So ECW is celebrating its 100th episode on the Sci Fi network tonight. Less than two years ago, ECW debuted with what many people considered the worst hour of televised wrestling in the sport's history. We all complained at the time about how the new WWE-era ECW had little resemblance to the cutting edge, exciting, and charming brand we watched a decade earlier.
Yet, compared to the 2008 version of ECW, the 2006 version was as hardcore as it came. Little by little, the new ECW has lost nearly every link to the past. Let's look at some of the extreme staples that have fallen by the wayside over the last 100 weeks of the new ECW.
1. Paul Heyman - The architect of extreme was dumped at the end of 2006, reportedly after butting heads with management over their polar opposite visions for the brand. More than anything, this was the beginning of the end of the new ECW. Even when he was offering very little creative input, Heyman's on-air role gave the product the stamp of approval that kept some fans coming back each week.
2. Rob Van Dam - Possibly the biggest lost the ECW brand has suffered to date. Let's not forget that when the ECW brand was launched in 2006, not only was Van Dam the centerpiece of the brand and its champion, but he was the WWE champion, having defeated John Cena at One Night Stand. I always thought he was a bit over rated, but he was one of the few things keeping some traditional ECW fans watching in the brand's earliest days.
3. The Sandman - Strangely, before WWE made the decision to cut the beer drinking, chain smoking, cane-swinging icon, they moved him to Raw. Having the ECW brand around, why would you move one of the most recognizable characters in ECW's history to a different brand? There was no reason to have Sandman on the pay role, if not for his history with ECW.
4. Sabu - If ever there was evidence that Vince McMahon simply does not follow wrestling, it was his treatment of Sabu. More than ten years after he was a wrestling phenomenon, Sabu - now way, way past his prime - seemed to impress McMahon enough that he got a pretty big push in the brand's earliest days. But many fans predicted it was just a matter of time before the self-destructive Sabu crashed and burned, and sure enough he got the axe in 2007.
5. The Other ECW Originals -I don't blame WWE terribly for letting these guys and gals go, as their acts were long passed their expiration dates. Nonetheless, they did give a semblance of lineage to the ECW of old, and should have been better used to help establish new acts. They include the recently-released Ballz Mahoney, Roadkill (who I don't recall ever competing on SciFi), C.W. Anderson and Francine.
6. Intimate Settings - If you recall, a couple of the first ECW on SciFi shows were held at New York's Manhattan Center - the home of some of the original ECW PPVs. With a lot of the hardcore faithful coming out for these shows, the crowd reaction was authentic to the old ECW, even when the action in the ring was not.
7. The ECW-specific Stage - The small, chain-link fence entryway was a small touch that gave the brand a grittier feel than Raw and Smackdown. WWE did away with that when they adopted the gigantic new HD-friendly set in January. I’m pretty sure the TitanTron would never have fit in the ECW Arena.
8. ECW Exclusive House Shows - This idea didn't last very long at all, as the earliest attempts to run ECW house shows in small arenas were met with abysmal reviews and crowds smaller than many you would find at ROH shows. By the fall of 2006, I believe the ECW crew was combined with the Smackdown crew on tours.
9. Extreme Rules Matches - It wasn't much, but those of us longing for the days of fans handing weapons to the wrestlers were able to take a small bit of solace each week with the presentation of an "extreme rules" match. The most memorable of those was the RVD vs. Hardcore Holly match in which Holly received a huge gash on his back. I can't remember when was the last time we got an extreme rules match, which begs the questions, what exactly is so "extreme" about ECW these days?
10. ECW PPVs – Don’t get me wrong, the last thing I want is another pay per view to order – especially one of the dismal quality of “December to Dismember.” But ECW-specific pay per views gave a small payoff to fans who followed ECW’s storylines each week. ECW wrestlers are lucky these days if they get one match at the beginning of a WWE PPV each month. Also, the first two One Night Stands were pretty good.
11. Joey Styles - Even when there was nothing familiar from the old ECW to watch, at least there was a familiar voice to listen to. I honestly think Styles is better off having left this sinking ship, but it was certainly a huge loss for the fans of the current ECW - both of them. But at least we got a professional, knowledgeable announcer to take his place.
