I never saw Walter "Killer" Kowalski wrestle. I was too young even to see his final run in WWE (then the World Wide Wrestling Federation) in the late 1970s.

But, Kowalski's legacy loomed large over the entire pro wrestling world the whole time I was watching while growing up. Even without having seen one Kowalski match while he was active, I still knew all about his killer clutch and the legend of his tearing off Yukon Eric's ear during a 1950s match in Montreal.

Every WWE superstar owes a debt of gratitude to Kowalski who was one of the pioneers of pro wrestling's first foray into television during the sport's first renaissance in the 1950s. And his legacy can be most concretely felt through the current WWE Champion, Triple H.

Kowalski trained Trips at his school in Meldan, Mass. In turn, Kowalski himself was trained by the legendary Lou Thesz. Talk about pedigree.

I have no anecdotes I can add to the already impressive list of stories we've read and heard already from Jim Ross, Howard Finkel, the Associated Press, and CBC.

I can only say I pay much respect to Kowalski for the incredible contribution he made to the industry we all gather here to love and enjoy. And I pass along my condolences to his family.

Pro wrestling has lost a giant.

Here's some video from Japan of Kowalski versus Giant Baba from 1963 for your enjoyment. Vintage Killer...

Like Rodney Dangerfield, no matter how hard it tries, ECW doesn't get much respect. To many wrestling fans it’s an afterthought, coming in a distant third to the two major shows that bookend the week.

At best, it's described as a repacking of "Sunday Night Heat" for Tuesdays. At worst, a shell of a former brand, hauled out for cash cow mockery.

Of the four wrestling shows on television, it routinely gets the lowest ratings. Of the three WWE brands, it continually is shafted in terms of pay-per-view coverage and cross-brand specials like the annual draft.

It's too bad.

At its core, WWE's ECW brand exemplifies all the values and qualities that captured the imaginations of original ECW fans back in its late 1990s heyday.

And because of that, week after week, ECW has been the strongest show in WWE's arsenal

It's the only show on television where you're getting a solid hour of pure wrestling. There's no time wasted with the same old promo that we've heard a thousand times before (Yes, HBK, we're aware you're going to kick his teeth down his throat. Indeed Batista, I know you respect him but are going to beat him up anyway).

There's no goofy love affairs backstage. No lightning bolts being summoned from the sky. No weddings. No broken glass arm wrestling matches. No attempted murders with cars or cement trucks. No one walking through literal fire and brimstone. And absolutely no Katie Vick.

But there's more to it than that. The ECW roster is filled with all the talent that doesn't really fit on any other brand. Sports-entertainment may not be a competition, but it's certainly competitive.

Like the old ECW, which was filled with all the too small, too fat, too violent, too odd, or too old talent that nobody wanted, the new ECW roster is still in the fight to be noticed.

As a result, the performers give that much more to put on the great match that could catapult them to stardom on the bigger brands. And the product is that much better for it.

How many times did you see a John Morrison/CM Punk match that really inspired you? If both were bigger names, they could be headlining WrestleMania with that quality of work. The number one contender fatal-four way from a few weeks ago was magnificent. Even in the brand's early days, the first few meeting between Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam were phenomenal.

My guess is that with so much great new talent popping in- Evan Bourne, Ricky Ortiz, et al-it's only going to get better.

Do I miss the garbage cans full of weapons and the cookie sheet shots to the head? I do. ECW and I go way back, long enough for me to remember having Sabu fall into lap a number of times. But how many times could I watch the same old weapons match.

You can't capture lighning in a bottle, even if you are the Undertaker. Once you get past the fact that ECW as an independent company died in 2000 and it's zietgeist with Harcore Homecoming in 2005, the replacement is pretty damn good.

Plus, you can impress your friends when Evan Bourne becomes WWE Champion by saying you saw his WWE debut.

Besides it wasn't the violence that made ECW legend, otherwise its local successor, Combat Zone Wrestling, would have a national TV deal by now.

If WCW taught us anything, living in the past might feel good for a little while, but it can't keep you going forever.

ECW is the future.

