WWE Released: Shane Helms (The Hurricane)

Without ECW, No Need for a Superhero

In an age of ECW, desperate for a hero, came a man... strong, lightning fast, and unyielding in his fight for good... except for that one time... has been released from the WWE. The worst kept secret in the WWE, Shane Helms mascaraed as The Hurricane in the land of extreme. In ECW, he had two archenemies: Paul Burchill (also released) and Zack Ryder. As far as victories went, Hurricane dominated Burchill every time, and embarrassed Zack Ryder time and again.

Even though Shane sprung for a higher quality costume, the days of The Hurricane died in 2005. During those days, a superhero meant something. The Hurricane had high profile matches and accomplished championship gold with a European, Hardcore, and 2 tag team title wins. The Hurricane even went on to form a core group of superheroes with Rosey and Stacy Keibler. But then the birth of a villain came in Gregory Helms who, even though a member of the RAW roster, participated and won an Open Invitational match for the Cruiserweight title, which was solely defended on SmackDown.

Then on May 18, 2007, WWE reported that Shane had broken two vertebrae in his neck, one of which was pressing on his spinal cord. He underwent surgery with Dr. Lloyd Youngblood; and a few weeks later, it was announced that Gregory Helms would be out for a year due to neck injury.

The Hurricane's second run lasted from April 15, 2009-February 26, 2010. All I can say is...

In an age of the Hulkster, desperate for new talent, comes a man... strong, lightning fast, and unyielding in his fight for good...stand back! Because after 90 days, a free agent is coming through!

With both Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore looking to sign with TNA, if not already, Gregory Helms would make a great addition to the TNA roster.

WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstar Shane Helms (Hurricane) as of today February 26, 2010. We wish Shane Helms (Hurricane) the best in all future endeavors.

WWE Career Highlights: WWF European Championship (1 time); WWE Cruiserweight Championship (2 times); WWE/World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kane (1) and Rosey (1); WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)

Stand Back, There's a Liquid-Courage Man Coming Through...

Gregory Helms Punished

It seems nowadays, more and more WWE superstars are making their way on TMZ. Whether it be Jeff Hardy, Batista, or even Gregory Helms.

It's no secret that mugshots of Gregory Helms have been posted all over TMZ, as he was arrested for public intoxication. Gregory Helms, along with Chris Jericho, and a female passenger named Ashley Storer, were drunk, escalating to Jericho and Helms play fighting in the back seat. The cabdriver pulled over at a nearby gas station after Helms accidently elbowed Storer.

On the Abraham Washington Show, Zack Ryder asked Christian how he felt about Gregory Helms tarnishing the reputation of ECW by doing what he did. Christian replied that we all make mistakes.

WWE are not hiding the fact that Jericho and Helms were on TMZ, they are actually exploiting it. Edge took the first shot on Monday Night when mentioning that while he was at home, Jericho has been getting his mugshot on TMZ. And then Gregory Helms appeared in the ring, which is not like a backstage reporter to do, only to be assaulted by Ezekiel Jackson and William Regal. No WWE superstar goes unpunished, and as for Gregory Helms, he was not only pulled out of the Royal Rumble, but he was double-teamed into a Ura-nage and the Knee Trembler.

It also leads us to wonder if Gregory Helms will be able to continue working as The Hurricane. Because how will the Hurricane be perceived if he cannot control himself in public?

As someone who is an occasional drinker, I personally understand what Gregory Helms is going through, it's not easy to control your actions. I've luckily never done anything that would garner me a spot on TMZ, but then again, Helms has a responsibility as a role model to set an example.

After ECW ends, Helms may appear on a different brand. Might I suggest SmackDown and enter a feud with the Straight-Edge Society? It would be just the thing SmackDown needs: Matt Hardy and Gregory Helms to feud with Luke Gallows and C.M. Punk.

ECW Results: 1/26/10

Christian Evens the Score

With five days left to the Royal Rumble, Ezekiel Jackson has proven to be, possibly, the most dominate superstar in all the WWE. So what does the future hold for the ECW Title and its possessor, Christian, who last week was ambushed by the massive heavyweight and William Regal?

Ezekiel had a message for the ECW Champion: "Christian. The end has come, it has awakened, against you."

Christian responded with a biblical repartee of his own: Ezekiel 25:17 "I will strike down on those with great vengeance and furious anger, those who attempt to destroy my brothers. And you will know... my peeps will know that my name is Captain Charisma, when I lay my vengeance upon thee."

Christian also announced that he has evened the score by naming The Big Red Monster, Kane as his tag team partner for the night.

ECW Title in Jeopardy this Sunday

Kane may be the ideal choice in a fight against Ezekiel Jackson, but how will Christian take him down at the Royal Rumble, where he will have no one in his corner? The opening match was a tag team match pitting Kane and Christian against William Regal and Ezekiel Jackson.

Many have wondered if Christian stands a chance against Ezekiel, whose name is synonymous with domination. This match may have quenched the thirst of the naysayers, but I see it as losing one fight in preparation for the war at the Royal Rumble.

Kane exhibited his strength by overpowering Ezekiel Jackson with uppercuts and take-downs. However, this was not Kane's war to fight, he can only lend a helping hand, only for a while.

Ezekiel Jackson and William Regal remind me, and fans alike, of the days of the federation, when sheer size and arrogance won the hoard of titles and matches alike. With quotes from the bible, there is something apocalyptic about Ezekiel, which is the trend in movies nowadays. People like to see stories about destruction and end of days, but will Ezekiel's prophecy come true? Will the end of the ECW Title Match see Ezekiel's hand raised and proclaimed as the new ECW Champion?

Christian, if anything, is a strategist and must put to use everything he gathered from this tag team match. Ezekiel may be strong, but Christian is quicker, more agile. Christian evaded most of Zeek's punches with various baseball slides under the legs. Even when Christian was beaten down and covered by Ezekiel, Christian was able to power out. How is this possible? Christian has a high threshold for pain, just look at his TLC matches back in the early 2000's.

There is a major dilemma, Christian is unable to hook Ezekiel's arms for the Killswitch. Unlike the forgetful feud between John Cena and The Big Show, where, in a submission match, Cena used the assist from the ropes to lock in the STF, a move said to be impossible against the giant, Christian has other finishers in his repertoire. During the ladder match at the TLC Pay-per-view, Christian secured his title defense after connecting with a Frog Splash off the top of a ladder. Yet, Ezekiel's upper body strength may withstand the Frog Splash, so what else is there? During his stint in TNA, Christian utilized the Cloverleaf as his submission finisher; and just like all muscled bound monsters, they fail to have much leg strength.

