*OFFICIAL* ECW Aftermath, Review, and Ratings Thread.

[chasingamy]

Amy’s ‘take’ on ECW 08/05/08:

Following the opening video, Todd Grisham welcomed us and introduced Matt Striker filling in for Tazz on commentary.

Match #1 Chavo Guerrero & Bam Neely vs. Evan Bourne & Ricky Ortiz: Right away, Ortiz took it to Bam who quickly consulted with Chavo on the outside. Back in the ring, Bam applied a wristlock that Ortiz flipped out of and countered with his own wristlock. Bourne hit the double foot stomp on Bam’s arm off the tag. Bam powered Bourne into his corner for the tag to Chavo. Bourne snapped off a hurricanrana and locked in a Fugiwara armbar. Ortiz tagged in with a 2nd rope flying shoulder block for a nearfall. Behind the ref’s back, Bam grabbed Ortiz by the hair then made the tag. He and Chavo took turns working Ortiz for a minute. Bam and Bourne got the respective hot tags. Bourne hit the top rope double knee drop. Chavo made the save then was sent to the floor with Ortiz. Bourne scored the win off a unique roll-up.

Solid 5-minute opening match. Bourne looked good and the crowd was into him. Ortiz’s third match and best effort so far. He sold pretty well and might just grow on me afterall; that is, if he keeps the cheesing to a minimum. If they plan on going with the Bourne-Chavo feud, they seriously need to do more than have weekly matches. Get these guys on the mic, have Bam and Chavo viciously attack Bourne backstage, do something to keep me interested.

• The announcers plugged The Dirt Sheet hosted by Miz and Morrison with special guests Mark Henry and Matt Hardy.

Knox/Finlay Promo: Following a video reminder of Mike Knox’s post-match attack on Finlay last week, Knox said he was there to expose the fraud that is Finlay. He rolled the SS clip of Finlay and Hornswoggle dancing on a hillside with the word ‘Romance’ on the screen. Knox told us it was ok to laugh because Finlay is a joke. Knox said Finlay used to be one of the toughest men in the business and now he’s lowered himself to dancing with a leprechaun.

Finlay’s music hit and he danced onto the stage with Horny then joined Knox in the ring. Finlay admitted the video was funny but said there’s more to him than being the man who loves to fight; he also loves having fun and his family. Finlay invited Knox to take a shot at him and find out if he’s gone soft. Knox stared down Finlay then backed up and walked away.

I’m glad they’re giving Knox a real feud finally. Decent mic work by both guys. Solid segment except Knox backing down in predictably heel fashion.

• The Raw Rebound aired, highlighting Cena and Batista winning the tag titles.

Match #2 Armando Estrada vs. Tommy Dreamer: The announcers put over this was Estrada’s last chance to earn a contract. Dreamer dominated the first minute with a hiptoss, armdrag takedown, armbar, another hiptoss, and clothesline to the floor. Dreamer tried to suplex Estrada on the apron back into the ring. Estrada hung Dreamer’s neck up on the top rope. Dreamer recovered quickly with a neckbreaker then placed Estrada in the tree of woe. Delaney ran to ringside and grabbed a chair. Dreamer went after Delaney who flew over and hid behind the announce table. As Dreamer was reentering the ring, Delaney jumped on the apron. Dreamer drove him into the ringpost. Estrada capitalized on the distraction, rolling Dreamer up for the win.

The match looked a little too choreographed at times and Estrada’s timing was somewhat off. A decent 2½-minute match that incorporated two angles at once. Estrada finally gets his contract with of all people’s help Colin Delaney who has screwed Dreamer twice now.

• The announcers hyped The Dirt Sheet again.

Backstage: Delaney congratulated Estrada who asked Colin why he’d help him after all he put him through. Delaney said at least Estrada gave him a chance which is more than Dreamer ever did. GM Teddy Long interrupted to inform Colin he would receive the beating of his life at the hands of Tommy Dreamer next week in an Extreme Rules match. Delaney had that ‘Oh noes’ look and Estrada ducked out.

Nice segment. I never thought I’d see Delaney and Estrada on the same page. I’m looking forward to the extreme match next week.

• A Smackdown Rebound aired, recapping the astounding Edge-Foley exchange on The Cutting Edge, and the announcers ran down the SS card.

Match #3 Braden Walker vs. James Curtis (Main Event): Early on, Walker hit a hiptoss, struggled with a vertical suplex, and applied an armbar. Curtis got to the ropes and delivered several hard rights to Walker’s head. Walker atomic dropped Curtis then delivered three big clotheslines. Curtis got a few punches in the corner. Walker picked up the win with the fisherman’s suplex.

Wow, Curtis makes his second appearance in three weeks. I think he has some potential, but this was one of his worst showings though. A boring, sloppy at times, 3-minute match intended to get Walker over. It didn’t work for me. At the start of his entrance, he paused on the stage with hands on hips and noted the absolute lack of crowd response. While Walker looks to be in slightly better physical shape than a month ago, his in-ring work seems to have taken two steps back from his debut match.

The Dirt Sheet: Miz and Morrison sat in the ring with the spotlight on for the TV debut of The Dirt Sheet. Morrison said he turned down People magazine’s offer for his baby pictures because he’s not for sale. Miz proclaimed their show would become the #1 show on ECW. (It should be a lock since it’s the only show on ECW.)

Morrison introduced their first guest Mark Henry. His photo with the altered mouth appeared on the Tron. Miz asked if he could be interviewed without his translator. Henry grunted. Miz went to Tony Atlas next. His altered photo delivered a rap about needing money. Miz said no one can understand the guy. Miz said he’d seen Henry in catering and asked if his appetite was the strongest. Henry said eating makes him strong. Morrison said eating makes you fat and suggested Henry has a gland problem since he sweats profusely yet barely moves. Morrison asked an altered photo of Lena Yada if divas like herself find Henry attractive. She said Miz and Morrison were sexy. Morrison told Henry he wouldn’t need a belt extender if he had abs like his.

The real, and pissed off, Henry and Atlas came to the ring. Miz and Morrison said they were only joking and didn’t mean any disrespect. They calmed Henry and Atlas by saying if they wanted to disrespect anyone it would be their next guest. An altered image of Matt Hardy appeared on the Tron. Morrison addressed Matt as his brother Jeff and Matt said he’s never been #1 at anything, not even in his own family. Henry took the mic and told Hardy’s photo it’s good he’s used it because he won’t be anything after SS.

The real Hardy came out applauding Miz and Morrison’s creativity. He told them they were great in Brokeback Mountain to which Miz and Morrison took offense. Hardy reminded them why he’s the No. 1 Contender (he beat them both in the Fatal Fourway) and used their “There are winners and there are losers” and “Be jealous” catchphrases to mock them. Miz said there are consequences for disrespecting them on their show. He walked into a Hardy punch. Morrison accidentally punched Henry. Henry cleared Morrison while Hardy cleared Miz from the ring. Atlas stood between the ECW Champion and challenger, mouthing “Not now”, to close the show.

The segment had its moments. I don’t think the show’s non-interview format translates as well to TV. I prefer the online, shorter version. Miz and Morrison were much more comfortable on the mic being in their element. Some funny bits.

Overall Thoughts: Wrestling-wise, the show left a lot to be desired. The opening tag match was the match of the night due to Bourne’s involvement. The Estrada and Walker matches were barely above suckish-level. Storyline-wise, we took a step forward in the Delaney-Dreamer and Knox/Finlay feuds. The closing segment did little to progress the Hardy-Henry build to SS; I expected more. I enjoyed Matt Striker on commentary more than I thought I would. Why didn’t they give him the job instead of The Adamle months ago? As a whole, the show was passable, definitely not on par with the last few episodes. I hope they come back strong on next week’s go-home show before SS.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

NorCal's NightCap


is going to take on a different shape these days. instead of match by match, itll just be an entire night evaluation. so A. I can stop lying B. Im lazy as fuck C. two other fine posters who put tons more effort into it, do match by match play by play. Ill do match by match for PPVs still tho.

Anyhow.

ECW was fine tonight. Not great, certainley not bad. Built towards Henry Vs Hardy, and We got to see Evan Bourne

Tommy Dreamer had a pretty fun hardcore match with Delaney. It makes me glad seeing Dreamer still used, He seems so passionate and loves this shit so much. He picks up the win in an ass whuppin

Bourne pretty much did a move list inventory with bam neely. He did flips and shit, true story. I am impressed with Bournes selling as well as his offense, which is usually the downfall of such high flyers. bourne is VERY over, and hopefully he gets at least a mid card title push somewere down the road.

The dirt sheet looke dlike it was funny as shit next week. they need to keep doin that.

Finlay had a match with Armando which I couldnt be bothered with. He won. good for him.

Henry Mizark and Hardy cut a pretty decent promo, and then teamed up against M&M. pretty decent match. I like the build for the SS match, and Henry is frighteningly enough getting better by the week. astounding, really. Not that I dont think they should have matty go over. Good send off into SummerSlam, with Henry getting the kiss of death, by dominating Hardy the week before the PPV

 

[chasingamy]

Amy’s ‘take’ on ECW 08/12/08:

Following the opening video, Todd Grisham welcomed us and Matt Striker's still filling in for Tazz.

Match #1 Tommy Dreamer vs. Colin Delaney (Extreme Rules): Dreamer confidently came out with his shopping cart. Delaney hesitantly approached the ring but wouldn’t enter. The ref started the match. Dreamer chased the petrified Delaney up the ramp and fought him back down to ringside. Dreamer threw Delaney into the cart then the steel steps. Tommy hit Colin with a kendo stick then pump handle slammed him onto it. Next was the classic tree of woe/trashcan/low dropkick spot. Dreamer finished Delaney off with a spike DDT onto a stop sign.

Glorified squash by Dreamer. I was really looking forward to this match and it was a let down. Too short (3 minutes) and pretty tame for an “extreme” match. While it’s nice to see Dreamer look impressive and not job for a change, he’s cleanly beaten Colin twice now. This should be the end of their “feud.” I’m bored with these two. In fact, I’m bored with seeing Delaney squashed every week. His heel turn has been a total flop. A cowardly heel is one thing. Colin’s just a coward.

Miz/Morrison Interview: Lena Yada congratulated Miz and Morrison on the Dirt Sheet’s ECW debut last week. She replayed the footage of Henry and Hardy beating them up in retaliation for their mocking to setup their tag match tonight. Miz noted she didn’t show the first half of their show and put over their winning comedy act. Morrison said while they are the Pineapple Express of the WWE, they’re still one of the best tag teams in the world. Miz said they were winners and their opponents would be the losers.

