Reported by David Stephens of WrestleView.com
On Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 2:25 AM EST

ECW on Sci-Fi
Atlanta, GA
November 18th 2008
Commentators: Matt Striker & Todd Grisham
Report by: David Stephens of WrestleView.com

ECW started off with some really rockin’ pyro tonight. Very impressive looking as we are only five days away from Survivor Series!

As we open up John Morrison and The Miz make their way down to the ring. They put over their match at the PPV on Sunday. They go down and mock all of the competitors in their elimination match. It is the normal MizMo attacks that we have come to love and laugh at it. This is much stronger than their live Dirt Sheets. Eventually the mic work leads to them attacking Shawn Michaels. As they say: in life there are winners, and there are losers, be jealous!

****Commercial****

We come back and Tony Chimel is in the ring and he introduces a member of the “New Superstar Intiative”, DJ Gabriel. He is accompanied down to the ring with Alicia Fox [last seen on Smackdown as the Edge wedding planner]. Gabriel’s character seems to be that of an action character and he hails from the UK. He is spectacular looking.

DJ Gabriel w/Alicia Fox v. Saranara [they briefly said his name but never flashed a graphic!]

DJ starts of the match by picking up Saranara and chucking him to the other side of the ring followed by a pose. He then trips him up with a heel hold and DJ dances around a little. Gabriel hits a scoop slam followed by a sweet snap elbow drop. He flips Saranara over onto his back while retaining an arm hold. DJ once again sweeps Saranara to the mat with that unique heel trip. He hits some nice looking punches to continue the onslaught. DJ goes up to the second rope and comes off with a leaping European Uppercut that might just put Saranara out for the count. Yes it does, and DJ’s debut is a victory!

Winner via European Uppercut: DJ Gabriel

After the match he proceeds to dance around in the ring for a bit.

****Commercial****

Amateur Wrestling Challenge
Jack Swagger v. Tommy Dreamer

I really know nothing about amateur wrestling so I apologize in advance for having no clue as to move names and how the point system works.

Dreamer decided to not wear a singlet for this matchup. Swagger scores the first point with a takedown. 2 pts. Swagger. Swagger gets another takedown at the 4:10 mark and gets another 2 pts. Tommy escapes, because Swagger lets him out so 1 pt. for Dreamer. 4 pts. Swagger, 1 pt. Dreamer. Swagger gets another take down and lets him out again. 6 pts. Swagger, 2 pts. Dreamer. Swagger starts to taunt Dreamer by taking off his protective gear and as Swagger turns his head to the side cockily, Dreamer takes advantage and gets a takedown. Dreamer lifts him up but gets taken down by Swagger! 8 pts. Swagger, 4 pts. Dreamer. Swagger abuses Dreamer’s head a little bit then lets him up so dreamer gets credit for another escape. 8 pts. Swagger, 5 pts. Dreamer. Swagger gets down in the referee’s position and Tommy is unsure of how exactly to mount Jack, so he just punts him in the side!

Winner via DQ: Jack Swagger

After the match Dreamer picks up the mic and says “Whoops, my bad”.

****Commercial****

In the back Ricky Ortiz is flirting with Tiffany as Jack Swagger walks in. Jack is demanding that he see Teddy. He asks them if they saw what happened and Tiffany says nope. Swagger starts to make fun of her which causes Ortiz to step in to confront Swagger. Jack mocks Ortiz’s rally towel and then Ortiz mocks Swagger for having no personality, Jack attacks Ortiz’s haircut and Ortiz knocks Jack Swagger’s lisp! That was great. Teddy Long finally walks in and Swagger demands a rematch against Dreamer. Teddy says ok, but it will be an Extreme Rules Match next week on ECW!

Matt Striker is now in the ring and it appears that we will be heading to school right here and now. He is going down the Team Batista v. Team Orton match at Survivor Series. Matt is putting over the unpredictability of the match, saying what would happen if Mark Henry wiped out 4 members of the other team and made it 5 on 1? This is just one point of presumable possibility.

****Commercial****

Mark Henry w/ Tony Atlas, Cody Rhodes & William Regal v. Finlay w/ Hornswoggle, Kofi Kingston & Matt Hardy

Matt really looked in pain as he made his way down to the ring. The crowd has quite a Hardy chant going at the beginning of the matchup. Finlay and Regal start things off in the ring. Regal backs Finlay in the corner and the two lock up again. Finlay briefly locks in a headlock before sending Regal to the mat with a hard chop to the back of the neck. Cody is tagged in and Finlay takes him over to the corner and tags in Matt Hardy. Matt sends him to the mat with a shoulder block and then falls on him with an elbow. Matt hits a scoop slam then runs over to punch Mark Henry! All six men spill into the ring as we head to commercial.

