Assassin™
06-08-2006, 02:17 AM
I know it's a little late to be posting this seeing as how the show has already started, but there is so much to discuss. This seems like the proper forum to discuss an ECW/WWE event.
Thanks to Mike Jonhson from PWInsider.com for the live coverage:
The special opened with Mick Foley addressing Raw and Smackdown superstars saying they aren't going to let the ECW star take over their company. Rey Mysterio, of all people, said they aren't going to let them walk in. Wasn't he part of ECW a year ago?
Paul Heyman was then shown rallying the troops (Al Snow, Nunzio, Justin Credible, Tony Mamaluke, The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, Balls Mahoney, Steven Richards, and Kurt Angle) and leading them in an ECW chant.
There are two commentary teams - Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler and Joey Styles and Tazz. Styles said that he's representing ECW. Tazz cut a promo on Jerry Lawler, saying he's going to take out Lawler this weekend at the PPV. Lawler challenged Tazz to do it now. Tazz got up but was restrained by Styles.
WWE World champion Rey Mysterio vs. Rob Van Dam
Rey Mysterio made his way to the ring first. Joey Styles pointed out that ECW gave Mysterio his start and said he was happy to be finally working with Jim Ross. Rob Van Dam came out of an ECW entrance, through the crowd, which is a great touch.
Mysterio and Van Dam shook hands. Wasn't he just insulting ECW? Mysterio dropkicked Van Dam. The former partners went back and forth and then faced off. The crowd chanted for Van Dam. Mysterio went for a crucifix but Van Dam avoided it. He pressed and dropped Mysterio, then hit a standing moonsault. Van Dam then jumped on the crowd to play to them. Mysterio dropkicked RVD and went for the 619 but Van Dam saw it coming. Van Dam tried to springboard into the ring but Mysterio dropkicked him in mid-air to the floor. Van Dam caught Rey and dropped him across the guard rail. Can Dam stood on the rail to do a corkscrew legdrop but Rey avoided it. Van Dam landed in the crowd. Rey did a springboard dive into the crowd
A ECW on Sci Fi commercial aired as they returned from commercial.
Van Dam placed Van Dam atop the ropes and hit the Ryder Kick from the top rope. Mysterio bumped to the floor. The fans chanted, "RVD." Van Dam followed Rey to the floor and tossed him into the ring. Van Dam hit a slingshot guillotine legdrop to Mysterio's throat. Van Dam covered Mysterio for a two count. Mysterio missed a charge in the corner. RVD brought a chair into the ring for a running dropkick with it in the corner. RVD bowed for the crowd, then covered Mysterio for a two count.
Van Dam looked outside the ring, then whipped Rey into a corner. He grabbed a chair and went for his old somersault into a monkey flip on a chair but Rey avoided it. He bulldogged RVD onto the chair for a two count. Van Dam placed a chair on Mysterio and went up for the five star frog splash. Van Dam pinned Mysterio.
Your winner, Rob Van Dam!
They showed the locker rooms celebrating and upset, depending on which side they were on.
A really good first match with some cool spots. Both guys were trying really hard. Van Dam looked the most comfortable he has since returning from his knee injury in January. Van Dam celebrated with the crowd and shook hands with Tazz.
All four announcers are commentating, for those of you curious. The crowd has been really hot so far and there are a ton of ECW shirts in the crowd. Dayton was always a big ECW city and those fans are being vocal tonight. There was more done in the first match to get over ECW as a brand than there has been in the last three weeks, in my opinion.
They showed footage of Randy Orton attacking Kurt Angle on Raw, followed by Angle walking through the backstage area.
They aired another ECW TV commercial. The tag line of the series is "A New Breed Unleashed."
Kurt Angle's music began to play and he came out of the ECW entrance. No traditional Angle pyrotecnics until he got to the ring. Joey Styles was selling Angle as a no nonsense wrestler. Tazz said Angle fits ECW like a glove. Angle said that a lot of people thought he would be upset when Randy Orton attacked him with the RKO in Angle's hometown. Angle said that two months ago, he snapped Orton's ankle and loved every second of it. He said that was the favorite time of any ankles he's broken. Angle said that they are going to face off for the first time ever. Angle said that Orton will have to face ECW's Kurt Angle. He said that ECW's Angle doesn't "take sh**."
Randy Orton's music played and he came out to the entranceway. He questioned whether that was supposed to scare him. The fans chanted ECW. Orton said that he feels sorry for Angle because he's going from main eventing Wrestlemania to ECW. He said that's like going from a summer blockbuster to a hardcore porn movie. Orton said that he wants to reach the top of the the ladder. He announced his contract had expired and Angle would be facing Monday Night Raw's Randy Orton, so he's switched brands.