• The Smackdown Rebound aired, recapping Edge taking out Chavo then promising to take Vicki down as well.

Match #2 Evan Bourne vs. Bam Neely (w/Chavo Guerrero): The announcers put over that Chavo forced Bam to compete despite the concussion he suffered Friday night and still not being 100%. Bourne gained the early advantage with punches, kicks, the sweet knee strike, and thrust kick. Bourne went top rope but was distracted by Chavo at ringside. Bam pushed Bourne to the floor and took control of the match. He landed some punches and Bourne sold the hell out of a clothesline. Bam's missed knee drop was Bourne’s opening. He hit a dropkick, kick to the back of the head, and standing moonsault for a nearfall. Moments later, Bourne pulled out a DDT and another picture perfect Shooting Star Press for the win.

Bam managed a little offense, but this was really little more than an extended (3-minute) squash by Bourne. The guy continues to impress and get a good crowd reaction. However this wasn’t one of Bourne’s best matches and that’s because Bam is sloppy and can’t sell. Send him back to FCW, release him, or make him the silent wallflower again.

Estrada/Long Segment: With contract in hand, Estrada entered GM Teddy Long’s office. Estrada said Long didn’t want him to have this but he proved him wrong and asked him to sign it. Long conceded his point but noted he only won with Delaney’s help. He signed and had Tiffany pour champagne to celebrate. Long booked Estrada’s first match as an official member of the ECW roster against Finlay next. Estrada looked the way Delaney did when he was making the matches.

Nice segment. The contract storyline was mildly entertaining when Colin did it, but even then it got boring after the first three months. Estrada finally has his, so how much longer is Long going to harass Estrada? I’m bored with it already.

Match #3 Finlay (w/Hornswoggle) vs. Armando Estrada: No clean break from the face Finlay off the collar and elbow tie-up at the start. Finlay dominated Estrada with clotheslines, elbow drop, reverse chinlock, uppercut, powerslams, knee drop, armbar, and 2nd rope splash for the first three minutes. Knox walked onto the stage to watch the match and Estrada used the distraction to gain a temporary advantage. Finlay came back and finished off Estrada with the Finlay Roll then the Celtic Cross, which Striker referred to as the Emerald Fusion. After the match, Finlay motioned to Knox to come down to the ring. Again Knox walked away. Finlay and Horny danced with a little red haired boy in the ring.

Damn. Another extended (5½ minutes) squash match? That’s three now. OK I get they’re re-pushing Finlay as the tough fighter in response to Knox calling him soft. But how does beating Estrada make Finlay look strong? Estrada, like Delaney, gets beat week in and out. He couldn’t even win his contract against Dreamer without assistance. And Knox doing the Khali walk-away bit makes him look equally lame. With the way they’re handling this feud so far, I have my doubts how Knox is going to benefit.

Ortiz/Long Segment: Ricky Ortiz entered Long’s office and presented his idea for a “Ricky O” towel. The O is for his zero losses. He said he’s got an order in for 50,000 and told Long it would be a good investment opportunity. Long said Ortiz needed to slow his roll, he’s had a successful undefeated streak the last few weeks and come up with some creative merchandise ideas but needs to prove himself over a period of time. Long announced Ortiz will take on ECW’s newest superstar via the Superstar Initiative next week. Ortiz was pumped at the chance to improve his record to 4 and O. He gave Tiffany the towel and left. She spun it around and said it was fun.

Nice segment. I gotta admit Ortiz is slowly growing on me. He looks and sounds more confident each week. He just needs to work on showing that same confidence in the ring.

Hardy/Henry Promo: Matt Hardy told Mark Henry he wasn’t thrilled to be teaming with him. In fact, Matt said he’d rather team with Lena Yada because then he wouldn’t have to worry about his partner. Mark said the only reason Matt’s his partner is so he can get his hands on Miz and Morrison. Henry said they weren’t going to have one of those stay out of each other’s way situations because he wanted Hardy to get in his way so he could go through him just like he’s going to do at SS.

Solid segment. They really need to drop Atlas and let Henry do his own talking.

Match #4 The Miz & John Morrison vs. Mark Henry and Matt Hardy (w/Tony Atlas) (Main Event): Henry and Hardy briefly bickered over who’d start. Henry won and quickly overpowered Morrison. He brought Miz in from the apron the hard way then Irish Whipped him into Morrison. Miz moved to avoid the corner splash but met a hard right by Hardy. Henry headbutted Morrison. Hardy and Henry exchanged stares in the ring as we cut to commercial a minute in.

Back from break, Hardy powerslammed Morrison and tagged in Henry. He hit a big backdrop then tagged to Hardy. He delivered another powerslam but missed an elbow drop. Miz got the tag but Hardy quickly recovered to deliver the bulldog for a nearfall. On the outside, Miz kicked Hardy back-first into the steel steps. In the ring, Miz grounded Hardy with a reverse chinlock then delivered the running corner clothesline. Off the tag, Morrison worked Hardy’s back with a backbreaker, Russian leg sweep, snapmare, and stomps to the back for a couple nearfalls.

Late in the match, Hardy rallied and hit the Side Effect from the 2nd rope. The new young ref counted to three although I could’ve sworn Morrison kicked out. Awkward finish. After the match, Morrison looked to be in pain. He rolled out of the ring. Henry delivered a big boot to dispose of Miz. The ref very obviously gave instructions to Hardy then Atlas then Henry. Atlas and Henry helped Hardy to his feet and raised his hand in victory then Henry delivered the World’s Strongest Slam on the belt to close the show.

Despite the questionable 3-count, it was a good 8½-minute tag match. Short but effective post-match message delivered to Hardy, reminding us Henry’s the World’s Strongest Champion. Perhpas a preview to how their ECW SS title match will end?

Overall Thoughts: A much-improved show from last week. Tonight’s show was jam packed with four matches and four backstage segments. Think about this: ECW’s 1-hour show gave us more wrestling (21 minutes by my count) than last night’s 2-hour Raw (19 minutes), and ECW’s tag team main event was more enjoyable. Storyline-wise, the Dreamer/Delaney and Bourne/Chavo feuds appear directionless. The Finlay/Knox slow build continues. Good last sell for the Hardy-Henry SS match. Another good night of commentary by Striker. And they get bonus points for sparing us Atlas on the mic and Horny’s antics. Good show this week.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

E.C.W. Preview: Mark Henry v. Matt Hardy for the E.C.W. Championship in a Summerslam return match.

That was ran on commercial's during Monday Night Raw earlier. The first thought I had in my head was.. why are they billing it as a rematch, it wasn't even "A" match the first time around, if it's going to happen all over again, what's next.. Henry clocking Hardy with the title AS the bell songs to end it even quicker somehow.

Honestly though, this has T.N.A. written all over it, which amused me more than anything. People complain about how T.N.A. takes all their Pay per view quality Championship matches, and turns them to shit when you pay to see them.. then changes hands when you don't. So we'll see if that fully happens.

My personal opinion, this is going to continue in a build-up for two things. 1. A steel cage match at Unforgiven, or a Tag team contest at Unforgiven.

I bet hard money on Mark Henry getting counted out on E.C.W. this week, which will continue to give Matt Hardy the victory, but not the title. It'll continue to work over Henry being an even worse E.C.W. Champion than Vince McMahon or Chavo Guerrero were, and it'll likely add to Jeff Hardy somehow stealing his brother's spotlight.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

TheOneBigWill's 'quick' recap of E.C.W., August 19th, 2008:

To be honest, this show pissed me off. That's about the most I could say right off the bat to set the tone. It was in Moline, which was an event I was originally going to but due to last minute issues had to cancel. I'm somewhat glad after seeing E.C.W., Tuesday and reading the SD spoilers for Friday.

At any rate, I continue finding myself begging the question.. "Why is Chavo Guerrero better than anyone else in the W.W.E.?" I mean, it's obvious that has to be true, because outside of Bam Neely, he's the only guy being used on two of their three shows, weekly.

Chavo Guerrero is an E.C.W. listed Superstar, along with Bam, yet they both provide backstage segments and wrestle in matches for Smackdown. I get the connection to Vickie, I really do.. but I think a line needs to be drawn.

Now then, the 6 man tag was likely one of the best matches I've seen on E.C.W. in sometime. And it showed off Super Crazy finally debuting more or less on the brand he was drafted to.

Evan Bourne is going to be a star.. as long as he can show he has mic talent. His in-ring skills definately make fans want to see more of him, but in the end, it'll be all for not if the guy is crap charisma wise.

The "Superstar Initiative" is quite possibly one of the dumbest things around. This is the W.W.E.'s newest way of saying.. we don't have a lot of talent, so we're gonna scrap a no-name and a jobber together, stick a classy title on the match, and sell it for all we can.

Ricky Ortiz, what's with this guy? Really. He's undefeated.. why?! He's crap, utter crap. They cut Colin Delaney, and I gotta be honest.. I had more respect and fan following for wanting to see Colin over Ricky.

Finlay's return to being hardcore might lead him to Henry, I hope I hope I hope. I suppose he needs to get through Knox first though, which might happen next week.

Finally, the main reason I'm furious.. the Main Event. Matt Hardy v. Mark Henry, easily one of Henry's BEST matches to date.. and yet this match wasn't on the Summerslam card? Why? Were they afraid it was going to out-do the W.W.E. & World Championship matches? Because I gotta be honest.. if THIS match would've happened at Summerslam, it would've.

 

[chasingamy]

Amy’s ‘take’ on ECW 08/19/08:

Footage of the SummerSlam ECW title match aired followed by the opening video and introductions from Todd Grisham and Matt Striker.

Match #1 The Miz, John Morrison, & Chavo Guerrero (w/Bam Neely) vs. Evan Bourne, Super Crazy, & Tommy Dreamer: At the start, Morrison tried to ground Crazy with a reverse elbow, side headlock, and shoulder block. Crazy landed on his feet off the monkey flip. He did an armdrag takedown then a standing moonsault for a nearfall. Bourne got the tag and made a cover after a back heel trip. Morrison subdued Bourne with a kick to the gut and made the tag to Miz who went to the 2nd rope. Bourne snapped off a hurricanrana, however Bam grabbed Bourne’s leg which allowed Miz the tag to Chavo.

