E.C.W

[superboy]

The show opens with a recap of the three-way for the ECW title at Night of Champions just to show us Mark Henry stealing the pin with a big splash at the end. ECW on Sci-Fi is on the air, and for the first time I'mwatching it in HD BABY!!~! Mike Adamle promises we'll be introduced to the new champion, and sure enough the ring announcer wastes no time calling him out for his appearance. Henry has a huge grin on his face as he walks down with the strap over his left shoulder. I suspect that's a permanent smirk. "I am the savior of ECW! Kane, was gonna take this ECW title, to Raw. But at Night of Champions, I brought back this title right where it belongs, in the ECW. Now you see Kane, Kane may be a monster, but he's not the World's Strongest Man. Big Show may be a giant, but he's not the World's Strongest Man. +I+, am the savior of ECW. I am the epitome of what a champion is. And I mean NOBODY..."

This of course brings out Tommy Dreamer (flanked by Colin Delaney). Dreamer has a mic in his hand when he steps into the ring. Henry: "I know y'all came out to congratulate me but I don't like being interrupted." Dreamer: "I didn't come to congratulate you, I came to be the first to challenge you for the ECW title." Henry: "Stop playing, I know what you did in years past but that was 1998, this is 2008. Your time is past. I'm the future! So what you need to do, is take your little friend, and walk." Dreamer: "You know Mark, I know you two are complete physical mismatches, but Delaney represents the heart and soul of what ECW is all about. Every time he get knocked down, he gets back up. He gets beaten down and he comes back for more. Do you even know the legacy of that title? Do you see that guy? That's Taz, the Human Suplex Machine. He broke his neck for that title. Do you know how much blood and sweat is on that title? The superstars that have held it? Do you?" Henry: "I know exactly. And you know what? You want to challenge me? You don't deserve it. You have to earn, you have to EARN a title shot. You know what? You got it!" Dreamer: "Thank you champ. Tonight, I'm gonna wrestle like I've never wrestled before." Henry: "Whoa whoa whoa, I wasn't talking about you, I said YOU get a title shot." Henry points at Delaney. "If you beat him, Dreamer gets his shot." Delaney: "I accept!" Henry: "You know Tommy you were right, you've got the heart and soul of a lion. But tonight, the heart and soul is gonna get ripped out your little chest." Henry throws the mic at Delaney, kisses the belt, smirks, and steps through the ropes. Hornswoggle, Finlay and Matt Hardy are backstage, and they're in a six-man tag coming up NEXT!

We're back with a WWE Shop promo. My God, even this looks better in HD. I will not miss Cox Cable television one bit. Alvarez, GET DIRECTV, **** COMCAST. Matt Hardy comes out first for our scheduled six-man tag. It's Matt time, err match time, err well both!


* Matt Hardy, Finlay & Hornswoggle v. Chavo Guerrero, Morrison & Miz

Chavo is accompanied to the ring by Bam Neely. Morrison and Miz stop for the slow-mo' wind tunnel effect, although with the bandana and goofy hat Miz have on there's no way we'll see it. In the crowd is a sign reading "Matt Hardy Version '08." Not bad son, not bad. I've noticed the fan from the PPV who had "REAL SIGN GUYS WEAR ORANGE" is also in the crowd in Tulsa. Hardy and Miz start the match off and immediately lock up. Miz takes an arm and the Hardy chants begin RIGHT AWAY. Matt counters out and Miz uses the ropes for a break. Adamle says the shileleagh will come into play and Tazz notes that anything is possible. Hardy grounds Miz and starts wrenching his left arm. Miz stands up and powers him to the corner, then unloads with closed fists to get a ref's warning. Hardy reverses position then whips him to the opposite corner for a clothesline followed by a bulldog. Two count. Hardy tags to Finlay who takes Miz to the learning tree with passion. The heels try to cut off the ring but Morrison becomes the unlucky recipient of an atomic drop and a sitout to the gut. Morrison tries again to cut off the ring and this time Miz and Chavo manage to work him over in the corner. Chavo tries to tag in and baseball slide onto him but Finlay pulls the apron out and Chavo ends up UNDER it being pounded on. The heels try to make the save and Hornswoggle is lawndarted onto Morrison and Miz right before we go to commercial!

During the break Chavo Guerrero hit Matt Hardy with a cheap shot, and we come back with Chavo in control and Matt being thrown to the heel corner for a three-in-one beating. Miz tags in and hits a snap suplex for a near fall. Miz drags him to the heel corner to catapult him into an uppercut by Morrison, who also tagged in to make the cover for another near fall. The crowd pops huge when Matt kicks out, but Morrison quickly grounds him and yells as he has Matt in a submission hold. "C'mon, give up!" Hardy gets up and out only for Morrison to tag and for Miz to continue the beating with elbows before putting on a chinlock. "C'mon Matt, tap out!" Tazz puts over the intensity of Miz. Hardy gets out and hits a sunset flip for two but is immediately clotheslined down afterwards. Morrison tags in and tries to choke Matt out, he punches free, gets kicked in the gut and whipped to the corner, Matt blocks a charge with a boot and hits the SIDE EFFECT. Adamle says both men are equally hurt by the move; Hardy gets up first though and hits Finlay with the hot tag! High back bodydropto Chavo and the corner is cleared as he's a house on fire. Chavo in a pinning predicament but Morrison breaks it up. Twist of Fate by Hardy on Morrison and Tadpole Splash by Hornswoggle on Miz! Chavo is hit with the Celtic Cross for three. WINNERS: THE BABYFACES.

The US champion and the Irishmen celebrate in the ring as the heels are helped up the ramp by Bam Neely. We see a graphic promoting Mark Henry v. Colin Delaney for later in the night. Tazz: "Biggest mismatch in ECW history baby!" We go to commercial break with a Night of Champions replay promo, and when we come back it's time for the Raw Rebound. Read the WWE Raw Recap here on the site for all the details, including CM Punk becoming the NEW World Heavyweight Champion. Punk is put over huge, as is the feud with JBL that followed and Bradshaw declaring "martial law" on Cena... which only guaranteed he'd interfere in the main event later (and I'm glad he did). We throw back to Tazz, who says timing is everything, and CM Punk had great timing. Adamle throws backstage to Dreamer and Delaney. "Maybe I didn't need to do this, but after all you've done for me I wanted to do this. I know how much ECW means to you. Tommy I know what you're going to say, there's no way I can beat Mark Henry, but nobody thought I'd be here living my dream either - anything's possible."

Backstage somebody with a huge afro is being introduced to Teddy Long, who says he'll be a great acquisition for the brand. We're interrupted by Commandante Estrada, and Long says he has a New Talent Initiative and the new man is Atlas Ortiz (ohh this must be Atlas DaBone). Estrada says he wants to know what this man has he doesn't so Long says we'll find out - you two are having a match NEXT! Commercial.

* Atlas Ortiz v. Armando Estrada

It's nice to see they're finally giving some of these guys from WWE Developmental with potential a shot on the big stage and putting new champions on top, which is exactly what the company needs right now to generate more excitement in all three brands. I'd say it's already working with Raw's rating being up this week. Atlas is working a headlock early as Tazz describes his "funky lock" before knocking Armando down with power and rolling him to the mat with a headlock, getting a one count in the process. Armando tries to fight out with punches and shoot Ortiz off the ropes, but on the rebound Ortiz hits a hard shoulder tackle knockdown. Armando finally gets on offense by ducking a spear in the corner, with Ortiz posting his arm into the turnbuckle, and drives his head into the mat for a near fall. Snapmare and Armando stomps on the hand of the injured arm, and continues to work it over. "HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW!" The crowd boos Estrada and a very light "AT-LAS" chant breaks out. Armando puts Ortiz on the ground and chickenwings the arm with a top wristlock, but the crowd applauds Ortiz back to his feet. Armando uses a handful of hair to yank him down to the mat and he gets a chorus of boos. Adamle notes that's now legal in the NFL. "These guys aren't wearing helmets though Mike!" You know this match could have gotten Ortiz over if it only went a minute or two, but it's going far too long for my taste. Then again a much louder crowd chant breaks out of "LET'S GO AT-LAS" with the appropriate claps. Ortiz takes that as his cue to go on offense, shake his head full of hair like a wildman, and hit a VERY high dropkick for a two count. Headbutt by Ortiz. Whip to the ropes countered by a kick from Armando, but when he charges Ortiz the afro'd one reverses him into a backslide pin for three! WINNER: ATLAS ORTIZ.

