ECW Recap 02.16.10 - Final Episode

ECW recap from Kansas City, MO:

Tonight's episode of ECW on SyFy marked the final show for the ECW brand, as it will transition into the new TV show "WWE NXT". The show opened with an "ECW is over" style promo vide highlighting tonight's main event: Christian defending the ECW title under Extreme Rules against Ezekiel Jackson. They rolled the ECW opening video for the final time, then the pyro went off before Josh Matthews and Byron Saxton were on hand to commentate. Next week WWE NXT will premiere, and tonight they'll introduce the cast of the show.

Yoshi Tatsu & Goldust vs. The MizShow
Unified Tag team title match

They showed highlights of how Miz and Show won their titles from DX in a Triple Threat match on Raw. In the late stages of this match, Yoshi made the stretch towards Goldust for a tag and got it. Goldie came in on fire as he leveled Miz several times, then dropped down to punch him in the face. An atomic drop and face first plant to the mat were next. He had a nearfall after a powerslam, but Big Show started to get into the ring. Yoshi Tatsu rushed over and Show pushed him over the ropes to the floor. Goldust climbed on the corner to work on Miz. The ref directed his attention to check on Yoshi out of the ring, allowing Show to walk over on the apron and punch Goldust in the stomach. Miz followed it up with a Skullcrushing finale for the win.

Winners: The MizShow wins via pinfall to retain the Unified Tag Team titles.

Byron Saxton and Josh Matthews discussed the theme of WWE NXT, where 8 wrestling rookies will be guided by 8 wrestling pros in a reality style show. They show pictures of two of the rookies. Pro Chris Jericho will mentor/guide rookie Wade Barrett. Matt Hardy will mentor Justin Gabriel.

ECW GM Tiffany was on hand backstage to address the WWE Universe. She said as one era comes to a close, a new exciting one begins with WWE NXT. She started talking more about it, but suddenly Zack Ryder and Rosa Mendes showed up. Ryder complained that he's not part of the main event. Tiffany said he lost to Christian last week. Rosa started yelling at Tiffany in Spanish, but the GM said it doesn't matter what language, the answer's still no. Ryder said since the main event is Extreme Rules, he can make his presence felt and nobody can stop him.

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ECW returned with another preview of who will be on the new WWE NXT show. Raw superstar MVP will be mentoring a newcomer named Skip Sheffield.

Tony Atlas was in the ring with Abraham Washington to introduce him to the crowd. Leather furniture was set up in the ring for the final show on ECW. Washington referred to their location as St Louis, setting the crowd into a chorus of boos. Washington said that since ECW is ending tonight he becomes a free agent, meaning he's rich. He said Raw and Smackdown will have to open up the bank accounts to try to get him. Atlas kept laughing the whole time.

Washington said he went to Vince McMahon and asked for the biggest star in the company for the final show. Abe introduced his guest, the biggest name in sports entertainment, "Abraham Washington". Washington started to interview himself, when Shelton Benjamin's music came on. The Gold Standard came down to the ring with Atlas laughing about it. Shelton said his show has been unwatchable overall, so what would make him think anyone wants to watch it when Abe is his own guest. Shelton reminded Abe that everyone is a free agent as of the end of ECW. Just then, Vance Archer came out from backstage and arrived to the ring to get in Shelton's face.

Archer told Shelton he better not be on the same show as him, or else he won't have a future. Just then, Croft and Barreta came out to interrupt, saying nobody cares about the guys in the ring, but they care about where the 2010 Slammy award winning team of the year Croft and Barreta is going to be. Vladimir Kozlov came out next and began to speak in Russian. Vance Archer got up in his face saying nobody understands him. Archer shoved Kozlov, so Kozlov responded by boot kicking him down. Atlas and Abe exited the ring, so Kozlov and Benjamin cleaned up Croft and Barreta tossing them from the ring. Washington kept complaining outside the ring about his rented furniture. The two superstars looked at each other, shook and hugged before posing from the ring corners.

Carlito will guide Michael Tarver, a knockout specialist on the WWE NXT show. His dad was a sparring partner for Mike Tyson.

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Upon ECW's return, they noted that The Miz will be mentoring rookie Daniel Bryan on WWE NXT which premieres next Tuesday on SyFy.

They rolled the Elimination Chamber promotional video as part of the "Road to Wrestlemania". Various superstars were shown in the barbaric chamber, including Rey Mysterio, MVP, Undertaker, Great Khali, Edge, Chris Jericho, HHH and Cena.

Christian will be on WWE NXT to mentor rookie Heath Slater, a "walking rock band without the instruments".

The ECW Champion came out first, wheeling a shopping cart full of weapons such as trash cans, crutches and kendo sticks. Christian got on the mic for a closing speech. He said he debuted on ECW a year ago, with some people viewing it as a demotion for him. Christian said ECW feels like home to him, because it gave him a chance to shine. ECW noted he's glad he got to fight an all-time legend and friend in Tommy Dreamer, and he got to mentor a rising star like Yoshi Tatsu. Christian said tonight ECW goes away forever, but he'll always be proud to say he was the very last ECW Champion.

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Pro wrestler CM Punk will be mentoring rookie Darren Young on WWE NXT, next week on SyFy.

Ezekiel Jackson vs. Christian
ECW Title Extreme Rules match

Jackson shoved Christian down to start it off, but not much later, Christian tossed Jackson to the outside. As Christian went out, Jackson began to attack. He tossed Christian back in, then threw several objects in as well. As Jackson got on the apron, Christian came back to punch away at him. Jackson was barely hanging onto the top rope, so Christian grabbed a Kendo stick and smashed it on Jackson's hand, causing him to fall to the floor. Just then, Zack Ryder rushed into the ring and began attacking Christian. He picked up a trash can and went at Christian, but Christian flapjacked Ryder onto the trash can then tossed him out of the ring. Rosa got in and began to yell in Christian's face, then slapped the champ. Christian turned to the corner and didn't know what to do, but suddenly ECW's GM Tiffany came charging down the ramp in her skirt and bare feet. She tackled Rosa in the ring and threw her to the side. Rosa escaped the ring, and Tiffany screamed at Ryder/Rosa to leave ringside immediately. ECW headed to its final commercial break.

When the show returned, Jackson had control in the ring as he hammered away on the champ. He whipped Christian to the corner, but got an elbow to the face when he charged. Christian went to the top corner, but Jackson shoved him off to the floor. Regal was at ringside, but really hadn't played a part yet. Jackson smashed Christian face first into the steps, then tried to smash a trash can on him. Christian moved away, then dropkicked the trash can into Jackson. As Christian came back to Jackson, Zeke shoved him into the steps.

Jackson tossed all of the items out of the shopping cart into the ring, then tried to ram the cart into Christian near the steps. Christian moved away, but moments later, Zeke grabbed him and threw Christian into the cart. Back in the ring, Zeke seemed to have control, but Christian made a brief comeback. Christian went at Jackson with a trash can, but Jackson flattened him. Jackson had a near fall, then he and Regal went to the outside to grab a table from under the ring. Christian got to his feet and dropkicked the tablge int oboth guys on the outside.

In the closing moments, Jackson tried to superplex Christian onto the set up table in the ring. Christian countered and tried to DDT Jackson onto it, but both men landed across from each other on opposite sides of the table. Christian used a Kendo stick on Jackson, then chased Regal away from ringside. Christian got back in the ring and smashed Jackson in the leg with the Kendo stick before Jackson could hit Christian with it. Christian was in control, but Regal showed up back in the ring. Christian dealt with Regal by using the Killswitch on him. Unfortunately, Jackson grabbed Christian and one arm slammed him through the table for the winning pinfall. Jackson is the new and final ECW Champion.

Winner: Ezekiel Jackson wins via pinfall in the Extreme Rules match over Christian to become the new ECW Champion.

Saxton and Matthews showed the final cast members of WWE NXT, R-Truth will mentor a rookie named David Otunga. WWE NXT premieres in the same time slot as ECW on SyFy next Tuesday night.

