WWE ECW 11 - 8/22/2006
WWE Network Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v1584393683?contextType=wwe-show&contextId=wwe_ecw&contentId=241005556&watchlistAltButtonContext=series
Coming off SummerSlam, it's interesting to see where some of the storylines in ECW will go. Who will now contend for the ECW Title? I suspect Rob Van Dam, but with the WWE, you never know. If you missed it, I recapped six matches including ECW superstars that took place on WWE PPV during the first 10 episodes of WWE ECW's existence. Definitely give that a look, if interested. At SummerSlam, Big Show defeated Sabu to retain his ECW Championship in what was a solid match.
We get an "Extreme Bikini Contest" between Kelly Kelly and Torrie Wilson. Torrie strips first and the crowd is loving it, which I can't blame them for, but nearly 11 years later it is truly amazing just how far women in wrestling has evolved. Just as Kelly Kelly is about to go, out come Mike Knox and Test. Kelly Kelly should be fired given that she hasn't done her job of being an exhibitionist for nearly two months now. ECW is a really lenient organization if you ask me.
Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman come from the stands for the rescue, and impromptu match is called for by The Sandman and a ref is out there immediately. Here we go then.
Coming off SummerSlam, it's interesting to see where some of the storylines in ECW will go. Who will now contend for the ECW Title? I suspect Rob Van Dam, but with the WWE, you never know. If you missed it, I recapped six matches including ECW superstars that took place on WWE PPV during the first 10 episodes of WWE ECW's existence. Definitely give that a look, if interested. At SummerSlam, Big Show defeated Sabu to retain his ECW Championship in what was a solid match.
We get an "Extreme Bikini Contest" between Kelly Kelly and Torrie Wilson. Torrie strips first and the crowd is loving it, which I can't blame them for, but nearly 11 years later it is truly amazing just how far women in wrestling has evolved. Just as Kelly Kelly is about to go, out come Mike Knox and Test. Kelly Kelly should be fired given that she hasn't done her job of being an exhibitionist for nearly two months now. ECW is a really lenient organization if you ask me.
Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman come from the stands for the rescue, and impromptu match is called for by The Sandman and a ref is out there immediately. Here we go then.
Match #1: Mike Knox, Test, and Kelly Kelly vs. Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, and Torrie Wilson
Torrie Wilson and Kelly Kelly are wrestling in bikinis, which is fine because they don't take up too much ring time. Imagine wrestling fifteen minutes in that? Every single one of Torrie's moves is sexual. She does the stink face on Kelly Kelly, who is definitely not the Diva's Champion that we would see a few years down the road. She doesn't have to do any moves, just take the stink face and then get tagged out. The real match begins.
This was a pretty good match! These four are capable of putting on a solid show, as each of their matches so far have been pretty great. I would argue this was the best one if there wasn't the Extreme Rules match they had a few shows ago that blew well past my expectations. The Sandman has a pretty unique moveset. He's not the cleanest in the ring by any means, but he hit a "rolling rock" from the top rope in this match. A rolling rock is literally him falling forwards off the top. I'm sure there is more to that, but I felt it fit the character so well. Mike Knox also sold Dreamer's DDT perfectly in this match. He continues to impress me. It was nice to see Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman finally pick up a victory as well in this feud. They have been taking some punishment during their tangle up with Knox & Test, and for them to finally get one over the bad guys was pretty rewarding to watch. I'm interested to see if this is it for this feud, or if it will continue.
Winner: Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, and Torrie Wilson
Match Rating: Great
Weapons Used: None
Matt Striker promo! My day job is being a teacher (well, currently a substitute teacher, but we still get the same days off!) so I kinda love this whole gimmick. It's so stupid that it's good. Striker is good on the mic; he's definitely got some ability with his promos. We will see if his in-ring work is up to snuff in due time.
Matt Striker promo! My day job is being a teacher (well, currently a substitute teacher, but we still get the same days off!) so I kinda love this whole gimmick. It's so stupid that it's good. Striker is good on the mic; he's definitely got some ability with his promos. We will see if his in-ring work is up to snuff in due time.
