this week’s ecw began with the long clip of mcmahon’s kayfabe death after raw last night. that’s right, I said KAYFABE death, it’s not real. I’m sure the mcmahon family and friends would not appreciate the showing of vince dying three times a day after it happened, especially when it’s a firey explosion out of a limousine causing a horrible painful death, is this was real. there was then a traditional ten rings of the bell as fans continually booed.

following this was our first match of the night, an extreme rules match with two originals, tommy dreamer and balls mahoney. though it was nice to see a small glimpse of the original ecw on the show, plus the fact that dreamer used a kitchen sink at one point, something I’ve always wanted to see out of a hardcore match, this match was still a little bland. an alright match.

main highlights:

-balls laid some nasty shots in with the trash can lid

-dreamer did his infamous tree of woe dropkick to balls using a trash can

-balls tried a leg drop to dreamer through a table, but dreamer was able to get out of the way in time

-dreamer gave balls a ddt onto a chair and got the three count

next up was the debut of the boogeyman in ecw, his first match being against  matt striker. this match wasn’t much special. honestly, I like the boogeyman for his entertainment value, but that’s all and ecw is supposed to be about the wrestling.

main highlights:

-Boogeyman had an interesting wristlock striking combo in the early stages of the match

-Striker gave boogeyman some good dropkicks

-boogeyman gave striker his chokebomb finisher for a three count

-after the match was over, boogeyman put worms in his mouth, then let them fall out into striker’s open mouth, as all I can think about is what if one of them slipped and went partially down his throat

after that, they showed a clip of the firemen who worked to put out the flames of vince’s exploded limo. this clip was really long and, considering that and how long the clip of the limo exploding was, it seems this was a really long time filler for the show.

finally we are brought to the main event of the evening, the newly drafted chris benoit would team up with cm punk to battle against elijah burke and marcus cor von. this match had everything it really needed to be a good one, but it seems that cor von kinda fucked up the ending, which really really sucks. regardless, I still almost reluctantly, give this my award for match of the night.

main highlights:

-punk had an interesting combo with an armlock into a fireman’s carry

-punk attempted a bulldog out of the corner to cor von, cor von countered by throwing punk into the ropes, punk responded with his flying heel kick

-cor von gave punk a catapult into the top turnbuckle

-cor von had punk in the corner and took too long to get done with him, as the ref counted to five, then called for the bell on dq, giving benoit and punk the win
-after the match, punk gave cor von a heel kick to the outside, and benoit gave burke his “hat trick” (triple german suplex) and sharpshooter

the show concluded with one last clip of mcmahon’s staged death one last time. they’re really pushing for people to believe this.

final thought:

obviously this week’s show got overshadowed by a vince plot in his “death,” which may or may not end up having anything to do with ecw at all. there was no other storylines tonight and there were only three matches, one of which shouldn’t happened and the other two didn’t live up to their possible full potential. hopefully benoit’s presence will end up livening the show a bit, and he can hopefully help advance punk in his skills. Im’ loking forward to punk vs. benoit for the now vacant ecw title. hopefully they realize that boogeyman comming was a mistake. hopefully they realize that they can do so much more with ecw than what they’re doing now.

this week’s program began with yet another raw recap concerning Lashley. in case you didn’t see it, he was in a match with Jonathan Coachman (somehow, I stopped watching raw after they had k-fed beat cena) and ended up spearing Umaga, going after Shane to the parking lot, then getting attacked by Vince. this was followed by a promo from Vince saying that the main event of the evening was to be, how shocking, a 3 on 1 handicap match between Bobby Lashley and the remaining members of the New Breed.
after that was our first match of the evening, Rob Van Dam against Snitsky. to be honest, this has to be the best match I’ve seen Snitsky in and RVD was classic and awesome as always. seeming as both wrestlers shined, a rarity for Snitsky, and I heard this may be RVD’s last match under a WWE owned company, despite it’s shitty ending, I give this match the match of the night.

main highlights:

-Snitsky delivered a devastating scoop slam, landing RVD flat on his back

-Snitsky put RVD in what I can only describe as a standing butterfly lock

-RVD did that kick he does to Snitsky where he holds the back of his opponents head, then kicks them in the face, and followed it with a springboard kick

-Snitsky missed a big boot, ending up with him crotched on the top rope, followed by RVD giving him a running wheel kick to the outside

