ECW on SciFi, December 2, 2008

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Was wondering when they were going to have Swagger vs. Ortiz.

 

I think they should have waited until Ortiz beat someone that's a bigger name than his usual first, but that's just me.

[Exslade ZX 0]

Was wondering when they were going to have Swagger vs. Ortiz.

 

I think they should have waited until Ortiz beat someone that's a bigger name than his usual first, but that's just me.

I don't think ECW has any big name heels that he could face..

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Was wondering when they were going to have Swagger vs. Ortiz.

 

I think they should have waited until Ortiz beat someone that's a bigger name than his usual first, but that's just me.

I don't think ECW has any big name heels that he could face..

Mark Henry.

[Exslade ZX 0]

Was wondering when they were going to have Swagger vs. Ortiz.

 

I think they should have waited until Ortiz beat someone that's a bigger name than his usual first, but that's just me.

I don't think ECW has any big name heels that he could face..

Mark Henry.

*and beat.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

I do like that they remember Long signed MVP back in the day.

 

...I miss Finlay's previous theme.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

ECW has been shit basically ever since they started getting taped before Raw. Did they switch writers with that move? At least some of the talent was shared in their direction this week.

 

Why am I supposed to care about Swagger against Ortiz and another DJ Gabriel squash? They all should have midcard vets to work with and it's not like the wwe doesn't have a lot of those doing nothing right now.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

ECW has been shit basically ever since they started getting taped before Raw. Did they switch writers with that move?

 

...What.

 

ECW's the most consistently good show week in week out.

 

Good solid wrestling. Storylines that make sense. Rising up and comers. What more could you want?

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

An expended roster would be a good start.

 

Let's look at their roster -

 

Bam Neely - bland and where is he?

Boogeyman - pfft

Chavo - played out and where is he?

DJ Gabriel - jury is out, could be solid.

Evan Bourne - Injured, but was being poached by Raw

Finlay - Sucks with Hornswoggle and cheating to win every match

Gavin Spears - bland as hell and only worked two matches

Jack Swagger - I really like him, but has no competition

John Morrison - Works all three brands, no tag teams on ECW to face

Mark Henry - Bad Ass, but needs a bigger roster.

Matt Hardy - I never really liked the guy, but admit he is a top guy here

Ricky Ortiz - forced charisma, can't work worth a damn

The Miz - works all three brands, no tag competition on ECW

Tommy Dreamer - offers nothing anymore

 

That's it - their whole roster. 14 wrestlers, though with Bam, Chavo, Boogeyman, Bourne and Spears MIA, it's closer to an active roster of NINE. Not very compelling to say the least.

[Exslade ZX 0]

An expended roster would be a good start.

 

Let's look at their roster -

 

Bam Neely - bland and where is he?

Boogeyman - pfft

Chavo - played out and where is he?

DJ Gabriel - jury is out, could be solid.

Evan Bourne - Injured, but was being poached by Raw

Finlay - Sucks with Hornswoggle and cheating to win every match

Gavin Spears - bland as hell and only worked two matches

Jack Swagger - I really like him, but has no competition

John Morrison - Works all three brands, no tag teams on ECW to face

Mark Henry - Bad Ass, but needs a bigger roster.

Matt Hardy - I never really liked the guy, but admit he is a top guy here

Ricky Ortiz - forced charisma, can't work worth a damn

The Miz - works all three brands, no tag competition on ECW

Tommy Dreamer - offers nothing anymore

 

That's it - their whole roster. 14 wrestlers, though with Bam, Chavo, Boogeyman, Bourne and Spears MIA, it's closer to an active roster of NINE. Not very compelling to say the least.

And that's the whole point of ECW right there. Now, in a few months, I'm sure he'll be moved to RAW or Smackdown, and because of ECW he'll already have a bit of a fanbase, or at least those who know he is. The same way they've done with Bourne, Kofi, Punk, hell Miz could be included in that category as well. And after Swagger moves up, the cycle'll start again. ECW is a glorified training ground at this point. I expect Gabriel to go through the same process.

 

Now whether you think it's shit or not is an opinion of course, but IMO as mentioned, ECW tends to deliver pretty good matches, usually at least one or show. With your occasional squash match to build new stars. 2 things you don't always necessarily get on the top two shows.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

Gabriel and Alicia Foxx did the Thriller routine for his pre-match dance last night. So much for looking forward to that - I guess it loses something because the wwe can't afford the music rights.

