"ECW" 9-1-09 Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

Last week with some help from his massive friends, William Regal earned another title shot against ECW Champion Christian.

ECW #169
Tuesday, September 1, 2009 @ 10 p.m. ET/9 CT on Syfy

ICONS ON ECW
Did you miss Undertaker's historic battle against Shawn Michaels at The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania? Well, you'll have another chance to watch these two icons push their bodies to the limit, this week on ECW on Syfy.

[Matt Hazuda]

I hate Tony Atlas' fake laugh so much. I think I preferred it when I thought they had quietly let him go than this awful garbage.

[Condiment King]

I hate Tony Atlas' fake laugh so much. I think I preferred it when I thought they had quietly let him go than this awful garbage.

Not only was the fake laugh horrible but it felt like he laughed at the wrong time a few times. Though that might have been the joke. But it still sucked. Everything about the Abraham Washington Show is ridiculous.

Shelton/Ryder was great. So was Sheamus/Goldust, though they never did anything that would have been a DQ in a regular match, which annoyed me but whatever. The jobber tag team match was fine but we don't need another. This did enough to debut them as a tag team.

Gah WWE really is fond of false advertising. Calling that Taker/Michaels music video a "special encore presentation" of the match was such heavyhanded nonsense. And I bet some people tuned in to ECW just to see that.

[Azrayel]

A nice opening match with Shelton Benjamin and Zack Ryder on ECW. Although I wish it could have gone longer but I guess this little bit for this rivalry was alright.

Abraham Washington's show was bad again...but it got worse hearing Tony Atlas fake laugh. In fact why was he even laughing for no apparent reason?

Kozlov and Ezekiel vs indy tag team sucked. Having teams on ECW is a bad idea, almost as bad as having divas on ECW because there aren't a lot in this show.

HBK vs Undertaker's clip of their Wrestlemania watch was very good.

Sheamus vs Goldust- A nice way to end ECW with this rivalry. I really hope they actually do something good with sheamus and goldust since this is the end of there feud. (According to Matt Striker and Josh Matthews)

[hobbyfan]

I came in late, since I was at a baseball game. The home team lost again in their final home game.

So I read the report on the Meltzer site. The only thing they can do to keep Tony Atlas around is have him be a sidekick to Abraham Washington? They really do need a creative overhaul. Look, guys, the joke that is the Abraham Washington Show was DOA from the get-go. Instead of sending this unfunny, rushed-to-the-big-stage-before-he's-ready heel back to FCW for a tweak, they keep him around and let Atlas be his co-host. Stupid.

Kozlov & Zeke destroy rent-a-jobbers, Road Warrior style. Well, not exactly, considering the uranages are the favored finisher in this day & age. I think if Shel Benjamin had been more established with a face turn (because the writers are morons), he'd have joined Dreamer & Christian for a 6-man war.

See, the creative team doesn't pay enough attention to people like us. I suggested all the way back in April when Zeke was drafted to ECW that Atlas should work with him, and they could've done some kind of torch-passing after a fashion with Mark Henry after Mark was traded to Raw in July. The Washington-Atlas pairing is another example of poor planning at this level. Zke & Vlad will not last as a team, even under Regal's management, unless they win the tag titles. And that would generate maximum heat, especially if Regal gets the ECW title. Which happens to be a big IF.

A large chunk of the country didn't get to see the Wrestlemania special on Saturday due to sports commitments. Vince realized this, so it was decided to air the UT-HBK video montage on ECW to throw a bone to the viewers that missed out on Saturday. Yes, it came off as a bait & switch, but wasn't the special meant to be a glorified infomercial for the DVD, anyway?

Sheamus-Goldust was pure gold, but not as brutal because of the PG restrictions. Sheamus is now 3-0-1 on ECW vs. 'Dust (Goldie won on Superstars), and has closed the books on the feud. He'll move on to perhaps Hurricane after the Burchill feud ends, or Benjamin. I'd not be surprised, though, if he joins the Roundtable before this is all said & done.

[Mesousa]

So, it was only a music video thingy?

Still sounds sorta interesting.

[LinkG07]

I'm really liking Sheamus. From what I've seen him do in OVW, he really does have skills. I hope he gets his shot at the title in the future, and eventually wins it. But before he can become champion, he has to really do something that will get everyone to despise him, instead of just saying he's claiming ECW and winning every match clean. Right now, the audience is still trying to get used to him.

Funny thing to note: I loved it when some kids in the background yell "Grah!" when Sheamus was attacking Goldust. It was really funny and I thought he'd react to it since it was loud enough for even the camera to pick up.

