The Ripple Effect 6.01.07: The Great ECW Project (Part One)
Posted by Zac Calhoun on 06.01.2007
It's a super duper edition of the RE, as we approach the ECW brand's one year anniversary. This week, we begin the ultimate task: making it good.
Who was it that first said that we, as human beings, are never satisfied with our surroundings?
I live a very blessed life. I was born to two loving parents who are still together and supportive of every thing I do. I've never experienced the hardships of living in poverty or fear of abuse. I'm currently taking advantage of the very strong system of higher education in the United States. Yeah, my life is pretty damn good, yet all day I couldn't escape the feeling that, in the words of Jay, the whole fucking world's against me.
Most of it had to do with the long-distance relationship I've been in for the last fifteen months. My girlfriend and I haven't seen each other in almost two months, and it's getting very difficult to maintain composure when thinking about her. That, plus a lot of tiny annoyances, added up to a pretty rotten day. Nothing bad happened really, I was simply in bad spirits. Ever have one of those days?
So I wish you guys can do what I usually can't and just deal with shit as it comes. My life is very full, I just need to realize that once in a while.
And now that I officially sounds like a pussy, let's make up for that with lots and lots of wrestling!
If I Can Be Serious For a Minute…
I went out and snatched up the WrestleMania DVD last Tuesday. As I mentioned back in April, I saw WM in a bar with the show being blasted on a big projection screen for all to see. Therefore despite the fact that I saw the PPV, I didn't actually hear anything. The speakers were only loud enough to pick up the pops and the louder parts of some people's music. The big loss of course is that I never got to hear the three commentary teams throughout the whole damn thing. I was stoked for JBL's WM color debut, and nothing! So I was very excited to be able to watch WM in the privacy of my own home, where I watch all my other wrestling.
Have I mentioned that none of my friends like watching it?
Anyway, it was pretty much as good a show as I remember it being, and I mean that in a good way. I had some major issues with the PPV as a whole (mostly time allocation and match organization), but I definitely enjoyed myself in the bar and at home.
I thought it was a mistake to start the show with Money In the Bank, and I still do now. The US Title match would've made a better opener, especially since Benoit did go over. There was just so much going on during the match, which is awesome but can be dangerous in the curtain jerking position. These fans had about two minutes to catch their breaths from the opening pyro, and already Edge is throwing a mini-ladder in CM Punk's face? The first two MITB matches went on second, which I think would've made for a more natural and cohesive show.
Now don't get me wrong, I think the match itself is great. It wasn't better than either of the first two, but it was different in its style. Whereas the first couple were pure spotfests (good spotfests, but spotfests), this one was more chaotic. It was more realistic in that everyone was really trying to get the belt, and the spots were just diversions along the way. The ladder-snapping seated senton was original and awesome, and the Kenton Bomb on Little Bastard was a true WM moment. It wasn't as pretty as the first two, but it wasn't booked to be.
I actually kind of dug Kane/Khali when I first saw the show, but it sure didn't grow on me. I guess I just feared the worst when watching it live, so I was just relieved Kane didn't get injured. However, that doesn't make it worth watching.
As has been the popular opinion on 411, the Benoit/MVP match was quite good. The holds were believable, and MVP had a damn cool entrance that I didn't remember (I might've gone to pee or something…the wonders of pausing). I understand a little more now why Benoit won the match, and the fact that the feud stretched on gives this match that much more importance.
I'll make a bold statement here and now: the World Heavyweight Title match was the single best performance of the Undertaker's entire WM career. And not just because he won the title. Everything clicked during the match, Taker brought his "A" game, and the Dave brought his too. This was Taker's night, and I'm even more convinced of that after watching the match again.
The Battle for ECW was lacking in two important things: time and "extreme". It was a formula eight-man tag, although it stuck to that formula very well. Pretty much everyone got to have their little moment, and things got messy then slow then messy again at the right times. I just wish there were at least one chairshot or something.
The Battle of the Billionaires was actually more entertaining the second time around, which I wasn't expecting. Anytime Vince is involved in an angle, you know the sports entertainment quotient is kicking into high gear, and the Trump business was no exception. If nothing else, watch it for the ugliest sold Stunner of all time by Trump.
The women's match was very bad then and now, but it didn't really hit me the first time how insulted some of those "lumberjills" must have been to see the Playboy girl get the bigtime WM attention. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be around Victoria or Mickie James that night. I bet Kelly Kelly was even pissed.
The main event was about on par with what I remember, which is to say good but slightly disappointing. I still just don't understand the rationale behind the psychology Cena and HBK were playing off of. It doesn't make any sense for a guy like HBK to ground a guy like Cena, because there aren't any high flying moves in his arsenal. I guess it takes all of a man's leg strength to pull off the F-U, but that doesn't mean you isolate a man's leg the whole time. It should've been the other way around. Nonetheless, a good match and an interesting precursor to their near-hour classic on Raw a few weeks later.
