ECW On Sci Fi
Date: January 8, 2008
Location: Wachovia Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 7,000
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re still in the CM Punk Era and this time that means he has to deal with Chavo Guerrero. I’m not sure why either, but given how many challengers have just been dropped, Guerrero could at least offer some stability. Other than that, Miz and John Morrison are continuing their pretty sweet feud with Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Joey Styles runs down the card and sounds a bit depressed to be doing so.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: John Morrison/Miz vs. Shannon Moore/Jimmy Wang Yang

Miz and Morrison are defending and this is a Fifteen Minutes Of Fame match, meaning a fifteen minute Iron Man match. Moore backslides Miz for some early near falls to start before it’s off to Morrison to unload in the corner. A running knee the head rocks Moore again but the chinlock doesn’t last long. Instead Moore kicks Morrison away and brings Yang in to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Morrison gets monkey flipped onto his face. Yang’s running spinwheel kick gets no count as the referee is distracted, allowing Morrison to grab a rollup for the first fall with 11:17 to go.

Miz/Morrison – 1
Yang/Moore – 0

We take a break and come back with the same score at 7:30 to go. Yang fights out of another chinlock (Morrison’s chinlock game is pretty weak tonight) but gets crotched on top to cut him off again. Miz ties Yang in the Tree of Woe, as a villain should, and hammers on the knee but Yang fights out anyway. A quick moonsault press (which didn’t make a ton of contact) finishes Morrison at 6:16 to go to tie us up.

Miz/Morrison – 1
Yang/Moore – 1

Miz comes right in and goes after the knee, including a half crab to keep him down. It’s back to Morrison to stay on the knee with a cannonball and some cranking. The leg is wrapped around the post and another leglock goes on to burn off more of the clock. Yang slips out though and starts the comeback, including a top rope dive (erg) to drop Morrison on the floor.

Moore comes back in with a minute left and hits something like a Whisper in the Wind for two on Miz. A Samoan drop/running neckbreaker combination connects for the same with 24 seconds left. Yang hits another moonsault press (or at least his leg hits Morrison in the head) for two as time expires, meaning Miz and Morrison retain.

Rating: B-. These teams work well together and the ending should give them a chance to have one more match, which wouldn’t be the worst thing to see. It’s nice to see a new team getting put together for something like this, even if I have no reason to believe that Moore and Yang are going to get the titles or have much of a future, but at least they are giving us something fresh for a change.

Kofi Kingston is still coming.

Colin Delaney is here to try his luck again.

Colin Delaney vs. Mark Henry

The bad luck continues as Delaney is thrown into the air for a crash, setting up a powerslam for the easy pin.

Lena Yada is in the ring to host a Diva Dance Off between Layla and Kelly Kelly. Layla dances, Kelly dances, the fans cheer for Kelly, Lena announces that she is in too, dances, and declares herself the winner.

WWE HD is coming.

Shelton Benjamin enters the Royal Rumble and talks about gold.

Chavo Guerrero vs. CM Punk

Non-title but, just like last week, if Chavo wins, he gets a future title shot. They fight over a lockup to start and that’s good for an early standoff. Chavo shoulders him down but gets pulled into a headlock as the slow start continues. That’s reversed into a headscissors, which is countered into a basement dropkick for two but Chavo is right back up with uppercuts in the corner. Punk gets slammed down hard and we take a break.

Back with Chavo’s abdominal stretch being broken up but Punk’s splash just bangs up his ribs again. The double arm crank is reversed into a rollup for a quick reprieve so Chavo kicks him in the ribs again. We hit the logical bodyscissors until Punk fights up and catapults him over the top in a clever counter.

The suicide dive that you knew was coming connects and Punk hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker back inside. There’s the running knee in the corner to set up the bulldog for two more but Chavo is right back with the Three Amigos. An over the shoulder backbreaker gets another two and the frustrated Chavo pulls the turnbuckle pad off. With the referee distracted, Chavo goes for the title belt but gets caught again, which is enough for the referee to call for the DQ.

