Tommy Dreamer

For those who don't watch ECW nowadays, you may be missing a farewell tour for one of the most underrated wrestlers of the last 20 years. Tommy Dreamer, a guy who has been wrestling under the banner of ECW, be it as Eastern Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling as it's own entity or the WWE version of that same Extreme fed, is seemingly at the end of his career in the ring. At least that's what the storyline says. We all know that wrestlers are like rock bands - a farewell tour usually never means that they're never wrestling again. Ric Flair so far has been the exception rather than the rule, and at times, the WWE teased a return to the ring from the Nature Boy, usually involving one Chris Jericho.

That being the case for most wrestlers, there's reason to believe that there's more Flair in Dreamer than there is, say, Jimmy Valiant. Dreamer was called the "Innovator of Violence" in his heyday for good reason. A lot of the extreme warfare he put himself through has resulted in him becoming a broken shell of himself right now. Most people think he's one of the worst, if not the worst worker in the ECW brand right now. I think that could be the case, although for his condition, he can still pop a crowd, still hit his spots and can still pace himself in the ring. If he's the worst in the brand, it's because the rest of the roster is so friggin' good. Whether good or bad though, I can't imagine his body being able to handle the rigors of a WWE work schedule.

So, when his contract expires in June, whether he wins the ECW Championship or not, I expect him to at least retire from the WWE. Whether he goes to ROH, TNA or another indie to work, or whether he stays in the WWE as a NPC or a road agent, I don't think he'll be working in any WWE brand as a full-time wrestler anymore. Meltzer has reported that current interim ECW GM Tiffany won't kayfabed into the full-time position. I was very high on her on her first night, but since then, she really hasn't shown she could be an authority figure. She's too bland, too soft. She's better suited as a valet, or in a role where she can show more emotions (since I'm sure the WWE is telling her that only Vickie Guerrero is allowed to be an emotional female character as GM).

The rumor is that Dreamer will take over the role after his wrestling contract expires. While I love Tommy in the ring and think his character was always entertaining, I don't think it would translate well into a position of authority. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that can go out and start making proclamations every week. I know that if he was left to make sporadic appearances as an impartial GM that didn't drive the action every week, then it might work, but we all know that the WWE likes to have their authority figures be people who make the shows happen, rather than letting the wrestlers do it. ECW was a brand that was left alone for the most part, with Teddy Long making few appearances, but you just never know anymore.

Whether it happens or not, there's still the question of whether they'll actually give Dreamer a run with the ECW Championship before he leaves. I personally would, but I'm a Dreamer mark and I also give bonus points for loyalty. It makes sense from a business standpoint as well. Even though Christian is over as the ECW Champion and Jack Swagger is a guy who needs it more than either of the two, Dreamer is perhaps the most over guy in the company right now. He still gets loud pops and crowd cheers as the only real link left to the original ECW left. To give him a title win would be to acknowledge his contributions to the business and the impact that the original fed had.

It doesn't have to be a long reign. He can win the title at Judgement Day in a three-way with Christian and Swagger and then lose it the next ECW show to any number of contenders... the aforementioned Christian and Swagger, Finlay, Evan Bourne, Mark Henry or my personal pick, Vladimir Kozlov. Then, you give him a sendoff with fanfare and then if he's the next GM, you bring him back the next show.

Whatever happens though, Tommy Dreamer is a guy who deserves his due. He's one of the most selfless wrestlers in an industry full of greed and ego. He's always put company over himself, and in the end, he'll be remembered for it more than some of the guys who did so much to sabotage others so they and their friends could be on top.