Ladies & Gentlemen, welcome to another edition of Devlin's ECW - Extreme Examination. This is the last edition of ECW before Summerslam. Will Mark Henry & Matt Hardy be able to co-exist to take on John Morrison & The Miz? Will Mike Knox continue to go after Finlay? Let's find out.

 

Match #1 - Extreme Rules Match: Tommy Dreamer Vs Colin Delaney

Dreamer makes his way to the ring with his trademark shopping cart full of weapons, ranging from kendo sticks to street signs & trash cans. Delaney then comes out very hesitantly; he tells Tommy that he doesn't want to do this & attempts to run away when the bell rings. Dreamer chases him down & Irish whips him into the shopping cart. Delaney manages to fight back, sending Tommy into the corner post, Delaney then grabs a trash can lid & attempts to dive off the apron & hit dreamer, but Dreamer manages to hit Colin in the stomach with the Singapore cane. Dreamer then throws Delaney into the ring & hits a pump handle suplex using the kendo stick for leverage. Dreamer then locks Delaney into the tree of woe, before hitting his signature baseball slide with a trash can in front of the helpless Colin Delaney. Tommy Dreamer then lays Colin on top of the trash can, before heading to the second rope with the trash can lid, he attempts an elbow drop but Colin manages to move out of the way at the last second, sending Dreamer crashing into the trash can. Colin then grabs the Stop sign & attempts a leg drop on Dreamer with the sign, but Dreamer moves out of the way & Colin crashes down to the mat. Dreamer then gets up & hits Colin Delaney with the Dreamer DDT onto the stop sign for the 3 count.

Winner Via Pinfall: Tommy Dreamer

This was a fun, albeit short, match that was a great way to open the show. Since his feud with Mark Henry, the WWE have finally been giving Dreamer a bit of a push, which is good to see as he is one of the only ECW Originals left. I'm not sure where they are going to go with Delaney from here, he is a heel, but the only person he has any heat with is Tommy Dreamer, but if he keeps interfering in Tommy's matches, it will get very old, very quick.

 

Backstage we have Lena Yada interviewing John Morrison & The Miz. She congratulates both The Miz & Morrison on the debut of The Dirt Sheet last week, which they go on to put over, calling it the number one show & best rated segment on ECW. We are then shown a quick recap of The Dirt Sheet, showing Mark Henry & Matt Hardy working together to take out the disrespectful duo. Lena then asks what their thoughts are on their match tonight when they have to face Mark Henry & Matt Hardy in a tag team match, The Miz replies by saying that what happened before Matt & Mark crashed The Dirt Sheet was hilarious & that Seth Rogen (From 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up & Pineapple Express) wishes he could do comedy like they can. They then say that they were disappointed with the way Matt & Mark reacted to their comedic genius & that they are the "Pineapple Express" of the WWE & whether there is gold around their waists or not, they are the greatest tag team in the WWE, especially against two people who will be at each other's throats on Sunday. They then send a message to Mark Henry & Matt Hardy, telling them that in life there are winners (referring to themselves) & losers (referring to Hardy & Henry). Be Jealous.

This was a good segment that helped establish how good both of these guys are on the mic. It also helped build the main event well, doubting their opponent's ability to work together. However, I do not like that this is basically a duplicate of what has happened on RAW with John Cena & Batista, with the exception of the match being for the tag team titles. It is a certainty that storylines & ideas will be used multiple times in wrestling history, but using the same idea, within the same company & in the same few weeks is just ridiculous & is lazy booking.

 

