ECW on Sci-Fi
February 24, 2009
Nashville, TN
Report by: Mike Tedesco of WrestleView.com
Hey everybody! It’s Mike Tedesco, your lovable Smackdown recapper, filling in for David Stephens tonight who is feeling under the weather. David will return next week? and in my debt! I jest! Seriously, feel better, Dave!
?Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event?? The WWE video leads us into the show.
Tonight on ECW, we?ll be seeing Jack Swagger putting his ECW Title on the line against the red hot Christian, who made his shocking return just two weeks ago! We see a short little video package about it.
To quote Dave, ?Are you ready? Then stop questioning your heart because it is time for ECW!? Todd Grisham and Matt Striker welcome us to ECW on Sci-Fi. Our Main Event will, of course, be Jack Swagger vs. Christian with the ECW Championship on the line!
D.J. Gabriel is in the ring with the woman who almost ruined Smackdown’s most powerful couple Alicia Fox!
D.J. Gabriel vs. Mark Henry
This doesn?t look good for the young up and coming D.J. Gabriel. Even Todd Grisham doesn?t think he has a chance. Matt Striker comes up with a game plan for Gabriel but it’s a long shot.
Tony Atlas takes off his jacket to reveal yet another sleeveless business shirt. The match can officially begin now. The referee rings the bell and the competitors circle the ring. They lock up and Henry immediately powers Gabriel to the mat! Hey, he is the World’s Strongest Man! Gabriel gets up and shakes it off. They lock up again and Gabriel tries to shoot Henry into a hammerlock but Henry is too powerful for that and tosses Gabriel head over heels!
Gabriel gets up and this time his lower back is in pain. Henry turns his back to give Alicia Fox a menacing look, giving Gabriel the opening to hit him with a dropkick, which staggers the big man! Gabriel hits some weak blows to the midsection, goes into the ropes, and hits Henry with a clothesline but he doesn?t budge an inch! Gabriel hits some more punches to the midsection, goes back into the ropes, and this time Mark Henry annihilates him with a clothesline! Henry picks him up and head-butts him down. Tony Atlas is all smiles on the outside. Gabriel is seated in the corner and Henry illegally chokes him for two seconds. Henry stands him up and whips him HARD into the opposite corner.
Henry stomps Gabriel in the head and then picks him up, grabbing his arm, to kick him in the chest! Ouch! Henry then picks him up and delivers a HUGE forearm to the chest, a la the great Greg ?The Hammer? Valentine! Henry then gets him in a seated chin lock. Alicia Fox is getting the crowd into it, prompting Gabriel to get to his feel and try to elbow out but Henry just powers him into the corner. Henry backs away and then charges but Gabriel moves and Henry hits the turnbuckle full force, stunning the big man!
Gabriel quickly goes into the ropes and hits Henry with a running forearm to the chest, which staggers him a little! Gabriel goes back into the ropes and hits another running forearm, this time getting a little more stagger out of him! Gabriel goes in a third time and forearms him in the back, which had little effect, so Gabriel delivers a low dropkick to the back of the knee, putting Henry down ? on his knees at least! Gabriel goes into the ropes and hits a running European Uppercut, which puts Henry back in the upright position, something I think is the antithesis of what Gabriel had in mind. Gabriel goes to the second rope and hits a double axe handle to Henry’s back, which had little effect on him. Gabriel goes to the ropes again and tries for a cross-body block but Henry catches him and hits the World’s Strongest Slam to end this one! Henry didn?t even leave his feet!
Winner by Pinfall: Mark Henry
Match Rating: *
Henry has his arm raised and angrily looks down at D.J. Gabriel’s broken body as Alicia Fox looks on dejectedly at ringside. Too bad I couldn?t recap any Tony Atlas action!
Still to come tonight is Christian vs. Jack Swagger for the ECW Championship!
-Commercial Break-
One of my favorite Superstars in all of WWE, Evan Bourne, is returning to ECW? soon, I guess. Hopefully in time for Money in the Bank!
Tyson Kidd vs. Matt Boyce
Tyson Kidd comes down to the ring with stolen Smackdown Diva Natalya. Seriously, they need to do something with her wrestling wise. Boy, Tyson Kidd’s hair is bad.
The bell rings and Kidd quickly gets a waist-lock takedown on Boyce! He then grapevines Boyce’s torso and forearms him lightly a few times in the back of the head to let him know who’s boss! Boyce can?t get out so he crawls to the ropes for a break. Kidd rubs the bottom of his boot on Boyce’s face before releasing the hold, prompting Boyce to angrily shoot up and Kidd to seek refuge behind the referee!
