The Wrestling Machine gets extreme
ECW One Night Stand is less than two weeks away, and with two matches already officially announced for the card, the tensions between ECW and WWE are reaching new highs. In a shocking announcement that shook the foundations of both RAW and SmackDown, WWE.com reported before RAW on Monday that Paul Heyman would be receiving two draft picks – one from RAW and one from SmackDown. While it may not be a huge surprise that Mr. Money in the Bank Rob Van Dam was Heyman’s pick from RAW, many WWE fans were left in shock when they found out that Kurt Angle had his bags packed for ECW.
The Wrestling Machine wasted no time in making an extreme impact for his new brand. Heyman said that his pick from SmackDown “embodied the new vision of ECW.” Angle showed exactly what that vision was when he interrupted Heyman and Mick Foley’s face off. The Olympic Gold Medalist hit the ring and took down the Hardcore Legend. Defending his new brand’s honor, the Wrestling Machine left Foley laying with an Angle Slam.
It was also announced that anyone from the RAW or SmackDown rosters could jump ship to the new global ECW. If the Wrestling Machine Kurt Angle is now an ECW Superstar, then anything is possible.
Before Angle attacked Foley, the Hardcore Legend was in a rather heated war of words with his former boss, Heyman. The main purpose for the face off in the first place was so that Foley had the chance to clear his name. After it was announced last week that Foley and his new buddy Edge would be known as the co-holders of the Hardcore Championship, Heyman had some strong remarks for the duo, and Foley in particular. Foley was upset at allegations Heyman was throwing around referring to him as a prostitute last week.
In the end, it was revealed that Edge & Foley would face Terry Funk & the Innovator of Violence Tommy Dreamer at One Night Stand. But before that, Foley wanted to clear his good name.
“As for being called a prostitute, that’s a charge to which I plead…guilty…kind of,” said Foley. “Everyone in WWE does things they don’t want to do in order to get to the top. The only difference between the ECW Mick Foley and the WWE Mick Foley is that I traded in a low-life pimp (Heyman) for a billion dollar pimp (Mr. McMahon). I don’t see where you begin to get off that ECW is what hardcore is all about. They’re all just a bunch of pot-smoking, porn-addicted, cheap Mick Foley rip-offs.”
Heyman didn’t put much credence into Foley’s comment, however.
“Those comments might be a little more biting if they didn’t come from someone who spent their entire career as a Terry Funk rip-off,” replied Heyman. “You sacrifice your legacy to become a cheap-shot taking whore.”
Before Foley could mount much of a response, Angle made his ECW debut and silenced the Hardcore Legend. But you can bet that Foley will not be silenced for long.
The other match that is already signed for One Night Stand is Rob Van Dam vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship. RVD seems to have chosen the perfect time to cash in his Money in the Bank opportunity – at One Night Stand on his home turf. Cena was in action on RAW against Johnny Nitro, and before the match, Jerry “The King” Lawler tried to explain to the Tacoma, Wash., crowd of all the negatives that go along with ECW. The RAW color commentator went off on ECW during WWE.com Unlimited and when RAW came back on the air, Lawler even had a comment for his SmackDown counterpart, Tazz.
“Tazz used to be tough. They used to call him the human suplex machine,” said Lawler. “But now he’s just a joke-cracking, King Lawler wannabe. That’s all ECW is – a bunch of wannabes.”
Before Lawler could go on much further, RVD’s music hit, and he came to the ring for commentary and to scout his upcoming opponent, Cena. But before RVD delved into the match, he had some comments for Lawler.
“Tazz was tough, but at least he knew when to step away from the ring and hang up the boots,” said Van Dam. “Maybe that’s something you can learn from.”
As for RVD’s Championship opportunity at One Night Stand, Van Dam thinks he might even have the advantage.
“Cena’s the WWE Champion, but he hasn’t been where I’ve been,” said RVD. “ECW is RVD’s playground.”
After Cena made Nitro tap out to the STFU, RVD hopped up on the apron, prompting an intense stare-down between the two One Night Stand opponents. Meanwhile, Nitro crept back into the ring and tried to attack Cena. The Champ saw him coming, though, and threw him into RVD, knocking them both to the outside. Will Cena be as lucky at One Night Stand on June 11? Only time will tell.
WWE Shows Latest Results
Raw results, Sept. 30, 2024: Rollins returns to cost Reed the Last Monster Standing Match against Strowman as the ring collapses
Full ResultsSmackDown results, Sept. 27, 2024: Fatu uses Rhodes disruption to secure a Bloodline win over Orton and Owens
Full ResultsWWE NXT results, Oct. 1, 2024: WHOOP THAT TRICK! Trick Williams wins back the NXT Title from Ethan Page on the CW Premiere
Full Results