I Take It Back. Leave ECW Alone.

Out of the perils of boredom comes the urge to try out new things. Hence, I ended up watching the latest installment of ECW. I have only viewed their one hour a week program on less than sporadic occasions,  watching a match here and there, sticking only to reading the results instead of actually watching the show, unable to free myself of biases toward the old ECW, the one where the RVDs, and the Sabus and all the MIke Awesomes ruled. Now, after watching the show, I’m not going to go so far as to say that today’s ECW is as good as the ones before… but it’s still damn good.

A week ago, we (by “we”, I’m referring to two other writers here on this site) decided to chimed in our thoughts regarding the upcoming WWE draft. I lobbied for moving CM Punk to Smackdown and John  Morrison to Raw. I changed my mind. I want ECW just the way it is. I even like the fact that it’s only an hour long.

With a roster boasting such talent as Morrison and Punk, Miz, Elijah Burke, Kofi Kingston, Shelton Benjamin, Matt Striker (who I have become a big fan of ever since his appearance at the Kurt Angle Invitational), you have arguably the most technically sound roster in all of the WWE. Not only technically sound, but very entertaining. People also think that Kane and The Big Show have no place in ECW, but as always I disagree. Kane and The Big Show are former world champs that lend much-needed credibility to the ECW title, and for big men,  these guys can work. I don’t think that this brand has a single bad worker. (I don’t know if Boogeyman is still in the brand.) Hell, even that big lug Mike Knox has a killer finish that just demands respect. And with Tommy Dreamer still around for the occasional dose of hardcore, ECW is probably more well-rounded than Raw.

ECW has the potential to become the most competitive brand in the WWE. Forget Smackdown, ECW can not be considered the C show.

I also wanted Jeff Hardy to be put on ECW and build the brand around him. Again, I changed my mind. Hardy couldn’t keep up with these guys… he’s a daredevil, pure and simple. See, the old ECW may have boasted extreme wrestling, but all those extreme shit only distracted people from the fact that ECW had the best wrestlers in the world. The same would be the case here if Hardy is put on top of the ECW roster.  Hardy is a spot monkey, nothing more. I remember  how he made minimal Impact in TNA. From where I was sitting, he looked sloppy beside guys like Aj Styles and Christopher Daniels. Getting injured nearly after every PPV show (where he just felt the need to do something daring and stupid every month, which just reeks of over compensation) wasn’t a very good way to establish himself in a company that at the time, counted him as one of its biggest stars.

I’d rather they ECW as it is, with very minimal roster changes. Build up the Shelton-Kofi rivalry, give them at least 15 minutes on PPV and it will definitely be awesome. No need for gimmicks, just showcase these two great athletes do what they do best. Continue showing Evan Bourne do the shooting star press. Don’t give these guys the restriction they put on the cruiserweight division. A lot of these guys are young, rough around the edges. But give them enough time and opportunity and they will shine. If they’ll add to the roster, add someone like Gregory Helms, or just import new talent. New, international talent. (Stop marketing Rey Mysterio as the only luchador in America!)

ECW has what Raw and Smackdown doesn’t, which is potential.