| Date: 04/28 | 7:55 PM |
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Our coverage of ECW on Sci-Fi is LIVE so hit F5 or refresh as often as you like for updates. The show starts now!
ECW opens with highlights from Christian defeating Jack Swagger for the ECW Title this Sunday at Backlash. Christian and the peeps in Providence are shown celebrating his victory before we go back to action at MSG.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the new ECW Champion, Christian!" He heads to the ring to show off his title belt to the crowd, then puts it over his left shoulder. Captain Charisma: "Ever since I came back to the WWE, I said that I was going to be the ECW Champion. After I achieved that at Backlash, it didn't sink in at first, but it's sinking in right now. Before Jack Swagger can come out and interrupt, because we all know that's going to happen, I want to say this is the greatest day in my career. I stand here before my Peeps, I stand here in MSG, I stand here a champion! Now Swagger, why don't you come on out and interrupt me."
It's Tommy Dreamer who comes out, not Swagger, and he's dressed in a suit and tie. Dreamer gives him a handshake as the crowd chants E-C-W. "Congratulations! Finally, for the first time in over three months, we have a champion that represents everything ECW is all about. You and I have been friends for a long time but I have to confess congratulating you isn't the only reason I'm here. I made a promise I'd win the ECW title one more time before my contract, expires, and my time is running out. I have less than six weeks. I'm out here, in the building..." (E-C-W! E-C-W!) "I'm here, in the building that made me love this business, to challenge you for the ECW title."
Christian: "I'll do you one better than that. How about we do it here tonight, in Madison Square Garden!" A very emotional Dreamer seems pleased, as does the New York crowd. Jack Swagger's music hits and he comes out to the top of the ramp shaking his head as if to say no, no, no. "I was willing to let this farce go on because the moment is fleeting but enough is enough. Christian the only reason you're champion..." (YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK) "The only reason you're champion is because you cheated. THAT'S NOT FAIR! And Dreamer, you think you deserve a championship match? That's a joke. I don't care if we are in New York City, you're a joke! The only thing saving me from coming down there to drop you both is that in three weeks at Judgment Day I'll be taking back my title. So go ahead, talk about championship matches all you want, waste everybody's time, but nobody is getting a championship match until I do."
Before Swagger can walk away, acting GM Tiffany comes out. "I'd like to officially welcome everyone to E-C-W! Secondly, Mr. Swagger, you're right you do have a title match at Judgment Day. But you are wrong that no one can have a title match before you. The only person who can declare that is me, and I do say that we are going to have an ECW championship match, right here, tonight!" Swagger keeps bitching at Tiffany even as the ECW opening music plays over him. Natalya is prepping Tyson Kidd's hairdo backstage as we go to commercial.
Highlights from Backlash are shown as we come back from break. Next we see a dramatic shot of the Brooklyn Bridge and the New York City skyline to remind us where we are before the heel in our next match comes out.
* Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya) v. Fit Finlay (no Hornswoggle though)
Finlay gets a decent pop from the New York crowd as he makes his way to the ring. Josh Matthews reveals that next week ECW will be moving back to 10 EST, 9 Central. That'll be easy enough considering WCG ends tonight, but truthfully I'm going to miss both - ECW being on earlier and WCG airing afterwards. Finlay is in control early in the match with a headlock and a shoulder tackle. Tyson rolls out to get some moral support from Natalya before wringing his left arm a bit and coming back in. Finlay answers a test of strength attempt with a boot to the gut, then plants Tyson when he tries to come off the top before applying a single leg crab. Tyson tries twice to crawl to the ropes and twice is pulled back. Finlay ducks an enzuguiri and clears Tyson over the ropes to the floor before we go to commercial break.
Finlay is in control when we come back from break but Tyson quickly changes that by clipping the knee and going to work on Finlay's left leg. He screams at the ref to ask if he submits, and if not he'll BREAK, the leg. The crowd is firmly behind Finlay thanks to Tyson Kidd's heelish tactics. Finlay finally does a headstand to break free, but Tyson sweeps the leg and starts reapplying the pressure all over again. Finlay kicks him in the face when he gets his right foot free and starts brawling with Kidd again once he gets back to his feet. Kidd tries an atomic drop but Finlay responds with a clothesline and double boots to the face. Knee lunge misses though. Finlay tries a back bridge for two then hits a couple of clotheslines and a backbreaker. Finlay limps on his leg with every move he hits. Snap powerslam for 2.5. Finlay tries a celtic cross but sells the knee as not being able to hold the weight, and Kidd wipes Finlay out to the floor. Kidd tries a baseball slide to the outside but Finlay does the old pull the apron trick. Natalya distracts the ref, Kidd attacks Finlay's bad leg with the shilelagh, Kidd gets the pinfall. WINNER: TYSON KIDD.