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ECW Recap 02.09.10

ECW Recap from Baton Rouge, LA:

The superstars of ECW were assembled in a backstage meeting with ECW GM Tiffany at a podium. Tiffany reminded them that in 2 weeks time ECW will be going off the air. Tiffany said that means everyone will be free agents able to sign with whatever brand they want. Tiffany said they will all have the opportunity to be part of WWE NXT too. Abraham Washington blurted out "Yeah, I'm gettin' paid!" Tiffany said the next two weeks are an opportunity to make a name for themselves. She encouraged everyone to seize the moment and have fun. Tiffany then put on some Mardi Gras beads and picked up a drink saying she was going to celebrate. Zack Ryder and Rosa immediately got up to ask her if she was just going to part when ECW is leaving the air soon. Tiffany told him "Woo woo woo, you know it", leaving Ryder and Rosa looking mad.

Josh Matthews and Byron Saxton were on hand for commentary of the show, with tonight's main event Shelton Benjamin versus Vance Archer in a no countout, no DQ match.

Goldust & Yoshi Tatsu vs. Croft & Barreta
For Unified Tag title match

The winners of this match get a unified tag team title match on the final ECW next week, against The Miz and Big Show. They showed highlights of DX losing to Miz and Show on last night's Raw.

Late in the match, Goldust managed to make a hot tag to Yoshi. Yoshi came in to knock down Croft multiple times. He climbed to the corner for a high risk move to hit Croft with a near fall, but Barreta was in to break it up. Goldust rushed in to hit Barreta with a facebuster to the mat, then the two went to the outside. Meanwhile, Croft tried to shove Yoshi against the ropes to bring him back for a pin. Yoshi held onto the ropes and Croft fell backwards. As Croft got up, Yoshi turned and hit his roundhouse kick to knock Croft out for a pinfall. As the camera showed the pin cover, Croft was bloodied up in his mouth and nose area. Byron Saxton speculated that maybe Croft broke his nose.

Winners: Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust win via pinfall over Croft & Barreta to earn a Unified Tag team title match on next week's ECW.

Saxton and Matthews talked about how prestigious it would be if Yoshi and Goldust could win the tag titles next week. Matthews then introduced footage of the first WWE Hall of Fame inductee for 2010, the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase. Dibiase will be inducted on March 27th in Phoenix, AZ, one night before Wrestlemania 26.

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As ECW returned, Josh Matthews mentioned the Divas Valentine Day themed photo gallery on WWE.com now.

Perry Wallace vs. Ezekiel Jackson

Jackson got to take on a local Baton Rouge wrestler, Perry Wallace for tonight's contest, with William Regal at ringside. Matthews and Saxton noted that Jackson will be probably the hottest free agent after ECW ends. Right after the bell, Jackson shoved Wallace down. Wallace tried to battle back, but Jackson picked him up and brought him to the corner for a beating. From there, he tossed him halfway across the ring, then raised up his arm for a serious clothesline to level Wallace. Jackson finished him off with the one armed slam to win it, with Regal looking on approvingly. Jackson tossed Wallace out of the ring after the bell.

William Regal got in the ring with a mic. Regal announced that what happened in the ECW title match at Royal Rumble was a travesty. Regal said Tiffany has set back females as management 25 years by doing her bad job on ECW. Regal said she can redeem herself by granting Ezekiel a championship match on next week's show, since Jackson deserves to be champion. Jackson took the mic and addressed Christian saying if he chose to accept the challenge, that next week Christian's reign as champ will come to an end, with Jackson as the final champ. Jackson quoted the book of Ezekiel to close his comments.

Winner: Ezekiel Jackson wins via pinfall over Perry Wallace.

Still to come tonight, the main event featuring Shelton Benjamin and Vance Archer with No countouts and No DQ's.

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Raw Rebound covered the events that went down between Batista and Cena 8 days ago when Raw went off the air. Cena got in the ring to close last night's episode of Raw 02.08.10, where he called out Vince McMahon. Vince came out with 10 security guards, then got in the ring with Cena. Cena told Vince he does this for the moment, while Vince does it for the money. Cena said Bret Hart told him he wants another moment, to wrestle Vince at Wrestlemania 26. Vince said yes at first, as Cena left to go backstage. Suddenly, Hitman emerged from the crowd to get in the ring and attack Vince. Vince was able to escape with the help of his security guards. Vince got on the mic angrily and told him there will be no Wrestlemania match, because Bret deserves to be screwed. Bret snapped after that and began destroying WWE electrical equipment near the ramp, and then the announcers table with TV's.

Matthews and Saxton discussed the upcoming 2010 Elimination Chamber PPV matches where Sheamus defends the WWE title against John Cena, HHH, Kofi Kingston, Ted Dibiase and Randy Orton. For Smackdown, the Undertaker defends his World title against Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, R-Truth, John Morrison and CM Punk.

Josh Matthews and Saxton discussed how next week is the final ECW ever. They pondered if there will be an ECW Championship match next week, then cut backstage to Christian. Christian said he accepts Jackson's challenge but they need to do the final title match in a big way, as an Extreme Rules match.

Shelton Benjamin was introduced for the main event. He got on a mic and in the ring saying he's too good and too talented for ECW, but in his first week on the show Yoshi Tatsu kicked him in the head to pin him in about ten seconds. Shelton said every week after that the young superstars showed him what it takes to make it in this industry. The crowd kept chanting "Who Dat" at Shelton so he finally smirked and yelled out "Who Dat" in response. Shelton said he's going to miss everyone from the locker room except Vance Archer. Shelton finished by saying he can't wait to wipe that stupid smile off Archer's face and beat him like he's never beaten him before.

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Shelton Benjamin vs. Vance Archer
No Countout, No DQ match

Shelton got the upperhand early as he knocked Archer to the outside. Archer was frustrated but came back in to gain control. He beat away on Shelton in the corner for a bit, before the Gold Standard made a strong attack. He punched away on Archer, then put him into a single leg Boston Crab. Vance Archer grabbed the bottom rope but the ref wouldn't break the hold because of the no DQ rules. Archer finally pulled himself out of the ring, then got back on the apron. He tried to climb the corner but Shelton was over to kick him off down to the floor. ECW took a commercial break.

When ECW returned, Vance Archer grabbed a Kendo Stick, but Shelton had a steel chair. Archer went at Benjamin, but hit the chair with the stick. Shelton tried to smash the chair on Archer but missed and hit the steps. Archer grabbed him and dropped him on top of the crowd barrier then hit a running kick to take control. Shelton had blood on his forehead as he got back in the ring. The ref took a time out, then called in a medical official to take a look at Shelton. During the commercial break, Shelton had been slammed head first onto the announcers table which bust him open.

Shelton got up and said to continue the match. Archer attacked him, but Shelton battle back. The two fought up on the corner, where Archer landed a huge slam move from a Bear Hug for a near fall. Archer took the corner turnbuckle off, then brought Shelton over to yank him against the exposed steel. Archer hit a knee drop and then punched away on Benjamin's hurt arm several times. Archer had several nearfalls, but when trying to grab Shelton by the leg he sustained a kick from him for a near fall.

In the closing moments, Shelton jumped up on the exposed turnbuckle area, then was able to jump off for a reverse neckbreaker on Archer. He followed that up with Paydirt to slam Archer face first to the mat for the pin.

Winner: Shelton Benjamin wins via pinfall over Vance Archer.

Next week will be the final episode of ECW ever, featuring two championship matches: Yoshi Tatsu & Goldust versus Miz and Big Show for the Unified Tag titles, and Ezekiel Jackson versus Christian for the ECW title!

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ECW Recap 02.02.10

ECW Recap from Memphis, TN:

There were no fireworks to start off tonight's ECW episode. ECW Commentators Josh Matthews and Byron Saxton welcomed fans to the show just 48 hours after the exciting Royal Rumble, as we now are on the road to Wrestlemania 26. Ring announcer Savannah introduced Hall of Famer, Tony Atlas, for the Abraham Washington Show.

Washington joked he was MIA the past few weeks because NBC wanted to hire him to replace Conan O'Brien. Atlas joked they didn't want him because he isn't good enough. Abe said he turned down the job because he knew the WWE Universe would miss him way too much. Abe said thank you and you're welcome, then said they owed him $40 million in cash, checks or food stamps. Abe Washington said Mr. McMahon will be out later tonight to address the future of ECW.