Angle said that for the first time in his life, he doesn't have to worry about officials or sponsors or Vince McMahon. He said that all he has to worry about is kicking ass. Angle said at the PPV he's going to break Orton's arms and legs. He said that Orton would crawl out of the PPV with a broken neck. Orton called him a smug son of a b**ch, and blamed Angle for breaking his angle. He said that if it wasn't for Angle, Orton would be World champion right now.
Angle said that everything has happened for a reason. Orton said that Angle may be the new face of ECW but Orton is going to beat him within an inch of his damn life at the PPV. Orton said it's his destiny to make sure ECW fails and by destroying Angle, he will single-handledly kill "the legend of ECW."
Angle and Orton faced off.
They announced Tommy Dreamer vs. Edge in an Extreme Match.
WWE Womens champion Mickie James and ECW's Jazz were shown walking backstage. They are facing each other next.
They aired a promo for ECW live events, including 6/24 in Philadelphia. I was told earlier that the show has been moved to 7/4, so I guess they didn't have lead time to change the promo.
WWE Women's champion Mickie James vs. Jazz
They locked up with James working over Jazz' arm. Jazz came back with a kick to the gut and come chops, followed by a dropkick. Jazz hit a Lou Thesz Press from the apron to the floor. They battled on the floor before Jazz tossed James back in the ring. James missed a kick and was hit with Jazz's finisher, the Jazz Stinger (faceplant). Jazz got a two count, but James put her foot on the ropes. James hit a twisting DDT for the pin.
Your winner, Mickie James!
OK match. Too short to get any real steam.
They aired a promotional video on Sabu.
So far, they are doing a far better job at getting over ECW as a product in my opinion.
Todd Grisham introduced WWE champion John Cena backstage. They showed the footage of Cena being laid out by ECW on Raw. Cena was smiling when they went to the footage. Cens said the footage puts how important this is into perspective. He said that a WWE title is on the line for the first time at an ECW PPV and if RVD wins the title, it goes to Extreme Championship Wrestling. He said that the same title that has been held by Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and Steve Austin would be gone and christened the ECW title. He said that would mean every WWE fan would recognize Cena as the biggest goat in history. He said there won't even be a WWE fan in the Hammerstein Ballroom, only the most ruthless, intense atmosphere in the world. He said if he loses, he'll be in the middle of the biggest riot ever seen in sports-entertainment. Will someone please STOP using that term while trying to get over ECW as something DIFFERENT FROM WWE? Cena said he's afraid of nothing and Sabu has pissed off the wrong fire breathing son of a bitch. They are using a lot more edgy language on the special.
Lillian Garcia introduced Paul Heyman. Tazz asked where the ECW ring announcer was. Styles quipped that he doesn't mind looking at Garcia. Heyman said that it's overwhelming to be in the middle of the resurgence of ECW. Heyman plugged the Sci Fi debut as ECW's return to Network television on live television. Heyman said it's not going to be all the things they used to do, but a whole lot more. Heyman said the resurrection begins this Sunday and began running down the lineup of the PPV. He then showed highlights of last year's PPV.
Backstage, Kurt Angle was riling up the ECW troops. Why the hell does he like ECW again now, anyway? Big Show told the locker room that Kurt Angle betrayed them. Wasn't he picked by Paul Heyman, as opposed to jumping on his own? Show said that some of them were Raw while others were Smackdown, but they were all WWE Elite. He said that they needed to go out there and show the world that ECW has no idea what they are going to get. If I was Sabu, I'd sure be scared of Tatanka, but that's me.
WWE VS. ECW BATTLE ROYAL
The WWE competitors are Finlay, Lashley, Tatanka, Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton, The Big Show, Carlito, and Mark Henry. The ECW competitors, coming out to the ECW theme, are Al Snow, Nunzio, Justin Credible, Tony Mamaluke, The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, Balls Mahoney, Steven Richards, and Kurt Angle. Joey Styles said, "There you go, the pro wrestlers!"
Everyone began brawling. Dreamer and Edge went right after each other. Mark Henry was tossed over by Nunzio and Kurt Angle. Styles said his name was Little Guido. Matt Hardy was then tossed. Terry Funk and Finlay brawled center ring, a rematch from Catch Wrestling years ago in Germany. How's that for a reference? Dreamer tossed Tatanka over. Sandman pulled out a dropkick (SANDMAN?), eliminating Carlito. Edge, outside the ring, helped eliminated Tony Mamaluke. Dreamer was eliminated by Orton with Edge's help. Dreamer tried to get at Edge outside the ring as they went to commercial.
