This past Saturday night at House of Hardcore 35, ECW icon and House of Hardcore (HOH) founder Tommy Dreamer was defeated in a First Blood match against Joey Mercury, but it was the events that transpired at the matches conclusion that have everyone talking. The previous night, at HOH 34, Dreamer tagged with fellow ECW Originals “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, Little Guido and Super Crazy to defeat Joey Matthews, Nick Aldis (formerly Magnus in Impact Wrestling) and The Spirit Squad (Kenny & Mikey) in tag team action.
Near the end of Dreamer and Mercury’s match, Aldis came down to assist his previous night’s partner, only to have Douglas come down to the ring to make the save. But in a swerve, Douglas turned on Dreamer and continued the bloody beat down, and then raised the arms of Mercury and Aldis in a show of solidarity.
Nooooo @TheFranchiseSD WHY?! 🙈🙈 just WHY?! 🙈🙈 #Houseofhardcore #Stillloveyoutho #StillLookingGood pic.twitter.com/F816nEjHpS
— 🍺🚬 ECW Kirsty 🚬🍺 (@WWEOLDSCHOOL) November 19, 2017
Ain't afraid of the heat. pic.twitter.com/qQAYmpSksl
— Nick Aldis (@RealNickAldis) November 19, 2017
On his Triple Threat podcast this week, Douglas said he was now aligned with these two individuals, but wasn’t exactly calling it a new Triple Threat quite yet (transcription courtesy The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling)
“Lets be clear and that is neither one of these guys is a “sports entertainer” both of them and when I look at them are professional wrestlers. So to be given the opportunity to align myself with these guys and with a lot of mystique and mystery on what I was doing with my fingers at the end of that match and here is the point and that is until you see the three fingers raised overhead you cannot say Triple Threat but I can’t think of two more qualified guys to be in that position. On the most important show in the House of Hardcore history I am proud to have been part of that and stake my claim to Tommy Dreamer and to House of Hardcore and all the fans that I am not going anyplace and I am staking my claim because I put that building (ECW Arena) on the map and I am going to make damn sure that this goes to the next level.”
The original Triple Threat, formed in early 1995 in ECW, featured Shane Douglas leading a trio of himself with Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko. The three were a dominant group of destruction, with Douglas holding the ECW World Heavyweight title, Malenko the ECW World Television title, and Benoit and Malenko holding the ECW World Tag Team titles. The faction dissolved when Douglas left ECW to head to the WWF for a shirt stint as Dean Douglas.
The most famous version of Triple Threat was actually it’s third incarnation. When Douglas returned to ECW, he re-formed Triple Threat, but Benoit and Malenko had since moved on to WCW. In their place, he added Chris Candido and “Bulldozer” Brian Lee, adding Francine as the group’s valet. But Lee’s stint was short lived, when he ended up as Francine’s stalker in a bizarre angle, and he was booted from the group. The third incarnation kept Douglas, Francine and Candido, but Lee was replaced with legendary big man Bam Bam Bigelow. With Bam Bam Bigelow in fold, the group won more World titles, plus Lance Storm was briefly a “prospect” member, holding the Tag Team titles with Candido.
Triple Threat would reform in various incarnations again, this time in WCW, when Douglas reunited with original members Benoit and Malenko, adding Perry Saturn, and renaming themselves The Revolution. Douglas would also reunite with Candido and Bigelow (the other three left to WWF to become The Radicalz), but despite using the Triple Threat hand salute, were never called that on-air.
Whether this new incarnation of Douglas, Aldis and Mercury officially earn the mantle of Triple Threat, Douglas seems intent on continuing the alliance in House of Hardcore and perhaps beyond.