Tonight's guest on The Abraham Washington Show was ECW Champion Chr came out holding the ECW title belt up proudly, coming off a win Sunday at Royal Rumble against Zeke Jackson. Abe let Christian know that he's held his title longer than any other male or female in the WWE right now. Christian said he didn't know that, but he's proud to be champ and looking forward to further challenges. Just then, Zack Ryder's music hit and he came out with a mic and Rosa Mendes. Ryder started going off about Gregory Helms getting arrested, and having his mugshot on TMZ. He said he is the true heart and soul superhero of the WWE. Christian remarked that Ryder's mad that Helms got on TMZ and is recognized, but Ryder isn't. Christian started saying everyone makes mistakes, like Tiffany for giving Abe his own talk show. Christian said Ryder's biggest mistake was when he hooked up with Tila Tequila, referring to Rosa Mendes. Zack got in Christian's face and shoved him. Christian paused then shoved Ryder onto a couch. Abe Washington said the show was over and rolled the outro music.

Josh Matthews and Byron Saxton talked about tonight's big show, which will feature the biggest news in the history of ECW. Vince McMahon will address the future of ECW.

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When ECW returned they discussed the Royal Rumble, with news coverage on WWE.com, as well as thanked Skillet for their Royal Rumble theme song "Awake". Matthews talked about how many moments have made in the Memphis TN arena, and another will be made tonight by Mr. McMahon.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Vance Archer

They showed footage from last week where Vance Archer attacked Shelton backstage during an interview, knocking the Gold Standard down to cut his own promo about dreams and reality.

Early on in the match, Benjamin did a suicide dive out onto Archer on the outside, before tossing him back in. Archer kicked Shelton in the gut as he got in, to regain control. Archer tried a headlock sleeper hold, but Benjamin tossed him to the mat, then knocked him back out of the ring again. Unfortunately, Benjamin missed on a move outside the ring causing him to hit head first into the crowd barrier. ECW headed to break.

Archer was in control out of the commercial break. He followed a snap suplex with an arm submission hold. Benjamin got to his feet and fought his way out though. Archer had several near falls, then went back to the arm hold on the mat. Benjamin managed to avoid Archer charging at him in the corner, then clipped his leg. Benjamin used several running take downs, then went to work on the left leg. Benjamin tried a move on Archer in the corner, only to get elbowed in the jaw. Shelton landed out of an attempted suplex by Archer on his feet and turned it into a neckbreaker. The two had a near fall situation in the corner with Archer using the ropes. The ref noticed it and stopped counting the pin. Moments later, Archer used a pinfall on Benjamin near the corner, using his legs on the ropes without the ref seeing.

Winner: Vance Archer wins via pinfall over Shelton Benjamin.

Josh Matthews introduced highlights from the Raw Rebound, where Bret Hart returned to Raw to call out Mr. McMahon. Bret addressed Vince's actions in Montreal, on the Raw a month ago that Bret hosted, and his comments about Bret being a piece of chewing gum with no more flavor. Vince said he doesn't understand what any of the fans see in Bret, because Vince thinks he's pathetic. Vince said he had decided against nominating Stu Hart for the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame, because he doesn't deserve it. This enraged Bret more. Things ended sourly again as Bret began to attack Vince. The Animal Batista rushed to the ring and attacked then restrained Bret, allowing Vince to berate The Hitman, and then spit in his face.

Josh Matthews said there will be exclusive footage of what happened between John Cena and Batista after Raw went off the air. A still image was shown of Batista about to Powerbomb Cena on some steel steps in the ring.

Later tonight in the main event, Christian will battle Zack Ryder after what happened earlier on.

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ECW returned with Yoshi Tatsu being introduced for the next match. Goldust accompanied him to the ring for the match.

Yoshi Tatsu vs. Trent Barreta

Caylen Croft accompanied his tag partner to the ring. Josh Matthews said Barreta prepares for matches by playing Guitar Hero and watching Steven Seagal movies.

Late in the match, Yoshi went for his roll through move with his arm around Barreta's neck. Barreta blocked and went for a move of his own but Yoshi rolled through, got to his feet and kicked a seated Barreta in the chest. He had a near fall out of that, then decided to go for the high risk move on the corner. Barreta went over and slapped him then climbed up to fight. Trent went for the superplex but was shoved off by Yoshi. Barreta exploded for a Hurricanrana though off the ropes as he ran back up. He had the near fall, and started to argue with the ref about the count. As he turned around he ate a roundhouse kick from Tatsu that knocked him out for the pin.

Winner: Yoshi Tatsu wins via pinfall over Trent Barreta.

Up next, Vince McMahon will make an announcement regarding the future of the ECW.

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Ring announcer Savannah introduced the Chairman of WWE, Mr. McMahon. He arrived out to the top of the ramp with a mic in hand to address the fans. Vince said he was there to proudly announce that in 3 weeks time, ECW will be going off the air. He thanked everyone who made ECW the success that it was. Vince said a new innovative program will be brought to SyFy in its place. Vince called it the next "evolution of WWE and television history". The Chairman thanked everyone and smiled as his theme music started back up to end the speech. Josh Matthews and Byron Saxton were befuddled by the news, trying to figure out what it meant exactly.

Gregory Helms was in the ring in a suit and said his guest is Ezekiel Jackson with William Regal. The duo walked to the ring intently for the interview. Helms started to ask Jackson how he plans to get past his loss to Christian at the Royal Rumble. Regal took over the interview and asked Helms if it's been a trying week for him. Helms paused then said it has but he's going to try to get past it. Regal told him his week was about to get worse. They began attacking Helms who responded by going after Regal. Jackson soon snatched him off and began the beatdown. It culminated with Jackson's one arm slam to the mat for Helms. Christian finally came rushing to the ring with a Kendo stick. He got one shot in to strike Jackson in the gut, but missed Regal as he escaped the ring. The heels got up on the ramp to smile about what they had just done.

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Christian vs. Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder arrived to the ring with Rosa Mendes, both looking angry. Early on Ryder knocked Christian down to the corner and gave him a "What's up bro?" taunt. When Christian retaliated, Ryder ducked out under the ropes. He came back to kick Christian in the gut and hammered him down. Ryder continued the onslaught by choking Christian against the ropes. Ryder went for a suplex move from the apron, but Christian blocked him and eventually dropkicked Ryder off. Rosa looked on in agony. Ryder managed to catch Christian from a move off the ropes, then turned it into a slingshot into the bottom rope.

Christian rallied the peeps as he got to his feet from a Ryder hold on the mat. He punched back, but Ryder hit a Rough Ryder leg lariat on Christian as he came off the ropes. After a near fall, Christian fought off Ryder from the corner and went up top. Ryder got up to fight with him and went for the Superplex, but Christian punched him down, then hit a cross body lateral press. Christian managed to hit several more moves including his patented stand on the back of Ryder using the ropes, and then hopping over the ropes to the outside to slap Ryder in the face.

In the closing moments, Ryder had a near fall as he stopped Christian's Sunset Flip attempt. Christian countered a charge from Ryder in the corner with his leg kick from the outside apron, then did a forearm off the corner. He hit the Killswitch from there, and was ready for the pin, but Ezekiel Jackson was soon in the ring to crash the party. Jackson began to hammer away on Christian outside the ring, and Regal ran at him with the Knee Trembler. Jackson threw Christian into the steel steps, and then he and Regal stood over him outside the ring as ECW ended.

Winner: Christian wins due to disqualification over Zack Ryder.

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ECW Recap 01.26.10

ECW Recap from :

A video kicked off ECW to hype up tonight's tag match, where Christian will team up with Kane to take on Ezekiel Jackson and William Regal. This match comes just days ahead of Christian's ECW title defense against Jackson at the 2010 Royal Rumble.

Josh Matthews and Byron Saxton were on hand in Cincinnati. William Regal was already in the ring, and introduced "ECW's next champion, Ezekiel Jackson". Jackson made his way down the ramp to the ring after flexing up at the top. They showed highlights from a week ago in the Christian versus Regal one-on-one match, where Jackson attacked Christian from behind, causing a DQ. Josh Matthews said Jackson's chances to win the ECW title in 5 days are looking good. Jackson got on the mic to tell Christian he's only got 5 days left as the champion. Jackson said the image of Christian laying at his feet on the mat will be replayed on Sunday. Jackson said that as Christian goes in and out of consciousness this coming Sunday, he'll hear Jackson proclaimed the new champ. Christian's music hit and he came out with a mic in hand.

