Reported by Adam Martin of WrestleView.com
On Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 2:53 AM EST

ECW on Sci Fi Results
Houston, TX
June 24, 2008
Commentators: Tazz & Mike Adamle
Reported by: David Stephens of WrestleView.com

ECW is kicked off with a Video Replay of the Million Dollar Mania Winners from last night’s RAW as well as the awesome “McMahon Assassination Attempt Part II” Segment. Very somber opening.

Theodore Long is standing in the middle of the ring to let us know that everyone on ECW will be keeping Mr. McMahon in their thoughts tonight and that though he is not allowed to release any information due to family privacy, he wishes him a speedy recovery. Teddy says that Mr. McMahon would want the show to go on, so that is exactly what is going to happen. He introduces ECW’s sole draft pick: Matt Hardy!

Matt’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring and is soon joined by Mr. Money in the Bank as they will be teaming up tonight against John Morrison and the Miz. Apparently Punk will still be competing on ECW despite not being on the roster anymore, interesting.

Matt Hardy & CM Punk v. Miz & Morrison

Hardy and Morrison start things off in the ring. They lock up and Hardy finds himself in an armbar, reverses and apples the pressure to Morrison. Quick Tag to CM Punk with a cover attempt but Morrison kicks out and grabs Punk by the head in order to tag in the Miz. Punk hits a nice round kick to Miz and gets him in the friendly corner and tags in Hardy. Miz manages to deck him with an elbow which allows him to get Hardy in their corner and tag in Morrison. Ref is distracted by Morrison and Miz performs a choke. Morrison tags back in the Miz and Hardy is locked up with an armbar in the middle of the ring. Blindingly quick tags thus far.

Miz hits a Jaw breaker which allows Punk to get in the tag and CM Punk connects with a nice kick. Morrison attempts to run in but Hardy keeps him occupied. Really nifty spot sees Hardy and Punk take their opponents in bulldogs from opposing corners and as they are hitting the move they high five. Nice. Punk attempts a pin cover but there is a quick kick out. Punk goes to bounce off the ropes but Morrison pulls them down and he goes flying out of the ring.

****Commercial****

As we come back Miz and Punk are in the ring. Miz sends Punk up with a tilt-a-whirl for Morrison to hit the elbow and then as Punk is laying on Miz’s knees he is met with a crossbody from Morrison coming over the ropes. Morrison drags Punk’s head to the apron and hits him with a huge knee. Miz gets in a cheap shot and then the teammates hit a double gutbuster on CM Punk. Miz’s pin attempt fails and the Miz locks CM up in a head lock. Punk is able to power out but Miz gets the tag first and Morrison stops Punk from getting the tag. Punk again finds himself in a head lock but he gets Morrison up in the air and gets the flaming hot tag to Hardy. Matt goes to the second rope and hits his standing elbow. I’ll never understand why he builds up so much for such a weak move. I also am really annoyed at Tazz, what the heck is that move called Hardy just hit. It is on the tip of my tongue but I can’t seem to remember. Side something. Call the moves by name Tazz! Side-Effect, that’s it.

Punk takes out Miz and they are both on the outside of the ring. Hardy attempts the twist of fate but is thrown into the ropes where Miz hits the cheap shot. Morrison hits a huge leaping kick and goes for the pin but Hornswoggle appears from nowhere and breaks it up. Miz tries to get into the ring but Hornswoggle again emerges and holds him back. Punk kicks Miz down and Hardy hits Morrison with the Twist of Fate. That’s all she wrote.

Winners via Twist of Fate: Matt Hardy & CM Punk

Up Next: Kofi v. Shelton in an Extreme Rules Match!

****Commercial****

Boom, Boom, Boom Baby! Kofi Kingston and Shelton will be squaring things off. I love Adamle’s “Jamaican Me Crazy” comment almost as much as the 2nd Best Theme in the WWE, which Kofi enters to.

Extreme Rules Match
Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin

Shelton and Kofi lock up and Kofi is thrown into the corner and some vicious forearms are exchanged. Kofi seems to be in a much harder hitting mood tonight. Both men are met with Irish whips and sent to the mat, one after the other. Shelton is sent to the outside. Kofi springs off the rope to hit him with a crossbody to the outside. Poor Tony Chimmel is molested as Shelton takes his mic to use as a weapon against Kofi’s skull. Things aren’t looking good as Kofi is sent into the steel steps “face flush”. Thanks for that Adamle. Shelton takes the opportunity to throw the “kitchen sink” into the ring from underneath. Adamle gets confused briefly as he tells Tazz that he has yet to see the kitchen sink. Kofi is hit with a standing press into a gutbuster. Kofi’s leg is on the tope so no good on the pin. To this end his face finds a home in a steel trash can.

