ECW on Sci Fi
Date: June 12, 2007
Location: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

So everything changed last night as we have a brand new roster for all three shows (with more changes to come tomorrow afternoon), but the bigger story is that Vince McMahon got blown up real good. I think we’re going to have a focal point tonight, which might make for an odd show. Let’s get to it.

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

The WWE flag at Titan Towers was at half mast today

We watch the last seven minutes or so of Raw, from Vince coming to the ring, leaving without saying anything, and then getting blown up.

We get a ten bell salute, with the fans not exactly upset that Vince is gone.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Balls Mahoney

Tonight’s matches are dedicated to Vince so naturally this is under Extreme Rules. Commentary talks about how great Vince was for bringing back ECW as Mahoney hammers away, apparently out of dedication to Mr. McMahon. They go outside with Dreamer pulling out the weapons, including a kitchen sink to Mahoney’s head. That doesn’t seem to do much as Mahoney knocks Dreamer down and whips out some weapons of his own.

Dreamer trashcans him down and sets up a chair, which of course he goes into face first. Another trashcan shot to the head puts Mahoney in the Tree of Woe, setting up the running dropkick to drive the can into Mahoney’s face. Dreamer grabs a table, because it wouldn’t be ECW without one. Mahoney gets put through it in a hurry and a DDT onto a chair gives Dreamer the pin.

Rating: D+. I get why they’re doing it, but dedicating a standard ECW brawl to Vince feels rather out of place given what Vince had been doing to the ECW Originals in recent months. At least they kept this relatively short, even though it was a cold match for the sake of filling time on the show.

Boogeyman vs. Matt Striker

Striker runs away to start but gets in a few shots as Boogeyman follows him inside. Some shots to the back make Boogeyman gyrate as Tazz talks about all the entertainment Vince McMahon gave us over the years. Boogeyman hits him a few times and finishes with the chokebomb.

Post match, Striker gets wormed.

We get some post Raw footage of fire trucks arriving and putting out the limo fire.

Joey and Tazz talk about how you could see the smoke from their hotel a mile away. Those little touches do a nice job of helping put together the big picture.

Chris Benoit/CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke/Marcus Cor Von

Punk and Cor Von start things off with Punk taking him down in a headlock. Cor Von reverses into a headlock of his own before running Punk over without much effort. The power gets Punk into the corner so Burke can come in, but Punk slips away and brings in Benoit. The big elbow to the face puts Burke on the floor and it’s time to beg off back inside. Cor Von comes back in and gets punched in the face over and over.

Punk’s springboard clothesline staggers Cor Von and villains are cleared out as we take a break. Back with Burke dropping an elbow on the back of Punk’s head to cut him off. Cor Von and Burke take turns stomping on Punk and a catapult sends Punk into the buckle. For some reason someone says ring the bell so the bell rings, only to have everything break down. Commentary is really confused until the referee says Cor Von was disqualified for attacking Punk until a five count. Even the wrestlers seemed a bit confused on that one.

Rating: C. The match was a fine way to bring in Benoit, but that ending left a few things to be desired. It’s nice to see the referee follow the rules, but dang it was confusing. It made me feel better when almost no one seemed to know what was going on though, as the wrestlers didn’t seem to know what was going on.

Post match Benoit and Punk beat on them a bit more.

We see the explosion one more time to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a weird show, as it was the day after the biggest angle the company has had in a long time. That had to be the focus of the show, but it also made this week’s show feel a lot less important. As a result, it was a mixture of a debut for some new wrestlers and a weird tribute, with the results not exactly working.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: June 5, 2007
Location: Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re done with One Night Stand and some ECW things actually took place on the show. First and foremost, Bobby Lashley got the ECW World Title back from Vince McMahon, which should wrap their feud up for good. Other than that, Rob Van Dam seems to be out of action for the time being after Randy Orton beat the living daylights out of him. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Lashley winning the handicap match to get the title back.

Opening sequence.

Here is Vince McMahon, sitting in a rocking chair on a platform, with a rather annoyed glare on his face. Bobby Lashley comes out as Vince keeps rocking back and forth without doing much of anything.

Bobby Lashley vs. Tommy Dreamer/Sandman/Balls Mahoney

Non-title hardcore match. The trio grabs their weapons and start swinging to put Lashley on the floor. Back in and they do it again, followed by a third time for good measure. For some reason Dreamer thinks a suplex is a good idea and gets suplexed down for his efforts. Sandman and Mahoney drape Lashley over the top with Sandman dropping a leg to the back of the neck. Dreamer is back in for the baseball slide to the chair in the Tree of Woe. It’s table time (because of course) but Mahoney chairs Dreamer by mistake. That’s enough for Lashley to put Sandman through the table and spear Mahoney down for the pin.

Rating: C-. You can only get so much out of something like this as Lashley isn’t going to lose to three people so low on the totem pole. I guess this is the best punishment Vince can muster at the moment and while it wasn’t awful, it was spending a few minutes waiting around for Lashley to beat them up. Just find something better for Lashley to do already.

Post match, Lashley poses in front of Vince, who doesn’t move.

Kevin Thorn vs. Stevie Richards

Richards forearms away to start and sends Thorn outside. The dive off the apron is pulled out of the air though, allowing Thorn to drive him into the apron. Back in and the chinlock goes on until Richards fights up, only to be dropped face first onto the turnbuckle instead. Richards strikes away and sends Thorn throat first into the middle rope fir a change. A spinebuster cuts Richards off though and Original Sin is good for pin.

Rating: D. This was another boring one as Thorn isn’t all that interesting once he gets in the ring. The vampire deal is a cool idea but other than the finisher, he’s just another low level power guy. Richards was trying as always, but there wasn’t much anyone could do in these circumstances.

Extreme Expose, who mix it up this week by adding some dancing on the announcers’ table.

We look at Randy Orton injuring Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand, putting Van Dam on the shelf.

Elijah Burke/Marcus Cor Von vs. Major Brothers

Cor Von charges at them to start and the beating is on in a hurry. Brett starts working on the arm though and Brian comes in with a top rope ax handle. That doesn’t work so well so it’s off to Burke, who gets double hiptossed right back down. Cor Von isn’t having this though and comes back in to run both of them over.

A slam in the corner sets up Burke’s seated abdominal stretch, followed by Cor Von’s waistlock. Cor Von knees Brett in the ribs to cut off the comeback and Burke puts on a standing abdominal stretch. For some reason he lets that go though and knees Brett in the back, sending him over to the corner for the tag to Brian. The comeback doesn’t please Cor Von so he tags himself back in to hit the Pounce for the pin.

Rating: C-. You can definitely see something in the Major Brothers, as they feel like a team who know each other well. It also helps that they have gotten some TV time now and have a bit of familiarity with the fans. The New Breed is all but done at this point, but a win over the Majors isn’t going to hurt anyone at the moment.

We recap the opening match, including Vince McMahon almost looking like he was in a trance.

CM Punk vs. Matt Striker

Before the match, Striker promises to teach Punk a lesson to educate these people cheering for him. Punk leg lariats him down to start and a pair of kicks gets two more. Striker comes back with some suplexes and a slam, setting up the half crab. With that broken up, Striker hits a hanging swinging neckbreaker before going right back to the same hold. Punk escapes again and starts striking away, including the running knee in the corner. The bulldog sets up the GTS to give Punk the pin.