Through the mat, onto the arena floor, and into Beth Phoenix's arms, WWE superstars went everywhere for this year's SummerSlam.  It's easy to be disappointed by WWE's tent pole summer season pay-per-view.  By design, it's more laid back and experimental than WrestleMania.  When Vince McMahon first added SummerSlam to the ppv roster in 1988, it was meant to be a mini version of the big dance in April.  In reality, it turned out to be a supercard house show broadcast for $19.95 (I think that's how much it cost back them).  I mean, look at the cards from the first few shows.  The WWE Championship wasn't even contested until the third one, and that in an unmemorable repacking of the Rick Rude/Ultimate Warrior Intercontinental Championship program for the big belt.

Still, SummerSlam has included some of WWE's best work of the year at times.  John Cena v. Randy Orton from '07, Hulk Hogan v. Shawn Michaels from '05, and HBK's classic with Triple H from '02 are recent ones that come to mind.

This year's Hell in a Cell was probably the best one since another great HBK/Trips match from Bad Blood '04, the silly fireball ending not withstanding.  But like SummerSlams past, the rest of the card was fun, but largely unremarkable.

Let;s have a look:

Jeff Hardy v. MVP ***1/2

Rumor is that this slot was supposed to be filled by a United States Championship match between Ken Kennedy and Shelton Benjamin.  With Mr. Kennedy's injury, that tanked, and the bad karma that seems to affect both performers at every step of their careers keeps going.

The replacement was worth it, though--a solid match between two guys who look to be heading up the ladder to the main event.  It looked as if both went through pains to prove Jeff Hardy's neck was in fact not broken.

So where do each go from here?  Will Jeff be embroiled in yet another midcard title program?  Will MVP finally come into his own and get a main event push?  I hope so, for both.

Intergender Tag Team Match, winner takes both Intercontinental and Women's Championships: Beth Phoenix & Santino Marella v. Mickie James & Kofi Kingston ****

What can I say?  For entertainment value, this match stole the show.  Not since Andy Kaufman has intergender wrestling been so interesting.  Just when you think Santino Marella is getting stale, here he comes with an excellent Beth Phoenix program.  How awesome is it when he jumps into Beth's arms Scooby-Doo style when frightened?  How great is when it's Santino hoisted into Beth's shoulders after the victory?

And if the Intercontinental Champion is not going to be used as the workhorse traditional wrestling title that catapults its carriers to the main event, at least use it in a way that makes me want to watch an IC Championship match.

It might be a blessing in disguise for Kofi Kingston to have lost.  He didn't actually take the fall, and this gives him an opportunity to really develop into the megastar he's destined to become.  I've been of the opinion that Kingston came out of the oven too quickly.  He'd have been better served becoming a main eventer on ECW.  Wouldn't you want to see a David versus Goliath match between him and Mark Henry?

But the ending is bittersweet.  Yes, I laughed after Marella's wistful embrace of the title while saying, "I've missed you."  I still miss the days when the having IC title meant you were the top of the midcard and there were hungry wrestlers breathing down your neck.

ECW Championship Match: Matt Hardy v. Mark Henry 1/2*

It might make business sense to have a fewer than 30 seconds match ending in disqualification.  Then you can sell the rematch as the main event on Tuesday's ECW on SciFi.  It could be risky.  Viewers might be turned off by the non-event and not bother to even tune in.  For forty bucks, I wanted to see Matt Hardy wrestle Mark Henry.  Having a free rematch two days later is no consolation.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: John Bradshaw Layfield v. CM Punk ***

I give this match three stars because it never really got going.  Layfield and Punk bonked heads, busting Punk open hardway.  Perhaps fearing a concussion, the match was sent home early and we still don't know if Punk can put together a classic on the WWE main stage.

It's starting to look like Punk's title reign is jinxed.  He's booked as a perennial underdog.  He doesn't really have much of a cache of top heel opponents from which to choose, and so far, his ppv matches have been--through no fault of this own--uninspiring.

I do hope things swing Punk's way soon, because this is looking to be the biggest championship bust since Rey Mysterio's short Championship reign two years ago.  CM Punk can be the face of the company and be as huge a star as The Rock, Steve Austin, or Bret Hart ever were.  That is, if WWE would just let him carry the ball.

