Teddy Long's Superstar Initiative

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Obviously this is a great way to get development guys on the ECW roster after the brand got mugged at the draft show. Having said that these new wrestlers will all win there first matches and , judging by the current trend, it looks like Estrada will do the job. Problem is he's not a good jobber (if that's possible), they need someone like Nunzio who's solid in the ring. He will make these debuting stars's debut matches go a lot smoother after the rather shit Ortiz and Walker matches.
As has been said countless amount of times, I really hope Cabana is brought up as he is a very charismatic guy who's sound in the ring as well. Hopefully he will debut on tonight's ECW.

The problem with using Nunzio, though, is that he has literally zero shot at winning anything. The fans know it. When's the last time he or Funaki ever won a match? Once you put Nunzio in a match, you know the opposite person is going to win, so the whole rest of the match is boring as its the typical outline. The same thing is happening to Santino. I mean, hell, the guy jobbed to BETH PHOENIX this week. How can anybody ever get invested in a match with someone like Nunzio/Funaki/Santino/"Random jobber that has no introduction" if there's no question at all who will win?

A lot of people seem to like Colt.....I have no clue what he's like, as I haven't seen any of his matches. But if he has that much of a following, I hope for his fans that he doesn't debut as horribly as Ortiz or Harris, cause both of those guys showed me zilch in terms of talent.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I'm not sure if I should like this idea or not. Thus far, we've seen who? Evan Bourne, (who has become a regular) the Carlito look-alike, and Chris Harris. Outside of Evan Bourne, were we really given a treat?

I mean, I was excited to see Chris Harris return because I have always tried to support him in a ways. I loved America's Most Wanted, but fully understand and realize it was because James Storm fully carried the team. I see that now, especially after watching how much Harris is just unbelieveably plain inside the ring.

Now if I continue to be treated to talent that could become regulars, and that could show me something like Bourne did, then by all means yes. I'd love to continue seeing it. But if not, then no. I don't want to waste part of the hour they have, watching an indy star, a has been, a never was, or a straight up no-name gain a victory.. when talent like Elijah Burke just get wasted with not being used.

 

[Father:_Polley]

the thing with the whole new talent initiative is this... What can they do with them? In ECW at the minute, you have 3 guys who have debuted in the last month, Delaney and Estrada. There are 5 guys with absolutely no name behind them, trying to cram them into a one hour show wrestling who?

I mean seriously, beyond Mark Henry and Finlay, who on the ECW roster is credible enough to take a loss to a guy with no reputation. Nunzio can only job to so many people, Estrada and Delaney can job since they aren't going anywhere, but how does that build up talent.

Let's face it, ECW has a problem where it has too many up-and-coming stars like Morrison and Burke, and combined with them are guys no-one really knows. The result is the bigger names have no-one credible to feud with, and the new guys have no-one to be put over without damaging the work done on eg Morrison, Burke.

There are too many new talents in one very small pool. Even on the bigger shows there is simply not enough room to take on the new guys and expect them to be able to be pushed.

Bottom line is that there needs to be a cull of deadweight...Duggan, Super Crazy, Nunzio. They don't serve a purpose at present as they're not credible to be jobbed out as 'veterans' as they've done it so much that the term 'veteran' is more of an insult than a sign of respect

 

[Slack]

It looks like Harris is going to be the new Barry Horowitz of the WWE. He's just really going to have a little run and then become a jobber. Now I was enjoying what TNA was doing with him, but he left and that messed it up. Now if you look at James Storm, Storm has something that Harris doesn't, a gimmick. And one of my favorite wrestling catchphrases. Yes I'll admit it, i pop for Sorry about your damn luck. But there is nothing that makes Harris stand out.

Now I'm not a big fan of the quick style, I like more of the slow grind down style of like Arn Anderson and stuff, but holy FN crap, Bourne is FN awesome. The height he gets on that shooting star press damn.

Now I have no problem with the names being changed. Ken Kennedy was originally Ken Anderson, Jimmy Wang Yang was suppose to be Jimmy Wayne Yang, although i think that name change came from more of the southern accent than anything else. Wayne sounds like Wang if you you say it with a deep southern accent. But for the love of god, every week.

