Long comment coming sorry Kev.

We have been waiting for months for the return of Christian and when it finally happens it has the impact of a bad curry, ie it left a sickening feeling in the pit of my guts.

Don’t get me wrong ECW isn't terrible but I just couldn’t care less about it, I think its a great idea for the new talent to get some air time to show what they are capable of before moving on to one of the big two but so far noone there has made much of an impression on me, and I am sure someone will come off with the lame excuse "it adds some much needed star power to the roster" (I respect JR but I totally see him coming off with this comment!).

If its star power they want send Punk back over instead of burying him and the IC title on raw!!

I love the WWE and have been watching it for 22 of my 27 years but over the past number of years I have watched it go from bad to worse, there has been some spectacular moments and feuds but I remember a time watching Raw when the whole show was exciting or at least passable, in recent months I have found myself hitting fast forward at certain moments for the first time ever!!

I remember some time ago Vince McMahon claiming that he did things for the fans, when the hell did this change?!?!? We all know how much he hates the spoilers on the internet and that he has changed things up at the last minute just to swerve us but come on!!

Now supposedly he has never rated Christian but surely someone within WWE could see the buzz going all round the internet and the excitement that was building around Christians return, and maybe just maybe they could have said something and stopped this abortion of an angle.

People may not like him and think his ideas are dated and stupid but can anyone argue that even Vince Russo could have booked this better??

I really think its about time someone reminded Vince that he is supposed to be a business man out to make money and to really start listening to the fans who invest their time and money on his product!

I really hope that there is more to this, I cant imagine Christian signing a contract based on this lukewarm welcome back.

I seldom watch ECW but while channel surfing came upon Christian's debut . I must say I was shocked to see him show up in this venue .
ECW's gain is TNA's loss . Christians wrestling ability and mike skills will be sorely missed by TNA as he along with Angle gave it some credibilty . .... Oh , what am I thinking , TNA just debuted Brutus whatshisname .

Kevin,
I DVR ECW every week, mainly just to keep up with the comings and goings. Last night when I hit play to start the program, I was having a conversation with my wife about Swagger's speech impediment (lisp) and how I don't remember too many former champs recently that had that kind of problem. When I impersonated him for her, I even threw in a Sylvester the Cat "sufferin' succatash!" line. I literally almost fell off my couch after Christian came out and referenced Swagger's speech impediment, along with the Sylvester the Cat line. :)

It was a little anti-climatic to see Christian debut on ECW after so many people had him pegged for Smackdown, I must say. However, with the tease for Evan Bourne returning to ECW soon, the show definitely will have a new infusion of better talent.

Quick question for you; why do Morrison and Miz show up on all 3 shows EVERY week? Do you think WWE will eventually unify the tag belts by having a match between them and the Colons? Seems to make sense considering they're having them show up everywhere.

I was definitely surprised to see Christian on ECW as well. I'm fairly disappointed, but at the same time I agree with what you say.

Although, in the back of my head I'm thinking perhaps they are waiting to see how Christian fares in the next few months since isnt the draft coming up in a few months? Perhaps if he wows the top folks he can be moved soon?

I think you're right about when you write that Christian has not been put on RAW/SmackDown to discourage wrestlers from jumping to TNA. If Vince didn't do that, most mid-card talent would consider such a move. So I think Vince has definitely made the right decision. But I personally can't wait for Christian vs Edge...

Alicia Fox------------ Kevin, Get over her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if you noticed but Matt Striker also said "This moment just became instantly classic" when Christian appeared

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I did hear it. Christian is a sharp guy -- I wonder if he trademarked that name or if TNA owns the intellectual property

Sorry, this is a HUGE stepdown for Christian. I wonder if he is rethinking hsi move from TNA. Better to be a big dog in a small pond, than to be peed on in ECW

I understand what you are saying about Christian being needed at ECW, but to just spring him on the show, with no leadup, seems like a waste of the reintroduction of a huge name, and someone many of us fans really want to see pushed. Seems like a complete waste after stealing him back from TNA.

I did not like how Christian made fun of Jack Swagger's lisp. I thought that was low and it made me immediately dislike Christian.

Kevin, do you think Jack Swagger's lisp will hurt him as far as becoming a main eventer on Raw or SmackDown?

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I don't think it will hurt him. Dusty Rhodes spoke with a lisp (not as noticable as Swagger) and it didn't hurt him.

You missed that when Christian is walking down Striker says, " This moment has become instantly classic." I see what wwe is doing.

This was (in my opinion) one of the worst "re-debuts" in the history of the WWE. No reaction from the crowd, no build up or vignettes prior to Christians arrival. I mean, all of the anticipation of Christian being the stalker of Jeff Hardy, and this is how they debut him? Hmmm, something seems a little off, hopefully the WWE uses ECW as a stepping stone, or launchpad to re-ignite Christians career in the WWE. He looked great, his new music was dope, and he did his thing on the mic and in the ring, now let's just hope the WWE does theirs behind the curtain! If I were doing the booking, Christian would win the Money In The Bank at WrestleMania 25.

