Raw Results 12/17/12

Raw Results from Philadelphia, PA:

Rey Mysterio defeated Damien Sandow via pinfall with a splash from the top ropes.

Booker T presented the "Tell Me I Just Did Not See That" Slammy.  The Boogeyman came out to interrupt and brought out a handful of worms with Booker shaking at the podium.  After break, Booker went to announce the winner, but before he could Brad Maddox walked out and stood next to him expecting to win.  Instead, Kofi Kingston won for walking on his hands at the Royal Rumble.  Kofi thanked the fans in his speech after Maddox walked backstage.

Kaitlyn defeated Eve Torres via pinfall in a non-title matchup.  Kaitlyn did a counter from the corner on Eve to get the pinfall win.  Post-match, Kaitlyn grabbed the divas championship belt and then posed over Eve with it to mock her.

The New Age Outlaws Billy Gunn and Jesse James presented Slammy for "Comeback of the Year."  Jerry Lawler won and thanked everyone saying he loves them all and it's great to be back.

Kofi Kingston defeated Tensai via pinfall in a non-title match.  Kofi avoided a Tensai splash from the corner then hit Trouble in Paradise to win it.  Post-match, Kofi got attacked by Wade Barrett who hit him with the Bullhammer elbow.

Vickie Guerrero came out to present Slammy for Kiss of the Year.  AJ won for kissing Cena.  She came out and Vickie demanded she explain herself over what she did at TLC.  AJ and Vickie started to get into it and Dolph Ziggler came out.  AJ said she may have won kiss of the year but it's nothing compared to this: she jumped on Ziggler and passionately kissed him as Vickie stormed off.

The Great Khali defeated David Otunga via pinfall.  Khali hit a big boot on Otunga and then a clothesline followed by his huge chop down for the win.  Post-match, Natalya came to the ring and danced around with Khali.

Ric Flair presented Superstar of the Year Slammy.  John Cena won it and was getting booed by the crowd.  Cena hands the award to Flair saying it's good to see him where he belongs.  Cena leaves, as Flair starts a speech.  CM Punk comes out on crutches with Paul Heyman.

Punk says the fact Cena won is atrocious, calling it a horrible year for him.  He calls Cena a loser, like Flair and the Philly fans.  Punk talks up his reign as champion and ends up getting into it with Flair.  Flair takes his jacket off and goes to the ring for a fight.

After a break, Punk and Flair got into it in the ring, with Punk hitting Flair with a crutch and then mocking his strut.  Flair recovered and then hit a thumb to Punk's eye to knock him down.  He grabbed Heyman and put him into the Figure Four.  Heyman taps so Flair lets go.  He gets on the mic to talk about how if he dies it will be right here.  Flair keeps talking but The Shield's theme music hits.  They emerge from the crowd with Flair inviting them down.

After another break, Bryan and Kane are ringside fighting The Shield.  Ambrose takes down Flair in the ring and then goes to fight at ringside.  After tossing Kane into the barrier, they go after Flair trying to put him through the announce table.  Ryback comes out for a save.  Ryback, Kane and Bryan then fight off The Shield.  After the brawl, they join Flair in the ring where he raises up their arms.

Backstage, Flair thanks Bryan and Kane.  Bryan starts up his No! while Kane yells Yes! and Flair does some Whoooo's.  Ron Simmons shows up and after they stop yelling he gives his standard, "DAMN!"

Brodus Clay defeated JTG via pinfall.  Clay hit a huge splash in the corner followed by a headbutt and his splash for the win.

Santino Marella presented LOL Moment of the Year with Tensai, who tripped on his way out.  His head is bandaged up from Kofi's kick in the match earlier.  Santino teases him calling him "Albert."  The Slammy goes to The Rock for his promo on Cena.  Rock isn't there to accept so the crowd boos.  Santino says he'll take the award then.

Cody Rhodes defeated Sin Cara via pinfall.  Cara made a late comeback, but Rhodes ultimately countered a move and hit Cross Rhodes to win.

Zack Ryder and Layla presented Trending Now Hashtag of the Year.  The winner was #feedmemore.  Ryder says he take the award backstage to Ryback.

Big Show came to the ring with his title and the extra large chair from TLC last night that he used.  He does a promo about his win saying he's most dominant in the WWE.  Sheamus comes out to congratulate him on being better last night.  He shakes his hand.  Show shakes his hand then begins to berate Sheamus, telling him to go to the back of the line and calls him names.  Sheamus tackles him down then hits him with the big chair and a Brogue Kick.

Sheamus goes backstage, but just then Dolph Ziggler comes out with a referee.  Ziggler is about to cash in on Big Show, but Cena rushes down to attack him, preventing it.  They brawl outside the ring, with Cena throwing Ziggler into the crowd barrier to leave him layed out.  Ziggler never actually went to cash in since the bell didn't ring.

Backstage, Ziggler complained about Cena costing him the World Title just now.  Vickie confronts him about getting AJ's help at TLC and Ziggler says he had no idea.  Dolph then tells Vickie their relationship is over because her jealousy is tired, old and just plain ugly, like Vickie.  Vickie sets up a match with her and Cena against Dolph and AJ later on.

Alberto Del Rio, The Miz and Tommy Dreamer defeated 3MB via pinfall.  During the match Dreamer hit a variety of moves include a big leap from the top out of the ring to take out 3MB before a commercial.

Sheamus presented Slammy for Newcomer of the Year and Ryback is the winner.  During his speech he brings up the late Owen Hart who said "enough is enough and it's time for a change."  Ryback says he is that change, and the crowd does a feed me more chant.

Ryback defeated Antonio Cesaro due to countout in a non-title match.  Late in the match, Cesaro went for his Neutralizer on Ryback but it was blocked.  Ryback dropped Cesaro to the mat and then set up for his Meathook Clothesline, but Cesaro fled the ring.  Ryback brings him back in, but Cesaro rolls out again and gets counted out.

Mean Gene Okerlund, Ricky Steamboat and Jim Ross presented Slammy for Match of the Year.  The Triple H vs. Undertaker match at WrestleMania wins.  Triple H comes out with a big ovation from the crowd.  He talks about the classic match and says it was an honor to be involved.  He says to answer the million dollar question that's hanging in the air, we have not seen the last of The Undertaker.

Backstage, The Shield is shown beating up Tommy Dreamer before leaving the building.

John Cena and Vickie Guerrero win due to disqualification of AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler.  Late in this one, Cena was about to hit the AA but Ziggler countered with a DDT then followed with elbows.  Cena turned things around moments later and put Dolph in the STF.  However, AJ brought out a surprise with NXT champion Big E Langston.  He gets in the ring and runs over Cena, then stans over Cena as AJ skips around them.  Ziggler just looks on as the show goes off the air.

ECW Recap 03.10.09

ECW Recap from Jacksonville, FL:

ECW started with the video promotion for tonight's first ever Tri-Branded Money in the Bank Qualifying Battle Royal. Superstars from ECW, Raw & Smackdown were shown as part of the field including Cryme Tyme, Great Khali, William Regal, Ricky Ortiz, Vladimir Kozlov, R-Truth and Christian.

Todd Grisham joined Matt Striker for ECW commentary. Miz and Morrison headed to the ring for the opening bout. Prior to the match a "Dirt Sheet" skit was shown by the tag team with butt-faces insulting the Colons. The Colons came out next escorted by the Bella Twins. It was announced that these two teams will face off Friday on Smackdown for the World Tag Team titles.

Primo Colon vs. The Miz

Morrison and Carlito sat alongside Tazz & Striker for commentary with the Bella Twins seated next to Carlito. Early on Primo was able to do a sweep kick to trip Miz to the mat then did a double leg drop on him before whipping Miz to the corner. Primo continued to stay in control as he bounced Miz face first off the corner turnbuckle. Miz turned things around when he was able to punch Primo off the apron. With Primo out, ECW went to commercial.

ECW returned with Miz using a Camel Clutch style submission on Primo. Primo elbowed out and staged a comeback, eventually hitting Miz from the apron then jumping off the corner with a bodypress. Carlito missed on another flying bodypress attempt and ended up landing outside the ring. Miz took control from here and was able to catapult Primo into the bottom rope back in the ring. Primo eventually fought out of a Miz submission hold, but Miz quickly rammed him to the corner, then sat him up there for an attempted slam. Primo fought back, flipped over Miz onto the mat, then put him in the electric chair to slam him to the mat.

The match continued as Primo and Miz traded near pinfalls. At one point Miz threw Primo to the corner then backed up. Miz ran and tried for his clothesline move in the corner, but Primo moved away then hit the Backstabber with Miz caught in the ropes. Primo quickly took the pinfall to win it as the Bellas and Carlito left with him. Morrison got in the ring to chastise Miz for losing it.

Winner: Primo wins via pinfall over The Miz.

The latest preview for John Cena's new movie "12 Rounds" was shown.

Backstage, Ranjan Singh and The Great Khali were shown chatting as Khali was preparing for tonight's Battle Royal.

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WWE Rewind spotlighted last week's WWE Divas match between Alicia Fox and Natalya. Natalya picked up the win by submission, and afterwards, Natalya's friend Tyson Kidd came in the ring to attack DJ Gabriel. Gabriel responded with a suplex of Kidd onto the ropes, then a European uppercut to send Kidd out of the ring.

DJ Gabriel vs. Tyson Kidd

Kidd came out first escorted by Natalya. Gabriel was next, escorted by the always dancing, WWE Diva Alicia Fox. Early on, DJ Gabriel was able to mount some offense against Kidd as he hit him with a forearm uppercut, and threw him up over his back. Kidd avoided Gabriel charging at him in the corner then sent Gabriel to the outside where he ambushed him with a kick before tossing him back in. From here Kidd began using kicks and legdrops to try to wear down Gabriel, while Alicia Fox tried to cheer him on from the outside.

Gabriel again landed a move as he slammed Kidd back to the mat but couldn't capture a pinfall. Gabriel went up to suplex Kidd but Kidd used his legs to bring Gabriel back towards the ropes. Kidd slid off onto the top rope, then to the apron, dropped to the floor, and yanked Gabriel's head against the top rope. Gabriel snapped forward and hit the mat hard. With Gabriel layed out on the mat, Kidd got back onto the apron and jumped over the top rope to elbow drop on him for the win.

Winner: Tyson Kidd wins via pinfall over DJ Gabriel.

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A promotional video was shown to announce that ECW superstar Evan Bourne is returning next week.

Grisham and Striker introduced footage of last night's altercation between Triple H and Randy Orton. HHH was scheduled to fight in a 2 on 1 Handicap match on Raw versus Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase. The Game didn't show for the match, giving the forfeit victory to Priceless. Orton was enraged as he was watching from his home alongside his wife Samantha. As Orton continued to go off, someone rang the doorbell. Orton told his wife to answer it, then realized it was Triple H with the Sledgehammer. HHH proceeded to stalk Orton around his home with Sledgehammer in hand. Orton finally jumped out of a closet at HHH and the two began to fight. It all culminated with HHH tossing Orton through the front window/wall and the two fighting out on the front lawn. The police showed up and restrained HHH, then cuffed him and put him in the back of their car.