Back on the air, Edge was still stalking outside, having never entered the ring. He got up on the apron to attack Credible. Edge helped eliminate Terry Funk from the outside. Credible was eliminated by Finlay. Snow began using Head as a weapon but Benjamin eliminated him. Stevie (called by that name) and Balls Mahoney were out next, courtesy of Lashley. Angle tossed Lashley. It's Angle and Sandman left against the WWE crew. Styles got in a great line about Sandman, saying he had 20 arrests for brawling and spent 6 months in solitary for punching out a prison guard, closing it with, "I like him in a Battle Royal!" They went to commercial.
Back from commercial, Sandman was tossed, leaving Angle the sole ECW representative. Angle tossed Benjamin. Finlay, Orton, and Show were in the ring while Edge was outside. Angle belly-to-belly suplexed Finley and Orton, but was caught by Show with a goozle. Show went for a chokeslam, but Angle escaped and hit the Angleslam. Finlay clobbered Angle from behind. Finley tried to eliminate Angle but Angle fought back and catapulted Finlay over the ropes to the floor. Edge hit the ring but was tossed out with an overhead suplex. Angle was screaming at Edge when Orton came from behind and dumped him. Orton and Big Show were the final survivors. Lillian Garcia started to announce the winning team, when Show tore off his Raw shirt to reveal an ECW shirt. He chokeslammed Orton and tossed him over. They announced ECW won. The angle was right out of 1997's NWO, but no one saw it coming. The irony here is that Show was backstage at the ECW Arena trying to break in way back in November 1994, which obviously didn't happen. Now he's in ECW. Talk about a full circle.
Tazz said Show joining ECW was "Christmas in the world of Extreme." Show and Angle celebrated. Did someone just dial 911?
The ECW locker room celebrated with Big Show.
Edge was in the ring with Mick Foley.
Edge vs. Tommy Dreamer: Extreme Rules
Edge took the mic and said that if you want to talk hardcore, Mick Foley knows all about ECW, Tommy Dreamer, and Terry Funk. Edge said that he had a surprise for Foley, and they played an old classic Foley promo from ECW, talking about the hardcore life of wrestling is a lie. Dreamer had new ring music. Dreamer came out with a barbed wire bat and Terry funk. Joey Styles did more to get over Dreamer in 10 seconds than Raw did in a month.
Edge grabbed a chair but Dreamer snapped at it with the bat. Dreamer went after edge outside with the bat. Dreamer whipped Edge into the steel steps at ringside. Dreamer tossed Edge into the ring. Funk had put weapons into the ring when they were outside. Dreamer hit him with a steel sign. Dreamer's leg was grabbed by Lita, and Edge hit Dreamer with the sign. Edge nailed Dreamer with a cookie sheet. Lawler buried the ECW style while Styles and Tazz put over all the different facets of wrestling. Styles said that ECW had Malenko, Guerrero, and Benoit while WWE had Ultimate Warrior and Lex Luger. Dreamer hit a neckbreaker on Edge. Edge came back with a drop toehold into a chair. Edge hit an Impaler DDT into a trash can. Edge covered Dreamer, who kicked up at two.
Edge began punching Dreamer in the corner and whipped him into the corner. Dreamer ducked under Edge and kicked him low. He tied Edge into the tree of woe. Dreamer screamed, "ECW" and hit the running dropkick into a chair in the corner. Dreamer yelled to Funk, "Get the tables." He and Funk put a table inside the ring. Tazz and Styles argued with Ross and Lawler with Styles shooting all over WWE's sports-entertainment. Styles made a Leprechaun comment and Lawler had no idea what he was talking about. Styles yelled, "I'm begging you to watch the product!"
Dreamer set up Edge to be suplexed off the ropes into a table, but Lita hit Dreamer with a kendo stick. Funk got in the ring and grabbed Lita. Foley attacked Funk and choked him out with barbed wire. Edge tried to powerbomb Dreamer but was backdropped off. Edge nearly killed himself falling headfirst. That was especially scary considering he's had neck fusion surgery. Dreamer hit the Dreamer Driver through a table but Lita began caning Dreamer before the three count. Dreamer got up, absorbing the blows as he egged her on to keep going. He finally grabbed it from her and picked her up for a powerbomb. Edge hit a weak looking spear on Dreamer. Dreamer fell backwards with Lita sitting on his face as Edge scored the pin.
Outside the ring, Funk and Foley continued to brawl. Funk had the barbed wire wrapped around his neck. Funk busted open Foley above his eye.
An OK match. The Edge bump was one of the scariest things to happen on WWE TV in some time. The spear at the end took away from the match but they had to be careful considering where Lita was. Styles was awesome here at putting over ECW and ripping all over the WWE product. He completely ate up Lawler.
After replays of the spear, Funk and Dreamer were in the ring while Edge and Foley were on the floor collecting themselves.
They aired a feature on the special effects of See No Evil as ECW fans around the country went, "Argh!"