Rating: C-. There’s only so much you can get out of Striker, who much like Thorn, is a far better character that he is a wrestler. It also doesn’t help that Punk is one of the biggest stars on this show and isn’t losing to anyone but another big star. Striker put in the effort here, but it was only going to get him so far.

Overall Rating: D+. This was quite the lame duck show as we are less than a week away from the Draft so none of this really mattered all that much. Vince still being broken was the highlight, as he is still one of the best performers in the world. Things need to be shaken up around here so the Draft is coming at the right time, but it didn’t exactly make for a good show this week.

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One Night Stand 2007
Date: June 3, 2007
Location: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial, Jacksonville, Florida
Attendance: 7,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles, Tazz, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s what almost has to be the final cycle of Wrestlemania rematches and early summer stories. The build for this has not been great, which probably has a lot to do with it being a mere two weeks after Backlash. The card isn’t looking the best either, but maybe they can surprise me. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how everything is extreme rules for one night only, though in this case it means everything has its own stipulations. There’s a better name for the show in there somewhere.

Randy Orton vs. Rob Van Dam

This is a stretcher match and fallout from Orton attacking Van Dam and giving him a concussion, which was fallout from Orton attacking Shawn Michaels and giving him a concussion. Van Dam does the finger pointing and then kicks Orton in the face to start fast. Some more strikes keep Orton rocked early, including a running clothesline in the corner. A kick to the face sets up the spinning legdrop but Orton gets in a shot to the face to put Van Dam down, complete with bugged out eyes.

Van Dam is fine enough to kick Orton in the face but the jump to the top means a crash out to the floor. Orton slowly brings him back inside for the dropkick before slowly knocking Van Dam down a few times. The over the shoulder neckbreaker drops Van Dam but he falls off the stretcher. For some reason that wakes Van Dam up and he posts Orton down.

Now it’s Orton being laid on the stretcher for the spinning kick to the back. They head back inside with Van Dam hitting a clothesline but Rolling Thunder is reversed into the powerslam in a slick counter. Van Dam manages to toss him onto the stretcher again, but a big running flip dive over the top only hits floor in a nasty landing. Orton drops him onto the stretcher but Van Dam fights up and puts Orton on for the surprise win.

Rating: C. This was a bit of a weird match as Orton beat Van Dam up for a good while and then lost in the end, despite Van Dam looking destroyed more than once. Van Dam deserves some attention for his facials alone and there was a nice story being told. Maybe not a great match and I’m not sure on Orton winning, but they did something different enough here.

Post match Orton is right back up and beats Van Dam back to ringside. The Punt off the apron sets up the hanging DDT from the barricade, which ends Van Dam’s full time WWE career for the time being. Aside from some cameos, Van Dam would not be back until 2013.

Vince McMahon is worried about the street fight with Bobby Lashley but Shane McMahon says Umaga will take care of things. That helps, but Vince has a premonition of something bad happening to him.

Sandman/Tommy Dreamer/CM Punk vs. New Breed

Tables match, meaning we have tags. Dreamer and Cor Von go technical to start, including a butterfly suplex to put Dreamer down. Burke comes in but misses a charge in the corner, allowing the tag off to Sandman. That means a hiptoss before Punk comes in to a big reaction for some knees to Striker. Punk and Dreamer want some tables but Punk has to dive on Cor Von first.

Back in and Striker runs from Sandman and the kendo stick before Cor Von has to save him from the table. Burke hits a quick elbow to Punk’s bad ribs and it’s everyone inside to brawl again. We hit the parade of secondary finishers, including Cor Von Alpha Bombing Punk. Dreamer piledrives Burke and Punk superplexes Striker through Burke and the table for the win.

Rating: C-. This could have been any ECW On Sci Fi main event and that isn’t the worst place to be. The problem here was the time and the lack of any real story to the whole thing, as they just wildly brawled for the most part. Granted that’s what this probably should have been and now it is time to wrap up the New Breed as Punk can move on to something bigger.

Randy Orton comes up to see Edge and suggests that he’s coming for the World Heavyweight Title, if Edge beats Batista tonight and if he gets moved to Smackdown in the Draft. That’s quite the hypothetical and Edge doesn’t seem scared.

Raw Tag Team Titles: World’s Greatest Tag Team Team vs. Hardys

The Hardys are defending in a ladder match. It’s a fight to start with the Hardys knocking both of them down in a row. Since that doesn’t mean much in a ladder match, all four head outside and pick up a ladder of their own. The dueling is on until Haas gets crushed by ladders in the corner, setting up Poetry In Motion to Shelton to smash Haas again.

Haas is fine enough to get out and pull Jeff off the ladder but Matt is there to make the save. The Hardys go up at the same time (which is stupid), allowing Shelton to throw a ladder at them to bring them back down (I knew it was stupid). Jeff is sent face first into the ladder in the corner and Haas and Benjamin, apparently not learning, go up at the same time as well.

Matt breaks that up in a hurry but it’s time to set up ladder contraptions. That takes too long though and the Hardys send both of them back first into a ladder. Now it’s time to bring in the bigger ladders, because the ladder match checklist must be completed. One such ladder is bridged between the ring and the apron, with Benjamin being backdropped onto it in a hurry.

That’s not good enough so Jeff loads up something off the top but Haas belly to back superplexes him down. Haas leans Matt up against a ladder on the floor and Jeff gets t-boned. That doesn’t seem to bother Matt though as he shoves Haas and Benjamin down, the latter onto a ladder, setting up a Swanton to keep them down. Matt pulls the titles down to retain.

Rating: B. Like this wasn’t going to work. It’s a match I didn’t care to see but knew it was going to be good, which was absolutely what happened here. Sometimes you need to let people who are good at this kind of thing do their stuff and that was the case here. It was nothing that hadn’t been done before, but it was done well.

Great Khali promises to win.

Mark Henry vs. Kane

Lumberjack match and the lumberjacks get their own individual entrances. Henry powers him to the floor to start but Kane is back in to kick Henry in the face. That doesn’t bother Henry much either so Kane slugs him out to the floor and follows him out. This time Henry rams him into the post to start working on the back and hammers away in it inside. A test of strength doesn’t work well for Henry as Kane headbutts his way to freedom, only to get shouldered down.

Kane can’t pick Henry up and we hit the bearhug, with Henry eventually throwing him down. Henry gets tossed outside so Kane dives onto a bunch of people for the big crash. Back in and Kane hits the top rope clothesline to set up the chokeslam but the lumberjacks come in to beat him down. Since it’s No DQ, Henry grabs the bearhug again and Kane is out for the win.

Rating: D. The gimmick didn’t do the match any favors here and it felt rather forced in. I get that they had to do something to make this an extreme match but it was basically Henry hurting Kane’s back, some interference, and then Henry wins. That could have been done without the lumberjacks and that is never a good sign for any match.

The Hardys and the World’s Greatest Tag Team get in a fight backstage.

We recap Bobby Lashley vs. Vince McMahon for the ECW World Title. Lashley helped shave McMahon’s head at Wrestlemania so Vince swore revenge and eventually took the title with some help from Shane McMahon and Umaga. After screwing Lashley over a time or two, it is time for the final showdown in a street fight.

