James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (7.5)

A very eventful edition of ECW for once. Christian's return, T.J. Wilson's debut, Natalya ...wearing pink tassels?! ... no sign of Boogeyman or Ricky Ortiz. I'd say that's a successful show. Granted, I wouldn't continue booking ECW champion Jack Swagger in this much jeopardy when he really needed a credibility boost as new ECW champion, but he's certainly being featured as the star of the show.

Christian's return was quite the surprise and he looked good his first day back on the job. A little much with the classic "too cool for school" babyface-isms from Christian - the mockery of the lisp and hitting Swagger with a mic before running out of the ring - but I'll take multiple Christian segments any day of the week.

T.J. Wilson had a nice debut as Tyson Kidd. I don't think it's any coincidence they put the "Evan Bourne returns" video package right before Wilson's debut match. I would expect great things from a Bourne vs. Wilson TV feud. ... The Miz was fine against Tommy Dreamer, but Miz & Morrison were lost in the shuffle on this show. Very difficult for any stars to usually get lost in the shuffle on ECW among the hundreds of video packages, but they actually delivered a very newsworthy and compelling broadcast for once. Well done.

Dominick Mayer, PWTorch.com Contributor (8.0)

Tonight's ECW left me feeling so hopeful for the future of this show. First of all, you have Christian's return, which at first might seem like a demotion, but is actually a really good idea. Here's why: If you threw him on Raw or Smackdown!, he'd end up in a mid-card Wrestlemania match, probably as spot fodder in the MITB match. Now, he'll likely be facing off with Swagger, or in a triple threat with him and Finlay, for a title. Plus, he can be an anchor around which the show builds. With Finlay, Henry, Miz/Morrison and the soon-returning Evan Bourne, in addition to all the undercard talent, ECW is now finally resembling a put-together show.

It's not just Christian that gave me faith, though. It's the fact that the wealth of pointless video packages that have ravaged this show in past weeks were practically nonexistent this week. It's the fact that more undercard talent is being added to boost the roster. It's the fact that Boogeyman and Ricky O were nowhere to be found this week. I'm not saying this is sunny skies ahead, because this is still ECW and it's still WWE's writers at work, but right now I have no reason not to be highly optimistic.

Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor (8.0)

Well, this show certainly was newsworthy. Part of me was let down by Christian's anti-climactic debut (and even if you did like him coming to ECW, you have to admit it was pretty anti-climactic), especially with images of him helping Edge screw Jeff Hardy still dancing in my head. But he should fit well on ECW and by already sticking his nose in the ECW Title picture, my guess is he doesn't stick around the C-brand very long.

Dreamer vs. Miz was fine to continue that feud, and it's not often Miz & Morrison take the backseat on an ECW show. Tyson Kidd's debut was fine and he showed good athleticism; hopefully with him and Evan Bourne on ECW, two relatively short and light competitors, it will open the door for others down the road. And it's good to see they rescued Natalya from circling the drain in the women's division on Smackdown.

I thought it was quick to put Christian in a match on his first (unadvertised) night back, but he had a good back-and-forth with Jack Swagger. I like Christian here in this role, but I just can't help but think of a bigger impact he could've made in a different situation, either as a mystery opponent or interfering in a match or something. But I think I can live with what REALLY happened.

Michael Simmons, PWTorch.com Contributor (8.0)

I'm probably in the minority here, but I enjoyed Christian's return and this week's show overall. If nothing else, it was a newsworthy show. Like Wade Keller said in his report, it was nice to have him return on tonight's live show, rather than on Smackdown three days later, which would have killed the element of surprise and utter shock a lot of fans had tonight. Whether fans had a positive or negative reaction to the brand he returned to, is irrelevant. It got people talking about ECW, and that's something that's been sorely needed for a long time now.

I question a previously undefeated champion suffering two-straight losses before a title defense, but Finlay-Swagger can be a good match-up this Sunday. The only thing I ask though, can we go just one Finlay match without the use of a shillelagh? The opening exchange between Swagger and Christian was solid. Swagger stumbled a little bit, but I think he held his own. Tonight's main event was fine and assuming Finlay doesn't capture the belt at No Way Out, I'm very excited to see these two lock up again at Wrestlemania.

Tommy Dreamer and The Miz was good back-and-forth action and furthered Dreamer's storyline well. Tyson Kidd showed some flashy offense in his debut and I'm already salivating at the inevitable match between him and Evan Bourne. With Bourne coming back, a hot new prospect in Kidd, John Morrison and The Miz delivering in and out of the ring, a blossoming young champion, and a returning big name in Christian, ECW may quickly become a can't-miss show once again.

We suggest these recent related articles...

PARKS'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 10/8: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Thursday show, including Roman Reigns & Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman

METZGER'S ROH TV REPORT 10/4 & 10/7: IWGP World champ Okada vs. Roderick Strong main event, plus Briscoes vs. Time Splitters, more from "Field of Honor," Overall Reax

MCMAHON'S TNA IMPACT REPORT 10/7: TNA Title Series kicks off, Bound for Glory fall-out, more; Overall Reax