LAST WEEK ON ECW:  Wrestlemania came…2 days late, Hardcore Holly got Medicare and thought he’d use it and Timbaland wondered what he had agreed to…

THIS WEEK…

Revenge is a dish best served bald...

And following right on the previous night's activates on RAW, we began this week with one of the three Number One Contenders to the ECW Title, Vince McMahon, who continued to show off fabulous collection of hats with a fedora.  Vince got on the mic and said that Wrestlemania was the greatest humiliation of his life, when he got shaved bald.  And now, he was out for REVENGE~!...  Suffice to say, he could get back at Stone Cold, because was promoting his (WWE backed) film.  Trump was out of the question because he didn't want to do anymore with WWE he was holed up in his tower.  And that meant it had to be Lashley.  This drew a loud "You Suck" chant (if only it'd stay like that), as Vince smugly announced that Lashley wouldn't be on this week's show.  What an evil man.  Making a man's life a misery by giving him time off!  How does he sleep at night?

Vince said that Lashley had a severe concussion, noting he got it from a beating on RAW, a video of which we saw.  Oddly enough, the video got the usual highlight treatment until the end, when Vince made the match, at which point, it ran as if it were live.  Back live for real, Vince said that Lashley had said Wrestlemania was the greatest night of his life, and so Vince said that Backlash would be the worst night of his life.  Vince then mentioned Lashley's opponents.  The Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga.  The greatest superstar in the history of the business, Shane McMahon and him...HANG ON!!!  Shane, the greatest superstar in the history of the business?  That's so much of an oversell that Tenay & West are reeling.  Well if would be, but if they were announcing this show, they'd have been talking while Vince said that and thusly missed it.  But I digress.  Vince said that he could hear the ring announcer at Backlash now, in declaring the ECW Champion, Vincent Kennedy McMahon.  Vince said that Lashley said that Vince would make his life hell, and Vince said that he's started doing that and that since everyone laughed at Vince, he promised to make everyone's lives hell too.

Time to choose...

Backstage, Punk was getting his warm-up on, when RVD walked up to him.  The exchanged pleasantries as RVD said that Punk repped the ECW style at Mania.  The Original's style.  RVD, without a hint of irony or sarcasm, then told Punk that everything he stood for was the same as what the Originals stood for.  Then the pot smoking guy who hangs around with a drunk  told the Straight Edger that he fit with the Originals.  Elijah Burke jumped in, and RVD and Burke had an argument over CM.  Burke said that Punk would, next week, make his decision and join the New Breed.

Punk stepped in.  Fed up with getting it from both sides, Punk told the pair that he would be making his decision by the end of the show.  Both men grinned like Cheshire cats, although Burke looked concerned as RVD left.

Kevin Thorn def. Tommy Dreamer in a "Silence isn't always golden" match

Dreamer limped out first, selling last week's great match, as they replayed the spot where he was slammed on a chair by Marcus Cor Von.  Thorn then came out, selling a sore neck, as the RVD/Sabu legdrop through the table on Thorn was played.  A slugfest began this one, before Dreamer got a swinging neckbreaker and a clothesline over the top rope.  Dreamer followed Thorn out and mounted him at the steps, although got shoved off.

Back in the ring, Thorn worked over Dreamer's back as we saw Punk watch on a monitor.  Tommy ducked a clothesline and hit a hangman's neckbreaker.  Dreamer threw some fists, before hitting a sit-out spinebuster for 2.  Dreamer went up top, but Ariel distracted the ref as Thorn crotched Dreamer, allowing him to hit the Dark Kiss for the win.

Thoughts - 6/10 - Decent little match, but I must ask, did everyone go home?  How a crowd so hot for Vince were deathly silent not 10 minutes later is beyond me.  It's not as if the match was boring.  Time filler, sure, aside form the tease of Punk watching on, but not bad at all.

SIC 'EM, GENE!

The Slutty Nitro Girls were patching up the cracks in their skin when Snitsky crept up behind them.  They turned around.  Brooke left, followed by Kelly.  Leyla eventually managed to escape too.  How un-nice was that?  Maybe Snitsky was just wanting make-up tips?  I mean,  he could do with some.  Maybe he was just too embarrassed to ask?  I mean, he did look kinda sad at the end...

CM Punk def. Stevie Richards in a "Whoopsie-doodle" match

After a replay of Holly getting injured, Stevie was in the ring (with an armband, for some reason), as Joey & Taz(z) explained he gotten himself another shot at CM Punk.  Punk came out, enjoying his apparent popularity.  Before the match began, Matt Striker made his way out, selling his ribs, quickly followed by The Sandman, both men out to scout Punk, as we took a break. 

We came back just in time to see Punk hit the former "Welcome to Chicago, MF'er", because taking Richards into the corner for a few kicks.  In the opposite corner, he tried coming off the top with a crossbody, but that was to no avail.  Richards then began to work over Punk's ribs, with some knees to the gut before locking on a low bearhug.  Punk made a comeback with his slap combo and the high knee/bulldog out of the corner.