It's official, Armando is everyone's *****. He can't beat Colin Delaney, he can't beat Hornswoggle, and he loses to the new guy when they want to put someone over. Since he's not "under contract" he should leave for Smackdown and form a heel tag team with Carlito. We go to commercial break which includes a promo for the three-disc Rock DVD set.

WWE's "Did You Know" fact tonight is that they broadcast in 23 languages to over 130 nations. I'm sure in one of those nations, Mark Henry is the greatest champion in WWE. In fact I remember at least one fan with a Mark Henry sign at WrestleMania who must be absolutely ecstatic about the recent turn of events. All things considered I'm not unhappy about it either - Henry has paid dues for a long time and deserves his shot as the top heel champion of a brand. It's time for our main event!

* Mark Henry {C} v. Colin Delaney (If Delaney wins, Dreamer gets a title shot)

Henry comes out first looking as smug as ever. Delaney is accompanied to ringside by Dreamer. The bell rings and Delaney looks at Henry like a deer staring into the headlights. Dreamer advises Delaney to use his feet and his speed to survive. Delaney briefly gets Henry in the corner for punches and kicks but Henry looks at him like an annoying gnat and then swats him like a fly. Henry grounds Delaney and lays into him with boots as a chant breaks out for the young untan man. Henry goes for a monster splash and Delaney rolls out of the way, then he tries to go on offense with kicks until Henry simply stands up and knocks him down hard. HUGE headbutt follows. Tazz: "That anvil-like head of Mark Henry!" Henry picks him up in a vertical press and drops him down mercilessly. Henry pulls him back up to hit a press slam, and then makes the cover for an easy three count. WINNER: MARK HENRY.

Dreamer gets in the ring to protect his fallen comrade from any further beatings. Henry smirks, kisses his title belt and walks away as Dreamer glares at him. We get a replay of Delaney's beating as Tazz puts over Henry strong.

[SMG Rules]

That match between Estrada and Atlas(or whatever his name is) was really bad. I've never seen two people mess up so many times in one match.

[SMG Rules]

We finally saw Chris Harris on ECW.

[superboy]

We're live in HD from the great city of Baton Rouge, LA! Mike Adamle opens the show by telling us Mark Henry will face Tommy Dreamer tonight, but it appears that Morrison and Miz are the first two men up to bat on this edition of ECW. Slow-mo' hair blow is in full effect as Tony Chimel makes introductions on their behalf. Both men hit the corners of the ring to pose with their belts before each grabs a microphone.

Morrison: "Shhhhhh shh shh shh shhhhhhhh." Miz: "Ah ahh ahh HEM! Now I know you're not used to Hollywood A-listers like Morrison and Miz in these part, unless that's Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie boarding up a home after a hurricane blows through." Morrison: "I know you ladies want me, but keep the noise down while I introduce myself. I'm the Tuesday Night Delight, John Morrison, and we don't do charity hurricane repair work at the Palace of Wisdom." Miz: "And I am The Miz, and we are the WWE Tag Team Champions." Both: "BE JEALOUS!" Miz: "We have the #1 viewed show on WWE.com, The Dirt Sheet." Morrison: "You know you love to watch it!" Finally their blather is interrupted by Fit Finlay's entrance theme.

Finlay: "Take it easy. I'm sorry for interrupting your, words of wisdom, but I don't think anybody came to listen to you two run your mouth. I might be wrong but I think they'd rather see someone come down there and SHUT your mouth." Morrison: "Well alright Mr. I LOVE TO FIGHT, because I can't wrestle. What would you know about it, the only people you hang out with are your little troll of a son, who is a leprechaun, who hangs out under the ring." Finlay comes down to the ring, the champs are distracted watching him, and Hornswoggle comes in from behind them with a supersoaker. They get hosed down, give chase, and then have to duck as Finlay comes to his aid by swinging around a shilelagh. As they retreat up the ramp we get our first commercial break.

* Fit Finlay v. The Miz

Apparently Teddy Long made this match during the commercial break. Finlay gives Miz a hard clothesline for a near falland follows up with a knee lunge before aiming a kick at Morrison on the outside. Side headlock as Finlay takes Miz down and Mike Adamle has a J.R. moment and can't tell Morrison and Miz apart. Finlay lays into Miz and throws him out of the ring, then goes out to follow up by smashing his back into the ring apron. The ref tells Finlay to back off and let Miz come back in the ring. Miz tries to aim a kick at Finlay, but the Tough Irish Bastard grabs both legs and stomps him in the groin. Morrison offers encouragement on the outside and it's not hard to hear since they're fairly quiet in Baton Rouge tonight. Not the quietest crowd I've ever heard, but they're certainly only popping when Finlay hits a big move. Miz tries to throw Finlay out and do a baseball slide but as he often does Finlay pulls the apron and he slides into it. Morrison tries to run over to get him but Finlay sees him out of the corner of his eye. That small distraction was enough to put Miz on offense though and he posts Finlay's shoulder into the ring apron, then applies a chinlock back inside the ring before working over the left arm and shoulder.

Miz and his mohawk keep working over the arm while Morrison annoys the announcers by reminding them his tag team partner is a true technician. It might just be me but Finlay and Miz are looking really awkward in the ring together - they don't seem to have any chemistry tonight. Miz mocks Finlay to draw some crowd heat then goes back to work on the arm. The match is getting boring so Tazz and Adamle have an argument over whether or not Miz is a chick magnet. Adamle claims he's never seen a girl rush to him for a kiss and an autograph, and Tazz says that's because you never go out and PARTY WITH DA CHAMPS. Finlay finally gets back on offense with a high back bodydrop and a series of clotheslines, followed by an atomic drop and a knockdown for 2. Miz tries to schoolboy Finlay but can only get a two count, then gives him the splash into the corner ropes. Morrison was about to Finlay from outside with his own shilelagh, but Horny runs over to kick Morrison in the head. Miz grabs Hornswoggle to attack him but he escapes and Miz turns around right into Finlay's Celtic Cross for three. WINNER: FIT FINLAY. We get a replay of Miz' defeat as the two men stand tall in the ring, Finlay still wringing his arm to sell the injury.

Backstage Armando walks in and interrupts Teddy Long and Tiffany. "Every week you make me jump through hopes. Who am I going to face next, Godzilla, King Kong, I just want another shot." Long: "Tell you what Armando, I'll give you another opportunity against ECW's newest star." Armando turns around to face a brand new wrestler... it's Wildcat Chris Harris! "Knock knock." Armando: "Who's there!" Response: "Braden Walker. And I'm gonna knock your brains out!" Sure, that's a much better name than Chris Harris... NOT. We go to commercial with a plug for the Mark Henry v. Tommy Dreamer match and a replay of Punk beating Edge for the World Heavyweight Title, which segues to Edge challenging Triple H at the Great American Bash.

We're back with a Raw Rebound, and you can check Killa Kev's WWE Raw Recap for what went down last night. Personally I didn't think the show was anywhere near as boring as Kev did, and I think Batista as Punk's challenger makes sense. The only thing that DOESN'T make sense is Kane's big "alive or dead" freakout at the end of the show. Once the Rebound is over, Armando Estrada makes his way out to ring. I'll happily point out for the one millionth time that guy who is not "under contract" shouldn't have his own Titantron and entrance music, even though Tazz tries in vain to keep up the facade that he's a guy fighting to be on the roster. Speaking of entrance themes, Braden Walker has his own already too!

