-- 9/22 ECW TV Reax

Justin James of Columbia, S.C., IT Professional/author (9.0): Best: Christian-Ryder. Worst: Abraham Washington Show. This was a top-flight show other than the return of the Abraham Washington Show. My wife (who only watches moments of WWE if I am watching it) was in the room for the beginning. She was extremely confused why "wrestling" had a "talk show" on it, and that sums it up perfectly. In response to Tony Atlas's fake laugh, she threatened to kill herself if he did it again. Well put. On the flip side, it did a good job of turning up the heat under the Benjamin-Sheamus feud. Sadly, the image of the "Sheamus Family Tree" killed the segment. I think Benjamin got the material that was left on the cutting room floor after the writers put together Cena's promo on Raw. The Tatsu-Burchill match was good; both men looked nice in the ring. My wife gasped when Burchill did that top-rope knee drop. She is very cynical about WWE overall, so that is quite and endorsement of the in-ring action. I really dig Tatsu. His natural personality is really upbeat and positive. I like how ECW focuses on a "contrast of styles" when a smaller guy faces a larger guy, as opposed to Raw where the smaller wrestler is the "underdog" all of the time. The Jackson/Kozlov squash was decent enough. I loved a sign I saw, "Kozlov just needs a hug." I liked the backstage segments that kept the focus on the Hurricane/Helms-Burchill saga, and the promotion of the Goldust-Regal match on Superstars. Raw, pay attention! When was the last time Raw promoted its contribution to Superstars? The main event was excellent. Was it the best match we've seen on ECW this year? Nope, Bourne-Morrison still owns that, as far as I am concerned. But it was still a very good match. I was really into it and hanging onto the edge of my seat. Zack Ryder has really grown on me, even if he was dumb enough to give a "shout out" to his girlfriend and then minutes later talk about getting Katie Lea's number last week. I like his character a lot. I grew up in that area and he reminds me of so many people I know that it isn't even funny. Both Christian and Ryder told a great story in the ring with their facial expressions. I hope the gash on Christian from the stairs is just a surface wound. Striker was not joking when he said that the rib could be cracked. Christian keeping the belt makes sense, but the match elevated Ryder nicely. Love the continued presence of Regal. With Smackdown succumbing to The Undertaker and Batista and Raw wallowing in its own fetid stench, it looks like ECW is now the best show WWE has to offer.

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (8.0): Best: Christian vs. Ryder. Worst: the return of an old standby. I was missing the Abraham Washington Show SO much that I was happy it was back again. If you believe that then you'll believe I'm happy to see Hornswoggle get another win of sorts against Chavo. Washington was a more equal opportunity offender this time around, jabbing at both Sheamus and Shelton. But I was hearing dead silence (or was it "sweetening" to mask the massive go-away heat?). The response to Shelton's wondering aloud about Washington getting canceled was loud. I heard more than one "Thank You!" coming from the crowd. Of course, nothing will probably come of it. Yoshi getting the win over Burchill surprised me as he seems to be getting down-pushed. But when Helms showed up to interview Katie Lea, it made some sense. If it wasn't for Tiffany's "turnabout is fair play" attitude, then Burchill vs. Yoshi would have seemed very random. Regal's Roundtable vs. two jobbers was definitely random, even with Regal's promo with Goldust afterwards. The Regal-Goldust promo nicely served its purpose of plugging the upcoming Superstars match. After the way the main event ended, I wouldn't be surprised to see Zack Ryder get involved. Zack had another fine match with Christian. I actually had some hopes of a title change until I heard the read-off of various trivia by Striker. The trivia is equal parts elevating the importance of a match and combatants...and telegraphing the finish. When Regal showed up, Ryder disappeared, which didn't make a whole lot of sense. No taking advantage of the Regal distraction to get some payback? I would have rather liked Zack's title match to be at the PPV to up the ante on his potential, dragging out Regal's "stewing in his juices" for a little while longer. Ryder's push felt a little undercut tonight. Hopefully I'm just a little impulsive on that judgment.

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.

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