ECW: 14th July 2009

Pretty good TV, this one. The opener was good. Not a high end Christian match, owing more the the high standard he has set this year, but another in his on-going series of TV matches based on top notch body-part selling. His big bump this week was another off the top buckle following a Shelton kick. I love big bumps that become the story of the match, rather than just a quick shock, and Christian does it every week. Aside from that, I liked Shelton using his top rope leap for a purpose outside of flashy gymnastics.

The rest of the show had shorter matches. Yoshi Tatsu comes out really energised, which is exactly what he needs to do. He and Burchill matched up well - I'm hoping there's now an opening for Burchill now Swagger has gone. Yoshi falls off the rope going for his SPIN FLY KICK, and if that wasn't a deliberate botch, then they dealt with it superbly - Burchill was straight in there with a backdrop driver, and then manufactured an argument with the referee allowing Yoshi the chance to hit his finish. Nice work.

Goldust and Zack Ryder have a non-offensive match. Goldust is doing a version of his character that is playing more to the crowd than before - it's a nice blend of allowing the inevitable nostalgia without overshadowing the guys he will mainly be escalating by being a far more interesting. Can't generally go wrong with a healthy Dustin, and if you watch how fast he moves between the ropes, I think it's safe to say he is that.

This show was about escalating Koslov as much as anything else, on commentary during the Christian match (which was awesome) and destroying Dreamer in about four minutes. It was delighted to see Christian running in after the main event still selling the arm. It's really great to see that sort of pride in the work. This ECW stint will be a great opportunity to reset and rebuild the Koslov character after being built up and then beaten by HHH, Taker and Michaels to further their stories. I like how his character is no longer just a machine, and is being allowed some personality. Got to love the smirk.