Christian said it's funny that they both like biblical matches, since after all he is Christian. Christian quoted his own Ezekiel 25:17 that "I will strike down on those with great vengeance and furious anger, those who attempt to destroy my brothers, and you will know my, my peeps will know, my name is Christian, when I lay my vengeance upon thee." Jackson said Christian has yet to face anyone like him. Christian said it's true but he's beaten many of the ECW's best including Swagger, Dreamer and Regal. Christian said he looks forward to the challenge on Sunday at the Rumble. Christian said last week it was two on one, but tonight he's managed to even the score. Kane's pyro hit and out came the Big Red Monster.

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Kane & Christian vs. William Regal & Ezekiel Jackson

Jackson and Regal worked the double team on Christian during the match, preventing him from tagging out to Kane. He escaped a near pinfall from Regal. Regal attacked him in the corner and the two ended up on the top corner turnbuckle area. Christian managed to knock Regal off to the mat. With both men down, Christian finally crawled over to make a tag to Kane. Kane came in with momentum and dominated Regal. He ultimately had the chokeslam set up, but Ezekiel Jackson came in to attack.

Kane tagged Christian back in and launched him at Jackson. Jackson and Kane ended up fighting on the outside, leaving Regal with Christian. Christian prepared for Killswitch but Regal shoved him away, then did a toss slam. Meanwhile, Jackson threw Kane into the ringpost outside. Christian dodged a knee trembler for Regal and put him into Killswitch, but was close to the ropes. Jackson got on the apron to tag one of Regal's outstretched hands. Christian hit Killswitch, but as he turned to pin, Jackson was there to grab him for a one armed slam to the mat.

Winners: William Regal & Ezekiel Jackson win via pinfall over Kane & Christian.

Still to come, a six man tag match with Yoshi Tatsu teaming with Hurricane and Goldust to battle Zack Ryder, Croft and Barretta.

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ECW returned with its promotional stats of the Royal Rumbles past. There's been a total of 23 winners in the Royal Rumble ever, with Stone Cold having 3 of those wins. Previous winners include Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Randy Orton, HHH and The Rock. There's been 627 WWE superstars since 1988 who have entered the match but haven't won.

Josh Matthews and Byron Saxton questioned who will be "The 1" after this Sunday's Rumble. Backstage, Shelton Benjamin had some on camera comments about the Rumble. He said the only thing that will matter is the last man standing, because he'll go on to change the course of his career when he headlines Wrestlemania. As Benjamin continued, Vance Archer attacked him, knocking him down to the floor. Archer said hopes and dreams are all Benjamin has, but this is reality.

Goldust, The Hurricane and Yoshi Tatsu versus Zack Ryder, Caylen Croft and Trent Barretta

Zack and Rosa came to the ring first, as they showed highlights from last week's encounter involving Savannah and The Hurricane. Rosa eyed Savannah the ring announcer as ECW took a break.

Mid match, Hurricane was knocked to the outside by Barretta. Ryder made a tag in and went to the outside to attack. After a leg drop move on Hurricane in the ring, Ryder beat away on Hurricane. Caylen Croft tagged in to continue the wearing down of Hurricane using a submission hold on the mat. Rosa scramed for Hurricane to "give up" several times from the outside. Hurricane escaped Croft's move and used a roll through pin for a near fall. Croft got up and leveled him for a near fall of his own. Barretta tagged back in and did some taunting, with Hurricane getting to his feet to punch back. Barretta dropped him with a dropkick.

Another tag back in for Rdyer and he held a knee against Hurricane's throat near the ropes. Rosa smiled from ringside approvingly. Ryder had a near fall, then went to a headlock on the mat. Hurricane was able to get a Sunset flip style pin but Ryder escaped and dropped him again. Croft tagged back in to continue keeping Hurricane down on the mat. Goldust and Yoshi tried to rally the fans from the apron area. Caylen Croft went over and knocked Goldust off the apron. Hurricane was able to hit the Shining Wizard kick on Croft, then tried to get towards Yoshi for a tag. He finally stumbled over, and Yoshi came in to take down Barretta several times.

Yoshi eventually had a pinfall, but Barretta's teammates came in to break it up. Goldust tossed Ryder out over the ropes near Hurricane. Croft and Baretta tried for a double move on Goldust. As they put their heads down, Goldust kicked and hit each guy. Yoshi did his roundhouse kick to the head of Barretta for the pinfall victory. The faces celebrated in the ring as Ryder and Rosa looked angry on the ramp.

Winners: Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust and Zack Ryder win via pinfall over Zack Ryder, Caylen Croft and Trent Barretta.

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ECW Recap 01.19.10

ECW Recap from :

ECW opened with highlights from last week's ECW Homecoming Finale battle royal which involved the 8 men who earned spots in the match. It came down to Kane versus Ezekiel Jackson as the last two men remaining. Jackson fought his way out of a near chokeslam. Jackson avoided a Kane clothesline from off the corner, and then knocked Kane out over the top rope to win it. Regal joined Jackson in the ring to stare at ECW Champ Christian who was at ringside.

Josh Matthews welcomed fans to the show, and reminded fans the Royal Rumble is coming up in less than two weeks. On tonight's show, Christian will face William Regal, in preparation for his upcoming title defense at the Rumble.

Tony Atlas was introduced, so he could introduce the special guest host of tonight's Abraham Washington Show, Santino Marella. Marella went through some Italian words having Atlas repeat them after him, then introduced his first ever guest, Vladimir Kozlov. Marella told Kozlov to relax on the couch because he's in America now. Santino said he wanted a guest who isn't quite popular with the people. Kozlov spoke about how he was part of a biker gang in the Ukraine for 3 years, until someone ran over his face. Kozlov said people are scared of him, thinking he's the bad guy, Ivan Drago, from Rocky IV. Santino tried to get him to say some movie quotes. Santino asked Kozlov what thinks he likes in America, and he listed off chili cheese fries, Hannah Montana and 24 hour Walmarts. Santino said they have lots in common and they should be a tag team. Kozlov replied no. The fans seemed to be disinterested in the whole skit because Kozlov was tough to understand.

Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust were shown backstage walking out for the next match against Croft and Barreta.

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Yoshi Tatsu & Goldust vs. Caylen Croft & Trent Barretta

In the late stages of this one, Croft & Barreta were playing keep away with Yoshi, trying to wear him down while preventing the tag. Yoshi finally managed to escape and made the hot tag to Goldust. Goldust came in against Croft and quickly took him down with a clothesline, and eventually his drop down punch from one knee. After an atomic drop and a kick to Croft's face, Goldust went for a bulldog but Croft shoved him to the corner. Goldust came back and eventually hit a powerslam. Barretta came in to intervene, causing Yoshi to come in to try to get rid of him. Tatsu was knocked to the outside. Meanwhile, Goldust rolled up Croft. Barretta hit a clothesline on Goldust as he had the sitting pin, allowing Croft to roll up Goldust and steal the win.

Winners: Croft and Barretta win via pinfall over Goldust & Yoshi Tatsu.

Zack Ryder was walking hand in hand with girlfriend Rosa Mendes down the backstage hallway. Josh Matthews said rumor has it Ryder has a major announcement for the WWE Universe, next.

---

Ryder came to the ring with Rosa Mendes. He talked about ending Tommy Dreamer's career with ECW, and becoming the new heart and soul of ECW. He said Hurricane tried to meddle in his business last week, but wound up learning his lesson for it. Ryder said he's the new heart and soul superhero of ECW. He then called up the ring announcer Savannah, and told her to announce him with his new title. She twice announced him as "Zack Ryder, the heart and soul superhero of ECW", but Ryder anr Rosa weren't satisfied with her announcing. Rosa began yelling at Savannah in espanol calling her "estupida". Eventually, The Hurricane showed up on the apron. Ryder went to attack, but ended up getting thrown head first into the ringpost and off the apron. Hurricane stayed in the ring looking out. Hurricane went to the outside of the ring and kissed Savannah on her hand, causing the ring announcer to blush and smile.

