ECW On Sci Fi
Date: December 11, 2007
Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Tazz, Joey Styles

It’s the go home show for Armageddon and for once that means we have four ECW wrestlers on the show. Granted it is for a tag match rather than two singles match but I guess this is progress. CM Punk and Kane are probably going to have to deal with Big Daddy V and Mark Henry this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

CM Punk/Kane vs. Deuce N Domino

Cherry is here too. Punk kicks away at Domino to start so it’s off to Kane for two off an elbow. The running knee in the corner into the running bulldog gives Punk two but Domino gets in his own knee to take over. Deuce hammers away and Punk gets bent over Domino’s knee. Punk low bridges Domino to the floor though and it’s back to Kane to clean house. The top rope clothesline drops Domino and it’s the chokeslam (as Punk hits the GTS on Deuce) for the easy pin.

Rating: C. This was just a warmup match for Punk and Kane and that’s all it needed to be, as they beat up a team who has the slightest bit of credibility left. I know Deuce N Domino might not have had a gimmick with the longest legs but they could have been around a bit longer than they were. Then again, it isn’t like the tag division has ever meant much of anything around here so their downward spiral shouldn’t be that big of a surprise.

Shelton Benjamin talks to us about gold, with people back in 1849 digging as much gold as they could. Those people only found fool’s gold though, while he gathers gold. Benjamin has won more than a few titles around here, and now he’s here in ECW and “there’s gold in them there hills.” He is going to grab his pick and shovel and dig and dig and dig because he is the new Gold Standard. That was about as bad of a promo as it could have been and I’d like to believe that Benjamin got a raise for trying to make it work.

John Morrison/The Miz vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore

Non-title. Miz knocks Moore down to start and some left hands knock him up against the ropes. Moore manages a quick swinging neckbreaker and it’s off to Yang for a dropkick. Morrison comes in and gets his legs swept out, allowing Moore to come back in and work on the arm. A double suplex gets two on Morrison so he and Miz bail to the floor, where stereo Asai moonsaults drop them again.

We take a break and come back with Morrison chinlocking Yang, who suplexes his way to freedom. Moore comes back in but gets slammed down for a crash. Miz’s chinlock doesn’t last long so it’s a double belly to back faceplant to put Moore down again. Moore backdrops Morrison down though and the diving tag brings Yang back in to clean house. The moonsault misses so Morrison rolls Yang up with his feet on the ropes but Moore makes the save. Yang rolls Morrison up for two but the flipping neckbreaker is enough to give Morrison the pin.

Rating: C+. Well that was about a mile better than it had any right to be as Moore and Yang were making the most out of the TV time that they had. These guys were working hard and they had a far better match than I would have bet on them pulling off. Yang and Moore aren’t going to be the next big thing, but at least they had a chance to do something here. Pretty sweet match while it lasted.

We go to a beach where a muscular guy is kicking sand on a less muscular guy. A bystander doesn’t thing much of this and buries the bully in the sand. The bystander says that sometimes there is trouble in paradise. His name is Kofi Kingston, and he’s coming soon.

Layla/Victoria vs. Kelly Kelly

As we continue Miz tormenting Kelly for daring to date Balls Mahoney. Kelly tries to start fast but gets forearmed down by Victoria. A headscissors sends Victoria into the corner but she runs Kelly over without much trouble. Layla comes in to stomp away and put on an armbar before Victoria lifts her up for a splash, ala Edge with Sable at Summerslam 1998. Back up and Kelly sends them into each other but Victoria is done with lowering herself to this and hits a faceplant. A spinning kick to the head gives Layla the pin.

Rating: D+. Well they kept it short, and that’s about as good as something like this is going to be. The match wasn’t much of anything because Layla and Kelly aren’t exactly good in the ring and there is only so much Victoria can do. I can appreciate them trying to do something new though, as it isn’t like anything else is working.

Matt Striker is really happy with the idea of Mark Henry and Big Daddy V. hurting Kane and CM Punk. I think V wants to eat them.

Raw Rebound.

Armageddon rundown.

Elijah Burke vs. Batista

Non-title. Before the match, Burke goes on a rant about how this is his yard and he is the new face of extreme. Batista isn’t wasting time here and runs Burke over to send him outside. Burke manages a posting and sends him back inside to stomp away, setting up a short DDT for two. An STO gets the same but Batista fights out of a chinlock and hits the spinebuster. Burke manages to knock him into the corner and tries the Elijah Express but gets speared (more like a running headbutt to the gut) out of the air. The Batista Bomb is good for the pin.