A highlight video package for Wrestlemania IX was shown. This Wrestlemania was held outdoors at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 4, 1993. The main event saw Yokozuna defeat Bret Hart fo the WWE title. Soon after, Hulk Hogan came out and accepted a challenge to face Yokozuna and won the belt back in record time.

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Money in the Bank Qualifying Battle Royal

The winner of tonight's tri-brand Battle Royal gets to head to Wrestlemania 25 and be in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Cryme Tyme, Vladimir Kozlov, Christian, William Regal (w/Layla), Great Khali with Singh, were all shown making their entrances to the ring.

When ECW returned, other competitors were already in the ring. R-Truth made his way down to the ring performing his "What's Up" rap theme. In the ring were Dolph Ziggler, Chavo Guerrero, Goldust, Ricky Ortiz, Kung Fu Naki, Tommy Dreamer, Charlie Haas, Jimmy Wang Yang, and Paul Burchill.

Ricky Ortiz was eliminated promptly by Great Khali. Next up, Vladimir Kozlov tossed Kung Fu Naki over the ropes. As Kozlov turned, Khali was standing there. Kozlov went for a kick, but Khali grabbed his foot then shoved Kozlov over the ropes. Suddenly, all the other competitors pounced on Khali trying to lift him in unison. William Regal backed up then rushed over to help push Khali over the ropes. Jimmy Wang Yang was the next to go. Jamie Noble was able to dropkick Goldust out of the competition, with Haas hanging on for life on the top rope then getting back inside. Cryme Tyme eliminated Dolph Ziggler and Charlie Haas who both were on the apron, then doubleteamed Burchill to toss him out. Shad and JTG slapped hands, but then JTG turned on his partner tossing him out over the ropes.

ECW returned from a commercial break. During the break Truth had tossed JTG out as he was arguing with Shad, already out. It was down to Dreamer, Christian, Regal, R-Truth and Chavo Guerreo. Dreamer worked on William Regal but was eliminated as Regal held onto the tp rope and slid back inside. Truth began to beat on Christian and clotheslined him down, but Christian managed to avoid Truth causing him to get tangled in the middle rope. Chavo came over to beat on Truth then tossed him out. Chavo couldn't eliminate Christian who wisely held onto the ropes to slide back inside. Regal was able to grab Chavo and flip him back onto Christian. Regal picked up Christian and went to toss him out, but Christian held on and got onto the side apron. As Regal came back at him, Christian ducked down pulling the top rope down, and Regal fell to the outside.

Christian and Chavo had an impressive finish, with Chavo trying to suplex Christian over the ropes from the apron. Christian again held on, then began to fight with Chavo on the apron. Christian managed to use the ropes to flip himself back to kick Chavo off the apron. Christian now is part of the MITB Ladder Match at WM25. Christian pointed at the Wrestlemania 25 logo as ECW went off the air.

Winner: Christian wins the Tri-Branded Battle Royal to qualify for Wrestlemania 25's MITB Ladder Match.

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ECW Recap 03.03.09

ECW Recap from Boston, MA:

ECW kicked off with highlights from last week's ECW Championship match, with the challenger Christian battling Jack Swagger. The match was a back and forth affair, but an injury to Christian's shoulder helped Swagger in the end as he exploited the injury. Swagger got the clean win after reversing Christian's move to hit the Gut Wrench Powerbomb.

Todd Grisham welcomed fans to a snowy and cold Boston, Mass, then announced the main event, a six man tag match: Christian, Tommy Dreamer & Finlay vs. Jack Swagger, The Miz & John Morrison. Kane's pyro exploded near the ramp as the Big Red Monster made his way down to the ring.

The Boogeyman vs. Kane

As Boogeyman got into the ring he took out a handful of worms and ate them to Kane's dismay. As the match started, Kane put out his hand for some worms as Boogeyman handed them to him. Kane dumped the worms on the mat, then attacked Boogeyman, bringing him to the corner for a beating. Kane was able to hit a dropkick on Boogey who was seated on the mat. After a slam, Kane tried to jump off the corner but Boogeyman rolled out of the way. Boogeyman took control and was able to get Kane with a back splash in the corner.

Kane regained momentum and managed to kick Boogeyman under the ropes to the outside. Boogey began to climb up on the apron and Kane tried to grab him. Boogeyman took the opportunity to drop down and stun Kane against the top rope. As Boogeyman came back into the ring he got up on the corner to jump at Kane. Kane responded by catching him with a hand around the throat and Chokeslamming him down for the pin.

Winner: Kane wins via pinfall over The Boogeyman.

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A Wrestlemania 25 promo video was shown announcing that the big event is just 33 days away.

Santino Marella vs. Mark Henry
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match

Prior to the match, Santino arrived to the ring with Rosa and Beth. Santino told Mark Henry he has more of a physique that women love. In the match, Mark Henry completely dominated Santino who bounced off him and rolled out of the ring fast to recover. Beth Phoenix briefly yelled at Mark Henry outside the ring, and Henry smirked, then re-entered. Santino tried to punch away at Henry's chest but it was no use. As Santino came off the ropes he flew at Henry, but Henry caught him in the air then performed the World's Strongest Slam for the pinfall win.

Winner: Mark Henry wins via pinfall over Santino Marella to qualify for the Wrestlemania 25 Money in the Bank Ladder match.

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A promotional video of Evan Bourne was shown, announcing that the superstar will return to ECW soon.

A segment known as the "Dirty Awards" was shown, hosted by The Miz and John Morrison. First award was "Biggest Virgin" with Evan Bourne, DJ Gabriel and Festus nominated. Evan Bourne was named the winner and John Morrison was shown dressed as Bourne making a spoof acceptance speech. Best Original Musical Performance was between R-Truth (What's Up), Miz & Morrison, The Colons(Doin' the Butt). John Morrison and The Miz won. Best Internet video went to "The Dirt Sheet" over "Word Up" and "Santino's Casa". Miz and Morrison pronounced themselves 2 time Slammy Award winners and Dirty Award winners as well as longest reigning tag champs in recent WWE history.

Highlights from last night's Raw were shown of the Orton and Triple H confrontation. Orton said he would face the winner of the World Heavyweight title at WM25, either Cena or Edge. He said HHH would be in jail and not going to Wrestlemania 25. Triple H got into the ring to infuriate Orton and make him choose to face HHH for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania 25. Orton added the stipulation that HHH and himself can't put their hands on each other until the event. After HHH left the ring and got up the ramp, Orton baited him saying how much he enjoyed punt kicking Shane, Vince and then RKOing Stephanie. HHH rushed back into the ring and got in Orton's face telling him last time they fought he broke Orton's collarbone, but this time it's personal and he's going to break Orton's neck.

Alicia Fox vs. Natalya

WWE Diva Alicia Fox and DJ Gabriel came dancing down to the ring before the matchup. Tyson Kidd accompanied Natalya to the ring. Early on, Natalya took Alicia down to the mat then slapped her in the back of the head as a taunt. Fox took exception and stood up to slam Natalya backwards to the mat. Natalya got out of Fox's headlock to apply one of her own. Fox got out of it and after leapfrogging Natalya off the ropes, Alicia hit a standing dropkick. Natalya ducked under the bottom ropes to recover. Natalya got back in and managed to hit a running slam with Alicia on her shoulder, then used an interesting chinlock style submission. Alicia was able to flip out of it, but Natalya came right back and slapped her down. Despite Alicia making an impressive offensive comeback, Natalya managed to counter one of her moves into the Sharpshooter. Alicia tapped out, giving Natalya the win.

As DJ Gabriel got into the ring to check on Fox, Tyson Kidd got in the ring to cheap shot him from behind. Gabriel recovered and grabbed Kidd then suplexed him onto the top rope. Kidd hit a forearm uppercut on Kidd knocking him out of the ring for good measure.

Winner: Natalya wins via submission over Alicia Fox.

Striker and Grisham introduced the new preview footage from John Cena's 12 Rounds movie, coming to theaters March 27th.

The latest inductee for the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame Class, Cowboy Bill Watts was shown via a highlight video. Watts will be inducted the night before Wrestlemania by Smackdown commentator Jim Ross.

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Christian, Tommy Dreamer & Finlay vs. Jack Swagger, The Miz & John Morrison
Six Man Tag Match

Finlay was accompanied to the ring by Hornswoggle who scurried underneath the ring as Finlay and his partners got into the ring. Dreamer started off against Swagger, with Swagger backing away to tag Miz in. Dreamer managed to hit a neckbreaker on Miz then tagged in Finlay to work on him more. Finlay hit forearm uppercuts and tried to hit Miz head first into the corner. Miz got away and managed to smash Finlay face first into the turnbuckle. Finlay fell outside the ring but landed on his feet and Miz tried for a baseball slide dropkick. Finlay was quick to pull the apron cover and Miz slid into it, allowing Finlay to beat on him. As Morrison ran over to help Miz, Finlay got into the ring. Hornswoggle came through the ring on the other side running and jumped out onto Miz and Morrison, landing in a pile on them. ECW went to commercial.

ECW returned with Finlay in control of Miz. Christian tagged in to work on him some, eventually hitting a spinning heel kick to take Miz down. Dreamer tagged back in and as Christian tripped Miz to the mat, Dreamer came running off the ropes for an elbow drop. Miz managed to tag out to Morrison. Dreamer gained the advantage on Morrison, then went to the corner ropes. Miz distracted Dreamer from the apron, allowing Morrison to knock Dreamer to the outside. Swagger attacked Dreamer outside while the ref was trying to keep Finlay away. The heels began to isolate Dreamer to wear him down. Miz and Swagger both took turns at Dreamer. Swagger had Dreamer down near the corner and tried for a Splash with Dreamer sticking his knees up. Dreamer finally broke free after Morrison tagged in.

Christian tagged in and gained serious momentum against Morrison. Christian went for his finisher on Morrison, with Morrison escaping it. From the corner, Christian was able to kick Morrison in the face, then hit the DDT off the corner. Dreamer ended up yanking Swagger off the side apron, leaving Christian to do a flying headbutt from the top rope. Christian paushed before pinning and Miz was quickly back into the ring to knock Christian off the pin. Finlay got into the ring to fight Miz, taking him to the outside. As Christian fought Morrison, John did a jump from the ropes near Swagger. Swagger was crouched down on the apron, but made a blind tag which Christian didn't notice but the ref did. Christian did his finisher on Morrison, but Swagger was quickly in to grab Christian for a Gut Wrench Powerbomb to win it.

ECW went off the air Swagger, Miz and Morrison posed in the ring with their various hardware.

Winners: Jack Swagger, The Miz & John Morrison win via pinfall over Christian, Tommy Dreamer & Finlay.

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ECW Recap 02.24.09

ECW Recap from Nashville, TN:

ECW on Sci-Fi opened with a highlight video to promote the ECW Title match between Jack Swagger and Christian on tonight's show. Over the past weeks the two have fought with Christian pinning Swagger in two non-title bouts. Both times Finlay and Hornswoggle were involved in the outcome. Todd Grisham and Matt Striker welcomed fans to Nashville, Tennessee.

