It's back, it has returned. Sound the alarms. Anyway, definetly a new direction. I decided to incorporate the whole WWE is looming over ECW and have this be at the forefront of all things run in the company. Therefore, by doing that, there's a constant tension and battle for the extremists, especially the ECW originals who, in this, are kinda being pushed to the backburner and have to fight harder unless they're willing to sell out. Also, i'm going to be phasing out Block, I think, probably the Heatwave match will be the last ya see of that oc.
ECW
Chapter 9- "Re Invention"
ECW on SciFi had been off television for two weeks. The status quo of the company had been radically changed due to a number of contract disputes falling through. ECW Heatwave had been delayed until August 27th. Fans were ready to denounce this new ECW as utter bullshit. New names had been added to the roster, such as the Hardy Boyz, Bobby Lashley, Johnny Nitro, Hardcore Holly, Elijah Burke, 2 Cold Scorpio and a few others.
"Ladies and gentleman, I won't lie to you all and say that i'm not a bit nervous because I am. The state of ECW is in flux right now. As noted, many Extremists have either left or been released from their contracts." Styles explained.
Tazz followed up with his own opinion, "Later on, Paul is gonna come out here and let us know the news on what's what. Plus, we have new inductees to the ECW roster. Hardy Boyz, Johnny Nitro, Bobby Lashley, and more. So, it'll be interesting to see how this all unfolds."
CM Punk in action...
The Straight-Edged Extremist came to the ring amongst some boos, to the sounds of Killswitch Engaged backing him up. Tonight would only be his second match in ECW and he had already garnered plenty publicity for himself. Coming out next, much to the surprise of everyone, was none other than Hardcore Holly who was making his debut in ECW. There were a few scattered cheers but it was mostly a hostile crowd booing this new extremist. Hardcore didn't care, he was just dead-set on rising through this promotion as fast as he could.
The bell sounded and the match began with Holly going for a scoop slam but Punk slipping out the back and locking a side headlock. Hardcore pushed him off, Punk leap-frogged on the return then stopped and nailed a kick into his opponent's jaw. The crowd oh'd and CM went for a quick cover but it wasn't meant to end so soon. They both then got up, exchanging a few shots before Punk flung Holly into the corner and charged with a knee but Hardcore moved. Punk flew over the top, getting hung up just before hitting the outside floor. Down there, he held his knee in pain.
"I know what people are saying right now about Hardcore Holly but he is a ring veteran and CM Punk is still new to ECW." Tazz explained.
Holly went to the outside, smacking Punk face first into the commentator's table, then pushing him back first into the ring apron, then repeating the table move. Punk went down to his knees, a glazed look on his face and nursing his back. Hardcore exchanged some words with the fans in attendance and rolled CM back into the ring...
"FUCK YOU HOLLY. FUCK YOU HOLLY."
Hardcore turned to the fans, taking his eyes off Punk. It proved to be a mistake, CM got back on his feet and layed in a few shots when Holly turned around, then booted him in the gut and hit his signature double underhook backbreaker. Then he got in position and waited for Holly to stumble up to his feet. With a crazed look, like a shark sniffing blood in the water, Punk locked in his side slam and hit it to perfection. Nothing left except for the anaconda vice!
"TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP!"
Punk pulled back, putting as much pressure on as he possibly could. In time, it was over! Hardcore tapped and the fans cheered loudly for CM Punk.
Next segment...
Here comes the money
After a commercial break, the place was shocked. None other than corporate suit Shane McMahon, with a billion dollar smirk, plus MNM and Stevie Richards, walked down the short ECW aisle into the ECW ring where the hostile crowd was ready to maim and torture.
"GET THE FUCK OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT!"
Shane didn't care one bit that they were shouting at him with such harsh words. "First and foremost, I wanna run down the list. Kurt Angle, CW Anderson, Justin Credible, Danny Doring and Roadkill, Tony Mamaluke, Big Guido, Jazz, our developing contract with Raven. Not to mention, that the one and only Mr. Paul Heyman has gone AWOL. So, of course, that leaves us with a sour taste in our mouths. But, not to fear because ECW will thrive and survive. Ya see, Shane McMahon is in charge now. Yeah, I can tell you're thrilled."
