2/3 WWE's ECW on Sci-Fi TV Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (6.0): Best: Jamie Noble promo. Worst: Noble fed to Boogeyman. What kept tonight from being a decent show were some simple explanations. With the tag titles a more mobile title, Striker and Grisham could have explained that Miz and Morrison have been on a reign of terror defending the belts. This way, there would be some semblance of explanation why they're not just on ECW. Dreamer-Burchill could have been a commentary tool to develop Dreamer's retirement storyline beyond what we already know. Why was he booked against Burchill? Was it "just because," or was Burchill intended to be a test for Dreamer? Does talking yourself up in a way that you believe yourself but no one else takes seriously warrant being fed to Boogeyman? It felt like an insult to Noble. Thankfully, it wasn't a total squash, and he didn't get the worm-feeding, but still I wasn't pleased one bit. Swagger's promo was fine, though I'm still sure that there will always be someone who can't get past the lisp. The Swagger-Finlay was a tad sloppy and awkward (noted once by a strange editing about midway). And Finlay calling the ref over after the ugly bump into the middle turnbuckle didn't seem to be a good sign. As noted on Torch Raw reviews with Cena getting "seen" on the Five Knuckle Shuffle, Swagger was a little more proactive with Finlay's shillelagh. Of course, the second shillelagh came into play, but it doesn't always appear there is more to "see" with that. Undefeated with a title leaves the obvious to contend with: for a challenger to be considered a threat, a win has to happen. The streak should really end at a PPV, but there was no avoiding it here. It looks like it will be Finlay-Swagger III at No Way Out, and they have one match in the can to learn from, so hopefully the one coming will be better.

Alex Roberts in the U.K. (6.5): Best Match: Swagger vs. Finlay. Worst Match: Noble vs. Boogeyman. For a brief moment this week I thought the WWE was going to push Jamie Noble. Sure his jump to ECW (was it a jump or just a one shot deal?) was handled badly and another entry into the "Teddy Long: worst authority figure ever" case file, but for a brief moment, I thought WWE was finally going to push him. Then, he was squashed by the utterly useless Boogeyman. What's truly terrifying about all of this is that I have a horrible feeling WWE is intending to book a Swagger-Bogeyman feud for the ECW Title in the not too distant future. Speaking of the ECW Title, the Swagger-Finlay angle progressed okay. I'm not sure on the logic behind giving away a full-length match between the two on free TV and then expecting people to clamor for it on PPV, but given the lack of roster depth, they don't have much choice. The single most interesting thing currently happening on ECW though is Dreamer's retirement angle and it took a huge leap into awesome this week with Miz and Morrison getting involved. I enjoyed their verbal and physical beat down on Dreamer and I'm even enjoying Dreamer still losing and searching for the "missing ingredient" to help him win. If they continue to handle this well and give a rewarding pay-off to the missing ingredient concept, then Dreamer should have a lot of momentum when/if he challenges for the ECW Title at One Night Stand.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "ECW TV 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.

We suggest these recent related articles...

WWE PPV REAX #1: "I wanted the biggest event of the summer to end with an exclamation point; it ended with a semicolon and a question"

WWE PPV REAX #1: Battleground finish generates mixed reactions...

WWE PPV REAX #2: In-Person Battleground Report on overall show, reactions, more