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the backstage shenanigans throughout the night. The coolest of which was of course the Cryme Tyme/Eugene/Extreme Expose/Moolah & Mae/Dusty/Slick/Ron Simmons/IRS/Ricky Steamboat/Sarge/Jimmy Hart dance party! The Trump/Boogeyman thing pissed me off because Donald completely no-sold Boogey's appearance. I realize the character's a joke, but at least everyone kayfabe took it seriously. The Vince/Steph's baby skit was going along nicely right up until they cut to the baby-cam. At that point visions of Halftime Heat danced in my head.
As for the Hall of Fame ceremony, it also was a good show. I thought the class of 2007 was very well chosen, with deserving candidates going in, an eclectic group of inductees and some good moments along the way. The show itself was a nice celebration of the sport's history, with some tacky WM promos mixed in between the inductions. Todd Grisham was useless as the show's host, as the crowd would chant random things during his monologues. And it was very nice hearing "Boomer Sooner" at an event like this. My senior year is beginning soon, and it sounded sweeter than usual.
And since I've been involved in competitive speech for about seven years now, I wouldn't dare fail to rank the speeches for you all. I know, I know, they're all heartfelt and sincere and everything, but some people you just don't want to see speak.
1. Stone Cold
2. JR
3. Dusty
4. Wade Boggs…oddly enough
5. Curt Hennig's family
6. Dustin & Cody Rhodes
7. Afa & Sika
8. Bobby the Brain
9. Sheik's wife
10. RVD & Sabu
11. Nick Bockwinkel
12. Rosey & cousin
13. King
14. Krystal's dress
15. Shatner
I would most definitely recommend picking up the WrestleMania 23 DVD. It's got a good show already on it, and the goodies and limited edition casing are worth the extra ten bucks for sure.
Pimpin' Ho's NATIONWIDE
Three pieces of mail this week, all concerning the status and future of the US title. First, from RE friend John Reid, who goes old school on our asses:
Wow! I can remember the days when Nikita Koloff and Magnum TA were fighting over this belt, even so much as when they had the US title-NWA National title unification bout. It has such history to it and I'm glad that it is being used in a way to elevate careers on Smackdown.
I think what makes the US title so much more prestigious than the IC belt is definitely in the booking. Since Smackdown is more wrestling oriented than Raw you tend to see it displayed in simpler storylines. Person A has the belt and Person B wants it, hence, the MVP-Benoit feud. While the E tries to use the IC as nothing more than a prop during a feud, the US title helps people gain legitimacy. I think if they ever decide to really bring up someone to win the US title this year look to no more than Matt Hardy if he breaks away from the tag team ranks. Hopefully CM Punk will leave ECW and win the belt at Smackdown.
Very interesting e-mail, John. As I mentioned last week, I think it's interesting that between the world and US titles, the latter is the one they recognize as having a long and prestigious history. I still don't know why they don't just acknowledge the world title history, but oh well.
I think Matt should've won the US title sometime between the Edge feud and WM22. He'd just got done with the most high profile feud of his career, and people were behind him without question. The big problem with Matt is that creative never seems to have anything interesting for him to do that doesn't involve his brother. Holding the US title would be that something, and the feuds could (shudder) be based simply on the title chase. I also wouldn't mind Punk winning the title, though I think he should have a solid heel run first.
Next, from Chicago's own Scott, who adds his perspective on who should become the next American hero:
Great column and I could not agree more with your comments regarding Hulk Hogan as "Father of The Year". Guess they overlooked the episode where he left Brian Knobbs(a total dipshit) in charge of his household when he and his wife went out of town.