-Snitsky gave RVD a chairshot to the head, and thusly RVD won by DQ

following this, right after a short promo for CM Punk, was a match between Punk and Stevie Richards. this match was great and really allowed both wrestlers to shine, even Richards who has done nothing but job since appearing in ecwwe.  this would’ve gotten best match, but we all know Punk is awesome and anybody who saw th original ecw knows that Richards is awesome, not to mention RVD’s last match kinda steals it by default and this match was kinda predictable, as beginning the rest of the night being pretty predictable.

main highlights:

-Punk showed his wrestling prowess with an impressive snap exploder suplex

-Richards gave Punk a bow and arrow submission hold, targeting Punk’s injured ribs

-Richards double stomped Punk’s chest in reversal of a sunset flip attempt

-Punk gave Richards a neckbreaker off the second rope

-Punk gave Richards the Go To Sleep, and got the pinfall

after this was a backstage promo by the remaining members of the New Breed. Elijah Burke seemed to be still upset at Matt Stryker and wouldn’t even let him speak. Burke claimed he was going to destroy Punk at Judgement Day, and Marcus Cor Von swore that he would destroy Bobby Lashley.

next up was another jobber match featuring Kevin Thorn against Nunzio, this being the first time that they’ve referred to him as Nunzio instead of Little Guido since the restart of ECW. it has been rumored that Sabu was supposed to job out to Thorn for this match and, to make a long story short,  refused to, this being the reason why Sabu wsa fired recently. anyways, this match was okay, though probably the match with the most offensive moves done on Nunzio’s part in one match.

main highligts:

-Thorn gave Nunzio a wicked powerbomb that thundered throughout the arena

-Thorn also laid a devastating flapjack on Nunzio

-Nunzio gave Thorn a kicking combo, getting Thorn on his knees, and followed up with his pattented Sicilian Slice dropkick from the second rope

-Thorn gave Nunzio his finisher, the dark kiss, and got the win by pinfall

after that was yet another boring installment of Extreme Expose. people were outraged at KellyKelly’s strip during the beginning of ecwwe, and now it’s not such a big deal because two other people are involved? the whole thing is just retarded.

following this was another recap of basically the same moment on Raw, followed by a promo from Lashley. Lashley claimed he would destroy the New Breed, envisioning them as Vince, Shane, and Umaga. as much as I know that Lashley’s not the greatest promo cutter, I must admitt that he executed this one kinda smoothly, better than his other ones.

finally we come to our main event of the evening, Lashley against the New Breed. this was was alright, but overall predictable. typical shit wwe pulls right before a ppv.

main highlights:

-Lashley brought back his one armed stalling suplex that I had actually missed

-Lashley also leapfroged over a running Cor Von and followed up with a shoulderblock

-Cor Von gave Lashley a pounce to the outside of the ring

-Burke gave Cor Von what I can only describe as a sitting crucifix hold

-Lashley speared Stryker and pinned him for the three count

final thought:

this week’s installment of ecwwe was mildly entertaining, but the main thing that dissapointed me was, apart from the opening match, it’s predictability. half of the matches were jobbers and we all knew who was going to win the last one, so where’s the suprize? the first match kept the audience enthralled not only because RVD is the shit but also because it was hard to figure out whom the wwe writers would choose to win. it’s sad to say, but they seemed to keep Snitsky and RVD on the same level when it came to push and advertisement at this point, and with wwe mad at RVD for not continuing his contract, it was hard to figure out whom would get the win. the CM Punk match was great, and I’ll admitt that he does get match of the night from me quite often, but still highly predictable in that we all knew what was going to end up happening, Punk hitting the GTS and getting the pinfall. I didn’t really care for the second half of the show, but whatever. wwe will have to work on it’s predictability if it wants to produce a better ecwwe show.

this week’s show opened up with a review of last sunday’s backlash pay per view. in case any of you didn’t know, vince mcmahon is now the ecw champion since he beat Bobby Lashley in a fatal four way.

Lashley entered the ring after the review and did an in ring promo, claiming he wasn’t happy and that he wanted his rematch immediately. in response, armondo alehandro estrada came in and said that he would get his rematch, but not tonight. he also said that, unless physically provoked, Lashley was not allowed to touch shane, vince or umaga. Lashley figured that armondo’s name wasn’t on that list, so he took his wheelchair (armondo was in a wheelchair and neckbrace) and threw him into the steel steps.

we were then brought backstage where Elijah Burke spoke with his New Breed. he told them that punk never meant anything he said when with the New Breed and that Punk would get his tonight.

appropriately after was the first match of the night, CM Punk against Kevin Thorn with the New Breed watching on from the ramp. this match was okay, everything you’d expect from both men. I think most of Punk’s matches as of late are better for storyline than showing off his skill because everybody knows how skilled he is now.