Rating: C. This wasn’t exactly a match designed to be a major test for Batista but rather a way to get him on TV here. In other words, it felt like one of those matches from the very early days of ECW where a guest star would pop up for no reason other than stirring some interest. It helps that Burke isn’t going to be hurt by the loss so this was just a simple main event with a big name.

Overall Rating: C. That tag match alone was enough to make this an ok show and the Batista appearance helped as well. I like the whole mini merge between ECW and Smackdown, as ECW couldn’t do it on their own and Smackdown gets to focus on some different people on its own show. Not a blow away week here, but they’re getting some variety and that’s a great thing to see after so many similar weeks.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: December 6, 2007
Location: Civic Center, Florence, South Carolina
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re on Thursday here, probably due to some kind of a scheduling conflict, and that means a grand total of nothing. The big story coming out of last week saw Mark Henry attacking Kane and seemingly joining forces with Big Daddy V. Kane is going to need some help and maybe he can get that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Matt Striker is in the back with Big Daddy V and Mark Henry, saying that CM Punk now has no other choice. Punk can pick one of them to face and they will take his title. Isn’t that a choice?

Opening sequence.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Major Brothers

Non-title. Brett wastes no time in dropkicking Miz to the floor for a slingshot dive before Brian does the same thing to Morrison. A cheap shot takes Brett down on the floor though and it’s a double faceplant to drop Brett back inside. Morrison’s running knee to the face gets two but Brett slips out of a double belly to back, allowing the hot tag off to Brian for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Brian takes Miz to the floor, leaving Brett to get dropped throat first on top. The flipping neckbreaker gives Morrison the pin.

Rating: C. I like Miz and Morrison getting somewhere with the wins, but there are only so many teams for them to run over one after another. It makes sense to have Smackdown and ECW work together and it has helped, but as usual, the double Tag Team Champions deal doesn’t quite work in WWE. Normally I would say you would hope they could learn, but I don’t think I’m that gullible.

CM Punk doesn’t care if he’s facing Big Daddy V or Mark Henry because he loses either way. Armando Alejandro Estrada or Matt Striker can choose, because he’ll fight either of them.

Balls Mahoney/Kelly Kelly vs. Victoria/Kenny Dykstra

The guys start things off with Dykstra hitting a dropkick for an early two. That earns him the snap jabs from Mahoney so it’s off to the women. A very spinning headscissors drops Victoria for two and Kelly slaps Dykstra for a bonus. Victoria knocks her down and grabs a choke to keep things slow. Kelly fights up and brings Mahoney back in to roll Dykstra up for the pin.

Rating: C-. This would be your feel good win of the week as Kelly and Mahoney continue to have nothing to do together but they’re stuck here for the time being. The oddball thing was fun while it lasted but how far can you really go with something like this? Nothing match as you might have guessed, though what else could they have done?

Here is Shelton Benjamin to talk about promises. People are promised all kinds of good things, including him. He was promised that one day he would get his big break, because he is the Gold Standard.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

Benjamin takes him down to start but a crucifix gives Yang two. Back up and a heck of a buckle bomb drops Yang again, setting up a neck crank to put Yang in more trouble. That’s broken up but Yang’s high crossbody is countered into a gutbuster. The jumping Downward Spiral gives Benjamin the pin.

Rating: C. The series of Benjamin squashes continues as they still need to come up with a name for that finisher. The gutbuster out of the air was pretty awesome, but there is only so much that can be gotten out of Benjamin with that goofy looking gold hair. It’s an idea that might have worked on paper but it isn’t quite clicking otherwise.

Here’s the opening video again.

Armageddon rundown.

Kevin Thorn v. Jeff Lewis

Thorn is just a guy in trunks this time. Lewis grabs the arm to start and gets planted with a quick backbreaker, followed by a heck of a clothesline. A torture rack backbreaker finishes Lewis in a hurry.

Here is Matt Striker to toss a coin to determine CM Punk’s opponent for tonight.

