ECW on Sci-Fi (6.26.07)
I wasn't sure if I should even do this recap, to be quite frank. I haven't been much in the mood to watch pro wrestling over the past week, for obvious reasons. For better or worse, I'm basically going to ignore the gigantic elephant in the room. I don't know what to say at this point. Or even how to go about saying it. While it may be possible for some to separate Chris Benoit the character from the man and enjoy all of the great things he did as a wrestler while simultaneously condemning his actions as a man…I'm not sure anyone is ready to travel down that road. Not yet, anyway. It's probably best to just stick to the show in question. We'll let time dictate the rest.
-Vince McMahon opens the show, talking about the Raw tribute and how, 26 hours later, the facts of the entire scenario have been made clearer. The only mention of Chris Benoit on tonight's show will be from Vince himself. He dedicates the show to everyone effected by the events of the past week and calls tonight's show the first step in the healing process. He asks us to let the WWE Superstars do what they do best…entertain us.
John Cena v. Johnny Nitro -
Nitro is the new ECW champion, for whatever that's worth.
Power lockup, with both guys jockeying for position. Cena grabs a side headlock. Nitro tries to shoot him off, but Cena hangs on, taking him down with the headlock. Nitro gets back to his feet. He shoots Cena into the ropes, but gets tackled. Quick cover gets two. Cena backs him into the corner and we get a clean break. Nitro charges, but gets taken down with a drop toehold. Cena is looking for the STFU, but Nitro scurries to the ropes. Cena backs off briefly, then eats a back elbow when he tries to close in. Nitro hammers on Cena and goes for a whip. Cena reverses him into the corner. He rebounds out and Cena plants him with a Fisherman's suplex for a nearfall.
Cena sends Nitro into the ropes and scores with a sideslam, picking up another nearfall. He whips Nitro *hard* into the corner, putting him down. Another corner whip follows. Cena charges in behind him, but there's no one home. They trade punches and Cena goes for a whip. Nitro reverses. Cena is looking for a shoulderblock, but Nitro ducks it and Cena hits hard, rolling to the floor. Nitro whips him into the steps, then rolls him in for the cover. Cena is out at two. Nitro punches away from the mount, but is still only able to get two.
Nitro pounds on Cena for a bit and dumps him with a back suplex. Cover gets two. He whips Cena into the corner, but charges into a back elbow. Cena tries to mount a comeback, but Nitro levels him with a clothesline. He goes for a whip, but Cena reverses him into the corner, bulldogging him on the rebound. He charges Nitro, who yanks down the top rope. Cena ends up spilling to the floor as we go to commercials.
-Commercials
When we return, Cena is seated up top. He blocks a superplex and shoves Nitro to the mat. Nitro pops back up, though, nailing Cena with a dropkick that sends him tumbling all the way to the floor! He rolls Cena in, but it's still only a two count. Nitro is getting frustrated. He starts laying in punches, but that's only firing Cena up. He comes back punching and plants Nitro with his Blue Thunder bomb. Five Knuckle Shuffle! He lifts Nitro for the FU, but he lands on his feet.
Nitro springboards off the ropes, connecting with his spinning kick to the face. He covers, but Cena won't stay down! He follows up with an atomic drop lift, dropped straight down into a facebuster, but Cena again escapes at two. Nitro locks him in a sleeper, climbing onto his back for extra leverage. Cena starts to wilt, but fights his way up. He lifts Nitro and rams backwards into the corner. Throwback neckbreaker by Cena He heads up top, hitting a Fame Asser! STFU is locked and Nitro quickly taps out.
Good match. Cena gets crapped on way, way too much. I prefer him in ring to just about anyone these days. What he does is simple for the most part, but it makes sense and he's as good with the "whens & whys" in his offense as anyone on the WWE roster right now. Rarely do you see a bad Cena match. I can see that people think the underdog booking has grown stale but from bell to bell there's no issue to gripe about at all…
-Later tonight, CM Punk faces Elijah Burke. Two out of three falls to determine a #1 Contender for the ECW title. Should be a blast!