WWE Championship Match: The Great Khali v. Triple **1/2

Was anyone excited to see this go down?  The real focus of SmackDown these days is the Edge/Undertaker La Familia show.  Since Triple H is the current title holder, it seems this match was cobbled together to give Trips something to do. 

There's not much else I can say here except this match met all my expectations.  And they weren't very high.

Dave Batista v. John Cena **1/2

Has it really come down to this?  Remember the days when a meeting between the top two guys in the company would give you chills or make your pulse race?  Think back to Steve Austin and The Rock's WrestleMania trilogy.  Go back further to the Ironman match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.  There are others: Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, Andre and Hogan, Hogan and Piper, Backlund and Snuka, Backlund and Graham.  Even when Triple H clashed with Cena, at least it was interesting.

Here we had no build, no emotional investment, and two guys whose careers are built on how interesting their opponents are.  You hear a lot about what would happen when the irresistible force meets the immovable object.  Here we had the two immoveable objects basking in their own inertia.

To make matters worse, the Cena epic has even become stale.  He put together great pieces with Triple H, Randy Orton, and Edge.  With Batista is just looked like more of the same.

Although, I am surprised Cena kost this.  In fact, I'm surprised that Cena only has two pay-per-view wins to his name this season.  His time is obviously not now.

Hell in a Cell: Edge v. Undertaker ****

Ok, so it's been going on since Survivor Series 2007.  Edge took a little break to deal with Rey Mysterio, then he headlined WrestleMania with Undertaker and the two kept going and going and going and going.  Methinks the Hell in a Cell will end it all, but who's to say.  It might be nice to have a feud book ended by two HIAC matches.  At least Batista didn't swing by and somehow lift the entire cell onto his shoulders or some other ridiculous act.

Oh yes, the match.

Very good.  Not as good as I expected, but my expectations were way too high.  With all the hoopla over Mick Foley's HIAC meeting with Undertaker ten years ago, I really expected someone else to go off the top again.  Perhaps no one else should, since the stunt would never live up to the original.

Instead, we got a fairly intense match with some pretty badass spots.  Edge is starting to become Sabu-like when it comes to tables (they might break now in fear by his just looking at them).  And we had an awesome finish...until...

Having Edge go through the ring was enough.  It was great punctuation for the silver medal match of the year candidate (first honors undoubtedly must be Flair/Michaels).  Why the fireball?

Are we to believe that Edge was burned to crisp on impact?  Are we expected to buy that Edge actually completed some trans-dimensional journey and is now actually in the physical place called Hell?

There's no polite way to say this.  It's dumb.  These types of antics are what caused many viewers to shy away from WWE in the early 1990s and switch over to WCW.  With so many cartoonish gimmicks and so many performers named The (Something) -ala The Undertaker, the Brooklyn Brawler, the Warlord, the Viking etc.-I half expected a three-man tag team consisting of the Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick Maker to show up.  Maybe I shouldn't give them any ideas.

I have a problem with Undertaker being sold to us as a supernatural creature.  It doesn't fit.  It violates the internal rules of pro wrestling.  I expect this kind of thing from "The X-Files" but not from sports-entertainment.

In a perfect world, Undertaker uses the dry ice and strobe lights to intimidate--to strike fear in the hearts of his opponents.  At best he should just be tight with the lighting and sound guys to help pull off his ominous thing.  I just can't buy that he really summons lightning bolts from the ceiling.

It's Batman, not Spawn.

The climax aside, however, I'd say Edge and Undertaker put on their best match of this program.  I'm just cringing at the prospect of Edge returning as some sort of undead vampire with Kevin Thorn.  I can only sigh.

Other thoughts:

Where is Big Show?  Yes, I know he was in the dark match at the Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  But why isn't he factoring into the main event picture?  I'd have thought he'd have a world title by now.  The guy was a centerpiece attraction of WrestleMania XXIV.  Wouldn't you have rather seen Big Show wrestle Triple H than Khali?...And Ok, the Chris Jericho Shawn Michaels piece was cool, but couldn't this have been done the next day on Raw?  I see no reason to pay to see guys talk to each other.  That's why debates are on free TV.

Conventional wisdom told us that Dave Batista v. John Cena would headline WrestleMania XXV in Houston.  Cena himself even teased idea during an episode of "Monday Night Raw" a few weeks ago.

