A LOOK AT THE ECW ROSTER AND THEIR CHANCES OF MAKING THE WWE HALL OF FAME
By Doug Brown on 3/29/2007 11:28 AM
Welcome to the fifth and final column in this series leading up to the Hall of Fame inductions on Saturday night. The ECW roster may be the most difficult to determine categories for, because when it comes to those three letters fans have varying opinions. There are the hardcore followers that believe that the original ECW was the greatest wrestling organization ever. There are also those who believe it to be a niche promotion that mainly ran in bingo halls, whose emphasis was more on the violence than it was the wrestling. The current incarnation of ECW that is seen on Tuesday nights on the Sci-Fi, has been the subject of much controversy over the past year, because instead of it being like the original ECW, it is a third WWE brand, with very little difference in presentation from Raw or Smackdown.
In creating this column, I have come up with a new category, "If There is an ECW Wing." What this simply means is that if the inductions were based on their ECW accomplishments, they would be in the Hall of Fame.
LOCKS:
ROB VAN DAM
Title History: 1 WWE Title, 1 WWE Tag Team Title, 2 World Tag Team Titles, 6 WWE Intercontinental Titles, 1 WWE European Title, 4 WWE Hardcore Titles, 1 ECW World Heavyweight Title, 2 ECW World Tag Team Titles, and 1 ECW World Television Title
Summary: Since the original ECW folded in 2001, there is no other star from that organization that has made a bigger name for himself than Rob Van Dam. He got the biggest win of his career last year by defeating John Cena to become the WWE Champion, an honor that many felt was long overdue. Van Dam has fought many of the WWE's best with victories over former champions the Rock, Steve Austin, and Kurt Angle. He's also taken Triple H and the Undertaker to the limit. Despite some losses to lesser opponents, Van Dam has remained one of the most popular guys in the entire company. As long as the ECW brand is around, you can bet Van Dam will be right there in the mix. If he can stay out of trouble, another run with the ECW World Title is not out of the question.
TAZZ
Title History: 1 WWE Tag Team Title, 3 WWE Hardcore Titles, 2 ECW World Heavyweight Titles, 3 ECW World Tag Team Titles, and 2 ECW World Television Titles
Summary: Sadly, Tazz's induction will be more based on his time as a color commentator on Smackdown and ECW than it will be as a wrestler. The Human Suplex Machine made a name for himself in ECW. One moment that will always stick out in my mind is the match in which he and the late Bam Bam Bigelow crashed through ring. Tazz burst onto the WWE scene with a victory over Kurt Angle in his first match. However, because of his size, his push would not last very long. A neck injury would eventually take him out of in-ring competition permanently. Tazz has since made the transition from wrestler to broadcaster. His quick wit and insights have made him in my view the best analyst in WWE today. When Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler eventually retire, I think their spots on Raw should go to Joey Styles and Tazz.
LIKELY
BOBBY LASHLEY
Title History: 1 WWE United States Title and 1 ECW World Heavyweight Title
Summary: With the push towards Wrestlemania, Vince McMahon has been doing his best to try and get Lashley over as a major babyface. I'm guessing the hope is that they can build the ECW brand around him, much like they've done with John Cena on Raw, and Batista on Smackdown. Lashley has a lot of upside. He's big, strong, agile, he can be lead to good matches by the seasoned veterans, and has that amateur background that so many other greats have had. The drawbacks are that Lashley is still lacking in experience, and he is not very good with his promos. Lashley started off on Smackdown, and gained valuable experience working with great veterans like King Booker, William Regal, and Fit Finlay. The problem with the transition to ECW is that there is no one on that roster that really can help him continue with the learning process. Many of the hardcore fans were upset with him winning the elimination chamber at December to Dismember. While it may have been to soon to put the title on him, Lashley has stayed positive and is winning some fans over. While Lashley is with ECW now, I think eventually he will wind up back on Smackdown, or be shifted to Raw.
HARDCORE HOLLY
Title: 2 WWE Tag Team Titles, 6 WWE Hardcore Titles, and 1 NWA World Tag Team Title
Summary: Holly is one of those guys that has been around seemingly forever. After surviving his initial debut as Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, Holly has carved out his own place in WWE history. Although, he has not held any of the major singles titles, Holly has been in contention on numerous occasions. He got a shot one year against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. He also received several recent chances against ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley. Unless some shifts are made in the rosters, Holly will remain near the top of the ECW food chain. He's already had his one breakthrough ECW moment with a table spot that left a huge gash in his back in a match with Rob Van Dam.