Shelton places a trash can in the corner in between the ropes. Shelton attempts to hit Kofi with a trashcan but Kofi reaches up and blocks by holding onto Benjamin’s arms. Kofi however falls to the mat and is bashed with the trashcan twice. Shelton then hits a huge vertical suplex into a trash can. Kofi is taking an absurd beating tonight. Shelton locks him up in the middle of the ring with a side bear hug just squeezing the life out of his ribs. The crowd is building behind Kofi and he gets out but finds himself hit into the corner. Shelton hits a nice Stinger splash. Just when it seems Kofi will never block a move, Shelton runs for a huge splash and is cracked in the face with a trashcan lid. No idea where Kingston picked it up from. Benjamin is getting destroyed now as Kingston stalks him around the ring hitting him time after time in the face with the lid. Kofi picks up a steel chair but Benjamin blocks it with a kick to the midsection.

Kofi finds himself up on Shelton’s shoulders in line for a powerbomb, but he counters into a hurricarana that sends Benjamin into the trashcan that Shelton had set up in the corner earlier in the match. Beautiful Trouble in Paradise and it’s all over.

Winner via Trouble in Paradise: Kofi Kingston

****Commercial****

Video replay shown from last week on Smackdown of the match between MVP and Kane when MVP walked out and then Mark Henry came into the ring and hit Kane with the World’s Strongest Slam.

Later tonight: Kane v. Mark Henry

****Commercial****

RAW Rebound goes over all of the Draft picks from last night. Best Draft ever by the way. I’m actually going to start watching Smackdown again after nearly a year. More on that later.

Tazz and Adamle run down the card for Night of Champions this Sunday.

Kane is shown backstage laughing. The camera zooms in on one eye as Adamle says “Kane is dangerous with only one eye but The World’s Strongest Man may turn out the lights completely”. Yes, that is what leads out to commercial break. Hall of Fame! I’m just saying…

****Commercial****

Video recap of Mike Knox beating up Evan Bourne last week, as well as a clip of Bourne’s Amazing Shooting Star Press

Mike Knox v. Evan Bourne

Evan is selling the beat down with a slight limp in his step on the way to the ring. Evan manages to stay away from Mike at the start with speed but gets caught in Mike’s legs and is met with a fist to his back. Knox tries to whip him into the corner but Evan slides to the outside and taunts Mike. Knox makes his way to the outside and Bourne runs back in. Bourne hits Knox with some kicks and then is met with a vicious clothesline. The air is sucked out of his lungs when Knox nails him with a splash in the corner. Evan is still grounded as Mike Knox holds him with a double underhook. Crowd is starting to build for Evan but Knox nails him to the ground. Knox picks him up and holds him with an armbar and then holds Bourne’s legs up for an incredibly painful looking variant on the abdominal stretch. Evan does get out and bounces off the rope to hit the back of Knox’s leg. Knox is still up and gets hit in the leg two more times. A drop kick to the head, and a missile dropkick from the top rope finally takes him down. Huge Hurricarana out of nowhere, and Bourne somehow has the advantage

Knox is in the corner and Bourne actually does connect with the splash attempt! Knox comes to the center of the ring and Bourne bounces off the ropes but is caught and met with a backbreaker. Mike Knox hits his finisher, which tonight Tazz calls the “Shades of Last Week” and Knox gets the Pin.

Winner via “Shades of Last Week”: Mike Knox

Adamle to his credit continues to call it by his self created name, the “Knox Out”. That is not what WWE.com has listed as the move’s name, so I’m still not giving them credit. Then again, I like Adamle’s name.

****Commercial****

Big Show makes his way to ringside as he will help call the next matchup.

ECW Champion Kane v. Mark Henry

There is a Kane poster in the newest WWE Magazine that looks crazy cool. It’s his face formed out of fire.

Mark Henry stares at Kane and just starts to laugh at him. Bell rings and the two monsters lock up. These are two really huge men. Mark Henry has of late been a beast in the ring since his return. I’d elaborate but Hunter Golden stole my thunder last night in the RAW Recap. After a few punches Kane bounces off the ropes and Henry throws him down to the mat. Kane tries to get the momentum back with uppercuts, but Mark Henry holds him up with a bear hug. This match is a lot easier to type up then the last one.

Kane gets out and hits Mark Henry with a kick and then, was that an Enziguiri from Kane? Sweetness. Kane bounces off the ropes and hits a dropkick. This is crazy. Kane goes for the pin but Henry kicks out. Kane goes to the top rope but Big Show stands up and draws a glare from Kane which allows Henry to knock Kane down and hit the World’s Strongest Slam 1..2..3!

Winner via World’s Strongest Slam: Mark Henry

ECW Thoughts

Lots and lots to go over tonight so let us start with the show at hand. ECW once again managed to put on a really entertaining show. I was a bit disappointed to not have the intro video and music play, but actually given the way they did start things off, it was very tastefully done.

Opening Tag Match was fast paced and solid, no complaints other than a bit of confusion towards why CM Punk was wrestling on ECW. If you are going to get drafted to RAW, stay there. I loved that Hornswoggle ran interference during the match. This continues to build Finlay and his son up as legitimate contenders for the Title.

