Tuesday, May 1, 2007

ECW TV 3/20/07

1. Sabu and Rob Van Dam vs. Marcus Cor Von and Kevin Thorn – 5
2. Snitsky vs. Mike Tolor – 1
3. CM Punk vs. Hardcore Holly – 4
4. Elijah Burke vs. Tommy Dreamer – 3
5. Bobby Lashley vs. Chris Masters –3

Sabu and Van Dam’s usually showy offense is often business exposing, downright gratuitous, and generally incredibly sloppy. Here, it was worked into the match, and much alike Ariel’s cleavage, wasn’t an eyesore. For all intents and purposes, their match felt like a fight, as both teams kept on the pressure, and there was a sense of immediacy about it that was convincing. Snitsky’s squash of Tolor lasted about as long a naked boy in a Catholic church. The strength of Punk and Holly’s match was also its weakness. That being, they brawled, and then basically, brawled more. Most of the shots were pretty solid, so it had the appearance of a genuine slugfest, which I dig; but, I’ve seen them work other stuff into their prior matches, so a little diversity would have went a long way in terms of making this a better overall bout. The interference involved in its ending was also a deciding factor in regards to its final grade. It’s weird seeing the athletically gifted Burke competing with wrestling’s resident couch potato Dreamer. This match’s flow, or lack there of, hurt it, but not nearly as bad as Tommy’s choreographed offense. He ducked an Elijah clothesline, and then just stood there absently, waiting to execute a reverse neckbreaker, that came off looking as messed up as Beulah’s asshole after Tommy let the boys share her after ECW Cyberslam ‘96. Lashley and Masters came off looking like they both needed a couple more years in OVW fine-tuning their craft. The abhorrent degree of corporate pushing Lashley down our throats is getting out of control. We can’t take him seriously, his work thus far is sub-par at best, and his facials and selling are about as believable as our current political administration’s denial of prior knowledge to the attack on the World Trade Center.

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