I agree this move makes sense for all parties involved. If he returned to smackdown, he would be a 2nd level character to edge and jeff hardy. He made a name for himself in TNA and earned alot more respect from fans. Why not have him carry ECW? plus with Evan Bourne returning soon to ECW, could be very interesting. If only they could have the heart to move MVP to ECW and stop this new talent initive.

Hey Kevin, at first I was upset that he's being used on the "C" show, but I think it's smart when you take a step back and really analyze it. Christian obviously works better as a cocky heel, and WWE knew that no matter what, people were going to initially cheer him when he came back. So putting him in a main heel feud might be counter-productive to his character in the long run.

I think he'll get a nice run as the "new face" and once it grows somewhat stale (like jericho last year) i feel he'll get drafted to another brand and be the main-event heel that he always had the potential of being in WWE.

Normally don't watch ECW but I'm glad i decided to watch it last night.
Little disappointed that Christian is on ECW but he's going to show much better..would love to see his matches against Swagger, Finlay, John Morrison, and Evan Borne

I was a little upset about how Christian was placed now that he has returned, but Kevin you logic has calmed me down some...

Christian's return, Finlay's standing, Dreamer's storyline, Bourne's return and Swagger's championship could have made for a third championship Elimination Match. Although some would think it would be a bit much, it may not be a good idea to lower the ECW championship's standing by only giving it a singles match at NWO.

I didn't change the channel on the Miz match either, however I did go to the restroom while it was on. Sorry Miz, you haven't won me over yet. Now that his skills have been improved, Miz could probably rebrand himself as a "new era" face version of Bob Backland. He would have the same look if you strip away the nonsense.

I miss Alicia and DJ. I hope they can make some appearances on the A an B shows. Maybe DJ can appear once in a while to job to one of the top stars just to get a rub.

As a HUGE Christian supporter! ( I thought he was highly misused by WWE the first time around) I was hoping that his stint in TNA proved that he can contend with the top stars. I'm excited to see him back but hope that Vince doesn't take this opportunity to BURY the first guy that jumped from WWE to TNA and then came back again. He has serious star potential and had me laughin like a little kid cutting his FIRST promo back in the "big leagues." Something that only Santino can typically make me do. I'm prayin that this is them just getting a feel for how the fans are gonna react to Christian before promoting him up to a program with Edge.

Long time reader, first time poster. I love your blog, mostly because we're on the same page most of the time. Here's an article I wrote last night on why Christian ECW return shouldn't be surprising, pretty similar reasoning as you:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/122618-christians-quiet-return-surprising

Also, in addition to Todd Grisham's "impact" comment, Matt Stryker said "tonight just became instantly classic" when Christian made his entrance. Both these references were surprising as the WWE almost never recognizes TNA on tv.

Thanks for a great blog, Eck.

One of my friends is a casual fan. He doesn't read this blog or others like it. The only websites he frequents are wwe.com and tnawrestling.com.

When he found out about Christian, he said, "Well, now I have a reason to watch ECW."

That's why Vince put Christian on ECW. We know how good he can be in the main events on Smackdown or Raw, but he's really needed on ECW to be the star of the "C" show the casual fans overlook.

This isn't for "us," the "smarks," it's for "them," the casual fans.

Unfortunately, I missed the return of Christian. It’s too bad they didn’t jump him right into a main event level angle right from the get-go, but I wouldn’t worry. This ECW run will probably be temporary. It’ll be the same “I did everything I could accomplish in ECW and it’s time to move on” type thing. If not that, then keep in mind the draft is only a few months away.

Also, a Baltimore-related side note. With the temperature being 70 degrees as I write this, I’m starting to get baseball fever. Maybe 2009 will be the year of the Orioles! Okay, probably not; but hey, let’s hope they don’t collapse until late August instead of mid July. Go O’s!

Kev, Do you think that eventualy Christian will move to smackdown or raw down the road???

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I'm 100 percent certain.

Once again, a great article written by Kevin Eck. My jaw dropped when I saw Christian debut on ECW last night, I couldnt believe what I saw on my TV screen simply because I had been reading that he hadnt even signed a contract with the WWE yet. Good way by WWE to keep it as secretive as possible.

Initially though, I was disappointed to see him on the C Show, and also being put in a match right away. But as you said, the move makes sense. He gives Swagger credibility and also it really made no sense for him to be put in a feud with Jeff Hardy simply because there wasnt any meaningful history between them. Matt Hardy had a more compelling reason to attack him due to his jealous rage.

I foresee Christian giving ECW credibility, being in the money in the bank match at WM 25, and also being put on raw or smackdown in this years draft.

I know it's early days, but Christian left a main event spot in TNA to work against a green kid on WWE's TV equivalent of Arena Football?