IF THERE IS AN ECW WING
SABU
Title History: 1 NWA World Heavyweight Title, 2 ECW World Heavyweight Titles, 3 ECW World Tag Team Titles, and 1 ECW World Television Titles
Summary: The Sheik's nephew has been raising havoc for a long time. The original ECW was really where Sabu made his mark. His feuds with Terry Funk, Shane Douglas, and Tazz produced some of their best matches. Sabu also formed a very successful tag team with Rob Van Dam. Years of barbed wire matches, and ridiculous bumps have taken their toll on his body. One of the writers for Pro Wrestling Illustrated once referred to him as "a six foot scar." Sabu tried to make the jump to WCW, but it didn't work out. WCW wanted him to tone down his style, but he refused. He was gone after a couple of months. After a run with TNA, Sabu found himself in the new version of ECW. After getting an initial push with World Title matches against then-champion the Big Show, Sabu has since been on jobber duty.
TOMMY DREAMER
Title History: 13 WWE Hardcore Titles, 1 ECW World Heavyweight Title, 3 ECW World Tag Team Titles
Summary: Dreamer left a cushy front office job in order to return to the world of Extreme Championship Wrestling. The Innovator of Violence has been a staple of the ECW organization. Dreamer's longstanding feud against Raven was one of the original company's most memorable. I think the thing that I remember most is the speech he gave to the Tough Enough kids in season three. Dreamer told the story about one of the last things his father saw before going blind was him making his debut on Raw with Rob Van Dam as part of the Invasion angle. He has since cut a couple of more excellent promos on the Great Khali and the New Breed. His battle royal win was a nice surprise. I've also liked that the fans are actually chanting his name instead of the organization he works for. If creative would put their minds to it, they could make a star out of him.
THE SANDMAN
Title History: 5 ECW World Heavyweight Titles and 1 ECW World Tag Team Titles
Summary: For many, he could make the Hall of Fame just on ring entrance alone. The Icon of Extreme has been one of their standard bearers. Despite the change in music, the fans are still rising to their feet whenever he makes an entrance. Now just imagine if he acutally was pushed as a star with the new ECW. The Sandman had many classic battles in ECW including the three way dance victory over Mikey Whipwreck and Steve Austin, and the very dramatic feud with Raven. The Sandman retained his popularity inspite of a short run with WCW as Hardcore Hak.
TOO SOON TO TELL
C.M. PUNK
Title History: none yet
Summary: Punk was one of the fastest rising stars on the ECW brand. His momentum got derailed temporarily with a loss to Hardcore Holly, which ended his unbeaten streak. By qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match, hopefully it means that he has opened some eyes in the front office. He's got the in-ring ability and the mic skills to be successful. I like the recent introduction of the storyline where the New Breed is encouraging him to join their ranks. It makes for some interesting TV when the brand isn't treated as an afterthought. Talents like Punk don't come around often, so I would not be surprised if MITB is a precursor to him going to Raw or Smackdown.
SNITSKY
Title History: none yet
Summary: Since his debut as part of the infamous "baby-killer" angle, Snitsky has not won himself too many fans. He has the look that Vince likes, but has not shown the in-ring ability or the mic skills to advance him to the next level. Since joining ECW, they have done a good job of protecting his new psycho character by having him finish off opponents very quickly. There has been some talk about grooming him as the next challenger for Lashley's ECW World Title. Because of his size and look, Vince is going to give him every opportunity to succeed. Plus, the boss has an affection for tasteless angles. However, to make the move from "To Soon To Tell" to "Lock", he is going to need to improve drastically.
ELIJAH BURKE
Title History: none yet
Summary: After starting his WWE run as the cornerman for Sylvester Terkay, Burke finds himself leading the New Breed charge against the ECW Originals. By picking Burke and releasing Terkay, WWE made the right move. Burke has already had some good bouts with stars like Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam. He also knows how to draw the crowd's ire. I like his upside, and it will be interesting to see where they go with him after Wrestlemania. If WWE were to bring back the Tag Team or TV Titles, Burke would be a front runner for possibly both.
MARCUS COR VAN
Title History: none yet
Summary: TNA's loss could be WWE's gain. The Alpha Male was one of TNA's top prospects, but with guys like Christian Cage, Samoa Joe, Rhino, and Sting coming in, he kept getting pushed further into the background. Now he is a part of the ECW roster. So far they are taking it slow with his development. He has yet to lose on TV. Styles and Tazz have been putting over the move formerly known as the Pounce big time. Cor Van is another that could possibly be a challenger for Lashley down the road. Like with Lashley and Punk, I could also see him moving to Raw or Smackdown eventually.
LA RESISTANCE
Sylvan Grenier's Title History: 4 World Tag Team Titles
Rene Dupree's Title History: 1 World Tag Team Title and 1 WWE Tag Team Title
Summary: The duo began with a series of vignettes bragging about the values of the French versus the Americans. They went on to capture tag team gold, and dominated a weak division at the time. After breaking them up as part of the brand extension, WWE has now put the French Canadian duo back together again. Grenier and Dupree had a squash win on TV several weeks back, but haven't been seen since. If ECW were to have a tag team division, they could definitely be one of the anchors. To me, their chances for success are better as a team than if they were singles wrestlers.
