WWE ECW on SciFi
6/13/06Run Time: 41:33
Card:The Sandman vs. The Zombie (DUD)
Kurt Angle vs. Justin Credible (*)
Extreme Battle Royal (**)
Best Segment
Rob Van Dam's show opening promo was the highlight here. It was filled with emotion and was a crowning moment that RVD fans had waited for since 200, since he joined WWE. Heyman handing him the ECW World Title that he never won was a quality moment. The "it spins" gag was well done too. And even though we get Edge and Lita out early on, which felt like it was already watering the brand a bit, it was well executed and was driving toward something. Edge also puts RVD over big time there too until the spear, which Joey immediately paints as a "WWE" type move. We then got Cena coming out and a good three way brawl that was capped by Heyman getting decked, which did lend to that wild "anything can happen" ECW feel.
RVD has always bled extreme and was a great choice for the role of torchbearer for the new program.
Best Performance
Kurt Angle was awesome here. It didn't bother me much that they sent him to ECW because he definitely fit the mold of what they were and what they were aiming to do. A veteran with a cloudy path comes there to get a breath of fresh air and have Heyman work some magic to leverage their talents and give them new life. Angle was feeling himself here, focused and lethal and unleashing havoc on the mat at a breakneck pace. He let his frustration fuel him and out of the gate he was tremendous in the role.
Biggest Surprise
Big Show looking like a fucking beast here. We hadn't seen that in forever but he was booked really well and it was clear they were setting him up for something big, and this was a good start. The giant showdown with Big Guido was well done too.
This is ECW!
Joey Styles & Tazz on commentary; Joey is shitting on Raw and Paul is rallying the troops against WWE, just like the old days; Sandman entering through the crowd and murdering the Zombie to crap on the network directive; Justin Credible in a showcase match; Heyman shaking up the format; Kelly Kelly: Exhibitionist stripping down; Tommy F'n Dreamer; The FBI was great to see; lots of weapons in the battle royal;
This isn't ECW!
RVD (and others) still using his WWE theme; Edge & Lita are out early in the show as invited guests, making the show feel like its less of its own universe; John Cena showing up right after didn't help things either
Additional Observations
Good choice with "Bodies" as a theme as it does blend into "This is Extreme" nicely; the crowd is definitely hyped up right away but then quieted down during the promo; Heyman looks so happy as he comes out; Joey & Tazz have good chemistry out of the gate, and both are locked in; the Zombie becomes an instant joke and "This isn't ECW" talking point out of the gate, but SciFi is positioned as an adversary here as well; Joey is still great at explaining characters and backgrounds to the audience; poor Kelly Kelly is so awkward in her first promo; This is week one and we are already light on content, filling with the whole Tazz/Lawler segment from One Night Stand; Kurt Angle as an ECW wrestling machine worked for me, the original ECW was built on guys like him coming in for a fresh start; Angle's headbutt on Credible was sick; the random shot of a vampire outside the arena was something; poor poor Kelly had no chance, she couldn't dance at all and had to be one of the most awkward stripteases ever; Tommy Dreamer looks super happy to have this all realized too; the battle royal was a good idea to let us see all of the roster out there, delivering the nostalgia; Tazz calling Trinity a "tomato" and then breaking out his Italian accent for the FBI entrance was funny; Big Show fits that "lost veteran" role even more than Angle; Show press slamming Dreamer through the table on the floor was a great bump
Enjoyment Power Rankings
1) Kurt Angle
2) The Sandman
3) Big Show
4) Joey Styles & Tazz
5) Paul Heyman
6) Rob Van Dam
7) Sabu
8) Justin Credible
9) Tommy Dreamer
10) Kelly Kelly
Top 10 Matches
1) Extreme Battle Royal (**)
2) Kurt Angle vs. Justin Credible (*)
3) Sandman vs. The Zombie (DUD)
All Time Appearance Tracker
Paul Heyman
Joey Styles
Tazz
Rob Van Dam
Edge
Lita
John Cena
Tommy Dreamer
Little Guido
Tony Mamaluke
Stevie Richards
Balls Mahoney
Al Snow
The Zombie
Sandman
Kelly Kelly
Kurt Angle
Justin Credible
Kevin Thorn
Sabu
Amish Roadkill
Danny Doring
Trinity
Big Guido
Big Show
Final Grade: 4.5/10 Paul E. Dangerously Cell Phones
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