So, no ECW thread?

[Mr. Nerfect]

Woo woo woo?

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Zack Ryder's theme better be on the next CD they release</font>

[Anybody Thrilla]

Don't mention 'Zack Ryder' and 'release' in the same sentence. You'll curse him.

[DAMN iNATOR]

For anyone who missed last night, and doesn't want to wait until 4p...(\/):
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[4 knuckles up]

DHS vs Fit was a great match to end the show. No Evan Bourne though? Waa! Lets see him on Superstars!

[Anybody Thrilla]

He's not on Superstars. They taped Christian vs. Tommy Dreamer for Superstars, and they had already taped CM Punk vs. Jericho somewhere else (which kinda sucks, since they spoiled the ending for the live crowd). The last Superstars match should be from Raw. Is that two weeks in a row without Bourne? Kinda shitty.

[Mooияakeя™]

Fucking that right there is the best fucking commentary team in the WWE. In pro wrestling in fact. The comment about the knee from Stryker in the Christian match was just class.

[CSL]

David Hart Smith's music is pretty fucking immense

[Triple Naitch]

I didn't catch the Bret Hart remix until after he won. Amazing.

[Inadequacy]

Lol at Stryker's "Wonder where he learned that move?" after Ryder used his old finisher.

Love that move by the way.

[Gertner]

ryder is amazing

[Mr. Nerfect]

Lol at Stryker's "Wonder where he learned that move?" after Ryder used his old finisher.

Love that move by the way.

I am just about to go watch the match, but I on the report it described it as a "Playmaker" type move, and I instantly thought that it may have been Matt Striker's "Golden Rule" finish. Seems like that may be the case.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I wish ECW would get the Television Championship back for guys like Paul Burchill and Zack Ryder to win.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>I wonder if it's a bad thing that I can hear the lyrics to Ryder's theme clearly because he was getting no heat at all except when he went WOO WOO WOO in the middle of the match.</font> :o

[Anybody Thrilla]

I was there live, and Ryder got basically zero reaction. I kept yelling "WOO WOO WOO, YOU KNOW IT!" and people were looking at me like I was retarded.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The fanbase would have no idea how to take Zack Ryder. He's obviously meant to be a heel, but he hasn't exactly done anything too heelish yet. He just needs some time and shit to get over. I'd like to see him work with Evan Bourne. You know it!

His ring attire and entrance theme were weird as hell. Don't know if I'm meant to take Ryder seriously or even half-seriously, but I hope he gets used pretty consistently. The guy is still very young, and has plenty of time to develop into a good player for the WWE.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Christian vs. Paul Burchill and Finlay vs. David Hart Smith were both fantastic matches. These are the reasons I love ECW. It's probably not a good sign for DJ Gabriel that Christian used his finishing move to set up The Killswitch, though. It's a shame, because DJ Gabriel has got enough going for him that he could be used to put over guys like Zack Ryder, Tyson Kidd, David Hart Smith, etc.

[Anybody Thrilla]

DJ Gabriel has already been used to put over Tyson Kidd. Also, check this out:

[Anybody Thrilla]

It's a shitty camera phone pic, but from from left to right we've got Natalya, Tyson Kidd, Anybody Thrilla, and David Hart Smith.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Very nice, Thrilla. Yeah, I guess DJ Gabriel has been used to already put Kidd over, but what's the harm in doing so again? At the very least, the dude could make a nice enhancement talent due to his physique alone.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Yeah, I was definitely a Gabriel fan, but it's looking pretty bleak for him at the moment. Shame, too.

[thedamndest]

DJ Gabriel needs a new dancing partner.

Ryder is about as over as he is going to get. Gimmicks ripped out of youtube videos are a bad idea.

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[Mr. Nerfect]

I don't care if people think they are doomed, I want to see a WWE.com video where Ricky Ortiz tries to cheer up a dying kid, and brings in their favourite Superstar...Zack Ryder. The kid complains that his favourite wrestler is John Cena, but in comes Ryder to "Woo woo woo, you know it!" at the nurses. Then, Ryder realises that he needs a lift back to the airport, and asks Ortiz who he came with, and it cuts to Curt Hawkins as Ortiz's driver, leading to an awkward reunion between partners.