Rating: B-. Another nice effort from these two, but that really shouldn’t be a surprise. Chavo is not exactly interesting but he can have a good match with just about anyone. Put him in there with someone as talented as Punk and give them this kind of time and this was almost guaranteed to be at least pretty good. There’s a good chance that the ending sets up another rematch though, even if that might be more than a bit of overkill.

Punk seems relieved to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. You had a pair of good matches and that is enough to cut down on the negative impact from the dance off. They have figured things out a good bit better around here and the show has gotten better as a result. ECW still feels like little more than a holding pin for people who are going to be bigger stars down the line or who have nothing to do, but for an hour long show, it could be a lot worse.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: January 1, 2008
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’ll start a new year right here and that means things are not going so well for ECW World Champion CM Punk. In addition to dealing with the monsters in Mark Henry and Big Daddy V, he has to deal with the heel that will never go away in Chavo Guerrero. That’s where we are after a week off to close out the previous year so let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of two weeks ago, with CM Punk escaping against MVP but getting laid out by Chavo Guerrero after the match.

Opening sequence.

Here is Armando Estrada to introduce Chavo Guerrero. People have been asking how he could do that but he has been stuck at home doing nothing but watching TV. During that time, he has seen the emergence of CM Punk, the future of WWE. Cue Punk, who doesn’t quite buy that. Chavo says he sees Punk as a stepping stone and promises to be a champion again in 2008. Punk says if Chavo wants a title shot, he’s right here. Estrada says Chavo can earn a title shot if he beats Punk tonight.

Miz/John Morrison/Layla vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore/Kelly Kelly

Kelly and company have matching cowboy hats. The women start things off with Layla getting in a cheap shot to knock Kelly down, allowing Morrison to come in. Men can face women here so Kelly slaps Morrison and brings in Moore for a bit fairer fight. Miz’s clothesline from the apron puts Moore down though and the villains take over. A chinlock doesn’t last long for Morrison as Moore fights up and gets in a shot of his own for a double knockdown. Yang comes in off the hot tag and a missile dropkick hits Miz as everything breaks down. The top rope moonsault press gives Yang the fast pin.

Rating: C+. These guys work well together and the women didn’t bring it down that far. If nothing else, I like the idea of adding in the women to mix things up a bit, which is always appreciated when you have a bunch of non-title matches. Now just get to the actual title match and see where things go from there.

Post match, square dancing ensues.

Tazz is in the ring with Colin Delaney and we see him getting wrecked by Shelton Benjamin in his debut match. Delaney says he has been training even more and he wants to be a WWE superstar. Tazz wishes him luck.

Big Daddy V vs. Colin Delaney

Gorilla press drop, Samoan drop and elbow drop finish Delaney in short order.

Shelton Benjamin vs. James Curtis

Benjamin gets an inset promo promising to show how great he is this year. Curtis gets driven into the corner to start and a slightly delayed suplex gets two. Benjamin bends his back over a knee before switching to the chinlock. Some shots to the face set up a buckle bomb to rock Curtis again and the jumping Downward Spiral finishes for Benjamin.

Rating: C. Another total squash for Benjamin, who is turning into one of the better stars around here. Benjamin has always had the talent and abilities but he hasn’t had a chance in a rather long time. It was a good beating, and once Benjamin actually gets something to do, he should do well around here.

Raw Rebound.

CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title but Chavo gets a future title shot if he wins here. Punk armdrags him down to start before Chavo rolls out of a waistlock. Back up and Punk has to flip out of a belly to back suplex but bangs up his knee on the landing. The knee is fine enough to hit a middle rope crossbody as we take a break. We come back with Chavo working on the knee in the corner and snapping it down ala Curt Hennig with a neck. The knee crank goes on before a dropkick takes the leg out again.

For some reason Chavo switches to an armbar so Punk fights out, earning himself a chop block to cut him off again. More leg cranking ensues but Punk is back up with a running knee in the corner and the bulldog for two. Chavo isn’t having that and rolls him into a half crab, sending Punk straight over to the ropes. Three Amigos are broken up so Chavo hits a running crossbody to put them both on the floor. Punk kicks him down though beats the count back in for the win.

