Every WWE ECW Ever - ECW 01 (6/13/2006)

WWE ECW was the WWE's reincarnation of the ultra-violent wrestling show ECW that aired in the 1990s and featured brutal, hardcore action, risqué women, and everything in between. It was the more hardcore alternative to the then WWF's programming, who was aiming for a more kid-friendly appearance. However, when it was all said and done, ECW is at least partly credited for the ushering of WWF/E into the Attitude Era. The fact that ECW pushed the envelope and gave wrestling a more mature feel made them stand out, even though it never resulted in sustained success. WWE brought back ECW in 2006, and tried to bring back all of the hardcore elements that made ECW so popular. The run lasted 3 years, and is considered to be a failure by many, whether it be the lack of hardcore action, the lack of stars, or the lack of importance in the grand scheme of the WWE Universe.

The WWE Network has just uploaded every WWE ECW in existence (I believe), and so with it so accessible, I decided to take the deep dive back into it, starting with episode one (01). I thought it would be cool to watch each episode and recap the matches on each one. I'm going to look at the wrestlers in the match, give a quick recap, and also do a weapon count. I will also give one word/phrase to describe the match (squash, good, great, bad, etc.) What I DON'T want to do is simply recap the entire episode. Like, I don't want to tell you every promo or Kelly's Expose that goes down. I just want to talk about the matches. That's it. At the end, I might recap the episode with some thoughts and some reflections on how it held up from the last time I saw it nearly 11 years ago, when I was 12. Without a further a do, let's get started.

--

WWE ECW 01 - June 13th, 2006


Match #1: The Sandman vs. The Zombie

Wow. What a way to start out the new version of ECW. The Zombie comes out and starts to moan, literally, into the microphone. Sandman's music hits after a while and he comes out slamming beer cans over his skull and carrying his kendo stick. Sandman is over no matter what year it is. The guy is just an absolute brawler and the perfect person for ECW. Like, I couldn't even imagine a guy like Sandman on the current incarnation of WWE programming, but now that I think about it, I wouldn't mind seeing Sandman vs. Sami Zayn or something, just to see how it would work. Anyway, back to the match. Sandman comes in and beats The Zombie senseless with a kendo stick. It is brutal. Sandman did not hold back on that zombie, but he is dead, so I kinda get it. He hits the Russian leg sweep with the kendo stick under his chin for the win. This match was a squash and really just a way to get Sandman on TV I guess.

Winner: The Sandman 
Match Rating: Squash
Weapons Used: Kendo Stick (1)

--

Match #2: Kurt Angle vs. Justin Credible

It's weird to see Kurt Angle wrestling in ECW, especially when you consider the fact that he would leave soon after. I really wonder what would have happened if Angle stayed in WWE, and furthermore, with the ECW brand. Losing him was a tough blow when you think about it. Regardless, Angle takes on Justin Credible, a former ECW World Heavyweight Champion. This is another squash. Kurt Angle basically dominates the match, and he does it in an aggressive way. Angle's new "gimmick" at this point is that he is super aggressive. He does a lot of wrestling takedowns, and actually headbutts Justin Credible at one point. As Joey Styles continuously reminds you throughout the show, pretty much anything goes, although Credible does get a rope break at one point. Just how lenient are these rules? Angle wins with a rear-naked choke, which is interesting. He then cuts a promo about being super aggressive. Okay then.

Winner: Kurt Angle
Match Rating: Squash
Weapons Used: None

--

Match #3: 10 Man Over-The-Top-Rope (Extreme) Battle Royal

The winner of this match gets John Cena at Vengeance. Uh... Okay. When everyone was coming out, they actually cut away to commercial, and when they came back, Roadkill and another guy were in the ring. I could NOT tell you who this person was, and I didn't know who it was until he got eliminated and they said it was Danny Doring. Until that point, he was not mentioned by commentary. Anyway, here is who was in the Battle Royal:
- Tommy Dreamer
- Sabu (who takes an incredibly long time coming out to the ring and comes out pissed off)
- Roadkill
- Danny Doring
- Stevie Richards
- Little Guido (formerly Nunzio)
- Tony Mamaluke
- Big Guido (who they don't announce as being in the match, but he's in the match)
- Balls Mahoney
- The Big Show
Outside the ring, they have a shopping cart filled with shit. So many weapons are used in this match. I tried my best to tally them up below, but who knows if I actually got everything. Some good action here though. Big Show absolutely dominates. He chucks Tommy Dreamer through a table and almost murders Tony Mamluke when he launches him 10 feet into the air. The Big Guido vs. Big Show stand off was kind of cool, and I'm sure people who knew Big Guido from the old ECW were pumped about it. The match ends when Big Show is trying to get loose from Big Guido's grip and Sabu hits him with a chair after jumping off a chair. I thought this match was pretty enjoyable. Sabu wins, which is no doubt a service to the fans of the old ECW, but Big Show is established as a beast. Watching Big Show in this match made me remember just how dominant he was. My goodness. He is gigantic, first and foremost, and he is perfect for ECW. Every move he does looks (and probably is) painful, and on top of that, every move he does that involves a weapon of some sort looks even more painful and impactful. 

Winner: Sabu
Match Rating: Big Show
Weapons Used: Street Signs (3), Garbage Can Top (3), Baking Sheet (1),  Garbage Can (2), Table (1), Chair (2), Al Snow's Head (1)

--

All in all, this wasn't the worst first episode, but also not the best. The matches were decent, I guess, with the battle royal proving to be a lot of fun, but the other two matches were basic squashes. From a wrestling standpoint, there just wasn't much there. The champion, Rob Van Dam, just made a small appearance at the beginning. He should have defended the title that night, with that battle royal coming first. Whatever. In all, not too bad. Just average.

Match of the Night: 10 Man Over-The-Top Extreme Battle Royal
Wrestler of the Night: Big Show - Dominated the battle royal
Worst of the Night: Danny Doring - The definition of an afterthought
Weapon Count (Total):
Street Signs: 3
Garbage Can Top: 3
Garbage Can: 2
Chair: 2
Kendo Stick: 1
Baking Sheet: 1
Table: 1
Al Snow's Head: 1
Total (all time): 14

Thanks for reading. I'm hoping to recap at least two episodes a week. Until next time.



Comments

Post a Comment