Chair Shots And Table Spots

After gorging myself while out of state for Thanksgiving, recovering from a bout with a formidable strain of influenza, and trying to digest a rather lackluster and puzzling Survivor Series, I am back with yet another edition of "Chair Shots and Table Spots" to discuss all things ECW with my fellow O-ster's.

With just twenty four hours removed from Survivor Series and six days away from the first and oddly timed ECW brand's pay-per-view, December to Dismember, the most notable development since the last column is the debut of Bobby Lashley. I have spoken in the past about the "cringe factor" of ECW debuts. Who are they going to dump in misfit land this time? Who have the writers given up on most recently? Who are they going to stamp "hardcore" in attempt to get them over in the ECW brand? The most recent answer to these questions is Bobby Lashley.

My reaction to this debut came in layers and it's most easily demonstrated in a time line. When Heyman initially announced it was indeed Hardcore Holly who would be receiving the final spot in the "Extreme Elimination Chamber", I thought it must be a set-up. To choose the most obvious mystery opponent would have been far too WCW/TNA for the E. The question was, who was going to take Holly's spot? We didn't have to wait long for the answer as "SmackDown!"'s Bobby Lashley attacked Holly and took his spot in the Elimination Chamber.

Here's where the timeline comes in. The first layer of reaction was "what the hell is a random 'SmackDown! guy doing in the Elimination Chamber?!". I mean I'm used to guys from the other two brands "invading" ECW television, but to put another non-ECW wrestler in the main event of their first pay-per-view was unforgiveable. And why the hell did they choose Bobby Lashley? Had the writers given up on the seemingly red hot "SmackDown!" superstar? I didn't get it and I didn't like it.

The second layer of reaction came when I realized that Lashley was not a "SmackDown!" superstar at all but indeed the newest "extremist" of ECW. At least it wasn't another attempt to overshadow the ECW locker room by shoving another show's talent on the pay-per-view, but the fact remained that this was Bobby Lashley we were talking about.

Hardcore Holly at least had the word "hardcore" in his name and later lived up to it by suffering a gnarly gash and perservering in one the best matches in the ECW brand's short history.

Rene Dupree and Matt Striker were natural heat magnets because they were so not hardcore. And Test...well...I'm still not sure why they brought in Test. But Bobby Lashley? What could he possibly bring to the proverbial hardcore table?

Then came my third and final layer of reaction.

The third layer of reaction is what I like to call "clarity". I'd like to think that after my rather rash initial reaction, I was able to process the ECW debut of Bobby Lashley in a logical and objective way. Bobby Lashley is legit. In the tradition of Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley has the legit wrestling credentials to be the next megastar.

Is he green? Sure. Lashley is still green as hell, which is exactly why he belongs in ECW. Why should Bobby Lashley be consistently main eventing "SmackDown!" while he is still green as grass and vanilla as ass? (Feel free to use that one guys). He should be in ECW getting hungry. He should be in ECW cutting his teeth as a believable and legit unstoppable force. It's no secret the E planned on building the ECW brand around Kurt Angle and his brand of shoot styled professional wrestling. Guys like CM Punk, Sylvester Terkay, Elijah Burke and Tazz all perpetuate that same shoot style. It's time for Bobby Lashley to wipe the slate clean and live up to the hype. It's time that Bobby Lashley realizes his potential in ECW.

As for Survivor Series, I'll save my comments for a future column. I'd be remissed, however, for not mentioning the thunderous response CM Punk received during DX's opening schtick. Triple H was seemingly flustered as Punk stole some of his thunder before posing the question, "Are you ready?".

In the single most important moment in CM Punk's short career in the E, Triple H handed him the mic. In my mind, that rub was the launching pad that took CM Punk to the next level in his WWE career. I called it months ago; it's only a matter of time before CM Punk gets too big for ECW. I just hope he elevates the brand with him before he moves on to a bigger pond.

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