They opened the show without the ECW intro, but with Vince McMahon's music. McMahon strolled to the ring and took a deep breath. No big strut. He looked frustrated. Joey Styles said McMahon is on ECW with a major announcement tonight. Tazz echoed that sentiment. McMahon said he has bad news tonight. He said John Cena suffered a "debilitating" injury on Raw that required immediate surgery to repair a torn muscle. McMahon said we should ask the question of who is responsible. They showed footage from last night of Cena and Mr. Kennedy wrestling and Cena wincing in pain after being injured. Man, you really have to respect Cena for going through with the finish and post-match angle despite being having a torn pec all the way through. Although, it probably wasn't too smart to risk further damage in hindsight. Back on ECW, McMahon said surgeons have informed WWE that Cena will be out of action for six months until a year. Some fans clapped. McMahon then announced that Cena is no longer WWE champion. Heavy boos with a mix of cheers. McMahon shook his head in frustration. He said the title is vacant, but it will be rectified at No Mercy. He said there will be a title match to determine a new champion and history will be made. His music hit. No match. No wrestlers. No indication of who's in the match. Ringside, Styles repeated that history will be made.

ECW champion C.M. Punk then came to the ring all smiles. Punk's music stopped and he soaked up the crowd reaction. Punk said he should be focused on his ECW Title defense at the PPV, but there's one thing he can't get out of his head. They went to footage from last week when Punk beat Matt Striker, but Big Daddy V squashed Punk in center ring. Back live, Punk cut a promo on V. He said he still respects V for his size, ability, and wanting to make an impact, so he has his respect. Punk said V also has his attention now. Striker and V then showed up on the screen. Striker said what V did last week wasn't designed to get Punk's attention, but to make a statement about wanting the ECW Title. Striker made a roundabout statement that Viscera would leave Punk alone until they're in the ring for the title. Or something like that. Striker, having power to book matches apparently, sent out Mike Knox to face Punk.