WWE ECW Review - July 15, 2008

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tommy Dreamer Attacked ECW Champion Mark Henry

After turning heel the week prior, Tony Atlas explained why he decided to align with Henry in this segment. He had been out of the public eye for many years, but he was a good manager for Henry as he added to his act and could serve as his mouthpiece (though we would later learn that Henry could talk for himself). The "test of strength" stuff with Henry bending a bunch of frying pans honestly bored me, but Dreamer coming out and smacking him over the head with one helped build to their ECW Championship match that Sunday at The Great American Bash.

Mike Knox def. Shannon Moore

By this point in time, Knox had been around in ECW for close to two years and management wasn't really doing much with him. He was squashing opponents left and right, like he did here with Moore, but didn't have a solid direction. He was known for his fast-paced and aggressive hard-hitting style, but nothing else about him stood out as special to me, personally. That said, this served its purpose in giving him a quick and easy win.

Evan Bourne def. Chavo Guerrero

With Bourne fresh off his debut in ECW, Guerrero was a perfect first feud for him. I never saw Guerrero as being ECW Championship material (like when he held the title earlier on in 2008), but he was good for putting young talent over such as Bourne. This was a fun little match while it lasted with Bourne scoring the decisive victory and continuing to build momentum.

The Hardy Boyz def. WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz (Non-title)

When we saw this same match at the 2008 WWE Draft special in June, it felt special because not only did it mark the first time in a while that The Hardy Boyz competed together, it also marked the last time due to Matt Hardy being drafted to ECW immediately afterward. Well, that virtually meant nothing since they reunited again here despite the Brand Extension (which was largely pointless at this time). Nevertheless, this was an entertaining tag match even, if it didn't further any feuds (since Miz and Morrison were defending the tag titles against other tandems that Sunday).

Overall Show

ECW had only one match at Great American Bash 2008, so the build to the event stopped at the opening segment. That doesn't necessarily mean this was a bad show, though, because the rest of the evening effectively showcased the likes of Knox and Bourne as well featured a special tag team main event with The Hardy Boyz taking on Miz and Morrison. The hour flies by, but the main event in particular is worth seeking out.