CM Punk vs. Mark Henry

Non-title and Punk’s early kick to the chest has no effect. A waistlock is quickly countered with straight power so Punk goes with the required choke on the back. Henry doesn’t seem to mind as he walks Punk out to the floor for a posting to break it up. Back in and Henry steps on the ribs but has to shrug off Punk’s rapid fire kicks. The nerve hold goes on, though the fans stay right there behind Punk. The charge in the corner misses though and Punk hits the running knee, only to have Big Daddy V come in for the DQ.

Rating: D. What else were you expecting here? Henry is the better of the two options, but it isn’t like he can do that much at the moment. Punk is still in need of some challengers though and these two could do well in the role, assuming you don’t expect too much from them. Like a good match here for instance.

Post match the beating is on until Kane makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. They have things going on here, but that doesn’t mean they are the most interesting. Punk and Kane vs. the monsters feels like something that is done to fill time until Punk is ready for his next real match ad that is only going to get them so far. The rest of the show is pretty skippable, but they certainly get points for putting in some kind of effort to build stories and people up. Just execute it better.

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https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-vince-mcmahon-steps-back-wwe-ceo-chairman-stephanie-mcmahon-replacing/

There’s your bombshell.  It’s almost hard to fathom anyone but Vince in charge but this is the kind of thing that has to be done right now.  It is only until the investigation is over so we may be seeing another big shoe drop, but DANG this is hard to get my mind around.

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: November 27, 2007
Location: Civic Center, Roanoke, Virginia
Attendance: 3,500
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re almost to the end of the year and I’m not sure what that is going to mean around here. ECW is in need of something different and unfortunately I think we have already gotten that. Kane and Big Daddy V seem to be the next big things, though some of the Smackdown people can help. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kelly Kelly vs. Layla

Layla chokes on the rope to start and we are firmly in catfight mode. Cue Balls Mahoney for a distraction though, allowing Kelly to grab a rollup for the fast pin.

Video on Big Daddy V.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Jesse and Festus

Non-title. The bell rings and Festus chases Miz and Morrison off but we settle down to Jesse working on Morrison’s arm. A running dropkick to the side of the head gets two and it’s off to Festus for a splash. Jesse is slammed onto Morrison for two more so Miz comes in, only to get front facelocked. Morrison tries to make a save but gets glared at by Festus, who clotheslines both of them out to the floor.

After Jesse’s dive onto Miz and Morrison and a break, we come back with Morrison hitting a slingshot elbow for two on Jesse. The chinlock with a knee in Jesse’s back keeps him in trouble and we hit something like a cobra clutch. Jesse finally gets up and rolls away, allowing the hot tag to Festus to clean house. The rocket launch forearm hits Jesse for two but Morrison is back in with a cheap shot for the quick pin.

Rating: C. Watchable enough match as Miz and Morrison continue to clean out what limited competition that they have. There still isn’t enough to make a full on division but even a few teams are better than champions and their challengers of the month. Outsmarting Jesse and Festus is the best way to go with them, though I’m waiting on someone to just grab the bell and ring it to cut him off.

Video on Kane.

We look back at the women’s match.

Smackdown Rebound.

Elijah Burke introduces Shelton Benjamin, who wants to be ECW World Champion.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Shannon Moore

Benjamin twists the arm and grabs a belly to belly to start, setting up a t-bone suplex. The neck crank goes on for a bit before Moore flips out of a suplex. A slingshot something is countered into the jumping Downward Spiral to give Benjamin another fast win.

Rating: C-. What else can you say here? It’s a squash for Benjamin, who seems to be the newest star who is going to be added to the show for the sake of bolstering the roster. That is what ECW needs, and even though Benjamin’s blond hair is a bad idea, it’s nice to see Benjamin getting another chance. Nothing match, but what else were you expecting?

Kane vs. Big Daddy V

Extreme Rules and Matt Striker is here with V. Kane slugs away but his running clothesline doesn’t do him much good. V sends him outside, where the stick that Striker picks up is quickly taken away. Back in and V beats him down, setting up some standing on the ribs. Kane gets in a shot of his own and starts bringing in the weapons, only to be crushed all over again. A big boot knocks the chair into V’s face though and the middle rope clothesline puts him down.

They head outside, where V hits a loud chop up against the barricade, followed by a tackle through a table in the corner to crush Kane. Another table is set up in the middle of the ring but Kane slugs away and tries a choke. Some kendo stick shots don’t work but a trashcan shot does stagger V. Cue Mark Henry to jump Kane from behind though and the double beatdown is on. Kane is chokeslammed/spinebustered through the table to give V the win.