* Braden Walker v. Armando Estrada

Tazz says he's heard good things from "his sources" about Walker. Walker is on offense early and tosses Estrada aside with ease. He's described as being 6'4" and over 260 pounds, and he certainly looks it. Armando posts him in the corner and tries to work him over, the ref warns him about illegal blows, and Armando says VAMOOSE! Braden reverses and works him over but Armando knocks him down and loudly screams "THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" If you thought they were quiet during the last match, you could hear a pin drop during this one. Braden hits a sunset flip for 2.

Estrada puts Walker on the ground for some ground and pound, calls him a "STUPID PUNK" and then stands up and dusts his hands off as though he's already won. Walker gets back to his feet so Estrada grabs a handful of hair and slams him down, then kicks him in the small of the back when he sits back up. Armando tries to hook the head, possibly fora swinging neckbreaker, then switches to a suplex attempt only to get reversed into a body slam. He whips Walker to the corner and misses him, then gets hit with a flying clothesline and an atomic drop. Walker gives him a full nelson slam but Estrada kicks out at two. Estrada trips Walker to knock his head into the turnbuckle, but when he goes to finish Walker off in the corner Walker gets a boot up and goes up to the top rope! Big crossbody off the ropes for three and the crowd pops just because the match is over. WINNER: BRADEN WALKER. Estrada Da Jabba does what he's paid to do once again.

Backstage Tony Atlas meets up with Teddy Long. "I was in town for a few things and decided to drop by and say hello to everybody." Long: "How about tonight, you be the guest ring announcer for the main event! It's dolla dolla dolla." Atlas: "Everybody could use a payday!" Henry comes up to him backstage and says he was a big fan of his... AS A KID... and compares notes with him about how much weight they can each bench. Eventually Henry notes that's not bad... for Mr. USA... but you'll never be THE WORLD'S STRONGEST MAN. "Then again, who could." The segment ends with Henry being dismissive as Atlas tries in vain to be polite, and we go to commercial.

We return from break to be informed that JEFF HARDY HAS TAKEN OVER WWE MAGAZINE. Wow. I'm so excited. I'm gonna go buy that right now... not. Lena Yada introduces Atlas Ortiz, and he says his friends call him Rickey. Atlas, DaBone, Ortiz, Rickey, I can't keep up with all his name changes. Ortiz says he's undefeated in an awkward conversation with Yada and she puts him over as being undefeated when the promo ends. Yes - you're 1-0 Ortiz. Good for you. Adamle throws us to a video package putting over Matt and Jeff Hardy, which seems to have been lifted directly from their two disc DVD set (you can read my review of it here).

The clip ends with Matt Hardy saying it's time for him to show the world what he can do on his own. Tommy Dreamer and Colin Delaney run into Tony Atlas backstage, and Dreamer is overcome with joy. Dreamer explains to Delaney he learned everything about this business from Tony, puts him over like a million, and says he's so happy to hear he'll be the special ring announcer tonight. After more gladhandling and good wishes by Atlas towards Delaney we go to commercial break.

* Evan Bourne v. Nunzio

Bourne starts the match off with a promo that says he defies the odds because he defies gravity. Well he certainly did as Matt Sydal so I can't argue with that. Nunzio works him over early until Bourne hits a jumping thrust kick and makes a cover for two. Nunzio posts him in the corner and puts shoulders to the gut, Bourne hits punches to create distance, but Nunzio hits a backbreaker and covers for 2.5. Tazz says this isn't Nunzio's first salami and provolone sandwich, which is a weird metaphor for a wrestling match, but we'll go with it. Nunzio tries to stretch Bourne but he uses his legs to hit knees to the skull and get out, then he unloads on Nunzio with a jumping high knee, a head scissor, and a spinning head kick for a near fall. A "let's go BOU-OURNE" chant breaks out. Bourne goes up to the top rope, hits the shooting star press, and covers Nunzio for three! WINNER: EVAN BOURNE.

Adamle is full of bad jokes as the match ends, saying that if this were the Olympics that would be a perfect 10, and that after losing to Mike Knox a few weeks ago Evan is now RE-Bourne. Sweet merciful Cthulhu that's horrible. Afterwards we get another backstage segment with Henry insulting Atlas, saying all old timers are just looking for a payday, but if he wants another one he can carry Henry's bags after the show. Atlas looks at him and carefully says "I'll think about that" and we go to commercial with a promo for Ric Flair's new DVD set.

We're back from commercial break after a plug for Edge v. Punk at the Bash, with Tony Chimel introducing Tony Atlas as the special ring announcer for the evening. Atlas is smiling on his way down to the ring, shaking hands, waving to the people, and he steps through the ropes to shake Chimel's hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you from Sealsville, Texas at 400 pounds, the strongest man in the world - The World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry!"

Henry glowers and shakes off any attempts by the fans to shake hands with him on his way down to the ring. He hits the ring and poses with the world title, walking right in front of Atlas to do so. "And his opponent, the heart and soul of ECW, at two hundred and sixty pounds, Tommy Dreamer!" Dreamer is of course flanked by Delaney on his way to the ring. Tazz puts over Charlotte, North Carolina being the home of ECW (and thus Smackdown) next week before the match gets underway.

* Mark Henry {C} v. Tommy Dreamer (non-title match)

Both men get into a shoving war to start. Dreamer ducks a clothesline when Henry shoots him off the ropes only to smash into "the brick wall" that is Henry, who simply stands there with his arms upraised. Henry prepares to finish off Dreamer but Delaney decides to grab a leg and distract him. Atlas comes over and gets between Delaney and Henry to stop the attack... then throws Delaney into the announce table himself! Dreamer comes out and says WHAT THE HECK and Henry puts him down with ease.

Scott Armstrong calls for the bell as the crowd boos. Henry: "Where's my title! Gimme my title." Atlas steps into the ring with a mic. "Ladies and gentlemen! Your winner, Mark Henry, the World's Strongest Man!" I could be wrong but it looks like Atlas is Tommy Dreamer's new manager. We get a replay of Atlas posting Delaney into the announce table and Dreamer taking a press slam. Both men are on the ground rolling around in a heap as Atlas raises Henry's hand, which is how the show goes off the air.

[superboy]

it's time for another week of ECW on Sci-Fi, live from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. Adamle says tonight a colossal confrontation will feature Finlay, Matt Hardy, Morrison and Miz with the winner getting a title shot at SummerSlam.

In the ring is Theodore Long. HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA! "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to E.. C.. W! In honor of his first successful title defense this Sunday at the Great American Bash, I am here to present this brand new title to the reigning ECW Champion - Mark Henry!" Well, it's big, and it's silver. Henry is smiling from ear to ear as he comes down to the ring, and his manager Tony Atlas seems pleased as punch too. Long congratulates him, Henry picks up the title belt and kisses it, then holds it high overhead to show it off. Atlas: "We are, so happy, to receive this beautiful title in the home where ECW began. This is where the original ECW..." - uhh, where it WHAT Tony? "Where it's going to begin again." That took long enough to spit out. Atlas puts over the new belt as having beauty, prestige, and class, all by virtue of being held by The World's Strongest Man. "For all of you all who try to hold onto yesteryear, you are going to get squashed and swept under the rug, like Tommy Dreamer. For all of you all who realize this is a new day, you'll be rewarded like Mark Henry and like this man - Colin Delaney."

A smug Delaney makes his way to the ring. "For the past two days, everybody's been asking me - Colin, why'd you do it? How could you turn your back on a friend and mentor? I tell 'em, yeah Tommy was my friend and mentor, but what did I get out of it? I got my butt kicked, night in and night out. I finally achieved my dream of being a WWE superstar only to become a laughingstock, and I was sick of it. Sunday at the Bash, I looked in the ring and saw a legend and hall of famer in the corner of the World's Strongest Man, and then I saw Dreamer - a washed up loser. I got with the program. Dreamer is the past, Henry and Atlas are where it's at, and each and every one of you would have done the same thing I did. I'm on board. If you need someone to carry your bags, I would be honored." Long says HOLD ON PLAYA there's BID'NESS to take care of first. "Dreamer IS the future, because you've got to have a match with him tonight! This is PHILLY. This is ECW. This is EXTREME. Get me a ref out here cause that match is gonna start RIGHT NOW."