[thedamndest]

So you want to drag Ricky Ortiz and Curt Hawkins down by association?

[Mr. Nerfect]

Nah, I like all three guys enough. I wish Curt Hawkins would actually do something, though. I'd like to see him turn face, because I think he has a natural babyface look. Some matches against guys like Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin and a heel Jesse Gordy could be good ways to test him out as a player.

Another thing about ECW this week. Matt Striker is a fucking amazing commentator. I like Josh Mathews and everything, as he also brings the brilliance, but Striker was just on a roll in the commentary position during the Finlay/David Hart Smith match. The things he would throw in there were great. There was pretty much nothing left for Mathews to add at times.

Next year, I definitely think Matt Striker could and should be moved to either RAW or SmackDown!. RAW would be the ideal promotion for the guy, but SmackDown! would get better results for him, I think. A Michael Cole/Matt Striker pairing could actually work for Cole. Josh Mathews can keep earning his stripes in ECW, perhaps with a heel Jerry Lawler as a broadcast partner, and The Grish and JR can handle RAW.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I wouldn't say Ricky Ortiz is doomed just yet. He's seeing more air time now than he has in months.

On a side note, he was one of the nicest guys I met that night at Hooter's. He walked in the door and I said "RALLY UP!". He laughed and walked right over to the table, shook my hand, asked if we enjoyed the show, and said he wanted to catch up with us on beers.

[DarKCentaur]

Given that I'm from Long Island, you guys have NO IDEA how many jackasses there are around here that are just like Zack Ryder. It's a gimmick that's really only meant for us to get. That said, it's fucking hilarious.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Given that I'm from Long Island, you guys have NO IDEA how many jackasses there are around here that are just like Zack Ryder. It's a gimmick that's really only meant for us to get. That said, it's fucking hilarious.

I actually figured as much. They didn't change his hometown to somewhere in Florida or California when they changed his gimmick, so I figured that him being a "Long Islander" was the gimmick. :p

I wonder if Ryder pegged it himself? Given some of his YouTube videos, he definitely seems the guy to want to stretch himself creatively, and apparently the WWE are once again encouraging young guys to come up with ideas for themselves.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I wouldn't say Ricky Ortiz is doomed just yet. He's seeing more air time now than he has in months.

On a side note, he was one of the nicest guys I met that night at Hooter's. He walked in the door and I said "RALLY UP!". He laughed and walked right over to the table, shook my hand, asked if we enjoyed the show, and said he wanted to catch up with us on beers.

That's very cool. :y:

[DarKCentaur]

I actually figured as much. They didn't change his hometown to somewhere in Florida or California when they changed his gimmick, so I figured that him being a "Long Islander" was the gimmick. :p

I wonder if Ryder pegged it himself? Given some of his YouTube videos, he definitely seems the guy to want to stretch himself creatively, and apparently the WWE are once again encouraging young guys to come up with ideas for themselves.

Well that's not him in those "New Haircut" videos (though that video was filmed in a gym around here, I believe it was Sporttime in Syosset). But it's the whole "Long Island Guido" subculture that's all the rage in bars and clubs across LI. It really makes for a great gimmick, though sadly there are TONS of people that actually act like that. It's just a shame he wasn't allowed to pull out this gimmick sooner.

[thedamndest]

I think it's the kind of gimmick that would be funny to the internet audience or probably would have been funny to the ECW crowd back in the day. Touring it around the country to the mass-market is not something I see winning over arenas full of people.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Matt Striker needs to try and get this gimmick over on commentary. Something about how this "Long Island Guido" culture needs to be shared so that audiences can get "in" on the joke. Well, the whole point of it seems to be that it's weird and arrogant, so we don't really need to "get it" to boo Ryder, but it could help people connect a bit easier.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I think it would be funny if he got cheered in Long Island.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I want a smart crowd to chant "Woo woo woo! You know it!"

[Mr. Nerfect]

I really wish ECW had a Television Title so that guys like Paul Burchill, Evan Bourne and Zack Ryder could build resumes before the company thought about using the ECW Title to "elevate" them. That way the ECW Title can gain prestige, and when it comes time for those guys to move to another brand, or whatever, they have something under their name.