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Match #2: Balls Mahoney vs. Kevin Thorne
Yes! Hell. Yes. Before this match starts, I need to say... I think this is my first dream match in WWE ECW history. My favorite, Kevin Thorn. My other favorite, Balls Mahoney, and now we find out it is extreme rules?! Unbelievable! I didn't know this happened, and now I'm so excited.
The match was, well, brief. What was in the match was good, sure, but it was way too short for my liking. Plus, given it was the Extreme Rules match of the evening, for only the chair, a water bottle, and Kevin Thorn's cane to be all that was used was a bit underwhelming. The Extreme Rules matches should go all out every time, or just make it a regular match! It's pretty simple. Again, I was upset with this one. It could have been much better.
Winner: Kevin Thorn
Match Rating: Disappointing
Weapons Used: Chair (1), Water Bottle (1), Cane (1)
Shannon Moore promo. He spews some neckbeard bullshit. If he comes out in a fedora at any point I'll be so happy.
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Match #3: CM Punk vs. Chris W. Anderson
The man. The myth. The legend. Chris W. Anderson. I remember when I saw him for the first time I was so certain that I was he was actually Arn Anderson's son. They look pretty similar! Anyway, Joey Styles explains that Anderson wrestled near the end of the old ECW, which explains why he is here to begin with.
Anderson stinks. He does. The guy is boring as hell, and for some reason, gets in a decent amount of offense at the beginning of this match. CM Punk has had no problems with Justin Credible, why are going to let Chris W. Anderson walk all over him for a good three minutes? Thankfully, once Punk gets some offense in, this one is pretty much over. This math was painful, while short. Hopefully I don't see C.W. Anderson ever again.
Winner: CM Punk
Match Rating: Squash
Match Rating: Squash
Weapons Used: None
Hardcore Holly spotting! Heyman says he's been signed to ECW. Heyman does a good job, though. Holly gets no dialogue, just Heyman talking about how vicious he is. Looking forward to seeing Hardcore Holly getting into the ring soon.
Hardcore Holly spotting! Heyman says he's been signed to ECW. Heyman does a good job, though. Holly gets no dialogue, just Heyman talking about how vicious he is. Looking forward to seeing Hardcore Holly getting into the ring soon.
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Match #4: Rob Van Dam vs. Danny Doring
Danny Doring already in the ring here, and JESUS. Go away Danny Doring. Please. They make it clear through commentary that Rob Van Dam has been relegated to a low-card talent by Paul Heyman, and so when you think about it, Doring is the perfect opponent. No one is lower than the guy. Thankfully this match also goes pretty quickly. Doring gets in nearly zero offense, and RVD looks great as usual. Let's get Rob Van Dam back towards the main event, please.
Hardcore Holly comes out and attacks Rob Van Dam after the match! Hardcore Holly looks good. It's been a while since I've seen him wrestle or even be on WWE programming in a while, but he was a staple of the Hardcore division in the early 2000's, so it's a natural fit. Looking forward to seeing where that goes.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Match Rating: Squash
Weapons Used: Chair (1)
Renee Dupree promo. He says it AGAIN. He's the most beautiful and the most extreme wrestler in ECW. Alright then. Wrestle a match already.
Renee Dupree promo. He says it AGAIN. He's the most beautiful and the most extreme wrestler in ECW. Alright then. Wrestle a match already.
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Before the match starts, I definitely have to wonder out loud just how this match will compare to the SummerSlam match. I thought the SummerSlam match was good, if not a bit too short. Looking at the time left on the match here during the Championship introductions, we have little less than 8 minutes. Hm. Alright.
