Preface

I’d been planning for the longest time to give ECW a shot. I missed it the first time around, for many reasons. For one, I was a WCW fan and was glued to the TV thanks to a lot of their storylines. Feel free to laugh; looking back, some of those storylines weren’t so great. I understand why I liked them. I liked WCW, but that didn’t mean I was anti-ECW. I just didn’t see a need to seek out ‘more,’ because I was content with what I was seeing. Another reason was that I didn’t like the extreme realism presented in some matches. I was never a fan of hardcore wrestling.

Years have passed, and I have become the modern equivalent of a tape-trader. After getting ahold of the entire run of ECW’s Hardcore TV, I decided to give it a go. If you’re thinking of giving ECW a try, be on the lookout for more posts like this one. Or, if you’re a longtime fan, feel free to comment as I go through the years.

Eddie Gilbert (August 14, 1961 – February 18, 1995)

1993

“Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert

What may strike first-time viewers as odd is the realization that Paul Heyman was not present in ECW for most of 1993. In fact, ECW was lead by a completely different loud-mouthed heel: Eddie Gilbert.

Billed as being from ‘Every Girl’s Dream’ or ‘Every Woman’s Fantasy,’ Gilbert’s arrogant persona perfectly wove itself into the fabric of Eastern Championship Wrestling. Before the barbed wire and flaming tables, ECW was a family-friendly indy promotion. This wasn’t an overnight change, but it was a gradual progression as directions started to change. In early 1993, Eddie Gilbert served as one of the top heels in the company as well as the booker.

On the first episode of Hardcore TV, Gilbert is immediately thrust into a storyline with Terry Funk. The two would face off in the main event of Summer Sizzler, a supercard held at the ECW Arena on June 19, 1993. At first glance, viewers might write Gilbert off as ‘Jerry Lawler Lite,’ and Gilbert would probably take that as a compliment, being that Lawler was his idol. Gilbert’s pro-wrestling resume had included Mid-South, CWA, and Jim Crockett Promotions, and he learned how to be an old-school heel from the best in the business.

As great as Terry Funk is or was, the real star throughout this entire angle was Gilbert. Gilbert had a persona that had viewers shaking their heads in annoyance yet still wanting to see more. Coming out to Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff,” Gilbert was victorious versus Funk in their Summer Sizzler “Texas Chain Massacre” match. This match was your standard strap match, but the strap was a chain, instead. Critics may have been annoyed that Gilbert won the high-profile match that he himself won, but what was great about it was that Funk was booked very strongly, and Gilbert won by underhanded tactics.

After this, Gilbert (along with manager Paul Heyman) would film skits in public places in Philadelphia, with Gilbert flaunting his newly-crowned title of “King of Philadelphia.” This to me was the highlight of 1993, and I noticed a change when Gilbert left. Apparently there was a falling out between Gilbert and owner Todd Gordon, and Paul Heyman took over as booker in September. Heyman was very rusty, at first, and it took him a while to find his rhythm, so to speak.

Gilbert would go on to work for Smoky Mountain Wrestling for the remaining months of his career, which would be cut short due to a heart attack. Gilbert died on February 18, 1995, in Puerto Rico; he was 33.

More to come in Volume 2. Click “continue reading” for some Eddie Gilbert clips. (more…)