P.S: The Abraham Washington show is the worst thing to come out of ECW thus far, and its a hole that's only sinking deeper. This is truly garbage.

[The Penguin]

I have to say I was surprised by the format of this show. I thought for sure the Taker-HBK thing meant ECW was short on matches/time this week for some reasons to do with the tapings. All they did was air the segment from The 25th Anniversary Of WrestleMania special on Saturday. I guess it was time filler, but not as much as I would have expected. I'm more confused by it than angry or annoyed.

If you ask me, with last week's backstage segment/forced team-up, Benjamin went from face turn to being involved in a heel-heel spat with Ryder and Shelton's demeanor this week would seem to support that. I thought ECW would be a great move for the Gold Standard, but he seems worse off than ever.

I felt that The Abraham Washington Show needed an announcer/sidekick and I have to admit I was thrilled to see Tony Atlas filling that role. Maybe it was Atlas, but I found myself appreciating this trainwreck of a segment as a trainwreck and kind of enjoyed myself. I felt Tony laughing at moments that didn't fit was part of the joke. Gotham City was certainly safe on Tuesday.

Even as a team, Kozlov & Jackson can't face anyone of consequence (no offense to Mike Tolar & Jim Parks ). I guess that will finally change when they face Christian & Dreamer next week (presumably without the kendo sticks).

I saw some complaints about it last week, but I liked how the Sheamus-Goldust feud played out. The first match looked like a showcase for the new Superstar, but Goldust certainly didn't see it that way even after losing. Unlike a lot of feuds which start with talking that lead to fighting, this one started with a match. The double count-out last week showed how things have escalated since Sheamus was ready to insult Goldust after their first match and was probably capped with this no CT/DQ win.

See, the creative team doesn't pay enough attention to people like us. I suggested all the way back in April when Zeke was drafted to ECW that Atlas should work with him, and they could've done some kind of torch-passing after a fashion with Mark Henry after Mark was traded to Raw in July. The Washington-Atlas pairing is another example of poor planning at this level. Zke & Vlad will not last as a team, even under Regal's management, unless they win the tag titles. And that would generate maximum heat, especially if Regal gets the ECW title. Which happens to be a big IF.

So your suggestion, Mr. "Uncreative" is for WWE to have done the same angle they were doing with Henry-Atlas with Jackson-Atlas. Sounds pretty uncreative to me.

[hobbyfan]

So your suggestion, Mr. "Uncreative" is for WWE to have done the same angle they were doing with Henry-Atlas with Jackson-Atlas. Sounds pretty uncreative to me.

Bzzz! Wrong, Penguin! The thought hit me after I wrote that notation. I recall when Teddy Long, as a heel manager, had D-Lo Brown replaced with Rodney Mack, after Rod was abruptly pulled from Smackdown, where he'd just debuted weeks earlier as then-heel John Cena's new sidekick. This was all the way back in 2003. Six and a half years later, a similar scenario could've played itself out and given Atlas something resembling a personality, something that's been lacking since Tony came in a year ago. From there, Atlas could've been a reasonable mouthpiece for Jackson, who doesn't say much to start with.

[The Penguin]

Bzzz! Wrong, Penguin! The thought hit me after I wrote that notation. I recall when Teddy Long, as a heel manager, had D-Lo Brown replaced with Rodney Mack, after Rod was abruptly pulled from Smackdown, where he'd just debuted weeks earlier as then-heel John Cena's new sidekick. This was all the way back in 2003. Six and a half years later, a similar scenario could've played itself out and given Atlas something resembling a personality, something that's been lacking since Tony came in a year ago. From there, Atlas could've been a reasonable mouthpiece for Jackson, who doesn't say much to start with.

I fail to see how the history lesson makes your idea less of a retread of what had just been done. And when D-Lo disappeared and Mack was brought it, Long carried the weight whereas D-Lo did the heavy lifting before so it wasn't quite the same. Long then used that personality to launch his "Thuggin' and Buggin' Enterprises" which also included Jazz, Mark Henry and even Christopher Nowinski.

[EinBebop]

First Brian Danielson, and now...

Nigel McGuinness has agreed in principle to a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.

Nigel has been a tremendous leader in the Ring of Honor locker room and, without question, a wonderful performer. His merits, both in and out of the ring, are extraordinary and any locker room with Nigel McGuinness in it is better for it. We couldn't be happier for Nigel as he takes the next step in his stellar wrestling career, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Nigel for all he's worked for and through.