ECW World Title: Vince McMahon vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley is challenging in a street fight and Shane McMahon/Umaga are here with Vince. Lashley wastes no time in diving over the top onto Umaga, who he grazes with his feet at best. Now it’s Shane getting beaten up and tossed onto Umaga at ringside, leaving Lashley to unload on Vince in the corner.

Umaga comes back in to miss a splash in the corner but Shane is back in with a DDT onto a chair. Vince clotheslines Lashley down and chokes in the corner before they head outside. More triple teaming ensues before heading back inside where Vince can hit a spear for two. Lashley pulls Vince in the way of Umaga’s splash though and the comeback is on.

Shane and Umaga are sent outside and Lashley unloads on Vince with a chair. The Dominator gets two with Umaga making the save, setting up a splash from the apron. Shane adds the top rope elbow through the announcers’ table and everyone is down again. That only gives Vince two back inside so Umaga hits the running hip attack in the corner. Shane misses Coast To Coast though and Lashley is back up with the spear to Vince to get the title back.

Rating: C. This was the fairly obvious way to go and there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you need to go in the logical way and this time around that meant Lashley running through the odds and getting the title back. Lashley is a monster, but now he needs something else to do, which unfortunately won’t involve Vince as the amazing ECW heel. Not a great match or a great brawl, but it did what it was supposed to do.

Post match Lashley hits another spear on Vince for a bonus.

Maria likes Santino Marella speaking Italian to her but she has to answer a question about the upcoming pudding match between Melina and Candice Michelle. As you might guess, her response features a lot of big words and scientific explanations about pudding. Candice pops up and asks for a kiss for luck. Maria obliges, so Santino says he loves America. Ron Simmons comes in for the catchphrase.

Melina vs. Candice Michelle

Non-title and they’re fighting in pudding. Candice shoves her down and they grapple around a lot, as you can probably guess how this is going. They fight on the floor a bit and Lawler can’t tell which is which, though he doesn’t seem to care. Melina licks some pudding off of her thumb and hits a DDT. Trash talking ensues, but Candice pulls her into a reverse chinlock for the tap (on pudding). Exactly what you would have expected.

Post match Maria comes in for an interview but gets pulled into the pudding. The referee is pulled in as well and Lawler is jealous.

We recap Edge vs. Batista for the Smackdown World Title. Edge cashed in Money in the Bank to take the title from Undertaker, then cheated to beat Batista at Judgment Day. Now it’s time for Batista to get his rematch inside a cage.

Smackdown World Title: Batista vs. Edge

Edge is defending in a cage. Batista starts fast by taking him down and going up but it’s way too early for that. Edge tries to go up but gets pulled back down, earning himself a heck of a clothesline for two. A few shots to the face aren’t enough for Edge to get out as Lashley suplexes him down for two more.

Now it’s Batista going up, only to have his leg kicked out for the save. That’s enough to weaken Batista’s already damaged leg but he’s fine enough to catch Edge trying for the door. A superplex gives Batista two and they collide in the middle off a spear vs. running shoulder for the double knockdown. It’s Batista up first with a running clothesline and a swinging Boss Man Slam gets two.

A catapult sends Edge face first into the cage and Batista launches him face first in again. Somehow Edge manages a quick spear for two but Batista pulls him off the top for the same. The Batista Bomb is countered (with Edge’s thong sticking out) as Edge winds up on top. Batista follows him up but gets low blowed back down. Batista goes for the door but Edge climbs out to escape and retain.

Rating: C. That’s it? That felt like the setup for another false finish and then they just finished the match. It wasn’t terrible, but it seemed like they were missing the last five or so minutes. This should put Batista out of the title picture for the time being, though I’m not sure what that leaves for him to do at the moment. Edge can find someone new though, and he can do so after beating Batista pretty clean.

We recap John Cena vs. Great Khali. Cena retained the title at Judgment Day but Khali’s leg was underneath the ropes. That’s why tonight it’s a falls count anywhere match for the title, meaning the ropes can’t save Cena. The idea here is that Cena knows he’s facing a monster and might be in way over his head.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Great Khali

Cena is defending in a falls count anywhere match. Cena goes right after him to start but is quickly knocked down, including a bunch of stomping in the corner. There’s a slam to plant Cena but he gets in a shot of his own for a breather. Khali is right back up with a chop to the head to put Cena on the floor though and the foot on the chest gets two. A hard ram sends Cena head first through a monitor but another big chop is blocked.

Instead, Cena is tossed over the barricade but he manages a monitor shot of his own. The FU attempt is swatted away though and Khali punches him around. A missed charge (work with me here) misses for Khali and Cena hits him in the face with a boom camera for two. Cena gets him off the ground for the FU but some elbows to the face get Khali out of trouble again. They fight onto a crane, where Cena finally manages the FU off of said crane to retain the title.

Rating: C+. While certainly not a classic, they did this as well as they could have. What mattered here was they found the right way to hide Khali’s limitations and let Cena do the rest. The idea of setting up the FU for the whole match and then blowing it off in the end was the right call too and it was a well set up match. I’m not sure how much better they could have done this and the stipulation made the match better rather than just being tacked on.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show that focused almost entirely on the gimmicks and that was not a bad thing. The stories were either mostly done or not exactly exciting, so putting the emphasis on everything else they were doing was the right idea. It made for an easy show to watch, even if it didn’t feel all that important. We need to move on in a big way, but at least they had a fine enough show to wrap up this cycle.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: May 29, 2007
Location: John Labatt Centre, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s the go home show for One Night Stand and this time around, the pay per view features a big ECW match as Bobby Lashley is challenging ECW World Champion Vince McMahon in a street fight. Other than that, Randy Orton has damaged Rob Van Dam so it might be time for some extreme gloating. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Randy Orton to say he knows he isn’t making a lot of friends around here. We see a clip of Orton taking out Rob Van Dam and giving him a concussion (with a heck of a sell job from Van Dam). Back in the arena, Orton says he doesn’t feel a bit wrong about any of that because it was in a sanctioned match.

Just like Shawn Michaels, Van Dam is coming back too soon and it’s going to be a stretcher match. Orton finds that as very appropriate but here is Tommy Dreamer to interrupt. Dreamer isn’t going to let Orton come out here and gloat because this is Dreamer’s house and Orton isn’t welcome. The challenge is on for tonight with Orton saying it’s on and promising to kill the legend of ECW tonight.

CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke

No DQ. Punk grabs a headlock to start and they go to the mat with Burke’s arm in trouble. The fans want tables but have to settle for Burke striking away in the corner. Back up and Punk kicks him in the face, followed by more kicks for two. A clothesline puts Burke on the floor and we take a break. Back with Burke working on a waistlock and then choking underneath the ropes.

Burke hits a slingshot elbow to the ribs in the corner, setting up a flapjack to stay on the bad ribs. A table is set up in the corner but Punk uses the delay to score with an enziguri for two. Punk hits the running knee in the corner but the bulldog is broken up. Back up and Punk kicks him in the head and the GTS is loaded up, only to have Marcus Cor Von come in for the save. The Pounce puts Punk through the table and Burke gets the pin.

Rating: C+. I know it’s a basic move, but my goodness there is something cool about watching Cor Von hit that Pounce. This was a lot of logical rib work until the ending, which played into the (or what is left of the) New Breed’s numbers game. Punk is protected and the New Breed looks like more of a threat for the pay per view tables match.

