ECW on Syfy – 12/29/09

It’s the last ECW episode of 2009.  Who qualified for the ECW Homecoming and took one step forward to getting an ECW Title shot?  Here’s what happened:

ECW Homecoming Qualifier (ECW Champion, Christian, on commentary)
Matt Hardy vs. Finlay
WINNER: Matt Hardy via pin fall off a reversal into a Twist of Fate

Backstage: Zack Ryder & Rosa Mendez approach Tommy Dreamer and Ryder tells him, “Why don’t you just hang it up?”

• Dreamer says, “I’m sick of losing to guys like you every week.  You’re just a catchphrase and a hair cut!  You have no clue what I sacrificed to be here!  You beat me tonight, and I’ll leave ECW forever!”

Ezekiel Jackson comes down to the ring, and says, “We got rid of the weak link in our chain.  Our goal is to dominate ECW.  Vlad you became a liability!”

• Interrupted by Vladimir Kozlov who runs down to the ring and attacks Jackson.

Backstage: Tommy Dreamer is sitting in the locker room when Christian comes in to check in with him on the match with Zack Ryder.  Dreamer says, “You came back here to prove something and won the ECW Title, and I’ve got something to prove here.”

• Christian tells him, “You are the heart and soul of ECW man!”
• Dreamer looks like he’s about to cry and says to Christian, “You know I want a rematch, right?”

ECW Homecoming Qualifier
Evan Bourne vs. Mike Knox
WINNER: Evan Bourne via pin fall after hitting the Shooting Star Press

Backstage: ECW GM Tiffany wishes Tommy Dreamer luck in his match tonight.

Backstage: Yoshi Tatsu is trying to teach Goldust Japanese when Trent Barreta & Caylen Croft approach them and ask, “How do you say future Tag Team Champions?  Oh, wait it’s Croft and Barreta!”  They then talk some trash about Tommy Dreamer and that once he’s gone maybe someone like Goldust will just leave.

• Goldust goes off on them in Japanese and Tatsu says, “Good one” and they walk away.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Zack Ryder with Rosa Mendez
WINNER: Zack Ryder via pin fall after reversing a back suplex off the top rope into a cross body.

• Dreamer though he had the match won, but Ryder’s leg was outside the ring when the ref made the 3-count.
• Tommy Dreamer looked like he was getting emotional after losing.  He took the mic, and talked about when he was in the arena watching a WWF event as a kid.  He thanks everyone from the original ECW and the new ECW.  “This has been my dream since I was 9 years old.  This just proves, if you have passion for what you do, you can make it anywhere!”

QUICK THOUGHTS:

Not too shocked to see Matt Hardy and Evan Bourne win their qualifying match ups.  They need guys that are going to get the crowd going in the ECW Homecoming match up, which coincidentally, they finally said what it was going to be… DRUMROLL PLEASE… it’s a battle royal… sort of a bummer to find that out.  I was hoping for like an elimination or gauntlet type match.

I was shocked to see that one of the ECW Homecoming Qualifying matches was NOT the main event, but after seeing the outcome of the Dreamer/Ryder match up, I’m not shocked at all.  Tommy Dreamer’s been one of the best things to happen to the business.  He’s like the Brett Favre of pro wrestling, still fighting with pride and enthusiasm, loving every minute of it!  It pained me to watch his emotional goodbye address to the fans and seeing his wife and two daughters in attendance crying.  Tommy Dreamer was ECW and it’s a shame to see him have to go out working under the banner that was bastardized by Vince McMahon, and go out as a jobber that just got destroyed every week… I guess he did his job too well sometimes.  The original ECW was such a shocking, yet amazing little company who had the heart of a lion and fought with every ounce of strength it had to piss off the big boys.  Dreamer was a huge part of that!  I have much respect for the man that wore the letters ECW on his chest proudly.  Now it’s time to enjoy life with your family!  Best of luck to you Tommy Dreamer!