When they returned from commercial, Foley, his face swollen, was sitting in a chair in the middle of the ring with a spotlight on him and the Arena darkened. Foley asked where anyone gets the nerve to call him a whore and a sell out? He said that loved ECW, but ECW didn't love him back. He said it was like the girl who can't let go of, but makes you sick upon seeing her. He said it wanted too much of his life, his blood, and his heart, so he left. He said he found fame and fortune in WWE and Paul Heyman was right, there's only one real difference between him and Tommy Dreamer - Foley is a whore and Dreamer is not. Foley said seven years ago, he pulled a sock out of his pants and made Vince McMahon laugh. The doors of opportunity opened for Foley but not for Dreamer. All Dreamer has is his pride and the letters ECW. Foley said that perhaps his hardcore match with Edge wasn't the greatest hardcore match of all time. He said that he and Edge were going to walk into the cesspool that is Hammerstein Ballroom. Foley said that Dreamer was going to bludgeon them and kick their asses over New York City. Foley said that Terry Funk is the greatest wrestler he's ever seen, and his slaps are worse than most men's punches. He said he blew "the son of a bitch up in Japan and he hugged me. I set him on fire in Philadelphia and he put his arm around me." Foley said the only difference between he and Dreamer is that Foley had the guts to go to ECW. He said that he wants to exorcize the whore that is ECW. Foley noted the things he went through at Wrestlemania and said that was nothing to what he will do at ECW One Night Stand. He said he was going to put a stake through their hearts as vengeance for ever falling in love with ECW. He said that Dreamer and Funk were about to learn about loss.
Tazz and Lawler began arguing. Lawler got up and challenged him. Tazz stared him down for a long time, then took off his jacket and punched Lawler. He dared Lawler to get up and hit him. They started brawling really snug as security tried to break them up. Styles screamed at them to let them go. In the melee, Styles flipped off Ross' hat. That was funny!
When they returned from camera, Lawler and Tazz were back in their positions. Tazz said they were done for now, but wait until Sunday. The tension between the announcing teams tonight has been great because they are acting as if they are both fighting for their lives, as opposed to it being scripted lines they are reading.
They aired a video feature on John Cena vs. Rob Van Dam.
WWE champion John Cena vs. Sabu
This is probably the highest profile match in Sabu's career, although I don't expect it to be his best match. From an audience standpoint, this is his biggest one and that's saying something. Sabu came out to his old ECW theme music, wielding a chair. Tazz put over Sabu as the toughest man he ever faced. Sabu and Cena exchanged blows in the center of the ring. Cena whipped Sabu into the ropes, took him down and hit an elbow drop. Cena began measuring Sabu with punches and hit a suplex for a two count. Cena whipped Sabu into the ropes but Sabu kicked him in the face. Cena hit a suplex for a two count. The crowd was turning on Cena as he choked Sabu in the corner. Cena whipped Sabu in the corner but Sabu low blowed him as Cena charged.
Sabu tossed Cena out of the ring and then hit a slingshot senton to the floor. Sabu threw a chair in Cena's face. He tossed Cena back into the ring, and then threw another chair at Cena, who caught it with hands and crumbled. Sabu hit a triple jump moonsault for a two count. Cena was selling his ribs as he got up. Sabu dove off the chair and hit Air Sabu in the corner. Cena kicked up. Sabu hit an Arabian Facebuster. Styles was on fire calling the moves. Cena rolled out to the floor, where Sabu continued the assault. Cen was whipped into the steel steps. Sabu tossed Cena into the Raw team's table, then legdropped him on the table.
Sabu tossed Cena back in the ring but only got a two count. Sabu went for Air Sabu into a clothesline but was caught and hit by the F-U. Cena locked on the STFU but Big Show hit the ring for a DQ. That set off a huge melee with WWE and ECW stars brawling. Cena and RVD brawled. Everyone brawled. Joey Styles said, "WWE opened the gate to their own hell when they relaunched ECW!"
Personal Notes:
The hard camera side, (the side you can't see when watching a match) was full mainly with WWE fans. The side in view of the camera for most of the show was mainly ECW fans. I don't know if this a just a coincidence, the fans picked sides themselves, or if they were seated in those positions strategically to create the illusion of larger pops for the ECW wrestlers. My assumption would be the latter.
Jerry Lawler and Tazz's constant bitching and whining was EXTREMELY annoying. They sounded like a couple 12 year olds arguing over which company and style of wrestling is better. Honestly, if the dialog they were exchanging were in a series of posts here at UOW, the two members making the posts would probably be flamed and maybe banned. It was really ridiculous.
The best moment of the show was Big Show suprising Orton after he thought he had eliminated the last ECW opponent in the battle royal. Big Show showed that he had defected to ECW by ripping off his RAW shirt and exposing that ECW shirt underneath and then chokeslamming Orton and tossing him over the top rope, thus winning the match for ECW! I didn't see that coming.
