I think people forget how over these matches were with the ECW faithful at the time, just for the entire wrestling community to completely turn on them just a few years later.
They lack the spectacular stunts and bumps of modern death matches, and Ian can't think of what to do and looks like a complete dope. But there are plenty of Dreamer or Dudley Boyz matches with way longer lapses in action and lack the intensity of violence the bad breed death matches have. On Hostile City Showdown 95 alone, Ian and Axl are SWINGING a barbed wire bat at each other, they're getting stuck in the barbed wire in them and it's a solid old school brawl with the violence turned up. And then the following match you have Raven and Dreamer wandering around the arena slightly holding onto the other's head, and the biggest pop they get is when they throw eggs at each other or hit each other in the dick with plastic toys, practically AEW in comparison.
Don't get me wrong, fuck Ian, but Axl deserves some love for this series.