Even the most hard-hearted of fans must have been moved by the sight of Joey Styles fighting back the emotion of the moment, once again standing in the middle of an ECW ring. I was surprised how much ‘One night stand’ looked and felt like an ECW event. One of my main concerns prior to the PPV was that the show would come off seeming like a small scale WWE show and would lack the atmosphere and familiarity that made ECW different. I needn’t have worried. The air in the venue seemed to be tingling with the threat of possible human disaster which heightened the anticipation of the live audience and fuelled the rabid ECW chants. My fears of the show being nostalgic parody dissipated immediately. This was a celebration.
Jericho and Storm were first up and didn’t disappoint. This match was never going to contain the blood and thunder of what most people would consider a stereotypical ECW contest but it did serve as a reminder that ECW offered a home to young talent, under six feet, who wanted a place to show their wrestling skills and how far that ability can take you if eventually recognised by a larger company. The Jericho/Storm friendship sub-text added a second dimension to the match, which was fast-paced and technically sound, until the run-in from the rest of the Impact Players cost Jericho the win and gave Storm what appears to be a victorious retirement match. I hope Lance reconsiders and wrestles occasionally. He looked sharp and in great condition.
Super Crazy then defeated Tajiri and Little Guido in a triple threat match that summed up the first hour or so of the PPV. It was exciting and had some good moments but it seemed a little rushed and superficial. Still, Super Crazy’s moonsault from the balcony was beautiful, the crowd popped in all the right places and the interference didn’t seem to be a distraction, so who cares?
The big disappointment of the night for me was the match between Psychosis and Rey Mysterio. I could understand why the previous match came across as a few spots with added confusion but this one-on-one encounter should have been much more fluid and technically storied. I guess the problem will always be that unless they can reproduce the great action from their ECW or WCW matches then fans will always be left wanting more.
After interrupting RVD, Rhino fought Sabu in an ‘impromptu’ match. Sabu seemed to relish wrestling a solid opponent. Give Sabu an equally unconventional or loose-styled opponent, like Sandman, and he becomes unpredictable and sloppy but he brought his ‘A’ game on the night and looked as fresh as I’ve seen him in ages. Rhino reminded me of what Vince must have seen in him at some point in the past as he exploded into every move and hit running speed at every impact. More important than the win was getting RVD to hit a skateboard in the corner on Rhino and then set up the table for the visually stunning ‘Skull-crusher’. RVD and Sabu embracing and pointing at the lights in homage to the Sheik was one of my favourite moments of the night.
Even though the Guerrero/Benoit match barely reached the ten-minute mark, I was happier with their match than some other fans and even Eddie himself, according to reports. It is true that it didn’t compare to a lot of their previous encounters but I feel a 30/40-minute classic between the two would have been out of place on the show and wouldn’t have fitted in with the celebratory tone of the evening. However, I would have preferred to see Guerrero wrestle out of his current WWE character and construct the match as a face/face contest. But then you can’t always get what you want and we were treated to a strong WWE style match from two of the best in the business.
I’m not going to denigrate those who thought the Awesome/Tanaka match would be one of the weaker on the card, because I thought the same. Not because I’d forgotten how good their original ECW title matches were but because Awesome had become so bad in the following years that it seemed unlikely. And that’s not taking into account the crappy WCW gimmicks. I’ve even seen an Awesome/Tanaka match in MLW (I think) and it was nothing like their previous efforts. Surprising then that they pulled off the match of the night, thanks in no small part to Tanaka’s indestructible head and Awesome’s overwhelming desire to smash it to pieces. Several broken tables later and Awesome got the win. But we were all winners with this match.
In the main event, Dreamer/Sandman and Bubba/D-Von Dudley wrestled a cracking mix of wild brawling and weapons use. Far more effective and enjoyable than WWE hardcore matches, it ebbed and flowed from one vicious blow to another only pausing in the middle to allow some very welcome run-ins, most notably from Kid Kash, Francine, Beulah and Spike Dudley who instigated the powerbombing of Dreamer through a flaming table for the win and a massive pop from the crowd.
As for the three main segments, I find it amusing that RVD and Heyman’s ‘shoot’ promos were met with such insurrective jacking-off from the Internet considering that RVD has been peddling that promo over the web for a few weeks now and Heyman would have received the all-clear to say what he wants, even if every comment wasn’t individually checked with each victim first. I enjoyed what they said and how the segments played out, but it was no more or less a work than what you see on Raw or Smackdown. And I’d like to thank the ECW fans for proving that all along this desire to piss Edge/Lita off has nothing to do with avenging any wrongs against Matt Hardy. How can we take seriously those who say that ‘ECW only’ personnel should have been at the show when the crowd were chanting “we want Matt”? I thought the mass brawl at the end and the mauling of Eric Bischoff got lost in translation somewhat and would have benefited from thinning out the throng and making each point a bit more specific. I see that some weren’t happy that Austin got the lead spot in that segment as ‘Stone Cold’ is a WWE idea. Whilst it is easy to twist in analysis, I tend to judge by gut instinct and the live ECW fan’s reaction to the sound of breaking glass showed that they were okay with it. So why disagree with it?
In retrospect, there’s something I’ve noticed about some of the stuff written on ‘One night stand’ over the last five days and I feel it needs addressing. I’m tired of people who watched ECW back in the old days and now wear it like a badge or a medal that they earned in combat. I was a fan of ECW back when it was Eastern Championship Wrestling. I supported it right through to the end. When I was living alone and earning minimum wage I spent my last eight pounds on an ECW tape rather than on food. But I’m damned if I’m going to use my respect for ECW as a way of putting myself over fans who are new or comparatively new to the product. This elitist crap goes against everything that ECW stood for and it pisses me off that some people are trying to turn supporting passionate wrestling into an exclusive ‘hardcore’ club. If people and especially die-hard ECW fans are serious about wanting this ECW revival to be more than just a one night stand then they’re going to have to welcome new fans into the mix and not push them away. I understand that some people don’t get or don’t want to get ECW and that’s fine. The WWE produces enjoyable sports-entertainment (of which I am also a big fan) to appeal to a broad spectrum but if fans are willing to forego the slick presentation and the smoke and mirrors that cover the corporate shortfall then I for one will value their opinions and not dismiss them because “you weren’t there” when it mattered.
Finally, my thoughts on the Meanie/JBL situation, as I’ve received a few emails asking me my take on what happened during the brawl at the end of the show. Why ask me? I’ve read comments ranging from “Meanie got what he deserved” to “JBL should be suspended or fired by WWE” so to me it looks like you guys have covered all the bases. Bottom line is, if any of you think JBL will be punished for his actions then you really haven’t been paying attention. This is not the first instance of a wrestler settling a score in this way and it won’t be the last.
For years, I’ve been claiming that the two main things wrong with WWE PPV’s are that the matches tend to have a similar style and there’s no tacit connection with the audience. I think it’s safe to say that ECW ‘One night stand’ fulfilled those criteria and much more. Maybe in years to come the positive vibes from the show will mean that there will be a more unifying ECW PPV, rather than the two shows in opposition, and we might get to see the classic rematches that at the moment we can only talk about. To rate this show in comparison to how a perfect ECW reunion would go is an unfair expectation, but it was a good start and a damn good PPV. Here’s to the next time. ECf’nW.
Lee