Thanks to Mike Jonhson from PWInsider.com for the live coverage:
The special opened with Mick Foley addressing Raw and Smackdown superstars saying they aren't going to let the ECW star take over their company. Rey Mysterio, of all people, said they aren't going to let them walk in. Wasn't he part of ECW a year ago?
Paul Heyman was then shown rallying the troops (Al Snow, Nunzio, Justin Credible, Tony Mamaluke, The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, Balls Mahoney, Steven Richards, and Kurt Angle) and leading them in an ECW chant.
There are two commentary teams - Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler and Joey Styles and Tazz. Styles said that he's representing ECW. Tazz cut a promo on Jerry Lawler, saying he's going to take out Lawler this weekend at the PPV. Lawler challenged Tazz to do it now. Tazz got up but was restrained by Styles.
WWE World champion Rey Mysterio vs. Rob Van Dam
Rey Mysterio made his way to the ring first. Joey Styles pointed out that ECW gave Mysterio his start and said he was happy to be finally working with Jim Ross. Rob Van Dam came out of an ECW entrance, through the crowd, which is a great touch.
Mysterio and Van Dam shook hands. Wasn't he just insulting ECW? Mysterio dropkicked Van Dam. The former partners went back and forth and then faced off. The crowd chanted for Van Dam. Mysterio went for a crucifix but Van Dam avoided it. He pressed and dropped Mysterio, then hit a standing moonsault. Van Dam then jumped on the crowd to play to them. Mysterio dropkicked RVD and went for the 619 but Van Dam saw it coming. Van Dam tried to springboard into the ring but Mysterio dropkicked him in mid-air to the floor. Van Dam caught Rey and dropped him across the guard rail. Can Dam stood on the rail to do a corkscrew legdrop but Rey avoided it. Van Dam landed in the crowd. Rey did a springboard dive into the crowd
A ECW on Sci Fi commercial aired as they returned from commercial.
Van Dam placed Van Dam atop the ropes and hit the Ryder Kick from the top rope. Mysterio bumped to the floor. The fans chanted, "RVD." Van Dam followed Rey to the floor and tossed him into the ring. Van Dam hit a slingshot guillotine legdrop to Mysterio's throat. Van Dam covered Mysterio for a two count. Mysterio missed a charge in the corner. RVD brought a chair into the ring for a running dropkick with it in the corner. RVD bowed for the crowd, then covered Mysterio for a two count.
Van Dam looked outside the ring, then whipped Rey into a corner. He grabbed a chair and went for his old somersault into a monkey flip on a chair but Rey avoided it. He bulldogged RVD onto the chair for a two count. Van Dam placed a chair on Mysterio and went up for the five star frog splash. Van Dam pinned Mysterio.
Your winner, Rob Van Dam!
They showed the locker rooms celebrating and upset, depending on which side they were on.
A really good first match with some cool spots. Both guys were trying really hard. Van Dam looked the most comfortable he has since returning from his knee injury in January. Van Dam celebrated with the crowd and shook hands with Tazz.
All four announcers are commentating, for those of you curious. The crowd has been really hot so far and there are a ton of ECW shirts in the crowd. Dayton was always a big ECW city and those fans are being vocal tonight. There was more done in the first match to get over ECW as a brand than there has been in the last three weeks, in my opinion.
They showed footage of Randy Orton attacking Kurt Angle on Raw, followed by Angle walking through the backstage area.
They aired another ECW TV commercial. The tag line of the series is "A New Breed Unleashed."
Kurt Angle's music began to play and he came out of the ECW entrance. No traditional Angle pyrotecnics until he got to the ring. Joey Styles was selling Angle as a no nonsense wrestler. Tazz said Angle fits ECW like a glove. Angle said that a lot of people thought he would be upset when Randy Orton attacked him with the RKO in Angle's hometown. Angle said that two months ago, he snapped Orton's ankle and loved every second of it. He said that was the favorite time of any ankles he's broken. Angle said that they are going to face off for the first time ever. Angle said that Orton will have to face ECW's Kurt Angle. He said that ECW's Angle doesn't "take sh**."
Randy Orton's music played and he came out to the entranceway. He questioned whether that was supposed to scare him. The fans chanted ECW. Orton said that he feels sorry for Angle because he's going from main eventing Wrestlemania to ECW. He said that's like going from a summer blockbuster to a hardcore porn movie. Orton said that he wants to reach the top of the the ladder. He announced his contract had expired and Angle would be facing Monday Night Raw's Randy Orton, so he's switched brands.
