Wrestlepalooza 1997: Dreamer Finally Pins Raven as Taz Wins the TV Title

Shane Douglas versus Chris Chetti opens Wrestlepalooza with a straightforward Television Championship defense. Chetti gets another featured opportunity against the established champion, but Douglas remains clearly higher in the hierarchy and ultimately wins with the belly-to-belly suplex. B rewards title stakes, crowd familiarity, clean structure, and a decisive finish. The match is less important than what happens to Douglas later in the night, which gives this successful defense an unusual retrospective quality. Chetti benefits from another championship-level assignment without needing to win, while Douglas looks stable enough that Taz's later challenge feels like a genuine shock rather than the end of an obviously collapsing reign.

The Pitbulls versus the Full Blooded Italians repeats a pairing seen recently in Buffalo, but the teams are established enough to keep the matchup useful. The Pitbulls again use their size and superbomb offense to overpower Little Guido and Tracy Smothers, with Guido taking the decisive fall. B- rewards clear team identities, crowd familiarity, a decisive finish, and continuity with the previous road-show result. The bout does not create a new storyline direction or championship issue, so its ceiling is limited. It functions as a solid undercard tag match that gives the Pitbulls another victory while allowing the FBI to remain active through their faction personality rather than their win-loss record.

The Dudley Boyz against Sandman and Balls Mahoney carries immediate stakes because the winner receives an ECW World Tag Team Championship match later in the event. Sandman and Mahoney form a rough, makeshift team, while Buh Buh Ray and D-Von are already developing into a more cohesive unit. The Dudleys win after the 3D on Mahoney onto a steel chair. B+ rewards contender stakes, crowd energy, team identity, and a signature finish that clearly establishes the later challengers. The match also gives the Dudleys a reason to appear twice on the card rather than simply receiving another title shot. Sandman remains protected by the chaotic style and post-match cane threat.

Terry Funk versus Chris Candido gives the Triple Threat member a serious world-title opportunity against the veteran champion. Candido works aggressively on Funk's neck with tables, chairs, and repeated piledrivers, including four piledrivers during the match. Funk survives and eventually catches Candido with a roll-up to retain. B+ rewards championship stakes, physical commitment, opponent credibility, crowd investment, and the story of Funk enduring damage rather than overwhelming a younger challenger. The layout is excessive at times, but Candido looks dangerous enough that the near falls matter. Funk leaves with the title, preserving the championship while allowing Candido to gain credibility from pushing the champion through a difficult defense.

Tommy Dreamer versus Raven is the emotional centerpiece of Wrestlepalooza because their feud had defined a major part of ECW since Raven's arrival in 1995. Dreamer had repeatedly failed to pin Raven, making the Loser Leaves Town stipulation feel like a true endpoint rather than another chapter. Dreamer finally hits the DDT and scores the pin. A rewards rivalry history, crowd emotion, decisive consequence, and the fact that Raven genuinely leaves ECW afterward. The victory gives Dreamer the payoff he had chased for more than two years. It also closes Raven's first ECW run cleanly and creates space for the promotion to move into a new summer rivalry immediately after the match.

Sabu versus Taz happens amid the chaos following Dreamer-Raven and Jerry Lawler's arrival, turning a planned rivalry rematch into an impromptu eruption. Taz initially catches Sabu in the Tazmission, but Sabu counters the hold into a roll-up and scores the pin. A- rewards rivalry significance, crowd intensity, surprise result, and the way the finish gives Sabu a measure of revenge for Barely Legal. Taz responds by refusing to release the hold and attacking officials, which keeps him dangerous despite the loss. The result avoids simply repeating the Barely Legal outcome and directly sets up Taz's emotional state before his immediate confrontation with Shane Douglas and the Television Championship challenge.

Taz versus Shane Douglas lasts only 2:50, but the match is one of the most consequential moments on the card. After losing to Sabu, Taz refuses to leave and challenges Douglas for the Television Championship, escalating the challenge by promising time away from ECW if he cannot win quickly. Taz locks in the Tazmission and forces Douglas to submit. A rewards title-change importance, crowd reaction, character logic, decisive execution, and the elevation of Taz into a champion. Douglas' long reign ends without making him look weak because Taz is presented as uniquely dangerous. The short length strengthens the result by making the Tazmission feel devastating rather than underdeveloped.

The Eliminators versus the Dudley Boyz closes Wrestlepalooza with unusual circumstances because Perry Saturn enters with a legitimate torn ACL. John Kronus therefore carries most of the match against Buh Buh Ray and D-Von, while Saturn's participation is necessarily limited. Saturn eventually contributes a diving elbow drop on D-Von, helping the champions retain. B+ rewards championship stakes, adversity, crowd investment, and the story of the champions surviving despite a serious injury. The match is not the ideal athletic showcase the teams could normally produce, but the limitations create their own drama. The result keeps the belts on the Eliminators temporarily while documenting the physical reality that would soon change the division.