Striker & Sandman got into a discussion at ringside.  Sandman took a swing at the former teacher, but Striker ducked and Sandman only got the back of Punk's legs.  Punk distracted, Richards tried a roll-up, but it only got 2, when Punk reversed into a pin of his own for the win.  Sandman got right in the ring, and looked apologetic, pointing out that he was swinging for Striker.  Sandman reminded Punk of how long they knew each other as the bit ended.

Thoughts - 5/10 – Not much to the match, and it was only a few minutes, but it did succeed in being a potentially critical point pertaining to Punk’s decision, with Sandman rapping Punk in the legs with the cane.

Why wasn't Balls HELPING Snitsky?

Yeah, Slutty Nitro Girls time...  And what made it worse was they were dancing to one of my 2 favourite tracks from the new Timbaland album, "Throw It On Me", featuring The Hives.  Unfortunately for us, they were allowed to complete the routine.   Unfortunately for them, their pyro bang was barely over when Snitsky's music kicked in.    The girls cowered as Gene hit the ring.  Once again, Brooke & Kelly found it incredibly easy to make an escape while Leyla stayed on.  She somehow couldn't make it out of a square surrounded by three ropes and no roof. 

As the 2 stared at each other, Snitsky's sixth sense told him that Ball Mahoney was running into help with a chairshot that he could no sell before booting Balls in the face.  And man, were Snitsky's pre-cognitive skills spot on, because for no discernible reason, he turned around right into a Ball Mahoney chairshot, which Snitsky brushed off as easily as lint.  Gene then booted Balls in the face.

Marcus Cor Von def. Rob Van Dam in a "Something smells fishy..." match

RVD came out first, and he came with his neck-braced buddy, Sabu and, after the final break, Marcus Cor Von came out with his captain, Elijah Burke.  Cor Von backed RVD into the corner off a collar and elbow.  A second saw a stand off.  In a corner, Cor Von went for a powerbomb, but RVD countered it into a hurricanrana.  However, RVD was taken down by a hard clothesline.  Cor Von took it to the ground with a stretch of the abdominal nature, before hitting a neckbreaker.  RVD tried to mount a comeback, but Marcus cut out that nonsense with a backdrop suplex, before locking in a chinlock.

RVD got out of it, but Cor Von ducked a kick, hitting a pretty sweet release-German Suplex.  Cor Von followed that up with a snap suplex, before floating over into another chinlock.  RVD got out of it, but Marcus had a kick scouted, before hitting the chinlock again.  The crowd, for just about the first time since Vince did his bit, got up the enthusiasm to get a "RVD" chant going.  RVD hit a thrust kick, and then a corkscrew leg drop.  RVD came off the top again with another kick, as Burke came around the ring and clotheslined Sabu.  He then gave Sabu a DDT, as RVD was about to go up for a Five Star.  RVD gave chase, but Burke slipped through the ring, allowing Cor Von to hit the non-Pounce for the three.  Good sell by RVD, by Sabu was better.

Punk's music hit and he came running out.  He checked on Sabu & RVD.  Punk took off his shirt and got in the ring.  He looked ready to fight the New Breed, but on a dime, his demeanour changed, and extended his hand.  Burke went apoplectic with joy as the three man raised their arms.  Kevin Thorn & Matt Striker came out to join the party.  Thorn & Cor Von put Punk on their shoulders as Burke dropped to his knees and praised the lord.  The camera's focused on Punk as the show ended.

Thoughts - 7/10 - Decent enough match, if a little slow.  But really, this was all a backdrop to Punk's decision.  And you know something, I sense something a little fishy (hence the headline) about it.  it's not something that I can reasonably argue right now, but I have a feeling that this isn't the last we've heard about this.  They will really have to push Punk's heel side though, if they want to get him over as one, because with him being an Internet darling, the casual fans have picked up on the positivity and run with it.

OVERALL - 6.5/10 (- 1 on last week) - Overall, this was a fairly average episode, albeit on the good side of average.  As with RAW, the lack of crowd enthusiasm didn’t entirely help matters much.  Why pay good money for tickets and then sit on your hands?  I fear for Smackdown given these idiots.

Where ECW did excel this week, at least on a technical level, was being a well crafted episode of television.  Aside from the McMahon bit at the beginning and the stuff with Snitsky, this was all about Punk and his decision and just about everything on the show pushed that point, and the angle advanced every time it was featured.  First he watched, then Sandman made his mistake and then he made the decision.

While quality has dropped, I’m not going to say the “bubble has burst” on the WWE’s run of good TV, because there has been a lot of value to take out of the stuff since Wrestlemania.  You never know, I may cover that in an audio…

But that’s all I got for now, but if you have something to say about this week’s ECW, you can e-mail me at dedicated e-mail address, or come hunt me down on the WWI Forums!

OR, you can find me along with the rest of the dribbling masses on MY OWN MYSPACE PAGE!

Well, I’ll be back on Friday for Smackdown, but for now, I believe I’ve fulfilled my contractual obligations.  For reading this, and continuing to support World Wrestling Insanity, you’re cooler than the other side of the pillow…

I’m out.