As we last left it, Kurt Angle had spit on the ECW World Title to the disgust of the locker room in our biggest angle yet…
***WEEK 5***
QUARTER 1
Show begins with a video from “earlier today” in an empty arena – Heyman is telling all the wrestlers that after Angle spat on the title belt last week, he’s suspended him for 30 days. The roster is unhappy. Heyman says that it’s without pay. Paul says the biggest punishment is to let him in and let all of you destroy him. But ECW has been my life for years, and on general principle, somebody that would do that doesn’t deserve to be here. Paul brought him in, so he’s made the call to ice him. [2/3 mins]
Intro Video [30 secs]
We go to Styles and Taz, who say they won’t be showing the footage to recap what happened last week. Angle spat on the belt, but you’ll never see it again. Taz talks about everything he did to be ECW champion, and mentions he broke his neck on the path to winning, just like Angle did in the Olympics. The ECW Title was his gold medal, and everybody’s in ECW, and it was a disgusting display, and shows how low Angle is.[2 mins]
MATCH: RVD Vs. CW Anderson. RVD destroys him quickly, RVD hits the Angle Slam on CW through a table as a message to Kurt. [4 mins]
Post-Match, Styles enters the ring to talk to RVD about the suspension. RVD talks about how long he fought to get the World Title, and that he’s not happy Angle was suspended. He makes the challenge to Angle, he will wrestle him for the ECW Title, because he wants to beat Angle and show him how much the ECW Title really means. [3 mins]
A graphic reminds us Tonight – Dreamer Vs. Credible [30 secs]
QUARTER 2
Recap of RVD’s challenge [1 min]
Backstage, Heyman is with Kelly. Kelly is complaining about the interruptions. “Maybe if we blocked out some time just for me?” Dreamer appears and says “Mind if I interrupt?” Heyman says he’ll catch up with Kelly. Dreamer approaches him about the suspension. Dreamer sympathises with Paul, but questions icing Kurt. We’d rip him apart, isn’t that what you want? Heyman says of course it is, but I don’t want to even give him the chance to do what he did again. He doesn’t want to hear another bad word about ECW out of Angle. Dreamer says that to some of the guys, it looks like Heyman protected Kurt with the suspension. We linger on Heyman, who doesn’t seem to like that line. [2 mins]
MATCH: Sabu Vs. Stevie Richards – Sabu wins [6 mins]
Post-Match, Punk berates Richards and slaps him across the face. Asks if he’s had a drink. Stevie says maybe just one. Punk slaps him again. [1 min]
QUARTER 3:
Credible/Francine Promo – Talk about how good it felt to see Dreamer bleed last week. He’ll do it again tonight. [2 mins]
Sandman comes out and wants to fight Punk. Punk comes out and verbally runs him down on a slow walk to the ring. Punk gets on the apron and turns his attention to the crowd, when Sandman grabs him and pulls him in, the fight is on. Sandman is kicking ass. Hits the White Russian Legsweep and grabs a beer. He looks at Punk and starts to move towards him, the announcers reading his mind that he’s going to pour beer on Punk. Before he gets to, Knox runs-in but gets caned. Richards is in and hits the Steviekick. Stevie handcuffs Sandman, Punk gets up and canes him to death. [7 mins]
QUARTER 4/OVERRUN:
We recap the handcuffed caning of Sandman [30 secs]
MATCH: Dreamer Vs. Credible – Dreamer wins. [8 mins]
Big Show attacks Dreamer out of nowhere after the match, throwing him to the floor and chokeslamming him through a table. Show takes the mic, and just says: “Sorry…boss’ orders”. Styles and Taz caught off-guard as the show fades to black.[1 min]
Booking Objectives/Synopsis – The Angle/RVD feud can’t get hotter with another angle yet, we need to stretch out the hatred of the controversial act and create a need to see RVD/Kurt without delivering. RVD shows fire in his match. Punk’s crew gets heat on Sandman and develops with Stevie stepping up. The Big Show carrying out the orders of the boss takes a darker turn than the previous two light-hearted situations, and creates some intrigue for a potential Dreamer/Heyman conflict.
