WWE to end ECW brand in early 2010
(via ewrestlingnews.com)
When WWE bought ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) and relaunched it in 2006, the history of the company was still somewhat intact. They began with pay-per-views and then branched out and made it a full-fledged hour-long show on the SciFi channel (which is now the more “hip” SyFy channel). However, WWE has trailed away from what the original ECW was all about…extreme wrestling.
ECW is now packaged just like Raw and SmackDown. There are no hardcore matches. There is no desire to have hardcore matches or make the company anything like what it used to be. Of course, I guess this is a throwback to WWE going TV-PG and wanting what’s best for the kids (scoff).
WWE wonders what has made the interest in ECW drop so quickly. When WWE first acquired all of ECW and its video library, they put out a dvd, The Rise and Fall of ECW, as well as two well-received pay-per-views, which led WWE to create the weekly show. Fans want to see blood. They want to see people really beating the crap out of each other. Why do you think UFC has exploded in popularity in the past few years? The fans aren’t getting blood and beatdowns with the current ECW.
Instead of this vicious ECW, WWE has decided to make the brand a big pond for small fish with its “New Superstar Initiative,” which I feel is always a good thing.
“right now it appears that WWE wants to make the new Tuesday night brand a ‘WWE minor league’ and feature young up-and-coming stars.“
But if WWE wants to re-package ECW without using the letters and name, but keep the show going how it is currently, why not? Why not let go of the extreme namesake that is no longer relevant and create an entirely new look for the revamped brand?
I also believe that if WWE would keep the talent where they are and not shuffle them around to different brands a couple times a year, it would make it better for ECW.
If you watch the video (the opening sequence for ECW that was used earlier this year), you’ll notice that very few of those faces are still on ECW. John Morrison, Mark Henry, Finlay, Jack Swagger (who had an impressive and exciting feud with Christian over the ECW Championship), Hornswoggle, The Hart Dynasty, Evan Bourne, The Miz, Chavo Guerrero, Ricky Ortiz and DJ Gabriel are all no longer on the show. With the exception of Ricky Ortiz and DJ Gabriel, all of the Superstars have moved to either Raw or SmackDown. The only faces I saw that are still with ECW are Christian and Tony Atlas. That’s all.
I think that if WWE would have left Swagger and Bourne (and let them fued) on ECW rather than drafting them to Raw, ECW would be getting higher ratings and both Superstars would still be featured on tv. (It was recently announced that Swagger would not be receiving a push from the company because they feel that he is not meeting his full potential.) While Miz and Morrison have both blossomed on their respective shows, all of the others have been doomed to work the mid-card.
The current up-and-comers on ECW are, for the most part, impressive and have promise to become future Superstars. But why not keep those new interesting and entertaining guys, like Sheamus, on ECW to attract more viewers? I understand that Sheamus is incredible and deserves a shot at the WWE Championship, but the guy has only been on WWE television since the summer. Everyone has to pay their dues. Then there are guys like Goldust who have been in the business for years and are stuck on ECW because they don’t put the butts in the seats like guys on Raw and SmackDown do.
Overall, I think that WWE has a good thing going with their “New Superstar Initiative” because it allows the fans to get a glimpse at the future of the company. I also believe that losing the ECW moniker will allow the brand to grow into what WWE is trying to do with it. Nostalgia aside, the current ECW is nothing like that of the past. It’s definitely time to rename the show and let Paul Heyman live with his memories of Extreme Championship Wrestling.
(via ECW on SyFy, Extreme Championship Wrestling)