Vince McMahon joins us to mock Joey Styles’ and Tazz’s names, thinking they sound like a 12 year old boy and a gargoyle respectively. That’s not as bad as the name Loser though, which is enough for Vince to bring in Bobby Lashley. Vince thinks Lashley is awfully calm before Sunday, but Lashley says it’s because he has an easy match coming up. Lashley stays calm no matter how insulting Vince gets and eventually says Vince has never had to work for anything in his life.

THAT sets Vince off so he threatens Lashley some more, with Lashley not really worrying about anything. Granted Vince getting the show’s name wrong (“Last Night Stand”) probably doesn’t help. Lashley finally starts promising to win and calls Vince old as this is REALLY not Lashley’s strong suit. It’s an all time kind of not being intimidating and this kind of killed the interest I had in the match.

We look at Randy Orton injuring Rob Van Dam again.

Extreme Expose.

Kevin Thorn vs. Balls Mahoney

Thorn hammers away to start and fishhooks Mahoney to make it worst. A whip sends Mahoney shoulder first into the post, setting up Original Sin for the easy pin.

Matt Striker comes up to the Major Brothers in the back and, after suggesting that Rob Van Dam is….a tuskless elephant, brings up the Draft. It can change careers, but the Brothers talk about beating Striker in their first match. That’s enough for Striker, who issues the challenge for next week.

Randy Orton vs. Tommy Dreamer

Believe it or not, Dreamer is fighting for someone he cares about. Feeling out process to start, with Orton taking him down into a headlock. A dropkick puts Dreamer on the floor so Orton goes up top, only to get superplexed back down. Dreamer slugs away and gets two off a jackknife cover. There’s a sitout spinebuster for two on Orton, who is tied in the Tree of Woe for the running basement dropkick. Not that it matters as the RKO (Joey: “Out of nowhere! Out of nowhere!”) finishes Dreamer in a hurry.

Rating: C-. This was more angle advancement than a match, as Dreamer was there to get beaten up as they continue his path of destruction. That is not a bad thing as Dreamer can take some great beatings, but there is only so much you are going to get out of something like this. Granted they did it the right way by having the match stay short, so it could have been a lot worse.

Post match Orton hits another RKO, followed by the Punt. Cue Rob Van Dam in street clothes but Orton knocks him down again, giving us more concussed Van Dam to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It’s kind of weird to see ECW playing such a prominent role in a pay per view, even if it is the ECW pay per view (or at least it used to be). This built up three matches on the way to the pay per view and did a nice enough job, though the stories are kind of played out at this point. Passable show though and that’s what it needed to be for Sunday.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: May 22, 2007
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Tazz, Joey Styles

Things are staying interesting around here as we have the continuing issues between Bobby Lashley and ECW World Champion Vince McMahon. Their next showdown is set for One Night Stand, but we have a little time to cover before we get there. In addition, CM Punk is rising up through the ranks and seems ready to break through to the other side. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Snitsky vs. Tommy Dreamer

Snitsky powers him around to start and hits an elbow to the jaw in the corner. A hard toss sends Dreamer outside and he seems to have banged up his shoulder. Back in and the shoulder is sent into the post (THUD) and we hit a front facelock of all things. Snitsky misses a legdrop though and Dreamer grabs a DDT for two of his own. Dreamer goes up top but dives into a clothesline. The big boot finishes Dreamer in a hurry.

Rating: C-. This is all it needed to be as there was no reason to believe Snitsky was going to be in trouble against Dreamer. Snitsky is the local monster and having him beat down Dreamer is a good way to keep him moving up. At the same time though, there is only so much that you’re going to get out of a match like this. The result was fine, but it was a little dull to get there.

Post match Snitsky grabs a chair but Rob Van Dam makes the save with a Van Daminator.

We recap Bobby Lashley beating Vince McMahon and company at Judgment Day but not winning the title due to not pinning Vince.

Here is Extreme Expose to introduce the new music video for Timbaland’s Throw It On Me.

Kevin Thorn vs. Wyatt Laura

Ariel is gone with no explanation (commentary isn’t likely to mention someone being released) but Thorn unloads on Laura anyway. A running kick to the head sets up the Original Sin for the fast pin.

Elijah Burke is excited to team with Marcus Cor Von tonight because Cor Von can get it done. That’s different from Matt Striker, who better beat one of the Major Brothers tonight, or things will go bad. Cor Von also suggests Striker win.

Matt Striker vs. Brett Major

Brian (Curt Hawkins) Major is at ringside. Brett works on the arm to start but Striker quickly takes him down into a cravate. A sunset flip gives Brett two so Striker blasts him with a clothesline and the cravate goes on again. Brett comes back with a small package and Thesz press for two each, only to have Striker hit the Golden Rule. A rolling neckbreaker finishes Brett off.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t quite a squash but it also wasn’t the most interesting match. Striker is a good talker and has a punchable face, but that doesn’t mean I want to see him have matches. The Major Brothers have been a nice addition to the show and certainly seem a bit better than your usual run of jobbers.

We look at Bobby Lashley successfully running the gauntlet to earn an ECW World Title shot at One Night Stand.

Rob Van Dam/CM Punk vs. Marcus Cor Von/Elijah Burke

Punk has banged up ribs coming in, and the fans are very behind Van Dam. Cor Von shoulders Van Dam down with straight power to start and then does it again for a bonus. Back up and Van Dam hits a running clothesline so it’s off to Burke to hammer away. A rollup gets Van Dam out of trouble and it’s off to Punk for the springboard clothesline. We take a break and come back with Cor Von working on Van Dam’s knee.

Burke pulls on a leglock and drives a knee into Van Dam’s knee for two. Cor Von actually takes him down with a drop toehold and Burke rubs Van Dam face first into the mat. A kneebar keeps Van Dam in trouble until Cor Von hands it back to Burke, who gets enziguried. The hot tag brings in Punk, who cleans house on Burke. Cor Von comes in sans tag though and it’s the Pounce to Punk, which is enough for a DQ.

Rating: C. Kind of a dull tag match with a long stretch of the New Breed working on Van Dam’s knee. The ending was a good way to make Cor Von look like a monster but that wasn’t the most thrilling way to wrap things up. This felt like a way to stretch things out without actually doing anything, which is fine enough for a one off, but they’ll need to find a way to finish off New Breed sooner than later.

Post match Cor Von Pounces Van Dam as well, allowing the New Breed to stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t exactly the most thrilling show as you can tell nothing really matters until we get done with Lashley vs. Vince at One Night Stand. It was far from the worst show, but it was certainly dull, which is often worse. Just get us to the stuff that matters and then we can see where this show can really go in the future.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: May 1, 2007
Location: BJCC, Birmingham, Alabama
Attendance: 5,000
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

Things changed again last week as CM Punk turned on the New Breed almost immediately after joining them. That certainly makes things more interesting, but it also makes Punk that much bigger of a star. If he isn’t a bigger deal than Rob Van Dam just yet, it isn’t going to be long. Oh and in a minor note: Vince McMahon is the new ECW World Champion. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Vince McMahon winning the ECW World Title at Backlash, with some help from Shane McMahon and Umaga.