DJ Gabriel vs. Mark Henry

WWE Diva Alicia Fox danced along with Gabriel in the ring before Mark Henry and Tony Atlas emerged from backstage to come to the ring. Grisham noted that Gabriel's undefeated since arriving to ECW but tonight would be a tougher task than usual. Henry tossed Gabriel around the ring early on, causing Gabriel to back to the corner and regroup. Henry was distracted momentarily by Alicia Fox, and Gabriel tried to capitalize. His dropkick attempt failed, and Henry started to pound on DJ even more in the corner, then whipped him to the opposite side.

Alicia Fox started to pound on the mat to get the fans to back Gabriel. Gabriel stood up while in a headlock but Henry shoved him to the corner. Gabirel was able to avoid Henry in the corner, then began to rush at Henry with dropkicks, and an uppercut forearm. Gabriel kept trying to knock Henry down, then went to the corner. Gabriel flew off the corner at Henry who caught him from the air, then turned it into the World's Strongest Slam to win it.

Winner: Mark Henry wins via pinfall over DJ Gabriel.

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ECW returned with an Evan Bourne highlight reel and the message "Evan Bourne Returns ECW" with no date given.

Matt Boyce vs. Tyson Kidd

Kidd was accompanied to the ring by Natalya Neidhart. Amateur Matt Boyce took on the new ECW star tonight. Early on, Kidd took Boyce down to the mat and tried to wear him down. Kidd hid behind the ref as Boyce went after him, then came back to drag him down with an armlock. Boyce grabbed the bottom rope to break it. Boyce mounted a brief offensive strike, but Kidd kicked him hard to the mat, then kicked him in the chest. Kidd used a hard elbow on Boyce's chest then did a headscissors down on the mat. To finish things off, Kidd hit a spinning dropkick followed by jumping from the apron over the top rope to elbow drop Boyce. Grisham noted that Kidd is undefeated so far in ECW.

Winner: Tyson Kidd wins via pinfall over Matt Boyce.

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ECW returned with highlights of the Randy Orton-McMahons and Triple H saga. In the latest incidents, Orton delivered a Punt Kick to Shane in the ring, then RKO'd Stephanie on Raw. This prompted Triple H to storm down to the ring with Orton and Legacy leaving the ring quick. Last night's Raw saw Orton arrive to the ring at the end of Raw with a Sledgehammer, joined by Rhodes and Dibiase. Triple H arrived to the arena and headed straight to the ring with a Sledgehammer as well. Orton negotiated when HHH got to the ring, tossing his Sledgehammer over the top rope. HHH dropped his outside and then got into the ring, but as he took off his leather jacket, he revealed another Sledgehammer from behind his back. HHH chased Dibiase and Orton around backstage, smashing through doors, mirrors and eventually their getaway car's window as Raw ended.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Paul Burchill

Dreamer continued to chase a win since announcing he would retire in June if he can't recapture the ECW title. Burchill arrived to the ring with sister Katie Lea Burchill. Last week, Burchill picked up a surprise win over Boogeyman because Boogey went for his bag of worms early. Boogeyman chased Katie Lea around the ring with his bag of worms, and she managed to get up the ramp with Paul.

In tonight's match, Dreamer gained momentum after Burchill had dominated from the onset. Dreamer charged at Burchill in the corner and missed, and Burchill tried for a move off the corner. Dreamer avoided it and grabbed Burchill's legs then catapulted him into the corner. Dreamer hung Burchill upside down in the Tree of Woe, then ran for a dropkick. Katie Lea had come around the ring and pulled Burchill to the side causing Dreamer to miss on the dropkick. All of a sudden, the lights dimmed with someone grabbing Katie Lea's leg and dragging her underneath the ring. Katie Lea began screaming and managed to escape, then fell back up the ramp. Boogeyman emerged from under the ring as Katie Lea took off for backstage. Meanwhile, Burchill was distracted looking out at Boogey. Dreamer grabbed Burchill and DDT'd him to pick up a much needed victory.

Winner: Tommy Dreamer wins via pinfall over Paul Burchill.

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A promo video revealed that Wrestlemania 25 is just 40 days away.

Christian vs. Jack Swagger
ECW Title Match

Christian arrived to the ring first hungry for the ECW title just 3 weeks into his WWE return. The champ Swagger came out next, cocky as ever and looking intent to successfully defeat Christian.

In the highly-anticipated title match, Swagger brought Christian down to the mat early and wrapped his arms around Christian's midsecton. Christian stood up and tried to fight out, eventually grabbing Swagger's wrist to break out. Swagger slammed Christian down yet again then let out a cocky roar to the crowd. Christian recovered in the corner to start chest chopping Swagger, then hit a spin kick as he came off the ropes at Swagger. With Christian having the upperhand for some time, Swagger regained control then started whipping Christian corner to corner. Christian managed to grab the top rope as Swagger charged at him and pulled it down for Swagger to fall out. Christian quickly ran and jumped off the corner splashing down on Swagger outside as ECW went to commercial.

ECW returned with Swagger turning the tide on Christian as he clubbed Christian with a hard forearm to his back. Swagger landed a splash off the corner. Christian rolled onto the apron and started to stand up but Swagger ran across from the ropes and knocked him down with a shoulder. The two started to battle outside the ring, with Christian missing as he ran at Swagger near the steps. Christian appeared to hurt his left shoulder/arm. Swagger rolled in as the ref began the count, with Christian able to roll in at 8. Swagger immediately picked up Christian to slam him to the mat then pulled Christian's hurt arm back to work on it more. Swagger continued to take advantage of the injury down on the mat and around the ring. Swagger slammed Christian hard against the bottom rope as ECW took another break.

ECW returned with Striker noting that Christian may have a dislocated or separated shoulder. Christian was able to jump off the corner and knock Swagger down, then began trying to pump up his hurt arm to get the bloo flowing. Christian started punching at Swagger then tripped him down against the bottom rope. Christian stood on Swagger, then was able to yank him down against the top rope. As Christian got into the ring he went to the corner for a diving headbutt with Swagger avoiding it. Christian countered the Gut Wrench Powerbomb by Swagger, then ducked a clothesline to reverse DDT Swagger down. Swagger kicked out of the pinfall. The two traded pinfall attempts with Swagger trying for a splash off the corner and Christian putting his knees up.

Christian eventually connected on a diving headbutt, but Swagger barely got out at 2 from the pinfall. Christian was able to DDT Swagger from the corner, but held his arm after because of the pain. Christian tried again for the pin with Swagger escaping. Swagger took control by shoving Christian into the corner ring post, again hurting Christian's left shoulder. Swagger went for the Powerbomb, but Christian flipped out of it and tried for his own move, but then backed off as his arm started to hurt. Swagger took advantage by grabbing Christian to finally hit the Gut Wrench Powerbomb.

Winner: Jack Swagger wins via pinfall over Christian to retain the ECW title.

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ECW Recap 02.17.09

ECW Recap from Spokane, WA:

ECW opened with a video package to chronicle the return of Christian to WWE, as he came out on ECW to confront the champ, Jack Swagger. Christian said he came to ECW for Swagger's title and is going to challenge whoever wins the title match at No Way Out. Teddy Long scheduled the two to fight in a non-title bout on the same show. Finlay and Hornswoggle arrived to watch the fight, and a shilaleigh shot by Finlay to Swagger's leg allowed Christian to pull off the victory.

Todd Grisham and Matt Striker welcomed fans to the show following No Way Out with a huge main event tag match: Finlay & Christian teaming up to face Mark Henry and Jack Swagger. The Boogeyman made his entrance from backstage to start the show off.

The Boogeyman vs. Paul Burchill

Katie Lea accompanied her brother to the ring for the matchup. Burchill recently went off on a lighting technician during a WWE Mobile commercial shoot. Due to the incident, Teddy scheduled Burchill in tonight's contest.

Early on Katie Lea caused distraction for Boogeyman, allowing Burchill to start hammering away on him in the corner. Boogeyman started fighting back as he punched at Burchill then whipped him hard to the corner. Boogeyman came off the ropes and did a splash into Burchill's back, then a scoop slam. With Burchill down, Boogeyman turned to go get his bag of worms. Burchill grabbed Boogeyman from behind to roll him up for a surprise pinfall.

After the victory, Burchill slid out under the ropes and backed up the ramp. Katie Lea tried to walk around the ring to join him, but Boogeyman was down near the corner and slid out of the ring to cut her off. Katie quickly ran back then into the ring. Boogeyman chased her through the ring with Katie able to escape with Burchill coming to pull her out.

Winner: Paul Burchill wins via pinfall over The Boogeyman.

Grisham and Striker discussed Swagger defeating Finlay at No Way Out, showing slideshow images from the match. Finlay had the advantage as Hornswoggle got on the apron to cheer on Finlay. Swagger shoved Finlay to the ropes causing him to hit into Hornswoggle. As Hornswoggle was knocked off the apron, Swagger took advantage hitting the Gut Wrench Powerbomb on Finlay. Grisham announced that the ECW title match between Christian and Swagger will go down on next week's ECW.

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Tommy Dreamer vs. John Morrison

The Miz accompanied Morrison to ringside for the matchup. Striker and Grisham discussed how Dreamer is winless (0-3) since making his potential retirement announcement. Early in the match, Dreamer clotheslined Morrison over the top rope out to the floor. Dreamer got onto the apron where The Miz distracted him, allowing Morrison to grab Dreamer's arm and yank him down to the floor. Back in the ring, Morrison beat on Dreamer down on the mat.

The Miz started trying to distract again from the outside, so the referee ordered him to head to the back. Dreamer started to take control after a neckbreaker on Morrison. Morrison went for a spin kick off the second rope but Dreamer ducked it. Dreamer delivered an impressive suplex on Morrison, but John got his leg on the rope for the count. Dreamer and Morrison ended up fighting on the corner, where Dreamer shoved Morrison off. As Dreamer jumped, Morrison was on his feet and kicked him in the midsection, then delivered the Moonlight Drive to win it. The Miz returned to ringisde to applaud for his partner's victory.

Winner: John Morrison wins via pinfall over Tommy Dreamer.

Backstage, Finlay and Hornswoggle were clowning around with Hornswoggle practicing his punches at Finlay, then Finlay feeding Hornswoggle some food. Christian walked in as Hornswoggle took off. Christian asked for Finlay to assure him that his son wouldn't be a distraction during their tag match tonight. Finlay said they'd keep up their end of the deal and told Christian to make sure he keeps his end up.

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An Evan Bourne Returns to ECW highlight video package was shown with no date given yet.

Caden Matthews vs. Tyson Kidd

Kidd came to the ring along with WWE Diva Natalya. Kidd used a barrage of impressive kicks to his amateur opponent, including a kick to the back of Matthews' head. Matthews crawled over to rest on the bottom rope, with Kidd jumping over the ropes to legdrop him on the apron. Kidd then did his finisher as he went onto the apron, then did a springboard elbow drop from off the side ropes.

Winner: Tyson Kidd wins via pinfall over Caden Matthews.

