New Title Belt: I like the looks of the new ECW Championship belt. I didn’t have a problem with the old belt, but I like the idea that WWE is trying to really show that this is a new era for ECW and the new belt is symbolic of that. The new belt is just so different than the other belts in WWE right now, and most other championship belts from other organizations that I recall. It is silver instead of gold. I like that. It is different and makes the belt stand out.
Opening Segment: ECW got off to a good start. In addition to the introduction of the new Title belt, we got to see a nice moment with Tony Atlas, Mark Henry and Colin Delaney. I still would rather hear Henry talk than Atlas, so this wasn’t as good as it could have been. But, Delaney was good on the mic. Henry’s facial reactions to everything Delaney said were great. I particularly enjoyed his laughing while recalling beating up Delaney. It is an odd relationship. Delaney is still a loser, yet Henry and Atlas seem to like having him around. I look forward to seeing where this goes. Delaney was good in showing nerves while Tommy Dreamer came out. I also liked how Atlas and Henry bailed leaving Delaney all alone. It was a good start to the show.
Miz & Morrison: The brief backstage scene between John Morrison and The Miz worked for a few reasons. For one, it reminded the audience of what happened at The Great American Bash, underscoring them being upset at losing the Tag Team Titles. For another, it helped to hype the Main Event that they would be it later in the show. For another, it was just funny. They showed off their sense of humor and great verbal chemistry in a way that we usually only see on The Dirt Sheet. It is good to see WWE utilizing Miz & Morrison this way. It was a short scene, but it accomplished multiple goals in an entertaining way.
Bourne - Guerrero Feud: It is nice to see WWE going to a feud like this with Evan Bourne, so early in his ECW run. Chavo Guerrero has his negative points, but he is a very well established star and a former ECW Champion. I like the idea that Bourne is getting his first feud with such a big name. Bourne had another nice short match vs. James Curtis. Chavo was good on guest commentary, better than we’ve heard him before. He made some good points about taking Bourne lightly and being able to counter high flyers. His attempted attack with Bam Neeley after the match worked well also, as Bourne used his quickness to escape. Next we need to actually learn something about Bourne. So far, all we know is that he can jump high, which does not count as a character. Some verbal interaction between these two would really help.
Main Event: Miz vs. Morrison vs. Finlay vs. Hardy was one of the best t.v. matches that I can remember in recent months, and definitely one of the best ECW matches that we’ve seen in a very long time. The match went 17 minutes, which meant that we saw about 13 of those minutes minus the commercial break, and all of that time was entertaining. These guys really worked hard to put on a good match. The match was well booked and well executed. They were all very intense. You could tell how important the win was for all four guys. There were some very nice sequences. They played off of each other and each other’s signature moves very well. I was pleasantly surprised at how long WWE gave the match. I kept excepting it to end, but it kept going which was great. It was a very good way to end a very good show.
ECW MISSES
None: This was one of the best ECWs that I can recall. Nothing stood out as being bad. There were definitely more Hits than usual (a lot more), and nothing bad to give a Miss. Even the non-Hits were solid moments. Dreamer vs. Delaney was a nice short match. Finlay and Hardy each had an opportunity to help hype the Main Event which worked well. There was a nice scene between Ricky Ortiz and Teddy Long, setting up a match for next week. I don’t even mind the Mike Knox video package. I could always do without a long Raw rebound, but that is par for the course, and it didn’t bother me as much in the midst of such a good show.
Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and TNA Impact each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.
For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.
LATEST PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER #1039 (17 PAGES)
This issue begins with a cover story by Wade Keller who attended Brock Lesnar's first UFC victory on Saturday night in the semi-main event in front of a record-setting crowd in his hometown. Keller's BBL looks at Lesnar's place in MMA and in what ways he seems more comfortable than ever... Bruce Mitchell's Memo examines the dilemma of Chris Benoit and the Hall of Fame... Sean Radican reviews the two latest TNA DVD releases... In-depth coverage of the TNA Hard Justice PPV including Keller's match report with star ratings and the newsletter-exclusive Roundtable Reviews... Jason Powell's "Page 2 Buzz" with scoops and insider analysis... WWE Newswire, TNA Newswire, and ROH Newswire with insider news, big story analysis, and notebook tidbits... Plus Keller's reports on Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, the Top 5 Stories of the Week, and more....