---

During commercial break, an ad was shown for the "Best of WWE Raw 2009" DVD coming out next Tuesday.

When ECW returned, they talked up the 2010 Royal Rumble matches including Orton versus Sheamus for the WWE Title, Christian defending the ECW title against Ezekiel Jackson, and Rey Mysterio versus Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Title.

Matthews and Saxton talked about the developing rivalry between Shelton Benjamin and Vance Archer. A few weeks ago they had a match, and Archer was disqualified for not stopping as he beat on Shelton in the corner. The two will meet on this Thursday's WWE Superstars.

Christian vs. William Regal

The ECW champ was introduced first and arrived out to salute his peeps in the crowd. ECW took a commercial break with Christian posing from the ring corners. When ECW returned, Regal came to the ring with Ezekiel Jackson. Jackson got in the ring to stare down Christian before the match.

Christian was able to make a comeback after knocking William Regal out of the ring and into the crowd barrier. He went out and retrieved Regal to toss him back in, but as Christian got on the apron, Ezekiel Jackson walked over to distract him. Christian dropped down and went to stare down Jackson as ECW went to commercial.

The match was back and forth in the closing moments, with both men trading shots and pinfall attempts. Regal beat on Christian in the corner, until the ref pulled him away. Regal went back to do more damage, but Christian kicked him away, then got on the middle rope for a European uppercut. Christian revved up the crowd and went for Killswitch. Regal countered and went to toss Christian out of the ring. Instead, Christian countered him and tossed Regal over the ropes. Just then, Ezekiel Jackson snuck into the ring behind Christian and attacked. The ref promptly called for the bell.

After the bell, the attack continued. Jackson slammed Christian to the mat hard. Regal crawled back in the ring and did a knee trembler on Christian. Jackson did his one-armed slam move to plant Christian on the mat. Jackson's theme music blared as he signaled in the ring he'll be wearing the ECW belt soon. Jackson picked up Christian for one more of his finisher slams before ECW went off the air.

Winner: Christian wins due to disqualification over William Regal.

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ECW Recap 01.12.10

ECW Recap from Green Bay, WI:

A video was shown of highlights of the ECW Homecoming tournament matches from the past month or so. Tonight it will culminate with a 8-man battle royal in the Homecoming Finale, featuring all of the tournament winners.

Rosa Mendes came out to start off the show. After dancing a bit to her theme music, she introduced the "man who ended Tommy Dreamer's career". Zack Ryder made his way to the ring to brag about his accomplishment, and then noted that all the former ECW stars are in the back just to see him, not for the battle royal. Ryder said he is the heart and sould of ECW.

The Hurricane came out to interrupt Ryder. He questioned what Ryder said and called him "Citizen Woo Woo". Hurricane said he was sent there to shut Ryder up. Hurricane also called Ryder the rear-end of ECW, since he's talking out of his. Ryder laughed it off, and Rosa began to yell at Hurricane in Spanish. Hurricane made a joke about "press one para engles", so Rosa slapped him. Hurricane responded by punching Ryder down then knocking him out over the top rope. Hurricane smiled in the ring as Rosa tried to help Ryder up.

They plugged the upcoming 8-Man Battle Royal for ECW Homecoming. Yoshi Tatsu, Kane, CM Punk, Vance Archer, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, Ezekiel Jackson and Matt Hardy will all compete in the Battle Royal with the winner heading to the Royal Rumble to face ECW Champ Christian.

---

The Hurricane vs. Zack Ryder

Commentator Josh Matthews said that ECW GM Tiffany ordered a match between Ryder and Hurricane during the break. Early into the match, Ryder hit his Rough Ryder leg lariat, but Hurricane escaped a pinfall. Ryder taunted the crowd a bit before going back to work on Hurricane.

Hurricane began trying to make his comeback, then hit a neckbreaker. He hit the Hurri-Cut from the corner, then went on the top corner. Ryder cut Hurricane off on his move, and followed with the Zack Attack to win it. Ryder and Rosa celebrated their win after as Hurricane looked frustrated.

Winner: Zack Ryder wins via pinfall over The Hurricane.

Backstage, CM Punk and Luke Gallows were hanging out. Punk gave his thoughts on the Battle Royal and how winning it will allow him to convert the poisoned masses to the "straightedged lifestyle". Punk said when he wins the ECW title again he can mold all the young ECW stars from the ground up in his image. Punk said the movement begins tonight after he wins the battle royal.

---

During commercial break, they promoted the upcoming Raw hosted by Don Johnson and Jon Heder. Also, Undertaker will answer Shawn Michaels' challenge about a WM 26 rematch.

Goldust vs. Trent Barreta

Barreta came to the ring with his tag partner Caylen Croft. Goldust was on the offensive early with his attack, and took Baretta over the top rope to the floor. Baretta recovered when he was able to get Goldust with a neckbreaker against the top rope. He used a running clothesline to take Goldust out outside the ring.

Goldust staged his comeback back in the ring after Barreta seemed in control. Goldust was now in control and ready for the Curtain Call, but Barreta escaped. He hit an elbow on Goldust from out of the corner, then a running knee to the face to collect the pinfall win in about 6 minutes time.

Winner: Trent Barreta wins via pinfall over Goldust.

Backstage, Regal was with his man Ezekiel Jackson discussing the Homecoming. Regal mentioned how Ezekiel's a biblical name and he can do damage of biblical proportions. Ezekiel then quoted from the "book of Ezekiel" and glared at the camera.

Kane was shown down the hallway walking on his way for the upcoming battle royal.

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When ECW returned, they presented Raw Rebound. Highlights were shown to feature the main event tag match: DX vs Jericho & Mike Tyson. Tyson seemed like he was going to go after DX again, but in the end he turned against Jericho and punched him down to give DX the win.

Ring announcer Savannah introduced ECW GM Tiffany. Tiffany discussed the ECW Homecoming which has been going on via the tournament the past month. She introduced Christian, the current ECW champ, who came out as guest commentator to work with Byron Saxton and Matthews. Christian put his belt on the table then pulled out a sheet of "smarter questions" for the commentators to ask him this time.

CM Punk and Yoshi Tatsu were the first two guys introduced for the Battle Royal. ECW headed to a commercial break.

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ECW Homecoming Battle Royal

Competing in this 8-man over the top rope battle royal were Yoshi Tatsu, Kane, CM Punk, Vance Archer, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, Ezekiel Jackson and Matt Hardy.

The first casualty in tonight's Battle Royal was Evan Bourne, eliminated in under 20 seconds. From there, it was just seven guys, with Kane looked at as the favorite. Yoshi Tatsu and CM Punk fought it out in the corner, with both men almost eliminating the other at separate points. A commercial break came with seven guys still remaining.

Back from break, Shelton Benjamin took out Vance Archer off the apron with a cross body splash. The two continued their fight on the outside, with just five men left in the ring competing. Christian mentioned he feels Yoshi Tatsu is the biggest threat to him in the battle royal.

Jackson and Hardy went at it, with Ezekiel smashing Matt off the ropes to the outside. It was down to Zeke, Yoshi, Punk and Kane. All four men did a face off in the ring, but then Punk took Kane down with a high knee. Punk was soon met by a serious clothesline from Jackson. Ezekiel tossed Punk over the top rope to eliminate him. From there, Kane tossed Yoshi out, to leave the match at Kane versus Jackson.

The two men locked up in a battle of the big men. Jackson tried to slam Kane out over the ropes, with Kane managing to hold on. He blocked Jackson's attempt to eliminate him and came back with the uppercut. Kane tried to slam Jackson out over the ropes to no avail. He set up for the Chokeslam, but Jackson elbowed out of it. Kane hit him with the big boot to take Jackson down. He went to the top rope for a clothesline, but missed. Jackson followed up with a clothesline of his own which eliminated Kane over the top rope. Jackson is your ECW Homecoming winner.

To close things out, William Regal joined Jackson in the ring to celebrate. They stared out of the ring at Christian who held up the ECW championship belt.

Winner: wins the ECW Homecoming Battle Royal and will go on to 2010 Royal Rumble to face Christian for the ECW Championship.