The boos were deafening.
"First order of business, let me introduce you all to the new ECW tag team champions. Ladies and gentlemen," he gestured to MNM, "Joey Matthews and Johnny Nitro!" . The crowd kept on booing and some even throwing bits of garbage into the ring. "And, let me introduce to you the newest Television Title Champion... Stevie Richards!"
"FUCK YOU, STEVIE! FUCK YOU SHANE-O! FUCK YOU STEVIE! FUCK YOU SHANE-O!"
"Now," Shane marched forth with his words, "Let's continue..."
Suddenly, breaking the inaugural speech, Tommy Dreamer angrily made his way down to the ring with an intent look upon his face, "Sunofabitch!" he grabbed the mic and pointed at McMahon, "No, this bullshit isn't gonna fly here! Not in ECW! Not in my home!"
"THANK YOU, TOMMY! THANK YOU, TOMMY!"
Shane snatched the mic away and took three steps back, MNM and Richards went on the attack. For a few moments, Dreamer was boldly fighting them off with a barrage of punches but it wouldn't last. They eventually got the upper hand and Stevie leveled him with a Stevie kick. The tag champs then started laying a beatdown with their championship gold. In a short minute, Tommy was face down on the canvas, not moving an inch. That didn't stop Stevie from putting the boots to him though.
"For the love of God, what has this promotion turned into?" Joey asked.
"This is scary, Styles." Tazz said.
"Now, I have a few announcements for the state of ECW." Shane resumed, "As for the main event for Heatwave, it will be for the Heavyweight championship. A tournament, of sorts, will be held. Tonight, whoever wins the title match will be locked into the main event. And next week, CM Punk will battle against Bobby Lashley. And Rob Van Dam will battle Hardcore Holly. The winners of those two matches will undoubtedly face the winner of tonight's match."
In the background, Tommy Dreamer was rising back to his feet. The new stable quickly backed up in awe of this never-say-die extremist. But, of course, they were far from willing to sit back and let him make a fool of them. But, before they could strike, out came the Hardy Boyz.
"Holy crap, it's Jeff and Matt Hardy." Joey said somewhat humorously.
Thankfully, The Hardy's stood their ground against the corporation. The crowd cheered them on as they helped Dreamer up to a vertical stance and all 6 men were ready to explode. Shane slipped out of the ring as the first punch was thrown. Dreamer clocked Richards but Stevie retaliated with a few shots of his own and the two of them spilled to a turnbuckle while Matthews and Jeff knocked each other over the top rope, and Matt locked horns with Nitro to send them both through the ropes and into the black barrier seperating the crowd from the ringside floor.
"Jesus Christ. This is a damn brawl, Styles!"
Dreamer and Stevie were left alone in the ring. Richards took a swing with his television title but Dreamer ducked and clotheslined, then did so once more. He went for an elbow drop but Stevie rolled out of the ring. From behind, unbeknownst to Tommy, McMahon had gotten back in the ring and was ready to level Dreamer with a tag belt. But Dreamer turned and ducked just in time, dodging the shot and then booting McMahon and hoisting him up for a Dreamer Driver. The crowd went ballistic! Tommy shouted 'ECW' and was ready to unleash the manuever when Mike Knox entered the fray and saved McMahon then clobbered Tommy with a huge clothesline. At that point, security came in and all the wrestlers were torn apart and away from each other.
"These fans have erupted just as loudly as this fight, Tazz."
Tommy wasn't done. The Innovator of Violence ripped himself away from the security team and blasted through them to get to Stevie Richards. He locked about six good shots on Richards as Stevie was draped over the guard rail and the fans were yelling furiously for Dreamer continue the attack.
"ECDUB! ECDUB! ECDUB! ECDUB! ECDUB! ECDUB!"
"Fans, we apologize but we're in desperate need of a commercial break. Stay tuned!" Styles exclaimed.
