05/01/2010

Hello and welcome the all new ECW Digest.

We’d love to know what you think to the new layout, or any other aspects of the Digest, so please feel free to get in touch via the Contact Us page, or any of the usual email addresses.

On with the show!

Quick Links

Opening Segment: The Champion and the Pretender

Match 1: Shelton Benjamin Vs. Chavo Guerrero

Segment 2: Zack Ryder; Legend Killer?

Match 2: Ezekiel Jackson Vs. Vladimir Kozlov

Segment 3: Atlas and Henry Reunite

Main Event: Mark Henry Vs. C.M Punk

The ECW Digest

Segment 1

The Champion and the Pretender

ECW Champion Christian starts the show tonight, and it appears his topic of choice is the Homecoming tournament that will decide his next challenger for the gold (or platinum in this case.)

However he didn’t get to say much before being interrupted by returning former champ C.M Punk and his underling Luke Gallows.

Punk claims to have something important to say, but stops dead in his tracks as he notices Christian smirking at him, choosing instead to ask what he finds so funny.

Christian explains that last night on Raw he saw something he never expected to see, when HBK and Bret Hart hugged it out in the centre of the ring.

He then says that conversely, now he’s seeing something that he never wanted to see again; C.M Punk back on ECW.

Punk says it’s something he should get used to seeing (I personally hope this isn’t the case) because he’s going to take the title at the Royal Rumble by winning the Homecoming tournament.

He says that it’s the first in a long list of titles he intends to win to prove that because he’s Straight Edge, he’s better than everyone else.

Punk then chastises Christian for being a poor leader and role model for the younger guys in ECW, but says that once he takes the belt he will be their Sheppard and lead them to a Straight Edge lifestyle.

Christian makes a quip about the Straight Edge lifestyle making Punk look like he hasn’t showered for a few days, then questions how he can win the tournament when there are the likes of Yoshi Tatsu, Shelton Benjamin and Mark Henry still in with a shot.

Christian finishes by saying that Punk won’t drink, won’t smoke, and certainly won’t take his title at the Royal Rumble.

Match 1

ECW Homecoming Qualifying Match

Shelton Benjamin
Vs.
Chavo Guerrero

As you’d expect this was a fast paced opener full of counters, technical wrestling and high flying offence.

If I were Chavo I’d be hoping and praying that I progressed in this tournament, because even though it might lead to a move onto the ‘C’ show, any kind of win would be a god-send when you’ve spent the last 3-4 months jobbing to a ‘leprechaun’.

Both men had their chances to win it, but in the end it turned out to be more misery for Hornswoggle’s b*tch as he missed a Frog Splash and got caught with PayDirt seconds later.

One spot left, but will Smackdown’s C.M Punk or Raw’s Mark Henry take it?

Shelton Benjamin wins by Pinfall and qualifies for the ECW Homecoming Tournament.

Segment 2

Zack Ryder; Legend Killer?

After a clip of Tommy Dreamer’s tearful farewell plays on the titan tron Zack Ryder and Rosa Mendes make their way out from the back.

Ryder says that he’s seen enough of ‘that fat loser’ Dreamer blubbering and that last week he did something bigger than winning the Homecoming tournament, or even the ECW Championship; he stopped the heart of ECW.

He claims that by retiring Dreamer he changed the entire course of the show, and from now on the brand is all about one thing; Zack Ryder.

Match 2

Singles Match

Ezekiel Jackson (w/William Regal)
Vs.
Vladimir Kozlov

I know it’s early days, but I think this could be the worst decision the writers will make all year.

I honestly believe that a lot of WWE fans would LIKE to support Jackson.

When he and Kozlov had that ‘one upsmanship’ thing going on with the local talent, it didn’t take much for the attending audiences to cheer for him over the ‘Moscow Mauler’.

Despite all the obvious signs that the vast majority of fans don’t really care about Kozlov full stop, he’s being pushed as the ‘wronged party’ here and as a result the reaction to every match they have is an almost eerie silence.

Jackson dominated the early part of this match, before Kozlov turned it around momentarily, only to be flattened by a modified Eurinagi and pinned.

After the match Regal (who received the loudest chant of the match) jumped in the ring and ‘directed traffic’ as Jackson inflicted a little more punishment.

The crowd couldn’t care less. I couldn’t care less. Enough said.

Ezekiel Jackson wins by Pinfall.

Segment 3

Atlas and Henry Reunite

Backstage Mark Henry prepares for tonight’s main event when Tony Atlas enters.

They talk a little bit about ‘the good times’ and Atlas asks if he can accompany Henry to ringside one more time.

Henry considers it momentarily, but as Atlas begins to break out his trademark chuckle, decides against it.

As Henry heads out of the locker room Atlas tells him that he’s there if needed.

Main Event Match

ECW Homecoming Match

Mark Henry
Vs.
C.M Punk (w/Luke Gallows)

If I was Mark Henry I wouldn’t have dismissed Atlas’ offer quite so quickly, with Luke Gallows standing in Punk’s corner for this bout.

Henry started this match with all the momentum, until Punk cleverly used a Drop Toe Hold to send him into the steel steps while the two battled at ringside.

Punk maintained the upper hand for almost the entire match, but nothing he did seemed to be enough to put the big man away and he eventually found himself on the back foot.

Henry looked to be closing in on a victory after ‘Hulking up’ and flattening Punk in the corner, but as the referee became inadvertently distracted Gallows jumped onto the apron and hit him with a very impressive Kick to the Head.

From there Punk only needed to land a Kick to the Head of his own to pick up the 1..2..3 and gain his place in the Homecoming Battle Royal.

This doesn’t bode particularly well for Punk.

Surely he can’t sink even further and find himself back on ECW, can he?

C.M Punk wins by Pinfall and qualifies for the ECW Homecoming Tournament.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 8:00 pm and is filed under - The ECW Digest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.