Nigel has pledged to fulfill his scheduled Ring of Honor commitments. Please join us in Philadelphia, Boston, and New York as we bid an extremely fond farewell to another member of our family.

Everyone at Ring of Honor is extremely proud to have called both Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson their own; and we looking forward to seeing their stars shine brighter than ever. Like many of the wonderful sons of Ring of Honor that have written new chapters in their wrestling annals, we will look on with a bittersweet smile to the future where we have no doubt that Nigel and Bryan will amaze the masses – just like they've done so many times in Ring of Honor.

With the closing of this chapter a new one opens in Ring of Honor. We now look to an exciting time where new stars will blaze their own paths, while looking back in reverence to those who came before them. Who will seize the opportunity and carry the torch for ROH? We only hope that whoever it is will carry it with the same respect - the same honor - that Bryan and Nigel have.

While I'm a bigger Danielson fan, Nigel is a more total wrestling package that I'm surprised wasn't snatched up three or four years ago.

[Hobbes829]

i think now and onward is a good time for guys to start coming aboard that you wouldn't think vince would be interested in like danielson and nigel. Vince's back is starting to be put up against the wall as his main eventers like hbk, taker and hhh, and even jericho are reaching or in their 40s. Some guys will do better than others but i think more so now than in years past vince is recognizing that he needs more talent. While i agree that Nigel has a better chance of making it, danielson can go far if the bookers accentuate his positives and hide his negatives much like they did with Benoit. Even if they don't reach the main events, both men can contribute a lot if they are promoted properly.

[Condiment King]

I have to agree with Ein. This seems really late for both these guys, and, as a result of their extreme seasoning, they both should probably spend zero time in Florida Championship Wrestling in my opinion. They should probably just debut as new competitors and build from there. I've heard some be critical of how much FCW has helped, at least in comparison to the OVW run by Cornette and later Heyman, and certainly I don't see these two guys picking up much from time there.

Nigel McGuinness is the complete package, and I find myself a bigger Nigel fan than Danielson fan, only because his charisma is great. Nigel was able to pull off in ROH this character that wins clean yet remains a heel because of just how cocky and arrogant he is, as well as how he constantly put down the faces. I really hope these guys stay away from Raw and have good tenures in WWE. I'm really excited at the possibilities.

[hobbyfan]

I have to agree with Ein. This seems really late for both these guys, and, as a result of their extreme seasoning, they both should probably spend zero time in Florida Championship Wrestling in my opinion. They should probably just debut as new competitors and build from there. I've heard some be critical of how much FCW has helped, at least in comparison to the OVW run by Cornette and later Heyman, and certainly I don't see these two guys picking up much from time there.

Nigel McGuinness is the complete package, and I find myself a bigger Nigel fan than Danielson fan, only because his charisma is great. Nigel was able to pull off in ROH this character that wins clean yet remains a heel because of just how cocky and arrogant he is, as well as how he constantly put down the faces. I really hope these guys stay away from Raw and have good tenures in WWE. I'm really excited at the possibilities.

I can see Nigel joining the Ruthless Roundtable after Regal, Kozlov, & Jackson all fail to beat Christian for the ECW title. I think a case can be made that Jackson, the lone American in the group, would finally get a face turn after being dumped in favor of Nigel. This is great news. I think Danielson, on the other hand, could either be ECW bound as well, or would go directly to Smackdown.

[Condiment King]

I can see Nigel joining the Ruthless Roundtable after Regal, Kozlov, & Jackson all fail to beat Christian for the ECW title. I think a case can be made that Jackson, the lone American in the group, would finally get a face turn after being dumped in favor of Nigel. This is great news. I think Danielson, on the other hand, could either be ECW bound as well, or would go directly to Smackdown.

To be honest, Nigel getting lost in the shuffle in a faction on the C-show would feel like such a waste, especially grouping him with the likes of Kozlov.

It's probably best to keep Kozlov & Jackson grouped together so they are out of the way of the good stuff on the show, kinda like how Kane and Khali have been feuding since like July and it sucks but you have to bear it because it could be worse and they could be feuding with someone good individually.

[Jin Kazama]

Didn't Nigel just have a huge, career-threatening injury? I think with him it may be more that he wants to take this chance while he has it, since he may not get it again.

I think he'll be pretty darn big in the WWE. Danielson I'm still on the boat about, but Nigel is much closer to the WWE style or wrestling, and I think can click really well once there. I can easily see him being the next Jack Swagger (big fish in a small pond before moving up to the Big Two).