The heels took turns working over Bourne. Chavo hit a uppercut then a suplex for a nearfall. Morrison tagged in for a backbreaker then a Russian leg sweep for a nearfall. Miz tagged in and applied a modified reverse chinlock. Bourne rallied and Dreamer got the hot tag, unloading several rights, bulldog, and powerslam on Miz. Morrison made the save. Dreamer sent the heels over the top rope to the floor, Crazy hit a somersault plancha, and Bourne followed with a top rope moonsault. As Dreamer entered the ring, Miz hit a neckbreaker for the win.

Fun 5-minute opening 6-man tag match. Nice ECW debut for Crazy although the announcers didn’t even mention it. Bourne sold well and remains one of the reasons you should be watching ECW. Still, this match felt thrown together as a way to get most of the roster some TV time. They need to give Morrison, Miz, and Bourne something meaningful and fast. They’re starting to get a little stale.

Backstage: A shot of Ricky Ortiz holding his ‘Ricky 0’ towel on his way out for his match.

Match #2 Ricky Ortiz vs. Gavin Spears: Before the bell, a short pre-taped Gavin Spears promo aired. He called himself the crown jewel of the ECW Superstar Initiative and said he doesn’t need t-shirts, catchphrases, or rally towels because he has talent.

Ortiz started with a side headlock and a shoulder block. Spears applied a wristlock for several seconds. Ortiz countered with a backdrop. Ortiz backed Spears into the corner. Spears didn’t break clean and landed a cheap shot. He hit a neckbreaker, knees to the midsection, and snapmare. Ortiz rallied and countered a half-nelson with an armdrag. Ortiz hit an offensive flurry (forearms, dropkick, powerslam, 2nd rope flying shoulder block) and scored the win with a running jumping splash.

Decent 3½-minute match. Ortiz’s best effort yet. He’s 4-0 now for those keeping score at home. Spears sounded confident in his promo and showed off an aggressive style. Something about this guy reminds me of Randy Orton…maybe it’s his long, lean build, particularly the legs.

Backstage: A shot of Tony Atlas cheering on Mark Henry lifting weights.

Finlay/Knox Promo: Finlay and Hornswoggle came to the ring and gave away two hats to fans. Finlay reminded us Knox has been telling everyone he’s gone soft but last week it was Knox who walked away from Finlay’s invitation. Finlay again asked Knox to come down and face him. Knox walked onto the stage and said Finlay was afraid of him. Finlay told Knox to come down and prove himself. Knox started down the ramp but stopped short of the ring, saying he’d do so when he was ready. Finlay said he was done wasting time and went after Knox. The two brawled up the ramp and were finally separated by some refs and agents Dean Malenko and Mike Rotunda.

It’s a bad sign when seeing Malenko and IRS excited me more than these two on the mic. I just can’t get used to Knox’s voice. He looks like a stalwart mountain man but sounds like a 15-year old boy. This feud has potential but neither is burning it up on the mic. It doesn’t help that the material they’ve been given is crap. Finlay calls out Knox and Knox fires back that Finlay’s scared of him. If it sounds stupid, it is stupid. At least we got a little brawl and looking forward to their first match next week by order of GM Long.

• The announcers recapped what happened to Rebecca Michaels at SS and highlights of Jericho’s Raw promo aired.

Backstage: A shot of Matt Hardy getting ready for his match.

Match #3 Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry (w/Tony Atlas): The SS ECW title match video played again and Hardy made his entrance. Back from commercial, Henry and Atlas came to the ring. After the introductions, Hardy started with a drop toe hold then kicked away at Henry’s left leg. Henry powerslammed Hardy but missed an elbow drop. Hardy landed a nice enziguiri for the first nearfall. Henry used his strength to take control. After a headbutt, standing on Matt’s chest, and hard Irish Whip, Henry clotheslined Hardy to the floor to send us to commercial.

Back from break, Henry had Hardy grounded with a neck vise. Matt briefly fought back, but Mark dropped him with a big boot. He favored the knee and Atlas gave it a quick rubdown. Henry went back to the neck vise. Again Hardy fought back, but Atlas delivered a cheap shot when Henry distracted the ref. Henry locked in a bearhug then went to the neck vise again. After a gorilla press drop, Hardy rallied and hit the diving elbow, 2nd rope bulldog, and flying crossbody for a nearfall. Matt hit the Twist of Fate, but Atlas interfered again. The ref didn’t see Atlas pull Hardy off Henry. Henry hit the World’s Strongest Slam for the win after Matt missed the moonsault. Henry continued to sell the knee as he celebrated up the ramp.

A better than expected 14-minute match. Hardy looked strong, like he would’ve won without Atlas’ interference which prolongs the feud. But after their farce of a SS match, I think some mic work would’ve added something extra to this rematch.

Overall Thoughts: No backstage segments to speak of this week. No T-Long appearance. An underwhelming Finlay/Knox verbal exchange. Lots of talent seemingly with no purpose or direction at the moment (Morrison, Miz, Bourne just to name a few). While we got two good matches and two storylines furthered, this was one of the worst shows in the last six months.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

TheOneBigWill's 'take' on E.C.W., Tuesday Night Wrestling, August 26th, 2008:

Opening Segment: Whoever the girl is, Tiffany (apparently), comes out and introduces Teddy Long. Long explains that last week both Raw and Smackdown announced Championship Scrambles for Unforgiven, so tonight he's going to have a series of Qualifying matches for the E.C.W. Championship, because anything they can do.. E.C.W. can do better.

The Matches:

1. Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: John Morrison v. Matt Hardy: Without a doubt, this was easily the Match of the Night! It's a shame someone had to lose. All I can say is whenever Matt Hardy does indeed become Champion, as predicted, then this would be a top quality p.p.v. match.

Both individuals went back and forth with several counters to each other's top moves. In the end, obviously Hardy picked up the victory, and he'll advance. While it's stupid to me that John Morrison didn't advance instead of Chavo, I must admit even in a losing effort Morrison certainly didn't lose anything. This match was definately one of the better matches E.C.W. has ever had, and it personally reminded me a bit of the Matt Hardy that was so electric during his feud with Gregory Helms.

2. Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: The Miz v. Evan Bourne: Another great opening round match-up, to make this week's edition of E.C.W. top out over Raw with their first two matches alone. I must admit I'm not a huge fan of the Miz, and before his days with Morrison, I downright couldn't stand the guy.. however he's grown on me, and he definately has the talent to be a top contender on E.C.W., so I'm glad he's getting the shot.

Much like my opinion of Morrison, even in the losing effort, I don't believe Bourne lost any credibility by losing to the Miz. This match was highly contested, didn't go as long as the opening match, but still excited the same. In the end, it was Bourne attempting one too many risks, and Miz capitalizing on the missed opportunity, picking up an Unforgiven Championship spot.

3. Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Chavo Guerrero (w/ Bam Neely) v. Tommy Dreamer: Out of all four Qualifying matches, this would have to be the worst. Chavo isn't entertaining to watch anymore in the least. In fact, short of bringing back a wooden horse, or someone to replace Eddie and recreate "Los' Guerreros'" then Chavo is more or less just wasting space in my (unfortunate) opinion.

On the flip side, Tommy Dreamer is the last remaining bit of old school that E.C.W. truly has, outside of the likes of Super Crazy or perhaps one or two other smaller ranks, but the fact is.. Dreamer wasn't ever considered a great wrestler in E.C.W., he was credited because of his work ethic and violent nature. In the watered down version the W.W.E. produces, you get next to NO violence, which leaves Dreamer looking like an up-grade from your basic Brooklyn Brawler. (As sorry as it is to say)

Chavo advances, after Bam finally did something remotely right, which was got involved. It only took him most of the year to figure out that's what he's suppose to do. In the end, it was a Frog Splash helping Chavo cling to what little spot he has left, not just for Championship hopes, but also from being released out right.

Promos/Segments:

Mark Henry/Teddy Long: Henry finds himself upset and outraged as he pushes his way into Long's office to complain about not even needing to be pinned, to lose his Championship. Mark's 'mouth piece' was off the charts with his witty add-on's as well. "That's right!"

In the end, I always find it rather amusing when these two get involved in promos, because it makes me remember the one time I thought Mark Henry might of actually been worth something, and that was during his days as Long's monster. Ah, good times, good times. In the end, Long mocks Henry in saying at Unforgiven, 3 titles could change hands.. would Henry's be one of them?

Main Event: Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Finlay v. Mike Knox: My, my, my.. apparently W.W.E. fans are meant to not have attention spans and retain any type of memory beyond a week. Why? Because I could've swore a week ago when this match was announced, it was announced as a "Hardcore" match.. which tonight's, wasn't.

I must admit, I'm bewildered as to why Knox is even still on the roster, and I'm rather disappointed to say Finlay didn't find his way into my heart in making me think he deserves the spot he won. While Finlay is always going to be better (to me) than Knox in a Championship opportunity, and the idea of Henry v. Finlay in ANY type of way is going to be revealed at Unforgiven.. I'll see what I've wanted, so regardless of who wins what.. I get what I want.

As far as this match goes, I barely had the ability to pay strong attention to it, because it bored the shit outta me. Finlay picks up the victory with his usual Family tricks. And the show ends on that note.

Overall Thoughts: You know, I know E.C.W. is the third brand in a company that's basically outcasting them as rejects completely, but tonight's episode was by far one of their best.. ever. Furthermore, in my opinion with Raw being as decent and good even as it was a night before, E.C.W. topped it tonight, in my opinion.

They had 4 strong matches, 2 of which were match of the year candidates in my opinion, especially the Hardy/Morrison match, and the one thing E.C.W. isn't lacking right now, is future talent.

Evan Bourne is single handedly proving that we evolved from primates. He's got to be the only guy on the roster who has two sets of hands. The second pair being his feet. He uses his legs and feet as if it's a secondary pair of hands, it's absolutely amazing to watch. And while I'm not sold that he'll be a Heavyweight Champion anytime within a year or two, I am convinced that he's finding himself in good graces with the company, as long as he has a positive backstage attitude. Because he's definately got the crowd's eating out of his ape-like abilities.

John Morrison is easily winning the vote for "Most underrated Superstar of the Year" I mean, I have to believe this because the guy hasn't really had any big-time Championship matches this year, including not even gaining any shots at the United States title, or any other for that matter. Yet he continues to electrify in the ring, and excite fans in watching him. Sure, he's a heel, but I think the overall goal isn't just to obtain boo's or cheer's, but to get people to WANT to see you. Morrison is one of the main, if not the only, reason E.C.W. is watchable.

I'm a bit burnt out on all the Championship Scramble crap going on right now, and the p.p.v. isn't even here yet. I don't believe Chavo is going to fill his spot worth anything more than being the guy who takes the final pinfall. He had his opportunity at the beginning of the year, and failed miserably. Finlay hasn't had any chances, and Hardy's had two now. Miz is much like Finlay, in this being roughly, only his second opportunity, with his first being a 3-way I believe.