* Tommy Dreamer v. Colin Delaney

Atlas and Henry pat Delaney on the back, wish him luck, and step out of the ring. The referee signals both men to wait (probably because nobody's removed that red podium the new title was sitting on yet) and we go to commercial. The bell doesn't ring until we come back, and when it does Delaney immediately tries to step through the ropes to save himself. Dreamer yanks him back in and down onto the back of his head HARD. For the first minute or so Dreamer whips him pillar to post until Delaney gets his offense via a series of kicks. A cover only gets one though and Dreamer is back in control, clotheslining him out of his shoes and socks. Dreamer hangs him upside down in the corner, signals the E-C-W running dropkick, and connects. Dreamer lets out a visceral ARRRRRGH as Delaney slumps to the canvas. Delaney is inverted inside out with a flapjack style suplex, and begs off saying he wants no more of Dreamer. Tommy pulls him up, at first acting like he might show mercy, then DDT'ing him for the EASY three count. WINNER: TOMMY DREAMER.

So much for turning heel - that just makes him a jobber for all the babyfaces now. Nothing changes in Delaney's world. Backstage Morrison & Miz discuss who will win the four-way tonight, and Morrison says he thinks the gravity defying "Michael the Miz" will do it. Miz says there's no doubt Morrison will succeed though, as he's a two time former champion, and a man who sports a five thousand dollar fur coat. Morrison smiles and says it's farm raised jackal because "I care about the environment." THIS CONVERSATION IS PRICELESS. Morrison tells Miz he hopes that the "Buddha of Luck" will sit in his corner tonight, and Miz wishes him nothing but success in tonight's endeavors as well. THESE MEN SHOULD NOT HAVE LOST THE TAG BELTS. Their impending break-up as a force to be reckoned not just as a team but as friends is a sad sad day, a tale of woe to be told in tonight's main event. Commercial.

We're back with Jenny McCarthy, who says she hopes you'll join her in the ring for Saturday Night's Main Event on August 2nd when she FIGHTS AUTISM. For more information you can go to WWE.com. Chavo comes out to join the announce table, flanked by his bodyguard Bam Neely, as Evan 'Air' Bourne makes his way to the ring.

* Evan Bourne v. James Curtis

Holy ****, it's the original 8 minute jobber of WWECW! The guy who dragged out the longest matches of the earliest weeks of this show. He now looks like a low rent Chris Jericho with a beard. No one ever got to blow this guy out in a minute or less, for some reason he was given parity booking with every guy on the roster. Adamle claims that Curtis is looking for his first win in ECW, and that's probably true - despite going toe to toe with many foes I don't think he's ever gotten a three count. Bourne gives him a big dropkick and a head scissor for a two count, then goes to work on the midsection with kicks. Guerrero says his family are high flyers in their own right so Bourne doesn't really impress him that much. Curtis posts Bourne in the corner but he ducks the oncoming clothesline and hits more kicks. Curtis responds by knocking him away and drilling him in the face, as Tazz notes the size differential between the two men. Side slam on Bourne for two. Chavo: "The main thing you have to do with a high flyer like Bourne is ground him." Brilliant observation Chavito, well done. Bourne finally counters his way out of a throw and hits a high round kick shortly before covering for two. Bourne dropkicks Curtis in the head when he's on his knees, goes to the top rope, and hits that picture perfect shooting star press for three. WINNER: EVAN 'AIR' BOURNE.

Bam Neely and Chavo immediately hit the ring, but Bourne ducks Neely's clothesline and Chavito's attempt to grab him and runs up the ramp. He smiles, points at both men, and we get a replay of Bourne using his kicks and flips to pick up the win. Unfortunately Adamle has to ruin a good moment with the wisecrack "Bourne to be wild does it again!" Ugh. Finlay is backstage with his son Hornswoggle discussing luck, before he says "Aww heck who needs luck when you have a shilelagh!" Hornswoggle laughs and holds up a couple of inflatable ones of his own, and we go to commercial.

Our "DID YOU KNOW" fact this week is that WWE outsells the NFL, MLB and every other pro sport in the Sports Recreational category, a fact evidenced by the Billboard Charts we publish on this site every Friday. Next up is the WWE Raw Rebound headlined by Batista's feuds with both Punk and Kane, and a main event where all hell broke loose during Batista's match WITH Punk, as both JBL and Cena ended up hitting the ring. Read Kev's recap highlighted above for all of the details!

Ricky 'Atlas Dabone' Ortiz is backstage with Generic Blonde #23. Teddy Long meets up with him backstage, and he says he had an afro like that back in the 1970's. Ortiz: "I've been working on catchphrases, t-shirt ideas, and I've even got a nickname idea - Ricky Ortiz, The Latin Assassin." Long: "Listen player, before we start making an action figure with a kung-fu grip, you've only been here three weeks and only had one match." Ortiz: "Yeah but I'm undefeated!" Okay, Ortiz' gimmick is starting to grow on me. Long grins and says okay, let's put that undefeated streak to the test with a match next week. Ortiz says thanks and walks off with a smile, and Tiffany (I guess that's Generic Blonde #23's name) asks Long if he really had an afro like that in the 1970's. For unknown reasons we go to a Mike Knox video package. Next up Matt Hardy has a backstage promo. "I'll be honest, I've been down the last couple of days, ever since I lost the US Title. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason though, and when one door closes another one opens. Now that the door's open a crack I'm coming through it, and I'm going to SummerSlam!" The crowd erupts and we go to commercial.

We're back with Mike Adamle thanking all of WWE's loyal fans for watching The Great American Bash, and Tazz thanks American Bang for the "Move to the Music" theme song. Tony Chimel is in the ring to announce our main event!

* The Miz v. Finlay v. John Morrison v. Matt Hardy (Fatal 4-Way #1 Contender's Match)

And yes, that listing is also the order of entrance for all four men, although Finlay was also accompanied by Hornswoggle on his way to the ring. The camera still stops for John Morrison's slow-mo' hair blow, although I had gotten used to Miz coming out with him instead of by himself. Miz seems to eye his former co-holder of the tag titles cautiously at first, then points at Finlay and offers him a warning, pointing back as if to say "if I don't do it, THIS MAN WILL." Of course VEE-ONE-AH cares not about any of that as he makes his way out to the ring, posing for the crowd in Wachovia before we get the SummerSlam logo and a note from Tazz that this year's show is presented by "Street Kings" on DVD. The bell rings and all four men size each other up, with Morrison and Miz standing side by side. Miz attempts a roll-up on Morrison right off the bat! YOU HAD TO SEE THAT COMING. Finlay goes to work on Miz before Matt Hardy throws him out, then Finlay throws out Morrison, then Hardy and Finlay size each other up cautiously. A collar and elbow tie-up ensues which Finlay wins. Hardy talks a little smack to him when the ref calls for the break and shoves him in the chest. Finlay responds with a hard clothesline. Finlay attempts to pull him off the ropes, Hardy lands on the apron, but has his feet yanked out from under him as Morrison and Miz come back in. Miz works on Finlay, Morrison on Hardy. Finlay gives Miz a hard clothesline and an uppercut, as Hardy blasts Morrison with a right before hitting a scoop slam. Hardy goes to the ropes, drops the elbow, and gets a near fall before Morrison gets a boot on the ropes. Finlay whips Miz chest first into a turnbuckle as Morrison gets back to his feet punching Hardy in the face. Finlay attempts a roll-up and gets two. Hardy attempts a backslide and gets two! We go to a commercial break.

