TV REPORTS ECW ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 10/27: Caldwell, Mezzera, Parks rate and review
Oct 29, 2009 - 1:14:56 PM
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James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (7.5)
Can't argue with a near-four-star match between Christian and Yoshi Tatsu on free TV. The match probably would have been shortened to a forgettable five-minute match if booked at the Bragging Rights PPV, so it turns out WWE made the right call putting the match on free TV where it could stand out. Of course, ECW was lost in the shuffle of big Hulk Hogan news on Tuesday, but this match is worth watching if you missed it.
II thought Christian and Yoshi both came out stronger than when they came into the match, which should be the goal of every match. Christian thwarted the "upstart babyface with momentum" to look like a strong champ, while Yoshi showed he could hang with the champ. The multiple near-falls at the end were well-done and the crowd definitely bought into both wrestlers. The match closing on a high was then effectively transferred to heel heat on Regal and the Roundtable. Good piece of booking.
The opening segment with Abraham Washington wasn't too annoying, which should be the goal. Tiffany effectively established her authority, Regal went against her in the main event, and now we wait to see the response from her authority figure character on next week's show. Good, basic, episodic TV writing.
Sheamus vs. Shelton Benjamin was good, but at the end of the day, it was a lost opportunity to have a solid ECW feud to elevate both men. Instead, Sheamus goes to Raw and Shelton is left with a loss. Feud could be re-visited on another brand down the road, but WWE needs proper follow-up for Shelton to get his momentum back following one of his better career promos on the show this week.
Jon Mezzera, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.0)
Anyone who read my Hits & Misses for ECW this week might be confused why I am giving the show a slight thumbs up (in my way of thinking, a 5.0 is a thumbs in the middle show) when I had more Misses than Hits. Well, the one Hit that I gave the show easily outweighed the two Misses. That one hit was obviously for Christian vs. Yoshi Tatsu. The match itself was a great 17 minute match with plenty of great wrestling action, counters and near falls. Christian and Tatsu worked very well together and gave the audience the feeling that Tatsu just might pull off the victory to win the ECW Title. Tatsu was really elevated as a star, despite taking the loss. I also have to mention how well WWE pulled off the match in terms of the pre-match hype throughout the show with two video packages and an interview of Christian. The aftermath with William Regal's Ruthless Roundtable attacking both guys was a nice way to end the show.
What I didn't like about ECW which keeps my score from being very good despite the main event, started with the beginning of the show and the bad Abraham Washington Show. Tiffany was OK in her performance, but her script was weak. How ridiculous did she sound when she said that ECW made an impact at Bragging Rights despite not having a match since stars like Kofi Kingston and John Morrison got their starts on ECW before moving on? That is particularly stupid considering that Morrison was a multiple time Tag Team and Intercontinental Champion on the other shows before coming to ECW. She also looked bad for her poor excuse for letting Sheamus go to Raw which sets up a bad precedent that any unhappy wrestler can complain and she will let him out of his contract. Speaking of Sheamus, I wasn't thrilled with his match against Shelton Benjamin. It was OK, but since it is the blow off to the feud, I was disappointed that it wasn't better, particularly the ending.
Greg Parks, Torch Columnist (7.0)
Hard to believe I'm giving a show with only two matches such a strong endorsement, but the two matches were well-done. Benjamin vs. Sheamus was a match best suited for the middle of a feud, not the end of one, as this seemed to be with Sheamus going to Raw. He's earned a promotion in the short time he's been on the main roster. One wonders though, where Shelton goes from here. The opening segment was short and it was tolerable mostly because they advanced the Regal-Tiffany storyline. And at least they addressed why ECW wasn't on Bragging Rights.
Tatsu vs. Christian was very good live; crowd was torn on who to cheer at first, but really warmed up to the action as the match got going. Wonderful match from these two, and as has been said, I think it elevated Tatsu, at least in the eyes of the fans. I'm not a huge supporter of his character right now, but you can't argue with the in-ring work. And by the way, Lauren Mayhew sings one hell of a National Anthem. She's Lilian 2.0.
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