On Tuesday, July 3, 2007 at 11:19 PM EST ECW on Sci Fi
July 3, 2007
Dallas, TX
Commentators: Jim Ross & Jerry “The King” Lawler
Reported By: Hunter Golden of WrestleView.com
Pick Your Poison Match
Johnny Nitro v. Tommy Dreamer
Nitro immediately connected with a right hand and floored Dreamer. He grabbed a side headlock only to get tossed off and hip tossed repeatedly. Nitro fought back with a European uppercut and then connected with his wheel kick. Nitro mounted the top turnbuckle and looked for something, but Dreamer immediately cut him off and crotched him on the ropes.
Dreamer grabbed an abdominal stretch and tried a roll up out of it before gathering Nitro and connecting with a back breaker. Dreamer went for a back body drop only to get smoked with a kick to the shoulder. Nitro went right to work on the shoulder, hitting a deep arm bar and driving knees into the region.
Nitro missed a clothesline and Dreamer immediately retaliated with one of his own, sending both combatants to the arena floor. Dreamer loaded up Nitro for a suplex to the outside, but Nitro fought out of the hold and hit a swinging neck breaker off the rope before drop kicking Dreamer to the floor.
****Commercial****
We came back to Nitro working over Dreamer’s shoulder from the hammerlock position. He dropped a couple of knees before going for a pin fall attempt. After Dreamer kicked out, Nitro went right back to the top key lock and fought off a brief comeback from Dreamer with some truly vicious kicks to the shoulder.
Nitro capped the sequence with the spinning leg drop before going for one last cover attempt. Nitro continued to work the shoulder until Dreamer fought back with some rights to the gut. Nitro, to his credit, kept his bearings and countered with a grizzly looking arm wringer to cut off the comeback sequence yet again.
Nitro went right back to the top wrist lock and kept it clamped on. Dreamer again came back, ramming Nitro in the corner but he ate a big boot to the puss on the follow up. Nitro used the back of his knee to come off the second rope and drop a leg across Dreamer’s shoulder.
Dreamer eventually hit a lariat to sort of even things off a bit and give himself an opportunity to recoup. He cought Nitro charging into the corner before hitting some punches to Nitro’s face. Dreamer kept the momentum going with a fall away slam for a two count. Dreamer dumped Nitro upside down in the tree of woe before connecting with his patented drop kick to the face. Dreamer looked for the DDT, but Nitro wiggled out and countered with his flipping neck breaker for the win.
Winner: Johnny Nitro via pin fall
A video aired putting over last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
****Commercial****
A pretty funny video clip putting over the Boogeyman aired.
A video putting over CM Punk aired next.
****Commercial****
The CM Punk-Johnny Nitro match from Vengeance aired.
****Commercial****
A promo video for the Miz aired.
Pick Your Poison Match
CM Punk v. Kevin Thorn
The two locked horns with Punk grabbing a go behind. After some figuring out, Thorn broke the hold with some back elbows and attempted a body slam but Punker hit a quick sweep of the legs and a leg drop before sitting up Thorn and kicking him the back. The combo got Punk a quick two count.
Thorn regained his bearings quickly and bullied Punk to the corner. He attempted a whip but punk was able to fight out with some kicks and planted a huge boot right into Thorn’s face. Punk grabbed a front face lock on the big man in hopes of calming him down but Thorn easily broke the hold and assumed the advantage.
Thorn stomped Punk right out of the ring before following him out and ramming him into the guard rails and the ring apron. Thorn hit some double axe handles. Thorn got lazy bringing Punk into the ring and got mauled with a kick and a sling shot senton.
****Commercial****
We came back from break with Thorn in almost total control. Thorn whipped Punk to the ropes and caught the attempted counter and dumped Punk on the top rope but only managed to get a one count for his efforts. Electing to use his size, Thorn leaned in with a rear chin lock that the crowd helped Punk fight out of. Punk charged off the ropes only to get flap jacked and murdered with a lariat-o on the bounce back up. Thorn got a two count before crawling on Punk’s back and going right back to the good old chin lock.