We come back with Morrison giving Finlay a neckbreaker, but the cover turns into a series of reversals for near falls. Miz tries to slingshot Hardy's neck into the ropes from underneath the bottom but Finlay cuts him off. Hardy posts Morrison into the corner turnbuckle and dives into him with a clothesline for a near fall before Miz breaks it up. Miz and Morrison both break up a near fall between Hardy and Finlay. Miz works over Matt in the corner as a HAR-DY chant breaks out, while Finlay tries to get an armbar before Morrison gets to the ropes and the ref calls for the break. Hardy hits a back slam and hooks a leg for two. Double clothesline leaves both Miz and Hardy down for each man to be vulnerable for near falls. Morrison avoids Finlay trying to pull the apron on a slide to the outside, then gets into it with Hornswoggle, then Finlay knocks him over the barricade and it turns into a brawl which results in a drink in the crowd splashing all over a camera. Miz comes out of the ring too and posts Finlay into the barricade when he attempts to come back in. Miz slingshots Finlay into Morrison's waiting uppercut, then he jumps off the barricade dropping an elbow on Finlay. Morrison and Miz celebrate taking out Finlay and both point at Hardy in the ring. They return to attack Hardy and at first he can handle both but "the numbers game" catches up with him. Miz mocks the crowd's chant of "HAR-DY, HAR-DY" ang gets a rousing boo. Double gutbuster by both men on Matt. Things seem well in hand until Morrison and Miz get in an argument over who gets to pin Matt. Hardy uses the fight to roll-up Morrison for a near fall. Miz clotheslines Hardy, but both men miss when Matt gets posted into the corner. Fortunately for Matt, the mistake-prone Morrison misses Hardy when he ducks and clonks Miz with a high kick. Finlay hits the ring and spears Morrison, clotheslines both Morrison and Miz, puts a big boot into Morrison's face and levels him with a missile dropkick. Miz makes the save, Hardy posts him into the corner, Finlay gets a legdrop on Hardy for a near fall, does a sitout splash on Morrison, picks up Miz for the celtic cross but Miz snaps Finlay's neck off the ropes with a leap outside. Hardy throws a man out and tries to cover Finlay but it's broke up again. Miz hits his splash into the corner, Finlay cloinks him with a shilelagh, Morrison jumps off the ropes but Hardy catches him with a boot to the gut in mid-air and hits the twist of fate for three! WINNER AND NEW #1 CONTENDER: MATT HARDY.

The replay shows that Morrison actually set things up for Matt by taking out Finlay with a head kick, and Miz was still down when Morrison leaped in. Henry and Atlas stare at Hardy from the top of the ramp, with Henry holding his title high overhead and making disparaging remarks at Hardy in the ring. That's how ECW ends this week!

[superboy]

We open with "THE ENTIRE WORLD IS WATCHING" and a recap of last week's fatal four-way. Let me save some time and get to the point - Matt Hardy won the four-way and earned a title shot against ECW World Champion Mark Henry at SummerSlam. Cue the opening video and pyro, and DON'T QUESTION THE FIRE THAT BURNS INSIDE. ECW is in Hershey, Pennsylvania tonight. Tazz is at the commentary position by himself since Mike Adamle is now the GM of Raw... or is he? He introduces his new broadcast partner - TODD GRISHAM! Todd asks whether he'll be calling him Tazz or "The Tazz," as I guess they couldn't resist getting in one last swipe at Adamle.

They don't have long to get familiar though because Matt Hardy's music hits and he's on his way out to the ring. Tazz says the four-way was a thrill to call live, while Grisham said it was a thrill to watch at home on his couch. Hardy soaks up the applause and pop. "Over a month ago when I was drafted to ECW, man I was psyched. I've always been a fan of ECW, and I've been in some of the most extreme matches in WWE history it seemed like a natural fit - Matt Hardy and ECW. I knew I would have a lot of great opportunities and I have the biggest of my career at SummerSlam when I challenge Mark Henry for the ECW Championship. You know for years..."

We have some music from Memphis' own Mafia interrupting, Henry is wearing the belt around his waist, and regrettably it's Atlas who has the mic. "You know Matt, take it easy. Everythang cool. Calm down. Mark Henry, he was drafted to ECW, just like you. Saince Mark Henry been drafted to the roster, he have beaten Kane, and the Big Show, for the ECW Championship." They're booing, but it could just as easily be a boo for Atlas' poor mic skills. "Saince you, been drafted to the ECW, what have you done - well, you lost the United States, Championship, saince you been with the ECW. But we didn't come out here for dat. We came out here to give the audience a little demonstration. Saince you here, we decided to do the demonstration with you." Hardy backs up as they grab an iron bar. "Imagine this bar is you Matt - 40 inches of hot rolled steel. That means it's a lot tougher than you."

Hardy: "Is that right!" Henry bends the bar like Laffy Taffy as noted by Todd Grisham. Atlas says at SummerSlam they won't just bend Matt Hardy, they'll break him. Henry hands Hardy the bent bar. They move towards him menacingly and he cocks it. Hardy: "At SummerSlam, we're not having a bar bending contest, we're having a wrestling match. Listen to me! Mark, Tony listen. Inanimate objects like a steel bar or a frying pan, they don't fight back. I FIGHT BACK. Mark I'm sure you can break every bone in my body, but you will never break my spirit. And at SummerSlam, I will become the next ECW Champion." Big pop from the crowd! Hardy's music plays as Atlas holds Henry back. Ricky 'Atlas Dabone' Ortiz is walking backstage and the UNDEFEATED wrestler is putting his 1-0 streak on the line NEXT! Promo for Saturday Night's Main Event, this Saturday at 9 PM EST before our first match begins.

* Chavo Guerrero (with Bam Neely) v. Ricky Ortiz

I believe Tony Chimel said that our UNDEFEATED ECW star hails from Paradise, Arizona. He's doing a little strut on his way down to the ring, points a finger in Chavo's direction, and Grisham discusses Ortiz' brimming confidence with Tazz. THE TAZZ points out that he has as much hair as he does confidence, and muscles to boot! He poses on the ropes for a second as Grisham notes you should never turn your back on Bam OR Chavo. The bell rings and both men circle. Chavo takes the arm out of the tie-up so Ortiz scoops him up for a slam. Chavo rolls under the ropes to get away. He and Bam have a brief discussion in the corner, Chavo gets the go behind and transitions to a side headlock, Ortiz shoots him off and catches him on a flying crossbody before Ortiz lifts him overhead and drops him straight down to the mat. Flying shoulder tackle off the second rope and Ortiz hooks the leg for a one count. Now Ortiz has the head cinched up but Chavo counters and drops his ribs across the top rope, then uses the ring ropes for an illegal choke until the ref calls for a break.

Chavo's firmly in control now, and it sounds like the children in the crowd are chanting "RI-CKY, RI-CKY, RI-CKY" but it's just barely audible. Chavo grounds Ortiz and continues to work him over, trying to cinch up a guillotine choke, but Ortiz powers out of it and slams him into the corner turnbuckle before unloading with some haymaker punches. Dropkick by Ortiz! He's psyched up and charges in but Chavo hits a drop toehold right into the turnbuckle. Chavo tries to roll up Ortiz and Bam Neely leans in from the outside to put his weight on Chavo's legs for extra leverage, the ref catches them in the act and calls for the bell. WINNER BY DISQUALIFICATION BUT STILL UNDEFEATED: RICKY ORTIZ. Bam lays him out and Chavo gives him a frogsplash from the top rope for good measure. As Chavo is giving Ortiz the badmouth who but EVAN 'AIR' BOURNE should make the save! Chavo and Bam get cleared out, they try to make a comeback on Bourne, but he's already out of the ring and on his way up the ramp.

Delaney is backstage to great Mark Henry and Tony Atlas. "Last week, I had my match with Tommy Dreamer. You just kinda left me. I thought we were all on the same page." Atlas: "We were just trying to do the opportunity to prove yourself. You're gonna have to do something impressive to roll with the world champion." Henry: "You did disappoint us by losing to Tommy Dreamer." Delaney: "Please guys, give me another opportunity!" Atlas says they should "soften up" Matt Hardy to get things correct for the ECW title match at SummerSlam, but this time Atlas promises that they'll be in his corner to help. Henry: "Go get him!" Finlay & Hornswoggle vs. Morrison & Miz is up next!

Our WWE fact coming back from break is that ECW was the most watched program on Sci-Fi last week. I'm not sure if I'd brag about that. The Miz comes out wearing his chick magnet t-shirt, as the logo at the bottom of the screen tells us a new episode of the dirt shirt will debut this week on WWE.com. Morrison comes out for his slow-mo' hair blow and Grisham says that they gave him a list of nicknames for each man, although he botches Morrison's and calms him "THE SALMON OF SEXY." I guess Grisham has to take over Adamle's gimmick of being a clueless putz. Finlay & Hornswoggle's jig plays so it's time for our next match!