So what exactly is left of the ECW we once knew and loved? There's Tommy Dreamer - ECW's "Heart and Soul," who can be seen most weeks laying on his back. There's Tazz, but his color commentary gets me more nostalgic for Smackdown's glory days than it does ECW's. And there's Stevie Richards and Nunzio “Little Guido” Maritato. Not exactly a lot to hang your hat on.
The truth is, if it was called anything other than "ECW," I don't think fans would be nearly as critical of WWE's C-brand. It's certainly better than the garbage we got for years on Heat and Velocity, which are both closer comparisons to the current ECW than WWE's two main brands are. Heck, then ECW-champion Chavo Guerrero even competed in the 30-man Royal Rumble this year - presumably for a shot at a "real" world championship.
There is a lot to like about the new ECW - up and comers like C.M. Punk, John Morrison, the Miz and Kofi Kingston. I just wish they'd put those three letters to rest once and for all.
Comments (15)
I completely agree that no one would complain about WWE's C-brand if it were not called ECW. It made sense to start off the brand as ECW, with the sucess of the first 2 One Night Stands and the appeal the collective memory of the Original ECW still has. Starting the new brand with that name gave them an estbalished fanbase, allowed newer fans who never even saw the original ECW a chanc to see what the fuzz what about, and recognizable faces means marketability. All those aspects are much better than introducing a new brand out of the blue that would immidiately be considered the C brand, having the name ECW made it seemed like it was gonan be in the same level as the other two (or smackdown at least)
However, as you well stated, it became obvious not long into the process that it is in fact the C brand and a vehicle to develop new wrestlers (Kingston, ELijah Burke) and a place for people they have no idea what to do with (Big DAddy V, Shelton). Its world title had lost nearly all its value by the time Vince had it, and lost it entirely during Vengance last year, making it a lesser title than even the US or IC titles. I think it would do the brand a great service if they were to change its name, or just dissolve completely into the smackdown roster like it has been doing recently. Theres talented workers in the roster, capable of great midcard feuds right now, maybe they can even steal the show if given the opportunity. But the guys don't even get PPV spots
1 - Roadkill fought Sabu on one of the early episodes in an Extreme Rules opener.
2 - Only one ECW on Sci Fi show (Punk's debut) was held at Hammerstein, along with the first two One Night Stands.
3 - They did away with the chain-link set about a year ago, long before they changed to the uniform HD sets.
4 - The next Extreme Rules match is tonight; Dreamer fights Mike Knox.
I know a lot of people had this great emotional attachment to ECW, but I really wish they would let it go. WWE never claimed that the new ECW would be like the old one, and quite frankly it shouldn't be. While there still should be more effort put into ECW then what they do now, they are under no obligation to stay true to the original ECW. All the original ECW was to the current product is a foundation and a brand name. ECW One Night Stand 2005 (and Harcore Homecoming too if you want) was the last hurrah of the original ECW. It only made business sense if WWE wanted a third brand to use a brand name that already existed. I think it's a safe bet that if Vince thought the WCW brand name had any value we'd see a fourth brand ou there. But the ECW brand name had value, and even if they had no intentions of staying true to the original ECW, that brand name still hooked people. People tuned in at first to see if it would be like the old ECW, and there were similarities originally. But once they were hooked they could start molding it into what it really should have been all along, the third WWE brand. It's smart business and I just wish the old ECW fans would just let their precious promotion rest in peace.
It would be as if Coke bought RC Cola and repackaged it. The fans of RC Cola wouldn't like it one bit! They're used to the sweet cola taste - Coke might rebrand it to be a fruity cola. Yea, Coke could claim they never promised to keep RC Cola the same, but, you're still slapping those old fans in the face.
You can't have "ECW" with the old stars in the brand and have it be Smackdown #2! That's why a lot of people are crappin' on the wwe. If they wanted a different show, a "new breed", they should have not used the name of ECW.
I'm a fan of the original ECW. One of the coolest shows I ever went to was an ECW show at Freeport High School. I sat in the front row and was landed on by Buh Buh Ray Dudley. Yes, I survived it. Actually Buh Buh did a great job of making sure I wasn't hurt. After the show I got to meet Tommy Dreamer and Nova. Two of the nicest people I've ever met. Dreamer especially would have talked to me for hours. I'll never forget those moments, not to mention all of the great matches from ECW's PPV's. I really wanted it to be the same when WWE restarted it.