Opening sequence.

Here is a ticked off Bobby Lashley to get things going. Vince McMahon may be the new ECW World Champion but no one outside of the McMahon family is happy about it. Lashley doesn’t care if his shoulder is banged up because he wants his rematch RIGHT NOW. Cue Armando Alejandro Estrada in a wheelchair and neck brace, saying Lashley isn’t going to ruin a special night.

Lashley is the reason Vince is bald and that Estrada is in the wheelchair (good for a sly smile), plus why he can’t manage Umaga right now. Vince has a message for Lashley though: he’ll get a rematch, but it won’t be tonight. Also, unless physically provoked, Lashley can’t touch either McMahon or Umaga. Lashley realizes that a certain name isn’t on that list and Estrada realizes the same. The wheelchair crashes shortly thereafter.

Elijah Burke gives the New Breed a pep talk, explaining how much CM Punk turned on all of them last week. From now on, follow his lead.

CM Punk comes out for a match so here is the New Breed, with Burke picking his opponent.

Kevin Thorn vs. CM Punk

Riveting choice. Thorn drives him into the corner and kicks away to start before pulling him throat first into the rope. The chinlock goes on as I can’t help but think there is something weird about a vampire/vampire enthusiast wearing a Nike elbow pad. Punk fights up and Thorn charges into some boots in the corner. The GTS finishes Thorn in a hurry.

The ECW Originals are annoyed at Vince McMahon for winning the ECW World Title. This aired on Raw.

Extreme Expose.

Kevin Thorn wants to know where the New Breed was. Elijah Burke doesn’t want to hear it and says any of the team could have beaten CM Punk. Thorn doesn’t want to hear it and quits the team.

More of the ECW Originals complaining about Vince McMahon winning the title. This also aired on Raw.

Snitsky video.

Marcus Cor Von/Matt Striker vs. Major Brothers

That would be Brett/Brian Major, better known as Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins. Brian works on Striker’s wrist to start but gets pulled down by the hair for his efforts. The second attempt at arm cranking goes a bit better and it’s Brett coming in with a middle rope ax handle. Cor Von comes in and sends Brett outside so the beating can begin.

A gorilla press dropped back into a fall away slam gets two, with Brian having to make a save. The chinlock goes on to keep Brett in trouble but Cor Von misses a charge in the corner. The hot tag brings in Brian for two off a powerslam to Striker. Cor Von pulls Brett to the floor, leaving Striker to clothesline Brian. Back up and Brian hits a middle rope spinning crossbody for the completely clean pin on Striker.

Rating: C-. Not much of a match but dang that is a heck of an upset as the New Breed continues to fall apart. At some point you have to just give someone a win and that’s what they did here with the Major Brothers. The team was certainly more polished than your usual team from the corner to my left and it was a very nice surprise, especially with no interference.

Post match Striker claims a fast count but Elijah Burke doesn’t want to hear it. Striker walks away.

We look back at Umaga beating Rob Van Dam in a good match on Raw.

Here is Vince McMahon, and yes he does the open the jacket to reveal the belt thing (which he refers to as “exposing himself”. Vince is willing to defend the title against Lashley but Vince is going to decide on the details. We’ll get to that later though, because first up we have the ECW Originals. They aren’t happy with him as champion, but they should come say that to his face. The fans think someone sucks but Vince thinks they’re talking about the ECW Originals.

Vince invites the team out here and then gets in Van Dam’s face, with Van Dam saying Vince killed ECW. The title on Vince’s shoulder is a disgrace and it makes Van Dam sick. Vince moves on to Sabu….who we’ll talk to later as Sabu doesn’t talk. Sandman smells bad but he holds up three fingers and tells Vince to read between the lines.

Finally, Vince asks why Tommy Dreamer is wearing gold shoes and then asks what he thinks. Dreamer talks about the fans demanding the return of ECW and says the people at home pay his salary. They know about the spirit of ECW and that’s what matters. Vince asks which of them is ready to challenge him and all four are ready, but let’s have a four way #1 contenders dance instead. And let’s make it Extreme Rules! This idea makes sense on paper and it’s glorious to see Vince trolling ECW like this, but it’s a little hard to believe that Sandman or Sabu is going to work with Vince in any serious way.

Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. Sandman

One fall to a finish and Extreme Rules and Vince provides all kinds of weapons. We get some rollups to start until they pair off, with Van Dam being kicked out to the floor. The weapons are brought in and Sandman clotheslines Sabu down for two. They start heading outside, with Sabu hitting a dive to take Van Dam off the apron for a nasty crash. Back in and Sandman bulldogs Dreamer onto a trashcan for two.

Vince is rather pleased that Dreamer is outside getting a chair to put Sandman in the Tree of Woe for the dropkick. Van Dam is back in to clean house with the chair but Dreamer hits him with a piledriver (giving us Van Dam’s bouncing sell). Sabu takes Sandman down and gets two off the triple jump moonsault. It’s time for the required table (Vince applauds), with Dreamer superplexing Sabu through Sandman through said table. Van Dam adds the Five Star to pin Sandman for the title shot.

Rating: C. This was about what you would expect from these four in this kind of a match, including a pretty obvious winner. Again, who else was going to be any kind of a realistic opponent for McMahon? Even in a one off match, it’s not like there is a ton of star power around here. This Vince vs. ECW deal sounds good on paper, but it kind of falls apart once you look at the ECW roster.

Overall Rating: C. They were focusing on setting things up for later here and you have to do that every now and then. I don’t know how much doubt is there for what is coming from these stories, but we got some nice steps on the way there. The show itself wasn’t bad, but this was about the future rather than the present, which worked out about as well as could be expected.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 2, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

We’re still on the road to Victory Road and that means more of Ace Austin, which is not a bad thing. Tonight we have Tommy Dreamer vs. Austin with Dreamer possibly being added to the World Title match if he wins. That’s the kind of threat that Impact might actually follow up on, which doesn’t give me much hope. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Daffney. That was a really hard one.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Madison Rayne/Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood vs. Taylor Wilde/Rachael Ellering/Jordynne Grace

Ellering and Kaleb With A K start things off with Rachael wrestling him into the corner without much effort. A release gutwrench suplex drops Kaleb With A K for two and it’s Grace coming in for some standing clotheslines. Rayne gets in a cheap shot though and Dashwood gets to come in and take over. Grace powers out of a chinlock by slamming Rayne backwards but Kaleb With A K cuts off a tag.

A kick to the face cuts that off without much effort though and Wilde comes in to clean house. Wilde’s tornado DDT gets two on Kaleb With A K with Dashwood having to make a save. Back up and Rayne has to grab Kaleb With A K’s hands to block a German suplex, only to have Ellering break it up, meaning the German suplex can give Wilde the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C. This is a good example of how to do intergender wrestling, as Kaleb With A K was a perfect fit to take this kind of a beating. It can be put together well without going too far into being ridiculous and that’s what they pulled off here. That is quite the trick, so well done on making it work.

We look at Deonna Purrazzo retaining the Knockouts Title at NWA Empowerrr and then attacking Mickie James at the 73rd Anniversary Show.

Deonna Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt don’t care for Mickie James or Trey Miguel.