When ECW on SciFi returned, the cameras were backstage where Tommy Dreamer was angrily pacing the floor in front of a forklift, all hyped up from the fight a minute or two ago. He stared into the camera, his face red and covered in sweat, "Why did I do it! I'll tell you all why! Shane sucks, the direction of this company sucks! The two week vacation sucked! I don't care if I only have myself or an entire army of disgruntled employees behind me, but I refuse to let Shane McMahon or anyone else ruin ECW for the sake of profit. Paul Heyman, you slimeball, I found out it was you behind the whole Raven deal and then you split when it fell through. Yeah, you're the damn reason why i've been getting my ass beat over the past month and bleeding pints of blood! Mark my words, ECW will not die!"
The camera then cut to Tazz and Joey Styles who were a bit shocked, to say the least. "Surprising words from Tommy Dreamer?" Joey asked his partner.
"Eh, not really. I understand the fear and gripe Dreamer has. He's afraid of ECW being turned into some robotic type money-making machine. He's worried that the suits are just gonna come in here and do whatever the hell they choose."
"Well, fans, big news. Four matches have been handed down to us relating to Heatwave. Listen to this, we are finally gonna see Sandman and Big Show duke it out, which should prove to be nothing short than an all-out brawl. Also, Block and Mickie James will face Little Guido and Trinity. Then, big matches just signed are The Hardy Boyz going after tag team gold when they face MNM in a ECW Tag Team Titles match. Plus, a huge announcement. Stevie Richards will defend his new gold against Tommy Dreamer in an Extreme Cage match."
"This extreme cage is nuts too, by the way. It hasn't made its debut yet but i've seen the thing and it's flippin crazy."
The lights suddenly went off and a red glow bathed the arena. It was time for Kevin Thorne to make his long awaited ECW debut. Once in the ring, along with his valet, Ariel, the first vampire of ECW waited for his opponent. Imagine his surprise when the opponent turned out to be the returning 2 Cold Scorpio, an ECW original! The crowd lit up with excitement and Scorpio entered the ring, Thorne quickly backing out.
"What? Thorne too afraid to wrestle an original?" Styles asked.
"I don't know, but how about that Ariel? Yeesh, look at the fangs on her. Ya think those are real, Joe?"
After a few moments of Thorne refusing to enter the ring, Scorpio turned to plea with the referee to do something when Kevin shot in the ring and low-blowed Scorpio. He then turned to Ariel and she handed him a small black pouch. Thorne took the pouch and smacked his opponent in the face. The pouch broke and salt exploded out of it. Scorpio was blinded and the fans were booing these underhanded tactics. Thorne then hoisted Scorpio up into a cross-bomb position and drove him into the turnbuckle as hard as he could. 2 Cold hit the mat hard after impact.
Thorne smiled, licking his fangs, and lifted Scorpio up for a power-bomb but Scorpio reversed the move into a sunset cradle! 1... 2... 3!
"SCORPIO WINS! Blinded and all, Scorpio defeats Kevin Thorne!" Styles exclaimed.
The crowd roared happily and Thorne was humiliated. Out of spite, he picked 2 Cold up and nailed him with a devastating piggyback stunner, much to the shigrin of the fans in attendance.
Main event...
Test vs. Sabu for the ECW Heavyweight championship...
Following another commercial break, the challenger was already in the ring and ready for the champion to come out and start this match. But, before he could, Test had a few things he wanted to get across to the audience and boys in the back. "Ok, so I know i'm new and all but I just have to say that having Shane McMahon run things now is the greatest thing to happen to this shithole in awhile." . He stayed serious as the fans poured down with boos, "Oh, have a fit. Truth is, things are gonna change around here and I pity anyone ECW original old timers that get in the way of the young blood!"
On cue, Balls Mahoney's music hit the speakers and he entered the ring with a mic, "I'll make this short and sweet so we can get to Sabu kickin' your ass! I, as an ECW original old-timer, only have one thing i'd like to say..."
"What?!"
"This!" Mahoney launched a nasty sidekick into the chest of Test, knocking the wind out of him and turning his body away from the aisle. When he turned back, still holding his chest, there was Sabu with a chair in hand then throwing it into Test's skull, knocking him flat.
