Hawk 34

Did they really have to put Elijah in this spot? James Curtis or Guido would have sufficed.

I'm kind of curious to see the rigging they'll use for MITB since it'll be outdoors. I'm guessing they'll use the lighting rig above the ring to hang the briefcase. Correct.

Yep, especially when they could have kept Chavo-Punk going. Here is who I reckon will partake in the battle royal ECW: Balls, BDV, Burke, Morrison, Miz, Kingston, Knox, Richards, Dreamer, Delaney Smackdown: Palumbo, Hawkins, Ryder, Festus, Jesse, Noble, Henry, Khali Raw: Burchil, Cade, Murdoch, Haas, Santino and Duggan/Val/Crazy/Smith I'd imagine Kane and Cody Rhodes would make it in there... and probably Hardcore Holly. Well, I still think Kane has a spot in the MITB. I'm not all that concerned about who will make up the Khali fodder for the match. You could mix any name around as long as the important names are in. Actually, they need a "name" face and that might have to be Kane. If it wasn't Punk-BDV tonight, I'd almost say have Punk in the battle royal to play Melenko to Chavo's Jericho.

Yep, especially when they could have kept Chavo-Punk going. Here is who I reckon will partake in the battle royal ECW: Balls, BDV, Burke, Morrison, Miz, Kingston, Knox, Richards, Dreamer, Delaney Smackdown: Palumbo, Hawkins, Ryder, Festus, Jesse, Noble, Henry, Khali Raw: Burchil, Cade, Murdoch, Haas, Santino and Duggan/Val/Crazy/Smith

I wouldn't call it fantastic, but it was fun.

My take on tonight's show by performence Brooke Chikezie Carly David C. Amanda Syesha Michael Jason Ramiele David A. Kristy Lee David H. Should be out: David H (I don’t think he has anything at all to offer) Will be Out: David H (David A's fanbase isn't giving up yet, Kristy has a big niche and her looks might help for this week)

I really don't like that idea at all. It's no different from that idiotic Russo booking with the tag titles at WM15.

Yeah its Triple H's fault Jeff is a junkie. That's not what I said at all, jackass. That clearly implies that Triple H is the reason Jeff went back to being a junkie. Or are you insinuating that Triple H switched piss cups with Jeff? I'm saying I don't think Jeff Hardy appreciated having to take a crazy bump only to see his push die immediately and have his spot taken over by Triple H. I'm not saying that to bash Triple H. I would have used any other person's name in there if that's what the situation warranted. What is your wedgie about this? Jeff has been taking that bump for years, long before the prospect of a main event title run was ever a realistic possibility. That point has absolutely zero validity. Jeff didn't resume a drug habit because he was supposedly held down. Jeff made yet another stupid mistake in a very long line of them. It won't be the last time he does something stupid, either.

Remember that they will be showing this across the country via ESPN and other main stream outlets and presumably for posterity, using a briefcase wouldn't really look impressive.

Remember, Mayweather is only there for that night. Having a realistic alliance wouldn't be a important factor as long as the attacker makes it clear he did it for the money and that would kick start that feud with Show after WM. It's MORE likely that someone who isn't the "highest paid athlete on Smackdown" would make an attempt for attention and money by aligning with Mayweather. Kennedy is more suited for that but Kennedy screws everything up, I'd rather someone else get that spot.

I only said it was going to be a probable finish, not the entire thing. MVP might be too obvious. It could be a chance to give someone a big push.

I'd like to think they could be taught how to run around the ring and Mayweather can be scrict about these guys trying to test them again. They don't actually have to exchange blows. Perhaps throwing a couple indy/development guys in there to take a couple punches from the wrestlers would be doable.

Legit. He has already been taken off the MitB match.

They weren't going to waste something that could still be a big event match down the road on a Raw, especially when either could go over the other. Henry/UT, HHH/Kane served well enough to the purposes needed.

As far as the possible finish, does anyone expect to see each "posse" at ringside and a brawl similar to last night erupts and during the whole thing, another wrestler sneaks in and hits TBS with a chair or his finisher, allowing Mayweather to crawl in for a cheap win and reveals the wrestler went for a money grab over the respect of his peers? This way TBS doesn't outright lose his credibility, Mayweather looks dirty, and it easily sets up something for TBS beyond Mayweather. I'm not sure who that guy could be, though.

The first week should've been players choice since they eliminated that from the opening round.

I doubt it will happen, but it would make for a nice little side story to Edge/UT if Kane got to take on Chavo. Is it worth wasting time on a big stage for match that'll have two weeks of build and no heat at all because it's kinda cute? The only opportunity for the ECW Title to be defended was a blow-off match for Punk/Chavo in a gimmick like 2/3 falls. Good point. Still, the WWE has a habit of trying to get as many people involved in the show as possible so they can get a Wrestlemania pay-day. You've got pretty established people like Kane, Chavo, Khali, Henry, and some others still without something to do. Henry has been jobbed left and right. Chavo can get an appearence during the show like I said with the Rmy and people like Khali can be used in the usual comedy backstage skit. They still have the pre-show battle royal as well.

I doubt it will happen, but it would make for a nice little side story to Edge/UT if Kane got to take on Chavo. Is it worth wasting time on a big stage for match that'll have two weeks of build and no heat at all because it's kinda cute? The only opportunity for the ECW Title to be defended was a blow-off match for Punk/Chavo in a gimmick like 2/3 falls.

