ECW on TNN – December 5, 2006: Going Out On Your Back
ECW on Sci-Fi
Date: December 5, 2006
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz
It’s an important time in ECW as the only WWECW PPV has come and gone. December to Dismember was about as horrible of a show as you could ask for but it saw a new ECW Champion crowned as Bobby Lashley beat Big Show to win the title. Not that people wanted to see Lashley win but what personifies ECW better than a huge muscular man? Tonight is Big Show’s rematch. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Lashley winning the title at December to Dismember.
Heyman shows us Big Show’s blood on his tie. Big Show had agreed to turn ECW from a bingo hall promotion into a worldwide phenomenon. It took an Elimination Chamber and a 280lb man with a weapon to take the title from Big Show, so tonight there’s a rematch. Heyman is crying as he says all this.
Opening sequence.
Rob Van Dam/CM Punk vs. Test/Hardcore Holly
Punk has a taped up shoulder. RVD says he knows Heyman was behind Sabu being attacked and not being able to compete inside the Chamber. Rob kicks Holly in the face to start and hits the split legged moonsault after Holly ducks the middle rope kick to the face. Holly sends him to the floor so Test can get in some cheap shots to give the heels control. Back in and Test pounds him down in the corner though the fans don’t seem to care.
Van Dam comes back with some kicks to the face but Test clotheslines him down and brings in Holly. Tazz amuses himself by saying Cacalacky over and over until RVD kicks Holly in the face, allowing for the tag off to Punk. The running knee and bulldog (which actually connect!) take Holly down and after Test is dispatched, the Rock Bottom sets up the Anaconda Vice, drawing in Heyman’s security for the DQ.
Rating: D+. As mentioned the fans didn’t seem to care for a good chunk of this and can you blame them? Who in the world is buying Test and Hardcore Holly as high level heels? There’s a reason they’re not on Raw and Smackdown after all. Punk getting a rub in the main event scene is a good thing though as he’s one of the most over guys on the show.
Post match Sabu comes out with his arm in a sling and destroys the security.
Daivari issues a challenge to Tommy Dreamer and throws in a video of Khali destroying Dreamer on Sunday.
Tommy Dreamer vs. Daivari
Daivari jumps Dreamer during his entrance and goes after his injured ribs. Tommy fights out of a stretch on the mat and punches away before hitting the DDT for the pin in less than 90 seconds.
Post match here’s Khali with another Punjabi Plunge on a steel chair to Dreamer.
Next week’s show is on Saturday. Good to know.
Big Show says tonight Lashley is all alone and will get the beating of his life.
Kelly Kelly vs. Ariel
This is more fallout from a mixed tag Sunday. Kelly is all serious tonight which as usual doesn’t work when her song is about hollering in a club. Kevin Thorn is here with Ariel but there’s no Mike Knox in sight. Not that it matters as Thorn is ejected before the match gets started. Aries jumps her from behind and screams a lot while hitting some of the worst punches you’ll ever see. Kelly rolls her up for the pin after less than a minute. Riveting stuff here people.
Post match here’s Knox with roses for Kelly to beg her forgiveness. He’s sorry for walking out of the match on Sunday and gets on his knees in front of her. Knox says he’s sorry….for waiting so long to dump her. Kelly’s expression has barely changed from the time she came out to the ring. Knox hits her with the flowers and his finisher (Sister Abigail). Tazz gets out of his chair and chases Knox off to check on Kelly.
Back from a break and Tazz is singing about the show being on Saturday next week to show how serious the previous segment was.
ECW Title: Big Show vs. Bobby Lashley
Lashley is defending and there are no special rules here. Big Show looks furious. Lashley ducks some punches to start and pounds away, only to be shoved down with ease. Bobby tries some more right hands but walks into a side slam to stop him cold. There’s a headbutt to Lashley and Show chokes away on the ropes. We hit the bearhug early on but Big Show drops to a knee to make the hold look less impressive.
Bobby fights back with even more right hands but can’t slam Big Show as we take a break. Back with Show standing on Lashley’s chest and slapping him on the back. An ax handle to the spine keeps Lashley in trouble and a whip into the corner puts him down again. Big Show stands on the back to make Lashley scream but he comes back with right hands (again) for two.
Lashley finally tries something new by kicking at Big Show’s legs but a shoulder block is only good for one. Both guys are down for a bit as Big Show is spent from a few right hands and a shoulder. Lashley still can’t slam Big Show and he can’t suplex him either, only to have Big Show suplex him down with ease. We hit the abdominal stretch (complete with the wrapped leg to make Monsoon happy) for a bit until Lashley comes back with more strikes.
A shoulder block just bounces off Show though and the challenger loads up a superplex. Bobby knocks him away and a top rope clothesline puts Big Show down. Some more clotheslines put him down again but Lashley charges into the chokeslam for two. Another chokeslam is countered and Lashley (kind of) slams him for two. A rather impressive delayed slam is enough to retain Lashley’s title.
Rating: C-. The match was boring but it was the perfect match for Lashley. He took everything Big Show had, kicked out of his finisher, and pinned Big Show clean with an impressive power display. That’s the perfect way to transition the top spot over to Lashley as Big Show was done at this point.
I mean that literally. Big Show wouldn’t be back in WWE for over a year.
Overall Rating: D. The main event as more well done than high quality and that’s the high point of the show. There’s nothing underneath the main event to speak of, other than RVD and Punk feuding with the remnants of Heyman’s regime. Thankfully this show is only an hour a week because more than that could be terrifying.
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You should have mentioned Paul Heyman capped off his oromo by saying “I’m done”, which is significant since we wouldn’t see him for years after that.