Mark Henry as Champion still isn't paying off, but the belt extender makes me continue to laugh. I'm unsure if he'll lose at Unforgiven though, mainly because if he loses he can complain about it not being one-on-one and he'll likely get put in a single's match against whomever the Champion is, which is only continuing the pain of seeing Henry doing anything.

Furthermore, Henry.. after he drops the title, is going to become more useless to this brand than a secondary Women's Championship is to the company. He won't have any purpose and likely won't have any good feuds for him to work with. That's another reason why I don't see him losing the title, mainly because as a Champion he's "unstoppable" and that's something to work off of.. but as a regular guy on the brand.. he's just out of place and unworkable.

In the end, E.C.W. gets a solid 8 outta 10. Only missing two because of Chavo winning and Morrison losing.

 

[chasingamy]

Amy’s ‘take’ on ECW 08/26/08:

Following the opening video, Todd Grisham and Matt Striker welcomed us then noted there are a lot of unanswered questions heading into the Unforgiven PPV in two weeks. Will Hardy get another title shot? Has Finlay gone soft? They sent us to Tiffany on the stage and she introduced General Manager Theodore Long.

GM Teddy Long’s Announcement: Long said that ECW was not to be outdone by Raw and Smackdown and announced there will be an ECW Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven. He said all the matches tonight would be qualifying matches.

Damn, is this WWE or TNA? Talk about overdoing a match concept. Two Scrambles wasn't enough, let's add a third. I half expect to get one announced for the pointless Divas Championship next.

Match #1 Matt Hardy vs. John Morrison: Hardy and Morrison traded side headlocks at the start. After being Irish Whipped, Morrison ducked out to the apron and went for a springboard move that Hardy countered with a punch. Hardy went out after Morrison and put him back in the ring. Morrison sent Hardy headfirst into the turnbuckle then delivered stomps and punches to the face of the prone Hardy. Morrison hit a neckbreaker for a nearfall but missed with the follow-up split-legged corkscrew moonsault, which Striker said Morrison calls Starship Pain (finally that move has a name!). Hardy fought back with punches and hit the Side Effect for a nearfall. Morrison hung Hardy up on the rope then sent him to floor with a big forearm to the face.

Back from commercial, Morrison had Hardy grounded with a reverse chinlock. Moments later, he hit a backbreaker and Russian leg sweep for a nearfall. Twice Hardy countered the Moonlight Drive. Morrison continued pounding Hardy with a clothesline, punches, forearms to the back, and stomps. Hardy rallied off a jawbreaker, hitting a corner clothesline, bulldog, and 2nd rope diving elbow for a couple nearfalls. Twice Morrison evaded the Twist of Fate. He went for a backslide but the ref caught his feet on the rope. The two took turns rolling each other over and up for a couple more nearfalls.

Late in the match, Morrison wriggled free of the Crucifix powerbomb and hit the springboard spin kick for a nearfall. The two traded punches then hit stereo clotheslines. The finish saw Hardy counter the Moonlight Drive again and hit the Twist of Fate for the win.

The crowd was really into this 12½-minute match. Lots of back and forth action. A really strong show opener, but I can’t help think it would have made for an awesome main event. The best ECW TV match I think I’ve ever seen. Clearly, the match of the night. Hardy’s qualifying win has to be the strongest of all the others; he won clean after a long, hard fought contest against a former ECW Champion. My only issue is Morrison being left out of the Scramble match. You have a guy that can really deliver in the ring. Why would you NOT want him in the ECW title match?

Backstage: Long and Tiffany were talking about the great match we just witnessed when Henry with Atlas in tow walked in. Henry asked Long if he had something against him. He said the Scramble wasn’t fair because he doesn’t even have to be pinned to lose the title and no one can beat him one-on-one. Atlas echoed Henry’s sentiments. Long told him life isn’t fair and any of the three championships can change hands. He questioned if one of them would be Henry’s to which Henry stared him down (I swear he looked like he wanted to eat Long) then left.

Glad to see they’re giving Henry the chance to speak for himself. Decent little segment.

Match #2 The Miz vs. Evan Bourne: Bourne controlled the first two minutes. He used mat-based wrestling, not his standard aerial arsenal, including a hammerlock, leg sweep, snap suplex, and armbar. He and Miz traded armdrags. Moments later, Miz sent Bourne to the floor, delivered a kick to the back, drove Bourne’s sternum into the apron (wicked spot), hit a springboard legdrop for a nearfall, and applied a seated abdominal stretch. Miz hit knees to the ribs, a front suplex, and body scissors. Bourne rallied with a series of kicks, hurricanrana, and forearm shots to the face for a nearfall. Bourne swept Miz’s leg then hit a standing moonsault for another nearfall. He hit a knee strike to Miz seated on the top rope (nice spot) and was going for a hurricanrana but crotched himself on the rope when Miz moved. Miz hit the Reality Check for the win.

Good 7-minute match. Bourne’s first loss. I thought he might get the nod. Bourne’s been pushed very well, going undefeated for 2½ months. I thought he might be the surprise Kendrick-esque entry on the ECW side. No offense to Miz. He’s worked hard and improved considerably since he debuted. But why him and not Morrison?

Backstage: A split screen shot of Chavo and Dreamer headed out for their match.

Match #3 Chavo Guerrero (w/Bam Neely) vs. Tommy Dreamer: Early on, Dreamer hit a bodyslam then an armdrag. Chavo got to his feet, backed Dreamer into the corner, and delivered a knee then punches to the ribs that Dreamer would sell throughout the match. Chavo applied an abdominal stretch. Moments later, Dreamer caught Chavo flying off the top rope with a fist to the midsection. Dreamer went on an offensive run with a clothesline, backdrop, bulldog, powerslam, and the classic tree of woe/low dropkick spot. Chavo dropkicked Dreamer from behind into Bam on the apron for the distraction. Chavo followed up with the frogsplash for the win.

Decent, albeit short (3½ minutes) match. For fuck’s sake. I don’t want either of these guys in the ECW title match. Chavo is in, but Morrison is out. Just tragic.

Match #4 Finlay (w/Hornswoggle) vs. Mike Knox: Footage aired of Finlay and Knox’s ECW brawl last week then Knox costing Finlay his match against Shelton Benjamin on Smackdown. Striker referenced the Summerslam father-son commercial that started their feud.

They started with a couple collar and elbow tie-ups/staredowns. Knox hit a standing shoulder block and Finlay started selling the shoulder injury from Friday night. Knox pulled Finlay to the floor, catching his face on the ring apron then ramming his back into the apron. Knox rammed his own arm into the ringpost when Finlay moved to avoid a clothesline as we cut to break.

Back from commercial, Finlay had Knox grounded with an armbar. He then worked the injured arm with repeated knee drops, elbows to the arm, hammerlock, and kick to the arm on the apron. Knox retreated outside for a rest break. Finlay pursued Knox who hit a surprise snap suplex on the floor. Back in the ring, Knox used the rope to choke Finlay then locked in a reverse chinlock. Knox yelled at Finlay to quit then grabbed for Horny at ringside. Finlay clotheslined him to the floor then hit another clothesline when he reentered the ring. Knox wriggled out of the Celtic Cross attempt. Knox stopped Finlay from using the shillelagh with a big boot. While the ref was clearing the ring of the shillelagh, Horny tossed Finlay a second shillelagh that he used on Knox to score the win. Post-match father and son danced with some kids.

For fuck’s sake. Sorry but no other expression is more fitting lately. Finlay’s qualifying win may be the weakest of them all. I can’t remember the last time he even won a clean match. His reliance on the shillelagh is sickening. I could understand it were he a heel at least. The ending prolongs their feud anyway. Good 12½-minute match, better than I expected. Knox’s best and longest match to date.

Overall Thoughts: What a great ECW this week!!! One of the best shows in recent memory and one of the best TV matches of 2008 in Hardy vs. Morrison. We were treated to four quality matches in one hour. Also the Grisham/Striker announce due has been doing a nice job calling the action but more importantly hyping the matches and feuds. Raw should take notes; the lesson is a little less talk and a lot more action.

 

[chasingamy]

Amy’s ‘take’ on ECW 09/02/08:

The Dirt Sheet: Miz put over the ECW Scramble at Unforgiven and said he’d become ECW Champion in his hometown of Cleveland, OH. Former champ Morrison called his failure to qualify for the match “totally bogus.” INDEED. Miz introduced their first guest - current champ Mark Henry and Atlas came to the ring. Atlas hoped there wouldn’t be a repeat of last time and Miz assured them they’d be professional while Morrison made a crack about Henry’s belt extender.

Next they brought out Chavo with Bam Neely, but they replaced his entrance music with music of their singing and farting noises. Morrison explained there must have been a production problem. Chavo said he was excited to reclaim his ECW title that Kane stole at Mania. Miz said that was six months ago and called him a crybaby.

Miz said their next guest couldn’t find a babysitter and sent us to his “brothers” in Belfast, Ireland. A pre-taped skit aired where Miz and Morrison played Finlay’s drunken Irish brothers. They said he got beat up by a girl in 3rd grade, was a bed wetter, and hinted at a problem with his loins. Finlay and Horny came down. Finlay told Horny to say hello to his “uncles” and Horny kicked Miz in the leg.

Morrison announced their last guest Jeff Hardy. Finlay corrected and reminded Morrison that it was Matt Hardy who beat him to qualify. Hardy came down and said it was nice that Morrison, Bam, and Atlas were there to support their respective male partners. Henry told him to shut his mouth or he’d give him a preview of Sunday. Matt said he hopes Atlas gets plenty of rest as he’ll be very busy breaking up pinfalls to save Henry’s title.

Henry and Hardy got in each other’s face and Miz told them they would not ruin the Dirt Sheet again. Morrison smacked Hardy in the head with the mic and all the heels ganged up on Hardy. All hell broke lose and Evan Bourne and Tommy Dreamer came down to help out. The faces cleared the heels from the ring.

I’m a Dirt Sheet fan so it pains me to say that show left a lot to be desired. Miz/Morrison have and can do so much better. It just wasn’t very funny. One positive, Morrison’s mic skills and charisma are really improving lately. The WWE needs to shit or get off the pot with this guy already.

So the segment was part one of the last sell for the ECW Scramble match and from it we can judge Sunday’s participants. Miz is the dark horse, Chavo’s a joke, Finlay is just kinda there and saddled with Horny, Hardy’s the fan favorite underdog, and Henry’s the confident, dominant champ. There might be five men in the match but the real story centers on just two – Hardy and Henry.

