Reported by Mike Siciliano of WrestleView.com
On Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 11:07 AM EST

This is one of those rare occasions where I actually almost felt required to try and write a piece. Last night, Smackdown and ECW was in Baltimore, Maryland, and last night, the final straws of the original ECW began to crumble, as Sabu came in, and allegedly was very late without his gear, and when he was told by WWE creative to put over Kevin Thorn, his disagreement with that assignment was the straw that broke the giant company's back, and hence, Sabu is no longer a WWE combatant.

Is anyone truly surprised?

First, before I try and talk about this, let me say this for the record. I'm not an ECW Original. What I mean by that is I'm not subject to the knowledge of seeing ECW back in its prime. Have I seen the Rise and Fall? Indeed. Have I watched Barely Legal as the bonus PPV to ONS II on DVD? Indeed. Have I seen the Extreme Rules DVD and the Most Dangerous Matches on DVD? Indeed. Is this all the knowledge I need to make an authoritative judgment on this? Hardly.

But, I think I can speak for the fans of the product when I say this. Any facets of this ECW being remotely close to the original went in the perverbial dumper when Vince McMahon pinned Bobby Lashley to win the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

Did anyone catch, a brief out there aside, did anyone catch Tommy Dreamer's comments on dot com about McMahon winning the belt? Dudes and ladies, I'm telling you as God as my witness, that was no promo. That was a shoot. He was and probably is so pissed off that the nearly 60 plus year old Doctor of Humane Letters from Sacred Heart University is wearing the gold that he feels the strongest about. And I can't personally blame him.

And I would not doubt in the least bit if the other Originals felt the same way.

Back to Sabu, we all know that his fate was sealed when he and then champ Van Dam were caught with the dope back in the day. He had been in the dog house in WWE pretty much ever since. Since Heyman had left, Sabu's days in the main event stature of ECW was also pretty much null and void. Sabu went about this wrong, I feel, but his end result is the best thing for him, and that will probably lead him to a return to TNA, to a return to a company whose rules are much more lenient to allow him the opportunity to be who he was or is. I mean, let's think about, did ANYTHING in his tenure in WWE stick out in your memory like Barbed Wire Massacre against Abyss at Turning Point 04, or Hardcore Homecoming against the Franchise and Terry Funk?

I'll wait while you think about this.

From all reports, it's likely Rob Van Dam's days in ECW are numbered. With that being said, perhaps Sabu just began the domino effect earlier than expected. It's tremendously sad, for most of the hardcore fans of the product that wanted to see ECW live the way it was, because this guarantees it's not going to happen.

From an optimistic point of view, I would think that keeping Smackdown and ECW together, and perhaps intertwining them some more may blend in some potential new feuds and new blood in to both brands, both brands that are desperately in need of some major overhauls due to injury and just plain attrition. I mean, let's think about it, we've already seen it once, but Punk vs. Kennedy in a long program. Edge vs. Cor Von. Burke and Striker vs. London & Kendrick. Thorn vs. Undertaker, or Kane, or Boogeyman. Regal and Taylor vs. the Majors Brothers. No, they're not marquis matchups, but they're not terrible. It's worth looking in to it, isn't it?

I feel the worst for two men in all this mess. Sabu will be fine. He'll be back in the independent circuit doing what he does best. Sandman will eventually join him. Van Dam will likely jump to TNA, which is another story for another day. Fans like me who wanted to see ECW relive as the original facet are disappointed, but the fans of these combatants have to be happy that this is happening the way it is. But, as I said, two men are going to suffer from all this.

Tazz and Tommy Dreamer.

Dreamer? It's obvious. This is his last hurrah. He's done. Once this falls through, and it's pretty certain it's going to, what's going to happen for him? He's not going to go back to Ohio Valley, Al Snow has that covered. Steve Keirn is running the show in the new territory in Tampa, Dreamer may end up there in a trouble shooter role, but is that what the Innovator of Violence is looking for? Is this the beginning of the end of a career of a man whose heart is larger than life itself? I don't know, but I tell you this. He put his soul on the line for this product, and I don't think the powers that be in WWE have recognized him for that, and that's just a plain travesty.

Speaking of someone whose put his soul on the line for this product, the Human Suplex Machine comes to mind. He has grown as a broadcaster by leaps and bounds. He continues to evolve in to a color commentator the likes of Gordon Solie and Bruno Sammartino. Yes, he's got a lot to learn, but he's improved dramatically. However, his loyalty to the ECW colors have tainted his ability somewhat because he's become more of a "homer" than an analyst. Which is sad, because back in the day on Smackdown, Tazz could break down a match as well as anyone. If ECW does fall through, and the parties that be are either reassigned or released, Tazz could be in serious trouble. JBL has unearthed a natural ability as a commentator on Smackdown, and the safety net that Tazz may have had if the ECW experiment didn't work may be gone. I find that incredibly disappointing for Tazz because he's bled WWE, figuratively speaking, since day one, and he may be placed in an unusual, and unenviable situation, sooner, rather than later.

Back to Sabu to wrap this up, I'm very disappointed as to how he achieved what I believe to have been the eventual result. I would've liked to have seen Sabu just go to the powers that be and say let me go. Yes, money is an issue, don't come at me with that, because I'm well aware, but have the class, take the obvious out of the equation, because his reputation and his ability will get him multiple pay days before he hangs it up, if he ever does, and stand up like a man, and say to WWE brass, "I'm done. Let me go." The way he got what I think he wanted makes him look like a weasel. Not the impression you want to be remembered by when you depart the monster giant of the pro wrestling industry.

I had high hopes for ECW. I still think I do. Hopefully, WWE will make it in to the brand it has to be now, a live developmental brand for the stars of tomorrow. Guys like the New Breed, Punk, Lashley, the Majors, they need ECW to get their own stock together for hopeful runs at the main event on Raw and Smackdown. ECW can still be an entertaining product for the hardcore wrestling fan, in some way, shape, or form via that aspect. It may not last on television much longer, but it doesn't have to be destroyed. I will say in closing, though, that I think the WWE could have reworked ECW slightly differently, Heyman or no Heyman, to give a little more respect and rub to the ECW Originals, who all eventually came to WWE and made Vince McMahon a boatload of cash. But, if we're going to sit here and talk about differences with WWE creative, we could be here till doomsday.

And none of us have that kind of time.

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