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The Specialists
LOGIC CHECK - ECW: Keeping tabs on what made sense, what tested suspension of disbelief, and what was just ridiculous Aug 13, 2008 - 4:18:53 PM
It appears as if Matt Hardy is the latest graduate from Steve Borden's Moron Babyface Academy because the only person surprised by that World's Strongest Slam was the man on the receiving end of it. After weeks of observing Mark Henry's very treacherous personality, Matt Hardy actually allowed himself to be drawn in and, ultimately, laid out by the ECW champion. On Sunday, Matt is giving up 155 pounds to Mark Henry (for a little bit of perspective, Mark Henry outweighs Matt Hardy by me) and when in a situation like that, the only way to win is by outsmarting your opponent. So iIf last night was any kind of indicator, Matt Hardy's chances for winning the ECW championship fall somewhere between slim and none.
Thoughts: I've never really understood why babyfaces are sometimes booked to look like Sting. In order for your match to draw the proper heat, you need to make sure that there is some sort of mystery as to the outcome. Matt Hardy is certainly not going to be able to go toe to toe with Henry so the possibility of him being able to outsmart the champion has to be protected to ensure the belief that there is a chance V1 can pull out the victory. Mark Henry squashed that idea last night, literally and figuratively. Ridiculous.
The World's Strongest Persona:
Mark Henry was perfect as the forced tag team partner for Matt Hardy. Whether it was his explanation of his motivations during their backstage segment, his reluctant acceptance of Hardy after V1's entrance or the way he was jumping up and down on the apron, waiting for a hot tag, Mark Henry was last night's most believable character.
Thoughts: Mark Henry's latest incarnation is also his best. His portrayal of the unbeatable, cocky monster works so well because it's probably not that far off from his actual personality. Barring injury, I'd say Mark Henry is primed for a long run at the top.
Pride goeth before the concussion:
Chavo forcing Bam Neely to wrestle Evan Bourne despite his concussion was something that didn't make much sense until I put a little more thought into it. Chavo is a very proud warrior and since Bam was pinned by Bourne last week, it makes sense that Chavo would send Bam out to avenge last week's humiliation. Bam, being in the employ of Chavito as well as a member of La Familia, would obviously want to atone for his loss, and also impress his boss/family, so he throws caution to the wind and wrestles.
Thoughts: The announcers did a good job of conveying why Bam was wrestling with his concussion but I wonder why neither of them brought up the dangers inherent in stressful physical activity with a concussed brain. It doesn't seem like the best message to deliver to the impressionable youth demographic WWE is trying to court. Not that what happened last night is going to inspire an outbreak of kids trying to tough it out like their hero Bam Neely but there's no reason to portray a concussion as anything less than a serious brain injury which needs to be treated carefully and appropriately. Which brings me to my next topic...
Teddy Long cares...
As long as you don't have a concussion. Apparently, the master of the Holla, Holla doesn't mind if his talent competes with a serious brain injury as long as he can sit in the back and drink "the good stuff" with Tiffany. Long's character has always been that wise, strict but fair, uncle type of G.M. but last night's show portrayed him as being more concerned with the BAC of his assistant than with the welfare of his superstars. Seriously, why would you allow a man with a concussion to wrestle a man whose offense contains numerous strikes to the face and head?
Thoughts: This was just dumb. For the entire duration of the show, he was in his office, drinking with a hot blond employee. If the guy in charge of the show can't be bothered to care about it or the people involved, why should we?
Living la vida Atlas:
Ricky Ortiz's attempt to sell Teddy Long on his "Ricky O" towels was a nice logical progression for his character of the supremely optimistic young rookie who is letting a small amount of success go to his head and thinks that he is a larger star than he actually is. What makes this character so interesting is where he's headed since being unbeaten is so entwined with his sense of identity. Obviously, no one stays undefeated forever; so what happens when this rookie suffers his first loss? Does he continue to stay upbeat or does he start blaming others? And what happens if he goes on a losing streak? Lots of possibilities for creative here.
Thoughts: "The Latin Assassin" made the most out of his brief backstage segment with a dazzling display of personality and charisma. While his in-ring work, so far, has been uninspired and elementary, there is no denying that Ortiz has a commanding presence as he exerts an infectious youthful exuberance. As long as he remains dedicated to learning the craft (a nice little toss out from Striker to Les Thatcher) and improving himself in the ring, Ricky Ortiz could be a name we will be talking about for years to come.
Logistical ruminations:
- What exactly does Tony Atlas do for Mark Henry? Aside from carrying his bags, of course. Henry did all his own talking last night so Atlas really seemed out of place.
- I like the way that they are slowly progressing the Mike Knox/Finlay feud. Hopefully, we'll get some kind physical confrontation next week.
- Damn, Tommy Dreamer's pumphandle kendoplex was SICK. It's nice to see that he's still innovating.
- It was very interesting how Batista and John Cena losing the tag titles was not even touched on.
- Matt Striker was born to color commentate. After last night, there is absolutely no question that he is a complete natural under the headset as he added many aspects to the various matches he called. My personal favorite was the Dragon's Gate reference because he was allowed to provide some wrestling background for Evan Bourne so it didn't seem like Bourne was a wrestling novice. Which, in all honesty, WWE should do more of as it allows us connect better with the grapplers involved.
- Evan Bourne is the most exciting in-ring wrestler that WWE has to offer right now. His matches and style are completely different than anyone else in WWE and the audience is really starting to get behind him. That said, all we really know about Bourne is that he can go in the ring and that he defies gravity. Sure, Striker on commentary was able to provide another layer to Bourne's personality but it would be nice if we could get more in depth into who Evan Bourne is.
VERDICT: This was a solid wrestling show but it left a lot to be desired in regards to the progressions of some of the characters. There really wasn't anything must see about this show and the way the main event was booked doesn't really bode well for Matt Hardy on Sunday. Teddy's lapse into apathy was a puzzling aspect of the show to say the least.
SCORE: 5.0
That's it for this edition of the Logic Check. I'll be back on Friday with the debut of Logic Check - !MPACT, that is, if my head hasn't exploded.
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ABOUT ME:
I'm a twenty year wrestling fan whose first wrestling memory is begging my babysitter to let me stay up and watch Superstars. All I ask for is wrestling that makes sense.
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