 

Gabriel needs to move up the food chain from squash matches - Does he fight Dreamer next? Other than that the only two other faces are Finlay and Matt Hardy. I still think Finlay vs Gabriel would be a decent enough feud, involving Foxx and Hornswoggle of course. Maybe bring over D'Lo Brown to give him something to do.

 

 

[King Cucaracha 0]

Jack Swagger - I really like him, but has no competition

Ricky Ortiz - forced charisma, can't work worth a damn

 

Wait, Ortiz has forced charisma, yet the guy who manages to make smiling look fake let alone anything else wrestling related is okay?

 

Oy.

[TheFranchise 0]

I don't know KC.. Ortiz's charisma to me just screams forced.

 

Ortiz to me offers absolutely nothing. While watching ECW this week, I was actually worried they'd put Ortiz over Swagger. I was very relieved when he didn't win.

 

I see Swagger going places.

[Scroby 0]

ECW has been shit basically ever since they started getting taped before Raw. Did they switch writers with that move? At least some of the talent was shared in their direction this week.

 

Why am I supposed to care about Swagger against Ortiz and another DJ Gabriel squash? They all should have midcard vets to work with and it's not like the wwe doesn't have a lot of those doing nothing right now.

It's taped before Raw now? When did that happen?

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

And that's the whole point of ECW right there. Now, in a few months, I'm sure he'll be moved to RAW or Smackdown, and because of ECW he'll already have a bit of a fanbase, or at least those who know he is. The same way they've done with Bourne, Kofi, Punk, hell Miz could be included in that category as well. And after Swagger moves up, the cycle'll start again. ECW is a glorified training ground at this point. I expect Gabriel to go through the same process.

 

Now whether you think it's shit or not is an opinion of course, but IMO as mentioned, ECW tends to deliver pretty good matches, usually at least one or show. With your occasional squash match to build new stars. 2 things you don't always necessarily get on the top two shows.

 

I get that ecw is a developmental for the most part, however my point with "no competition" is that wwe should send some of their midcarders there to expand the roster - guys like Haas, D'Lo Brown, Goldust, Noble, Burchill, Jimmy Yang, Braddock, and Goldman.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

As far as Ortiz's charisma...he seemed more natural and charismatic when he was on "Cha$e" recently.

[King Cucaracha 0]

I don't know KC.. Ortiz's charisma to me just screams forced.

 

Ortiz to me offers absolutely nothing. While watching ECW this week, I was actually worried they'd put Ortiz over Swagger. I was very relieved when he didn't win.

 

I see Swagger going places.

 

He's clearly somebody's pet project, so he'll go places whether he should or not.

 

Personally, I can't get into his matches at all. All he's got are a few amateur takedowns. Everything else completely throws me out of suspending my disbelief. It's the smile, the expressions as a whole, that hilarious attempt at looking INTENSE~! by beating his chest he's started doing, the indy singlet, the Doctor Bomb. I don't know if it's just a case of him being miscast or that he's just not ready, but I absolutely can't buy him so far.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

Swagger seems to have something in his mouth - I know he had a slight lisp before, but now it's rather pronounced. Does he have braces or something? Could they be trying to correct his lisp with some sort of mouth gear? And Swaggers smile is supposed to be forced - he's the All-American American, and yet a heel. I do think he could really use a old timey manager type. Like Heenan, Cornette or Hart from back in the day...

 

Ortiz just looks like a guy playing what he thinks a wrestler should be (if that makes any sense). He has the big hair, big tattoo and the strutting and antics, but it just looks phony - like he's trying to hard to be "that guy". He doesn't have nearly the charisma he thinks he has - he's probably been told that he's the funny, charismatic guy by his mother his whole life that he believes it to be the case. A heel turn could work for him though. But that brings me to my next point -

 

Swagger can bring it in the ring, Ortiz is limited there as well.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

It's taped before Raw now? When did that happen?

 

The last 4-5 shows.

[cabbageboy 0]

I recall Swagger when he was in OVW and he didn't do much for me, but he was just doing a bland Oklahoma wrestler gimmick and not much else. His current work on ECW is quite a bit more impressive. Liked his hardcore match with Dreamer.

[garfieldsnose 0]

Ortiz just looks like a guy playing what he thinks a wrestler should be (if that makes any sense).

 

 

I read on some site a month or two ago that Ortiz's gimmick is going to be exactly what you said. I believe the article said the creative team realizes he's got not a lot to offer, so why they use this as a gimmick and keep him on TV is beyond me.