That's just not realistic though. That was a different place, a different time, under different circumstances. Most of the guys that made ECW great are passed their prime. It's just silly to think it should be the same thing... it will never be recreated.
Still, there is no reason ECW can't be unique and exciting. IMO, ECW should be WWE's "indy league". They need to stop trying to convince us that it's on the same level as Raw and Smackdown, and bill it as "the future stars of WWE". Put all the young guys in there and let people fall in love with them "before they become stars". Bring in a Raw or Smackdown superstar every now and again to spice things up, but let it be the minor leagues. I don't think that's such a bad thing. This is a country that loves college football and college basketball. Part of that is that people like to follow guys from early in their career.
Think of the implications! The draft could be held every year with Raw and Smackdown fighting over the new superstars. Plus the storylines... new guy gets called up from ECW and goes on a winning streak or new guy having trouble having trouble adjusting to the "big league".
I dunno, maybe I'm crazy, but I think people would respect it more if WWE just called it like it is. And maybe they would even let the young kids "get away" with a little more of the daredevil stuff.
Oh... and call up Colt Cabana.
The thing that I miss about the old ECW (I would attend Chicago and Milwaukee events) was that it was a different style - and not chairshots and baking sheets from under the ring.
Match styles all fit the characters and they matched up well. There were NO squash matches. You would not see a DH Smith ever get annihilated like on Raw last night. Move combinations would constantly be adjusted and there was always a new move combination. The WWE version of RVD was a predictable move set, regardless of the opponent. He fell into a rut despite huge fan loyalty (see Chris Jericho)
The new match types which were not as gimmicky as TNA were incredible. The Double Jeopardy match from November to Remember in 2000 was one of the greatest concepts I've ever seen - two matches in the ring at the same time.
And at the end of the day, NO ONE cut a promo to get heat like the Dudley Boyz. They would darn near start riots.
This is the ECW that I remember. Storylines throughout, rivalries that continued, and different match styles. You knew you were watching ECW.
I just wish Vince and the WWE would recognize that all 3 brands should have different match styles, not just different wrestlers.
I feel that the biggest reasons are 6, 7 and 11. It isn't the wrestlers. The arena, booking style, announcing and so on are just like every other WWE show. It would be better to put OVW or whatever their farm territory is in that time slot.
As a former member of the ECW cult, I am completely disgusted by the WWECW I'm presented with every week. McMahon has ripped the heart and soul out of Extreme Championship Wrestling and then pissed on the grave.
The thing that made ECW great was the intimate atmosphere, how the crowd was as much a part of the show as the wrestlers. Wrestlers could hear you when you yelled, they encouraged interaction, and they spoke to hardcore fans. They didn't treat fans like they were idiots, they didn't mail in tag team matches that we've seen 600 times.
ECW brought wrestling back to the people who loved it the most. It was wrestling for smart marks who defended the promotion no matter what happened. It was the most loyal fanbase any promotion has ever seen, something that Vince McMahon would KILL for. WWE is stale and boring, no one gives a shit about any character or match. I've seen HHH wrestle Randy Orton for almost 6 years now, I JUST DON'T CARE ANYMORE.
Paul Heyman was cutting edge and he cared about his fans. Vince McMahon cares about money, plain and simple. He brought back the ECW brand because he knew he could suck $$$ out of the ECW diehards one last time before they left him forever. The original One Night Stand was what ECW could have been in 2008. They could have gradually introduced new wrestlers and mix them in with the originals, once they proved their guts the ECW fans would take them in. But no, they cut all the originals and flooded ECW with same old shit wrestlers. You're lucky if you see someone cheating on ECW now, let alone Extreme.
Get rid of it, kill it off and release classic ECW matches on DVD to let us have our memories. I'll never forget hearing those chants, but they mean nothing anymore. Paul Heyman trusted Vince to keep his vision alive, I'm sorry he lied to you Paul.
I think Nolan's got it spot on. The annual draft with Raw and Smackdown competing for a couple of guys from ECW who are ready to "break in" would be an excellent idea, plenty of potential there...well, provided the "brand extension" gets re-established, anyway.
