Heat Wave (1998)

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Heat Wave (1998) – easy summary

Heat Wave 1998 was Extreme Championship Wrestling’s fifth Heat Wave pay-per-view and its first Heat Wave shown on pay-per-view. It took place on August 2, 1998, at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, with about 4,400 in attendance. The show also featured wrestlers from ECW’s partnership with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW). The event had six main-card matches.

Card highlights
- Opening match: Justin Credible defeated Jerry Lynn in a fast-paced bout, with Credible getting the upset after interference from his allies.
- Lance Storm vs. Chris Candido: Candido won after Tammy Lynn Sytch returned to ECW and helped him secure the victory with a Blonde Bombshell finish.
- Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome: Tanaka won in a brutal contest, overcoming heavy punishment and finishing with a decisive move.
- World Tag Team Championship: Rob Van Dam & Sabu defeated Hayabusa & Jinsei Shinzaki to retain the titles. Hayabusa’s first major U.S. appearance included high-flying exchanges and a Firebird Splash, but RVD & Sabu prevailed.
- FTW Heavyweight Championship (Falls Count Anywhere): Taz defeated Bam Bam Bigelow to retain the FTW title, after a wild brawl that ended with Taz applying the Tazmission.
- Main event (Street Fight): Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman & Spike Dudley defeated The Dudleys (Buh Buh Ray, D-Von and Big Dick) in a chaotic street fight, finishing with Dreamer delivering a DDT through a table on Buh Buh Ray.

Notable moments
- Ace Hayabusa from FMW teamed with Jinsei Shinzaki against RVD & Sabu, marking Hayabusa’s first and only major appearance in the United States.
- The event continued ECW’s ongoing feuds, including the long-running rivalry between The Dudleys and Dreamer/Sandman, and set up further storylines for the fall.

Reception
- The show received mixed reviews. Some critics praised the undercard and overall energy, while opinions varied about the later matches.
- Heat Wave was later recognized by wrestling observers and historians: WWE’s 2013 list ranked it #14 among the best pay-per-views ever, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter named it the Best Major Wrestling Show of 1998.
- Reviews at the time highlighted strong wrestling and brawling, with some criticism toward the later matches.

Aftermath
- Feuds and alliances from Heat Wave continued on ECW television. Candido and Lance Storm’s rivalry carried on, along with the evolving dynamics of Taz’s Triple Threat storyline and Rob Van Dam & Sabu’s ongoing partnership.
- The trilateral storylines eventually fed into the November to Remember event, where the New Triple Threat defeated the Triple Threat to wrap up their feud.