 

[noone911]

ECW on SciFi is one of the worst shows I have ever seen in my life (not just wrestling). With that said, I am tempted to check it out each week to see if someone new debuts. They are doing some things that are starting to sway me, like the "superstar initiative" but that can only last for so long. You can't simply debut new guys ever week or every other week.

Evan Bourne is a bright spot. I wish they would have just let him keep his name though. I really do hate it when someone debuts with a regular name and they they rename them something -- and really it's a clear rippoff of Jason Bourne and I can't shake that.

Back to the initiative. Bringing in new guys is great but it can only go so far. What I like is that with the ECW setup new guys can come in and feud with anyone, so that makes it sound exciting...except that I guess they keep facing Estrada which is really a useless match. If they keep bringing these guys in and they begins rivalries it could be good. I'm not holding out hope though, I'm sure it'll be watered down.

 

[SpiralHands]

I love the new talent initiative and to be honest since Kofi Kingston has moved to Raw the talent initiative is the only reason I watch ECW and probs is for most people. But I have to admit they have had some bad debuts. I mean they werent really debuts just kind of TV tryout matches, but I mean they were bad. Ortiz was dreadful I hated his ring atire his look his gimmick his mic skills and his ring skills he needs to be repackaged. And as for Chris Harris I feel sorry for him, I mean WWE have gievn him a rubbish name and entrance etc etc etc. But thats on purpose WWE likes to take guys who were big in other companys and destroy them I mean look what happened to all the guys in the WCW ECW invasion. But lets hope some new poeple debut soon who are worth watching!

 

[Dead Kennedy]

Getting Evan Bourne was definitely a fantastic move from WWE's side in order to make ECW more exciting. However, Atlas Ricky DaBone Ortiz or whatever his name is now is the Man of 1 holds. In his match against Estrada, the ONLY thing I saw was an armdrag. Okay, let me rephrase that. The only thing I saw were 30 armdrags. That was all I saw. I seen what I saw.

I could not believe my own eyes when I saw this "Braden Walker" guy. At first, I thought, man, this guy looks like a washed-up, out-of-shape Chris Harris! And I'd be right about that. He's become a shadow of who he once was; he was one of America's Most Wanted, now he's my least wanted on ECW. That match was a complete joke. I do not see Chris Harris lasting long in WWE as I had grave doubts he would be called up anyway due to reports of some heat or something.

It's been a hit-and-miss sort of deal. Evan Bourne more than makes up for these two other bozos though. I like Atlas DaRicky WishBone's charisma though. And the fact that his hair looks similar to Hardcore Holly's wig when he dressed up as Carlito on that Raw Roulette show in January. But Chris Harris. Man. Waste of time for WWE.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Tonight had me scratching my head for several reasons.

1) Why didn't they sign Bourne earlier? This guy's great. If nothing weird happens, I can definitely see this guy being the next Rey Mysterio.

2) Why did they ever sign "Braden Walker"? This guy is TERRIBLE. Two matches so far and two promos, all bombed. The guy can only do crossbody splashes and clotheslines, it seems. His head looks out of proportion from his weirdly shaped body. He gets no reaction, his music sucks (not his fault on that one), and his name sucks (not his fault either, unless he picked it).

3) Speaking of how the Superstar Initiative sucks...Ricky Atlas Dabone Ortiz Carlito 2.0 is a waste as well. Bad moveset that he can barely pull off, has no personality, and why do they insist on claiming that he's so charismatic if the guy does NOTHING to make you think so? He can't even get the fans to want to slap his hand on the way to the ring! I think when he comes out, he points to the 3 people in the crowd that aren't asleep.

4) Is James Curtis/KC James a member of the roster, or is he just the permanent fall-boy? Seriously this guy couldn't beat Colin Delaney the way they book him. Its a shame, too, as it looks like he has more potential than Walker and Ortiz combined.


Its really sad when CHUCK PALUMBO is a better and more entertaining member of the team than your so-called "new and young" talent of Ortiz and Walker. Poor Teddy Long. Not only does he have his name attached to bringing in 2 terrible wrestlers, but he also has his name attached to the "should've ended months ago" Delaney and Estrada "earn your contract" angle, and he's the General Manager of a brand that holds a good 6 or 7 talented guys packed in the same box as a ton of jobbers and washed up nobodies. The few that have any worth must be so happy that they film the same time as Smackdown, cause the locker room/backstage would be depressing if you had to surround yourself with Nunzio, Richards, Dreamer, Super Crazy, Grisham, Hornswoggle, Neely, Tony Atlas, etc etc etc lol.