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Highlights were shown from Wrestlemania XIV in 1998. The event included the main event match of Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWE title, with Mike Tyson serving as the special enforcer. Austin defeated Michaels to win the WWE Title. After the match, Michaels confronted Tyson for not being on board with their plan, but Tyson ended up punching him down.

In the locker room, Tommy Dreamer was hunched over upset at himself for losing. Someone threw a towel on his shoulder. In walked Ricky Orton who told him he was the first superstar to welcome him to ECW when he came over. Ortiz told Dreamer to "rally up", trying to get him going for future matches.

The new inductees for the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame Class, Terry and Dory Funk, Jr. The Funks will be inducted by The American Dream Dusty Rhodes just one night before Wrestlemania 25.

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Highlights were shown from last week's Christian vs. Jack Swagger match. Christian picked up the win after Finlay hit Swagger in the leg with a shilaleigh.

Finlay & Christian vs. Mark Henry & Jack Swagger

Tony Atlas accompanied Henry to the ring, with Hornswoggle accompanying Finlay to the ring also. Christian and Henry started things off with Henry beating up Christian in the corners. Christian avoided a punch and punched back, angering Henry. Henry responded by throwing Christian up as he came at him off the ropes. Henry then tried to put Christian on his shoulder, with Christian sliding off and then clipping Henry's leg. Finlay tagged in and the two did a double dropkick to take Henry down. Swagger soon tagged in to face Finlay.

Finlay took control as he clotheslined Swagger down then tagged in Christian again. Christian went for the Sunset Flip to pin Swagger with Swagger kicking out. Meanwhile, Finlay had dropped down to the outside to check on Hornswoggle. Christian went over for a tag but Finlay had to climb back up. With Christian giving him a look, Finlay tagged in. ECW headed to a commercial with Finlay vs. Swagger.

ECW returned with Swagger ramming a shoulder into Finlay in the corner. As the ref backed him away, Henry took a swipe at Finlay, who turned to punch him. Swagger hammered Finlay then tossed him to the outside. Outside, Henry clobbered Finlay, then Swagger came out to ram Finlay into the apron. Swagger and Henry continued to doubleteam Finlay, punishing him and keeping him away from a tag. With Henry in control, he came off the ropes for a huge elbow drop. Finlay rolled away and was eventually able to make the tag to Christian. Swagger tagged in as well. The two went at it, with Christian able to knock Swagger to the mat. Christian went to the turnbuckle, fighting off both Mark Henry and Tony Atlas who tried to interfere. Swagger then jumped up to try for a belly to belly suplex, but Christian shoved him down. Christian did a headbutt onto Swagger from off the top rope, but Henry rushed in to break up the pin.

Henry picked up Christian for a move but Hornswoggle got into the ring and began biting Henry's leg causing Henry to drop Christian. The ref ushered Horney out as Finlay snuck in and hit Henry in the head with a shilaleigh shot. Swagger had recovered and kicked Finlay down, then went to grab Christian. As Christian got up, Swagger went for the Gut Wrench Power Bomb but Christian slid out of it. Christian reversed Swagger's finisher into one of his own to pick up the pinfall victory. ECW ended with Jack Swagger in pain laying on the outside with Christian shaking hands with Finlay and Hornswoggle.

Winners: Christian and Finlay win via pinfall over Mark Henry and Jack Swagger.

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ECW Recap 02.03.09

ECW Recap from St. Louis, MO:

ECW on Sci-Fi opened with replay highlights from last week's episode where Jack Swagger asked Teddy Long to help him find his missing ECW title. With Teddy, Jack and Tiffany in the ring, Swagger grabbed the mic and demanded the thief show himself. Finlay emerged from backstage, came down to the ring and pulled out Hornswoggle who had the ECW title. In the ring, Finlay ordered his son to give the title back, but Swagger angrily shoved Hornswoggle down to the mat. Finlay clocked Swagger leaving him layed out to end last week's show.

As the show opened, Matt Striker and Todd Grisham welcomed in fans and announced tonight's main event of Finlay vs. Jack Swagger. Paul Burchill and Katie Lea made their way down to the ring for the opening bout.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Paul Burchill

In a back and forth matchup, Dreamer took control when Burchill charged at him in the corner and missed. Dreamer was able to get a quick slam from the air on Burchill but no pin. From there he hung Burchill upside down in the corner for the Tree of Woe and a running dropkick into Burchill's chest. Dreamer signaled for a finisher, but Burchill yanked his tights and pulled Dreamer into the turnbuckle. Burchill tried a quick rollup with Dreamer kicking out. Tommy then tried to hoist Burchill up on his shoulders, but Burchill elbowed Dreamer in the head and slid off. With Dreamer stunned by the elbow shot, Burchill hit a huge neckbreaker to win it.

Winner: Paul Burchill wins via pinfall over Tommy Dreamer.

Backstage, Raw's Jamie Noble talked to Teddy Long, telling him he came over to save the ECW show now that Matt Hardy left for Smackdown. Jamie said he'd lend his quality services to the show if Teddy was for it. Teddy gave him the go ahead and told him to keep on pushing. Striker and Grisham discussed Noble's potential in ECW just as Miz and Morrison came out from backstage. Tommy Dreamer was still trying to get up in the ring from his loss to Burchill.

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ECW returned with The Miz and Morrison in the ring with mics talking to Tommy Dreamer. Dreamer was down on one knee in the corner as Morrison insulted him for being overweight and washed up. Miz told Morrison he didn't want to make Dreamer cry again about how ECW is his life. Dreamer got up and walked up to both men, who continued to insult him and his career. Miz said the only people who want to see Dreamer left in ECW are his wife and kids. Dreamer became upset and pounced on Miz to attack, but Morrison jumped Dreamer from behind. The two began to beat up Dreamer with Miz eventually hitting The Reality Check to leave Dreamer laying on the mat. Morrison and Miz posed with their belts and Slammy trophies on the ring corners.

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Jamie Noble vs. Boogeyman

To his surprise, Noble had his ECW debut match against one of its strangest wrestlers, The Boogeyman. Noble went on the offensive to start it off, but Boogeyman was soon in control using power moves such as pressing Noble overhead to toss him into the ring. As Boogeyman tried to get in the ring, Noble took advantage and started kicking at him, then went to the corner for a elbow to Boogeyman's head. Noble put a headlock on Boogeyman, but Boogey used his strength to stand up and drop Noble. Boogeyman delivered chops, headbutts and clotheslines to Noble repeatedly. Boogeyman did a huge splash on Noble's back in the corner, then delivered his finisher to win it.

Boogeyman went to the corner to get his sack of worms. As he came towards Noble with a fistful of the worms, Noble quickly scurried out under the bottom rope. Boogeyman chomped down on the worms and smiled out at Noble who quickly backed up the ramp in fright.

Winner: The Boogeyman wins via pinfall over Jamie Noble.

Finlay and Hornswoggle were shown in the locker room doing calisthenics in preparation for the main event match.

Wrestlemania 25 promo video showed highlights from Wrestlemania 2 which was held in three different venues: Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. It featured Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan defending the WWF Title in a Steel Cage against King Kong Bundy.

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ECW returned to show highlights of last night's Raw. Shane McMahon announced that he will be fighting Randy Orton at No Way Out in a No Holds Barred Match. Shane vowed to make sure Orton's unable to compete at Wrestlemania 25. Orton told Shane he can do whatever he wants to do without consequences when they fight, and that Shane should call for a hospital bed next to his dad. Legacy tried to ambush Shane in the ring, with Shane fighting them off with a Kendo stick. Later in the evening, Shane and Stephanie were walking in a hall backstage when Legacy jumped them. Shane was knocked into Stephanie who hit into a door and fell to the pavement. Orton was about to Punt Kick Shane, then noticed Steph was also down and turned his focus to go Punt kick her. Shane jumped in the way just in time, to receive a kick to his back, saving Steph. Later on, Steph told Kane he could be in the Elimination Chamber, since he called Undertaker to come wrestler Randy Orton next week.

Todd Grisham announced that "Hunt You Down" by Saliva is the official No Way Out theme song. Grisham and Striker ran down the card for No Way Out including Shane vs. Orton, Michaels vs. JBL and the two Elimination Chambers.

Todd Grisham interviewed Jack Swagger who was in the locker room, asking him about his motivation for tonight's match against Finlay. Swagger said he doesn't need any motivation and plans to humiliate Finlay tonight, while his Ogre son will realize he'll never get close to the ECW title again.

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Finlay vs. Jack Swagger

In a non-title match, Swagger took on Finlay after last week's ECW title-stealing incident. Finlay took control in the match, using an assortment of his brawling moves. Finlay kept Swagger down for some time in a Camel Clutch submission, then whipped him to the corner for more of an assault. Swagger managed to reverse the whip, tossing Finlay to the corner hard. Finlay seemed to be grimacing following the move and went to the outside to recover. Swagger followed him out to attack him even more and bring him back to the inside. In the ring, Swagger used several moves including a backwards slam onto the mat and then a bodyscissor to wrap his legs around Finlay's torso.

Finlay tried to take control of things but Swagger responded with a huge boot to Finlay. Hornswoggle emerged from under the ring to distract Swagger, allowing Finlay to get the best of him, tossing Swagger to the outside. As Finlay came out to attack him, Swagger turned the tide again and shoved Finlay into the ringpost. Swagger then went over and took Finlay's shilaleigh, then tossed it way up the ramp. Swagger got onto the ramp with Finlay in the ring. As Finlay tried for a suplex, Swagger countered and yanked Finlay down against the ropes, causing Finlay to fall back in the ring.

With the ref's attention turned towards Finlay in the ring, Hornswoggle snuck out from under the ring where Swagger was on the apron. Swagger got one leg in the ring, but Hornswoggle revealed he had a bigger shilaleigh. Horney struck Swagger in the ankle with the shilaleigh causing Swagger to start holding his ankle in pain. Finlay took advantage and was able to hoist Swagger up and hit The Celtic Cross to win it. Finlay gives Swagger his first official loss since joining ECW!

Winner: Finlay wins via pinfall over Jack Swagger.

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ECW Recap 01.20.09

ECW Recap from Chicago, IL:

ECW opened with a highlight reel of the All-American American, Jack Swagger. The video showed Swagger's rise to fame in ECW and his eventual match against Matt Hardy for the ECW title. Swagger who was undefeated heading into the title match was able to defeat Hardy after dropping Matt face first into an exposed turnbuckle and become new ECW champ.

Todd Grisham introduced former ECW champion Matt Hardy. Matt arrived down to the ring in street clothes with the fans on their feet. Todd interviewed Matt regarding this past week's Smackdown where Jeff Hardy was hit in the face by his own pyro display at the top of the ramp. Matt informed fans that Jeff's at home in recovery and that he went into shock and has 1st Degree Burns as well. Todd asked if this was just another coincidence. Matt told him they know very well this isn't just another accident and that's all he's going to say. Grisham asked about Jack Swagger, and Matt said he's better than he originally thought he was. As Matt continued speaking, the new champ came out from backstage wearing a black suit and carrying the ECW belt.