But that match is not going to wait for the granddaddy of them all in April.  No, we get it this Sunday at SummerSlam '08.

Of course, this is the same conventional wisdom that lead us all to believe that 'Mania would be headlined by the Cena/Triple H rematch from WrestleMania XXII.  That was until the two locked up for Night of Champions back in June.  They may not be Austin/Rock, but they're still the two biggest names in the business right now.

And that leaves fans, and those who like to speculate about such things, scratching their heads.  What is going to be the main event for WrestleMania XXV?

It could have been Edge v. Triple H for the WWE Championship.  In fact, that where I thought things would lead the moment Trips was drafted to SmackDown.  But, nope, that match took place at the Great American Bash.

It seemed to only leave some permutation of Batista and Cena, but this SummerSlam match has torpedoed even that.  So, what on earth could it be?

Here's some speculation:

1. Triple H v. Undertaker

It seems to make sense.  Sure, the two locked up at WrestleMania XVII, but that was when 'Taker was wearing his American Badass image, and Triple H was hotly embroiled in the McMahon-Helmsley Era.  Visually it would be something different.  And if the seven-year rule in pro wrestling is to be believed, it would be fresh.

Plus, both these performers are synonymous with WrestleMania.  Undertaker's streak of course has been a main selling point for the big show for years.  And Triple H has headlined five of the past nine Mania's.  The ones he wasn't headlining, he was competing for a world title, right under the main event, or hurt and originally slated for the top spot anyway.

The problem with this match is the question of who wins.  Does 'Taker's streak go down in his hometown?  Would this be the Dead Man's last WrestleMania?  There's no need for Undertaker to be put over ala Cena and Batista.  On the other hand, it seems a bit of a letdown to see the streak fall to Triple H, but all these factors would keep fans guessing. 

2. Dave Batista v. John Cena, the rematch...in a steel cage!

How long has it been since there was a steel cage during WrestleMania?  Well, it's been 22 years.  King Kong Bundy vied for Hulk Hogan's WWE Championship in the big blue steel cage during WrestleMania II, the part of the show that came from the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. 

Now that WWE already uncorked the genie's bottle that is Batista/Cena, why not have them get it on again behind the fence?  When I first heard the rumblings of a potential Batista/Cena main event, I wasn't pleased.  Sure, Cena has improved dramatically over the past few years, but the quality of his matches highly dependent on who he's paired with.  Batista is...well, Batista.

But they're both brawlers and can both make a match look brutal.  It would make sense to let them go at behind the steel.  It might up the ante a bit.

However, I see no way that Cena could not win this one to close WrestleMania.  Take that as a promise or a threat

3. John Cena v. CM Punk

Don't count out CM Punk as a potential dynamo as the company moves forward.  Sure, he's booked now as the underdog clutching the championship, but if WWE can get past that and learn from the mistakes of Rey Mysterio's championship run, Punk could be a force to reckoned with for years to come. 

Who'd be heel?  Punk can heel out with the best of them and would make an excellent foil for Cena's clean-cut image.  It could also run as face v. face match with much less heat.  Or, could we see -gasp- John Cena turn heel to steal the World Heavyweight Championship from Punk?

Try this on for size.  Punk does lose the World Heavyweight Championship at some point in the near future.  Somehow the title drifts over to Cena.  What if Punk were to win the Royal Rumble and get a chance to regain his title and prove once and for all he's not a paper champion?  Hmmm...

I'm not Cena's biggest cheerleader, but this is a match I'd plunk down my fifty bucks catch...and then some.

4. Randy Orton v. CM Punk

This is the match I'm waiting for during Punk's World Championship reign.  The storyline possibilities (straight edge versus decadence) are seductive.  The match would be stellar.

If Orton's reinjured collarbone is legitimate, then we won't see him until at least Survivor Series.  If Punk holds onto the title for that period, it's likely we'll see them square off on one of the subsequent pay-per-views.

But what if we didn't?  What if this classic in the making was allowed to fully cook and build to a boil at WrestleMania?  It would certainly turn the page to a new era of WWE.  And it's one I'm frothing to see. 

Of course, it is but a small request to have "Burning In My Light" brought back, but let's not quibble over appetizers when the main course would be this good.