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ECW Recap 12.29.09

ECW Recap from East Rutherford, NJ:

ECW on SyFy kicked off with a promo video about the ECW Homecoming tournament. On tonight's show two former ECW stars make their returns to compete for a shot at Christian's ECW title. Former ECW Champion Matt Hardy and current Raw superstar Evan Bourne both make their way back to the Land of Extreme.

From the Izod Center,Josh Matthews welcomed fans to the show right after the pyro went off, stating that tonight more superstars will attempt to qualify for ECW Homecoming. Savannah was in the ring to introduce the ECW Champion, Christian. Christian came down to take a seat with the commentary team and told Byron Saxton how great it was to tell his family he's met Bryan Gumbel. Matt Hardy came out for the opening match.

Matt Hardy vs. Finlay
ECW Homecoming Qualifying Match

Josh Matthews reminded fans that eight men will qualify for ECW Homecoming Finale in 2 weeks. Four have already qualified: Kane, Vance Archer, Yoshi Tatsu and Ezekiel Jackson.

Finlay took advantage of Matt Hardy tweaking a leg or knee injury, and continued to target it. The ref nearly stopped the match due to the injury in the early going. Finlay slammed Hardy hard against the ropes, legs first to exploit the injury then used submission holds on the mat. Matt got to his feet and started punching away at Finlay, but eventually the Irishmen kicked him in the hurt leg to knock him back down.

In the late stages of the match, Matt went for a moonsault off the corner, but Finlay moved out of the way. Finlay had a near fall after Matt hurt his left knee yet again. He stood Hardy up for a move, but Matt did his Twist of Fate finisher out of nowhere to win it.

Christian said he's ready for whomever might make the final match to face him at Royal Rumble. Five spots are know decided.

Winner: Matt Hardy wins via pinfall over Finlay to advance to the ECW Homecoming Finale.

Later tonight, two former ECW stars, Evan Bourne and Mike Knox compete for the sixth ECW Homecoming spot.

Zack Ryder was walking backstage with his arm around Rosa Mendes laughing. Ryder spotted Tommmy Dreamer hanging out, and asked him why he's still at ECW. Ryder suggested that Dreamer should just hang it up already. Dreamer told Ryder he's sick of losing to guys like Ryder each and every week. Dreamer grabbed Ryder by the collar and told him if he wants him out of ECW so bad, he can try to beat him tonight. Dreamer said if Ryder beats him, he'll leave ECW forever. Ryder said it's on.

---

Ezekiel Jackson made his way down to the ring. They showed highlights from his match 2 weeks ago in the ECW Homecoming against Vladimir Kozlov. William Regal was ringside and tripped Kozlov, allowing Jackson to win by pinfall. After the match, Jackson and Regal attacked Kozlov outside the ring.

Jackson spoke in the ring about how Vladimir Kozlov betrayed Jackson and Regal by being a weak link in their powerful chain. Jackson said their goal was to dominate ECW, but Vlad became a liability. As Ezekiel quoted the book of Ezekiel and continued to speak, Vlad's music hit and he came to the ring. The two behemoths began to battle. Vladimir sustained some strikes then knocked Jackson over the top rope. Kozlov dared Jackson to get back in there with him. Jackson chuckled from the ramp telling Kozlov "you're gonna get it!"

Tommy Dreamer was in a lockerroom backstage getting ready. Christian came in to ask what was up. Christian asked Dreamer if he's sure that he really wants to fight in the match tonight against Ryder. Dreamer said he's got something to prove again, just like Christian did in returning to win the ECW title. Christian said no matter what happens tonight, Dreamer will be the heart of ECW. Dreamer said he still wants a rematch against Christian for the ECW title. Dreamer brushed back some tears as Christian left.

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Evan Bourne vs. Mike Knox
ECW Homecoming Qualifying Match

The commentators noted that Knox studies Kinesiology which involves taking apart the human body and putting it back together.

Early on, Knox and Bourne spilled to the outside, Both guys were slow to get up as the ref counted them out. Knox threw Bourne into the crowd barricade hard, then got back in the ring. Bourne managed to just beat the count and get back in the ring, but Knox was in control and began to pick him apart.

Bourne was able to counter Knox on a standing suplex and began using his quick kicks. Bourne went against the ropes but Knox did his lateral press to take him down for a near fall. Bourne grabbed the bottom rope to break it. From there, Bourne got momentum as he avoided a splash by Knox, then kneed him in the face. Bourne went to the corner ropes for a high risk move with Knox getting up to trip him down. Bourne jumped but Knox caught him on the shoulder. Bourne used his weight to get over the top rope onto the apron. Bourne used a high kick to Knox' head to knock him to the mat, then climbed onto the corner ropes for the Shooting Starpress to win it.

Winner: Evan Bourne wins via pinfall over Mike Knox to advance to the ECW Homecoming Finale.

There's now just two spots left for ECW Homecoming. Byron Saxton said on next week's ECW three more former ECW champions return to compete for those spots: Mark Henry, Chavo Guerrero and CM Punk.

ECW GM TIffany wished Tommy Dreamer good luck in his match tonight. Dreamer began making his way down the hall en route to the main vent match.

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ECW returned with a look back at last night's Raw. The focus was the rematch between John Cena and Sheamus for the WWE Title. Sheamus told Cena the final image on Raw for 2009 will be Sheamus standing tall oabove Cena holding the title. Both men attacked one another during the program to try to gain an edge. In the main event, Cena seemed to be in control and had Sheamus up for the Attitude Adjustment, but Sheamus grabbed the top rope. Cena yanked Sheamus away, but as he did so, Sheamus grabbed the ref and pushed him down with a free arm. Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment, but it was too late as the ref called for a DQ. Cena ran up the ramp and grabbed Sheamus to bring back to the ring. However, back in the ring, Sheamus dodged Cena's attack and kicked him in the face twice. Raw ended with Sheamus putting a foot on Cena's throat, before heading up the ramp to show off his WWE title.

Josh Matthews and Byron Saxton discussed Cena's "hustle, loyalty, respect" mantra, with Saxton saying Sheamus ended 2009 on quite a high note. Matthews reminded fans of the biggest news of the century: Bret "the Hitman" Hart will guest host the first Raw of 2010.

Backstage, Yoshi Tatshu was trying to teach Goldust how to say "you're welcome" in Japanese. Goldust kept getting it wrong, so Yoshi tried to teach him how to say something easier. The new ECW tag team Croft and Baretta came walking up and cockily asked how to say "future WWE tag team champions" in Japanese. They said they hoped Tommy Dreamer loses tonight and then Goldust & Yoshi Tatsu leave also. Goldust told them to back off then said something in Japanese. Yoshi laughed and said "good one" leaving Croft and Baretta wondering what they said. One of them said he knew Japanese and Goldust just said he's scared of them.

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Tommy Dreamer vs. Zack Ryder

Ryder was accompanied to the ring by girlfriend Rosa Mendes. Early on, both men used arm tosses to throw each other down to the mat. Dreamer tried to keep Ryder down in an armbar hold, but Ryder got up and tried to take Dreamer corner to corner. Instead, Dreamer got a bulldog out of the corner for a near fall. Dreamer hit a powerslam out of the other corner as Ryder tried to jump over him. He hit a flapjack style reverse slam, and Ryder rolled to the outside. Dreamer jumped out onto Ryder and Rosa came over to protect her man. She yelled at Dreamer and Ryder was able to get a punch in, before shoving Dreamer to the ringpost. ECW took a break as Ryder rolled Dreamer back into the ring.

Back from commercial, Ryder was in control using an arm hold to keep Dreamer down. Saxton and Matthews kept questioning if it was wise for Dreamer to offer to leave ECW forever if he lost. Ryder countered Dreamer's comeback attempt for a near fall, then started hammering away on his head. He continued the onslaught by tossing Dreamer shoulder first into the corner ringpost. Ryder went for a running kick move at Dreamer in the corner, allowing Dreamer to get back up and hit a neckbreaker. From there he did a Flapjack to slam Ryder face first, then a Powerbomb style move for a near fall.