So if Christian were to have any chance of defending this title, he should utilize the Cloverleaf to not only defeat Ezekiel, but make him tap out. If he doesn't, then the title match will end the same way as this tag team match did, with a Ura-nage.

ECW Supplying a Mid-Card Main-Event

The final match of the night was the team of Zack Ryder, Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft against the team of The Hurricane, Goldust, and Yoshi Tatsu. The main event, with each team being captained by a "superhero," was purely a showcase of ECW's mid-card roster.

Break Down of Team Hurricane:

The Hurricane: Possibly the worst kept secret in the WWE, backstage interviewer Gregory Helms masquerades as ECW's vigilante, The Hurricane. With monikers such as the Emerald Skywalker, Helms has established a classic 70's superhero persona by executing such heroic acts as, saving the damsel in distress, and bringing justice to the land of extreme. But with pointless feuds with Paul Burchill and, currently, Zack Ryder, can Helms move forward towards some championship gold once more?

Yoshi and Goldie: The odd couple of the WWE, one's a Japanese native, while the other is a cross-dresser from Hollywood, California. How prosperous is this team? Aside from being each other's foreign language professors, there is no real longevity for this team. Sure, they have picked up some wins over Croft and Barreta, but the real attraction is Yoshi Tatsu. Tatsu has an arsenal of kicking variations, but something he has yet to incorporate in the WWE is his suplex variations used in New Japan Pro Wrestling. If Tatsu were to utilize those offensive strikes, he would be a force to be reckoned with.

Break Down of Team Ryder:

Zack Ryder: Ironically enough, Zack Ryder captains a team of new comers in WWE's ever depleted tag team division. Why ironic? Because Zack Ryder was a part of the worst tag team with fellow partner Curt Hawkins. Formerly known as The Major Brothers, Hawkins and Ryder captured the WWE Tag Team Titles at The Great American Bash in 2008, and lost them during their first title defense against The Colons. There's no doubt that Zack Ryder has come a long way from his days as an Edge look-a-like, but is this gimmick any better? He looks like a reject from Jersey Shore, which is not a good thing. Zack's biggest momentum, aside from taking Christian to the limit during an ECW Title Match, was retiring Tommy Dreamer. Instead of running with the momentum, he's been punked by The Hurricane, and has created the nick name, "The New Heart&Soul SuperHero of ECW." Even Miz must be saying, "Really? Really? Really?"

Croft and Barreta: The two former FCW Tag Team Champions, arrived in ECW with a circus entrance theme, and a terrible Bros-are-Gamers gimmick. At least now they have a generic rock entrance theme, and have not mentioned video games since. The best thing for Croft and Barreta to do was graduate from facing jobbers and imbed themselves against fighting actual WWE names. Surprisingly, Croft and Barreta hold more victories over Goldust and Yoshi Tatsu, which builds credibility. As of right now, Caylen Croft appears to be the better wrestler, as he also wrestled in OVW, before being contracted by the WWE. Barreta's wrestling is sloppy, and his stance looks like he has two left feet.

Conclusion of the Match: Zack Ryder took out Zack Ryder over the top rope, while Goldust delivered two uppercuts to Croft and Barreta; thus, allowing Yoshi Tatsu to strike with a Roundhouse Kick to Trent Barreta for the pinfall victory.

ECW Results: 1/12/10

Being above the ECW Title?

Two weeks ago, Zack Ryder ended the career of Tommy Dreamer, the final remaining ECW Original. Tommy Dreamer was considered the Heart and Soul of ECW, and after defeating Dreamer, Ryder feels that he is above the ECW Title, that he is ECW.

The ECW Title is the highest prize in ECW, and no one, let alone in the land of Extreme, is above it.

Citizen Woo Woo Woo

The opening contest set The Hurricane against Zack Ryder. Hurricane silenced Ryder with a slap to the face because Ryder not only put himself at the top of ECW, but his girlfriend Rosa Mendes slapped him.

The match saw a lot of high risk maneuvers, The Hurricane striking with a neck breaker, but he failed to attempt his Eye of the Hurricane or the Shinning Wizard. Ryder, making good as the head of ECW, by capturing a win with the Zack Attack.

Barreta Screeches a Win

Last week on Superstars, Yoshi Tatsu picked up a win over Caylen Croft, so the other halves of the tag teams duked it out in this match: Goldust versus Trent Barreta. Goldust, the seasoned veteran, catapulted Barreta to the top ropes; yet, still holding on to the legs, Barreta whip lashed spine first into the knees of Goldust.

Barreta starting building up momentum and puberty as he screeched like a 9-year-old boy. Barreta managed to strike Goldust with a leg drop between the ropes, and end the match with a flying knee to Goldust's jaw for the victory.

The End Has Awakened Against Thee

The main event was the ECW Homecoming Showdown, culminating from weeks of qualifying matches pitting the superstars of today against the superstars of yesteryear. The eight finalists are: C.M. Punk, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, Vance Archer, Kane, and Ezekiel Jackson.

Kane, a former ECW Champion, winning it in record fashion at WrestleMania XXIV, commanded respect from the ECW finalists as he delivered uppercuts and dropped a big boot to the face of anyone who came near. Within seconds of the match, Kane showed his dominance by eliminating Evan Bourne.

The finalist concentrated their efforts on eliminating Kane and Ezekiel, the two biggest threats. But Shelton, instead, launched himself over the top rope to eliminate Vance Archer, and himself in the process. Shelton still holds a grudge over what happened last week on WWE Superstars.

Ezekiel Jackson took out former ECW Champion, Matt Hardy, after he moronically went for a cross body. And then Jackson eliminated C.M. Punk, another former ECW Champion.

Kane eliminated Yoshi setting the stage for a final showdown between the most dominate force of the past against the immovable object in ECW today. The two monsters were choking the life out of the other in hopes to reign the victor. Kane's undoing came when he attempted a diving upper cut from the top rope, and Ezekiel rolled out of the way to follow up with a clothesline to eliminate yet another former ECW Champion.