Big Show squashed Sabu for most of the match, as they played on the story than Big Show was untouchable in a match that wasn't extreme rules. Of course, once the ref takes a bump, all rules go out the window, and Sabu starts swinging with a chair. He gets Big Show down, and if the ref of the match wasn't incapacitated, he would have gotten a three count. However, the replacement ref sent out isn't there in time as Big Show kicks out at 2. I mean, maybe I'm looking into things a bit much, but wouldn't that second ref have seen Sabu use a chair? Wouldn't that mean he would have to call for a disqualification? It doesn't matter, as Sabu starts using the ring bell to dent Big Show's skull in. Show is bleeding like crazy, and then he goes through a table for good measure. I thought the match was still going, until I realized that he was using the bell and they couldn't ring it to call the match. This match is a DQ victory for the Big Show.
I'm okay with this ending, but I would have liked to have seen some closure. I'm guessing we are not done with this feud, though.
Match #5: Big Show (C) vs. Sabu (ECW Championship Match)
Before the match starts, I definitely have to wonder out loud just how this match will compare to the SummerSlam match. I thought the SummerSlam match was good, if not a bit too short. Looking at the time left on the match here during the Championship introductions, we have little less than 8 minutes. Hm. Alright.
Big Show squashed Sabu for most of the match, as they played on the story than Big Show was untouchable in a match that wasn't extreme rules. Of course, once the ref takes a bump, all rules go out the window, and Sabu starts swinging with a chair. He gets Big Show down, and if the ref of the match wasn't incapacitated, he would have gotten a three count. However, the replacement ref sent out isn't there in time as Big Show kicks out at 2. I mean, maybe I'm looking into things a bit much, but wouldn't that second ref have seen Sabu use a chair? Wouldn't that mean he would have to call for a disqualification? It doesn't matter, as Sabu starts using the ring bell to dent Big Show's skull in. Show is bleeding like crazy, and then he goes through a table for good measure. I thought the match was still going, until I realized that he was using the bell and they couldn't ring it to call the match. This match is a DQ victory for the Big Show.
I'm okay with this ending, but I would have liked to have seen some closure. I'm guessing we are not done with this feud, though.
Winner: Big Show (via DQ?)
Match Rating: Average
Weapons Used: Chair (1), Ring Bell (1), Table (1)
--
We got a lot of matches in this episode of ECW, but little substance. The extreme rules match had some potential, but ended up being disappointing due to length, while the title match was just under 8 minutes in total. Not all episodes are going to be outstanding, but hopefully this isn't the start of a trend. Quality over quantity, fellas. Quality over quantity.
--
We got a lot of matches in this episode of ECW, but little substance. The extreme rules match had some potential, but ended up being disappointing due to length, while the title match was just under 8 minutes in total. Not all episodes are going to be outstanding, but hopefully this isn't the start of a trend. Quality over quantity, fellas. Quality over quantity.
Match of the Night: Sabu vs. Big Show
Wrestler of the Night: Tommy Dreamer - Finally gets a win on ECW TV.
Worst of the Night: Chris W. Anderson - Leave and never come back.
Weapon Count (Total):
Chair: 19
Kendo Stick: 9
Table: 8
Garbage Can: 5
Garbage Can Lid: 4
Garbage Can: 5
Garbage Can Lid: 4
Street Signs: 3
Police Baton: 3
Police Baton: 3
Camera Cord: 2
ECW Title: 2
Ladder: 1
ECW Title: 2
Ladder: 1
Baking Sheet: 1
Al Snow's Head: 1
Steel Steps: 1
Barbwire Baseball Bat: 1
Bag of Thumbtacks: 1
Announcer's Table: 1
Belt: 1
Cane: 1
Water Bottle: 1
Ring Bell: 1
Announcer's Table: 1
Belt: 1
Cane: 1
Water Bottle: 1
Ring Bell: 1
Total (all time): 66
Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Check back frequently for wrestling articles of all kinds, including the ECW recaps, NXT Progress Reports, and 205 Live reviews.
Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Check back frequently for wrestling articles of all kinds, including the ECW recaps, NXT Progress Reports, and 205 Live reviews.
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