RWR ECW Podcast Ep. 12 (6/22/93) Long Live The King of Philly

***WATCHALONG W/BRANDON & GENE AT THE LINK BELOW***
https://rumble.com/v7fhcrw-rwr-ecw-podcast-ep.-12-62293-long-live-the-king-of-philly.html

On Episode #12 of the RWR ECW Podcast, Gene Jackson and Brandon Wheeler return after a week away to continue their week by week journey through Eastern Championship Wrestling, reviewing the June 22, 1993 episode of ECW TV. Gene is still fighting off bronchitis, Brandon jokes that the Super Summer Sizzler Spectacular was so exciting Gene lost his voice, and the boys waste no time getting back into the chaos now that ECW has officially crowned “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert as the “King of Philadelphia”.

Coming off the Super Summer Sizzler Spectacular, Gene and Brandon talk about the show being available on Patreon, the fun they had covering it, and how Eddie Gilbert vs. Terry Funk stood out as Brandon’s favorite match from the event. More importantly, they point out how much ECW is already starting to change: the ECW Arena is filling up, the crowd is getting rowdier, and you can see the early pieces of what would become “Extreme” beginning to form right there in South Philadelphia.

The biggest moment of the episode is clearly The Dark Patriot and J.T. Smith. Gene and Brandon spend time talking through the infamous crow’s nest spot, where The Dark Patriot throws J.T. Smith from a high perch and then jumps down on him afterward. They note how far the drop looked, how dangerous it was, and how unusual it was for 1993, well before balcony dives became one of the things fans eventually expected from ECW.

Here’s the thing: this is one of those moments where early ECW starts to feel like something different. It is not fully the ECW fans remember from later in the decade yet, but the ingredients are showing up fast: the hotter crowd, the more chaotic finishes, Paul E. Dangerously’s presence, Eddie Gilbert stirring the pot, the Philadelphia attitude, and now wrestlers being launched from places wrestlers probably should not be launched from.

The episode also continues to establish Eddie Gilbert’s role as the new “King of Philadelphia”. Paul E. Dangerously is now leaning fully into Eddie’s coronation, bragging about the city bowing down to its new king and treating Eddie like the man who finally gave Philadelphia a champion worth celebrating. Naturally, Todd Gordon isn’t buying any of it.

Meanwhile, the undercard remains very early ECW in all its strange glory. You’ve got Don Muraco and Tommy Cairo having an awkward title match, Ivan and Vladimir Koloff showing up as a new Russian threat, Larry Winters and Sandman trying to settle business with Tony Stetson and Rockin’ Rebel, and the Suicide Blondes getting thrown around by the Super Destroyers and Wildman Sal Bellomo before the whole thing turns into another metal trash can filled mess.

Basically, Episode #12 feels like a turning point show. Not because every match is great, and not because ECW has fully arrived yet, but because the identity is getting clearer. The crowd is louder. The violence is escalating. Eddie Gilbert has a crown. Paul E. is everywhere. And The Dark Patriot just threw J.T. Smith out of the crow’s nest, raising the stakes on what fans would come to expect then they made their way to the ECW Arena.

ECW is getting better.

And maybe just a little more dangerous.