DOUBTFUL
BALLS MAHONEY
Title History: 3 ECW World Tag Team Titles
Summary: So far the highlights of Mahoney's run with WWE have been hosting "Extreme Strip Poker," and having paychecks that actually can clear a bank. I remember Balls when he debuted as Boo Bradley back in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, as a tag team partner for the late Chris Candido. He later had a very brief stint with WWE as Xanta Klaus, Santa's evil twin brother. It was in ECW, where he finally found himself. Mahoney's has put his body through a lot over the years. If he had achieved main event status in ECW like Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and the Sandman, I would have bumped him up a category. His current jobber to the star status now, doesn't help him either.
GUIDO MARITATO
Title History: 2 WWE World Cruiserweight Titles and 2 ECW World Tag Team Titles
Summary: During the dying days of the original ECW, Guido formed an effective tag team with Tony Mamaluke, which captured tag team gold twice. Guido was later introduced as Jamie Noble's cousin Nunzio in WWE. As Nunzio, he captured the cruiserweight title and formed a new FBI stable with Johnny Stamboli, Chuck Palumbo, and later Vito. Despite having the mic skills that WWE management likes, he was not pushed, and when wrestling against the more well known competitors was usually destroyed. Guido came back to ECW when the new version opened, but his career since then has really gone nowhere. Now, that Tony Mamaluke has been released it is even slower. A move back to the cruiserweight division on Smackdown would probably be best right now.
STEVIE RICHARDS
Title History: 22 WWE Hardcore Titles and 2 ECW World Tag Team Titles
Summary: Here is a guy that they inexplicably have not done more with. In ECW, he was the leader of the Blue World Order. Richards got his biggest push in WWE as the very vocal leader of the Right to Censor. There was also an underrated stint as "The General Manager of Stevie Night Heat." Richards has shown the ability to wrestle, but for some reason they just do not use him. We've seen him on television only once since the year began. To be honest, I'm surprised that they have not released him. It is not that Stevie is bad, but why keep him, if you are only going to use him once every three months? If they want something to do with him, and since talking is his strongest asset, how about making Richards the new general manager for ECW?
KEVIN THORN AND ARIEL
Title History: none yet
Summary: The vampire duo is trying to make their mark on ECW as part of the New Breed. Thorn is looking better than his previous stint as Mordecai on Smackdown, but that is not saying much. ECW fans were outraged by his recent victory over Rob Van Dam. Ariel is good a valet, but hasn't not shown much yet as a wrestler. If either wants to move up the ladder, logic dictates that they will probably have to dump their current gimmick. Although if the Buffy and Angel TV shows were still around, maybe they could have faced Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz in a mixed tag team match. That would have been some good pub for the company.
MATT STRIKER
Title History: none yet
Summary: He is your teacher, and my God, is he annoying. I actually like the gimmick of him being snooty, and looking down on us uneducated types. The problem with Striker is that his matches aren't very entertaining. After being relegated to mostly Sunday Night Heat while he was on the Raw brand, Striker crossed over to ECW. He has been a big part of the New Breed. Still, if it were not for there being a third roster, I have this feeling that he would have been cut by now.
MIKE KNOX
Title History: none yet
Summary: Much like Stevie Richards, Knox has only been seen once since the start of the year, and it was a loss to C.M. Punk. Knox was actually pushed pretty hard when they redebuted ECW last June. However, since Paul Heyman left, Knox has seen his time on the small screen be relegated to DSW. He had the ongoing storyline with his "girlfriend" Kelly Kelly. First it was him wanting to keep her from getting naked in public, then there was the breakup after she kept eyeballing Punk. They filmed the big breakup angle with Knox laying Kelly out, with Tazz even leaving the broadcast table to keep her from further harm. They followed it up with....nothing!
NO CHANCE IN HELL
KELLY KELLY
Title History: noney yet
Summary: I think Dave Scherer probably put it best, how can a woman that hot, be so unsexy? Kelly was introduced as the girlfriend of Mike Knox, who wanted to take her clothes off in public. Knox, of course, didn't like this. She started making goo-goo eyes at C.M. Punk, which got her into trouble and lead to a very public breakup angle with Knox. They brought her back as the leader for Extreme Expose, with Diva Search winner Layla, and DSW Diva Brooke, as backups. Kelly's dancing skills were so brutal that Layla has since taken over the lead role in their dance routines. I just about fell out of my chair laughing this past week when Kelly dropped her hat during the routine and then couldn't find it back.
Wrestlemania picks:
Cena over Michaels
Undertaker over Batista
Lashley over Umaga
Kennedy to win MITB
Khali over Kane
Melina over Ashley
MVP over Benoit
New Breed over the Originals
