Heat Wave (1996)

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Heat Wave (1996) recap

Heat Wave (1996) was the third Heat Wave event from Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place on July 13, 1996, at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show was streamed as an Internet pay-per-view, and clips aired on ECW Hardcore TV episodes 753–755 later in July. About 1,500 fans attended.

Key matches and outcomes
- World Heavyweight Championship – triple steel cage match: Raven’s Nest (Raven, Brian Lee, Stevie Richards) vs. The Sandman, Terry Gordy, and Tommy Dreamer. The Sandman pinned Raven inside the cage, but because Richards was not pinned, the title did not change hands.
- World Television Championship (four-way): Chris Jericho vs. Shane Douglas vs. 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Pitbull #2. Shane Douglas won the title.
- The Eliminators (Kronus and Saturn) vs. Mikey Whipwreck and Paul Lauria (World Tag Team Championship): The Eliminators retained after Sabu appeared and the matchup continued, with The Eliminators ultimately winning.
- Sabu vs. Louie Spicolli: Sabu won.
- Tarzan Goto vs. Axl Rotten: Tarzan Goto won.
- The Dudley Brothers vs. The Full Blooded Italians: Big Dick Dudley and Buh Buh Ray Dudley, with interference-heavy action, ultimately gained the win.
- Gangstas vs. Samoan Gangsta Party (opening tag): No contest after a brawl involving multiple teams.
- Dreamer vs. Brian Lee (weapons match): Tom Dreamer won; post-match, The Bruise Brothers attacked Dreamer and Lee chokeslammed Dreamer from the Eagle’s Nest onto three stacked tables.
- The Sandman, Terry Gordy and Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven, Brian Lee and Stevie Richards (the trilogy of fights with a steel cage stipulation): Sandman pinned Raven, but the title stayed with Raven since Richards wasn’t pinned.

Reception and aftermath
- Heat Wave drew mixed reviews. Critics highlighted the four-way World Television Championship match as the standout, with some calling the event largely forgettable aside from that high point.
- After Heat Wave, the ongoing rivalries continued. The Sandman would win the World Heavyweight Championship later at Ultimate Jeopardy by pinning Stevie Richards, though the title change required Richards to be pinned. Jericho left ECW after this event for WCW, making Heat Wave one of his final ECW appearances. The Gangstas, Bruise Brothers, The Eliminators and Samoan Gangsta Party would continue their feuds, leading into ECW’s Barely Legal pay-per-view in 1997.