Who will win the United States Title in '07? That has to be the thousand dollar question, with the million dollar question being "Is John Cena STILL going to be the WWE champion?" Gotta admit I like the way the United States title is being used opposed to the IC title. MVP is a good choice to hold the championship though. My guess is WWE is his feud with Benoit will continue for a couple of months but beyond that makes me think. Most of the mid-carders who held the title last year have evolved into semi-main event status: Lashley, Booker, Kennedy. There is the man who MVP defeated to become the number one contender in the first place, Kane. Pretty sure they might want to push him in a feud with Edge for the World title once the Batista angle gets stale. Would make sense too seeing as how he took down Kane's "brother". Boogeyman? Maybe when Khali main eventing for the WWE titl...nevermind. Never say never I guess, Boogey finally winning some gold could be interesting. I'll say this right now I would rather see The Great Khali or Snitsky hold the title before The Miz gets within 50 feet of it. Maybe they should move Kevin Thorn over to Smackdown and put the strap on him. SD already has Hell, fire, and Brimstone and Boogeymen chompin away on worms, why not throw the Vampire in the mix? He has the size and the skill I would say a championship would help take him to the next step(unless ECW brings in the Television title I don't see him challenging for the ECW title anytime soon). London and Kendrick could be serious contenders, but with the tag team division lacking it wouldn't be the right time for them to venture into singles careers(unless one of them did win the title and continued pulling double duty as a tag team wrestler) Theres always Matt Hardy. Once they figure out what damn show he and Jeff are on. One week he's on RAW the next he's on SD. Either move him to RAW or have him and Jeff drop the titles and remain on seperate shows, that way they can push him as a serious contender for the US title. The best way they could split them up is to have Matt win the US title and Jeff win the IC title. Then let them have a friendly bout at a PPV "Champion vs. Champion". No titles on the line just a match to find out whos better the Intercontinental Champion or The United States Champion. Have Matt win (he needs it more) only to lose his championship later that week. Out of frustration and jealousy he then costs his brother the IC title, causing them to continue their feud. With the PPV's being tri-branded it wouldn't be a bad idea to have more SD vs. Raw matches and it also solidifies the importance of BOTH of the secondary championships to the Superstars of the WWE. Like I said as long as they keep the Miz as far away as possible from the title I have no complaints. As it stands right now I think MVP will most likely hold the title for most of the year anyway so who knows who if anyone else will win the United States championship in '07.
Oh that Hogan…every time I'm having a shitty day I just think of how much he's had given to him. It's an awesome feeling!
Since you submitted SO many choices, I'll just go through them one by one.
Kane – winning the US title would give Kane a chance to wear some gold, which he hasn't done a whole lot of during his career. But you've got to make sure you're still booking him strong or else he'll look very weak.
Boogey – I guess there are more bizarre ideas out there, but I would not be behind this one. He hasn't proven himself worthy of a long match, much less a run with a championship.
Thorn – although I agree that the fanged extremist is showing promise, I think he's right where he needs to be in ECW. His gimmick is right for the environment, and I don't think it would go over as well on SmackDown.
Matt – see above e-mail
London or Kendrick – this would be an unforgettable title win for sure, but it will NEVER happen. Still, it'd be cool to see.
Thanks for the response, and you certainly did your homework with these!
Finally, from Joe Hoferer, who makes us three for three on Matt Hardy loving:
Next U.S. Champions
Matt Hardy d. MVP : Either at SummerSlam or soon after, using this summer feud to set up both guys as main event hopefuls. With Matt distracted with singles gold it allows other teams to take advantage of the Hardy's and the tag straps from RAW. This could allow Matt to focus fully on a singles carreer.
that is the one I can think of next that could have an ongoing storyline for the summer.
in the near future (within one year) I could see Rey Mysterio and then Chavo winning the US title with a feud between the two ending at WM24.
I'm very intrigued by everyone's support of Matt winning the title. Too bad WWE doesn't have as rosy an opinion of him as you guys seem to.
I worry about giving Rey the US title, simply because it would peg him as a firmly placed mid-carder. Mysterio has more to offer to the main event scene, despite the horribly shitty booking of his title run last year. The US title might be a step in the wrong direction. As for Chavo, his hopes of gaining a major singles title were dashed during the Benoit feud last winter. Still, it'd be an interesting idea.
Thanks a lot, and you made some valid points.
The Great ECW Project (Part One)
So I hear that the new ECW is having some troubles?
Since it was brought back from the dead around this time last year, the ECW brand has experienced an unbelievable string of bad luck that's derailed any momentum they had in the wake of RVD-Mania. And seemingly once a week here on 411, someone would be posing solution after solution. The constant focus in all this has been the tricky processof making ECW a viable brand while remaining true to its heritage and tradition. Well, one thing I learned from Forrest Gump (other than the fact that mental disorders equal ignorant bliss) was, simply put, SHIT HAPPENS. WWECW has faltered at almost every turn, from the drug bust of death to the horrendous December To Dismember, and everyone's looking for answers.
This is where I throw my two cents in regarding the resilient brand's future. This is my second attempt at doing a series, and I'm sure it's going to be a much better one. So sit back, relax and enjoy the first of three installments of…"The Great ECW Project"
The Poster Boy
May 29, 2006: Raw broadcasted live from Tacoma, Washington, and featured Paul Heyman making two "draft picks" to his fledgling ECW brand. The theme of extreme had taken over WWE, and the higher ups decided that one wrestler from Raw and one from SmackDown would be moved to the new show to help it get off its feet. Who those two would be was up to Heyman.
