DON’T QUESTION THE FIRE THAT BURNS INSIDE!
They are still using the Boogeyman in the intro to the show. Does he still have a job with the WWE?
We’re opening the show with Tiffany, who is going to intro Teddy Long. Teddy thugs and bugs before taking the mic. Someone noticed that there is a championship scramble with RAW and Smackdown and not for ECW. Teddy Long makes the announcement that ECW will ALSO have a championship scramble, making three scrambles in one night and fifteen men will participate in WWE championship matches. What is this, TNA? Matt Striker by the way, has some amazing hair tonight. It’s flowing like a TV newscaster.
Matt Hardy over John Morrison by Twist of Fate
This is the first scramble match of the night. Striker calls John Morrison JoMo and manages to push the character further and make me hate the persona even more. Nice job. C&E to start, Hardy gets a headlock and drags Morrison over for a pin for a two. TWO!
Morrison pushes Hardy off, Hardy gets the shoulder block and gets another two. TWO!
Hardy grabs Morrison into another headlock, Morrison turns it into an arm bar, Morrison gets a knee to the ribs and tries to whip Hardy to the corner. Hardy reverses it, charges Morrison but Morrison jumps over the top rope to the apron. Morrison goes for something springboard, but is punched mid air and lands off the apron onto the floor. Wow.
Hardy stays in the ring while Morrison recovers. Hardy gets out of the ring and tosses Morrison in. Morrison begs off, but throws Hardy to the turnbuckle belt first when Hardy advances. Morrison throws a few kicks Hardy’s way and then moves onto punches. Morrison gets some kinda modified cobra clutch and Hardy fights out. Morrison throws a knee to Hardy and hits a neck breaker for a two. TWO!
Morrison tries a split legged corkscrew moonsault and misses in the corner and Hardy hits a few punches. Hardy throws Morrison to the corner and hits a clothesline. Hardy pulls Morrison out of the corner and catches him into a powerbomb! Morrison tries a punch and Hardy hits the Side Effect. Hardy motions for the Twist of Fate, but Morrison lifts him and drapes him on he top rope. Hardy stands on the apron and Morrison bounces off the opposite ropes and drives Hardy to the apron with a forearm to the face.
We come back and Morrison has control of Hardy and Hardy is fighting out of a submission. Hardy misses a clothesline and Morrison hits the backbreaker and a side russian leg sweep. Striker breaks out “focusing on the lower lumbar region” and he’s my hero for it. Morrison tries for a Moonlight Drive, but Hardy throws him off. Morrison tries again, Hardy ducks out but gets clotheslined instead. Morrison throws fists at Hardy and Hardy goes outside. Morrison gives chase and attacks Hardy on the outside. Morrison tosses Hardy in the ring and continues to throw some kicks to the ribs for a two. TWO!
Morrison goes back to that modified clutch and Hardy counters with a jaw breaker. Hardy throws a potato and a clothesline in the corner, following with a bulldog for two. TWO!
Hardy goes tot he second turnbuckle and hits an elbow for two. TWO!
Hardy tries a Twist of Fate, but is thrown off and gets caught in a backslide. Morrison puts his feet on the ropes, but the ref sees it and breaks the count at two. TWO!
Morrison argues with the ref, Hardy gets a two on a roll up. TWO!
Morrison tries a roll up while grabbing Hardy’s arms and legs, but Hardy falls back for two. TWO!
Morrison reverses it. TWO!
Hardy grabs Morrison, whips him to the corner, misses a clothesline. Morrison goes for a spirng board, but Hardy catches him with a Razor’s Edge, but Morrison wiggles out. Morrison hits his springboard enziguiri for two. TWO!
Holy close falls Batman!
Morrison throws some kicks at Hardy, goes to the corner and tries punches, but Hardy fights him off. Hardy charges and they hit a double clothesline. The ref counts to three and they are both up. Hardy hits the Twist of Fate and Hardy’s heading to Unforgiven! That was a lot of pinfalls, they are really trying to push Hardy’s heart in ECW.
Backstage Teddy and Tiffany are talking when Mark Henry comes in upset about being the the Championship Scramble. Teddy says tough shit and Henry leaves obviously accomplishing what he wanted to.
The Miz vs. Evan Bourne
Bourne ducks the C&E and out maneuvers the Miz into a quick two. TWO!
The Miz plays an unfamiliar role by bring the bigger stronger guy in a match. Bourne continues to get around the Miz’ moves and we are repeating the many two count game. Bourne works the arm with an arm bar for a while, which is odd for the lighter more agile guy. Striker picks up on this, noticing there’s not a whole lot of high flying. Bourne’s playing the speed game instead of the high flying game.
The Miz throws Bourne off a head scissors over the top rope to the floor and the Miz gives chase, charging Bourne against the apron ribs first. Nice touch. Miz gets Bourne in a grapevine, but Bourne fights out.
Can I tell you how sick I am of the heel getting some submission move on the face, having the face fight out only to get either punched or kneed and put back into another submission move. It’s terribly predictable and the crowd is starting to realize what’s going on with that and they’re not getting behind the face by the second or third time they see it in a night. With a night like tonight where we are going to see four matches, it’s gonna get old fast when it happens multiple times in a match.
The Miz wins this one, but moving out of the way when Bourne went for a Frankensteiner. Bourne got crotched on the top turnbuckle and fell into the ring and Miz hit the Reality Check.
Chavo Guerrero over Tommy Dreamer by frog splash
This match would have been great in 1999. Anyway, Chavo starts off with forearms, but Tommy gets a body slam. Chavo’s lost a step in the past two years and isn’t flying anymore. Dreamer is wrestlings Johnny Damon. This one plays out like one of the matches you’d see on MSG or Boston Garden classics. It’s all about getting the edge with basic moves. Chavo plays it quick, Tommy plays it strong. Tommy hits a powerslam for a two. TWO!
Chavo gets crotched on the top rope ad gets caught in the tree of woe. Dreamer hits the drop kick. Bam Neely distracts the ref and Dreamer. Chavo throws Dreamer into Bam Neely and pulls Tommy across the top rope and follows with a frog splash for the three.
Finlay over Mike Knox by shalaylee shot
Looks like we’re finally going to have a relatively even match as the main event. I’m a fan of strength vs. strength matches, so this one’s up my alley. Finaly’s out matched at first, but goes to the headlock. Finlay’s pushed off and shoulder blocked to the floor.
Knox continues to overpower Finlay, as he is taller than Finlay, outweighs him and also out beards him too. The brawling goes outside, where Finlay ducks a clothesline and instead Knox clotheslines the ring post. To create a difference between the two styles, they’ll play Knox as the reckless strong man and Finlay as the resourceful veteran.
We go to and from commercials and Finlay has an arm bar on Knox. the ref gives notice that commercials are over and Finlay switches to a hammer lock. Finlay attacks Knox’s arm on the ring apron. Finlay gives chase outside and Knox hits a power slam on Finlay on the outside. Knox throws Finlay into the ring and throws a few knees to the back. It’s funny, you’d think the old guy would be going after the young guy’s back and the young guy would go after the old guy’s back.
Finlay hits a jaw breaker and Knox responds with a giant clothesline. Knox goes for a submission move, Finlay fights up, Knox knocks him down. Knox grabs for Hornswoggle at ringside and turns around to see Finlay clothesline him over the top rope. Finlay comes back into the ring and is a ball of fire. Finlay eats a big boot for two. TWO!
Knox goes to untie the turnbuckle and Finlay gets the shalaylee. Knox boots Finlay and grabs it, but the ref takes it out of his hands. Hornswoggle throws another one to Finlay and Knox eats it for a three count.
