I’m taking a slight digression from the original plan this week due to obvious circumstances.  The most annoying person in ECW will make its way to the site at a later date.  Feel free to continue to e-mail me your thoughts.
 

Last week I was reading about an interview where Paul E. was ripping into the Sandman.  Here is what was even posted on this site....

“Although many people within ECW are pushing for Paul Heyman to re-sign
James Fullington (Hak,Sandman), Heyman tells Wade Keller's Pro Wrestling
Torch that he is still outraged that Fullington left ECW without giving
notice.

Heyman told the Torch in regards to Fullington, "I never liked him
personally, but it didn't get in the way of business."

While Heyman gives Fullington credit for "working his ass off" while
working in ECW, he says that he created the harder-edged version of the
Sandman character. "I gave him a career, a life, and spent a fortune
getting the music rights" for his in ring enterance (Metallica's "Enter
Sandman"). Heyman notes that he stood up for Fullington when several
wrestlers complained about his stiff in-ring style and stood by him when
Mick Foley refused to work with him. "Then he left without giving
notice," Heyman said.

Heyman says if Fullington is brought back in ECW, he will have to start
over. "He won't be paid what he was making before," Heyman says.
Instead, Fullington would have to accept "starter pay". When pressed,
Heyamn said starter pay "in his situation" would be roughly $1,500 per
week. Heyman adds that Fullington would have to give up "$5,000 per
week" from WCW.”

Now when I first read this I didn’t buy it 100%.  I could see how Paul E. could be bitter about Sandman’s exit from ECW but the rest of it didn’t make sense.  For one I’m pretty sure Paul E. never paid any rights fee for ‘Enter Sandman’.  If he did they wouldn’t have had to put that bad cover of it on the ECW CD.  (Whatever happened to volume II?  I thought that was suppose to come out a long time ago).  Also, I had a hard time believing that there was a deep hatred between the two to the point where they couldn’t be in the same room.  But I thought that this was just part of Paul E’s bitterness so I bought it.

Fast Forward to Saturday night.  A former ECW World Champion will return.  The first thought that comes to mind is the Sandman.  And then in the opening match out come Mikey Whipwreck.  Oh well, I guess the Paul E / Sandman heat is legit, at least Mikey is back.

Fast Forward to the Main Event Saturday.  Raven/Dreamer V.  Credible/Storm.  Mid-match the lights turn out.  Upon the return of the lights is the Sandman.  OH MY GOD!  (Gimmick ripoff) While many accounts say that this was the loudest pop on record in ECW, I have my doubts.  As far as I’m concerned the pop for Raven at the last Queens show would be hard to surpass.  Personally, I think this is just Philly fans saying this to try and look better than NYC fans.  (In case you can’t tell this is my ‘heel’ personna - Gimmick ripoff #2).

I had to read the results of the night from our good friends at ECWWrestling.com and I was shocked reading the results because I bought into Paul E’s 2-pronged swerve just like everyone at the Arena.

This swerve was classic Paul E.  In this day and age where wrestling news hits the internet almost instintaneously, Paul E found a way to use it to his benefit to stage the second most memorable show in years behind the return of Raven at the last Queens show, of course.

Could you imagine the reaction of the crowd if they knew the Sandman was coming back?  The lights turn back on, there’s the Sandman............and the crowd gives him a nice golf applause.  It just wouldn’t have been the same.  Kudos to you Paul E for pulling it off.

I think Paul E’s handling of the return of the Sandman can be best summed up like this.......
That’s just not the coolest
That’s not just the best
That’s just incredible (gimmick ripoff #3)

Can you have a gimmick that is just riping off other gimmicks?  I guess so.  Stevie Richards already does that (chalk up gimmick ripoff #4)
 

Book review:  If you like wrestling, you’ll love Mick Foley’s book.  It’s a book that I only put down to go to work or to sleep, it was that good.  It also includes quite a bit about his time in ECW, especially the anti-hardcore gimmick.  You also get a good look into the wrestling business.  And it can give you funny sign ideas that only people that read the book will get like “there’s f’n cookies in my bed!!”.

Go to www.barnesandnoble.com for the cheapest copy you can find.