main highlights:

-Punk delivered a nice flying heel kick to Thorn’s face

-Thorn gave Punk an inverted bottom rope gillutine

-Punk countered a body splash from Thorn by putting his knees up

-Punk eventually got the three count after delivering his finisher, GTS (Go To Sleep), to Thorn

following that was some backstage promos from some of the Originals on what they think about vince being champion. Sandman claimed it made him sick while Dreamer reminded us of the blood sweat and tears that he put into ecw to let it flourish, and how much of that was now tarnished by vince being champion.

after that was another pointless dance number by extreme expose. they sprayed each other with whipped cream at the end. snoooooooooooooooooore.

following this was Kevin Thorn confronting the New Breed backstage. Thorn was furious that the rest of the New Breed didn’t come into the match to help him, and Burke replied basically saying that Thorn was weak (he claimed that Areil could’ve beaten Punk). as a result, Thorn quit the New Breed. two members of the New Breed out in two weeks, this is looking bad for Burke.

next up was some more comments from the originals about their outrage over vince as champion. Sandman reminded us that he held that championship five times and reminices all of the madness he had to go through to keep it. Dreamer claimed that vince killed ecw. Sabu just threw around a ladder, and it was kinda funny since they don’t let him talk.

they then played a Snitsky video clip promo for no reason seeming as he wasn’t there all night, and nobody cares about him!

following that was a tag team match with Striker and Cor Von against a new tag team called the Major Brothers. this seemed like any old jobber match, but it ended up shocking me.
main highlights:

-Brian Major rolled out of an armbar from Stryker and added one of his own

-Cor Von delivered an interesting press slam-to-fallaway slam to Brett Major

-Brett gave Stryker a nasty flapjack

-Brian gave Stryker a twisting moonsault, and got a three count on him. this no name tag team, the Majors, beat Stryker and Cor Von. Burke was obviously not very happy.

after that was a recap from the previous night’s episode of Raw where RVD lost a match to umaga, which is rediculous. vince came out and shved it in his face after the match

appropriately following that was the Originals going into the ring and telling vince how they felt about him being champion. RVD said that it was rediculous that vince had won and that he didn’t really ahve what it took to be a real ecw champion. Dreamer told vince that it was really the fans that demanded the return of ecw and that paid his salary, and that they knew how absurd it was to have vince as champion. vince then made a match, a fatal four way for the number one contendership for the ecw title consisting of all of the originals against each other. the winner would get to face him next week for the championship.

this brings us to our main event, the previously mentioned fatal four way match. this match was one of the best seen in the new ecw, it was all of the originals in an extreme rules match, just like the old times. this definately was the match of the night, without question.

main highlights:

-RVD and Sabu gave Dreamer a double team rolling thunder/springboard legdrop

-Dreamer gave Sabu a sky high superplex onto Sandman, who was on a table!

-RVD duped Sabu into thinking they were going to do the quadrouple leg drop on Sandman,  but RVD instead gave Sabu a backdrop once he lifted him up

-RVD gave Sandman a five star frog splash for the win. RVD will now be going against mr. mcmahon next week for the ecw title.

final thoughts:

this week’s episode was awesome! they’re building Punk and four other guys at the same time,  and even though I am just as outraged as anybody else about vince being the ecw champion, because of it we got to see the best main event that there’s ever been in the new ecw! I’m seriously hoping that RVD wins next week, even though I doubt that’s happening after what happened last time he was champion. still, I am compelled and intrigued to see how they take this and anxiously await how things turn out next week, which is exactly what a good wrestling show does.

Thanks to http://www.wrestlemag.com for the following ECW report from London, England:

- The set is the usual UK deal with a phone box, London bus etc.

- The Hardy Boyz beat Chavo Guerrero & Gregory Helms in a pre-TV dark match.

- ECW got started with CM Punk backstage with the New Breed. Punk gave one of those phony heel apologies and said to put it behind them as they’ve got the 8-man elimination match coming up tonight.

- Bobby Lashley beat Umaga via DQ in their WrestleMania 23 rematch. After the match, Lashley beat down Armando and Vince.

- Elijah Burke cut a promo saying tonight was the biggest night of the New Breed’s life.

- A video for The Condemned aired.

- Snitsky beat Balls Mahoney in a short match.

- CM Punk returned for another New Breed match ahead of tonight’s ECW main event.

- A video aired to plug the Dusty Rhodes DVD, which has been out for a year or so.