* John Morrison & The Miz v. Finlay & Hornswoggle

Miz and Finlay start the match and Finlay immediately overpowers him and throws him into the corner. Finlay drops Miz down to his knees and pulls up on his nose as hard as he can. Finlay drops an elbow on him, stomps on his hand, puts him in a side headlock and knocks him down with a shoulder block for a near fall. Rear chinlock applied to Miz, who seemingly has nowhere to go, although he manages to get enough breathing room with elbows to tag out to Morrison. Morrison puts the choke on Finlay to the loud boos of the crowd. Finlay gets thrown into the heel corner, gets into a shoving match with Miz, Miz gets shoved down off the ramp and Hornswoggle gets in the ring for some double team action during all the distraction. Finlay and Horny clear the ring and we go to commercial.

Finlay has Morrison in a headlock as we comeback from break, knocks him down with a shoulder and covers him for two. Scoop slam and elbow drop by Finlay before he pullts him back up by the hair to put him in a vice-like choke. Morrison hits a judo throw armdrag to get Finlay off but can't take advantage since Finlay puts him into a single leg Boston crab. Morrison gets a rope break so Finlay stomps on his groin. Morrison spears Finlay into the corner and works over the midsection with punches. Morrison goes for a neckbreaker but Finlay turns it into a backslide bridge for a two count.

Finlay is literally having his way with Morrison. Morrison complains that Finlay's fingernails are digging into his shoulders to try and make the ref break the pressure. The Shaman of Sexy's comeback attempt results in him being levelled and nearly pinned until Miz pulls him off the cover. Finlay comes out to the apron to jaw with Miz and Morrison gives him a big shove into the turnbuckle, posting his left shoulder. Morrison is taking advantage of the injury at every turn now, and he tags in Miz so he can do even more damage to the left arm and shoulder. Miz cranks up the arm, Finlay gets the ropes for a break, Morrison tags in but misses with the swinging boots to the jaw when Finlay rolls out of the way. Finlay whips Morrison from one corner to the other, hits an atomic drop, gives him a celtic cross and makes the cover for two. Morrison whips Finlay to the corner, Finlay gives him a boot to the face, Hornswoggle tags himself in and tries and tries to go for a headscissor but gets flapjacked on his face with AUTHORITY and immediately covered for three. WINNERS: MORRISON & MIZ.

The replay shows Hornswoggle looking the vice around Morrison's head, getting thrown down with ease, and pinned. Finlay looks on with concern as our heels gloat all the way up the ramp, then to add insult to injury Mike Knox hits the ring to pick the bones, having his way with both Finlay and Hornswoggle. He leaves gloating as Grisham reminds us that Matt Hardy v. Colin Delaney is still coming up before show's end!

We get a replay of Knox giving two big boots to Finlay when we come back from commercial. Lena Yada goes to interview him backstage. "He's gone from a man who loves to fight to a man who dances with leprechauns. He's gone soft. Around here, soft makes you a target. I just took my shot." You know, that might be the first time Mike Knox has cut a promo I actually gave a **** about or that I didn't think sucked. Grisham throws to a video package for Jenny McCarthy promoting her fight against autism on Saturday Night's Main Event.

Here's a bizarre backstage convo - Matt Hardy and Braden Walker. Braden: "Hey Matt, I just wanted to wish you luck in your BIG MATCH." Hardy: "Thanks!" Braden: "That Colin Delaney, I heard he's a killer." Hardy: "Yeah, he's a real WILDCAT." Braden: "What is he, six six, three thirty-five pounds?" Hardy: "He's something like that." Braden: "Don't worry, I got your back tonight - BROTHER!" Hardy: "By the way, what's your name again?" The former Wildcat Chris Harris: "Braden. Braden Walker." It would have been perfect if he had said, "Braden Walker, Texas Ranger." Commercial.

The "Slam of the Week" is brought to us by Soul Calibur IV. We see Mark Henry giving Dreamer a bear hug slam, thanks to interference by Colin Delaney. In turn we see Dreamer kicking Delaney's ass on ECW, giving him a DDT to the mat, and pinning him for three with ease. Matt Hardy's music hits for the third time tonight and he makes his way out to the ring for our main event!

* Matt Hardy v. Colin Delaney

Delaney is billed at 178 pounds, but I can't even imagine him that big soaking wet. Nonetheless he's flanked by Atlas on his right and Henry on his left... for a second at least. Instead of coming down to the ring with him they decide to wait at the top of the ramp, which perplexes Tazz, but Grisham notes that Delaney isn't concerned. The bell rings and Hardy knocks him down with a shoulder tackle. Delaney shoots in for a single leg and Hardy kicks him in the ribs hard. Tazz laughs off the attempt as poor as the crowd chants for Hardy. He levels Delaney with a clothesline, takes him over with a suplex, and makes the cover for two. Whip from corner to corner and Tazz says he hopes the match lasts for a while because it's fun to watch. Grisham argues it's never fun to see a man get decimated. Delaney tries to make a comeback by jacking Hardy's jaw with a missile dropkick and Henry applauds the effort. The cover however is only a one count. Delaney tries to go for a side headlock and gets picked up and dropped on his back with ease. Hardy jacks him with a right hang to the jaw, jumps to the second rope, yells and comes off the top with the belbow to the neck. Side Effect connects! Tazz says that should end it, but Hardy wants to hit the Twist of Fate too and does... with absolute ease.. and covers for three. WINNER: MATT HARDY.

Henry and Atlas waste no time coming down the ramp to hit the ring, and Hardy backs off and puts his dukes up . Henry picks up Delaney and press slams him over the ropes to get him out of the way. So much for Colin Delaney, as a heel or as a face. He's done! Henry jacks jaw with Hardy as we get a replay of Delaney being DECIMATED as Tazz likes to say. Henry and Atlas back down from Hardy, sneer at Delaney as they walk by, and head up the ramp as the logo appears in the corner to signal the end of this week's ECW

[superboy]

Todd Grisham says we have less than two weeks to go before SummerSlam, but tonight we're in Atlanta, GA. He says there have been a lot of changes in WWE lately, and there's another change tonight. Filling in for Tazz is YOUR TEACHER Matt Striker. Striker says he won't take up as much of the screen as Tazz did, but he'll fill that space with his knowledge because he is "a wrestling nerd." Steal Big D's gimmick will ya! Chavo Guerrero's music hits and he comes out to the ring with Bam Neely at his side, as we get a video package of last week's Ricky Ortiz match where Ortiz won by DQ and Evan Bourne made the save afterwards.

* Chavo Guerrero & Bam Neely v. Evan 'Air' Bourne and Ricky Ortiz

Grisham debates with Striker whether or not Bourne has "big ups" and also mentions that Ortiz is undefeated in two matches, even though one win was by DQ. Ortiz starts the match off with Bam and quickly clears house. Bam goes outside to get advice from Chavo, then comes back in to take an arm. Ortiz fights out of it and hits shoulders to the body while wringing it. Evan tags in and jumps off the top rope straight onto the arm. Striker notes that even though he lost to Bourne, he's in the wrong part of town in the heel corner. He makes up for that by escaping and putting Chavo into a fujiwara armbar, then flipping him over for a two count. Striker puts Bourne over as a fan favorite as Ortiz tags back in. Striker gives us a "fun fact" and says Ortiz is the only WWE wrestler to have ever played in the XFL. Unfortunately that football acumen doesn't save him from getting blasted in the face by Bam, or whipped from one corner to the other for a big splash and near fall. Bourne is dancing around on the apron hoping to get a tag but the heels cut off the ring and Chavo comes back in. Chavo gets the heat with a chinlock and Ortiz' facial expressions selling it are priceless. Clearly they're working since the crowd starts to cheer for him to make a comeback, which he does with a fallaway slam. Bourne gets the hot tag a couple of seconds after Bam, but the advantage doesn't stop him from getting knees to the face off the top rope. Chavo makes the save, Ortiz clears him outside. Bourne ducks a clothesline, trips the legs of Bam, then puts his body weight onto Bam's legs and bridges a pin for three! WINNERS: RICKY ORTIZ AND EVAN 'AIR' BOURNE. Ortiz is still undefeated and Bourne is flying high! "The Dirt Sheet" is making it's broadcast debut on ECW later tonight but first, these commercial messages.