Tommy Dreamer talks about the time he took the ECW World Title from Christian Cage, though Cage pops up to say Dreamer didn’t pin him in that match. That’s true, but Dreamer just wants one chance to be the face of Impact Wrestling. He asks Cage to not get involved tonight because he wants to do it himself. Sure.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Black Taurus/Crazzy Steve vs. No Way/Fallah Bahh

The rest of Decay is here, as is No Way’s Conga Line. Actually hold on as part of the Conga Line attacked Rosemary, because it’s Tasha Steelz in disguise. We come back from a break for the opening bell, with Steve slugging away at Bahh in vain. Bahh throws him down with ease and it’s off to No Way vs. Taurus. A Sling Blade drops No Way and a hard right hand has him in more trouble.

No Way gets in a quick tag to Bahh and sunset flips Taurus, who gets crushed by Bahh’s splash. A belly to belly lets No Way come back in for two and Bahh hits the running hip attack in the corner. Bahh drops No Way down into a legdrop for two on Taurus but a double clothesline gives him a breather. The hot tag brings in Steve to slug away as everything breaks down. Steve bites Bahh in the head and a middle rope DDT is good for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C-. Totally run of the mill tag match here and that’s about all there is to say. No Way was playing things a bit more heelish here, which is kind of weird when you have him doing the dancing deal before the match. It might be nice to see him doing something else, because right now he’s the same guy he was in WWE but with a different company name at the top of his contract.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Christian Cage b. Sting at Final Resolution 2007.

W. Morrissey doesn’t like Sami Callihan for saving Eddie Edwards. He does have a bit of respect for the two of them for hating each other….and here is Moose to interrupt. Moose agrees with everything Morrissey has said since he got here. Neither of them like Sami Callihan, but Moose is looking for an alliance instead of a friend. Glaring ensues.

Steve Maclin is very intense and wants Petey Williams next week.

Here is Moose for a chat. He doesn’t like that everyone, like Eddie Edwards, wants to be a hero. They have a long history together, but Moose is a different guy now. So get out here so Moose can teach him that the hero doesn’t always save the day. Cue Eddie so the brawl can be on. W. Morrissey runs in for the beatdown and a double powerbomb leaves Eddie laying. No Sami Callihan for the save, as per Eddie’s request.

No Way and Fallah Bahh didn’t know anything about Tasha Steelz attacking Decay. TJP comes in to reform the team with Fallah Bahh and is cool with No Way too. They’ll head to Swinger’s Palace next week.

Eric Young is ready to cure Rhino and chains him up in a prison.

X-Division Title: Josh Alexander vs. Jake Crist

The returning Crist is challenging after Alexander wanted to fight any former X-Division Champion. Alexander drives him into the ropes to start and catches a charging Crist in a powerslam. Crist sends him to the apron so Alexander goes up top, only to be pulled back down for a neckbreaker. The front facelock goes on for a bit and Jake plants him down again. Crist grabs the front facelock again but this time Alexander strikes his way to freedom in a hurry. Alexander rolls some German suplexes to knock Crist silly and Divine Intervention retains the title at 5:36.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, other than Alexander ending Crist with those suplexes. This was little more than a workout for Alexander, who is going to need someone special to take the title from him. That’s kind of a problem, but I’m curious to see where they go with the whole thing.

Post match Alexander is asked why he put the title on the line. That’s because he has to so he is challenging people for the title. Cue Chris Sabin to say he is a big Alexander fan but Alexander is a one time champion, compared to Sabin’s eight title reigns. The challenge is on for Victory Road and Alexander is down for that. Makes as much sense as anything else right now.

Sam Beale is offering Brian Myers’ offer to find a new wingman and we see some applications. One of them looks like David Arquette.

The applicants are here and Brian Myers isn’t impressed. He makes a few random cuts, including one who likes Mojo Rawley. We get down to two, with one of them being Zicky Dice of minor NWA fame. The two of them (Dice and Manny Lemons) will be back next week.

Rohit Raju/Shera vs. Matt Cardona/Chelsea Green

Raju and Cardona start things off but it’s quickly off to Shera to run Cardona over instead. The big elbow crushes Cardona and it’s back to Raju, who is quickly slammed down. Green comes in to work on Raju’s arm before kicking some non-existent dirt into his face. A headscissors sets up a slap to Raju, who brings in Shera. That’s fine with Green as she slaps Shera into Radio Silence from Cardona. Raju posts Cardona though and a jumping knee finishes Green at 3:33.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here but you’re only going to be able to get so much out of Green working on the arm and slapping the heels in the face. This feud has been going on for a little while now and it isn’t all that interesting, but at least they are doing a few things to keep it fresh. Now just find a way to keep it from being so dull and we might get somewhere.

Su Yung and Kimber Lee have turned Brandi Lauren into one of them. Maniacal laughter ensues but Yung doesn’t seem pleased.

Here are the Good Brothers for a chat because we can’t escape them for a week. Karl Anderson tells the fans to sit down and shut their fat mouths. He knows the fans feel like they are seeing some rock stars but be quiet for a bit. They aren’t happy with Rich Swann and Willie Mack stealing a pin on them last week but Mack got powerbombed through a table for what he did. Mack is in traction right now so now his name is Willie Lack The Ability To Walk. Cue Rich Swann with a chair but referees are out there in a hurry to break it up.

Post break, Rich Swann has to be held back again so Scott D’Amore gives Swann a Bunkhouse Brawl with Karl Anderson next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Ace Austin vs. Tommy Dreamer

If Dreamer wins, he’s in the World Title match at Victory Road and Madman Fulton is here with Austin. Dreamer is wrestling in a Dusty Rhodes mask because reasons. Austin takes him down for a kick to the back to start so the mask comes off to make things serious. A Cactus Clothesline puts them on the floor and Dreamer posts him hard. Fulton saves Austin from going into the barricade though and Austin kicks Dreamer in the face.

Back in and a powerbomb gives Austin two but Dreamer crotches him on top. A neckbreaker out of the corner gives Dreamer a breather and the slugout is on. Dreamer hammers away in the corner and bites Austin’s head, setting up a powerslam for two. An enziguri drops Austin again but he’s right back up with a springboard Fameasser for the same. Back up and Austin charges into a cutter but Fulton breaks up the cover. Dreamer posts Fulton but gets caught with the Fold for the pin at 7:44.

Rating: C. It probably isn’t a good sign when I have a sigh of relief that the good guy loses. This was your usual Dreamer match, as he doesn’t do much outside of his hits. Dreamer is fine enough in the ring and can do his usual stuff, but it is a good idea to keep him limited. Now if they can keep him limited from talking too, we should be in better shape.

Overall Rating: C-. Pretty run of the mill show here without much of anything standing out. They did a nice enough job of building Victory Road, but there was nothing that really grabbed me. What makes me a little more hopeful though is the fact that this feels like a one off instead of a new normal. Impact has actually built up some good will in recent months and that is rather nice to see.

