ECW Poised To Reach The Top

For the first time in the short history of ECW under the jurisdiction of the WWE, they have a product worth writing home about. This occurred after two key things happened -- the ECW made out like bandits in the draft, and the talent they already had really hit their stride (see Punk, pictured left). The draft got rid of all the boring muscle heads (Lashley and Snitsky) and ushered in athletic guys willing to take bumps (Nitro and Benoit).

When ECW lost a wrestler in the draft, they somehow gained. When they drafted someone new, the re-developed and most likely saved their show. All the ECW criticism has stopped (for now) and smarks and marks alike watch to see what the creative team will do with this new influx. The WWE would be hard pressed to ask for more. Meanwhile, guys like CM Punk and Elijah Burke (pictured) have been improving on a weekly basis while perfecting one of the only watchable feuds in the business.

These two pieces of good fortune have left ECW with the tried and true formula to a solid show in the WWE. The first piece of a great show is a combination of old and new guys. Benoit (pictured) and Punk provide a nice juxtaposition and its fun to see three suplexes in a row (something we've seen for years) go up against some of Punk's new and innovative moves.

Next, and most obviously, the show needs great A wrestlers. ECW used to consist of guys that would be B wrestlers on any other show, but with the recent prominence of Punk, Burke, and Cor Von along with the dismissal of those who suck (Striker, Knox), the tide has turned in the favor of this extreme brand. The B's have become the A's and are now being complimented by Benoit and Nitro (pictured), two guys who have been A's on other shows all along. Juggling all this talent is one of those problems that's good to have.

Finally, the show should have enough B wrestlers to carry the lulls in the program. I find that gimmicked wrestlers usually fit this bill perfectly, and so the addition of The Boogeyman was a wise one. Viscera and The Miz were also made for the role, and they'll do a great job in filling it. I've given up hope that the originals will make a full comeback in ECW, but I'd rather see them as B wrestlers than not wrestling at all. With all this talent (see Cor Von, pictured) loaded on the new ECW, they'll have no problem filling a show now.

Some would say that a tag team division is needed for success, but patchwork teams of the 90s (see Undertaker and Austin) along with the recent popularity of two singles feuds being combined into a match (see last week's SMACKDOWN main event), it's becoming less necessary to have an impressive division. I'm aware that not only does ECW not have an impressive division and that they don't have one at all, but I believe that the perfect storm forming from the other three factors will be enough to make ratings good and matches great.