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ECW on Sci-Fi TV Report
May 27, 2008 - Year 2, Week 51 (Week 103 overall)
Taped in Colorado Springs, Col.
Report by James Caldwell, Torch columnist

The show started with Mike Adamle informing us they will have the altitude and the attitude tonight. Kane vs. Miz & Morrison and Punk vs. Chavo have been signed for tonight.

In-ring: After the announcers set the stage, Big Show walked out to the ring with a big smile on his face. They recapped last week when Show destroyed the top tier of the ECW brand before inserting himself into the #1 Contender Singapore cane match at the PPV. Tommy Dreamer then came out to face Show.

1 -- BIG SHOW vs. TOMMY DREAMER

Adamle equated Dreamer to the third-down NFL back who picks up the extra yard to move the chains. I suppose. The problem is you can't market a third-down back when pro wrestling is about marketing individual stars, not team players. Show dominated the first two minutes until Dreamer took out the knee with a dropkick. Dreamer tried a move from the second rope, but Show smashed him in mid-air with a double axehandle to the face. Show then finished him off with a big chokeslam for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Show in 3:00. About what you'd expect for Show to look dominating heading into the PPV at the expense of the third-down back. (1/2*)

Video package: They went back to July 4, 2006 when RVD was ECW champion and Big Show won the belt thanks to help from Paul Heyman back-stabbing RVD. Very interesting to seeing clips of RVD and Heyman on this show.

[Commercial Break]

Ringside: Shelton Benjamin was with Adamle and Tazz to discuss his one-on-one victory over Kofi last week. They showed clips of Shelton's W, then Kofi came to the ring, prompting a "Jamaican me crazy" line from Adamle. Kofi stared down Shelton, then The Knox walked out to face Kofi.

[Q2]

2 -- MIKE KNOX vs. KOFI KINGSTON

Kofi jumped around the ring to start things off, but Knox quickly grounded him with power offense. Kofi fought back with a series of kicks, then he nailed a forearm smash that busted open Knox hard-way around the left eye. Knox missed with a corner splash and took a back soccer kick to the face, then Kofi nailed the Jamaican buzzsaw kick to the head for the win.

Post-match: Shelton tried to jump Kofi, but Kofi fought back. They had a brawl in the ring with Kofi on the advantage until Knox clotheslined Kofi from behind and nailed the Knox Out corkscrew facebuster to silence Kofi. Shelton collected himself and left the ring with a big smile while Kofi collected himself.

WINNER: Kofi in 3:00. Fine action here. I like Kofi establishing an edgier personality, and smart move to "keep him hungry" by ending the segment with Shelton having the upper hand. Knox taking that blow to the eye added to the realism of the segment. Well done. (*)

Video package: They focused on C.M. Punk finally winning the ECW Title from John Morrison in November 2007.

[Commercial Break]

Video package: They focused on Chavo Guerrero winning the ECW Title in January 2008 with help from Edge.

In-ring: On cue, Chavo Guerrero walked out with Bam Neeley, who has pretty much dropped the suit and tie look in favor of a club bouncer. C.M. Punk came out as the opponent, which prompted Adamle to quiz Tazz on why he hasn't cashed in the briefcase yet. Tazz said Punk is still waiting to pick his spot.

[Q3]

3 -- C.M. PUNK vs. CHAVO GUERRERO (w/Bam Neeley)

Punk teased the G2S in the opening seconds, which sent Chavo to the floor to regroup. Punk much more charismatic tonight to start things off. Certainly helps that he can get a little shine in the opening minutes rather than instantly taking a beating in a match. Chavo then cut off Punk and slapped on a chinlock. They suddenly cut to break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Punk flipped Chavo over the top rope to the floor. Punk tried to measure Chavo for a dive to the floor, but Bam pulled down the back rope behind the ref's back that took Punk to the floor. Back in the ring, Chavo settled into a mat-based attack on Punk's back while the crowd tried to rally behind Punk. Punk broke free with a roundhouse kick, but Chavo countered a move off the ropes into a rolling half-Boston crab. Excellent move. Punk fought the hold, then reached the bottom rope for a break at 10:00. Chavo followed with two of the three amigos suplexes, but Punk turned the third into a G2S attempt. Only, Chavo blocked and rolled into a head scissors takeover for a nearfall. Moments later, Punk tried the high knee smash in the corner, but Chavo ducked and rolled up Punk with a hook of the tights for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Chavo in 12:00. Excellent TV match. That was the quality match Chavo needed to erase the weekly beatings from either Kane or Taker lately. The finishing sequence was put-together nicely, with Chavo blocking signature Punk moves to score a relatively decisive victory. On the Adamle front, he has definitely shown signs of improvement this week, but he got lost in the action near the end. He's been able to sleepwalk through boring matches the last few weeks, but when the action and intensity really picked up in this match, he became more of a viewer than a play-by-play man. (**1/4)

Video package: They went old school to April 2000 when Tommy Dreamer won the ECW Title in the ECW Arena.

[Commercial Break]

[Q4]

Raw Rebound focused on Vince McMahon's $1.0 million giveaway announcement. Graphics department really went nuts with this one as McMahon teased various dollar amounts.

Backstage: Colin Delaney was interviewed by Lena about the McMahon announcement. Colin repeated some canned line about McMahon giving back to the fans. Lena asked about the Draft Lottery, which made Colin nervous because he doesn't want to leave his comfort zone. Colin then checked around to see who was around, and said he would like to see Armando drafted to Raw or Smackdown. Apparently Armando doesn't have a TV monitor or a cell phone to be notified of Colin's insubordination. Colin then shot a goofy grin to the camera. Odd.

Video package: They went to last year's Vengeance PPV when Morrison won the ECW Title over Punk on Chris Benoit's final advertised show.

In-ring: John Morrison came to the ring for the main event. He proceeded to have several awkward moments with Mike Adamle, a Singapore cane, and the Tazz. Miz mercifully walked out before they cut to break.

[Commercial Break. A local commercial aired here in Houston promoting TNA Victory Road at Reliant Arena. Tickets on-sale this Friday.]

4 -- WWE tag team champions THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON vs. ECW champion KANE -- handicap match

Tag champs quickly ganged up on Kane to start things off. They landed a double clothesline, but Kane came back with a top rope clothesline on Miz. Morrison got involved, but they blocked a double chokeslam and attacked Kane. Referee Scott Armstrong called for a DQ when the champs failed to tag in and out of the ring.

WINNER: Kane via DQ in 3:00. Nothing to see here. (1/2*)

[Q5 -- over-run]

Suddenly, Punk stormed the ring and helped even the odds for Kane. Chavo Guerrero then spilled out. Tommy Dreamer joined the show. The babyfaces were in control, then Big Show's music hit and Show walked out for a repeat of last week's ending. Show cleaned house with frying-pan chops to the chest before it came down to Show and Kane standing tall in the ring. Crowd recognized the match-up, then Show slowly walked over to Kane and stared him down. Adamle flubbed on selling the PPV by suggesting Kane would be in the #1 Contender match at the PPV, then Tazz cleaned it up to close the show.

We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for an "ECW Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on ECW TV, click here.

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