The show opens with a great recap of the previous night’s ECW Championship match at Backlash, highlighting Christian’s victory over Jack Swagger to claim the title. We then shoot straight to Madison Square Garden where the new champion is introduced into the ring. Christian gets a sizable ovation and poses before taking the microphone. He states that before Jack Swagger can interrupt him, he wants to make it known that this is the greatest moment of his career. He stands before his peeps in Madison Square Garden as champion. He then calls out Swagger to go ahead and interrupt him.

Instead, Tommy Dreamer comes out. Dreamer gives Christian congratulations for winning the title and for being the champion ECW can be proud of. He then states that the real reason he’s out here is because he’s running out of time with on his promise to win the title before his contract expires in six weeks. Dreamer asks for a title shot and Christian is willing to grant it to him tonight. It’s at this time Swagger finally interrupts. He complains that Christian is only champion because he cheated. He then calls Dreamer a joke and states he will invoke his rematch right at Judgment Day in three weeks, thereby preventing any one from challenging for the belt between then.

Tiffany then comes out. After welcoming the fans of New York to this week’s ECW, in her would-be reading off the cue card manner, she states that Swagger is wrong to think any one can challenge Christian for the title before him. While Swagger will get his title shot at Judgment Day, she announces Chrsitian vs. Tommy Dreamer for the ECW Championship tonight. Swagger looks quite annoyed while Christian and Dreamer wish each other luck. Good set up. Like last week, it’s simple and to the point.

Before cutting to commercial, we get a look backstage of Natalya getting Tyson Kidd ready for his match tonight by combing his… hair. It’s such a hilarious visual.

Tyson Kidd w/ Natalya vs. Finlay

They recap what happened this past Thursday on Superstars when Finlay used the Shillelagh for Hornswoggle to pin Tyson. Striker pokes fun at Tyson’s fashion sense while Finlay just messes with his opponent. Tyson can’t even get in any offense as Finlay takes him down one move at a time. After keeping a single-leg Boston Crab locked in for a good while, Finlay clothesline Tyson out of the ring before the show cuts to commercial.

Finlay is still working over Tyson upon return from break, until Tyson quickly catches him with a dropkick to the leg. Tyson then unloads everything he has on the leg before twisting on a front ankle lock. He then keeps the Irishman down with a various leg locks and variant spinning toe holds. Finlay starts mounting a comeback using power moves. He looks to go for the Celtic Cross, but his leg gives and Tyson dropkicks him out of the ring. As Finlay tries to get back in, Natalya provides enough of a distraction just by running up to the same side of the apron. The referee’s back is turned and Tyson uses the Shillelagh on Finlay’s leg before rolling him up for the pin. Alright match, nothing bad yet nothing special either.

Commercial airs to state that ECW will start at 10pm Eastern starting next week.

Vladimir Kozlov appears, decked in Russian army gear. He simply states in his thick Russian accent that no one can defeat and it will be a matter of time before he achieves global domination. Okay.

Striker and Matthews throw it over to the new backstage interviewer, Gregory Helms. Crap! Gregory interviews Evan Bourne. Bourne states that Dreamer isn’t the only one with championship asperations. But before he can continue, he’s interrupted by Paul Burchill and Katie Lea. Burchill states that Evan got lucky last week, but next time the end result won’t be the same. After the Burchills leave, Gregory goes “What’s up with that?” to Evan.

Dreamer is on his way to the ring for the main event as we cut to commercial.

Commercial shows that there appears to be a change to the previously schedule main event for this week’s SmackDown! It seems it’s now a Fatal Four-Way to determine the Number One Contender against Edge and the participants are Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, and Kane. No Great Khali.

Christian makes his way to the ring and they do the championship introductions. Dreamer gets a good reaction while Christian is obviously the fan favorite.

Main Event – ECW Championship
Christian © vs. Tommy Dreamer

The two begin a feeling out process and then engage in going back and forth with quick strikes and quick pin attempts. Christian tries to go for the Killswitch and Dreamer attempts to reverse into the Evenflow DDT. Christian has control for a moment, until it switches to Dreamer. Dreamer catches Christian at one point, hitting a power slam for a two count. Christian catches with a big open slap to the face as they go to commercial.

Return from break, Dreamer finds himself ramming his shoulder into the post and Christian wastes no time working over it. Christian keeps going until Dreamer starts mounting a comeback, which sees him managing to clothesline Christian out of the ring Cactus Jack style. Both beat the count to get back in and Christian attempts a move off the top only to be caught by a punch to the mid-section. Dreamer is all over Christian with move after move, including a reverse DDT. He has Christian set up in the tree of woe and is about to make his battle cry when Jack Swagger literally came out of nowhere with a tackle. Swagger beats down on both men, ending with him nailing the Gutwrench Powerbomb on Christian. He stands over the two men triumphantly with his grin as the show fades to a close. Good match with a nice set up for what’s to come in the weeks ahead.

Overview: Good show with some storylines moving. Helms as a backstage interview is not working for me at the moment. It might in the future depending, but this guy needs to wrestle. The main event is probably the best Dreamer has wrestled in quite sometime and Christian did a very good job setting things up for him at just the right time and in the right place. Nothing much else to say about this week’s show, really. Still waiting for them to bring in DH Smith, though.

Dan Short
dan@ifight365.com