[Fire-Babe]

I had to get up way too fucking early this a.m., so I may as well get this over with.

Preview: Challenging the World's Strongest

With Matt Hardy’s victory in a Fatal Four Way Match against Finlay, The Miz and John Morrison, the new ECW Superstar secured a chance to face Mark Henry for ECW gold at SummerSlam. Does Hardy have what it takes to face the World’s Strongest Champion? Or will Henry again prove his dominance in the Land of the Extreme? Who will both competitors face in the weeks leading up to SummerSlam?

Colin Delaney’s betrayal of former ally Tommy Dreamer at The Great American Bash came back to haunt the young Superstar when he had to face the ECW Original this week. While Delaney may have joined forces with Henry and WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas, he was on his own during his match with Dreamer, which he lost. What’s next for Delaney now that he’s made a new alliance? Will this be the last Delaney sees from his former friend, Dreamer? Since Dreamer couldn’t claim ECW gold from Henry at the Bash, will the Original continue to persist in his quest for the championship?

ECW newcomer Evan Bourne has proven to be a fierce competitor in the Land of the Extreme. Thanks to picking up wins against Nunzio, Chavo Guerrero and James Curtis throughout the last three weeks, the high-flying youngster is on a winning streak. After defeating Curtis, Guerrero and his bodyguard, Bam Neely, tried to attack Bourne, but were unsuccessful. Who will be able to stop Bourne? Does the newcomer have hopes for championship gold?

No Adamle!!! Yay!!!

[Lucky]

Jul 29, 2008 8:48:57 GMT -5 Fire-Babe said:

With Matt Hardy’s victory in a Fatal Four Way Match against Finlay, The Miz and John Morrison, the new ECW Superstar secured a chance to face Mark Henry for ECW gold at SummerSlam.

HA!

Who will be able to stop Bourne? Does the newcomer have hopes for championship gold?

[/i][/quote]
Not ECW gold, that's for sure!

[National Champion Chris Cole]

When I first saw the title I thought we were getting a TV title. I still think ECW should have a TV Title and a Tag Title. If Smackdown can have a Women's title then we have room for those two in ECW.

[Fire-Babe]

Yeah, you'd think the preview writers would know what their new freakin' belt looked light.

[Lucky]

Kid, you really want WWE to have 3 Tag Titles, 3 midcard titles, and 3 World titles? 9 men's belts doesn't strike you as a LITTLE bit of overkill? Especially when the US, IC, and both tag titles tend to go into random periods of hibernation and really the only saving grace for any of them in recent memory was ECW getting to play with the tag belts?

WWE doesn't need 2 more titles. They need less. And ECW has about 8 wrestlers on its roster so it strikes me as insane to give them 4 champions. It would make the 2 women's titles seem positively sensible.

[National Champion Chris Cole]

As long as they keep the roster sharing with Smackdown they don't need the two titles. But if they ever want to be treated as the actual third brand then they do.

[bdbdbd]

Jul 29, 2008 14:21:01 GMT -5 Fire-Babe said:

Yeah, you'd think the preview writers would know what their new freakin' belt looked light.

You think they watch this fucking show? They have lives.

[Fire-Babe]

I made the mistake of watching ECW 5/6/96 on WWE 24/7. I'm not sure I have the stomach to do the recap tonight....so it might wait until tomorrow. (Not like it'll even be up OOver there until Saturday night anyway, no matter how soon I send it...)

[Road Warrior Shark]

So I'm guessing I'm the only one who Likes the new ECW belt? Silver and Black always did represent Championships...heh

[Lucky]

I don't hate the design. It looks fine. Its just not gold. Until the Pretty, Pretty Princess Belt I've never seen a single wrestling title that didn't have gold in it. Its symbolic of #1. The best guy gets the Gold Medal. Silver goes to 2nd place. "Gold" is natural, silver is not. That's apparently the shared opinion of the WWE.com writers and the WWE commercial makers, both of whom said Matt Hardy was going for "gold" when in fact the belt he is going for is not gold.

I just think its hilarious and predictable that they're making these mistakes. As soon as I saw that belt I predicted much hilarity from announcers, wrestlers, writers, and producers who fell upon old cliches never realizing how inappropriate they were in this situation. Catching writers fall into the trap is fun but I can't wait for Matt Hardy to make the mistake and look like an utter idiot.

It would be a great title for a Raiders championship. And I do suspect that it was intended to be a HHH vanity belt until WWE, HHH, or someone realized the lack of gold was awkward and pawned it off on the C brand that was just using the obsolete belt from the dead company anyway.

[Lucky]

From the ECW Recap on WWE.com

Make no mistake, ECW Champion Mark Henry plans to hold on to the Extreme gold through SummerSlam

hehehehehe

Ortiz sucks. Bourne kicks ass. Bending stuff is very impressive and entirely unentertaining. Atlas sucks. McCarthy is insane but has tremendous breasts. I don't even want to know what Harris' gimmick is. Atlas sucks. Knox nearly becomes a face to me with his reasoning for attacking Hornswoggle and Finlay. I always like Matt Hardy until he opens his mouth and I realize what a douche he is.

I really just wanted to laugh at the "gold" thing.

