NoDQ.com > Columns > Off The Top Rope: ECW is dead. Long live ECW. Posted by Charles Deane on 04/17/2008 at 01:10 PM
When I read anything relating to Paul Heyman, I always take care to read it with a pinch of salt. As far as I’m concerned, Heyman has become a little too big for his boots. I am not going to deny that he did a hell of a lot way back when, but he is not the magical booker that he thinks he is. I do, however, occasionally read his column thing on The Sun website just because I find it interesting to see where his ego has taken him each week, where recently he made some comment about not caring about what WWE have done to ECW. Am I surprised he said this, considering the numbers of raging fans who do dislike the direction WWE has taken the product? No. Why aren’t I surprised? Because it’s complete bullshit.
You see, Paul Heyman is a smart guy. He LOVED ECW. If you have never seen his promo from the first One Night Stand, go find it and watch it. But Paul Heyman knows that that company is never coming back in the same form. The fans can bitch and moan about it all day, but it won’t happen.
I never liked the original ECW. Yes, there were some damn good wrestlers in the company, and yes, there were some damn good matches, but as a package it just never really worked for me. Indeed, I would even go so far as to take the controversial stance that I prefer the new ECW. I find it more entertaining, more fresh. But you know what? It needs a different name.
Let’s think about this folks. If ECW went by another, original name, would there be such uproar about it? If they had used the WCW name or a completely original one, would you lay into it in the same way? No. ECW provides quality wrestling, as many have said in the past, and while it is not on the same level as SmackDown or RAW, it is by no means a bad show. Yet, despite my misgivings about the old show, I can’t help but agree with the complaints made by fans that it’s just not ECW.
Whether I liked it or not, ECW was unique. It was extreme. There is nothing else like it. There will always be pretenders to its style but none will ever quite be the same. The sad thing (if this is the sort of wrestling that you want to see) is that there is only one company with the resources to ever bring this ‘dream’ into reality, to bring back truly ‘extreme’ wrestling: the WWE.
Oh sure, TNA have given it a go, but their view of ‘extreme’ seems to be ‘gimmick.’ Not that WWE didn’t fail to grasp this concept last year at One Night Stand, though. (I’m not even going to make a joke out of it: Pudding is not extreme.) The thing is, though, despite neither major promotion really being able to bring back extreme wrestling, WWE does have one advantage: the ECW name. Trademark. Copyright. I don’t know, whatever it is. If Vince McMahon wanted to bring back the real spirit of ECW he could, but it’s not going to happen. Why? Because he, like Paul Heyman, is a smart guy.
I commented in one of my older columns that I disliked the idea of TNA Lockdown. (Note well, I did not see last Sunday’s show, I don’t care how good it was, my principle remains the same) The reason why hardcore matches or cage matches are entertaining is because they are different. It’s a change from seeing two guys wrestle under normal circumstances. When you see every match on the card is wrestled under abnormal stipulations, the entertainment value drops. Last year’s One Night Stand was horrible. I’ve said many times I wish TNA would cut back on their gimmick matches. Hell, I didn’t even like this year’s No Way Out, solely because there were TWO elimination chambers. This is supposed to be the new generation’s Hell in a Cell, and they’re tossing out two in one night?
Having a show that is purely ‘extreme’ wrestling saturates the product. In my opinion, any show, be it Pay-Per-View or otherwise, should have at least three ‘normal’ matches for every gimmick match on the card, roughly. I’m not trying to lay down any rules here about what makes a good show, but I am trying to say that Vince McMahon knows that if ECW were to follow its old format it would be a failure.
Now look, I know there are some diehards out there who will disagree vehemently with me, but face facts people: You are in a minority. When I say this, I mean you are part of a small group of people who want ECW to return. There are the people like me, who were never fans of the original ECW, there are the real die-hard fans, who want the whole idea of WWECW to go away and die since they know ECW’s legendary status is at stake, and there are the Paul Heyman’s, who have been there, done that and discovered the true cost of this niche market.
The original One Night Stand worked because it was a celebration of everything ECW. One Night Stand 2 merely served the purpose of providing a podium for Rob Van Dam to become champion on. Everything else about ECW since its ‘revival’ has felt lacklustre and forced. I have enjoyed the shows, yes, and I have enjoyed seeing the originals like Dreamer, but the fact of the matter is it’s just not ECW. The removal of Joey Styles from the commentary team further exemplifies the feeling that the days of the real ‘Extreme Championship Wrestling’ are gone. This is the beginning of a new era for the brand and I just wish that some people would be able to let it go. Paul Heyman has, shouldn’t that be enough?
ECW is dead. Long live ECW.
~ Sheepling
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