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LOOKING AT A "ROYALTY IS TAKEN TO THE EXTREME" EDITION OF ECW ON SCI FI

ECW produced another solid episode this week.  The only negative I see for the brand right now is that with no PPV to build towards, they have to spin their wheels on most of the storylines.  I think the perfect answer for them would be to do four PPVs a year, and then have matches on the co-branded big shows.  That would give them places where they could peak their angles.  The slow building storylines are not a problem yet, but they could be down the road.

As for the rest of the show, they are doing a really good job of developing characters.  It's amazing how much better they have done so in one hour than Raw or Smackdown do in two.

The Angles: I enjoyed stuff with King Booker throughout the show.  Booker's reaction to seeing Balls Mahoney was hilarious.  I also liked his face off with CM Punk.  Punk came off really well, like a top tier talent, in the way that he interacted with the King.  And of course, the running angle set up the main event of the show. ... I liked that they finally debuted Francine on the show.  She looked amazing and brings a differing presence to the dime-a-dozen divas that WWE usually uses.  Did I mention that she looked amazing? ... OK, Rene Dupree is the most extreme athlete, I get it already. ... Hardcore Holly got involved with RVD's match to keep their feud alive.  It was simple, but it worked and gave them a credible reason for why RVD lost to Booker and kept him strong in the process. 

The Matches: The opener was a good, fun match.  The finish was really, really weak, but with no PPV to build to for a while, they are going to have to do things like this to keep feuds going.  At the end, they managed to keep Sandman's feud with Striker going and now they are setting up Sabu for a run with Test, so they did some building anyway. ... Balls and Kevin Thorne was OK while it lasted. ... Punk and Shannon Moore had a good match.  I don't like Moore's character or look, but he has always been a good worker. ... The main event between Booker and RVD was solid as well, ending the show in a positive manner.

The Questions:

Did you EVER think you would see a limo pull up on ECW television?

Did you notice how many fans in the crowd were into the "ECW Originals" when they came to the ring?

Wow, did Test pull WAY up on that clothesline into the corner spot on Dreamer or what?

Was that actually CW Anderson I saw on ECW TV?

Jeez, could Ariel's new friends be any bigger?

And, did you notice the guy at ringside who was totally hawking her as she walked by?

Damn, did you see that outfit Francine had on?

Then again, how couldn't you?

I know I say this every week but doesn't Shannon Moore look like a friggin' idiot with that get up?

If you were Shannon Moore, would you wear that nose ring when you wrestled?

And, how much of an idiot will he feel like if that thing ever gets torn out during a match?

How lame is it that we have to watch Marine commercials on a non-Raw brand show?

And, how funny is it to hear John Cena talking about working fight scenes when that is what he does for a living?

Hey, did you get that WWE wants you to know you can buy the Unforgiven replay?

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