By Graham "GSM" Matthews In my inaugural installment of Retro Reviews, I'll be giving my two cents on ECW's 1997 Barely Legal pay-per-view. I hope to watch/review every ECW event in order, as well as WCW eventually as well. Thanks! The Eliminators def. The Dudley Boyz to Win the ECW World Tag Team Championship It didn't strike me until watching this show just how over both of these teams were. The Dudley Boys got tremendous heat before the match even began with their promo and the audience adored The Eliminators. They perfectly fit the ECW style at the time in that they could go hardcore, but they were also a lot of fun to watch in the ring. They contested an enjoyable match in the opening slot and the title change kicked off the event on a high note. The crowd popped big when they took out the announcer afterward as well, which was funny. It's a shame The Eliminators didn't have much success in WWE because they really could have been something special with the talent they possessed. Chris Candido Addressed the ECW Fans Oddly enough, I had never been exposed to any of Candido's work before prior to this show. Obviously, the injury prevented him from wrestling. but he still made an impact by "speaking his peace," explaining why couldn't compete against Lance Storm and setting up an appearance for later in the night. It was a short and sweet promo that kept fans intrigued as to what he'd do next. Why can't we get these kind of promos these days?
0 Comments
By Graham "GSM" Matthews The Authority Interrupted Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan Normally, I'm not a fan of long, drawn-out talking segments kicking off any wrestling show, but this managed to keep my attention the entire time. Rowan's promo was a bit shaky, but Bryan, Ryback and Ziggler were very good (was it really necessary for Ziggler to take a shot at CM Punk?). It was nice to hear from them on their first night back, and The Authority's interruption set the stage for the rest of the night with the Royal Rumble qualifying matches and the main event between Kane and Bryan. Dolph Ziggler def. Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett to Qualify for the Royal Rumble Match (Non-title) As much as I enjoy their matches, this was a lose-lose situation from the get-go. Obviously, Ziggler needs to be in the Rumble match, but they should have picked a better opponent for him. This was Barrett's third straight non-title loss, further making the title completely worthless. I can't believe Barrett has been back for less than a month and he's already been treated terribly. As noted, though, the match was very good and I look forward to their eventual championship rematch. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Mr. Cisco and Cortez Castro def. Mascarita Sagrada and Pimpinela Escarlata Sagrada and Escarlata are always entertaining, though I don't know how wise it was to pair them with the serious duo of Cisco and Cortez. However, they've been protrayed as henchmen so far, so it wasn't the worst thing they could have done. It was a fun match and the win was necessary for Cisco and Cortez since they haven't won many matches as of late. The post-match attack on Big Ryck was very intriguing. I didn't think they'd turn him babyface so early and it felt like it came out of nowhere, but I guess they'll need a new monster babyface with the arrival of Cage. Vampiro Interviewed Cage Cage's mic skills are far better than I initially expected them to be. He isn't a phenomenal promo or anything, but he had a great exchange with Vampiro that helped established his character and his motives. He comes across as very intimidating and as we saw last week, he's extremely impressive in the ring. All that said, he fits the role well as the new top heel in Lucha Underground and I look forward to his chase for the championship. By Graham "GSM" Matthews NXT Champion Sami Zayn Called Out Kevin Owens It was really cool to see Zayn more aggressive than usual seeing how he was attacked by Kevin Owens yet again at the end of last week's show. It's obviously still too soon for the two to come to blows, but I really liked how NXT General Manager William Regal made a match between the two official for the next live special as well as their contract signing next week. On that note, I found it interesting that the first Zayn vs. Owens match will be non-title. That actually adds more intrigue to the match whereas if the title was on the line, it'd be obvious Zayn would win. Finn Balor def. Curtis Axel in a NXT Championship Tournament Quarterfinals Match Was it just me or was this Axel match much better than the one he had with Hideo Itami a few weeks ago? Perhaps it's because Balor has more of a connection with the crowd at this point in time, but either way, Axel's return to NXT isn't off to the strongest start. It was a fairly good match, but it was a showcase for Balor more than anything else. This might be a bold statement, but I honestly believe he has one of the best entrances right now in all of WWE. |
Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
|