"ECW" Report
Oh My God!: Rob Van Dam returned to “ECW,” and none too soon.
You Fucked Up: We got a double dose of Mike Knox.
He’s Hardcore: Rene Dupree has joined the tribe of extreme. He fits in great with the likes of Mike Knox, Test, Big Show, and Kevin Thorn.
The Extreme Rundown:
The crowd at the open of the show seemed more into ECW than at other recent Smackdown shows. That’s a good sign that the show is getting over on television or maybe just that last week went well.
1. Mike Knox beat Tommy Dreamer. Dreamer came in limping, but gained the advantage with a swinging neck breaker and clothesline over the top. He threw Knox into the steps, and hit an elbow off the second rope. Paul Heyman and the Riot Squad came in as Dreamer hit the DDT. The Riot Squad pulled Dreamer out of the ring and beat him with nightsticks. They threw him back in the ring and Knox hit his corkscrew downward spiral for the pin. This booking is backwards. There is no sympathy for Dreamer as a face because he always loses. Thus it doesn’t help the heels when they beat him.
2. Mike Knox and Test beat Sandman in a handicap match via disqualification. Yes, we got two Knox matches in a row, which has to be some sort of cruel joke given Knox is among the most boring wrestlers I have ever seen. The setup here was total Heyman, with one match running into another. Sandman made the save for Dreamer in the first match. Heyman sent Dreamer to the back for medical attention and made this handicap match in a non-extreme rules match. Test and Knox dominated with punches and elbows until Test missed an elbow off the top. Sandman caned both men and cleared the ring for the disqualification.
3. Kevin Thorn beat Al Snow in a total squash. He used a bunch of punches and kicks, along with the stunner and razor’s edge for the pin. This was boring. Rene Dupree backstage did his ECW introduction. That’s another awful choice for ECW. Big Show came out in a suit. He said nothing and took forever to say it. Basically, he’ll bring class and dignity to ECW and beat either Sabu or Kurt Angle. This was very boring. After CM Punk tore it up on last week, they would surely follow up on that momentum, right? Wrong. He did a 30 second promo backstage, and said he will be back next week.
4. Sabu and Kurt Angle went to a no contest in a number one contender’s match. Angle got the double leg takedown early but Sabu got to the ropes. Angle accidentally ran into the post and Sabu hit a springboard tornado DDT. Angle responded with a belly to belly, but Sabu came back with a somersault senton. Angle hit a rolling German and release German and went for the Angle slam. Sabu escaped and hit a springboard leg drop. Sabu went for the camel clutch, but Angle reversed into the ankle lock.
Sabu sent Angle to the floor and hit a somersault plancha. Sabu hit a splash off the top and went for an arm bar, but Angle reversed into the ankle lock. Rob Van Dam then returned with an awful looking Van Daminator to Angle. He acted like he was on Sabu’s side but then drop kicked a chair into Sabu’s head. I hope they have a good explanation for this, because presumably RVD’s still the top face and he came across like a total goof here. Paul Heyman and Big Show screw him out of the ECW Title, and he returns to attack Sabu and Kurt Angle instead.
Please Don’t Go:
Aside from the main event, this show was ungodly boring. The problem remains the “talent” being used, most of whom can’t wrestle, can’t talk, and have no charisma.
You Fucked Up: We got a double dose of Mike Knox.
He’s Hardcore: Rene Dupree has joined the tribe of extreme. He fits in great with the likes of Mike Knox, Test, Big Show, and Kevin Thorn.
The Extreme Rundown:
The crowd at the open of the show seemed more into ECW than at other recent Smackdown shows. That’s a good sign that the show is getting over on television or maybe just that last week went well.
1. Mike Knox beat Tommy Dreamer. Dreamer came in limping, but gained the advantage with a swinging neck breaker and clothesline over the top. He threw Knox into the steps, and hit an elbow off the second rope. Paul Heyman and the Riot Squad came in as Dreamer hit the DDT. The Riot Squad pulled Dreamer out of the ring and beat him with nightsticks. They threw him back in the ring and Knox hit his corkscrew downward spiral for the pin. This booking is backwards. There is no sympathy for Dreamer as a face because he always loses. Thus it doesn’t help the heels when they beat him.
2. Mike Knox and Test beat Sandman in a handicap match via disqualification. Yes, we got two Knox matches in a row, which has to be some sort of cruel joke given Knox is among the most boring wrestlers I have ever seen. The setup here was total Heyman, with one match running into another. Sandman made the save for Dreamer in the first match. Heyman sent Dreamer to the back for medical attention and made this handicap match in a non-extreme rules match. Test and Knox dominated with punches and elbows until Test missed an elbow off the top. Sandman caned both men and cleared the ring for the disqualification.
3. Kevin Thorn beat Al Snow in a total squash. He used a bunch of punches and kicks, along with the stunner and razor’s edge for the pin. This was boring. Rene Dupree backstage did his ECW introduction. That’s another awful choice for ECW. Big Show came out in a suit. He said nothing and took forever to say it. Basically, he’ll bring class and dignity to ECW and beat either Sabu or Kurt Angle. This was very boring. After CM Punk tore it up on last week, they would surely follow up on that momentum, right? Wrong. He did a 30 second promo backstage, and said he will be back next week.
4. Sabu and Kurt Angle went to a no contest in a number one contender’s match. Angle got the double leg takedown early but Sabu got to the ropes. Angle accidentally ran into the post and Sabu hit a springboard tornado DDT. Angle responded with a belly to belly, but Sabu came back with a somersault senton. Angle hit a rolling German and release German and went for the Angle slam. Sabu escaped and hit a springboard leg drop. Sabu went for the camel clutch, but Angle reversed into the ankle lock.