***WEEK 6***
QUARTER 1:
Show opens up backstage on Paul Heyman with a defensive look on his face saying “I don’t know what to tell you” to someone off screen. We pan out, and Dreamer is standing there, arms crossed, with a bemused expression. Heyman claims he’s innocent, and he didn’t tell Big Show to attack him. Heyman isn’t cowardly in his defense, more matter of fact with a bit of a jovial tone. Dreamer says he didn’t believe Show either, but after what Dreamer said to Paul about protecting Kurt Angle last week, he thought he might have ruffled his feathers. Heyman says Tommy wasn’t first to suggest he was protecting Kurt with the suspension, and he expected it, and certainly doesn’t have any hard feelings. Heyman says there is a problem though – if Tommy wants answers, he’s got to get them out of a 7 foot giant. [3 mins]
Intro Video [30 secs]
Joey Styles and Tazz open saying that for those who don’t know, Kurt Angle is in the middle of a 30 day suspension for spitting on the ECW title. They again say they won’t be showing the footage of the disgraceful act, but RVD is scheduled to defend the ECW Title next week, and with Angle on the bench, a Four Way Dance will take place tonight to determine Rob’s challenger between Sabu, CM Punk, Tommy Dreamer and Big Show. [1 min]
MATCH: The Sandman Vs. Tony Mamaluke – Sandman wins, canes all the FBI [6 mins]
Post-Match, Sandman calls out Punk and says your ass is mine. [1 min]
QUARTER 2:
Dreamer goes to the ring to call out Big Show. Show comes out and stays at the entrance way. Tommy asks him to tell the truth about why he attacked him last week. Big Show says that it might be hard to hear, but he was telling the truth – it was nothing personal at all. In fact, he likes Tommy, but he was following the boss’ orders like always. Dreamer calls his bluff, and says Heyman told him Show is lying. Big Show says “The only thing I can tell you for sure is that I’m telling the truth”. Dreamer says he’ll fight him if he has to, but Big Show leaves. Tommy is confused in the ring, when Justin Credible appears from behind and attacks him, laying him out. Styles wonders if Dreamer will make it to the main event. [6 mins]
RVD is backstage with Heyman, and asks if Paul’s heard whether Angle has accepted his challenge. Heyman says he hasn’t spoken to Kurt since he suspended him. He also doesn’t want Van Dam worrying about that right now, since he has a title defense next week. RVD says he’ll be watching the main event closely. [3 min]
Credible and Francine say they’re not done with Dreamer, and won’t be until his career is over, and leave the building. [1 min]
Kelly comes out to dance, but there’s a power cut in the arena, so we cut to commercial with the dance unfinished.[2 mins]
QUARTER 3:
Joey Styles comes back and says that during the commercial they got word that during Kelly’s striptease, Kurt Angle entered the building as a ticket buying fan. We show the footage of Kurt entering. Styles explains that when the power cut out, our cameras lost him, and we haven’t been able to locate him since. Bottom line is – Angle is here. [1 min]
MATCH: Balls Mahoney w/Shelly Vs. Al Snow – a weapon-based brawl, Snow wins with Head, and surprisingly hits the Snow Plow on Shelly after the match, leaves both laying. Post-Match, Al grabs a mic and says he finally “Gets it”. [6 mins]
CM Punk promo on how desperate and pathetic Sandman is, craving revenge, addicted to violence, a junkie and a bum in every sense. And it all comes down to failure. You can’t beat me, so you turn to your vices. Just like the people at home wash away the disappointment of the crap job and the ugly wife with booze, masking their self-pity with pills and drugs. But Punk is better than you, and better than that. And as a result, tonight he looks ahead, and starts to fulfill the mission he had when he first appeared in ECW, and that’s winning the title. [3 minutes]
QUARTER 4/OVERRUN:
Punk Vs. Sabu Vs. Dreamer Vs. Big Show…doesn’t happen. Dreamer makes it out, and Big Show follows. Dreamer conflicted about what he’s going to do about Big Show. All four are in the ring, when the crowd rises, as Kurt arrives in the front row.
Security steps in. The four guys in the ring all make a move towards Angle as even more security appears. Kurt pie-faces somebody, and it kicks off. Heyman comes running down to help the chaos, with Dreamer telling Paul to let them get him. Sandman runs out to cane Punk, and a bunch of the security guys get levelled as well. A chaotic, bench clearing brawl, with Angle getting free until RVD arrives and dives on the pile to get to Kurt. In the melee, Heyman gets pushed down, and screams for everybody to get Angle. Kurt flees out the building into the street, the ECW guys running him off, as the scene fades to black. [11 minutes]
Booking Objectives/Synopsis – Throw the seed of doubt in about Dreamer/Heyman/Show angle. Looking for a unique ending with the crazy brawl, portray Angle so universally hated by faces/heels, old/new ECW guys, wrestlers/staff. Kelly joke continues. Give Sandman a win, Punk a promo, and keep Credible alive. Snow goes from heel by default and trying to find his place to committing a vicious act and proclaiming he finally understands – segue into him being the wiseass vet. RVD/Angle is the match we still want.
