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WWE ECW Reax #1: "I usually wonder why I still bother. Fortunately, ECW was a pleasant surprise for once." Jun 4, 2008 - 12:38:00 PM
A.A. Norman of Tulsa, Okla. (8.5) Best Match: Benjamin vs. Sydal. Worst Match: nothing sticks out. A very good show that they didn't even have to give a million dollars away to pique interest. With a limited roster, character development should be everything. I don't mean that they should do a "This is Your Life" for a half hour, but rivalries like Shelton vs. Kofi (whose voice I could listen to all week, ya mon!) are perfect for this type of show. A good intro to Matt Sydal, who at first looked like another jobber. Fortunately, ECW already has a resident jobber and they're expanding their roster with more flash and speed - perfect! Every time I tune in, I usually wonder why I still bother. Fortunately, ECW was a pleasant surprise for once. Let's make these surprises regular occurrences, please.
Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (9.0): Best: Kane vs. Punk (action). Worst: Kane vs. Punk (booking). While I wasn't too keen on Vince's millions being a part of ECW, it is WWE, so the penalty wasn't much. The rest of the show was very decent. There was the transition of Long to G.M. and Estrada to wrestler; now maybe we can see if Armando has real goods. Looks like Colin Delaney may be moving on, or out, soon, since he's become part of the scenery lately and the "match" with Estrada had every feel of low-off to it. Benjamin-Sydal gave Shelton a good athletic opponent to work with, a good debut for Sydal, and another chapter of the Shelton-Kofi story. Kofi on commentary was good as well, expecially when explaining how the end of the winning streak doesn't effect him much.. And the Staples Center sure turned on Punk, didn't they? But when Punk essentially no-sold Kane's neck lift, the match lost the crowd and never really got it back. That moment alone cost a good match as Punk got booed early and often for his offense. Whoever thought of that spot should be sanctioned in some way, even if it is Punk himself?
Shane McKinley of Danville, Calif. (5.0): Best Match: Benjamin vs. Sydal. Worst Match: Four-Way. Liked the opening shot with Teddy Long and Martin Luther King, Jr. Maybe a nod to the Democrat party nominating Barack Obama? The four-way match was sloppy, and the outcome of it wasn't much. Like how WWE wrestlers sell the effects of the previous match. That's just good business right there. Best bit of the night was Benjamin vs. Sydal. Sydal was the star of the night. I also like how the Benjamin vs. Kofi feud is building up, as it is helping both men. What's not really catching on fire is the Estrada vs. Colin Delaney feud. It's really nothing. It is nice to see Matt Hardy and to see Colin get a win, but in the end result it doesn't mean very much. Most of the show was devoted to Estrada, and that's not really must see TV. Colin Delaney got to do something or he's just going to fade into obscurity. Not very exicited about the tag team champions going against Kane and Punk. It feels like ECW is merely biding it's time till the draft comes. When the only high point of the show is Sydal and the Benjamin-Kofi feud, I can understand why most people pass ECW. At least now Mike Adalme can pronounce wrestler's names right.
We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw 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 Raw, click here.
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