ECW on The SciFi Network
Taped in Atlanta, Ga.

[Q1] The opening montage aired... Todd Grisham introduced Matt Striker as his color commentator for the evening. Grisham noted that Striker was "filling in for Tazz"...

Powell's POV: I mentioned in previous news reports that Mick Foley might sit out Smackdown this week and possibly next week to sell the storyline injuries he suffered during the angle with Edge last week. One can only assume that Tazz is filling in for Foley on Smackdown this week. That being said, the parings of Grisham and Striker on ECW, and Jim Ross and Tazz on Smackdown could be a preview of the announcing assignments if Foley doesn't re-sign with WWE.

1. Evan Bourne and Ricky Ortiz defeated Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely in 5:00. Striker mentioned that Neely worked for the border patrol. He said there was an obvious joke, but he wouldn't go there. Grisham pointed out that Neely is from Minnesota and questioned whether Neely worked the Canadian border.

Bourne took a hot tag at 4:30 and then performed his top rope knee splash (knees first onto a standing Neely, who fell backward into a pinning situation) on Neely. A short time later, Bourne used a unique roll up and got the pin on Neely. The live crowd was into Bourne more than anyone else in the match... [C]

Powell's POV: Grisham and Striker are okay. Striker seems calm and cool. Maybe too calm. If I didn't know better, I'd assume they were overdubbing their entire commentary in post-production because they just don't have that live energy. They're anti-TNA announcers in the sense that they spoke calmly and didn't yell much during the opening match.

[Q2] Mike Knox stood in the ring and delivered a promo about Finlay and Hornswoggle. He aired a clip of the father and son duo dancing in a hillside with a picnic basket in front of them and the word, "Romance," written on the screen. Knox said Finlay was one of the toughest guys on the roster, but now he dances around with a leprechaun.

Finlay, wearing street clothes, and Horny walked onto the stage and danced briefly before walking to the ring. Finlay took the mic and said the the slogan about how he likes to fight is just the tip of the iceberg. Finlay acted like he didn't know Knox's name. He challenged him to look him in the eyes and take a shot.

Finlay took off his jacket and said, "Go ahead take a shot, but you better knock me out because if you don't you're going to find out whether I've gone soft or not." Knox backed up and left the ring as the crowd booed...

Highlights aired from Raw of the latest developments in the John Cena and Batista feud...

Powell's POV: Knox is good on the mic. Solid segment until the boring conclusion with Knox backing down.

2. Armando Estrada pinned Tommy Dreamer in 2:35. This is Estrada's final chance to earn an ECW contract. If he loses to Dreamer, he's gone from ECW. Dreamer was dominating the match when Colin Delaney walked to ringside. Dreamer spotted him and eventually ran him into the ring post. Estrada took advantage of the distraction by rolling up Dreamer for the three count.

Powell's POV: I think most viewers saw that finish coming a mile away.

[Q3] The announcers hyped The Dirt Sheet with Matt Hardy and Mark Henry as the guests for later in the show... [C]

Backstage, Colin congratulated Estrada, who asked why Delaney would be willing to help him after everything he did to him. Colin started to explain that Estrada at least gave him a chance. Teddy Long entered the picture and booked Colin in an extreme rules match against Dreamer next week...

The announcers introduced highlights of Edge beating up Mick Foley on Smackdown...

Powell's POV: Striker is probably shitting his pants, but he's really impressing me by how calm he looks. He looks and sounds like he's done this a hundred times before. Very good debut thus far.

The announcers ran through the SummerSlam lineup... A shot aired of Braden Walker walking backstage. Grisham said Walker would be in action after the break... [C]

[Q4] 3. Braden Walker pinned James Curtis in 2:55. Striker mentioned that Curtis was trained by Savio Vega. Striker also noted that Curtis is a licensed boat captain. Grisham said he hopes Striker is here for more than a three hour tour (insert your own rimshot here). Walker hit the fisherman's suplex for the win... [C]

Powell's POV: Harris still isn't back in "TNA shape," but he looked physically better in this match than he did in his ECW debut. There wasn't much to the match and the crowd didn't get excited about watching two wrestlers they're not familiar with.

John Morrison and The Miz sat in the ring and hosted the first live edition of "The Dirt Sheet." They introduced Mark Henry, whose image appeared on the big screen. They did the bit where it's a picture of the wrestlers with a shot of someone else's mouth superimposed. Henry's character growled a lot and talked about how hungry he is. Atlas delivered a rap about needing money, which Miz and Morrison mocked.

Morrison opened his jacket to show off his abs. The women squealed, the men booed. Mark Henry's music played and he stormed to the ring with Tony Atlas. Miz and Morrison backed down and said they were just joking around. Henry backed up and let Atlas do the talking. Tony said they didn't agree to come on the show to be distracted.

[Overrun] Miz and Morrison said they wouldn't disrespect Henry. Rather, they would disrespect their next guest, Matt Hardy. They did the same gimmick with Hardy and his character was a redneck who said he's never been No. 1 at anything, even in his own family.

Hardy's music played and he walked to the ring wearing street clothes. He reminded Miz and Morrison that he defeated them to earn his shot at the ECW Title. He used their "There are winners and there are losers" catchphrase to mock them.

Miz and Morrison got upset and said there would be consequences for disrespecting them on their own show. They walked toward Matt, who punched Miz. Morrison attacked Matt, but accidentally struck Henry when he tried to punch Matt. Henry punched Morrison and splashed him in the corner of the ring. Atlas stood between Henry and Hardy to close the show...

Powell's POV: I was worried that The Dirt Sheet wouldn't work live because it's not an interview show. They captured some of the spirit of the weekly WWE website show, but it didn't work well on live television. Here's hoping they just start airing the pre-taped version of the show. I dig the usual version of the show and I might be more forgiving of this skit if it had aired earlier in the show and not in the main event slot. My guess is they are setting up a tag team match with Hardy and Henry as reluctant partners vs. Miz and Morrison next week.

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