Home ▸ ECW ▸ ECW 8/5/08

ECW is getting back on track.  The WWE knows what works and what doesn’t, and they’re straying away from the boring stuff that they had done for a couple of weeks post-draft.

Last night’s episode featured a live edition of The Dirt Sheet, a tag match featuring Ricky Ortiz and Evan Bourne taking on Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely, and Armando Estrada getting his last chance to earn an ECW contract, taking on Tommy Dreamer.

Results and analysis, after the jump!

Todd Grisham starts off the show, informing us that calling the action with him tonight, filling in for Tazz, is your teacher, Matt Striker.

Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely are on the way to the ring, they’re ready for tag team action.  We see footage from last week, when Evan Bourne saved Ricky Ortiz from Chavo and Bam.  Their opponents are Evan Bourne and Ricky Ortiz.  I still don’t think the Evan “Air” Bourne nickname will catch on, but Grisham tries to sell it anyway.

Ricky Ortiz & Evan Bourne def. Chavo Guerrero & Bam Neely

Bam starts things off with Atlas… um.. I mean.. Ricky Ortiz.   Ortiz tags Bourne, and they do the Londrick spot where the one guy has the arm rung and the other guy jumps on it from the top.  Chavo gets tagged in and Bourne keeps the advantage for his team with his unique offense.  Ortiz gets tagged in and launches some unique offense of his own, before getting distracted by Neely, allowing Chavo to take over and get the tag.  Bam keeps the advantage over Ortiz.  Team Guerrero hold on to the advantage and keep Ortiz cut off from Bourne.  Ortiz finally got the tag to Bourne, who quickly goes on the offense, hitting an extremely unique double knee to the face from the top rope.  Bourne uses his quickness to take down Neely, rolling him up for the win!

Matt Striker is great on commentary – I could see this being a career for him if the WWE doesn’t want to use him as an in-ring talent.

Later tonight, The Dirt Sheet, LIVE!

<COMMERCIAL BREAK>

WWE Slam of the Week:  Mike Knox beats up Finlay last week on ECW because Finlay dances with Leprechauns.

Knox is in the ring, with a microphone.  He says that he’s not out here to explain himself.  He’s out here to show why he chose to expose the fraud they call Finlay.

Video of Finlay and Hornswoggle dancing at the end of the SummerSlam commercial.

Finlay used to be one of the toughest guys in the business, but those days are long gone.  Man who loves to fight?  That’s what makes Knox laugh.  And that’s what makes Finlay come out and dance with Hornswoggle on the stage.  Grisham enlightens us on which one is which.  Finlay says it was a funny clip.  All those things about how he loves to fight, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Finlay likes to have fun, he loves his family, and if Knox has a problem, then look him in the eyes and take a shot.  Or maybe he should turn his back so Knox can jump him again.  He tells Knox to take his shot, but if he does, he’s going to find out whether or not Finlay’s gone soft.  Knox backs away and exits the ring.

RAW Rebound:  Cena & Batista win the World Tag Team Championship for some reason.

<COMMERCIAL BREAK>

Armando Estrada has his last chance to earn an ECW Contract.  He’ll be taking on the Innovator of getting beat up by whoever WWE is trying to put over at the time Violence, Tommy Dreamer.

Armando Estrada def. Tommy Dreamer

Tommy knocks Armando to the outside, and Armando drapes Tommy across the top rope on his way back in.  Didn’t seem to phase Tommy, as he went right back on the offense, tying Estrada to the Tree of Woe, but Tommy gets distracted by a chair wielding Colin Delaney.  Didn’t matter much as Colin ran away when Tommy came out after him.  Dreamer gets back in and sets up for the Dreamer DDT, but he’s distracted again by Delaney, allowing Estrada to roll Tommy up for the win.

Still to come, The Dirt Sheet, LIVE!

<COMMERCIAL BREAK>

Before the break, Colin Delaney cost Tommy Dreamer a match and earned Armando Estrada an ECW contract.

Backstage, Colin congratulates Armando.  Armando wants to know why he helped.  Colin says that Armando gave him a chance to earn a contract.  Holla, playa – Teddy Long says that next week Tommy Dreamer is going to be taking on Colin Delaney in an Extreme Rules match.

SmackDown rebound:  Mick Foley gets the holy hell beaten out of him by Edge.  There have been way too many of these things tonight.