Ezekiel has said that the end has come and it has awakened. Well, Ezekiel carefully eliminated all three former ECW Champions in the showdown. Can Ezekiel make good on his prophecy and pin the current ECW Champion, Christian?

ECW Results: 12/15/09

The show started off with ECW GM Tiffany congratulating Christian and Shelton Benjamin for putting on an amazing ladder match at TLC, and for making ECW proud. Shelton Benjamin took the opportunity to ask for a rematch for the ECW Title. Christian never got a chance to respond due to the interruption by The Ruthless Roundtable – mostly William Regal, upset of being overlooked for another title shot. And did anyone notice that Kane appeared at the opening of the program, “I’m baaaack…” Well, Tiffany explains why Kane is on ECW: Each week, for four weeks, she will be inviting a former ECW Champion to compete in an ECW Homecoming Tournament. On the fifth week, the winners of these qualifying matches will compete in an eight-man, over the top, showdown to determine Christian’s opponent at The Royal Rumble. The purpose of these matches is for former ECW superstars and current ECW superstars can clash.

ECW Contract Match: The Hurricane vs. The Ripper w/The Beautiful Nightmare. Two weeks ago on WWE Superstars, Paul Burchil, or The Ripper, interfered with Hurricane’s match against Zack Ryder. Tiffany issued this contract match to allow Burchill a shot at returning to ECW. The announcers stated that the Hurricane is the fearless protector of ECW, so naturally The Ripper is his arch nemesis. Yet, since returning, Hurricane has feuded with one guy –it’s annoying. For all that is good in this world, let him fight someone else, Batman has more than one foe. The last time Helms-Burchill fought was in a Mask vs. Career match, similar to Jericho-Mysterio’s Mask vs. Title match at The Bash. I mentioned last time that Hurricane resembled more like the villain than Burchill, and this match reinforces my allegations. Hurricane ripped Burchill’s mask off, and used the distraction to go for the pin. Not only was that a dastardly thing to do, but Chris Jericho used that same tactic against Mysterio to retain his title at Extreme Rules 2009. Paul Burchill not only lost the match, but he still remains without a contract. Afterwards, Gregory Helms tried to get a word in edge-wise on Burchill's reaction to losing to the Hurricane, in which he just screamed and walked away. And Helms walked away, the audience can see that he was still wearing the Hurricane costume underneath his sports coat.

ECW Homecoming Qualifying Match: Ezekiel Jackson vs. Vladimir Kozlov. Neither Kozlov nor Jackson are former ECW Champions, so why are they in a qualifying match? I don’t know why people were anticipating this match, because it was terrible. Thankfully, William Regal tripped Kozlov, allowing Jackson to execute the Ura-nage and advance to the finals the week before the Royal Rumble. Looks like Regal has abandoned Kozlov.

Abraham Washington Show: Guest, Maria. Here she comes again with legs that go on for miles, Maria is your Diva of the Year as voted by the fans. Maria is a bit more spunky and assertive, which is what she's been missing since starting in 2004. She cracked jokes at Abe's expense - as everyone does. Not much can be said about it, Maria didn't reveal any plans of becoming a better competitor or pursuit of the Women's Title.

Third Match: Trent Baretta and Caylen Croft vs. Julio Cruz and Jorge Arias. Trent and Caylen were playing the SmackDown vs. RAW 2010 video game, using the Create-a-Character to generate themselves into the video game to face off against DX. Trent and Caylen defeated the simulated DX and then fought Cruz and Arias in the ring. Baretta and Croft finished the match with an inverted atomic drop - looks like a stolen move from Team 3D. The two gamers announced that by next year they will receive a Slammy for Tag Team of the Year. Well, I beg to differ.

ECW Homecoming Qualifying Match: Zack Ryder w/Rosa Mendes vs. Kane. The Big Red Monster Kane knows what it is to be the ECW Champion; and his return to the Land of Extreme is shades of 2007 when ECW's ratings were borderline. Well guess what, the ratings are flat lining again, and here comes Kane to the rescue. It's amazing how on SmackDown, Kane is just another superstar, but on ECW... on ECW he's a real big deal. Zack Ryder had a title match a few months ago, but came up short; and he would like nothing more than to become the ECW Champion with Rosa Mendes by his side. Unfortunately, Ryder didn't win, but fell to Kane's chokeslam.

ECW Homecoming Qualified: Ezekiel Jackson and Kane.

Next Week's Guest of Honor: Jack Swagger to take on Yoshi Tatsu.

Other ECW News: Savannah is currently acting as in-ring announcer.

WWE Superstars Results: The Masked Man's Identity Revealed; Ziggler is Perfection

RAW Match: Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase vs. Evan Bourne and Primo Colon. WWE Superstars is truly the mid-card show, which is great because they are the future champions of tomorrow. And like Legacy's Theme, It's a New Day for them as they have been frequenting this show ever since Orton lost the title. As for Bourne and Primo - really? This union is entertaining seeing as two weeks ago, on the 3-hour Thanksgiving episode of RAW, Primo and Bourne were suppose to fight each other in a Break Through match, but Primo was unable to compete after an ambush by Orton. So taking out Rhodes and DiBiase would be the equivalent of taking out Orton right? Another thing these two have in common, they are both high-flying jobbers. This was actually a really good match, Bourne works well with Rhodes and DiBiase. Primo, on the other hand, annoys me, cause he jumps and does cart wheels that take away from actually delivering offense. By match's end, Primo launched Evan "Air-Bourne" to the outside onto DiBiase, but Primo was not ready for the Cross-Rhodes in his life. Legacy won obviously.

ECW Match: Zack Ryder w/Rosa Mendes vs. The Hurricane. Finally, an ECW match that I wanted to see. The Hurricane hasn't been seen since casting the Burchills from ECW two weeks ago; while Ryder was seen this past Tuesday on the Abraham Washington Show. Ryder, since he has the girl, has been more focused in the ring - almost like he is trying to impress her with more wins. Remember people, more wins = more pay = more shopping = a happy Rosa Mendes. Ryder has the advantage throughout the match, but Hurricane picked up some momentum during the end, until he was attacked by a masked man. Looks as if The Hurricane has met his match, a masked nemesis. He appeared in a scarecrow-like gas chamber mask and wore tights. Much like The Miz's strategy to remain on RAW by donning the Calgary Kid costume, Paul Burchill, on the money, is the masked villain. Sure, Burchill wears trunks, but the masked assailant executed Burchill's Dangerous Buster. This past Tuesday, Burchill was begging for his spot back on the roster, so why not remain on the roster through another identity? Plus, after being driven to the position, Paul is the type to fixate on the Hurricane's identity so much that he would conceal his own in order to finally reveal Gregory Helms' secret to the world.