- The ECW Originals (RVD, Sabu, Sandman, Dreamer) took on The New Breed. Punk was made by Burke to sit at ringside to keep it 4 on 4 as The New Breed team is Burke, Striker, Cor Von and Thorn. They eventually get down to Burke vs RVD. Punk laid out Burke with a kick, leading to Van Dam hitting him with the frogsplash and getting the win.

Post-match, Punk hit Burke with the Go To Sleep to end the ECW taping.

Memphis ABC affiliate channel 24 has been reporting that the under card for the Hulk Hogan vs. Jerry Lawler will feature “The Giant” Paul Wight (aka Big Show). Other wrestler’s scheduled to appear include The Rock N’ Roll Express, Bill Dundee, Greg Valentine, Brutus Beefcake, Jimmy Hart, Jim Cornette, The Barbarian, Jimmy Valiant, Brian Christopher, Koko B. Ware, and Abdullah the Butcher.

The event will take place April 27th at the Fed Ex Forum. Tickets will go on sale this Saturday. The event is officially titled “PMG Clash of Legends.”

Location: Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, RI
Report by Gerweck.net

- Opening video.

- Mr. McMahon opens the show by walking to the ring. He is still sporting the fedora, but you can tell his hair is growing back. Vince said Wrestlemania 23 was his biggest embarrassment, being shaved bald by Trump, Austin, and Bobby Lashley. He said Austin and Trump are out of the picture in terms of gaining revenge, which leaves the ECW champion. Vince said he barred Lashley from the building. Vince said Lashley is suffering from a severe concussion. They recapped the Shane/Lashley angle from Raw last night, and the announcement of the Lashley-Umaga-Shane-Vince match for Backlash. Vince said Lashley will loss the ECW title at Backlash. Vince predicted that he will win the ECW title at the PPV. Mr. McMahon has started to make Lashley’s life a living heel. Vince said he is going to make the fan’s lives a living heel as well.

- Backstage, RVD and CM Punk conversed. RVD said Punk fits in with the originals, but Elijah Burke interrupted. Burke said Punk will give his decision next week, but Punk said he’ll decide tonight.

- Commercial break.

(1) Tommy Dreamer vs. Kevin Thorn (with Ariel). Dreamer is wearing an “ECW Originals” t-shirt. Maybe the originals can make some money before they get kicked to the curb. Backstage, Punk watched the match on a monitor. Thorn wins a short TV match with the dark kiss in 3:15. Ariel now has a blonde streak in her hair.

- Backstage, Extreme Exposure was putting their make up on when Snitsky walked in behind them. He just starred at them, and they left one by one.

- Commerical break.

- Styles said they are sold out at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, and then introduces more “The Condemned” hype.

- Styles and Tazz recapped the Snitsky/Hardcore Holly injury angle. They said Holly’s injury required surgery.

(2) Stevie Richards vs. CM Punk. Before the bell rang, Matt Striker (all dressed up) came out to ringside, as did The Sandman to watch the match.

- Commercial break.

- After the break, the Richards-Punk match is joined in progress. Punk scored the pin fall victory, although Sandman almost cost him the match. Sandman tried to explain the situation to Punk after the match, as he tried to swing for Striker’s head, but accidently hit Punk.

- They plugged the Cor Von vs. RVD match.

- Extreme Expose. As they finished up, Snitsky came out and chased them out of the ring. Layla was trapped in a corner as Snitsky starred her down until Ball Mahoney made the save with a steel chair, but received a big boot for his efforts.

- They re-aired the Burke/RVD/Punk backstage conversation.
(3) Rob Van Dam (with Sabu) vs. “The Alpha Male” Marcus Cor Von. Sabu was sporting a neck brace to sell his injury from the extreme rules eight man match. Fans chanted “RVD, RVD.” Burke gives Sabu a DDT on the outside of the ring. Shoulder block, and a pin fall victory for Cor Von. Punk came out, took off his shirt, and stood in the ring with Burke and Cor Von. He shook hands with Burke, thus joining the New Breed. Striker and Thorn came out to celebrate. Cor Von and Thorn put him up on their shoulders.

Event: ECW On Sci-Fi
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Credit: Gerweck.net

Opener:

- Show starts off with a photo of Mr. McMahon pinning Bobby Lashley from last night’s Raw.

(1) Rob Van Dam vs. Elijah Burke. Match started off this fans chanting “R-V-D.” RVD hits a spinning kick on Burke. He follows it by flipping over the top rope onto Burke, crashing them both onto the arena floor. [Commercial Break] Burke blocked a rolling thunder attempt by lifting up his knees. Burke mocked RVD by doing his pattened RVD thumbs gesture. Burke missed the Elijah experience, and followed it up by hitting the five star frog splash for the victory. Afterwards, the New Breed attacked RVD, which caused the ECW originals to come out to make the save.