Rating: C+. So are we just dropping everything with MVP, Big Daddy V and Mark Henry? And for the sake of Chavo Guerrero? That might be an upgrade in some cases but Chavo is still Chavo, and that means there is a pretty firm limit on what they are going to be able to do here. Punk winning early is a bit weird, but you can probably expect it to continue for at least a little while to come.

Chavo is frustrated to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was one of the better shows they have had in awhile and that is because they mixed things up rather well. There were good enough matches while also boosting up a few stars. Hopefully they can keep that going, but what matters the most here is that they had a nice show here. Now just keep something like that going and we should be in for a nice future as the new year begins.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: December 25, 2007
Hosts: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s Christmas night and even WWE isn’t crazy enough to try to run a third brand show under those circumstances. Therefore it is a Best Of show, which is all it should be. There have been some good enough moments to fill in such a show and I’m curious to see what is picked. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Joey Styles and Tazz are in the studio and welcome us to the show, which will be a bunch of clips. As usual, I’ll be posting the full versions of matches and segments instead of the clipped versions.

We get a long recap of Vince McMahon and pals vs. Bobby Lashley, which dominated a good chunk of the first half of the year around here. Vince with the title and the doorag is an all time look for him. The big blowoff came at One Night Stand, where Lashley got the title back from Vince (even if he was stripped of it soon after as he went to Raw in the Draft, but at least he won it back).

Kofi Kingston is having a good day in paradise, though he has to deal with a thief. Security is terrible around here.

Quick look at the ECW eight man tag at Wrestlemania.

From ECW On Sci Fi, April 3.

New Breed vs. ECW Originals

Extreme Rules, which was going to happen sooner or later. We’re joined in progress with Sabu dropping Striker to set up the one armed camel clutch and everything breaks down in a hurry. The weapons are brought in to clear out the New Breed, meaning it’s time for some dives. Dreamer whips Striker into a trashcan in the corner but Cor Von gets in a cheap shot so the New Breed can take over.

The rest of the Originals are held outside but Dreamer manages a DDT/neckbreaker combination to get a breather. Now the rest of the Originals can come back in to clean house with Sabu getting two on Striker. Burke knocks a swinging Sandman down without much effort but Dreamer hits the baseball slide into the chair into Striker’s face in the Tree of Woe. Sandman cleans house with the kendo stick but Cor Von is back up to suplex Dreamer onto an open chair.

There’s the Pounce to send Dreamer outside so Sabu comes back in to throw a chair at Cor Von’s head. Van Dam slips out of a Razor’s Edge through a table and rolls Thorn up for two. Ariel crotches Van Dam on top but Sabu makes another save. Van Dam and Sabu drive Thorn through the table at the same time but the Van Dam is sent outside. The Elijah Express sends Sabu through a table in the corner though and Burke gets the pin.

Rating: B. This was actually a heck of a sprint and that is what this should have been. Once they came back from the break, this was a pretty awesome match with all eight guys working hard and beating each other up. Odds are this sets up a tables match at Extreme Rules for the big blowoff, though the Punk factor is going to be interesting as well.

Video on Elijah Burke.

Video on John Morrison.

Taz and Joey look at the Best Of 2007 WWE Magazine (complete with a SHAMELESS PLUG graphic).

We take a very quick look at Morrison beating CM Punk to become the ECW World Champion at Vengeance.

Video on the Morrison vs. Punk rivalry, with Punk FINALLY winning the title.

Video on CM Punk.

From Survivor Series.

ECW World Title: Miz vs. John Morrison vs. CM Punk

Punk is defending and for the sake of sanity, I’ll only refer to him as champion. It’s a brawl to start with Punk getting double teamed down into the corner. Morrison catapults Punk into the corner but he comes out with a middle rope crossbody. Punk knocks Miz to the floor but the springboard clothesline is broken up to put Punk down again. Miz breaks up Punk’s springboard with a shot to the floor though and it’s a camel clutch to Punk.

