- Tommy Dreamer’s non-compete clause with WWE ends next week. For those wondering, he was not backstage at TNA iMPACT last night.

- The Vancouver Sun reports that city officials will be having a teleconference with WWE officials this Friday to discuss bringing WrestleMania to the city.

- It appears that Zack Ryder is now a member of the RAW roster after competing on tonight’s RAW. Rosa Mendes was with him so she may also be on the roster now.

- It was announced on RAW tonight that Mad Dog Vachon is the next member of the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame. Vachon will be inducted by fellow Hall of Famer Pat Patterson.

- William Regal & Jack Swagger vs. Chris Masters
& Santino Marella as well as Primo Colon vs. Zack Ryder was taped last night before RAW for this week’s Superstars show.

- This year’s Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania will feature eight Superstars. Christian is the only named confirmed so far.

Dark Match:

* Goldust defeated Paul Burchill

WWE Superstars (Airing Thursday):

* Tyler Reks vs. Zack Ryder is up first, representing the ECW brand. Ryder gets the win with his finisher.

* Todd Grisham and Matt Stryker come out to call the next match.

* The Hart Dynasty and Mike Knox vs. Cryme Tyme and R-Truth is up next. R-Truth and Cryme Tyme get the win after Truth pinned Tyson Kidd.

Matches Taped Before RAW on Monday:

* Jack Swagger defeated Primo Colon

* Alicia Fox defeated Kelly Kelly

We begin with a look back at the ECW Title match that took place on Sunday when Christian retained the title against Bill Regal possibly due to Team Bromance’s removal from ringside.

We are live on tape from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and your announcers are Josh Mathews and Matt Striker.

Tiffany comes to the ring and she says that the WWE Universe is buzzing about Breaking Point and she is proud of the ECW Title match.

She will speak no more because Bill Regal’s music plays and he is joined by his red clad compatriots. Regal talks while Vlad and Zeke act imposing. Regal says that Tiffany looks absolutely lovely tonight, and every evening, but especially tonight. He says that Tiffany is doing a wonderful job as general manager. He says that since he has been in her shoes and was a general manager longer than Tiffany, he wants to talk to Tiffany about what happened at Breaking Point. He says that Tiffany has a keen eye for talent, especially Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson. Regal wants to know why Tiffany banned them from ringside on Sunday.

Tiffany tells Regal that she appreciates him coming to her to voice his grievances. Her decision was to make the match one-on-one without any outside interference. Regal says that the decision caused great grief in his preparation. Regal would like another rematch against Christian. Tiffany says that other superstars deserve a chance against the champion so Regal will not have another chance at the ECW Title. Tiffany announces a Battle Royal for the new number one contender for the ECW Title. Tiffany wishes them luck. Tiffany tells Regal that he is not getting another shot at the ECW Title. Regal will be wrestling right now.

Match Number One: Hurricane versus William Regal

The match is joined in progress and Hurricane sends Regal into the turnbuckles and hits a few drop kicks. Hurricane with punches and Regal sends Hurricane to the floor. Hurricane throws Regal over the top rope to the floor but Regal tries to avoid Hurricane but Hurricane with a clothesline from the apron. They return to the ring and Hurricane with a forearm and punches. Hurricane with an Irish whip and back body drop and then Hurricane stomps on Regal’s solar plexus. Regal with punches to Hurricane but Hurricane with a cross body and punches to the head. Hurricane with a suplex and a near fall. Hurricane with a neckbreaker and then he goes to the apron and climbs to the top turnbuckle for a cross body and hits it for a two count.

Regal goes to the floor because he has had enough but Hurricane stops Regal and brings him back to the ring. Hurricane comes back into the ring and Regal with a running knee for the three count.
Winner: William Regal

After the match, while Hurricane licks his wounds, Paul Burchill attacks Hurricane from behind and hits a jackhammer.

We go to the locker room and Goldust apologizes to Yoshi Tatsu. Yoshi says that he wants to continue his English lesson. Zack Ryder enters and he comments on the English lesson. Zack did not like Yoshi’s use of his name as ‘loser’. They will be wrestling when we return.

We are back and in case you missed it last night because you were watching football, Batista is on Smackdown starting this week.

We have a Moments Ago Moment of Paul Burchill’s attack on Hurricane.

Paul is walking in the back and he is stopped by Savannah and she wants to know what he was thinking about the attack. Burchill says that he wonders where Gregory Helms is but he says that he is in the ring. Burchill says that Hurricane took advantage of Katie and he will pay for what he did.

We have special ring announcers and they are the Bella Twins.

