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Looking at ECW 10/21/2009

Date Added: October 21, 2009
Story By: Keith Lehtinen

Greetings my fellow WWE (and possibly TNA) fans. Given the departure of the fabulous Linda Robin, I have decided to step up and provide each and every one of you with my personal critiques of this entertainment source that we all love so much. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. Hopefully I will get an article out for each show WWE hosts and I might even manage a few IMPACT reviews as well. So let's dive right in with what was a great ECW overall.

Opening the show was Abraham Washington and Tony Atlas. It has taken me a while to warm up to Abe, but I'm starting to get it. Maybe it's the influence of Tony Atlas, but this is much more entertaining to me now. Regardless, Abe and Tony didn't get much time on screen before being interrupted by the number one heel in the WWE (other than Vickie Guerrero), Chris Jericho. We had a few nice moments of mic work before Chris Jericho started towards Tiffany's office and we were treated to our first match of the night.

Number One Contender's Match
Yoshi Tatsu vs. Zack Ryder

This match is a great example of my favorite thing about ECW. Young talent that would just be buried on the other two shows get a chance to show off what they can do. Case in point, the energetic and explosive Yoshi Tatsu and the increasingly entertaining Zack Ryder. Yoshi has had some big moments since coming to ECW, including a quick victory over, arguably, the most physically gifted person in the WWE, Shelton Benjamin. Zack Ryder, meanwhile, floundered as a member of Edge's family for a long time on Smackdown. After his split with then partner Curt Hawkins, he has came to ECW and made a mark for himself. He wrestles very intelligently and, best of all, it's getting harder and harder to hate his gimmick. It's just plain funny.

I love that Yoshi came up with the victory, but again, either of them could have won that match and I would be happy. The wrestling itself was solid and the crowd seemed to really get behind our new number one contender.

Immediately following the match we were taken back to the General Manager's office. Tiffany asserted herself as a competent and strong-willed GM by denying Jericho usage of ECW talent for Sunday. Shortly afterwards they encounter each other again, this time with Regal's Round Table present. Tiffany again defended her position and, for good measure, threw Jericho in a match with Christian later that night. All those involved sold this bit very well and the combined heel experience of Regal and Jericho practically made the segment ooze with arrogance. I got excited thinking about the match later that night because I am a huge fan of both Christian and Jericho.

Unceremonious Squash Match
Sheamus vs. J.T. Quinn

Of course, young J.T. Quinn never stood a chance in this match. However, much like a young Mikey Whipwreck, he had terrific sympathy. The way he took bumps, I just wanted it to be over for him. After a severe beating that Sheamus refused to end, Shelton Benjamin came out to stop it personally.

I love Shelton Benjamin and I think he might be the best pure WWE athlete of the decade. His brawl with Sheamus was well received and we were left with a Sheamus DQ victory and a triumphant Shelton Benjamin standing in the ring. I can't wait until these two have a significant match and we get to see all of this build-up released. Kudos to the booking team on this feud, you have me hooked.

After the next commercial break we are treated to another pair of great talents. Paul Burchill and his "sister" Katie Lea made their way to the ring. I couldn't wait to see what he had to say because I have been loving this feud. I really like the clash of styles with the roughneck and violent style of Burchill clashing with the high-flying and crowd-pleasing Hurricane. And besides, Katie Lea is gorgeous. I mean, look at her.

Of course, I'm happy with how the segment played out. The two of them will keep clashing and the Hurricane got the upper hand this time. I would love to see Rosa Mendes get involved with this. With Mighty Molly and Rosie both out of the WWE, the Hurricane needs a new sidekick.

Main Event - Non Title
Chris Jericho vs. Christian

These two delivered a match that outshone any of those on Raw. Both are consummate performers and anytime either of them are in the ring my interest is piqued. There really isn't anything else to say about this match, it was just excellent. I did like Christian getting the clean win. They are really showing faith in him, allowing him to take on all comers and win out in the end.

As I said, overall it was a great show. Because ECW is able to operate outside of most of the normal politics of Raw or Smackdown, the show has a chance to be fresh, original, and enjoyable. I personally can't wait for next week's episode or for this week's Smackdown to see how it stands up. I'll see you, my adoring public, Friday night. Until then remember, in the eternal words of Jim Ross . . .

The World is Watching.

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