That means Morrison comes in for the save, setting up a backbreaker into a neckbreaker to drop Punk again. A suplex from the apron gets two on Miz but he is right back with a running corner clothesline. Punk is back in with a hurricanrana to send Morrison into Miz for a powerbomb and a near fall. The running knee in the corner sets up the corner bulldog to give Punk two on Miz and a double underhook backbreaker onto the knee gets the same. Morrison is back up to go after Miz, only to be sent outside. That leaves Punk to GTS Miz and retain.

Rating: C+. Miz and Morrison’s rise continues as the two of them have become rather dependable on ECW, and now elsewhere. It makes sense to give them the Tag Team Titles and now we should be seeing even more of them. This was a good way to get the show going as Punk has to work to retain and Miz and Morrison have come far enough that they didn’t seem like cannon fodder.

Video on Big Daddy V.

Joey and Tazz talk about the Smackdown/ECW talent exchange.

Quick clip of Miz and Morrison winning the Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

Video on Kane.

Quick look at Big Daddy V/Mark Henry beating CM Punk and Kane at Armageddon.

From ECW On Sci Fi, December 18.

MVP vs. CM Punk

Non-title. Before the match, MVP brags about himself and wants MVP out here now. We’re joined in progress with Punk fighting out of a headlock but getting taken back down into an armbar. That’s reversed into a headscissors but they stay on the mat with MVP going back to the armbar. Punk grabs a headscissors before dropkicking him in the back of the head for two as things pick up a bit. MVP is right back with a running boot to the head and the armbar goes on.

We’ll make that a cravate, with MVP firing off some knees to the face for a nasty bonus. There’s a kick to the face to put Punk down again and we hit ANOTHER armbar. MVP switches to a reverse chinlock until Punk drops him down onto his back for a break. Punk hits a running knee lift and the springboard clothesline gets two. Back up and MVP avoids a charge in the corner, where Punk gets tied in the Tree of Woe. A bunch of stomps in the corner are enough to get MVP disqualified.

Rating: C-. Oh yeah this was about what I would have expected from a holiday week show, as they didn’t bother trying to do anything here. You don’t want either champion losing but this was a match designed to get by on name only. Neither was interested in trying here and then they have an ending to save face. Not much to this one, but it could work on a bigger stage.

Post match MVP hits the running boot in the corner and leaves. Cue Chavo Guerrero Jr. in a surprise return to brainbuster Punk. The frog splash crushes Punk to end the show. I’m not sure why they have a new villain in here, especially when Big Daddy V and possibly MVP are right there now, but why do that when you can have Chavo Guerrero?

Tazz apologizes for wrecking the Christmas tree last year and has a gift for Joey. Styles goes to pick it up…and gets kicked into the tree because he’s a schnook.

One more ECW video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. You can only get so annoyed at a show like this as they moved through the year and didn’t exactly miss many of the big things. That shows you were ECW has been this year though, as it hasn’t been the most thrilling show. Things are moving in the right direction though as there are multiple stories going on, which was missing earlier in the year. Easy watch here, but that’s how Best Of shows are supposed to be.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: December 18, 2007
Location: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re done with Armageddon and ECW World Champion CM Punk has his hands full with Big Daddy V, who pinned him in a tag match at the pay per view. Other than that, there is a good chance that this week’s show is going to be a bit lighter ala Raw, which isn’t a bad thing given the holiday season. Let’s get to it.

Here is Armageddon if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

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

Non-title and a rematch from last week’s surprisingly rather good match. Moore rolls Miz up a few times to start and Miz knows he’s in a bit of trouble. Morrison takes his place but Moore punches at both champions to keep up the fast start. Yang comes in for a running basement dropkick to Morrison, followed by a suplex into Moore’s slingshot hilo. It’s back to Miz, who can’t even take over with a Morrison distraction. The champs are knocked outside, where stereo baseball slides are blocked and we take a break.