-Commercials
-Roddy Piper (!) of all people is coming out. Always great to see the Hot Rod. I recently watched the documentary portion of his DVD and it's great, by the way. At any rate, he's running down his definition of "hardcore," when Matt Striker's music cuts him off. He comes out. With a birthday cake. You know what that means. He asks Piper to sing Happy Birthday to him. Piper obliges, but shoves the cake into his face. He leaves. Boogeyman pops out from under the ring. Striker bails, but Piper tosses him back in. Tree Slam. Worm bath. Ick.
-Main event is next.
-Commercials
-Video package for The Miz.
-Clips from Vengeance show Nitro winning the ECW title. We cut to a promo, where he informs us that he has a severe cold and is running a fever. John Cena just caught him on a bad day. He'll be watching Punk/Burke, but could care less who wins, because they're not getting the belt from him.
-Burke gets his intro.
-Commercials
Elijah Burke v. CM Punk - 2/3 Falls -
Primera Caida
Punk grabs a side headlock. Burke shoots him into the ropes, but gets tackled. Punk covers him immediately, but doesn't even get one. Tazz runs down the psychology of a 2/3 Falls match and points out that Punk was trying to catch Burke sleeping. No dice, though. Punk takes Burke down and cranks on his leg. He pulls Burke up and switches back to the side headlock. Burke tries to lift him for a shinbreaker, but Punk applies pressure and stops that in it's tracks. Burke backs him into the ropes and punches him in the gut. He goes for a whip, but Punk reverses, taking him over with a pair of hiptosses and a side headlock takedown. Burke rises to his feet and scores with some sort of Judo throw and we have a face off!
They start trading strikes and Punk takes Burke down with a snapmare. He adds a spine kick just to be a dick. Slam by Punk. Snap legdrop scores, but the cover only gets two. He moves in, but Burke uses his momentum against him, flinging him into the corner. He pounds on Punk and gets a nearfall. Front facelock by Burke. Punk lifts him up and drives him into the corner. Punches in the corner, but Burke counters with Snake Eyes. He goes for the Elijah Express, but Punk cuts him off with a leg lariat for two. He heads up top, but Burke crotches him. Punk is hung up in the ropes. This time, the Elijah Express connects and Burke goes up one fall to none.
Segunda Caida
The referee makes Burke back off so Punk can at least get to his feet. Burke says screw that and quickly covers him. Punk escapes at two. Burke pounds on him for a bit, but Punk continues to kick out at two. Punk gets to his feet. He charges Burke, who yanks the top rope down. Punk flies to the floor and lands hard. Burke looks to be content with a countout. Punk reaches the apron at eight. Burke tries to suplex him back in. Punk slips away, rolling Burke up and knotting this one at one fall apiece.
-Commercials
Tercera Caida
When we return from the break, Burke has Punk locked in a surfboard submission. Punk fights to his feet and flips forward, nailing Burke with a dropkick. Burke stumbles into the corner. Punk follows him in with a clothesline and goes for a whip. Burke reverses him into the opposite corner. Punk lifts his boots to block a charge, but Burke catches them. He flings them to the side and yanks Punk straight down on the back of his head. He goes for his handstand elbow out of the corner, but Punk moves. He rolls Burke up with a small package, but only for two.
Burke pops up and absolutely floors him with an uppercut, picking up a nearfall of his own. Punk is seated on the mat. Burke bounces off the ropes and connects with a Castagnoli-esque diving European uppercut to the back. He goes for a second, but Punk pops up and clotheslines him. He lays in a series of kicks, backing Burke into the ropes. Punk charges, but Burke gets his boots up, flipping backwards onto the apron in the process. He goes up top, but ends up diving into a spin kick.
Punk whips him into the corner and hits his knee strike/bulldog combo. Cover gets two. He goes for another whip, but Burke shortarms him and buries a knee to the gut. There's a few awkward seconds as Burke tries to toss Punk out, but he keeps going into the corner. Burke eventually sits him up top. Punk fights back, spiking him with a Tornado DDT for a nearfall. He lifts Burke for the GTS, but he elbows free and follows up with a gorgeous STO for two.
Burke gets cocky, slapping Punk around on the mat. It fires him up and he comes back with the KENTA Rush. Burke manages to duck the spinning backfist. He bounces off the ropes and goes for a sunset flip. They run through a Malenko/Guerrero rollup sequence, ending up on their feet, fighting for a backslide. Punk blocks it, hoists him up and connects with a GO TO SLEEP. He covers and Punk is your new number one contender.
