ECW on Sci-Fi TV report
April 14, 2009
Report by Dominick Mayer, PWTorch contributor

Title sequence. Lots of Kozlov footage already added in.

Tonight is the continuation of the Elimination Chase to Backlash: Christian, Finlay, and Dreamer in a triple threat.

Morrison is on his way out, sans Miz. Quite a few cheers for Morrison. The artist formerly known as Nitro can now resume his destined road to the main event. They recap Miz ending the team with a Reality Check last night on Raw. Evan Bourne comes out as the opposition. Man, this is promising.

1 -- JOHN MORRISON vs. EVAN BOURNE

They lock up, with Morrison taking over early with an armbar. Bourne counters into one of his own. Man, Josh Matthews just isn't the same with Striker. Never thought I'd say this, but I miss Todd Grisham. Bourne speeds things up with a leapfrog and a snap arm drag into another armbar. They're pacing this for a longer affair. Morrison goes for a top rope dropkick, but Bourne sidesteps him and gets a two count. Bourne kicks Morrison in the head. Morrison whips Bourne into the second rope. Morrison gets an uppercut, which gets the crowd behind Bourne, who comes back with some leg kicks but misses an enziguiri. Bourne gets a shoulder block in for two.

Bourne slaps Morrison hard while on the apron, but Morrison sweeps Bourne's legs out from under him, leaving Bourne to fold up like an accordion on the edge of the ring. Crazy bump. Morrison then hits a running knee to Bourne's head to send him down to the floor. The ref begins the count, but Morrison then heads to the floor to get back on Bourne. Back in the ring, Morrison gets a nearfall. Morrison then hooks Bourne in a modified torture rack, where Bourne's back is against Morrison's head. Bourne counters into an insane hurricanarana, sending Morrison to the floor. Morrison dropkicks Bourne's knee when Bourne comes charging at him. Break time with them both on the mat.

[Commercial Break]

Out of the break, Morrison has Bourne in a modified chinlock. Bourne gets some kicks to Morrison's knee, but takes a roundhouse for another nearfall. Morrison stomps on Bourne's midsection. The crowd rallies huge for Bourne, who fights out of the corner, but finds himself in another armbar. Bourne tries to roll out, but Morrison uses the height advantage to transfer into a chicken wing. Morrison takes him down and keeps the chicken wing on while going into camel clutch position. I'm not sure if I've ever seen Morrison do this much technical wrestling, but he's pretty good at it. Bourne rolls into a sitting position and then rallies. There's a dead spot on commentary, which Striker kind of fills, but not without it being obvious.

Bourne gets free with a clothesline, and then gets a head scissor takedown. Big dropkick from Bourne for two. Morrison puts a boot up in the corner, but Bourne forces him to the top rope while slapping him. Bourne gets a gorgeous standing huricanrana on Morrison while the latter is seated up top. That gets a close two.

[Q2]

Morrison goes for a bridge pin for two, but Bourne counters into a sunset flip for another two. Awesome spot where Morrison runs for the ropes, but Bourne follows him directly and just tackles him over the top. Bourne hilariously goes for a pin while down on the floor. The ref begins a double count, but they both come back at eight. Bourne gets a version of the West Coast Pop off the top for a close two count. He kicks Morrison in the chest twice, but Morrison counters a third into a Moonlight Drive attempt, but Bourne escapes and gets a knee to Morrison's face. He drags Morrison into Shooting Star Press position, but Morrison hits him in the corner. Morrison then hangs Bourne's ankles over the top rope and gives him a harsher version of the Moonlight Drive for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Morrison in 18:00. Wow. Fantastic TV match that would've been perfectly acceptable as a mid-card PPV bout. Bourne finally displayed a more aggressive side, and Morrison showed off some really impressive mat skills. This hopefully will be revisited as a feud, because this was an absolutely excellent match. Morrison needed the win more here, because Bourne already gets big pops weekly, whereas Morrison has to re-establish himself as a solo star.

Next, Kozlov makes his ECW debut.

[Commercial Break]

Did You Know: WrestleMania 25 had more people in attendance than this year's Super Bowl and a couple other things.

Kozlov comes out to the ring. David Floridia (?) is in as the food for tonight.

2 -- VLADIMIR KOZLOV vs. DAVID FLORIDIA

Kozlov immediately takes Floridia into the corner. Floridia gets a boot up, but Kozlov sidesteps a second rope attack before hitting a fallaway slam. He gets chest headbutts. Striker calls Matthews out on his nosebleed from last night. So great. Kozlov ends things with a modified uranage.