- Extreme Expose with Kelly Kelly, Layla, and Brooke.

- Backstage, Edge talks to CM Punk and the Hardy Boyz. Edge said he knows they don’t want to team up with him, and he doesn’t want to team with them either; but if they can’t get along tonight, they can be successful.

(2) Snitsky vs. Balls Mahoney. Snitsky wins a squash with a big boot to the face.

- They recapped the McMahon-Lashley match from Raw.
- Up next, point and counter-point with Lashley & McMahon.

- Backstage, Finlay, Orton, Kennedy and Booker T (with Sharmell) speak. Finlay tries to cause problems telling Booker T that the others were talking about him. Booker T suggests a bond tonight, but Finlay tells Booker he can’t be trusted either.

- Vince McMahon is interviewed on a split screen, with Bobby Lashley backstage in Grand Rapids. McMahon is happy not to be in Grand Rapids, and is in Stamford, CT at WWE headquarters. McMahon tells Lashley that he is lucky that Mr. McMahon is not in the building tonight. Vince tells Lashley that his future is bleak after Wrestlemania. Lashley calls McMahon an old bastard, and tells Vince he is leaving Wrestlemania bald.

(3) Mr. Kennedy, Finlay, Booker T (with Sharmell) and Randy Orton vs. CM Punk, Edge, and the Hardy Boyz. There is a ladder set up next to the ring, with the brief case suspended from the ceiling. Punk tagged Edge, but he clearly didn’t want it. He came into the ring, went to a corner, then rushed over and tagged Punk back in. Edge decided to walk back up the entrance way. Bodies everywhere, as everyone brawls. Scissor kick by Booker on Punk, as the Booker, Finlay, Orton and Kennedy win this one. After the match, the winning team starts the brawl. The Hardys bring in the ladder, and go after the winning team. The Hardys ram Orton into the ladder, and bash Finlay with it. Finlay is busted open. The Hardys climb either side of the ladder, and both grab the brief case and stare each other down.

this week’s show opened up with a recap of what happened last night on Raw concerning Bobby Lashley, this seeming to be a running theme to open ECW as of late. in case you didn’t see it, Lashley took the Masterlock Challenge and is now the first person ever in history to ever break it.

after that was a promo from Masters himself. he said that he would break lashley in half that night. this while failing to notice that it was in a match, let alone the fact that it was the main event.

following this was our first match of the night, Rob Van Dam and Sabu against Kevin Thorn and Marcus Cor Von. this match was alright, but was great for storyline value. Dusty Rhodes has been doing a terrific job with this New Breed vs Originals angle. a fun match that wasn’t a wrestling masterpiece, but regardless still entertaining.

main highlights:

-RVD did his 360 kick

-RVD and Sabu gave Thorn their double team quadruple dropkick

-Thorn crotched RVD on the top rope (not the top turnbuckle, the top rope), and Cor Von gave him a nasty clothesline landing RVD on the floor

-Sabu gave Cor Von a springboard tornado DDT

-Thorn distracted Sabu from the ring apron allowing Cor Von to give Sabu the most BRUTAL pounce (cross body block) I’ve ever seen! this followed by the three count gave Thorn and Cor Von the win

next up was a video package promo for Snitsky. it was basically the same one they’ve shown other weeks.

appropriately following that was a jobber match with Snitsky versus Mike Toran. the only purpose this match had was to build Snitsky but honestly, he didn’t really do too much that impressed me.

main highlights:

-Snitsky gave Toran a choke on the top rope

-Toran tried putting Snitsky into a headlock, but Snitsky countered and threw him into the turnbuckles

-Snitsky delivered a big boot

-Snitsky covered Toran for the three count

following this was an announcement  for the WWE Hall of Fame. the newest inductee will be The Sheik. for those of you who don’t know him, he was one of the first ever to bring a hardcore attitude to the ring. he jabbed at people’s faces with nails and pencils and even straight up gnawed on people’s faces, and was the first to use fireballs in the ring in the WWE. he is responsible for the training of many wrestlers, but his most memorable students are, without question, Rob Van Dam and Sabu, Sabu being Sheik’s nephew. I personally am psyched to see a true pioneer of hardcore be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
next up was a rematch with CM Punk versus Hardcore Holly. this match was great for storyline, but honestly, it kind of interfered with the building of the wrestling itself. this week I will not be giving CM Punk match of the night simply because I don’t feel that we saw his best this week. still, an interesting match considering it’s importance to the story.

main highlights:

-Punk gave Holly an impressive overhead armdrag

-Holly gave Punk a snake eyes on the top rope

-Punk gave Holly a perfectly executed flying kick

-Holly went for an Alabama slam out of the corner, Punk held onto the top rope, so Holly kicked him in the ribcage as Joey Styles comments saying “if at first you don’t succeed, kick him in the lower abdomen so hard that he stops breathing.”

