Who ever thought I'd have to put that disclaimer in one of my articles, I sure as hell never thought I would.

Anyway away from hostile take-overs and internal disputes, this is about ECW one year on from where we started. Awakening, what a day that was, November 4 2001, it will always go down in history as one remarkable day.

We had one sole commentator, Dancin Lukey who did such a wonderful job as always. However for his first time, and on his own with no one to feed off, he showed why he is the best in the business. Today Dancin Lukey has Slick Rick Sanders, who although is not exactly in my good books, he is still a fun commentator to listen to and has some very valid opinions.

Mikey, who on November 4, 2001 was known as Mikey Whiplash, this young gun really showed why he was going to go on and become a big name in ECW. He eliminated Psychofett in the first round of the Awakening Tournament last year in what was definitely a long and tiring match for both competitors. Today he is someone who has overcome all adversity to defeat Jimmy Payne in a brutal Last Man Standing match and play a huge part in The Uprising, who are unfortunately the owners and operators of ECW.

Richter, the big man, the giant of ECW, the standing pillar of strength and desire to win. One year ago however Richter was in the shadows of most ECW stars, he lost his first match of the Awakening Tournament and was not seen again until Redemption, when he teamed up with AzaZal to be defeated by Seth and Shiggins. Today Richter is up there with the brightest ECW stars and winning himself the Most Improved wrestler of the year is no lie, he deserved that award in every way. Richter himself has come a long way and does not look like being kept down by anyone.

Anda Nothica, the smallest man in ECW with the biggest heart. He defeated the above mentioned Richter in the Awakening tournament, only to be defeated by the Ex-Chairman Vagrant in a spectacular TLC match. He too has come a long way and with the 450, we are set to see plenty more action from Nothica in the future of this federation.

Justin Sane, the crazy perverted stalking psycho who will stop at nothing to win, even if that means cheating whenever he can. All year Justin Sane was not pinned in ECW and even scored himself a matchup with the previous champion Davis Storm at Retribution, this was to give him a shot at the ECW title, however he failed to win the match. Today though Justin Sane is a pinned man, by first time winner Brad West. Are we going to see an even crazier and angrier Justin Sane now? Let's wait and see.

Mixer, someone who like Richter has improved tremendously since Awakening last year. He has proved why he is so loved by the fans due to his excellent in ring skill and manouvres, this guy has the potential to be a big star in ECW.

F'N Carnage, he is the hardest hitting man in ECW and he had everyones respect, even mine. One year ago he was the man everyone could come and talk to in ECW, he was a locker room leader and he commanded a lot of admiration. However today F'N Carnage is a sneaky, cheating, Lying wrestler who relies on the antics of Slick Rick Sanders to overcome his opponents. He may be the ECW Re-Awakening tournament champion, however he will have to go a long way to get the respect back that he once deserved.

Xeriyous Blade, one year ago the good friend and ally of Davis Storm, someone who helped that man advance to the tournament final by only lasting 3 seconds in the ring. This was a shocking display of selfishness and I hope I never see it in an ECW ring again. Today Xeriyous Blade is in The Uprising, the owners of ECW, the ones who now call all the shots, and it is no wonder that they are as ruthless and selfish as they are with him by their side.

Jimmy Payne, who one year ago became the Awakening tournament champion and was hailed as the best in the business, today and one year later he is the ECW Champion, the best in the business, he is the benchmark for what wrestlers in ECW should be like. I am proud to have him as our champion and I will forever respect Jimmy Payne for the wrestler that he is.

Then you have Davis Storm. One year ago a ruthless individual who cheated and lied to get what he wanted, the first ever ECW champion. However Davis Storm was and is someone who has skill that very few in ECW can say they have, he is the deserved ECW Wrestler of the Year and there is no doubt that he has his legions of fans for a reason, because he has not only set the benchmark in the past, but he has raised it. He has changed his attitude, he is now someone who is respected by ECW fans and wrestlers and he knows what it means to play by the rules. However he still has a spark of rebellion in him, possibly something that could fuel him against The Uprising.

The Vagrant, the one with the biggest heart, the one who would stop at nothing to help a friend and to help ECW. This man loved the fans, he would do anything to give them the best show possible. It was no surprise that he made it so far into the Awakening tournament, only to lose to his friend Jimmy Payne due to being badly hurt and unable to continue the match. However only three months later it was great to see him named the Chairman of ECW after defeating Xeriyous Blade in the Chairmanship match, which will go down as a classic. Vagrant, we will miss you and what you have done for ECW can never be equalled, we only hope that you come back to help us get rid of The Uprising, we need you.

And now this brings me to...

Chairman AzaZal, I have no respect for this man, and now I am ashamed to say that he is the ruler of the organisation that I have loved being a part of for so long. The Uprising will continue to degrade and exploit the wrestlers of ECW and will stop at nothing to get what they want. I only hope that there a few wrestlers in ECW who can stand up to this new dominant coalition of evil. Maybe some of our big name wrestlers in ECW could step up to the plate and bring them down, restore ECW to the ownership that it once had and return it to the fans. Imagine if our big names like Davis Storm and Jimmy Payne actually teamed up to bring the downfall of The Uprising, that would be sweet to see. They both had an excellent match at Re-Awakening, and have proven that they have what it takes to really wrestle in ECW. It would be even better if they brought some of the other wrestlers into the fold and took on The Uprising, such as Brock Freeman, Brad West, Shiggins, Anda Nothica and Richter, this would be a team that would prove unstoppable and give ECW back to its rightful leader, The Vagrant.

Well, I'm off before The Uprising raid my house to find any evidence of an impending rebellion, I'll see you all at The Mark Has Been Made in January, until then this has been Head Referee Simon Cage from the Referee Association with another issue of Politics of the Ring.

<< Back