Swagger was cocky as ever getting in the ring and hoisting up his title for the fans. Swagger on the mic told Matt that after this weekend Matt's brother won't be the only thing that went up in flames. Matt took exception and clocked Swagger in the face, then attacked him. The fight spilled outside the ring. Swagger got tackled by Matt on the ramp before security held Matt back. Swagger took the opportunity to cheap shot Matt and punched him as security was holding him.

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Adam Evans vs. Ricky Ortiz

Ortiz manhandled Evans early with powerful headbutts, slams and whipping him to the corner hard. During the match, Grisham noted that ECW assistant Tiffany has been "making eyes at Ortiz". Ortiz came off the ropes twice with huge elbow drops on Evans. After a powerful slam/toss of Evans to the mat, Ortiz got in a football stance and charged right at Evans to knock him down hard. Ortiz followed up with "The Big O" splash onto Evans for the pinfall victory.

Ortiz took the microphone after his win and thanked Chicago for its support, then told them to "rally up!".

Winner: Ricky Ortiz wins via pinfall over Adam Evans.

Todd Grisham and Matt Striker discussed the ultimatum Tommy Dreamer gave himself on last week's show. Footage was shown of Dreamer speaking to the fans that he needs to prove he can become ECW champ again by June 6, 2009, which is when his contract expires. Dreamer says if he can't become champ he will retire.

Backstage, Tommy Dreamer met with Teddy Long and Tiffany regarding his words last week. Tommy told Teddy he has to prove he still has what it takes to compete at the level he has previously competed at. Just then, Paul Burchill came barging into the office and told Tommy to excuse him because "some of us have careers worth saving". Burchill demanded a match with DJ Gabriel, but Teddy Long said it doesn't work that way. Teddy told him he'd face an opponent he chose and to head out to the ring for his match now.

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The Boogeyman vs. Paul Burchill

Paul and Katie Lea anxiously watched the ramp to see who Burchill would face, but were dismayed when it was The Boogeyman. Despite a froth coming out of Boogeyman's mouth, Paul Burchill attacked right as the bell sounded, ramming him in the corner. Boogeyman tried to attack but it was brief and Burchill was back in control. Burchill tried to use a chinlock to keep Boogeyman down, but Boogeyman powered out of it and began to attack. Boogeyman sent Burchill to the corner and then splashed onto his back. As Boogeyman set up for a quick finisher, Katie Lea slid into the ring and kicked him in the leg, causing the DQ.

Boogeyman clotheslined Burchill out of the ring then turned to go after Katie Lea. Katie Lea quickly exited the ring and tried to run up the ramp but fell. Boogeyman chased her outside and dragged her back in the ring. As Boogeyman picked up a handful of worms and went towards her, Paul Burchill saved his sister pulling her out of the ring.

Winner: The Boogeyman wins due to disqualification when Katie Lea interfered in the match.

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Highlights were shown from last night's Raw featuring the return of Mr. McMahon. Chris Jericho was allowed to state his case regarding being fired by Stephanie. Stephanie forced Jericho to publicly apologize to her and then the fans, by getting down on his knees in the ring. After Jericho was reinstated and left, Randy Orton arrived down to the ring to demand Stephanie apologize for slapping him earlier. After insulting Steph, she tried to hit Orton again, but Vince held her back. Vince sent Stephanie backstage then began to berate Orton for what he said about his daughter. Mr. McMahon demanded that Orton apologize, but Orton refused. Before Mr. McMahon could fire Orton, Orton punched him down, kicked him and then delivered a Punt Kick to his head. Vince was taken out of the ring on a stretcher with a crying Stephanie accompanying him.

Matt Striker and Todd Grisham ran down the lineup for the 2009 Royal Rumble including Cena putting the World Heavyweight Title on the line vs. JBL with Shawn Michaels in his corner, and Jeff Hardy defending the WWE Title against Edge. ECW Champ Jack Swagger also defends against former champ Matt Hardy.

Royal Rumble by the Numbers was shown. Since 1998, 598 wrestlers have entered the Rumble but lost. Stone Cold Austin has eliminated a total of 36 wrestlers throughout his Rumble appearances while Kane has eliminated the most men in a single Royal Rumble Match with 11. As for entry position, #1 and #30 have produced the same amount of winners, but #27 has produced the most winners of the Rumble, four.

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Finlay vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison vs. Mark Henry
Fatal Fourway Match

Hornswoggle accompanied his father Finlay to the ring and was full of energy. Tony Atlas was also at ringside to manage Mark Henry.

Early on, Mark Henry commanded Miz and Morrison to attack Finlay. Finlay escaped when Morrison tried to rush at him in the corner. Finlay got Morrison onto his shoulders then tossed him out of the ring. Unfortunately Finlay's fight didn't last long as he was again overpowered by the heels including Mark Henry.

When ECW returned from a commercial, Miz and Morrison were doubleteaming Mark Henry, before Morrison dropkicked Finlay out of the ring. Finlay was back in after Mark Henry was able to fight off Miz and Morrison. Finlay used his shilaleigh but the ref didn't call for the DQ. Miz and Morrison continued working together in the match, breaking up pins and dropkicking Mark Henry under the bottom rope.

Mark Henry left the match and headed up the ramp. Meanwhile in the ring Finlay countered a doubleteam from Miz and Morrison by hitting a double Bulldog. Hornswoggle climbed onto the corner for a Tadpole Frogsplash on Morrison. Morrison was briefly out of the ring allowing Finlay to hit the Celtic Cross on Miz. Before Finlay could grab the pin, Morrison was back in and kicked him off. Morrison stole the pinfall on Miz to win the match. Miz called out Morrison in the ring as ECW left the air.

Winner: John Morrison wins via pinfall over The Miz to win the Fatal Fourway.

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ECW Recap 01.13.09

ECW Recap from Sioux City, IA:

ECW opened with a promo video to hype the Jack Swagger versus Matt Hardy ECW Title match on the show. Last week, GM Theodore Long told Swagger he could have his title match. Swagger told Teddy he'd be the new champ and new face of ECW.

Alicia Fox and DJ Gabriel were already in the ring dancing as ECW kicked off the show. Paul Burchill and his sister Katie Lea headed to the ring next for a mixed tag team match.

DJ Gabriel & Alicia Fox vs. Paul Burchill & Katie Lea
Mixed Tag Team Match

Early on the two divas knocked heads, prompting Alicia Fox to crawl over for a tag. Burchill charged into the ring and immediately delivered a double knee to Gabriel, then began beating him around the ring. Burchill continued to punish Gabriel, but Gabriel was able to reverse Burchill's attempt to whip him to the ropes. Gabriel slid under Burchill's legs then got back up to backdrop Burchill. As Gabriel made the cover, Katie Lea entered the ring to kick Gabriel off. Alicia Fox rushed into the ring and jumped up on Katie from behind. The two WWE Divas toppled outside of the ring. Meanwhile, DJ Gabriel managed to climb the corner turnbuckle and jumped off to hit Burchill with a flying European uppercut to get the winning pinfall.

Winners: DJ Gabriel and Alicia Fox win via pinfall over Paul Burchill & Katie Lea.

Todd Grisham introduced footage to announce that Stone Cold Steve Austin will be inducted into the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame Class, April 4, 2009 in Houston, Texas. Highlights from Austin's career were shown including his battles with the likes of The Rock, Bret Hart, Kurt Angle and Vince McMahon.

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Tommy Dreamer arrived down to the ring dressed in a suit and tie. Dreamer grabbed a mic and spoke to the fans about being able to entertain wrestling fans for 19 years. An emotional Dreamer said he has an amazing bond with the fans, and that people say he's the heart and soul of ECW. Dreamer acknowledged his friends, wife and daughters as making it all worthwhile. Dreamer said he came to the point in his life when he had to reflect deep inside himself, and doesn't think he's the same man he used to be.

Dreamer announced he doesn't feel he has what it takes to compete with the younger talent any more. Dreamer says his WWE contract expires June 2009, and that gives him 5 months to prove himself. Dreamer says he's been training harder than ever to achieve one goal: win the ECW title. Dreamer says if he doesn't win the title in the next 5 months, he'll leave ECW.

Highlight video was shown of the undefeated superstar, Jack Swagger.

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Backstage, Ricky Ortiz was shown with a smitten Tiffany. Ortiz took both of Tiffany's hands in his, then moved in close about to kiss her. Just then a loud noise sounded out and Hornswoggle was shown running around them, laughing maniacally. Hornswoggle ran off with Tiffany looking upset. Finlay came rushing in chasing after his son.

Sammy Savard vs. The Boogeyman

Boogeyman reacted to Savard's early attack by strutting around dancing. Boogeyman then worked on Savard in the various corners of the ring, tossing him around and splashing onto his back. As Savard stood up, Boogeyman picked him up on one shoulder and slammed him down for the quick pinfall victory. After the bell, Boogeyman grabbed a handful of worms from his bag, put them in his mouth and drooled them onto Savard's face and mouth.

Winner: The Boogeyman wins via pinfall over Sammy Savard.

Smackdown Rewind was shown with highlight footage of the 1/09/09 police videotape showing Jeff Hardy and Beth talking to a police officer after they were involved in a hit and run car accident. Jeff later said he was lucky not to be seriously hurt and plans to still defend his WWE Title at the Royal Rumble.

Todd Grisham and Matt Striker spoke to Matt Hardy who was live backstage. They asked how the Jeff accident situation will affect him in tonight's match with Swagger. Matt said he won't use it as an excuse to not perform his best tonight. Hardy said Swagger's accomplished a lot, except defeating him. Hardy said he's one thing that Swagger isn't: the ECW Champion.

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Promotional highlight video was shown of Mr. McMahon firing various individuals on Raw. Vince returns to Raw this coming Monday.

Jack Swagger vs. Matt Hardy
ECW Title Match

Both men gave their all in this contest, which was a true back and forth affair. As the match wore on, Swagger missed on an elbow drop. Hardy began to punch away but Swagger blocked him then delivered a huge boot. Hardy kicked out of a pinfall attempt and ECW went to commercial.

As ECW returned, Swagger had Matt down in the ring holding him in an armlock. Swagger whipped Hardy to the ropes, but Hardy made a comeback and was able to knock Swagger down. Hardy climbed the corner but Swagger ran over to punch him then climbed up to Superplex Hardy off the corner. Swagger continued to work on Hardy's arm. The two ended up in the ring corner yet again with Swagger sitting Matt up on the turnbuckle. Swagger climbed up to attempt another Suplerplex, but Hardy fought him off, flipped underneath Swagger and was able to Powerbomb him to the mat. In the process, Swagger ripped off the turnbuckle cover and tossed it out of the ring. Matt barely got the 3 count afterwards, with Swagger escaping it.

Swagger seemed to counter a Twist of Fate and slammed Matt down, but couldn't score the pinfall. Hardy countered a Swagger move and hit a Side Russian Leg Sweep. Swagger tried to counter Matt's Bulldog attempt from the corner by shoving him to the ropes, but Matt came back with a Side Effect and yet another near pinfall. Swagger went for a quick pin attempt pulling Matt's tights up. After that Swagger did a Splash from off the corner, but again failed to get the pinfall.