Our "Slam of the Week" is sponsored by Soul Calibur IV, and it's Hornswoggle getting a beatdown from Morrison & Miz, only for Knox to give one to Finlay as well. Mike Knox is already in the ring when we come back to live TV.

Knox: "I'm not out here to explain to any of you anything I did last week. Why I am out here, is to show you, why I chose to expose the fraud they call Finlay. Go ahead and roll it." We see a video of Finlay and Hornswoggle dancing together in a grassy park, and it says "romance" on the screen. It's one of the SummerSlam promos. "It's okay to laugh. It's a joke! Finlay used to be one of the toughest guys in the business, but those days are long gone, because now he dances with a leprechaun. The man who loves to fight huh! Hahahaha, that makes ME laugh. For him to say he's tough..."

Finlay's music interrupts and he comes down to the ring in a sportcoat, with Hornswoggle on his right side in the usual green colors. Finlay: "Dancing with Hornswoggle it's funny, I've got to admit that. All those things you've heard about me loving to fight, that's just the tip of the iceberg FRED." Knox: "Hey, my name is Mike!" Finlay: "I don't care if it's Bill, George, Rufus or Barney! Let me tell ya somethin'. I like to have fun, and I love my family. And if you have a problem with me and my son, then look me in the eyes, and take your shot. Or, maybe I should turn my back, so you can jump me again." Finlay throws down his suit coat. "Go ahead, take your shot! But you better knock me out, because if you don't, you'll find out whether I've gone soft... or not." Knox breathes hard, looks Finlay right in the eye... and slowly backs away out of the ring to a chorus of boos. "YOU SUCK" chants follow him all the way up the ramp as we go to a Raw Rebound focused on Cena and Batista winning the tag titles. Commercial!

Ahh, I can't help it. Every time that AutoTrader commercial comes on during ECW, I still hear cutrer's "KhaliZilla" instead.

* Armando Estrada v. Tommy Dreamer (Estrada Fired If He Loses)

Teddy Long has ruled that this is Estrada's last chance. If he wins he has a job, and if he loses as Striker puts it "tomorrow he's in front of the hardware store waiting for the job truck." He also says it's fitting that Estrada has to beat the flag bearer of the ECW brand. Grisham notes he used to be the GM and Striker says so goes the ebb and flow of sports entertainment. Tommy hits a hip toss and grabs an arm, but Estrada throws him to the corner and hits shoulders to the gut. Another hiptoss by Dreamer before he clotheslines Estrada to the floor. Estrada snaps Dreamer's neck off the ropes when he comes back in but Dreamer responds with a neckbreaker and a REBEL YELL. Estrada is put into the tree of woe so Dreamer can step back and hit his running E-C-DUBYA dropkick... but instead Dreamer goes out of the ring to cut off Delaney, who had come out with a steel chair. Delaney knocks it aside and throws him over the announce table, then punches Estrada in the jaw on the way in. Estrada is hooked for a DDT, Delaney is on the apron, Dreamer turns around and runs him into the ringpost but Estrada uses the distraction to trip up Dreamer and grab on for dear life for the pin! WINNER AND KEEPING HIS JOB AS A RESULT: ARMANDO ESTRRRRRRRRRRADA. Promo for The Dirt Sheet as we go to break.

Tonight's WWE Fact: "WWE offers all US military personnel free tickets to any WWE event." After that we get a reply of Colin Delaney interfering and helping Armando Estrada get the three count as a result. Estrada asks Delaney why he'd help him out. Delaney: "Hey, at least you gave me a chance to get my contract. That's more than that so called friend Dreamer ever did." Long said Delaney will give him something next week all right - the beating of a lifetime. Next week Delaney has to face Dreamer in an EXTREME RULES MATCH. Estrada wants no part of this and backs away from Delaney, as we go to a video package for the Smackdown Rebound featuring Edge giving Mick Foley a beating after Foley told him he needed to bring "the old Edge back" during the Cutting Edge. Foley made the mistake of asking Edge "Do you understand?" That was when Edge said "I understand" and clocked him, and he said "I understand" again after he jumped off a ladder with chair in hand and drove Foley through a table with it. It was a hell of an angle, it's a hell of a video package, and it really put over Hell in a Cell at SummerSlam as a big deal. WIN-WIN-WIN. Grisham and Striker run down the SummerSlam card when we come back from the Rebound. Braden Walker (Texas Ranger) is in action NEXT after these commercial messages.

When we come back we get the same WWE 24/7 promo we got during Raw last night. Yawn. It was fun when I had cable, but now that I have DirecTV and can watch every show WWE airs in HD I don't miss it that much.

* Braden Walker v. James Curtis

Striker says that Curtis was trained by Savio Vega. Striker's just full of fun facts tonight! Actually all things considered he's not that bad on commentary. Curtis takes Walker's arm to start the match, but it's not long before the Wildcat Ranger powers out and reverses it. Curtis blasts him with a forearm to the face so Walker responds with a hiptoss and a delayed vertical suplex. Hmmm, that looks familiar. Total Nonstop Walker anyone? Walker drops Curtis to the ground and pulls back hard on his left shoulder. Curtis pokes the Wildc... err Walker in the eye to get free. That advantage doesn't last long as Walker starts to run over him with clotheslines. Curtis misses a splash in the corner and Walker responds with a flying clothesline. Curtis tries to get the heat with right hands to the face, but when he whips Walker to the corner he hits a clothesline and bridges a suplex for an easy three count. WINNER: BRADEN WALKER, TEXAS RANGER. The Dirt Sheet is coming up next!

"In a world full of winners and losers, two men have risen above to bring you, The Dirt Sheet!" Morrison and Miz are in the ring in director's chairs. Morrison: "Hi, I'm John Morrison, and People Magazine offered me $15 million for pictures of myself as a baby. I passed. John Morrison is not for sale." Miz: "And I'm your chick magnet, THE MIZ! The #1 show on WWE.com is set to become the #1 show on ECW. Welcoime, to The Dirt Sheet!" Morrison: "For the monumental broadcast premier of this show we needed some monumental guests. Therefore we give you The World's Strongest Man... Mark Henry!" Henry is up on the video screen with a cutout for a pair of lips, like the old Jay Leno gimmick. They ask Henry if he's happy with doing the interview without his translator Tony Atlas, and Henry growls. They ask Atlas if he's okay with Henry speaking for himself, and an Atlas with the cutout lips starts to recite the words to Rappers Delight. They go back to Henry for more comments on whether or not he has the world's strongest appetite. "Eating makes me strong." Morrison: "Eating makes you fat! I can't imagine any of the divas would find you very attractive. Just to be sure though we're gonna ask Lena Yada." Yada with the cutout lips. "Ewww gross. Miz and Morrison, sexy!" Someone in the crowd shouts out "THAT'S A MAN BABY!" Almost more entertaining. Morrison shows off his abs and says if Henry had a six-pack like this he wouldn't need an extender to get the title belt around his waist.

THAT DID IT. Mark Henry's music courtesy the Triple Six Magia plays and both he and Atlas hit the ring. Atlas: "I assume, there must be some type of misunderstanding. I know when we agreed to come on your show, it was not to disrespect and make fun of the World's Strongest Champion!" Morrison: "I don't know if you've been hitting the gym, doing pilates, but from here your abs look amazing!" Miz: "If we were going to disrespect anyone it would be our next guest and #1 contender, Matt Hardy!" Morrison: "Now Jeff, my first question..." Miz interrupts and tells him it's Matt. "Oh! I thought we had the other brother! How did that happen?" Cutout Matt Hardy. "Duhhh, I've never been #1 at anything." Henry: "Get used to it, because at SummerSlam I will remain the ECW Champion!"