5. Shawn Michaels v. Undertaker

It's an obvious one, but I stick it here anyway.  Pretty much anything Michaels has touched lately turns to wrestling gold.  Look at all the classics he's been in during the past few years: Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV, the broadway with John Cena that "Monday Night Raw" from London, the street fight with Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XXII, Hulk Hogan SummerSlam '05, Kurt Angle WrestleMania XXI, the Triple Threat from WrestleMania XX, Chris Jericho WrestleMania XIX, Triple H SummerSlam '02...need I go on...

Neither Michaels nor 'Taker are getting any younger.  One of them might bow out next year.  What send off they'd get with this contest.  You could even throw the WWE Championship into the mix for some added tension. 

Main event or not, this is definitely on my WMXXV wish list.

6. Jeff Hardy v. CM Punk

This is a real dark horse, but again I put it here.  If WWE is really looking for a different course than the direction the ship's been sailing for the past four years, this is the ticket.  Both have rabid fan bases that are only bound to get larger.  If they don't headline WMXXV, could XXVI or XXVII be far behind?

Or course there's also Ken Kennedy and MVP to think about for the future, but I'll eat my tin foil hat if either winds up in this main event.  As the say, however, anything can happen in the WWE.

Hey, change is good. The bar has been raised. Or, insert whatever other cliché you'd like to describe the new improved "Monday Night Raw" we've all been seeing.

Something has happened during the past two weeks that has really elevated the show close to the same level it reached back in the late 1990s/early 2000s heyday. Three things actually:

-The talent picture has been pleasantly mixed up

-The story segments now take interesting unpredictable turns.

-And the entire show tells a complete interwoven story with a real beginning, middle, and end.

For the past two weeks at least, we may be in the midst of a renaissance of WWE wrestling.

Sure, Monday night had it's share of low points. Vicki Guererro's piece at the beginning rather squelched what should have been a CM Punk victory march. But Punk made up for it with some burgeoning mic skill in the main event picture.

The women's match was flat, although Kelly Kelly seems to have learned a few wrestling moves.

The matches were a bit of a snooze, but the show itself made up for that.

The bottom line is that things are moving in the right direction.

John Cena finally has some direction of his own. He works as the trickster instead of the unstoppable warrior. His role mentoring Cryme Tyme is a refreshing turn. I'm hoping to see them work together some more and vandalize some more property.

The only thing burning in the back of my head is that there are precious few performers in the Raw main event picture I'd actually like to see in the ring. There's CM Punk, maybe Kane, and that's it.

Raw does, of course, have Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, but they seem relegated to the mid-card. Maybe that will change, as I wouldn't mind seeing a Jericho/Punk program. And I'm hoping Punk keeps that World Heavyweight Championship through the fall because I'm waiting with bated breath for the inevitable Randy Orton challenge.

And last night reminds us that if John Bradshaw Layfield were as good in the ring as he is on the mic, he'd be a heel juggernaut in WWE.

We get to the end and the climax seems like another boring number one contenders match. But we have a twist. Sure, Dave Batista went over, and it was a little unexpected yet plausible in hindsight.

Then we get a Kane rampage (or perhaps temper tantrum might be more accurate).

Finally, we're back to the infinitely more interesting evil, big red monster Kane. We get announcers manhandled and Jerry Lawler, of all people, making the save.

It's fresh, it's different, and it's welcome. I mean, how long has it been since Kane was the guy who ended the show?

And who is he talking about when he screams, "Is he alive or dead"

Undertaker? Vince McMahon? Paul Bearer? A third brother of destruction we've yet to see? Jim Ross? Ron Paul?

We'll have to wait and see next week. I know I'm excited.


Other notes:

No DiBiase/Rhodes this week. Disappointing...I loved that dude who randomly marked out for Batista...It may be a bit hackneyed, but I like this chaos storyline. My fingers are crossed that it doesn't get beaten into the ground...While the HBK/Y2J storyline is still hobbling along, it still works to a degree and promises the best ppv matches...Melina Perez's absence is felt in the Raw Diva division...ouch Snitsky's nose, maybe he'll go away now...Anyone else thing Kofi Kingston's push has come too early? He was taken out of the oven undercooked...