Angle said that for the first time in his life, he doesn't have to worry about officials or sponsors or Vince McMahon. He said that all he has to worry about is kicking ass. Angle said at the PPV he's going to break Orton's arms and legs. He said that Orton would crawl out of the PPV with a broken neck. Orton called him a smug son of a b**ch, and blamed Angle for breaking his angle. He said that if it wasn't for Angle, Orton would be World champion right now.
Angle said that everything has happened for a reason. Orton said that Angle may be the new face of ECW but Orton is going to beat him within an inch of his damn life at the PPV. Orton said it's his destiny to make sure ECW fails and by destroying Angle, he will single-handledly kill "the legend of ECW."
Angle and Orton faced off.
They announced Tommy Dreamer vs. Edge in an Extreme Match.
WWE Womens champion Mickie James and ECW's Jazz were shown walking backstage. They are facing each other next.
They aired a promo for ECW live events, including 6/24 in Philadelphia. I was told earlier that the show has been moved to 7/4, so I guess they didn't have lead time to change the promo.
WWE Women's champion Mickie James vs. Jazz
They locked up with James working over Jazz' arm. Jazz came back with a kick to the gut and come chops, followed by a dropkick. Jazz hit a Lou Thesz Press from the apron to the floor. They battled on the floor before Jazz tossed James back in the ring. James missed a kick and was hit with Jazz's finisher, the Jazz Stinger (faceplant). Jazz got a two count, but James put her foot on the ropes. James hit a twisting DDT for the pin.
Your winner, Mickie James!
OK match. Too short to get any real steam.
They aired a promotional video on Sabu.
So far, they are doing a far better job at getting over ECW as a product in my opinion.
Todd Grisham introduced WWE champion John Cena backstage. They showed the footage of Cena being laid out by ECW on Raw. Cena was smiling when they went to the footage. Cens said the footage puts how important this is into perspective. He said that a WWE title is on the line for the first time at an ECW PPV and if RVD wins the title, it goes to Extreme Championship Wrestling. He said that the same title that has been held by Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and Steve Austin would be gone and christened the ECW title. He said that would mean every WWE fan would recognize Cena as the biggest goat in history. He said there won't even be a WWE fan in the Hammerstein Ballroom, only the most ruthless, intense atmosphere in the world. He said if he loses, he'll be in the middle of the biggest riot ever seen in sports-entertainment. Will someone please STOP using that term while trying to get over ECW as something DIFFERENT FROM WWE? Cena said he's afraid of nothing and Sabu has pissed off the wrong fire breathing son of a bitch. They are using a lot more edgy language on the special.
Lillian Garcia introduced Paul Heyman. Tazz asked where the ECW ring announcer was. Styles quipped that he doesn't mind looking at Garcia. Heyman said that it's overwhelming to be in the middle of the resurgence of ECW. Heyman plugged the Sci Fi debut as ECW's return to Network television on live television. Heyman said it's not going to be all the things they used to do, but a whole lot more. Heyman said the resurrection begins this Sunday and began running down the lineup of the PPV. He then showed highlights of last year's PPV.
Backstage, Kurt Angle was riling up the ECW troops. Why the hell does he like ECW again now, anyway? Big Show told the locker room that Kurt Angle betrayed them. Wasn't he picked by Paul Heyman, as opposed to jumping on his own? Show said that some of them were Raw while others were Smackdown, but they were all WWE Elite. He said that they needed to go out there and show the world that ECW has no idea what they are going to get. If I was Sabu, I'd sure be scared of Tatanka, but that's me.
WWE VS. ECW BATTLE ROYAL
The WWE competitors are Finlay, Lashley, Tatanka, Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton, The Big Show, Carlito, and Mark Henry. The ECW competitors, coming out to the ECW theme, are Al Snow, Nunzio, Justin Credible, Tony Mamaluke, The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, Balls Mahoney, Steven Richards, and Kurt Angle. Joey Styles said, "There you go, the pro wrestlers!"
Everyone began brawling. Dreamer and Edge went right after each other. Mark Henry was tossed over by Nunzio and Kurt Angle. Styles said his name was Little Guido. Matt Hardy was then tossed. Terry Funk and Finlay brawled center ring, a rematch from Catch Wrestling years ago in Germany. How's that for a reference? Dreamer tossed Tatanka over. Sandman pulled out a dropkick (SANDMAN?), eliminating Carlito. Edge, outside the ring, helped eliminated Tony Mamaluke. Dreamer was eliminated by Orton with Edge's help. Dreamer tried to get at Edge outside the ring as they went to commercial.
Back on the air, Edge was still stalking outside, having never entered the ring. He got up on the apron to attack Credible. Edge helped eliminate Terry Funk from the outside. Credible was eliminated by Finlay. Snow began using Head as a weapon but Benjamin eliminated him. Stevie (called by that name) and Balls Mahoney were out next, courtesy of Lashley. Angle tossed Lashley. It's Angle and Sandman left against the WWE crew. Styles got in a great line about Sandman, saying he had 20 arrests for brawling and spent 6 months in solitary for punching out a prison guard, closing it with, "I like him in a Battle Royal!" They went to commercial.
