ECW On Sci Fi – September 18, 2007: That’s What They Have Been Needing

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: September 18, 2007
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 5,000
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re done with Unforgiven, where CM Punk retained the ECW World Title over Elijah Burke. That means we are going to need a fresh challenger but I have no idea who that is going to be. There just aren’t that many stars to come after the title and hopefully they can fix that up somehow soon. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Elijah Burke for a chat. Burke wants to congratulate CM Punk on retaining the title at Unforgiven but Punk got away with one. If they fought ten times, Punk might win once so Burke will be ready for him next time. Cue Kevin Thorn to say it is time for someone else to get a title shot. Burke’s mouth is why he quit the New Breed and if Burke doesn’t shut up, he’ll make Burke disappear. Thorn sounds like he has mob connections. Cue Tommy Dreamer, who Burke calls a fossil, to say that unlike them, he is a former ECW Champion.

Thorn doesn’t seem to think that means much but here is Stevie Richards to interrupt. Burke: “Who is next? The Blue Meanie?” Dreamer doesn’t want him out here but Richards says he is the only person who didn’t get pinned last week. Cue Armando Estrada to say none of them are getting a title shot. Over the next three weeks, there will be the Elimination Chase To No Mercy, starting with a fatal four way tonight. Four will enter and three will continue on to next week, which we’ll start right now. I’ve heard worse concepts.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Stevie Richards vs. Kevin Thorn vs. Elijah Burke

We’re joined in progress with the four paired off and Dreamer sending Burke into the corner. Thorn runs Dreamer over with a shoulder and sends him outside for a whip into the steps. Burke sends Richards throat first into the bottom rope but the referee is busy with Dreamer. Richards takes Burke down for a kick to the back but Burke is back up with some rolling German suplexes.

Thorn rips Dreamer’s arm against the post as Burke misses a charge in the corner. Richards gets dropped again to give Thorn two as Burke is back up with the handstand elbow drop to Dreamer in the corner. Some kicks to the legs give Richards no count on Thorn as the referee is out of position AGAIN. The villains are sent outside, leaving Richards and Dreamer to go into a pinfall reversal sequence for two each.

Dreamer clotheslines Richards over the top and out to the floor but gets decked by Thorn. Burke and Thorn slug it out with Burke knocking him outside, allowing Richards to hit a dive off the steps. That leaves Burke to dive onto both of them but he gets pulled out of the air, allowing Dreamer to hit a dropkick through the ropes to put all three down. We take a break and come back with Richards getting two on Dreamer.

Thorn grabs a torture rack on Burke and drops him down into a backbreaker, only for Dreamer to put Thorn into a Texas Cloverleaf. That’s broken up almost immediately so Richards kicks Thorn in the face. Dreamer adds a DDT for two with Burke making the save. Burke goes up but Richards is right there to chop away at him, with Thorn coming in to make it a Tower of Doom. Dreamer hits a top rope splash on Richards, giving Thorn and Burke the double pin to eliminate Richards from the competition.

Rating: C. The biggest problem here was the refereeing, as there were multiple covers that were completely ignored because the referee was elsewhere. That works every now and them if it is planned, but having it take place over and over just makes things look amateurish. At the same time, Richards being eliminated took a lot of the fun out of this, as he would have made an interesting challenger for Punk. Certainly more interesting than Burke (again).

Post break, Burke comes up to CM Punk and asks him to sign the latest WWE Magazine. That way it can be a collector’s item after he takes the ECW Title from Punk, who isn’t convinced. Punk wishes him luck, but Burke reminds Punk that he said luck is for loses. Punk: “That’s why I said it.”

The Miz brings out Extreme Expose for a performance, with Layla pulling the teddy bear that Balls Mahoney gave to Kelly Kelly in the corner.

Balls Mahoney vs. Mike Knox

Miz and Extreme Expose are here too, including Kelly Kelly with the teddy bear. Knox runs him over to start and hits a quick legdrop to set up the chinlock. That doesn’t last long so Knox kicks him in the face for two instead. We’re right back to the chinlock but Mahoney fights up again and starts the snap jabs. The sitout spinebuster gives Mahoney the fast pin as Knox is already falling back down the card.

Post match, Miz and Extreme Expose go to leave, but Mahoney asks Kelly Kelly on a date. She smiles doesn’t say no, which Mahoney takes as a yes. That doesn’t sound like the best thought process.

Video on Big Daddy V vs. Boogeyman, with V being the only person who can crush Boogeyman.

Big Daddy V vs. Boogeyman

Matt Striker is here with V. Boogeyman is foaming at the mouth to start so V headbutts him down without much trouble. A running shoulder cuts off Boogeyman’s comeback attempt and they head outside where V runs him over again. There’s a whip into the steps to drop Boogeyman again and V stands on him inside. The neck crank doesn’t last long as Boogeyman fights up and tries the chokebomb for some reason. The swinging Boss Man Slam sets up the big elbow to finish Boogeyman fast.

Rating: D. This is a fine example of “well what were you expecting” as V is the unstoppable monster who gets to run through everyone before someone finally slays him. That is the right way to go as you don’t see too many people like him and Boogeyman is expendable in a spot like this one. The match itself wasn’t the point, but rather making V look like a killer, which is what they did.

Overall Rating: C-. What mattered here was starting up some new things, such as V’s monster push taking a step forward and the Elimination Chase. It might not be great, but it is going to give some of the people something meaningful to do for the next few weeks. That has been missing badly around here and it is a nice relief to see things starting to open up. It wasn’t a great show, but it was an encouraging one after so many fairly lame weeks.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

PDFPrint