Evan Bourne Keeps Rising!

If you've watched ECW on Sci-Fi Tuesday nights for the past several months or so then you've definitely been treated to the latest WWE spectacle known as Evan Bourne. He may have had the slight misfortune of having some of his earlier ECW matches called by Mike Adamle, but Bourne has continued to grown and shine week after week. Just last night he went up against Paul Burchill in a match that lasted longer than you might expect when Burchill's involved. It saw Burchill dominate at points, keeping Bourne grounded in a headlock, and using various power moves to bully Bourne around the ring. Burchill wreally as no slouch in this match using moves that aren't seen night in and night out on WWE shows. One example was a suplex where he hooked Bourne's leg, then tossed Bourne back over his shoulders. Bourne kept trying to build momentum, but Burchill continued to level him. With Katie Lea lurking outside the ring, Bourne had a lot to contend with during the contest.

Despite Katie Lea's interference and Burchill putting on a decent showing in front of his hometown crowd in London, the fans were clearly behind Evan "Air" Bourne. At one point, Bourne ducked a clothesline and grabbed Burchill, wrapping him up for one of the slickest reversal-pinfalls you've never seen before. Bourne's crowning moment in his matches is the Shooting Starpress which the fans get quite revved up for. But throughout his match last night Bourne was "oohing" and "ahhing" the fans similar to when Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson or Lebron James made moves on the basketball courts. Bourne seems to be doing this consistently, and attracting more fan attention. Last week, Bourne and John Morrison put on a stellar match on ECW which included moves like a flying bodypress onto Morrison to take him to the outside over the ropes. Both those guys are known for great performances in matches, but together they amazed the crowd and did some real risk taking to entertain the fans. It'd be real interesting to see how Bourne would fare in a Money in the Bank or other Extreme rules match, and if he gets to Wrestlemania 26's version, I'd put money on Bourne to win MITB (with the exception that he isn't ready to win a major title beyond ECW).

Evan Bourne (real name: Matt Sydal) is always fun to watch and definitely someone the fans look forward to when he shows up. My only gripe: the WWE really needs to reward this guy for the work he's putting in. He may still be a newcomer and not have the seniority or veteran status of other guys, but his high-flying, quick-paced offense is worth the price of admission. WWE should have taken the opportunity to draft Bourne to Raw or Smackdown during this past year's WWE Draft 2009. If not that, the Cruiserweight title may need to be reinstated, and Evan Bourne would make a great choice for its new champion in 2009. On a very interesting side note, TNA (Total Nonstop Action wrestling) may have lost out on a real top notch competitor who brings fans to shows, because Bourne wrestling as Lance Sydal for TNA, was used mainly as a "jobber". Wasted talent by TNA is now WWE's gain, and Bourne's stock should only continue to rise.

Read more about Evan Bourne's career at his Wikipedia entry here.