***WEEK 7***
QUARTER 1:
Paul Heyman opens the show, talking about last week’s insanity, saying Angle is still on suspension, and he hated how they advertised a match but didn’t deliver because of Kurt. However, he promised an ECW Title defence tonight, dammit, it’ll happen. And it’s going be a good one, because Rob Van Dam will defend his title against Sabu. [2 mins]
Intro Video [30 secs]
Punk and crew come to the ring. Punk talks about his issue with the Sandman, and how he can finally relate to the losers who can’t beat addiction, because it feels like no matter what he does, Sandman is always there. Replays the angle with the broken beer bottle and pouring beer on him, Sandman pouring on Stevie, and the retaliation with cuffs and cane. Punk says he declared war, he bought in the toughest guy from the south side of Chicago in Mike Knox, and channelled the untapped talent of Stevie Richards, and tonight, we’re going to show how Straight Edge makes us better than you. [3 mins]
MATCH: Punk/Knox/Stevie Vs. Doring/Roadkill/Shannon Moore – Moore shines with a dive, but Punk’s crew wins.[5 mins]
Sandman hits the ring afterwards and canes Stevie again, but Knox and Punk escape. [1 min]
QUARTER 2:
Back with Punk’s crew, Punk furious that Sandman showed them up. Stevie says “Sorry Punk”, and Punk tells Stevie to stop treating him like he’s his leader. Stevie says sorry. Punk rolls eyes. Look, if it’s a fight he wants, then next week, Knox, I want you to go in that ring and take him out. Knox agrees [1 min]
Backstage, we’re following Tommy Dreamer, who walks up to the building entrance to Big Show, who is standing with arms folded. Dreamer says he knows Show said he was telling the truth last week, and that it was nothing personal. Show says that’s right. Dreamer has a hard time swallowing getting attacked and not knowing why. Tommy asks him to come with him to talk to Heyman to clear up what happened. Big Show says he can’t leave his post. Dreamer asks why, Show says “Boss’ orders”. Dreamer doesn’t like hearing those words, and asks if he’s there to make sure Angle doesn’t enter the building tonight. Show just replies again, “Boss’ Orders”. Dreamer annoyed, but says fine, but whenever this is done, we’ve got to clear this up. [2 mins]
Al Snow is by himself with Head. Says he spent weeks trying to help himself and fix Al Snow, and realised he was being selfish. This is the Island of Misfit Toys, and he’s in a position as a veteran to help others. So he will. Says he laid out Balls and Shelly last week to teach them that wrestling is a cruel mistress, and you can’t bring your friends along just to have a good time. If it wasn’t him that hurt them, it would be somebody else, and they wouldn’t be so kind. He only wishes he had somebody that taught him the lessons he’s going to teach. While he speaks, Al is rubbing the words “Help Me” off the forehead of the mannequin Head. [2 min]
MATCH: Justin Credible w/ Francine Vs. Balls Mahoney – No Shelly after last week, Balls in a bad, bad mood. Credible wins after Snow distraction. Snow screams that Balls needs to focus, and attacks him. 2 on 1, Dreamer out afterwards, faces hold the ring to close the scene. [7 mins]
QUARTER 3:
It is announced that Kelly Kelly was supposed to do a live dance tonight, but she has had car problems and won’t be here. Oh well. [1 min]
Sandman promo on Punk and crew – accepts the fight with Knox and says “Next week, the beer’s on you” [2 min]
Video on Sabu’s run of form on ECW lately – it’s pointed out that he hasn’t lost since ECW TV began.[1 min]
MATCH: RVD Vs. Sabu starts – ECW talent surrounds the ringside area to watch/protect from Angle. [7 mins]
QUARTER 4/OVERRUN:
MATCH: RVD Vs. Sabu continues, RVD wins. Styles talks about what they’re willing to do for the ECW Title. Post-match handshake and raise each other’s arms. [11 mins]
All of a sudden, the screen cuts from the raised arms of Sabu and Van Dam to footage of Angle spitting on the ECW Title. We see it several times, from different angles, in slow motion.
We then erratically cut to the production truck, where Kurt Angle has broken in, but is now surrounded by security and Heyman. Kurt yells at the crew not to stop playing the footage, and Heyman is cursing at Angle for ruining a great match and moment. Angle yells back saying the suspension is over next week. [2 mins]
Booking Objective/Synopsis: The Dreamer/Show/Heyman issue is referenced, but no big development, just keep it buzzing. Idea to present a babyface match, even a crazy one that the roster is into, before showing the contrast of the ultimate show of disrespect again by Angle. Punk/Sandman continues, and cross-pollination of Dreamer/Credible and Snow/Mahoney to lead to match next week.
What will happen next week when the most despised man in ECW returns from suspension? Find out in Part 3…