Towards the closing moments of the match, Dreamer had Ryder hung upside down in the corner and did his running dropkick, followed by the finisher DDT. He scored the pinfall but the ref noted that Ryder had a foot under the bottom rope. Dreamer was shocked that he hadn't won it. The ref told him to continue the match. Dreamer yanked Ryder away from the ropes then tried for another fall. Ryder reversed for a pin of his own, but Dreamer kicked out. In the process, Dreamer landed on top of the ref who started to hold the back of his neck/head. Dreamer sat Ryder up on the corner, then climbed up with him. He went for a suplex, but Ryder turned it around from the air to do a lateral press on top of Dreamer for the winning pinfall. Dreamer sat up looking dejected over the loss which sends him out of ECW forever.

Winner: Zack Ryder wins via pinfall. Tommy Dreamer agrees to leave ECW forever.

Following the loss which would retire Dreamer from ECW/WWE, the ECW original got on the mic for a farewell speech. He recalled sitting in this very arena a long time ago to watch Piper's Pit by Roddy Piper. Dreamer thanked all of the members of the original ECW, saying it was his dream since age 9 to be a wrestler. He said if you have a passion for what you want to do, you can accomplish your dreams anywhere. Dreamer fought back tears saying he told himself not to cry.

Dreamer told the WWE Universe they have been like his family. He talked about his real family, and his daughters, as the camera showed a shot of his wife Beulah in the front row holding their daughters. Dreamer was in tears, and said life is about getting back up whenever you get knocked down. He thanked the fans for their support, before taking his shirt off to put down on the mat. Dreamer took his daughters from the front row in his arms and carried them up the ramp. They all waved to the camera and crowd, before Dreamer did his infamous entrance yelling pose on stage. Dreamer disappeared backstage with his daughters to close out the final ECW of 2009.

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ECW Recap 12.15.09

ECW Recap from Laredo, TX:

ECW on SyFy started by showing a highlight video package of Kane, former ECW champion. From there, they went to Kane on camera who began to laugh maniacally and declared he was back. On tonight's episode, Abraham Washington Show will feature the Diva of the Year, Maria.

ECW's GM Tiffany was already in the ring to start the show off. She praised this past Sunday's TLC match, the ladder match between Christian and Shelton. She called both men out to the ring. Shelton was favoring his back, while Christian had a black eye from a ladder hitting him. The two opponents shook hands. Tiffany thanked them for representing ECW like they did in such great fashion. Benjamin took the mic and called Sunday's match one of the proudest moments of his career, but he fell short in his goal. Shelton requested a rematch for the ECW title. Tiffany took the mic back and was about to tell him he could have the opportunity when William Regal's music hit.

Regal, Kozlov and Jackson arrived on stage. Regal said he's tired of all this nonesense. Regal asked Tiffany if she had gone mental since she allowed Kane to come back on ECW again. Tiffany explained her new idea called "ECW Homecoming" where she'll invite former ECW stars to compete for a title shot, Kane is the first. The winner of a series of tournament matches will get a title shot at Christian at the 2010 Royal Rumble. Tonight will feature two such matches: Kane takes on Zack Ryder, and then Kozlov will face Jackson. Kozlov had a huge frown when he heard the news, while Jackson was all smiles. Regal tried to mediate the two big men.

The Ripper (Paul Burchill wearing a villain mask) was shown backstage with his valet, "The Beautiful Nightmare" (Katie Lea), wearing a masquerade mask. Ripper takes on The Hurricane next.

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The Hurricane vs. The Ripper

Late in the match, with Katie Lea watching from ringside, Hurricane hit a huge uppercut for a two count. He tried to get the Shining Wizard, but Burchill ducked it, then hit a neckbreaker for a near fall. Burchill whipped Hurricane to the corner, then charged at him. Hurricane got his boot up in time to stop it, then did a DDT from the corner to plant Burchill into the mat head first. Hurricane then went right for the mask and removed The Ripper's disguised to reveal it was in fact Paul Burchill. Burchill was frustrated and shocked by this, which allowed Hurricane to hit the Shining Wizard for the win. Burchill failed to earn a contract with ECW. Hurricane celebrated by showing off the mask he retrieved to the fans.

Winner: The Hurricane wins via pinfall over The Ripper.

Matthews and Saxton talked up last night's Raw which was the 2009 Slammy Awards. They showed highlights including some of Dennis Miller's jokes, as well as various award winners such as Maria for Diva of Year, JeriShow for tag team of year, and then John Cena winning Superstar of the Year tournament. The show ended with Sheamus coming out to the top of the ramp and showing off his WWE title.

Coming up next, Abe Washington Show features Maria, the 2009 Diva of the Year.

---

Tony Atlas introduced Abraham Washington, who got his usual chorus of boos as he thanked everyone repeatedly. He mentioned there was a crime committed and told someone to call 911, since he was robbed at Raw's 2009 Slammy's last night. Abe said he was the 2009 Breakout Star of the Year, Superstar of the Year and even Tag Team of the year. Tony Atlas said he also should have won "diva of the year" also.

Washington's guest was 2009 Diva of the Year, Maria. Abe rolled the clip from Raw where she accepted her award but was interrupted by Batista. Washington laughed after it rolled, and Maria retorted that he wasn't robbed, she's seen his show. Atlas chirped in "It stinks!" Maria teased Abe about letting him hold her Slammy trophy. She then let Atlas hold it, and then pulled it away from Washington. Abe came back saying he voted for Michelle McCool last night anyways. He said he wished Batista would come out and interrupt again, then told Atlas to close the show. Maria posed for the fans on the stage holding up her award.

Backstage, William Regal was shown hyping up Kozlov for his match against Ezekiel Jackson next.

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Ezekiel Jackson vs. Vladimir Kozlov

During the match, Josh Matthews informed everyone the specifics of the Homecoming tournament for #1 contender status. There will be 16 matches leading to 8 winners who will compete in an "ECW Homecoming Finale" in five weeks from now. Winner of that goes on to Royal Rumble to face Christian for the title.

During the match, which lasted about two minutes, Regal figured in as he tripped Vladimir Kozlov from the outside. Ezekiel did his one-armed slam finisher called Uranage on Kozlov to collect a pinfall win and move on.

After the match, Regal was getting his long coat outside the ring and Kozlov came over to confront him. Jackson attacked from behind and Regal helped by running Kozlov into the commentators' table. Regal and Jackson celebrated their victories in and out of the ring.

Winner: Ezekiel Jackson wins via pinfall over Vladimir Kozlov to move on in the ECW Homecoming tournament.

Backstage, Caylen Croft and Trent Barreta were playing Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 video game. They pretended they had beat D-Generation X in the game. They said video games immitate real life, then did a fist pound before leaving.

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Julio Cruz & Jorge Arias vs. Trent Barreta & Caylen Croft

Another quick match which saw the new tag team, Croft & Barreta dominate two amateurs in the ring. They worked on them in typical tag team fashion, with frequent tags in and out. They finally ended things with a doubleteam neckbreaker move to collect a pinfall win.

After their win, they grabbed the mic from the ring announcer, Savannah, and announced they will be next year's winners for 2009 Tag Team of the Year Slammy.

Winners: Trent Barreta & Caylen Croft win via pinfall over Julio Cruz & Jorge Arias.

Backstage, Goldust was explaining his jokes from last night's Raw to Yoshi Tatsu. Kane came in to interrupt the conversation. Yoshi Tatsu backed up and began saying something in his language. Kane asked Goldust to translate and his stutter kicked in. Kane said "and they say I'm a freak" and walked off.

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Zack Ryder vs. Kane
ECW Homecoming match

In the second of 16 matches for ECW Homecoming, the Big Red Machine Kane was back to his old stomping grounds. Ryder came out to the ring with Rosa Mendes and pretended he was un-phased by Kane.

Ryder came out on the offensive, until Kane hit some uppercuts on him. In the corner, Ryder got his leg up to boot Kane in the face. Coming off the ropes, Ryder got caught midair by Kane who hit a Powerslam. Kane missed his elbow drop attempt. Ryder started using submissions to wear down the big man on the mat, methodically working over Kane's knee/hamstring.

Ryder continued to stay in control using submission holds, with Matthews/Saxon saying maybe Kane underestimated him. Kane started to make a comeback, but Ryder hit a Rocker Dropper to get a two count. He went for the Rough Ryder finisher, but Kane escaped it, then hit his chokeslam. Kane wins by pinfall. Kane set off his explosion from the ring corners before ECW ended.

Winner: Kane wins via pinfall over Zack Ryder to qualify for the ECW Homecoming in January.