Swagger charged at Hardy in the corner with Hardy giving an elbow to counter. As Swagger fell back, Matt climbed the corner backwards for a flip. Swagger got up and put Hardy on his shoulders then walked over to the exposed turnbuckle, dropping Matt face first into the steel. Matt was out of it, allowing Swagger to grab him and hit the Gut Wrench Powerbomb for the pinfall victory.

Winner: Jack Swagger wins via pinfall over Matt Hardy to become new ECW Champion.

As ECW was ending, Swagger headed up the ramp cockily displaying his ECW title to the fans. Matt Striker said the face of ECW has now changed with an arrogant young and undefeated champion.

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ECW Recap 01.06.09

ECW Recap from New Orleans, LA:

Todd Grisham and Matt Striker introduced the show including the main event of Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry. Jack Swagger's theme music hit and Swagger made his way down to the ring.

Finlay vs. Jack Swagger

Matt Striker noted that the cocky young Swagger is undefeated and the #1 Contender for Matt Hardy's ECW title.

Early on in the match, both men used a variety of wrestling holds to try to gain the advantage. Swagger tricked Finlay on the strength test with a hand out then kicked him in the gut to gain control. Swagger locked in a headlock on Finlay down on the mat. At one point in the match, Finlay clotheslined Swagger out of the ring. Hornswoggle then got up on the apron and jumped onto Swagger landing in a pile. Swagger was back up and grabbed Hornswoggle then tossed him face first into the crowd barrier. Finlay saw what happened and came out to attack Swagger, leaving him layed out as ECW took a break.

When ECW returned, Swagger had control of the match with Finlay down in an armlock. The two got up, but Swagger pushed Finlay into the corner and continued working on Finlay's left arm. Finlay rolled out of the ring to recover, but Swagger tried to come out at him. Finlay fought back and rolled Swagger into the ring, but as Finlay got in, Swagger leveled him. After Swagger eventually missed on a leg drop, Finlay turned the tide of the match. After ramming into Swagger in the corner, Finlay hoisted Swagger up on his shoulders and rolled to slam him on the mat. Both men had several pinfall attempts with no success, as the match wore on. Finlay began to pummel Swagger when he fell into the corner, but the ref pulled Finlay away. As Swagger got up he quickly kneed Finlay in the face, then hit the Gut Wrench Powerbomb to win.

Winner: Jack Swagger wins via pinfall over Finlay.

DJ Gabriel and Alicia Fox were shown boogying backstage en route to the ring. Alicia was in wrestling gear and Grisham noted she'll be in action against Katie Lea Burchill in a WWE Divas match next.

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Backstage, Jack Swagger burst in to talk to ECW GM Theodore Long who was with his assistant Tiffany. Swagger kept interrupting Teddy as he tried to tell him something. Swagger noted he's beaten Finlay and Ricky Ortiz and is still #1 Contender so he demanded to know when he gets a title match. Teddy told him they decided next week Swagger will face Hardy for the title. Swagger was all smiles and told them next week they'd have a new champ and new face for the ECW franchise.

Alicia Fox vs. Katie Lea Burchill

Paul Burchill was at ringside for Katie Lea, while DJ Gabriel accompanied Alicia Fox to the ring doing their disco routine down the ramp.

Katie took the upperhand right off the bat as she clocked Alicia. Alicia displayed an impressive comeback though using a flip move off the ropes to toss Katie Lea across the ring. At one point Fox was on the apron and punched Katie in the face. Paul Burchill came around the side distracting Alicia, which allowed Katie to kick Alicia off the apron. Katie attacked Alicia outside the ring then brought her back in for the fight. Alicia once again gained momentum and used a kick to the back of Katie's head followed by a pin attempt. As Alicia got up and walked towards Katie, Katie yanked Alicia's tights causing her to hit her chin on the middle rope. From there, Katie Lea dropped Alicia to the mat and pinned her for the win.

Winner: Katie Lea Burchill wins via pinfall over Alicia Fox.

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Highlight footage was shown from last night's Raw where Chris Jericho and Randy Orton demanded that JBL's #1 Contender status be removed and Shawn Michaels be banned from title contention forever. The duo claimed that JBL and Michaels were working together in the Fatal Fourway instead of every man for himself. Stephanie McMahon arrived to let them know JBL will keep his #1 Contender spot and face Cena at the Rumble. Steph also scheduled Shawn Michaels to be Cena's tag team partner against Chris Jericho and Randy Orton later on, to test HBK's integrity. In the main event match, Shawn Michaels used a pair of Superkicks to level Jericho and Orton and made the pinfall. Backstage, JBL was interviewed by Todd Grisham. JBL informed him that he talked to Stephanie McMahon earlier and she scheduled Shawn Michaels to face John Cena next week. JBL added he'll be in Michaels' corner.

Brett Barnes vs. The Boogeyman

Barnes made his first appearance wrestling in WWE against The Boogeyman. Early on Boogeyman leveled the newcomer several times, then yanked him by the legs from the ropes to drop him to the mat. Boogeyman whipped Barnes hard to the corner, then leveled him with two vicious clotheslines. After leaping into Barnes with his elbow in the corner, The Boogeyman picked up Barnes and slammed him hard to the mat for the pinfall. Afterwards, Boogeyman retrieved his bag of worms, pulled out a handful and ate them, before drooling some into Barnes' mouth.

Winner: The Boogeyman wins via pinfall over Matt Barnes.

Matt Hardy and Mark Henry were shown walking backstage en route to the ring for their main event matchup.

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When ECW returned they showed behind the scenes footage from Mr. Kennedy's DVD movie release, Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia.

Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy

Highlights were shown from last week when Hardy faced Henry but Jack Swagger came down to interfere, laying out Matt. Matt Hardy made his entrance first. Henry came to the ring next with Tony Atlas.

Hardy came out punching away at Henry as the bell sounded, but Henry shoved him down then to the corner. Hardy went for a right hand punch, but Henry countered and tossed him down. Henry began to headbutt and kick Matt around. Henry continued displaying his power and knocked Matt to the outside. When Henry went out he pressed Matt above his head, but Matt slid off and shoved Henry into the steel steps. Hardy took control in the ring, focusing on Henry's left knee. Matt went for a Side Effect, but Henry elbowed out of it then regained control of things.

After a commercial break, Henry continued to use his power while Matt tried to take out his leg. At one point, Henry rushed at Matt in the corner, but Matt avoided him and delivered the Bulldog from the corner. Henry countered Matt's Twist of Fate attempt by lifting him over his back to drop him to the mat. After Henry missed on a huge splash attempt off the ropes, Hardy hit his Twist of Fate out of nowhere to capture the victory!

Winner: Matt Hardy wins via pinfall over Mark Henry.

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ECW Recap 12.30.08

ECW Recap from Manchester, NH:

ECW opened with The Miz and John Morrison in the ring to present a special-edition of The Dirt Sheet to end 2008. Miz and Morrison joked that they bought everyone new cars, but instead said they were giving them The Dirt Sheet which was named Best Talk Show of 2008. Miz and Morrison listed out their New Year's resolutions with both men saying they would win the Royal Rumble. Then the two superstars made fun of various superstars by listing out various prank items they wished for in the New Year.

As they made fun of Finlay and Hornswoggle, the duo rushed down to the ring. Hornswoggle screamed into the mic and Finlay translated as he hit Morrison in the face. Miz gained an upperhand on Finlay and both men started to attack. Hornswoggle rushed out of the ring and then underneath it. Miz and Morrison went out and lifted the apron cover to find him, but instead Boogeyman's music came on. The Boogeyman came out from under the ring and chased both men out.

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Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy

Tony Atlas accompanied Henry to the ring and then Hardy came out to the roar of the crowd. Matt offered a hand for a test of strength early on but then punched Henry in the face instead. Matt used a barrage of right hands then ran against the ropes into a Mark Henry boot. Henry started to take control from here, using his power on Matt, including a headbutt. Matt tried to mount offense but ran into Mark Henry and was knocked to the mat. Henry used a chin/headlock to try to wear him down more. Henry was able to send Matt to the corner and did a seated Splash on him off the bottom rope. Matt managed to get a leg on the ropes to prevent the pinfall.

After a commercial, Henry continued his dominance of the match, until he tried to sit splash Matt in the ring. Matt avoided it and started building up the offense, eventually hitting a Side Effect. Matt signaled for Twist of Fate, but Tony Atlas was up on the apron to distract him. Matt turned and clocked Atlas, knocking him off. Henry had recovered and tried for a clothesline, but Matt ducked him and kicked him in the gut. Matt went for Twist of Fate, but Henry shoved him away. All of a sudden, Jack Swagger had entered the ring and grabbed Hardy for the Gut Wrench Powerbomb. Mark Henry stared down Swagger as Swagger kept smiling and backed out of the ring and up the ramp.

Winner: Matt Hardy wins due to disqualification of Mark Henry when Jack Swagger interfered.

---

DJ Gabriel vs. Paul Burchill

Katie Lea accompanied her brother to the ring for his debut appearance on ECW. Gabriel emerged onto the ramp with Alicia Fox and they danced down to and inside the ring with Katie and Burchill watching.

Burchill gained the advantage as he shoved Gabriel down and then began to maul him in the corner and center of the ring. Burchill continued to wear down the new superstar with a headlock, but Gabriel used his power to stand up and chop out of it. Burchill knocked him down again and continued to beat on him. Gabriel fought back again, but Burchill responded with a suplex to bring him back to the mat. Gabriel again began to try to gain some momentum but Burchill shoved him to the ropes. As Gabriel bounced off the ropes Burchill hit him down from behind. Gabriel then countered a Burchill slam attempt by putting him on one shoulder and dropping to the mat.

From there Gabriel went to the turnbuckle for his finisher, but Burchill went over and yanked his leg to drop DJ to the mat. Burchill tried to stand up Gabriel for a DDT, but Gabriel was quick to counter it and rolled onto Burchill, holding his legs for a pinfall victory. Gabriel rolled out of the ring holding his head still and Alicia Fox slid over to congratulate him. Fox danced by Gabriel's side as they headed up the ramp and Katie Lea and her brother scowled at them from the ring.

Winner: DJ Gabriel wins via pinfall over Paul Burchill.

---

ECW returned with behind the scenes footage and interviews to promote Mr. Kennedy's upcoming DVD Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia. The DVD arrives next Tuesday, January 6, 2009.

Backstage, Boogeyman was shown feasting on worms and laughing maniacally. All of a sudden, Hornswoggle was there and began angrily running circles around Boogeyman before rushing out. Boogeyman laughed and began mumbling incoherently about Leprechauns, then sang some of the Smurfs theme song before chomping down on a worm.

Raw Rebound covered the employer-employee relationship of JBL and Shawn Michaels which included last night's Fatal Fourway match. Michaels was able to deliver a Superkick to eliminate Randy Orton which left just him and JBL in the ring. JBL ordered his employee to simply lay down for the pin. HBK wouldn't do it, but after several minutes Michaels prepared himself for a JBL clothesline. JBL leveled him then took the pinfall to become #1 Contender for Cena's World Heavyweight title.

