Hey all. I’m Tom Pandich bringing you the Morning After ECW report. I’m currently sick as a dog (in June, I know!) so let’s hit it hard and fast.
First, e-mail though:
Tony E Atlas (Holy hell wrestling celeb for real!) writes: You know what… I think I’d like to see a TBS face run… it could serve 2 purposes… one… I haven’t taked TBS seriously as a monster since he got kicked out of the nWo… Tommy Dreamer taking him under his wing and showing him how to kick ass could serve up some comedy value as well as putting TBS over as the monster he needs to be… secondly… it could get Dreamer out of the ranks as an in-ring performer and allow Show to shine as an ECW wrestler rather than being stuck in the WWE style that he’s been running with for the last 7 years…
I’m going to have to disagree with you Tony. The Big Show/Dreamer feud will help establish Show as a monster again, but I don’t think a pro-ECW crowd will buy into anyone consistently beating up Dreamer and being face. Furthermore, everyone loves a David and Goliath feud if both guys can work, but it’s hard as hell to make both guys face or make the little guy heel. It’d be a stretch for Show to ask Dreamer “how do I be hardcore?” as the Big Show is giving out the beatings. The feud is destined to play out as eventually Dreamer thinks Show is hardcore enough, fights back, and maybe kicks Show’s ass for a week setting up a Singapore Cane match or something like that. It is a very good feud for Dreamer to be in as Show knows how to give out a “beating” and Dreamer needs something a little lower impact if he’s going to stay in ECW for long.
As far as style goes, I’m not too sure Show can work another style these days. The WWE style that Show has been stuck with has really extended his career. Show’s knees are totally shot so he can’t do any of the higher mobility stuff that Kane and Abyss do now and that Show used to do. A brawler/monster role that does sick stuff to other people is really the best fit for him. Unless you stick him as an enforcer for someone, I don’t see this role changing.
Jamie W writes: Hey, loving the ECW re-caps, everything you’ve said is spot on. Here’s to the day ECW is EC f’n W again. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Jamie for the ego stroke. I hope we get there too, but I am doubtful that Sci-Fi will allow flaming tables. Maybe if those tables were set on fire by Drew Barrymore they’d be ok with it (wow, that’s a geeky reference for you).
Ok, on with the report.
“THIS IS AWESOME”
Clean Wins for RVD: The Van Dam/Angle match this week was great. Not only does the win give Rob some momentum needed, but the rub also makes him look like a competent champion. He has a clean win over Edge and now Angle and a victory over Cena (let’s ignore last week’s Raw) so if he is jobbed to Cena or Edge at SNME, he’ll be able to come back to ECW as a legitimate force in the eyes of WWE fans. I’m hoping he gets screwed out of the title, a la Angle at Wrestlemania, by having Cena pin Edge or vice versa. In any event, it’s nice to see RVD finally winning.
Kurt Angle: If WWE has been really really on fire with one thing recently, it’s been their promos. Kurt Angle’s promo this week about every day being a failure is right up there. This promo ran about two minutes and potentially made Kurt Angle the most intense wrestler on the ECW roster. It was a brilliant promo that was followed by Kurt breaking out some of the sickest suplexes we’ve seen in a long time. I really hope we get to see Angle work hardcore soon as it could end up being the most brutal match we’ve seen ever out of Angle.
Sabu vs Roadkill: Eric S wrote that Sabu is one of the most scripted wrestler in the business today and that once you’ve seen his act for a while, you get sick of it. I couldn’t agree with him more. Still, I’m not to the point where I’m bored with Sabu especially since he’s the only wrestler to consistently use weapons in his matches. Since this is, you know, Extreme Championship Wrestling, he’s filling a void in the show that will exist until Show/Dreamer’s feud gets the anti upped with weapons or New Jack gets signed and he switchblades Macho Libre.
Sandman the Homosexual: Man, the look on Sandman’s face when the stripper from Raw pulled off his pants. Absolutely priceless. It’s a nice slight switch from the previous weeks. The commentary was great, the segment was funny, and the beating was hysterical. Even though Sandman is being under utilized, it really seems like he’s having a lot of fun with this gimmick.
“You Fucked Up”
Vengeance: Eww. Cena and Raw decimating the entire ECW roster. The WWE/ECW title match being right in the middle of the card. Christ, what a bad show for making ECW as a promotion seem important or something that can truly compete with WWE.
The Vampire: Ok, we’re bored now. I’ll give ECW one more week to have him looking in on the crowd. By then, bring him in. He’s a new wrestler with a terrible gimmick that will be jobbed out in a month. There is absolutely no reason to build this character up outside of the ring anymore then he already has been.
Taz Confronts Edge: Wow, what terrible banter. Edge tried to get some heat with a non-ECW crowd by using an ECW reference. This was just ick. Thankfully, he didn’t ruin a very solid main event.
Mike Knox: To say he’s unimpressive in the ring is an understatement. He’s a typical Vince hire. A big guy with a decent look. Sure, he can hit a move or two and his finisher (a backbreaker into a reverse Russian leg sweep/flatliner) is better then most big man finishers. Still, the guy has a lot of work to do to work me over. Apparently creative thinks so too as they’ve stuck him with the pair of tits known as Kelly to try and get him over. Still, he’s better then Chris Masters.
Test: I forgot totally about Test last week. ECW needs CM Punk. They need Chris Benoit. They need Mikey Whipwreck, Raven, Bradshaw, Mike Awesome, and a bunch of other guys who can work a hardcore style while still having the audience care about them. Thankfully, they’re filling the void of talent right now with Test. You remember Test right? He was going to marry Stephanie McMahon. He tagged with Albert as a vehicle to introduce Trish Stratus. You know, he was that guy who was used as a stepping stone for feuds you remember.
Personally, I have no problem with Test. It’s just that he’s not the right fit for ECW. Vince will give Test a shot or two at the ECW title just for shits and giggles, and he’ll go back into relative obscurity. The simple fact is that when the WWE shifts to ECW having their own shows, which they will have to for the promotion to survive, Test will be torn apart by the ECW crowds. Move him to Smackdown as soon as possible as he’s a great fit for that brand and is much more tolerable then someone like the Great Khali or Mark Henry as a potential #1 heel.
“We want Cena”: Three words that sums up every long term problem in ECW. The crowd this week shows what Paul Heyman is going to have to deal with to make ECW succeed. We really, really need to get ECW out of curtain jerking for Smackdown. The sooner, the better.
Jolly Roger: Jesus… The Sci-Fi original “tradition” of high quality cinema continues. What a terrible looking movie.
That’s it for this week. Send feedback, I’ll post it if it’s got some depth to it (or if I get three “you rock” e-mails and one with something to actually talk about, I’ll post the you rock e-mails too). Thanks for reading folks.
