ECW
Aaron Wood's ECW - The Army vs. The Marine Corps. (w/ The Mountie)
By Aaron Wood
Mar 14, 2007, 12:34

LAST WEEK ON ECW:  Lashley got a grip, The Originals wanted to finally make some money and Stone Cold polled the nation…

THIS WEEK…

For those who didn't watch RAW last night, but are watching now.  All none of them...

After a graphic for Ernie Ladd, we start right away with Edge getting so very over Lita by chatting up a couple of backstage hands when Randy Orton stormed over so very, very pissed about Edge making him a match against Lashley.  You'd think that supposed team mates would have discussed that issue before now...  Anyway, Edge defended himself saying they were doing Big Vince a favour, and that he had Orton's back.  Orton still wasn't happy, but took it Edge at his word.  Then again, he took HHH's word when Hunter said that "it was all about Orton" when he won the belt around 1 minute before he got bumped from Evolution, so Orton's run in that regard is spotty, to say the least...

Tommy Dreamer won a "Yes.  Tommy Dreamer." Battle Royal pitting The Originals against The New Breed

After some opening credits and pimping for the main event, the whole New Breed made their way out as Joey Jo-Jo and Taz(z) pimped the 8-man Wrestlemania match, featuring some SWANK~! graphics for both the Originals and New Breed.  And once again, there was team synergy on the Originals side as they came out to the ECW theme music, rather than RVD's, like they did last time they were a team (2 weeks ago).  The rules here were simple over the top rope rules, although you could assume that it wasn't necessarily every man for himself.

As you'd imagine, it was a mass brawl as the bell rang.  Sandman was very quickly gone (and hard) when Matt Striker pushed Sandman off and out when Sandman was mounted over him in the corner.  It was all "pick a corner and fight in it" until Marcus Cor Von looked to eliminate Sabu.  However RVD saved him.  I can't really describe what happened next without laughing.  RVD & Sabu double teamed Cor Von, with what I can only best describe as RVD picked up Sabu in such a way as to use Sabu to give Cor Von a double Big Boot.  However, it did nothing to help propel Marcus over the top, so Cor Von just bounced off the rope.  Knowing that he had to leave, Cor Von then just hopped over the top rope.  The camera angles just about didn't give it away until the last second when it caught Cor Von starting his own jump over, with RVD rushing back to try and sell us that he had a hand in it.  Funny stuff.

Sabu was next out after he tired to hit a hurricanrana on Kevin Thorn, but Thorn powered Sabu back up into a powerbomb position, sat Sabu on the top turnbuckle and shoved him off.  RVD was almost eliminated by Striker in the same corner as Sandman and Sabu were eliminated form, but RVD fought back and hit a Sunset-Flip Powerbomb, while Elijah Burke swung away at Tommy Dreamer.  The next elimination came when Kevin Thorn looked to Crucifix Powerbomb RVD out, but RVD rolled through and kicked Thorn to the ropes.  RVD's first clothesline didn't send Thorn over, so RVD hit a crossbody, sending both men out, although RVD managed (somehow) to keep his second foot from hitting the ground.  However, this left Robbie V in prime position for Striker to untangle RVD's hand from the rope before Van Dam could get back up and in, so RVD was a goner too, leaving Dreamer with Striker and Burke.

The New Breed had Dreamer up, but Tommy got out and started punching away.  Striker whipped Tommy into the corner, but his charge allowed Tommy to elevate him up and over to eliminate the former teacher.  Burke didn't let up though, hitting his high knees to the back. Tommy got perched on the top, where Burke climbed up and hit a dropkick  knocking Dreamer off.  Tommy just hung on though,  much to Burke's chagrin.  Back in, Tommy whipped Burke into the ropes.  Burke tried to kick Dreamer off, but Tommy got Elijah's foot and used it to lever Burke over the top for the victory!

Thoughts - 5/10 - Battle royals like this are never great, especially when, at least in the early stages, they are sloppily done.  However, the story at the end was quite cool, with ECW's "heart and soul" left, overcoming the odds.

Now, THAT'S an "Original"...

The Originals celebrated in the ring, with Tommy looking shocked that he had somehow won a match!  However, all of a sudden, Mick Foley's music hit, and he came out as the show took a commercial break.

Back live, Foley had the Originals all lined up.  He got a cheap pop and a cheap plug.  What should be noted here is that all of them, but the Sandman especially, weren't exactly pleased to see Foley.  Why?  Well, Mick brought it up right away.  He talked about the time he turned on Dreamer last year, admitting he sold out.  Foley said he was proud of his book and that he was more honest in it than he had ever been before, asking Dreamer to take a look at it.  He gave the copy to Dreamer, but Dreamer dropped so very deliberately, not wanting to know.  This seemed to rile Foley, who launched his promo in to that "controlled anger" space, with him saying that he turned on Tommy, knowing it would be giving up his goodwill with the fans, because it meant that, in his own way, it meant that at One Night Stand last year, the spotlight was on the ECW Originals.

However, Mick said, that was last year, and now, it was Wrestlemania, where they'd meet the New Breed in front of 70000 people.  Mick noted he never preformed in front of that many people.  Mickles then said that while he wasn't part of the show, he'd be there, making the crowd 70001, and while in the nose bleeds, he's be making his voice heard by chanting "ECW".  The crowd started piping up with the chant (although it also did a Ric Flair "Wooo" after it too, which was odd...) until Foley left.  Tommy then, rather symbolically, picked up Foley's book.  Well, as a "make peace" promo it was rather effective, I'd say, and there was logic behind his reasoning, so I'm cool with the bit.  But again, I must make note of Sandman's reaction here, because they were really cool, because that's what you would expect someone to be like when confronted by someone you respected who sold out.  And it's not as if Sandman was all "jelly and cake" by the end either.  he still seemed rather sceptical, which was also cool.