Back from commercial, Sandman was tossed, leaving Angle the sole ECW representative. Angle tossed Benjamin. Finlay, Orton, and Show were in the ring while Edge was outside. Angle belly-to-belly suplexed Finley and Orton, but was caught by Show with a goozle. Show went for a chokeslam, but Angle escaped and hit the Angleslam. Finlay clobbered Angle from behind. Finley tried to eliminate Angle but Angle fought back and catapulted Finlay over the ropes to the floor. Edge hit the ring but was tossed out with an overhead suplex. Angle was screaming at Edge when Orton came from behind and dumped him. Orton and Big Show were the final survivors. Lillian Garcia started to announce the winning team, when Show tore off his Raw shirt to reveal an ECW shirt. He chokeslammed Orton and tossed him over. They announced ECW won. The angle was right out of 1997's NWO, but no one saw it coming. The irony here is that Show was backstage at the ECW Arena trying to break in way back in November 1994, which obviously didn't happen. Now he's in ECW. Talk about a full circle.
Tazz said Show joining ECW was "Christmas in the world of Extreme." Show and Angle celebrated. Did someone just dial 911?
The ECW locker room celebrated with Big Show.
Edge was in the ring with Mick Foley.
Edge vs. Tommy Dreamer: Extreme Rules
Edge took the mic and said that if you want to talk hardcore, Mick Foley knows all about ECW, Tommy Dreamer, and Terry Funk. Edge said that he had a surprise for Foley, and they played an old classic Foley promo from ECW, talking about the hardcore life of wrestling is a lie. Dreamer had new ring music. Dreamer came out with a barbed wire bat and Terry funk. Joey Styles did more to get over Dreamer in 10 seconds than Raw did in a month.
Edge grabbed a chair but Dreamer snapped at it with the bat. Dreamer went after edge outside with the bat. Dreamer whipped Edge into the steel steps at ringside. Dreamer tossed Edge into the ring. Funk had put weapons into the ring when they were outside. Dreamer hit him with a steel sign. Dreamer's leg was grabbed by Lita, and Edge hit Dreamer with the sign. Edge nailed Dreamer with a cookie sheet. Lawler buried the ECW style while Styles and Tazz put over all the different facets of wrestling. Styles said that ECW had Malenko, Guerrero, and Benoit while WWE had Ultimate Warrior and Lex Luger. Dreamer hit a neckbreaker on Edge. Edge came back with a drop toehold into a chair. Edge hit an Impaler DDT into a trash can. Edge covered Dreamer, who kicked up at two.
Edge began punching Dreamer in the corner and whipped him into the corner. Dreamer ducked under Edge and kicked him low. He tied Edge into the tree of woe. Dreamer screamed, "ECW" and hit the running dropkick into a chair in the corner. Dreamer yelled to Funk, "Get the tables." He and Funk put a table inside the ring. Tazz and Styles argued with Ross and Lawler with Styles shooting all over WWE's sports-entertainment. Styles made a Leprechaun comment and Lawler had no idea what he was talking about. Styles yelled, "I'm begging you to watch the product!"
Dreamer set up Edge to be suplexed off the ropes into a table, but Lita hit Dreamer with a kendo stick. Funk got in the ring and grabbed Lita. Foley attacked Funk and choked him out with barbed wire. Edge tried to powerbomb Dreamer but was backdropped off. Edge nearly killed himself falling headfirst. That was especially scary considering he's had neck fusion surgery. Dreamer hit the Dreamer Driver through a table but Lita began caning Dreamer before the three count. Dreamer got up, absorbing the blows as he egged her on to keep going. He finally grabbed it from her and picked her up for a powerbomb. Edge hit a weak looking spear on Dreamer. Dreamer fell backwards with Lita sitting on his face as Edge scored the pin.
Outside the ring, Funk and Foley continued to brawl. Funk had the barbed wire wrapped around his neck. Funk busted open Foley above his eye.
An OK match. The Edge bump was one of the scariest things to happen on WWE TV in some time. The spear at the end took away from the match but they had to be careful considering where Lita was. Styles was awesome here at putting over ECW and ripping all over the WWE product. He completely ate up Lawler.
After replays of the spear, Funk and Dreamer were in the ring while Edge and Foley were on the floor collecting themselves.
They aired a feature on the special effects of See No Evil as ECW fans around the country went, "Argh!"
