On Tuesday, January 30, 2007 at 11:20 PM EST ECW on Sci Fi
January 30, 2007
Houston, TX
Commentators: Joey Styles & Tazz
Reported By: Hunter Golden of WrestleView.com
Vince McMahon was in the back with Motavious Cor Von and told him he was a breath of fresh air in ECW. He moved along and saw the Sandman drinking beer and reading the newspaper. He asked him why he was drinking on the job. Sandman just stared at him. He asked him where he got his name and then began singing “Mr. Sandman”. He said the Sandman would be interested in his announcement later tonight. Sandman drank a beer, cracked it off his head and spat it in the air as McMahon walked off.
CM Punk v. Matt Striker
Striker came right at Punk with some clubbing blows. Punk sent him into the ropes and hit him with a leg lariat and followed it up with a body slam before dumping our teacher to the floor with a clothesline.
Punk followed Striker to the outside and decked him twice before tossing him into the ring. Striker caught Punk on his way back into the ring. He tried to drill Punk’s head into the buckles while on the apron but Punk blocked it and thumbed his eyes. Punker went for a suplex to the floor, but Striker blocked it. Striker dragged Punk over the ropes and hit a twisting neck breaker before going for a cover.
Striker gathered Punk and hit another swinging neck breaker and went for another cover but Punk kicked out. Striker clamped on a rear chin lock in an attempt to slow things down and control the pace. Punk used the crowd to help him to his feet and broke the hold before sending Striker into the ropes and connecting with a back elbow and a clothesline. Punker hit a body slam before playing to the crowd a bit more. Punk hit some Muy Thai knees to the face before hitting his running knee/bulldog combo.
Punk waited for Striker to get to his feet before hitting “Welcome to Chicago”. Punker went for the cover but Striker kicked out. Punk went for splash in the corner, but ducked out of the way. Punk flipped onto the apron then back into the ring looking for a sunset flip. Striker, however, sat out and grabbed the ropes for leverage to steal the pin fall victory.
Winner: Matt Striker via pin fall
Punk was furious after losing the match.
Styles and Tazz put over Sunday’s Royal Rumble match before a video package aired replaying the show and Taker’s appearance on Raw this past Monday.
Styles and Tazz put over the ECW World Championship rematch between Lashley and Test later tonight.
****Commercial****
Vince McMahon stumbled across Tommy Dreamer in the back. He asked him what the hell kind of name was Dreamer. He asked what people could be ‘dreaming’ about. He said he didn’t deal in dreams, he deals in reality. He walked off as Dreamer showed contempt.
Rob Van Dam v. Hardcore Holly
Holly has apparently been bumped from the World title match tonight, at least according to the commentators.
The two locked up and RVD grabbed a headlock. Holly grappled his way out of it and turned it into a key lock, but RVD used the ropes and flipped out of the hold into a hammerlock of his own. Holly countered again before RVD hit a kick and smashed Holly’s head off the buckles.
RVD hitting his jumping back kick before going for his monkey flip in the corner, but no one was home. RVD leapt off and delivered a sloppy hurricanranna before hitting a boot to the face and going for a cover. Holly reversed an Irish whip and connected. He went for the Alabama slam but RVD wiggled out and hit a crescent kick.
RVD played to the crowd a bit before hitting his spinning leg drop and went for the cover but didn’t get much of anything. RVD hit some elbows and whipped Holly to the ropes. My wife then showed up with scrap booking materials and I missed about two minutes of action. Holly and RVD were on the outside rolling around in pain, just like I was after two or three minutes worth of ribbons and other fun female crap.
****Commercial****
We came back to Holly in control, putting the boots to the back of RVD. Holly bullied RVD into the corner and began choking RVD out on the road. The two exchanged some stiff slaps and kicks before RVD won the battle. RVD hopped on the bottom rope and hit a leg drop before going for the cover. RVD got whipped to the corner but planted an elbow into the face of Holly before leaping up to the top rope. Holly quickly recovered and shoved RVD who went crashing hard-way into the guardrail on the outside.