[National Champion Chris Cole]

ECW was pretty shitty last night. I'm with Lucky on the Knox comments. I'm thinking of adding him to the 12 pack for this reasoning alone.

[Concrete TG]

Jul 29, 2008 20:10:09 GMT -5 Road Warrior Shark said:

So I'm guessing I'm the only one who Likes the new ECW belt? Silver and Black always did represent Championships...heh

I like the black and silver belt because it's different . Maybe the shiny metal isn't "Silver"?

Maybe it's "Steel", which is stronger than gold?

Maybe it's "Platinum", which is more valuable than gold?

Maybe it's "Chrome", which is more "Bling" than gold?

Maybe it's a new idea?

I don't have a problem with the new belt - I think it's good that we're past the Highspots replica and that they have a real belt, even if that one was "gold". I don't like that "World Wrestling Entertainment" is across the top of the center plate, and that "ECW" doesn't have the barbed wire on it, but that just severs the last tie WWECW had with what Vince bought in 2001.

I'm glad that ECW has a "Real" belt. Sorry it's not "Traditional gold". The butterfly belt is probably "Ceramic" or something.

[Eric O'Mac]

I Believe In Todd Grisham.

[National Champion Chris Cole]

I don't dislike the ECW Belt at all. I think it looks pretty good. They just need to rethink their slang and try not to use gold. Strap, Belt, Title all will work.

[Lucky]

Crete, if that post was written with as annoyed a tone as it read then let me just assure you that its over nothing. I really don't care that the ECW title doesn't have gold in it. It bugs me a bit because its not traditional and I like tradition. But I don't hate it for that.

I just figured the second I saw it that WWE's general approach to things showed such little synergy and thought that there would be "gold" references non-stop and the thought cracked me up. And I am happy to have found a bunch already in the 1st week.

Ultimately I care about the ECW title about as much as I do its champion and its brand. I don't even watch the show on Tuesday nights anymore and I haven't cared about anything that happens on it in a LONG time. Its silly to care about Heat.

[salmonjunkie]

what if it's white gold?

[Concrete TG]

Jul 30, 2008 10:48:33 GMT -5 Lucky said:

Crete, if that post was written with as annoyed a tone as it read then let me just assure you that its over nothing. I really don't care that the ECW title doesn't have gold in it. It bugs me a bit because its not traditional and I like tradition. But I don't hate it for that.

I was a tad annoyed - but I could kill my own arguments using your points in that "The ECW title isn't even worthy of being gold" since some of the wrestlers (I'm looking at YOU, Punk) don't even consider it on par with Raw or SD.

I really like the new design and hope that it's a sign that ECW will be around for a bit as they add new talent. Ortiz will come around (who's "Backslide"?), Bourne doesn't need any help, and Braden Walker needs a kick in the direction of a gym.

Seeing Ortiz, Neeley and Bourne in the ring together was deja vu for me. All I needed was Mike Kruel and Colt Cabana and I'd be wondering if OVW got a national TV deal.

[Lucky]

Would you be offended if I said that seeing them all on ECW makes me remember why I stopped going through all the effort of getting OVW episodes just so I could suffer through it and see enough of WWE's future to comfortably say that Justin LaRouche is forgettable, Matt Sydal could be a star, and Atlas DaBone may be the least talented wrestler in WWE this side of Khali?

Next they'll call Platinum Pat Buck up just to make me hate wrestling.

[Concrete TG]

If they really wanted you to hate wrestling, Lucky, they would have called up Al Barone by now - or Andrew Vein and Johnny Bravado. I was going to add Igota Bruschi but you guys wouldn't care how he wrestled and give him a pass because of his name alone.

[Lucky]

Ah, see. All of them were after I stopped paying any attention to OVW. So thankfully I have no idea of how much they suck and would have to discover it all new like most ECW viewers. There is a greater tragedy to seeing Atlas DaBone showing up on screen and yelling "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" And then watching every one else discover his suckiness for the first time and even get some amusement by mocking it while you are just long past all of that and are suffering watching him AGAIN!

Jacob Duncan would also make me sad. But Platinum Pat Buck and Gothic Mayhem? That's really just turn off the TV time.

[Fire-Babe]

i think the biggest problem i have with the new belt is it is hard on my cheap ass analog non-hi-def regular ol' tv to see the actual metal on it, whether it's platinum, steel, or white gold (ha!)

i know they needed a new one to fit henry, but i'd like to be able to tell it is a championship belt, and not just a random weightlifting belt that he is for some reason wearing backwards.

[Lucky]

Yeah, agreed, actually. Its REALLY hard for me to make out and I didn't even realize there was an eagle on it until I looked at it online. There's a real lack of definition in the color/design that seems to kind of hurt it. And then again this week watching him wear it I found myself essentially staring and Henry's junk because my TV couldn't make the belt out well.

I suspect its better in an HD world, but you know not all of us have big screen HD tvs.

But again, I don't really care that much. Its just stuff about the belt that go against it. It could spin or have a giant penis on it.

[National Champion Chris Cole]

Do you know something that bothers me about Colin Delany? Why the hell does he wear a singlet but never uses the shoulder straps? Either use the damn straps or just get normal pant length tights you idiot!

[Eric O'Mac]

that bothers me too, M-Kid.