WINNER: Kozlov in 1:30. It's good they're going back to the squashes, because that Survivor Series match (or, for that matter, the whole Triple H program) took Kozlov back so many steps that not even on ECW would fans have bought him as a main-eventer.

Afterwards, Kozlov informs the ECW fans that he's won everywhere he's been, and ECW will be no different.

Hornswoggle and Finlay are backstage getting ready for the main event.

[Q3]

[Commercial Break]

Striker and Matthews hyped the Supplemental Draft tomorrow at 12 Eastern.

Backstage, Burchill and Katie Lea are concerned that they'll be affected by the Supplemental Draft. Tiffany informs them that they'll have to log on like everyone else to see the results. That's kinda mean. You'd think they'd be told in person. Anyway, Swagger comes in to pitch a Q&A with himself on Superstars this Thursday. Tiffany finds that interesting, but has already set up for the ending of the Elimination Chase to take place Thursday. (Or, if you're in the Chicago area like me, Sunday morning.) She thanks Swagger for his ideas. They're planting seeds for an angle between the two of them, judging by this exchange.

Christian is on his way out for the Elimination Chase triple threat. As he reaches the ring, time for a break.

[Commercial Break]

Tommy Dreamer is out next for the main event. I almost hope he doesn't win this whole thing just yet, because there's next to no reaction for him. Nobody thinks he's going to win a belt, let alone the biggest one on ECW. Finlay is out last for a big kid pop.

3 -- CHRISTIAN vs. TOMMY DREAMER vs. FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) -- second-round Elimination Chase match

[Q4]

Finlay goes after both men to start. Dreamer gets powerslammed. Christian gets hip-tossed onto Dreamer, who Finlay gets a one count on. Christian atomic-drops Finlay. Christian takes Dreamer down with a snapmare, but Dreamer gets a reverse elbow. Same to Finlay. Dreamer drops Christian over the top rope and goes for Finlay in the corner, but Finlay gets a boot up for a short pin. Finlay knocks Christian out of the ring before he can even get back in and goes right back after Dreamer. Christian finally comes back with a reverse neckbreaker on Finlay. Dreamer back body drops Christian. Dreamer gets a really slow vertical suplex on Christian. Dreamer clotheslines Finlay over the top rope and out of the ring. Christian flies off the top rope to the floor on both men, and that'll get us to the final break.

[Commercial Break]

As we return, Christian is evading a corner rush from Dreamer. Christian goes up top, only to be shoved to the floor by Finlay. Finlay gets two on Dreamer. Finlay settles into a chinlock on Dreamer. The crowd rallies a little bit. Man, Striker and Matthews don't even know how this Elimination Chase works. Anyway, Finlay gets a seated senton on Dreamer for two. Christian has been missing for a while. Hornswoggle's screaming is a little bit crazier than usual tonight. Finlay goes down to the floor to clothesline Christian, and then returns to the ring to get two on Dreamer. Another chinlock by Finlay. Dreamer escapes with a jawbreaker. Dreamer drop toe holds Christian into Finlay, and then goes for a double pin on both.

Finlay and Christian collide in mid-ring and both go down. Christian heads up top, but gets cut off by Finlay. Finlay goes for a superplex, but Dreamer pulls Finlay down into the Tree of Woe before superplexing Christian himself for a nearfall. Tree of Woe again on Finlay, and this time Dreamer hits the dropkick. He does the ECW scream. Finlay chucks Dreamer out of the ring. Finlay goes over to Christian, who plays possum and rolls Finlay into a small package for a nearfall. Christian rolls out of the ring, and Dreamer DDTs Finlay for two. Christian goes for an Unprettier, but Dreamer escapes. Christian gets tied up in the ropes, and Finlay gets Dreamer with the Celtic Cross (that's what Matthews called it, I thought it was the Emerald Fusion) for the pin and the elimination.

WINNER: Finlay in 14:00. That never really got out of first gear. Christian was gone for the vast majority of that match. Nothing wrong with it, just nothing spectacular. Anyway, it's down to Finlay and Swagger for the Backlash title match. I'd love to see Christian get it, but if recent weeks have been any indication, Finlay will get a do-over on his No Way Out dud.

Finlay and Christian stared down in the ring to close the show.

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