ECW on SyFy: August 25, 2009
by Samoa Rowe
-We get a dramatic recap of how the Christian/Regal match went down at Summerslam. Christian won in seconds, but Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson beat him down afterwards. Hey, why order the pay-per-view to see ECW title matches when you can see the whole thing with scary sound effects for free!
-William Regal, along with his new bodyguards, Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson, comes down to the ring for a promo. Regal says the audience lacks the creativity, imagination, and influence to see how he could have united potential rivals Kozlov and Jackson together. Christian interrupts on the stage with a mic in hand. Christian reminds Regal that he beat Regal in the fastest match in Summerslam history. Regal tries to convince us that he wasn’t ready, but Christian keeps repeating “8 seconds.” Christian starts referring to Regal as “Bill” and that seems to strike a nerve. Tiffany comes out to resolve the situation the way only she can. She makes Christian vs. Regal for tonight, and if Regal can score the win then he’ll get a championship rematch.
-Hype video highlighting the Goldust vs. Sheamus feud. The rivalry continues after the commercial!
Sheamus vs. Goldust
They waste no time locking up. Sheamus slaps the face, prompting Goldust to unleash a Lou Thesz press. Sheamus counters a headlock with a back suplex. Sheamus applies a chinlock. Goldust fights out but eats a series of elbow drops. Sheamus begins targeting the small of the back in between submission holds. Goldust builds a comeback, nailing a powerslam for 2. Goldust nails the flat-liner for a painfully close near fall. Sheamus pulls Goldust to ringside and they proceed to brawl into a count-out at 3:56. Goldust got the upper hand towards the end, but neither man officially won. This was enjoyable stuff, and I appreciate the effort to put Sheamus over as a young wrestler who is wise beyond his years.
No contest.
-Backstage, the Bella Twins are begging Shelton Benjamin to sing them some Louie Armstrong. Zack Ryder interrupts and requests some Lady Gaga. The Twins leave Benjamin and Ryder alone to have a pissing contest. Tiffany rushes in to break it up, informing them that they are to be tag team partners tonight. Oh joy, the wacky tag team who hates each other angle.
-The Hurricane vs. Paul Burchill is hyped for Superstars. They get graphics worthy of a pay-per-view. This leads to Courtney Taylor interviewing Paul and Katie Lea Burchill. The evil siblings make fun of Courtney and demand that she doesn’t insult their intelligence by pretending that The Hurricane isn’t Gregory Helms. Whoa, all this build for a Superstars match is rather different.
Shelton Benjamin and Zack Ryder vs. Yoshi Tatsu and Tyler Reks
Reks and Tatsu can’t understand each other... hilarious, right? Benjamin starts against Reks, getting the upper hand in the early going. Reks gets a wild sunset flip which leads to a series of counters. Benjamin wants a tag, but Ryder is too busy fixing his boots. Reks gets a roll-up and a series of drop-kicks before eating a Samoan drop. Ryder tags and beats down Reks. Yoshi gets the hot tag and cleans house on Benjamin. Yoshi goes high risk but gets tossed off the ropes. Benjamin tosses Ryder into the ring, which counts as a tag. Yoshi shoves Ryder into Benjamin and gets a roll-up for the win at 3:52. That’s gotta be considered an upset. This was some much needed exposure for the newcomers.
Winners: Yoshi Tatsu and Tyler Reks
-Shelton is pissed and nails Pay Dirt on Ryder to leave him down and out.
William Regal (with Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson) vs. Christian
They lock up and Christian tries to finish quickly again. They put on a nice chain wrestling show. Christian heats things up a bit, nailing a baseball slide. Christian wants to hit a dive, but Jackson and Kozlov block his opportunity. Cue the commercial. Naturally, we come back from the break to see Regal wearing down Christian with a headlock variation. Exploder suplex by Regal but he misses the knee lift. Springboard sunset flip by Christian gets 2. Regal drops Christian onto the floor to regain control. Christian takes a prolonged beating before countering with a backslide. Regal works over the head, retaining control. Regal plants on the top rope but gets knocked off. Flying crossbody by Christian gets 2! A slug-fest erupts, with Christian coming out on top. Christian nails a pair of missile drop-kicks, but just can’t put Regal away. Tornado DDT by Christian, but Regal kicks out again. The fight heads to ringside, where Christian gets a cheap shot in on Kozlov. Back to the ring, Jackson distracts the referee while Kozlov repays the favor to Christian. Regal delivers the knee lift and picks up the win at 13:55. Christian and Regal have GREAT chemistry together, let’s hope their future pay-per-view outings can build on this, ***.
Winner: William Regal
Final Thoughts: It’s frustrating to think that all this great build for the Christian/Regal rivalry will probably not amount to much of anything in the grand scheme of things, but it makes for an entertaining television show. There was a lot to like this week, as the current batch of newcomers all got to look good and get some face time on television. Hell, even Paul Burchill got to look important. However, the thing I liked most this week was the absence of Abraham Washington.
Thumbs up!
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