The crowd went electric and Sabu picked up the the chair and slammed it down across Test's back. Then got the big man up and whipped him into the ropes, picking up the chair and leveling him again. Test hit the mat, flat on his back. Sabu quickly covered but no such luck. The champion then wedged the chair between the second and third turnbuckles and swung Test hard into the corner. Sabu wasn't done, he was looking for a splash of some sort but Test countered with a big boot that was directly on target!
"Test damn near decapitates Sabu with that boot." Styles commented.
Hurting, Test fell to his knees for a moment to compose himself. Once ready, he got up and got the chair then proceeded to beat Sabu with it at least four times. The crowd oh'ing upon every single sickening smack of steel against flesh. Test covered but Sabu kicked out. The challenger thought it over for a few seconds and then decided on giving Sabu a sidewalk slam. Which worked to perfection, yet Sabu kicked out of the pin attempt. Frustrated, Test stood up, got Sabu up and dumped him over the top rope like a rag doll, Sabu hitting the floor rather roughly.
Satisfied with his performance thus far, Test dropped to the floor and stomped Sabu a few times before attempting to irish whip him into a set of steel steps. But, Sabu reversed with a whip of his own and Test was the one hitting steel. Sabu followed that up with bonking Test's head off the ringpost, and then smacking his face off the commentator's table. Sabu then went for a daredevil high risk move by climbing all the way up to the top rope and pointing up to the ceiling. He should of had better judgement though, because Test was only half on the table, his feet were still on solid ground. Sabu jumped off the top and Test moved!
"OH MY GOD!"
Sabu hit the edge of the table, directly on his ribs, and the furniture didn't give. At that point, he fell back to the floor, screaming in pain and holding his ribs as referees came down to ringside to check on the champion extremist. ECW on SciFi went to commercial.
After the break, both competitors were in the ring, albeit Sabu on the mat while Test was putting the hurt down with some stomps. Styles explained that during the break Sabu refused medical attention, therefore the match continued on. Returning to ringside, Balls Mahoney was cheering on his fellow ECW original. Test mocked Mahoney by standing Sabu up in a corner and performing Balls' signature punch combo. Test then got Sabu on the top turnbuckle, hoisted him on his shoulders, and came down with a thunderous samoan drop! Afterwards, Sabu spit out a wad of blood, which Tazz commented on that the champion had been injured internally.
At the entrance, Shane O' Mac came out, smiling and clapping. Showing is liking and approval of what Test was accomplishing in that very ring. The ECW crowd became hostile.
Test scoop-slammed Sabu down, then climbed the ropes. He pointed to Shane, then down to Sabu. It was time for a painful elbow drop. Test leaped but Sabu rolled out of the way! The fans cheered and Mahoney started pounding the ring apron, trying to will Sabu to victory. Eventually, Sabu was on his feet, as was Test, and the champion drove the steel chair into Test's stomach, causing him to hit his knees. Sabu then set the chair upright and backed into a corner. Meanwhile, Test was using the chair to get back up. But then, in a simply brutal instance, Sabu kicked the chair like a player kicking a field goal and the top was driven into Test's mouth. Instant blood.
"HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!"
Sabu wasted no time. He was thrown another chair by Balls Mahoney, and he climbed the turnbuckle then came down with that legdrop of his! Cover attempt, 1... 2... 3! Your winner... Sabu. Shane retreated backstage during the announcement.
"Sabu, the ECW original, retains his Heavyweight championship! Thank god it's over." Styles said.
Another hard fought win, another successful title defense. Sabu left the ring, still the ECW World's Heavyweight Champion.
Backstage...
The cameras found CM Punk who was just leaving the arena. He was cut off by Shane McMahone. "Hey, Punk." he greeted.
CM raised a brow, "Yeah?"
"Just wanted to let ya know that you've impressed me. And, if it was up to me, you'd be the new ECW Heavyweight Champion. I think you have what it takes to carry this promotion on your back."
ECW on SciFi went off the air with Punk and McMahon exchanging a glance before Punk went back on his way.
ECW
Next week on ECW. CM Punk versus Bobby Lashley, RVD versus Hardcore Holly. And a huge 6-man tag, Tommy Dreamer and The Hardy Boyz to duel with Stevie Richards and MNM. All this and more on the last stop before Heatwave.