 

[klunderbunker]

The Superstar Initiative has brought up what, 3 guys total? Of these three, one has serious potential in Bourne. I watched both he and Ortiz in developmental and the same thing is translating onto ECW now. Ortiz is overrated. He played a gimmick in OVW called Atlas DaBone that was basically the Warrior while barking. It made no sense, just like he makes no sense now. Walker is just a waste of a roster spot, just as he was in TNA. All this hype that I've been hearing people say about how he was going to be such a star had me thinking there was more than one Chris Harris. The Initiative has hopefully ended, and with going 1/3, that might be for the best.

 

[wrestlebomb89]

evan bourne is an amazing talent from teddy long's initiative.if there was a rookie of the year award in wwe it would have to be this guy.he's a high flier which you dont really see too much of anymore(i may be wrong about this) and he really gives ecw a glimmer of hope of staying alive.braden walker was shit.basic moves & was a fat ass.he really wasnt at his best quite obviously and fortunately he got cut loose before he made more of an ass out of himself.atlas ortiz i was actually really excited to see because i heard about this guys charisma and it was pretty crappy but i kept the channel on to see if he could wrestle.no.no wrestling and no charisma.fell asleep during the match.i just really hope that the next guy they call up form ecw tommorow is more of the type and not like braden walker or ricky ortiz.

 

[CaseyisBA52'sGFnow]

Im realy hoping that tonights new superstar is going to be Jake Hager. I've heard that WWE is pegging him as a future WWE champion and he is currently working a undefeated streak in FCW. He's also a former football player for the Oklahoma Sooners and we all know how WWE loves former football players. If they sent him to ECW it would be the perfect place for him to build up a fan following and draw heat as a heel.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

So far I would call Teddy's "superstar" initiative has bombed so far. Bourne is a great edition to ECW, but Ricky & Braden were/are flops IMO. The thing is this initiative could be huge for ECW. People have to realize that this ECW is not the old one we all loved. The only thing they have in common is their name & Tommy Dreamer. This brand should be about helping make new stars and that is what this does. The only problem is the WWE seems to be making wrong choices on who to call up. Ortiz may have been a big player in develepmental training, but he seems plain now. I mean he sucks at wrestling but that didn't stop Batista from being a maineventer, he just needs to find a solid character and be put into a feud with the right guy, possibly Finlay(since he could help ortiz better his wresling skills). Braden"Chris Harris" Walker was a big flop. He wasn't ready to be called up. He should have slimmed down some and got a better image but the WWE didn't help matters much by giving him a generic name and persona. Anyways the truth is if written right this intiative could be useful to help make new stars, but only if creative is willing to put in the time.

 

[wrestlebomb89]

i figure vincent kennedy mcmahon is going to screw ecw by sending the shit wrestlers to ecw & sending the really good wrestlers to raw/smackdown. jake hager to ecw?nahhhhhh jake hager's too good.i see him on raw vefore anything.

 

[klunderbunker]

With Gavin Spears (Shawn Spears) debuting, I am once again interested in the Initiative. Spears was nothing short of great in developmental. He was given the proper time to grow and build up his character to the point where he was very good at it. He and Cody Rhodes had a great feud for the OVW tv title that I loved. Spears could be a big deal if done the right way. As for the rest of the Initiative, it's been ok so far. Obviously Bourne is great, Walker bombed and its too early on Spears. That leaves Ortiz, who oddly enough is growing on me. He's being given something close to a character now and it intrigues me. Maybe he could get something out of it after all, but I'd still be suprised.

 

[Rated TSS]

Teddy's character and gimmick is horrible, he needs to change his style and gimmick, i am sick of him being the nice guy and would love him to turn heel. but the problem with that is that all other GM's are heels. Teddy needs an entire gimmick change, and needs to end this superstar crap, Teddy needs to focus more on getting wrestlers off of Smackdown or Raw instead of hiring independant talent.

 

[chasingamy]

Ricky Ortiz: I haven’t weighed in on this guy since he debuted seven weeks ago. I must admit he’s slowly growing on me. He’s really toned down the cheese factor in his voice and facial expressions. He’s looking and sounding more confident each week and the crowd is slowly starting to respond. He’s also improved in the ring since his debut match. My only complaint is the style he’s trying to wrestle doesn’t suit his build. He’s too boppy/bouncy in the ring. And he needs a powerful finisher. That running jumping splash thing might work for a Mysterio-type, but it doesn't look right when he does it.

