#217: 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Sabu, ECW Cyberslam (2/17/1996).
This is for Scorpio’s ECW Television Championship.
To this day, this is a standout ECW match for me. I first saw it on the legendary “Rise and Fall of ECW” DVD when I borrowed it from a friend in 2005. That was my own experience of Tape Trading: He’d let me borrow this ECW documentary, and I’d let him borrow my VHS recorded copy of WWE Backlash from 2000. Not quite like buying sketchy copies of All Japan matches in the 1990s, but it’ll do.
Anyway, yeah, this match. It blew me away when I first saw it, and I always think about it when I think of great ECW matches. So naturally, it’s a good fit for this week’s theme.
Scorpio catches a boot to the mouth to start things out. Spinning heel kick by Scorpio misses, but it doesn’t miss from Sabu. Sabu has a chair in the ring already, and he hits Scorpio in the back with it. Air Sabu connects off the chair. He hits a clothesline that sends Scorpio to the floor, and then dropkicks him off the apron when he tries to reenter. Sabu throws Scorpio into the first row, and then dives over the top rope from the ring onto Scorpio!
Back in the ring, Sabu gets a nearfall. He hits a scoop slam, followed by a slingshot knee drop from the apron. Scorpio blocks a powerbomb and hits his own. Scorpio hits a nice top rope legdrop. The champion trash talks the fans, as he grabs a chair and brings it into the ring. Scorpio sets the chair up, and forearms Sabu. Running bulldog by Scorpio sends Sabu face first into the chair. They exchange right hands next, and Sabu blocks another bulldog by sending Scorpio face first into the chair next.
Sabu dives off the chair and clotheslines Scorpio out of the ring. If you can believe it, Sabu goes flying outside as well. Sabu hits a diving senton off the apron onto Scorpio. Sabu grabs a chair from the crowd and hits Scorpio with it a few times. Back in the ring, Sabu with a springboard kick to a seated Scorpio, who’s able to kick out. Crescent Kick by Scorpio drops Sabu. Scorpio grabs the chair and launches himself at Sabu with it.
Kick to the midsection, and Scorpio next drives his shoulder into the midsection in the corner. He hits a Stinger Splash next. Sabu blocks a Uranage, and he kicks at Scorpio’s back. Sabu reverses a wheel barrel into a victory roll for 2. Sabu takes the back, and Scorpio quickly gets to his feet and kicks Sabu in the face. Sabu stomps at Scorpio and applies the one armed Camel Clutch. Scorpio gets back to his feet, and slams Sabu back first to the mat.
Sabu is relentless, and he goes to a sleeper hold now. Scorpio escapes that as well and kicks Sabu right in the nuts, which sends him to the outside. Scorpio slams Sabu’s face off of a ringside table, and then brings him to the apron. Nice suplex brings the challenger back into the ring for a 2 count. Scorpio ties Sabu up with a modified Surfboard lock. Backslide by Scorpio, and Sabu kicks out. Sabu stomps on Scorpio’s head, then hits a slingslot somersault leg drop from the apron.
Sabu with a hammerlock of the arm, but Scorpio escapes. Powerslam by Scorpio, and a beautiful moonsault from the top rope, and Sabu is able to get his knees up to block it! Scorpio guts through and makes the cover, but Sabu kicks out. Sabu throws a chair into Scorpio’s face, followed by the Arabian Facebuster for 2. Sabu places the chair on Scorpio, and hits a springboard moonsault onto it! Scorpio hits Sabu with the chair, and then places it on him next.
He then grabs the chair and throws it aside, for some reason. Scorpio sets up for the Tombstone, but instead plants him with a slam. Splash by the champion, and Sabu kicks out. Scorpio crotches Sabu against the bottom rope. He boots Scorpio in the face a few times, and then hits a powerslam. Scorpio goes to the top rope, and misses the splash! Sabu moves out of the way, but his knee is holding him back.
Sabu goes to the top, but Scorpio is able to follow him up and hit a sunset flip powerbomb into a roll up for 2. Scorpio is back on the top, but Sabu attacks him with a punch. Victory roll off the top by Sabu, and Scorpio kicks out. Sabu blocks a dropkick, and sends him to the floor. Sabu dives to the outside, sending Scorpio back first into the steel barricade. Back in the ring, Sabu hits a clothesline for a 2 count. The challenger then applies a Fujiwara Armbar.
Scorpio escapes and drops a knee across Sabu’s face. He goes to hangman Sabu on the ropes, but Sabu reverses and sends both men to the outside. Sabu hits a middle rope moonsault to Scorpio, hitting both of his knees off the barricade in the process. Sabu grabs a table, and sets it up in the crowd! He pushes the barricade away, and places Scorpio on it. Sabu grabs a chair and tosses it into the ring. He sets it up, and then hits Air Sabu, flying out of the ring and over the barricade, crashing through the table as Scorpio is able to avoid it! What a gnarly spot.
Scorpio with a chair shot to the head, and then he brings Sabu into the ring. He covers, and Sabu gets his foot across the bottom rope. Sabu leapfrogs over Scorpio, and Scorpio grabs him for the Doctor Bomb, but Sabu reverses it into a pin for a 2 count. Sabu with a moonsault from the middle rope onto Scorpio for 2. Sabu misses a moonsault from the top rope. Scorpio hits a powerbomb, and then goes to the top rope. Scorpio connects with the moonsault leg drop, and Sabu somehow kicks out!
Scorpio grabs the chair, and hits an STO in the middle of the ring. He takes the chair and places it on Sabu’s face. He goes back to the top rope, and hits an awesome looking legdrop, crushing the chair into Sabu! He covers, and Sabu kicks out! Scorpio is on the middle rope, and Sabu quickly throws the chair at his head! Frankensteiner from the top rope connects! Sabu covers, and Scorpio kicks out! Scorpio stomps on his chest, and hits the 450 splash from the top!
Scorpio goes to the top rope with a chair, and comes down for a splash, but Sabu moves out of the way. He places the chair on Scorpio, and drops a leg drop on his face. The chair is back on his face, and he hits another slingshot leg drop to the chair, but he immediately clutches his leg. Sabu covers, and Scorpio kicks out. The bell sounds, and the 30 minute time limit has expired. Scorpio retains the Television Championship, despite the best efforts of Sabu.
So, I’ll admit that after rewatching this, it may not stand the test of time like I thought it did. It’s all action, and no filler for sure. They start the match at 80, and never let up until the final bell. I could’ve used some slow down moments here, but it is a Sabu match, and you know what you’re getting with that. That said, it’s still an entertaining match, and it’s easy to look at this twenty years later and see why an eleven year old me thought this was the craziest shit I’d seen up that point.
No major company in the US was doing wrestling like this at the time, and that’s the appeal of these old school ECW matches. It’s high octane spot fests that don’t let up for a second. It works, but it’s definitely of its time, and in 2025, it’s also easy to see how most promotions today have taken this style and beaten it into the ground. Companies do that Sabu table spot in the crowd every week it seems, but in 1996, this was fucking wild. Definitely a good match to enjoy, if you’re able to view it as something of a time capsule match.