Benjamin v. Kingston was a very nicely done match. Kofi really took a beating. I like that they made it an Extreme Rules match, though it almost seemed more of creative’s way of just not having any other match ideas for the rest of the roster. I would have preferred this built up for a PPV. Though, by now you all know that my true preference is for the two of them to get over their difference and form a tag team. They could even bring Elijah Burke back from whatever abyss he has been sent to and form a dominant stable to feud against Miz & Morrison. Maybe even make the Tag Champs have their own stable, but I’m really getting ahead of myself.

Back in the real world, Knox and Evan Bourne had a match. Actually it is almost more unrealistic that Matt Sydal is getting a push on WWE television. Truth really is stranger than fiction sometimes. I really enjoyed this match, and not just because I have become a huge Evan Bourne mark. They did a great job playing up that Bourne is a legit contender and that he possibly could have won the match. This was not at all a squash, even leaving open a possibility for a feud. They showed that they could each balance each other out in order to put their opponent over. I like this.

The “Main Event” was short and odd. Why did Mark Henry win? I feel like the crowd didn’t really catch Big Show’s distraction factor because it barely came across on TV. It’s only saving grace is the fact that Big Show blatantly stated that he distracted Kane and that’s why he lost the match. I expected him to run in at the end and wreck Kane to close the show, but instead he sat back down.

It was a bit of a bizarre way to end, but they did a very solid job of playing off the Draft, continuing feuds and building up for this Sunday’s PPV. This time ECW will have 2 whole matches! This is ironically more than they had last month at their own PPV. Yes, I realize One Night Stand was for all 3 brands, but I think you catch my drift.

Night of Champions Thoughts

Miz & Morrison v. Finlay & Hornswoggle

Let’s have the Irishmen win it, why not? Don’t shoot me yet, hear me out. If they don’t win this match then Smackdown has NO Tag Titles. I know that the whole Title situation is up in the air right now, but I just have a feeling that these two are going to pull it down. If not, then the next challengers will probably be from Smackdown as well. I really like the split brands, but not if people are going to constantly cross over because that makes the whole thing pointless. Yes, Miz and Morrison will probably win, but I will just have to wait and see how this all develops.

Kane v. Big Show

If Kane wins, he will keep competing on ECW. If Big Show wins, he will be quietly moved to the ECW Roster. I would prefer the Kane option because I just don’t feel like Big Show fits into the whole ECW scene. Credit where credit is due, he has worked his butt off since his return, but I just don’t like him on ECW. Sorry but Big Show vs. Evan Bourne will never be entertaining. It was so obvious how small the ECW guys were last night during the Battle Royal. You know what? That’s ok! I love the show the way it is now. So please, don’t bring the Big Show back.

Draft Thoughts

We got shafted! Seriously? One Pick? Matt Hardy?!?

Now that I have gotten that off my chest, I’m really happy. Even though we “lost” CM Punk and Kane, I really don’t think we did. ECW will be starting to tour with RAW which means their Draft makes sense. I am still torn as to whether or not I want them on the show. It will probably take a couple weeks of me saying that I hate them on here and love them before I figure out what I want. On one hand: yeah great; on the other: stick to the split brands. What I am happy about is the fact that ECW did not get any big names that would immediately be in line for the ECW title, or whatever title we end up with. This is only going to allow for more screen time for people like Kofi, Shelton, and Evan Bourne so no complaints. I expected last night that I would be writing a really nasty segment here, but after I cooled down I realized how awesome this is. I really did feel like Tazz last night while watching the show play out: “why are we even here?” Good, ECW should be that backdoor brand.

As I am typing this up WWE.com just announced a supplemental Draft Wednesday at Noon. Please don’t mess with us. I really hope something crazy doesn’t happen because I am really excited about the way the shows are stacked. If HHH gets traded back like in 2005 or they switch JR and Cole back I’m going to be upset. The Draft switches have actually made it so that I am interested in regularly watching Smackdown for the first time in over a year and a half. On the plus side, the article announcing the Supplemental Draft mentions London and Kendrick being drafted last year and no other wrestler, so from a Londonite: cheers for the plug!

Power Rankings

Mine aren’t debuting till next week, but tonight it is your turn. I’m all about things that have never been done before, so for the first time in Wrestleview’s ECW Recap History: We are interactive! It’s as simple as following the link and selecting your picks in the poll questions.

This week includes:

Match of the Nights
Heel of the Night
Face of the Nights
Most Impressive Wrestler
What Annoys you Most

http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/345404

Results will be available in next week’s recap.

Final Thoughts to Marinade On
- Where is Kelly Kelly?!? Seriously, this isn’t even funny anymore
- I can’t believe they didn’t tell JR in advance
- We still kinda got shafted
- Tazz must be purposely not naming Knox’s finisher just to annoy me
- Adamle’s name for it will probably end up sticking
- WrestleView now has a great recapper on Friday night's so check it out

Some great feedback and thoughts last week. I haven’t gotten back to all of you, but I will. Keep it coming especially with your thoughts about the Draft, Night of Champions, the Interactive Feature and all of that. Just so you know, I am here as a should to cry on if you are missing Kelly as much as I am. As always: jugglernextdoor@gmail.com

-David Stephens