-Thorn interfered, giving Holly some whiplash over the top rope, allowing Punk to give Holly his new finisher, Go To Sleep, and pin Holly for the win

backstage after the match, Elijah Burke went up to CM Punk for a talk. Punk said that he already told Burke that he didn’t need the New Breed’s help. Burke replied saying that he knew what Punk said, and reminded him of the advantages he could have in the Money in the Bank ladder match at Wrestlemania 23.

next up was yet another pointless dance number by Extreme Expose. I don’t get how people make a big deal when it’s KellyKelly stripping by herself, but don’t make a big deal when it’s her and two other girls doing it with her. luckily it was short this week and we were spared having too much time wasted for an actual match.

following this was a match between Tommy Dreamer and Elijah Burke. this match was great as it really allowed Dreamer to show his talent in the ring. without the element of it being a hardcore match, it was still vintage Dreamer moves and this is the first time WWE has ever really let him shine in the way he truely deserves to. this match gets match of the night because even though Dreamer still lost, I feel this is the first time the WWE has ever really taken Dreamer seriously.

main highlights:

-Burke threw Dreamer into the post from the apron

-Dreamer gave Burke a fall away suplex

-Dreamer also gave Burke his signature  punching combo and Tree of Woe dropkick

-Burke gave Dreamer what Tazz now referrs to as the “Elijah Express” (a flying double knee strike to the back while the other person is in the corner, facing the turnbuckle)to get the pinfall for the win

they then showed, again, the same Raw recap that they showed at the beginning of the show. this was perhaps for those who had just tuned in and missed it at the beginning of the show, also to hype the main event.

finally we come down to the aforementioned main event of Chris Masters versus Bobby Lashley. this match wasn’t that great, but was still good for building Lashley for Wrestlemania. it was mostly Lashley on offense, and even then his moves and ring psychology weren’t that great. an adverage match for WWE.

main highlights:

-Lashley gave Masters a nice back body drop

-Masters slammed Lashley into the steel post on the outside twice

-Masters gave Lashley a verticle suplex

-Lashley executed a half nelson slam on Masters

-Lashley ended the match with a falling press slam followed by a pinfall for the win

final thoughts:

it is very obvious that Vince McMahon is finally giving a crap about ECWWE again. he’s building three ECW matches heavily every week and brought in probably the best writer on any of the WWE creative teams right now, who’s been doing a hell of a job. ECW is definately on the rise and I am so glad to see it doing so much better.

this week’s episode opened up with a recap of raw. on raw, in the mcmahon against donald trump feud, trump decided his representative should be bobby lashley, the ecw champion. it will now officially be lashley versus umaga in a hair vs. hair match at wrestlemania 23.

 

after that was the opening video package, with signifigantly different clips and camera effects to it.

 

after that was our first match of Mr. Kennedy versus Sabu in an extreme rules match for a qualifying spot in the money in the bank ladder match at wrestlemania 23. at first this match gave me respect for Kennedy, but then I remembered that there is no chance in heaven or hell that vince would ever allow Sabu to appear at wrestlemania, so he never really had a chance anyways.

main highlights:

-Sabu went for his infamous leg lariat, but Kennedy countered with an electric chair

-Sabu executed his viscious somersault plancha

-Kennedy countered Sabu’s triple jump moonsault

-Sabu went for an arabian atomic leg drop through a table, but Kennedy got out of the way in time, gave Sabu a ddt onto the broken table, and got the pinfall. Mr. Kennedy will now be going to the money in the bank match at wrestlemania.

 

backstage we are shown footage of vince mcmahon arriving at the arena. he looked angry and yelled at the limo driver for not getting there faster.

 

after that was a match between Balls Mahoney and Matt Stryker. though it would’ve been interesting to see where this would’ve gone, despite the fact that it’s happened a couple of times already, it ended too soon.

main highlights:

-Balls did his signature punching combo

-Bals also did an impressive leg drop off the second rope

-Snitzky interfered and attacked Balls, making Balls the winner by disqualification

-after the match is already over, just for the hell of it, Snitzky puts a beatdown on Stryker as well

 

next up was a promo from vince concerning the night’s main event, Lashley vs. Hardcore Holly in a steel cage for the ecw championship. vince said that there would be a new stipulation in the match, that is Lashley didn’t win within five minutes, Holy would automatically become ecw champion.

