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ECW Reax #1: "Watching ECW tonight felt like tagging along on a really uncomfortable first date." Apr 16, 2008 - 1:38:22 AM
Ken of Jacksonville, Fla. (5.0): Hey Wade, it's probably been years since I've sent in Torch feedback, but tonight's edition of ECW was so perversely entertaining that I just can't help but send in some thoughts. First of all, if ever there was a wrestling equivalent of the legendary YouTube "Boom Goes the Dynamite" sportscaster clip, this was it. You were right in your recap about how if you didn't see and hear Adamle with your own eyes and ears, it would be nearly impossible to wrap your head around just how incomprehensibly bad this was. I was sending my brother text messages throughout the show about Adamle's performance, and judging from his apathy, he just didn't get it. As bad as "The Tazz," the "flying leg kick," the "knee to the chest," "JAMAICAN ME CRAZY!" and Mike Knox's devious plan for a methodically quick finish (???) were, what really hit me were the long, awkward silences. Watching ECW tonight felt like tagging along on a really uncomfortable first date. There were stretches where Adamle and The Tazz would wait a full thirty seconds for the other to say something. Sometimes they'd continue to wait, others Adamle would interject some bizarre, totally irrelevant cliché. It was also strange to hear Tazz literally explaining the storylines to Adamle on air.
Eric Gall of Bridgeport, Conn. (2.0): Best Match: Dreamer-Delaney partnership. Worst Match: Mike F'n Adamle. Are you kidding me? Tell me this isn't true. Joey Styles replaced by this guy? OH MY GOD! I thought December to Dismember was the death knell of ECW. I was wrong. Tonight was. My two points for tonight's show is being generous, but I think the continuation of Colin Delaney's long-term evolution and Dreamer's current role as the patron saint of the underdog are the only aspects of the program that even hints of the old ECW. But the real news of this show is one of the worst job replacements, if not THE worst replacement, in wrestling history. Joey Styles, the voice of ECW, is replaced a man who can't go two sentences without sounding like a complete moron. That $350K they're paying Adamle - they would have been better off just burning that much in front of national TV; at least it would have made good TV. Rest in peace, ECW.
Shane McKinley of Danville, Calif. (6.0): Best Match: Main Event. Worst Match: Danceoff. I'm not going to rip Mike Adalme as an announcer. I don't even think Coach is the worst announcer I have ever heard (but he's definetely up there). It's not the 2005 "Coach/J.R./King" deadly triangle of doom. And while people might rip Mike for messing up some lines, Joe Buck is not walking through the door. I can't imagine announcers lining up outside to be a wrestling announcing. I didn't think that Mike Adamle did such a bad job. I think that he's a huge improvement over Coach in the fact that he actually brings in the psychology of the wrestlers, and seems to actually react realistically to what is happening in the ring (unlike Coach, who knows his role and reads from a script). So I am okay with the desiscion, even though the lost of JBL and Joey Styles is substantial. You had some all right tag matches, a squash, and a danceoff. The news for Raw's "King of the Ring" is that they plan to show the epic wrestling movie "Ready To Rumble" for big ratings.
We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "ECW Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on ECW, click here.
Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
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