Terrible promo by Matt. Part of the problem was his unenthusiastic rushed delivery, the other problem was the crap he was given to say. Seriously, I just don’t see Matt going into and winning the Scramble with his last promo being about male (gay) partnerships.

Backstage: The heels and faces were still going at it. GM Teddy Long broke it up and said on ECW they handle things in the ring. He made an 8-man tag match for later in the show.

Match #1 Super Crazy vs. Gavin Spears: Before the match, another short pre-taped Spears promo aired. He said that first impressions can be wrong and we haven’t seen what he can do yet. Again he called himself the crown jewel of the ECW Superstar Initiative.

After a minute of back and forth, Spears took control. He pushed his kneepad down and delivered several knees to the face, slammed Crazy down face first, viciously stomped the back of his head, then locked on a modified sleeper. Moments later, Spears hit a drop toehold and another stomp to the back of Crazy’s head for a nearfall. Spears was growing increasingly frustrated and went back to the modified sleeper. Crazy rallied, rolled out of a sunset flip pin, hit a series of dropkicks and spinning heel kick, then finished Spears off with the top rope moonsault.

Solid 4½-minute match but not the most exciting opening match. The crowd was pretty dead. Nothing against Crazy, but when is the last time he won a match on TV? Isn’t he supposed to enhancement talent at this point in his career? I have no clue what they’re doing with Spears. This guy has a better look, mic skills, charisma, and in-ring talent than Ortiz, yet he’s getting the opposite (winless) push of Ortiz (undefeated).

Match #2 Ricky Ortiz vs. Ryan Braddock: Nice back and forth the first couple minutes. Braddock hit a clubbing forearm to the back and a standing shoulder block. Ortiz hit a shoulder block of his own then a hard Irish Whip and a snap suplex for a nearfall. Braddock took control when he pulled Ortiz headfirst into the 2nd turnbuckle and followed up by driving Ortiz to the mat with a knee to the back from the top rope. Braddock stayed on Ortiz with stomps, knee drop, and sleeper for a couple nearfalls. Ortiz rallied and hit a dropkick, powerslam, flying shoulder block, and the Big O splash for the win.

Another solid 4½-minute match, but the crowd was deader than the previous match until Ortiz went on his offensive run the last minute. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again - I don’t think it’s best to showcase new talent against other new talent. Ortiz’s rally towel seems to be catching on slowly with the audience and his record improves to 5 and 0 for those keeping score at home.

While it was nice to see Braddock in an actual match, not getting squashed in a minute flat, why call a guy up from developmental if you only plan to use him as a jobber? To me, he’s the one that stood out here despite the loss. Nice aggression…there is just something about him that reminds me of a younger, old-school Bradshaw…ya know, back when he wasn’t annoying and repetitive, when he was actually interesting and a legit badass. It looks like Braddock will be a heel. Smackdown/ECW needs another heel like we all need holes in our heads.

• The Raw Rebound recapped the HBK-Jericho feud.

• The announcers plugged the 8-man tag match main event.

• Footage aired of Josh Matthews, Mr. Kennedy, and Mickie James at the Republican National Convention.

Match #3 Matt Hardy, Finlay (w/Hornswoggle), Tommy Dreamer, & Evan Bourne vs. Chavo Guerrero (w/Bam Neely), The Miz, John Morrison, & Mark Henry (Main Event): Hardy quickly got the better of Morrison with a side headlock, standing shoulder block, and hiptoss then tagged in Dreamer. He hit a suplex and elbow drop for a cover then tagged to Finlay. Morrison backed Finlay into his corner and tagged in Chavo. Finlay hit an atomic drop and clothesline for a cover. Moments later, Chavo went for a low dropkick through the ropes, but Finlay pulled the ring skirt out from Chavo. Horny hit the apron and took out Bam as we cut to commercial just 2 minutes in.

Back from break, Finlay powerslammed Chavo then tagged to Bourne who delivered the double-foot stomp from the top. Chavo reversed a Bourne aerial move into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker then tagged in Miz. Bourne gained a momentary advantage and executed a standing moonsault. Bourne went top rope, but Morrison distracted him, allowing Miz to powerslam Bourne from the top rope. Henry tagged in, gorilla press dropped Bourne, then tagged Chavo back in.

For the next several minutes, the heels took turns working over Bourne. Bam even got in a couple cheap shots on the floor. Late in the match, Bourne hit a hurricanrana on Chavo and made the tag to Dreamer who back dropped Chavo then delivered an Irish Whip/bulldog combo for a nearfall. Chavo tagged in Henry who proceeded to manhandle Dreamer with haymakers, headbutt, and hiptoss. Chavo tagged in yet again and grounded Tommy with a chinlock. Dreamer hit a jawbreaker and Hardy got the tag.

Matt unloaded on Chavo with clotheslines, powerslam, diving elbow smash, and the Side Effect for a nearfall. Henry tagged back in and overpowered Hardy. When he missed a splash, Hardy tagged to Bourne who hit the Shooting Star Press. Dreamer tagged in and hit a frog splash….I can’t believe I just saw Dreamer do a frog splash! Finlay tagged in and hit the butt splash. Hardy tagged back in, took Atlas out on the apron, and hit the Twist of Fate on Henry for the win.

Good action in this 14½-minute main event that gave us the crowd-friendly finish. Chavo had way too much ring time for my liking though. Morrison and Dreamer had the least ring time, which makes sense as this match was the final build to the ECW Scramble.

Not sure why Bourne’s the one taking the prolonged beatdown in these things lately. Finlay and Miz were just there, they didn’t really standout at all, and I expect the same from them Sunday. Regarding Finlay’s ECW title outlook, how telling is that Bourne who is not in the ECW Scramble rated an entrance yet Finlay who is in the match did not?

Hardy and Henry had limited ring time, so I guess they’re saving them for the PPV. Following Henry winning the ECW Battle Royal on Raw the night before, Hardy got the predictable win but only after his teammates all delivered high impact moves to Henry. So the argument could be made that Henry and Hardy go into Unforgiven equally strong.

Overall Thoughts: Outside of the Dirt Sheet segment, it was another solid show this week. Three solid matches. Nice to see some newcomers getting a chance. Not much in the way of storyline progression really outside of Hardy-Henry. Sure the go-home show could’ve been better, but they gave us a nice last build to the ECW Scramble match.

 

[chasingamy]

Amy’s ‘take’ on ECW 09/09/08:

Opening Segment: Matt Hardy was introduced and cut a promo about being the new ECW Champion. He said it was a dream come true then thanked all the fans that had believed in and supported him over the years. Hardy went on to thank his detractors because they made him work even harder. He said he’s not going to be a content champion; he’s going to be the greatest ECW Champion ever.

Mark Henry’s music hit and he and Atlas came to the ring. Henry told Matt he’s holding his title and wants a rematch. Atlas said they’d have a problem if Matt put his hands on him again. Henry decked Hardy. Matt recovered quickly and held down the top rope, sending a charging Henry to the floor, then Hardy put his hands on Atlas via the Twist of Fate. Matt retreated up the ramp and showed off the belt.

*That belt is fricking huge on Matt. Solid opening segment. Good promo by Hardy. Henry interrupting and asking for his rematch was expected, but he and Atlas kept it brief. It’s nice they let Hardy have his moment. After the Twist of Fate on Atlas, I have a bad feeling we’re going to see Tony Atlas in wrestling action very soon.

Match #1 Evan Bourne vs. John Morrison: Nice back and forth the first three minutes. They started with the collar and elbow tie-up then exchanged waistlocks. Bourne went for jumping kick, but Morrison swept his legs out in mid-air then followed up with punches, kicks to the body, neck vise, and running knee to the face. Bourne recovered and hit a dropkick. Morrison retreated outside where Bourne hit a hurricanrana.

Back from commercial break, Bourne delivered the knee strike then looked to go top rope. The Miz tripped up Bourne and Morrison took control of the match. Morrison sent Bourne to the floor and dropped him across the security wall. Back in the ring, he worked over Bourne for several minutes with a series of rest holds, punches, and stomps for several nearfalls.

Late in the match, Bourne rallied with his patent kicks and a pair of hurricanranas for a couple nearfalls. Bourne tried the standing moonsault, but Morrison got his feet up. Morrison went for Starship Pain, but Bourne moved out of the way. Bourne went up top for the Shooting Star Press but was distracted by The Miz on the apron. Bourne took Miz down but got hit with Morrison’s springboard spin kick. Bourne landed hard on the apron. Morrison pulled him back in the ring for the 3 count.

*Good match with a nice mix of mat wrestling and fun spots. The match of the night. My only two complaints are it went a little long (14 minutes) for an opening match and Morrison using the same rest hold repeatedly killed the momentum somewhat.

*I’m so relieved Morrison gets a win after so many recent losses. I was beginning to think he must be in the doghouse too and the story just hasn’t broke yet. During the match, the announcers made references to Miz and Morrison having friction. Is it time for a split? While I’m ready for these guys to get individual pushes, I also wouldn’t mind seeing them going for the tag straps on Raw with the new Raw/ECW talent exchange in place now.

• The announcers hyped the Knox/Finlay feud and footage recapping the last three weeks aired.

Match #2 Jack Swagger vs. Josh Daniels: Jack Swagger made his ECW debut via the Superstar Initiative. He’s billed as the All-American American. He didn’t get a pre-taped promo like all the others. 2-minute squash and respectable debut by Swagger. He displayed some nice power, hitting a gutwrench suplex and sidewalk slam then finished off the jobber with what Striker called the Blue Thunder Bomb, which is a side suplex/powerbomb move.

*Hmm, it looks like Swagger might be a heel. Geez, what’s with all the heels, particularly all the new guys? By my count, ECW has 9 heels now (Chavo, Estrada, Henry, Knox, Morrison, Neely, Spears, Swagger, The Miz) and only 5 faces (Bourne, Dreamer, Finlay, Hardy, Ortiz.

• Backstage, Ricky Ortiz presented Finlay and Hardy a 'Ricky O' rally towel for good luck. Horny grabbed and chewed on it like a dog and made the usual grunting noises.

Match #3 Mark Henry & Mike Knox vs. Matt Hardy & Finlay (Main Event): At the start, Hardy tried to take Henry off his feet with a couple running shoulders blocks, but Henry was unmovable. Mark leveled Matt with his own shoulder block then dropped Hardy face first, delivered an elbow drop, stood on his throat, and hit a corner splash. Henry missed another elbow drop as we cut to commercial 3 minutes in.