Match Number Two: Yoshi Tatsu versus Zack Ryder

Ryder goes for the arm and he locks in an arm bar on Yoshi. Yoshi rolls through and reverses Yoshi with an arm bar. Yoshi turns it into a side head lock and shoulder tackle. Yoshi with a Japanese arm drag and then he rolls Ryder around the ring into a rollup for a near fall. Yoshi sends Ryder into the turnbuckles and Ryder moves and then kicks Yoshi off the turnbuckles and to the mat. Ryder with an elbow to the head. Ryder with a running boot to the face and then he catapults Yoshi into the ropes and gets a few near falls. Ryder with a reverse chin lock. Ryder with a belly-to-back suplex for a near fall. Ryder with a chin lock and his knee on Yoshi’s chest to add more pressure. Ryder with a chin lock on Yoshi and he turns it into a reverse chin lock. Ryder with a back heel trip as he holds on to the chin lock. Ryder with a head butt to Yoshi. Yoshi gets a boot up for a charging Ryder and then Yoshi hits a roaring forearm and both men are down. Yoshi with an Irish whip and he connects with the running knees into the corner. Ryder with an elbow after blocking the rolling mare. Yoshi with a Frankensteiner for a two count. Yoshi misses the spin kick but Ryder hits a leg lariat for a two count. Yoshi hits a roundhouse kick for the three count.
Winner: Yoshi Tatsu

We go to commercial.

We are back and it is time to run through the matches already announced for Hell in a Cell.

Match Number Three: Number One Contender Battle Royal featuring Shelton Benjamin, Vladimir Kozlov, Ezekiel Jackson, Tommy Dreamer, Goldust, Sheamus, Tyler Reks, Paul Burchill, Zack Ryder, and Yoshi Tatsu

The bell rings and it is pandemonium in the ring as they pair off into five separate groups. Burchill with a knee to Benjamin while Goldust punches Jackson. Goldust has Zeke at the ropes but he stays in. Burchill punches Benjamin while Kozlov tries to eliminate Yoshi. Zeke punches Dreamer while Goldust punches Ryder and then he tries to eliminate Ryder. Benjamin with an Exploder to eliminate Burchill. Sheamus goes into the ring post when Reks moves. Benjamin sets his sights on Yoshi and Yoshi kicks Benjamin. Zeke tries to lift Dreamer but Tommy holds on to the ropes. Yoshi with kicks to Benjamin while everyone else is in the ropes. Dreamer is sent over the top rope but he lands on the apron and rolls back in. Yoshi with a sunset flip from the apron but Zeke breaks it up. Dreamer with a chop to Ryder but Benjamin punches Dreamer. Ryder helps Benjamin try to eliminate Dreamer but that plan fails. Zeke with a punch to Ryder’s midsection. Goldust with kicks and punches to Kozlov.

Yoshi with a running knee to Benjamin in the corner. Reks tries to help Goldust with Kozlov but Sheamus comes over. Sheamus with a punch to Reks followed by a forearm. Yoshi, Benjamin, and Dreamer try to eliminate Zeke while everyone else but Sheamus tries to eliminate Kozlov. Zeke fights out of trouble and works over Benjamin and then he slams Dreamer. Kozlov with head butts to Goldust and Reks followed by a clothesline to Ryder. Kozlov with another head butt to Reks followed by a clothesline. Benjamin hangs from the ropes but rolls back to the apron. Kozlov sends Reks over the top rope but Reks lands on the apron. Kozlov and Zeke go face to face and we go to commercial.

We are back and Kozlov with a shoulder to Sheamus while Goldust punches Zeke. We see footage from the break when Tyler Reks was eliminated by Vladimir Kozlov. Zeke attacks Dreamer from behind and connects with shoulders. Ryder with a forearm to stop Goldust. We see that Yoshi Tatsu has also been eliminated. Benjamin punches Ryder while Dreamer goes after Zeke and Zeke with a clothesline. Kozlov tries to get Sheamus up but Sheamus stops him. Sheamus tries to get Kozlov over the top rope. Zeke has Goldust over the top rope and he tries to hold on and Dreamer makes the save. Dreamer is a house afire as he works over Zeke. Kozlov sends Goldust into the turnbuckles. Sheamus attacks Benjamin with boots and a punch. Benjamin punches Sheamus and then he hits a Dragon Whip on Sheamus. Benjamin with Paydirt on Ryder and then he eliminates Sheamus. Benjamin skins the cat and he holds on to Jackson as Dreamer eliminates him. While Benjamin holds on to the ropes, Sheamus pulls Benjamin to the floor to eliminate him.