SmackDown Match: Matt Hardy vs. Dolph Ziggler. After watching Mr. Perfect's IC Title defense at WrestleMania VII this morning, it is uncanny how much Dolph Ziggler aspires to be Mr. Perfect. Ziggler has got it down to the platinum curly hair, and the theme song which screams "Perfection." However, unlike Curt Hennig, Dolph Ziggler has never won the Intercontinental Title that he predicted he would win in 6 months, and less than a month remains. Could Ziggler's promise be a foreshadowing of his IC win either at the TLC PPV or a SmackDown prior to the new year? Matt Hardy, on the other hand, has faced a lot of adversity this year, having feuded with his brother Jeff, broken his arm, and ruptured his stomach lining. Will the end of the year end well for Matt as it did for Jeff one year ago when he won the WWE Title? Not likely, seeing as Batista will be contending for the World Heavyweight Title against the champion at the PPV in less than two weeks; but, Matt could become the #1 contender as did Jeff two years ago in the December PPV. No matter how the year ends for Matt Hardy, the pop that he received from the audience was immeasurable; it was his dream to become a famous WWE Superstar and he is living the dream. Last week, people were freaking out that WWE dropped Ziggler's push seeing as he lost to R-Truth - What did I tell you? Give it some time and Ziggler will come around. Ziggler pinned Matt Hardy, and let me just say, it was Perfection. I foresee Dolph Ziggler ringing in the New Year as the Intercontinental Champion.

Christian Gets Punked; Is Hurricane the True Villain?

The camera zoomed out on the ECW logo to reveal CM Punk. "This is where it all started for me," this opening line should generate a mental montage of CM Punk's accomplishments in ECW; followed by his Intercontinental, and World Tag Team Title reigns over on RAW and SmackDown. In addition to winning Money in the Bank Two Years in a row, and becoming a former 3-time World Heavyweight Champion, Punk has conquered the WWE; and like Alexander, Punk has returned home to the Land of Extreme, but for one night only.

Promo: Ryder's Challenge. Zack Ryder came out with Rosa Mendes stating that he wants to continue having her at ring side, and to have a rematch with Shelton Benjamin. "The Gold Standard" had no idea why would Ryder want to humiliate herself again, and suggested that he remain at ringside while he and Rosa did a little wrestling of their own. Rosa Mendes may have a mouth that doesn't quit, but she is extremely attractive. But the rematch will air on WWE Superstars this Thursday.

First Match: The Hurricane vs. Paul Burchill w/Katie Lee Burchill (Mask vs. Career Match). After seeing these two compete time and time again, I'm sick and tired of it. Hurricane has faced one guy since returning to the WWE; while Burchill, on the other hand, has lost virtually every match in ECW. This feud had to end, and a Mask vs. Career is exactly what was needed. Last week on a WWE.com exclusive, Katie Lee had a Tarot Card reading to determine the fate of the match, but cards can't predict everything. The match saw the downfall of a family, as Paul cried out to his sister during the match "Help Me!" The Burchills are the storied-villains, but who looked more like the villian in that match, if not Hurricane? The Emerald Knight struck Burchill with the Eye of the Hurricane and a hellacious neck breaker from the top turnbuckle. These two fought with careless disregard for each other's saftey, only to prove a point: The Hurricane wants to continue helping the people, while Paul will not be at peace until their foe is unmasked. Burchill put everything on the line for this match, and in the end he lost. The Burchills embraced each other in the ring, swollowing sorrow and an undeniable end to their career in ECW. But all is not lost because Paul said that he and his sister would leave ECW, but never did he say that they would leave the WWE. Something to think about.

Second Match: Vance Archer vs. Johnny Andrews. Vance Archer pinned another jobber, moving on....

Third Match: CM Punk and William Regal vs. (C) Christian and R-Truth (Tag Team Match). Prior to the match, CM Punk found Christian and arrogantly listed his accomplishments, which include his title reigns and his Straight-Edge lifestyle. As it may all look good to anyone who cares to listen, Christian just called him a dork, and stated that whether he may be a former champion or not, the key word is 'former.' The reason for this inter-promotional match up is to showcase a preview of what's to come at The Survivor Series: Christian and R-Truth will be lead by Kofi Kingston, while CM Punk and William Regal will be commanded by "The Viper," Randy Orton. The match had a good build up between CM Punk and Christian, a chemistry I have not seen in a while between superstars; heck, look at the terrible build between DX and Cena. The team of Punk and Regal picked up the win after Regal struck Christian with the Knee Trembler followed by Punk's GTS. Punk returned to ECW for one night, and as he looked on to the fallen ECW Champion, he still remains the Alexander of the WWE.

European Peeps Will Christian to Victory; Hurricane-Burchill Match Postponed?

Abraham Washington Show: Yeah... let's start it off this way. Abraham Washington, no doubt, feeding off the comedic routine Christian has built with Yoshi Tatsu: "Thank You" - "Thank You" - "No, Thank You" - "Thank You" - "Didn't I say that already?" - Real great stuff the WWE writers got going there... When asked who would leave Sheffield the ECW Champion, Yoshi Tatsu expressed Christian's tenacity in the ring would play a major factor... Then Abraham Washington took it old school, 11 years, when he recited the ever famous line, "Don't nobody understand the words that are comin' out of your mouth." That's right, Abraham Washington and Yoshi Tatsu had a Rush Hour moment, the polite Asian and the loud mouth, funny black man. The segment didn't go anywhere, didn't reveal any new challenges for Tatsu... it was a bust.