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ECW Recap 10.13.09

ECW Recap from University of KY:

The show opened with Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov arriving out for the opening match. Matthews and Striker were on commentary to cover tonight's show.

Goldust vs. Ezekiel Jackson

Early on Goldust was flattened to the mat by Jackson, but he recovered as he struck Jackson through the ropes from the outside. They battled in the ring with Goldust coming off the ropes and getting leveled by a clothesline. Jackson tossed him to the corner to pound away on the bizarre one, then did a running hip splash for further destruction. Goldust escaped the near fall. Jackson locked in a tight Bear Hug on Goldust, with Goldust punching out of it. Jackson shoved him to the ropes to chop him back down. Jackson had another near fall then used a submission hold on the mat. Goldust got to his feet but was slammed backwards for another close pinfall.

As the match continued, Goldust built some momentum with a takedown as he was whipped to the ropes. Jackson escaped the pinfall, and Goldust hit a Flatliner to plant Jackson face first into the mat. Goldust started to climb the corner, with Kozlov distracting. Jackson ran over to boot Goldust off the corner down to the mat. He finished with the one-armed slam move to win it.

Jackson and Kozlov stood in the ring above the fallen Goldust for a bit, before Kozlov picked him up for another finisher.

Winner: Ezekiel Jackson wins via pinfall over Goldust.

Striker and Matthews covered the replay of how Yoshi Tatsu defeated William Regal last week in singles competition. Regal had his foot clearly under the bottom rope, but the ref missed it on the pinfall. During the main event match of Christian vs Zack Ryder, Regal was at ringside with Jackson and Kozlov. Regal interfered when he attacked Christian to cost Ryder the match. Ryder complained so Kozlov & Jackson beat him up. Tonight, Ryder teams up with Regal to face Christian & Yoshi Tatsu in a tag team match.

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William Regal was backstage pacing, when Zack Ryder came up to him. Ryder said Regal and his boys cost him the match because Regal is threatened by him. Ryder told Regal he's not so tough without his boys around. Just then Kozlov and Jackson were standing behind him, so Ryder stopped talking. Regal gave Ryder a talk, and told him to pay close attention. Regal said Ryder better work with him to win tonight or else things will be even worse than what happened last week.

Sheamus got in the ring to discuss his match against Shelton last week on WWE Superstars. He said technically the record books claim that Shelton won, but Sheamus said the footage shows what really happened. He had them replay it as he punished Shelton's hurt shoulder repeatedly until the ref called for a DQ. Sheamus talked about Shelton arriving to WWE about 10 years ago with a lot of talent but that he hasn't done much with it. Sheamus said he can see Shelton has a lot of talent but has never been at the top of the WWE. Sheamus said he'll use Shelton as a stepping stone to get to the top. Sheamus said WWE has a lot of extra baggage now, and he suggested they leave, follow or get out of his way. Sheamus said the Celtic Warrior will be the only man standing at the top after it all.

Paul Burchill was shown walking with his sister Katie Lea backstage on the way out to the upcoming match against The Hurricane.

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Josh Matthews and Matt Striker discussed CM Punk's victory over Batista on Smackdown last week. They said fans can log onto WWE.com for more info including photos, videos and news.

The Hurricane vs. Paul Burchill

Hurricane wound up on the apron during the match and tried to go at Burchill. Burchill rammed into him to knock him to the outside, then went out to toss him into the apron. Back in the ring, Burchill used a barrage of moves including an armbar submission to wear him down. Hurricane fought to his feet, but Burchill grabbed his arm and dropped down to hurt him more.

Hurricane gained momentum as he kicked Burchill from the corner. Helms started to punch away on Burchill as he came off the ropes, then went to whip him to the corner. Burchill reverse whipped with Hurricane giving him the elbow as he charged him. After a hurricanrana, Hurricane had a near fall, and as they stood up Burchill grabbed his arm to plant Hurricane into the mat. The two men fought up on the corner, with Hurricane dropping Burchill off. As Burchill stood up, Hurricane hit a flying bodypress for another near fall.

Burchill continued going after Hurricane's hurt arm. He got on the corner, but Hurricane got up to go for a Hurricanrana. Burchill stayed on the corner, causing Hurricane to fall down to the mat. After a dangerous buster, Burchill was able to capture the pinfall victory.

Winner: Paul Burchill wins via pinfall over The Hurricane.

Striker and Matthews reminded fans that the main event will pit Yoshi Tatsu & Christian against Ryder & Regal.

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As ECW returned, Matthews & Striker noted that "Step Up (I'm On It)" by Maylene & The Songs of Disaster is the official theme song for Bragging Rights PPV.

They covered the whole Randy Orton & John Cena rivalry as it's gone down since Hell in a Cell. Cena and Orton agreed to fight at Bragging Rights in the final chapter of their rivalry, a 60 minute Iron Man match with Anything Goes. Orton added in that if Cena loses he will leave Raw as well. In their Bragging Rights match, whoever scores the most pinfalls or submissions in the 1 hour time limit will be the winner, and WWE Champion. Also at Bragging Rights is the World Heavyweight Title Fatal Fourway, and an epic 7 on 7 tag match between Raw & Smackdown.

Yoshi Tatsu was doing some calisthenics backstage to warm up for the tag match. Christian came in to ask if he was ready to go. Yoshi admitted he was focused but nervous. Christian asked why, and Yoshi spit out a lot of Japanese. Christian joked about it. He then said every week Yoshi gets in the last "thank you", but he's not falling for it now. Christian pretended he saw baseball player Ichiro and Yoshi looked. Christian said "thank you" and tried to leave. Yoshi turned back and bowed to say "Thank you". Christian came back, and told him it was time to go, then chuckled as they headed out.

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Yoshi Tatsu & Christian vs. William Regal & Zack Ryder

Early on it was Ryder and Tatsu, with Yoshi using a series of armbar takedowns to bring Ryder to the mat. Ryder got to his feet, but Yoshi pulled him over to tag in Christian. Christian continued yanking on the arm and tried a headlock, as Ryder sent him against the ropes. Christian came back to drop Ryder again. Ryder finally got him with a knee to the gut, then flattened him in the corner, before stomping on him. Ryder continued the onslaught, until he missed on a charge at Christian in the corner. Christian sent him to the outside, so Regal went to get Ryder up. Christian ran and hit a baseball dropkick to send Regal into Ryder, then ran and jumped off the corner onto both men outside the ring.

ECW returned with Regal battling Christian in the ring. Christian started ramming Regal in the corner, then brought him to a seated position for a kick to the back. Regal reverse-whipped Christian to the corner then leveled him, before tagging Ryder back in. Regal had Christian seated on the corner, but the champ flew off to take Regal down. Christian made a hot tag to Yoshi, as Ryder tagged in. Yoshi with a flurry of quick offensive moves, including a spin kick from the ropes.

Yoshi was in control and kicked Ryder as he was seated on the mat. Ryder shoved Yoshi back towards Regal, then went over to get in Christian's face. The ref walked over to calm Christian down, and Regal snuck in to hit Yoshi. Ryder with a neckbreaker, but couldn't get a 3 count. Regal tagged back in to start unloading on Yoshi. Ryder was back in, as the heels worked to wear Yoshi down and prevent a tag. Yoshi finally hit a rolling elbow from the corner to make a hot tag to Christian. Christian came in to take Ryder down, eventually hitting a spinning kick. Christian hit the Flash Point punc, for a near fall, then knocked Ryder off the apron. The springboard Sunset Flip didn't get the pinfall, so Christian went for Killswitch. Ryder countered and hit what Striker called a Rough Ryder legdrop on Christian, for a near fall.

Everyone got involved in the final moments of the contest, as Regal and Yoshi fought outside. Regal threw Yoshi into the ring steps outside. Christian got on the top rope, but Regal interfered. Regal made a tag back in to Ryder who didn't like how it was done. Ryder argued with Regal that he had the match won. The brief distraction caused Regal to end up in the Killswitch and then pinned by Christian.

Ryder left the ring smirking about what happened with Regal. Christian and Yoshi stood over Regal as ECW ended.

Winners: Christian & Yoshi Tatsu win via pinfall over Zack Ryder & William Regal.

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