Rating: C. Another power brawl here but the ending does open the doors for Kane to need to find a partner to fight the monsters. I don’t know who that is going to be because Undertaker is busy with anything else, but that could make for more than a few different ideas. Now just find a way around the fact that it’s a Big Daddy V match and it should be ok.

Posing ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Here’s the latest pretty much nothing edition of ECW and I’m not particularly surprised. There are some stories, but you are only going to get so far with the roster that they have. ECW is comprised of a bunch of up and comers, people who haven’t been proven yet and wrestlers with nothing else to do. That doesn’t make for a very good show, but it is all they have at the moment.

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

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: November 20, 2007
Location: St. Pete’s Times Forum, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s Thanksgiving week and CM Punk is still ECW World Champion, having retained the title at Survivor Series over Miz and John Morrison. That means he needs a fresh challenger, and Miz getting a singles shot might be about as good as they can do. It might not be fresh, but I’ll take that over Big Daddy V. Let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

There is a big Thanksgiving spread around ringside so things can be a bit more festive.

CM Punk vs. Kenny Dykstra

Non-title. Punk goes after the arm to start and takes him down for a running legdrop. The tiger bomb backbreaker gives Punk two but it’s too early for the GTS. Instead, Dykstra takes his head off with a clothesline and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Punk’s back. Punk jawbreaks his way to freedom but Dykstra knocks him right back down. Punk fights up again and knocks Dykstra off the top, setting up a high crossbody for two. The springboard clothesline gets the same but Dykstra manages to send him into the post to cut him off again. That’s too much for Punk, who kicks him in the leg and hits the GTS for the pin.

Rating: C. Just a quick match here as Punk picks up a win over someone who shouldn’t be giving him that much of a challenge. Bringing in more and more names is one of the best things that ECW can do, if nothing else to see who might stick. Punk is still kind of floating around without a major opponent at the moment, so sending him out there for a one off match is fine.

We recap Kane beating up Matt Striker last week.

Here is Elijah Burke in the ring for a chat and he has the newest debuting ECW star.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Tommy Dreamer

That’s a surprise, though the gold hair is still awful. Benjamin takes him down and hammers away, setting up the catapult to send Dreamer throat first into the bottom rope. Dreamer fights out of a cravate but gets knocked down into the corner. The cravate goes on again and it’s a backbreaker for two on Dreamer. Back up and a bulldog plants Benjamin, who is fine enough to pull him off the middle rope. The jumping Downward Spiral finishes for Benjamin.

Rating: D+. Benjamin getting a renewed singles push is a good thing but that gold hair is going to be the end of any value he has. There are things that just do not work and that is what seems likely with suddenly having a big yellow blob on his head. Benjamin is an athletic marvel and that should be enough without the hair being the focus.

Jesse/Festus vs. Deuce N Domino

Miz and John Morrison are on commentary and Cherry is here with Deuce N Domino. The bell rings and Festus snaps as Jesse takes Deuce down. Domino comes in and gets armdragged so it’s right back to Deuce for a double arm crank. Commentary seems to approve of Cherry as Jesse punches Domino out of the air. The hot tag brings in Festus as Miz and Morrison desperately look for a weakness. House is cleaned and it’s a rocket launcher clothesline to finish Deuce.

Rating: C. I could go for more of the tag division starting to pick up and if ECW and Smackdown are sharing one set of titles, it could work out well. ECW might be able to put together a team here and there and if you can put some Smackdown teams on ECW for the sake of some flavor, good for them.

Miz and Morrison aren’t worried.

Matt Striker and Big Daddy V are ready to eat Kane.

Kevin Thorn vs. Nunzio

Thorn has new gear and short, slightly spiked hair for a rather bad look. Nunzio gets taken down and pummeled in the head to start, only to get caught in an over the shoulder backbreaker. Thorn dropping down to his knees makes Nunzio bounce hard, setting up the Original Sin for the fast pin. Total squash.

Kelly Kelly and Layla got in an argument after last week’s ECW. It turned into a food fight.

Here is Layla for a chat. She is thankful for a few things, like being so much better than Kelly Kelly. Cue Kelly to pie Layla and a bigger food fight, courtesy of the Thanksgiving table, ensues.

Raw Rebound.

