,

Jason the Terrible Karl Moffat (born July 31, 1959), better known by the ring name Jason the Terrible, is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling and in Japan. Professional wrestling career In August 1981, Mo ...

, from the

W*ING Wrestling International New Generations (W*ING) was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion specialized in deathmatches. History After leaving Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling in the summer of 1991, Kazuyoshi Osako and Kiyoshi "Mickey" Ibarag ...

promotion in Japan. In the first match, Jason's team took on

Hack Meyers Donald Haviland (December 7, 1973 – December 5, 2015) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Hack Meyers. He was best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1993 to 1996. Professional wrestling ...

and the Young Dragons. The Dragons put up no resistance in the contest with Pitbull #2 unmasking one and thus, Meyers was essentially fighting the match two-on-one against the Pitbulls. Jason finally tagged in and bloodied Meyers by repeatedly

headbutt A headbutt is a targeted strike with the head, typically (when intentional) involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of an opponent, such as ...

ing him with his hockey mask still on. Pitbull #1 takes out the Young Dragons on the apron followed by a pair of headbutts by Jason to Meyers before the Pitbulls flapjacked Jason onto Meyers for the

pinfall In wrestling, a pin is achieved by holding an opponent's shoulders to the mat for a three count. Pinfall is the term used in professional wrestling which is a way to win the match for that person or team. Background A pinfall is a victory condi ...

victory. After the match, Styles is back at ringside for an interview as Jason sends the new Jason to the back while Meyers destroys the Dragons in the ring. Jason predicts the Pitbulls will be the next tag team champions before Meyers attacks them with a steel chair. Meyers stalks Jason around and into the ring before delivering a top rope kneeling facebuster. This brings out Jason's valet Angel Orsini who is wearing a wedding dress and combat boots. She repeatedly slaps Meyers and berates him before he finally puts her over his knee and spanks her. Orsini appears to enjoy the treatment and kisses the Shah, which only further enrages him and he piledrives her.

made his return to ECW from Japan and his first match was against

with his mentor

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

at ringside. Richards had the upper hand early, removing Dreamer's "To the Extreme" T-shirt given to him by the fans at the convention. Dreamer rebounded by using weapons from the fans including a low blow with a frying pan. Dreamer then connected with 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. ...

out of nowhere followed by a sidewalk slam and a top rope splash but Raven got up on the apron to distract Dreamer from making the pin. Richards recovered momentarily to crotch Dreamer on the top rope but a belly-to-back superplex was blocked and Dreamer hit a flying crossbody for a two count. This time Raven actually entered the ring and held Dreamer's arms from behind so Richards could deliver a

Stevie Kick Strikes are offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional wre ...

. Richards attempted a second one but Dreamer dropped down, punched Richards below the belt and rolled him up for the three count. Raven entered the ring and took off his jacket but just stared Dreamer down while Richards and the referee held him back. As the crowd berated Raven as he left, Dreamer got on the microphone and said he should go back to the WWF before starting an "E-C-W" chant and heading into the crowd.

took on "The Giant" Paul Lauria, with Jason, in the next match. Lauria tries to jump Whipwreck before he enters the ring but to no avail. Whipwreck throws Lauria into the crowd twice only to see the fans throw him back over the guardrail. The match turns when Whipwreck misses a

plancha A flattop grill is a cooking appliance that resembles a griddle but performs differently because the heating element is circular rather than straight (side to side). This heating technology creates an extremely hot and even cooking surface, as h ...

onto the concrete floor. Jason then front suplexes him onto the timekeeper's table and Lauria uses a chair to bloody Whipwreck's mouth. Lauria gets crotched on the top rope allowing Whipwreck to connect with a top rope

bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.piledriver attempt and executes a back body drop into a bridge/pin combination. Whipwreck manages to power upward out of it and reverses into a

backslide Backsliding, also known as falling away or described as "committing apostasy", is a term used within Evangelical Christianity to describe a process by which an individual who has converted to Christianity reverts to pre-conversion habits and/or l ...

for the pinfall. The Bad Breed feud was showcased as

charged out to meet his brother outside the ring where the two men brawled to start. Axl bloodied

Ian Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

with chair shots as their fight reached the bleachers in the crowd. Back in the ring, Axl pounded away at the cut on Ian's forehead and then used the timekeeper's hammer to dig into his brother's arm. Ian took the advantage briefly but lost it when he dove from the apron, missing Axl and hitting the guardrail. Axl unloaded with a few more chair shots as Ian begged his brother for mercy back inside the ring. Axl pounded his brother into the corner but Ian scooped the legs out from under him and into a

rollup A rollup (also "roll-up" or "roll up") is a process used by investors (commonly private equity firms) where multiple small companies in the same market are acquired and merged. The principal aim of a rollup is to reduce costs through economies o ...

while putting his feet on the ropes for extra leverage in securing the pinfall victory. Unhappy with the outcome, Axl hit Ian with a chair after the match and throw into the guardrails as they brawled up the aisle. One of Canada's wrestling exports,

took on

in what Styles predicted would be a fantastic scientific matchup. The two men exchanged holds and counters early on before midway through the contest a

German suplex A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs. Professional wrestling featu ...

