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WWE ECW Reax #1: "Matt handled himself well on the mic as new champion, displaying a good amount of confidence." Sep 10, 2008 - 12:41:59 PM
Shane Bennett of Frankfort, Ky. (9.0): Best Match: Bourne vs. Morrison. Worst Match: None. While I am not a huge fan of the Face Champions, Matt Hardy seems to really care about the ECW Title. He should be allowed to shoot a little bit and talk about the lack of focus ECW is given as a brand. He should step up and become the representative of that brand. He should be allowed to punk out other champions if need be, since God knows other guys are allowed to rip ECW. The Evan Bourne-John Morrison battle was an excellent TV match and did a great job of furthering Bourne's wrestling acumen. Sure he can fly, but what happens when he is on the mat, can he still win? I think the Miz interference could possibly lead to a continuation of the Mysterio/Bourne team, since he doesn't seem to have any other friends on the ECW roster. I think that Swagger has a decent look, but his name IS STUPID. I get it, he has a swagger, but puns aren't great as names. They are cool nicknames, but he needs a good name. I loved having Ricky Ortiz interact with the main-eventers. Gives him something to do while showcasing him next to wrestlers at the level he hopes to reach. The main event was a little too sugary for me, but makes sense to build Hardy more. I hope this Hardy-Henry feud picks up some good emotion, as it could be a brand showcase. I think that others need to be tossed into the mix. Miz, Morrison, Bourne, Finlay - these are unique performers and could add to the ECW Title picture. Oh, and Matt Hardy needs a better finisher. His Twist of Fate is the same move his brother uses on Smackdown as a precursor to a better finisher, the Swanton Bomb. If Hardy is going to really stay at main event level, he needs to form his own identity away from his brother. Overall, still the best hour of good entertaining wrestling on TV these days coupled with phenomenal commentary that does nothing but build on a great brand!
Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (8.0): Best: Bourne vs. Morrison Worst: Swagger vs. Daniels With the exception of the greenery laid down by Swagger-Daniels, ECW continues to show it still belongs as WWE TV. Matt handled himself well on the mic as new champion, displaying a good amount of confidence (critical at this early stage of whatever amount of reign he's going to be enjoying). Bourne vs. Morrison was about as good as I was expecting. This match also showed that Bourne isn't just a high-flying spot monkey; the early minutes of the match saw him do some really nice mat exchanges and transitions. 'Twas also a nice touch to give this simple reason why this match took place (Bourne pinning Morrison on Raw the night before). Hornswoggle gave the rally towels some rub... after chewing on one first. The main event did a bit to solidify Hardy's start as champion (something that really never happened for C.M. Punk), giving a positive vie that Hardy might keep it for a while. And the commentary was great as usual. In certain moments, Striker had me thinking back to Gordon Solie (the use of the anatomy in play-by-play and the encyclopedic trivia). But Striker's "theeeeeeeeeere" is his own, so in that he's his own commentator. Striker/Grisham are a very fine tandem and have quickly found their chemistry and rhythm. Hope there are no plans to change that.
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