Kane vs. Matt Striker/Big Daddy V

The double clubbering is on to start because there are no tags. V belly to belly slams him down and there’s the mounting so Striker can talk trash. Striker drops an elbow but Kane pops up with the uppercuts. With that not working, a double clothesline staggers V and the top rope clothesline really staggers him. A big boot puts V on the floor and the chokeslam finishes Striker.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here again, as it wasn’t a long match and they didn’t do much other than have Kane beat up Big Daddy V and then pin the lame manager. That makes Kane look good and he would be fine for a future title shot against Punk, though I don’t think they go that route at the moment. At least the Big Daddy V push seems to be over, at least for the time being.

Post match V comes in to beat Kane down again to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Totally skippable show this week and nothing that you need to see. ECW isn’t terrible these days, but it is often kind of an uninteresting show where you would be better off just reading the results. Other than Kane and Punk, there isn’t anyone who feels like a star around here and you absolutely know what you’re getting with Kane almost every week. ECW feels like the third rate show and WWE isn’t doing anything to make that feeling go away. They certainly didn’t this week, as this was 45 minutes of very little.

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There’s your big twist for the week. Apparently Naomi and Sasha Banks walked out on this week’s Monday Night Raw, when they were supposed to take part in the show’s Six Pack Challenge main event, also featuring Doudrop, Nikki Ash, Becky Lynch and Asuka. Apparently Banks didn’t like the creative, which would have seen Naomi winning, so Naomi went with them. WWE referenced it on Raw and issued a statement, which you can see below:

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1526389791784321028/photo/1

I believe the term here is egads and I’m not sure where to start. First of all, I know it might not have been the best creative or whatever the situation was, but walking out isn’t a good idea. It’s unprofessional and makes you look like you’re throwing your toys out of the crib. To make it worse, this is hardly the first time that Banks has walked out on the company. At this point, I’m almost so sick of hearing about her leaving that I wouldn’t mind if she didn’t return. She’s very talented, but either do your job or stay out.

As for Naomi, I hope she comes to her senses, because she might be talented but she isn’t a big enough star to walk out on her own. Maybe she thinks being part of the extended Anoa’i family gets her out of trouble, but it might not be quite enough. On top of that, you have the Women’s Tag Team Titles and….well maybe this is the way to get rid of those stupid things once and for all.

Overall, I’m not happy that this happened, but Banks has long run out of good graces to make up for something like this. How many times has she walked out now? I’m sure a lot of wrestlers are unhappy with how they are being presented, but stick around until your contract is up or something other than just walking out. Maybe this is fixed soon, but my goodness it’s not looking great for either of them.

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: November 13, 2007
Location: Kansas Coliseum, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s the last show before Survivor Series and that means it is time to hammer home the build towards CM Punk defending the ECW World Title against the Miz and John Morrison in a triple threat match. Miz has come a long way in recent weeks and Morrison is the top heel around here (or close to it) so that is as logical of a title match as they have right now. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

MVP/Mr. Kennedy vs. Hardys

Yay for guest stars and the theoretical Brand Split. Matt and Kennedy start things off with the fans being WAY behind Hardy (no word on if they mean Matt or Jeff). Kennedy gets taken into the corner so Jeff can slingshot in with a dropkick for an early two. It’s off to MVP to take over on Jeff but the villains are sent to the floor so Jeff can take both of them down with a dive.

Back in and a double elbow drops Kennedy for two but he is fine enough to knock Jeff down. MVP kicks Jeff out to the floor but Matt cuts MVP (his partner) off from getting to Jeff (his partner) as we take a break. We come back with MVP pulling on both arms before Kennedy grabs a seated abdominal stretch.

Jeff fights up and gets over to Matt, allowing some of the house to be cleaned, including the Side Effect for two on Kennedy. It’s right back to Jeff to miss the Swanton though and MVP drops an elbow for two. The seated abdominal stretch goes on for a bit before Kennedy adds a legdrop for two. Jeff fights up and hits the sitout gordbuster on MVP but gets sent to the apron. Kennedy pulls Jeff down by the hair, with Jeff landing HARD on the floor. MVP throws Jeff back in for the really quick pin.

Rating: C+. The ending was rather scary but maybe MVP throwing him back inside for the easy pin was a good sign as I would hope he wouldn’t do that if Jeff was really hurt. There was an interesting dynamic here focused on Matt, as he was in the middle of two different partners. MVP/Matt has gone on for a long time now and I’m wondering how long they can keep it as good as they have so far.