We come back with Yang kicking Morrison away and bringing Moore back in to pick up the pace again. Morrison knocks Moore down though and Miz catapults him throat first into the bottom rope. The cravate keeps Moore in trouble and Morrison’s slingshot elbow gets two. Morrison goes up but gets kicked out of the air, allowing the hot tag to Yang (there’s one you don’t hear very often). Everything breaks down and Moore dives off the top onto Morrison. Back in and Morrison accidentally kicks Miz in the head, setting up the top rope moonsault press to give Yang the upset pin.

Rating: C+. These guys work well together and while I’m not big on the champs taking a pin, it’s not like they have any other challengers to come after the titles at the moment. The two match series has worked far better than I would have expected and now they have what should be a showdown trilogy match waiting on them. Somehow this is as good as the tag division gets these days, so I’ll take what I can get.

We look back at CM Punk getting pinned by Big Daddy V at the pay per view.

Colin Delaney vs. Shelton Benjamin

Before the match, Tazz is in the ring for a quick chat with Delaney, who is the hometown boy in his first match. No pressure there of course. A t-bone suplex and big boot set up a buckle bomb to drop Delaney over and over. The jumping Downward Spiral finishes for Shelton fast.

Post match, Shelton declares there AIN’T NO STOPPING ME NOW!

Kofi Kingston deals with a bully in Jamaica.

Nunzio vs. Kenny Dykstra

Dykstra has Victoria with him and I keep forgetting he hasn’t been let go yet. Nunzio is dressed as an elf to hand out candy canes to the crowd. That doesn’t work for Dykstra, who runs him over to start and stomps on the canes (what a Grinch) before we hit the chinlock. A comeback is cut off with a backdrop and the top rope legdrop gives Dykstra the pin.

Video on MVP.

Raw Rebound.

MVP vs. CM Punk

Non-title. Before the match, MVP brags about himself and wants MVP out here now. We’re joined in progress with Punk fighting out of a headlock but getting taken back down into an armbar. That’s reversed into a headscissors but they stay on the mat with MVP going back to the armbar. Punk grabs a headscissors before dropkicking him in the back of the head for two as things pick up a bit. MVP is right back with a running boot to the head and the armbar goes on.

We’ll make that a cravate, with MVP firing off some knees to the face for a nasty bonus. There’s a kick to the face to put Punk down again and we hit ANOTHER armbar. MVP switches to a reverse chinlock until Punk drops him down onto his back for a break. Punk hits a running knee lift and the springboard clothesline gets two. Back up and MVP avoids a charge in the corner, where Punk gets tied in the Tree of Woe. A bunch of stomps in the corner are enough to get MVP disqualified.

Rating: C-. Oh yeah this was about what I would have expected from a holiday week show, as they didn’t bother trying to do anything here. You don’t want either champion losing but this was a match designed to get by on name only. Neither was interested in trying here and then they have an ending to save face. Not much to this one, but it could work on a bigger stage.

Post match MVP hits the running boot in the corner and leaves. Cue Chavo Guerrero Jr. in a surprise return to brainbuster Punk. The frog splash crushes Punk to end the show. I’m not sure why they have a new villain in here, especially when Big Daddy V and possibly MVP are right there now, but why do that when you can have Chavo Guerrero?

Overall Rating: D+. The opening match is all that is worth seeing here and there is nothing else to see whatsoever. The rest of the show was pretty uninteresting and they did little more than put people in the ring and fill in time. I wasn’t feeling this one, but it’s the holiday season so it isn’t like many people are going to be paying attention anyway.

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https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-vince-mcmahon-officially-retires-wwe/

It took me a bit to really process this, but he’s gone. It’s hard to believe this but he’s actually gone. It is WAY too early to know what this is going to mean for WWE, but make no mistake about it: this is a game changer for the company, as it is the first time that Vince has not been at the helm. Yes he has fallen off a lot and isn’t what he used to be and yes this was going to happen one day. That being said, this is completely uncharted territory and now things are going to change, at least in some ways. HHH being back in charge of talent is interesting and having Stephanie/Nick Khan running things is as well, but I’m looking to see what happens in the coming months, because this is ALL new stuff.

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.

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: 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.

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

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