Results
Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering/Taylor Wilde b. Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne – German suplex to Kaleb With A K
Black Taurus/Crazzy Steve b. No Way/Fallah Bahh – Middle rope DDT to Bahh
Josh Alexander b. Jake Crist – Divine Intervention
Rohit Raju/Shera b. Matt Cardona/Chelsea Green – Jumping knee to Green
Ace Austin b. Tommy Dreamer – Fold

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ECW on Sci Fi
Date: April 3, 2007
Location: Allen County War Memorial, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Attendance: 4,500
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We are done with Wrestlemania and ECW actually had more than a bit of a presence. Not only did ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley take out Umaga so Vince McMahon could be shaved bald, but the ECW Originals beat the New Breed in the big eight man tag. Neither seems to be over though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Bobby Lashley to talk about how big a night Wrestlemania was for him. Everyone is talking about the Battle of the Billionaires and we see some shots of Vince McMahon being shaved at Wrestlemania. We also see Lashley taking Vince’s hat last night on Raw, leaving Vince to hide his bald head under various things, including Lilian Garcia’s skirt. Lashley knows Vince is coming to end his title reign, so bring it on.

We look at the Condemned movie premiere in Detroit, which is the largest premiere of the century or whatever their latest title is.

CM Punk vs. Stevie Richards

Punk goes with a hammerlock into a headlock to start and Richards is in early trouble. Richards gets smart by going after Punk’s taped up ribs and a suplex gets two. We pause so Richards can mock the X pose before Punk grabs the abdominal stretch. Richards gets a bit too cocky though and charges into a knee to the face. The ribs are too banged up for Punk to try a suplex so he strikes away at Richards’ face instead. The (first time ever) officially named GTS finishes Richards.

Rating: C-. Richards always had some energy to him in these matches, even if he had a complete lack of a chance of winning anything. Punk gets back to winning after the Money in the Bank loss and that should be part of his way up towards the main event, either around here or elsewhere. ECW isn’t keeping Punk for long, so they should get what they can out of him while they can.

Rob Van Dam is in the back with Timbaland (music producer) and pleasantries are exchanged. Van Dam leaves and Extreme Expose comes in to suggest they get a spot in his new music video. Timbaland seems intrigued.

Matt Striker and Marcus Cor Von offer CM Punk a spot in the New Breed. Punk says no, but Cor Von says you’re with us or against us.

Extreme Expose.

Wrestlemania music video.

Snitsky vs. Hardcore Holly

Holly slugs away to start and gets knocked into the corner for the hammering/choking. The big elbows set up some stomping but Holly gets a foot up in the corner. A suplex is countered into a failed Alabama Slam attempt and Snitsky kicks him in the face for the easy pin.

Post match, Snitsky unloads on Holly with a chair and crushes it in the steps for some hard chair shots. That’s certainly an injury angle to get Holly off of TV for a staph infection.

Hall of Fame induction ceremony video.

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.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event carried the thing, though the rest of the show was little more than a way to have a breather after Wrestlemania. That’s all they needed to do here and it worked quite well, mainly due to one match. Sometimes you need to see something hard hitting and fun, which is what we got on this show. Nice job, though it’s more of a stand alone episode than anything else.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 26, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

Emergence has come and gone and that means it is time to start the path towards either Bound For Glory or whatever other one off show is taking place before then. Christian Cage is still the World Champion, having vanquished the horrible threat of Brian Myers. That means he needs a new challenger and we might be able to find out who that is tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Emergence.

Opening sequence.

Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan

Fallout from the Emergence #1 contenders four way. The brawl starts on the floor before the bell and Sami hits a powerbomb inside. The bell rings with Sami winning a slugout but being sent outside for the running flip dive from the apron. That doesn’t last long for Sabin, as Callihan powerbombs him into the post. Sami is having none of these chops from Sabin and pokes him in the eye before heading back inside. Sabin gets kicked off the ropes and it’s off to something like an Indian Deathlock.

That’s broken up so Sami takes him up top, only to get shoved back down. The missile dropkick gives Sabin two and it’s an exchange of strikes to the head for a double knockdown. They slug it out again until Sami takes his leg out, setting up a curb stomp. The Cactus Special gets two but Sabin is back with a kick to the face. Sabin grabs the Cradle Shock for the pin at 7:53.

Rating: C+. I continue to be impressed by Sabin’s resurgence, even though it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise. Sabin is still one of the more talented in-ring stars Impact has and he has looked great in most of his matches. Throw in Sami doing well enough and I’m liking this section of the card fairly well.

Post match here is Moose to take Sabin out. Moose loads up the chair and baseball bat over Sami’s face but Eddie Edwards runs in for the save.

Taylor Wilde doesn’t like Tenille Dashwood, Kaleb With A K or Madison Rayne. Violence is promised.

Sami Callihan wants to know what was up with that from Eddie Edwards. Eddie says they have helped each other once and now they’re done. Sami: “No hug?”

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Here is Mickie James to hype up NWA Empowerrr. She runs down the card, including Deonna Purrazzo defending the Knockouts Title against Melina. We get a video on the match but here are Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt to interrupt. Purrazzo can’t wait to represent women’s wrestling, but who wants to see a movie when they know the ending? Mickie talks about how Rehwoldt cost Melina her match at Emergence and Purrazzo says she might be underestimating Melina a bit. For now though, the fight is on but Trey Miguel runs in to take out Rehwoldt. Melina comes in to go after Purrazzo and the good women stand tall.

Brian Myers explains how to customize your gear. Sam Beale thinks Myers is trying to avoid talking about losing the World Title match but Myers isn’t hearing it. Maybe it’s time for an open casting call, with Beale asking if he is in charge of that.

Chris Bey vs. David Finlay

No seconds for a change and Finlay goes right after Bey in the corner. Bey tries to pick up the pace but walks into a dropkick for a trip to the floor. Back in and Bey sends him throat first into the middle rope for a breather. We take a break and come back with Bey choking and kicking away but Finlay is back up with a European uppercut.

Bey pulls him into a sleeper to cut that off though and then switches into a cravate. Finlay suplexes his way to freedom and they head outside, where Finlay sends him into the apron. Back in and a running elbow connects in the corner, setting up a chokebreaker for two. Deep Six gets two on Bey but he grabs a rollup out of the corner and uses the ropes for the pin at 11:52.

Rating: B-. Just like in the opener, there is no reason to be surprised by these two having a good match as they are both that talented. They went back and forth until Bey cheated to win like a good villain should. That’s how these two should go and it keeps the story going for at least a few more weeks.

Josh Alexander got a good fight from Jake Something at Emergence but Jake ran into the greatest X Division Champion of all time. Now he’s ready for his next challenge.

Here is Christian Cage for a chat. He beat Brian Myers at Emergence and now he’s ready for Ace Austin. Christian looks at the title…..but nah, Austin isn’t beating him for the title. Cue Tommy Dreamer, with Christian asking what is going on with Dreamer’s hair. Dreamer talks about how he didn’t like Kenny Omega and Don Callis being around here but now he knows Christian really cares about wrestling (I’m not sure I get the connection but Dreamer hasn’t been all there for years).

The seven years Christian was out of action was a dark time in wrestling and Dreamer thanks him for being so great for all these years and representing Impact Wrestling. Oh and Dreamer would love one more match with Christian. Cue Ace Austin and Madman Fulton, with Ace introducing himself to Christian.

Ace is a prodigy but Christian is the one making all the towns for both companies. He’ll get to keep doing that, but after Victory Road, Christian’s bag is going to be about ten pounds lighter. Christian says Ace should stand on his toes so he can be seen over the top rope. The brawl is on with Dreamer and Christian clearing the ring.