Post match MVP and Matt argue but MVP cuts off Kennedy’s running chair shot. MVP and Kennedy leave, allowing Matt to help Jeff (thankfully awake) walk to the back.

We look back at CM Punk vs. Jamie Noble on Smackdown, which saw some interference that left Punk laying.

Survivor Series Classic: the first one in 1987. Classic seems to fit for that one.

Here is Matt Striker in the ring for a chat. He has some good news for us: Big Daddy V isn’t here tonight because he has a bad cold. That is a good reminder to get your flu shot because it can help everything. V will be at Survivor Series though and he will dominate everyone. Cue Kane so Striker starts backing off in a hurry. Kane doesn’t mind and beats Striker down without much effort.

Melina/Layla vs. Kelly Kelly/Michelle McCool

Melina works on Michelle’s arm to start but Kelly comes in for a pretty bad looking double suplex. Kelly pulls Melina out of the corner for the sole purpose of flipping over into a rollup for two. That isn’t working for Melina, who takes her into the corner and then pull her back out. Kelly breaks that up in a hurry and hands it off to Michelle to clean house. A big boot finishes Melina.

Rating: D+. This would be one of those “well what were you expecting” matches. Kelly and Layla ware there as eye candy, Michelle is getting better but is still a work in progress and Melina is the one slightly polished worker in the match. This was designed to have women on camera and that’s all it was going to be.

Survivor Series rundown.

SAVE US.

CM Punk vs. Jamie Noble

Non-title, Miz is on commentary and John Morrison comes out to join him before the bell. We take a break and come back joined in progress with a battle over arm control. Punk takes over with a front facelock as commentary talks about Miz’s hat. A backbreaker gives Punk two but Noble is back with a jumping knee to the arm.

The arm gets snapped back a few times and Noble cranks on it a bit to keep things on the mat. A comeback is cut off and Noble goes with something close to a keylock. That’s broken up with a Samoan drop into some Kawada kicks to give Punk a breather. Punk hits a powerslam but the springboard clothesline is pulled into a Fujiwara armbar. With that broken up, Noble tries the tiger driver but gets reversed into the GS for the pin.

Rating: C+. The focus on the commentary hurt this one a bit but other than that, they had a well put together match with a simple story of Noble going after the arm and Punk fighting through to catch him in the end. That’s an acceptable way to go with a TV main event, especially when the focal point was the people talking. Noble continues to be a valuable piece of any roster, as he is having one good performance after another.

Post match Miz and Morrison come in and beat Punk down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The important thing here is that this show felt energized. There was good enough action throughout and while that might be due to the guest stars, I wasn’t bored throughout the show. ECW’s biggest problem for a long time has been their lack of star power and that is starting to be solved, at least a bit, by having these Smackdown names come in. Keep that up and they might be on to something around here.

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

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: November 6, 2007
Location: Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, California
Commentators: Joey Styles, Taz

It’s time for another title match as CM Punk defends against John Morrison (again). Mark Henry seems to be primed to become the next major force around here but you never can tell just how well that is going to go. Other than that, we don’t exactly have much going on around here and that continues to be a problem. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of The Fabulous Moolah.

We open with a video on CM Punk vs. John Morrison, so at least they’re getting to the point tonight.

Opening sequence.

Mark Henry vs. Kane

Henry pounds away at the back to start and crushes Kane with a powerslam for two. Kane gets driven back first into the corner but comes out slugging. That’s cut off but Kane fights out of a bearhug attempt. The top rope clothesline connects but Henry knees him in the ribs to break up the chokeslam. Henry has had enough of this and grabs a chair, which is enough for the DQ.

Rating: C. They kept this one short and that is a good idea, as you can only get so far with these two doing their big man match. Henry continues to look like a monster and could become a monster of the next few months either around here or on Smackdown. It isn’t anything we haven’t see before, but at least they are trying something with him.

Post match Henry wrecks Kane, including the World’s Strongest Slam onto the chair.

Wrestlemania tickets are on sale. I’m still surprised that it took so long to get it to Florida.