Replays of the original leg injury and Natalya's distractions at the end follow. Grisham reminds us that Christian will be facing Tommy Dreamer in the main event of ECW on Sci-Fi tonight for a championship match. We go to commercial with a reminder that ECW goes back to 10 PM EST next week.
I have no idea why, but Kozlov is here and he's dressed like a Russian soldier. He's cutting a broken language promo saying he's a product of the Russian army and Russian athletics. "No one in double double E, no one in world, can compete with me. It will only be a matter of time before I achieve global domination." The New York crowd gives him a half-hearted WHAT with every pause in his speech. He screams something off mic and walks off to the pounding beat of his music. Thankfully that's all of him we have to see.
Gregory Helms is backstage in a suit and tie to interview Evan Bourne! "It's an exciting time here. The draft brought us new faces, Backlash brought us a new champ, and things are happening quickly. If you stop for even a moment things pass you by. Therefore I've got to let everyone know Dreamer is not the only one with championship aspirations." Burchill interrupts and says those aspirations are put on hold, because last week he got lucky, but this week on Superstars his luck is gonna run out. Helms looks perplexed, throws his arms in the air, stares at Bourne and says "WASSUP WIT DAT?!" Ahh Hurricane. :) Tommy Dreamer comes out for his title match with Christian (seriously, at 9:37 PM EST, that seems awfully early.. WASSUP WIT DAT?!) but before the champ can make his way to the ring we go to commercial.
* Christian Cage {C} v. Tommy Dreamer (ECW Championship Match)
Christian makes his way down to the ring at 9:42 PM. As he poses in the ring we're reminded that Judgment Day is sponsored by the new Terminator: Salvation movie. Tony Chimel makes the official championship match style introduction for each man to kill a little more time before the bell rings. Officially we get underway at 9:44 which means this only has to be a 15 minute match, possibly less if a pissed off Jack Swagger decides to interfere. Dreamer knocks Christian down with a shoulder tackle early as Striker tells us that if an emotional Dreamer can keep those emotions in check he could walk out the champ. Christian hits a couple of arm drags but Dreamer comes out on top. As both men get back to their feet we're told by Striker that Christian and his friends once drove ten hours from Toronto to New York just to see wrestling as kids. Dreamer counters the killswitch, Christian counters the DDT, and both men stare each other down. Dreamer goes for a backslide pin that gets two. Christian is caught trying to float over in the corner on Dreamer's shoulder, who slams him down with authority for two. Christian jacks Dreamer in the jaw when he gets back up and Dreamer is down on one knee when we go to commercial.
Annnnnd we're back at 9:52 EST. Christian has just ducked a charge by Dreamer and thrown him into the steel turnbuckle. Captain Charisma focuses his attack on the left arm and shoulder as he grounds Dreamer. The crowd chants are really hard to hear in MSG tonight - I'm sure they are much louder than they sound on TV due to the overwhelming level of background noise drowning them out. Christian goes out to the apron and snaps Dreamer's left arm off the ropes, then hits a missile dropkick for a near fall. Christian goes back to work on the arm. The ref asks Dreamer if he wants to quit and he says no. Christian stomps on Dreamer's elbow. He starts to go top rope and Dreamer cuts him off, then gets a nice pop from the crowd as he hits a superplex. Both men are down, Dreamer crawls over for the cover, two count. Striker: "Somewhere Jack Swagger is watching and waiting." That's a tease on a run-in if I've ever heard one. Dreamer clotheslines Christian and both spill out to the floor. Ref starts a ten count and Christian gets back in at 9. Dreamer starts rolling, even countering a sunset flip attempt, and trying a small package for a near fall. A big clothesline turns Christian inside out, after which Tommy puts Christian into the tree of woe. Before he can even start the E-C-W dropkick, Swagger hits the ring to attack him and the ref calls for the bell. Belly to belly slam on Dreamer! Dreamer is thrown into Christian who is still in the tree of woe, then Christian is picked up by Swagger for a gutwrench powerbomb with authority. The ref screams at him to get out but he just stands there smiling smugly as his music plays. I assume Dreamer wins by DQ since Swagger attacked him first, but this is never announced. Swagger stays posing in the ring as ECW goes off the air.