Gavin Spears: Tuesday night he sounded confident in his first promo, had nice ring presence, and showed an aggressive style despite having limited offense in the short match. Spears also gets half the credit for getting a good match out of Ortiz. Despite the loss, I think it was a respectable debut and he has potential. And there’s just something about him that reminds me of Randy Orton…maybe it’s the cockiness or his long, lean build particularly the legs.

Other Superstar Initiative Thoughts: First, I know not every new wrestler will or has to win their debut match, but I don’t think it’s the best to showcase new talent against other new talent. Second, don’t have a guy cut a promo about being the “crown jewel” of the Initiative then job him out in his first match. Third, I never even got a chance to weigh in on Walker. He was there one minute and gone the next. I had hopes he’d make it. If he wasn’t getting over as a singles wrestler, I don’t see why they couldn’t just put him in a tag team, which they desperately need, or send him to fat camp if that was the issue. Fourth, it’s too bad that Scotty Goldman (aka Colt Cabana) and Ryan Braddock didn’t come up via the Initiative. I already dig those two guys more than Ortiz, Walker, and Spears combined and think they’d have a better shot at doing more than jobbing every week if they were on ECW.

 

[wrestlebomb89]

i figure everyone is gonna get used to ricky ortiz & he in turn will learn how to wrestle better.i just figure everyone is being a bit hard on him.remember mvp's first match?everyone gave him time & look at him now.he's a fuckload of a lot better now.and gavin spears looked pretty good in his match.i guess teaming up with cody rhodes in ovw really worked out.too bad colt cabana didnt debut on ecw.he looked pretty good so far.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Scotty Goldman - No clue about this guy. He looks like he might be a comedic foil more than an actual wrestler. If that's the case, he's nothing to bother caring about. They should put him in a tag team.

Ryan Braddock - I have no clue about this guy either, but because I don't remember a single thing about him. They haven't given him a personality or anything. He looked generic, came out, lost. Then he was already in the ring for the battle royal, and was just thrown out, that's it.

Primo Colon - Not impressed. He just reminds me of a young Chavo in too many ways, and I've never liked Chavo lol.

Gavin Spears - Looks like he has some talent, but why'd they book him to lose? Why didn't they have him be the one to beat Ortiz and then start a feud between the two because he broke the "undefeated streak"? That would've at least given him something to be associated with, as right now, most people probably forget he's a part of the roster.

 

[chasingamy]

Gavin Spears - Looks like he has some talent, but why'd they book him to lose? Why didn't they have him be the one to beat Ortiz and then start a feud between the two because he broke the "undefeated streak"? That would've at least given him something to be associated with, as right now, most people probably forget he's a part of the roster.

I have no clue what they’re doing with Spears. How’s anyone supposed to remember or care about this guy if he keeps losing? Spears has a better look, mic skills, charisma, and in-ring potential than Ortiz, yet he’s getting the opposite push. I particularly like the old-school push down the kneepad before delivering the knee drop move he does.

Ryan Braddock - I have no clue about this guy either, but because I don't remember a single thing about him. They haven't given him a personality or anything. He looked generic, came out, lost. Then he was already in the ring for the battle royal, and was just thrown out, that's it.

It was nice to see Braddock in an actual match Tuesday night and despite the loss he’s the one – not Ricky Ortiz – that stood out. He showed some nice aggression. It looks like Braddock will be a heel, and since Smackdown/ECW are overflowing with those these days that limits his chances off the bat. Watching him reminds me of a young, old-school APA Bradshaw when he was a badass. Braddock had another good, albeit short and losing, showing on Smackdown. I really liked his clothesline from behind on Super Crazy. But like Spears, why call a guy up only to use him as a jobber?

Scotty Goldman - No clue about this guy. He looks like he might be a comedic foil more than an actual wrestler. If that's the case, he's nothing to bother caring about. They should put him in a tag team.