First Match: Paul Burchill vs. Goldust. Last week it was scheduled that Burchill and Hurricane would have the Mask vs. Career match in Sheffield, England; so what happened? It's unclear what exactly did go down, but best guess is that WWE didn't want to complete shatter the English moral by having Burchill possibly leaving ECW. However, after comparing the crowd reactions between Burchill and Goldust, I would have to conclude that the English people could have cared less if Burchill's dreams were shattered, as they were by "The Bizarre One," Goldust. It was insatiable how much the crowd rallied behind the California, American native. Yet, Burchill seemed to have the brute advantage, until The Hurricane appeared in the arena. With Hurricane running around the ring, it didn't take long for Goldust to capitalize on the distraction with The Final Cut. Despite winning the match, all the attention was focused on Hurricane smiling over Burchill's loss.

WWE Superstars Match Revealed: Shelton Benjamin vs. Zack Ryder. Backstage, Ryder confesses to Rosa Mendes that he likes her and invites her to sit ring side during his matches. Then we see a segment of Ryder and Rosa holding hands and skipping... This is the second time that we, the viewers, see what's going on inside the head of Zack Ryder. It's off putting to say the least to have mental visuals of another person's thoughts. I understand that Ryder's persona is from the 80's, but damn it, this is pro-wrestling! not 16 candles.

Second Match: Vance Archer vs. Jason Blackwell. Once again, Archer proves dominate in his match. But is this really the way to show the WWE Universe of what he is capable of? I for one am annoyed at these lousy exhibition matches. It doesn't do anything for the superstar to showcase four moves and call it a night. Archer tossed Blackwell around with a few slam variations and ended it with his finisher The Bull's Eye.

Main Event: (C) Christian vs. William Regal (ECW Title Match). It was a match that took up the better part of an hour, possibly the most intensified rivalry to go down in recent ECW history. The challenger, William Regal, has struck gold before in England; yet would the Blackpool native have the hometown advantage in Sheffield, and capture the long awaited ECW Title? Regal's fellow Englishmen and Christian's peeps escalated to a split decision in the crowds, chanting for both superstars. It was a grueling match and well worth watching, but the ending was literally unbelievable. Regal missed the knee trembler and locked in the Regal Stretch, how was Christian able to break free? The Regal Stretch forces your opponent to the ground, pinching the arms together making it damn near impossible to move, let alone have the arm strength to punch the attacker. I thought the third time would be the charm, but Regal failed once again in his quest for World Championship Gold. Or has he? Prior to the match, ECW GM Tiffany wished Regal luck and proposed, win or lose, that they should start a clean slate. Is Tiffany turning to the dark side, or is she seriously trying to make everyone to get along?

Side Note: Tiffany's New Entrance Theme: "Insatiable" by Jim Johnston

ECW Blames Tiffany; Hurricane Accepts Burchill's Offer

After last week's assault, Christian has had it with William Regal and wanted him in the ring, one-on-one. But instead of Regal, Christian was greeted by the presence of ECW GM, Tiffany, who holds herself responsible because she has refused Regal's requests for an ECW title shot. And despite her pleas not to give in, Christian was ready to give Regal exactly what he wanted in order to get him into the ring. William Regal accepted the title match, but under his terms that the match takes place next week when ECW is in England. Then Tiffany made it official under the condition that Kozlov and Jackson be banned from ring side.

Next week in England, Christian defends the ECW Title against William Regal.

Tiffany has stopped being the adorable GM and has become really incompetent. If she knew how to run her roster then maybe she wouldn't be disrespected every week by the Ruthless Round Table. It’s her fault Regal keeps attacking Christian and everyone else in the title hunt.

First Match: William Regal vs. Goldust. This match is considered a break for Goldust from having his taint handed to him by Kozlov and Jackson every week. Regal won with the Knee Trembler.

Second Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Zack Ryder. Backstage, as he was gelling his hair, Ryder met ECW's newest Diva, Rosa Mendes. She started going off on how much she loves being on ECW, while Ryder became smitten with the Spanish Import. And, as luck would have it, she was the special ring announcer for his match against The Gold Standard. Except that it was more like bad luck as the distraction from Rosa applying lip gloss cost Ryder the match. Shelton connected with Pay Dirt and is set back on course to a brighter future in ECW.

Promo: The Hurricane listens to Paul Burchill's proposal. The Emerald Skywalker, penned by Josh Matthews, entered the ring with his Hurri-Cane, incase this was a setup. Paul proposed one final match to end the feud once and for all: If Paul wins, Hurricane must unmask; but, if Hurricane wins, both Paul and Katie Lee must leave ECW. Is it really a punishment? It’s pretty much a win-win scenario for the Burchills, either they unmask their foe, or they move up to either SmackDown or RAW. It was idiotic for Hurricane to accept, but that's what heroes do, accept all challenges.

Third Match: Vance Archer vs. Logan Jones. ECW’s newest acquisition is a former TNA star, and a 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion. Lance Hoyt signed a deal with WWE in April of this year; training in FCW, he made his ECW debut last night against a local jobber. Mainly an exhibition match, Archer finishes with a Snap Reverse DDT.

Main Event: Christian and Yoshi Tatsu vs. Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov. The match played more like a handicap match, as Yoshi fought with both members of the opposing side. Christian tagged in to handle Kozlov and Tatsu took out Jackson on the outside. Christian won the match with the Killswitch and then Regal arrived to take out Christian. The Ruthless Round Table destroyed the ECW Champion, is this a sign for things to come?

Chris Jericho Visits ECW; Yoshi Tatsu Declared #1 Contender

Last Night's ECW became, for one night only, the best in the world at what it does with the arrival of Chris Jericho. His mission, to strengthen his SmackDown team with the best that ECW had to offer.

However, his meeting with GM Tiffany did not go as planned, as she refused to lend her roster over to the aid of SmackDown. If Tiffany did her homework, she would know that if it were not for the help of SmackDown - ECW would not be on the air right now. In 2007 we had what was known as the SmackDown-ECW Talent Exchange, where members of each roster would appear on the other show to boost ratings. And now Tiffany denies the captain of SmackDown, when RAW never bothered to help in the past, from handpicking the best in the land of Extreme?

The first match was a #1 contender's match for the ECW Championship: Zack Ryder vs. Yoshi Tatsu. In recent weeks, Tatsu has been proving himself in the Land of Extreme, and Christian feels that no one is more deserving than Yoshi Tatsu. Ryder has also proven to take Christian to the extreme limits of their abilities - but once you have a shot, it is time to move on. Yoshi Tatsu became the #1 Contender by a combination of an enziguri and a elbow drop-spring board. Aside from Evan Bourne in 2008, Yoshi Tatsu is possibly the youngest, most undeserving superstar to get an ECW Title shot. Veterans who have been in the business for years and will possibly never get a real World Title, deserve a shot at the ECW title. Even Zack Ryder first appeared on ECW as part of the tag team, The Major Brothers. Ryder has become a WWE Tag Team Champion last year and has now undergone a complete gimmick change and honed his wrestling skills. William Regal or Ryder should be contending for the title; but I guess its not enough for ECW.

