CHRISTMAS WISHES FOR THE SUPERSTARS OF ECW
By Doug Brown on 12/21/2008 10:16 AM
Welcome to the final part of this column where I have been sending out Christmas wishes to our favorite WWE Superstars. This time, we will discuss the superstars of Extreme Championship Wrestling. The brand was close to being extinct during the first part of the year, but since the draft, things have gotten very interesting. With Matt Hardy, Mark Henry, Finlay, Evan Bourne, John Morrison, the Miz, Chavo Guerrero, and Jack Swagger, they have built themselves a pretty good nucleus of talent, which is something ECW had been lacking. As always with the wishes, some will be serious, and others are just for fun.
ECW: A contract renewal with Sci-Fi. After getting renewals following the lousy years, they should definitely get one after having a good year. ECW has become a fun show to watch, and most weeks has more wrestling in its one hour than Raw and Smackdown do in their two hours. With the nucleus of talent that I mentioned above, WWE Creative has a chance to really let the brand grow this coming year.
Teddy Long: No more dorky costumes. Dude, what was with the elf gear? He's the only general manager character that I actually like, but when they do things like that, it is as if they are trying to screw that up for me. Leave Teddy alone. He is everything a general manager character should be. Teddy makes the matches, and let's the wrestlers wrestle.
The New Superstar Initiative: Vignettes to set up debuts. I have no problem with the Initiative. It's a great idea to have the new guys get their feet wet in ECW. The problem is that they are throwing these newcomers out there with no buildup. I still have yet to figure out if D.J. Gabriel is supposed to be a babyface or a heel. Vignettes are a good way to let the superstars sell themselves to the audience.
Matt Hardy: A full time return to either Raw or Smackdown. I know this contradicts everything I just said about building up the ECW brand, but in this instance, I am looking at only the individual. Matt is one of the most popular guys, and most talented guys in the company right now. ECW, while it has shown a large amount of improvement, is still the #3 brand. Hardy should be on one of the bigger shows where he can be showcased to a larger audience. Both Hardys are extremely hot right now, and WWE should cash in while they can.
Finlay: An ECW Title run. Finlay showed himself to be true professional when drafted to ECW back in June. The Fighting Irishman has become one of the leaders on the brand, and the younger guys are benefitting from his years of experience. While Finlay doesn't need the ECW Title to be over, it would be a nice token of appreciation.
Hornswoggle: A dream match with Super Porky. I've got no problem with Hornswoggle wrestling, but at least put him against guys he can actually fight.
Evan Bourne: The spotlight. When this kid returns, watch out. Bourne is something special. With his size, I thought he would not get an opportunity to succeed, but he has proved me gladly wrong. Bourne is the future of the company, and that shooting star press is a thing of beauty.
Tommy Dreamer: Respect. There is probably nobody on the ECW Brand that works harder, and yet is more underappreciated than Dreamer. WWE Creative has tried to bury him as much as possible, but yet he still gets one of the loudest responses on the program. In this feud with Jack Swagger, Tommy has proven that he can still hang with the younger guys. As the last of the ECW Originals, he should be treated as something special, and not be just a job guy.
D.J. Gabriel and Alicia Fox: A new gimmick. They come across like contestants on "Dancing With the Stars." Someone should remind WWE that their target audience is men, and 99% of men only watch "Dancing With the Stars," because their wives or girlfriends force them.
The Boogeyman: His own show on Sci-Fi. How much more fun would "Chase" be with the Boogeyman running after the contestants? Or how about on "Ghost Hunters", one of them opens a closet, and he pops out at them? He could even take over for Tracy Morgan on "Scare Tactics." (How does Tracy Morgan keep getting work?)
Ricky Ortiz: A heel turn. When he comes out the crowd goes mild. Now that he's lost two in row to Jack Swagger, Ortiz is no longer undefeated, which takes away the only special thing about him besides the Carlito hairdo. Since the fans just do not seem to be into him as a babyface, maybe he might find his niche as a heel.
Mark Henry: Another ECW Title run. Many were cringing at the thought of Mark Henry being on ECW, but he actually seems to have found himself. Henry had a dominant first run with the belt, and his pairing with Hall of Famer Tony Atlas has worked like a charm.
John Morrison and the Miz: A Shane Douglas moment. They are the best tag team in WWE right now. Here's my plan, do a storyline where their ECW contracts are coming to an end, and all three general managers are competing for their services. Stephanie offers to give them a better push as the tag team champions on Raw, Vickie offers to strip the Colons and just give them the belts on Smackdown, and Teddy offers them brand new ECW Tag Team Title belts to stay put. Morrison tosses the Raw belts down, Miz tosses the Smackdown belts down, and they both hold up the ECW belts. This is a way to bring back some of that rebel attitude.
Jack Swagger: For Creative to take their time with him. They have something special with Swagger. I didn't see it at first, but he has been winning me over each week. I think it is too soon to put him in there with Matt Hardy for the ECW Title, but I would continue to build him towards that goal. There have been guys that they pushed too fast and ended up ruining them, and I don't want to see that happen here.
Chavo Guerrero: A face turn and a Hall of Fame presentation for Grandpa Gory this year. It seems like a natural progression that Chavo is going to eventually get sick of Edge and Vickie abusing him and turn face. It would be perfect to do this right around Wrestlemania. Gory Guerrero was a great influence on the Lucha Libre, promoted wrestling in El Paso, and had four sons and a grandson that all became wrestlers. I think its a presentation Chavo would be very happy to give.
Bam Neely: A split from La Familia. Before disappearing, they were having some tension between Chavo and Bam, and the fans were getting behind the big guy. Maybe it was because he was finally showing signs of a personality. Maybe he needs to strike out on his own. If Tomko does not get booted out, they would make a good tag team.
Gavin Spears: A win. He comes out and proclaims himself "the Crown Jewel of the New Superstar Initiative," then loses every match that he's in. Well, you know losing streaks work just so well at getting a guy over. Just ask MVP.
Todd Grisham and Matt Striker: Free reign. They have done a good job, and have meshed well as a broadcast duo. Striker is especially giving Tazz a run for best color commentator in the company. While J.R. and Tazz are really the best announce team, Grisham and Striker are a solid #2, and Cole and Lawler are a distant #3. Now, if they would just quit overproducing the announce teams, and just let them call the action.
