ECW on SciFi – September 19, 2006
The show opens with King Booker arriving to some red carpet and Heyman fellating him as he’s going to be his guide through ECW today. This means, of course, that we’re in for a series of videos of Booker walking around backstage and interacting with the ECW Extremists. It also reeks of sportz entertainment.
Sabu, Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman over Mike Knox, Test w/Kelly Kelly and Mike Striker by DQ
This was a match that I predicted to be booked last week. I expected a 4 on 4, but RVD is going to be busy with King Booker later in the evening and Big Show has the night off because he’s supposed to be healing from his Hell in the Cell match. Funny thing is that Styles and Tazz had to know the outcome of the Unforgiven match last week, including the stink face at the end. They keep trying to sell Big Show as being dominant in that match, but the fact is he was on the losing three man side of a 3 on 2 handicapped match. Dominant would have been winning the match with Dan Hevia and a broom as your partners. Not the McMahons.
Anyone notice the poor bastard who was working ringside security who got a beer bath? It’s worth seeing again, the last beer Sandman opens is right over a security guard who has no idea what’s coming.
Anyway, the Sandman is eliminated early from this match when he’s knocked off the ring apron by Striker. Can I ask what the hell that was all about? The Sandman is escorted from ringside from THAT? They could have at least made it look convincing as something horrible. Not getting knocked off the apron like that. This is the kinda shit they need to really think about before they book it because later in the night RVD took that same bump but off of the top rope. That makes Sandman look like a pussy in my books. And my books are the ones that count in this column.
So we’re left with a pretty cookie cutter match here as Dreamer gets beat on until he can tag Sabu in to clear house. Test gets a DQ for pushing the ref into the ropes to knock Sabu off of the top turnbuckle. This is exactly the reason why I want every one of these matches to be under extreme rules. They used six guys to push Sandman vs. Striker just a little further. I appreciate the effort, but what the hell was the point of the whole match if that was all they were pushing? Mike Knox is fading into a program with CM Punk, Dreamer is fading backstage and Sabu is currently going anywhere but the main event. Maybe he’ll feud with Test, but I suggest it only because he doesn’t have anyone else at the moment. However, all that aside, I’d rather see a match than another classroom promo from Striker. The more wrestling per show, the better.
One more thing. What’s with the nearly homosexual Sandman crying over Tommy Dreamer telling him that he’ll never leave him again while hugging Dreamer? That’s not the Sandman. That’s Rico, Billy or Chuck. They can’t possibly push Sandman as a tough guy and still have him cry over his friends getting their ass beat now and then.
Booker meets Christopher W, Stevie Richards and Balls
The gold here is the introduction to Balls.
“Balls” – Balls
“Balls?” – King Booker
“They call me Balls” – Balls
That’s gold, I’m telling you. Nice to see CW getting some screen time, even if it’s not in the ring. Think they flew Stevie and CW out there JUST to have them stand in a hallway for that one video?
Kevin Thorn w/Ariel over Balls Mahoney w/Francine by Crucifix
Dammit this match was too quick. Francine was ushered in without any real explaination and Thorn got a relatively clean victory over Balls. Granted Thorn is going over in this feud, seeing as Balls has not violated the Wellness Policy and will be buried as such. What this match was missing was a cat fight in the ring and have it roll over the referee. I can’t complain too much, they finally had a match between these two, but Balls is on a three-week losing skid.
Booker meets Punk, the FBI and Trinity
So the FBI get some more screen time as a backdrop, and Trinity has come back from injury (at least enough to stand). Booker is also introduced to CM Punk. Booker seems upset that Punk would want to fight for his title one day.
CM Punk continues to make Shannon Moore his bitch by Anaconda Vice
Man, Shannon Moore might have had more camera time when he was just throwing out stupid phrases. Moore got a few shots in this time around, but overall, this one’s another squash of Moore. I bet he’s really glad he jumped back to the WWE from TNA. The story here is that Mike Knox pulled Kelly Kelly away from watching the match. This just in: the sky is blue and the grass is green. Nothing new here, keep walking.
Booker meets his old tag team partner, and they make tonight’s match EXTREME
Booker talks, RVD talks, Heyman talks. The match is extreme rules.
Acknowledging that they used to be a tag team was a plus. Usually they might ignore continuity like this. They were having a pretty good match until Hardcore Staph Infection heads down to the ring to bust up my fun. Of course for THIS match they’ll put extreme rules in place, but for other matches, no dice. RVD loses this one for nothing but what I imagine was killing time as they bring in a heel instead of a face to fight an ECW guy.
It made me think that most people probably have no idea what’s going on on Smackdown. I watch the show on a pretty regular basis and I still have no idea what’s really going on during that show. It might even be a surprise to some that Booker T is a champion or acting like a king at all.
Overall: ***3/4 I have to give them credit for trying new things this week and having a more match centric focus overall. This thing about this show that really irked me was that this King Booker shit ran through the whole show. There wasn’t a segment of the show without him. It’s like watching Raw with the McMahons parading through like they’re the best thing to happen to Raw. Last week ECW scored a 2.1 and I think that this week ECW will “stay the course” and score a 2.1 or possibly dip to a 2.0. but it certainly won’t be above a 2.1.
EDITOR’S NOTE: ECW actually scored a 1.6, a low rating that WrestlingObserver.com and PWTorch.com hints had a bit to do with Dog: The Family Speaks getting a high 3.3 on A&E, an Animal Planet Crocodile Hunter special getting a 2.0, and Nip/Tuck on FX getting a 3.0. We’ll see what next week’s rating is before being concerned. This was also the second week in a row ECW did not air live.
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