 

following this was a tag team match continuing the new breed/originals feud with Kevin Thorn and Marcus Cor Von teaming up against Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer. this match was more entertaining for it’s storyline value rather than anything else, but regardless, it was still an entertaining match.

main highlights:

-RVD did what I referr to as a sidesault (a moonsault where the backflip is kinda sideways)

-Dreamer is a flying body splash from the apron onto Cor Von, this being the first time that I personally have seen Dreamer use a more aerial move

-Aerial attempted to interfere in the match, but the Sandman cane-spanked her (caned her across the ass), while behind his and the ref’s backs, Elijah Burke crotched RVD who was on the top rope

-Thorn gave RVD his signature dark kiss move and got the pinfall for yet another victory for the new breed over the originals

 

backstage Rebecca then interviewed Hardcore Holly on mcmahon’s alteration to the match. Holly basically said he was very happy with the decision, claiming that he couldn’t be beaten in five minutes by anyone.

 

after that was a match between CM Punk and Stevie Richards, this being the second appearance on the show for the ecw original. Punk showed his excellence in performance as usual and, also as usual, showed the most skill in the ring more than anybody else on the card, which is why I name this the match of the night.

main highlights:

-Richards gave Punk a devastatingly hard chop to the chest

-Richards also gave Punk three consecuative grounded headlocks separated by occasional strikes

-Punk managed to counter the third headlock into a small package pin, somehow

-Punk used the “Go to Sleep” finisher, reminicent of the finisher of the famous Japaneese wrestler KENTA (a gutbuster except the knee goes to the guy’s head), and got the pinfall

 

after that for some reason they showed yet another recap of the same moment from raw when trump announced that his representative would be Lashley. this basically served no purpose whatsoever.

 

after that was another dance by extreme expose. they did a song and dance and fireworks went off at the end this time. sometimes I think this is an attempt by vince to rip off the nitro girls from wcw.

 

following that was the annuncement that the third inductee into the wwe hall of fame would be Jerry “The King” Lawler. honestly I agree with Terry Funk that he (Terry) is the better wrestler and more of a legend in wrestling that Lawler will ever be, so honestly, I don’t really give a crap is Lawler’s going into the hall of fame. he’s occasionaly funny on the mic and I think it’s cool that he had a feud with Andy Kaufman, but he’s barely been outside of Memphis and overall was just kinda there in the wwe hangin around throughout the years.

 

finally we come to our main event of the night, Bobby Lashley against Hardcore Holly in a steel cage match for the ecw world heavyweight title. this match, as previously mentioned, would have a time limit of five minutes, and if Lashley didn’t win within those five minutes, he would lose the championship. this match wasn’t very good, but it’s what happened after it that truely shocked me. this is not only in that wwe let somebody do this, but also that it was LASHLEY of all people that did it.

main highlights:

-Lashley busted Holly open with some mounted punches

-Holly gave Lashley a sky high superplex off the top rope as Umaga came ringside

-Lashley managed to kick out of a pin attempt from Holly after Holly hit him over the head with a steel chair that Umaga threw into the ring

-Lashley powerslamed Holly and got the pinfall for the win with about 30 seconds to spare in the five minute time limit, then proceeded to launch himself into Umaga THROUGH the cage wall!!!

 

final thought:

this week’s episode of ecw could’ve been better, but there were indeed a couple moments that saved it from sucking completely. for starters, extreme expose was only good for heels interrupting their dance routine to get added heat, otherwise they’re just useless. this is basically Kelly’s expose with two more people. also the whole thing with Sabu losing matches for stupid reasons, like a ddt puts him away, is just retarded and I would’ve rather have seen how the Balls versus Stryker match ended up uninterrupted, but I guess it’s good for some heat for Snitzky. as for the good parts, I found the tag team match of the night to be very entertaining, CM Punk kicked ass as always, and Lashley going through the wall of the steel cage is timeless. overall it almost balances out, but honestly, they’ve had better weeks.

the show opened up with a recap of the championship match with Bobby Lashley against Hardcore Holly. in case you didn’t know, Lashley won, but Snitsky interfered.

