KELLER'S ECW ON SCI-FI REPORT
JUNE 24, 2008
LIVE FROM HOUSTON, TEX.
-The show opened with scenes of last night's draft edition of Raw focused on the money giveaways and ending with Vince McMahon being "crushed" under the lighting grid.
-ECW G.M. Teddy Long opened the show mid-ring minus any pyro. He said everyone at ECW is keeping him in their thoughts. He said he's prohibited from giving out any information on his condition due to family privacy, they wish him a speedy recovery. He said he knows Vince would want the show to go on, so that's what they're going to do. He then shifted to inviting U.S. Champion Matt Hardy to the ECW roster. Hardy walked out for his full ring intro.
1 -- MATT HARDY & C.M. PUNK vs. JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ
Mike Adamle noted that Punk is a "former member of ECW," and noted he was drafted to Raw. Can you be a former member of ECW and wrestling in an ECW ring? This just instantly made the whole rigamarole of the draft seem a bit pointless. Tazz called Punk's round kicks by their name. Wrestling announcers have historically never learned the proper names of the basic karate kicks that get used so often, but Tazz has a martial arts background and brings that knowledge to his announcing. Good pace to the opening three minutes, with the heels on offense most of the way.
[Commercial Break]
Adamle said regarding Punk: "The Windy City Kid a big... big, uh..." Tazz said, "Draw." Adamle continued: "A big draw here in Texas." What?!? He wasn't hearing the line he was being fed, and the line he finally uttered made little sense. At 9:00 Punk hot-tagged Hardy who went to work on Nitro with a flurry of offense and two near falls within a minute. Miz broke up the second pin attempt. Punk clotheslined Miz over the top rope to the floor. Hardy then set up Morrison for a Twist of Fate. Morrison shoved Hardy off of him and then Miz tripped Hardy. Morrison then hit a springboard round kick off the middle rope for a believable near fall. Hornswoggle came out from under the ring apron and taunted Miz. Punk then hit Miz. Hardy gave a Twist of Fate to a distracted Morrison for the win.
WINNERS: Hardy & Punk in 11:00.
STAR RATING: **1/4 -- The commentary on Hornswoggle was off, as they talked about him appearing "again" when he never appeared the first time on camera.
-Tazz plugged Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin in an Extreme Rules match.
[Commercial Break]
2 -- SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. KOFI KINGSTON
Adamle called Shelton "a talented, talented man." Adamle said regarding Kofi, "Jamaica-me-crazy!" He said their series of matches have become epic. At 2:00 they spilled to the floor. Shelton took Tony Chimmel's mic and hit Kofi with it, then threw him into the ringside steps. They announced that there would be Supplemental Draft Info on noon on Wednesday. Shelton pressed Kofi in the air, then dropped him over his knee. Shelton hit Kofi with a trash can, then suplexed him onto it. Adamle said his back hurt just looking at that. At 6:00 Kofi came back with a shot with a trash can lid. Kofi reversed Shelton into a trash can in the corner, then finished him with Trouble in Paradise.
WINNER: Kofi in 8:00.
STAR RATING: ** -- Good match. I think Mike Adamle gets more time in an hour of ECW to call a match than Jim Ross got a lot of weeks on Raw with all of Raw's two and three minute matches inserted between extended interviews and money giveaways and backstage skits.
[Commercial Break]
-A video recap of the draft aired, closing with the graphic that said: The Landscape Has Changed. On camera, Adamle and Tazz talked about the changes briefly, then they moved into a plug for the Night of Champions PPV. Tazz wondered what would happen with the ECW Title now that Kane has been drafted to Raw. They showed Kane backstage laughing.
[Commercial Break]
3 -- MIKE KNOX vs. EVAN BOURNE
They didn't plug what match was next before the break. When Knox walked out, that explained it. They showed the angle between Knox and Evan Bourne last week. Tazz said Bourne has taken ECW by storm, and he admitted he hates that cliche, but in this case it's true. Bourne got in early offense, but Knox slowed him with a double underhook hold. He shifted into an octopus. Bourne came back with a missile dropkick off the top rope. Knox caught him mid-air and gave him a backbreaker for the win. Knox looks like a cross between Hacksaw Duggan (Mid-South era) and Big John Studd. He's carrying himself more like a star these days.
WINNER: Knox in 3:00.
-They showed Mark Henry heading toward the entrance tunnel.
[Commercial Break]
4 -- KANE vs. MARK HENRY - ECW Title match
They did nothing to actually build up this match. Big Show joined Adamle and Tazz at ringside. Show said Henry has short bursts of strength, but he doesn't have endurance compared to Kane, who can take a beating and get right back up. The match began with one minute left in the hour. When Henry applied a bearhug on Kane, Show said when he's been in that, his ribs have been sore for weeks. At 4:00 Kane climbed to the top rope. Henry knocked him off balance and then powerslammed him for a three count. Show blamed Kane's loss on being briefly distracted by him at ringside. He said he'll be angry about this loss on Sunday's PPV.
WINNER: Henry in 4:00.
STAR RATING: 1/4*
FINAL THOUGHTS: Not much of a post-draft show. Whatever excitement there was from Raw was not translated here. Nice to have a couple longer matches. Not sure what the point is in having Bourne job to Knox this early in his run, though. Henry vs. Kane wasn't inspiring. Having Punk wrestle with Hardy without an explanation given that Punk was drafted away from ECW made a mockery of the investment that fans made in the ramifications of the draft.
LATEST PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER #1039 (17 PAGES)
This issue begins with a cover story by Wade Keller who attended Brock Lesnar's first UFC victory on Saturday night in the semi-main event in front of a record-setting crowd in his hometown. Keller's BBL looks at Lesnar's place in MMA and in what ways he seems more comfortable than ever... Bruce Mitchell's Memo examines the dilemma of Chris Benoit and the Hall of Fame... Sean Radican reviews the two latest TNA DVD releases... In-depth coverage of the TNA Hard Justice PPV including Keller's match report with star ratings and the newsletter-exclusive Roundtable Reviews... Jason Powell's "Page 2 Buzz" with scoops and insider analysis... WWE Newswire, TNA Newswire, and ROH Newswire with insider news, big story analysis, and notebook tidbits... Plus Keller's reports on Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, the Top 5 Stories of the Week, and more....