THE REAL MATT HARDY ARRIVES. Matt comes down to the ring and applauds Miz and Morrison. "It's good to see you guys are huge Conan O'Brien fans. I'm glad you came up with original content, it must have taken you a million years to come up with that. I just wanted to come down and have some fun too. Nice scarf cowboy!" Miz: "I paid big money for that." Hardy: "I loved both of you in Brokeback Mountain." Miz: "That's not funny at all!" Hardy: "You wanted to know how I became #1 contender. I became it by beating both of you. Just like you say on your show, some of us are WINNERS, and some of us are LOSERS. Be jealous! And Henry you're right after SummerSlam I won't be the #1 contender any more, I'll be champion!" Miz says you don't come on their show and disrespect them, there are consequences. Hardy: "Oh yeah?" Miz tries to take a swing at him but Matt beats him to the punch. Morrison tries to take a swing at him and clocks Henry instead! Henry takes exception, so both he and Matt clear the ring, and then stare each other down as the show goes off the air. That's ECW for this week!

[superboy]

Norfolk, Virginia tonight with only five days left to go until SummerSlam. Tonight's commentary team is Todd Grisham and Matt Striker, but first we have a shopping cart full of mayhem being lead down to the ring by the Innovator of Violence.

* Tommy Dreamer v. Colin Delaney (Extreme Rules Match)

Delaney comes out like he's "walking the plank" in Striker's words, and you know I would have been a lot more convinced of Delaney's heel turn if he would have come down to the ring with a pissed off look on his face. Delaney refuses to get into the ring so the ref just rings the bell while he's standing outside and we get underway. Delaney turns tail and runs but trips up on the ramp and Dreamer quickly catches him and whips him into the shopping cart. Delaney briefly regains advantage and tries to jump off the steel step with a trash lid but Dreamer nails him with a kendo stick. Dreamer uses said same stick for some sort of suplex with it tucked into his body so Delaney comes down on it face first. Striker says Dreamer is playing Duke 'The Dumpster' Droese when he sets up a trash can in the corner and does the running boot to the face. Delaney finally gets back on offense for a few seconds, but Dreamer rolls out of the way when he tries to come off the top with a stop sign, then DDT's him into said same to get a definitive three count. WINNER: TOMMY DREAMER.

Lena Yada is backstage with Miz and Morrison. Morrison: "Wait for the people sweetheart." Yada congratulates them on debuting The Dirt Sheet on TV last week. Morrison says it's almost as hot as his fur coat. Unfortunately this leads to clips from the show, where they were doing a bunch of lame late night talk show jokes using faces with the lips cut out. Miz: "What happened before Matt and Mark came out was hilarious. We're disappointed they reacted the way they did to our comic genius." Morrison: "We're the Pineapple Express of the WWE, got it!" Miz: "Tonight Matt and Mark will discover that in life there are winners, and there are losers. BE, JEALOUS." Commercial.

After a promo for "Boogeyman 2" on Sci-Fi we come back to... a Smackdown Rebound. Damn, with a set-up like that, I was hoping Boogeyman would come out. I suppose he may be on the list of "soon to be cut" though. Anyway SAID REBOUND focuses on Edge wiping out the whole Familia, having first tricked them into thinking 'Taker was doing it, only to clock Chavo with a chair and push over Vickie's at the end of the show. He vows to take everybody he knows down to hell with him, Vickie in particular.

* Evan 'Air' Bourne v. Bam Neely

Good God, Neely has his own entrance video and music. Never has such a big, generic looking, boring POS less deserved one. Even Colin Delaney merits one more than Neely - at least he's a skinny untanned freak who stands out. Neely is large, very undefined, and as exciting as watching paint dry. Bourne tries to throw elbows in his face to start the match but Neely overpowers him and slams him into the corner. Bourne gets a comeback with a flying knee to the face and a headscissor that throws Neely into a corner turnbuckle. Bourne goes top rope to follow up, Chavo distracts him, and Neely knocks him off the top out to the floor then throws him back in for more punishment. Neely gives him a clothesline that takes him out of his shoes and socks, but I think Bourne oversold that one given Neely is only getting a two count on it.Regardless the fans are cheering for Bourne to make a comeback, which he nearly gets with a counter into a sunset flip, but Neely goes for a knee lunge and Bourne has to quickly get out of the way. Bourne tries to get a standing moonsault but it's only a two count. He manages to DDT Neely but instead of going for the cover he quickly goes to the top rope for a shooting star press that will finish him off and get the three count for sure! WINNER: EVAN 'AIR' BOURNE.

Bourne backs up the ramp as we go TO THE BACK for Armando Estrada coming into Teddy Long's office with his contract, insisting Mr. Long sign it. "I'm a man of my word. We gon' celebrate dawg - Tiffany, if you please! Armando I know you came all the way up here to stick it in my face. But look at you - you look good, you work real hard, so who wouldn't want you on the roster. So tonight I officially welcome you to ECW with your first match." Tiffany hands both him and Teddy a glass of champagne and Armando takes a sip. "That's what I'm talking about. Who's my opponent?" Long: "Finlay! And oh yeah playa, that match is next." Armando looks PISSED. Commercial.

We're back with a promo for SummerSlam, "the biggest blockbuster event of the summer." The commercial ends with Finlay and Hornswoggle's "romance" which appropriately enough brings Finlay out to the ring with his son.

* Finlay v. Armando Estrada

Hornswoggle accompanies his dad to the ring. Estrada is looking a little less defined these days, maybe "wellness" is finally starting to catch up to him. Behind him someone in the crowd is holding up a sign reading "Triple H = Ratings." That's great, but save it for the Smackdown taping bub. Finlay goes for the collar and elbow tie-up, pushes Armando into the corner, then unloads on him with uppercuts and chops before a huge elbow drop. Striker and Grisham discuss how every single blow Finlay hits hurts for weeks, as Finlay drags Armando to the apron and slams his face into it from underneath the ropes. Mike Knox comes out to the top of the ramp to watch as Finlay gives Armando a scoop slam. Finlay gives Estrada a vicious looking armbar as the ref looks on, and considering he has Armando grounded I almost expected him to start hitting knees to the ribs Lesnar style. Knox continues to glare as Grisham debates with Striker whether or not Estrada had one single offensive move, and this is the cue for Estrada to make his comeback. Estrada grounds him and applies a chinlock, and his biceps look pretty good even if his abs have lost some of their tone. Rolling covers on the ground for both men before Estrada blasts him in the chin, snapmares him over and goes back to the chinlock. Knox seems to be getting closer to the ring, inch by inch. Finlay takes control again, stares at Knox while he's holding Armando up, then brings him down with a celtic cross and keeps an elbow in his face as the ref counts to three. WINNER: FIT FINLAY.

Finlay signals Knox to come down to the ring, but Knox declines and turns around to go back through the gorilla position. We get a replay of the action before going back to a live shot of a little boy with red hair dancing in the ring with Finlay and Hornswoggle. Henry & Hardy v. Morrison & Miz is promo'd before we go to a WWEShop spot and commercial break.

Tonight's "WWE Fun Fact" is that more viewers watched Raw than Monday Night Football. Well considering it was a pre-season game and Favre is no longer the QB of the Packers, I'm not surprised. Ricky Ortiz hits Teddy Long with his RALLY TOWEL and tells Long every fan in the stands can be waving them in support of him. He tells Long that 50K can be printed up, the presses are ready to go, and it's an "investment opportunity" for him. "Oh, you want me to pay for it?" Big LOLS. Long says my investment in you will be to give you a match against another new ECW superstar next week, so you can continue to prove to me you're worth it. Ortiz smiles and says I'll be 4 and oh next week, it'll be THA O SHOW. I call gimmick infringement! We go to highlights of the Cena and Batista pull-apart on Raw last night via video package.

Todd and Matt run down the SummerSlam card when they return from the highlights, including the first ever meeting between Batista and Cena, the WWE Championship match between Khali and Triple H, the World Heavyweight match between Punk and JBL, the return of the Un