He's been held down once by Vince, for which he complained about endlessly, i just hope that history isn't repeating.

I'm a big Christian fan and whilst i wish he never left TNA, i assumed he left with a guarantee of a big push, but so far that hasn't proven to be true.

BTW After the 'instantly classic' line, i just hope that Christian has the good grace to not subtly disrespect TNA on WWE programming.
No matter what people think of TNA, they gave Christian a chance to main event, something that the almighty WWE never did, and are never likely to do.

But why would Christian have been thrust into a bigger role instantly? I get the feeling that a lot of Internet smarks talked them into the idea that Christian was Jeff Hardy's assailant and then just ran wild with it, without any proof at all. It was all speculation.

That said, impeccable logic, kevin.

I think christen comming to ECW is a great step for him with all the so called superstars on SD and RAW it make sense to give ECW more punch. Raw has not been the greatest of shows lately the raitings show that and SD having all the old werstlers taker/hhh etc, it was a breath of fresh air to see ECW get some good talent. Remember ECW had 2 other surprises last nite, Natallie and her T.J. Smith made intersting show. With henry staying mainley on RAW, it refeshing to see christen,finlay,swagger angle.(with chirsten in ECW seeing Finlay turning heel soon)q

Was Ricky Ortiz on the show? I have had a newfound interest in him since Matt Striker mentioned that Ortiz played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. I didn't recognize him as Rich Young, as he had lost alot of weight since his playing days. He was the noseguard in a 3-4 defence. I kid you not.

At first I was kinda upset that Christian was put on ECW, but after watching the show it definitely gave the show some credibility, and another reason why to watch the show.

And you could still have Christian revealed as the guy who attacked Jeff Hardy. Seeing that Jeff is feuding his brother right now, why not wait until after Wrestlemania to reveal that Christian was the guy all along. That way, if Edge still holds the strap, you could have Edge and Christian holding main titles (if Christian does indeed knock off Swagger), and ECW could get a nice title feud with Jeff and Christian. And it would incorporate both shows.

I thought it was brilliant from the moment his music hit. He wasn't a main eventer when he left, he shouldn't be immediately thrust into a main event or even upper card role right now. I think this is a case of the company learning from the mistakes of Jericho's re-debut (you could add the Big Show to the list as well). Even though in each of their cases they were only "gone" for 2 or 3 years, you have to admit there has been a lot of turnover in the make-up of the WWE audience in that time. It's definitely a younger crowd overall, many of whom weren't around for the peak of the Attitude era or even his run as an upper midcard heel before his departure. It's a big reason why Jericho's comeback fell flat (well that and returning him a month later than they should, another discussion), and it's wise not to set Christian, who for all his talents is not Chris Jericho, up for the same fate. That being said, he is an upgrade over Matt Hardy as the lead face of ECW, and in just one hour of programming, ECW is actually in a better position than it was 3 weeks ago. Not to mention Christian's inevitable move to Raw/SM will be that much stronger as a result. With Christian, Finlay, Swagger, Miz/Morrison, a soon to be returning Evan Bourne, Tyson Kidd, and Dreamer's high potential storyline, ECW has a good base to put on a strong hour of TV every week.

christan made a strong debut back to the wwe

Christian needs new theme music...

Christian looked rusty & sort of out of shape in the ring to me. Also did anyone notice the marks on this back during the match from Swagger??

I agree, having Christian steadily build to a climax is a much better option then putting him in the spotlight, only to have him fizzle out in a few months. Plus it sends a message.
Who does Dreamer think he is, MVP?
Tyson Kidd’s debut was impressive, as well as pretty stiff, now all he needs to do is fire his barber.

I can't believe how good ECW was this week. I felt that the recent ECW episodes have been pretty lackluster.

It's also good to see that the Boogyman did NOT get a mtach this week. I don't see why he getting matches instead of people like DJ Gabriel and Ricky Ortiz.

Now that Christian is offically WWE, it's makes his departure from TNA seem very disrespectful. It is pretty wrong that he leaves so TNA makes him get beat up on his last apperence and then disrespect his career in TNA the following week.

The one night I decide to skip over ECW is the night the Instant Classic debuts. Darn. Yeah I missed it but I'm about to go watch it. I should have known Vince would put him on ECW. They need the ratings and I think Vince likes to punish people who don't do right by him.

So is Natalya not wrestling on SD anymore? And where's Gail Kim?

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK": I assume Natalya is now officially part of ECW roster. But as we have seen, that doesn't mean that she won't wrestle on Smackdown or Raw.

Kevin be honest here what was you first immedite reaction when you were watching ecw and out came christian
i was very surprised myself...lol

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I was totally surprised.

Hey Kevin I'm just wondering if Christian builds his carreer back in ECW quick enough he would be drafted to either Raw or Smackdown at the WWE Draft on the April 13 or is that asking for too much :)

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: It''s possible, but that would again leave ECW without a top face.