Tha TNE Throwaway

I love it! When I first took on this weekly contribution, I knew going in with the idea that I would be fighting an uphill battle of sorts. Since ECW's re-inception last June, the general concensus among wrestling fans, marks and smarks alike, was that it was going to tank harder than The Condemned.

Plus, with Bobby Lashley as champ...trying to make this article even worth clicking on was going to be more painful than a 24/7 loop of Timbaland's new music video.

Fast-forward the clock a few months, and "O" how the table's have turned! In one hour, ECW is delivering more entertainment than "Raw" has in the past month. To top it all off, Lashley is working the most drawn out, boring-ass storyline in years... on "Raw"!

Matt Striker delivered more O's last night (a full count of two), in a four minute match with Brett Major, than either of the latest "Raw" or "SmackDown!" shows. And that's not me being a mark for the dude, if you don't believe me...watch the show and see for yourself.

Nice suplexes, good psychology, and two dope NEW moves: The "Golden Rule" and that modified/inverted swinging neck-breaker. Sure, they're not Canadian Destroyers from the top, but at least it's not another "modified" spear.

Speaking of modified spears, have I mentioned that I mark hard for the "POUNCE!!!"? I especially love it when CM Punk gets hit with it. Not that I dislike Punk, but he takes and sells that shit like a champ.

If you didn't see it, the main event was Rob Van Dam & Punk VS. Marcus Cor Von & Elijah Burke. Great match, with a few nice bumps and nice build-ups for the "hot tag". What I really liked about this match (and the show in general) was the fact that it actually gave MCV some real camera time. I think Marcus Cor Von is a fine wrestler with loads of charisma, and I think a lot of Tha O-sters out there would agree.

O, here's something to chew on... RVD's WWE career (for the time being) will more than likely be "ended" by Snitsky, probably at One Night Stand.

Sorry, I don't feel like putting Snitsky over this week. He's getting slightly more interesting and developing a little more character...but it still sucks. If you didn't tune in, he squashed Tommy Dreamer.

To go off on a little tangent here I just want to let it out that Tommy Dreamer is so damn good for this business...he's a real trooper. By mid-summer, Dreamer will be the last remaining, high profile, EC-dub Original left on The New ECW (see it abbreviates to TNE as well) and I couldn't be happier.

Talk about a mind and passion for this business. Everyone in the locker room speaks so highly of Dreamer whether they are currently in or out of WWE. Thanks, in part to him, this ECW show might actually be able to "compete" with "Raw" and "SmackDown!" someday.

I know this might not go over well, but I'm gonna say it anyways. Sure, Shelly "Ariel" Martinez wasn't with him this week, but I was honestly into Kevin Thorn's match. Yeah, he's not the greatest wrestler, but he has a presence. He's mobile, and he has a pretty sick moveset (namely the "Dark Kiss"), and for a big guy that's all I really look for. If Snitsky could deliver what Thorn does, then maybe people would give a shit about him.

Before I wrap things up, I'd like to make a call out there to all Tha O-sters and random contributors. Next week, I will not be able to view the ECW broadcast, so if anyone would like to take the reigns for a week then drop me an e-mail or just get in touch with Dan-e-o or Big Daddy Donnie.

Share |