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LOOKING AT A "WWE MADE ME EMBARRASSED TO BE A WRESTLING FAN, AGAIN" EDITION OF ECW ON SCI FI

You know, I think Vince McMahon has a cruel streak, I really do.  Week in and week out, the ECW TV show has largely been about letting guys go out to the ring and work.  Vince has Raw and Smackdown to give us his vision of the Entertainment in the WWE name.  Usually, ECW gives us the Wrestling.  While the wrestling this week was solid, Vince just couldn't help but impose his view of what wrestling is on us with one of the lamest skits in the history of the company, Extreme Strip Poker.  I am not going to waste your time by ranting about how lame and embarrassing that segment was.  If you watched it, you either already know or, as scary as this is for me to write, you liked it.

And, I do know that some people liked it.  Me, if I want to watch porn, I will watch porn.  When I turn on wrestling, I want to see wrestling.  It was so bad that just showing us the segments in between matches wasn't enough, they had to split screen it.  The message on last night's show was very clear.  Vince thinks that we are all so devoid of companionship that watching hot divas in various states of undress is what we tune in for.  In some cases, maybe he's right.   In mine, he's not.  I like hot women as much as the next guy, but isn't the name of the company World Wrestling Entertainment, not World Softcore Porn Entertainment?

At the end of the day it's Vince's show and he will do with it what he likes.  I understand and appreciate that.  I just don't think it's too much to ask that one hour a week could actually be devoted to wrestling.  Stupid me.

The Matches: CM Punk and Rene Dupree had a solid match to open the show.  I was kind of surprised to see Dupree put in a position to do the job so soon after getting an initial push though.  It seemed like they were working hard to build him up and suddenly, he was looking at the lights. ... Tommy Dreamer vs. Kevin Thorn started slowly, when Thorn was in control, but got better as Dreamer made his comeback later in the bout.  I was shocked that Dreamer won since that was something that he has rarely ever done.  Then again, I am thinking about Dreamer from ECW, not WWECW.  Things are obviously different here. ... The six man was a good, solid main  match.  I would have been surprised that the faces won if anyone other than Striker had been pinned but since he did the job, it all made sense.  This part of the show was really good.

The Angles: I think I already said all that needs to be said about the strip poker crap.  Note to Kevin Dunn and Vince McMahon: Stick to wrestling because you don't understand entertainment at all and your fans are not stuck in the state of arrested development that you think we are. ... I liked the recap video that they did on Hardcore Holly.  They got the guy over really well with the piece.  Once again, it really makes me laugh that Vince McMahon talks about how ECW doesn't develop characters when they are the only show that WWE has that actually does it well and consistently. ... The Marine, The Marine, The Marine.  And in case you missed it, THE MARINE.  Enough of the movie already.  I can't wait until next week for the hype to die down.  Well, given how WWE is, for it to START to die down at least.  The only plus to the constant promotion of the flick is that I watch the shows via tape delay so I can fast-forward right on through the plugs.  

The Questions:

Boy, was the "mature audience" disclaimer lame or what, especially considering that this show was on tape and they apologized for nudity on a live show a few days earlier? 

Did you notice that Kelly said she may have underwear on and she may not, even though we could see her bra?

I mean, that is underwear isn't it?

OK, two minutes into the show, did anyone else feel just downright dirty and stupid?

Whoever heard of "poker" being "high card" anyway?

Was the split screen during the matches really annoying or what?

I mean, wasn't it bad enough that we had to watch the poker when it was the only thing on the screen, let along having it interspersed in the matches?

Boy, was Tazz right on for calling Joey Styles a "geek for keeping score" of the lost articles of clothing or what?

Was anyone else shocked it took SO LONG for them to do the "Balls has a woody" spot?

Good Lord, how did they manage to work a Marine plug into the strip poker segment?

Now that's a talent isn't it?

Is there a bigger babyface in ECW than Balls, who stopped the divas from talking when they were babbling about guys?

And, is it sexist to say that I never want to hear those women talk that much on a WWE show again?

Wow, did you notice that Kelly finally figured out how to unhook her bra?

If Kelly is an exhibitionalist, why did she cover her cans with her hands after she took her top off?

Was it to hide her pasties?

When Maria asked Candice if she was scared to show something, did she forget that she did a Playboy magazine layout? 

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