While he’s technically not part of the ECW Initiative, you mentioned him so here’s my thoughts. I YouTubed some matches/promos from his ROH days. He appears quiet the comedy wrestler but with solid in-ring skills. Some entertaining stuff. While I wasn’t impressed with his first promo, look, or first two matches, I think he has potential. The problem is the way WWE has used him so far we haven’t seen it and might not for awhile yet as he had the one match against Kendrick then the 10-man battle royal and hasn’t been seen/heard from since.

Primo Colon - Not impressed. He just reminds me of a young Chavo in too many ways, and I've never liked Chavo lol.

He's not part of the ECW Initiative, but you brought him up and I thought the same thing about him being like a young Chavo. I wasn’t impressed with his look, charisma, or in-ring performance. I don’t think making the leap from FCW to Raw was wise. His style would fit better on ECW with the likes of Super Crazy, Evan Bourne, and Chavo Guerrero plus it’s the brand where young stars are tested out and groomed.

 

[Rug3r]

Here's all the people who have debuted under the New Superstar Initiative.

- Ricky Ortiz (he's over as hell)
- Braden Walker (FAIL)
- Gavin Spears (Just remembered his name)

Seriously, when the hell are more people going to debut? ECW is supposed to be WWE Developmental on TV isn't it? You've got the vets there to guide the new talent (Chavo, Matt Hardy, Mark Henry, Finlay, Super Crazy) and the new guys who are waiting to get good enough to get moved to Raw or SD (Mike Knox, The Miz, Evan Bourne, Ricky Ortiz, Gavin Spears, and John "Why the hell am I still in ECW" Morrison). Where the hell is the space for Elijah Burke? Is he getting Kenny Dykstra treatment or what?

I say put the Superstar Initiative on hold, get Elijah Burke over, move him to Raw or SD, and resume regular duties... hopefully new talent appearring on a regular basis.

This is what the New Superstar Initiative should have looked like:
- Ricky Ortiz
- Gavin Spears
- Primo Colon
- Scotty Goldman
- Ryan Braddock

That way the shit could have more of a presence.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Well...we have a new person into the Superstar Initiative.

Jake Hager / Jack Swagger = I don't know. Maybe I'm being too critical, but he didn't impress me either. Granted, he impressed me much more than Braddock, Ortiz, Colon....but I still just don't think he has anything special. He's big...that's good, I guess. He has an actual finisher that isn't something lame like the "Big-O Splash".

Is that Daniels guy a part of it, or is he just a jobber that they brought up?

 

[donutman]

I like this Jack Swagger guy. His name is catchy and he definitely has a look. Also, he actually has a gimmick unlike a Gavin Spears, Braddock or "Wild Fail" Chris Harris. I don't know why but I see Future Superstar written all over this guy. I'm talking main eventer one day.

 

[chapmolly]

I like this Jack Swagger guy too, but I think that the superstar initiative is lessening his impact. The way most people see him as is a casual rookie and this guy has impact written all over him from what I've heard. I see Brock Lesnar when I look at him. He deserved vignettes and a little build up. I believe that the superstar initiative is awesome, I just fear that great talents won't get the shot they deserve.

 

[ronthony717]

Evan Bourne was the first star from this isn't he? Look where he is now... Been on ECW for what 2 months now and he's wrestled in some very entertaining matches with big names like Mark Henry Matt Hardy Finlay Rey Mysterio Tommy dreamer... He's gonna rise real quick and it won't hurt him at all.. I watched ortiz match from last week.. I like the towel thing that's cool.. But lose the O splash.. That's the lamest finisher.. I'd rather us a leg drop then that... He's a big guy and does the splash.. Punk Is a little guy and lifts people.. There's something wrong with that.. Ortiz can be better but he needs work.. That bradshaw look alike needs to go to raw and face or team with JBL thatll be fun to watch

 

[Dead Kennedy]

I like this new guy Jack Swagger (to quote what Tazz is gonna say if he ever appears on SmackDown >.<), he's a big guy who can actually wrestle and has charisma, but I'm not gonna pop the big one and decide whether or not he has potential for the future until he gets some time on the microphone. That's basically a deciding factor, but of course it's not completely necessary.

He's good enough in the ring to not be hurt if he sucks on the stick though (that came out wrong...) and so far, he's the best guy to come out of the Talent Initiative since Evan Bourne. Ricky Ortiz isn't too bad either, although I thought his first match was a joke, he improves every week, and he's certainly got some charisma. But he could easily become another brick in the wall if his improvement halts...