Benjamin goes after Sheamus and they fight until the referees stop things. We are down to the final four and it is Dreamer, Goldust, Ryder, and Kozlov. Dreamer with a cross body to Ryder but Kozlov with a head butt to Goldust’s chest and Goldust is down. Kozlov works on Dreamer’s back and midsection. Goldust punches Ryder and then Goldust with a flying clothesline and another clothesline. Goldust with the drop down uppercut and a reverse atomic drop but when he throws Ryder over the top rope, Ryder holds on to the apron. Ryder drops Goldust on the top rope. Goldust clotheslines Ryder again but Ryder stays on the apron. Goldust charges and Ryder drops down and Goldust eliminates himself. Kozlov with head butts to the chest followed by a belly-to-belly suplex and a ceremonial arm raising for no reason. Kozlov charges at Dreamer and Dreamer ducks down and Kozlov is eliminated. Ryder eliminates Dreamer to win the match.
Winner: Zack Ryder

We go to credits.

Taped Before RAW:

* “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters b. Santino Marella by submission. Huge pop for Santino and an immediate “Santino” chant. Some quick comedy to start, but Masters hit a stalling vertical suplex after Santino couldn’t get him up for a bodyslam. Masters locked in a bearhug and the crowd rallied behind the local boy. After seemingly breaking it, Masters reapplied the hold. Santino began his Hulk up routine. Marella applied a Masterlock on Masters, to which Chris broke free of quickly and applied the hold himself. The crowd was hugely into Santino, but he tapped out.

Taped Before SmackDown:

* Christian b. Paul Burchill. Zack Ryder was on commentary during the match.

* Dolph Ziggler b. Finlay.

After they recapped Christian’s ECW Title victory over Tommy Dreamer at WWE Night of Champions on Sunday, they went to the ring for the first match. Paul Burchill looking for his first win in forever and Tyler Reks looking for a second straight win.

1 — TYLER REKS vs. PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea)

Reks was in control early, but Burchill grabbed control and took the offensive working a typical Burchill match. Power offense. Power holds. Strikes. Blows. Aggressive look on his face. Reks made a comeback, then avoided a corner smash on the ring apron and sent Burchill back into the middle of the ring a bit dazed. Reks then came off the apron with a springboard missile dropkick on Burchill. Reks with the pin for the win.

WINNER: Reks in 5:00. Standard TV match. Burchill continues to lose matches. Reks on the rise. (*)

Later tonight: ECW champion Christian vs. Zack Ryder. Appears to be non-title and all sweet.

[Commercial Break]

In-ring: Kozlov came to the ring in his Sambo outfit ready for a quick squash. Already in the ring was Bill Baine. Yeah, let’s go BB.

2 — VLADIMIR KOZLOV vs. BILL BAINE

Matt Striker let us know that Baine is a minor league ballplayer. Cue up an old-school Orioles reference from Striker to see if he has any Eddie Murray in him tonight. Bell sounded and Kozlov kicked him in the gut. Baine didn’t see it coming, then Kozlov pounded him in the gut with jabs and kicks. He finally finished him off with the Iron Curtain for the easy win.

Post-match: Ezekiel Jackson’s music hit and Zeke came out ready to dominate. He wanted a piece of the dead meat too. Kozlov stared him down for meddling in his business. Zeke then picked up the left-over scraps and nailed a lift-up Rock Bottom. Ezekiel then left the ring after giving Kozlov a receipt from last week when Kozlov pulled the same trick.

WINNER: Kozlov in 1:00. Week 2 of the program continues. We’ll see where this leads. Frustrating trying to analyze these first two matches because they just seem like filler without anything on the line. WWE doesn’t establish a “quest for a title” or a money purse or attach any sense of value to these matches, so they’re just there. (n/a)

[Q2]

Backstage: GM Tiffany talked to Tommy Dreamer, who thanked Tiffany for her support the last few months. There was some mysterious announcement/discussion before the “camera cut in.” Dreamer walked off. Shelton Benjamin then came in and asked her if she got the email about being on the Abraham Washington show. Tiffany had some concerns that maybe Shelton isn’t entertaining enough. Apparently Shelton offending the Japanese culture a few weeks ago wasn’t entertaining. Gregory Helms then barged in. Shelton told him to hold on. He played up Helms’s dual personalities and suggested he’ll give Tiffany something entertaining. He walked off in a huff, leaving Helms in the office.

[Commercial Break]

In-ring: Sheamus came to the ring for a singles match. His opponent’s music hit and I thought it was Chris Masters for a second. Nope, just Goldust. Sheamus vs. Goldust could be intriguing.