Match #2: Evan Bourne Vs Bam Neely w/Chavo Guerrero

Bam Neely comes out with his "employer" Chavo Guerrero & finally has his own theme music & Titantron video; it's good to see him slowly start to come into his own as a performer, as opposed to being Chavo's lackey. Evan tries to use his superior speed & agility to take quick control of this match, but Nelly uses his impressive strength to pick up Bourne & tackle him into the corner on the other side of the ring. Bourne manages to get out of the corner & unleash a series of kicks on Bam before hitting Neely with his trademark flying knee followed by his flying head scissors take down & a devastating spinning back kick that sends Neely to the mat. Evan then climbs to the top rope but gets distracted by Chavo Guerrero, which allows Neely to knock Bourne of the ropes, sending him to the outside. Bam then throws Bourne back into the ring & unleashes a number of right hands before locking in a headlock. Neely then attempts a powerslam, but Bourne manages to reverse it into a sunset slip, but he is not able to roll Neely over for a pin attempt. Evan then connects with a hard kick to the head of Neely & hits his signature standing Moonsault but only manages to get a two count. Evan then bounces off the ropes & charges at Neely but Neely attempts to hit a flapjack on Bourne, Bourne attempts to counter that into a hurricanrana but Neely catches him & attempts a powerbomb, however, Bourne manages to counter Neely yet again, hitting Bam with a big DDT. Evan then heads to the top rope & hits "Air Bourne" (The Shooting Star Press) to pick up the win over the much larger athlete.

Winner Via Pinfall: Evan Bourne

After the match, Evan celebrates as Chavo tries to help Bam up, as they both stare down Evan.

This was a great face paced match that was thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Neely got in some good offence & is finally starting to come into his own as a performer. While I am a huge Evan Bourne supporter, it seems that besides one or two new moves, he only uses the same few moves, the standing Moonsault, the head scissors take down, the flapjack into a hurricanrana, the flying knee & Air Bourne, he needs to change it up every now & then. While his in ring style is very fast paced & entertaining, if he keeps going the way he is, it will become very repetitive real soon.

 

We then go backstage where ECW General Manager Theodore Long is talking with his assistant Tiffany. They are then interrupted by Armando Estrada, who comes in with his new ECW contract; he tells Teddy that even though he didn't want Armando to have a contract, he did it & is officially an ECW star. Theodore Long then signs the contract making it all official, he then tells Armando that he knows the only reason he came into the office was to rub the contract in his face, but tonight, Armando will have his first match as an official ECW superstar. His opponent will be Finlay & the match is next.

This was a simple segment that helped make another match for ECW while keeping this little rivalry with Armando & Theodore Long still alive. As with most things the WWE have been doing lately, I don't see where they can really go with this now. If Theodore Long continues to put Armando in matches against tougher opponents, it's only going to make Armando look weak & just take up time that could be used for more competitive match ups. In my opinion, Armando should have never been removed from his GM position, but all is not lost with the Cuban Superstar.

 

Match #3: Finlay w/Hornswoggle Vs Armando Alejandro Estrada

The bell rings & Finlay takes quick control, hitting Armando with a right hand, followed quickly by a European uppercut & a very stuff clothesline. Finlay then hits an elbow drop on Armando & locks in a headlock, before picking Armando back up & hitting another stiff Clothesline. Finlay then climbs out of the ring & slams Armando into the apron throat first as we then see Mike Knox standing on the Entranceway. Finlay then climbs into the ring & hits a powerslam on Armando as he stares down Knox. Finlay then locks in an armbar on Armando but it quickly gets broken as Armando manages to get his foot on the ropes. Armando is then thrown into the corner by Finlay & hit with a bit shoulder block followed quickly by another powerslam. Finlay then climbs to the second rope & hits a big splash on Armando before he once again stares down Knox. This distracts the fighting Irishman, allowing Armando to hit some right hands on Finlay & lock in a sleeper of his own. The fans begin to get behind Finlay as he begins to fight out of the sleeper, but Armando throws Finlay back down & goes for a pinfall attempt, but Finlay roles it through & gets his own two count. Finlay then begins to fight back & eventually hits the Celtic Cross (Which Striker referred to as "Emerald Fusion") for the win.

Winner Via Pinfall: Finlay

After the match Finlay stares up to Knox, challenging him to come to the ring. Knox declines & heads to the backstage area as Finlay & Hornswoggle get a child from the front row & celebrate with him in the ring.

This was basically a squash match that was used to continue the feud between Knox & Finlay, while also continuing the rivalry with Armando & Theodore Long. After the good in ring promo that Knox & Finlay did last week, I expected something more to continue their feud, possibly interference in a match or a confrontation backstage. But other than that, this was a good match, albeit a squash match, but it just seemed to go longer than was necessary to do what needed to be done.