When they returned from commercial, Foley, his face swollen, was sitting in a chair in the middle of the ring with a spotlight on him and the Arena darkened. Foley asked where anyone gets the nerve to call him a whore and a sell out? He said that loved ECW, but ECW didn't love him back. He said it was like the girl who can't let go of, but makes you sick upon seeing her. He said it wanted too much of his life, his blood, and his heart, so he left. He said he found fame and fortune in WWE and Paul Heyman was right, there's only one real difference between him and Tommy Dreamer - Foley is a whore and Dreamer is not. Foley said seven years ago, he pulled a sock out of his pants and made Vince McMahon laugh. The doors of opportunity opened for Foley but not for Dreamer. All Dreamer has is his pride and the letters ECW. Foley said that perhaps his hardcore match with Edge wasn't the greatest hardcore match of all time. He said that he and Edge were going to walk into the cesspool that is Hammerstein Ballroom. Foley said that Dreamer was going to bludgeon them and kick their asses over New York City. Foley said that Terry Funk is the greatest wrestler he's ever seen, and his slaps are worse than most men's punches. He said he blew "the son of a bitch up in Japan and he hugged me. I set him on fire in Philadelphia and he put his arm around me." Foley said the only difference between he and Dreamer is that Foley had the guts to go to ECW. He said that he wants to exorcize the whore that is ECW. Foley noted the things he went through at Wrestlemania and said that was nothing to what he will do at ECW One Night Stand. He said he was going to put a stake through their hearts as vengeance for ever falling in love with ECW. He said that Dreamer and Funk were about to learn about loss.
Tazz and Lawler began arguing. Lawler got up and challenged him. Tazz stared him down for a long time, then took off his jacket and punched Lawler. He dared Lawler to get up and hit him. They started brawling really snug as security tried to break them up. Styles screamed at them to let them go. In the melee, Styles flipped off Ross' hat. That was funny!
When they returned from camera, Lawler and Tazz were back in their positions. Tazz said they were done for now, but wait until Sunday. The tension between the announcing teams tonight has been great because they are acting as if they are both fighting for their lives, as opposed to it being scripted lines they are reading.
They aired a video feature on John Cena vs. Rob Van Dam.
WWE champion John Cena vs. Sabu
This is probably the highest profile match in Sabu's career, although I don't expect it to be his best match. From an audience standpoint, this is his biggest one and that's saying something. Sabu came out to his old ECW theme music, wielding a chair. Tazz put over Sabu as the toughest man he ever faced. Sabu and Cena exchanged blows in the center of the ring. Cena whipped Sabu into the ropes, took him down and hit an elbow drop. Cena began measuring Sabu with punches and hit a suplex for a two count. Cena whipped Sabu into the ropes but Sabu kicked him in the face. Cena hit a suplex for a two count. The crowd was turning on Cena as he choked Sabu in the corner. Cena whipped Sabu in the corner but Sabu low blowed him as Cena charged.
Sabu tossed Cena out of the ring and then hit a slingshot senton to the floor. Sabu threw a chair in Cena's face. He tossed Cena back into the ring, and then threw another chair at Cena, who caught it with hands and crumbled. Sabu hit a triple jump moonsault for a two count. Cena was selling his ribs as he got up. Sabu dove off the chair and hit Air Sabu in the corner. Cena kicked up. Sabu hit an Arabian Facebuster. Styles was on fire calling the moves. Cena rolled out to the floor, where Sabu continued the assault. Cen was whipped into the steel steps. Sabu tossed Cena into the Raw team's table, then legdropped him on the table.
Sabu tossed Cena back in the ring but only got a two count. Sabu went for Air Sabu into a clothesline but was caught and hit by the F-U. Cena locked on the STFU but Big Show hit the ring for a DQ. That set off a huge melee with WWE and ECW stars brawling. Cena and RVD brawled. Everyone brawled. Joey Styles said, "WWE opened the gate to their own hell when they relaunched ECW!"
Personal Notes:
The hard camera side, (the side you can't see when watching a match) was full mainly with WWE fans. The side in view of the camera for most of the show was mainly ECW fans. I don't know if this a just a coincidence, the fans picked sides themselves, or if they were seated in those positions strategically to create the illusion of larger pops for the ECW wrestlers. My assumption would be the latter.
Jerry Lawler and Tazz's constant bitching and whining was EXTREMELY annoying. They sounded like a couple 12 year olds arguing over which company and style of wrestling is better. Honestly, if the dialog they were exchanging were in a series of posts here at UOW, the two members making the posts would probably be flamed and maybe banned. It was really ridiculous.
The best moment of the show was Big Show suprising Orton after he thought he had eliminated the last ECW opponent in the battle royal. Big Show showed that he had defected to ECW by ripping off his RAW shirt and exposing that ECW shirt underneath and then chokeslamming Orton and tossing him over the top rope, thus winning the match for ECW! I didn't see that coming.