Chavo likely doesn't make the show at all outside of being ringside for Edge with the Rmy and Vickie. In fact, to save face, they should have Vicki "pull" Chavo from WM. Maybe UT can take him out on friday as a "message" to Edge which would explain his absence. Even if Punk is completely the dog-house, he'll still get a spot on the show. Carlito was supposedly in the doghouse last fall and he managed to get a ppv spot with HHH.

Unfortunate events like sticking his own feet in his mouth?

ZOMG BERRIED~! For what it's worth, it was a decent match for it's length. If Punk got "BERRIED~!", I doubt I'd care much. I'm kind of apathetic towards the kid, but he is probably one of the most over guys on the roster, and is a tremendous worker when he wants too be. I don't like seeing him lose so much. Punk is a kid?

"Don't forget to buy my new book, out in store shelves next week at all bookstores" Eventhough it'll suck like all the rest, since my 1st two. Oh shit, Punk...How? They were both in MITB last year. It works.

He can just appear on the show, not neccesarily in a match.

Orton should call in El Matador for Shawn.

I thought the comparison between Elimination Chamber and the oft-desired return of War Games was spot on. Nothing can duplicate the quality that those matches produced before they became sterilized. Independent promotions and TNA have attempted to duplicate it but ultimately failed. WWE was wise to create a unique gimmick of its own here and it works for the most part. Like most things in life, especially in the professional wrestling business, it has flaws. I’d like to offer my brief review/opinions on each match and then answer the supplied questions. Let’s start off at the beginning, when this concept was unclear. It was essential to have a good combination of talent to properly execute such a strange concept and they succeeded with Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Jericho, RVD, Booker T and Kane. This had the difficult task of replacing the always popular survivor series match up but the spectacle and novelty of it made up for its absence. Shawn going over was a good and memorable moment, so it helped begin the legacy of the Elimination Chamber. As good as that legacy was built by Shawn’s victory; it was nearly destroyed in full by the horrible booking of the Summer Slam 2003 version. Goldberg marching through the ring and dominating was the right idea. Triple H taking him out despite a very noticeable and affecting injury with very little effort was a near disaster. This effectively killed Goldberg in WWE, which was probably the intended direction but if that was the case, it didn’t need to be done in the EC. However, this wasn’t the worst example and we’ll return to it. The quality and importance of the Elimination Chamber was revived with the NYR event that some people inaccurately believe was won by Batista. Believe it or not, Triple H actually won that in a sneaky and downright brilliant tactic to gain a notch on his march to 16 without losing the title at all. The lone negative of this match was that Benoit and Edge, the impetus for the match were swiftly eliminated. The in-ring stuff was top-notch at this point for this concept match. The following event which took a year later was the least suspenseful and star loaded to that point. It involved Carlito and Chris Masters and not only that, they were the runner-ups. This entire spectacle is noteworthy for one reason and that was Edge ushering in another WWE gimmick creation, the MITB contract, to figuratively “steal” the title from John Cena. This has become a staple of Edge’s career. The absolute worst EC match from involved talent, booking, match quality and importance is the EXTREME edition of it. All the barbed-wired bats, chairs, crowbars and tables couldn’t save this atrocity. The supposedly planned set-up from Paul Heyman for this match could have been something special but in a classic misfire from Vince McMahon, they went a total different way. There was not one redeemable moment in this match aside from the tease of RVD-CM Punk, which has yet to occur and probably never will. After a considerable hiatus, the EC returned,not with just one match but two. The change was that a title wasn’t on the line but rather a shot at the title. Something that was considered controversial in some parts as it’s believed that it takes away from the value of the Royal Rumble victory. Each match was separated by brands and the first match of the night was the one with a rough cast. The match didn’t do much aside from a thoroughly satisfying finish from Batista and Undertaker who continued to show good chemistry with each other. The rest of the match, aside from the short moments with MVP and Undertaker, was largely forgettable. The follow-up and main event of that card was for the Raw brand. This had more intrigue as the winner was still debatable in the minds of some viewers between HHH and Jeff Hardy. Naturally, the finish saw those two at the end. This was a much better EC match across the board and one of the better ones yet. Triple H won his 3rd EC chamber and can now effectively claim this as his match. 1. What was your favorite EC match? I would be hesitant to claim this as the “best” but I do believe my favorite edition of this match was the original. Maybe it’s the aforementioned memorable moment of Shawn's victory or the novelty of being the first match that still resonates over the others. 2. What was your favorite spot from an EC match? I enjoyed a good deal of the acrobatics that RVD displayed despite the limited range but ironically, it was the least acrobatic spot that stood out. The frog splash onto HHH in the inaugural match was, like Dandy claimed, gruesome. An honorable mention goes to Umaga and his double Samoan Drop at the most recent event as well as the UT/Batista tombstone reversal finish. 3. What spot have you thought of that would be great in the EC? I don’t know if I’m creative enough to conjure up something original but I would like to see someone hang like Spider-Man onto the top/side of the chain fence for an extended period of time as a measure of defense/escape but that’s been done to a certain extent. 4. Should this match be done less often, more often, or as is? I’m fine with it as an annual event at this point although the initial matches were based off feuds that spawned six people that could only end with that gimmick but if it allows a smaller show to have a marketable gimmick like the Rumble or Cyber Sunday, then by all means, make it an annual occurrence. I don’t believe it should be done at No Way Out, however. I think it’d be a good bookend to the Rumble as the final event of the PPV year at Armageddon, another event that often goes under the radar by fans since it’s sandwiched between Series and Rumble. 5. Should the match be reserved for title matches/contender matches? I think it’s probably more suited for a title shot purpose right now, especially if it leads to a title shot at the Rumble.