Former WWE Star Stevie Richards Blasts Finish Of This WWE ECW One Night Stand Match

WWE's handling of the ECW brand has been largely panned by both the fans and veterans of the defunct promotion, like Rob Van Dam. In an episode of his "The Stevie Richards Show," former ECW World Tag Team Champion, Stevie Richards, looked back at ECW One Night Stand 2005, and what he thought about the match between Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka.

"I met Mike backstage at the show," Richards recalled. "He seemed like a very kind, easygoing guy, but this is just stupid. The whole thing is dumb." ECW One Night Stand is notably recalled as one of the most violent nights of pro wrestling, and many others like Richards have come out to criticize the brutality of the matches and the risks people like Awesome and Tanaka took.

Richards additionally criticized the finish of the match, which saw Awesome fly through a table, since it happened over the barricade and out of the sight of half of the audience. "The finish happens where three-quarters of the people can't see the finish in the audience; you could've done this spot even in the ring," the veteran explained after reviewing the footage. Earlier in the podcast, the veteran also shared additional criticism of the match and how – while it kept fans on edge – it exhausted them as they ended up being more fearful whether or not each man would walk out of the match alive.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Stevie Richards Show" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.