Eric Young says Rhino needs to be cleansed through violence.

Ace Austin wants a match with Tommy Dreamer next week. Scott D’Amore is fine with that, but if Dreamer wins, Victory Road is a triple threat.

Taylor Wilde vs. Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne

Taylor dives onto the three of them on the floor to start fast and kicks Kaleb With A K (in his neck brace) in the chest for two. The numbers game gets the better of her but Wilde sends the women into the corner to break it up. Wilde rolls Rayne up but a Spotlight Kick finishes Wilde at 3:08.

Rating: D+. There wasn’t much else that could have been done here and the match worked out about as well as could have been expected. Wilde losing sets up a few different singles matches down the line and it’s nice to see her having an actual story. Nothing to it from a match standpoint, but it moved things forward.

Post match the beatdown is on but Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace make the save.

Brandi Lauren is asked about Melina vs. Deonna Purrazzo but Su Yung and Kimber Lee abduct her.

Steve Maclin beat the returning TJP on BTI. Petey Williams made a save.

TJP isn’t happy with Petey Williams helping him because Fallah Bahh is his partner. Petey comes in and TJP isn’t going to thank him. They agree to stay out of each others’ ways.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Christian Cage b. Monty Brown (the Big E. prototype in a lot of ways) at Destination X 2006.

Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green are ready for Mahabali Shera and Rohit Raju. Green even has the shirt to prove it.

Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans didn’t lose at Emergence. Fallah Bahh and No Way come in and agree to take care of each others’ problems next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Good Brothers

Non-title. Anderson sends Swann into the corner to start and hits him in the face for a bonus. Swann snaps off a headscissors to escape and it’s Mack coming in for a splash/legdrop combination. It’s off to Gallows, who misses a running shoulder in the corner so Swann can start in on the arm. Gallows isn’t having that and takes Swann into the corner to unload.

That doesn’t last long though as Swann gets away from Anderson and brings Mack back in to take over. Anderson gets in a few shots but Mack hits him in the face, allowing the hot (not really) tag back to Swann. House is cleaned again, including the rolling splash for two. Anderson’s spinebuster gets the same but Swann counters the Gun Stun into a rollup for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C. There’s your title match setup because almost every company has to do this anymore. Mack and Swann winning the titles (which they almost have to eventually) will be a cool moment and it will be nice to see them finally pull it off. If they have to take them from the Good Brothers too, it makes things even sweeter.

Post match the brawl is on again, with Mack being sent into a chair in the corner and getting taken down by the Magic Killer. Mack is put through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opening two matches made this show work and the rest of the card was enough to keep it going. This was another pretty good show and they have me somewhat interested in seeing where the stories go. I’m not sure where things are heading for Bound For Glory, but I want to find out and that means they are doing well.

Results
Chris Sabin b. Sami Callihan – Cradle Shock
Chris Bey b. David Finlay – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne b. Taylor Wilde – Spotlight kick
Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Good Brothers – Rollup to Anderson

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: March 20, 2007
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We are just about to Wrestlemania and even ECW is picking up a lot. This time we are going to be seeing more from ECW Champion Bobby Lashley, which means there might be some guest stars coming after him. That could help things out a lot, and the ECW Originals vs. the New Breed should be enough to keep things going. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Arnold Skaaland.

We open with a recap (as in near replay) of Bobby Lashley breaking Chris Masters’ Masterlock last night on Raw.

Masters is here and promises to break Lashley tonight.

Opening sequence.

Sabu/Rob Van Dam vs. Marcus Cor Von/Kevin Thorn

Ariel is here with Cor Von and Thorn. Van Dam kicks Thorn in the face to start as the crowd is oddly quiet. Sabu comes in for a double Arabian facebuster and a dropkick to the leg cuts Thorn down again. A missed kick ties Van Dam in the ropes though and Cor Von blasts him with a clothesline to the floor. The villains (as in the stronger guys, which does go against most old ECW stars) take turns crushing Van Dam in the corner and we hit the chinlock.

With that not working for Thorn, Cor Von comes in for a chinlock of his own. Van Dam finally fights up for a kick to the head and Sabu comes back in to pick up the pace. A springboard leg lariat sets up a springboard DDT for two on Cor Von as everything breaks down. Van Dam headscissors Thorn outside, leaving Cor Von to hit a heck of a Pounce for the pin on Sabu (he went FLYING for one of the best looking Pounces I’ve ever seen).

Rating: C-. The match was the usual stuff from this feud but that ending made my eyebrows go up. You don’t get a collision like that very often and it looked awesome. That’s how you use someone’s natural talents to their advantage, because no one else was going to be able to hit like that.

Video on Snitsky.

Snitsky vs. Mike Tolar

Big boot finishes Tolar in just over thirty seconds.

The Sheik is going into the Hall of Fame. The look at the fireball is worth it alone, though it’s weird to hear him referred to by his real name.

CM Punk vs. Hardcore Holly

They start fast with Punk getting kicked away but coming back with an armdrag into an armbar. Cue Elijah Burke to watch as Punk hammers away in the corner. A hot shot cuts Punk off though and Holly chops away against the rope. Holly hits a clothesline to set up the chinlock and the CM PUNK chants start up.

Punk fights up with the usual collection of shots to the face but a glare at Burke lets Holly break up the bulldog. It’s time to take Punk up top, where he kicks Holly away. Burke gets on the apron for a distraction so here is Kevin Thorn to snap Holly’s neck across the rope (which Punk sees). The yet to be named GTS finishes Holly.

Rating: C. This was much more about advancing the Punk/New Breed stuff and it worked fine in that regard. Other than that though, it isn’t like there is a ton of drama to Punk beating Holly outside of some interference. They still need to upgrade some of the roster around here, or at least rotate people like Holly into something other than this. We’ve kind of hit Holly’s limit on this show and someone else WWE isn’t using could be a nice change.

Post break Punk comes up to Burke and says he doesn’t want any help. Burke says imagine what they can do for him at Money in the Bank.

Extreme Expose.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Elijah Burke

Sandman and Matt Striker are the seconds. Dreamer knocks him down to start before heading to the apron, where Burke hits him into the post. The chinlock is already on with Dreamer fighting up in a hurry. A neckbreaker and fall away slam put Burke down but he counters the DDT. The Elijah Express finishes Dreamer in short order.

Same Masterlock Challenge video which opened the show. That shouldn’t be needed in an hour long show.

Celebrities pick Trump vs. McMahon.

Chris Masters vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title. They go with the power shoves to start until a shoulder makes Masters think twice. Lashley unloads in the corner and there’s a clothesline to the floor. Masters gets in a ram into the barricade though and it’s a suplex to drop Lashley back inside. The Masterlock is countered into a full nelson slam to plant Masters and the running powerslam finishes Masters in a hurry.

Rating: D+. They didn’t waste time here as this was all about beating up Masters to show what Lashley can do in a squash. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t technical, but why would you want something like that here? Lashley looked dominant and it isn’t like Masters has anything to lose in the first place.

Overall Rating: C-. They didn’t do much here as this show was about moving the ECW Originals vs. the New Breed forward with Lashley there too. It isn’t like there is a lot of depth to the two main matches on this show, making this a little more than a skippable week. It isn’t like WWE was focusing on most of ECW at this point though, as there are more important things going on.

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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AND

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