Sabu sent Angle to the floor and hit a somersault plancha. Sabu hit a splash off the top and went for an arm bar, but Angle reversed into the ankle lock. Rob Van Dam then returned with an awful looking Van Daminator to Angle. He acted like he was on Sabu’s side but then drop kicked a chair into Sabu’s head. I hope they have a good explanation for this, because presumably RVD’s still the top face and he came across like a total goof here. Paul Heyman and Big Show screw him out of the ECW Title, and he returns to attack Sabu and Kurt Angle instead.
Please Don’t Go:
Aside from the main event, this show was ungodly boring. The problem remains the “talent” being used, most of whom can’t wrestle, can’t talk, and have no charisma.
posted by Todd Martin at 11:22 PM
8 Comments:
I don't get all the hate for Rene Dupree. Do you even remember his work in-ring? The guy could bump like a madman and was a lot more talented than your typical ripped worker.
An actual show that deserved me changing the channel to see Konerko go deep off Rivera. Thank you ECW for not putting CM Punk in a squash match this week, as a win over little guido does nothing for Punk and simply "buries" another ECW original. Rob Van Dam really needs to get his head on right because he is quickly becoming the Alex Rodriguez of World Wrestling Entertainment. Terrible Performance by Van Dam last night and his run-in was no better nor worse than The Great Khali's ECW run-in. Which is beyond a major problem. I like that Tommy and Al Snow got to train some of the OVW guys and Heyman got to book em for a little while to get a grasp on what they got and what they can do. It seems like ECW is just trying to get to Summerslam or through this week. Does anyone have an arena for the ECW PPV that is scheduled later this year? I believe it's in December. Nice Report. ECW comes back to the Albany area Oct 27 and Sept 10.
I actually like the Vampire gimmick...Kevin Thorn may not be the best name, but the gimmick is cool in my book. As Meltzer put it too, Ariel is hot in a slutty way too.
Todd, you need to remember one thing. The “talent” being used, most of whom can’t wrestle, can’t talk, and have no charisma were all requests of Paul Heyman. He wanted to use Mike Knox, he wanted Big Show, he wanted them to rehire Kevin Fertig, he wanted Test. I don't know about Dupree, I doubt Heyman asked for him. But the majority of these people are people that Paul Heyman himself specifically asked for when the ECW roster was being formed.
And I agree with you for the most part about every single one of them. Although I personally kinda like Kevin Thorn, and I think they've done a good job using Big Show a thousand times better than he was being used on Raw or Smackdown.
As you said, Mike Knox is about the most boring wrestler of all-time, and Test and Rene Dupree have no business anywhere near ECW. But you need to place the blame where it belongs. Some of it surely belongs with WWE for hiring these talentless bums in the first place, but as far as them being in ECW, that's on Paul Heyman. And he's not getting nearly enough blame in this as far as I'm concerned.
What I thought was a good move originally has turned out to be a complete waste.
They need to get Kurt Angle out of ECW and fast. He is much too talented to be wasted on the likes of Sabu or Big Show.
Rob Van Dam really needs to get his head on right because he is quickly becoming the Alex Rodriguez of World Wrestling Entertainment.
The problem is, ARod actually gets the job done (the stats bear it out despite Yankee fans/media saying otherwise), that Van Daminator was brutal
Dupree was never much in the ring. He showed good charisma and looked to be a rising star, but then it all fell apart. I actually don't have anything against him. He just seems to be a poor fit for ECW as a perceived WWE washout who achieved his greatest fame doing a goofy dance and bringing a poodle to the ring.
I don't know the arena for the ECW PPV. I think Dave said it was originally planned for Hammerstein ballroom but they were thinking of moving it to Chicago after last week's show.
If Heyman is primarily responsible for picking the "ECW talent" then he absolutely deserves to be ripped for it. Heyman isn't holy to me, and while I certainly give him the benefit of the doubt over Stephanie McMahon, he's also capable of making very bad decisions. Hell, I still think the world of Vince McMahon's creative mind for wrestling and like his overall vision of pro wrestling very much. But even he hasn't been doing WWF/WWE wrestling well for a while now, and he certainly isn't suited to try to present ECW.
I wouldn't say Big Show has been used better than he was on Raw or Smackdown. He's just been pushed harder. He's still pretty much the same guy, which is this out of shape kind of goofy guy that people don't take seriously as a main eventer. I think Paul Wight could have been a huge star in wrestling. I would have pushed him really, really hard when he came from WCW to WWF in 1999. I thought having him pinned by Austin so early was a really bad idea, because that to me was shaping up to be the main event of WrestleMania 2000. However, Show was buried for so long that potential was lost. His strength was the aura, and they killed any aura he could have permanently by treating him as just another guy for so long. At this point he can't be rehabilitated in that regard, so to me it's a wasted push to try to get people to think he's a monster again. The ship has sailed.
I don't know the arena for the ECW PPV. I think Dave said it was originally planned for Hammerstein ballroom but they were thinking of moving it to Chicago after last week's show.
Wrestlemania was there this past year that would be a big event for WWE and the ECW brand. There is a strong base for wrestling in chicago and the crowd will be educated as they'll most likely be a good mix of fans from all over thanks to the internet. It should be CM Punks pay per view debut unless he shows up on survivor series somehow.
The problem is, ARod actually gets the job done (the stats bear it out despite Yankee fans/media saying otherwise), that Van Daminator was brutal
..[i]you'll remember more things that rob van dam did in his wrestling career, than you will about anything alex rodriguez does for the new york yankees. Unless you live long enough to see him hit 803, which he may not do, and may not do in Ny.[/i]
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