Punk fought out and caught Thorn with a pair of boots in the corner but was caught in mid air looking for the high cross body block and slammed to the mat like yesterday’s meat. Thorn came sailing rather stupidly off the top rope and ate a Punk boot. Punk went into the old KENTA victory sequence before landing a few extra punches. Punk mounted Thorn in the corner and hit a plethora of punches before hitting the whip, knee, bulldog combo for a two count.
Thorn assaulted Punk on the top rope and almost hit original sin but Punk snap mared Thorn’s neck on the top rope and connected with a springboard lariat for a great near fall. Punk went for Go 2 Sleep but Thorn fought out and clotheslined Punk to grab a little time. Thorn went for a razor’s edge only to get mauled with an insecure. Punk wrapped up the arm and rolled up Thorn for the win.
Winner: CM Punk via pin fall
Johnny Nitro’s music hit and he came out to the ring. While Punk was distracted by Nitro, Thorn jumped him. Punk quickly took care of Thorn and that pretty much made Nitro pause and think before getting in the ring. The two had a stare down as we went off the air. ECW Round UpShow Thoughts-- I’d go into this show if it was actually a show. Half of it was a recap show while CM Punk and Johnny Nitro put on acceptable matches so we can pretend they’re feuding over something ‘important’. With the Benoit debacle going on, it’s no surprise WWE’s minds are /*where, but THIS much? Yikes.
Overall Grade: D
Quick Results
Johnny Nitro def. Tommy Dreamer
CM Punk def. Kevin Thorne
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not?
Biggest Pops
1. CM Punk
2. Tommy Dreamer
Most Heat
1. Johnny Nitro
2. Kevin Thorn
Match of the night: CM Punk v. Kevin Thorn **1/4
ECW Power Rankings5 Points= Title Win
4 Points= World Title defense/win
3 Points= Singles PPV Win
2 Points= Tag PPV Win
2 Points= TV Singles Win
1 Point= TV Tag Win
0 Points= Loss
ECW World Champion: Johnny Nitro 3-1, 8pts. (Last Week: NR)-- Nitro had a good performance, or should I say an excellent recovery from what started off as a really terrible match with Tommy Dreamer. He and Dreamer quickly brought it back together and were able to put something fun together by the end of the match. Other than that, this feud with Punker is nice, but still seems rather pointless.
1. CM Punk 4-1, 7 pt. (Last Week: 2) --Punk seems to be the guy WWE want to be in the top slot on this brand, at least for the time being. Punk was pretty excellent with Kevin Thorne tonight (and so was Thorne, BTW) and obviously seems to be the only guy on the roster who’s really over at this point in time. No Van Dam, no Sabu, No Sandman. It’s Punk and everyone /* I guess.
2. The Boogeyman 2-0, 4pts. (Last Week: 3)-- Boogey’s really more or less benefiting from the draft just by getting a few wins here and there. There’s just no depth to the character though, and I don’t see the push really holding up.
3. Kevin Thorn 1-1, 2 pts. (Last Week: 4)-- Thorn loses but gets bumped up IMO. Thorn keeps on consistently improving and I’d reckon tonight was probably his best match thus far in ECW. He’s been working as a very fun big man and if this keeps up he might end up having a bit of a future. Thorn, Umaga and guys like them, prove that what you get at first might not be what you end up with.
4. Tommy Dreamer 1-2, 2 pts.(Last Week: 5)-- Dreamer’s the workhorse of this brand. Period. The match with Nitro is a case in point of why he’s needed.
5. Marcus Cor Von 0-2, 0pts. (Last Week: NR)-- I guess it’s because I’m in a good mood.
Others
Elijah Burke 0-3, 0 pts (Last Week: 5)
Marcus Cor Von 0-2, 0 pts (Last Week: NR)
Matt Striker 0-1, 0pts. (Last Week: NR)
Balls Mahoney 0-1, 0 pts (Last Week: NR)
Mike Knox 0-0, 0 pts. (Last Week: NR)
Rob Van Dam 0-0, 0pts. (Last Week: NR)
The Miz 0-0. 0pts. (Last Week: NR)
Stevie Richards 0-0. 0pts (Last Week: NR)
Nunzio 0-1, 0pts. (Last Week: NR)
Viscera 0-0, 0pts. (Last Week: NR)