Nunzio vs. Jamie Noble

They go with the grappling to start until Noble elbows him in the back of the head and takes him into the corner. A backbreaker gives Noble a pair of near falls and there’s a kick to the head to make it worse. The chinlock goes on for a bit, with Nunzio fighting up and hitting a quick Sicilian Slice. Noble has had it though and it’s a Rock Bottom backbreaker into a fireman’s carry gutbuster to finish Nunzio.

Rating: C+. This might not have the biggest connection to ECW but it is nice to see some fresh blood around here. Noble is the kind of person you can put in any spot and he’ll be fine through talent alone, so throwing him out there with one of the better ECW Originals is not a bad idea.

Video on John Morrison.

SAVE US, now saying “can you break the code” and “the answer is code”.

Kelly Kelly vs. Layla

Miz (without Brooke, who was released a few days ago) is on commentary. Layla kicks her down to start and we’re already to the mounted right hands. A slam finishes Kelly in less than a minute. Yeah a slam.

Post match Balls Mahoney runs in to check on Kelly but Miz would rather walk off than fight.

Video on CM Punk vs. John Morrison, including their history.

We get a clip from Rey Mysterio’s ECW debut to promote his new DVD.

Elijah Burke vs. Shannon Moore

Moore sends him into the corner to start and drops Burke for an early two. That’s too far for Burke, who punches him into the ropes for the running crotch attack. The Outer Limits elbow (good name) sets up the Elijah Express for the fast pin.

Fabulous Moolah tribute video.

Miz wishes John Morrison luck against CM Punk tonight, but Morrison doesn’t need it. All Miz can do is manage a bunch of girls and he can’t even do that well. Miz tells Morrison that his luck is running out soon.

We look at D-Generation X beating Randy Orton and Umaga last night on Raw.

Post Raw main event, William Regal makes a rule for Orton vs. Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series: if Shawn uses the superkick, he is disqualified and can never challenge Orton for the title again. In exchange, if Orton tries to get disqualified, Shawn is champion.

Survivor Series rundown.

ECW Title: CM Punk vs. John Morrison

Punk is defending and gets shouldered down early on. Back up and Punk starts with the kicks but Morrison blocks a middle rope sunset flip. The springboard kick to the face gives Morrison two and we’re already in a crossarm choke. Punk fights out of that as well and the springboard clothesline connects for two. A leg lariat sets up a powerslam and some Kawada kicks to keep Morrison in trouble. Cue Miz for a distraction though to break up the GTS though and Morrison grabs a rollup for two. With Punk down, Miz throws in his hat to distract Morrison, allowing Punk to grab the retaining rollup.

Rating: C+. I like the idea of bringing Miz up to the next level, as he has done well with what he has been given so far but still needs that extra boost to get him to the main event scene. If nothing else, putting him in there with Morrison in a bigger feud could be a good way to go as they have shown some nice chemistry when they are together.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing here is they seemed to start to have an idea of how to use the Smackdown guys. I would rather have the lower level Smackdown stars filling out this show than the ECW Originals, most of whom had nothing going on and looked like losers most of the time. This show felt like it was getting closer to some stability and a more established norm and that has been needed for a long time around here.

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.

Spring cleaning seems to be upon up.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-wwe-releases-nine-company/

Dakota Kai

Harland

Malcolm Bivens

Persia Pirotta

Blair Baldwin (referee)

Sanjana George

Draco Anthony

Mila Milani

Raelyn Divine

Dexter Lumis

There isn’t a major name on here but Lumis, Pirotta, Harland and Kai are certainly surprises (Bivens apparently wasn’t going to re-sign so they let him go).  The interesting one to me is Kai, who was literally a champion earlier THIS MONTH and now she’s gone.  I’m not sure how many of these people are going to get signed elsewhere (Bivens would be a steal for any promotion that wants him) but you’ll likely see some of them somewhere.  What worries me is how many more might be let go.  It’s never good to see this kind of thing and odds are WWE isn’t done yet.

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: October 30, 2007
Location: Nassau Coliseum, New York City, New York
Attendance: 12,300
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s the Halloween special and this time around that means we have the Monster Mash four man battle royal between Kane, Great Khali, Mark Henry and Big Daddy V. They are leaning heavily into the freak show idea here and that is not a bad idea. I could go for seeing what else they have going on here now that Cyber Sunday is gone so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Halloween themed intro, set to something that is in no way similar to a certain Halloween novelty song about a holiday themed dance.

Opening sequence.