With his first pick, Heyman chose Raw's Rob Van Dam, who was in line to fight John Cena for the WWE Championship at the second installment of ECW One Night Stand. With his second, he drafted SmackDown's Kurt Angle, who was in the middle of a babyface run and a feud with Randy Orton. Both acquisitions were good decisions for the brand (and one much more obvious than the other). RVD is forever associated with the "hardcore revolution" and fit perfectly in the new brand, while Angle had a chance for a fresh start after seeing his career in WWE turn somewhat stagnant.
So in one night, the new ECW acquired two very reputable superstars who were all set to become the symbols of Vince and Paul's "extreme" project. How did that one go, by the way?
Though it goes without saying, the extremists are in dire straits right now. The ECW Championship is held by a McMahon, their former champion appears more on Mondays than Tuesdays, and the roster is a mixture of virtual rookies, aging Originals and CM Punk. Because of this, the fans have responded accordingly; their ratings are relatively low, and their PPV tanked on an astronomical scale. And in trying to figure out why all this is, the bookers have ignored one key component in gaining viewers: a wrestler who will make them watch.
It's a proven fact: wrestling organizations are fully capable of getting by off the momentum of an extremely popular, extremely over superstar. Memphis did it with Lawler, the WWF did it with Hogan, and WCW did it with Goldberg. Sure, all those companies were stocked with talented performers who were very popular (or hated as the case may be) with the crowd, but it was guys like those three who put the asses in the seats. People were simply more interested in the product when they were in the main event.
This is what the bookers tried to replicate when making RVD and Angle the centerpieces of ECW. RVD had the advantage of being very familiar with the environment, and Angle had the respect of almost every wrestling fan on the planet. Even if the brand wasn't off to a smashing good start, at least it had the combined starpower of Angle and RVD.
As we all know, the former was gone within two months. The latter will be before the next RE goes up.
So what is ECW left with? Well taking the roster straight from WWE.com, here's how the brand breaks down…just to warn you, it's very very thin:
Originals:
Balls Mahoney
RVD
Sandman
Stevie Richards
Tommy Dreamer
Little Guido
Out of these five, only two (Tommy and Sandman) have both a secure spot on the card and a future with the company lasting past three days (sorry Rob).
Noobs:
The Major Brothers
CM Punk
Elijah Burke
Kevin Thorn
Marcus Cor Von
Mike Knox (yes, still on the roster)
Although Punk and the New Breed have made names for themselves, there still isn't a viable draw amongst this group. We'll have to keep looking…
Transported:
Bobby Lashley
Hardcore Holly
Snitsky
I know it may seem like Lashley is ECW's chosen one, but I'm telling you his time is going to run out. There's only so far a guy with no charisma will go in the main event of a sports entertainment company. This group's dry too.
Women
Layla
Brooke
Kelly Kelly
Trinity
Extreme Expose does not equal ratings.
When taking a look at the list of ECW wrestlers, you can't really argue that they need a big-time name, a cornerstone they can use to get others over, provide some good moments and keep people watching for the long haul. It's like video game systems; most successful consoles have that one "killer app" that sells not only copies of the game but systems themselves. In ECW's case, a strong mainstay could not only get themselves over but the brand as well.
Since the brand split stabilized, there have been three guys who have stayed with their respective brands and at the top of the card continually. For Raw, it's Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and for SD it's the Undertaker. Through all the many changes in the roster, these three have stayed put and given the fans something to expect when watching their respective show. No matter who moved where, you knew that you wouldn't see these guys anywhere else but on Monday/Thursday/Friday nights. ECW is in desperate need of a superstar like this. And as much as it pains me to say this, it ain't Lashley.
So who is it? Well, I'm going to take the cheap but ultimately more interesting way out and leave that one up to you guys. I want you guys to answer me this:
Who should be positioned as the "killer app" of ECW?
Do you think WWE should move one of their big-timers like HHH or Taker to Tuesdays? Do you think they should take an underutilized talent (Benoit, Hardys) and let them shine in a fresh environment? Do you think they should seek some outside assistance in giving ECW some credibility? Even if you think Daniel Rodimer is the answer, let me know!
Bottom line: ECW needs a new poster boy, and they're running out of originals to fall back on. Makes you wonder what the Rock's up to.
My Peeps
Be sure to check out the whole kit and kabootle of columns here at 411 Wrestling. These are the guys who made me want to do this, and I know their words ring true to you guys too.
That brings the twenty-fourth edition of the RE to a close. To bring it home here are my predictions for One Night Stand:
1. A name change next year…please
2. Melina over Candice (however the rules for a Pudding Match work)
3. Henry over Kane
4. Punk/Tommy/Sandman over the New Breed
5. Hardys over Haas & Benjamin
6. Orton over RVD (sorry Rob)
7. Vince over Lashley (somehow)
8. Cena over Khali
9. Edge over Batista
Does anyone else find it funny that half the matches at ONE NIGHT STAND have been done in the last month?