Holly chased Van Dam to the outside and tossed him head first into the ringside steps. Holly tossed RVD back into the ring and laid some more boots before sticking him in a modified CAMEL F’ING CLUTCH (Sheik rules) in an effort to wear Van Dam down.
RVD rallied with the help of the crowd and hit a nasty jawbreaker on Holly, breaking the hold. Holly hit a boot to RVD’s face though and kept the advantage. Holly hit his suspended on the ropes kick to the hoo has thing before RVD came roaring back after a rest hold with a spinning heel kick.
RVD came back with punches and went for a drop kick but Holly cut him off with a clothesline and went for a cover. Holly whipped RVD to the ropes but RVD quickly countered into a roll up but only got two. The two exchanged punches before RVD caught some serious air on his monkey flip on Holly. RVD went for the frog splash, but it wasn’t there so he just kicked Holly in the head.
RVD caught a weak kick attempt and hit a windmill kick and connected with rolling thunder. RVD went for the cover but Holly kicked out. RVD went for the monkey flip again but this time Holly caught him and power bombed him through the mat. Holly went for another cover but got nothing. He went to the top rope, but RVD hit the ropes and crotched him on the top turnbuckle.
RVD went to the top rope to retrieve Holly but got pushed off. Holly came flying off only to eat a boot to the face. RVD went for the five star again, but Holly got out of the way. Holly went for the Alabama slam but RVD blocked it so Holly threw him into the ring post. Holly loaded up the Alabama slam again and connected, getting the cover for the win.
Winner: Hardcore Holly via pin fall
Mr. McMahon was walking through the back and ran across Sabu. He said he wasn’t in Texas, he was in Afghanistan. He called Sabu a member of the Taliban. He said he heard all about Sabu. He was homicidal, genocidal maniac. He stared Sabu down and walked off.
Styles and Tazz again put over the World title match.
Mr. McMahon is up next!
****Commercial****
Mr. McMahon was still in the back when he stumbled across Balls Mahoney. He put over Balls’ name being Irish. Mahoney said it was just like McMahon. Vince said he wasn’t Irish, not like McMahon Irish. He said the last name was okay, but the first name, well, we’d find out if he had any. Mahoney laughed as McMahon walked away.
Extreme Expose
I can’t believe this is put on Television the choreography is so bad.
Mr. McMahon’s music hit and he came walking through the crowd. Some little kid called him an ‘a-hole’. That’s awesome.
McMahon dismissed the women and told them to get out of his ring. He said he was sorry to disappoint all these people, but he didn’t need security. He said he will not be embarrassed tonight like he was last night on Monday Night Raw. He said history was being made tonight, as this was his first time in an ECW ring. He said quite frankly, he thought the ECW originals ‘sucked’. In fact, anything about the original ECW ‘sucks’ as well he said.
He said all the people who liked the original ECW also sucked. He said he was going to ‘change’ ECW. He was going to turn it into something meaningful. He said it needed athletes with charisma and athletic prowess, not a bunch of suicidal misfits. He said he was going to give us an example of what the brand needed. The fans chanted ‘you suck’ before McMahon gave us a ‘shuuut up!’.
He said there was a man who was the epitome of the new ECW, and introduced Elijah Burke. McMahon introduced Burke as ‘the future’. He told us to check out the smile, etc. He said he knew people couldn’t wait to hear from him, so he asked us to listen to Elijah Burke.
Burke said it was an honor to be standing in the ring with someone so intelligent and powerful, but still somehow had all the respect of all these people. Burke posed with him for an photo opportunity. He assured McMahon that while he was speaking, his fans were saying ‘amen’. He said all those run down, old, beat down, disgusting ECW originals, they would certainly feel his wrath. The crowd began to chant ‘boring’.
