E-C-Dub! E-C-Dub! Well, that was unexpected. Here I was, all ready to give up on the new ECW, when they come through with a surprisingly good show. This was easily the best episode of the new ECW. And I don't mean that as a back-handed compliment. This week's show was very good stuff. And it gave hints of the reason why I loved the original ECW so much.

Part of what made this week's show so enjoyable is a break from some of the crappier bits of the new ECW. Most notably:

• No two minute segments of Kelly allegedly dancing
• No random WWE guy wrestling in the main event

With two legs up over the past few weeks, this show was definitely on to something. But then ECW packed in some really good stuff, too. And I'm in a bullet point kinda mood, so I'll go through the good points thusly:

• We have more continuing hostilities between Dreamer, Sandman, Test, and Knox (ugh). Sandman came to Tommy's rescue, which resulted in Sandman taking a minor beating, before handing out a number of awesome Singapore cane shots to Test and Knox. Good stuff all around.
• Paul Heyman the Messiah. The groundwork for a Heyman -vs- ECW Originals feud has been excellently done. Turning Heyman heel back when RVD was suspended seemed like a brilliant move at the time. It's turned out to be even more brilliant than originally thought. The massive "You Sold Out" changs at the Hammerstein Ballroom last week showed that Heyman is under hardcore ECW fans skin, and he has casual fans hating him, too. Now if we can just get a little more indication of Heyman's motivations and direction...
• On a sidenote, what is the deal with that one member of Heyman's security team and his riot helmet? The dude can't even throw a punch without the helmet almost slipping off. Dude, either put a chinstrap on that helmet, or find some double-sided tape. You'd look much more initimidating if you didn't constantly have a hand on your helmet. And is it just the awkwardness of the riot gear that's making these two seem so green? Their beatdowns don't look very realistic.
• Another disqualification? WTF? Why in the hell are any ECW matches not Extreme Rules? What the fuck does WWE think the E in ECW stands for? Someone's gotta wise up and make this change.
• Sandman saying "Screw the match, I'm gonna cane the crap out of everyone" was perfect. It's totally in-character, and is gonna keep getting Sandman over with new fans. I dunno how much longer I can deal with Knox in these high-profile feuds. But at least Knox isn't a washed-up WWE "superstar," so I guess I have to cut them some slack.
• Kevin Thorn gets another victory over and ECW Original. This time around, it is Al Snow who is kind enough to make Thorn look like a badass for three minutes. Thorn is apparently much bigger than he looks in the ring, or ECW is really rounding up on his weight (270 lbs? Really?). The former Fertig looks solid, and sets up a fun little gimmick where he stops beating on his opponent so he can go make out with Ariel for a bit. That's gonna play well, and is gonna end up costing Thorn a match or two in the future. And I mean that in a good way.
• Not so good: Bloodlust? WTF? Joey and Tazz, please never use that word again.
• Kurt friggin' Angle. I missed Angle while he was out, but I didn't realize just how much I missed him 'til he came back. His promo on Sabu was solid, intense, and believable. Let me say this again, in bold this time: Give Kurt Angle an ECW World Title run. He deserves it!
• Rene Dupree.... why?
• Big Show looks like he's having a blast now that he's able to be an all-out heel again. One of the major downsides to bringing in non-ECW wrestlers to challenge Show is that it sets up a situatino where people would normally root for the Show, just because he is (supposedly) ECW. Show's character should be a heel, though, since he helped steal the world title away from RVD. Show's promo was just about perfect, if only he hadn't used the same line that Kurt Angle had used just minutes earlier (about it being Suicidal for Sabu to step into the ring with him).
• CM Punk's push continued with another strong promo. There were hints of heelishness in the promo this time around, though. Interesting; will Punk play better as a heel?
• The main event was simply awesome. I was worried that their styles wouldn't mesh well, but they did a good job of playing up the strengths of each man. When things picked up speed and people started flying, Sabu continually got the upper hand. But when things slowed down and hit the mat, it was all Angle. Neither man seemed to have a decisive advantage 'til the end, when it looked like Angle was stronger. Angle locked in the ankle lock, and really, that's where the match should've ended decisively. Sabu would not be "hurt" by tapping out to Angle. It is Kurt friggin' Angle we are talking about! Instead, we get RVD! RVD! RVD!
• Van Dam's return couldn't have been done better. Well, he coulda hit the Van Daminator #1 on Angle, but other than that, it was perfect. Taking out both men, and then chewing them out to end the show, was exactly what Van Dam should have done. RVD should be pissed that he lost the title, and pissed that anyone else but him would get a title shot. This also opens up many different future storylines. It was another stroke of brilliance.

This was easily the best show of the new ECW. It was good enough to give me hope for future episodes, and to make me look forward to next week.
  ¶ 5:20 PM