Elijah Burke vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

Before the match, Burke mocks Yang for being a working class guy. Yang slugs away to start but gets sent to the apron and then out to the floor (where there is some spooky smoke for some atmosphere). Burke starts in on the arm and grabs an armbar back inside, setting up a shoulder breaker. Another armbar doesn’t work that well but Burke is kicked out of the air. That’s about it for Yang’s offense though as he is sent into the corner for the Elijah Express and the pin.

Rating: C-. Little more than a squash for Burke here, which is a good idea as he hasn’t had much going on lately. Sometimes you need to just keep him warm and that’s all they were going for here. At least Yang is some fresh blood around here, even if he isn’t likely to go that far.

Video on Kane.

Raw Rebound.

Nunzio is a vampire and scares a bunch of kids but has them come with him. They go trick or treating to Balls Mahoney (in a cage, not in a costume), CM Punk (behind a KEEP OUT door, again not in a costume), and finally the Boogeyman, who scares Nunzio off and gives the kids worms.

Nunzio vs. Tommy Dreamer

Extreme Rules and it’s Dracula vs. Paul Heyman. Dreamer knocks him down to start and sends Nunzio flying off the apron. A pie to the face rocks Nunzio again as commentary isn’t sure what to make of this. Back in and a really big cell phone to the head sets up an apple bowl to the face, followed by the DDT for the pin. Commentary still can’t figure out who Dreamer is supposed to be.

Rating: C. The important thing here is they didn’t waste a lot of time on a joke that was only so funny in the first place. Commentary not being able to say Heyman was kind of amusing and it isn’t like beating Nunzio is going to matter that much. I chuckled a few times here and wasn’t annoyed so call that a win.

Video on Great Khali.

We look back at the Divas Halloween costume battle royal from Raw, with Kelly Kelly winning.

Miz vs. John Morrison

The winner gets an ECW Title shot. Feeling out process to start with Miz slapping him in the face, sending Morrison into a charge. Said charge is cut off by a drop toehold as Miz seems to be getting smarter by the week. Miz blocks a neck snap across the top and kicks Morrison hard into the barricade. Back in and the springboard kick to the face misses for Morrison, allowing Miz to hit the running corner clothesline for two. The Reality Check misses as well though and Morrison is right back with the corkscrew neckbreaker for the fast pin and the title shot.

Rating: C+. Yeah it’s Morrison getting the title shot again, which isn’t exactly a thrilling concept. Morrison has been the main challenger for the title more than once and it would have been nice to see something changed up. That being said, it isn’t like there is anyone else to go after Punk at the moment so this is kind of the only thing they can do at the moment.

Video on Mark Henry.

Video on Big Daddy V.

CM Punk vs. James Curtis

Non-title and John Morrison is on commentary. Curtis drives him into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs as Morrison isn’t all that impressed by Punk. After fighting out of the corner, Punk kicks away, setting up the bulldog and the springboard clothesline. The GTS finishes in a hurry.

Post match Morrison jumps Punk to leave him laying. The title match is next week as ECW continues its search for some new title contenders.

Monster Mash Battle Royal

Mark Henry, Kane, Great Khali, Big Daddy V

Everyone goes after Kane to start but he ducks underneath them until Henry and V collide for a double knockdown. Khali kicks Kane down and is the only one standing for a bit. Back up and Henry just lifts Khali off the mat (geez) before V seems to drop Kane on what was supposed to be the swinging Boss Man Slam. V splashes Henry into Khali in the corner but misses a charge at Kane and gets eliminated. Henry and Kane clothesline Khali out and we’re down to two. Kane can’t dump Henry but he can kick him in the face and go up top. The top rope clothesline is pulled out of the air though and Henry throws him out for the win.

Rating: C. Sometimes you need a fun main event and that’s all they went for here. Henry being pushed as the next monster should work out as he could be an interesting challenger to Punk if that is where they want to go. What we got here was a fun change of pace, but it does kind of feel like a match that they put on because they didn’t have anything else worthy of a main event.

Overall Rating: C. They kind of punted this week, with the Punk vs. Morrison match being the only thing they set up for the future. That’s not a bad idea here though as it was around a holiday and they were coming off of a pay per view, so have a little fun instead of going through with what would have been another lackluster show. ECW still needs to get some better talent in place, but they also need some better stories because this is only so interesting of a show week to week.

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.