Postmatch, Punk looks skyward and mouths something, but the cameras cut away pretty quickly. Johnny Nitro appears in the aisle and gives Punk a hand. They stare one another down as we fade out…
-Vince McMahon opens the show, talking about the Raw tribute and how, 26 hours later, the facts of the entire scenario have been made clearer. The only mention of Chris Benoit on tonight's show will be from Vince himself. He dedicates the show to everyone effected by the events of the past week and calls tonight's show the first step in the healing process. He asks us to let the WWE Superstars do what they do best…entertain us.
John Cena v. Johnny Nitro -
Nitro is the new ECW champion, for whatever that's worth.
Power lockup, with both guys jockeying for position. Cena grabs a side headlock. Nitro tries to shoot him off, but Cena hangs on, taking him down with the headlock. Nitro gets back to his feet. He shoots Cena into the ropes, but gets tackled. Quick cover gets two. Cena backs him into the corner and we get a clean break. Nitro charges, but gets taken down with a drop toehold. Cena is looking for the STFU, but Nitro scurries to the ropes. Cena backs off briefly, then eats a back elbow when he tries to close in. Nitro hammers on Cena and goes for a whip. Cena reverses him into the corner. He rebounds out and Cena plants him with a Fisherman's suplex for a nearfall.
Cena sends Nitro into the ropes and scores with a sideslam, picking up another nearfall. He whips Nitro *hard* into the corner, putting him down. Another corner whip follows. Cena charges in behind him, but there's no one home. They trade punches and Cena goes for a whip. Nitro reverses. Cena is looking for a shoulderblock, but Nitro ducks it and Cena hits hard, rolling to the floor. Nitro whips him into the steps, then rolls him in for the cover. Cena is out at two. Nitro punches away from the mount, but is still only able to get two.
Nitro pounds on Cena for a bit and dumps him with a back suplex. Cover gets two. He whips Cena into the corner, but charges into a back elbow. Cena tries to mount a comeback, but Nitro levels him with a clothesline. He goes for a whip, but Cena reverses him into the corner, bulldogging him on the rebound. He charges Nitro, who yanks down the top rope. Cena ends up spilling to the floor as we go to commercials.
-Commercials
When we return, Cena is seated up top. He blocks a superplex and shoves Nitro to the mat. Nitro pops back up, though, nailing Cena with a dropkick that sends him tumbling all the way to the floor! He rolls Cena in, but it's still only a two count. Nitro is getting frustrated. He starts laying in punches, but that's only firing Cena up. He comes back punching and plants Nitro with his Blue Thunder bomb. Five Knuckle Shuffle! He lifts Nitro for the FU, but he lands on his feet.
Nitro springboards off the ropes, connecting with his spinning kick to the face. He covers, but Cena won't stay down! He follows up with an atomic drop lift, dropped straight down into a facebuster, but Cena again escapes at two. Nitro locks him in a sleeper, climbing onto his back for extra leverage. Cena starts to wilt, but fights his way up. He lifts Nitro and rams backwards into the corner. Throwback neckbreaker by Cena He heads up top, hitting a Fame Asser! STFU is locked and Nitro quickly taps out.
Good match. Cena gets crapped on way, way too much. I prefer him in ring to just about anyone these days. What he does is simple for the most part, but it makes sense and he's as good with the "whens & whys" in his offense as anyone on the WWE roster right now. Rarely do you see a bad Cena match. I can see that people think the underdog booking has grown stale but from bell to bell there's no issue to gripe about at all…
-Later tonight, CM Punk faces Elijah Burke. Two out of three falls to determine a #1 Contender for the ECW title. Should be a blast!
-Commercials
-Roddy Piper (!) of all people is coming out. Always great to see the Hot Rod. I recently watched the documentary portion of his DVD and it's great, by the way. At any rate, he's running down his definition of "hardcore," when Matt Striker's music cuts him off. He comes out. With a birthday cake. You know what that means. He asks Piper to sing Happy Birthday to him. Piper obliges, but shoves the cake into his face. He leaves. Boogeyman pops out from under the ring. Striker bails, but Piper tosses him back in. Tree Slam. Worm bath. Ick.
