The ECW Digest - 29th December 2009
29/12/2009
Hello and welcome the all new ECW Digest.
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On with the show!
Quick Links
Opening Match: Matt Hardy Vs. Finlay
Segment 2: Ezekiel Jackson Speaks
Match 2: Evan Bourne Vs. Mike Knox
Segment 4: Goldust Learns Japanese
Main Event: Zack Ryder Vs. Tommy Dreamer
The ECW Digest
Opening Match
ECW Homecoming Qualifying Match
Matt Hardy
Vs.
Finlay
Christian joined the commentary team for this match, which was probably a good thing as Finlay Vs. Matt Hardy was never likely to be overly impressive.
Given that Matt Hardy and Evan Bourne got a ‘returning to ECW tonight’ promo video at the start of the show, and the fact that despite Finlay is also returning, got no mention at all, I’d have to go for Hardy in this one.
Finlay worked Hardy’s injured leg for the majority of this bout, to the extent the official almost stopped the match, while Christian talked about his storied history with Matt Hardy.
Obviously Jeff got a mention as well, in fact I seriously doubt Matt will ever have a match where Jeff doesn’t get talked about ever again.
Hardy picked up the win against the odds with a Twist of Fate that looked more like an RKO.
Matt Hardy wins by Pinfall and qualifies for the ECW Homecoming Tournament.
Segment 1
Ryder & Dreamer
Backstage Zack Ryder and Rosa Mendes bump into Tommy Dreamer.
Ryder asks him why he’s still around, questioning why he isn’t sick of losing week in/week out.
Dreamer says that he is sick of losing to people like Ryder who are nothing more than a catchphrase and a haircut, so tonight he’s going to show what he’s gone through to get here.
He says that he’ll put his career on the line tonight against Ryder, and Ryder accepts.
Segment 2
Ezekiel Jackson Speaks
Big Zeke makes his way to the ring to address the situation between himself and Vladimir Kozlov.
He says that together with Regal he decided that Kozlov was a weak link in a very strong chain and chose to take him out.
He begins to preach from the book of Ezekiel but Kozlov interrupts and dumps Jackson out of the ring, getting a murmur of approval from the crowd.
Jackson walks up the ramp smiling, shouting ‘You’re gonna get it’ as Kozlov soaks up the less than promising praise from the crowd in the ring.
Segment 3
Best of Friends
Backstage Tommy is preparing for his match when his good old friend Christian enters.
Dreamer and Christian share a moment of mutual respect, and Christian tells him that no matter what happens he and all the ECW locker room think that he is the heart and soul of the brand.
Dreamer tells Christian he still wants a re-match as the Champion leaves him to continue preparing.
Match 2
ECW Homecoming Qualifying Match
Evan Bourne
Vs.
Mike Knox
Snore. We’ve seen this match so many times in the past and as much as I hate to admit it, I’d probably rather have seen Kane Vs. Knox again.
This match went like almost every other David Vs. Goliath match.
Knox dominated, Bourne stole a victory at the death with the Shooting Star Press.
Next week Mark Henry, C.M Punk and Chavo Guerrero will face off in a Triple Threat for a place in the Homecoming Tournament, that might be the first decent match we’ve seen in this thing so far.
Evan Bourne wins by Pinfall and qualifies for The ECW Homecoming Tournament.
Segment 4
Goldust Learns Japanese
Backstage Yoshi Tatsu is returning a favour from a few weeks back, teaching Goldust how to speak Japanese.
Goldust struggles to pick it up until Croft and Barretta enter.
They ask how you say ‘Future Tag Team Champions’ but then say they already know; ‘Croft & Barretta’.
They move onto the Dreamer situation and say that after he gets kicked off the show they hope Goldust and Tatsu leave as well because there’s too much dead wood on the show.
Goldust takes offence and responds in perfect Japanese, prompting Tatsu to congratulate him on whatever he said.
Main Event Match
Singles Match
Zack Ryder (w/Rosa Mendes)
Vs.
Tommy Dreamer
There’s plenty of the show left as this match begins, which either means we’re in for an epic battle or more likely, Dreamer has time for a fond farewell.
As it turns out we got both.
Dreamer and Ryder put on a real battle here and aside from a few little slips it was a brilliant match.
Tommy looked like he’d picked up the win after a Dreamer DDT, but Ryder’s foot was under the bottom rope and the referee demanded that the match continue.
Dreamer looked to finish things with a Backdrop from the second rope, but Ryder reversed it into a Cross Body and snatched the 3 count.
This could be the match that really puts Ryder on the map, and I assume he’ll dine out on the fact he retired Dreamer for the next few months, if not the whole of 2010.
After the match Dreamer grabbed a microphone and delivered a farewell address (what is this, like the third one he’s done this year or something?)
He talked about the first time he ever sat in the arena they are in tonight, with his best friend and his father, watching his second WWE event.
He thanked everyone from both ECW’s and fought back tears as he talked about his time with both companies.
He said that Superstars are told to address the crowd as ‘The WWE Universe’ but he sees them as his family, and they are the reason he keeps getting back up.
He snatched up his little girls from ringside and took them to the top of the ramp, where he posed one last time before exiting to the back.
This was actually a really touching farewell and to be honest I’m happy for the guy, he doesn’t deserve to be jobbing on the third show each and every week.
On behalf of all the WWEBlog Staff I’d like to say thanks for the memories Tommy.
Zack Ryder wins by Pinfall.