Next match: Sheamus vs. a local jobber. Sheamus attacked ruthlessly with all the intend on destroying his opponent. Several times during the match, Sheamus pulled away from the cover in order to inflict more damage. It wasn't until Shelton Benjamin made his was to the ring did the real fight begin. These two have a lot of heat towards one another, and a definitive match between these two would prove to be a classic.

The following: Paul Burchill w/ Katie Lee calling out to unmask The Hurricane. It was pretty obvious that Hurricane would send out a double to mess with the Burchills. Paul's promo is really bad; and its not because he's British, cause William Regal cuts great promos. For being the first British OVW Champion, I'd expected better. When Hurricane came out from behind, he started wielding his Hurri-Cane - yes, a metal cane. As the entrance theme states: Watch Out, Cause There's a Hurricane Coming Through.

And the Main Event: ECW Champiom, Christian vs. One-Half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho. Because of Jericho's continued defiance of the ECW GM, he was placed in this match against the best that ECW had to offer. During his pursuit of making the elite SmackDown team, he looked to William Regal's Ruthless Round table. An interesting exchange of pleasantry's between Regal and Jericho - complimenting one another's suits. This moment was inspired by Barney Stintson, what up! Ergo, Jericho left empty handed. The match between Christian and Jericho was instantly classic, as these two former tag team partners, who have not met inside the squared circle in over 6 years, broke out in a Canadian Brawl. And something that has always bothered me is that both superstars utilize the same lower rope choking maneuver. You know that move, when the opponent falls neck first into the bottom rope and the attacker jumps on the back and uses the top rope as leverage. Well, both superstars used it on the other in this match. They seriously need to come up with a name for that move, because it's too much to have to explain this every time. Christian even broke out of the Walls of Jericho and avoided 2 Lionsaults. It was a quick Killswitch that was engaged for the win. In reality, Jericho had to lose, because what would that say for ECW if the champion can't even defend the pride of the brand?

Final Assessment: RAW couldn't deliver on a Michaels-Jericho match, so they assume that a Christian-Jericho would suffice? Well it didn't, but it was a nice treat.

Next week, Christian defends the title against Yoshi Tatsu.

Zack Ryder Rebukes Regal; The Hurricane Fades; Sheamus Reveals All

Last night's ECW further proved that ECW will not be a part of yet another pay-per-view. WWE' Bragging Rights is to promote the SmackDown vs RAW 2010, where the best of SmackDown and RAW collide in an epic tag team match by night's end, but ECW is still featured in the game. However, its not reassuring that the developers did not add Zack Ryder to the game. It also proves that ECW is not of the same caliber as either RAW or SmackDown.

The night started off with Ezekiel Jackson, accompanied by Vladimir Kozlov, against "The Bazaar One" Goldust. Jackson is impressive by size alone, not by skill. The "Juggernaut of Destruction," as Josh Matthews has named him, only has so many moves that he keeps repeated. And if you've noticed, both Kozlov and Jackson had to be weakened so as the other members of ECW to have a fighting chance. Goldust at times seemed like he could pull it off, but in the end he fell to the Ura-nage followed by and Iron Curtain for added punishment. When will these two improve their ring work? As a tag team they are not impressive in the least.

Following match: The Hurricane vs Paul Burchill. Now, The Hurricane has been absent from ECW for several weeks, and one would assume that he came back to win another match... But Burchill took down The Green Wonder with a vertical suplex... Call it a facebuster if you want, but it was a vertical suplex. What ever happened to his other move? He had a crazy finisher where he would elevate the person's face over the matt, and then force it down with the bottom of his boot. However something like that takes to much time to set up. But a vertical suplex? Really???

Sheamus came out to make an announcement and explaining what he hopes to get out of this feud. Shelton Benjamin is no doubt a pure athlete, a future champion, but he's been in the WWE for how long and he hasn't done much except win minor titles. So if a guy like Shelton can be seen as great without accomplishing much, then by the end of it all, Shelton will prove to be a stepping stone for his future. The Age of the Celtic Warrior will soon be among us.

Final match: ECW Champion, Christian and Yoshi Tatsu vs. William Regal and Zack Ryder. Prior to the match, Ryder confronted Regal for attacking him last week, and looked to set him straight since his buddies weren't around. But Kozlov and Jackson were there, granting Ryder's complete cooperation. Christian sees Yoshi as a future challenger to his title, and a viable asset to ECW. Tatsu once again proved that he has what it takes to be in the WWE, but it was the assist from Ryder that allowed Christian to lock in the Killswitch for the win. Ryder getting back at Regal for not only having Kozlov beat him up, but for intimidating him before the match. Ryder answers to no one, and no one should know that fact more than William Regal.

Ring Announcer Lauren Mayhew is doing better, but she's still not there yet.

Rosa Mendes is officially a member of the ECW roster.

Undertaker Screwed Over, Wrestlers Support Jeff Hardy After Arrest

Last night in Montreal, CM Punk sunk to new lows in order to reaffirm his beliefs and to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

GM Teddy Long has been pressured by McMahon to impress him, to do something spectacular, something that deserves excellence... Well, Long finally reached his breaking point when he ordered the World Heavyweight Title Match to be restarted, after Taker submitted Punk using Hell's Gate. The reason for this, is that former GM, Vickie Guerrero, banned the move shortly after WrestleMania XXIV. She made this decree after Taker injured so many, including her ex-husband Edge, with the blood choking hold. Who would'be guessed that Teddy would uphold it?

CM Punk took the chance to apply the Anaconda Vice, the move that made Matt Hardy tap out just the Friday before, on the Undertaker. But just as Punk finished getting the hold - Referee Scott Armstrong called for the bell.

The Undertaker has never submitted in his entire wrestling career, but on this night, where in 1997 Shawn Michaels and McMahon screwed Bret Hart from the WWE Title, more than ten years later, McMahon would screw over Hulk Hogan in 2003 and now The Undertaker in 2009. Much like the real life screw job of 97', Taker never tapped out. Let's just call this night, Montreal Screw Job III.