-Main event is next.
-Commercials
-Video package for The Miz.
-Clips from Vengeance show Nitro winning the ECW title. We cut to a promo, where he informs us that he has a severe cold and is running a fever. John Cena just caught him on a bad day. He'll be watching Punk/Burke, but could care less who wins, because they're not getting the belt from him.
-Burke gets his intro.
-Commercials
Elijah Burke v. CM Punk - 2/3 Falls -
Primera Caida
Punk grabs a side headlock. Burke shoots him into the ropes, but gets tackled. Punk covers him immediately, but doesn't even get one. Tazz runs down the psychology of a 2/3 Falls match and points out that Punk was trying to catch Burke sleeping. No dice, though. Punk takes Burke down and cranks on his leg. He pulls Burke up and switches back to the side headlock. Burke tries to lift him for a shinbreaker, but Punk applies pressure and stops that in it's tracks. Burke backs him into the ropes and punches him in the gut. He goes for a whip, but Punk reverses, taking him over with a pair of hiptosses and a side headlock takedown. Burke rises to his feet and scores with some sort of Judo throw and we have a face off!
They start trading strikes and Punk takes Burke down with a snapmare. He adds a spine kick just to be a dick. Slam by Punk. Snap legdrop scores, but the cover only gets two. He moves in, but Burke uses his momentum against him, flinging him into the corner. He pounds on Punk and gets a nearfall. Front facelock by Burke. Punk lifts him up and drives him into the corner. Punches in the corner, but Burke counters with Snake Eyes. He goes for the Elijah Express, but Punk cuts him off with a leg lariat for two. He heads up top, but Burke crotches him. Punk is hung up in the ropes. This time, the Elijah Express connects and Burke goes up one fall to none.
Segunda Caida
The referee makes Burke back off so Punk can at least get to his feet. Burke says screw that and quickly covers him. Punk escapes at two. Burke pounds on him for a bit, but Punk continues to kick out at two. Punk gets to his feet. He charges Burke, who yanks the top rope down. Punk flies to the floor and lands hard. Burke looks to be content with a countout. Punk reaches the apron at eight. Burke tries to suplex him back in. Punk slips away, rolling Burke up and knotting this one at one fall apiece.
-Commercials
Tercera Caida
When we return from the break, Burke has Punk locked in a surfboard submission. Punk fights to his feet and flips forward, nailing Burke with a dropkick. Burke stumbles into the corner. Punk follows him in with a clothesline and goes for a whip. Burke reverses him into the opposite corner. Punk lifts his boots to block a charge, but Burke catches them. He flings them to the side and yanks Punk straight down on the back of his head. He goes for his handstand elbow out of the corner, but Punk moves. He rolls Burke up with a small package, but only for two.
Burke pops up and absolutely floors him with an uppercut, picking up a nearfall of his own. Punk is seated on the mat. Burke bounces off the ropes and connects with a Castagnoli-esque diving European uppercut to the back. He goes for a second, but Punk pops up and clotheslines him. He lays in a series of kicks, backing Burke into the ropes. Punk charges, but Burke gets his boots up, flipping backwards onto the apron in the process. He goes up top, but ends up diving into a spin kick.
Punk whips him into the corner and hits his knee strike/bulldog combo. Cover gets two. He goes for another whip, but Burke shortarms him and buries a knee to the gut. There's a few awkward seconds as Burke tries to toss Punk out, but he keeps going into the corner. Burke eventually sits him up top. Punk fights back, spiking him with a Tornado DDT for a nearfall. He lifts Burke for the GTS, but he elbows free and follows up with a gorgeous STO for two.
Burke gets cocky, slapping Punk around on the mat. It fires him up and he comes back with the KENTA Rush. Burke manages to duck the spinning backfist. He bounces off the ropes and goes for a sunset flip. They run through a Malenko/Guerrero rollup sequence, ending up on their feet, fighting for a backslide. Punk blocks it, hoists him up and connects with a GO TO SLEEP. He covers and Punk is your new number one contender.
Postmatch, Punk looks skyward and mouths something, but the cameras cut away pretty quickly. Johnny Nitro appears in the aisle and gives Punk a hand. They stare one another down as we fade out…
Comments