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Finlay & The Boogeyman vs. John Morrison & The Miz
No DQ Match

During the early part of this match, Miz and Morrison were dropped to the mat and Hornswoggle came in the ring to help Finlay sit splash them. As Miz and Morrison rolled to the outside, Boogeyman hit them with a double clothesline. Boogeyman crawled under the ring, and eventually went to the other side to yank Miz' leg. Boogeyman began to pull Miz under the ring but Morrison ran over to help him. Horney leapt off the side apron and crashed onto both men. As Finlay came onto the side apron, Morrison was able to get up and run over to clip his leg. Miz took control of Finlay inside the ring. The heel team began to keep Finlay away from a tag and worked to wear him down.

Morrison had the pinfall on Finlay, but Boogeyman rushed in and kicked him to break it up, then rushed over to knock Miz off the apron. Finlay was back up and ducked a Morrison clothesline, then knocked him to the mat with repeated clotheslines. Miz entered the ring, but Finlay was able to clothesline him over the top rope. Unfortunately, as Finlay was turned to send Miz out of the ring, Morrison took advantage by grabbing him and rolling him up for a pin. Boogeyman attacked Morrison outside the ring and shoved him back in. Morrison stood up to look out at Boogeyman, but Finlay grabbed him from behind and hit the Celtic Cross. Miz was able to pull Morrison out safely and the duo backed up the ramp as Boogeyman and Finlay stared at them.

Finlay went to the audience and brought 3 kids in the ring to join in a dance with Hornswoggle and himself as ECW closed out the year.

Winners: The Miz & John Morrison win via pinfall over The Boogeyman & Finlay.

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Raw's New Jackass Angle

Last night's Raw had a pause in the wrestling action to bring a few Jackasses out of the audience into the ring. They were of course Johnny Knoxville and his pal Chris from the Jackass show. The two were there per The Great Khali's invite, and references to Khali's size were once again made in jest. Later, Santino Marella invited Knoxville into the ring, and Beth Phoenix slapped and slammed the Jackass star. From there, Big Dick Johnson, Hornswoggle, Boogeyman and finally, The Great Khali all made an appearance. By the time the action was over, Knoxville received a Tadpole Splash, a running powerslam from The Glamazon, and his pal Chris got to eat worms with Boogeyman.

It's possible Knoxville and Khali are building up to a Cyber Sunday contest or even Survivor Series. Hopefully it goes down on Raw, because these are the sort of antics the WWE needs to distance itself from. While entertaining and humorous if you're in the audience, it's better to have wrestlers facing wrestlers. The Jackass stars were supposed to be a big part of Summerslam last year, but pulled out due to the dark cloud hanging over WWE, as well as for other rumored reasons.

As for Khali, it's hard to figure out what direction WWE is trying to take with his character. One moment he's the huge, unstoppable wrestler, competing for Triple H's title or John Cena's former title. The next moment he's used in slapstick skits and Kiss Me Cam presentations. One moment he's shown defeating 3 amateur opponents and the next he's being mocked by Charlie Haas. Khali needs a new role and a new opponent, and a Jackass won't do the trick.

Meanwhile, WWE's move to MyNetworkTV with Smackdown has been a success in its two weeks so far. Even though there have been complaints of having to order the new channel in a different cable package, the channel scored a viewership record this past Friday.

According to BroadcastCable.com:

The wrestling show, which move to the network this season from The CW, recorded a 2.1 household rating and almost 3.5 million people, the biggest-ever audience for the network, beating the week-old record of a 1.9 rating and 3.2 million people for the first WWE outing the previous Friday.

Will Mysterio "Face" the Fans at No Mercy?

(Will Mysterio be unmasked this Sunday?)

An interesting stipulation was added to the No Mercy grudge match between WWE Superstars Kane and Rey Mysterio. Should Rey Mysterio lose this match, Mysterio will have to "de-mask" in the ring, showing his face worldwide to the fans. Rey is the only remaining superstar who wears some sort of mask or face paint. ECW's the Boogeyman has been MIA for weeks, even though his mugshot still appears on the ECW intro video. Boogeyman didn't actually wear a mask in the ring, just enough face paint to serve as one. The Big Red Machine, Kane, was well known as a masked man at one time, but ditched it to face the fans and reality. And with No Mercy approaching the speculation grows whether Mysterio will be the final superstar to lose his symbolic mask.

When Rey signed his contract with the WWE in 2002, Vince McMahon requested that Mysterio wear his mask for matches once again. In Mexico, a wrestler could be fined or even have their license suspended in Lucha Libre by the Box y Lucha Commission for this; there, once a wrestler loses his mask, they cannot traditionally regain it. (info source: Wikipedia.org) Rey, who started wrestling at just age 14 in Mexico, still has a babyface, making him appear much younger than he actually is at age 33, and he's always been beloved by fans. So it's doubtful he'll be put into any WWE horror films, like Glenn Jacobs aka "Kane" has been. (See No Evil)

If Kane wins at No Mercy, the mask removal won't be anything new for Mysterio. Rey's been unmasked for interviews before, such as this Unmasked Mysterio interview on video at YouTube from a while ago. He also removed his mask in the ring once before, but that was in the days when WCW was its own wrestling organization. The WCW match occurred at Superbrawl IX, where Mysterio fought in a "Hair vs. Mask" stipulation. His tag team partner was Konan and they took on "The Outsiders", Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. When Mysterio and Konan were defeated, Mysterio finally removed his mask in the ring in front of fans. According to Wikipedia, Rey phoned his uncle afterwards to express disappointment in removing his mask, a symbol of culture and his luchador wrestling status.

See Rey UNMASKED in WCW Match, SuperBrawl IX!

Many speculate Kane has nothing to really lose in this match. Judging by the carnage Kane has unleashed on Mysterio and Evan Bourne in weeks past, it seems in Rey's favor to pull off some sort of win at No Mercy, so he won't have to pull off the mask.

Why ECW Needs the Draft

The ECW last night provided a great main event with CM Punk battling the ECW champion Kane. The two gave it their all, with Punk withstanding a lot of vicious attacks from Kane. It's unfortunate though, because once Big Show became injured at One Night Stand, it left very little ability for the WWE to hype his match against Kane. It also meant they had to find someone else to attack Kane after his victory over Punk. Last night saw John Morrison and CM Punk come down to attack Kane post-match, and we've seen them do this several times before. This may set up yet another tag contest between Miz & Morrison vs. Kane & Punk. It also continues Punk's puzzling losses. He's in the doghouse from what many say, but when he's holding onto a Money in the Bank briefcase, you want him to be a victorious wrestler, and not just have fan popularity. Otherwise, the MITB match at Wrestlemania starts to lose its credibility, as does Punk as a champion. But more importantly, it seems that week after week on the ECW show, there's very few wrestlers available for matches.

For example, Shelton Benjamin has seemingly been on a roll and in a good feud with Kofi Kingston lately. However, last night Shelton was given Matt Sydall, an amateur wrestler who's rarely been on ECW, if ever. Teddy Long should have continued the "bring over guys from Smackdown concept" and had a name like Funaki on hand, as he's at least known as somewhat of a competitor. The WWE tag champs should also be defending their titles, rather than being forced into the ECW title picture somehow. But there's not many other wrestlers available for a tag division on ECW. So it's either amateur wrestlers in the matches, or a rotation of familiar faces. Miz hitting a Reality Check on Kane was most likely supposed to be Big Show delivering a massive chokeslam, but Show's at home recovering.

Teddy Long's addition as General Manager may be a sign of good things to come for the show. The other good news is there's a WWE draft on Raw in just a few weeks, and that could really help ECW out. While many fans are wishing that commentator Mike Adamle is somehow traded to TNA, there's also hope for the ECW roster to get a boost. Many remember that the biggest name to head over to ECW last year has now been erased from WWE's history books. They also received the Boogeyman, who's been MIA from WWE for a while now. This year, ECW could stand to gain a couple more top notch talents, and probably a few divas. It seems guys like Santino Marella, Chuck Palumbo, Kenny Dykstra, Cody Rhodes and "Hardcore" Holly are just a few names that could be brought over to make things fresher for the ECW. Otherwise, we will continue to be force fed rotating matches involving Mike Knox, Elijah Burke and Armando Estrada while the brand does a downward spiral.

ECW Recap 10.02.07

ECW Recap from Dayton, Ohio:

ECW opened with WWE chairman Vince McMahon arriving to the ring. Vince said he had bad news that John Cena has a completely torn right pectoral muscle and needed immediate surgery. Mr. McMahon had footage shown of how Cena suffered the injury during his match with Mr. Kennedy and then afterwards when Randy Orton came down to the ring and attacked him. Mr. McMahon said due to the injury Cena will be out of action from 6 months to a year. Vince said John Cena is no longer the WWE champ now. Vince said the championship is vacant and it will be decided at No Mercy this Sunday.

Tazz and Styles spoke briefly about the chairman's major announcement and then the main event tonight, Tommy Dreamer vs. Elijah Burke with the winner getting a title shot at CM Punk this Sunday.

CM Punk came down to the ring and spoke to the crowd, telling him there's just 5 days until No Mercy and he should be more focused on who his opponent might be. Punk said the past week just one thing's been on his mind. Punk had footage shown on the Titantron of the beatdown he received last week at the hands of Big Daddy V. Punk said he has his mind on what happened now and started to talk about Big Daddy V. Just then Matt Striker and Big Daddy V appeared up on the Titantron. Striker told Punk that V wants the ECW championship and will pay no mind to Punk until he has that opportunity. Striker wished Punk luck with his upcoming match, right now. Just then Mike Knox came down to the ring.

CM Punk vs. Mike Knox

Knox and Punk grappled early with Punk ramming into Knox after grabbing his arm. Punk forced Knox down to the mat holding his arm behind his back. Knox managed to get up and force Punk back to the corner of the ring, where the ref broke them apart. Knox began to take control as he whipped Punk to one corner of the ring, then knocked him down to the mat. Knox twisted Punk's arm behind his back to keep him down. Punk managed to get to his feet finally, but Knox slammed him right down. Punk finally managed to dropkick Knox through the ropes knocking him back to the commentator table. Punk then flew over the top rope landing on Knox, as ECW went to commercial.

ECW returned with Knox putting Punk on his shoulders then dropping him down on the top rope. Knox continued to dominate, snapping Punk down against the top ropes again, then putting Punk into a headlock down on the mat. Knox continued to keep Punk down, but Punk got to his feet and managed to roll up Knox for a quick pin. Knox escaped then clotheslined Punk down to the mat. Knox continued to try to keep Punk down.

Punk finally escaped and started to build momentum using several kicks to Knox and then whipped him to the ropes for a dropkick. Punk managed to elude a bicycle kick attempted by Knox and then put him up on his shoulders for the "GTS" finisher!

Winner: CM Punk wins via pinfall over Mike Knox.

Balls Mahoney shown walking backstage on the way out for a match. Tazz and Styles reviewed a highlight reel of Tommy Dreamer, an ECW original to hype the main event match.