Prior to the match, CM Punk was interviewed by Josh Matthews and he goes on to mention: He is a Straight-Edge Champion that people can trust, and at least you won't see his mugshot all over the internet.

This is in regards to the recent arrest of Jeff Hardy 9/11/09:

Fayetteville Police Chief Deputy Neil Godfrey says that Jeff Hardy's home was searched Friday morning at 10:30am based on a police tip that there were drugs on the premises.

Upon arriving at the house, police encountered Hardy and "wife" (fiancee) Beth. After completing the search and finding the various drugs and paraphernalia, the police proceeded to arrest and charge the former WWE Superstar. Hardy's significant other was not included in the arrest.

Charged with "trafficking in opium, two counts of possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule III controlled substance, maintaining a dwelling for drugs, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia," according to the Observer, Hardy would face a mandatory prison term if convicted of some of the key charges. Opium trafficking, for instance, guarantees a three year stint behind bars.

Godfrey added that because the case remains under investigation, it is too early to determine if more charges-either against Hardy or others who are potentially involved - will be filed.

Hardy, who has not outright denied the alleged possession of drugs ranging from anabolic steroids to cocaine to Vicodin but has criticized inaccurate media reporting, is scheduled to make his first court appearance on the matter Monday.

Hardy, a former WWE World Champion and one of the most popular wrestlers in the modern era of the company, departed the organization for a personal hiatus a few weeks ago. Eerily, his final story-line, a feud with current World Champion, CM Punk, played off his history of alleged drug issues.

It's not a surprise then that CM Punk would attack Jeff unsubtly: "You will never see my mugshot all over the internet!"

However, throughout the twitter world, many of Jeff's fan base have fallen out of favor for the once-rainbow haired warrior. But those that are sticking by Jeff are not just the fans, but other wrestlers:

@HurricaneHelms: When friends or family FALL, u don't ask them WHY they fell, you simply help them up!

@IAmJericho: Don't think of judging Jeff Hardy until you've walked a mile in his shoes. I will always have Jeffs back...

@mexwarrior: Hey guys, just heard about jeff Hardy. Don't know details yet but i want to give my support. Jeff is a classy person and also have his back!

@secondpower: Jeff Hardy is 1 of the best guys I've EVER known. Cares more about his family and his fans than any other celebrity I know.

@KIMOBRAND: People can say u have alot of friends but my friends r more like family and this family sticks together no matter what.

@ashleymassaro99: JEff Hardy is a great person n no one knows what it's like for anyone else in this world unless you've walked in their shoes. Don't judge... I will always have Jeff's back, he's a wonderful person and put his body on the line for all of us every week Say a prayer for him if u can

@TheShannonBrand: RT @NekoEyes If I smell like smoke, it's because I walked through Hell with The Hardy Boys!

@MATTHARDYBRAND: Thnx 4 the overwhelming support guys, and; I mean OVERWHELMING! Can't wait until the facts are able t come out. God bless u all, God bless us...

And with all these overwhelming responses Jeff Hardy finally responded this morning:

@JEFFHARDYBRAND: Thanks for your undying support-Love u guys!

So no matter what happens, Jeff Hardy will always be a part of our lives; He's like our little brother, and we have to look out for family.

Matt Striker's Downward Commentary; Angela Fong on ECW; Shelton's New Feud

A Hurricane came through Rockford, and no... not a natural one - but a supernatural by the name of The Hurricane!

The Hurricane's feud with Paul Burchill continues - but what stood out was Matt Striker's commentary.

A former ECW superstar, Matt Striker took over as Color Commentator sometime during early 2008. His commentating with Todd Grisham (now on Smackdown) garnered him the Best Announce Team 2008 Slammy Award. Yet, ever since teaming with Josh Matthews, his commentating seems less than desirable.

At the start of the match, Striker suggested a possible twin scenario. Seeing as RAW has the Bella Twins, it wouldn't be so far fetched for Gregory Helms to have a twin in The Hurricane.

Sure, I'll bite, seeing as Striker is trying to protect his identity, but what happened next.... ugh!

If Striker is going to make comic book references, then at least make them closer to the superhero that The Hurricane emulates - the Green Lantern, not Superman. Striker called Hurricane, the Son of Jor-El.

Striker also goes on to say: Meanwhile, Back in the Hall of Justice. - What is Striker spewing out? We get it, he likes comic books - But don't lose sight of the match!

Hurricane almost gets the victory with a Hurricane-Rana, but Burchill trying to use his sister Katie-Lee as a distraction proved to be his downfall and went straight into The Eye of the Hurricane!

This week's ECW marks the newest addition to the Extreme Brand - Savannah. Her real name is Angela Fong and she is currently wrestling in WWE's developmental territory in FCW.

Her first job as backstage interviewer was to interview Tommy Dreamer and Christian on their tag team match later on in the program. - But what about Courtney Taylor? Why are there TWO Back Stage Interviewers on ECW?

Ever since returning to ECW, Shelton Benjamin has shocked people by who he faces. At first it was against Yoshi Tatsu - no big deal since Shelton's a heel. But then he entered a feud with Zack Ryder.

Was Shelton turning face? Shelton did defeat Ryder twice in their encounters - but this week he teamed up with The Celtic Warrior Sheamus against Goldust and Yoshi Tatsu.

I'd figured as much that the feud between Ryder and Benjamin was a simple clash of egos.

Shelton goes for a blind tag and steels a victory by pinning Sheamus' enemy, The Weird One Goldust.

You would think that Sheamus would be happy with the win? Well... he wasn't.

He lands a punch against the side of Benjamin's face and a fight breaks out.

Leaving us to understand that Shelton Benjamin will start feuding with Sheamus and that it's quite possible that Benjamin is indeed turning heel.

William Regal's Extreme Alliance; The Hurricane Strikes; And More!

ECW saw the return match of the Hurricane, the ever growing fury between a warrior and a freak, but most importantly, an alliance of gigantic proportions.

The Hurricane was successful in his match against Paul Burchill - much to Burcill's disappointment, Matt Striker seemed to enjoy himself since he is a huge comic book fanatic.