 

appropiately following this wsa a rematch for the ECW world championship, Lashley against Hardcore Holly, extreme rules! this match was decent, but it did indeed give me a bit more respect for Lashley sa he pulled out a few moves that I didn’t really expect out of him. this must be the first extreme rules match in ecw for quite some time, and though that was occasionally used, it didn’t have that hardcore feel to it. I guess that’s wwe for you, but still, a good match nonetheless.

main highlights:

-Holly kicked Lashley through a chair

-Holly set up a chair between the middle and top turnbuckles, but Lashley reversed the irish whip, sending Holly into his own chair

-Lashley gave Holly a kneeling shock treatment (much alike the move from Abyss of TNA)

-Holly set Lashley up for an Alabama slam onto a chair, but Lashley SUNSET FLIPPED OUT OF IT, and ended up giving Holly a power slam onto that chair, followed by Lashley getting to pinfall for the win

 

after that was a video promo for Snitsky. they’re still making him a cheap ripoff of Kane. whoop-de-doo.

 

next up was a dance number from extreme expose. they danced, they stripped, then were interrupted, again, by the first entrant in the next match approaching the ring as the match started, in this case it was Kevin Thorn. wow, this is getting repetitive.

 

that match that Thorn interrupted extreme expose to begin was him and Marcus Cor Von versus Tommy Dreamer and the Sandman. this, obviously, signified a portion of the continuing of the ECW originals against the New Breed. this match was, to be honest, more good for it’s storyline purposes than for the actual wrestling, but regardless was still worth the watch.

main highlights:

-Thorn whipped Dreamer into the ropes, followed by Cor Von giving Dreamer a pounce, err, excuse me, “body block”

-Sandman gave Thorn a Heinikenrana off the top rope (kinda like a hurricanrana, but from a frontal body scissors as opposed to head scissors)

-Sandman also gave Cor Von his signiture right Russian Legsweep

-Thorn hit Sandman with his cane, then pinned Sandman for the win

 

after that, they showed a video clip promo for CM Punk. he would be returning to action on ECW for the first time after the fallout he had with Arn Anderson and others with backstage politics.

 

following this was Lashley geting a visit from Teddy Long. Long congratulated Lashley for his ECW championship title reign, and invited him to come to smackdown later in the week. Lashley accepted.

 

next up was a match between CM Punk and Mike Knox. this match was impressive for both men (Punk was still as good as always and Knox seemed better) and, despite it’s depressing ending, still gets my seal of approval for match of the night.

main highlights:

-Knox gave Punk a nasty faceplant off the top rope

-Punk managed to somehow give Knox a knee strike counter out of an abdominal stretch

-Knox gave Punk a standing dropkick, something I honestly thought I’d never see out of him

-Punk countered a clothesline into a euronagi/anaconda vice for the win by tapout, giving him his first win in ECW in months, but after the match Snitsky interrupted to beat on Punk

 

after that was another backrund promo for Lashley. this mainly focused on his career as a wrestler, nothing about his personal life. I would say it was a wast of time, but I must admitt that it was a little interesting.

 

finally we come to our main event of Rob Van Dam and Sabu versus Elijah Burke and Matt Stryker. this match was good for both the match and the wrestling involved, though the only thing that stopped me from giving this match of the night is that I wasn’t suprized by it. all of the participants, except partially for Burke, I consider good wrestlers and while they were their skillful selves during the whole match, there wasn’t anything that suprized me out of them. still a good match on all angles, however.

main highlights:

-RVD and Sabu did their impressive quadruple leg drop double team on Stryker

-Burke gave Sabu his running double knee striker in the corner

-Stryker gave Sabu a running facewash, reminicent of the move Samoa Joe does

-RVD gave Stryker a somersault plancha, a move more often seen out of Sabu as of late

-Burke countered a springboard legdrop from Sabu, tripping Sabu when he went to the ropes, and got the pinfall for the win, though it is beyod me how a countered springboard is enough to put away Sabu of all people

 

final thought:

Dusty Rhodes is doing WONDERS for ECW right now! the wrestling has improved, the storylines are better, and we finally get an extreme rules match!!! not only all of that, but I think one of the main things missing in the wwe is stables that actually matter. yeah, they had the mexicools a few years ago, but they never really got very far. the last main event-worthy stable (in wwe’s eyes anyways) was with evolution, and that was a looong time ago. some would argue I’m wrong with the “reuniting” of dx, but I consider them more of a tag team than a stable. here we’ve got two stables getting main event recognition and, in fact, dominating most of the show. I think the work Rhodes has done for ECW has been great, and I sincerely hope it continues. the only real negative thing I can say about the matches is how the main event ended. Sabu can take chairs to the head, going through tables, barb wire, thumbtacks, you name it, he’s done it and still pulled out, but they have him lose after a messed up SPRINGBOARD?? common! otherwise geat show this week.