We waste more time with a rundown of the SummerSlam card.  You know, because this show doesn’t have it’s own talent to get over or anything.

Then again, Braden Walker is walking backstage.  Give me another rebound segment, please!

<COMMERCIAL BREAK>

Ask and I shall receive, I guess – Classics on Demand:  September 8, 1997 – Stone Cold stuns Sgt. Slaughter.  Mr. McMahon escapes.

The non-talented half of America’s Most Wanted and his generic music and tights are on their way to the ring.  The modern day Barry Horowitz, James Curtis is waiting for him in the ring.

Braden Walker def. James Curtis

Walker sucks so much that Curtis got the first offense in the match.  Still, I didn’t call Curtis the modern day Barry Horowitz for nothing.  Actually, I take that back, Curtis put up a bit of offense in this one.  Nothing too good though, and Braden Walker, the wild cat that he is, won this one with a fisherman’s suplex.

The Dirt Sheet is up next!

<COMMERCIAL BREAK>

Back from break, we get the intro video, and Miz and Morrison are in the ring for The Dirt Sheet.  Morrison says that People Magazine offered him $15 million for pictures of himself as a baby, but John Morrison is not for sale.  Along with him is The Miz, and the number one show on WWE.com is about to become the number one show on ECW.  Their first guest is Mark Henry.  It’s a picture of Mark with somebody playing the role of Marks lips.  He answers questions by growling.  They ask Tony Atlas a question – same deal, picture with lips, babbling like Rapper’s Delight.  Miz asks “Mark” if he’s got the strongest appetite.  “Me hungry.  Eating make Mark strong.”  Morrison replies that eating makes you fat.  He thinks “Mark” might have a gland problem because he sweats profusely without moving around so much.  Women don’t like that.  Let’s ask Lena Yada (a pic of Lena Yada with acting lips) “Eww, gross.  Big fat sweaty man disgusting.  Miz and Morrison sexy.”  Morrison says “look at these abs,” to a high pitched pop.  He says if Henry had his abs, he wouldn’t need a belt extender for the ECW title – drawing out the World’s Strongest Champion and Tony Atlas.  Miz and Morrison explain that they were just clowning around.  Tony Atlas says there must be some kind of misunderstanding, that they didn’t agree to do the show to get disrespected.  Miz and Morrison explain they’re just having fun on the Dirt Sheet.  They bring up the Matt Hardy picture with the acting lips.  “Matt” speaks in a Forrest Gump tone, saying he’s never been number one at anything, not even in his own family.  Mark Henry says he won’t be number one after SummerSlam either.  This draws out Matt Hardy.  Matt says it’s good to see that they’re Conan O’brien fans.  It must have taken an eternity to come up with that.  Matt’s not here to ruin the party.  He says he loved Miz and Morrison in Brokeback Mountain.  How did Matt earn the number one contendership for the ECW title?  He beat Miz and Morrison in a match.  He steals their “in life, there are winners and losers, be jealous” line.  Hardy says that after SummerSlam he won’t be the number one contender, he’ll be the ECW Champion.  Miz says there are concequences to disrespecting them on their show.  Matt pops Miz in the mouth, and gets attacked by Morrison.  Hardy ducks out of the way, and Morrison inadvertantly hit Mark Henry.  Henry’s not amused, and he hits Morrison backand gives him a big splash in the corner.  Matt Hardy hit the Twist of Fate on The Miz, and the show ends with Hardy and Henry standing tall and glaring at each other in the ring.

My thoughts:

There were too many “rebound” segments in this show.  It wouldn’t be so bad if this were a two hour show and the main attraction to this edition were a wrestling match instead of a live episode of The Dirt Sheet.  Doesn’t help that one of the matches was Braden Walker vs. James Curtis.  Other than that, I think it was a great show.

Matt Striker is great as a color commentator.  He and Grisham worked well together, though I suppose that Tazz will be back next week.  It was interesting to note that both commentators for this episode are members of the RAW roster, even though Grisham is the actual play by play guy for ECW as well.

The Dirt Sheet was pretty entertaining.  Until it was crashed by Mark Henry and Matt Hardy – though I suppose the whole point of this edition was to put over the ECW Championship match at SummerSlam.

Evan Bourne is the future of this business.  He’s extremely fast and his offense is unique – but not unique enough to not be considered a part of the WWE style.

That’s it for this edition of ECW on BWF, see you tomorrow morning for the Podcast!

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