They circle the ring and lock up. Kidd quickly gets a key lock on and pulls him down to the mat by his hair! Boyce quickly squirms to the ropes and the referee counts to three before Kidd finally releases, slapping Boyce in the back of the head for good measure! Boyce angrily fires back with a few forearms to the face but has an Irish whip reversed on him but Kidd lowers his head and Boyce gets a Sunset Flip for a count of one! Kidd quickly gets up and kicks Boyce in the face, sending him down in a seated position just for Kidd to kick him in the face again! Kidd now does the ground and pound until the referee makes him get off! Kidd hits a running stomp to the head before pulling him up by his hair and driving the point of his elbow into Boyce’s face! Oh the life of a jobber!
Boyce tries to crawl for the ropes by Kidd pulls him away by his hair and grapevine’s his neck! Kidd tells the referee to ask for the submission but Boyce doesn?t. They roll around once and Kidd releases the hold only to put a knee on his forehead! Kidd waits for Boyce to get up and delivers a BEAUTIFUL spinning heel kick to the face! Kidd then hits his Springboard Elbow-Drop and this one is over, folks!
Winner by Pinfall: Tyson Kidd
Match Rating: * ?
Tyson celebrates his win with Natalya. He’s still undefeated!
Still to come is Jack Swagger vs. Christian with the ECW Championship on the line!
I?m a sucker for cheap plugs. A Smackdown preview just aired. We?ve got a full show with Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy and John Cena’s return to Smackdown!
-Commercial Break-
Did you know that last month over 100 million photos of WWE ringside action were viewed on WWE.com?
The Raw Rewind airs with Triple H’s interview with JR on Smackdown. I?ll have more thoughts on Raw this Friday/early Saturday.
Tommy Dreamer vs. Paul Burchill
As Burchill comes out we see highlights (if any) of the Boogeyman vs. Paul Burchill match, which Burchill won with a roll-up.
The bell rings and Katie Lea leaves the ring. They lock up and Burchill powers Dreamer back to the corner but Dreamer turns him around and hits some shoulder thrusts! Dreamer hits a right hand and whips Burchill sternum first into the opposite corner. Dreamer hits him with a hip toss and grounds and pounds him! Dreamer hits a Russian Leg Sweep and clotheslines Burchill over the top rope!
Dreamer goes outside and puts Burchill back in the ring. Burchill tries to get Dreamer coming back in but Dreamer ducks the clothesline and hits a neckbreaker! Dreamer goes into the ropes and goes for an elbow-drop but Burchill rolls out of the way! Burchill clotheslines Dreamer down and stomps him a few times. Burchill picks him up and clubs his back a few times before pushing him into the corner. Burchill hits a corner clothesline and pulls him out for a European Uppercut. Burchill uses the ropes to choke Dreamer, releasing at the referee’s count of four! Burchill bounces Dreamer’s head off the top turnbuckle. He goes for it again but this time Dreamer stops it! Burchill kicks him in the kidneys and clotheslines him down! Burchill covers for a one count.
Katie Lea likes what she’s seeing as Burchill sizes Dreamer up in the opposite corner. Burchill charges and Dreamer moves! Dreamer clotheslines Burchill down and then hits a swinging neckbreaker! Dreamer goes into the ropes and drops an elbow! He covers for a two and a half count! Dreamer whips Burchill into the corner and charges but eats a back elbow. Burchill goes to the second rope and goes for a low dropkick but Dreamer catches him and catapults him into the corner! Dreamer puts Burchill in the tree of woe position and goes to the opposite corner. ECW!! Dreamer goes for the low dropkick but Katie Lea pulls her brother away!
All of a sudden red lights come on and Katie Lea is getting sucked under the ring! She wriggles away and the Boogeyman follows her out! Burchill is distracted (and scared) by the Boogeyman so Dreamer simply turns him around and hits the Dreamer DDT, pinning him for the win!!
Winner by Pinfall: Tommy Dreamer
Match Rating: * ?
Tommy Dreamer celebrates his big win as the announcers ponder whether this is Tommy’s ?farewell tour.? This guy is over!
Christian is making his way to the ring! The ECW Title is on the line? NEXT!
For all you ECW fans, Kane is going to be making an appearance next Tuesday!