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Balls Mahoney came down to the ring. Highlights were shown from last week when Balls tried to ask out Kelly Kelly in the ring, but Miz ended up clocking him with a microphone before Kelly could answer. Balls spoke in the ring to the crowd saying a lot of people think he's just some love sick puppy right now. Balls called Kelly Kelly down to the ring to answer his question from last week.

Kelly Kelly came walking down to the ring carrying her white teddy bear gift that Balls had given her. Balls asked Kelly again if she'd go out with him. Kelly gave Balls an emphatic "Yes!" and the two started to hug. Just then, The Miz came walking out from backstage with Layla and Brooke. Miz started to insult Balls on the mic, and told Kelly it was time for her to leave. Miz got in the ring and demanded Kelly leave with him. Miz continued to demand she leave, and Balls ended up punching him down. Miz fell out of the ring but got up and grabbed a mic. Miz said he holds the management contract of Extreme Expose, meaning what he tells the girls goes. Miz told Kelly if she goes out with Balls he will kick her out of Extreme Expose and ECW. Balls pleaded with Kelly but she left the ring upset, and headed backstage with Miz and the other girls.

---

Elijah Burke vs. Tommy Dreamer
(#1 Contender Match for ECW title)

Early on Dreamer and Burke grappled with Dreamer able to slam Burke down. Dreamer tossed Burke to the ropes and tried for an arm toss. Burke countered to try for one of his own, but Dreamer just clotheslined him down. Burke managed to get Dreamer into the corner of the ring and started to kick away at him. Dreamer eventually recovered and was able to get Burke hung upside down in the opposite corner. Dreamer followed by knocking Burke out of the ring, then jumping out at him to punch away at him. ECW headed to commercial with Burke layed out of the ring.

During break, Burke had managed to whip Dreamer into the steel steps, then brought him back into the ring for more punishment. In the ring, Burke kept Dreamer down to the mat briefly in a headlock. Dreamer got to his feet and tried to fight back, but Burke knocked him right back down. Burke waited for Dreamer to get up and then used an uppercut to the face, causing Dreamer to go down again. Dreamer finally started to fight back successfully, this time dropping Burke to the mat off the ropes. Burke managed to trip Dreamer down to the mat, then climbed the top ropes.

Dreamer got up and climbed the ropes to go at Burke and went for a suplex. Burke managed to shove Dreamer down leaving him lying in the corner of the ring. Burke ran from the opposite corner and jumped up high using the ropes to do an elbow drop on Dreamer. Burke seemed to have hurt himself and as he tried to recover, Dreamer caught him off guard with a DDT and then scored a pinfall victory.

Winner: Tommy Dreamer wins via pinfall over Elijah Burke to become the #1 contender for CM Punk's ECW title.

Dreamer began to celebrate his major victory in the ring, but just then ECW's General Manager, Armando Estrada, came out from backstage, mic in hand. Estrada told Dreamer the contender chase was not over yet because there was 1 man he has left to defeat, Big Daddy V. V came out from backstage with Matt Striker and they headed down to the ring for the match.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Big Daddy V
(#1 Contender Match)

Dreamer tried to mount an early offense by dropkicking V before he could even enter the ring. V stayed on his feet and gained the upperhand quickly, then tossed Dreamer into the ring. Inside the ring, V gave Dreamer a severe beatdown, slamming him to the mat, as well as hammering away at him in the corner.

Dreamer managed to get some momentum and ran at V off the ropes to attack. V withstood chops from Dreamer and simply knocked Dreamer down. Dreamer went over to the corner to recover, but V ran right at him and splashed him. V then picked up Dreamer on his shoulders and slammed him backwards. Matt Striker looked on from outside the ring as V landed a hard elbow drop on Dreamer and secured a pinfall victory.

Big Daddy V posed standing over Dreamer in the ring, with Matt Striker talking to him. Joey Styles asked how will CM Punk survive against Big Daddy V this Sunday?

Winner: Big Daddy V wins via pinfall over Tommy Dreamer to become #1 contender for CM Punk's ECW title.

ECW Recap 09.18.07

ECW recap from Atlanta, GA:

ECW opens with Joey Styles discussing tonight's main event with Boogeyman facing Big Daddy V one on one. Elijah Burke comes down to the ring, with Styles discussing how Burke dominated the match against CM Punk at Unforgiven, but Punk still managed to retain his title.

Burke told the crowd he came out to congratulate Punk on his Unforgiven win. Burke said if they fight 10 times, that Punk would maybe win 1 of those matches. Burke vowed that he will have a rematch and claim the title, saying he didn't care when it happens. Kevin Thorn, Tommy Dreamer and Stevie Richards each came down to the ring afterwards stating why they deserve to be the #1 contender for the ECW title. Armando Estrada came out as all 4 men began to argue in the ring.

Estrada told them he would decide the #1 contender over the next 3 weeks with an "elimination chase" tournament. Estrada said the chase will start with a Fatal Fourway tonight, and 1 man will be eliminated from the picture. Estrada ordered a ref to go to the ring for the match

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Stevie Richards vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. Elijah Burke vs. Kevin Thorne (Fatal Fourway)

Action was in progress when ECW returned from break. Dreamer was working on Burke in one corner, with Thorn working Richards in another. Styles noted that the man pinned in this match will be eliminated from the #1 contender chase.

Burke ended up getting Richards alone in the ring as Thorn whipped Dreamer into the steps outside the ring. Burke continued to stomp on Richards, trying for several pins. Outside the ring, Thorn continued to battle with Dreamer, who got up and regained control. Richards gained an advantage on Burke but started holding his neck. Dreamer got back into the ring and suplexed Richards backwards, then attacked Burke in the corner. Dreamer then tried to go after Thorn in the corner. Thorn managed to slam Dreamer off the ropes, as Burke completed a trifecta of German Suplexes on Richards. Thorn went to the outside of the ring and hammered away at Dreamer laying on the side apron.

At one point, Elijah Burke jumped over the ropes onto Thorn and Richards. The two men caught Burke in the air, holding him near the apron. Dreamer saw this and ran against the ropes and did a sliding dropkick into all 3 men. Dreamer then jumped off the side apron when he saw Burke stand up, and ECW went to commercial.

ECW returned with Dreamer and Thorn fighting in ring and Dreamer trying for a pin. Richards came back in and attacked Dreamer from behind then failed at a pin. Burke finally re-entered the ring and slammed Richards, elbow dropped Dreamer and started to stomp away at Thorn. With Burke focused on Richards, Thorn went after Dreamer. Thorn grabbed Burke and hoisted him on his shoulders then slammed him down to the mat. Thorn grabbed Dreamer and held him up on his shoulders, but Richards came over and delivered a boot to his face. Dreamer and Burke ended up fighting on the corner turnbuckle with Richards knocking Dreamer off to the outside floor. Richards went to suplex Burke and then Thorn came over to slam both off. As all 3 men were layed out Dreamer climbed the turnbuckle and frog splashed Richards. Thorn saw it and then tossed Dreamer out of the ring. As Burke made the pin on Richards, Thorn held Burke down on Richards to make sure. Richards is pinned and eliminated from the #1 contender chase.

Winners: Tommy Dreamer, Kevin Thorn and Elijah Burke move on after Stevie Richards is pinned and eliminated from the #1 contender chase.

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Raw rebound shown which higlighted the match Randy Orton had against John Cena's dad this past Monday night. Cena's dad accepted the match to prevent his son from being stripped of the WWE title. Cena watched the match handcuffed to the bottom rope, as Orton decimated his dad in the ring. Cena eventually pulled apart the bottom rope and chased Orton from the ring, but it was too late as Cena's dad was already knocked out.

CM Punk walking backstage and Elijah Burke walked up to him with the WWE magazine. Burke asked Punk to autograph his magazine since Punk's on the cover. Burke told Punk he's going to do whatever he needs to do to face Punk and win the ECW title. Punk wished Burke good luck, and Burke asked Punk what he meant since Punk said last week "luck is for losers". Punk said that's why he said it.

The Miz came down to the ring with Kelly Kelly, Brooke and Layla. Highlights were shown from last week when Balls Mahoney gave Kelly Kelly a giant teddy bear and she thanked him. Kelly Kelly now held the teddy bear in the ring, which had a Balls Mahoney t-shirt on on. Miz took the mic and introduced Extreme Expose to the crowd and they danced to "Push It" by Salt N Pepa. The routine culminated with fireworks blasting from the 4 ringposts. Balls Mahoney came down to the ring for a match, with Miz and the divas seated in front of the commentator table to watch.

Balls Mahoney vs. Mike Knox

Knox took control early dropkicking Balls to the mat and using a legdrop on him. Layla and Brooke cheered for Mike Knox as Kelly cheered on Mahoney. Knox continued to dominate as he clotheslined Mahoney down hard. Mahoney got up from a headlock by Knox, but was then whipped to the corner. As Knox ran at him, Mahoney elbowed him in the face, then delivered a series of punches as the crowd chanted "balls". Knox missed a kick off the ropes, allowing Balls to grab him and powerslam him down on his bakck. Balls captured the pin and the victory. Miz took the girls and started to walk them up the ramp. Mahoney grabbed a microphone and then proceeded to ask Kelly if she will go out with him. Miz laughed with the girls then pulled Kelly Kelly away. Miz and the girls exited backstage and Mahoney said on the mic "I'll take that as a yes!"

Winner: Balls Mahoney wins via pinfall over Mike Knox.

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Commercial shown with highlights from Unforgiven, with the Undertaker's return featured. Encore presentations of Unforgiven are available, check WWE.com for more info.

Video highlights shown of the Big Daddy V and Boogeyman feud. Matt Striker narrated, discussing Big Daddy V's dominance of opponents. V was shown pummeling various opponents and also attacking Boogeyman. The video ended with Big Daddy V saying he will ask Boogeyman "who's your daddy?" and Boogeyman will scream "Big Daddy V!"

Big Daddy V shown walking with Matt Striker backstage on their way out for the main event match.

The Boogeyman vs. Big Daddy V

The two abnormal superstars faced off in singles competition for the first time in their feud. Boogeyman entered the ring frothing at the mouth and hung his bag of worms on the corner turnbuckle. Big Daddy V took control as soon as the bell rang, punching Boogeyman and then clotheslining him down. V walked over the turnbuckle and grabbed Boogeyman's bag of worms. Boogeyman got up and attacked from behind, but V eventually knocked Boogeyman back down. Boogeyman rolled out of the ring and went after Striker. V went out and attacked Boogeyman from behind, ramming him into the crowd barrier. V threw Boogeyman into the steel steps, then tossed him back in the ring.

Big Daddy V, stood on Boogeyman's chest near the ropes, then applied a headlock. Boogeyman started to battle back, but V hammered him down each time. V missed a clothesline when Boogeyman ducked, and Boogeyman tried to lift V for a powerslam but couldn't. V ended up tossing Boogeyman to the corner, then splashed into him. Big Daddy V then slammed Boogeyman down hard in the center of the ring and did an elbow drop off the ropes to collect the pinfall victory. Tazz then said he dares anyone to find someone who can stop Big Daddy V who has dominated the ECW week after week.

Winner: Big Daddy V wins via pinfall over Boogeyman.