Back from break, Knox had Hardy grounded with a chinlock. Matt hit a jawbreaker and made the tag to Finlay who unloaded on Knox with clotheslines, butt splash, corner shoulder block, and Finlay roll. Finlay clotheslined Knox to the floor, but Knox delivered a big boot as Finlay reentered the ring. Henry tagged in and wore Finlay down with some stomps, neck vise, and forearm to the back. Knox and Henry delivered a double shoulder block then Knox stayed on Finlay with punches, front chancery, and clothesline.

Hardy got the hot tag after Knox missed a knee drop. Matt hit a couple clotheslines, reverse elbow, 2nd rope bulldog that appeared to bust Knox’s temple open, the Side Effect, and moonsault. Henry made the save. Horny entered the ring and distracted the ref while Finlay nailed Henry with the shillelagh. Hardy hit the Twist of Fate on Knox for the win.

*Solid 13½-minute tag match with the crowd-friendly finish. The match got better as it went along. Nice teamwork by Knox and Henry. The match was a good tease for the inevitable singles rematches. My only complaint is Horny’s continued involvement and Finlay’s use of the shillelagh in his matches. After that shillelagh shot, I expect Henry vs. Finlay next week.

Overall Thoughts: Another solid show. But it wasn’t on par with the last few episodes and I just expected more post-Unforgiven. It felt like ECW on cruise control. The opening Hardy/Henry exchange and tag match were well done but predictable. Nothing too memorable tonight. Not a show you’d kick yourself for missing.

 

[chasingamy]

Amy’s take on ECW 09/16/08:

Match #1 Matt Hardy vs. Mike Knox (non-title): After the standard collar-elbow tie-up/back your opponent into the corner, the two traded side headlocks. Knox escaped a bulldog attempt and dropped Hardy with a big boot then stayed on him with stomps, powerslam, and kneedrop for the first nearfall. Knox grounded Hardy with a reverse chinlock, but Matt fought out with some weak-ass looking punches and hit the corner clothesline/bulldog combo for a nearfall of his own. Knox resumed control and hit a scoop slam then clothesline for two more nearfalls. Again Hardy came back and hit the 2nd rope elbow smash. Knox blocked the Twist of Fate attempt, but Hardy turned into a spike DDT (frickin’ sweet). I thought it was over right there, but Knox got his foot on the bottom rope. Knox rolled outside, Hardy gave chase, and a double clothesline on the floor took us to commercial.

Back from break, Knox had Hardy grounded again with the reverse chinlock. Knox halted Hardy’s comeback with of all things a dropkick for a nearfall. Mike hit a pair of back suplexes for a pair of nearfalls. Knox put Hardy on the top tope, Matt elbowed him off then went for the moonsault, Knox moved so Hardy only partially connected. Knox missed a corner splash and Hardy seized control of the match for the first time since the first few minutes. He hit a drop toehold, the Side Effect, 2nd rope tornado DDT (very nice), and the Twist of Fate for the win.

*After a slow start, the action really picked up after the break. Good opening 13-minute match. Hardy sold well and gets the predictable win. It’s nice to see Knox look strong even in a losing effort. I still can’t believe I just witnessed Mike Knox, of all people, perform a dropkick. Just wow.

Mark Henry/Tony Atlas Backstage: Atlas told Henry that Matt looked good tonight. Henry said that’s because he wasn’t in the ring with the World’s Strongest Champion. He said Hardy didn’t beat him to win the title and the only reason he wasn’t carried out after last week’s tag match is because of Finlay, Horny, and one shillelagh. Henry said Finlay’s luck runs out tonight.

Yay, a week’s reprieve from the mic-challenged Atlas. Short, effective, good promo by Mark.

Match #2 The Miz (w/John Morrison) vs. Evan Bourne (w/Ricky Ortiz): At the start, Bourne showed an aggressive side, slapping Miz in the face then following with punches and kicks. From the apron, he hit an interesting springboard armdrag for a nearfall. Miz jabbed Bourne in the throat and took over. He flat-out kicked Bourne through the ropes to the floor then dropped him across the security wall and drove him sternum first into the apron. At ringside, Morrison told Ortiz to give Carlito his hair back.

Back in the ring, Miz continued the assault for a couple nearfalls. Bourne ducked a kick and connected with one of his own to Miz’s face. Bourne hit a hurricanrana then the standing moonsault for a nearfall. After a thrust kick, Bourne took to the top rope. Miz pulled him down and delivered the springboard legdrop for a nearfall. In the corner, Bourne connected with a knee strike but was tripped up by Morrison behind the ref’s back. Ortiz came over and took care of Morrison on the outside while Bourne scored the win with his unique roll-up.

*A very good 5½-minute match. It’s a close call, but this is my match of the night. I wish they’d shaved a few minutes off the opening and main-event matches and given these two more time. Miz is underrated and Bourne is impressive.

Match #3 Jack Swagger vs. Chase Stevens: Swagger did a lot of cheesy smiling, showed some refreshing mat wrestling early on then went on a power trip, hitting a couple powerslams, gutwrench suplex, and the Blue Thunder Bomb for the win.

*1½-minute squash. In-ring Swagger is impressive. Nice charisma. But I wasn’t into the cheesy smiling when Ortiz did it at first and Swagger’s taking it to a slightly creepy Jack Nicholson level. Still no pre-taped promo? I need to hear this guy before I weigh in on him.

Match #4 Mark Henry (w/Tony Atlas) vs. Finlay (w/Hornswoggle) (Main Event): Early on, Henry overpowered Finlay. He hurled him into the turnbuckle, hit a powerslam, delivered some punches and stomps, and stood on his chest. Behind the ref’s back, Atlas got a cheap shot in. Henry delivered a shoulder block to Finlay on the apron that sent him flying back-first into the announce table as we cut to commercial.

Back from break, Henry had Finlay grounded with a nerve hold then continued wearing him down with punches, stomps, and forearms to the back. He drove his sternum into the apron and followed with a bearhug. Moments later, Henry missed an elbow drop and Finlay covered his face with the apron and got in a few punches. On the outside, Atlas grabbed Horny and Finlay chased him off. Henry then went after Horny. Finlay nailed him in the arm with the shillelagh behind the ref’s back. Finlay briefly worked the arm in the ring, but Henry’s power proved too much. He hit a corner splash then the World’s Strongest Slam for the win.

*Slow-paced, long (14 minutes), boring match. Basically it was little more than an extended Henry squash. Ugh, I could not wait for this one to be over. I welcomed the commercial at only three minutes in.

Overall Thoughts: Again it felt like ECW on cruise control. Four matches in one-hour leaves virtually no time for promos or backstage segments. The first two matches were highly entertaining. The show dropped off after though. They announced a Hardy vs. Henry rematch for the ECW strap at No Mercy, so hopefully we’ll get some real build to that next week. And don’t forget that ECW moves up an hour (9 pm EST, 8 pm CST) in two weeks. All in all, another solid show, just nothing too memorable.

 

[chasingamy]

Amy’s take on ECW 09/23/08:

*Don’t forget ECW on Sci-Fi moves to its new time 9 EST, 8 CST next Tuesday 09/30/08.*

Opening Segment: Miz and Morrison came to the ring. They wanted to clear something up before the show got underway. Miz blamed Bourne’s BFF Ricky Ortiz for his loss to Evan last week. Miz pointed out he dominated the match until the distraction. The duo then made fun of Ortiz’s hair. Morrison said they were two of the top superstars and should be main-eventing, not babysitting the new kids. Miz blamed GM Teddy Long for not recognizing and utilizing their talent.

T-Long walked onto the stage and defended the new Superstar Initiative as a success. Morrison told Teddy he made a good call on that Braden Walker who was future endeavored after only two matches. Long said there have been more hits than misses. Miz and Morrison challenged Bourne and Ortiz to a match tonight. Long pointed out Bourne’s not present. Ortiz joined Long on the ramp and said he was ready to compete. Long said since they think they can beat anyone, Miz and Morrison will compete against one another to find out who’s better tonight and the winner will face Ortiz immediately following their match.

*Good segment that set up the main event. I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of Ricky Ortiz in the ME. Glad that Miz and Morrison are getting more TV time lately. Miz is very good on the mic, and he outshined Morrison here. It’s starting to look like Miz may have the more promising future of the two.

Long/Ortiz/Tiffany Backstage: Long put over how big an opportunity Ortiz had tonight and that his undefeated streak is on the line. Tiffany walked up and said Ricky was ready. He had something for her in his pocket. She put the Ricky O rally towel around her neck and said she it felt good.

*Ugh, that segment just plain sucked.

Match #1 Finlay (w/Hornswoggle) vs. Bam Neely: Finlay controlled the first two minutes with his standard offense (uppercut, clothesline, corner shoulder blocks, butt splash). Finlay on the outside worked Knox over on the apron. Horny should get an assist for using his body to trip up Knox. Back in the ring, Neely reversed an Irish Whip and hit a corner splash. He kicked Finlay through the ropes and hit a powerslam on the floor then booted Finlay into the steps. Late in the match, Finlay hit a neckbreaker then went top-rope. Knox caught Finlay and turned him over for a Boston Crab. Horny on the apron was trying to slide the shillelagh to Finlay. Knox swatted him across the room. Finlay laid Knox out with the shillelagh off the distraction for the win.

*Decent 4-minute opening match with the predictable, played out Horny distract/Finlay shillelagh shot finish. Neely’s best match to date but that’s not saying much. I honestly don’t recall Neely ever winning a match.

Match #2 Maryse vs. Michelle McCool (non-title): McCool wasted no time going after Maryse. She speared her twice and followed with punches. After a big boot, Maryse rolled outside. She avoided a baseball slide then clotheslined McCool on the floor and sent her into the security wall. Back in the ring, Maryse posed and applied the modified camel clutch. McCool rallied with a reverse elbow, clothesline, dropkick, neckbreaker, and uppercuts. McCool went to the 2nd rope, but Maryse slammed her to the mat and hit her DDT finisher for the win.

*I’m surprised at the clean win by Maryse and wonder where this feud is going. It was another good, albeit shorter (3½ minutes), match between these two. Two Smackdown divas wrestling on an ECW show just makes no sense though. You can’t even explain it away by the Talent Exchange as that implies the opponents represent separate brands.

Mark Henry Promo: Henry with Atlas walked onto the stage and cut a promo. He reminded us that Matt Hardy didn’t pin him in the Scramble to become the champion. He said Hardy can’t and never will pin him. Henry vowed to leave Hardy’s carcass a battered mess at No Mercy to reclaim the title and Hardy would realize he’s not championship material unlike the World’s Strongest Champion.