****Commercial****

As we come back, Regal and Kofi have made their way into the ring. Kofi is able to lock in an arm hold and then tag in Finlay. The two Europeans trade a set of European Uppercuts. Finlay is whipped into the corner but dodges a Regal splash. Finlay heads up the turnbuckle but Regal pushes him off and he lands on the outside. Regal pulls Finlay back in the ring and starts to take him out with a series of punches. Cody Rhodes gets the tag again and proceeds with a couple of kicks and a spinning elbow. Finlay starts to mount an offense, but Cody tags in Mark Henry.

Henry comes and starts to work on Finlay’s neck and head. He holds Finlay down to the mat by pinching the nerve on his shoulder blades. Finlay is able to get up but gets sent back down with a boot. Henry tags in Regal who enters the ring and continues the onslaught on Finlay’s head and neck. Finlay is on his back and tries to bring Regal down with a sunset flip, but Regal just headbutts him back down. Finlay somehow manages to attempt a slide pin but the count is non-existence. Regal picks him up and slams Finlay down to the mat hard and goes for the cover. Hardy runs in to make the save and Regal sends him flying out of the ring.

Regal goes back to his own corner and tags in Cody. Rhodes comes in and runs right into a clothesline. Finlay gets the tag to Kofi Kingtston! Kofi comes in with incredible energy flying off the top rope with a crossbody, and hitting an absurdly high dropkick. He is running around the ring and the announcers can’t resist: “Jamaican Me Crazy!” Kofi hits the Boom Boom Boom and goes for the pin! Regal comes in for the save.

Hardy runs in and takes out Regal but as the referee is distracted Rhodes hits a low blow on Kofi. Henry tags himself in. Kofi isn’t going to take it idly as he proceeds with a slew of kicks trying to take out Henry’s legs. Kofi bounces off the second turnbuckle to attempt a crossbody but gets caught by Henry. Mark hits the World’s Strongest Slam and that’s all she wrote.

Winners via World’s Strongest Slam: Henry, Rhodes & Regal

ECW Thoughts

Yet again, ECW was a solid show. It is really difficult to watch this stuff without being entertained, so hats off once again to everyone involved. Obviously nothing was going to top the amazing display we saw last week, but wow.

DJ Gabriel will absolutely hold a title. I’m calling it now and I want to be the first to say it. He has everything from looks to moves to charisma. He is golden.

Generally I am a bit hesitant when it comes to gimmicky matches, but Dreamer and Swagger brought it home tonight. Yes, the ending was predictable, but the actual amateur wrestling attempt in itself was enjoyable to watch.

The main event did not do all that much for me, except for one aspect that stood out in my mind. I miss Kofi Kingston! I forgot how much electricity he used to bring to the ECW ring. I really think a year from now it is going to be crazy to look at all of the ECW bred stars that have gone on to the other two brands to do great things. Already we have the obvious ones, but their numbers are only going to grow.

Feedback

Hey! I have been throwing a lot of random thoughts around here for a couple of weeks now and I am curious as to your take on several items of note. I of course enjoy all the comments, but see if you could throw some things in this week particularly about the potential shake up of Matt Hardy’s injury, Paul London, and DJ Gabriel. I look forward to your thoughts!

Send your thoughts to: jugglernextdoor@gmail.com

-David Stephens

Power Rankings

3 Month Rolling Rankings; ECW Title Win 5, ECW Title Loss 4, ECW Win 3, ECW Loss 2, ECW Appearance 1, PPV Title Win 10, PPV Title Loss 8, PPV Win 6, PPV Loss 4, PPV Appearance 2.

August 12th 2008 – November 11th 2008

1. Matt Hardy – 62 pts. [l.w. 1]
2. Mark Henry – 53 pts. [l.w. 2]
3. Finlay – 45 pts. [l.w. 3]
4. The Miz – 43 pts. [l.w. 4]
5. John Morrison – 38 pts. [l.w. 5]
6. Evan Bourne – 30 pts. [l.w. 6]
7. Jack Swagger – 26 pts. [l.w. 7]
8. Chavo Guerrero – 21 pts. [l.w. 8]
9. Tommy Dreamer – 20pts. [l.w. 9]
10. Mike Knox – 16 pts. [l.w. 10]

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