3 — SHEAMUS vs. GOLDUST

Sheamus wanted to slow things down early on. He put Goldust on the mat and landed three consecutive elbow smashes for a two count. Goldust made a comeback and wanted the Curtain Call, but Sheamus shoved him away and nailed a kick to the face. Sheamus followed with a Rock Bottom backbreaker across his knee for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Sheamus in 5:00. Another basic TV match to establish new talent. Just not much to analyze here. All of the little things that go into building a house are important, but aren’t that sexy; people just want to see the finished house product. (*)

Backstage: They showed the new ECW champ Christian walking down the hallway. We’ll hear from him next.

[Q3]

[Commercial Break]

Raw Rebound: They showed footage of Shaq on Raw last night with clips of the mainstream coverage from ESPN. Well, the positive aspects of ESPN’s coverage.

In-ring: New ECW champ Christian came to the ring with possession of the title belt. Christian, now the two-time champ, saluted the crowd and paraded the belt around before taking the mic. Christian said you always remember your first time, but the second time feels a little bit more sweeter. He said losing the ECW Title a couple of months ago was a good thing because it made him realize how much he cherished this title belt. Christian said he can’t forget about the man who held the title before him, Tommy Dreamer. Surprisingly mixed crowd reaction. Christian said he had some fun making light of Dreamer’s body and how he gets emotional…

Dreamer’s music interrupted and he came to the ring looking sharp. “E-C-W” chant after his music stopped. Dreamer not amused by Christian talking about him. He said he’s out here for a few reasons. First, that was one heck of a match (at Night of Champions) and congrats on being the new champ. Second, he just spoke to Tiffany and she’s giving him his re-match next week. By the way, that re-match will be Extreme Rules. Zack Ryder’s music then interrupted. Sweet. He came out and cut his music off. He told Christian to stop thinking about next week because he’s going to beat him this week. Woo. Woo. Woo. You know it. Dreamer smirked at Ryder then shook Christian’s hand to wish him luck. Main event next.

[Q4]

[Commercial Break]

4 — ECW champion CHRISTIAN vs. ZACK RYDER — non-title match

The match was joined in progress with Ryder on the defensive against an aggressive Christian. Very even match-up to start before Christian wore down Ryder with a series of armbars. Christian sent Ryder to the middle rope, then stood on his back. He followed with a hard running clothesline in the corner to continue being the aggressor. Christian tried to run Ryder into the opposite corner, but Ryder reversed and whipped Christian into the turnbuckle. “C’mon, bro, you ain’t nothing,” Ryder shouted. Christian took umbrage and came back with a springboard sunset flip out of the corner for a two count. Ryder and Christian battled to the apron, then to the floor with Christian winning the mini-battle with a plancha. Both men recovered on the outside going to break.

[Commercial Break]

Right back from break, Ryder shoved Christian off the top turnbuckle to the floor. Ryder tried to get a count-out, but Christian made it back into the ring. Ryder went to work on Christian’s gut with mat holds including a body scissors. The action moved up top where Ryder nailed a nice superplex. Move took the steam out of both men, then Ryder made a cover after a delay for a two count.

[Q5 -- over-run]

Ryder went back to work on the mid-section at the top of the hour. Ryder wanted another superplex, but Christian shoved him to the mat and landed a cross-body block for a nearfall. Striker put over Ryder for proving he’s in Christian’s league thus far as they reached crunch time of the match. Christian landed a flying forearm before hitting a fallaway reverse DDT for a two count. Christian followed with a dropkick from the second rope, then the top rope. Both men winded as Ryder blocked a corner DDT and dropped Christian across the top rope. Ryder followed with a leg whip for another close call. Striker said he’s rooting for Zack Ryder. Christian then scored with a Tornado DDT after a second try and scored another two count.

At 15:00, Ryder blocked a corner charge, then wanted the Zack Attack, but Christian blocked and hit the pendulum kick. Christian followed with a D.J. Gabriel European Uppercut from the second rope. He then dropped Ryder with the Killswitch and made the cover for the win. Post-match: Striker continued to put over Ryder for putting up a good fight against the ECW champion. They showed high points of the match, then cut to a shot of Christian celebrating with the ECW Title belt to close the show.

WINNER: Christian in 16:00. Really nice singles match. The slow, methodical pace didn’t take away from the match, but rather allowed the key elements of the match to stand out including Ryder standing tall throughout, taking Christian’s offense, dishing out his own offense, and Striker putting over Ryder lasting a while against the champ. Ryder needs to be in that main event picture. I don’t think he lost much from taking a clean loss, but rather benefited from being in this position with so much time invested in his character tonight. (**1/2)