*Another solid albeit short Henry promo, but this was the only hype for the ECW title match at No Mercy during the show. I expected more with the PPV less than two weeks away.

Match #3 Mike Knox vs. Chase Stevens: All Knox. He quickly and easily overpowered Stevens who’s taken up the recently released James Curtis spot. He hit his Knox Out finisher for the win. Post-match Jack Swagger’s music played and he walked past Knox on the ramp. Swagger hit the ring and laid Stevens out with his powerbomb finisher. Dreamer rushed out for the save. Knox made like he was going to reenter the ring. The distraction allowed Swagger to hit Dreamer from behind and lay him out with his finisher as well. Swagger cheesed for the camera.

*1½-minute squash. Knox needed a decisive win to look strong again after a couple recent losses. I agree with Jim Ross that he’s got the potential to be a future ECW Champion just not in ‘08. What the hell happened to the Finlay-Knox feud? Interesting post-match stuff. Attacking an already beaten Stevens solidifies Swagger is a heel and Dreamer will get the job (pun intended) of putting him over.

Match #4 The Miz vs. John Morrison (Main Event): The two started with the collar and elbow tie-up then some nice chain wrestling. Miz went for an inside cradle, Morrison went for a sunset flip. Morrison charged at Miz and both spilled to the floor as we cut to commercial 1½ minutes in. Back from break, Miz had Morrison grounded with a reverse chinlock. Morrison fought back and applied his own chinlock. Miz hit his signature corner clothesline for a cover. Moments later, Morrison tried to pin Miz but the ref saw his feet on the ropes. Morrison hit a backbreaker then a Russian leg sweep for a nearfall. Miz hung Morrison up on the top rope and hit the springboard legdrop for a nearfall. Miz put Morrison on the top turnbuckle. The two fought from the top rope and fell awkwardly. The ref counted both men out as neither could answer the 10-count. Ortiz ran down and delivered his Big O splash on Morrison then Miz. He gave his rally towel to a woman in the crowd on his way back up the ramp.

*A very good 11½-minute match. I’m not sure the live audience appreciated the heel vs. heel match-up though. The action picked up after the commercial break. It was a very even contest, lots of back and forth and several pin attempts. Normally such a finish would be a letdown, but I didn’t mind the double count-out. And while we were spared an Ortiz match, expect Ortiz and Bourne versus Miz and Morrison next week.

Overall Thoughts: It was another hour of solid wrestling action. The opening segment was a nice change of pace, as we don’t get too many in-ring segments on ECW. All in all, another solid show. It just felt like something was missing. Oh that’s right, the ECW Champion Matt Hardy. No explanation was given for his absence. Hopefully they do a better job on the go-home show next week building interest in the ECW title match at No Mercy. In closing, don’t forget that ECW will air an hour earlier next week. I feel like it needs to be repeated because they haven’t done the best job promoting the time change…expect the ratings to bomb next week.

 

[Darkshot77]

Darkshot77's review of ECW 9/30/08

Interesting epasode of ECW tonight. We start with the face off between Henry and Hardy, Miz and Morrson come out and we have a 6 man ME tonight, Miz, Morrison and Henry v. Bourne, Ortiz and Hardy.

Jack Swagger v. Lenny Lane-You may remember Lenny form the West Hollywood Blonds in WCW he and his partner Lodi were the jobbing version of Billy and Chuck. Good to see he is still jobbing. Swagger won with the gutwrench bomb. After the match Swagger hit a Elevated Neckbraker on Lane and Dreamer made the save.

Tommy Dreamer v. Mike Knox-Dreamer had some good offense but Knox hit the Knox out and he got the pin. Swagger came back out and powerbombed Dreamer.

Miz, Morrison and Henry v. Bourne, Ortiz and Hardy-very good match with lots of offense form everone involved Morrson and Ortiz to most of the punnishment. In the end Bourne was overzealous and got World Strongest Slammed. I was very impressed with the match string showing from all, including Ortiz.

Final Thoughts:For a show with 3 matchs, you cant have 2 squashes, what dose that do for anyone except bore us.

 

[AMERICANFIRE]

This Whole Night Was About No Mercy And Smackdown All Star Show. The Man Tag Match Was Like 20 Minutes Of Solid Action. Best Match On Ecw In A Couple Of Months. A 4 Star Out Of 5. The Ending Was A Surprise As I Thought Hardy Would Pin Morrison Or Miz For Our Next Feud.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

NorCal Night Cap

Was a fine episode of ECW. Not real inspiring or groundbreaking, but are they ever??

Ricky Ortiz is still a douche. whatever. not much to be said about this guy, besides how badly they need to (or needed to??) give his theme music to Evan Bourne. Ortiz's theme music is beast.

LOVE LOVE LOOOVED The Jack Swagger segment, and match. Dig the new music, the confident entrance, the disrespectfull promo, and the hard fought match. Love this guy, just think he has everything. Be on the lookout. barring unforseen calamity, I am usually right about these things. True, he stumbled a little here and there during the promo, but he will get better. Just give it some time, and work. People expect so damn much out of these guys so fast. Just a little time folks.

Pretty decent match between Finlay and Henry Mizark to close the program out. Although I am now convinced with the coming of the Finaly-Hardy program that the ECW title itself will not be used give the young guys a rub, merely headline while the mid card allows the growth and exposure. Its not like I expect any of the young guns to actually TAKE the belt, but they should be allowed short programs to fight over it I think. Not much, if anything will be accomplished pairing Finlay with Hardy. a Finlay-Swagger or a Hardy-Swagger program on the other hand, WOULD accomplish things. Especiall if Jack could lay some merciless beatings on Swaggle. Same with a Henry-Ortiz feud, for face enhancement. ECW seems like a good idea, poorly executed right now.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

I agree with Norcal, I hate to make comparisons because people never live up to the hype but he does sorta remind me of Brock in the ring. I think he's a solid worker needs some improvements but experience will help him. I really think this guy is gonna have a good future since he is everything Vince love.

The finlay vs. Henry match was very boring to me. I find both of their styles to be a bore fest and the match was very sleep inducing. I'm glad Finlay won because we don;t need a Henry Vs, Hardy match again but Finlay Vs. Hardy doesn't sound too exciting either.

Also Ortiz should be a heel since I think he has what I call "Miz factor". It just seems to easy to hate this guy and to hard to cheer him so they should just turn him heel than the boo's he get;s would make sense. ECW just needs more focus but the bright spot is the Swagger Vs. Dreamer feud for me just because I feel Swagger has something bright in him.

 

[The Undercover Man]

This weeks ECW was poor, two matches what stood out for me where the Extreme Rules match and DJ Gabriel vs some local jobber. The matches did'nt stand out because they were good, they stood out because they were poor.

The Extreme Rules match was one of the worst ones i have ever seen, there seemed no fluency in between the moves and you could tell it was Swagger's first proper extreme match. It was as if he did'nt know what to do or what weapon to use. Dreamer made the match look good, he took hits and went through a table, Swagger also took hits but was terrible throughout the duration.

Onto the DJ Gabriel match, this was also poor, DJ showed a few good moves but looked robotic and checked. The dancing killed the match straight away, how anyone can expect to get over with the crowd with that type of dancing is beyond me. Again he faced a local jobber who made DJ look half decent. Again DJ finished the match with that upper cut off the top rope which to me, is a poor finisher to have.

One last point, the Boogeyman interuption during Miz and Morrison's promo was stupid. That was a decent looking promo and then it was ruined by a worm eating wierdo. I also thought the Mark Henry vs Finlay match was poor too, so overall a very poor ECW.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

TheOneBigWill's 'take' on E.C.W.; Janurary 12th, 2009:​

The Matches:

1. D.J. Gabriel & Alicia Fox v. Paul & Katie Lea Burchill: The show opens with the dancing Inferno's cousin already in the ring, with his 'partner' swinging her around. The Burchill's get an entrance. (it's likely the only thing they got outta this deal)

Overall, the match was pure crap, but only because I can't buy into D.J. Gabriel and the fact that he's anything other than a jobber. Add onto the fact that I'm a 100% pure Paul Burchill fan, and this entire match-up disgusted me.

Katie Lea got control for her team, but when Paul tried, it was the dancing inferno that somehow pulled out another (in my opinion) fluke victory. I don't know where they're taking this storyline, and I don't honestly care. The Burchill's deserve better, and it looks like Paul isn't even allowed to job on Raw anymore.. he's been subjected to laying down for pure idiots now.

2. Boogeyman v. Sammy: The only other match of the night, and it was a squash. Sammy (unsure on a last name) was obviously destroyed by The Boogeyman. The only question outside of "What are they planning on doing with The Boogeyman, if at all" that I have is.. "As a jobber, how much money do you request when you're told you'd have to take worms in the mouth, but only after they've been partly chewed and spit to you, via someone else's mouth?!"

Promos/Segments:

Tommy Dreamer: In what was honestly a heartfelt moment for me, it seems like the company is going to be pulling the plug on Tommy Dreamer. Either that, or we're looking at the individual who's going to Hardcore his way to the E.C.W. Championship, at One Night Stand in June.

Dreamer cut a promo about how everyone is getting faster, better, stronger, and overall they're just younger. He said his contract is up in June, and he's got until then to decide whether or not he believes he can still go with everyone else. So he's made a promise of sorts to himself. IF he can win the E.C.W. Championship before June 6th (a Saturday), he'll resign and stay with the company longer. However, if he does NOT win the E.C.W. Championship by June 6th (a Saturday) he'll hang up his boots and call it quits.

My first theory on this was another Ric Flair angle, but this time with Dreamer likely winning in the end to stick around. But to be honest, Dreamer IS getting up there in age, and it could be him likely saying he's just wanting to hang it up. I mean, afterall he did only come back because the brand was brought back.. he was happy being a Road Agent. So who knows. I honestly would like to see him get one last "Swan song" though.

Ricky Ortiz/Blonde Ditz/Hornswoggle: While the realization that Ortiz is still with the company amazes me. The shear fact that anyone would find him attractive and want to kiss him.. blows my mind. Thankfully, Hornswoggle stopped that from happening in this segment. I don't think I've ever been happier to see that little midget than I was tonight.

Matt Hardy: Hardy was asked about whether or not his Brother's misfortunes would have an ill-effect on tonight's title defense. Matt seemed upbeat and positive that he didn't care about what's happening with his Brother. (while it didn't come out quite like that, it did build a sub-plot in my mind that it isn't Christian or Edge doing these things to Jeff, but instead Matt!

