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ECW: Hardy survives Finlay's challenge
By
MATT BISHOP - SLAM! Wrestling
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Tonight on ECW on Sci-Fi: After earning a shot at the title last week,
Finlay gets his long anticipated crack at the ECW Championship when he faces
Matt Hardy for the silver tonight. Should be a good one!
To the delight of many, I'm sure, this will be an abbreviated report, as
I have some schoolwork to take care of that, frankly, is more important than
ECW.
And we are TAPED! from Manchester, England, Todd Grisham and Matt Striker
are our hosts. This show is presented in WWE-PALHD (TV-PG,V).
Match #1 - John Morrison (Los Angeles, California, USA), The Miz
(Cleveland, Ohio, USA) & Jack Swagger (Perry, Oklahoma, USA) vs. Cryme Tyme
(Brooklyn, N.Y., USA) & Tommy Dreamer (Yonkers, N.Y., USA)
Grisham quips the heel team is "more cocky than a rooster farm."
And seeing Dreamer try to participate in Cryme Tyme's intro handshake was
something else.
Things get going when Dreamer hits a reverse pump-handle face-plant slam
on Morrison, but The Miz (HOO-RAH!) gets in there and breaks up the cover.
In comes Shad in disgust and he slams Miz into the mat but is then
railroaded by Swagger. Swagger hits the gut-wrench power bomb on JTG, but
Dreamer comes from behind and hits the DDT. In comes Morrison and Dreamer
tries to hit the DDT, but Morrison reverses and nails Dreamer with the
Moonlight Drive for the pin.
Winners via pinfall: John Morrison, The Miz & Jack Swagger
(Ads)
Match #2 - Mark Henry (Silsbee, Texas, USA) vs. Oliver Biney (Leeds,
England)
Poor Oliver.
Stuff. Clothesline. World's Strongest Slam. FIN.
Winner via pinfall: Mark Henry
(Ads)
Match #3 - ECW Championship - Finlay (Belfast, Northern Ireland) vs.
(c) Matt Hardy (Cameron, N.C., USA)
Late in the match, Finlay has Hardy down and sends his head into Hardy's
gut. Finlay charges Hardy in the corner but eats a knee. He goes for a
clothesline but walks right into a Side Effect for two. Hardy picks Finlay
up and hits another Side Effect, again for two. He tries for a third, but
Finlay elbows out of it and tries a roll-up for two. Hardy goes for a Twist
of Fate, but Finlay turns it into a backslide for two again. Finlay puts the
boots to Hardy and hits the Atomic Butt Drop for two.
Finlay puts him up for the Celtic Cross, but Hardy gets out. Instead,
Finlay hits the Rolling Hills. Finlay drags Hardy near the corner and it
looks like he is going for a Vader Bomb but Hardy catches him and tries to
roll through but gets two again. Hardy with a body slam and he follows up
with a moonsault for two.
Hardy whips Finlay into the corner and goes after him, but they clash
heads with Finlay stumbling out of the corner. Finlay falls on top of Hardy
and the ref makes his count, but Hardy gets his foot on the bottom rope in
the nick of time. They get up and out of nowhere, Hardy hits the Twist of
Fate for the fall.
Winner via pinfall and STILL ECW Champion: Matt Hardy
After the match, Finlay offers his hand to Hardy, which he accepts as
Finlay bows to him.
Good night, boys and girls.
E-mail Matt about ECW, wrestling, MMA or hockey at bishop20@msu.edu. Please include your
name and hometown. And if you're interested in mixed martial arts, check out
Matt's weekly podcast -- Lights Out
Radio. Should be a good one!.
