| High Incident | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 TheECW Arena | |||
| Promotion | Extreme Championship Wrestling | ||
| Date | October 26, 1996 (aired October 29 and November 11, 1996) | ||
| City | Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, US | ||
| Venue | ECW Arena | ||
| Attendance | c. 1,350 | ||
| Event chronology | |||
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High Incident was aprofessional wrestlinglive event produced byExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on October 26, 1996. The event was held in theECW Arena inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania in the United States.[1] The title of the event referred to the main event: ascaffold match.
Excerpts from High Incident aired on the syndicated television showECW Hardcore TV in October and November 1996.[2][3] The bout betweenthe Eliminators andthe Miracle Violence Connection was included in the 2000 ECW compilation DVDECW Extreme Evolution[4] and the 2015 compilation DVDECW Unreleased Vol. 3,[5] while the scaffold match featured on the 1996 ECW compilation VHSExtreme Warfare Volume 2, the 2001 Pioneer Entertainment compilation DVDHardcore History[6] and the 2007WWE compilation DVDECW – Extreme Rules.[7]
High Incident is best known for a highly controversialangle in whichECW World Heavyweight Championthe Sandman was "crucified" by the villainousstableRaven's Nest, who tied him to across usingbarbed wire. Thereligious imagery was considered offensive by some and the angle was never aired on television, with ECW issuing an apology. High Incident is also notable for the first appearance ofOlympic medallist (and futureImpact andWWE Hall of Famer)Kurt Angle in professional wrestling. Angle had considered wrestling for ECW but lost interest after seeing the "crucifixion"; he did not return to professional wrestling until signing with theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1998.
The commentator for High Incident wasJoey Styles, with guest commentary fromKurt Angle for the bout betweenLittle Guido andTaz.[8] The event was attended by approximately 1,350 people.[1]
The opening match was asix-man tag team match in which the team ofBuh Buh Ray Dudley,Davey Morton, andHack Meyers defeatedAxl Rotten,D-Von Dudley, andJ.T. Smith when Morton pinned Smith afterLouie Spicolli interfered in the match, giving him aSpicolli Driver. After the pinfall, D-Von Dudley, Rotten, and Smith attacked Buh Buh Ray Dudley, Morton, and Meyers, and continued the assault untilthe Gangstas did a run in to make the save.[1][9][10]
The second match sawMikey Whipwreck defeatJohnny Smith by pinfall with aFrankenMikey.[1][9][10]
After the second match, announcer Joey Styles introducedOlympic medallist Kurt Angle. Angle was confronted by Taz, who demanded that he join Styles on commentary for his bout with Little Guido. Taz defeated Little Guido in what was billed as a "shoot rules fight" in which the only way to win was by knockout or submission. Taz won the bout by submission using theTazmission.[8][10][11]
The fourth match saw the debut ofChris Candido, who had recently left theWorld Wrestling Federation. Candido pinnedSpike Dudley in a shortsquash following theBlonde Bombshell, asuperbomb.[8][10]
In the fifth match,Shane Douglas defended hisECW World Television Championship against the debutingCody Michaels. After a series of moves targeting Michaels' neck, Douglas pinned Michaels following abelly-to-belly suplex. Following the match, Douglas applied afull nelson to Michaels untilPitbull #2 came to the ring and chased him away. Pitbull #2 then threw ring announcerJoel Gertner out of the ring after he insulted him while announcing the result of the match.[8]
The sixth match sawthe Sandman defend hisECW World Heavyweight Championship against his ally2 Cold Scorpio. The Sandman pinned Scorpio to retain the title after Scorpio missed asomersault leg drop.[8] Following the match,Raven's Nest - including The Sandman's estranged wifeLori and his young son Tyler, who had become devotees ofRaven - attacked and "crucified" the Sandman, tying him to a wooden cross and putting a "crown" made out ofbarbed wire on his head. The event was heavily criticized. Raven was forced to make an out-of-character apology to the ECW audience. The footage of the "crucifixion" was never aired on ECW television. Kurt Angle - who had been considering wrestling for ECW in future - left the ECW Arena in disgust due to the incident.[10][11][12][13][14]
The seventh match was atag team match betweenthe Eliminators andthe Miracle Violence Connection. The Eliminators won afterSaturn gaveTerry Gordy adiving elbow drop from the scaffold that had been erected for the main event and then pinned him.[4][9][10] This marked Gordy's final appearance with ECW, as he left for the World Wrestling Federation later that month.[15]
The penultimate match was a tag team match pittingRob Van Dam and Sabu againstthe Can-Am Express in a rematch fromWhen Worlds Collide II. The match ended whenDan Kroffat accidentally delivered adiving splash toDoug Furnas, enabling Sabu to pin Furnas. Following the match, Van Dam accepted a handshake from Sabu for the first time.[9][10][16] This marked the Can-Am Express' final appearance with ECW until September 1997, as they left for the World Wrestling Federation later that month.[17]
The main event was ascaffold match betweenTommy Dreamer andBrian Lee. The match marked the culmination of thefeud between Dreamer and Lee, which had seen Lee repeatedlychokeslam Dreamer through stacks of tables from a balcony in the ECW Arena. The match saw the two men fight atop a scaffold above the ring, with the winner being the first man to knock the other man off the scaffold. Dreamer won the bout by knocking Lee off the scaffold and through a stack of tables in the ring with a flurry of punches.[6][8][18][19]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buh Buh Ray Dudley,Davey Morton, andHack Meyers defeatedAxl Rotten,D-Von Dudley, andJ.T. Smith by pinfall | Six-man tag team match | — | ||
| 2 | Mikey Whipwreck defeatedJohnny Smith by pinfall | Singles match | — | ||
| 3 | Taz (withBill Alfonso and Team Taz) defeatedLittle Guido by submission | "Shoot rules fight" | 4:17 | ||
| 4 | Chris Candido defeatedSpike Dudley by pinfall | Singles match | 3:24 | ||
| 5 | Shane Douglas (c) (withFrancine) defeatedCody Michaels by pinfall | Singles match for theECW World Television Championship | — | ||
| 6 | The Sandman (c) defeated2 Cold Scorpio by pinfall | Singles match for theECW World Heavyweight Championship | — | ||
| 7 | The Eliminators (Kronus andSaturn) defeatedthe Miracle Violence Connection (Steve Williams andTerry Gordy) by pinfall | Tag team match | 8:58 | ||
| 8 | Rob Van Dam and Sabu defeatedthe Can-Am Express (Dan Kroffat andDoug Furnas) by pinfall | Tag team match | — | ||
| 9 | Tommy Dreamer defeatedBrian Lee | Scaffold match | 8:49 | ||
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