SlamJamz Central: 04/23/2006 - 04/30/2006

Friday, April 28, 2006

Let ECW Rest In Peace....because a WWE version is doomed to total failure from the start...

Everyone has been talking and gossiping about the news that hit the internet last Sunday...that WWE was reviving ECW full time - and as soon as possible...

Unless the conditions are right, ECW fans will rebel against WWE's plans...and the conditions, at least as I see them, are most certainly NOT right...

WWE's revival of ECW isn't aimed at becoming a real success, and you're kidding yourself if you believe it is. No, the REAL aim of the ECW revival is trying to bankrupt TNA.

To Vince's credit, it's the first real salvo the WWE has launched against TNA. But trying to take them on with the ECW brand name is suicidal, and it is doomed to failure from the start. And here are the reasons why.

First off, most of ECW's biggest superstars - Raven, The Dudley Boyz, Spike Dudley, Rhino, Jerry Lynn - are all under contract to TNA, and with the exception of Rhino, they are all long term contracts locking them in for at least three years. And as much as WWE likes to believe, and the fans would desperately hope, and his enormous skill and talent aside, Rob Van Dam cannot carry the ECW brand name to success on his own. It just cannot be done. The proper mix of classic ECW talent isn't there...yet. And bringing in Sandman, Justin Credible, et al, isn't really going to help either.

Strike One.

Secondly, WWE is approaching the project as if Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer being in charge of the writing will be all they need. Already, Stephanie and Trips have been making waves, upset that Heyman will have a greater role in product. She will not have any say, but presumably Vince will. The problem with this: we all know the McMahon penchant for meddling where they should keep out of. Last year's ECW One Night Stand PPV is a perfect example. Yes, it was and is a great show - but it would have been even better had WWE's non-ECW people stayed completely out of it. The chances of Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer staying at the helm longterm are not good, especially if they actually DO manage to produce some quality material. Because the better Heyman looks, the worse Stephanie looks (actually, you can't get much worse than she and Daddy already are looking given this horrible "God" angle and the overexploitation of the late Eddie Guererro), and eventually, Heyman will either be completely out of a job - AGAIN - or back at OVW for the long term. Stephanie takes over ECW, and the rest is history.

I ask you - Remember the ECW Invasion of 2001? Stephanie wrote that....and wasn't THAT entire angle a piece of brilliance? Nuff said on that I think...

Strike Two.

Third, WWE doesn't plan to run separate shows for ECW. Rather, they intend to tape them before Smackdown and air them on the internet. Although not official at this point, several online sites are reporting that WWE has officially cancelled Velocity (the single WWE show that is actually WORTH WATCHING these days) and ECW will take its place until they can find a TV home for it, if they EVER can.

So let me get this straight - WWE is cutting it's ONLY cruiserweight-oriented show - a division that is TNA's specialty - and replacing it with hardcore? Not a good trade off if you ask me. And it's also going to mean something else...another massive talent purge. I can't see WWE using current WWE Superstars on a true ECW product. No more than I can see ECW-type matches happening on Velocity on a regular basis. Some cruiserweights have been in ECW before - Super Crazy and Psicosis are at the top of the list. And yes, London and Kendrick could adapt. But I don't think many of the other cruiserweight flyers, for all their talent, really scream "ECW", do you?

And not wanting to commit to giving ECW it's own look and feel is the true death knell of this so called "revival". It's not a revival. It's WWE Velocity/Saturday Nights Main Event but using the ECW name. Is THAT what ECW fans want? God I hope not.

ECW is the WHOLE experience. And one of the biggest reasons it went belly up as time went along was because they insisted in trying to get bigger by moving into bigger locations (a fact lost on TNA, which is starting to make a series of serious mistakes along the same line that rival both WCW and ECW's final days, and may be fatal if they're not careful).

If WWE is going to insist on trying this revival, then the single MOST IMPORTANT element about it is the venue. It cannot be taken on the road, it cannot be taken to smaller houses. WWE needs to pick ONE central location, and shoot ECW there on a regular basis. Not before "Smackdown" every week, but ONE LOCATION. Right now, the Hammersmith Ballroom would be a good starting point. Maybe in time, they could grow it to other places, but to start with , it is CRITICAL that they have one central point where fans from around the country can come together. That single point location is whathelped make ECW's reputation in the 90s, and is why the ECW Arena became legend. It is also now what is helping to make TNA as well.

House shows? Taping before "Smackdown"? Canning "Velocity"?

Strike Three. And YOU'RE OUT!

I'm sorry. I'll give it a chance. But I really think this is a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE mistake. And I think Vince and family - and any wrestlers involved with the new revived brand - are in for - pardon the pun - an extremely rude awakening...

As usual, it's Me Against The World....