He said the were going to feel his wrath and his ‘power’. He said if he says it, it shall be done. The ECW theme music hit and the Sandman came to the ring.
Burke and Sandman began to brawl before Dreamer and Mahoney showed up. The three began to beat down Burke until Sabu showed up. Sandman grabbed his cane and cracked Burke right over the forehead. Dreamer hit the DDT and Sabu went shopping under the apron.
He brought a table into the ring and Burke was plopped onto it. Sabu grabbed a chair and mounted the top rope. Sabu came flying off with the chair/leg drop combo, putting Burke clean through the table. The Originals stared McMahon down from the aisle.
****Commercial****
ECW World Championship
Lashley v. Test
Test wasted no time, tossing Lashley into the post before dumping him to the floor. Test pulled the mats back on the outside, looking for something dastardly on the concrete. The referee tried to stop him, but Lashley was able to block the move and back body drop Test to the floor. Test rolled around in pain on the floor as we hit commercial break.
****Commercial****
We came back to Test in rest hold land, controlling the action. Lashley fought back with some elbows to the gut before Test popped the arm with a flying arm bar. Test went to work on Lashley’s wounded wing, dragging him to the post and slamming it off it. Test went for it again, but Lashley yanked him into the post.
Lashley tossed Test into the ring and connected with some right hands and a big follow up clothesline. Another whip and Lashley connected with a big spear. The Champion kept at it, hitting a nice standing vertical suplex before going for a power slam. Test countered out and slammed Lashley into the corner. Test went for a big boot, but Lashley connected with the big T-bone. Lashley loaded up the power slam and connected. Lashley made the cover for the victory.
Winner and STILL ECW World Champion: Lashley via pin fall
The lights went out and the gong hit. When they came back on, Undertaker was in the ring. He and Lashley stared each other down. Test came back into the ring with a steel chair, but Taker cut him off and choke-slammed him to the mat like the little beotch he is. Lashley looked like he didn’t know what to think. Styles said it was obvious that Taker wasn’t challenging John Cena, but that he was challenging Lashley for the ECW World Championship at Wrestlemania.ECW Weekly Round-UpQuick Results
Matt Striker def. CM Punk
Hardcore Holly def. Rob Van Dam
Lashley def. Test
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not?
Biggest Pops
1. Undertaker
2. CM Punk
3. Rob Van Dam
Most Heat
1. Mr. McMahon
2. Matt Striker
3. Elijah Burke
Match of the Night: Hardcore Holly v. Rob Van Dam **1/2
Show Review— Tonight’s edition of ECW was pretty decent all things considered from an action standpoint. Punk-Striker was a nice, short little match and RVD and Holly, while not as ‘on’ as they usually are, put on a pretty entertaining match. It was pretty obvious that WWE was looking for a safe bet with this match considering Wrestling Society X was also debuting tonight. Dusting off this combination wasn’t a bad idea. Test and Lashley put on a better match tonight, but that’s not saying much considering the train wreck they put on Sunday.
The fundamental problem with ECW though is that nothing really means anything right now. Lashley’s not even CLOSE to the most over guy on the show and I’d question if he’s even as over as Balls Mahoney to this crowd. His entrance garnered zero reaction. Worse yet, Test didn’t get much of a reaction either and you’ve got to question WWE’s judgement in main eventing two guys people could care less about seeing.
WWE basically just tosses a bunch of guys out there and tells them to wrestle a fun match and call it a night. Really from a work-rate standpoint, save the Champion who’s way too green to be, well, champion, the show’s pretty solid every week, or at least enjoyable. It’s just that nothing really leads anywhere and that’s what bothers me. There’s zero structure to it and it’s painfully obvious that no one really cares about three quarters of the guys being put on camera.
ECW isn’t an incredibly decrepit mess or anything. In fact, it’s got a lot of potential, but there’s got to be some structure added to this show, because it really just tosses stuff out there that leads nowhere. Until then, you’ll get what we have now, some decent action with no real purpose or direction. Overall: D