/pin attempt has an impact Snow's neck. Benoit follows up with a hooking clothesline and taunts Snow to get up before continuing with suplexes and slams. Benoit asks the crowd "is this the best the United States has to offer?" A diving headbutt and

powerbomb A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a sta ...

both garner two counts. Another German suplex gets a nearfall before Snow reverses out of a

dragon suplex A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs. Professional wrestling featu ...

and into a Snow Plex. Snow is now in control, hitting a

superkick Strikes are offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional wre ...

for two and an

Exploder suplex A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs. Professional wrestling feature ...

for a nearfall. Benoit reverses out of another

suplex A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs. Professional wrestling feature ...

attempt into a

that wipes out both men. Benoit reverses into a dragon suplex and maintains the bridge for the pinfall. Benoit continues his assault after the match and powerbombs Snow, which brings out the medics and Snow has to be carried out on a stretcher.

Main event matches

didn't wait for his introduction as he hit the ring looking for a piece of

and the ECW Title. Blanchard got the upper hand early, even connecting with the slingshot suplex for a nearfall. The referee counted three after a piledriver but quickly overruled himself as Douglas had put his foot on the bottom rope just in time. Outside the ring, Douglas resorted to brawling to regain control with a front suplex to Blanchard on the timekeeper's table. Blanchard recovered and was ready to suplex Douglas back into the ring but the Franchise shifted his weight and fell on top of the former Horseman for the three count. Cactus Jack and

squared off in an old-fashioned

Texas Death match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "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 ...

. Catcus jumped Sandman during his entrance and began using chairs and a crutch to attack the Sandman early on. Cactus scored two early falls using chair shots and legdrops but the Sandman answered the count at five and six, respectively, despite the appearance of a head injury. Even after gaining control, the Sandman's behavior was out of sorts, once getting off Cactus before the three count and another instance attacking Cactus while the referee's count was only at two. Cactus delivers several cane shots to the Sandman's head as the match spills onto the floor. Cactus DDT'd the Sandman twice on the concrete floor but the Sandman answered the count both times before a third one put him down for good. Before the main event,

Rocco Rock Theodore James Petty (September 1, 1953 – September 21, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "Flyboy" Rocco Rock. Rock is best known for his appearances in Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championsh ...

told the internet fans they would now see some real wrestling. Sabu and

the Tazmaniac Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz) is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator and mana ...

charged the ring as the two teams brawled to start. Sabu hit a suicide dive on a seated

Johnny Grunge Michael Lynn Durham (July 10, 1966 – February 16, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Johnny Grunge. He is known for his appearances with Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestl ...

as Tazmaniac and Rock brawled in the crowd near the entrance. Sabu and Grunge would soon join them as Grunge was bloodied. Back in the ring, Sabu connected with Air Sabu and an

Arabian facebuster A leg drop or legdrop refers to an attack used in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler will jump and land his leg across a fallen opponent's chest, throat, face or head or in some cases, the groin/lower-abdominal area. The mov ...

before the tables were finally introduced into the match. Grunge managed to avoid Sabu's attempt to put him through the table and Rock attacked him with the broken table leg. Tazmaniac half nelson suplexes Sabu onto Rock but

The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American all-talking pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward ...

regrouped and took turns ramming Sabu and Tazmaniac into a table set up in the corner. Sabu throws Rock into a table but only splinters it, therefore Rock remains in the match. Meanwhile, Grunge sets up Taz on a table and goes to the top rope but Tazmaniac meets him before he can execute whatever he had planned. In their struggle, both men fall through the table and only Sabu and Rock remain legally in the match. Rock

somersaults A somersault (also ''flip'', ''heli'', and in gymnastics ''salto'') is an acrobatic exercise in which a person's body rotates 360° around a horizontal axis with the feet passing over the head. A somersault can be performed forwards, backwards ...

onto Sabu and puts him through a table but both referees were distracted by the Tazmaniac and so the match continues. Grunge chokes out Paul E. outside the ring as Tazmaniac sets up Rock on a table for Sabu to leg drop him through for the win and the titles. The new tag team champions have no time to celebrate as Tazmaniac and Grunge brawl back up the aisle while

911 911 or 9/11 may refer to: Dates * AD 911 * 911 BC * September 11 ** 9/11, the September 11 attacks of 2001 ** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that outed the democratically elected Salvador Allende * November 9 Numbers * 911 ...

assisted Sabu in an attempt to put Rock through another table.

hit the ring and powerbombed Sabu on top of a prone Rock and through the table. The show ended with Benoit standing over Sabu while Paul E. and 911 looked on.

Results

References

External links

* {{ECWPPV 1995 in professional wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling supercards and pay-per-view events Events in Philadelphia 1995 in Pennsylvania Professional wrestling in Philadelphia February 1995 events in the United States