HIRING ALERT!
Pulse Wrestling is looking for talented individuals to join the team. We are in need of real-time recappers for ECW and TNA iMPACT! If you fit this description, or if you would rather have your own weekly column, submit an email to Matthew Michaels at matthew@wrestling.insidepulse.com with “WRITING SAMPLE†as the subject line, followed by what your sample consists of. I’ll cover ECW duties until that vacancy is filled and random Pulse writers will bite the bullet and cover TNA iMPACT!
ECW – DON’T QUESTION THE FIRE THAT BURNS INSIDE!
Tonight won’t be so much about the play by play since I’m not doing this in real-time. I’ll provide some commentary and the important parts of the match. On nights when I’m able to do this in real-time, I’ll do play by play, but on nights when I’m delayed, you’ll see this version. Without further adieu, let’s get EXTREME!
Live from Orlando, Florida.
Opening Segment
ECW Champion Matt Hardy takes on Bam Neely (w/ new swank music)
This is non-title. The story behind this match is that Matt Hardy is a fighting champion and he will take on all comers. Bam Neely is coming off having sour grapes towards Chavo Guerrero. Bam works a brawling style, so Matt will have to use his speed to control the match. Bam connects with the spinal column, as Matt Striker plays up the Mafia kick. This creates a huge target for Bam, and reduces the speed of Matt Hardy. Neely gets a close two count with a swinging sit-out Bossman Slam. Unlike last week, Bam has stepped his game up. Hardy regains control floating over a suplex, connecting with a neckbreaker. Hardy drops off the second rope and hits a nice Tornado DDT that gets two. Neely is giving Hardy for the money, hitting a huge Superplex for only two. Hardy gets carried to the corner, but he uses his feet to give him a push off for the out-of-nowhere Twist of Fate for the win.
Matt Hardy wins via Twist of Fate.
Grade: B+
Hardy doesn’t get to celebrate much because Finlay and Hornswoggle comes out to the ring.
Second Segment
Finlay congratulates Matt for his victory tonight. He wants a shot at the ECW Championship. Matt pretty much comes close to accept this, but Mark Henry comes out and he doesn’t want this to happen. Mark seems to deserve the title shot. Finlay recalls Mark losing the vote at Cyber Sunday. Mark wants Finlay and without his weapon. T-Lo comes out and he settles this. We get Finlay v. Mark Henry for the main event and the winner takes on Matt Hardy next week for the title.
A promo for the Boogeyman’s upcoming return airs.
Third Segment
Todd Grisham and Matt Striker pimp the awesome SmackDown v. Raw 2009. I’m buying this game when I buy my PS3. Bet on it.
Ricky Ortiz takes on Jon Davis
The story behind this match…well, there is no story. Jon Davis was trained by Dory Funk, Jr, which may or may not mean anything. Ortiz is undefeated in ECW, provided that you don’t count tag team losses. Ortiz wins this in a mere squash. Hitting the Big O… yeah.
Ricky Ortiz wins via the Big O.
Grade: D- (I’ll be nice…)
Last week, Bam Neely doesn’t catch Evan Bourne, and Evan Bourne is on the shelf for at least four months suffering from a torn ankle ligament.
How do you build towards Cena v. Jericho? By simply hyping Cena’s return from neck surgery and be placed in the main event of Survivor Series.
Did you know? Last week, ECW rated better than college football on ESPN2 by 150%. That’s kinda low, even for WWE Standards. Next week, they’ll put out that ECW rated better than wrestling on Spike TV in an effort to mock TNA.
Third Segment
The “All American American” Jack Swagger is all smiles tonight after beating Tommy Dreamer last week. In the ring are some memorabilla of Tommy’s old days. Jack gets cocky, noting how Tommy may have been in ECW since day 1. Jack talks down Sandman and how he beat Tommy with a cane and Tommy asked for another beating. Next comes the old ECW Title that Tommy won back in the day. Then he laughs about Tommy holding the title for thirty minutes. He tosses the title in the trash.
Now we get into the juicy stuff with Beulah! He then says to Beulah that Tommy is a failure and that their kids will grow up to be failures. But that Jack is a role model. This brings out Tommy Dreamer, who canes Jack Swagger in the back.
Friday on SmackDown: Vladmir Koslov v. Undertaker. About time, that’s all I have to say about this.
Fourth & Fifth Segment
We get a recap of the “not-so-memorable” 800th RAW Celebration. Well, the main event made things slightly better with Chris Jericho winning back the World Title last night.
Finlay takes on Mark Henry
This is to determine who faces Matt Hardy next week on ECW. This story revolves on how Finlay would always beat Mark Henry with the shillelagh. Striker mentions how he had dinner with Mark Henry and that he forgets his thoughts in mid-sentence. Striker is gold, I tell you. Finlay beats the sweat off Henry, but it only takes one move for that to change things. The match is going slow, but Finlay is a good brawler, but Mark is just a monster. Finlay looked busted open when Henry connected with the jaw. Finlay is down and Mark is in control as we break for a few messages.
We come back and things do not change. Finlay’s arm is being worked on after Finlay’s arm gets struck down before the commercial. Finlay can’t even utilize cheap shots and Mark continues to slowly torture Finlay. Finlay works on an arm submission, but Finlay battles back and runs into a shoulder block. The action is slow enough that recapping this may have been better. Finlay gets momentum his way after Henry misses a first rope splash. Finlay works on the thigh and forgets to sell a bit. Tony Atlas tries to get involved but he is denied. Henry gets hung up on the ropes. Atlas gets involved…Hornswoggle jumps in Mark’s waiting clutches and Finlay SWEEPS THE LEG for two. Finlay gets sent out of the ring and Henry chases Hornswoggle. Finlay gets slammed in the ring post. Splash misses and the Shillelagh connects for three.
Finlay wins via the Shillelagh shot.
Grade: C-
The ECW on Sci-Fi Report Card
Finlay d. Mark Henry: C-
Ricky Ortiz d. Jon Davis: D-
Matt Hardy d. Bam Neely: B+
The Final Grade for ECW on Sci-Fi 11.04.2008: C
The loss of Evan Bourne is deeply felt as we return to mediocrity in the land of Extreme. Bam Neely is tonight’s unsung hero as he put on a better showing against Matt Hardy. Will the ECW Superstars rise to the occasion the next four months? We will find out.
I’ll be back Thursday for Total Nonstop Weekly, as I change perspective and focus on the greener side of the pasture. Hope you made your voices heard and congratulations to Barack Obama for winning the Presidency.