-Commercial Break-
WrestleMania 25 is 40 days away, folks!
ECW Championship
Christian vs. Jack Swagger
This has a big match feel to it. They even do the official entrances after they?re already in the ring and Scott Armstrong raises the belt above his head for all to see.
Armstrong calls for the bell and this ECW Championship match is on! Swagger teases locking up but Christian just looks on, not even flinching. They lock up after a few seconds and Christian quickly gets a waist-lock on. Swagger quickly reverses this into a waist-lock of his own and takes Christian down! Swagger leans on Christian’s head before putting the waist-lock back on. Christian gets to his feet and tries to break Swagger’s grip. Christian eventually does and goes for an arm wrench but Swagger pulls his arm away and hits a double leg takedown! Swagger celebrates and the Nashville crowd doesn?t like it.
Christian gets up and they lock up again. Swagger powers him into the corner and the referee asks for a clean break but Swagger tries for a cheap punch anyway, which Christian ducks, and hits Swagger with some right hands! Christian has an Irish whip reversed on him but Christian avoids whatever Swagger had planned by sliding in between Swagger’s legs! Swagger turns and gets taken down by a rolling wheel kick! Christian covers for a quick and easy one count.
Christian gets Swagger in a side headlock which Swagger powers out of, getting Christian on his shoulder! Christian tries to slide off for a pin attempt but Swagger powers him up by his neck and throws him into the corner! Swagger hits Christian with a pair of shoulder thrusts and bounces his head off the top turnbuckle. Swagger hits a club to the back and the referee backs him off. Swagger bounces Christian’s head off the top turnbuckle again and hits some stomps.
Swagger now whips Christian hard into the opposite turnbuckle and then whips him right back to the original. Swagger charges and Christian slips through the ropes, avoiding it! Christian uses the ropes to slingshot his legs into Swagger’s face! Swagger now charges and Christian pulls down the top rope, sending Swagger flying to the outside! Christian then goes to the top rope and hits a nice cross-body to the outside!! Time for a commercial!
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Christian jump off the top rope over a charging Jack Swagger! Christian ducks a clothesline but Swagger quickly clotheslines him in the back of the head! Swagger hits a nasty stomp before hitting a quick second rope slingshot body splash! This gets him a two count. Christian rolls to the apron and stands up, prompting Swagger to go into the ropes and shoulder block Christian off, sending him down to the floor in a sick bump!! Ouch!!
Swagger taunts the Nashville crowd inside the ring as Christian crawls around, trying to regain his bearings. Swagger goes to the outside to retrieve him but the feisty Christian hits him with some right hands and a slap to the chest! Swagger is against the stairs so Christian charges but Swagger moves! Christian hits the stairs full force, shoulder first! Christian is grasping his left arm as Swagger slides in the ring, imploring the referee to count him out! Christian rolls in at the count of eight and Swagger is not happy!
Swagger shoots a hammerlock on Christian and body slams him on that injured left arm! Swagger then locks him in a key lock! Swagger then pulls him up by the arm and slams him down! Swagger then grabs the arm and pushes his legs against Christian’s ribs, pulling back on the injured appendage! The referee counts Christian’s shoulders down but Christian lifts one at two. Christian powers himself to his feet, trying to either grab the ropes or get Swagger’s shoulders on the mat, but Swagger powers him back down into the same position.
All of a sudden Christian gets a flurry of energy and rolls up Swagger’s legs, getting a side headlock on! Swagger quickly gets out of it with a hammerlock but can?t escape some nasty back elbows from Captain Charisma! Christian head-butts Swagger and goes into the ropes, but before he can do anything, Swagger gets him on his shoulder for a shoulder-breaker, HOLDS ON to Christian, slamming him into the corner, before hitting another shoulder-breaker!! That was impressive! Christian is in pain as we go to our final commercial break.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Christian on Swagger’s back with a sleeper hold (!!) but Swagger uses his body weight to slam Christian into the corner, breaking the hold. Swagger then hits a variation of the snapmare to get him completely off. Swagger hits a kick to the midsection before hitting a swinging neckbreaker but holds on to roll around on the mat a few times! Swagger pulls him up with a painful front face-lock! Christian eventually finds his way to the corner, forcing Swagger to break the hold.