While I was never one of the people who wanted a carbon copy of the old ECW, or at least who thought it was possible, I was surprised that they didn't start from day one with what's being mooted here - a small promotion, exclusively in one small arena (like the early days of Raw, as well as ECW tv tapings) featuring the young talent and any older guys (like Dreamer) who can help them develop. And minimal crossover to the "main" WWE.
It just seems such an obvious answer, but there we are.
Agreed. ECW should be a proving ground for young talent. Honestly, their roster has so much potential: Punk is going to be a major player in a few years, Shelton is one of the most athletic guys ever to set foot in a ring (just give him a manager to do the talking), John Morrison is an incredible high flyer, Kofi has potential and a guy like Elijah Burke should be so much more than just a jobber. Hell, even The Miz is looking like a decent wrestler nowadays. Honestly, these guys should be the focus of the show. They should compete for the ECW title (which should be used like an IC or US title, to elevate younger talent)... but Kane feuding with Chavo over the belt? That's just a waste, really.
The problem with WWE is the talent pool is too diluted. There are just too many wrestlers to keep track of and care about. There are too many champions. I don't watch 5 hours of WWE every week (I guess six if you count Heat). There is too much filler on every show, I find that even reading the re-caps on various websites is somewhat painful.
When the roster split happened (I refuse to call it a "brand extension"), that's when things started to go downhill, and Vince is pretty much admitting it didn't work with wrestlers being brought on each show for no reason other than to try to fill up the two hours of TV time, as well as stopping brand-specific PPVs altogether . They need to trim down the roster and not have so much to keep track of on TV, including getting rid of ECW.
It's difficult though, because what else would you do? With four or five hours of original TV per week to fill, I just don't think you can survive on a small roster. And if you don't have a formal "split" in the roster, how do you explain the fact that (say) Triple H doesn't show up on Smackdown to further his storyline?
Without the split, I actually think the WWE would be in worse shape than it is. The top-level guys are too thin on the ground if you expose them much more, and there's a fair proportion of people who're heartily sick of HHH, Orton, Cena et al, so limiting their tv time makes sense.
What I do agree with, though, is that there are too many title belts. The Intercontinental and US titles are essentially irrelevant now - when both titleholders have nothing better to do at 'Mania than compete in MITB, there's no point to those titles. I'd suspend them both (well...actually, I'd have the Intercontinental title as the belt on the C Show rather than the worthless WWE version of the ECW title) so you've got only one major title on each show.
Tag teams, cruiserweights (I appreciate their title is currently inactive) and women are a more difficult proposition. If you only have one belt then you end up with people "trapped" on the show that doesn't have it. Unless this is worked into the storylines (you could periodically have matches where the loser is forced onto the non-title show or the winner gets to jump to the show with the title, or have a tournament to win a title show in an interpromotional match at a PPV), it's a problem. Two belts for any one of these divisions seems to me to be too many - there just aren't enough tag teams to justify the two sets of straps that currently exist.
You often hear people saying that the WWE should just move all the teams/women/cruisers to one show and have the belt on that show, and I agree that's the best solution for people who watch five hours of WWE per week - but equally it cuts against the idea of the three-ring circus...if Raw is the only show with women, or Smackdown the only show with cruisers, do you lose some of your market for each?
It's a real shame, because I think that the brand extension was the correct thing to do, and there's enough talent out there to make it work properly (although you'd have to write storylines for cruisers, women and tag teams - which the current writers seem reluctant to do) but it's not going very well at all.
I can't remember when was the last time we got an extreme rules match, which begs the questions, what exactly is so "extreme" about ECW these days?
It raises the question, it does not beg the question.
Who cares about the original ECW? I mean obviously some people do, but the WWE have no reason to. They have no reason to constantly put acts that are over ten years old out there. They have no reason not to make Tommy Dreamer job. The guy gets a decent enough pop so it makes a good heel victory when he loses.
The best way to use the brand is how they are now. A breeding ground for new talent, that gets a helping hand from Smackdown to give it a bit of starpower. It gives mid-carders lost in the shuffle a chance to be someone again, such as Shelton. Jobbers are important, but people with the talent as Shelton shouldn't be them.
What the heck was meant by 'Vince doesn't follow wrestling?' The guy IS wrestling.
Hell, there are stories about how Vince would constantly gush about how great Jimmy Yang was while in meetings but wouldn't push him hard because he wasn't in the proper WWE mold.