-- 8/25 ECW TV Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (9.0): Best: Christian vs. Regal (promo and match). Worst: nothing really. Last night's 9.0 score for Raw had a bit of a sentimental bias to it. Tonight's 9.0 score for ECW was for a full night's effort. In the middle of the show, the Sheamus-Goldust story continues to chug along. I expected the no-finish end since there was such a big deal made about them being 1-1. Hearing Goldy's name chanted is a very good sign that he's on the right track. So Shelton has a no-longer-hidden singing talent (including channeling Louie Armstrong). And the feud with Ryder is over the fact that Shelton beat him in a singing contest? Couldn't be any worse that Edge and Booker T feuding some years ago over an overseas shampoo commercial spot. Their tag opponents, Tatsu and Reks, had a quick inset promo but not really enough time to know who they are and how they teamed. The match finish upped the hostility in the Ryder-Benjamin storyline. Striker's even-handed look at the finish with a question for both perspectives was a nice touch. Burchill demanding Helms not be identified as his alter-ego just gives me the spidey sense a mention of Burchill's pirate past won't be all that far behind. Regal is taking the push coming to him and running the whole length of the field. The opening promo between Regal and Christian was great, down to Regal demanding he be recognized by his formal first name. The match that would be the result of the opening segment had the same type of observation Striker made about the tag match. What the match also made evident is Ezekiel Jackson is in on paper. Kozlov gets trusted to finish the match for Regal which Jackson stands there and looks like a big dumb oaf. Don't think Regal's got enough rub to get Jackson over.

Justin James of Columbia, S.C. (9.0): Best: Christian-Regal Worst: None. This was a standout show. ECW has a real economy with promos, backstage segments, and so on that let the show do more in one hour than Raw does in two hours. After this show, I realized that I want to see another hour added to ECW, an undercard belt, and Bourne and Swagger sent back to ECW. The opening promo exchange was stellar. (Tiffany seemed a touch off, though.) I couldn't wait to see Regal and Christian get their hands on each other, even though I was sure that Regal would win. I love how Tiffany doesn't just grant rematches or matches, she give chances to become the #1 contender. My only quibble here is that the #1 contender match should not be with the champ; it should be between two people vying for the slot. Goldust-Sheamus was very well done. The double DQ was a smart move, and further elevated the rivalry. When the ref got to around on the count five, it looked like Goldust snapped and I thought it had become a legit brawl. Kudos for both of them for telling a great story in the ring. The backstage part with Benjamin, the Bella Twins, and Ryder was a big weak, but only because of the ambiguity of Benjamin's character. I think that this is the beginning of a true face turn for him, which makes sense, since it would give him a reason to feud with Ryder, which can make some great matches. The Burchill interview was probably the weakest segment on the show, and it still did what it needed to do and was well done. Reks & Tatsu vs. Benjamin & Ryder was a good match that I wish had more time. The shortness made sense, as did Tatsu getting the win. Tatsu is now even more over, Reks gets over by association, Benjamin is a step closer to being a face (or at least a tweener), and Ryder doesn't get hurt by the loss because he was distracted. As for Reks, the guy is massive and moves both quickly and with agility. His character is awful (I don't think more promo time can help it, either), but I like his in ring moves. The final match... what can I say? GREAT MATCH! The only problem with it was that I knew Regal was winning, and I was sure that Koslov or Jackson would play into that. Benjamin and Ryder (who should be next in line for title shots, or maybe Tatsu) are tied up in a mid-card feud, so Regal really is the only person handy for a title match. I wouldn't mind seeing Christian form his own group to counter Regal's "Ruthless Roundtable." Maybe put Dreamer, Christian, Hurricane, Tatsu, or Benjamin together. (Wow, that would really elevate Tatsu nicely!)

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