 

Back from commercial & Ricky "Atlas" Ortiz is in Theodore Long's office. Ortiz shows Theodore & towel, calling it the Ricky O' towel & that it is the greatest thing in sports entertainment. He then says that he has an O on the towel to signify his loses as he is still undefeated. He then offers Teddy an opportunity as an investor to help pay for & distribute the towels. Teddy then says that once he proves himself over a longer period & he will get action figures & t-shirts. Teddy Long then makes a match for next week, pitting Ricky Ortiz against a new ECW superstar being brought in as part of the ECW talent initiative. Ricky then thanks Teddy before heading off talking about making his streak 4-0.

This was a good segment but made Ricky seem a little too cocky. It also has me interested as to who is going to be brought to ECW, who is going to be brought to the main roster. We will have to wait & see. And as a side note, while the "O" on the towel supposedly signifies Ricky's amount of loses, wouldn't it make more sense for it just to represent his last name?

 

Backstage we have Matt Hardy with Mark Henry & Tony Atlas, he tells Mark that he is not excited to be teaming with him & that he would rather be teaming with Jeff Hardy, Tommy Dreamer, Finlay or Evan Bourne (Basically anyone but Mark Henry), he then says he would rather team with Lena Yada because then who wouldn't have to worry about his partner more than he has to worry about his opponents. Mark Henry then says that the only reason he is tagging with Matt is so he can get his hands on The Miz & John Morrison. He then tells Matt that this isn't going to be a case of staying out of each other's way; he wants Matt in his way so he can run through him, just like he will at Summerslam.

This was very well done, it was simple but effective in a way that helped build the main event & their match at Summerslam. It is obvious that they will end up fighting each other before the night is out & this is basically just a rip off of what has been happening on RAW.

 

Match #4: Matt Hardy & Mark Henry w/Tony Atlas Vs John Morrison & The Miz

The Miz debuts a new strobe light effect in his entrance that actually looks quite good. Mark Henry smiles as he makes his way to the ring, as he cannot wait to get his hands on The Dirt Sheet duo. Mark Henry & Matt Hardy argue over who is going to start for their team, with Matt eventually allowing Mark to start off. John Morrison starts off for his team & quickly tries to hit a belly to back suplex but is unable to lift the World's Strongest Champion. Mark Henry then begins to beat down on "The Shaman of Sexy" throwing him into the corner; he then gets the Miz into the ring & throws him into the corner with his partner. Mark Henry then attempts to hit a splash on both his opponents, but The Miz manages to escape, which prompts Matt Hardy to get into the ring to help his partner. Matt Hardy& Mark Henry quickly throw both of their opponents out of the ring as we go to a mid-match commercial break. We are back from commercial & Mark Henry is still dominating the "Tuesday Night Delight" before tagging in his partner. Morrison manages to regain control against Hardy & tags in The Miz, who is quickly overcome by Matt & retreats to the outside of the ring. Once on the outside, the Miz catches Hardy off guard, throwing him into the steel steps before getting himself & Matt back into the ring before tagging in Morrison. Morrison continues beating down on Matt. The fans rally behind Matt as he begins to fight back, hitting the side effect on John Morrison from the second rope. Mark Henry then puts his hand out waiting for the tag but Matt pins Morrison & gets the win.

Winners Via Pinfall: Matt Hardy & Mark Henry

After the match, Henry gets into the ring & throws both The Miz & John Morrison out of the ring before he raises Matt Hardy's hand in victory, showing sportsmanship. Mark then picks up Matt & hits the world's strongest slam on him onto the ECW Championship as he laughs & heads to the backstage. ECW goes off the air with Matt & Mark Henry staring each other down one last time before Summerslam.

This was inevitable; I doubt there was anyone who believed that this match would not end up with Henry attacking Hardy. This match seemed like a throw away, it wasn't needed & was more of a way of giving John Morrison & The Miz something to do, as it seems the talent exchange program with Smackdown has come to an end & there are no other real tag teams on ECW.

 

This week's edition of ECW was solid as always, it had good matches & managed to fit a lot into 1 hour. The main event was entertaining but unnecessary to continue the feud, it was the same with the Finlay/Estrada match, it was only used to help build a feud. I doubt Henry is going to lose his title at Summerslam, but I doubt that it will be the only shot that Matt gets.

Overall, I give this week's edition of ECW a 7/10.

 

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