Who says WWE doesn't listen?  They just don't make dreams come true...

Over the last week on wwe.com, they ran a poll asking who people though Snitsky should destroy next, and the Slutty Nitro Girls CRUSHED every other option, with around 90% of the vote.  And this is the company who listens to their fans, after all...  So about a minute into their crappy dance for the week, Snitsky made his presence felt with some really cool new music.  He also had what seemed to be a large, but stitched up, gash in the top of his head.  if I didn't know better, I'd be beginning to think Snitsky had suffered a dose of radiation poisoning...

Snitsky def. Michael Deek & Danny Jackson in a "It's the magically appearing jobbers!" match

Unfortunately however, the Slutty Nitro Girls had the sense to scram when Snitsky came out, so Snitsky didn't actually kill them as you'd have hoped.  However, 2 jobber magically appeared in the ring to take the beating for them.  No, they literally magically appeared.  And I don't mean literally like JR uses it.  One second they weren't there and Snitsky was roaming an empty ring.  The next, there they were.

So Snitsky killed them instead, as the stagehands scrambled to get rid of the lights in the ring, lest Snitsky used them, pinning Deek after a Big Boot.

Thoughts - 1/10 - WHAT WAS THERE TO THINK ABOUT IT?!?!?!

The pot stirs...

CM Punk was in the back, taping his wrists and marking them up, for no apparent reason whatsoever, since he wasn't due to work, when Elijah Burke waltzed up to him again.  Burke said that he didn't really get an answer last week, to which Punk replied that he was thinking about it.  Burke brought up Punk's appearance on Smackdown, saying Punk had "a bad night".  Punk asked Burke if he wanted a bad night right then, to which Burke pointed out that he already did.  Burke said that despite that, Wrestlemania would belong to the new Breed.  Punk said Wrestlemania would belong to him.  Burke said that the Money In The Bank match was a big match, and that he would have a better chance of winning it if he were on the New Breed's side.  Burke left Punk a New Breed shirt to mull over.

Bobby Lashley def. Randy Orton in a "THE ARMED FORCES COLLIDE!" match

After a recap of last night's LONG Main Event bit on RAW last night (seriously, the over-run was SIXTEEN MINUTES!), we got right to the Main Event of this evening.  Orton came out alone, without Edge.  However, the Rated-R Superstar got his own entrance just before the match began.

Orton got the best of the opening exchanges, as he took aim at Lashley's left leg, but Lashley exploded with a clothesline.  Orton ducked out and started arguing with Edge as we took a break.  Back live, and Orton had Lashley in what was more of Jericho's old "Lion Tamer" than a Boston Crab on Lashley.  Lashley made it to the ropes, but Orton used as much time as he could before releasing it.  Orton did the Orton Stomp, but Lashley hit a back body drop.  A thumb to Lashley's eye gave Orton control again though, as Lashley was forced into the corner, where Orton aimed shots at Bobby's back, before hitting his own patented backbreaker.  Randy tried the RKO, but Lashley pushed him off.  Edge came in with the ECW belt, but Scott Armstrong stopped him and ejected Edge from ringside.  Orton argued with his partner again, before Edge took his leave, with a nicely smug grin across his face, as we took our final ad break.

Lashley was face down on the outside as we came back, thanks to a dropkick by Orton, with Lashley on the apron.  Orton laid Lashley across the steel steps and started stomping away on his head, back and arm.  After a suplex, Orton rolled Lashley back in for a 2 count.  After a dropkick with Lashley in a corner, Orton went back to the Boston Crab.  Lashley made the ropes again though.

Orton missed a corner charge, hitting his shoulder off the post, allowing Lashley to drive a couple of shoulders into Orton's gut.  The Argentine Backbreaker/Shock Treatment got Lashley a 2 count before Bobby sent Orton into the corner where he threw fists as if he were Undertaker.  The former Army Sergeant then hit the running powerslam on the former Marine for the three.

Thoughts - 6.5/10 - Not a bad much.  Solid enough, if not spectacular.  It was nice to see Orton vary up his offence.  I mean, he gets criticised for dropping into a chinlock on a moment's notice, but there wasn't the merest hint of one here, and the angle between Edge & Orton developed really nicely with Edge deliberately getting bumped from ringside.

After the match, Vince McMahon came out, looking almost fashionable dressed in all black.  However, McMahon & Lashley just traded stares as the show closed out.

OVERALL - 7/10 (+ 1 on last week) - Another pretty decent show this week, focusing pretty much solely on the 2 matches ECW is involved in at Wrestlemania, with the exception of the SNG & Snitsky, although neither really took up any time at all and were pretty much merged into one bit.

I liked what they achieved overall with the New Breed/Original stuff.  Foley’s speech made the match seem important, as much because guys like Sabu & Sandman are getting their shot in on a stage like Wrestlemania after so many years slogging  it out in places like the ECW Arena, sleeping in cars, than the “future” of ECW, and since I don’t for a second expect the feud to be over at Wrestlemania, it was a nice touch to focus on that aspect of the match.

As for the main, it served both the Hair match and the dissention between Rated RKO, and did both pretty well, in my opinion.  The match itself could have been better, but I would expect that I’d have to pay to see it, so for a TV main, I thought it was perfectly acceptable.

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.