The 191st edition of ECW on Syfy came to you from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN. WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon would make a rare appearance on the show to address the future of ECW! Plus, two nights after Christian successfully defended the ECW Championship against Ezekiel Jackson, ECW would feel the fallout of the 23rd annual Royal Rumble event.
Match Results
- Vance Archer def. Shelton Benjamin by roll-up with his feet on the ropes.
- Yoshi Tatsu def. Trent Barreta by pin following the Buzzsaw Kick.
- Non-Title: ECW Champion Christian & Zack Ryder fight to a No Contest after Ezekiel Jackson & William Regal interfere.
Match Quality
- Vance Archer Vs. Shelton Benjamin
- Christian Vs. Zack Ryder
- Yoshi Tatsu Vs. Trent Barreta
Detailed Results
The show kicks off with The Abraham Washington Show with special guest, ECW Champion Christian! Following his monologue, Abe brings out “Captain Charisma” himself, the ECW Champion Christian. Abe congratulates the champion on his successful title defense at the Royal Rumble. Christian states that he is proud of his reign as ECW Champion and proud of the fact that he has taken on, and defeated, every challenger. Zack Ryder, with Rosa Mendes, interrupts the show and brings attention to the public intoxication arrest of Gregory “The Hurricane” Helms! Ryder proclaims that the arrest further solidifies his status as “The Heart And Soul Superhero of ECW”! Christian asks Ryder if he actually has a problem with what Helms did or if Ryder is “jealous” that they are both on television, but that people actually recognize Helms! Christian states that Helms made a “mistake”, just like Ryder does every morning when he looks in the mirror! After Christian refers to Ryder’s girlfriend, Rosa Mendes, as “Tila Tequila”, Ryder pie-faces the ECW Champion and Christian shoves “The Long Island Loudmouth” off of his feet! This prompts Abraham Washington to bring an end to the show. Has Christian met the next challenger for the ECW Title in the form of Zack Ryder?
The opening match of the night was a one-on-one match between intense rivals, Shelton Benjamin & Vance Archer. In the end, it was Archer stealing a victory over Benjamin by way of placing his feet on the ropes!
It was announced on ECW that, Friday on SmackDown, exclusive footage will be shown from what took place after RAW went off the air that involved John Cena coming to the aid of Bret Hart! What went down between Cena & Batista after RAW?
Following their confrontation on The Abraham Washington Show, ECW Champion Christian would face Zack Ryder in a non-title match in the main event!
With Goldust on his corner, Yoshi Tatsu was in action against Trent Barreta, with Caylen Croft in his corner. Barreta came close to defeating Tatsu, but when Barreta complained to the referee regarding a close fall, he turned right into the Buzzsaw Kick by Yoshi Tatsu en route to picking up the win!
Then it was time for the much-anticipated appearance by Mr. McMahon, as the WWE Chairman would address the future of ECW! The Chairman starts with the shocking announcement that, in three weeks’ time, ECW will go “off the air”! Mr. McMahon then announces that a new show will replace ECW; a new and “innovative” program and it will be the “next evolution of the WWE; the next evolution of television history”! What exactly will this new program be about? How will the new show differ from the current ECW show?
In the ring, Gregory Helms brings out Ezekiel Jackson and his mentor, William Regal. Helms asks “Big Zeke” about his loss to Christian at the Royal Rumble. William Regal asks Helms if it is has been a “very trying week” for him and Helms states he will “get past it” and is there to “do his job”. Regal responds by saying that it is about to “get worse” before Ezekiel blind-sides Helms! Regal & Ezekiel then commence a vicious assault on Helms with Regal hitting the Knee Trembler on Helms before the ECW Champion, Christian, armed with a kendo stick, makes the save for Helms and runs Regal & “Big Zeke” from the ring! How will William Regal & Ezekiel Jackson react to Christian coming to the aid of Gregory Helms?
After coming to the aid of Gregory Helms, Christian was in action in the main event as the ECW Champion went one-on-one with “The Long Island Loudmouth” Zack Ryder in a non-title match. After hitting the Killswitch on Ryder, Christian had the match in hand, but Ezekiel Jackson & William Regal interfered and assaulted the ECW Champion, leaving Christian laid out on the outside of the ring! Has Ezekiel Jackson aggressively put himself back into title contention?