However, Striker went to ahead of himself and revealed too much to soon on the Hurricane: such as his weaknesses, and possible identity.

Many speculate that Gregory Helms is the alleged vigilante, but WWE.com has a separate profile for the new superhero of ECW.

His finisher is the Eye of the hurricane - and thanks to Striker, his weakness is his neck, most likely because it has been surgically repaired - if he was Gregory Helms.

Whatever may be the case, the Hurricane delivered hard Justice to his arch foe, but how long until his identity is revealed?

Now remember Gregory Helms as the backstage interviewer? Well this week we witnessed the debut of Courtney Taylor. The lovely new addition to ECW, interviewed Tommy Dreamer before a sudden attack from #1 Contender William Regal and his tag team partner of the night, Vladimir Kozlov. Turns out that the ambush left Tommy Dreamer unable to compete, leaving Taylor to question Tiffany of the status of the main event.

On the ever failing Abraham Washington Show - the guests were Goldust and Sheamus.

Sheamus holds two pinfall victories over Goldust, but he in turn suffered a loss in their last encounter.

There's no real reason why this feud started - it was a random match up that escalated through proises of domination, and broken pride.

We are reminded in this segment that Goldust suffers from twitches and ticks caused by the lightning bolt that struck him so many years ago.

Of course Washington made fun of the Goldust, but the jokes ceased with the arrival of Sheamus - and his continued quest to take over ECW. These two did not share blows this week, but the animosity between them

keeps on growing.

Zack Ryder continues to impress the fans with his big win over Yoshi Tatsu. It's hard to like Ryder, but you damn well have to respect him - he holds multiple victories over many of the top superstars on ECW; and as Striker mentioned, it's hard not to like someone but also admit that they are better proven by their effectiveness.

Yoshi put up a good front, with a Standing Rolling Senton and a miscalculated over the rope elbow drop - Ryder, being as effective as he is, capitalized on Tatsu's error and scored the victory.

Another thing to mention about Zack Ryder, his entrance is not so bad once you get use to it.

Now the moment of truth, An impeccable ending in the land of extreme. Christian's tag team partner turned out to be none other than - Ezekiel Jackson!

Jackson was the obvious choice - it could've been Shelton Benjamin but lets face it, Kozlov and Jackson have been trying to one up each other for weeks.

Christian and Regal started the match as a preview of their SummerSlam encounter for the ECW Championship. Christian pretty much in desperate need for a tag, was confined to enemy territory and attacked by the Moscow Mauler.

Yet, when Jackson forced his way into the ring to chase out Kozlov - he TURNED on Christian with the Ura-nage! The match ended with a pinfall victory by William Regal.

You would think that being betrayed by your tag team partner was bad enough - but Regal commanded both Jackson and Kozlov to execute their finishers on Christian.

Looks like Regal has stepped up his game ten-fold, with the two biggest juggernauts of ECW on his side. Things are not looking good for the ECW Champion as he has to defend it this Sunday, the only possible person that would bother to be at his side is an injured Tommy Dreamer.

This new alliance of Regal, Kozlov, and Jackson could destroy the Hart Dynasty - and most importantly, it could even take down Legacy.

I for one cannot wait to see how this will play out in the weeks ahead.

The Rise of The Hurricane and The Distinguished Gentleman

For weeks on ECW, mysterious accidents have occurred backstage. But a force quick and powerful as a hurricane has always saved the day.

The Hurricane, the green and black clad superhero, has reemerged – this time in the Land of Extreme!

Some are zeroing down on the identity – but no one more than “The Ripper” Paul Burchill.

Gregory Helms, since drafted to ECW, has acted as an interviewer to the superstars – however, Burchill suspects that Helms and Hurricane are one in the same.

Prior to his match with Yoshi Tatsu, Burchill clocked Helms right in the face in the middle of the interview segment.

Burchill may have dominated the interview and his match, but it was the Hurricane who made his emphatic statement through a top turnbuckle cross body and his heroic stance that strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies.

Hurricane stands as a beacon of hope; he is the symbol that ECW needed.

But what people love more than to watch their hero succeed, is to watch their hero fall, fail, die trying.

Now that Hurricane is fighting in the ring – what will happen the next time when another backstage incident occurs? And how quick will the people turn on the green vigilante?

One week from defending the ECW Championship in an extreme rules match, Christian learns of his next opponent - William Regal.

William Regal is not one to take lightly, since he does hold a considerable amount of titles. Regal is a 4-time World Tag Team Champion, 5-time Hardcore Champion, 4-time European Champion, 2-time Intercontinental Champion, and the 2008 King of the Ring winner.

However, Regal's most notable accomplishment was as the General Manager of RAW. Regal said on ECW that the English are known to be barbaric - well... Regal's reign of terror on Monday Nights was barbaric.

He went on this crusade of getting the RAW audience to respect him - but of course all you would here was boos. He would even ask to have the arena lights shut off for short periods of time to demand respect. But tactics like that did not work for the RAW audience. It was actually during a WWE Championship match on RAW where Regal turned off the lights for a brief moment - thus ending the match prematurely - but not without a hellacious RKO on the Champion, Triple H. Then the time when Orton invoked his rematch clause against Triple H on RAW - William Regal, still trying to get respect from the fans, felt that the WWE Universe did not deserve to see a Championship Match and had the bout taken off the air.

William Regal is barbaric and - if he is willing to force the WWE Video Room to pull RAW off the air prematurely, especially during a WWE Championship Match - should be feared.

Yet, Regal promised to show Christian why he is so barbaric by destroying Tommy Dreamer in the main event on ECW. What he showed Christian is his sloppiness in the ring. Regal appears to be out of practice - especially since his last title reign was lost in a lame trilogy feud with CM Punk.

If Regal intends on capturing the ECW Championship, he's going to have to do better than that. Possibly improve on the Regal Stretch - a submission move that resembles the STF - but the opponents arm is placed behind his back.

Whatever the case may be - Christian finally has a new opponent and would be great if the feud lasts longer than one title match. Stay tuned on ECW, as things in the Land of Extreme heats up between the ECW Champion and The Distinguished Gentleman.

Happy Birthday to Hurricane Helms

Who is the Hurricane? And why hasn't he revealed his true identity? Hurricane is a menace, a vigilante! The man must be stopped and leave the rescue of WWE crew members up to the professionals.