At any rate, Hardy said he isn't an All-American/American, nor is he undefeated.. but instead, he's the Champion. (no shit, really? haha not anymore bitch!)

Main Event: E.C.W. Championship: Matt Hardy (c) v. Jack Swagger: Greatest match on E.C.W. television, since the rebirth! Bottomline, Jack Swagger is your NEW E.C.W. Champion, and he won the match cleanly!

Sure, an unexposed Turnbuckle played a part, but Swagger didn't "intentionally" remove it, he was holding onto it and Hardy pulled him away, as it accidentally ripped off. Furthermore, Swagger was trying to off-load Hardy anywhere he could, and it just so happens that he was face first into an exposed steal post. Yay!

The match itself was exciting and perhaps one of Matt Hardy's best ever. Okay, maybe not best ever. Gregory Helms and Edge would likely have some say in that category. But Swagger definately allowed Hardy to have his best E.C.W. match, ever.

Overall Thoughts: As it begins, I'm loving the storyline for Tommy Dreamer. This is going to be a nice solid build-up (I hope) for Dreamer in the following 4-5 monthes it'll take to get us to One Night Stand, which could come from New York, or Philly. I just hope they build Dreamer with some victories in that time.

I would truly love for them to let Paul Burchill be his hardcore self on this brand, instead of jobbing him to a guy that doesn't deserve television spotlight.

I would also appreciate a proper storyline to be given to the enigma that is The Boogeyman. I'm tired of seeing the worms, it's not funny, it's not gross, it's just plain stupid. The guy has potential to be very dark, very Taker-ish.. fucking give him the damn storyline and quit letting him dance around, eating nightcrawlers and breaking clocks.. the swiss aren't fucking happy.

Finally, I think a new era has come to E.C.W., and I believe in complete honesty that the ratings for E.C.W. will begin to soar. Jack Swagger isn't just something special to E.C.W., he's something special to the entire W.W.E. and will be a definate force in the years to come. I fully believe Swagger will have a nice first run, only to drop to a hard-fought battle (hardcore style) in New York, to Tommy Dreamer.

I think Swagger & Hardy will rematch at the Rumble, and possibly out-do themselves there, that time with Swagger getting what could be considered an even "cleaner" victory, to complete his transition to the top. In the end, E.C.W. just found itself a happy viewer in myself, because Jack Swagger deserves what he's gotten, and where he's been placed. I'm happy for him, and for the direction the brand seems to be going. 9 outta 10. (thank Gay-briel for not making it perfect)

 

[Mighty NorCal]

The NorCal NightCap

returns, becuase of an absolutely superb episode of ECW. In fact, this very well could have been, the best episode of ECW, EVER.

We start out with Jack Swagger having the fucking belt fall off his waist during his entrance. Good times. Keep that serious look Jack, we are all still taking you seriously

He starts cutting a promo, which he is fucking up 8 ways til sunday, and making me feel sad inside. He calls out Hornswaggle, and out comes...

Christian. Motherfucking Christian ma'fuckin Cage. With a new spiffy remix of his theme. gosh damn. Mark out of the year so far, easily. Christian issues a challenge to tthe winner of this sundays title match between Finlay, and Swagger. fuckin a.

We have Thomas Dreamer against Miz, in what was a decent, albeit predicatble contest. Goodness, Swagger, Christian, and now M&M as well?? Is the WWE trying to get us to take ECW Seriously????

Promo introducing new guy Tyson Kidd (TJ Wilson)....why the shit do they change these dudes names from developmental???...Nattie looks fucking ridiculously hot. Like so much, that I didnt even recognize her until she spoke, and still, wasnt sure after. Someone needs to tell ol boy he missed a patch of hair during his hair cut. he looks like a moron. Anyways, "Tyson Kidd" comes out and looks absolutely EXCELLENT. He hit everything, and looked very smooth and confident doing it. Lot of stiff shots as well. I am liking this kid. Only thing wrong, is it seems as if they want to push him as a face, while he has heel absolutely written all over him, and as I said earlier, a very very ignorant haircut. The haircut alone says he should definately be heel. jus sayin.

Christian Vs Swagger was good, but very sloppy. Christian showed some ring rust, and apparently Swagger was on drugs tonight, becuase he had the overall worst night of his televised carreer. Still a decent match though, with Christian going over after a NASTY looking Unprettier.

Awesome show tonight. Folks, if this proves anything, it proves that ANYTHING can happen, on any given night. What an absolutely non descript night to have such a great show. You all need to start tuning into ECW. Great times tonight, and ahead.

 

[WrestlingHistorian]

The Christian -vs- Jack Swagger match this past tuesday was an awesome display of wrestling and one of the best main event's I have seen on TV for a while now. Sure, I was upset that Christian lost but I also appreciated the match as a whole and I got to think that if they lock horns at WM25 it can only get better.

For those who missed the match, Swagger worked Christian's arm pretty good and Christian aggrivated the injury with multiple high impact moves and while trying to get the "killswitch" on Swagger, Jack then was able to find a way to get the win and put an end to this tremondous contest. My money is on Christian winning if they lock up at Wm25.

 

[Razz]

This weeks Christian vs Swagger match was awesome. Already a match of the year candidate imho. Christian really is becoming the instant classic lol. He took Swagger up another level too...

 

[WrestlingHistorian]

Not a bad ECW broadcast this week, but not a great one either. The Kane/Boogyman match was quick and easy and Kane picks up another win for himself, and the Marella/Henry bout ended in an eye blink and Mark Henry will find himself in the MITB contest at WrestleMania. The six man tag-team mach was kind of fun, but nothing too special. Christian looks fresh in the ring but he seems to be failing against the competition in the WWE, hopefully he can break this slump and get back on his feet soon as he can be one of the best in the world when he is on his game.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

TheOneBigWill's 'take' on E.C.W.; February 3rd, 2009:

1. The Boogeyman v. Kane: About a month ago, the Boogeyman was being somehow pushed as a dominate contender for the Championship. Now he's being jobbed out to someone that jobs on Raw. Nice. I see shit rolls down hill these days.

All of this is merely to promote the worthless piece of trash film, See No Evil. Sad thing is, I bet it pulls in ratings for Sci-Fi.

I still seriously wouldn't mind Boogey being pushed, if he was to be pushed in a meaningful manner. He added new tights a while back, which was a plus to his look.. but his gimmick is still mindless and ******ed. Winner: Kane

2. Money in the Bank Qualifying: Mark Henry v. Santino Marella: Are you fucking kidding me? Tell me they didn't just shit all over the concept of the MITB match, and the honor of winning it, by claiming Santino (because he's a 2-time I.C. Champion) had any right to compete for a spot in the match.

Mark Henry squashes Santino. So Henry is in. Grisham made a comment about reinforcing the ladders. I'd be shocked if Henry even went half way UP a single ladder in that match. So this makes Kane, Henry & Punk. I guess W.W.E. wants to see how much a 2nd Heavyweight title run from Punk will flop.

3. Natalya v. Alicia Fox: Nothing too exciting. Natalya wins with the Sharpshooter, which by the way is apparently Edge's new finishing move, also. After the match, at least they did the right thing in clearifying Tyson Kidd as a heel. He looks too much like a prick to be a face.

D.J. Gabriel still "owned" him though, which is both sad and pathetic.

4. Jack Swagger, The Miz & John Morrison v. Finlay, Tommy Dreamer & Christian: Can someone explain to me why Swagger got another straight pinfall over Christian, when Dreamer was IN this match-up?

And I laughed, because the description of E.C.W. read "Finlay v. Christian". Apparently that didn't pan out.

Overall Thoughts: I didn't write as much, because the overall show was forgettable. WrestleMania is still some-odd 4 weeks away, and I can either see Swagger being entered into the Money in the Bank match, like an idiot.. or a Fatal Four Way with Finlay, Christian & Dreamer.

I'm still holding onto what I said a while back. E.C.W. is building themselves a intergender division, right under your noses. I suspect new titles will debut after Mania.

Overall, I have no clue what to give the show. New management would be my first suggestion, but its still LOADS better with Christian there. 3 outta 10.

 

[NSL]

Did anyone else laugh hysterically when Santino threw himself at Henry, and landed on his face? That was the highlight of the show to me.

Kane v. Boogeyman wasn't nearly what it could have been. With the characters they have, they could've made it a much more brutal match, leading to a brawl up the ramp before a double count out. They put on a wrestling match, and that's not what anyone wanted, or expected, to see.

Alicia Fox v. Nattie was a decent Diva's match. I like that Nattie is back on the ring. She doesn't look right as a valet. Fox isn't too bad. Maybe she'll get a chance for a push on one of the big shows. The best part was after the match, with Kidd jumping Gabriel from behind, and Gabriel turning the tables and tossing Tyson out over the ropes. Could be a decent mid-card feud for ECW as they continue to push young guys. It'll also help to get Gabriel a different image.

The 6-man tag was crowded as usual. The build-up to the finish worked well though. I liked the ending, with Morrison getting the Unprettier, before Swagger finsihed off Christian with the Gutwrench Powerbomb.

They're building the feud between Christian and Swagger perfectly, and I hope they let 'Mania be the blow-off for the feud. With any luck, Hornswoggle will be gone soon...

 

[daprince510]

Ecw is a great brand. But there are a couple of negatives within this show.

Positives: Christian and the rest of the other superstars

Negatives: Ecw needs 1 or 2 more superstars from either raw or smackdown to ignite better story lines.
ecw needs to become a 2 hr show in order to it to really build themselves as a true brand rather than a brand to compete against TNA

Jobbers on Smackdown and Raw should be used on ecw instead.

Superstars held back on raw and smackdown are: MVP, Kennedy, Kofi Kingston, R truth, Umaga, Kane, AND OTHERS.

Seriously what is Kane doing on raw? he is doing shit wrestling agains rey mysterio and teaming up with Mike knox?
Mvp had along losing streak.
R truth just doesnt win a title at all for a push
Kofi Kingston wints intercontinental title than loses forever after?

There guys could have been on ecw and give credibility and experience to ecw.

Boogeyman is never pushed......
all he does is just play with people much like hornswoggle

morrison and miz need to break up...or they need better competition.

jack swagger is on the rise as a good young heel

evan bourne is a super star.

TJ and that other guy are ok....TJ vs rey mysterio or evan bourne would be a good match.
christian is the only reason why i watch ecw now serisouly

WWE better draft him to raw or smackdown he is so underated