Before getting down to business, I would just like to go on record as saying that I loved this week's episode of ECW on SciFi as much as I hated last week's premier.

In fact, I feel that this week's episode of ECW is almost ( I say almost because I hate fireworks at wrestling shows and I always will) exactly what the NEW ECW needs to be in order for ECW to eventually be as strong a brand as RAW is in terms of worldwide television ratings, pay-per-view buys and live event ticket sales.

I predict that within five years, the NEW ECW will sell out 20,000 seat arenas like The Wachovia Center in Philadelphia and Madison Square Garden in New York rather than small venues like The ECW Arena and Hammerstein Ballroom respectively. I am not downplaying the signifigance of those smaller arenas in the history of ECW but I need to see and hear 20,000 extremely passionate ECW fans chanting "E-C-DUB!" before I can consider my career complete.

For you internet cynics who are instinctively replying "Dream on, Joey!" to your PCs and laptops, keep in mind that "Dream on, Joey!" is the same response I received from everyone who ever knew I wanted to become a pro wrestling television announcer. However, here I am penning (actually typing) this column as the Voice of ECW, cable television's new ratings powerhouse. In short, the only person who tells me what is and is not possible is me and I know that the true ECW fans reading this column agree with me.

Now let's get down to the business at hand.

Choosing this week's ECW Most Extreme Player is going to be difficult because there are so many qualified candidates such as...

The Sandman for being a perfect example of what a REAL bad ass looks like  and disposing of yet another sports-entertainment brain-fart named Macho Libre. In fact, I would like to suggest the following opponents for The Extreme Icon for future episodes of ECW on SciFi:

Doink the Clown
Papa Shango
Akeem
Repo Man

Tommy Dreamer, the heart and soul of ECW, for asking for and withstanding the most extreme ass-kicking that The Big Show has ever dished out and never backing down. In fact, my friend Tommy was smiling as he struggled to pull his battered body up off of the ECW canvas. Terry Funk would be proud of you Tommy and so am I.

The Big Show for delivering the aformementioned extreme ass-kicking. I guess The Innovator of Violence can inspire more emotion in the world's largest athlete than male cheerleaders could.

Randy Orton and Edge for bringing with them RAW television viewers only to show them and the millions of others watching what the rest of us already knew; that ECW's wrestling rebels are tougher than RAWs sports-entertainment superstars.

Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam for winning their tag team war and heading into Vengeance this Sunday with the confidence that they can (and will) beat Randy Orton and Edge respectively.

Kelly for two reasons.

and this week's Most Extreme Player is...

Sabu for making the most of the opportunity to FINALLY wrestle for more than 3 million television viewers by showing the world that The Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal, Death-Defying Maniac is the most innovative and dangerous competitor ever to compete in the greatest sport in the world.

Cynics and ECW haters can send feedback to me at joeystyles@kissmyass.com