Swagger approaches Christian in the corner and gets slapped in the face! Swagger hits a kick to the midsection and some right hands and he’s back in control AGAIN! Swagger puts Christian on the top rope and goes for a Superplex but Christian punches him off! Christian hits a missile dropkick but can?t capitalize because of his injured shoulder! Matt Striker wonders if this is a grade three shoulder separation with nerve damage. I love this guy.
The referee is counting them both down and Christian gets up at the count of seven! Christian hits a bunch of right hands and goes into the ropes, clotheslining the ?All American? American! Swagger tries for a clothesline but Christian drop-toe-holds him into the second rope and stands on his back using the ropes to choke him! Christian gets off at three and springboards over the top rope to the apron! Christian grabs Swagger’s chin and snaps the back of his neck off the top rope! Christian goes to the top rope and goes for it all with a splash but Swagger rolls out of the way!!
Swagger hits Christian with a northern lights suplex and bridges it for a two count! Swagger goes for his Gut-Wrench Powerbomb but Christian counters that into an Unprettier attempt which Swagger tries to counter into a back suplex but Christian flips over his shoulder and lands on his feet! Christian ducks a back elbow and a clothesline and hits Swagger with a reverse DDT! Christian covers for a two and a half count!!
Christian is feeling the adrenaline rush now as he picks up Swagger who quickly hits him with a belly to belly suplex, covering for a close two count! Christian, the professional, was of mind to use his uninjured arm to kick out!
Swagger goes for that slingshot body splash but Christian gets both knees up!! Christian jumps to the second rope and vaults out with a Sunset Flip and pins him for a two and seven-eighths count!! That was close!!
Swagger tries to throw Christian over the top rope to catch his breath but he doesn?t see Christian land on the apron! Christian goes to the top rope and Swagger jumps up for a belly to belly superplex attempt but Christian punches him off!! Christian hits a Diving Head-Butt for another two and seven-eighths count!!
Christian approaches Swagger and gets pulled face first into the middle turnbuckle. Swagger charges and eats a back elbow! Christian hits a SICK Tornado DDT and covers for ANOTHER two and seven-eighths count!! Christian goes for the Unprettier but Swagger is able to send him through the ropes shoulder first into the ring post!! Swagger goes for the Gut-Wrench Powerbomb but Christian flips to his feet and goes for another Unprettier but can?t complete it due to his injured shoulder!! Swagger takes advantage of the opportunity to hit the Gut-Wrench Powerbomb and pin Christian to retain his Championship in a terrific match!!
Winner by Pinfall & STILL ECW Champion: Jack Swagger
Match Rating: ***
Both of these men went through a war but in the end Jack Swagger is the victor. Swagger is holding the Championship as ECW concludes for the evening.
Quick Match Results
Mark Henry def. D.J. Gabriel
Tyson Kidd def. Matt Boyce
Tommy Dreamer def. Paul Burchill
ECW Title: Jack Swagger def. Christian to RETAIN
Bump of the Night: Swagger shoulder blocking Christian off the apron!
Match of the Night: ECW Championship Match ***
Mike’s Thoughts
Wow, what a main event! For a one hour show, this week’s ECW packed a lot of punch! They were able to get some young stars some exposure (one in a losing effort) and put over a wily veteran in the last legs of his WWECW career. Then we capped it off with a terrific near half hour main event with the title on the line!
What a freaking wrestler Christian is! Vince McMahon is 100% wrong about this guy. He silenced all the doubters tonight by having one hell of a match against the impressive rookie Jack Swagger. Even though it was a losing effort, he looked as strong as can be!
I must admit that Jack Swagger was really impressive tonight. Easily his best match since debuting on television. That’s the kind of rub you can get from working with a guy like Christian. Christian is going to do some great things for ECW before moving on to another show. My only wish was ? and don?t get me wrong, I really enjoyed this match tonight ? that it could have been saved for WrestleMania. Oh well, not a big deal.
Random Fact: ECW was very international tonight! Each match had a person who is not from the United States! Gabriel and Burchill from England and Tyson Kidd, Natalya, and Christian from Canada! Just a little interesting tidbit!
All in all I was extremely impressed with ECW this week. They really did a hell of a job with the one hour they have. Great work!
Final ECW Rating: ***
As always I?d love to hear what you thought of this recap, particularly because I?m not the ECW recapper! Let me know!
E-Mail ? MikeyT817@hotmail.com
Again, David Stephens will be returning next week! Wish him a speedy recovery at jugglernextdoor@gmail.com!
Thanks for reading! See you all Friday for Smackdown!